Archives for January 2011

Mac App Store Goes Live with OS X 10.6.6 Update

January 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Apple [AAPL] has launched the Mac App Store. The store is made available when upgrading to the new version of OS X numbered 10.6.6 and works in a similar fashion to how the App Store on iOS works in that you can browse a library of apps and click to install them on your Mac.

The Mac OS X 10.6.6 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. It also includes the Mac App Store, the best way to discover and buy new apps for your Mac. The Mac App Store, a new application you’ll find in the Dock, includes the following features:

Discover Mac apps: Browse featured apps, top charts, and categories, or search for something specific. Read detailed app descriptions and user reviews, and flip through screen shots.
Buy and install: Easily purchase apps with your iTunes account. Apps install in one step and are quickly available from the Dock.
App updates: The Mac App Store keeps track of all your purchased apps and notifies you when free updates are available.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Computer Gadgets

Sony Ericsson Announces the Xperia Arc Android Smartphone

January 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Sony Ericsson has announced a new smartphone called the Xperia Arc. The smartphone will run the Google Android operating system when launched, and surprisingly it will be Android 2.3 rather than the older versions that SE commonly chooses.

Features include a 4.2 inch touchscreen (multitouch) along with an 8.1 megapixel camera. The sensor in the camera is an Exmor R sensor that is capable of capturing video at a resolution of up to 720p. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

More HTC Thunderbolt 4G Pictures Arrive

January 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

More pictures of the HTC Thunderbolt 4G have been captured and put online just before the expected official announcement at CES 2011.

What has been learned from the hands-on with the HTC Thunderbolt 4G is firstly, that the battery seems very bad although that could potentially be fixed with a few software tweaks. We also learn that it has an ARM v7 processor with a Single Core running at 1GHz.

Other details show it has 8GB of internal memory along with the ability to add another 32GB to the device via a microSD card. The device has a 4.3 inch screen. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

PlayBook Promotional Videos Uploaded by RIM

January 5, 2011 by 1 Comment

RIM has launched a couple of new promotional videos for the BlackBerry PlayBook. These two videos arrive just in time for CES 2011.

The first one shows the tablet running HTML5 content as well as Flash games. Social networking sites such as Facebook are also seen running in the video.

The second video shows details about the tools available to developers as found in the BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK. Adobe Flash Builder 4 is also shown as well as Flash Builder Burrito. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tablets

First Custom Sony PS3 Firmware Released

January 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

On Monday we reported that a Sony PS3 hack was accomplished by GeoHot. What George managed to do was get the security keys which are needed to keep the device secure. With the keys being publicly available, it basically allows unverified software to be signed and run on the games console.

What we hear today is that the PS3 custom firmware has now been released. The firmware was created by KaKaRoTo and essentially, seems to show that it is possible to run custom firmware.

This is just the first attempt at custom firmware, and it only contains a minor modification to allow you to install pkg files directly, eventually we’ll get some more options added to it in the future. This is just starting to get interesting!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Console News

Asus Announces Several Android Tablets

January 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

ASUS has introduced several new tablets at CES 2011. The company seems to be following along with how the Eee PC’s were shipped out, ie… loads of different varieties.

What ASUS is doing here is creating all these different variants so that it can test and see what sticks. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tablets

Vizio Tablet and Phone at CES 2011

January 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The Vizio Tablet and Phone was first spotted just a couple of days ago when an ad ran with each device in the background. Shortly after, official details arrived about the Tablet and Phone revealing that they would each run Android.

Now, some hands-on shots have been posted of the device as it is now on show over at CES 2011. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones, Tablets

Crayola ColorStudio HD for iPad Coming Soon

January 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Crayola is launching a new pen for the iPad. The pen is called the Crayola iMarker and it works along side the ColorStudio HD app.

What the pair does is allow you to scribble on the screen of the iPad and use specific templates aimed towards children so that they can enjoy coloring on the iPad. [Read more…]

Filed Under: iPad

AngryBirds for PSP Launches

January 5, 2011 by 1 Comment

Today will see the launch of Angry Birds for the Sony PSP. The game is a port of the classic iPhone and Android game that has had a tremendous sales record since it launched. The game has sold in excess of 50 million from what reports indicate.

As for how close the game is to the iPhone version, on the PSP you get just 63 levels which is way off the 360+ that are currently enjoyed on the iPhone. We’re not sure at this point in time if Rovio plan to provide updates to the PSP version, or if the handheld console users will be stuck at the 63 levels. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Portable Gaming

HP PalmPad Release Date Could Be Announced February 9

January 5, 2011 by 1 Comment

HP has sent out an invite to a press event that will be specifically for webOS and will be held on February 9.

There’s no specifics on what the event is about, other than webOS, so this could mean we hear more about where webOS is going, but more importantly we might get to hear the HP PalmPad release date mentioned.

The PalmPad from HP is just one of the many devices we expect to see launched this year, and if Palm manage to get it out sooner rather than later, it could become a competitor to the likes of the Samung Galaxy Tab and Apple iPad 2 (that is launching soon). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tablets

The New Commodore 64

January 4, 2011 by 1 Comment

What you are looking at here is an “official” device from Commodore. It is called The New Commodore 64 and is a retro looking C64 with new insides.

The new Commodore 64 features genuine Cherry brand key switches, which provide a feel much better than the original, with a lovely IBM classic mechanism and click sound. The keys are the exact same shape as the original and are color matched. No expense has been spared.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Computer Gadgets

Nexus S Overclock Sees 1.2GHz Speeds

January 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Members of the XDA Developers forum have managed to overclock the Google Nexus S up to speeds of 1.2GHz.

The factory rating of the Hummingbird chip that it uses is 1GHz, so the 200MHz increase is very welcomed for anybody wanting to speed up their new Nexus S smartphone. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones