IBLOG SPACE

Canon has launched two new point-and-shoot digital cameras for its Powershot lineup with the S100 and the XS40 HS. Both feature upgraded resolution and faster speeds, specifically with a new DIGIC 5 image processor, HS System, full HD video capture, High-speed Burst HQ, and Intelligent IS for clearer and smoother images. The DIGIC 5 image processor in combination with the HS System’s high-sensitivity image sensor, means users will be able to capture more brilliant images and videos even in low-light conditions. The High-speed burst lets users capture up to eight frames in one snap, and the Intelligent IS or Image Stabilization reduces blur. And lastly, full HD means that the two new cameras can now capture video in 1080p. The PowerShot S100 features all of the above and offers a 12.1-megapixel CMOS image sensor. It has a 24-120mm wide angle lens with 5x optical zoom, a 3-inch wide LCD screen, and GPS capabilities for EXIF image data. Its f/2.0 lens along with an ISO of up to 6400 allow

SanDisk has unveiled a new storage device for archiving your important photos that is designed specifically for long term storage for your photos and videos. The product is called the SanDisk Memory Vault. The device is described as the photo album for the new age and it is made to be rugged to survive the knocks that hardware are subjected to in the real world. The longevity of the new memory Vault is in part thanks to the storage inside that has no moving parts. I can tell you from experience that HDDs fail and that CDs can be scratched making the photos on them unreadable. SanDisk tested the Memory Vault with heat cycling and other tests to prove that it will last for up to 100 years. Inside the shiny metal enclosure is solid state storage. The Memory Vault is offered in 8GB and 16GB capacities. That is enough space for thousands of photos and hours of HD video according to SanDisk. The Memory Vault is low priced as well at $49.99 for the 8GB version and $89.99 for the 16GB version.

Intel has announced a new SSD that it is aiming at the data center. The new SSD is designed to be reliable, fast, and power efficient. The new drive is called the 710 Series and it uses 25nm MLC NAND flash memory and will be offered in three capacities. The SSD will come in 100GB, 200GB, and 300GB capacities. The special high Endurance Technology in the NAND chosen provides SLC endurance with the value of MLC NAND inside the SSD. Intel says that its SSD 710 series MLC NAND is almost on par with the MLC NAND but costs less. The write endurance for the SSD is almost 1.1 petabytes. The SSD is for I/O starved applications and has a 4K random write performance of up to 2700 IOPS. The SSD is also designed with security features like enhanced data loss protection and the SSD has surplus NAND flash inside for system protection in case a NAND die fails. The SSD also has 128-bit AES encryption to protect the data. Prices for the SSDs start at $649 for the 100GB SSD, the 200GB is $1,289, and the

Samsung has announced a new line of green DDR3 memory modules for ultra low power servers. The new RAM is offered in RDIMM modules and is designed for use in low-power enterprise server systems at 1.25V. The modules use 4Gb DDR3 components that are based on 30nm class process technology. The new RAM is more power efficient than 1.5V and the previous class leading 1.35V modules. The 1.25V memory will be offered in 16GB RDIMMs and each 16GB module will consume 3.7W per hour and provide an operating bandwidth of 1.333Mbps. That is a 15% power savings compared to the green 1.35V 16GB RDIMMs that use 30nm-class 4Gb chips. Samsung plans for mass production of the new 1.25V modules in multiple densities. The RAM will be offered in 4GB, 8GB, and the 16GB modules. The modules will enter mass production after being qualified with OEMs. The memory should help large data centers save more money on power use and might reduce heat output from the servers too.

Android is one of the most popular mobile operating systems on the planet and is in a bunch of tablets and smartphones that consumers enjoy. You can get access to all manner of different content on the operating system thanks to the ability to stream content. Most commercial aircraft on the market today already pack in internet connectivity during flights. Combine that internet connectivity with Android-based servers and screens on the aircraft and you have the makings of an enjoyable flight. Boeing has announced today that it has picked Android to be the operating system for a server installed on the 787 Dreamliner and to power the screens in the back of every seat on the aircraft. That means that the passengers will have access to video, apps, and more right on their seat backs. The screens in economy class will have touch control. In the larger seats of the business and first class compartments, the screens will not be touch based because the screens can’t be reached. Testing is rep

While Ram Gopal Varma has gone on record to say that his film  Department  stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Rana Daggubati, turns out that Big B only has a special appearance in the film and not a full fledged role. Shooting of the film is currently on in full swing and Big B joined the shoot yesterday. The veteran actor tweeted, "At shoot Ram Gopal Varma's 'Department' ...new film, first day for me ... another friendly appearance ..Sanjay Dutt and Rana on set!" Seems like Big B is in a mood for special appearances these days- first in the Hollywood film The Great Gatsby  and now in RGV's  Department .

Raveena Tandon is someone who will always bring to your memories the magic of the monsoons, courtesy ' Tip Tip Barsa Paani ' from the smash hit film  Mohra . Post her marriage, when the world thought that she had bid adieu to the film world, she returned back by doing a small role and an item number in  Bbuddah...Hoga Terra Baap . Besides films, the actress is also signing up brand endorsement deals.  Apnadesi 's reliable sources say that the actress has now been chosen to be the brand ambassador of Riso refined ricebran oil. The official announcement of the same is expected soon.

'When in Mumbai, be a Mumbaite' - This adage is pretty much turning out to be true for Rana Daggubati who is not just facing the mighty challenge of acting right opposite Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt but also getting rid of his Hyderabadi accent for  Department . In fact what is pretty much his strength down South for Telugu films has pretty much been identified as a weakness by Rana's director Ram Gopal Varma. "Since  Department  is based out of Mumbai and Rana too is not playing a South Indian in the film, Ramu is clear that he wants the young actor to get his dialogue delivery, accent as well as pronunciation right when mouthing Hindi dialogues. He was fine when for  Company , Mohan Lal spoke in a highly accented Hindi because he was playing a South Indian there. However, there is no concession for Rana", informs a source connected to the film, the shooting of which is currently in progress. It may not have been as much hard work for Rana had he allowed a

Ranbir is totally hooked to the magic of Shammi Kapoor these days. This is why the song for his automobile ad has been changed from Rajesh Khanna to a Shammi Kapoor number. Best-friends Ayan Mukerjee and Ranbir Kapoor are Kishore Kumar fans. That one of them is Bengali and the other grew up listening to his father (Rishi Kapoor) perform to Kishore Kumar's chartbusters could've something to do with the director and actor's affinity to the singing legend. Not surprisingly when they decided to do an ad together for an international automobile and needed a hero-on-a-car song, they chose the Kishore Kumar number ' Chala Jaata Hoon Kisi Dhun Mein ' from the film 1972 Mere Jeevan Saathi . But the nostalgic automobile song has now changed. To a Shammi Kapoor-Mohd Rafi number ' Chakke Pe Chakka Chakke Pe Gaadi ' from  Bramhachari  (1968). And that's no coincidence. Says a source, "Initially, Ayan Mukerjee used a Kishore Kumar track from  Mere Jeevan Saathi

It's official! Vashu Bhagnani has signed Ajay Devgn and director Sajid Khan for his new venture. The formalities were completed on Monday, after Ajay signed the letter of confirmation. The film, not titled yet, is expected to start next year, after Sajid completes filming HOUSE FULL 2. Reportedly, it's a remake of a super-successful Hindi film, released more than two decades ago. "Not at all! I don't know how this rumor originated in the first place," Sajid Khan sets the record straight, "It's an entertainer all the way, with Ajay Devgn like never before. I've been working on the story idea for almost 8/9 months with Shimit Amin and another writer friend Sam." Sajid plans to begin filming once he completes HOUSE FULL 2. "The shooting of this film [with Ajay] will be completed in 2012, but released in 2013," he states.

Farmville has released three new buildings to the Farmville market, these buildings are Asian Gazebo, Coastal Restaurent & Coastal Farmhouse. Asian Gazebo is the Animal Sanctuary Themed building while Coastal Restaurent & Coastal Farmhouse are Lighthouse Cove Buildings. All of these buildings will cost you Farm Cash and will expire from the market on the Sep 29th, 2011.

Farmville has released quite a few of new decorations to the Farmville market, these decorations are Nelly Moser, Cockatiel, Panda Arch, Boreal Owl, Sea Lavender Flower, Maple Leaf Gnome. Nelly Moser, Boreal Owl, Sea Lavender Flower, Maple Leaf Gnome are Lighthouse Cove Decorations while Cockatiel & Panda Arch are Animal Sanctuary Decorations. Nelly Moser & Sea Lavender Flower are available for Farm Coins while Cockatiel, Panda Arch, Boreal Owl & Maple Leaf Gnome can be purchased using Farm Cash. All of these items will expire from the market on the Sep 29th, 2011.

Farmville has released 3 new animals to the Farmville market, these animals are Morgan Stallion, Bufflehead Duck & Clouded Leopard. Morgan Stallion & Bufflehead Duck are Lightouse Cove themed animals while Clouded Leopard is Animal Sanctuary Theme animal. All of these animals can be purchased using Farm Cash and will expire from the market on the Sep 29th, 2011.

Farmville has released two new trees to the Farmville market as a part of its Animal Sanctuary theme, these trees are Painted Bamboo Tree & Umbrella Bamboo Tree. Both of these trees can be purchased using Farm Cash and will expire from the market on the Sep 29th, 2011.

Farmville has released two new trees to the Farmville market as a part of its Lighthouse Cove theme, these trees are Bur Oak Tree & Pin Oak Tree. Both of these trees can be purchased using Farm Cash and will expire from the market on the Sep 29th, 2011.

Farmville has released four new trees to the Farmville Market as a part of its Lighthouse Cove Theme. These trees are Sugar Maple Tree, Japanese Maple Tree, Black Gum Tree, Speckled Alder Tree, Eastern Red Cedar, White Cedar Tree, Tulip Poplar Tree & Lombardy Poplar. Black Gum Tree, Speckled Alder Tree, Eastern Red Cedar, White Cedar Tree, Tulip Poplar Tree & Lombardy Poplar are permanent addition to the Farmville market while Sugar Maple Tree & Japanese Maple Tree are limited edition trees and will expire from the market on Sep 26th, 2011.

Farmville has released various Lighthouse Cove decorations to the Farmville market, these decorations are Fountain, Pond, Sailor Gnome, Innkeeper Gnome, Horse-Drawn Wagon, Ladyslipper Flower, Picket Fence Gate, Steel Beam, Stone, Log, Lampost, Stone Fence gate, Bench, Haystack, Daylily Flowerbed, Picket Fence, Stone Fence, Red Clover Pot. Stone Fence Gate, Bench, Haystack, Daylily Flowerbed, Picket Fence, Stone Fence, Red Clover Pot are available for Farm Coins while Fountain, Pond, Sailor Gnome, Innkeeper Gnome, Horse-Drawn Wagon, Ladyslipper Flower, Picket Fence Gate, Steel Beam, Stone, Log, Lampost can be purchased using Farm Cash.

Farmville has kicked off its Lighthouse Cove theme with the release of a lot of new animals to the Farmville Market. These animals are Scottie, Pine Marten, Main Coon, Chinook, Buttercup Chicken, Loon Duck, Duroc Pig, Dorset Sheep, Milking Shorthorn, Pineywoods Cow, New England Pinto, Sailor Cow, Canadian Goose, Quarter Pony, Eastern Moose, Mountain Lion, River Otter, Standardbred Horse, Canada Lynx. Some of these animals are permanent addition to the Farmville Market according to the current setting, this may change in future. Pine Marten, Maine Coon & Milking Shorthorn are surprisingly available for Farm Coins while all the other animals can be purchased using Farm Cash. The limited edition animals will expire from the market on the Sep 26th, 2011.

