The Technology Circle

New devices

2011-04-05T16:14:00.000+02:00

Computers, smartphones, laptops, netbooks and the wide variety of other mobile computing devices have become so much a part of our everyday lives that we take their existence for granted until something goes wrong. People want to be connected to the world at all times, but they do not want to be bound to a desk to do this. Small wonder then that notebook sales have slowly overtaken PC sales over the years, and as the price tag on mobile devices continues to shrink, the adoption rate will grow correspondingly.

Mobile computing devices are more affordable than ever, and have been taken up with enthusiasm by a wide range of markets, from high powered executives to developers, office workers, students and home users as a portable alternative to the deskbound PC.

Responding to demand, hardware vendors are pumping out more powerful devices at a lower price point in a smaller body. Graphics on mobile devices are becoming more powerful, software a lot more sophisticated. The social networking revolution has driven the emergence of a range of integrated software that combines tools for sharing content and information directly with networking sites.

But for all of these advances in technology two main factors have driven the true mobile workforce, who are the primary market for mobile computers: 3G connectivity and longer life batteries. Fast, always on Internet
connectivity has enabled people to work from anywhere, anytime as they can connect into office networks from any place around the globe and have the full functionality of a desktop PC without the tethers. Alongside this the invention of smaller, thinner Lithium-Ion batteries has enabled ultra portable devices to be used for extended periods of time without being plugged into mains.

Notebooks have evolved to deliver more power than ever, recently coming out standard with 64bit operating systems and more powerful processors on lower voltage CPUs, for even greater computing power that uses less battery life than ever. In fact, mobile computing has advanced to such a degree that many people now have multiple devices, from a notebook for office work to a smartphone and a netbook or tablet PC for content viewing on the go.

Further driving the trend towards mobility in South Africa is the newly available bandwidth that has been the result of additional undersea cabling. While bandwidth is still expensive in the country the prices are dropping,
which will facilitate the emergence of more 'free' wireless Internet hotspots, which will draw mobile workers into places that offer these as it will provide an alternative to using expensive 3G connectivity.

For the future of the mobile computer, once thing is certain - the trend for more power in smaller, lighter, more portable devices will continue unabated as demand for products continues to increase. The 'green' trend will also continue as laptop users want CPUs that are energy efficient in order to deliver optimal battery life, and eco-conscious manufacturers will continue their efforts to reduce the number of hazardous chemicals used in manufacture so that notebooks and laptops can be recycled safely.

One thing that will change, as a result of customers demanding more choice and becoming more conscious of the aesthetics of computing devices, will be a greater influx of 'designer' devices. The era of "you can have any colour as long as it is black" in terms of computers is over. As technology is no longer much of a differentiator when it comes to mobile computers, people have begun to focus less on the utility of a machine and more on its looks as a first consideration for purchase. With this demand for aesthetically pleasing design manufacturers are developing devices to meet this need.

From the point of view of advancing technology, we can assume that processors will continue to get faster and more energy efficient, screen technology will evolve to brighter, higher contrast ratio, more energy
efficient viewing to deliver a crisper clearer picture, and batteries will go through cycles from heavier in weight and density but longer lasting to lighter with the same efficiency as previous generations. One thing is
certain, mobile computing is here to stay, and the world will forever be changed as a result.

Cellphones give guests the upper hand

2011-03-17T06:37:00.000+02:00

Travel these days, from luggage to laptop, is increasingly high-tech. Yet every hotel room hosts a costly anachronism: a traditional telephone.

In-room phones once produced profits for hoteliers. Today they eat into earnings as guests use cellphones instead.

Best Western Chief Executive Officer David Kong said: "Phones used to be a revenue centre, but now they're a cost centre."

The dwindling utility of the hotel room phone is part of a wider trend that has land lines vanishing from homes and workers doing business on the BlackBerry.

AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc, the big local phone companies, are losing between 10 and 12% of their lines every year to other providers, said independent telecom analyst Jeff Kagan, adding that rate would only increase.

But hotels can't hang up on their phone systems. Guest safety and security demand them, said Bjorn Hanson, a professor at New York University's Tisch Centre for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management.

"We're stuck with them," Kong said.

Applications

Guests use room phones if they need to call for help. In non emergencies, they pick up the receiver to order room service and wake-up calls.

But guests save money by using their cellphones to take or make most outside calls.

In New York City, it costs about $1.50 to make a local call from a hotel, which also might charge a fee of about $4 to connect to a long-distance carrier.

