Sony Announces Movie Download Service Sony announced that it will start a movie download service for its PlayStation 3 console this summer in the U.S., with Japan and Europe following at later dates. Kazuo Hirai, head of Sony's video game unit, said the company will strengthen its network services and cut costs further to achieve profitability. Hirai also said to expect more from Sony's "evolving Playstation business."
June 26, 2008
Chrysler Brings Wi-Fi to 2009 Model Vehicles Chrysler announced its "Uconnect" system, a wireless internet kit, that will debut in most 2009 Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep vehicles. The feature will come as a dealer-installed option and will work over cellular networks. With the installed option, a customer's vehicle acts as a Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing customers to connect their laptops and other devices, just as easily as if they were at home or in the office, using a Wi-Fi network. The system will also give the ability to control an iPod with the vehicle's radio and steering wheel mounted controls. Navigation and real-time traffic are also included, and can be controlled with voice recognition or by touch screen. There will be a monthly service charge for the system, which has not been determined yet.
June 26, 2008
VIZIO Unveils New XVT Series of 1080p HDTVs VIZIO unveiled a new line of HDTVs, called the XVT Series, offering more features and extended performance at lower prices. The 1080p SV420XVT and SV47XVT LCD HDTVs feature 120Hz processing, with the VP505XVT Plasma HDTV offering full 1080p and HQV processing.
"Full 1080p resolution has certainly come of age, especially as lower cost, next generation HD disc players and games make their way into the warehouse and department store channels," says Laynie Newsome, vice president sales at VIZIO, Inc. "The XVT series is just one example of the best-of-breed products VIZIO offers as we continue to create the widest selection of HDTVs with state-of-the art performance and features."
The XVT Series will be available in July with the VIZIO VP505XVT having an estimated selling price of $1,699.99. For more information about Vizio's XVT Series of TVs, visit www.vizio.com.
June 25, 2008
Yahoo Stock Prices on the Rise?
Yahoo's stock has seen a rise after falling amid reports that it had broken off its talks with Microsoft and had plans of partnering with Google. The Yahoo-Google announcement immediately brought up issues of an antitrust review, as together Yahoo and Google would control more than 80 percent of the U.S. search advertising market. Also working against Yahoo was the announcement that several of its top executives planned to leave the company. The new reports of Yahoo, reportedly, now back in talks with Microsoft and discussing new terms of a deal with them has seemed to restore some faith in the company, and eased some of the fears Yahoo's shareholders have had during this time. Whether Yahoo's stock price continues to rise remains to be seen, as issues with Google and Microsoft are still unresolved.
June 25, 2008
JVC Docking Station Plays and Charges Two iPod Players Side-by-Side
The new JVC NX-PN7, charges two iPods simultaneously and offers playback from each through the dock's speaker system. The dock also includes an AM/FM tuner, a clock, and a timer. In addition to iPod connectivity, there is also analog audio input for connecting other devices for playback. Two illuminated strips, one under each docked iPod, can display one of nine colors - including white, blue, and red among others. The included remote features dedicated iPod control keys that simulate the iPod control wheel layout, making it easy for users to easily shuffle, repeat, scroll and select songs from the iPod menu. The JVC NX-PN7 is currently available for $149.95. For more information on the JVC NX-PN7 visit www.jvc.com.
June 24, 2008
Tired of Housework? Readybot Robot Helps Clean the House So You Won't Have To
The Readybot Robot Challenge, a non-profit “homebrew robotics” club, released a second video of their Readybot robot, cleaning a family room full of clutter, and releasing a Roomba carpet and floor cleaning robot to vacuum the carpet. The Readybot uses a special carpet rake tool to scrape up small items into plastic bins, stores the bins in a cabinet, closes the door, and then empties trash receptacles.
“We believe the next and largest wave of the robotics industry will be similar to the personal computer industry," said Tom Benson, Director of the Readybot Robot Challenge. "With PCs, the hard disks, monitors, motherboards, and other components are made by different vendors and then assembled into an easy-to-maintain, easy-to-upgrade final product. This has produced the fast growth, cost reduction, and innovation in the PC market. We believe robots will be the same, so that arms, bases, video systems, etc. could be made by different vendors and plugged together. So it makes perfect sense to use an existing vacuum cleaning robot as a peripheral.”
Readybot also announced “Phase II” of their robot challenge project, for fall of 2008. For more information on Readybot, visit www.readybot.com.
June 24, 2008
More than 1 Billion Computers in Use Around the World
Research firm Gartner has said that there are now more than 1 billion computers in use around the world, with more than 180 million PCs expected to be replaced this year. Broadband avalability and lower PC prices have undoubtedly contributed to the increase in computer sales, with more and more people looking to replace their aging PCs, and many first-time buyers now able to purchase feature-rich PCs that were previously out of reach to them before. As replacement PCs are installed in their new homes and offices around the world, older PCs are typically donated or given to friends and family. This trend also contributes to the spread in computer use, and as PC prices continue to drop, look for the number of computer users to continue to grow.
June 23, 2008
Fandango Acquires Movies.com
Fandango Inc. announced that it has acquired Movies.com from Walt Disney Co. for an undisclosed amount. Fandango, which reportedly sells tickets for 1,300 theaters nationwide, said it will now handle the movie ticketing functions for Movies.com as well.
June 23, 2008
AT&T, Covisint and Microsoft to Deliver Nationwide Health-Information Exchange
AT&T Inc., Covisint, and Microsoft Corp. announced a nationwide information exchange, to enhance the healthcare experience for both patients and practitioners.
The new eHealth information exchange is designed to reduce costs and improve the quality of care while putting patients in increased control of their medical records. It allows consumers using Microsoft HealthVault, a software and service-based platform for storing and accessing personal health information, to share information with all physicians and healthcare providers connected to AT&T Healthcare Community Online.
“Through our cooperative efforts with AT&T and Covisint, we are giving consumers the opportunity to make informed choices regarding their health and the health of their families by putting them in more control of their personal health information,” said Peter Neupert, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Health Solutions Group.
Roman Pacewicz, senior vice president, Regional Business Marketing for AT&T, said, “AT&T is committed to leveraging technology that will transform the delivery of healthcare, enhance operational efficiencies and, ultimately, improve the quality of life. We’re proud to be working with Microsoft and Covisint to help enhance the healthcare experience, offering anytime, anywhere delivery of care and medical information.”
“This alliance focuses on the fundamental problem facing every healthcare interoperability initiative today: privacy, complexity and cost,” said Brett Furst, vice president of Health Care for Covisint. “For the first time, institutions, communities and consumers can leverage a security-enhanced on-demand framework connecting patients and caregivers in a matter of days, rather than months — or even years.”
Today’s announcement from the Microsoft HealthVault Solutions Conference in Bellevue, extends the capabilities announced earlier this year by AT&T regarding Tennessee’s statewide eHealth information exchange, which is also secured by Covisint’s platform.
June 23, 2008
iTunes Store Announces Over Five Billion Songs Sold, Plus the Renting and Selling of Over 50,000 Movies Per Day
Apple announced today that music fans have purchased and downloaded over five billion songs from the iTunes Store, the number one music retailer in the US, according to the company. The iTunes Store features the largest music catalog with over eight million songs. In addition to music purchases, iTunes customers are now also renting and purchasing over 50,000 movies every day, making iTunes the world’s most popular online movie store as well.
The iTunes Store features a catalog of over eight million songs, over 20,000 TV episodes and over 2,000 films including over 350 in high definition video.
June 19, 2008
YouTube Screening Room Provides Filmmakers With a Venue for their Projects
The YouTube Screening Room is a platform for filmmakers from around the world to be able to get their movies in front of a larger audience. Every other Friday, four new films will be featured, and users are asked to rate, share, and leave comments about the films. Many of the films being shown have played at international film festivals, but some films have never been screened for large audiences.
All of the films playing in the YouTube Screening Room are displayed with YouTube's High Quality video player, offering viewers a better viewing experience than they may be used to from standard YouTube videos uploaded by the general public.
Philly's Wi-Fi Project Back on Track
Network Acquisition Company (NAC), reportedly, will take over operation of Philadelphia's citywide Wi-Fi network project, which aims to bring Wi-Fi access to city residents and visitors for free. After Earthlink's decision to pull out of the project, plans for completion seemed to be on shaky ground, but NAC will use the existing EarthLink infrastructure, which already covers approximately 80 percent of the city, to continue to build and expand the network. Funding for the project is expected to come from local investors and businesspeople.
June 19, 2008
Firefox 3 Download Day A Big Success for Mozilla
On June 17th, Mozilla attempted to set a Guinness World Record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours, when it released the new Firefox 3 browser for download from its site. The company reportedly had more than 8 million downloads in 24 hours, which is more Firefox downloads than they have ever had in a single day. Mozilla is still waiting to hear from Guinness to hear if they set a World Record, and will have more information on their Download Day page when they find out.
June 18, 2008
Toshiba Announces New 128GB SSD Computer as World's Lightest Laptop Toshiba has announced the 2.4 lb Portege R500-S5007V, the world’s lightest laptop with a 128GB SSD and DVD SuperMulti drive, according to the company, and one of the world’s thinnest with a SSD and DVD SuperMulti drive.
“With seven world’s first technologies the Portégé R500 series has served as a technology launching pad and redefined the ultraportable marketplace with its world’s first technologies and ‘green’ attributes, such as a transreflective LED backlit indoor/outdoor viewing display, the industry’s highest rated EPEAT Gold laptop and Energy Star 4.0 compliance,” said Jeff Barney, general manager and vice president, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. “First to incorporate a 128GB solid state drive is another major accomplishment for Toshiba and illustrates how the company is committed to delivering solutions that meet the needs of our customers.”
The unit also features 8 hours of battery life, and Toshiba's EasyGuard Technology for added security. Toshiba's recommended configuration has a suggested retail price of $2,999, and features Windows Vista Business (32-bit version), downgrade media for Windows XP Professional, Intel Core™ 2 Duo Processor U77006, 1.33GHz, 2MB L2, 533MHz FSB with 64 bit, 2048 PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM, 128GB Serial ATA solid state drive, 12.1-inch diagonal widescreen high brightness display, 1280 x 800 (WXGA) — Transreflective backlit LED, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 9509, 7mm, 8xDVD-SuperMulti (+/-R Single Layer) drive supporting 9 formats, Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN10, Intel PRO/1000 — 10/100/1000 Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, and a 3-Year Standard Limited Warranty.
For more information about Toshiba's Portege R500-S5007V, visit www.toshiba.com.
June 18, 2008
Nokia Unveils Two New Nokia Eseries Devices Nokia introduced the Nokia E71 and Nokia E66 - the latest email-optimized devices from the Nokia Eseries product range. The Nokia E71, featuring a full QWERTY keyboard, and the slide-to-open Nokia E66 offer a variety of personal and professional messaging solutions, including Microsoft Exchange. Both devices are expected to begin shipping in key markets in July.
"The Nokia E71 and Nokia E66 were designed for people who lead a mobile lifestyle and want quick and easy access to their personal and work email. With both of these devices, we have responded to consumer feedback by making calendar and contacts available at the touch of a button," said Soren Petersen, Senior Vice President, Devices, Nokia. "Equally important, people want well-crafted devices that are as beautiful to use as they are to behold. Stainless steel was chosen as the core material for these devices, giving them additional strength and a touch of class. Furthermore, the Nokia E71 and Nokia E66 offer all the latest multimedia features that people desire."
The Nokia E71 and Nokia E66 support email accounts from more than a thousand internet service providers (ISPs) around the world, as well as Gmail, Yahoo! mail and Hotmail. Additionally, the Nokia E71 and Nokia E66 support the Nokia Intellisync Wireless Email solution as well as third party email solutions like System Seven and Visto Mobile. Both devices come with the new switch mode that allows people easily to switch between personal and work home screens.
"With mobile email penetration and access to wireless applications growing at a rapid rate, Nokia is well positioned with its extensive lineup of market leading handsets to address the needs of consumers, high-end users and mobile professionals alike," said Andrew Brown, Director, Wireless Enterprise Strategies Global Wireless Practice, Strategy Analytics.
For more details about the Nokia E71 and Nokia E66 visit www.nokia.com
June 17, 2008
Honda Announces FCX Clarity Zero Emissions Vehicle American Honda Motor Co., Inc., today announced five of the first customers for its advanced new FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle and also provided details of the world's first fuel cell vehicle dealership network in the United States. The announcements were made during a ceremony for the start of FCX Clarity production at the world's first dedicated fuel cell vehicle manufacturing facility in Japan.
Film producer Ron Yerxa will take delivery of the first FCX Clarity in July. The remaining four early adopters for Honda's next-generation fuel cell vehicle are author and actress Jamie Lee Curtis and her filmmaker husband Christopher Guest; business owner and car enthusiast Jim Salomon; actress Laura Harris; and Jon Spallino, already the world's first retail fuel cell vehicle customer, who has been leasing the current generation FCX since 2005. Yerxa, Harris and Spallino attended the event in Japan. The five customers announced today were among the very first people to share with Honda their passion for the environment and interest in the FCX Clarity, dating back to its debut as a concept model at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show.
To provide its customers with sales and service support and as a critical step in advancing fuel cell vehicles in the real world, American Honda announced the establishment of the first network of dealers to facilitate the sales and service of fuel cell vehicles. The three Southern California Honda dealers are Power Honda Costa Mesa (Costa Mesa), Honda of Santa Monica (Santa Monica) and Scott Robinson Honda (Torrance).
"This is an important day in the history of fuel cell vehicle technology and a monumental step closer to the day when fuel cell cars will be part of the mainstream," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. "Our customers and dealers share in our vision for a cleaner and more sustainable transportation future, and share in our challenge to embrace a new generation of automotive technology that we think will carry the auto industry and its customers into the future."
