IBLOG SPACE

That’s not a headline you see everyday; “PC — Now on Par With Consoles”. Usually it’s quite the opposite, computers with their boosted graphics and power stride miles ahead of their constantly jaded and outdated console brethren. Well for once that is the case, as FIFA 11 is set to finally implement the extended uses of modern day computers. In the past the PC versions of the FIFA series ran off an old and outdated engine, whilst the console counterparts were updated yearly and recieved numerous gameplay and graphical boosts. For the first time the PC version of FIFA 11 is set to include all the upcoming and new features including 360 degree dribbling (Not from the mouth), new animations and new physical improvements. Executive Producer of the game, Kaz Makita commented; “The EA Sports FIFA franchise is committed to investing and innovating for PC and this is a watershed moment, we are delivering to FIFA 11 PC the high quality gameplay, innovative game modes and stunning graphics tha

The Gran Turismo 5 website is holding a contest where fans can submit title suggestions for the song featured in the game’s E3 2010 trailer. The creator of whichever title is chosen will have their name listed in the game’s credits. To enter, you have to send in your suggested title (in English, 1 entry per person), the name you want listed, the country you live in, and a descriptive comment about the song. I’m not entirely sure why the last part is required. Perhaps the contest holders want to make sure the entrant has a good grasp on the song? The entries will be judged by the series’ producer and a winner will be announced within two weeks of the contest deadline, July 25th. If multiple people send in the same title and it gets selected, everyone who sent it in will be listed. The name(s) will appear in the “Special Thanks” portion of the credits. Head over to the official site and get your creative mojo on. The lyrics to the song can be found by scrolling down the page. Good luck

When was the last time you checked your inbox? If you signed up for the Star Wars: The Old Republic “beta” then you may want to check your email now as they just sent out invites to participate in the first stage of what they are calling testing. They have not called this a “beta” however what they are describing is essentially the same exact thing. Here is the official statement that BioWare had to give: Game Testing for Star Wars ™: The Old Republic™ is underway! Those selected to test will gain access to the game and be able to provide valuable feedback to help us tune particular areas of gameplay and begin the process of balancing and tweaking our content. Game Testing is an on-going process being rolled out in several phases. These phases began with smaller, more focused tests with community members from North America, and later will expand to other territories. Users selected for the test program will be notified via email with more information on accessing the Game Testing Por

I'll fully admit that I seem to be in the minority when it comes to " Heavy Rain ," and that plenty of people loved the innovative adventure game. Those people will probably be thrilled to know that Quantic Dream, the developer behind the game, is already hard at work on two new projects. Speaking with the Examiner, Quantic Dream studio head, David Cage, discussed his upcoming titles. "We currently work on two very different projects. After the success of 'Heavy Rain,' we continue to explore how we can go further with interactive drama, working on emotion and interactive storytelling for a mature audience, but with a very different story and a different approach. I think that people who enjoyed 'Heavy Rain' will be surprised by what we prepare. Quantic Dream also explores how to use what we learned about emotion on Heavy Rain in very different types of experiences." He goes on to say that the team won't "play it safe" and will &q

Last month, EA announced that they would be incentivizing gamers to play more of their titles by offering in-game content and other bonuses through their Gun Club, but this week they just want to get more buyers pre-ordering "Medal of Honor," so they've rolled out a "Medal of Honor" Limited Edition package with exclusive access to the MP7 and launch-day access to the TOZ-194 and 870MC2 shotguns, which otherwise need to be unlocked by leveling up. "Access to a weapon like the MP7 will allow players to experience a tool developed with the Special Operations Community in mind," 'Medal of Honor' executive producer Greg Goodrich said in a press release. "With its light weight, high rate of fire and its ability to penetrate body armor, the MP7 handles like a pistol yet allows targets to be engaged like a rifle." Priced at $59.99, it looks like the Limited Edition will come priced the same as its non-limited counterpart. If that's th

