With Christmas all girded up to strike, gaming admirers are just offered an alluring treat to make their festive season even more desirable. For consumers agog about playing games, Sony recently announced the exciting arrival of its all-new PSPgo with ten free games rammed in.
Blushing with praises for its sleek and stylish enclosure, the gaming equipment further tacks on with a neat sliding screen and a trimmed-down, pocket-sized chassis. Users who have loads to bank may deem its 16 gigabyte hard disk drive laudable. The new device puts users in control, with the space to download and store their choice of entertainment, from games to videos to photos.Users can also carry along their favorite gamingtitles, pet tunes, pictures and videos by utilizing the spacious built-in memory. To pyramid the journey, the solution’s built-in microphone enables users to chat with friends using Skype.
Weighing as light as 160gms, the stylish PSPgo comes brimmed with ten time-gripping gaming titles, including Little Big Planet, Fifa World Cup, Gran Turismo, Assassin’s Creed, Motorstorm Arctic Edge, Need For Speed: Shift, Avatar, WipEout Pure, Piyotama, and Eye of Judgment.
The new Sony PSPgo can now be snapped up for Rs. 12,990.
Weighing as light as 160gms, the stylish PSPgo comes brimmed with ten time-gripping gaming titles, including Little Big Planet, Fifa World Cup, Gran Turismo, Assassin’s Creed, Motorstorm Arctic Edge, Need For Speed: Shift, Avatar, WipEout Pure, Piyotama, and Eye of Judgment.
The new Sony PSPgo can now be snapped up for Rs. 12,990.
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Sony’s α NEX-5 and NEX-3 interchangeable lens digital camera captures photo enthusiasts with DSLR quality image. The company has now announced the launch of its next-generation Microsoft Windows 7 compatible Blu-ray disc rewritable drives across India.
Besides offering impeccable image recording and playback quality, the BD-5300S and BDX-S500U claim to be an ideal option to store vital data and back-ups. These offerings manage personal movie, photo and movie collection. In addition, the newest solutions store essential data and frees up space on the hard disk.These devices support downward compatibility, thereby enabling owners to continue using their existing CDs and DVDs. The internalBlu-ray writer BD-5300S comes in bulk packaging while the external Blu-ray writer BDX-S500U comes in retail packaging.
The internal Blu-ray writer uses standard 5.25-inch form factor and SATA interface. The BD-5300S write single BD-R media at about 12X and dual layer BD-R media at around 8X speeds, recording a full 25GB disc in about 10 minutes. In addition to all this, these new writers burn DVD+/-R at up to 16x, DVD+/- DL at up to 8x, DVD+RW at 8x, DVD-RW at 6x, DVD-RAM at 12x and CD-R/RW at up to 48x.
The Internal BD-5300S is tagged at Rs. 11,000 and external BDX-S500U at Rs. 18,500. These drives can be snapped up through Rashi Peripherals.
The internal Blu-ray writer uses standard 5.25-inch form factor and SATA interface. The BD-5300S write single BD-R media at about 12X and dual layer BD-R media at around 8X speeds, recording a full 25GB disc in about 10 minutes. In addition to all this, these new writers burn DVD+/-R at up to 16x, DVD+/- DL at up to 8x, DVD+RW at 8x, DVD-RW at 6x, DVD-RAM at 12x and CD-R/RW at up to 48x.
The Internal BD-5300S is tagged at Rs. 11,000 and external BDX-S500U at Rs. 18,500. These drives can be snapped up through Rashi Peripherals.
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Toshiba R series has always been targeted at the business professional who places a premium on portability, but also requires a built-in optical drive. While its predecessors sport a 12.1-inch display, the latest Portege R700 has increases the panel to 13.3 inches without adding significantly to the bulk or size. Moreover, despite the weight and appearance of an ultrathin, the R700 sports a full-power processor and optical drive under the hood.
Toshiba Portege ultraportable laptops are not only a demonstration of Toshiba superior engineering and craftsmanship, but our ability to innovate to meet the demands of businesses,said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.,Digital Products Division. The Portege R700 delivers the ultimate mobile experience at breakthrough prices that businesses have been waiting for, providing both performanceand battery life within an extremely thin and light, yet durable form factor without compromising key features such as an integrated DVD drive.
