Bad dog, no battery

Nintendo has released a puppy simulator for the North American market. This game lets players nurture and train a virtual dog. Nintendogs has been a big hit in Japan but then we know the kind of stuff the Japanese like. The Japanese have always liked taking care of virtual animals, children, friends and plants too, I guess. Back to Nintendogs, the game comes out in three editions and offers 18 breeds for the players to care for, train and play with. Using artificial intelligence, a built-in microphone, and a touch screen, Nintendo’s puppy responds to a player’s voice and reacts to praise and discipline. The game also has a “bark mode” that detects an available wireless network for contact with other players. Nintendo hopes to put a leash (no pun intended) on the Sony PSP sales with this game and frankly, I do not think this game will affect the sales of the PSP.
Nintendogs is available for the Nintendo DS.

Mobile phones take priority over smoking

Health officials in Japan announced a drop in the rate of smoking among teenagers in Japan. Kenji Hayashi, the head of research at the Health Ministry, said that "There is a high chance that phone bills are weighing on the money they spend on cigarettes. The monthly allowance students get ranges between 6000 yen [$A72] and 7000 yen, but over 80 per cent of them own a cell phone and some studies show the phone bills they pay amount to 4000 to 6000 yen. We need to investigate the correlation between the two." Thanks to mobile phone companies and their hidden costs, I have not only stopped smoking but started eating lesser too. They care about us and just want us to be healthy.