IBLOG SPACE

At the beginning of the year, we showed you a concept for a new keyboard, called the Miniguru. With plenty of features to make typing purists out there happy, we were pretty excited about the possibilities it brought to the table. But, alas, today we are reminded all too well that a concept is just a concept, and they can come to an end all too quickly. Just months after its debut, it looks like the Miniguru keyboard isn’t coming. Guru’board, the intelligent folks behind the customizable keyboard, have declared that they have essentially lost faith in the idea that they will be able to sell the initial production line. Because of that, they’ve decided to scrap the project altogether, thus putting an end to the Miniguru. The keyboard itself consisted of mechanical key switches so that it made that familiar typing sound that most touch-typists enjoy so much. The keyboard itself was completely customizable, built to keep your fingers on the home row at all times. We wish we would have be

Acer’s Stream Android 2.1 smartphone went into a stealth mode of sorts after its official launch at the end of May, but UK retailer Expansys has just announced that the handset should be arriving on August 3rd. They’ll be the exclusive source of the Stream, in fact, priced at £399.99 ($610). That gets you a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen, like the Nexus One, together with a 5-megapixel autofocus camera capable of 720p HD video recording. There’s also an HDMI port to hook up your TV and watch the resulting footage, together with DivX playback, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS. Triband – 900/1900/2100 – HSDPA/HSUPA together with quadband GSM/EDGE round out the wireless connectivity, and there’s 2GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot to augment it. Keeping things ticking over is Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Acer hasn’t confirmed when – or if – the Stream will get an Android 2.2 update, which leaves us mildly cautious, but on specs alone the smartphone looks pretty

As storage goes, the choices for your new drive have generally been pretty straightforward. On the one side there are traditional HDDs, mechanical drives offering plentiful capacity but with performance and ruggedness compromises; on the other, there are SSDs, which address the speed and sturdiness questions, but are far more expensive per gigabyte. Into the middle comes the Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid , a platter-based HDD paired with flash memory that, the company promises, can give SSD-style performance with the relative low cost of an HDD. Too good to be true? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut. Seagate start off with their Momentus 7200 HDD – available in 250GB, 320GB and 500GB capacities – which as the name suggests spins at 7,200rpm; it has 32MB of cache and a SATA 3Gb/s interface. To that they add 4GB of solid state SLC NAND flash storage, all in a 2.5-inch drive that’s 9.7mm thick. Naturally there’s more to it than just two types of storage bolted together. Sitti

There’s no doubting that there has been huge demand for the iPhone 4 and the iPad , and that Apple are having trouble keeping both devices in stock. AT&T has just announced activation figures for the new iPhone 4, and preorder sales were a whopping ten times higher than those of the iPhone 3GS a year ago. Meanwhile, BGRhas heard that Apple is ramping up for a barnstorming weekend where it will try to work through the “Priority Lists” of customers waiting for either an iPhone 4 or an iPad. “On June 24, AT&T began offering iPhone 4, the most powerful iPhone yet. Preorder sales of iPhone 4 were 10 times higher than the first day of preordering for iPhone 3GS a year earlier. For the full second quarter, AT&T iPhone activations totaled 3.2 million, the most quarterly iPhone activations ever. Approximately 27 percent of those activations were for customers who were new to AT&T” AT&T AT&T made $30.8bn in revenue over the past three month period, activating a full 3.2

Microsoft has used its MGX conference to launch a new tagline for the company, “Be What’s Next”, and they’ve illustrated it with some slick new logos that, sadly, won’t be seeing a public release. Engadget spotted a promo from the event on YouTube – since pulled, though they grabbed a copy which you can see after the cut – and have since been contacted by Microsoft to confirm that the tagline is indeed something they’re going forward with. Unfortunately, while Microsoft’s logos probably are overdue for a refresh, the company has no plans to use these squiggles to do that. They’re “a standalone treatment to show the flexibility of joined brands” apparently, and something thrown together just for MGX.