The next source of in-room revenue to vanish will be pay-per-view movies, which guests can forego for cheaper alternatives on their laptops.

Hotel companies have tried to replace the phone and continue to do so, NYU's Hanson said.

One company experimented with a handheld gadget that combined the phone's functions with lighting and climate control, Hanson said. Guests wanted it in addition to, not instead of, a dedicated phone.

Today, many big hotel chains are exploring smartphone applications guests could use to request room service and wake-up calls, Hanson said, but those efforts are very preliminary.

"It's too early to call the death of the phone," Abrahamson said.

Live Traffic conditions on your mobile phone from Garmap

2009-10-07T16:56:00.004+02:00

Garmap, the official map provider for Garmin in Africa, and leading stolen vehicle tracking and fleet management company, Altech Netstar, have announced that after an initial trial period, Garmap Live Traffic has been officially launched and is available for installation on selected mobile devices.

Garmap Live Traffic forms part of Garmap for Mobile, a complete navigation application that turns any GPS-enabled mobile phone into a full-featured satellite navigation device, complete with voice navigation, directions, thousands of points of interest, traffic camera information and, now, lives traffic conditions for the Gauteng province.

And with over 250,000 map requests coming from Garmap for Mobile users over the last month, it would seem that the thousands of users who downloaded the application are making good use of its features.

“Traffic congestion, accidents, road works and power failures are just some of the challenges that South African drivers face on a daily basis as they commute and travel for business,” says Andrew McHenry, head of mobile for Garmap.

“People need to be able to plan their trips carefully in order to be on time and reduce the amount of stress that they could possibly experience while driving to their destinations.

“All you need is one accident on the highway to ruin your day, which is why an early warning of what the traffic situation looks like before – and even while – you drive is an indispensible tool,” he says.

Unlike many other traffic services that are currently available on the market, Garmap Live Traffic is based on live real-time data, which is constantly being fed from many different sources to ensure that the data is always accurate and up-to-date.

When users plot a route utilising Garmap for Mobile, the map, route data and traffic data are downloaded via their mobile Internet connections and delivered directly to their mobile phone screens.

“Because the system is constantly updating itself via the Internet, the traffic data that is downloaded is always current,” explains Dr. Chris Crozier, chief technology officer of Garmap.

“A lot can happen between hearing a traffic report on the radio or receiving a traffic SMS on your mobile and you actually climbing in your car and embarking on your journey.

“What makes Garmap Live Traffic so useful is that if traffic conditions change, the system updates immediately and you can adjust your route or make a call to say you’re going to be late – even before you’re stuck in traffic.”

Mahir Adroos is a general manager at a filling station in Johannesburg, who uses Garmap for Mobile on his BlackBerry. He says that while he doesn’t often have to rely on navigation products to get around the city, he found the features in Garmap for Mobile extremely useful.

“The Live Traffic feature is a huge value-add especially with all the road works going on at the moment,” he says. I know where I’m going in the mornings, so I don’t really need to be routed to work with the GPS. But I’ve included a ‘traffic check’ into my morning routine, where I use Garmap for Mobile to view the map of Johannesburg, and see where the traffic problems are and how long my potential delay will be in getting to work.

“I know you can’t always navigate around traffic problems, but what Garmap for Mobile with Live Traffic does allow me to do is plan my trip more carefully.”

Franz Erasmus is another BlackBerry user who does a lot of travelling for work. He says that having Live Traffic on his mobile phone has not only saved him time but also money.

“Garmap for Mobile has all the features of an in-car GPS, but this one you can take anywhere with you and when you’re driving, you can quickly find the most efficient route which can save you time and petrol,” Erasmus says.

“And if the Live Traffic warns you that you’re in for a delay on your route because of an accident or road works, you can quickly find a detour around the traffic so you can still be on time – or a little less late!”

For users that are worried about running up huge data bills as a result of using Garmap for Mobile, Crozier says that the application is surprisingly lean on resources.

“We’ve measured the average data usage for Garmap for Mobile users at around 1MB per month or roughly R2 per month based on out-of-bundle data rates. Our heaviest user clocked up an average of a little under 3MB per month, which is still only around R6.”

According to Joel Stransky, managing director of Altech Netstar, the Garmap for Mobile Live Traffic offering is the first product of its kind in Africa.

“Garmap’s mobile navigation application is the most advanced we’ve seen, and we are delighted to provide our traffic data to this leading company,” Stransky says.

“Not only is it going to make the lives of drivers in South Africa a whole lot easier, but it’s also going to put SA on the map again as a progressive nation of innovators. And Altech Netstar is proud to be a part of that through its subsidiary company Altech Netstar Traffic.”

