Xbox 360 Dashboard Update Coming in November
Xbox users have something to look forward to this fall. The new Xbox 360 Dashboard update is reportedly going to be released this November. Barring no further delays, the new dashboard will enhance the Xbox user experience by offering easy navigation and the ability to create a customized avatar to show off your style in the online world.
August 25, 2008
Game Pads Coming for iPhone
Gamers get ready. With the iPhone now able to handle games in widescreen, it was inevitable that iPhone gaming accessories would soon appear on the market. The iControl pad, above, is one such new accessory, adding gaming controls like action buttons and a Dpad to help enhance the iPhone gaming experience. Although only a prototype of the accessory is pictured, iPhone users can get ready for the iControl pad and more to begin making their debuts soon.
August 25, 2008
iPhone 3G's Problem Plagued Users Turning Their Attention Back to the Network as the Culprit
Users have been chiming in from around the world about their iPhone 3G problems with bad connections, slower speeds, and dropped calls, but as more and more user experiences are gathered, it looks as if the problems reported might not be as widespread globally as many first thought. Some countries are reporting their service is fine, which has many turning their attention back to their service carriers for answers. Could it be the network is to blame after all, and not the device itself? Possibly. With the amount of new iPhone users rising, the problems people have been complaining about could be as simple as too much demand taxing an already strained 3G network. That could account for why some users have reported better reception in different locations, as they may be using their phones in areas where 3G isn't in as much demand. The jury is still out as to what the true cause may be, but for now it looks as if the network could hold the answers.
August 25, 2008
OLPC Comes to the Nation of Niue
The South Pacific nation of Niue became the first nation in the world to issue OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) laptop computers to all of its children this Thursday, providing every primary and secondary school student with the PCs. The children of Niue, whose population is less than 1,500, will now have wireless Internet connectivity, which will help create new educational opportunites for them, which is part of OLPC's mission to provide a means for learning, self-expression, and exploration to the nearly two billion children of the developing world with little or no access to education. To find out more about the One Laptop Per Child project, visit: www.laptop.org.
August 22, 2008
Apple Expected to Sell More than 10 Million iPhones This Year
As the worldwide rollout of Apple's iPhone 3G continues, sales for the device are expected to pass 10 million by the end of the year. Though currently in the news for problems with its 3G quality and connectivity, the iPhone still remains a strong seller, and continues to dominate the marketplace. Already claiming a significant piece of the smartphone pie, Apple, along with the success of the App Store (which provides iPhone users with a variety of third-party applications to install on their phones), is poised to roll into the new year with unprecedented sales in a phone industry which is now scrambling to compete with the new 3G device.
August 22, 2008
Intel Gives a Glimpse of Wireless Power
Intel Corporation's chief technology officer, Justin Rattner, during his keynote today at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, predicted big changes ahead in technology advancements, including wireless power.
Imagine being able to walk into an airport or room with your laptop and instead of consuming battery, it is recharged. Based on principles proposed by MIT physicists, Intel researchers have been working on a Wireless Resonant Energy Link (WREL). Rattner demonstrated powering a 60-watt light bulb without the use of a plug or wire of any kind, which is more than is needed for a typical laptop.
The magic of WREL is that it promises to deliver wireless power safely and efficiently. The technology relies on strongly coupled resonators, a principle similar to the way a trained singer can shatter a glass using her voice. At the receiving resonator's natural frequency, energy is absorbed efficiently, just as a glass absorbs acoustic energy at its natural frequency. With this technology enabled in a laptop, for example, batteries could be recharged when the laptop gets within several feet of the transmit resonator. Many engineering challenges remain, but the company's researchers hope to find a way to cut the last cord in mobile devices and someday enable wireless power in Intel-based platforms.
