Halo 4 launch blasts past Hollywood

The Xbox shooter brought in $200m within 24 hours of its launch – easily outdoing first-day takings by cinema blockbusters

Halo 4’s Master Chief congratulates Peter Gagnon of Seattle on being the first person to
purchase the Xbox 360 game. Photograph: Stephen Brashear/Invision for Xbox

If you want to catch the largest-grossing entertainment launch of the year so far, you can forget about Skyfall – or, indeed, the cinema. Microsoft's Xbox 360 shooter videogame Halo 4 brought in $220m (£138m) within 24 hours of its launch on Tuesday.

The figure tops the record-breaking first-day cinema takings of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two, which made $91m at the box office in its opening day in July 2011. (The new James Bond film Skyfall took $89m in its first weekend, from Friday to Saturday, this month.)

Developed by 343 Industries, Halo 4 is the latest title in the long-running console series and once again features muscular space marine Master Chief, this time battling an ancient alien force.

Microsoft expects it will bring in $300m worldwide in its first week on sale, making it the biggest launch in the history of the series, which has already shifted more than 46m units since the original title arrived in 2001. In the past week, fans have spent over 30m hours playing Halo 4.

It is unlikely, however, that Halo, which is only available on the Xbox 360 console, will hold on to the title of 2012's biggest entertainment release. Tuesday saw the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, the latest in Activision's series of military shooters, which is also out on PC and PlayStation 3. Last year's instalment, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, made $400m in its first day and reached $775m by day five.

The rivalry between Halo 4 and Call of Duty is good news for games retailers. Worldwide, video game sales have fallen this year, with the UK's October figures down almost 30% on the same month last year. A good shoot-out between two of the biggest brands in gaming should help the market recover.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More

Nokia claims Nexus 7 tablet infringes on its patents

Finnish handset maker says neither Asus nor Google has approached it to license wireless-standard patents.

Only announced last week, the Nexus 7 is already attracting patent-infringement claims.
Google unveiled the Asus-built 7-inch tablet running Android's new mobile OS, Jelly Bean, at Google I/O in San Francisco. However, Nokia alleges that the Nexus takes advantage of Wi-Fi technology covered by Nokia patents that neither Google nor Asus approached the Finnish handset maker about licensing.
"Nokia has more than 40 licensees, mainly for its standards essential patent portfolio, including most of the mobile device manufacturers," a Nokia spokesperson told The Inquirer. "Neither Google nor Asus is licensed under our patent portfolio."
"Companies who are not yet licensed under our standard essential patents should simply approach us and sign up for a license," the spokesperson said.
CNET has contacted Asus and Google for comment and will update this report when we learn more.
It's unknown if Nokia has filed or plans to file a patent-infringement claim against Asus. CNET has contacted Nokia to comment on that option and will update this report when we learn more

by - Steven Musil

Tuesday, July 03, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More

Sounding out Logitech's Mini Boombox

Play up the sound on your mobile entertainment devices with the Logitech Mini Boombox

Here's a handy tip: To boost the sound on your smartphone, place the phone - speaker side - into a bowl. The bowl will act as a natural amplifier.

But if you want better bass and better clarity, you might want to check out Logitech's Mini Boombox. This compact sound system pairs with smartphones, tablets and other Bluetooth-enabled entertainment devices for entertainment on-the-go.

The Logitech Mini Boombox boasts a specially-designed acoustic chamber that enhances the sound quality of your movies, music and phone calls with greater bass, and pristine clarity. With the Mini Boombox, portable gaming consoles and mobile entertainment devices can be heard the way its meant to be - loud.

Measuring 115.6mm by 71.2mm by 58mm, and weighing only 229 grams, the Logitech Mini Boombox, as its name suggests, is very portable. Its internal battery, charged via USB, lasts up to ten hours (depending on how you use and set it) so you can rest assured it will last a day at the beach. The gadget also acts as a speakerphone, so when you have your smartphone paired you won't miss out on any important calls whether you're at the park or in the car.

The Logitech Mini Boombox is expected to launch sometime soon For more information on where to get it, visit www.logitech.com.

Monday, February 13, 2012 | 1 comments | Read More

How valuable is Facebook?

Social networking site's IPO may be announced this week; its worth could match McDonald's

SAN FRANCISCO - When Facebook makes its long-expected debut as a public company this spring, the social-networking giant will likely vault into the ranks of the largest public companies in the world, alongside McDonald's, Amazon.com and Bank of America.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports that Facebook is preparing to file initial paperwork for an offering that could raise as much as US$10 billion (S$12.5 billion) and value the company at between US$75 billion and US$100 billion.

The filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission could come as early as tomorrow, with an initial public offering (IPO) in three or four months.

The targeted amount would slot it among the world's 25 largest IPOs.

The IPOs of 14 companies would rank higher than Facebook's, according to investment adviser Renaissance Capital. Among them were Visa's US$17.9 billion IPO in March 2008, the largest for a US company, and world-topper Agricultural Bank of China, which raised US$19.3 billion in July 2010, not including extra shares issued to meet demand.

A Facebook spokesman said the company would not comment on IPO-related speculation. The WSJ had cited unnamed sources, who said that Facebook was close to picking Morgan Stanley as the lead underwriter.

The buzz surrounding an outsized haul for Facebook's founders, employees and early investors remains a hopeful sign for capital markets after a deep recession. At the reported price, Facebook's IPO would be the biggest for an Internet company in the US - topping the debut of one of its main rivals, Google.

"We are expecting 2012 to be a year of recovery for the IPO market, led by the Facebook IPO," said Ms Kathy Smith, Renaissance Capital's principal.

The event will follow a string of tepid debuts by technology start-ups, including social game maker Zynga and discount advertiser Groupon.

Facebook's will be the most anticipated tech IPO since Google went public in August 2004. Not including shares sold by early investors, the Internet search giant raised US$1.2 billion and grabbed a market value of US$23 billion, the biggest so far for a US Internet company.

The IPO raised US$1.9 billion, including shares sold by early investors and extra stock issued to meet the heavy demand. It is not known whether Facebook's US$10 billion target includes shares owned by early investors.

Facebook's reported valuation of US$75 billion to US$100 billion compares with about US$100 billion for McDonald's, US$90 billion for Citigroup and Amazon.com and US$75 billion for Bank of America. It would exceed the market cap of US$55 billion for Hewlett-Packard, one of the world's largest technology companies by revenue.

Both Facebook and Google earn most of their money from advertising and are now competing to gain as much information as possible about their users to help advertisers target niche audiences.

According to eMarketer, Facebook is expected to increase its share of the US display ad market to about 20 per cent this year from 16 per cent last year, above second-ranked Yahoo!'s expected share of about 13 per cent. AP

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 | 2 comments | Read More

Nintendo Chief Promises To Do Wii U Launch Right

TOKYO- Nintendo's chief is determined to get right the launch of its next game machine, Wii U, set for this year's holiday shopping season, and acknowledged today some mistakes with selling its 3DS handheld.

But Nintendo President Satoru Iwata warned earnings for the fiscal year set to begin April will be the toughest ever for the Japanese manufacturer behind the Super Mario and Pokemon games.

Iwata's remarks come a day after it lowered its annual earnings forecast to a ¥65 billion (S$1.06 billion) loss, much larger than the ¥20 billion loss projected earlier. It posted a ¥77.62 billion profit the previous fiscal year.

Iwata blamed the strong yen, which erases overseas earnings, as well as the arrival of smartphones and other devices that offer gaming.

The higher yen slashed nearly ¥54 billion yen from the company's operating profit for the April-December period.

"I can see how the red ink may be perceived as abnormal," Iwata told analysts and reporters at a Tokyo hotel. "The environment has changed."

The failure of the 3DS handheld, which offers three-dimensional imagery, to take off with enough momentum during the last quarter of last year was one of the main reasons for the dismal results, according to Iwata.

The 3DS has gradually started to sell better, but it took a price cut in August. It still lacks a strong lineup of attractive software games, a key factor for a machine to succeed in a big way.

Iwata vowed the company will be better prepared when it introduces the Wii U home console during this year's year-end shopping season for a strong comeback.

He declined to give details such as pricing or what the software games available at that time might be.

But he said the Wii U will come with a strong game lineup at the launch as well as secure and safe Internet services that will offer players individual accounts.

The Wii U will come with new ways of playing that will almost make the term "home console" obsolete, Iwata said. It will also offer mobile gaming. The machine has a touch-panel controller.

Nintendo has long competed against rival game makers, such as Sony and Microsoft. These days, all face the threat from hit devices like the iPad and iPhone from Apple that also offer games.

Iwata's comments also showed Nintendo is growing less cautious about the Internet, which in the past it had brushed off as mainly for hard-core gamers.

Kyoto-based Nintendo has built its reputation on making games fun to play for casual and newcomer players.

"We are going to put to use our bitter experience with the 3DS," said Iwata. AP

Monday, January 30, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More

Google Reaches Out to Educate Users

Google has always been about keeping their users informed and educated and today they announced another way that they’re planning to do this. Google is now going to begin educating users about web security though some more conventional methods, actual advertisements displayed throughout the country. This is a big step from Google and may be exactly what everyone needs.

Google has begun buying advertisements on city busses, subways, and dozens of other locations in multiple cities to educate people. Google is already responsible for saving millions of users from visiting known malicious sites and now they’re taking it a step further. Google is going to do anything and everything they can to show users the correct way to avoid malicious attacks online. Proper education is always the key to protecting users and if anybody can spread the word effectively Google is definitely the company to do so.

Keep an eye out for Google advertisements in your city, they are all there to help you understand what is and what isn’t safe online. We don’t know exactly what Google is going to be advertising or how they’re going to be spreading the word but it is definitely good news that Google is going to be doing their best to educate the masses. Next time you are using Google make sure to remember just how much they do to help you and the rest of the internet stay safe from unwanted attacks.

by - Jonathan Cox

Sunday, January 22, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More

Twitter boss slams Wikipedia's 'silly' Sopa protest

Wikipedia's plans to pull the plug on its website in protest of anti-piracy legislation are 'foolish', according to Twitter's CEO

Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales announced the site's planned blackout in protest of Sopa on Monday.

Wikipedia, one of the world's most popular websites, has confirmed it will "go dark" on Wednesday when the site pulls the plug in a 24-hour protest against highly-contentious US online piracy legislation.

The online encyclopedia is the sixth most popular destination on the internet and attracts 25 million visitors a day. Starting at midnight on Tuesday the company said its English-language version will be unavailable in protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa) and Protect IP, two bills aimed at attacking online piracy.

Wikimedia, the foundation behind the site, discussed the move with "Wikipedians" – the authors of its entries – and the company said the majority favored action. Similar blackouts are planned by other websites including Reddit, the popular news sharing site, and the Cheezburger websites, which attract 16.5 million visitors a month to look at funny cat videos and photos.

"Today Wikipedians from around the world have spoken about their opposition to this destructive legislation," said Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia. "This is an extraordinary action for our community to take – and while we regret having to prevent the world from having access to Wikipedia for even a second, we simply cannot ignore the fact that Sopa and PIPA endanger free speech both in the United States and abroad, and set a frightening precedent of Internet censorship for the world."

Wales has been a persistent critic of Sopa, calling it "the worst internet legislation I have ever seen."

Before the decision was made Wales tweeted: "Student warning! Do your homework early. Wikipedia protesting bad law on Wednesday! #sopa".

Wales made the announcement as the threat of SOPA seemed to be receding. Other tech leaders were less enamored of his move. In a tweet, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo called Wikipedia's plans to pull the plug on its website "foolish" and "silly".

Via Twitter, Radar correspondent Alex Howard asked Costolo, Google's Eric Schmidt and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, whether they would have the 'cojones' to follow in Wikipedia's protesting footsteps. "That's just silly. Closing a global business in reaction to single-issue national politics is foolish," Costolo replied.

The spat was the first sign of tension amid the major tech players who have so far shown a united front as they have fought Hollywood and the music industry over regulation of the internet. Over the weekend the tech community won a key battle when President Barack Obama came down on their side. Sopa now looks un-passable in its current form.

But Wales and others fear that while Sopa now looks severely damaged, Protect IP is still up for a vote on 24 January and there is widespread support among politicians for tighter control of the internet.

So far, the Sopa battle has been largely fought out in the tech, media, and business pages. All that could change Wednesday when Wikipedia goes dark.

by - Dominic Rushe

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More

Chris Huhne takes solar subsidy cuts ruling to the court of appeal

The government has made an urgent challenge to a judge's decision that halving feed-in tariffs was an 'unlawful decision'

The government went to the court of appeal on Friday in an urgent attempt to overturn a high court ruling that has hit its plans to cut subsidies for solar panels on homes.

The energy secretary, Chris Huhne, wants to reduce feed-in tariff (Fits) subsidies – payments made to households and communities that generate green electricity through solar panels – on any installations completed after 12 December last year.

Just before Christmas, a judge ruled that the minister was "proposing to make an unlawful decision".

Mr Justice Mitting's decision was a victory for environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth (FoE) and two solar companies – Solarcentury and HomeSun – who said the plans to halve subsidies were creating "huge economic uncertainty".