Shuttle’s latest small-form-factor PC has been unveiled, and the XPC Barebone SH55J2 manages to offer compatibility with Intel’s Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 CPU ranges. The first machine to support all socket 1156 Core variants, the SH55J2 is compatible with the onboard GPU found in certain Core i3 and i5 processors, and has both HDMI and VGA outputs; alternatively a PCI Express socket can take a dual-slot discrete graphics card. Ports include nine USB 2.0, an eSATA/USB combo connector, analog and S/PDIF audio, gigabit ethernet and a multiformat memory card reader. Inside there’s a 3.5-inch hard-drive bay and a 5.25-inch optical drive bay. The supplied PSU is a 300W unit, and there’s a heatpipe cooling system. The Shuttle XPC Barebone SH55J2 is available in Europe now, priced at €251 ($320). Obviously you’ll also need to budget for a processor, hard-drive and DDR3 RAM if you want a working system.

Barnes & Noble has pushed out their promised NOOK app for Android, synchronizing ebook content across from the company’s standalone ereader together with their existing software readers, together with allowing access to the B&N eBookstore. NOOK for Android – a free download from the Android Market or available atwww.bn.com/nookforandroid also automatically takes you to the page you last read (though not if you’re using the iPhone client). There’s also LendMe support, multiple fonts, font sizes and page orientations, and a choice of page turn animations. Meanwhile B&N plan to rename their current eReader apps on other platforms to fit with the NOOK brand, including the standalone readers and the NOOKstudy app. You’ll need an Android 1.6 smartphone or higher to install NOOK for Android, and a B&N account to use the eBookstore and sync your existing content. Alternatively the app is compatible with regular ePub texts. Update: Barnes & Noble has been in touch to po

ASUS has outed its latest soundcard, together with a partnership with audio manufacturer Sennheiser , and the two companies reckon their Xonar Xense system is the perfect match for demanding gamers. Consisting of the ASUS Xonar Xense One audio card and the Sennheiser PC350 headphones, the setup includes first person shooter-optimized surround sound, Dolby Headphone 5.1 and Xonar GX2.5 support, and 6.5mm studio jacks rather than regular 3.5mm sockets. The promise is that having been developed in parallel, the soundcard and headphones will bring out more detail than “random audio card/headphone combinations”. Whether that’s true or not remains to be heard; what we do have are hard specs. The ASUS Xonar Xense One has 7.1 channel surround sound support (with a splitter cable included in the box), analog and digital inputs, and connections for front-panel audio ports. Meanwhile the Sennheiser PC350 headphones support a 10 – 26,000Hz frequency range with less than 0.1-percent distortion

I really hate it when the cable from my mouse puts so much weight on the mouse that it moves when I take my hand off it. I really, really hate it when the charger for my iPhone falls off the desk and I have to go digging to find it. To keep that from happening you need some kind of weighted cable management system. I have seen plain ones before from companies like Razer but iida has a cool new set of cable management things called Ranger . The Ranger cable managers look like those green plastic army men that most of us played with as kids. They are attached to an external charger with a long cable of 1.5M. You can plug the cable from the charger into compatible devices to charge on the road. The Ranger is available in Japan for 1880 yen plus tax.

While our opinion of Windows Phone 7 was somewhat mixed, it looks like AT&T are a whole lot more enthusiastic about the new smartphone OS. According to Altimeter Group analyst and SlashGear columnistMichael Gartenberg, a trusted source has revealed that AT&T has apparently signed up for eight million Windows Phone 7 devices ahead of its holiday season launch. The specific manufacturers of the AT&T devices are unknown – LG, HTC and Samsung are among the crowd we know are working on handsets running the new Microsoft OS – as is the timescale over which the carrier expects to be selling them. Gartenberg also believes that the AT&T deal isn’t a Windows Phone 7 exclusive, which is probably a good thing from Microsoft’s perspective if they want to catch up with the market saturation of rival smartphone OSes.

