Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Talking-Points-Memo/~3/kj5q9ax2XY4/oh_canada.php
Ali Larter Angelina Jolie Erica Leerhsen Angela Marcello Paz Vega
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Samsung Galaxy S2 review
We first saw the Android Samsung Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100) mobile phone at MWC earlier this year and it was love at first sight. The successor to the Samsung Galaxy S includes a gorgeous next-gen 4.2inch AMOLED screen in a slimmer body.
Well, the handset finally landed on T3’s doorstep a few days ago, and we can confirm this is more than a fleeting attraction. Samsung is seriously challenging HTC for the Android crown.
Samsung Galaxy S2: Build
Pick up the phone and the first thing you notice is how light it is – it’s just 116g. Measuring 8.49mm, it’s incredibly slim in comparison to 9.9mm for the original Galaxy S; 9.3mm for the Apple iPhone 4 and 8.7mm for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc.
While the Galaxy S2 will certainly fit into the tightest jeans pocket, the compromise is build quality - the body just feels cheap and uninspiring. Things don't improve when you remove the wafer thin back to insert a sim - we’d be seriously worried about snapping it.
Controls are limited to volume on one side, power on the other, MHL port, which serves a dual purpose of charging via USB and outputting to HDMI, and a 3.5mm jack on the top, Samsung includes a range of streaming options including DLNA.
Samsung Galaxy S2: Screen
The highlight of S2 is the 4.3-inch 800x480 screen, which incorporates Super AMOLED Plus technology. Colours are eye popping and blues and greens literally jump out of the screen at you. Off-angle viewing is excellent too - the first phone we’ve seen to match the iPhone 4.
A larger screen sizes means that the phone is bulky, but it’s a joy for movies. When playing back our test HD movie clips, detail is sharp and action smooth. We found that whites aren’t as pure or bright as those on the iPhone 4, although blacks seem darker and colours are bolder and warmer. It handles action smoothly too.
Samsung Galaxy S2: Android
Running Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread), you get seven homescreens customisable with widgets and shortcuts. Swipe down to quickly activate WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and Auto Rotation settings. Phone, Contact, Messaging and Application settings along the bottom are static when you are browsing the homescreens. Like other Android phones, press down to customise with Shortcuts, Folders, Wallpaper and numerous Samsung widgets.
Samsung’s overlayed Android with its TouchWiz UI which is functional and adds some neat features, including four hubs: Music (see below), Games, Readers and Social Hub, which acts as a portal to Kobo bookstore and Magazines via Zinio.
Social Hub syncs social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, to IM accounts including Google Talk; and MySpace and Linked-in. It’s functional, syncing your contacts, but we prefer HTC Sense. In addition Sony Ericsson’s Xperia skin is slightly easier to use, for example here you can only organize the Applications via grid or list and to create App Folders you make the folder first before dragging items onto it.
Samsung Galaxy S2: Processor
The Galaxy S2 has a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor. In use the phone feels incredibly quick – one of the fastest smartphones we’ve used, whether you’re browsing a web page or swapping between applications it never feels slow. During our tests it loads web pages over WiFi quicker than the iPhone 4 - loading a content-rich website like T3.com in just 15 seconds.
This isn’t a Nvidia Tegra 2 chip, so we couldn't download games designed specifically for this (such as Samurai II: Vengence THD), but there are a decent selection of games to play. We defy anyone to not enjoy Shrek Karting with the 3-axis gyroscope, and it ably handles speedy gameplay.
Samsung Galaxy S2: Camera
Samsung has boosted the camera resolution from 5-megapixels to 8-megapixels, instead of a dedicated shutter; you tap the virtual shutter, which is fairly quick if not quite as nippy as the offering on the iPhone 4.
There are plenty of manual controls. Adjust the ISO from 100-800, choose from five white balance settings and choose between three metering settings. Samsung has also included Smile Shot, Beauty, Action, Cartoon and Panorama scene modes. Alongside auto focus, Macro mode captures sharp shots to around 10cm and there’s an effective Face Detection mode.
Still results are pleasing, the S2 is pretty good at controlling noise, and we’d like them to be a little sharper, colours are very natural. The S2 shoots HD video at 720p and 1080p at 30fps and results are pleasing; it’s smooth, with natural colours, perhaps lacking a little definition.
Samsung Galaxy S2: Music
Music Hub lets you browse and buy tracks from 7Digital, downloading directly to your phone, expect to pay around 99p. It’s very well laid out with Featured, Genres, My Music and My page icons along the top.
Confusingly there’s also a Music Player, the interface is very similar, although can create playlists here. We’ve no complaints about the sound quality, when you plug some headphones into the 3.5mm jack, and here you can access nine Equalizer modes and some Sound Effects, including the useful Bass enhancement and Wide.
Samsung Galaxy S2: Other features,
Samsung’s included motion controls. Hold an app down then move the phone left or right to scroll through the homescreens and reposition it. Elsewhere hold two fingers on the screen and move towards you and away from you to zoom in and out. We're not sure how useful these are - to us they felt awkward, but maybe with more time with the phone you will become more familiar with them.
Polaris Office lets you create and edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents. In portrait mode we did find the keyboard a bit cramped and frequently tapped the wrong keys and the predictive text isn’t as impressive as the iPhone 4. Alternatively the Swipe keyboard detects words as you drag your fingers over the keys, it works pretty well, although frequently didn’t recognize our choices, although this probably has more to do with us hitting the wrong keys. In landscape mode typing is far easier.