FoE's executive director, Andy Atkins, said the government's proposed cuts had "cast a huge shadow over the solar industry, jeopardising thousands of jobs".

But today Huhne will ask three appeal judges – Lord Justice Lloyd, Lord Justice Moses and Lord Justice Richards – to hear his challenge to the high court ruling as a matter of urgency.

A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) said an appeal was necessary "so that we can provide clarity for consumers and industry on the way forward".

The government wants to rush tariff reductions because it believes the current subsidies are too generous and will "severely deplete resources for future solar PV generators, or for other technologies".

In a ruling in December, Mitting said it would be unlawful for the energy secretary to carry out his plan to implement the cuts in April this year by referring back to the 12 December deadline last year, which had fallen in the middle of a consultation period.

The judge said Huhne was entitled to make modifications for "the statutory purpose" of promoting small-scale, low-carbon electricity-generating schemes.

But changes made by reference to the earlier date of 12 December "are not in my judgment calculated to further that statutory purpose".

He added: "On the contrary, they will tend to undermine the confidence of those participating in the market for small solar systems."

He observed that a significant capital outlay was required to install solar panels, and the payback for that investment under the Fits scheme was over 25 years.

Decc argues that the judge has misunderstood the position.

A department spokesman said after the high court ruling that the overriding aim of the proposed reduction was to ensure "that over the long term as many people as possible are encouraged to install small-scale low-carbon generation (including other technologies as well as solar PV) and benefit from the funding available for the Fit scheme.

"Without an urgent reduction in the current tariffs, which give a very generous return, the budget for the scheme would be severely depleted and there would be very little available for future solar PV generators, or for other technologies.

"Our view is that the urgent steps we have proposed to protect the scheme for the future are fully consistent with the scheme's statutory purpose."

Decc also argues that the judge's ruling was premature "as no decision has yet been taken, and a decision will only be taken after a full analysis of the responses to the consultation".

Monday, January 16, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More

The rise of smart TV

Samsung showed a range of TV sets with voice and motion-controlled interfaces. 

If you're planning to buy a TV set this year, then whether you realise it or not, it's almost certain to come with the ability to hook up to the internet – to browse sites such as Facebook, YouTube or Wikipedia, and quite possibly download apps such as Angry Birds.

The rise of the "smart TV", capable of connecting to internet services such as the BBC's iPlayer catch-up service or the Netflix movie-streaming system, which launched last week in the UK, has been one of the most prominent trends this year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the annual gadget and technology shindig.

The smartness is more than internet-deep: Samsung, LG and a number of others showed off voice and motion-controlled interfaces – which in the latter case could give you a way to control games, as well as changing channels and surfing the net, rather than wrestling with a remote.

Samsung, which sold 57m sets worldwide last year and has been the world's biggest TV maker for the past six years, also reckons the TV will become like a giant computer screen in the corner of your lounge – so we will share photos from our phones on to it and use them to make video calls.

Internet-enabled TVs will be coming to a house near you soon, according to Richard Lindsay-Davies, chief executive of the UK's Digital TV Group. He said that between half and three-quarter of the 9.5m TV sets expected to sell this year to the UK's 24.5m TV-owning households will have internet connectivity. "With the Olympics coming up, it could even be more," he added.

That means that in as little as five years, a majority of UK sets could have the capability – though, as Lindsay-Davies also pointed out, there's wide variation in how many people actually connect up existing smart sets. "Some manufacturers tell us it's 10% to 15%, others that it's between 45% and 50%."

In the US, research firm Parks Associates said the percentage of broadband-enabled homes with smart TVs connected to the net rose from 8% in 2010 to 10% in 2011. Sir Howard Stringer of Sony reckons there are already 100m worldwide.

The biggest use is likely to be for watching catch-up services and online films. And despite efforts by Google to get its Google TV service installed on as many companies' sets as possible, many – including Samsung, which leads TV sales in the US – are not using it, or as with Sony, hedging their bets by offering both their own version and Google's in different sets.

The wild card in this is Apple, which did not exhibit anything at CES – though 250 of its staff were registered to attend as visitors – but is strongly rumoured to be preparing its own smart TV offering for introduction later this year.

But the iPhone company's arrival may amplify a catch in the TV offerings: there are so many different versions of "smart TV", with their own special tweaks and foibles, that if in future you end up replacing one brand with another (due to age, burglary or breakage), any investment in apps, games or photo storage services could be lost.

