Microsoft XBox 360 Slim Spotted

June 14, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Adverts for a new XBox 360 console appeared briefly on a number of sites this weekend. The ads revealed that Microsoft [MSFT] could be introducing the Microsoft XBox 360 slim sometime soon.

Update: Google Translate indicates the text in the image says… “alive today ready for the future of tomorrow Technology”.

The advert also revealed Kinect which is the new name for the XBox 360 Project Natal (more information on that shortly). What we also see in the Microsoft advert is a slimmer XBox 360 along with details that a 250GB hard drive can be found inside. WiFi is also included from what we understand in the advert.

Nothing official has been announced by Microsoft and it appears that the ads showing might have been running a little earlier, or that they “might” not be real. We doubt the latter as it would be a pointless task for someone to buy up a load of adspace for a few hours only to pull the ads. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Computer Gadgets

Archos 13 Ultraslim Notebook Dual-Core Atom Now Available

June 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Archos has decided to get in to the notebook game by creating a Dual-Core Atom based ultraslim device. The notebook by Archos has a 13 inch display that can display 1366×768 pixels. The screen is LCD. Memory wise it has 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive.

The processor powering the device runs at 1.66GHz and is an Intel Atom D510. The device supports 720p video thanks to the processor although it isn’t clear yet how capable it is of a decent frame rate. We suspect it will handle 30fps at that resolution.

The operating system running on the Archos 13 Ultraslim notebook is Windows 7 Home Premium. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Laptops

Apple Has Begun Accepting iOS 4 Apps

June 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Apple [AAPL] is starting to accept applications designed and updated for the new iOS 4 that launches June 21.

At the moment there are no third-party apps on the iPhone that can multitask. This is because iOS 4 needs some code to be executed in the app to enable multitasking.

If developers decide not to upgrade their applications then those apps that are not updated wont be capable of being multitasked and instead, will just close out and re-open from scratch rather than opening from where they left off. Of course, not all apps will need to be multitask enabled due to what they do, but on the other hand, there will be many that we expect to see with the feature enabled. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

Adobe Flash Could be on 250 Million Devices by end of 2012

June 11, 2010 by 1 Comment

Adobe [ADBE] has reported that it expects to see Flash installed on over 250 million devices by the end of 2012. A scaled-down version of flash has been created that allows the software to function on less powerful phones.

Apple’s Chief Executive Steve Jobs has sharply criticized Flash, calling it unreliable and ill-suited for mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad, raising questions about its security and power-management.

Although Apple [AAPL] has resisted using Flash and instead has promoted the use of the HTML5 standard, companies such as Google [GOOG] are embracing the technology and we will soon see it in Android 2.2 when it launches. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

HTC EVO 4G Scratch Test

June 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The HTC EVO 4G is a new smartphone on the market launching just last week. Already, someone has decided to do a scratch test on the screen to see how the screen holds up under the strain of a razor blade, key and a screw. The reason the scratch test was done was due to a screen defect and the device having to be returned… so the owner thought it would be good to test how durable the screen it.

Surprisingly the screen held out very well with the owner saying that there was “absolutely no scratch on the phone.”

The same test was performed on the lens of the 8 megapixel camera around the back and rather than using glass there, it appears that the HTC EVO 4G uses plastic or regular glass as it scratched too easily. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

iPhone 4 Available at Wal-Mart June 24

June 11, 2010 by 2 Comments

Apple [AAPL] has provided another way to grab the iPhone 4 on launch day in the US. As well as being able to pick up the smartphone at Apple stores and AT&T [T] stores, you will also be able to pick up the device from Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart has sold iPhones in the past which includes the 3G and 3GS, but this is the first time they have been allowed to sell the iPhone 4 on launch day.

Rumours are also saying that Best Buy will also carry the iPhone 4 on launch day in the US. Finally, Radio Shack employees have started telling customers that the company will also carry the phone on launch day. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

Lego Minifigure Ice Cube Tray

June 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Check out this cool Lego minifigure ice cube tray that allows you to create ice cubes in the shape of those mini Lego men.

The tray comes in blue and is capable of creating 8 minifugures.

The Minifigure Ice Cube Tray is available from the Lego store in the US and costs $8. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cool Gadgets

Ecotek Energy Wizard Will Save you Money

June 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The Ecotek Energy Wizard is a unique device that you simply plug in to a wall socket in the UK. Once plugged in it monitors the electricity supply around your home and can act to adjust any problems it sees.

The type of problem it looks out for is with AC and the voltage peaks and falls which when out of sync, can cause plugged in appliances to require more electricity.

The problem is apparently common as well with the device saving at least 10% on your energy bill by correcting real time the AC issues that arise. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Green Gadgets

Sigma SD15 Digital SLR Launching This Month

June 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The Sigma SD15 was first spotted by gadgetvenue just a few months ago although we hear that it’s actually been in the process of launch since back in September 2008 (yes… 2008). After almost a two year wait the camera is now ready for launch this month with some improved specifications.

What the digital SLR camera has is a 14 megapixel Foveon X3 direct image sensor that works by combining three 4.7 megapixel layers that individually capture red, green and blue light hitting it.

On the back of the camera a 3 inch LCD display can be found. Inside a True II image processor is used. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Camera Gadgets

HP Buying HyperSpace Quick-boot Software

June 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Just recently HP purchased Palm so that it could use webOS integrated in to it’s systems. We now hear that they are purchasing some software called HyperSpace for around $12 Million.

HyperSpace is an operating system that allows users to quick boot. It is developed by Phoenix Technologies and is based around the Linux OS. What makes the software stand out is that it can boot in to the OS and launch a program such as Skype within 10 seconds which is quite impressive considering that software loadup is from hitting the power button on the laptop or PC.

$12 Million isn’t a lot compared to the $1.2 billion HP spent on Palm but the software if used correctly will be a big benefit to HP in that systems will be able to boot far quicker than they currently do. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tech News

O2 microSIM iPhone 4 Details Announced – No UK Price Announcement Yet

June 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

O2 has updated the iPhone 4 mini site with details of the microSIM that the iPhone 4 uses. Unfortunately it’s just basic information about what a microSIM is, how it differs from a regular SIM as well as how you can get hold of one.

Unfortunately there is no information available yet for the iPhone 4 UK price although we are expecting all networks either today or Monday to finally announce prices ready for the June 15 pre-orders to open up.

What O2 do mention on the microSIM page that is interesting is a small converter that can switch your microSIM back in to a regular SIM. The small device is free and is simply a thin case the size of a regular SIM with a cut out for the microSIM to sit in. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

Nokia N8 Video Walkthrough Demonstrates Music and HDMI Output

June 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

This week we posted a segment spotted on Youtube about the Nokia N8 and it’s photograph and video editing features. The photography features of the N8 look great. The next segment in the lineup now goes over the Music Player as well as the HDMI output.

The capabilities of the phone in terms of music and the HDMI output are demonstrated by Chris Bennetts who is the senior project manager at Nokia [NOK].

The Music Player looks quite responsive on the video with the scrolling of song titles working as you’d expect. A cover-flow style system is used where you can flick through the album art stored on your device. This feature works in both portrait and landscape modes where the portrait mode shows more information on screen. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones