IBLOG SPACE

Nintendo is reportedly readying an oversized version of the 3DS glasses-free 3D handheld, potentially the Nintendo 3DS XL, with a bigger display for launch at E3 2012 this week. The new version, so Japanese paper  Nikkei  claims, will use a 4.3-inch display rather than the 3.53-inch panel of the existing model. Specifications beyond that are unclear, and it’s not certain whether Nintendo will be changing any other specifications of the 3DS bar screen size. It’s also unstated as to whether both top and bottom screens will be upscaled, or if only the stereoscopic 3D panel will be boosted. Nintendo has a track-record of supersizing its gaming handhelds, with the Nintendo DSi XL being a scaled-up iteration of the original DSi. The Japanese company billed it as ideal for older gamers keen to get involved in the “brain-training” titles fashionable at the time. The news would be only part of Nintendo’s E3 announcements this week. Over the weekend, Nintendo revealed a slight redesign of th

This week the folks at Griffin have dropped a brain new pair of high-quality earbuds on the world called WoodTones. These earbuds are made with wood reclaimed from other manufacturing processes and will make you feel super green as you pump hot beats into your brain from your smartphone. Each pair of WoodTones is unique as the harvested wood used to create each bud is really, truly made of a completely one-of-a-kind piece of wood. These bits of wood are polished to a smooth satin finish before they have the audio components added in, this creating a lovely woodgrain look and smooth feel on each unit. The wood also lets the earbuds microdrivers ring true, as any wooden speaker owner will be quick to tell you. Ethan Opelt, Line Manager of Griffin’s Audio category lets the world know what the situation is: “Griffin’s new WoodTones combine the aesthetic and acoustic benefits inherent in real wood, resulting in great-sounding and great-looking earbuds. WoodTones accentuate vocals and b

Microsoft has issued a security warning and an emergency update over the weekend that fixes a serious flaw in Windows that was exploited by the Flame malware attack last month. Flame was massive and sophisticated but luckily a targeted attack. However, the same method could be exploited in a less sophisticated implementation for a more widespread attack. In researching the methods used by the Flame virus, Microsoft discovered that the attack exploited Window’s Terminal Server Licensing Service, which uses an older cryptography algorithm. It allowed parts of the malware to be signed by certificates that made them appear to be produced by Microsoft. Microsoft is resolving the issue by issuing an update that blocks software signed by these unauthorized certificates and the company is also terminating its Terminal Server Licensing Service from issuing any new certificates. For more details on the update, you can visit Microsoft’s  security advisory page .

Samsung’s Galaxy S III is going to sell incredibly well in the US, there’s no doubt about that, but what’s impressive is the exact phone – not phones – that will be setting those records. The Korean company has previously seen its US launches hamstrung by each carrier demanding a specially-crafted version of whichever device is next on the roadmap, a time-wasting process that’s of arguably little benefit to end-users. The five US carrier launch of the Galaxy S III, though, sees all that change. One design, one name, one more notch on Samsung’s rise in the smartphone business. In Europe, where standardization on GSM has ensured broad cross-network compatibility and kept competition fierce, carriers aren’t so concerned with pushing out custom variants. Yes, there’ll often be some basic software tweaking – generally slotted into place amidst the mandatory network testing they’re obligated to do anyway – and at one point some networks were in the habit of silk-screening their logos onto