Lindsay-Davies agreed that could be a problem – but said as long as every set has the same baseline set of capabilities, which his group is trying to get agreed by manufacturers, then the problems will be minimal. "It's the same as if you buy a smartphone that runs one set of software, and then you get one with another – basic things like email and the web still work, but some apps won't carry over."

While smart TV is expected to drive use of catch-up services such as BBC's iPlayer, ITV's ITV Player and Channel 4's 4oD services, and of services such as the newly launched Netflix, the effect on Sky will probably be minimal: it has enough exclusive content in movies and sports to hold on to subscribers, said Lindsay-Davies.

Saturday, January 14, 2012 | 1 comments | Read More

Indian computer tablet could herald an internet revolution

Aakash device is cheap and will, say enthusiasts, help overcome problems with literacy and skills – especially in rural areas

The Aakash tablet computer, which can be made and sold for under £35, could help India reach its target of 600 million internet users by 2016

In a laboratory on a leafy campus in the Indian desert city of Jodhpur, Professor Prem Kalra believes he is overseeing a revolution. It takes the form of a computer "tablet" – a basic form of device similar to the Apple iPad – which can be made and sold for under £35.

Already 100,000 of the devices, called Aakash, which means "sky" or "ether" in the local Hindi language, are to be manufactured for testing.

Within weeks a new version, which will allow hundreds of millions of Indians in remote rural areas to connect to the internet via local mobile phone networks, will be launched.

"We expect that within five or 10 years everyone will have one – and every year there will be greater capacity. There will be children learning, farmers checking on irrigation or crop prices, pregnant women getting medical assistance, all through the Aakash. It is empowerment on a global scale," Kalra, who heads a team at the Rajasthan Indian Institute of Technology, said.

But the new tablet, originally developed by a small tech company called Datawind, is only a small, if crucial, part of a radical change which may, some believe, see Indians become the biggest single internet user population in the world within less than a decade.

According to the most recent estimate, 112 million Indians currently have internet access, a distant third behind China with 485 million and the US with 245 million.

The level reflects India's low relative levels of education, parlous infrastructure and persistent poverty.

But the number is set to reach 230 million within three or four years, according to industry estimates. The government claims there will be 600 million Indians using the internet by 2016.

"Now we've crossed the 100 million milestone, the 600 million is possible. Perhaps not as fast as the government say but we can get there if the investment is there too," Subho Ray, of the Internet and Mobile Association of India, said. "Whatever happens, the internet will be a major force to reckon with."

A key factor in India, where many of those lucky enough to have a job earn no more than £2 per day, is cost. Kalra and his team said the specific goal was building a functioning computer that a daily wage labourer could buy if he saved one day's earnings a month. This gave a £35 ($50) target.

Students receive a significant government subsidy. Enough to mean, Kalra points out, that a family with two children could effectively buy one of the tablets and get a second almost free. The government hopes to use the Aakash tablets to overcome chronic shortages in educational resources through distance learning packages. India has a shortage of a million teachers and many schools lack books or basic facilities.

Experts say infrastructure – though far behind that in regional rival China – is improving. But the main driver is likely not to be public investment but the private sector, said Prashant Agarwal, a Mumbai-based analyst.

"The major portion of the expansion is big commercial players like Facebook, Google," said Agarwal.

Internet shopping is another major factor in the explosive growth.

Though it faces a lack of consumer confidence, slow download speeds and the same infrastructure problems that any company trying to run distribution networks in India has to cope with – bad roads, insufficient freight capacity on railways, corruption and red tape – the sector is growing rapidly.

The online travel market is now thought to be worth £6.6bn.

FlipKart, an Indian home delivery site launched four years ago offering books alone, has gone from $10m to $100m (£66m) in a year. It now sells everything from kettles to computer games, allowing nervous customers to pay cash on delivery.

"There are some specific difficulties here but we don't see the economic downturn affecting us too much. We aim to hit a turnover of a billion dollars by 2015 and may get there a bit earlier," Ravi Vohra, Flipkart's vice president, said.

However, many believe the government predictions of growth in internet use are too optimistic.

"It will grow but at a much slower pace," Agarwal the analyst said.

One challenge is literacy. Around a quarter of Indians are unable to read or write and at least another quarter are very limited. Another is maintenance. Previous attempts to distribute cheap laptops to villagers ran into problems as access to servicing was very difficult.