Skype has added Facebook integration to its OS X app for Mac users, with the new v5.4 beta being brought up to date with the functionality offered in v5.5 for Windows. Those using the VoIP app on their Macs will now be able to read and update their news feeds directly from the Skype software itself; however, v5.4 also brings with it advertising. The updated app also supports Facebook Chat conversations within the Skype software, together with comment and “Like” support. It uses Facebook Connect, as you’d expect, and is a free upgrade from the existing version. If you can’t handle the adverts, meanwhile, then Skype says that paying customers – i.e. those with paid accounts or who have credit on their account – won’t see them. Those unwilling to pay will see the occasional promotion on the home tab, Skype says, with “non-personally identifiable” demographic data like gender, location and age used to tweak what you see.

Back in July Netflix made a big move to charge customers more and split the streaming and mail-order movie business’ apart. The customers of the service didn’t take to kindly to the splitting of the services and increase in price. The backlash for Netflix was significant. Netflix offered up a guidance update for Q3 recently and it is apparent that customers of Netflix have spoken with their wallets. The streaming movie company has been forced to reduce (PDF) its domestic subscriber estimates compared to what they were back in July before the price increase. In July, Netflix predicted 22 million streaming customers and 15M DVD mail-order customers. The current expectation has been reduced. Netflix now expects 21.8 million streaming customers total and 14.2 million DVD customers total. The change isn’t huge, but at least the company is seeing the results of price increases. Netflix states that despite the change in subscribers it still feels the change was the correct long term choice. T

Ooma has been pushing its Ooma Telo VoIP adapter for some time now, promising free US calls and cut-price international rates, and now the base-station has received some home-friendly accessories to help snip through the ethernet cable. The new Ooma Telo Air wireless adapter is, as the name suggests, a WiFi dongle that gives you more freedom to place the main unit away from your router, while the Ooma Bluetooth option is getting extended to all users. Check out our hands-on after the cut. The Air wireless adapter is pretty straightforward: slot the posable dongle into the USB port on the back of the Ooma Telo box and hook up to your home or office network without a cable. You can also repurpose the Ooma Telo as a wireless bridge, sharing a WiFi b/g/n signal to allow other gadgets online. Ooma Telo Air and Ooma Blutooth: As for the Ooma Bluetooth, that basically turns your Ooma Telo into a central hub for up to seven Bluetooth-enabled cellphones. When your cellphone rings, Ooma Telo au

Amazon is adding AmazonLocal adverts to its Kindle with Special Offers, beginning with New York deals shown on the subsidized ereader’s homescreen, and being extended to all AmazonLocal cities later in 2012. As with existing adverts, the AmazonLocal deals will be shown on the Kindle’s display while it’s not being used for reading, with purchases automatically charged to the Buy It Now card on account and users able to redeem the deal simply by showing their ereader. Alternatively, you’ll be able to print out the voucher on your computer and show that instead. As for the sort of deals you can expect, Amazon says that the initially served New York areas of Downtown, Midtown, Uptown (including the Upper East Side and Upper West Side) and Brooklyn will include: $7 for a one-hour bike rental in Central Park ($15 value) $5 for $10 at Dangerfield’s Comedy club $59 for one month unlimited yoga classes at Bikram Yoga Grand Central ($180 value) $5 for $10 worth of ice cream and ice cream cakes a

If you like Android tablets Samsung has had some of the more popular offerings with the Galaxy Tab line of tablets. There are the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and the Tab 10.1 on the market right now. Samsung is set to offer a screen size that slots between those two called the Galaxy Tab 8.9. Chris Davies got hands on with the new Tab 8.9 sporting LTE not long ago, the LTE version gets a 1.5GHz CPU. As of today, Laptoping reports that the WiFi only version of the Tab 8.9 is now up for pre-order at Best Buy. The Tab 8.9 is being offered in two versions that have the same hardware specs and only different storage size. The 32GB Tab 8.9 with part number GT-P7310MAVXAR sells for $569.99. The smaller 16GB GT-P7310MAYXARtablet is up for $469.99. The two tablets have a screen resolution of 1280 x 800. Other hardware inside the tablets includes a 1.0GHz dual-core processor thought to be the Tegra 2 variety. The tablets have Android 3.1 as the OS, a 3MP rear camera, 2MP front camera, and a USB port along wi

What a difference an “8” makes: Microsoft’s Windows 8 only broke cover properly earlier this week, and analysts are already declaring it a future sales success. RBC Capital Markets analyst Robert Breza is predicting Microsoft will hold a 15-percent share in the tablet segment by 2014, the Financial Post reports, praising the new OS’ Metro UI as borrowed from Windows Phone. “Unlike traditional Windows 7, ‘Smart Tiles’ leverages multi-touch for a clever way to conveniently access most frequently used files and data” Breza points out, suggesting that this “leverages both desktop and mobile.” Microsoft’s existing installation base and strong position among enterprise users should also help it along the way, it’s predicted, although the company will need to focus on application momentum if it wants to challenge the iPad’s market lead. Metro UI on Windows 8 tablet: The impact Windows 8 on tablets has on Microsoft’s stock price could mark an end to periodic calls for CEO Steve Ballmer to be t

We have talked about the Splitfish controllers for console gamers and computer gamers before. The last time I mentioned the company was in September of last year when the new FragFX controller system was announced for the PS3, PC, and Mac gamers to take advantage of. The Xbox 360 was left out with the last controller system from Splitfish. The company is back with a new controller system called the Fragfx Shark 360 and as the name hints this controller is specifically for the Xbox 360 game console. The Shark 360 will work on the PC and Mac computers too. The Shark 360 is made to allow the console gamer to have a mouse in one hand and a joystick controller in the other so they can play FPS titles on the Xbox 360 with controls similar to those on the PC. Splitfish says that this is the perfect controller for the gamer looking at getting the coming new Gears of War 3 and Call of Duty titles. The idea of the mouse controller has the familiar colored Xbox 360 buttons. The Shark 360 is a wir

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has admitted that the sales of Windows Phone smartphones have been disappointing so far. I don’t think anyone is surprised at that statement. Ballmer noted that he is happy with the reaction from partners and developers but the sales of the smartphones have been disappointing. Ballmer is saying that Microsoft is making progress in the smartphone realm and notes that it is working hard to continue the forward momentum. According to Ballmer, Microsoft has been able to offer a “very strong third ecosystem” to offer Android and iPhone alternatives. Ballmer also cited the partnership with Nokia as being a big notch in the belt of Windows Phone. It’s obvious that Microsoft is looking at Nokia to help get more Windows phone handsets onto the market. The first smartphone from the partnership should launch this year. The problem I see is that Windows Phone isn’t popular as an OS and Nokia has a history of making smartphones that most of the consumers shopping for a n

Ricoh has announced the launch of a new digital camera that has Quick Shooting capability. The new camera is called the GR Digital IV and it is the latest evolution of the line. The new GR Digital IV has a new image engine and a refined optical filer that exceeds the past models and offers the best image quality in the history of the GR Digital line. The camera uses a Hybrid AF system and has image-sensor-shift Image Stabilization. The new camera also uses an independently developed external AF sensor and has a 3-inch rear LCD with 1.23-million dot resolution. The display is also optimized for outdoor visibility. Other features include a digital level inside to let the user determine the tilt direction. The camera has a Dynamic Range Compensation system that lets the user take photos of the subjects when they are backlit or have high contrast scenes. The fancy AF sensor the camera uses has 190 auto focus points and can focus in as little as 0.2 seconds. The image sensor has a resolutio