Existing Garmap for Mobile users that want to enable the service can SMS the word TRAFFIC to 32541 in order to be subscribed to the service.

Users who don’t have Garmap for Mobile but would like to try the service can download a 7-day free trial of the software, with traffic enabled, by texting the word MAP to 32541 for a link to download the application.

The software supports phones with on-board GPS and can also be used on phones that can connect to a Bluetooth GPS adaptor.

Garmap for Mobile, which was recently selected as MTN’s official mobile navigation platform, is currently shipped on a variety of phones and is compatible with the Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry and Android platforms.

Live Traffic for Garmap for Mobile is a monthly subscription service. The costs are indicated below:

1 month - R29
3 months - R85
1 year - R299
2 years - R549

For more information, contact 0861 GARMAP (427 627) / support@garmap.co.za or visit www.garmapformobile.wisepilot.com

Win big bucks with Nokia

2009-07-23T16:22:00.000+02:00

Nokia has announced the South African Calling All Innovators competition, a contest for developers to create locally relevant, best-of-breed mobile applications for South Africans. The competition, which follows on from the global Calling All Innovators, will challenge local developers to think big and win up to R1,000,000 in cash and prizes, and the chance to feature on Nokia’s new Ovi store.

Garmap announces live traffic updates on your GPS enabled cellphone

2009-07-08T09:41:00.001+02:00

Traffic congestion on South Africa’s roads is a daily reality that motorists have to accept, at least in the short- to medium-term.

However, thanks to a partnership between Garmap, the exclusive map data provider to Garmin South Africa, and Altech Netstar, a leading vehicle tracking company, getting caught up in a queue of traffic could soon easily be avoided.

Garmap for Mobile, a mobile phone-based navigation software application – which is available in South Africa - will soon integrate live, real-time traffic conditions, alerting users to where slow-moving or stationary traffic could delay their trips.

Information collected from over 50,000 cars fitted with Altech Netstar GSM/GPS tracking devices is collected and streamed over a mobile data connection to Garmap for Mobile users. The information is displayed directly on the on-screen map, with small, car-shaped icons used to symbolise traffic congestion.

Andrew McHenry, Head of Mobile and Content for Garmap, says that while bad traffic is a fact of life, with constantly updated traffic information being fed into your navigation system, you can either avoid the worst of it by taking a detour or, if there is a major unavoidable delay, reschedule your trip.

“The Garmap for Mobile traffic-notification service is always up to date, there are no delays or 20-minute gaps between updates as with other more static solutions currently available,” McHenry says.

“You can listen to the traffic report on the radio or read traffic advisory SMS messages on your phone, but a lot can happen between the time you hear the report and the time you jump into your car and begin driving.

“Because Garmap for Mobile Live Traffic utilises data gathered from Altech Netstar’s satellite tracking devices, the traffic data is always accurate. There won’t be any nasty surprises waiting for you on your trip,” he says.

The service is still being tested but is expected to be available later this year. The test phase covers Gauteng only and will then be made available to the entire country when the service is officially launched.

“Garmap’s mobile navigation application is the most advanced we’ve seen, and we are delighted to provide our traffic data to this leading company,” comments Joel Stransky, Managing Director of Altech Nestar Group.

Garmap and Altech Netstar are currently offering Garmap for Mobile users the opportunity to try Live Traffic free during the test phase.

Existing Garmap for Mobile users wishing to do so should SMS the word TRAFFIC to 32541 to be automatically subscribed.

Garmap for Mobile, which was recently selected as MTN’s official mobile navigation platform, is currently bundled on a select range of Samsung handsets, and is compatible with Windows Mobile, Symbian, BlackBerry® and Android powered GPS enabled handsets.

The software supports phones with built-in GPS and can also be used on phones that can connect to a Bluetooth GPS adaptor.

Users who don’t have Garmap for Mobile but would like to try the service can download a 7-day free trial of the software, with traffic enabled, by browsing to http://garmapformobile.wisepilot.com from their phones.

See U2 in Concert!

2009-07-03T17:07:00.002+02:00

U2 could win a trip of a lifetime to see the world's greatest rock band live in concert in their hometown, courtesy of BlackBerry® smartphones.

You could be one of five Vodacom customers who will win a once in lifetime opportunity to take their partners with them to see the legendary band, U2, playing live in Dublin on their 360° World Tour. To stand of a chance of winning this dream prize, all you need to do is upgrade your Vodacom contact to a new BlackBerry smartphone before 12 July 2009.