Elsewher you get Exchange Activesync, and Kies Air for accessing phone content over WiFi from a PC
Samsung Galaxy S2: Battery
With WiFi on, maximum brightness, moderate browsing, some video and photos we got into our second day. One of the most useful features is Task Manager, where you can view and kill active applications and clear the RAM, and you can enable Power Saving Mode to cut in when the power gets to 50%
Samsung Galaxy S2: Verdict
Our main complaint about the S2 is the build. It’s doesn’t feel premium and considering it will set you back close to £500 on pre-order, this isn’t good enough.
From the HTC Incredible S to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, there have been some great Android handsets this year; however none have been fantastic, until now. Combining top-notch connectivity with one of the best screens available on a smartphone, backed by a powerful dual-core and good camera, the Samsung Galaxy S2 is quite simply a fantastic phone, we just wish the Korean giant had produced a handset with build closer to the feel of a top-end HTC or Apple handset.
Samsung Galaxy S2 launch date: May, link Samsung
Samsung Galaxy S price: TBC, pre-order for £499-£529
Posted by Hannah Bouckley
The Avatars of Second Life Daniella Alonso Gina Gershon Ehrinn Cummings Sienna Miller
Cloud Cover Episode 45 - Windows Azure AppFabric Caching with Karandeep Anand
Join Wade and Steve each week as they cover the Windows Azure Platform. You can follow and interact with the show at @CloudCoverShow.
In this episode, Karandeep Anand joins Steve to discuss the newly-released Windows Azure AppFabric Caching service and show you exactly how to get started using Caching in your application.
In the news:
- Windows Azure SDK 1.4 refresh
- News Gator Channel 9 interview
- DeployToAzure project on CodePlex: deploy as part of your TFS build
- Windows Azure AppFabric Caching released!
Get the full source code for http://cloudcovercache.cloudapp.net.
Tatiana Zavialova Tila Tequila Tamie Sheffield Kelly Monaco Gisele Bündchen
Hot Apps: Star Wars Cantina, Paper Toss, TouchStudio, Wordament, Lie Detector
Hot Apps will feature 5 of the hottest apps each week for the Windows Phone 7. In this episode Laura takes a look at:
- Star Wars: Cantina
- Paper Toss
- TouchStudio
- Wordament
- Lie Detector
Please leave suggestions for hot apps that should be featured in the comments section, thanks!
Sarah Shahi Anna Paquin Diane Kruger Magdalena Wróbel Connie Nielsen
AMD?s Radeon HD 6770 & Radeon HD 6750: The Retail Radeon 5700 Rebadge
We haven’t talked about it beyond a passing comment, but AMD still has some Radeon 6000 series cards that are OEM-only. We are of course referring to the Radeon HD 6770 and Radeon HD 6750, AMD’s Juniper-powered 5770 & 5750 rebadges for OEMs. While we’ve only recently seen the rest of the Northern Islands lineup launch in the retail space, in the OEM space the last-generation Juniper GPU has been filling out AMD’s lineup between Turks (6500/6600) and Barts (6800) based video cards.
The rationale for OEM space is rather straightforward: OEMs want/need something new to sell. More RAM, a Sandy Bridge CPU, a SSD – their 2011 computers need to look better than their 2010 computers, as they certainly don’t want to be seen as selling last year’s model for anything less than a steep discount. It was perhaps a foolish hope that these shenanigans would remain in the OEM market, as so far AMD has continued to keep the 5770 and 5750 even after the rest of Northern Islands has launched. But here we are, out with the old and in with the old: the 5770 and 5750 are getting rebadged in retail. Say hello to the Radeon HD 6770 and Radeon HD 6750.
Image Courtesy Best Buy
Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4296/amds-radeon-hd-6770-radeon-hd-6750-the-retail-radeon-5700-rebadge
Kate Moss Zhang Ziyi Nikki Reed Natasha Bedingfield Audrina Patridge
Apple Now Using Samsung SSDs in MacBook Air?
Last October after months of waiting, Apple finally refreshed their MacBook Air lineup, which we reviewed shortly after launch. The update introduced a new 11.6” form factor along with a minor redesign, faster graphics, and bigger SSDs—all with cheaper prices as an added bonus. The new SSDs were fairly interesting, since Apple didn’t use normal 2.5” or 1.8” SSDs but instead introduced a whole new form factor with mSATA SSDs (also known as blade SSDs).
In iFixit’s teardown, it was confirmed that the MacBook Airs use Toshiba’s Blade X-gale SSDs. A bit over month ago, however, it was discovered that there appear to be two different revisions of SSDs circulating in MacBook Airs. The first one is obviously the Toshiba, but later user reports show that there is a second, totally different SSD. This SSD carries a model name of SM128C while the Toshiba is TS128C. The SM in the model name hints towards Samsung as the manufacturer, and Apple has used Samsung SSDs before.
| MacBook Air SSD Comparison AJA System Test: iSebas/DiskWhackTest | ||
| Model | Read MB/s | Write MB/s |
| TS128C | 209.8 | 175.6 |
| SM128C | 261.1 | 209.6 |
The interesting aspect is that the SM128C models provide quite a nice performance bump in at least one performance metric. Benchmarks posted by users show that the SM128C manages up to 260MB/s read and 210MB/s write speeds. In our tests (and corroborating what users have reported), the TS128C only offers speeds of up to 210MB/s read and 185MB/s write. The SM128C also supports Native Command Queuing (NCQ) while the TS128C does not. The performance figures match the figures of Samsung 470 Series pretty well, which Samsung quotes as providing up to 250MB/s read and 220MB/s write. The Samsung 470 Series uses Samsung’s own controller with model number S3C29MAX01-Y340.