August 21, 2008
Image Metrics Emily Project Changing the Face of Computer Animation
Image Metrics has been gaining a lot of attention with its Emily Project, which uses proprietary software to capture an actor's live performance, then translates that performance into computer animation. Unlike traditional computer animation motion capture, where an actor is covered in special markers and filmed in front of special cameras that look for those markers as motion points, the Image Metrics method requires no special markers or special cameras. The actor is simply filmed with regular cameras, and the software does the rest. The animation of Emily, above, is a sample of the level of realism Image Metrics has achieved. With this new step in computer animation, it won't be long before we see much more realistic performances and movements from animated characters in film, television, and video games. These new steps should help to do away with that "just slightly off" characteristic that many digital characters currently display, which keeps audiences from completely believing, and fully accepting, the performance. To find out more about the work Image Metrics is doing, and the Emily Project, visit www.image-metrics.com.
August 21, 2008
Microsoft Taps Seinfeld to Help Vista Brand
In an effort to fight back against Apple's popular "Mac vs. PC" television ads, Microsoft is paying comedian Jerry Seinfeld $10 million to help put a new face on Windows Vista. The new advertising campaign will reportedly feature Seinfeld and Bill Gates promoting Vista, giving the the much maligned operating system what Microsoft hopes will be an opinion changing boost. Windows Vista has repeatedly come under attack since its debut, leaving it with an image of the version of Windows to stay away from. Many have even downgraded their Windows Vista PCs to the prior version of the Windows operating system, Windows XP, believing that the new OS doesn't work as well as the former version. Whether there is any truth to that perception is still the subject of debate, but whether deserved or not, Vista's image has been tarnished by its critics. For Microsoft's sake, the new ad campaign will, hopefully, bring the Vista brand a much needed public image makeover.
August 21, 2008
Sony Announces the PSP-3000
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. announced that it would launch a new PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld entertainment system (PSP-3000) featuring an advanced LCD that further improves the very popular, high resolution PSP display.
The basic design and functionality of the current "slim and light" PSP will carry over to the new model, with enhanced image quality and a built-in microphone so users can enjoy games and content with voice input functionality, as well as Skype and other communication tools, without the use of a separate microphone.
The new PSP also features a 4.3 inch wide LCD screen that adopts an anti-reflection technology, which enables users to see the screen more clearly in well-lit places, even when used outdoors. The video-out port is also expanded to output gameplay in interlace format, which will allow new PSP users to enjoy games on non-progressive TVs by using separately sold cables.
The new PSP models will also come in three colors (basic Piano Black, Pearl White, and Mystic Silver), and will be available in stores in Japan, Asia, North America and Europe in October 2008.
August 20, 2008
Palm Unveils the Treo Pro
Palm, Inc. unveiled the Treo Pro, a new smartphone for professional and personal use, set to compete with other big names in a very compettitive market. Running on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, the Treo Pro features e-mail, Wi-Fi, and GPS capabilities, as well as offering a variety of multimedia features and add-on applications.
"Businesses want the control and savings that Windows Mobile affords, in an innovative and elegant package that keeps their users happy. That's where Palm comes in," said Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer, Palm, Inc. "Everything about Treo Pro -- from the hardware design to the packaging and accessories -- embodies the elegant and simplified end-to-end experience that our customers expect from Palm."
The Treo Pro will be available in September in Europe through Vodafone (from free to EUR 399 with contract) and O2 (pricing is available from O2 direct sales and online business stores), and in Australia through Telstra (from free with contract). It will be available in the United States in the fall through the Palm online store (http://www.palm.com/store) as well as select Internet, retail and enterprise resellers for a suggested retail price of $549. The U.S. version is unlocked and unsubsidized, giving end users the flexibility to simply insert their existing active SIM card and immediately start using their Treo Pro without a new contract.
For more information on the new Treo Pro, visit www.palm.com.