To enter the competition, simply visit your nearest Vodashop, Vodacom 4U, or Chatz Cellular store, upgrade your existing Vodacom contract to a BlackBerry smartphone, and then visit

www.blackberry-competition.co.za to complete the entry form.

Each week’s winner will be exclusively announced on The Fresh Drive on 5FM every Thursday until 9 July. The winner will be drawn from all entries to date.

This lucky Vodacom upgrader will win a BlackBerry U2 collection that includes:

- A BlackBerry smartphone – to match the one they have received in their upgrade (for their partner, mate, mum, etc)

- A selection of BlackBerry accessories for that particular model smartphone

- A selection of some of U2’s latest CD and DVD releases

- 2 BlackBerry shirts, caps and lanyards

- PLUS the weekly winner gets an additional wildcard entry into the draw for the trip to Dublin to see U2 live.

BlackBerry and 5FM will make radio history on 14 July when the five lucky trip winners will be announced on air throughout the day. One winner will be announced per show.

The winners and their partners will leave for Dublin on 22 July and will return on 26 July 2009. The winners will depart from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg - and you could be one of them!

If you're a fan of good rock music, then this concert is probably the Sweetest Thing you can imagine. The plane will Bullet the Blue Sky and head for Dublin on 22 July With or Without You, so don't miss out on your chance to be on board.

Also joining the winners on this trip of a lifetime will be a popular 5FM DJ. Expect to hear some amusing banter on air over the next few weeks as the jocks jostle for a place on the trip.

To check whether you are eligible for an upgrade, SMS “UG” to 31050 for immediate verification.

1964 Modem

2009-05-31T16:29:00.002+02:00

Do they took a modem from 1964 and plugged it into today's Internet!

5 years after it was first created, Livermore Data Systems' "Model A" Acoustic Coupler Modem finally gets hooked up to the Internet, and travels to the World Wide Web at a whopping 300 baud.

The slow, yet beautiful, modem is encased in a hand-carved box with brass buckles and leather handles, and was given to Casey, aka Phreakmonkey, by the widow of a retired IBM engineer.

Google Wave

2009-05-29T08:16:00.003+02:00

As usual, Google seem to be on the edge of development on the web.

I found out about this via Google Mail. Researched it using Google Search. Watched the video via YouTube which is owned by Google and I am typing about it on Blogger, Google's Blog thingy. I even saved a document on Google Docs.

Anyway, they say:

The service seems to combine Gmail and Google Docs into an interesting free-form workspace that could be used to write documents collaboratively, plan events, play games or discuss a recent news.

Seems like it might be alright.

Third generation Prius launched in Japan

2009-05-29T07:56:00.005+02:00

The third generation Prius was recently launched in Japan and also achieved the world’s best fuel efficiency as measured using the 10-15 test cycle in a study done by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).

Like its predecessors, the new Prius remains worthy of its name – Latin for “to go before” – by being equipped with the latest in TMC hybrid and other environmentally friendly technology.

Its Toyota Hybrid System II (THS II) has been more than 90 percent designed anew and synergises with one of the best aerodynamic performances in the world.

This synergy combines with other advances to achieve a world-leading fuel efficiency of 38.0km/l, while providing driving performance on par with that offered by a vehicle with a larger 2.4-liter engine.

The new Prius comes with four driving modes to match the requirements of specific driving environments, as well as with a solar-powered ventilation system and other dynamic features.

Since becoming the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle in 1997, the Prius has been sold in more than 40 countries and regions around the world, with cumulative sales having exceeded 1.25 million units as of March 31, 2009.

Prius was first launched in South Africa in January 2005 and since introduction close to 700 units have been sold into the local market.

The third-generation Prius will be released in stages in more than 80 countries and regions, as part of an effort to further popularise hybrid vehicles worldwide.

Check out a local South African site for details on the Prius as well as other Hybrid cars and technology.

The 7 Most Mind-Blowing Foreign TV Moments - Funny Videos | Cracked.com

2009-05-28T12:58:00.002+02:00

The 7 Most Mind-Blowing Foreign TV Moments -- powered by Cracked.com

Give your bandwidth a shock and check out some funny, scary and just plain weird TV Times!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Augmented Reality?

2009-05-27T11:39:00.002+02:00

I have no idea who came up with this little technology speak.

From Wikipedia....

"Augmented Reality" : a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real-world and computer-generated data (virtual reality), where computer graphics objects are blended into real footage in real time.

Huh? Are you as confused as I am?

You can see more in this video. It is the use of this new techno speak with the launch of the new Eminem album.

On a side note, I love the new Eminem album.

Eminem Augmented Reality Screencast from Outside Line on Vimeo.

Do we even need the SABC?

2009-05-26T16:45:00.002+02:00

Women24 - Do we even need the SABC?

Would it be kinder (and cheaper) perhaps to just put the SABC out of its misery and shoot it in the head, asks Marianne Thamm?

Great question!

She goes on to say....

Bulletins are mediocre, parochial and partisan and most of the journalists are about as lively, engaging and telegenic as fresh road kill.

I agree.

Click to the link to read the whole thing. it;s more balanced than you think.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Online Billing Tool

2009-05-22T09:35:00.005+02:00

I got an e-mail sent to me the other day telling me to check out "Billing Boss". So I did.

The first thing you see is this video:

The website has all the other info you might need including info on how safe and secure it is. Do you want the whole world being able to see your invoices? You do have to download a PDF though.

Customer Profile.
We also collect Business Information when you create a customer profile or Passport account on some of the Sites, which is required in order to access certain areas of the Sites, purchase support plans and products, to obtain software downloads and certain online support services and to request information from us about our products and services.. This information includes company name and contact information and other information about your company (for example, size, revenue, and number of employees), the products you may have licensed and other non-Sage products you may currently use. We use this information in accordance with this policy to identify you, process your requests and administer your Sage Software account(s).

As a freelance writer, VO guy and other things, this might actually solve my problems.

Stay close.

10 Cool Gadgets for the Kitchen

2009-05-21T13:40:00.003+02:00

This is perfect for the geek who likes to eat his pizza standing up in the kitchen. When you are done, all you need to do is sweep the crumbs in the general direction of the Eye Vac and it will suck them all up! You don’t even need to bend down! What could be more perfect for the less active geek than this?

I love cooking and I love gadgets. When the two come together, what could be better? Via Twitter, I found this fantastic site with some cool cooking gadgets. I am sure that there are many many more that you could find if you spent some time on the web.

I love top ten lists too. How many top 10 cool kitchen gadget lists are there? Maybe we should start a top list of top ten gadget lists to use in the kitchen. Or something like that.

Anyway, look at these marvelous kitchen helpers over at Listverse.

Everest expedition now “live” on Internet

2009-05-20T11:30:00.002+02:00

Using technology to stay in touch with friends and relatives on the other side of the world is nothing new. But South African mountaineers Robby Kojetin and John Black are literally taking blogging and email to new heights: they’re keeping in touch with friends and family from Mount Everest, where they hope to summit in the next week.

While acclimatising back in base camp after their climbing sessions up the mountain, Kojetin and Black are using modern communications technology to share their experiences with fans back home via an online blog post – complete with stunning photo updates.

The team left for Mount Everest on 28 March 2009 after two and a half years of planning, and has been using Microsoft’s Windows 7 and Windows Live platforms to share their experiences ‘live’ from the face of the mountain --- a first for Everest.

“Sometime this month, Robbie and I will attempt to add our names to the very brief list of South Africans who have managed to summit Everest,” says Black. “We wish to thank supporters back home for their daily posts on our web site and hope to be back home safely soon.”

Black has climbed Kilimanjaro seven times already via various routes and has summited Africa’s Mount Kenya three times. He has scaled the highest peak in the Andes (Argentina’s Cerro Aconcagua), the highest peak in Europe (Russia’s Mt Elbrus), the highest peak in the Alps (France’s Mont Blanc), and in between fitted in other adventures such as glacier trekking in Iceland and completing the Ironman event.

Kojetin, who has climbed three of the world's seven summits, is dubbing his Everest expedition the Climb of Hope, which has already raised more than R120 000 for CANSA and nearly a million rand in support to date.

Colin Erasmus, who heads the Windows business at Microsoft SA, and his technical team compiled the communication system for the Everest team. “I have been in regular conversation with John and Robby, and it is a pleasure to see how the technology has put their experience at Everest on a broader, interactive public platform.”

It takes in the region of 10 weeks to attempt to summit Mount Everest and a good portion of that time is spent 6000 meters above sea level, which is higher than Mount Kilimanjaro’s peak. Time is spent climbing up and down the mountain to acclimatise and allow red blood cells to build up in the body, which will allow for normal functioning in thin air environments.