There is no absolute confirmation yet that Samsung manufactures the SM128C, but all indicators point that way. Regardless of manufacturer, the SM128C appears noticeably faster in sequential read/write performance. What we can’t confirm is how the two models differ in more intense testing, specifically with regards to random read/write performance, TRIM support, etc. Ultimately it may not matter, as users will get whatever Apple decides to put in their laptops.
Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4275/apple-now-using-samsung-ssds-in-macbook-air
Norah Jones Nicky Hilton Garcelle Beauvais Kristy Swanson Ali Campoverdi
Walmart Wars
Reason makes a the case for letting Walmart set up shop in DC and NYC:
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/andrewsullivan/rApM/~3/E_xjbJ3jAUc/walmart-isnt-the-devil.html
Marisa Tomei Shannyn Sossamon Rachael Leigh Cook Elisha Cuthbert Ciara
The future of HTC smartphones: HTC Kingdom and Rider [photo]
Want a free glimpse into HTC?s Android smartphone future? Please remember the cost of admission when judging the quality of these megapixel-deficient photos. The HTC Kingdom and Rider will be the next qHD-packing smartphones unleashed to the Android community, following in the footsteps of the HTC Sensation. There?s two certainties for HTC?s top-tier Android smartphones: ...
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- Second coming of TomTom Rider
- Back To The Future hoax says you’re living in the future… How does it feel?
- Turn your car into KITT with a Knight Rider satnav!
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/electricpig/~3/QSjNUWZ1e0A/
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RIM Lowers Forecasts For Q1 Earnings And Revenue
In contrast to the positive earnings reports from rivals Apple and Microsoft, the BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) warns of slower than expected sales for their smartphones. RIM has lowered their forecasts on their current quarter’s earnings guidance with its shares plunging 11 percent.
RIM is struggling to compete in the U.S. market as iOS and Android smartphones continue to increase their dominance. An NPD report suggested that Android’s share of the market is at 50 percent, while the top 5 best selling smartphones did not include any BlackBerries.
It also didn’t seem to help with consumer interest in BlackBerries when their Playbook tablet launched recently to complaints about the firmware. However, RIM is not revising its sales expectations for the tablet and also assured that there are no significant delay in supply due to the Japan earthquake.
[via WSJ]
Relevant Entries on SlashGear
- Verizon: iPhone Could Boost Revenue 8% in 2011
- Intel posts record quarter
- BlackBerry 7 confirmed as renamed OS 6.1 since “such a big update”
- Microsoft Announces Fourth Quarter Earnings
- Microsoft Announces Strong Q3 Earnings Report, Revenue At $16.43 Billion
Source: http://feeds.slashgear.com/~r/slashgear/~3/M3ntKbNoTJU/
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Samsung Galaxy S2 review
We first saw the Android Samsung Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100) mobile phone at MWC earlier this year and it was love at first sight. The successor to the Samsung Galaxy S includes a gorgeous next-gen 4.2inch AMOLED screen in a slimmer body.
Well, the handset finally landed on T3’s doorstep a few days ago, and we can confirm this is more than a fleeting attraction. Samsung is seriously challenging HTC for the Android crown.
Samsung Galaxy S2: Build
Pick up the phone and the first thing you notice is how light it is – it’s just 116g. Measuring 8.49mm, it’s incredibly slim in comparison to 9.9mm for the original Galaxy S; 9.3mm for the Apple iPhone 4 and 8.7mm for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc.
While the Galaxy S2 will certainly fit into the tightest jeans pocket, the compromise is build quality - the body just feels cheap and uninspiring. Things don't improve when you remove the wafer thin back to insert a sim - we’d be seriously worried about snapping it.
Controls are limited to volume on one side, power on the other, MHL port, which serves a dual purpose of charging via USB and outputting to HDMI, and a 3.5mm jack on the top, Samsung includes a range of streaming options including DLNA.
Samsung Galaxy S2: Screen
The highlight of S2 is the 4.3-inch 800x480 screen, which incorporates Super AMOLED Plus technology. Colours are eye popping and blues and greens literally jump out of the screen at you. Off-angle viewing is excellent too - the first phone we’ve seen to match the iPhone 4.
A larger screen sizes means that the phone is bulky, but it’s a joy for movies. When playing back our test HD movie clips, detail is sharp and action smooth. We found that whites aren’t as pure or bright as those on the iPhone 4, although blacks seem darker and colours are bolder and warmer. It handles action smoothly too.
Samsung Galaxy S2: Android
Running Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread), you get seven homescreens customisable with widgets and shortcuts. Swipe down to quickly activate WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and Auto Rotation settings. Phone, Contact, Messaging and Application settings along the bottom are static when you are browsing the homescreens. Like other Android phones, press down to customise with Shortcuts, Folders, Wallpaper and numerous Samsung widgets.
Samsung’s overlayed Android with its TouchWiz UI which is functional and adds some neat features, including four hubs: Music (see below), Games, Readers and Social Hub, which acts as a portal to Kobo bookstore and Magazines via Zinio.
Social Hub syncs social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, to IM accounts including Google Talk; and MySpace and Linked-in. It’s functional, syncing your contacts, but we prefer HTC Sense. In addition Sony Ericsson’s Xperia skin is slightly easier to use, for example here you can only organize the Applications via grid or list and to create App Folders you make the folder first before dragging items onto it.