A third problem is skills. One state government in south India is handing out tens of thousands of computers to schoolchildren. But there are not enough trained teachers to demonstrate how to use the free equipment.

A final issue is power. Many villagers don't have electricity with which to charge any device.

There are solutions for all these issues, Kalra believes.

His team say they can develop a system of icons to overcome the problem of users being unable to use a keyboard with letters.

They are also developing a solar charger for the Aakash tablets because, he says, "one thing we are not short of in India is sun".

Friday, January 13, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More

Apple interested in exclusive rights to screen English Premiere League

According to iPitch, Apple is interested in buying exclusive rights to screen the English premiere League from 2013 to 2016. The IT giant’s action could have impact on a larger level than just soccer world.

Apple is prepared to put a multibillion-dollar bid on the full broadcasting rights to the English Premier League (EPL) in the next three years. The tech giant has manifested its interest in buying exclusive television rights for the next EPL package, which will consist in the seasons included between 2013 and 2016. And of course, it is not the only company interested in the acquirement. Its rivals are TV heavyweights ESPN, Sky Sports (owned by the British media mogul Rupert Murdoch) and Al Jazeera.

Apple already acquired screening rights for the Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association. By using a 100-dollar small box, users were able to stream internet content on their wide TV screens. However, acquiring the full rights to broadcast EPL is different, as it will mark a turning point for the company. “Apple could be signaling the start of an assault on cable's turf”, says iPitch.

Apple’s EPL plans were first revealed a few days ago by the London Daily Mail’s Charles Sale. The news was confirmed by Apple to ThePostGame. There were no other details to be given out to the press, as the company is still in the project stage with the EPL bidding plan.

Thursday, January 12, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More

Latest iPad 3 rumors in 2012

The latest rumors regarding the iPad surface a very close release date, a slimmer, more sophisticated look and higher performances. Stick with us to find out what Apple has planned for the iPad 3.

i

Until last week, it was believed that the iPad 3 will be released in late January, the same month of the Consumer Electronics Show (which will take place on January 10 – 13) and the MacWorld/iWorld event (set for January 26 – 28). However, DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim told CNET that it is very unlikely that Apple would release the new device this month. Calling the time “a little suspect”, he explained that “when they make them available they want to have as many as possible. And my sense is that they will wait rather than make them immediately available”, Shim added.

It is more likely that the release would occur in February or March. February 24 would be a great day for its release, as it was Steve Job’s birthday.  But according to DigiTimes, the event could be pushed to March.

So what to expect from the iPad 3?

Faster processor, for one. Rumors have been circulating that the iPad 3’s new processor will offer the possibility of quicker browsing, playing and using all its apps. Then, a shaper screen, that uses Retina Display (over 300 dpi). Last year in August, the Wall Street Journal was reporting a rumor regarding the resolution of the device. It was believed that it would be double, compared to the first to models. That would mean the iPad 3 would have a 2,048-by-1,536 pixels with 326 dots per inch. It is also expected that it would feature a quad-core A6 processor, 4G LTE and it will be slimmer and lighter.

by - Catinca Oprea

Saturday, January 07, 2012 | 1 comments | Read More

Computerspielemuseum

If you thought the Video Card Museum of Kharkov was a geek paradise, than the Video Game Museum in Berlin is really gonna blow your mind. It features vintage hardware, interactive installations, and over 300 video games, including the first ever arcade game, Computer Space, released in 1971, which by the way was a total commercial failure.
The Video Game Museum was first opened for a brief period at the end of the 1990s, but was eventually closed down in 2000. The new museum opened in January 2011 and is located in an east Berlin building formerly occupied by Cafe Warsaw. The exhibits in this geeky museum aim to document all the aspects of video games, including graphics, hardware, music, storylines, etc, since 1951 to current day. Apart from tracking the evolution of video games, the museum also explores the effects gaming has had on modern society, from positive ones like social networking to negative, like addiction and video-game-inspired violence.

One of the museum walls is covered with over 50 handheld and home video-game consoles, dating back to 1951. Gaming enthusiasts will recognize the Commodore 64, the Game Boy, and the 1990′s popular Super Nintendo, displayed in neon green cases. It also features the world’s first home video-game console, invented by a Ralph Baer, during the 1960s. It was called the “Brown Box”, and it was the prototype for the home gaming system known as the Magnavox Odyssey console. Baer, who is now the patron of the Video Game Museum, thinks kids nowadays with their PSPs, Xbox 360s and PS3 consoles take modern games for granted and need to know how gaming began and how far it has come since the days of Atari’s legendary Pong.