We might still be waiting for the first Tegra 2 tablets to arrive, but computer module specialist Toradex are looking to put NVIDIA’s next-gen chipset into even smaller packages. Having graced these pages before with an ultra-compact Atom based system on a credit-card sized ‘board, Toradex are now promoting their Colibri Tegra T20 Module [pdf link], which does the same thing only with a dual-core 1GHz Cortex A9. In fact, Toradex fit the dual-core Tegra and drivers for a touchscreen, 1080p HD output over HDMI, a WSXGA+ LCD display, camera, audio I/O, SD card, USB host and 10/100 ethernet – among several others – onto a SODIMM sized board. That’s just 67.6 x 36.7 x 5.2 mm, and consuming under 2W of power. There’s also 256MB of RAM and 1GB of flash storage squeezed on. Toradex envision it being used in embedded systems that require high-definition and 2D/3D graphics capabilities (it’s pin-compatible with previous, less potent Colibri boards for straightforward upgrades), and will star

A company called LucidPort has announced a new USB 3.0 to SATA bridge controller that claims to be the lowest power-consuming chip of its kind called the USB302. The chip supports USB Attached SCSI Protocol and claims to run 20 to 100% faster than USB 3.0 devices using legacy mass storage drivers. The chip can be configured in many ways according to the marker and has lots of features. Those features include automatic fan control, automatic standby timer, write protection, one touch backup, safe power down, and Blu-ray drive support. The chip needs only a single voltage (3.3V) and a single 30MHz clock source to operate. The controller features USB Stream Protocol support and uses a 6x6mm 48-pin QFN package.

Samsung has unveiled a new point-and-shoot digital camera that is very thin and comes in at a budget price. The camera is called the PL200 and it has a 14.2MP sensor and many other features. Samsung unveiled the ST600 and ST100 digital camera s yesterday. The camera can record HD video and has a large 3-inch rear LCD with 230k pixels. The lens has 7x optical zoom and the camera measures 3.9″ x 2.3″ x 0.83″ when the lens is closed. Other features include dual image stabilization using optical and digital tech. The video resolution is 720p and the camera has smart auto modes for still shots and video recording. A wide range of features for better photos are integrated into the camera like blink detection, face detection, beauty shot, and smile shot. The camera is set to launch in September for $179.99.

Qualcomm and Medical Platform Asia (MedPA) have announced that an agreement has been signed that will have the two firms working together to provide medical devices that have integrated 3G wireless modules for people in rural areas who need healthcare services. Qualcomm is implementing the new program through its Wireless Reach initiative. The program will allow 300 remote residents to send critical health care information to doctors over 3G wireless networks. Among the parameters the tech will let the users send to care providers are blood pressure, weight, and distance walked. MedPA will be giving the residents the equipment and will distribute the tech through MedPA’s affiliate medical facilities. The goal of the program is to help improve medical access to patients who can’t easily travel to a doctor’s office.

3D TVs are flooding the market, though consumer adoption of the sets is still rather slow going. As the sets get more features, they do become more appealing in the eyes of many consumers. Panasonic has announced a new addition to its line of 3D Viera RT2B plasma TV s that have been unveiled in Japan. The new 3D Viera RT2B set has support for 3D viewing using active glasses and has a Blu-ray recorder crammed inside the set. The TV also has a HDD recorder as well allowing viewers to record programs to the TV and burn them to Blu-ray disc when desired. The set comes in both 46-inch and 42-inch sizes. The launch date in Japan for the sets is August 27. Official pricing is unknown, but TechOn reports the street price is expected to be the equivalent of just under $5100 for the 46-inch set.

Samsung and Toshiba are both putting their weight behind a new standardized NAND specifications for high performance applications. The new NAND toggle DDR 2.0 specification will be for a DDR flash memory with a 400 Mbps interface. Toshiba announced earlier this month that it was starting a joint venture with SanDisk in a new NAND flash production facility. The current toggle DDR 1.0 spec uses a DDR interface with a conventional single data rate NAND design. The chips using this specification have a 133Mbps interface. The new NAND using toggle 2.0 will offer 400Mbps interface for an improvement of three times over the DDR 1.0 spec. The new NAND using the toggle 2.0 specifications will provide a ten times increase in performance compared to 40Mbps single data rate NAND still in use today. Support for the new spec will make for faster acceptance of toggle DDR memory with designers of hardware and applications according to both firms.

When it comes to computer hardware, there are lots of non-traditional products out there that are intended to serve a specific function, but do it with a flare of style. For instance, all computers need cooling fans of some sort to keep the air inside moving and your gear running cool. You can put in a plain old fan that is black plastic or if you are the sort that cares about style as much as function you can opt for the LED lit models or something even more different like the Sharkoon 140mm fan that is made to look like a golf ball. I guess there are probably plenty of people out there who like both golf and PCs that might find this fan interesting. It would be perfect for your Caddy Shack case mod. The golf ball fan spins at 800 rpm and can move 93.85 cubic meters of air per hour while producing 12.4 decibels of noise. The frame of the fan is black and the fan itself is a dimpled white plastic that looks like a golf ball. The fan ships with screws and other items needed for mountin

Dell has announced that its Streak Android MID is set to arrive in the US in unlocked form later this month, though the company is still yet to confirm pricing. The 5-inch Android tablet is currently available for pre-sale registration; we’re yet to see it launch on AT&T as was tipped to occur earlier in July. As with the European Streak, which we reviewed last month, the US version has a 3G modem (suited to AT&T’s 3G bands), WiFi b/g, Bluetooth and GPS, along with a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus and an LED flash, a front-facing video call camera, and a customized version of Android 1.6. Dell has promised an update to Android 2.x later in the year, though there’s no definitive timescale for its release.

VIA has gobs of hardware that it offers for just about every use you can imagine. The company is big into embedded PCs and other markets and has unveiled its latest embedded PC design kits with modular expansion boards along with chassis development kits. The new development kits are for the AMOS-5000 series. The kits allow the developer to design for a broad range of application specific and fanless EM-ITX devices. The AMOS-5000 series dev kits offer specific expansion models for the VIA EM-IO line with extendable aluminum chassis kits. The kits allow the developer to design embedded OEM and ODM fanless embedded box computers. The new dev kits include the VIA AMOS-5110 for advanced multimedia applications. The kit has advanced graphics and video processing with DirectX 10.1 graphics, 256MB of GDDR3 RAM, and support for VGA, dual DVI, and dual HDMI outputs. A number of other kits in the series are for other applications like connectivity and communications and a kit for industrial app

Panasonic are preparing to unveil a consumer-level 3D camcorder, tipped as being the first to the market by a big-name manufacturer. The company is yet to provide details about the new model, but has confirmed a Tokyo press event on July 28th and that it will be far more in line with their current, 2D range in terms of bulk, than their existing AG-3DA1 professional 3D camcorder (pictured). It will also be considerably less expensive; the Panasonic AG-3DA1 has an MRSP of around $21,000, well out of the range of consumer models. Beyond that, specifications are unclear; we’re guessing Panasonic will be aiming for as close to Full HD video as possible for the budget, given their 3D-capable VIERA range of HDTVs support such resolutions.

Microsoft has apparently scuppered plans to allow PC and Xbox 360 gamers to take each other on, using the company’s LIVE service to connect titles available for both platforms. According to Rahul Sood, CTO of HP’s gaming business, the Microsoft project was intended to promote PC gaming, but canned after testing showed those using PCs consistently bested their console counterparts. That wasn’t just because they were better players in general – in fact, according to the rumors Sood has heard, Microsoft purposefully selected mediocre PC gamers to take on “the best console gamers” – but because of the extra accuracy involved when using a PC and mouse versus a console controller. Microsoft supposedly felt that “it would be embarrassing to the XBOX team in general” if they’d gone ahead with a commercial launch, and so the idea was scrapped. While the authenticity of the rumor can’t be confirmed, if true it’s a disappointing move by Microsoft and one that PC gamers are already bemoaning.

