IBLOG SPACE

Sony Ericsson has released an Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.1 alpha ROM for XPERIA arc S, neo V and XPERIA ray owners, though there are some significant limitations to functionality that make it unsuitable for everyday use. The ROM – which is intended for those with unlocked XPERIA handsets complete with an unlocked bootloader - comes without Google’s core apps, like Gmail and Google Maps, shuts off the cellular radio, WiFi and Bluetooth, deactivates ANT+ and doesn’t yet support the FM radio. In fact, you’d be excused for wondering what, exactly, Sony Ericsson has left functional. You do get the new Android 4.0 UI, complete with the new Holo theme and music player controls added to the lock screen; there’s also a reworked interface in the settings and browser, together with the messaging action bar and multitasking system. Perhaps most important to note is that, if you unlock the bootloader, you won’t be able to subsequently download and install Sony Ericsson’s official upgrade via the usual

If you are a space geek you know that at the center of our galaxy is a black hole. Scientist using the ESO Very Large Telescope have made a very interesting discovery in the center of our galaxy. The astronomers have found a massive gas cloud that is being sucked into the supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy. The discovery will help the astronomers and scientists determine how matter acts that close to something as massive as a black hole. The gas cloud is estimated to have several times the mass of Earth and to be made up mostly of hydrogen and helium. The cloud is also much cooler than the surrounding stars at 280 degrees Celsius. The tem thinks that the gas cloud will be about 36 light hours form the event horizon of the black hole in the middle of 2013. The closer the gas cloud gets to the event horizon, the more compressed it will become thanks to the external pressure increasing. According to the astronomers, the edges of the gas cloud are already shedding and begi

The Archos Home Connect 35 Android-based alarm clock and internet radio has finally gone up for sale in the US, offering a a 3.5-inch touchscreen, stereo speakers and WiFi b/g/n. Putting Android – v2.2.1 Froyo when we played with the Home Connect 35 back in June - on a compact, battery powered device ideal for your desk or nightstand, the gadget comes preloaded with the TuneIn app for access to over 50,000 internet radio stations. There’s also a custom ARCHOS Alarm Clock app, which offers weather, traffic and news updates along with the basics like waking you up in the morning. 4GB of onboard storage, plus a microSD card slot, takes care of local files, while there’s also a front-facing VGA webcam and a microphone. Many of the usual Android apps, like the browser and email, are still loaded, though you don’t get Android Market access; instead, there’s the AppsLib store and the ability to sideload .apk files to your heart’s content. Inside there’s a 1GHz OMAP3630 processor and USB 2.0 c

ASUS has announced that Italian would-be buyers of the Eee Pad Transformer Prime will have to wait until the end of January 2012 before they can pick up the Tegra 3 tablet; however, it will likely be released running Ice Cream Sandwich as standard. The OS news lends further weight to the rumors that ASUS will have the Android 4.0 upgrade ready next month, with previous comments from the company only outlining a vague Q1 2012 window for its release. The Transformer Prime currently runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb, with only the Galaxy Nexus –  fresh to Verizon today  - getting Google’s latest platform so far, at least officially. Android 4.0 brings with it an improved UI, better multitasking control and many other improvements; there are more details in our  Ice Cream Sandwich review . ASUS Italy also confirmed that it would only be offering a WiFi version of the Transformer Prime, rather than WiFi + 3G model, just like ASUS Germany before it. Android smartphones and other handsets are genera

Microsoft has announced plans to automatically upgrade older versions of Internet Explorer, such as the much-maligned IE6, from January 2012. The decision is intended to bring Windows XP, Vista and 7 users up to date with safer, more efficient versions of the browser, though Microsoft is keen to point out that nobody will be forced to upgrade if they don’t actually want to. Previous arguments for keeping IE6 and other earlier releases of the browser have been generally related to enterprise browser-based tools not updated for newer iterations. Microsoft is respecting that, and says that not only will its existing IE8 and IE9 Automatic Update Blocker toolkits stop new versions from being installed, but anybody who has declined an update through Windows Update will also be left alone. If you’re desperately wedded to IE6 and are caught by surprise with an automatically-pushed new version, you’ll also be able to roll back and get your precious old software. Dragging people into the future

