IBLOG SPACE

Acer’s trio of tablets have apparently been picked up by Vodafone Germany, with the latest out of CeBIT 2011 being confirmation that the three models will all arrive in mid to late April. According to Steve Paine , the Iconia A500 , Iconia W500 and Iconia A100 are locked in for the German market, though there’s no word on whether Vodafone will be offering them in other countries. Announced back at MWC 2011 in February, the A100 and A500 will run Android 3.0 on 7- and 10-inch screens respectively and using NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 processor. The W500, meanwhile, is a Windows 7 based hybrid, with a 10.1-inch multitouch display, AMD C-50 processor and AMD Radeon HD6250 graphics. It also has a removable keyboard dock. No word on pricing.

D-Link has unveiled its latest router, the DHP-1320 , a combination Wireless-N and PowerLine 200Mbps hybrid. Packing three 10/100 ethernet ports, WiFi g/n wireless with WPA and WPA2 encryption, and up to 200Mbps data through your home or office electrical wiring, the D-Link DHP-1320 promises sufficient speed to stream HD video without having to worry what walls are in the way. As well as the DHP-1320, D-Link is also offering a PowerLine AV 4-Port Switch (DHP-346AV) for $99.99, a PowerLine AV Wireless N Extender (DHP-W306AV) for $119.99, and a PowerLine AV Network Starter Kit (DHP-307AV) for $139.99. However, the system is compatible with any HomePlug AV kit, so it should fit in with other manufacturers’ offerings too. The D-Link DHL-1320 will be available from today, priced at $129.99.

We’re here at the Apple iPad 2 event where we’ve just been informed of none other than the big news maker itself, the iPad 2. This device is set to be released with a new Apple A5 dual-core processor, 512MB or RAM, front and rear-facing cameras, FaceTime for iPad support, and a display that’s the same size and resolution as the original. This device comes in both black and white, the metal on the back still being silver, the front bezel giving you the opportunity to side with the light side or the dark! Inside you’ll find a dual-core A5 CPU, up to 2x faster with 9x faster graphics, with the same low power as the A4 chip. This is what they say will be the first dual-core tablet to ship in volume. There will indeed be a camera on the front of the tablet as well as the back, and the entire thing will be 33% thinner than the iPad 1. This means 13.4mm to 8.8mm. This is thinner than the iPhone 4 (not by a whole lot, but some!) Instead of weighing 1.5 pounds, this new tablet weighs in at 1.3

Apple’s is taking on criticisms that its tablet is only intended for content consumption, and alongside the iPad 2 it has also unveiled iMovie for iPad . Set to go on sale on March 11 – alongside the iPad 2 – for $4.99 in the App Store, it allows for video editing of the 720p HD video the new slate’s rear camera can record, with a precision editor and support for multitrack audio. There are three preset themes – Neon, Simple, and CNN iReport – which each come with titles, transitions, and an accompanying soundtrack, and you can drop in still photos with Ken Burns-style panning effect that uses face recognition to make sure peoples’ faces are always in frame. There’s also titling support, with various fonts and finishes. The integrated microphone allows for voice narration, and there are 50 preloaded sound effects. Once you’ve finished, you can export to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, or CNN iReport, or stream via AirPlay or using the iPad 2 HDMI adapter. iMovie for iPad will work on the iPa

Apple’s director of music marketing, Xander Soren, demoed a new GarageBand app for the next-gen iPad. This new app now makes music and creativity an easy part of your life on the go. Once only available on your Mac desktop or notebook, now you can transport your instruments with you for creative rifts that you can save and share on the new ultra thin iPad 2. The GarageBand app features a whole slew of different instruments that you can select to play. It also has Smart instruments that can teach you to play if you do not already know how. Using the accelerometer feature, the app can recognize different pressures applied and hence play different sounds accordingly. Octaves can be altered by tapping through the notes and tones can be changed using little sliders. The music you create or record using the app can also then be edited and mixed, with creativity your only limit. The music you make can then be emailed to friends or sent to your iTunes library. “Anyone can make music now, with

The iPad 2 won’t go on sale until March 11, but the first-gen iPad has already slipped into Apple’s bargain basement. You can now pick up any iPad WiFi or iPad WiFi + 3G with $100 off the original price, which means the entry-level 16GB model is now just $399. We’ve already heard that supplies at resellers are low, so you may struggle to find third-party vendors offering these sorts of discounts. Expect a big impact on those trying to offload their original iPads on eBay and through other routes, too, in advance of the new iPad 2.

Behold the new fistfight. While we have had many a competition between tablets of Android and the iPad original, this is 2011′s real brawl. We’re talking the official Google approved Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet vs Apple’s hero product, the second generation in what’s quickly become a game-changing device in the whole world of consumer electronics. Who will emerge victorious? Lets begin with the XOOM: This Motorola produced tablet is being carried by Verizon currently and runs Google’s first tablet-specific Android OS, Android 3.0 Honeycomb. This tablet was made by Motorola who worked closely with Google to produce what they’re pushing as the perfect platform to show off the capabilities of the Honeycomb OS. The dimensions on this device are 9.80 x 6.61 x 0.51 inches (249 x 167.8 x 12.9 mm) and the weight is right around 25.75 oz (730 g) depending on what you’ve got inside. On the front is a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 pixel resolution WXGA display capable of delivering HD 720p video playback

Unlike the original iPad, Apple is offering AT&T and Verizon versions of the iPad 2 WiFi + 3G out of the door. Unfortunately, carrier choice doesn’t offer quite the flexibility we were hoping for: according to Apple, “the iPad model you purchase is specially configured to work with either AT&T or Verizon — not both.” “While you don’t have to activate 3G service right away, you should choose your iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G according to the carrier you prefer” Apple warns. We’d hoped that the iPad 2 would have a hybrid GSM/CDMA modem which could be used on both AT&T’s 3G/UMTS and Verizon’s EVDO Rev.A networks, but sadly that’s not the case. In fact, if you opt for the Verizon iPad 2 WiFi + 3G, then just as with the Verizon iPhone 4 you won’t be able to access cellular services outside of North America. The modem is CDMA-only, rather than a so-called World Phone modem, and don’t even think about 4G LTE . We’ll have to wait until the first teardowns to know whether, as in the Veri

Nintendo obviously didn’t get the memo that the news cycle belonged to Apple and the iPad 2 today; CEO Satoru Iwata took to the stage at GDC 2011 and announced two collaborations for the Nintendo 3DS , with Netflix and AT&T. The Nintendo 3DS will drop in the US on March 27, and after a software update at the end of May, be able to automatically connect to AT&T’s 10,000 WiFi hotspots. Meanwhile, this summer will bring Netflix to the 3DS. Those subscribers with an unlimited plan - starting at $7.99 a month – will be able to stream movies and TV shows over WiFi connections. They’ll also be able to start watching content at home, via Netflix on the Wii, and then pick up where they left off on the 3DS. The May update will also activate the Nintendo eShop . Iwata also announced a 3D Super Mario game, with “traditional Mario game play” and developed by the same Nintendo team that created the Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Wii.

Isn’t amazing that Apple’s new iPad 2 is now thinner than the iPhone 4? But perhaps even more amazing is that they somehow managed to produce a white version of the iPad 2, something seemingly impossible to produce with the iPhone 4. After numerous delays, the promised white iPhone 4 has yet to surface. As you may have seen in our earlier hands-on with the iPad 2 live from Apple’s unveiling event, that the new device is being shown off side by side in both white and black. The body features a metal chassis that is ultra thin but still flex-resistant. A matte aluminum encases the back while the glossy front side once only black, now comes in white. Both versions will ship immediately on March 11th. There will be no waiting around for the white version as we have had to with the iPhone 4. But by now, it is likely a pipe dream, and that Apple may just reserve the white version for iPhone 5.

