IBLOG SPACE

Row 44 runs one of the largest and most used in-flight broadband entertainment platforms. The company has teamed up with major TV and movie studios including Twentieth Century FOX, Universal, Warner Bros. and Disney to turn the WiFi devices passengers have on the flight into screens that can be used to enjoy movies and TV shows during the flight. Any WiFi enabled device like a computer, smartphone, or tablet can be used to watch episodes of TV shows or full-length films from the participating studios during the flight. Films that will be available include Avatar, Harry Potter, Inception, Toy Story and more. The content offered will include multiple genres from action and drama to children’s titles. The platform will also offer live streaming IPTV directly to the devices to allow the passengers to watch live TV on their screens from CNBC, Fox News Channel, and VERSUS. Being able to watch a good movie would certainly make the time pass faster on the plane. There is no word on the pricing

Carmakers have a long history of taking some of the more interesting car models and only offering them over in Europe. Often it is the really high performance versions in the Ford range that we can’t get here in the US for some reason. At The Frankfurt Motor Show, Ford has confirmed that the European line of new 2012 Focus cars will be able to get a new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine. The EcoBoost family of engines is extensively used around the world thanks to the ability for a smaller displacement engine to offer the performance of a larger engine via adding turbochargers to the smaller motor. The EcoBoost that will be in the European focus is a tiny 1.0-liter engine that offers the performance of a traditional 1.6L engine, but is more efficient. The 1.0L engine will offer 98 hp and 118 hp in different versions with five-speed and six-speed manual transmissions respectively. The 98 hp five-speed transmission is likely an automatic since it has lower power output. Ford also notes that even

Nintendo did one of the best things it could to spur the sale of the new 3DS game console not long ago byreducing the price of the 3DS significantly. Nintendo is also set to offer some appealing new games and a cool new feature for the console as well. More games is the next big thing that the console needs with the lineup right now sparse and boring. The cool new feature coming to the consoles is 3D video recording. In November, Nintendo will add a new update for the 3DS that enables all consoles to record 3D video footage using the dual cameras on the lid of the console. That will be really cool indeed. Along with the ability to record 3D video, the two new games offered for the holiday season from Nintendo both feature Mario. The games will include Super Mario 3D Land that will hit stores on November 13. The game is the first ever 3D Mario platforming adventure. The game will let the users scout the levels before playing to find secrets too. The big game that many have been waiting

The move to greener and more sustainable materials in packaging is going on all around the world. A bunch of the companies we are all familiar with are looking to use plastics that are based on plants and other renewable resources that also break down easily in landfills rather than plastics that can last decades or more in a landfill and are petroleum-based. Not long ago Pepsi announced that it would be using green plant-based plastic in its soft drink bottles. AT&T has now announced that it will use a new plastic in its AT&T branded accessory packages. The new plastic is made with up to 30% plant-based materials that are sources from ethanol harvested from sugarcane. Sugarcane is a very fast growing and renewable crop making it ideal for use in plastics. The use of the plant-based plastic combined with a reduction made in packaging last year has save a huge amount of paper and plastic. AT&T has eliminated over 500 tons of plastic and paper in its packaging. The transition

Bug Labs has been around for a long time with its cool modular system that allows the user to build all sorts of things using a modular system that makes prototyping a snap. People have built all manner of things and once AT&T and other carriers started to offer 3G modems giving connectivity to the gear made with the Bug Labs kits, things were even more interesting. Ford and Bug Labs have announced that they have teamed up. The partnership between the two companies is aimed at allowing developers to prototype solutions for socially networked in-car connectivity. The idea is that the Bug Labs system lets the developer prototype the gear for inside the car use to be sure it works as they want and then they can move to making the finished product. Since anyone can buy the Bug Labs kits this will also open the door for custom devices that will connect with the car. The collaboration was announced at the TechCrunch disrupt conference and uses OpenXC based on the Bug System from Bug Labs

Fans of the Call of Duty franchise will be able to get the popular and fun to play Black Ops Rezurrection expansion for the PC and PS3 this month. The new download will be made available to these gamers on September 22. If you have finished the games in the past and unlocked the zombie levels, you know what this download is about. The player is left in an area with never ending zombie hoards coming to kill them. The download also features the first zombie fighting to take place on the moon. That level looks really cool and I keep wondering if that zombie in the photo above is supposed to look like it’s wearing an X-wing fighter pilot suit. The moon level offers new weapons, gear and more. The download also offers the original maps that made the zombie scourge fun to battle the first time around. The maps includes Nacht der Untoten, Verruckt, Shi No Numa, and Der Riese. The download pack is rated M for mature. To celebrate the release of the download content pack Treyarch will offer Dou

The first time we heard about the glasses-free 3DTV that 3DFusion was working on was back in 2009 at CES. It has taken a long time, but it seems that glasses-free TV is ready to hit the consumer market now. 3DFusion has announced that it is the first to market with stereoscopic broadcast quality 3D TV that needs no glasses and the company has installed a demo station for the first time to show off its hardware. The demon installation for the TVs is in a 3D digital signage installation touting the TVs placed at The Shops at Ithaca Mall in Ithaca, NY. I have long said the adoption of 3D TVs for home users would soar once we and a reasonably priced 3D TV that needed no 3D glasses. The TVs will be shown off at other malls and locations around the country. 3DFusion hopes to place a bunch of the demo units in 25 major demographics areas around the country. As the demonstration stands get the tech out in the public eye the company is set to come to market with the commercial screens. 3DFusi