Yesterday we talked about the new old school video games that Nintendo had announced were being added to the 3DS Ambassadors program for the people that purchased the 3DS early at regular price. The new list had a bunch of games from the GBA and Game Cube to choose from. If you are an ambassador program member in Japan, you can get some of those games right now. In Japan, the GBA games for the program are available to download right now according to a Tweet. To find the games you need to check download history apparently. With the announcement of the games only coming yesterday, it’s impressive to see some of them available right now. Apparently, only the GBA titles announced are up for download. I hope that we will see those NES games launch soon. We still have no word on when the games will be available in the US. If you download, the games let us know how well they play on the 3DS.

Nokia plans to distribute as many as several thousand free Lumia 800 smartphones to its developers, SlashGear has been informed, with the shipping process set to begin early next week. The pre-holiday coder reward is the latest part of Nokia’s Launchpad scheme which gave out free E7 handsets earlier in the year, and is now trying to persuade developers to jump ship to Windows Phone. “If you received a Nokia E7 back in February when we announced our new smartphone strategy, you’ll automatically receive a Windows Phone device” Nokia told developers back in November. “If you are currently a Nokia Developer Champion or a Nokia Launchpad member, you are already eligible, and you will soon receive an e-mail to explain how to get your new Nokia Windows Phone.” That “soon” is in fact next week, we’ve been informed, though it’s unclear how quickly Nokia will actually get the Lumia handsets out to those developers involved. Still, a free phone is a free phone, and we know there are plenty of peo

It seems today that with the prevalence of the internet that just about everyone in a developed country has used the web. A recent survey conducted by Eurostat (PDF) of the EU27 countries has found that a surprisingly high percentage of people aged 16 to 74 have never used the internet. According to the study in 2011, 24% of people of the age range have never used the web. That number is large, but it is down significantly from the 42% that had never used the web in 2006. The number of homes in the EU27 that have internet access varies in each country from a low of 45% in Bulgaria to a high of 94% in the Netherlands. Other low scoring countries included Romania at 47% and Greece at 50%. In the UK 83% have internet access with broadband. The study also found that online e-commerce shopping was most common in the UK at 82% of web users having bought online in the last 12 months, Denmark and Germany both had 77% of web users shopping online and in Sweden, the percentage was 75%. The count

Rebecca Black, Steve Jobs, Adele and the iPhone 5: not a group you might expect to necessarily find together, but they’re all among the top ten in Google’s Zeitgeist 2011 roundup of how the world searched. Each year the search giant tots up the most frequently searched-for topics in the hope that it might give some insight into the collective consciousness: we can only assume 2011 was dominated by iOS-lovers desperate for Friday to come around. In what must be a rather satisfying turn-up for Google, the company’s own Google+ social network is number two in the list of fastest rising searches, only behind Rebecca Black of “Friday” fame. Ryan Dunn comes in at number three, Casey Anthony at four and Battlefield 3 at number five. Apple gets two products in the top ten, though only one of them actually went on sale, the iPad 2. Google has plenty of animated charts showing how entertainment, sports, tech, food & drink and other categories fared over the twelve months, and usefully breaks

If you aren’t familiar with Bletchley Park, this is the place in England where during the war the allies worked on breaking the codes that the Germans and their allies were using to send coded messages. The codebreakers atBletchley Park worked on breaking the codes of several enigma machines. Bletchley Park is also considered the birthplace of the modern computer. Google has donated £550,000 to the restoration project seeking to return the site back to how it was during the war as a museum to honor those that worked there and helped shorten the war. The location will also be to educate people on what went on during the war. The trust overseeing the restoration of the site is working on raising £15 million to transform the site. The first stage of the restoration will start with the codebreaking huts 1, 3, and 6 where the vital work of defeating the German enigma machine is conducted.

The production of the 2012 Ford Focus EV has kicked off. Ford is stating that it expects the car to be rated at the equivalent 100 mpg. I still don’t like that the ratings on EVs that don’t use gas being given in miles per gallon. An EPA rating for true driving distance would make more sense to me and make comparing EVs easier. One of the best features about the Focus EV is that the car can charge in half the time it takes the Leaf to charge fully. Ford claims that the Focus EV needs only a bit more than three hours to charge fully on a 240V charging system. Nissan rates the Leaf for a driving range of 100 miles. Ford says that the focus EV will be good for 70 to 100 miles on a charge depending on driving style. The environment plays a roll in how far an EV can drive as well. The Focus EV will sell for $39,995 making it about the same price as the Volt and over $5,000 more expensive than the Leaf EV. Ford will have a tough time with that price. Dealers in California, New York, and New

Facebook Timeline has gone live worldwide, the social networking giant has announced, with all users now being notified that they can activate the life-tracking activity log Mark Zuckerberg announced back in September. A chronicle of your interactions, events, photos and video from your time on the social network, Timeline has been available to beta testers, celebrities and those following sneaky hacks for a few months now. Since the potential for revealing too much is high, Facebook has built in some extra controls around Timeline. The system will default to a seven day review period initially, giving users time to check everything that appears on their timeline before anyone else can see it. A “View As” button allows the layout to be checked from the perspective of different friends groups and non-friends, so you can ensure those slightly risque photos of you and the office photocopier are saved only for loved-ones. There’s also an easily-accessed “Hide from Timeline” option that all

The mirasol-toting Kyobo eReader continues to taunt us from afar, with its color e-paper display capable of video playback, though first impressions from early hands-on have proved mixed. Both TweakTown andNetbookNews grabbed some playtime in Taipei this week, coming away generally impressed with the screen refresh rates – just under 30fps, so good enough for video – though with some concerns around color quality. Viewing angles came in for particular criticism, and NetbookNews felt the colors – especially reds – lacked some of the saturation we’ve seen in earlier Qualcomm demos. The glossy fascia of the Kyobo device didn’t help that either, though that’s something other manufacturers could do differently if they pick up mirasol for their own devices. Ebooks also took their time to load, though again that’s probably more about Kyobo’s software and hardware pairing than a mirasol issue. Considering it’s a 1GHz single-core Snapdragon lurking inside, faster than most ereaders around, a ch

VIA has announced today that it is integrating Android support into its x86 mainboards for embedded systems, the support for Android kicks off with a mainboard called the EITX-3002. VIA says that the ability to run Android on this embedded design allows more flexibility for use in things like kiosks and in-car entertainment systems. The embedded board will allow Android deployments to run on a system with a faster processor and support for higher resolution screens. VIA is also announcing the release of an Embedded Tool kit that will allow those developing machines using the EITX-3002 and Android to monitor and control peripherals through the Android OS. That is an important capability in a device that might not be attached to a touchscreen. The EITX-3002 is an Em-ITX form factor mainboard that uses a 1.2GHz VIA NANO X2 processor or a 1GHz VIA Eden X2 dual-core processor along with the VIA VX900 MSP. The board uses the front and back of the mainboard for smaller packing. The integrated

Microsoft is believed to have replaced the design architect responsible for the Xbox 360 user-experience, Dan Coyner, an acolyte of Apple-style consistency in user experience and a mainstay of the gaming project since its inception. Coyner, general manager of Design and Planning within the Xbox team, has been replaced with Emma Williams, CNET‘s sources claim, who led this month’s Xbox dashboard update. Originally at the helm of Xbox marketing, Coyner’s role broadened with the arrival of the Xbox 360 to encompass user experience. In that position he espoused a so-called unified design philosophy, where all elements of the UI, whether for gaming, multimedia or something else, fall together in a consistent manner. Although ostensibly a straightforward ambition, unification is something Microsoft has historically struggled to achieve in Windows, with multiple groups and teams working on disparate elements of the software. “He wanted to whole user experience to be consistent, like an Apple

The Sony PS Vita is launching first in Japan and inside Sony’s home country the little Vita portable has been up for pre-sale ahead of a lunching in time for Christmas. Sony will launch the Vita inside Japan officially on December 17, which is this coming Friday. The Vita has been up for pre-order for a while now inside Japan and Sony has made an announcement. According to Sony, the Vita has completely sold out in pre-orders. The device went up for pre-order in October. Sony also says that the pre-ordering was so heavy that there were lines to make a reservation for the portable at retailers. Sony is mum on the specific number of pre-orders made. The little portable has a 5-inch OLED screen and will come in two versions. One of the versions has integrated 3G connectivity and sells for 29,980 yen. The other version is WiFi only and sells for 24,980 yen. The Vita will hit the US in February and will carry a price of $249. The Vita is also tied closely to the PS3, which might help sales.

The NTSB has just announced that it has concluded hands free phones are just as risky when compared to holding the phone in your hands while driving. I can’t believe they needed research to tell them that. Distracted is distracted when it comes to driving. It doesn’t matter if it’s your coffee, a kid in the back seat, your co-worker sitting beside you, or the radio. If you don’t pay attention, driving is dangerous. The fix according to the NTSB is to ban hands free phones in cars, not just using phones actually held in the hand. What we really need to do is ban idiot drivers. Stopping distracted drivers is impossible because there are simply too many things that can distract, not that we shouldn’t try and reduce distracted driving. As the AP reports the thing missing from the research and studies on cell phone use while driving is hard evidence that connects mobile phones and an increase in traffic accidents in the US. The incidence of traffic accidents on the highways around the count

Intel and Microsoft are undergoing significant mobile reorganization in an attempt to boost their chances against Android and iPhone, with exec shuffling including the “benching” of Windows Phone’s previous chief, Andy Lees. While Microsoft described Lees’ new position in the company as “focused on driving maximum impact in 2012 with Windows Phone and Windows 8″ in actual fact, sources told The Verge that in fact “he’s been benched” with what amounts to a demotion due to increasingly tense relations with manufacturers and failing to deliver on the smartphone platform’s goals. Lees had been pushing Windows Phone growth as the key 2012 priority, suggesting that the platform had already bedded in and was now set to shoot to number three in the smartphone OS charts. Internally, however, the forecasts were far more pessimistic; Lees’ replacement, Terry Myerson, is quoted as admitting “we’re at zero percent market share for all practical purposes” at a recent all-hands internal meeting, sugg

If you are an Android user that hasn’t hit the update approval for Facebook yet, you might want to. The Facebook app for Android users has been updated with some new changes that are interesting and many folks will like it. The update brings a lot of changes and one of the most notable is that the old home screen is completely gone. It is replaced with a new side bar that offers access. The new app also brings with it an updated messenger app that is lacking a notification to tell you when your friends are typing. Other than that, it works well according to Sam over at sister site Android Community. I am sure there are many folks out there that won’t like this new version, some people get irate when Facebook changes. A new navigation pane lists all those games and apps that you had before so you can still get to them. The update also has a walkthrough to tell you where all that stuff you are used to is located now. View it, I didn’t and ended up wishing I had. When the app launched las

Acer’s chairman has announced some big changes for the Acer line up in 2012. The company will be cutting its product line back significantly with a reduction of its line by two-thirds. That reduction will come after a reported full evaluation of the entire Acer product line. Presumably, the products cut will be those that aren’t popular any more. I wonder if any of the Andorid tablets Acer is offering will meet the axe. Chairman JT Wang said that it would take three years to complete the simplification plans Acer has in mind. Acer is expecting the products it leaves in the line to sell better than they did last year with a prediction of a 10% rise in sales for 2012. Acer does not that the downsizing of its range will not affect outsourcing to ODMs. Wang was also boasting that he is very optimistic about Wintel. He noted that Apple, Wintel, and Android are the three major categories and that Wintel will be the single biggest driver of all three of the PC industry. Wand also noted that h