Samsung Galaxy S2: Processor
The Galaxy S2 has a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor. In use the phone feels incredibly quick – one of the fastest smartphones we’ve used, whether you’re browsing a web page or swapping between applications it never feels slow. During our tests it loads web pages over WiFi quicker than the iPhone 4 - loading a content-rich website like T3.com in just 15 seconds.
This isn’t a Nvidia Tegra 2 chip, so we couldn't download games designed specifically for this (such as Samurai II: Vengence THD), but there are a decent selection of games to play. We defy anyone to not enjoy Shrek Karting with the 3-axis gyroscope, and it ably handles speedy gameplay.
Samsung Galaxy S2: Camera
Samsung has boosted the camera resolution from 5-megapixels to 8-megapixels, instead of a dedicated shutter; you tap the virtual shutter, which is fairly quick if not quite as nippy as the offering on the iPhone 4.
There are plenty of manual controls. Adjust the ISO from 100-800, choose from five white balance settings and choose between three metering settings. Samsung has also included Smile Shot, Beauty, Action, Cartoon and Panorama scene modes. Alongside auto focus, Macro mode captures sharp shots to around 10cm and there’s an effective Face Detection mode.
Still results are pleasing, the S2 is pretty good at controlling noise, and we’d like them to be a little sharper, colours are very natural. The S2 shoots HD video at 720p and 1080p at 30fps and results are pleasing; it’s smooth, with natural colours, perhaps lacking a little definition.
Samsung Galaxy S2: Music
Music Hub lets you browse and buy tracks from 7Digital, downloading directly to your phone, expect to pay around 99p. It’s very well laid out with Featured, Genres, My Music and My page icons along the top.
Confusingly there’s also a Music Player, the interface is very similar, although can create playlists here. We’ve no complaints about the sound quality, when you plug some headphones into the 3.5mm jack, and here you can access nine Equalizer modes and some Sound Effects, including the useful Bass enhancement and Wide.
Samsung Galaxy S2: Other features,
Samsung’s included motion controls. Hold an app down then move the phone left or right to scroll through the homescreens and reposition it. Elsewhere hold two fingers on the screen and move towards you and away from you to zoom in and out. We're not sure how useful these are - to us they felt awkward, but maybe with more time with the phone you will become more familiar with them.
Polaris Office lets you create and edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents. In portrait mode we did find the keyboard a bit cramped and frequently tapped the wrong keys and the predictive text isn’t as impressive as the iPhone 4. Alternatively the Swipe keyboard detects words as you drag your fingers over the keys, it works pretty well, although frequently didn’t recognize our choices, although this probably has more to do with us hitting the wrong keys. In landscape mode typing is far easier.
Elsewher you get Exchange Activesync, and Kies Air for accessing phone content over WiFi from a PC
Samsung Galaxy S2: Battery
With WiFi on, maximum brightness, moderate browsing, some video and photos we got into our second day. One of the most useful features is Task Manager, where you can view and kill active applications and clear the RAM, and you can enable Power Saving Mode to cut in when the power gets to 50%
Samsung Galaxy S2: Verdict
Our main complaint about the S2 is the build. It’s doesn’t feel premium and considering it will set you back close to £500 on pre-order, this isn’t good enough.
From the HTC Incredible S to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, there have been some great Android handsets this year; however none have been fantastic, until now. Combining top-notch connectivity with one of the best screens available on a smartphone, backed by a powerful dual-core and good camera, the Samsung Galaxy S2 is quite simply a fantastic phone, we just wish the Korean giant had produced a handset with build closer to the feel of a top-end HTC or Apple handset.
Samsung Galaxy S2 launch date: May, link Samsung
Samsung Galaxy S price: TBC, pre-order for £499-£529
Posted by Hannah Bouckley
Karolína Kurková Laura Harring Naomi Watts Leonor Varela Joanne Montanez
Friday, April 29, 2011
Dire In Deraa
Al Jazeera is at ground zero of the Syrian crackdown: "Deraa has been under siege since Monday morning. Residents from the surrounding villages were trying to break the siege as they tried to get supplies. They met with hostile security...
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/andrewsullivan/rApM/~3/FSokddXyBJc/dire-in-deraa.html
Autumn Reeser Camilla Belle Blu Cantrell Jaime King Lokelani McMichael
White iPhone 4 unboxing and hands-on pictures
Despite landing more than ten months behind its intended release, today’s arrival of the white iPhone 4 has created a media frenzy that only Apple products can manage.
To see what all the hype is about and snapping up the chance to give this long awaited lighter toned handset a hands-on going over we have picked up one of O2’s white iPhone 4 offerings bringing you a full unboxing and series of hands-on pics.
White iPhone 4 pictures: Click here to launch the full gallery
Landing with the same 3.5-inch Retina display and ARM A4 processor as the original black model, the white iPhone offers no improvement to the handset’s specs aside from landing with a fresh coat of bright white paint.
Now available in the UK from a variety of network providers including Three and O2, the white iPhone 4 is being offered on the same tariffs as the black device with many concerned that the issue hit handset has missed its window with the mooted iPhone 5 believed to be heading for a June unveiling and release.
Will the white iPhone 4 still prove a success or has the near year of delays spelled the end of its chances? Let us know what you think via the T3 Twitter and Facebook feeds.
Posted by Luke Johnson
Salma Hayek Jennifer Scholle Tatiana Zavialova Tila Tequila Tamie Sheffield
The Ultimate Gaming Pod - OVEI
Perry Darling from OVEI has built the ultimate gaming pod for gamers. With full 5.1 surround sound, multiple screens, and the technical ability to house your Xbox 360...this thing is awesome.