The iPad 2 , Steve Jobs took to the stage to tell us, offers twice the performance of the original iPad and 9x the graphics performance, thanks to its dual-core 1GHz Apple A5 processor. Still, what does that mean for daily use? Considering most people spend their time on tablets browsing, we ran some side-by-side SunSpider benchmarking on Apple’s old and new iPads to see how the new model shaped up. Check out the results after the cut. SunSpider, for those unfamiliar, tests core JavaScript performance with a variety of tasks intended to replicate real-world behaviors. So, it generates a tagcloud from JSON input, a 3D raytracer, performs cryptography tests and code decompression, and other tasks that might be encountered in everyday browsing. In SunSpider, a lower score is better, and the iPad 2 proved more than 4x as fast as the iPad overall. The original tablet scored 8594.9ms, while the iPad 2 managed 2121.7ms. Among the individual benchmarks the iPad 2 scored 263.4ms in 3D testing

After the Motorola XOOM WiFi was spotted appearing on PC World’s site yesterday at £449.99, the UK retailer promptly whipped down the pre-order pricing for the Honeycomb slate. The good news is that it’s now back ; the bad news is that PC World has increased the price, which is now at £499.99. That seems a sneaky increase to us, though we’re sure PC World would argue that the original pricing was a mistake and, since the pre-order button wasn’t working at the time, there are no customers who might demand the retailer honor the lower figure. The XOOM is expected to arrive at the end of April, along the with the – so far unpriced – 3G version at Carphone Warehouse .

What’s changed between a few hours ago and now? If you were to have purchase an iPad yesterday, would you be crying today? Short answer – yes. Long answer – lets look at the specs on both machines. While it may appear from about 20 feet away that these devices look basically the same, there’s quite a few lovely additions to the iPad 2 that bring it right in line for competing with what Apple has called the “Year of the copycats” – referring directly to Android and Blackberry devices on the horizon (and in the streets, if you consider Motorola XOOM, the first Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS optimized tablet.) But what’s the real question here for those dedicated fans of Apple? What will I get when I trade in my old iPad for the iPad 2? First of all, there are a bunch of things that essentially haven’t changed at all between iPad and iPad 2. The display is exactly the same as before, as is the resolution: 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD with 1024 x 768 pixel resolution. The next thing that’s exact

The Apple iPad 2 has just been officially unveiled, so new accessories for the revamped device should be rolling out in droves. First one to catch our attention is the Booqpad Folio made for the iPad 2 that elegantly combines protection for the ipad with a traditional notepad. Unfortunately, it does not automatically transfer what you doodle on the notepad onto the iPad. For that you might look into LiveScribe’s smartpens . But for someone like myself that finds it difficult to do creative work directly on a computer or a tablet–such as when I’m sketching out my webcomics for SlashGear–a folio like this is a nice way for me to easily carry a traditional sketchpad along with my iPad. The Booqpad ships with a 50-sheet notepad and comes in 5 different color combinations made with a weatherproof leatherette material. It is also designed symmetrically so that it can be flipped for either right-hand or left-hand use. There’s room for a pen, stylus, business cards, and even cash. The Booqpad

Volkswagen announced plans for a re-imagined Microbus for 2011 at the Geneva Motor Show. Germans call this iconic vehicle the Bulli. This concept carries a 113 horsepower motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. Theoretically, a full charge will carry you up to 186 miles with an hour of downtime to come back to full charge. It comes bundled with Apple’s iPad , integrated throughout the car’s systems. The tablet can interface with the Fender stereo system, the navigation, and even the air conditioner. The team at Volkswagen really took the iPad integration seriously. This isn’t just a simple docking system. The design comes included with a semicircular multifunction display just under the speedometer. This display can communicate with the iPad to display and control the navigation system, media playback, the integrated trip computer, and the bluetooth enabled communications package. Volkswagen kept the Bulli true to the spirit of the Microbus. It’s definitely of the same line, just brought

With the Apple iPad 2 event being the rage today, I couldn’t ignore the news that Twitter temporarily suspended the fake but popular Steve Jobs account yesterday. @ceoSteveJobs has over 460,000 followers and has been openly impersonating the CEO, posting humorous Apple-related tweets for quite some time now. It is unclear why the action was taken, but as of this morning the account has been reinstated. On January 1st of this year, a new “online impersonation law” was passed in California that banned people from assuming another person’s identity online in order to defraud or cause harm. This may have factored into the suspension, however, the @ceoSteveJobs account did not violate Twitter’s Terms of Service, which allowed parody accounts as along as they followed certain guidelines. The @ceoSteveJobs account does make it clear in its profile that it is not representing the real Steve Jobs. It is not certain why the account was suspended and now reinstated. But the good news is that it h