Let me start by saying that this is not a news story, unless you consider events which occur in my subconscious news. If so, prepare yourself for some insane, breaking news. On the evening/early morning of July 9/10, I had the rare opportunity to interview a developer of "BioShock 3" in my dream. Unfortunately my notes were lost around the time I woke up, so I can't specifically attribute any quotes, but I can say for sure that the interview subject was the project lead at Irrational Games, and he was working on " BioShock 3 ." The mysterious project lead said some fascinating things about the project which I will attempt to quote from memory. 1) "Half of 'BioShock 3' will take place on land." (!) 2) "'BioShock 3' actually takes place in the same universe as Fallout." (!!!) 3) "'Fallout' vaults will play an important role in 'BioShock 3.' Here, take a look at this one." It was around this time

Velocity Micros has been in the custom PC making business for a long time. The company is now stepping into the color eReader market with a line dubbed Cruz. We first heard of the Cruz line of readers back in late April, but we didn’t have a firm idea on the launch schedule. Velocity Micro will offer three different digital readers including the Cruz Reader, Cruz Tablet, and Cruz StoryPad. The Reader and StoryPad will both be at major retailers and available direct from Velocity Micro in August with the Cruz Tablet coming on September 1. The Reader sells for $199 and has a 7-inch screen, Android OS, WiFi, web browser support, and lots more features. The Tablet will sell for $299 and will have a 7-inch 800 x 480 screen, 802.11n WiFi, mic, and 4GB of storage. The StoryPad will be $149 and have a 7-inch 800 x 600 screen, and a drop resistant design aimed at kids.

Seagate has outed its latest NAS, the BlackArmor NAS 400 , and they’re quite excited about the possibilities its four hard-drive bays offer to homes and small businesses. The compact, unassuming box can be outfitted with regular 3.5-inch SATA II HDDs or, Seagate suggests, their Momentus XT hybrid, with RAID 0/1/5/10 & JBOD configurations possible. Connectivity includes twin gigabit ethernet and four USB 2.0 ports, which can be used to add extra external storage. It’s also straightforward to backup external content to the BlackArmor array, or vice-versa, and you can use it to perform Bare Metal Restores across your home or office network. DLNA, an iTunes server, remote access, various degrees of access control and quota settings, and ten user licenses of Windows-only backup software round out the deal. The Seagate BlackArmor NAS 400 is available either as a barebones unit for $399.99, or in 4TB, 6TB or 8TB pre-configurations for $899.99, $1,199.99 or $1,499.99 respectively.

Hacking the Motorola DROID X and DROID 2 may be a significantly tougher prospect, thanks to the confirmationthat the company will be locking the bootloaders of their future Android handsets. The bootloader – which is used to install custom ROMs that add new, unofficial functionality or streamline the Android user-experience – will be secured so as to prevent non-Motorola ROMs being loaded, the company says, explaining that the open bootloader on the DROID was the exception rather than the rule. As for why they made that exception, there’s only the mysterious explanation that Motorola had “a specific business reason for doing so.” In contrast, the European version of the DROID – the Motorola Milestone – had a locked bootloader, as do all of the other Android smartphones from the company. “The use of open source software, such as the Linux kernel or the Android platform, in a consumer device does not require t he handset running such software to be open for re-flashing . We comply w

When even DigiTimes themselves are casting doubt onto their own rumor reports, you have to suspect something might not be right in the speculation chain. According to the latest Taipei mutterings, Apple is looking at 5.6-inch and 7-inch OLED panels for second-gen iPads, together with working with OEMs on a tweaked version of the existing 9.7-inch LCD model. As for a timescale, component manufacturers are apparently saying orders have been placed for Q4 2010. The sources also tip Compal as the likely manufacturing partner. The smaller iPads would, it’s suggested, be focused on ereading duties rather than all-round multimedia like the current tablet. Where, exactly, the iPod touch – also expected to be refreshed later in 2010 – would fit in remains to be seen. Meanwhile, OLED supplies are currently far from plentiful, with companies like HTC having to look to LCD screens in order to build enough smartphones to satisfy their order-books. Samsung are yet to make their Super AMOLED pa

There is no shortage of high-end phones on the market that are decked out in gold and jewels. Many of the companies that make the high-end phones simply take a device like the iPhone and cover it in gold and diamonds for effect. Other companies like Bellperre design their own handsets and make the thing customizable with gold, gems, and leather of all sorts. The company has added new design options to its line with things like red sharkskin covering, ostrich leather, and red crocodile. There are 14 new leather colors to choose from. The buyer can customize their own device with buttons made from brushed steel, polished silver, rose gold, or 24K gold. A total of 125 leather options are available. The hardware inside the phone is GSM quad band and HSDPA compatible. The camera is a 5MP unit with LED flash. The handset measures 111 x 45 x 11.2 mm and weighs 135g with the battery. The screen is 2.2-inches and the battery is good for five hours of talk. The device also has GPS, an accelerom

