Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Gadgets Watch Blog. Hope you enjoy the gadgets posts and the holidays....:)There are no strangers on Christmas Eve.Read more on "Wish You Merry Christmas + Happy Holidays"!
Sony set to release next year on the PlayStation 3, God of War III continues where previous installment left off, with plenty of new enemies and refreshed graphics to top things off. I'm waiting for this, are you, tell us....
A poster by the name of StreetskaterFU has outlined what he claims a method of hacking into PlayStation Home's servers for download, uploading and deleting files.
It's no secret that being an iPhone app developer is at times rough business, mostly due to Apple's goofy authoritarianism. But judging by some recent soul-spilling by a few leading devs, things are getting rougher.
This nifty LEGO brick iPod speaker from ThinkGeek plugs right into the base and "actually sounds great - thanks in part to its 'Active Bass System.'" Available now at priced at $19.99.
Sony said that it would launch its online 3-D social networking service (Home) for users of the company's PlayStation 3 video-game console. Home is similar to Linden Lab's Second Life in that it lets people create virtual characters, or avatars, to interact in cyberspace. PlayStation 3 users will be able to join the virtual world through a free software download.
Unlike its game console predecessors, the PC version of Mirror's Edge is able to make full use of NVIDIA's PhysX engine for some stunning gameplay effects.
Playstation Home, Sony’s answer to Xbox Live, features a graphical virtual world where users can own a customizable apartment, play casual games with others, shop for products, and eventually access online media content.
If you’ve cash this Christmas—having saved up for gift to yourself or someone else then chances that you’re interested in upgrading video game experience this holiday season. But the question is: desktop or console gaming?I’ve always preferred playing games on the desktop, with good reason. Though I’m thankful for not missing out on Metal Gear Solid, a classic that was only available on the PlayStation, I’ve more or less stuck to gaming PC style (Mac gaming, while vastly improved compared to a couple of years ago, is still way behind).
In a word, desktop gaming is versatile. There are a lots of things you can do with the mouse-keyboard combo. Have you tried playing a shooter on a console? It’s definitely a less responsive experience. And there are USB controllers. A gaming rig can easily surpass even the most advanced gaming console out there; it’s just a matter of the right specs. On top of that, a powerful gaming rig will most likely handle the most demanding apps out there.
Nokia has a new flagship phone. The N97 packs a 3.5-inch, 640 x 360 pixel (that's a 16:9 aspect ratio) resistive touchscreen display with tactile feedback and QWERTY keyboard into this sliding communicator with an "always open" window to favorite internet or social networking sites.
Apple has acknowledged two video problems in both the new MacBook and MacBook Pros, following past video problems with other MacBook lines. One of them seems pretty obvious. Called "the black screen of death", it happens when the graphic card goes into overload playing games, turning off video and locking up the system while the audio enters into a loop. Apparently it's a thermal issue, but Apple doesn't know if this is a hardware or software problem yet, according to an Apple Support forums member:Just spoke to AppleCare UK and they also confirm "Apple are aware of the issue and are investigating. At present we do not know if this is a hardware or software issue and have been advised not to offer customers exchanges until the issue is better understood."
I've also read the posts suggesting this is a thermal issue but I got screen noise/distortion when just waking the machine from sleep and also monitored the fans while playing WoW and they were running at 6000+ rpm consistently.
Ultimately Apple have access to more testing resources and should come up with a fix fairly soon but if my replacement exhibits the same issues when it arrives in two weeks time, I doubt I'll keep waiting: I'll have it shipped back and ask for a re-fund until Apple sort this out and I can purchase a working computer.
Unlike other vehicles, the "LIFT car concept can adjust itself in the aerial parking without demanding any extra space." Prices are still not mentioned.
While everyone is trying to emulate the iPhone's look, iRiver keeps playing their own metallic tune: Following the design of the beautiful Spinn—although more conservative than their experimental products—the new iRiver cellphone also has a brushed metal look, featuring both a pad as a controlling device and a large touchscreen, which supports handwriting recognition and multiple dictionaries.
While it's not multitouch and its operating system may not be as advanced and powerful as the iPhone or Android OS, it looks like one to keep an eye on in the case it arrives to the US from Korea, where it will appear on March 9, next year.