Panasonic has announced that it has a new firmware update for the Lumix G Series interchangeable lenses. Read that carefully, this is a firmware update for the lenses, not the digital cameras themselves. The update changes the lenses to allow them to be HD quality lenses for shooting high quality HD video. The firmware update covers seven different lenses and gives them all better performance. The update helps the lenses to perform better in tracking focus for video recording, silent auto focus, and exposure control. The stability of the optical image stabilizer is also enhanced for video recording. The lenses that are being updated will fit the entire 2011 line of G series digital cameras including the LUMIX GF3, LUMIX GF2, LUMIX GH2 and LUMIX G3. The new firmware brings the lenses to version 1.1 and supports the following lenses: LUMIX G 14mm / F2.5 ASPH. (H-H014) LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm / F3.5-5.6 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S. (H-FS014042) LUMIX G FISHEYE 8mm / F3.5 (H-F008) LUMIX G VARIO 100-3

Land Rover is well known for making some of the most luxurious SUVs on the market and some of those SUVs despite their luxury are extremely capable off roaders as well. Land Rover is on hand at the Frankfurt Motor Show and is showing off a couple of very cool Defender Concepts at the show. The concepts are the DC 100 and the DC100 Sport. Both of them share some common features with a three-across front seat, which most of us would call a bench seat, to look like the early Land Rover vehicles. The concepts have Land Rover Terrain-i scanning devices onboard to warn the off-road driver when there is an obstacle and can suggest alternative routes. The concepts also have a feature called Wade Aid that uses sonar to tell the driver how deep the water is they are trying to cross and advises the optimum speed for making it across the water. This next feature sounds like something James Bond would have, the driver can deploy tire spikes for increased traction on ice and snow with the touch of a

Sceptre is a TV and computer screen monitor that has been around for a while now. The company is well known for making some of the cheapest TVs and computer monitors out there that often come in bright colors and look wild. The company is back with a more traditional design for a TV that is large and has a lot of brightness. The TV is called the X405BV-FHD and it sports a screen packing 450 cd/m2 brightness. It has a lot more to offer than a bright image alone though. The screen is 40-inches wide making it a great size for many living rooms. The aspect ratio is 16:9, it has a dynamic contrast ratio of 90,000:1, and a response time of 8ms meaning the screen should be clear and have no trouble with image blur in fast action scenes. The set supports 1080p resolution and SRS TruSurround XT sound. Connectivity includes four HDMI ports, a single USB port, and a headphone jack. The stand can be removed from the TV for wall mounting. The integrated speakers have 10W per channel and the set has

Pioneer has just unleashed a new pair of active reference speakers for its Pioneer DJ lineup called the S-DJ05. The compact speakers produce excellent sound quality with a larger than normal listening area thanks to its curved waveguide enclosure. The speakers are suitable for both everyday and professional use, such as for those wanting to DJ or produce music. The S-DJ05 features 5-inch woofers and a curved waveguide enclosure that directs sound from the soft-dome tweeters in a wider pattern for enhanced imaging and staging. This means that more people across a larger area can hear the higher frequencies, while the Bass Reflex enclosure expands the lower frequency range as well It also has a built-in linear equalizer that allows for fine-tuning of the frequency and a four-source (XLR, TRS, and two sets of RCA) input switcher that lets users simultaneously connect various devices, such as DJ equipment, computer, or other portable device. The speaker retails as a pair and costs $699 $8

The first press image of the HTC Runnymede has surfaced and it is one gigantic phone. It sports a massive 4.7-inch display similar to that of the HTC Titan, which has been revealed for the Windows Phone 7 platform. The Runnymede, however, will come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and is encased in an all-white chassis with the four standard Android touch buttons. No official details have been revealed yet about the HTC Runnymede, but it’s expected to feature a 4.7-inch WVGA resolution display, a 1.5GHz single-core processor, 768MB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB internal storage, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and an 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash. But what should stand out more is the integrated Beats Audio technology for excellent sound quality. However, the HTC Runnymede may also pack a big price tag. It’s tipped to be priced at 530 pounds or about $838 off-contract for the 16GB model and 560 pounds or $885 off-contract for the 32GB model. Specific dates for launch are still unknown

Intel may be showing off some tablets and ultrabooks running Windows 8 at both the Intel Developer Forum and at Microsoft’s Build developer conference, which kicks off tomorrow. We’ll be covering the Build event live, so make sure to check back for all the developments. It’s believed that Microsoft could be giving away a Windows 8 tablet from Samsung, so there should be some good Windows 8 hardware to see this week. According to a source familiar with the situation, Intel plans to show Windows 8 running on tablets and notebooks with new Atom processors. The rumored Windows 8 Samsung tablet will also be running on Intel chips. Intel will be focused on its next-gen Medfield chips and providing more details on its ultrabooks during the Intel Developer Forum, but may also introduce netbooks running on Atom chips. Windows 8 supports both the Intel x86 platform as well as the ARM architecture, allowing Intel rivals to expand into the PC business. NVIDIA and Texas Instruments are both expecte