While it may not have the latest USB 3.0 port, the Portege R700 has sufficient connectivity options. Besides the expected USB 2.0, we also found an eSATA/USB combo port, VGA as well as an HDMI output. The USB ports are sleep-and-charge enabled, which allows the user to power their USB devices even when the notebook is turned off.
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Sony has really managed to do a great CES this year, rolling out a very large number of new products, including here 3D-enabled solutions (both HDTVs and Blu-ray play
ers). However, since there are a lot of consumers out there that prefer purchasing an entire home entertainment system rather than just a Blu-ray player or an HDTV, the Japanese company also released a couple of interesting solutions of this type at CES, some of them even supporting 3D playback.The flagship home entertainment solution presented by Sony is the BDV-IZ1000W, displayed by the company as its first all-in-one home cinema system ready to play high-definition 3D content from Blu-ray Discs that can also access online video entertainment content from the BRAVIA Internet Video platform. And since we're on the subject of online, we'll have to add that the BDV-IZ1000W includes Entertainment Database Browser by Sony toaccess disc cover art, actor, and production information, as well as IP Content Noise Reduction technology and Precision Cinema HD Upscaling to improve standard definition and web video quality.
The BDV-IZ1000W sports five ultra slim speakers, using a virtual 7.1 wireless rear speaker system and 1000W of S-Master full digital technology by Sony. Also, unique to the new home cinema systems from Sony, users with an iPhone or iPod touch can control the players using a free app that can be downloaded from the Apple App Store. The app allows an iPhone or iPod touch to function as a remote control and includes the ability to access a Blu-ray disc’s details such as jacket artwork, actor, and production information, as well as search for additional video clips online.
Besides the BDV-IZ1000W, Sony also unveiled at CES the 850W BDV-E370 entertainment system, which features the same Monolithic Design Concept, and DCAC for simple set-up and flexible speaker placement. The system is wireless-LAN ready and supports upscaling of the played DVDs, and integrates four satellite speakers.That's also pretty much the case with the 1000W BDV-E870 system that, however, sports two tall speakers with 1,000W total output. The BDV-E970W also offers a 1,000W output, but features four tall speakers, two of which (the rear ones) are wireless.
Last, but certainly not least, Sony released two 2.1 entry-level home entertainment systems, namely the BDV-F700, which uses two ultra slim floorstanding speakers and a vertical main unit with illumination LED, plus S-Force Front Surround technology by Sony and 400W of S-Master digital amplification, and the BDV-F500, which uses desktop or wall mount speakers, and has 350W of S-Master amplification.
While pricing details are yet to be announced, Sony does inform us that all of these home entertainment systems should make their way onto the market over the course of 2010, starting with BDV-E370 and BDV-E870 in March, BDV-F500 and BDV-F700 in April, BDV-E970W in June, and BDV-IZ1000W in September.
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Sony's gone all out with LEDs this year, unlike 2009. And yes, their highest end models have local dimming 
LEDs. We just can't say whether these models will have equal counterparts in India.
The most interesting new models are the LX900 series which include 3D, when paired with Sony’s 3D active shutter glasses and 3D transmitter. Models in the LX900, HX900, NX800, and NX700 series feature Sony’s all new monolithic design. Other features include Motionflow 240Hz Technology for Smooth Motion, Integrated Wi-Fi wireless network capabilities (802.11), BRAVIA Internet Video and BRAVIA Internet Widgets, BRAVIA Engine 3, USB and DLNA photo/music/video playback etc.
LEDs. We just can't say whether these models will have equal counterparts in India.The most interesting new models are the LX900 series which include 3D, when paired with Sony’s 3D active shutter glasses and 3D transmitter. Models in the LX900, HX900, NX800, and NX700 series feature Sony’s all new monolithic design. Other features include Motionflow 240Hz Technology for Smooth Motion, Integrated Wi-Fi wireless network capabilities (802.11), BRAVIA Internet Video and BRAVIA Internet Widgets, BRAVIA Engine 3, USB and DLNA photo/music/video playback etc.
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Sony Corp said on Thursday that it would launch a higher-capacity PlayStation 3 model in North America, as the company continues its effort to make its home console the digital hub of the living room.