People interested in following their progress and sharing comments with them can do so at: http://mounteverestsouthafrica.spaces.live.com/

Messi brought to vivid life in PES 2010

2009-05-16T12:48:00.001+02:00

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has released the first in-game image of its forthcoming PES 2010 title, demonstrating the stunning new level of detail and graphical refinement the new game enjoys.

The work in progress image shows cover star Lionel Messi in action in the new game, and showcase a massive advance in aesthetic detail. Crucial to the new game’s look are all-new dynamic lighting effects, where the position of the sun or the illumination from the floodlights is reflected in real time within the shadows cast both on the pitch, stadium, the ball and players.

The newly-expanded Tokyo-based PES Productions team has also worked hard to create the most vivid player recreations to date. Player expressions are now fully implemented, while the level of detail has been extended to individual skin textures and different weaves for the various kits to mimic the breathable material so many manufacturers now use.

Konami rolls out Marbles! Balance Challenge

2009-05-16T12:46:00.001+02:00

Konami Digital Entertainment has announced its first Wii Balance Board-compatible title. Marbles! Balance Challenge has been devised by Hudson Soft and will be released for Wii in June/July, 2009.

Marbles! Balance Challenge is a skill-based action title where the player helps an Ant called Anthony save his colony via a series of physical tests. Wii Balance Board users can access Marbles! Balance Challenge’s 100 specially-created stages where the players steer a ball using the shifting weight of their physical movements. This unique way to control the game offers a new experience and combines fun and physical exercise. Players can also use gentle movements of the Wii Remote, with steering the ball through 200 different stages in a quest to locate the mythical ‘Golden Sunflower Seed.’

As the player progresses the level designs grow ever more complex as they introduce houses, snow-capped mountains, deserts, watery settings and even a space station. In addition to rolling through the colourful stages, the player must also collate parts needed to extend and repair the roads they traverse, which – when assembled – give access to the game’s final stage. Similarly, other items of ephemera can be collected and used to add new elements within the extensive edit mode.

Marbles! Balance Challenge includes tough multi-player modes where up to four players battle it out in a race to the finish, and an edit mode that allows users to create their own stages and share them among friends via the Nintendo Wii Connect24 service. The competitive element of the game can also be explored globally, with online leaderboards detailing the best scores for all to see.

Red Faction: Guerrilla

2009-05-14T15:34:00.003+02:00

THQ today announced that Volition, Inc.’s critically acclaimed Red Faction® franchise will make its open-world, next-generation debut with Red Faction®: Guerrilla™. Set 50 years after the climactic events of the original Red Faction, this third-person open-world action-shooter will return to Mars and once again re-define the limits of destruction-based game-play. Red Faction: Guerrilla is currently in development for Microsoft Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Sony PLAYSTATION® 3 computer entertainment system, and Windows-based PC, and is scheduled to ship in THQ’s fiscal year 2009.

"Red Faction is one THQ’s most successful and critically acclaimed original franchises to date, with a huge global base of loyal fans waiting to join the new revolution," said Brad Carraway, director of global brand management, THQ. "With the game’s unique pairing of true physics-based destruction, fast-paced guerrilla warfare style combat, and a massive world to explore – Red Faction: Guerrilla will redefine the limits of open-world gaming.”

“Red Faction: Guerrilla expands the signature destruction elements of the series and pushes the boundaries of next-gen gaming on a massive, terra-formed Mars where gamers can literally tear down the enemy EDF presence brick by brick,” said Mike Kulas, president of Volition, Inc. ”With a new 3rd person perspective, a full cover system that allows for guerrilla style tactics and a diverse planet to explore we’re excited to revitalize the gripping world of Red Faction for high-definition platforms.”

About Red Faction: Guerrilla

Red Faction: Guerrilla is a 3rd person, open-world action shooter set on Mars, 50 years after the events of the original Red Faction. Players will take the role of an insurgent fighter with the newly re-established Red Faction movement as they battle for liberation from the oppressive Earth Defense Force. Throughout their fight for freedom, players will carve their own path, wreaking havoc across the vast, open-world environment of Mars, from the desolate mining outpost of Parker to the gleaming EDF capital city of Eos. Utilizing improvised weapons, explosives and re-purposed mining equipment and vehicles, Red Faction: Guerrilla allows players to tear through fully destructible environments in an unforgiving Martian landscape swarming with EDF forces, Red Faction resistance fighters, and the downtrodden settlers caught in the cross-fire. Red Faction: Guerrilla will also feature a robust multiplayer component, including several modes focused on destruction-based gameplay. Currently in development for Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PLAYSTATION 3, and Windows PC, Red Faction: Guerrilla is expected to ship to retailers worldwide in THQ’s June 2009 (August for PC).