Netflix are promising an update to their PS3 streaming client sometime within the next three months, complete with a new UI that’s loaded onto the console rather than requiring a disc as with the current implementation. That’s just one part of the company’s attempt to take on the Hulu Plus challenge; according to NewTeeVee, Netflix are seeing slowing DVD subscriber growth as more users turn to streaming. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings puts that down, in part, to an increase in TV content. “In terms of streaming content, we are rapidly expanding our TV shows available for streaming and since our last call we have added thousands of TV episodes from new deals with Fox, MTV Networks and Warner Television. These shows include all seasons of 24 , Futurama , Lie To Me , The Chapelle Show , Nip/Tuck and Veronica Mars , and in a few weeks all seasons of The Family Guy will be available to stream as well. We see TV shows as equally important to our franchise as movies.” Reed Hastings, CEO, Netf

Mobile photography could get a shot in the arm thanks to the combined efforts of Stanford University researchers and Nokia Research, who have pushed a new open-source digital photography platform out the door. FCam – or “Frankencamera” – is initially available for the Nokia N900 , and unlocks high-end functionality like RAW image capture, full manual controls and low-light imagery through combining multiple shots of varying ISO and exposure settings. FCamera is an example camera application that uses FCam libraries and drivers. It is released in source code to serve as a starting point for programmers to create their own camera applications. Low-light Assistant helps in situations where there is not enough light to avoid the choice between a quick exposure that will look sharp, but dark and noisy, and a long exposure that will have enough light, but likely be blurry. Instead, the app captures two images in rapid succession and then automatically combines them, resulting in a photo th

Qualcomm may still be storming ahead with their Snapdragon mobile chipsets and wireless modules, but poor old FLO TV isn’t bringing home the bacon. The mobile TV service – which hasn’t won much in the way ofindustry admiration – is struggling to gain traction, and Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs has admitted that the company is in early discussions with others with regards a potential sale. “It will get done in the next year but I don’t think I can be much more specific than that” Jacobs revealed during the Qualcomm financial results call, declining to mention who might be interested in FLO TV but saying there had been “a lot of interesting discussions.” Unlike data-based TV streaming, which uses carriers’ 3G connections, FLO TV uses its own chunk of the wireless spectrum; that means more control over the distribution, but it also adds extra expense.

You can’t accuse Microsoft employees of not drinking the Kool-Aid, or at least their employer making sure there are plenty of jugs of it about. According to a senior marketing manager at Microsoft, every employee will be getting a Windows Phone 7 handset . We’ve already heard that there is plenty of variety when it comes to smartphones at Microsoft, with many staffharboring a soft-spot for the iPhone despite the fact that the company will now only reimburse service fees for those using a home-grown device. Still, we reckon there’ll be a few more contented people when the Windows Phone 7 boxes arrive; check out our technical preview for more details.

Apparently there’s still some room for a rumor mill about the iPhone 4 and T-Mobile to exist. That’s good. We hate it when our mills get shut down. Just takes away all of our fun. Today’s nugget of joy comes from Cult of Mac , and it goes on to say that the iPhone, not necessarily the iPhone 4, mind you, is definitely coming to the fourth largest wireless carrier in the United States. Well, consider us interested. The source, apparently, is a “highly placed source” within T-Mobile, and obviously they need to remain anonymous, or else bad things would happen. But, according to this source, it looks like the talks between Apple and T-Mobile are closer to being completed than anyone would have ever imagined. Here’s the quote: “Talks between Apple and T-Mobile are at an advanced stage, our source says, and it’s 80 percent likely that the iPhone will be coming to T-Mobile in Q3. The source works at T-Mobile but asked not to be quoted directly and to remain anonymous because they aren’t aut

