 | Edition 2494 |
| | In this edition: Nintendo, Sony Walkman, Scott Farquhar, DoorDash, Amazon, Uber, Grok, Xero, Salesforce, iPod and OS-tan Nanami Madobe. Plus, deals on Motorola Moto Tags, JBL Boombox and Apple iPhones. | The News | The Nintendo Switch (1) is still selling like hot cakes | No, that's not a typo: Nintendo's original Switch has just become the second best-selling game console ever, after the PS2 (Ars Technica). This milestone — which makes it Nintendo's best-selling console ever — was announced in the company's most recent earnings report (CNBC). Not to be outdone, the Switch 2 is also Nintendo's fastest selling console ever. Interestingly, though, Nintendo's "annual playing users" count has hovered around 130 million for the last three years. | The Sizzle: Nintendo occupies a unique place among gaming companies where it seems to avoid the, uh, gamer tag? It's got plenty of die-hard fans, but still appeals to casual gamers in a non-intimidating way. That's a remarkable feat — and a serious business advantage. This smart Verge piece on the Switch's legacy points out that Nintendo is an entertainment company more than just gaming, creating worlds that transcend media to become things like the super successful Super Mario Bros. Movie and theme parks across the world. One thing that remains interesting: despite this appeal, Nintendo still hasn't cracked mobile gaming. I wonder why that is. (Do you have thoughts? Let me know). | Discuss in Slack or Forum. | Who did tech donate to in 2024-25? | Data on political donations in the 2025 election year came out earlier this week and, I gotta say, I'm always surprised by how little is given in Australia compared to the US. Technically the Liberal Party received more from the tech sector but, as InnovationAus' Joseph Brookes pointed out in his wrap-up ($), that was because of a $780k donation from DoorDash, of all companies. Outside of that, Labor received the lion's share. Here are some highlights: | Lobby group Tech Council of Australia gave $55k to Labor, $53k to the Liberals (a $2k difference, wow). Its chair, Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar, gave $1.5 million to Climate 200. (The other co-founder, Mike Cannon-Brookes, gave $1.3 million). Canva co-founder Cliff Obrecht also gave $500k to Climate 200. Amazon and Uber gave $80k and $55k respectively to Labor Salesforce gave $142k to the Queensland LNP Google gave exactly $22k to both major parties.
| Discuss in Slack or Forum. | The solution to "too much tech" might be more tech | | I came across this random blog Decentralizing My Smartphone With Single Purpose Devices which I found myself nodding along to. Its author says that she's combatting the feeling of information overload by moving away from her phone as the catch-all device towards dedicated tech for each purpose: a portable DVD player, camera, CD player, iPod, Switch, even a portable word processor. What I like about this approach is that it's not trying to fight the worst parts of tech — notifications, gamification, etc — by eschewing technology altogether. Rather, it's about choosing to use technology that is designed in a way to encourage use that we like. | Discuss in Slack or Forum. | Leftovers | Australia: | | Rest of World: | | Discuss in Slack or Forum. | | Oh, Also | You have to see this incredible Windows 7 anime commercial | There's been some great TV commercials about computers over the years, but none make me feel like this short video promoting the launch of Windows 7 (YouTube). Apparently, there is a whole world of "OS-tans", which are the anime personifications of various operating systems like Windows 7's Nanami Madobe. |  | Windows 7 Madobe Nanami Commercial [4K 60FPS Remastered] |
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| There was a special edition of Windows 7 released on CD in Japan that included a theme matching Madobe (Unboxing video here). Sadly, it seems, her time has run out. YouTuber Com.Figurado, who posted the video above, wrote that in 2023 "the Windows 7 was totaly discontinued by Microsoft and our heroine fall... But will forever be in our hearts. 😥" | Discuss in Slack or Forum. | | Bargains | Electronics | | Computing | | Mobile | | | The End | 😎 The Sizzle is written by Cam Wilson and emailed every weekday. It was created by Anthony “decryption” Agius. | 🤖 We love robots at the Sizzle but this newsletter has always been and will always be written by humans for humans. Also by Aussies for Aussies — so all prices are in dollarydoos, of course. | 🗣️ Have any feedback, a tip or just want to chat? Send me an email or Signal message. I promise to reply! | 💬 Want to hang out with other Sizzlers? There’s a subscriber-only Slack server and forum if you want to procrastinate and chat about tech-related news. | 🌐 The Sizzle is on Bluesky, Mastodon and LinkedIn if you’re feeling social. | 💳 Paid subscriber looking to manage your billing info, change email address or cancel your subscription? Visit the Beehiiv customer portal. | 🎁 Make someone's day and gift them a 12 month gift subscription to The Sizzle. | 💔 Don’t want this any more? I won’t take it personally. There’s a unsubscribe button at the bottom of this email or here’s a guide. | 🦺 The Sizzle has been tested to meet and exceed ISO 3533 standards. | Always Was, Always Will Be Aboriginal Land | The Sizzle is created on Gadigal land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders both past and present. |
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