August 20, 2008
Mobile Learning Comes to ACU
Abilene Christian University, as of August 16th, announced its intent to bring mobile learning devices into the classroom, presenting every member of its more than 950 student freshman class with an Apple iPhone 3G or iPod touch. The students will be able use the new mobile technology for handling everything from class schedules, to bringing up campus maps, to real-time surveys, research, and more. The university had been exploring different methods of teaching with converged media devices since 1999, but until the iPhone and iPod touch came along, they felt they had not seen a device compelling enough to do what they were hoping to accomplish. The ACU points out that the use of new technology will in no way replace face-to-face learning, but will instead serve to enhance it. Since the ACU's announcement, many other universities have begun announcing their own plans to integrate new, mobile technology into their learning environments, and many others are expected to follow.
August 19, 2008
Dell Loses Bid on "Cloud Computing" Trademark
The USPTO (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) has denied Dell its bid for a trademark on the term "cloud computing." The USPTO says the term is too generic, and describes services that many companies are already offering. The decision, however, is "non-final" which leaves Dell the option of filing a response within the next six months. If Dell fails to file a response, however, the USPTO will abandon Dell's application for trademark. Whether Dell will continue to pursue the matter remains to be seen, as they have already been met with much resistance and criticism for trying to trademark an already widely used term that many feel no one has the right to lay claim to. For now, the USPTO seems to agree with that widespread opinion, and Dell will find itself facing an uphill battle if it decides to continue its fight for the "cloud computing" trademark further.
August 19, 2008
Apple Issues New iPhone Update - 3G Problems Continue
Apple has issued its 2.0.2 update for the iPhone, listing "bug fixes" as the reason for the new software. Apple failed to describe the new update in any further detail, but many iPhone 3G users had hoped that the update would contain a fix to solve the problems which many have been reporting with their 3G connectivity. Thousands of reports of poor 3G reception and dropped calls having been flooding into Apple from various countries, leaving many to wonder if the problem is with the phone's software, AT&T's network, or a chip inside the phone itself. After downloading the new update, many users still claimed to be having the same problems as before, reporting that the update did nothing to fix the 3G problem. Apple is rumored to be working on a firmware update that may fix the problem, but that remains to be seen. For now, iPhone 3G users can only wait, and hope that their 3G problems will soon be resolved.
August 19, 2008
Netflix Resumes Normal Shipping
Normal shipping procedures resumed for Netflix on Friday after the company experienced major problems which disrupted its DVD mailings to about a third of its customers earlier in the week. Although no DVDs shipped early in the week, partial shipments went out in the following days, with full service restored on Friday. Customers will reportedly receive credits on their billing statements to make up for the inconvenience.
August 16, 2008
4th Annual New Media Expo Kicks Off in Las Vegas
The 4th Annual New Media Expo kicked off in Las Vegas, Nevada today. The event, taking place from August 14th - August 16th, opened with an exceptional keynote from Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV, about building your brand, and how he achieved his own enormous success. The New Media Expo, billed as the the world's most popular convention for podcasters, online video creators, and bloggers, saw many familiar faces from the blogging and podcasting world on hand, including Leo Laporte, Veronica Belmont, Tom Merritt, Justine Ezarik, and more. The Expo also featured numerous hands on how-to conferences for paid attendees, a free exhibit hall featuring products and information from numerous companies, as well as the free Exhibit Hall Learning Theater, where attendees got to learn about new products and services to help them with their broadcasting endeavors. Registration for the event was free through August 13th for exhibit hall passes, but is now only $25 for onsite registrations. If you're in Las Vegas, or planning to be in Las Vegas the 14th through the 16th, be sure to check out the New Media Expo. For more information, visit: www.newmediaexpo.com
August 14, 2008
Biondi and Chapple Named to Yahoo's Board
Yahoo announced Thursday that Frank Biondi Jr. (a former chief executive of Viacom Inc.) and John Chapple (a former chief executive of Nextel Partners) have been selected to its board of directors from a list of nine recommendations from Carl Icahn. Prior to Yahoo's August 1st meeting, Icahn was given three seats on Yahoo's board - one for himself and seats for two others who would be backed by him, in an effort to ward off a proxy fight which Icahn had planned. Robert Kotick, a five year member of Yahoo's board, left his position, making room for the new board members.