Well, it's election day here in the US, thought it'd be fitting to show what happens when electronic voting machines go wrong...in The Simpsons.
Moller International has announced that it will be producing a flying Ferrari of sorts, based on the Ferrari 599 GTB. The vehicle "will use eight thrusters to take off vertically, hover, and fly forward at 150mph." Expecting to shell out around $787,000 on it's first released.
Unfortunately, the latest update isn't exactly enthralling, as we're given no set time frame for launch and we're not shown any forthcoming changes that really get our juices flowing. For instance, Vista SP2 will add Windows Search 4.0 for faster and improved relevancy in searches, the Bluetooth 2.1 Feature Pack, ability to natively record data on Blu-ray media and Windows Connect Now (WCN) to simplify WiFi configuration. Waiting for your comments please........
Cnet has reviewed the 55-inch, plasma-killin' tri-color LED-backlit Bravia XBR8 we saw a couple months ago. Spoiler: Sony's setup didn't lie—it's the best LCD TV ever, falling just short of the best HDTV ever, nearly matching Pioneer's PDP-111FD (Cnet's best flat-panel period) in blacks, color accuracy and bright-room picture quality.
You won't get to play Zerg or Protoss, though, since their single player campaigns have been plucked out and turned into expansion packs, which will be released one and two years respectively after part 1.
Game Trailers count down the top ten most anticipated games of the Tokyo Game Show 2008, which includes White Knight Chronicles, Resistance 2, and Resident Evil 5.
TGS, Capcom will have a total of 50 playable kiosks split 25 to 25 between the Xbox 360 and PS3. This could rise as high as 70 when including demo units in the Sony and Microsoft booths.
I have disclosed the technical details to Apple few weeks before that post, in a hope to get those security issues fixed as soon as possible. Unfortunately, two and a half months later, and still there is no patch for those vulnerabilities. I've asked Apple several times for a schedule, but they have refused to provide the fix date.
The first is the URL display flaw in the iPhone's Mail that could allow an attacker to send a message containing a malicious URL that looks legitimate. "In most mail clients (example on your PC/Mac), you can just hover the link and get a tooltip which will tells you the actual URL that you are about to click," explains Raff in a blog post. "In iPhone it's a bit different. You need to click the link for a few seconds in order to get the tooltip. Now, because the iPhone screen is small, long URLs are automatically cut off in the middle."
While unannounced, MTV Games has confirmed that the upcoming Nintendo Wii version of ``Rock Band 2'' will offer the same online functionality — i.e. song downloads and Internet multiplayer modes — as the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PS3 versions. The PS2 version, however, will not include online connectivity.
Walmart went through this earlier with their video store, though it didn't matter since no one bought anything from it.Important Information About Your Digital Music PurchasesSource- Walmart
We hope you are enjoying the increased music quality/bitrate and the improved usability of Walmart's MP3 music downloads. We began offering MP3s in August 2007 and have offered only DRM (digital rights management) -free MP3s since February 2008. As the final stage of our transition to a full DRM-free MP3 download store, Walmart will be shutting down our digital rights management system that supports protected songs and albums purchased from our site.
If you have purchased protected WMA music files from our site prior to Feb 2008, we strongly recommend that you back up your songs by burning them to a recordable audio CD. By backing up your songs, you will be able to access them from any personal computer. This change does not impact songs or albums purchased after Feb 2008, as those are DRM-free.
Beginning October 9, we will no longer be able to assist with digital rights management issues for protected WMA files purchased from Walmart.com. If you do not back up your files before this date, you will no longer be able to transfer your songs to other computers or access your songs after changing or reinstalling your operating system or in the event of a system crash. Your music and video collections will still play on the originally authorized computer.
Thank you for using Walmart.com for music downloads. We are working hard to make our store better than ever and easier to use.
Walmart Music Team
The decidedly different MMO Chronicles of Spellborn, finally has a release date...in Germany and the rest of Europe at least. Delivered with this preliminary packshot was news that November 27th would be the fateful date when the game finally sees the light of fluorescent retail store bulbs.
Mercenaries 2 World in Flames is an upcoming video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to 2005's Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction and is due for release in the United States on August 31, 2008 and in Europe on September 5, 2008. The game is set in Venezuela.
In this Mercenaries 2 World in Flames featurette, "director Cameron Brown talks about destruction, and why it is such an important part of the game's concept."
Microsoft executives have been making the rounds at talent agencies and production companies in recent months in hopes of licensing exclusive original video programming for the portable media player, which has struggled to gain traction in the marketplace.
There's no word on whether the rumored 60GB and Elite price cuts are coming as well, but they'd certainly be welcome -- and with Rock Band 2 scheduled to hit just a week later, we'd say next month is looking like a good one for Xbox fans.
Source- http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/03/xbox-360-arcade-dropping-to-199-on-september-7/
Who knows how much this is worth, but there's a lot of chatter flying around today about some text strings in the beta release of iPhone OS 2.1 that make reference to an "iPod2,1." Seeing as the current iPod touch is designated "iPod1,1," that's a pretty strong hint that a new model is coming.
Straight from the E3 2008 vaults is brand new Castlevania Judgement gameplay. This Wii game "promises to take the long running vampire hunt in a decidedly punchy direction."
8th July'2008, Google launched its own world -- a virtual world, to be exact. Lively, which Google likes to call a "virtual experience," allows you to create an avatar, decorate your own virtual room, invite friends to your room and do things you've always dreamed of, like blow up oil barrels on a deserted island.
It's easy to choose avatars from a number of different options, including a turban-wearing bear. It's easy to change their clothes, hair color and skin color. It's easy to drag and drop furniture and lava lamps to position them around your room. Want your turban-wearing bear to wave to the hot mama across the room? Just type \wave. Want him to giggle? Just type \laugh.
Sony's 2.41 firmware update for the PS3 is apparently out and riding the network updates. This according to readers and those of the official PlayStation Blog.
More characters join the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom fray! Previously, it was announced that the Capcom side was getting Street Fighter III's Alex and the Tatsunoko side was getting Gan-chan from anime Yatterman. The latest brawlers in this gaming characters versus anime character fight: Darkstalkers' Morrigan Aensland, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams' Soki, Hurricane Polymar and Golden Warrior Gold Lightan.
As game site Arcade Renaissance points out, the game's button layout seems similar to the Sengoku Basara X one. Something to keep in mind as Japanese arcade location tests kick off this weekend! That, and the possibility of even more new characters.
That's right, no more teasers, SEGA has just released official Sonic Unleashed gameplay footage. This game looks very promising.
AT&T's doing a desktop browser called Pogo—it's a "3D visual web browser" built on Firefox 2. (They're moving it to Firefox 3 currently.) It has some graphically interesting ways of doing bookmarks, history and tabs, and a dock along the bottom. I'm kind of mixed on it so far—the eye candy doesn't always translate into more productive browsing—but they're looking to spread out the beta pool and have given us a code that's good for 500 downloads.
The pen, once mightier than the sword, has been getting trounced by the keyboard in the computer era. Now and then there's a push toward "pen-based computing" that doesn't get very far.
In this Resident Evil 5 producer interview, we "get inside info on the game that will be the pinnacle of the survival horror drama."
In Fracture, "players are equipped with an arsenal of futuristic weaponry to strategically reshape their surroundings on the fly."
It's pretty tough to wrap your melon around, but MSI's Wind has not yet officially launched per se. That being said, it has still managed to end up in the hands of quite a few eager subnote lovers, and Laptop Mag is no exception.the screen is amazing, keyboard is as well, the trackpad is simply too cramped and the port assortment is very respectable. All in all, critics were left "seriously impressed,"and they even threw together a video and image gallery for checking out afterwards.
At first, we were all stoked at the realization that it took HTC shy of two months to go from announcement to availability of its US-flavored Touch Dual, but then we had this wet blanket thrown on us when we reflected on the fact that it's been like six months since the European model was first shown. No bother -- at least the US model will be among the very first devices anywhere to ship with Windows Mobile 6.1 out of the box, which is kinda cool.
In the Xbox 360 version of Age of Cona, "Funcom has implemented even more brutal fatalities into the game, including a melee slash."
After slipping past their original spring release date, Panasonic's PZ850 series of plasmas are no longer the only ones with YouTube support, but those desiring internet features, high contrast ratios and easy-access calibration settings can expect them on shelves this summer.