Source: http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/InsideXbox/The-Ultimate-Gaming-Pod-OVEI
Charlies Angels Rose Byrne Willa Ford Desiree Dymond Teri Polo
Week in Tech: Where now for the next-gen consoles?
If your games console was a person, its relatives would be subtly leaving brochures for retirement homes near its favourite chair.
The Wii and PS3 have been on sale since 2006, and the Xbox 360 is even older: it shipped in late 2005. So what's next?
Officially, what's next is nothing: Microsoft has just revamped the Xbox and added Kinect, and both it and Sony say there's plenty of life in these old dogs. Nintendo, though, begs to differ.
Its all-conquering Wii is about to be replaced with a new Wii, although sadly the next Wii probably won't be called the Wii Wii.
For now, the Wii 2 is called the "Wii successor system" and it's scheduled for a 2012 launch. In a notice to investors, Nintendo says that "we will show a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications at the E3 expo, which will be held from June 7-9, 2011, in Los Angeles."
The console, codenamed "Project Cafe", might be more than just a Wii with better graphics. Rumours suggest a triple-core IBM PowerPC, ATI R700 GPU for HD and/or 3D, and a unique gamepad with built-in touchscreen, twin analogue sticks and even a camera.
The camera, we assume, would be for Kinect-style tomfoolery. The components aren't cutting edge, but they're still pretty hefty - and Edge reports that development kits are already in the hands of key game developers including Ubisoft, Activision and Electronic Arts.
Next Xbox and PlayStation
Meanwhile Microsoft is saying one thing in public and doing another thing in private.
Officially the newly redesigned, Kinect-happy Xbox will be around forever and ever and ever, but behind the scenes development of the next Xbox is beginning. Microsoft is posting job adverts for new console blood.
And Sony? It probably wishes there was as little PS3 news as there is PS4 news, because this week it fell victim to what appears to be the world's biggest online hack: the PlayStation Network (PSN) has been shut down while the firm works out how badly its 77 million users' data have been compromised.
Security firm Sophos says PSN users shouldn't wait: they should cancel their credit cards immediately.
It'll be interesting to see what, if any, effect the PSN hack has on Sony's image among gamers.
Our columnist Gary Marshall reckons PS3 owners have every right to feel aggrieved. "No matter who's at fault here, it's clear who loses: Sony's customers," he writes.
"At best, they're unable to use a service that's a big part of the PlayStation experience; at worst, they're going to have to keep a close eye on their credit cards for the foreseeable future." Will privacy concerns be more of a factor than the PS4's processor?
Do we need a new console?
To be honest, there's no pressing need for new, next generation consoles: as we found when we rounded up Xbox 720 rumours, Microsoft has repeatedly said that its plan for the current Xbox is for a ten-year lifespan, which would mean at least 2015 before a successor turns up.
According to EA's Frank Gibeau, "More computing horsepower is nice, but to be honest, the Xbox 360 and PS3 still have a lot of horsepower that hasn't been tapped." Take Kinect: it's a great bit of kit, but where are the games?
With HD graphics and hefty processing power under all our TVs (unless you're using a current-gen Wii) already, many developers' interests are moving to other things, such as LA Noire's attempts to overcome the Uncanny Valley problem with new facial scanning techniques and Brink's combination of single player, co-op and multiplayer in the same universe.
Prettier graphics would be nice, but when GamesRadar gives something a spanking it's more likely to be because of "tired mechanics", "generic drudgery" and "aimless and forgettable" stories and characters. More processing power won't fix that.
 |  |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techradar/allnews/~3/AA4dDCbCNN0/story01.htm
Minka Kelly Carol Grow Erika Christensen Emilie de Ravin Tara Reed
God Save The Monarchy, Ctd
Douthat echoes the Dish: Whatever their customs and traditions, even the most modern polities often find themselves yearning, like the Israelites of old, for a kinglike authority. And the existence of a largely-powerless royal family can be a useful hedge...
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/andrewsullivan/rApM/~3/1xFg_V23T70/god-save-the-monarchy-ctd.html
Cristina Dumitru Cat Power January Jones Christina DaRe Malin Akerman
White iPhone 4 video: Hands-on unboxing and first look
With the white iPhone 4 officially hitting Apple stores and network providers across the globe today after more than 10 months of delays, we have gone hands-on with the bright white handset to bring you this video unboxing.
Despite its ridiculously late arrival, Apple’s PR machine and unrivalled brand power have seen the white iPhone 4 create more of a media storm than the launch of most leading smartphones with speculation and rumour follow the device’s rocky road to release.
Sporting the same 3.5-inch Retina display and ARM A4 processor as its black hued predecessor the white Apple handset varies only in its new spotless sheen attributed to its white coat of paint, a processes Apple has revealed was considerably trickier than first anticipated.
Available to buy in the UK today rocking the same network tariffs as its standard black counterpart, wannabe owners can get the white iPhone 4 on an all-you-can-eat data package from Three.
Does the white finish to the iPhone 4 suit the device better than the black offering or is the traditional style still the best? Let us know what you think via the T3 Twitter and Facebook feeds.
Posted by Luke Johnson
Carol Grow Erika Christensen Emilie de Ravin Tara Reed Avril Lavigne
NVIDIA SLI multi-GPU coming to AMD Bulldozer motherboards
AMD may have its own Radeon graphics card range, but that doesn’t stop many gamers wanting to use NVIDIA’s GeForce cards in SLI configuration. Now, NVIDIA has announced that it is reintroducing SLI support for AMD motherboards, with ASUS, Gigabyte, ASRock and MSI all among the first wave of manufacturers who will be including the technology on their 990FX, 990X and 970 based ‘boards.