Pentax announced a new point-and-shoot digital camera called the Optio RZ18 that packs an impressive 18x optical zoom lens that covers the focal lengths from 25mm to 450mm. That provides wide angle up to super-telephoto shots to cover almost any shooting situations. And it’s all stuffed inside a super compact camera, perfect for travel. Besides the amazing 18x optical zoom, the Optio RZ18 also features a 16-megapixel sensor and multiple Pentax Shake Reduction image stabilization technologies, including sensor-shift SR for sharp images even when there’s less light. It has a 3-inch LCD display with HVGA resolution and a 9-point autofocus with a 4cm super macro mode. Additionally, the Optio RZ18 features several shooting modes and scene modes as well as special effects filters and face detection. The camera is also capable of capturing widescreen 720p HD video at 30fps. Priced at $299.95, the Optio RZ18 is set to launch in October.

During the Mobile Future Forward conference today, HTC America’s acting president Martin Fichter talked about the Google-Motorola deal, the patent war, and Windows Phone 7. He also expressed his opinions on the iPhone, saying that it’s just “not that cool anymore.” It’s interesting to get more insight on HTC’s perspective, especially following this mornings report that the company is considering buying its own mobile OS. When asked about Google’s bid to purchase Motorola, Fichter expressed support and felt that it’s a good move for the whole Android ecosystem if Google owns more IP. However, there seems to be some doubt over how the Google-Motorola relationship will affect Android partners and HTC will look at all options. As for the patent war, which HTC knows all too well, Fichter obviously feels that it distracts and wastes time and money that could be pushed more fully towards innovation. HTC has already lost a patent battle against Microsoft, for which it’s reportedly paying as mu

Samsung revealed today that it has filed a patent complaint against Apple in France. The two rival companies have been duking it out over smartphones and tablets, with Samsung suffering the most recently, having had topull its Galaxy Tab 7.7 from IFA 2011 and having its Galaxy Tab 10.1 banned in Germany. This filing in France was filed in a Paris district court back in July with the first hearing expected in December. It’s not clear why Samsung decided to announce it today, but given their bruised egos from last week’s official ban in Germany, it makes sense to emphasize now that the fight is not over. Like the case in Germany that Apple won, this new complaint is focused on the technology patents, and not on the design of the tablets. The three patents involved concern Samsung’s UMTS 3G mobile phone technologies, targeting the iPhone 3G/3GS, the iPhone 4, and the first-generation 3G iPads.

Rovio revealed today some fascinating facts about the game phenomenon that is Angry Birds and where it may be headed next. The strangely addictive game involving shooting birds out of slingshots to kill mischievous green pigs started off on smartphones, but its wild popularity has seen it expand across multiple platforms, including the web, TV, and even in cinemas. According to Rovio’s North American sales manager Andrew Stalbow, the game has been downloaded more than 350 million times and is played on mobile devices more than 300 million minutes collectively each day. However, it’s quickly expanding beyond the mobile platform and into multiple media formats, including in short films on YouTube, where it’s gotten more than 170 million views. The game has also had movie tie-ins with the 20th Century Fox produced animated film called Rio. Rovio has plans for more “interesting entertainment partnerships” in the future that will continue expand the game franchise. Additionally, Rovio has p

Apple may be releasing the golden master version of iOS 5 as soon as next week. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, this final stage iOS 5 version is scheduled to be delivered to assemblers sometime between September 23 and 30. This time frame supports a mid-October launch for the iPhone 5. Kuo revealed to AppleInsider that mass production of the next-gen iPhone and iPod touch began in late August with the golden master version set to arrive by the week of September 30. The golden master version is generally identical to the final public release of iOS 5, which is expected to launch on both the next-gen iPhone 5 and iPod touch. With the iOS 5 golden master version arriving next week, assemblers will be able to install the software on the next-gen devices and begin shipping by the end of September. Shipping time frame is estimated at 10 to 12 days, which supports rumors of a mid-October iPhone 5 launch. Apple has not made any official announcements so far nor have they confirmed a next-g

What appears to be another version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has just passed through the FCC with support for T-Mobile bands. Despite the ban in Germany and continued legal drama all around, Samsung’s well-received Android tablet is still welcome here in the states, at least for the time being. WiFi-only and Verizon 4G LTE versions are already available and now another one could be heading to T-Mobile. The FCC filing documents only identify the device as Samsung SGH-T859, but given the looks and dimensions, it’s unlikely to be anything else other than the Galaxy Tab 10.1. It supports the 1700MHz AWS bands for T-Mobile along with 850 and 1900 GSM bands, EDGE, and WCDMA/HSPA. It’ll be interesting to see if and when this tablet launches for T-Mobile, as both companies are in precarious situations. Samsung is still facing a possible ban of its Galaxy-branded tablets and smartphones here in US with a court date set for July of next year. T-Mobile, on the other hand, could be merged wit