The new 250 gigabyte PS3 will be available Nov. 3 for $349.99, giving consumers two configurations to choose from. The company's 120 GB PS3 sells for $299.99 following a recent price cut. Sony is battling with Microsoft Corp , maker of the Xbox 360 console, to become the leader in the digital distribution of content, including games and movies, in the home. John Koller, director of hardware marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America, said the company was seeing "significant traction" over the past year in distributing content over its PlayStation Network and that many people need more room to store all of it. "Consumers that are coming into the market want to be able to download and own HD movies, large-scalegames, those types of things on a hard drive." The new larger-capacity PS3 will be the same size as the existing model, known as the PS3 Slim. The 250 GB PS3 has already been announced in Asia and European markets. Sony is currently the No. 3 home console maker in the United States, behind Microsoft and Japan's Nintendo, maker of the Wii. Microsoft and Nintendo have also recently cut prices. Koller said Sony was "really bullish" on PS3's prospects for the holiday season, with demand exceeding its expectations. "A lot of retailers are continuing to ask us for more, more, more, and that's a good problem to have," Koller said. "... The $299 price drop has really instigated a tidal wave of consumers that have maybe been sitting on the sidelines."
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Sony has launched MDR-NC7 noise canceling headphones that feature a foldable and swivel design.Claiming a battery life of approximately 50 hours, the haedphones have a dual-use capability that gives users the option to listen to music with or without the noise cancellation feature. The 30mm driver (Neodymium magnet), and an on/off switch for noise cancelling will allow someone to use the headphones even if the battery runs dry.The headphones weigh approximately 134g (including AAA battery) and work on a 30 - 20,000Hz range with a maximum outputof 100mW and a sensitivity of 102dB/mW while it is switched on and 100dB/mW in switch off mode. A plug adaptor is also supplied to connect directly to stereo or dual jack of in-flight music services.
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It seems DVD writers are still putting up a fight with the Blu-ray revolution closing in, and ironically, it's the Blu-ray consortium's strongest member Sony, that is still releasing high end DVD products. Sony Electronics has introduced a powerful DVD writer - the Sony AD-7220S/A - with 22x speed.Touted as being one of the fastest DVD writers available today with stable recording quality, the Sony AD-7220S/A series delivers a recording speed of 22x when writing to a single layer DVD+/-R disc. It is available in Serial ATA or Parallel ATA Interface in Bulk Packing.“We are excited to announce the launch of one of the fastest DVD-RW writers available in the market today. As the sizeof data is increasing day by day, higher speed has become the need of the hour. This is exactly where this new Sony DVD writer fits in. I am confident that this product will raise the bar for 22X DVD-RW drives”, said Rajesh Goenka, VP-Sales and Marketing, Rashi Peripherals Pvt.Ltd.
The DVD writer features several key technologies such as vibration reduction system and heat dissipation method. Automatically adjusting CD-DA/VCD/DVD data extraction for smooth reading, the Sony AD-7220S/A also features buffer under run protection and optimized writing quality by automatically adjusting writing strategy, which provides optimal user experience.
The Sony AD-7220S/A is compatible with DVD+/-R, DVD+/-R DL, DVD+/-RW and DVD-RAM as well as CDs. It supports DVDROM, DVD+R, DVD+R DL, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-R DL, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, CD-ROM (mode 1), CD-ROM/XA (mode 2, form 1 and form 2), Photo CD, CD Extra, CD-TEXT, CD-I, VIDEO CD, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, CD-DA, Enhance CD, UDF (fixed/variable Packet mode) and DVD-Audio.
Other technical specifications include Buffer memory capacity of 2 MB and access Time of DVD at 160ms and CD at 140ms.
Sony AD-7220S/A series is available through Rashi Peripherals and its 53 branches throughout India at an estimated retail price of Rs. 1300 and a 1 year warranty.