How Can We Help You?

2009-05-14T10:14:00.001+02:00

First National Bank has launched a Skype-like Internet phone service for its account holders.
CEO Michael Jordaan said the bank applied for a telecoms licence after Altech’s court victory opened the way for organisations with large data networks to offer their infrastructure to customers.
FNB is not offering Internet access, though, so account holders who apply for an FNB phone number will need to have a Telkom ADSL line or other broadband service.
The bank will allow its account holders to talk to each other via voice over Internet protocol free of charge, and they can make phone calls from their PCs to local or international numbers for around 33c per minute.
According to Jordaan, this will halve the average phone bill. The bank’s charge for data is 7c per megabyte, which is more competitive than most Internet service providers.

Managing your cellphone budget in tough times

2009-05-07T13:28:00.001+02:00

Many cash-strapped cellphone subscribers are spending more money on their cellphone bills each month than they need to because they're on the wrong contract or prepaid package for their needs.

That's according to Chris Scoble, managing director at Nashua Mobile. He says that if you are ending each month with a surplus of free minutes it might be time to downgrade to a cheaper package. On the other hand, if you use far more airtime than the free minutes allocated on your contract, it might benefit you to upgrade to a higher value contract.

“Another mistake that many users make is to pay 'out of bundle' rates for data usage and text messages,” says Scoble. “Buying a bundle each month or appending a bundle to your contract can save one a significant amount of money as data tariffs in-bundle may be as low as 20 cents, compared to rates of as high as R2.00 out of bundle. Find out how much free data and how many free SMSes you will get when you move onto a new package.”

Scoble offers some other cost-busting tips for cellphone users:

· Try to make most of your calls during off-peak times when tariffs are lower. For example, call between 8pm and 7am.

· Rather use your landline to call toll-free (0800 or 086/087) or Telkom numbers since you will be charged standard cellphone rates if you call from your cellphone.

· On-network calls (for example, one Cell C subscriber phones another Cell C subscriber) are cheaper than calls from one network to another (e.g MTN to Vodacom). If you call one or two people a great deal, it might pay to use the same network as they do.

· Per-second billing is usually more cost-effective than per-minute billing because you only pay for the time that you actually talk rather than having it rounded up to the minute.

· If you send and receive a lot of data, the BlackBerry Internet Service which costs as little as R69 a month for unlimited Web and email use on your smartphone might be ideal for your needs.

· The more data you buy in a bundle, the cheaper the cost per megabyte becomes.

Finally, Scoble advises users that are on a tight budget to opt for 'soft-locking' of their cellular accounts when the bill crosses a certain threshold. If your budget for calls is only R300 a month, you can ask the service provider to bar any outgoing calls from your handset once you've spent that amount of money. This can help you avoid getting into debt by inadvertently spending money that you don't have. You will still be able to receive calls.

WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

2009-05-06T20:33:00.002+02:00

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) , Sony Pictures Consumer Products, and Atari Europe today announced that Ghostbusters: The Video Game for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) and PlayStation®2 is to be published in PAL territories by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe in June, meaning that owners of PS3 and PlayStation 2 will get their hands on the game that reunites the cast of the hit movies. To mark the 25th anniversary of the well-loved franchise, the game will launch in coordination with the Blu-ray™ release of the original hit movie and licensing programs from Sony Pictures Consumer Products Inc. Ghostbusters: The Video Game will launch in Europe and PAL regions on June 19th 2009 exclusively for PS3 and PlayStation 2.

“We’re committed to bringing the PlayStation family the biggest and best gaming experiences first,” says Mark Hardy, European Product Marketing Director at SCEE, “and it doesn’t get any bigger and better than this blockbuster title. This summer, PlayStation owners will be the first to grab their proton packs and fight the spirit world. We’d like to wish them the best of luck in their ghostbusting endeavours and, of course, to remind them not to cross the streams!”

“With our colleagues at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe publishing Ghostbusters: The Video Game, we are thrilled by the dynamic new Ghostbusters game. We think it will have tremendous appeal to gamers and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this beloved franchise.” said Mark Caplan, Vice President of Licensing-Interactive for Sony Pictures Consumer Products Inc. “With this superb game launching alongside the Blu-ray release, we will reach existing fans and the next generation, bringing them all into the irresistible Ghostbusters universe.”