 In another part of the museum we find the Wall of Game Milestones, with over 50 extraordinary games that have influenced the industry with their graphics, music, or genre. Among these are the legendary Pac-Man, Street Fighter 2 or Sonic the Hedgehog, but also more obscure video games like Balance of Power, released in 1985, which was included because it was the world’s first ever video game with a political theme.

 So if you’ve always wanted to know things like who invented the Commodore 64, who did the music on Donkey Kong, or who developed some of the games that marked your childhood, head over to the Video Game Museum of Berlin for an eye-opening experience and a trip down memory lane.

Tuesday, September 06, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More

First Laptop

1981 Osborne 1 , The first truly portable computer introduced April 1981. It weighs 24 pounds, can fit under an airline seat and could even use an optional battery. It had a price tag of $1,795 which included the CPM operating system, WordStar word processing, SuperCalc spreadsheet and MBASIC and CBASIC programming languages. That was very affordable for a computer at the time. $1,795 in 1981 equals $4,320 in 2008 dollars. For that $4,320 today you could get ten budget laptops with free Open Office software online. The Osborne 1 has 64K RAM. The two 5.25" floppy drives each store 91 kilobytes of information. To compare, as I write this in July 2008, you can get a 500 gigabyte external hard drive for $95 at amazon.com. That hard drive holds about 5 million times more information that a single Osborne 1 floppy drive! My large photo of the Osborne 1 is about 100 kilobytes, exceeding the capacity of an Osborne 1 drive. That photo itself is 5% its original size out of the camera. 8 gigabyte flash memory cards are common today. Each holds 80,000 times more information than an Osborne 1 drive! Increases in secondary storage in less than 30 years have been astonishing.

The Osborne 1 has a 5" black and white CRT display showing 53 x 24 characters of text. The text is actually quite clear, although a 53 character width is frustrating doing word processing since you have to scroll to see a full line of about 80 characters. While its stats are amusing by today's standards, it was very useful in its day and a huge success with sales up to 10,000 per month. (Of course, success is relative. As I write this in July 2008 Apple sold over 1 million 3G iPhones in the first weekend of sales!) My seller bought it new in 1981. He is a power engineer (e.g., works with uninterruptible power supplies). He and his fellow engineers where he worked all decided to go out and each get an Osborne 1. Obviously, to engineers, accountants, and others who do a lot of number crunching, the spreadsheet capabilities at a reasonable cost were wonderful. It was also a great tool for writers, although with a significant limitation of a 53 character wide display.




While the Osborne 1 sold well, with increased competition from companies like Kaypro with larger screens and more secondary storage, and the arrival of MS-DOS, Osborne was out of business two years later. I bought my Osborne 1 from an ad on Craigslist on 7-21-08 for $40. It is in very good cosmetic condition and comes with the software and operating system. It powers on. At first, with the keyboard plugged in the monitor would flicker. It did not do this with the keyboard unplugged, however. Eventually the display was stable with the keyboard plugged in. The drives do not appear to be working, however. The red lights blink for an instant, but the drives never turn. (The original price was $50. The seller agreed to knock $10 off because of the problems.) The Obsolete Computer Website - Oldcomputers.net has a great Web page about the Osborne 1 including internal photographs.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More

Top 8 Most Expensive Computer Keyboards in the World

Here’s the list of most expensive computer keyboards. Keyboard is one of human needs with the advance of computer technology nowadays. Keyboard is made with various shapes, sizes and materials to make users feel comfortable using it. Besides that, keyboard often become an arena to show off the prestige and wealth of its users.

Here’s a list of most expensive computer keyboards that even more expensive than the computer itself:

8. Comfort Keyboard, Comfort Keyboard Systems $ 349,00
The Comfort Keyboard is separated into three parts, which can be adjusted easily and locked into place. The Comfort Keyboard also features complete key reprogramming and programmed “rest time indicator”, which reminds users to take a break!

Comfort Keyboard

7. Keyless ergonomic Keyboard, OrbiTouch $ 399,00
OrbiTouch keyless ergonomic keyboard creates a keystroke when you slide the two holes in oneof them changed their forward positions. You type the different characters by sliding the hole to create the letters and numbers. The orbiTouch keyless ergonomic keyboard also has a unique Mouse, so move the complete hole, giving you the ability of mouse and keyboard with comfortably.