One of the first to arrive will be ASUS’ Republic of Gamers Crosshair V Formula ‘board, which will allow for multi-GPU setups based on a several NVIDIA cards. NVIDIA claims that 93-percent of all multi-GPU systems rely on SLI, at least according to game distribution service Steam’s latest monthly stats, and so there’s obviously a market out there for AMD processor users keen to add a couple of GeForce cards to their PC.
Specifications of the ASUS RoG Crosshair V Formula are currently unknown, and in fact this is the first we’ve heard of the new model. The fourth-gen version was unveiled in April last year, and this new iteration will have support for AMD’s Bulldozer chips.
[via Expreview]
Relevant Entries on SlashGear
- NVIDIA rumored to exit chipset business
- AMD details new Bobcat and Bulldozer core designs highlights
- OCZ partners with NVIDIA to release SLI Certified memory
- PC mod made of old motherboards
- Gigabyte and SOYO AMD Zacate mainboards leak
Source: http://feeds.slashgear.com/~r/slashgear/~3/yFDibhy_DmA/
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Cool Ad Watch
TAP INTO IT from Vancouver Craft Beer Week on Vimeo. A little bit self-parodic, I concede. But cool nonetheless and probably unimaginable in America, where beer is mainly sold with not against type, let alone a disorienting mashup of the...
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/andrewsullivan/rApM/~3/vtqzA60sr5Q/cool-ad-watch-6.html
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Tech Today: Jobs on South Park, Android 2.3.4 coming
South Park has aimed its vicious, take no prisoners satire at Apple and Steve Jobs, taking the company to task over the recent location tracking fears. In the Human CentiPad episode Kyle is tracked down by Apple via his iPad and kidnapped by the company after agreeing to a new iTunes update, without reading the T&Cs. The episode will air in the UK on May 6th.
Link: Mashable
Google is about to roll-out Android 2.3.4 to Nexus S phones, bringing with it a substantial update to the open source operating system. Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread will add video chat to Gtalk over Wi-Fi and 3G. The new video chat option goes directly up against Apple's own FaceTime offering.
Link: Google Mobile Blog
Three workers at Apple's Foxconn plant in China were arrested in December and charged last month with leaking the iPad 2 designs, it has emerged. Reports which accurately depicted the size and shape of the new tablet convinced Foxconn officials that there had been a leak. Just goes to show, nothing escapes the Apple cops.
Link: Apple Insider
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Smartphone giant HTC could be planning to bring its brilliant mobile tech to cars after advertising for an experienced professional in the field of automotive tech, The company is likely looking for a way to incorporate its Android and Windows phones into vehicles rather than creating a new in-car system, but we'll wait and see here.
Link: CrunchGear
Motorola has launched a new accessory for its Android Honeycomb Xoom tablet, which makes up for the lack of an SD card slot on the fledgling device. The Motorola Xoom camera kit plugs into the SD card slot and allows you to download images from your SD card thanks to a new piece of photo transfer software coming in a new firmware update.
Link: DroidLife
News@8: So the White iPhone 4 is finally available to buy, Nokia has offered some insight into an iPad rival, the first of what we assume will be many lawsuits against PlayStation has been filed. We've also got news of the HTC Flyer release date in our daily News@8 round-up.
Posted by Chris Smith
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Nokia CEO: Our tablet will take a ?uniquely Nokia prospective?
In a recent interview with Finnish news outlet YLE, Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop discussed the company’s strategy for approaching the already crowded tablet market. “There are now over 200 different tablets on the marketplace, only one of them is doing really well,” Elop said. “And, my challenge to the team is I don’t want to be the 201st tablet on the market that you can’t tell from all of the others. We have to take a uniquely Nokia prospective.” Elop added that Nokia could work with Microsoft and take advantage of its software for a Windows-based tablet, but also said that the firm could “do things with some of the other software assets that we have.” Early reports have suggested
Source: http://www.bgr.com/2011/04/28/nokia-ceo-our-tablet-will-take-a-uniquely-nokia-prospective/
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Thursday, April 28, 2011
AMD?s Radeon HD 6770 & Radeon HD 6750: The Retail Radeon 5700 Rebadge
We haven’t talked about it beyond a passing comment, but AMD still has some Radeon 6000 series cards that are OEM-only. We are of course referring to the Radeon HD 6770 and Radeon HD 6750, AMD’s Juniper-powered 5770 & 5750 rebadges for OEMs. While we’ve only recently seen the rest of the Northern Islands lineup launch in the retail space, in the OEM space the last-generation Juniper GPU has been filling out AMD’s lineup between Turks (6500/6600) and Barts (6800) based video cards.
The rationale for OEM space is rather straightforward: OEMs want/need something new to sell. More RAM, a Sandy Bridge CPU, a SSD – their 2011 computers need to look better than their 2010 computers, as they certainly don’t want to be seen as selling last year’s model for anything less than a steep discount. It was perhaps a foolish hope that these shenanigans would remain in the OEM market, as so far AMD has continued to keep the 5770 and 5750 even after the rest of Northern Islands has launched. But here we are, out with the old and in with the old: the 5770 and 5750 are getting rebadged in retail. Say hello to the Radeon HD 6770 and Radeon HD 6750.
