In Brief: Feb. 5, 2001

• Share

GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM This stylish unit is a satellite radio receiver from Sony--the first of its kind. Starting this summer, two companies, XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio (Sony's device works with the former), will start broadcasting radio signals from space. The good news? You'll never drive out of range of your favorite station. The bad news? The service will cost about $10 a month.

A DREAMCAST DEFERRED In the latest war of the game consoles, first blood has been drawn. Last week a Japanese newspaper reported that Sega would cease production of its popular Dreamcast console in March. Sega has refused to confirm the report, insisting on its "global commitment to Dreamcast," but if true, the news would come as a bitter disappointment to the approximately 3 million U.S. gamers who bought a Dreamcast. Either way, Sega will continue to publish software for Dreamcast. It's tough all over: Sony's game division, makers of the elusive Playstation 2, reported losses of almost $120 million in 2000.

FREEZE FRAME Regardless of who won or lost last weekend, they looked cool doing it, thanks to a technology called Eye Vision that made its debut at the Super Bowl. Thirty cameras set up in the stands tracked the action, recorded it digitally, then combined it on the fly to form a single tableau. Result: CBS could freeze the action mid-play and then rotate it, Matrix-style, in three dimensions. Eighteen months in the making, Eye Vision may be headed for the Final Four. If only quarterbacks could dodge linebackers like Keanu.

--By Lev Grossman