The FCX Clarity is a next-generation, hydrogen powered fuel cell-powered vehicle. Propelled by an electric motor that runs on electricity generated in the fuel cell, the vehicle's only emission is water, and its fuel efficiency is three times that of a modern gasoline-powered automobile. Based on the entirely-new Honda V Flow fuel cell platform, and powered by a highly compact, efficient and powerful new Honda V Flow fuel cell stack, the FCX Clarity marks the significant progress Honda continues to make in advancing the real-world performance and appeal of the fuel cell car. Significant advances over Honda's previous generation FCX include:
An advanced new four passenger sedan design
A greater than 30 percent increase in driving range up to 280 miles
A 25 percent increase in combined fuel economy to 72 miles/kg-H2
(74 mpg GGE )
A 50 percent improvement in fuel stack power output density by volume
A 40 percent smaller and 50 percent lighter new lithium ion battery pack
Honda's FCX Clarity will be released in July 2008.
June 16, 2008
NASA Awards Contract for Constellation Spacesuit for the Moon NASA has awarded a contract to Oceaneering International Inc. of Houston, for the design, development and production of a new spacesuit system. The spacesuit will protect astronauts during Constellation Program voyages to the International Space Station and, by 2020, the surface of the moon.
"The award of the spacesuit contract completes the spaceflight hardware requirements for the Constellation Program's first human flight in 2015," said Jeff Hanley, Constellation program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Contracts for the Orion crew capsule and the Ares I rocket were awarded during the past two years.
The cost-plus-award-fee spacesuit contract includes a basic performance period from June 2008 to September 2014 that has a value of $183.8 million. During the performance period, Oceaneering and its subcontractors will conduct design, development, test, and evaluation work culminating in the manufacture, assembly, and first flight of the suit components needed for astronauts aboard the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The basic contract also includes initial work on the suit design needed for the lunar surface.
"I am excited about the new partnership between NASA and Oceaneering," said Glenn Lutz, project manager for the spacesuit system at Johnson. "Now it is time for our spacesuit team to begin the journey together that ultimately will put new sets of boot prints on the moon."
The Constellation Program mission requires two spacesuit system configurations to meet the requirements of Orion missions to the space station and to the moon. Configuration One will support dynamic events such as launch and landing operations; contingency intravehicular activity (IVA) during critical mission events; off-nominal events such as loss of pressurization of the Orion crew compartment; and microgravity EVAs for contingency operations.
Configuration Two will build upon Configuration One and will support lunar surface operations. While preparing to walk on the moon, the astronauts will construct Configuration Two by replacing elements of Configuration One with elements specialized for surface operations. Suits and support systems will be needed for as many as four astronauts on moon voyages and as many as six space station travelers. For short trips to the moon, the suit design will support a week's worth of moon walks. The system also must be designed to support a significant number of moon walks during potential six-month lunar outpost expeditions. In addition, the spacesuit and support systems will provide contingency spacewalk capability and protection against the launch and landing environment, such as spacecraft cabin leaks.
Images Courtesy of NASA
June 16, 2008
AMD Stream Processor First to Break 1 Teraflop Barrier
At the International Supercomputing Conference, AMD introduced its next-generation stream processor, the AMD FireStream 9250, specifically designed to accelerate critical algorithms in high-performance computing (HPC), mainstream and consumer applications. The FireStream 9250 breaks the one teraflop barrier for single precision performance, and occupies a single PCI slot. Its power consumption of less than 150 watts, delivers an unprecedented rate of performance per watt efficiency with up to eight gigaflops per watt.
Customers can leverage AMD’s latest FireStream offering to run critical workloads such as financial analysis or seismic processing dramatically faster than with CPU alone, helping them to address more complex problems and achieve faster results.
The AMD FireStream 9250 stream processor includes a second-generation double-precision floating point hardware implementation delivering more than 200 gigaflops, building on the capabilities of the earlier AMD FireStream 9170, the industry’s first GP-GPU with double-precision floating point support. The AMD FireStream 9250’s compact size makes it ideal for small 1U servers as well as most desktop systems, workstations, and larger servers and it features 1GB of GDDR3 memory, enabling developers to handle large, complex problems.
AMD plans to deliver the FireStream 9250 in Q3 2008 at an MSRP of $999 USD. AMD FireStream 9170, the industry’s first double-precision floating point stream processor, is currently available for purchase and is competitively priced at $1,999 USD. For more information about AMD FireStream 9250 or AMD FireStream 9170 or AMD’s complete line of stream computing solutions, visit http://www.amd.com/stream.
June 16, 2008
Qik Announces Support for iPhone Qik, the live video streaming service, has announced the addition of the iPhone to the list of over 30 devices it supports. The iPhone version is the full version users are already familiar with, including live chat and superior networking support. Click on the play button of the above video to see a demo of Qik on the iPhone. The service should work well with first-generation iPhones over a Wi-Fi connection as well as the upcoming iPhone 3G.