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Sony has developed a new secure and efficient cryptographic hash algorithm in cooperation with Tetsu Iwata, Associate Professor, Nagoya University, which has been considered as a candidate hash function for the future digital signatures and other security measures used in consumer electronics products.Called "AURORA", the hash algorithm maintains high security levels while providing both efficient software and hardware implementation capabilities, according to Sony. Sony and Nagoya University have submitted "AURORA" for consideration in the "SHA-3 competition", a selection process for next generation cryptographic hash functions overseen by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
In recent years, the rapid advancement of cryptanalytic technologies such as SHA-1 and MD5, capable of deciphering cryptographic hash functions, have increased the requirement for new types of hash functions that feature the properties to withstand this progress. SHA-1 is a cryptographic hash algorithm developed by NIST, contained in the FIPS 180-2 standard. SHA-1 is well-known and widely used in many secure systems. MD5 is alsoa cryptographic hash function that had been widely used before the development of SHA-1. Recently, the vulnerability of both algorithms has been highlighted.
"AURORA" is a highly efficient cryptographic hash algorithm uses Sony's expertise accumulated thought the development of its secure and efficient block cipher, "CLEFIA?" developed by Sony in 2007. "AURORA" is designed to combine secure compression functions and advanced domain extension capabilities, with it's compression functions achieving advanced levels of security by connecting multiple functions to offer a broad mix of data. Furthermore, "AURORA" is suitable for use in various types of applications due to its repetitive structure and byte-oriented component design. "AURORA"'s domain extensions effectively connect underlying compression functions to each other to extend the applicable length of input messages and output values, realizing security levels capable of withstanding many cryptanalytic techniques.
When implemented in software, "AURORA-256" (the output length of which is 256-bit) achieves fastest speeds of 15.4 cycles/byte, while "AURORA-512" (the output length of which is 512-bit) achieves 27.4 cycles/byte, according to performance measurements.
When implemented in hardware using a 0.13?m CMOS standard cell library, "AURORA-256" achieves a smallest gate size of just 11.1K/2.2Gbps, making it highly suitable for use in mobile devices, and a maximum throughput of 35.0Kgates/10.4 Gbps, ideal for servers. Meanwhile, "AURORA-512" achieves a smallest gate size of just 14.6K/1.2Gbps and maximum throughput of 56.7gates/9.1 Gbps.
Sony claims that even when compared against key hash functions such as SHA-2 - a cryptographic hash algorithm developed by NIST based on the SHA-1 - the "AURORA" range is able to deliver highly secure hash functions across a wide range of implementations, without loss of performance on many types of platforms.
NIST invited entries to a competition for the selection of next generation secure hash functions with output lengths of 224-bit, 256-bit, 384-bit and 512-bits, and "AURORA" has been approved as an official candidate for this competition. Going forward, technological aspects of "AURORA" such as security and performance will be evaluated and compared under the same conditions as other selected candidates. NIST has accepted 51 candidate algorithms as "proper and complete" among the 64 submitted for the SHA-3 contest. All of them will be compared and evaluated under equal conditions. After this public evaluation process, in 2012 NIST will select the most suitable algorithm or algorithms as new algorithm standards, to be known as "SHA-3".
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Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) unveiled comprehensive line up of software for PLAYSTATION3 (PS3), PSP (PlayStationPortable), and PlayStation2 available during the 2008 holiday season. With 19 titles from SCEA and limited edition hardware bundles providing great consumer value, PlayStation aims to have fresh content for gamers this holiday season whether they are at home, traveling, or celebrating the holidays with family and friends.In conjunction with the PS3 system's recently celebrated second anniversary, SCEA released the limited-edition Uncharted: Drake's Fortune PS3 system bundle. Featuring an impressive 160GB hard drive, the new PS3 system provides consumers with enough space to store a robust combination of games and entertainment content, such as 24 high definition movies, 8 standard definition television shows, 100 PlayStation(R)Network games, 2,000 music files, and 2,000 photos. The PS3 system has the strongest first party software lineup heading into the holiday season with titles like LittleBigPlanet(TM) from Media Molecule and its groundbreaking user generated content; Resistance 2(TM) from Insomniac Games, with unprecedented 60 player multiplayer mayhem; Motorstorm Pacific Rift, with no holds barred racing action; and BUZZ! Quiz TV, the quiz game show with over 5,000 questions and easy-to-use wireless buzzers."This holiday season we have gifts of the highest caliber to suit the taste of every gamer in your household; from community based experiences like LittleBigPlanet, to first person shooters like Resistance 2 to racing games like Motorstorm: Pacific Rift to casual games like SingStar(R) and BUZZ! (TM)," said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president of product marketing, SCEA. "We are dedicated to delivering entertainment of the finest quality to our consumers to help make this holiday a lot more enjoyable."