I am a sucker for high-end computer hardware and video cards. Asus pulled the wraps off a video card yesterday called the ARES that the company claims to be the fastest single video card on the planet. The cool looking card packs in dual ATI 5870 GPUs. Along with those dual GPUs is 4GB of GDDR5 RAM making the card as much as 30% faster than reference ATI 5970 video cards. The card uses a custom PCB and high quality components. A copper heat sink keeps the card cool and the cooling fan has a metal shroud. The card also ships with the Asus Voltage Tweak option and fan controls to allow the end user to overclock the card for even better performance. Along with the AERES card , Asus also pulled the wraps off new EAH5870, 5850, and 5830 video cards as well. Pricing and availability are unknown.

Opera has announced that Opera Mini 5.1 for Android smartpho nes is now available for download. The new browser will work on all Android devices, promises better browsing performance, and a better user experience. The web browser improves browsing speeds by compressing data up to 90% before sending the content to the phone. The page load times are significantly improved thanks to this. Opera claims that displaying BBC News will cost nine times less with Opera mini 5.1 for the user compared to loading the page on another browser. The 5.1 version of the browser can be downloaded right now on the Android Market or at m.opera.com. The new version is also optimized for a better layout on Android devices with a larger screens and the browser can be set as the default for your device.

The NVIDIA GTX 460 video card launched recently and Asus has added its own models to the offerings on the market. The new video cards support 3D Vision Surround, DX11, PhysX, and CUDA like the other GTX 460 cards on the market. Asus claims that its cards go beyond the average GTX 460 offerings with performance enhancing features like DirectCU thermal design, EMI Shield, and Fuse Protection. The DirectCU cooling solution is an Asus exclusive technology using 8mm copper heat pipes that are flattened to directly contact the GPU core for improved heat transfer. There are two models available including the ENGTX460 Top with 768MB of RAM with two heat pipes and the ENGTX460 Top 1GB card using three heat pipes. The Asus cooling solution claims 20% better cooling than reference designs and should allow for better overclocking for enthusiasts. The line of video cards starts at $199.99.

Having teased us with a concept of their ideas for a camcorder version of their interchangeable-lens NEX cameras, Sony has now unveiled the production version of that dream. The Sony NEX-VG10 Interchangeable Lens HD Camcorder is, the company reckons, the first consumer model to support switchable optics of this sort, sharing the same E-mount lens interface together with support for regular A-mount lenses with a suitable adapter. Thanks to the comapny’s Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor, the NEX-VG10 can shoot Full HD video at 24Mbps or 14.2-megapixel stills. Sony say the NEX-VG10’s sensor is almost twenty times the size of what you’d find in a regular camcorder, and brings various pro-photography style abilities to the table; that includes bokeh-enabling shallow depths of field, up to seven fps continuous shooting, and Auto HDR, Handheld Twilight and Anti Motion Blur stills. Audio, meanwhile, is courtesy of a Quad Capsule Spatial Array Stereo Microphone, though of course there are external

Another day, another... oh wait, what's this? The Modu phone has been an enigmatic figure in the mobile world, treading the precipice of vaporware for a while before finally launching in its home market of Israel last year and in a few more places around the world since then. Aiming to shake up the apparently stale mobile market, this minimalist take on the phone is no larger than the standard battery in your modern smartphone and gets its name from the modular "jackets" it can slip into. They furnish it with added functionality and buttons, while also sprinkling a bit of extra style on top as well. Slide past the break to learn more about this handset, the Modu 1, together with a few teasers about the upcoming touchscreen-based Modu 2.