Image Courtesy Best Buy
Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4296/amds-radeon-hd-6770-radeon-hd-6750-the-retail-radeon-5700-rebadge
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Android 2.3.4 hitting Nexus S OTA with Gtalk video calls [Video]
Google has begun OTA distribution of Android 2.3.4, and as expected one of the features it enables is video calling in Gtalk. The video functionality – rumored earlier this week – is for Google’s Nexus S, and functions not only over WiFi but 3G/4G connections, presuming your carrier allows it.
The OTA update will supposedly be hitting the Nexus S “in the next few weeks” and then arriving on other Android 2.3+ devices “in the future”; it will also bring bug-fixes for the original Nexus One. There are more details on Gtalk video calls in the help center.
Meanwhile, Google is promising another surprise for Nexus users, though right now it’s not saying exactly what that might be. No word on if there’s a manual way to trigger the Android 2.3.4 update, but we’re guessing one will be winkled out very soon.
Relevant Entries on SlashGear
- Gtalk video calling for Android phones tipped for Google I/O
- Qik Video Connect lets iPhone and Android users taunt each other by video
- Schmidt’s Nexus S tease video now online [Video]
- Google Nexus S gets unboxed at Android Community
- A History of the Google Nexus One: (new docks shown) [Video]
Source: http://feeds.slashgear.com/~r/slashgear/~3/4UUBnFn3y0g/
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We're Giving Away a Qualcomm MSM8660 Mobile Development Platform
Last month Brian put together a performance preview of Qualcomm's first dual-core SoC: the 1.5GHz MSM8660. The article was mostly focused on GPU performance as the new Adreno 220 is something we were very interested in. The first MSM8660 based smartphones will ship this year, but we benchmarked the SoC using Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon Mobile Development Platform (MDP).
Starting today, the MSM8660 MDP will be available for purchase by any developer through BSQUARE for $1350. Qualcomm's MDP is a nice way of getting a head start on developing for the next-generation of Android handsets based on Snapdragon SoCs.
What if you're an Android developer on a budget? Qualcomm was nice enough to provide us with a MSM8660 MDP to give away to one lucky reader. Read on for details on how to enter the contest.
Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4293/were-giving-away-a-qualcomm-msm8660-mobile-development-platform
Microsoft Announces Strong Q3 Earnings Report, Revenue At $16.43 Billion
All the quarterly earnings reports are rolling in, with announcements last week from Intel and Apple among others, and an announcement today from Microsoft. For its fiscal third quarter 2011 earnings, Microsoft reported $16.33 billion in revenue, which far exceeded analysts’ expectations. This figure is a 13 percent jump from the same period during the previous year.
Microsoft’s operating income was $5.71 billion with a net income of $5.23 billion. It’s diluted earnings per share were at $0.61, which is a 35% increase. However, this officially marks Apple as being the more profitable company, with their earnings report last week stating a net income of $5.99 billion.
Strong sales of Office 2010, Xbox, and Kinect were to thank for Microsoft’s strong numbers. The company also noted that it sold an impressive 350 million copies of its Windows 7. However, it did not mention anything about the sales performance of its Windows Phone segment.
?We delivered strong financial results despite a mixed PC environment, which demonstrates the strength and breadth of our businesses. Consumers are purchasing Office 2010, Xbox and Kinect at tremendous rates, and businesses of all sizes are purchasing Microsoft platforms and applications,” said Microsoft CFO Peter Klein.
[via TechCrunch]
Relevant Entries on SlashGear
- Microsoft Announces Fourth Quarter Earnings
- Intel posts record quarter
- Microsoft to cut 5,000 jobs after 11% profit tumble
- Google Announces Third Quarter Financial Results
- Apple Q2 report suggests 2008 slowdown
Source: http://feeds.slashgear.com/~r/slashgear/~3/HTnsoTzf0aA/
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Gatekeeping Rules
Ezra Klein sees a "theory of gatekeeping embedded" in my argument against gatekeeping. The principle Klein says I'm advocating: If fringe individuals and outlets, or opportunistic demagogues and showmen, can whip people up about something, then the media gatekeepers must...
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/andrewsullivan/rApM/~3/flxROm-GJds/gatekeeping-rules.html
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Apple cuts CDMA iPhone 4 production in half?
DigiTimes is reporting that orders for CDMA iPhone 4 units assembled by Pegatron have been cut in half ? with only 5 million devices being manufactured in the initial 2011 order, down from 10 million units. Pegatron just this week reported a net loss of $19 million for the first quarter of 2011, which is a historical low. Over 3 million CDMA iPhone 4 handsets have been manufactured and shipped, and it looks like Apple is comfortable with selling around 1 million CDMA iPhones a quarter ? until the much-rumored dual CDMA/GSM iPhone 5 is available in September. Read
Source: http://www.bgr.com/2011/04/28/apple-cuts-cdma-iphone-4-production-in-half/
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NVIDIA Synergy to Bring Optimus to Desktops
We first encountered NVIDIA’s Optimus Technology in February of last year. It has done wonders for laptop battery life on midrange systems, where manufacturers no longer need to worry about killing mobility by including a discrete GPU. Over the past fourteen months, we have seen the number of Optimus enabled laptops balloon from a few initial offerings to well over 50—and very likely more than 100. That sort of uptake is indicative of a successful technology and feature, and while we do encounter the occasional glitch it’s not much worse than the usual driver bugs we deal with.
If you were among those who thought, “This sounds like a great technology—when will they bring it to the desktop?” you’re not alone. So far it has only been available in laptops, and even then we haven’t seen any notebook vendors support the technology with anything faster than a GT 555M (i.e. there are so far no notebooks with GTX GPUs that support Optimus; the closest we get is Alienware’s M17x, which uses their own BinaryGFX switching technology).