Qualcomm’s pretty keen on its “Digital 6th Sense” idea , and having played with the company’s latest DVD augmented reality app we’re starting to see why. Capable of recognizing DVD covers and overlaying live streams of preview clips on top of them on your smartphone’s display, the app isn’t just AR for the sake of it but an example of how modern chipsets like Snapdragon are capable of some seriously impressive real-time crunching. Check out our hands-on after the cut. In Qualcomm’s demo, the main camera on a BSQUARE MDP can spot and recognize DVD covers, look up the film they’re related to, and then superimpose a video stream on top of them on the handset’s display. That video stream resizes and skews according to the angle at which the DVD box itself is oriented: it can also track multiple covers, even if only a small part of each is actually visible. Qualcomm Vision-Based AR hands-on: Although it makes for an eye-catching demonstration, what Qualcomm is keen to stress is the techno

Razer is well known for making some really cool gaming accessories for computers and game consoles. The latest project that is underway at Razer is the new Xbox 360 Ultimate Arcade Stick. It looks like a joystick off an 80′s arcade game for sure. It has a big joystick with a black knob along with eight colored buttons. The design you see in the photos is not finalized. Razer is actually asking people to apply to join the closed beta program for the designing of the Xbox 360 arcade stick. Razer is looking for pro gaming teams to test out the arcade stick for them and help shape what the final product will look like and work like. Razer is also opening the beta design phase to the average gamers out there. Any gamer can apply to be part of the program. There will be up to 500 arcade stick pro gamers, modders, and fans that will be sent a prototype of the joystick, that as of now has no official name. The feedback will be used to refine the design. You can apply to be part of the beta tea

A white HTC Sensation is incoming, it’s been confirmed, with UK retailer Phones4u announcing that it has won the jump on other retailers to offer both the pale version of the existing Android smartphone and the new, Beats Audio enabled HTC Sensation XE from October 1. Meanwhile, the white HTC Radar will also be arriving at the retailer’s stores on October 1, and the company is promising to put some heft behind Windows Phone marketing. The Radar “will feature in hero POS [Point Of Sale] across all stores and its own demo hub across 150 of Phones4u’s top stores” the company claims, while staff will receive specific Windows Phone training in preparation. That should hopefully address frequent complaints that in-store promotion of Windows Phone falls short of that for iOS and Android devices. When they all arrive at the beginning of next month, the Sensation XE will be priced from free on a £36 or above two-year agreement, the white Sensation will be free on £31 or above agreements, and th

Sony has announced that starting in November it will be rolling out its SDK for PS Suite. This kit will allow the game developers to develop one game that will run on all PS Certified devices. That means the games will run on the PS3 game console, the PS Vita, Sony Android tablets, and Sony Ericsson Android smartphones. The SDK supports C# as the programming language. The software made using C# will be run on the PS Certified devices using a virtual machine. This will also mean that there will be more games available for Android devices that are PS Certified. Sony notes that it is working on expanding the list of current PS Certified devices to allow more bang for the buck when developing using the new SDK. Sony will be offering new content for the PS Certified devices in October through the PlayStation Store. The service will start in nine countries including the US, Europe, and Japan among others. The SDK will be offered to developers that sign a license agreement with SCE and purcha

Microsoft has followed in Apple’s footsteps and distanced itself from Flash, putting its energies into HTML5 inWindows 8. The Windows 8 Metro IE10 browser – accessed through the touch-friendly interface – is designed to be plugin free, the Windows engineering team suggests, relying mostly on HTML5. “Providing compatibility with legacy plug-in technologies” the team argues, “would detract from, rather than improve, the consumer experience of browsing in the Metro style UI.” One of those “legacy” technologies is Flash, which Microsoft’s engineers reckon is the most common plugin encountered in the most popular sites. “Many of the 62% of these sites that currently use Adobe Flash already fall back to HTML5 video in the absence of plug-in support” they suggest. Those still wanting access to Flash and other plugins will be able to switch to the regular, desktop version of IE10, however. That – which will also support pen and touch input – will play nicely with ActiveX controls and the like.

Samsung has announced that it will be launching a new app store for premium paid apps in the UK today. The apps are available for download and are paid with a credit card for now. The new app store is meant to complement the free app offerings Samsung has for its Android users already. The premium store is called Premium Samsung Apps Store for Android. The UK will be one of the first countries to get access to the new store. Among the premium offerings on the store are Zenonia, The Sims 3 HD, Need for Speed Shift HD, and 9mm. The number of apps will grow and there are other offerings than games. Samsung points out that there is no sign up process to start shopping on the store. Purchases are made with a credit card, but Samsung says other options are coming. Eventually buyers will be able to bill the purchases to their apps and charge them directly to the phone bill. Samsung also plans to offer the option of deducting purchases from a SIM card balance. If you are in the UK, you can hit

Quick-fire question: What’s the thinnest smartphone on the market? If you said the Samsung Galaxy S II then you should probably immediately write a check to Apple, since Samsung has just been smacked down in the UK over suggestions that it, not its rival, produced the most waifish smartphone. The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) sided with Apple amid the company’s complaints that Samsung wasn’t measuring the thickest point on the Galaxy S II in its comparisons. Instead, the company argued, Samsung was quoting the depth of the main body of the device, in its claims to have produced an 8.49mm thick smartphone. While that accounts for the majority of the handset’s length, it ignores the bulge at the base of the Galaxy S II, which is 9.91mm thick. That makes it 0.61mm deeper than the iPhone 4′s 9.3mm thickness, with Apple arguing “that consumers would not be interested in the thinnest part of the device, but in its overall measurements, as these would, for example, affect whether the dev

Microsoft has been talking more about its plans to integrate Xbox LIVE into Windows 8, pulling together its PC and gaming divisions as well as streaming entertainment. Spokesperson Major Nelson confirmed to developers at BUILD this week that they would be able to create Windows 8 specific titles that hook into the same Xbox LIVE systems as their Xbox 360 counterparts. Microsoft had announced that Xbox LIVE would be a part of Windows 8 back in June, with VP of global marketing Mike Delman describing it as “the service where you get your entertainment.” LIVE would become a “pervasive media service” across not only Xbox and Windows 8, but on Windows Phone too. “Xbox LIVE brings your games, music, movies, and TV shows to your favorite Microsoft and Windows devices” Major Nelson suggests, saying that the integration “is part of our vision to bring you all the entertainment you want, shared with the people you care about, made easy.” Exactly how developers will do that is unclear at present,

Sharp has axed production of its Galapagos 5.5- and 10.8-inch tablets, though the company says that it still intends to launch a 7-inch version of the ebook-centric series. After the end of September, no further orders of the two Android-based slates will be accepted; however, Sharp’s ebook store will continue to offer downloads. As for the 7-inch Sharp Galapagos A01SH, which was officially announced back in August, that’s on track though there’s no exact release date yet. It will have a 1024 x 600 resolution panel, 5-megapixel rear camera and 2-megapixel front camera, and an integrated modem for up to 42Mbps downloads on Japanese networks. OS is Android 3.2 Honeycomb running on NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 dual-core, and Sharp reckons battery life will be in the region of 7.5 hours. All well and good, but with Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 7.7 packing a 1280 x 800 panel the A01SH may start looking less than competitive too. Sharp hasn’t said exactly why it’s canning the two existing models, though to be f

This week we’re getting all sorts of opportunities to get our hands on some soon to be released products from various companies, the latest of which is the Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive. We spoke about this hard drive back at the beginning of August noting that its uniqueness lied in both its ability to sit perfectly nicely under the newest series of iMac Core i5 devices as well as its unique new ability to charge your iPad and other Apple devices as it worked to keep your main computer unit free from clutter. This lovely device was out for us to take a look at inside Pepcom’s end of summer 2011 Holiday Spectacular, a digital forest of many wonders. What you’ve got here is an external hard drive available in 2TB and 3TB configurations, both of them working with an ultra-fast 7200 RPM 3.5-inch hard drive formatted HFS+ made ready for Mac computers with no additional fixing up right out of the box. The device is also a 2.1 Amp hookup in addition to holding all your media and whatnot,