LG‘s 2012 Cinema 3D Smart TV line-up will be the first televisions to natively support Intel WiDi, the chip manufacturers Wireless Display streaming video standard. The deal will see LG’s sets capable of displaying content streamed from Intel WiDi-compliant laptops and computers, via WiFi, without the need to plug in a separate adapter as has been the case to-date. The number of gadgets that will be able to squirt video over to LG’s new TVs via WiDi is set to increase, however. The technology is gradually showing up in smartphones, and is a natively supported feature in Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon S4 chipsets, so the likelihood is that more than just laptops will be capable of pushing their content to the big screen. Being able to use a phone in that manner is arguably more useful, in fact, since you could easily set up a mini-office or gaming station without being caught up in HDMI cables. WiDi use should also be relatively transparent to the user, with no active WiFi connection – such

Carrier IQ has been questioned by the FTC and the FCC this week over allegations of data privacy transgressions, though the analytics company insists the meetings were at its own behest. News of the meetings was broken by the Washington Post, but Carrier IQ quickly responded by pointing out no official investigation has been undertaken – as far as it knows – in a statement to AllThingsD; “CarrierIQ sought meetings with the FTC and FCC” the company says, “to educate the two agencies about the functionality of its software and answer any and all questions.” The Federal Trace Commission (FTC) is the US organization that protects consumer privacy and enforces privacy-related laws, and would be Carrier IQ’s primary foe if an investigation is undertaken. The company says it is “not aware of an official investigation into Carrier IQ at this time”; however, sources inside the FTC – who spoke anonymously as details have not been publicly announced yet – seemingly confirmed that an inquiry is, i

Humans, this is your fate: scooped up by a terrifying, insectile robot and dumped into the organic power-reclamation unit or, if you’re lucky, the breeding vats. Researchers at Osaka University have developed an omni-directional robot called Asterisk, capable of grabbing and carrying prey DigInfo reports, and perfect for when the AIs revolt and begin to see us as the fleshy Duracells we really are. The six-legged robot usually uses all of its limbs to walk, but it can also repurpose two of them as grabbing arms to grab things. The researchers have several different versions, including models with wheel-tipped legs for faster movement, some which can climb up mesh walls and even let out a web-like rope for abseiling down to the ground, and, still in the labs, a cartwheeling model just in case there are fast-running children to be rounded up for processing. As for the envisaged use, for search and rescue missions, the ‘bot can lower its body and still move so as to scuttle through small

Grand Theft Auto III has dropped into the Android Market and iOS App Store for smartphones and tablets, offering some high-octane gaming while you’re on the move. Priced at $4.99 in the US, and £3.21 for those in the UK, the Rockstar game offers HD graphics that have been updated for this 10 Year Anniversary release, along with support for select USB controllers in the Android version. There’s also regular on-screen controls if you don’t have – or prefer not to use – an external controller, and they can be customized to suit your fingers and preferences. The game was revealed earlier this month, and currently runs on select devices: Apple iOS Devices:  iPad 1 & 2, iPhone 4 & 4S, iPod touch 4th Generation Android Phones:  HTC Rezound, LG Optimus 2x, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon 4G, Samsung Galaxy R, T-Mobile G2x Android Tablets:  Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, Sony T

The Verizon Galaxy Nexus, Google’s third Nexus smartphone and the first to include 4G LTE connectivity, has finally gone up for sale, priced at $299.99 with a new, two-year agreement. Officially announced yesterday, the Samsung-made handset includes a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD 720p display, 5-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording, and runs Ice Cream Sandwich, Google’s latest version of Android. As we found in our Ice Cream Sandwich review, the new upgrade makes a significant difference to the usability of Android. Several of the features introduced in Honeycomb, Google’s tablet-centric version of the platform, have been pulled across and integrated into a phone-scale UI, though ICS will also start showing up in tablets themselves come early 2012. For now, though, the Galaxy Nexus is the only official way to get hold of ICS, and in the US that means heading down to Verizon and checking out their LTE version. Off-contract pricing is $649.99. Let us know in the comments if you’re

A taut psychological thriller about a volatile CIA officer (Emmy® winner Claire Danes) who becomes convinced that a recently rescued American POW may be connected to an al Qaeda plot to be carried out on U.S. soil. Mandy Patinkin and Damian Lewis also star.