Previously, the lack of switchable graphics on desktops—particularly something as elegant as NVIDIA’s Optimus—hasn’t been a big deal. That all changed when Intel released Sandy Bridge and introduced their Quick Sync technology. In our Sandy Bridge review we looked at Quick Sync and found it was the fastest way to transcode videos, providing up to double the performance of an i7-2600K CPU and potentially four times the performance of dual-core SNB processors. Unfortunately, there’s a catch: as we mentioned in our SNB review, Quick Sync works only if the IGP is enabled and has at least one display connected.
This limitation is particularly irksome as the only way you can get the IGP is if you use the H67 chipset (and give up the overclocking and enthusiast features offered by P67). The Z68 chipset should provide both overclocking and IGP support in the near future, but you’re still left with the IGP use requirement, making Quick Sync essentially unavailable to users with discrete GPUs—who are very possibly the most likely candidates for actually making use of the feature.
There appears to be some good news on the horizon. It’s hardly a surprise, as we’ve suspected as much since Optimus first reared its head, but VR-Zone reportsthat NVIDIA is finally bringing the technology to desktops. There’s a name change, as it will now go by the name Synergy (though you may also see it referred to as Desktop Optimus at times). Rumors are that Synergy will see the light of day late next month or in early June.
While it’s true that you can already get access to Quick Sync while using a discrete GPU using Lucid’s Virtu, there are a few differences worth noting. First and foremost, Synergy is software based, free, and requires no license agreement. Any recent NVIDIA GPU (400 or 500 series) should work on H67, H61 or Z68 chipset motherboards. (P67 does not support the SNB IGP and thus won’t work.) You’ll need the appropriate drivers and BIOS (and maybe VBIOS), but that should be it. No special hardware needs to be present on the GPU or motherboard and anyone with the appropriate GPU and motherboard chipset should have the option of using Synergy.
This is in contrast to Virtu, which only comes bundled with certain motherboards and incurs a price premium on those boards. However, Virtu still has the advantage of working with both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs. Owners of AMD GPUs will have to rely on Virtu or wait for AMD to come out with their own equivalent to Virtu and Synergy.
One final note is that both Virtu and Optimus/Synergy function in a similar fashion at a low level. There are profiles for supported games/applications, and when the driver detects a supported executable it will route the API calls to the discrete GPU. Here’s where NVIDIA has a big leg up on Lucid: they’ve been doing Optimus profiles for over a year, and while Lucid now lists support for 157 titles, NVIDIA has a lot more (and the ability to create custom profiles that generally work). You also don’t have to worry about new GPU drivers breaking support with Virtu, as NVIDIA handles all of that in their own drivers.
We’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for Synergy and will report our findings when it becomes available. In the meantime, gamers interested in Quick Sync as well as people looking to cut down on power use when they’re not using their GPU have something to look forward to. Now bring on the Z68 motherboards, Intel.
Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4292/nvidia-synergy-desktop-optimus
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White iPhone 4 on sale Thursday
As predicted, Apple has announced that the white iPhone 4 will finally go on sale this week. The much-anticipated color variant of the iOS smartphone will land in stores from Thursday, April 28, priced at the same $199/$299 as the current, black model. It will be available both as a GSM device for AT&T and international carriers, and a CDMA phone for Verizon Wireless.
Apple has never officially confirmed the exact reasons for the white iPhone’s delay, though that hasn’t stopped various suggestions making the rounds. They’ve included fading or discoloring problems with the white paint, issues with light seeping through the camera surrounds, and flaking or chipping from Apple’s first choice of coating.
It’s unclear what the white iPhone 4 going on sale will do to Apple’s upgrade timeline; the company has traditionally worked to a yearly refresh cycle, announcing a new iPhone in June or July. With this new version arriving today, it seems likely that Apple will push back the iPhone 5 launch somewhat. Recent rumors have suggested September availability, though of course Apple itself is saying nothing.
Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Macau, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UK and the US will all get the white iPhone 4 beginning Thursday, April 28.�So, who’s buying?
Press Release:
White iPhone Arrives Tomorrow
CUPERTINO, California?April 27, 2011?Apple� today announced that the white iPhone� 4 will be available beginning tomorrow. White iPhone 4 models will be available from Apple?s online store (www.apple.com), at Apple?s retail stores, AT&T and Verizon Wireless stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers.
?The white iPhone 4 has finally arrived and it?s beautiful,? said Philip Schiller, Apple?s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. ?We appreciate everyone who has waited patiently while we?ve worked to get every detail right.?
iPhone 4 is the most innovative phone in the world, featuring Apple?s stunning Retina? display, the highest resolution display ever built into a phone resulting in super crisp text, images and video, and FaceTime�, which makes video calling a reality.
Pricing & Availability
White models of iPhone 4 will be available in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Macau, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UK and the US, beginning Thursday, April 28 and in many more countries around the world soon. White iPhone 4 will be available for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model with a new two year agreement through the Apple Store� (www.apple.com), at Apple?s retail stores, AT&T and Verizon Wireless stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers.
Relevant Entries on SlashGear
- White iPhone 4 on Sale in China
- White iPhone Needed Sunscreen – Challenges Explained
- Best Buy clears shelf space for white iPhone 4
- White iPhone this Spring confirms Apple’s Schiller
- White iPhone 4 To Debut In April For AT&T Only?
Source: http://feeds.slashgear.com/~r/slashgear/~3/P7YgS0pwN90/
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