Winter travel is a bit brighter with the newly released PSP system (PSP- 3000), which offers an enhanced LCD screen with a wider color gamut and higher contrast ratio and a built-in microphone. The new PSP system is capable of displaying movies and photos in more natural and vibrant colors on its high resolution 4.3 inch wide screen. Available in Mystic Silver or Piano Black, the updated hardware is available in two limited edition Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters PSP Entertainment Packs. Titles like BUZZ! Master Quiz, NBA 09 The Inside, and Secret Agent Clank will make the trip to visit family more enjoyable.
Family and friends can easily entertain at home during the holiday season with all new versions of the hit interactive singing experience SingStar(R) for both the PS3 and PlayStation 2 systems. December 2 marks the release of the disco-centric SingStar(R) ABBA which joins currently available the recently released versions of the hit franchise including SingStar(R) Country, SingStar(R) Pop vol. 22, and SingStar(R) Legends for PlayStation 2. For PS3 owners, SingStar(R) Vo1. 2 and SingStar(R) ABBA add new tracks and videos for the rising star in your family to perform.
SCEA's Currently Available First Party 2008 Holiday Lineup Includes:
PLAYSTATION(R)3:
BUZZ!(TM) Quiz TV
LittleBigPlanet(TM)
Motorstorm(TM): Pacific Rift
NBA 09 The Inside
Resistance 2(TM)
SingStar(R) ABBA
SingStar(R) Vol. 2
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
PlayStation(R) Network:
Linger In Shadows(TM)
Pain Movie Studio
Crash Commando(TM)
Savage Moon
PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable):
BUZZ!(TM) Master Quiz
NBA 09 The Inside
PlayStation(R)2:
NBA 09 The Inside
SingStar(R)ABBA
SingStar(R)Country
SingStar(R)Legends
SingStar(R)Pop Volume 2
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Ericsson is launching SPT 2700, an energy lean, cost efficient new optical packet transport product that will enable operators to more effectively address growing demand for consumer and business broadband services. SPT 2700 will support operators as they transform their transport networks for new bandwidth-hungry services like high-definition IPTV and fixed-mobile network convergence.
To be able to meet new broadband market demands, operators must be able to smoothly migrate their networks from the current voice-centric multiplexing to efficient packet transport. Because of this, there is a need for a new product platform that handles traditional services while also being optimized for future services.
Ericsson's highly flexible, carrier-class product, SPT 2700 provides the foundation for ultra-high capacity and maximizes the return of investment in current networks. SPT 2700 extends network scalability and, in a single unit, handles several technologies, including WDM, TDM and packet switching including the new MPLS-TP standard.Andrea Spaccapietra, Head of Broadband Networks at Ericsson, says: "SPT 2700 is a perfect complement to our existing optical transport and Redback portfolio. This launch, following our demonstration of 100GbE transport technology in October, also highlights Ericsson's technology leadership in the new optical arena."
The product will be commercially available from Q1 2009.
To be able to meet new broadband market demands, operators must be able to smoothly migrate their networks from the current voice-centric multiplexing to efficient packet transport. Because of this, there is a need for a new product platform that handles traditional services while also being optimized for future services.
Ericsson's highly flexible, carrier-class product, SPT 2700 provides the foundation for ultra-high capacity and maximizes the return of investment in current networks. SPT 2700 extends network scalability and, in a single unit, handles several technologies, including WDM, TDM and packet switching including the new MPLS-TP standard.Andrea Spaccapietra, Head of Broadband Networks at Ericsson, says: "SPT 2700 is a perfect complement to our existing optical transport and Redback portfolio. This launch, following our demonstration of 100GbE transport technology in October, also highlights Ericsson's technology leadership in the new optical arena."
The product will be commercially available from Q1 2009.
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Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) is going to be the first major Hollywood studio to distribute Blu-ray movies in China.The movie studio plans to sell only 30 movie titles on the Chinese market, with titles including Hitch, Kung Fu Hustle, Hancock and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, and the Spiderman trilogy.