The applications just keep on coming for iOS4 , and there’s no slowing them down. Today’s app is one you might have heard of: Skype. Yep, that’s right, one of the largest VoIP providers out there just got a brand new version for Apple’s shiny new mobile Operating System, and it brings with it a plethora of changes and features. Dig in after the break to find out just what they are. The version number is 2.1, first of all. And, obviously one of the biggest features is that it’s going to let you run the software in the background, no matter what else you find yourself doing. What that means, is that you’ll be able to get updated to your Instant Messages, as well as receive calls even if you’re not running the app, or you find yourself playing some Plants vs Zombies . Additionally, Skype will keep working even when the phone is locked. Furthermore, you will be able to stay on your call, even if you find that you need to look at something else other than your contact’s calling card picture

Back in May, there was a pretty robust rumor making its way around the Internet, saying something to the extent that the HP TouchSmart tm2 convertible laptop would be getting a big improvement in the processor department. It launched “back in the day” with Intel’s Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor, and the rumors suggested that Intel would be supplanting that with their own Core i5 CPU. And, sure enough, that’s finally happened. Coming after the launch of the Core i3 CPU variation just a few months back, the i5 is a welcomed addition to the line-up. It still features that same 12-inch multitouch touchscreen, but it can now be installed with a 1.2GHz Core i5-430UM CPU. You can then pair that with an integrated Intel graphics card, or if you’re feeling rambunctious, you can choose the model installed with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5450. Both variations have 4GB of DDR3 RAM pre-installed. Right now, the TouchSmart tm2 looks like it’s going for about $800, give or take a few bucks, so if you’r

No, not real feelings. Thankfully. But, at least they can try. Meet FloBi , a robot head that’s specifically designed to show a wide range of emotions, just by the doll-like features put upon it. Unlike a lot of robots out there that have “human-like” features, where testing for one particular reason or another is paramount to the robot’s very existence, that’s not necessarily the case with FloBi. As far as we can tell, it’s just a fun experiment for some students and researchers. FloBi is being created out of a university in Germany, the Bielefeld University to be exact. What it does do, oddly enough, is not absolutely terrify us by its doll-like looks, and non-human appearance. Sure, despite the fact it’s showing some kind of expression, the robot still looks overall expressionless , but that may just be because of the design, and not the expression itself. The researchers are even able to change FloBi’s perceived gender by switching out some pieces here and there, thanks to clips an

Gears of War is by far one of the most popular video game titles on the planet. It’s a success, in every sense of the word, for Microsoft and Epic Games, with the first two installments amassing millions of copies sold, and some of the most highly rated games to ever get released. And now with the third one about to drop onto shelves (relatively speaking, mind you — it’s not tomorrow, by any means), there’s one question on everyone’s mind: How’s the rookie going to die? Well, turns out that the rookie, also known as Carmine, will have his Fate decided this time around. And by you. Anthony and Benjamin Carmine are part of the same lineage. They were the Carmines –the rookie– in the first and second game, and they both befell a terrible death. In essence, these guys are the Red Shirts of Gears of War (a Star Trek reference), and so far they haven’t made it to the end titles. And, while Clayton Carmine is all set to crack some Locust skulls in the next installment, that doesn’t necessari

Getting a Blu-ray player now-a-days isn’t the hardest thing in the world, but it can still be one of the more expensive things you do. Sure, there are alternatives, but some times you just want to be able to get a Blu-ray player, and nothing else. Well, if you’re in the market to get your laptop to play Blu-ray movies, then Plextor probably just made your day. They’ve introduced their brand new PX-B120U, and it’s a completely USB-powered Blu-ray player. Although the PX-B120U is only powered by its USB cable, that doesn’t mean you won’t get the full effect. The player is still perfectly capable of reading Blu-rays at 4X, and if you really want to watch other things, like an HD movie, you’ll be happy to know that there’s Cyberlink Power DVD software pre-installed, which means you can do just that. Furthermore, if you’re favorite movie hasn’t been released on Blu-ray yet, and you’ve only got it on a standard DVD, the external player will upscale it for you to a something-like HD quality