The software and language engineers at Swiftkey have been toiling on this app for the past two years, and at long last, it's being made available for precisely nothing to anxious Android users. Hot on the heels of Swype's own beta, the Swiftkey beta is now available to download directly from the App Market, and once installed (along with language packs of your choice), it can be used in place of your stock Android soft keyboard. We've never been the biggest fan of Google's factory keys, and while we still feel that Swiftkey's letters are a tad on the skinny side, it's definitely an improvement. But that's not where the magic's at -- this software has an uncanny ability to guess what your next word will be, and it actually looks at your prior SMS list (if allowed) in order to "learn" how you converse. In our early tests, we're pretty darn impressed, and yes, it's definitely worth the $0.00 price tag. Get your download on right now, or h

Just a scant few days after the Java-based release for featurephones, the Android build of Opera Mini 5.1 (which, admittedly, also has its roots in Java) is ready for your browse-happy ways. As with the featurephone release, the focus here is almost exclusively on improving performance, an impressive goal considering that Opera Mini 5was already burning rubber on many devices. Additionally, 5.1 is said to improve page layout on the latest round of high-resolution phones -- a good thing, considering many of us are now considering WVGA a bare minimum. Sickening thought, isn't it? The new build should be available to download from the Android Market today

Given just how much that white iPhone 4 bumper is about to cost you on eBay, it seems as if a Colorware'd alternative has never been a better bargain. The master of gadget coloration is back once more, this time promising to dress Apple's latest problem child up with just about any combination of hues that you choose. Consumers can splash paint on the frame, back, button, SIM card tray and earbuds, with the minimum price set at $250 for a sent-in device. There's no guarantee that a coat of Colorware will serve to remedy those awfully annoying reception issues, but at least you can pocket a beautiful reminder of just how happy a pair of colorful bands can make the average vacationer. And that, friends, is priceless.

We knew the original Droid's replacement was coming, but we were never able to nail down the market name with confidence -- until now, it seems. The Droid 2 makes a prominent appearance in an official catalog of Verizon devices leaked to BGR , talking up its 5 megapixel cam, 8GB of onboard storage, and 1GHz processor, positioning it just ever so slightly below the mighty Droid X. Also finding their way into the catalog are the recently-launched Pantech Jest, the self-branded Verizon Salute, and the Intensity II and Gusto both from Samsung, all dumbphones that just add more evidence to the theory that all the good names for mobile devices have already been taken. No date's given for the Droid 2, but we imagine it can't be long now that they're openly talking about it, right?

The controversy over the iPhone 4's antenna issues continues to grow, particularly after Consumer Reports confirmed yesterday that every iPhone 4 suffers from signal attenuation when the phone is held with the lower left corner covered -- a report that we confirmed with results from our own custom signal metering app. At this point, there's no longer any question in our minds that the iPhone 4's antenna can be made to lose signal by holding it "wrong" -- and we definitely think it's more than a little silly that simply holding the phone in your left hand has been nicknamed the "death grip." That said, however, it's not at all clear what the real-world effects of the antenna issue actually are for most people -- as we've repeatedly said, several iPhone 4s owned by the Engadget staff (including our review unit) have never experienced so much as a single dropped call, while others suffer from signal issues that results in lost calls and unresp

Normally, you've got to wait... you know, at least a few hours after a new Android phone's released for a root technique to pop up -- but thanks to the Captivate's lineage, hackers have already been able to get the ball rolling. Indeed, it turns out that the root method already employed on the European version of the Galaxy S works just fine on the Captivate and Vibrant, and presumably, it'll work just the same on Fascinate and Epic 4Gwith a minimum of modification. Reports are already trickling in that Market apps requiring root are working like champs, so we're feeling good about this one

As you may or may not be already aware, the Nexus One and HTCDesire have the same Broadcom chip. Seems trivial at cursory glance until you realize the Desire has a FM radio app, which should ergo be just as feasible on the Google-branded device. Cut to xda-developers' intersectRaven, who's released a custom N1 kernel that theoretically brings life to the FM receptor. It's available to download, but as for when you'll get a chance to really use this yourself, that's entirely up to the custom ROM developers updating their respective wares. For his part, Paul O'Brien said today he's already got it working on an upcoming Froyo Sense build for the device -- hang tight, folks, it's coming.

The Droid X isn't even out yet -- at least, not officially -- but that's not stopping Motorola and Verizon from putting the finishing touches on their next superphone prior to launch. All of our review units shipped either with 1.13.514 or 1.13.516, but now Moto's pushing 1.13.604 out to units in the field; we don't know what's different, but we'd assume it's a quickie (just 18MB, in fact) to patch up a few last-minute bugs. Needless to say, if you were expecting Froyo already... well, prepare to be disappointed.

Back and forth. Back and forth. That’s what this antenna issue has become, with Apple sitting in the middle, watching the results as they make their way from one end of the spectrum to the other. Back and forth. And it’s only getting brighter in the media’s eye (if that’s even possible), and when that starts happening, we can surely expect it to be making waves amongst the populace. Even amongst those who might call themselves Apple fans. With a new report from Consumer Reports hot on the heels of the issue, we now get word from so-called PR experts that a hardware recall for the new iPhone is inevitable. “Apple will be forced to do a recall of this product,” said Professor Matthew Seeger. “It’s critically important. The brand image is the most important thing Apple has. This is potentially devastating.” Seeger is an expert in Crisis Communication. What it boils down to, more or less, is basically a PR situation for Apple at this point. By now, everyone who has an iPhone 4 has either

Quick Pitch: Noteleaf helps you remember the people you meet. Easily take notes about people and keep in touch using follow-up reminders. Genius Idea: When Noteleaf’s creators first moved to the Bay Area several months ago, they were delighted to meet so many interesting new people they wanted to keep in touch with — but they didn’t have a convenient way of remembering who they were and how best to follow up. And so they created Noteleaf, a simple service designed to help users keep track of the people they meet and to organize follow-ups. Currently Noteleaf exists as a web app and bookmarklet. You can add the bookmarklet to your toolbar to create new profile entries and add notes to existing ones as you come across important information on Google Apps, Facebook , LinkedIn , Twitter or elsewhere. You can also create follow-up reminders via Noteleaf’s integration with Google Calendar . The service launched in Beta just this week, and still needs several key features to be truly servi

Adding more fuel to the wildfire of rumors about a possible Google social network, one Google staffer has posted a huge slide deck of research findings on social networking problems and solutions. Social networking is a complex, fascinating puzzle that we’re just beginning to solve. Technologists as a group are making great strides in user adoption and functionality, but we’re still missing some important elements that would allow our online lives to better emulate our real-world experiences. In a killer 216-slides-with-footnotes presentation posted on SlideShare, Google UX researcher Paul Adams laid out the full gamut of challenges for today’s web designers. It’s a topic of great importance for every product designer, interface designer, web startup and social media consultant struggling with social groups in the online space. The Social Web of the Web Social media is here to stay, and it’s becoming an integral, irrevokable part of the Internet . Our identities and our friendships are

Microsoft has integrated FacebookFacebook and Windows Live MessengerWindows Live Messenger into Outlook, bringing the newsfeeds of millions of Facebook users into inboxes across the world. Last year, Microsoft launched Outlook Social Connector, a plugin that syncs social networking feeds with your Outlook contacts, giving you immediate data on what they are doing and thinking. It started last year withLinkedInLinkedIn integration, followed by promises that MySpace and Facebook were coming. Today, Outlook completes the cycle with not only Facebook integration, but support for Windows Live Messenger as well. The company is releasing the plugin for Outlook 2003 and 2007 users as well, bringing Facebook, MySpaceMySpace, LinkedIn, and Windows Live Messenger to millions of business and personal inboxes worldwide. Last week, we got a sneak peek at the new Outlook at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Here’s what you can expect from the new Facebook integration, as well

While there are many players in the online video space, there are two that stand tall above the rest: YouTube and Hulu. Both video sites represent vastly different business models and philosophies. On the one hand, YouTube became the powerhouse it is today through user-generated content (though the site is now trying to bring in higher quality content and footage). Hulu , on the other hand, is banking on its ability to monetize premium content. Last week for our weekly Web Faceoff series, we asked you, the readers, to choose whether you prefer YouTube or Hulu in the battle of UGC vs. premium content. In the end, though…. …YouTube emerged victorious! With 67% of the ballot box (726 votes), the Google -owned video service trumped Hulu, which was only able to muster 357 votes, or 33% of the tallies. Tune in tomorrow, when we launch yet another edition of the Web Faceoff!

According to Domino’s UK financial earnings report, the company has increased its pre-tax profit by nearly 29%, which equates to roughly $26 million. The UK pizza retailer attributes social media initiatives and its Foursquare promotion for the gains. In the earnings statement, CEO Chris Moore points to the rise in online orders — which now account for 32.7% of all orders — as proof that their web and social media efforts are paying off. Moore reports that when it comes to the web, “Our main Facebook site now has in excess of 36,000 fans … In addition, we have led the way with social media initiatives such as affiliate marketing, our superfans programme and the development of a link up with Foursquare.” Moore concludes that, “all of these web-based activities offer a dual benefit of driving pizza sales online and building customer loyalty.” You may recall that the Foursquare promotion rewards mayors of UK stores with free pizza; other patrons who check-in receive a free side dish. The

According to a presentation made by European Sony executive Mike Hawking, 3D Blu-ray support will be added to thePlayStation 3 in a firmware upgrade this September, and support for 3D YouTube will come within the next 12 months. You’ll eventually be able to use the console to show off photos taken with 3D cameras, too. CVG quoted Hawking saying that the PS3 already has all the hardware it needs to handle 3D games and videos thanks to its compatibility with the HDMI 1.4 connection. The console can detect the size and 3D hardware in any TV it’s connected to, so it can be adapted to support most new 3D technologies with simple software or firmware updates. Rival Microsoft hasn’t announced any plans to go 3D with the rival Xbox 360 console, but the hand-heldNintendo 3DS has a screen that shows 3D images without requiring the player to wear special glasses. Market researchers believe that plenty of 3D TVs will show up in consumers’ living rooms over the next few years, so Sony might be maki

Video reportedly from Star Wars: The Old Republic ’s beta test has made its way onto the internet. The quality is less than great and there’s no sound, but extremely early leaked gameplay footage is rarely pretty. Keep in mind that this could be fake, but from what I’ve read, it sounds like it’s the real deal. Check out the video directly below. SWTOR is scheduled to be released in Spring 2011.

After the job lay-offs at Firaxis it was business as usual with 2K Games announcing a special limited edition version of Civilization V . If your eyes lit up at the announcement, your wallet will soon be retreating to the deepest and darkest reaches of your house as it prepares for a 100 USD hit for the special edition. For one hundred dollars you would want to be getting some sweet swag, right? Well check out the list below and decide if it’s worth your hard earned dollars; Copy of Civilization 5 5 Metal miniatures based on units from the game. Made by Reaper Figurines. 2 Disc Soundtrack of Civilization V A DVD showing a Behind the Scenes during the development of Civilization V 176 page hardcover art book It is a pretty sizable bunch of content, and I think it justifies the price tag. That might be different for the readers though, so let us know with a short comment below. When we find a packshot we will update this post to include it.

" Crysis 2 " will be boasting big-time in-game technology when it comes out this autumn. It will also boast a deluxe "Nano Edition," according to an online retail listing that slipped out into the public eye. For anyone who bought those "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" nightvision goggles from the Prestige Edition last year but needs some extra cargo room, the bundle will come with its very own backpack — and come with a price point as high as $199. The Swedish website Webhallen.com (which also posted a premature price for Kinect) has since taken down the details it published about the offering, but the German site Playfront.de saved a picture and some pertinent information, according to Kotaku. In addition to the backpack with a metallic spine attachment, the Nano Edition also reportedly includes a 7.9-inch Prophet statue, an art book, a SCAR hologram, and "Waffenskin SCAR - Camouflage," as well as privileged access to better in-game ranks an

" Mortal Kombat " had an impressive showing at this year's E3. The franchise has gone through peaks and valleys (mostly valleys) over the last two decades, so it's good to see promise on the horizon. It's also interesting to think about paths not taken, including a canceled co-op game, starring Scorpion and Sub Zero, that would've been the follow-up to the so-so side-scroller, "Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks." Speaking with GameInformer , Ed Boon (long-time helmer of the "MK" franchise) mentioned that after "Shaolin Monks," the developer was going to start work on "Fire & Ice." Sounds like the idea would've been similar, but it would've starred the two most familiar faces of the franchise, instead of starring the Bruce Lee knock-off and the dude with the sharp hat. "They actually started the early stages of that game," said Boon, "But they couldn’t do it in time and under budget, so the proje

Dragon Age Origins: Leliana’s Song walkthrough Part 1