The movies will be available for 205 yuan, or ~$30 each, which is a high amount considering the low income among many citizens in China.
Sony will launch the BDP-S350 Blu-ray player in China on Nov. 21, and may expand its Blu-ray product lineup later.
Warner Bros. and Disney are expected to launch Blu-ray movies in the near future, with other movie studios still weighing their options. Most studios plan to wait and see how consumers like Sony's lineup, and how the company battles piracy, before mass releasing movies.
Despite Chinese pirates already manipulating Blu-ray movies and selling counterfeit movies to consumers, there will likely be a strong push to try and legitimize the Blu-ray market in China. The pirated movies aren't Blu-ray, but are AVCHD-quality movies pirated on to DVDs.
AVCHD discs can be made using regular blank DVDs but are playable in Blu-ray players -- and movie studios are extremely concerned about AVCHD movies being pirated and sold as Blu-ray movies.The Motion Picture Association fears AVCHDs will account for as much as 10 percent of all pirated movies in China within six months, as the number continues to grow.
If Sony is able to combat pirates and convince Chinese consumers to purchase legal Blu-ray movies, then it will create local production facilities in several locations.
Assuming Sony and other movie studios are serious about releasing Blu-ray in China, they're likely going to have to reduce the cost of Blu-ray movies, or consumers will continue to pirate content.
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Microsoft Xbox 360 console owners will be able to try out the New Xbox Experience (NXE) in a few hours, as the new software update will become available Nov. 19.Owners will not be forced to do anything special to receive the update, as it will download automatically in a similar fashion to previous dashboard updates. The exact size of NXE is unknown, but it's much larger than any dashboard updates previously released, so Microsoft warns users to be ready for it to take a while.
One of the most notable announcements of NXE is the ability for Xbox 360 owners to stream Netflix content on demand, with more than 300 HD titles available.
To access the Netflix catalog, you must be an Xbox Live Gold member and subscribe to the Netflix service. Xbox Live Gold membership costs $50 per year, and the cheapest Netflix membership to receive streaming support is $8.99 per month.Video quality is impressive, but users who are on slower Internet connections may be rather disappointed. I found it to be somewhere between DVD and upscaled DVD quality, and it initially seemed better than Roku's service.
Microsoft is trying to make the Xbox 360 the one-stop shop technology for people when they want to sit on their couch and watch TV. Aside from playing video games, some owners are able to watch the now dead HD DVD format using an external drive, or will be able to watch Netflix content.
Furthermore, Internet browsing and access to the Xbox Live Marketplace add to Microsoft's arsenal as it continues to promte the Xbox 360 as a living room center piece. The console also has full support for Windows Media Center, and can stream DivX movies from a PC or laptop, along with play music files from an MP3 player.
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Only four more years and mobile phone maniacs will accomplish their so much desired dreams, something that only few were able to think of - a 20 Megapixel full HD video camera for mobile devices. Of course, nothing is certain but many will surely be tormented by the news until the moment it becomes real.In a recent press conference, Ericsson AB of Sweden announced that through technologies such as “HSPA Evolution” and” LTE” (long term evolution), by the year 2012, they would develop mobile phones with cameras from 12-20 megapixel and Full HD video shooting capabilities. The future might also bring an XGA resolution display (1024x768 pixels) with a digital camera and new camcorder technologies to mobile phones. But that's not all, the processor will be updated to a staggering 1Ghz and the connection to Internet will became as fast as 100Mbps.
These predictions are based on the company's discoveries as well as the fact that data transmission grew over 60 times in the last six years, but added that only working gradually, these advancements would take place. Also, the maximum data transmission will probably rise to 21Mbps this year alone thanks to the HSPA Evolution technology in comparison with 7.2Mbps available now.The other important announcement made by Ericsson was that even if these technologies are to be successfully developed, introducing them to the market would be complicated, and some areas might not have access to the LTE advancements immediately whereas same regions would not take advantage of the HSPA and HSPA Evolution developments.
Even with all the good news spreading rapidly and endlessly, I feel obliged to reconnect some of you back to reality, for we are all aware of the economic status of the world, which is sure to get worse and, of course, to try to minimize the degree of disappointment if all this does not materialize.