It’s camera day, apparently. Hot on the heels of another line-up of cameras getting announced from another company, we’ve got Samsung pulling the curtain up and revealing two brand new models for their DualView line of cameras. These are the cameras with those front-facing screens, so you can watch yourself take a picture of yourself. Just in case your Facebook needed another drop-down shot of yourself, at least now you’ll know your face is perfectly in line. Please welcome the Samsung DualView ST600 and ST100 into the family, folks. Both cameras feature a larger front display, measuring in now at 1.8-inches, and they’re packing a 14.2MP sensor with ISO 3200 sensitivity. On the back, you’ll find yourself a roomy 3.5-inch display. That display has a gesture-based user interface touchscreen, so hopefully you’ll never get bored as you take your next photo. Both cameras also feature 720p video recording, and face recognition software that can pick up to 14 visages on its own, or you can c

We heard a couple of days ago that the Nexus One, the first “superphone,” was going to meet its end within the official Google Phone Store; and while we assumed that it wouldn’t last long, we’re still surprised to see that it happened this fast. Just two days later, and Google’s letting everyone know that the last Nexus One has already been sent out, leaving the digital store shelves blank and uninviting. But that doesn’t mean you’re completely without options. You just need to be near the wireless carrier KT in South Korea, or Vodafone in Europe to get your hands on one. Oh, and there’s still some chance that Google will ship them out to registered developers, so that’s another route. But, alas, you won’t be ordering it from the short-lived Google Store. Hopefully you got one when you had the chance.

Lashings of Froyo rumor over the past twenty-four hours, with talk of Android 2.2 headed to various high-end handsets. First off, spyshots have tipped the Motorola DROID 2 as launching on Verizon with Froyo preloaded according to Droid-Life, rather than the Android 2.1 OS we’ve seen on the DROID X, while elsewhere there’s talk of Android 2.2 updates for existing devices. That includes a Froyo update for the Vodafone Google Nexus One as early as next week, with the carrier-branded device finally getting what unlocked users have been enjoying for a few weeks now. Handy, since Google has announced that they’ll soon not be offering the unlocked version themselves, leaving it up to carrier partners to supply the phone. Finally, the Samsung Galaxy S is tipped to get Android 2.2 in September 2010, in France at least. That’s particularly good news, as we found the Galaxy S’ processor to have plenty of promise when we reviewed the smartphone and expect Froyo to only make things better. Rem

Looks like OnLive could have some competition in the form of Gaikai , another cloud-computing service that promises performance gaming without a console. Unlike OnLive, which uses a standalone box, Gaikai streams games directly into your browser; we’ve already seen it streaming WoW to Apple’s iPad. Intel Capital has just invested an unspecified amount [pdf link] into Gaikai, which will use the company’s hexacore servers and SSDs. Another partnership, with Limelight Networks, will give Gaikai the flexible infrastructure it needs to funnel gaming through to end-users. The concept behind cloud-gaming is straightforward: rather than having a console or games PC which you have to upgrade or maintain, the games run on remote servers: the visuals are squirted over the internet to a low-powered viewer (either a standalone box in the case of OnLive, or a browser plug-in with Gaikai) while your control movements are sent back. Gaikai has already inked a deal with Electronic Arts, which will s

Pratigya Mann Ki Awaaz is one of the hot favorite serials among the Indian Television viewers. Actors are getting recognized by their characters they played in the serial. Either take the example of Arhaan Behl or Pooja Gaur , both are known with their character’s name Krishan and Pratigya. Some of the artists get themselves reestablished through this serial, like Anupam Shyam. Parvati Anil Sahgel , who is playing the role of Komal got a good break, as of now she is well known face on Indian Television. This all is just because of this serial. Piyush Sahdev is the new character who has been introduced recently in the Pratigya serial as Lawyer Amit Mathur , who will fight the case for Pratigya’s father against Sajjan Singh ( Anupam Shyam). Piyush Sahdev is well known model turned actor. He was last seen in the serial Meet on Sony Channel. Till now in the serial Pratigya he is able to grab the attention of the viewers because of his smart look and strong character. In the coming episo