Today Apple unveiled what’s next for the iPad. Last night I wrote an article pointing out a number of things I hoped were in store for the iPad 2. Luckily, Apple delivered on several key things I feel are important to move this category. More importantly Apple has provided a glimpse of where the iPad and the tablet category at large is heading. Moving Beyond a Hobbyist Gadget If you recall the early days of the microcomputer, many proclaimed that the new invention was a toy only for hobbyists and enthusiasts. There were many early visionaries who understood what exactly the personal computer was and could become, but it wasn’t until software like VisiCalc hit the scene that the microcomputer was truly turned into a productivity tool. With the new GarageBand and iMovie for iPad, Apple has taken a similar step and shown us how the iPad is coming into its own as a tool to be used by more than just hobbyists and enthusiasts to consume content. Of course it can consume content, that much i

CTIA in Orlando, Florida is just three weeks away and we’re starting to get invites to various special events to take place during the major 3-day wireless exhibition. One of the carriers we’re looking forward to herding from in particular is Sprint – and lucky us, look what we got in the mail! Sprint has just sent out their invites and we look forward to seeing what new phones they have to offer. Last week, Sprint had some issues with their Samsung Epic 4G updating to Android 2.2 Froyo. But the problem seems to be resolving and we’re itching to see if they’ll push forth any devices featuring Android 2.3 Gingerbread or beyond at CTIA. It will be interesting to see what innovations they have planned and how much of that involves new Android devices. Hopefully, it won’t turn out like last times joint event with Kyocera for the unveiling of the ever-so-slightly strange dual-screen Echo – although we do love magic.

We recieved an e-mail from Scosche Industries talking about a number of different accessories coming out for the iPad2 this month. They partnered up with Verizon to offer consumers a wide range of iPad2 accessories through the Verizon retail outlets. Scosche led with the the usual range of covers, from the folio style foldIO P2 in black and white with either a carbon fiber or leather finish, to the glosSEE P2 flexible rubber case in pink, smoke, clear, blue and purple. Check out the gallery inside for a sampling of what they have to offer. It’s not all about the covers though, the sneakPEAK series of cables is getting an upgrade with the sneakPEAK II and the sneakPEAK HD. They allow your iPad or iPhone to connect to the RCA on your TV so you can show movies and photos to your friends and family in high definition. Scosche is also offering a handful of new solutions for charging your Apple device. On the top of the pile, you can choose from the powerPLUG low profile car charger, or the

Have you ever walked into a house and had trouble figuring out what switch controlled which light? Designer, Taewon Hwang comes through with this delightfully intuitive light switch concept. He takes the floorplan of a house and turns it into the design for the light switch. One of these switches could make it easy to control every light in your home from one location, or you can install multiple switches for any configuration or purpose you can imagine. You walk in the front door to your brand new house, you haven’t even slept here one night yet. The glow of your Taewon Hwang designed home-lighting-panel illuminates your entry with a soft glow. You toss your keys on the hook next to the door and press the three different buttons to illuminate your path to the kitchen. Taewon Hwang imagines an intuitive design for whole-house lighting systems able to be controlled from custom panels set anywhere in the house.

If you own a BlackBerry and are socially over-extended, then you’ll be glad to hear that HootSuite for BlackBerry has just gotten updated with additional social features. HootSuite is a popular social media dashboard app that aggregates all your social network streams into one location that you can easily manage while on the go. Instead of having to sign-in to each of the social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to post tweets or status updates, you can use HootSuite to manage all your social media activities. With HootSuite, you can manage your LinkedIn, Foursquare, Facebook, and Twitter accounts all in one place. New features for the updated HootSuite include: - LinkedIn: you can now add or import your account to view news updates and profiles - Foursquare: you can receive comments on check-ins from your friends - Facebook: you can now add pages directly from your phone, view events, and search - Twitter: You can favorite streams or individual messages; choose recently-replied t

Pentax has just announced a new compact digital camera called the Optio S1. The new digital camera features specs to rival that of the Canon lxus and sports a stylish aluminum body that comes in three different colors. It is touted as the first Pentax camera to have a high dynamic range mode. The Optio S1 has a high-resolution 14-megapixel sensor with a 5X optical zoom and a 2.7-inch display on the back. The high dynamic range mode overlays multiple shots to reduce the blown-out highlights and improve details in shadows. Other features include image stabilization, blink detection, and the ability to record 720p video. An IR remote for the camera is also available. Shipments for the camera are due in April with a price tag of $200. There are three color styles to choose from: black with red accents, silver with black, and turquoise with silver.