 

Keyless ergonomic Keyboard

6. Professional II ™, Datahand $ 675,00
What if the keyboard can be customized to fit the size and shape of each person’s hand? We have Datahand! Unique finger and thumb typing switch to change different modes.

Datahand professional II


5. Dual Handed ergonomis 3D, Maltron £ 375,00 – £ 435,00
Get Maltron Qwerty keyboard with Maltron or Dvorak layouts. Available in the UK, the United States, French, German, Norwegian and Sweden. The key of the keyboard is matching the finger movements and the key to the radius of the hidden again. Getting a trackball on this 3D keyboard will cost an additional £ 65.

Maltron dual handed ergonomic


4. Executive Keyboard, Maltron £550.00
Ergonomic keyboard produced by Maltron. They want to reduce the pressure on the fingers, wrists, and arms while typing. This is one of their latest models made with Perspex, Stainless-Steel and Polycarbonate key.

Executive Keyboard Maltron

3. TouchStream LP, Fingerworks, $ 1500+
Mystical keyboard, was originally retailing for $ 340 but because FingerWorks been purchased and no longer produce the keyboard, TouchStream LP in great condition has started to sell at a fantastic price. You can search on eBay if you don’t mind spending your money on computer accessories.

Touch Stream LP


2. 2000-IS-DT, 2000-IS-PM Stealth Computer $2,200.00
Want to war with your keyboard? Stealth Computer makes devices to reduce the risk of failure in a dangerous area, the 2000-IS-DT & 2000-IS-PM comes with sealed non-corrosive stainless steel with optical isolated barriers ensure NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) 4X protection. This keyboard has a temperature range of-40F to 194 F (-40C to 90 C). Stealth makes a lot of expensive steel NEMA keyboard, but this one is the most expensive one.

2000 IS DT & 2000 IS PM Stealth Computer


1. Happy Hacking HP Keyboard Japan, PFU Ltd ¥ 525.000

PFU Ltd from Ishikawa, Japan, an affiliate of Fujitsu, is produced Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional HP Japan, which is made to order with handcoated keyboard Urushi lacquer. This keyboard is coated many times using a special brush made of virgin hair, and then powdered with gold dust! The price of this computer keyboard is ¥ 525,000 or about U.S. $ 4440.

Sunday, June 05, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More

USB Typewriter

Something for the old-fashioned types? How you can use a typewriter to work on your PC

Maybe the typewriter isn't dead just yet.

A U.S. designer has created a USB Typewriter conversion kit that allows computer users to type on their machines using an old-school typewriter keyboard.


The kit plugs into the USB port on a laptop, monitor or iPad via a sensor board.

U.S. designer Jack Zylkin has created this USB Typewriter conversion kit that allows computer users to type on their machines using an old-school typewriter keyboard

Inventor Jack Zylkin said: 'It's a new and ground-breaking innovation in the field of obsolescence.'

Mr Zylkin sells complete kits, which include the typewriter itself, on retail website Etsy.com.

 They retail for between $699 and $899 depending on the model. Mr Zylkin also sells do it yourself kits, starting at $74.

The modification is 'easy to install,' according to a statement on usbtypewriter.com.

Mr Zylkin sells complete kits, which include the typewriter itself on website Etsy.com which retail for between $699 and $899 depending on the model


'It involves no messy wiring, and does not change the outward appearance of the typewriter (except for the usb adapter itself, which is mounted in the rear of the machine),' the statement continues.

The high-tech typewriters are marketed to 'lovers of the look, feel, and quality of old fashioned manual typewriters,' who can now use them as keyboards for any USB-capable computer.

The machine, introduced in July of 2010, has since become a hit with retro-style aficionados, receiving 100 per cent positive feedback on Etsy.com.

One user commented on the brand's website: 'I know several people who at least claim to be nostalgic for the old typewriter days; this would make it possible to call their bluff :-) . And who knows, they might actually like it?'

Cheaper alternative: A DIY modification that retails for $74 is 'easy to install,' according to a statement on usbtypewriter.com

Monday, May 23, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More

Information Leakage from Lenovo

The network has photos undeclared models ThinkCentre Edge 91z from the company Lenovo. They say that the device has a screen in a 21.5-inch and 1080p, CPU Intel Core i7, a discrete ATI graphics, disk 80GB SSD mSATA. Available as HDMI and VGA connectors, waterproof wireless keyboard and built-in handle for carrying. The expected price of new items is between $ 700 and $ 1200, unless, of course, caught in a net PDF file will not be Faile.

Monday, May 23, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More