This new daytime talk show features a panel of well-known news and entertainment personalities who examine topical events and contemporary issues through the eyes of mothers. The daily, one-hour series is hosted by Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Aisha Tyler and Sharon Osbourne.

Without the Intersect in his head or the support of the CIA, the world of espionage is a much more dangerous place for Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) and his team of freelance spies. To start, Carmichael Industries takes on a slick, rich thief named Jean Claude (guest star Mark Hamill), and a conniving investor, Roger Bale (guest star Craig Kilborn), who has stolen money from some of the world's most dangerous people. Meanwhile, Morgan (Joshua Gomez) helps Chuck with a special surprise for Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski). Back in the Buy More, Jeff (Scot Krinsky) and Lester (Vik Sahay) have taken things to another level with their latest scheme. Sarah Lancaster and Adam Baldwin also star.

This new daytime talk show features a panel of well-known news and entertainment personalities who examine topical events and contemporary issues through the eyes of mothers. The daily, one-hour series is hosted by Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Aisha Tyler and Sharon Osbourne.

Detective Nick Burkhardt thought he was ready for the grim reality of working homicide in Portland, Oregon. That is, until he started to see things... things he couldn't quite explain. Like a gorgeous woman suddenly transforming into a hideous hag, or an average Joe turning into a vicious troll. Then, after a panicked visit from his only living relative, Nick discovers the truth about his visions: he's not like everyone else, he's a descendant of an elite group of hunters known as "Grimms" who are charged with stopping the proliferation of supernatural creatures in the world. And so begins his new life journey - albeit a reluctant one at first - as he solves crimes with his partner who knows something about Nick has radically changed but can't quite put his finger on it. Along the way, Nick finds himself unexpectedly getting help on some of the more difficult cases from Monroe, a guy who seems normal at first but is soon revealed to be what you might call a

"The Biggest Loser" kicks off season 12 on Tuesday, September 20 (8-10 p.m. ET) with two new trainers -- Anna Kournikova and Dolvett Quince -- joining "Biggest Loser" favorite Bob Harper, and 15 contestants competing in a "Battle of the Ages" that will group contestants by age for the first time ever in the history of the show. On the player's side, there will be three teams of five divided by age: the youngest players -- all under 30, the middle players -- ages 30-49, and the older players -- ages 50 and over. The season 12 contestants range from ages 24-65. In the premiere, host Alison Sweeney tells the teams that they will make their first game-changing decision -- who their trainer will be -- in the order in which they finish the first challenge. They can choose longtime "Biggest Loser" trainer Bob Harper, or one of the two new trainers -- internationally recognized tennis star and certified trainer Anna Kournikova, or top fitness exper

Detective Nick Burkhardt thought he was ready for the grim reality of working homicide in Portland, Oregon. That is, until he started to see things... things he couldn't quite explain. Like a gorgeous woman suddenly transforming into a hideous hag, or an average Joe turning into a vicious troll. Then, after a panicked visit from his only living relative, Nick discovers the truth about his visions: he's not like everyone else, he's a descendant of an elite group of hunters known as "Grimms" who are charged with stopping the proliferation of supernatural creatures in the world. And so begins his new life journey - albeit a reluctant one at first - as he solves crimes with his partner who knows something about Nick has radically changed but can't quite put his finger on it. Along the way, Nick finds himself unexpectedly getting help on some of the more difficult cases from Monroe, a guy who seems normal at first but is soon revealed to be what you might call a