Dyson’s distinctive Air Multiplier fan has spawned a new version, and this time it wants to keep you toasty warm rather than cool you down. The Dyson Hot uses the same bladeless fan technology as its predecessors – hiding the impeller in the base, and channeling the air up through the arched top section so as to remove buffeting and the chance of accidentally slicing into your fingers – but adds a ceramic heating element that, the company promises, adds up to the most efficient way of warming your room. A clever airfoil-shaped ramp around which the air is channelled, and an oscillating base – that can be tilted – add up to quieter, more effective heating. There’s also no unpleasant burning smell, which you can get from traditional bar heaters. Meanwhile, the Dyson Hot can also work as a regular fan for cool air, too. A remote control, for adjusting temperature, airflow and turning on and off the oscillation, is included. It’s also slightly bowed and magnetic, so that it can be safely s

Intel has admitted that fiber optic versions of its Thunderbolt high-speed connectivity standard could still take years to arrive, leaving existing copper implementations the standard for some time to come. Intel Architecture Group general manager Dadi Perlmutter told PC World that it was a combination of pricing and current speeds being sufficient, suggesting that “at the end of the day it’s all about how much speed people need versus how much they would be willing to pay.” Thunderbolt still carries a premium as it is, even “limited” to 10Gbps. The new port technology – which is compatible with DisplayPort, and so can be used to carry both data and display – is now available across Apple’s MacBook Pro and MacBook Air ranges, while we’ve learned this week that Windows 8 will natively support it as well. However, Windows machines with the connectivity are likely to be more expensive than those using USB 3.0 and other technologies. Meanwhile, copper connectivity won’t stand still while f

A former Samsung Electronics manager has admitted to previously leaking details of Apple’s iPad supply chain, revealing display panel shipments for the first-gen slate in private meetings with analysts and hedge fund managers. Suk-Joo Hwang told a New York federal court that, during his 14 year US tenure with Samsung, he met with Global Research LLC exec James Fleishman and a mystery hedge fund manager, BusinessWeek reports, during which time they discussed confidential details of Apple’s contracts with the Korean company. “One particular thing I remember vividly was that I talked about the shipment numbers of Apple,” Hwang admitted of a 2009 meeting, “it was about iPad.” At the time, Apple’s first iPad had yet to be officially announced, and speculation was rife around what the much-rumored tablet might be called. “This is in December 2009, before it came out with the tablet PC, they didn’t know the name then,” Hwang recalled. “So I talked to them about the tablet shipment estimates i

Google has snapped up a new patent haul, buying over a thousand from IBM in what’s believed to be another attempt to shore up Android’s defenses against Apple and others. The 1,023 transferred patents were detailed by the US Patent and Trademark Office, with Google subsequently confirming the deal had taken place. It’s not the first such transaction we’ve seen; back in July, Google bought a different 1,030 patents from IBM. Neither company is saying exactly how much Google paid for the IP, though it’s unlikely to have come cheap. Although CEO Larry Page has previously insisted that the Android patent situation is “not critical” - and that the company would rather concentrate on developing its own technologies instead of acquiring the rights to others – the search giant has nonetheless stepped up its patent shopping game. The Motorola Mobility acquisition, costing Google $12.5bn, will net the company in excess of 17,000 new patents. Recently Google sold a selection of patents to HTC – s

This week at Pepcom’s Holiday Spectacular 2011 in New York City, we were shown an odd new device by Lenovo. This device was (and is) the ThinkVision LT1421 14-inch Mobile Monitor. It’s a bland name, but I assure you, the concept is certainly there. This monitor was announced a few weeks ago in sort of a silent matter, but here we’ve got it out in the open and ready to be used by our hands and our eyes, and all of it courtesy of Lenovo Brand Ambassador Stephen Miller, a fellow you’ll likely see in several Lenovo videos at conventions and presentations galore. He knows his Lenovo, and he was glad to show off this neat new device for us in a video here in this post. Before getting to the mobile monitor, it made sense to take a glance at a couple other products in the Lenovo line that will appeal to those wanting to make good use of their new ThinkVision LT1421. First we are quickly re-introduced to the Lenovo ThinkPad T420S 14-inch mainstream laptop. Next we get to see a member of the X