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Sega is a very popular company, having gained a lot of fans in the 1990s when it was one of the biggest developers and publishers of games for the consoles of the time, like the SNES or PlayStation 1. Although not a lot has been heard about the company these days, it still manages to release quite a few titles that are sure to have some very decent sales, like Football Manager.Recently the Japanese company announced that it would be releasing a collection of 40 games that originally appeared on the Sega Genesis console. The pack, entitled Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection, is slated for an early 2009 release and will contain very popular titles like Sonic 1, 2, and 3, the Streets of Rage series, Ecco the Dolphin or Space Harrier.
It will be released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, with a native resolution of 720p by using animations that are a bit more blurry, to mask the pixels that might ruin the whole gaming experience. The pack will also contain some of the popular titles from the 8-bit collection of 1980s Sega games."SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection is a must-have for any SEGA enthusiast," commented Gary Knight, European marketing director for SEGA Europe. "Fans will get a chance to relive fond memories from these classic games in HD format."
This is definitely great news for retro fans who have some very fond memories with a lot of these classic titles. These games had a massive fan base when they were launched back in the day, and now, a lot of people are sure to grab this collection, for the chance to relive those past experiences.
The decision to revamp some older titles isn't a new strategy in the game world, as Capcom will employ it with the classic Street Fighter franchise, with Street Fighter IV and the HD version of Super Street Fighter II Remix. It definitely looks like retro gaming is the new direction the big companies are heading in.
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The Nintendo DSi is the answer to the PSP-3000, the new hardware variant from Sony, and Nintendo is aiming to get the fresh handheld as quickly as possible to the West. The new hardwarespecifications include not one but two cameras, both with 0.3 megapixel capacities and a larger screen; the whole device is smaller and lighter. Another change is that the old Game Boy Advance port was dropped to be replaced by an SD card slot. The DSi will also be able to get online and download music and videogames.
Satoru Iwata, the president and the Chief Executive Officer of Nintendo, said that the Nintendo DSi is supposed to arrive in the West before the autumn of next year, which means that the console will be a Japan exclusive for about one year, as the official release is scheduled for this November.
For the Japan release, Nintendo has prepared 200,000 units of the DSi and 100,000 more will be made available if stores run out. But the handheld is still selling very well in the West, mostly in North America, and Nintendo does not want to cannibalize its own sales by offering a new hardware variant in a period when it manages to attract customers with the hardware already available.Iwata was quoted as saying during a press conference that “Specific plans will be unveiled by our local subsidiaries, but an autumn or year-end launch would probably be too late”. At the moment, Nintendo is the most successful of the three major console creators, with both the DSi and the Wii selling very well on all markets. The company has recently revealed record financial results while also saying that overall expectations for the year would be reduced to reflect current market conditions.
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Sony has launched a PlayStation Channel on YouTube, where gamers will be able to watch features on upcoming titles, game trailers, developer interviews etc. This is the first step towards their YouTube integration, and they'll eventually make it such that PS3 owners will be able to upload gameplay videos directly from their console, to the PlayStation Channel. This feature will be available with the upcoming title LittleBigPlanet, (which is due for an October 21 release), which will also get its own YouTube channel.Let's hope that they implement it in such a way that it works across all games, because as of now recording gameplay footage off consoles is a real pain in the backside. If this happens, you can even expect a lot of new machinima videos floating around!Read d rest...
Call of Duty is one of the most popular shooter franchises out there. Activision, the owner of this series tends to make an even bigger profit by having the IP (Intellectual Property) developed by two game studios at once, Infinity Ward, the creators of the first games, and Treyarch. While the latest title from Infinity Ward, CoD 4: Modern Warfare, enjoyed a lot of success due to the fact that it tackled modern day conflicts, the decision to take the series back to World War II by Treyarch was met with disapproval from fans.Although the game promises to follow the battles in the Pacific Ocean between the American and Japanese forces, it still looks pretty bad in the eyes of the public. This is why Treyarch have just announced that the multiplayer beta stage of the game is now available for the Xbox 360. Players who want to participate have two choices, either pre-order the game, and get their own beta key, or enter the CoD website where you might have the chance to receive a beta key.