See that tiny figure down there? That’s Steve Jobs, and he wants to talk to you – through your computer screen – about the new iPad 2 . The video of Apple’s iPad 2 Event from yesterday has already gone up online for your retroactive enjoyment. Over the course of the video, Steve reveals the faster, lighter, slimmer iPad 2, throws out some smack-talk about Android and Samsung, and demonstrates the new iPad apps, iMovie and GarageBand . There’s also confirmation that iOS 4.3 is coming for the iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch later this month. Of course, you could always just head over to our hands-on with the iPad 2 and see everything up close and personal. The iPad 2 launches on March 11 in the US, priced from $499.

It’s fair to say that Microsoft’s first update for Windows Phone wasn’t the shining example of software distribution the company hoped it might be. Samsung users complained of bricked devices that not even a hard reset would cure, and Microsoft yanked the update before any more people could be affected. Now, though, the company is trying again . “Starting today, we plan to resume rolling out the February update to Samsung phones. Meanwhile, we’re continuing to dispatch the update to other Windows Phone models. As has been the case, the software patch is being sent out on a rolling schedule. You’ll see a message on your phone when it’s available. During the past week the engineering team has pinpointed and fixed problems that were preventing a small percentage of Windows Phones from installing the February software patch. We apologize again for the delay and continue looking for ways to improve the update process.” As of today, the February update for Windows Phone 7 is going out to S

The Windows install and upgrade process isn’t normally something users get nostalgic over – in fact, more often it’s an anxiety-provoking experience that most would rather avoid – but for one man it’s an opportunity to track Microsoft’s OS progress over the past 25 years. Andrew Tait started out with a copy of MS-DOS 5.0, installed Windows 1.0, and thus began a 10 minute video showing (almost) every upgrade to the platform up to Windows 7. We say “almost” because Windows ME is missing; users were only able to upgrade to ME or Windows 2000. We’re betting most people wish that ME was absent from the timeline too – the Millenium Edition was little-loved and quickly replaced by Windows XP. Tait used VMWare to install each stage of the Windows timeline, and tested each version with Monkey Island and Doom 2. We’re sure the Mac OS X version of this will be along any day now.

Sony Ericsson’s decision to axe Android OS updates for the XPERIA X10 (and other pre- Arc XPERIA handsets) didn’t exactly meet with a positive reaction from owners of the smartphone. Still, where SE fears to tread, xda-developers member TripNRaVeR storms ahead: he’s taken Android 2.3 Gingerbread from an XPERIA Arc ROM and fettled it to suit the X10. In his first attempt, network, data, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and Sony Ericsson’s Timescape all worked, leaving only sound support to be added in. The download link is currently offline so that he can fix that, at which point the X10 will ironically be the first Sony Ericsson device to have Gingerbread, beating the company’s official launches.

iOS 4.3 isn’t expected until March 11 , but Apple has already pushed out an updated version of iTunes to handle synchronization with devices running the new platform. iTunes 10.2 not only adds sync support for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch units running iOS 4.3, but updates the Home Sharing support on Macs and PCs. Home Sharing will allow iTunes to stream music from a PC or Mac to an iOS 4.3 device, with support for browsing the full catalog remotely. There are also various security updates for the Windows version of iTunes, more details of which are here .

Gefen is sort of like the App Store for cables and adapters; they have a cable or adapter for everything. The latest adapter from Gefen has surfaced and it is a converter that turns a Dual Link DVI into a Mini DisplayPort. The adapter is designed to work with both Windows and Mac computers. The adapter also has audio support as well. The audio support is via a 3.5mm input adapter. The device supports high-resolutions with up to 2560 x 1600, which is enough resolution for a 30-inch monitor. The adapter will work with the Apple 24″ and 27″ screens. Power for the adapter comes from a USB port on the computer. That USB port also allows the adapter to be updated when needed. Other features of the adapter include an EDID button that supports 2560 x 1600, 2560 x 1400, and pass-though. The product ships with the converter, a 6′ USB cable for power and the user manual. The Gefen GTV-DVIDL-2-MDP adapter measures 4.15″ x 1.75″ x 3.25″. You can order the adapter now for $199.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything official out of Notion Ink , but according to CEO Rohan Shravan there’s been plenty going on in the background besides the second batch of Adam tablets shipping out. Perhaps the most immediate change is a boost in support team staffing, which now apparently outnumbers the developer team, and which should hopefully address some of the ongoing aftersales concerns. Meanwhile, Shravan says the company is in the process of closing another round of funding. The details of that funding haven’t been revealed, but Shravan claims “major operational change” is afoot with a number of new management employees brought in. There are also plans to establish sales and support centers in Germany, India and – first off – the US. Behind the scenes, Eden has been ported to Android 3.0 Honeycomb, and Notion Ink’s developer team has turned to gaming; the design/UI/animation department has also been enlarged, and there’s an official release of QuckOffice for Adam

One of the things that I hate most about having to go shopping is having to make a list of what I need. I know that I will forget something between looking in the pantry and writing the stuff down. I also have bad handwriting and end up not being able to read my own list a lot of the time. If you are like me and want a easier way to make your shopping lists the cool SmartShopper may be just the ticket. The SmartShopper has been around for a while now. However, has just been updated with a new design and a new price. The design is more modern looking and the thing sells for less than it used to at $79.99. The core functionality of the SmartShopper is still the same though with a voice recognition system that allows you to make a list that prints just by pressing a button and speaking your list. The gadget automatically separates what you tell it you need into sections so you don’t end up running from one side of the store to the other and back to get all your dairy and other items. All

Verizon may have sold 1m CDMA iPhone 4 handsets in the first weekend , according to one analyst report, but the number of users crossing over from AT&T to the new version is still unclear. AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega told the WSJ that “We haven’t seen any surprises” and that “everything is pretty much within our expectations” but declined to state any specific figures. With those all-important numbers still missing, it’s impossible to know if AT&T had already predicted a mass-exodus and de la Vega is merely putting a positive spin on the change. At least one app provider has suggested that the majority of new Verizon iPhone 4 owners jumped ship from AT&T rather than crossing over from Android or other devices.

Epson has unveiled a new digital projector for the classroom or the boardroom that is a dual function device. The projector is the BrightLink 455Wi Interactive Projector and it is designed to throw an image on a wall or screen and can throw the image straight down at a table. The 455Wi also has a pen for interaction with the projected content. The projector is an ultra short throw unit that can throw an image onto a whiteboard, wall, table, or other smooth and light color surface. The device has flexibility with installation allowing the usable interactive areas to be WXGA resolution for 55″ to 96″ diagonally or XGA at 55″ to 85″ diagonally. The projector has 2500 lumens of color and white light output and is compatible with notebooks. Epson offers accessories for the projector that allow it to be mounted to a table, and it can be mounted to a height adjustable cart designed just for the projector. The table mode sounds really cool and turns any table into an interactive surface for w

NVIDIA has confirmed that its slick and powerful Tegra 2 SoC will be crammed inside of some of the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphones. You might have seen the video we posted up a while back of the smartphone when we got to spend a bit of hands on time with the thing. I wonder if the unit we played with was a Tegra 2 device or if it has the other processor option. The other option inside the smartphone is for Samsung’s own Exynos SoC. Oddly, there will be no way for the end user to know what chip is inside the device at the point of purchase. That is a very strange decision. I know I would rather have the Tegra 2 version if I were buying the smartphone. ITProPortal reckons the reason for the dual platform offering is that Samsung simply can’t make enough of the Exynos processors to fill the demand for the phones so it has contracted with NVIDIA to fill in. I wonder if users will notice performance differences between the two versions of the smartphone.

Strong words and arguments over the Sony NGP , Nintendo 3DS and the rise of smartphone gaming these past few days, amid disagreements over the direction in which the games industry is moving. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata led the charge, taking to the GDC 2011 stage and decrying smartphone games as not only lower quality but threatening “the high value of software.” Meanwhile, Sony has said that the NGP is “not going to run at 2 GHz because the battery would last five minutes… and it would probably set fire to your pants” but that it sits “halfway” between the original PSP and the PS3, a chase for speed and hardware that some game developers predict will see it “dead on arrival.” Cellphone game designer Neil Young, CEO of ngmoco, told IndustryGamers that he believes Sony’s insistance on performance rather than producing a “swiss army knife type [range of] functionality” will undermine the NGP, pointing to the increasing popularity in casual gaming on the iPhone and iPod touch. Un

Geeks are hacking the Microsoft Kinect motion controller all over the place to do all sorts of stuff that it was never meant to do. Several of the hacks have had to do with using the Kinect to control robots. The last time I mentioned a hack it was to control a Roomba vacuum cleaner. Sony wants people in the research and academic communities to hack its Move motion controller too. Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that it has a new application called Move.Me that will being offered to students, researchers and hacker geeks to allow them to take the move controller and the Move.Me software app and create control systems for using Move on a PC using their PS3. Sony hopes that the application will allow all sorts of innovation. For instance, Sony hopes that medical pros could use the software to create an app for patients that are undergoing physical therapy. Sony also thinks that students could use the Move software to create controls for 3D modeling, motion capture, and augment

Pre-orders for the Motorola XOOM in both 3G and WiFi-only versions have begun in the UK, with the WiFi version expected to ship on April 9 2011. Having been priced yesterday , the XOOM WiFi has now got a shipping date ; retailer PC World claims that “if you order from us today you’ll be the first in Europe to receive one.” Meanwhile, Carphone Warehouse has put up an order page of its own for the Motorola XOOM 3G, priced at £599.99 for the unlocked, contract-free version of the Honeycomb slate. That’s a £100 premium for the 3G modem; the XOOM 3G is also listed as currently out of stock – the retailer still says it will ship in April – but we’re guessing carrier subsidies might be available closer to launch. The April date means that the XOOM will follow almost two weeks after Apple’s iPad 2 goes on sale in Europe, which is expected on March 25. More on the XOOM in our full review .

It was only a few weeks back that GoPro unveiled its new LCD for the back of its cool GoPro HD camcorder. The LCD is very small and is designed to be connected to the back of the camcorder so the user can see what they are filming. Another new accessory for the GoPro camera has been unveiled that is called the Battery BacPac . The new accessory is a larger battery pack that allows the camera to record for longer periods of time. The battery backpack fits on the rear of the camera in the expansion port and you can’t use the LCD at the same time you use the battery pack. The new battery adds enough juice to run the GoPro for over five hours of video recording. The Battery BacPac sells for $49.99 and is shipping now. The battery charges via USB and has 1100mAh of power inside. The battery has LEDs to show how much power is left and ships with a waterproof door and a skeleton door for the camera housing.

I mentioned back in February that Audiovox had entered into an agreement to purchase Klipsch . Klipsch is world famous for its high-end audiophile speakers for home theater and music fans. At the time the deal was announced Audiovox had noted the purchase was costing in the area of $166 million. Audiovox has now announced that the purchase has been completed at the $166 million price tag plus transaction fees and other expenses. The purchase is expected to benefit cash flow immediately at Audiovox and the Klipsch is expected to generate about $170 million in net sales in fiscal 2012. The combined value of Klipsch and Audiovox is now about $730 million. Patrick Lavelle, President and CEO of Audiovox Corporation stated, “We are very excited to close this acquisition because it not only adds world-class brands with strong distribution, both domestically and abroad, but it also gives us entre into the high-end installation market at both the residential and commercial level. In addition t

Part of what helps to make the video playback on your TV look nice and smooth is a video processor that is inside the machine. Toshiba has announced a new image processor for its Regza TVs that is called the Regza Engine Cevo. The new Cevo processor was unveiled yesterday at a conference Toshiba held to announce a new series of TVs. The new TV line that will use the processor is the Regza Z2 series. The new processor marks the first full change in the model line in four years for Toshiba. The Cevo includes a MCP that has three chips on on package. The main chip is a dual-core logic unit using 40nm tech. the other chips in the new engine are built on 65nm process. The dual core processor is able to process 3.4 times more processing capability than the older Regza Engine. The new chip has high-performance circuits with a super-resolution function and a graphic function that use multiple frames. Toshiba isn’t making the processor for its own use. The existing Regza Engine has only one chi

pple’s Smart Covers may or may not be the best way to protect your iPad 2 – after all, they leave the whole back panel unguarded, and three of the four edges too – but we’re too busy wondering where Apple got its inspiration from to care. Technologer flagged up the striking similarities between the Smart Covers and Incase’s iPad Convertible Magazine Jacket , but it’s the resemblance between Apple’s design and Japanese bath tub lids that has us really suspicious. The Incase Jacket has the same multi-folding front as Apple’s official Smart Covers, which fold in various ways to prop the iPad up at a suitable angle for either watching video or for typing. Obviously there’s no magnetic magic, automatically taking the iPad in and out of suspend, but it’s hard to deny the similarity. Perhaps slightly less serious – but already on its way to becoming a Japanese meme – is the fact that the folding protectors look a whole lot like a traditional bath tub cover. As TUAW translates, the text i

There have been rumors swirling for a while now that Panasonic is set to bring some new micro four thirds digital cameras to market this summer. One of the cameras is supposed to be a new G3 camera that should be cool. Another vague rumor has surfaced today that comes from sources of 43rumors.com. According to these sources after the G3 lands, we will see another new micro four thirds offering coming in August from Panasonic. The big catch with this rumor is that there are no tidbits about what the camera will offer spec wise. All the source offers is information on what the new camera won’t be. The cam due in August will not be a GH and will not be a GS according to the sources. The site also offers a tidbit about the G3. According to its sources, the G3 has a new sensor and can shoot full HD video, but not at 24mbit/s like the GH2 camera can.

Spoon is a company that has been in the cloud computing and virtualization realm for a while. The company has announced the launch of a new Cloud Gaming service that has over 200 games that can be played instantly on your desktop. The games need no downloads and you only have to install a browser plug-in to play them. The games include titles like Jewel Quest, Farm Frenzy, and other game clients like Second Life. The service is being offered for free and was announced at GDX in San Francisco. The Spoon service runs using a hybrid combination of remote and local computing resource. That reduces the bandwidth needed to play and lets things run smoothly. The cloud service will automatically sync the game between the devices allowing the games to play smoothly. Some of the games require the player to purchase them and the Spoon service supports DRM and an integrated payment process. Partners offering games with Spoon include Alawar Entertainment, iWin, Namco Networks, and 1C.

Opera has become the first non-native web browser to arrive in the Mac App Store , and as per Apple’s normal policies has been slapped with a 17+ age rating. That’s not upsetting VP of desktop products Jan Standal, however, who sees the classification – deemed necessary by Apple since all the filthy internet is viewable through a browser – as the perfect opportunity for a joke . “I’m very concerned,” Standal says, “seventeen is very young, and I am not sure if, at that age, people are ready to use such an application.” “It’s very fast, you know, and it has a lot of features” he continues, concluding “I think the download requirement should be at least 18.” Opera Software suggest that those without Mac App Store access should head over to their site and download the browser the old fashioned way. Just be careful not to stumble over anything unsavory on your travels.

If you follow the launch of the iPad 2 yesterday, you may have seen a few of the new accessories as well. One of these new accessories is the Apple Digital AV Adapter that is able to shoot what you see on the screen out to your TV. The adapter has an HDMI port and the port you see right beside is for connecting your charge and sync cable to keep your gadget going while using it on the big screen. The adapter supports up to 1080p and will work with the iPhone 4, iPad, iPad 2, and 4G iPod touch. With the thing plugged in you can use it to see anything on the big screen that is on the screen of your iPad. This sounds like a good way to watch Hulu Plus on your big screen. The adapter supports up to 1080p content when used with the iPad 2. If you plug it into any of the other devices, it only supports up to 720p resolution. The adapter sells for $39 and you have to provide your own HDMI cable.

AT&T has announced a new post-paid billing plan for tablet data packages, as an alternative to the current prepaid plans the carrier offers. Added to an existing monthly wireless bill, the new month-to-month plans are almost identically priced to their prepaid counterparts: $14.99 for 250MB per month, or $25 for 2GB per month. The only difference is in overage charges. Prepaid users who reach their limit can pay for a further 2GB for $25, with fees applied to a credit card. However, postpaid users will be charged at $10 for every 1GB, added to the monthly statement, which works out cheaper. AT&T is offering a free month of 2GB access to new sign-ups on the $25 postpaid plan, though it’s a limited deal. We’re guessing this is all in preparation for the new iPad 2 , which will arrive in 3G form on March 11.