Set to last “a few weeks”, it will also be available for the PC in a short time. Unfortunately for the PlayStation 3 owners, Activision said that there are no plans to bring this beta stage to their system, so you'll have to wait for the official release of the game on November 11.This beta stage will offer four multiplayer modes to the participants, Team Death Match, Free-For-All, Capture the Flag, and War. It will allow the gamers to play as soldiers in the United States Marines, the Japanese Imperial Army, the German Wehrmarcht and the Russian Red Army. Only three maps will be available, each with these specific plots:
-Castle: The Imperial Japanese Army faces off against the Marine Raiders in a daytime battle, located on the grounds of an ancient Japanese castle.
-Makin: The U.S. Marine Raiders square off against the Imperial Japanese Army in a nighttime fight, set in an outpost on the Makin Atoll in the Pacific.
-Roundhouse: The Wehrmact will fight the Red Army to the bitter end in a daytime struggle that features tank and infantry combat, set in a desolate, war-torn European train depot.
All in all, it is a very interesting offer which will certainly attract a lot of people into pre-ordering the game and testing its nice looking multiplayer.
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Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has announced that it will release its new 80GB PlayStation3 computer entertainment system with DualShock3 wireless controller on October 30. The new 80GB PS3 system will be available in three basic colors namely Clear Black, Ceramic White and Satin Silver.For the holiday season it bundles up a limited edition of Blu-ray Disc version of the best-selling racing and online car life simulator, GRAN TURISMO 5 Prologue Spec III for PS3 which is developed by Polyphony Digital and published by SCE. Concurrently with the release of the new 80GB PS3 system, this exciting new game will also hit the stores at a 4,980 yen (approx Rs. 2,434).Well this is not all, the long awaited LittleBigPlanet for PS3 will also become available on October 30. Especially for the Holiday Season, PlayStation3 “LittleBigPlanet Dream Box” consisting an 80GB PS3 with DualShock 3 wireless controller, LittleBigPlanet game and an additional DualShock wireless controller will be introduced at a RRP of 44,980 yen (approx Rs. 21,952). For the ones who already own a PS3, “LittleBigPlanet DualShock 3 Bundle Pack” featuring LittleBigPlanet game and a DualShocK 3 wireless controller will become available at 7,980 yen (approx Rs. 3,895). Both these offers are available only in a limited edition.
The new 80GB PS3 console will include all the features and functionalities of the current 40GB model. To meet the ever increasing demand, PlayStation Network now offers about 300 games, 40 anime titles and free playable demos.
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Sony has launched the new VAIO Z series in India.Weighing in at 1.48 kg, the VAIO Z laptops come in a matte black finish and boasts of a carbon fibre body. The centre of the silver hinge, comprises part of the battery and houses the recessed power switch. A seamless sheet of brushed aluminum covers the keyboard panel framing its individual keys.Available in two new models - VGN-Z13GN/B and VGN-Z12GN/B - the notebooks are priced at Rs. 1,24, 900 and Rs. 99,990 respectively.
Running on Intel Centrino2 Processor Technology, the VGN-13GN/B is equipped with a 4 GB DDR3 SRAM and a 320 GB hard disk drive while the VGN-12GN/B comes with 2 GB DDR3 SRAM and a 250 GB hard disk drive. Both models have Microsoft Windows Vista Business pre-installed and come with G-Sensor Shock Protection technology to counteract sudden movements helping to prevent damage and data loss.Comprised of two graphics processors - NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS GPU for full graphics acceleration and Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD for mobile situations - the system lets users manually choose either SPEED or STAMINA mode. The setting is changed via a conveniently located switch above the keyboard and does not require rebooting.
VAIO Z is equipped with a biometric fingerprint sensor for speedy logins and TPM (Trusted Platform Module) security chip and proprietary hard disk drive password protection software to help protect data from unauthorized access.
The laptops' display has a 16:9 aspect ratio at 1600 x 900 pixels, built-in 802.11n wireless LAN capabilities, an optional Blu-ray Disc optical drive, an HDMI port, three USB ports, Memory Stick media/SD card slot and microphone and headphone jack and a PC Card (type-II) slot.
The new VAIO Z series will be available at Sony owned stores, select national retail partners, as well as select Sony authorized dealers across the country.
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