“Atari is committed to maximizing the launch of the Ghostbusters videogame across Europe,” Said Jim Wilson, VP Worldwide Marketing, Atari. “In partnership with both Sony Pictures Consumer Products, Inc and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, we have a unique opportunity to add new game products and expand marketing opportunities to reach Ghostbusters fans in Europe.”

In Ghostbusters: The Video Game, players can grab a proton pack and turn their ghostbusting fantasies into reality as the new recruit to the Ghostbusters team in a story set two years after the Ghostbusters 2 movie. Once again, the city of Manhattan has been overrun with ghouls, ghosts and all things foul – and it’s down to the Ghostbusters team to capture them all and regain control.

The game has been written by original Ghostbusters writers Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd and reunites members of the original cast for the first time in 20 years. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson lend their voices and in-game likenesses to the game, which also features performances from favourites including William Atherton (Walter Peck), Annie Potts (Janine) and Brian Doyle-Murray (Mayor Jock Mulligan).

Developed by Terminal Reality and Red Fly Studios Ghostbusters: The Video Game will arrive on PS3 and PS2 this June. PSP version of the game is scheduled for launch in autumn 2009. To find out more, visit eu.playstation.com.

MultiChoice Launches High Definition Television

2008-07-26T09:02:00.002+02:00

MultiChoice today announced the launch of its High-Definition Personal Video Recorder (HD PVR) decoder.

The introduction of High Definition television is another milestone achievement for television in South Africa and forms part of MultiChoice’s commitment to bringing the best television experience in the country.

Since its inception, MultiChoice has been at the forefront of transforming the face of television in South Africa through cutting edge technology. The company has brought a number of world firsts into the country, including digital satellite television, interactive television services, Dual View and PVR, to name just a few.

MultiChoice’s Chief Executive Officer Nolo Letele says “We are delighted and extremely proud to launch High Definition television into the South African market. HD television will bring with it detail, vividness and clarity of picture never seen before on our television screens.”

Customers will need an HD PVR decoder and an HD ready television set to view HD content. The Beijing Olympic Games will be the first to broadcast in HD format at the beginning of August. The HD PVR will be made available for this special event, with pre launch software which does not include all the features such as a full suite of interactive applications. These will be available when the MNet HD channel launches at the end of August. The software will be delivered to purchased decoders, via the satellite transmission without any intervention needed from the customer. After this, customers will be able to view Movies, Series and Wildlife in HD format.

The HD PVR decoder will be available in major retail stores from August 2008 and will launch at a special price of only R2 499.00 (for a limited time period).

MultiChoice subscribers will also in the near future, be able to link the HD PVR to their current Dual View PVR to enjoy 3 viewing environments, or link the HD PVR to 1110 decoder to enjoy 2 viewing environments, as part of the XtraView offering. The only additional cost to the monthly subscription fee is R55, which is the amount currently payable on the Dual View service.

ZA goes HighDef

2008-07-24T12:04:00.002+02:00

Tonight, DSTV, Multichoice, MNet, whatever they are called will be announcing the launch of their High Definition decoders. Four years to late, I say, but we see what they have to offer.

I know that the Olympics will be in High Def, but I seem to understand that it will only be one channel. Will DSTV be showing High-Def series, movies and documentaries? I hope so.

Pricing will also be an issue and I will report on that tomorrow.

Stay close.

Windows vs Ubuntu

2008-07-17T09:08:00.002+02:00

I have not delved into the war between Windows and Ubuntu. Although, if it were a true war, it would be more like when Germany invaded Austria. Not much of a fight was put up by the Austians, was there?

When I edited Digital Life, there was an insistance from the geekdom that we include an Open Source section. It was fine and it took up two easy pages. I decided that if open source and Linux etc should get its own pages, so should Mac and Windows. Suddenly advertising arrived. Wow! People use Windows! Who would have thought?

Then I stumbled upon this little gem of information from Ed Bott at ZDnet. He did a little test with updates. Amazingly, Ubuntu needed more updates that Vista.

Sure, I hear you open source bunny say, it's because it needs to be updated. Well, duh! It's a work in progress.

Check it out here.

First fringAdd-on applications add new internet dimension to mobile platform

2008-07-15T08:39:00.002+02:00

fring has released the first fringAdd-ons, a selection of new applications designed to enrich the experience of fring’s mobile internet service and community which allows its users to talk, chat & interact with other fringsters and their popular online services from their mobile phones.

The first fringAdd-ons include a handy mobile version of social networks, video streaming and email notification applications directly from within fring. First examples provide fringsters with connectivity to Facebook and to Google’s social network Orkut, enabling continuous, real-time updates of all the key developments in your Facebook and Orkut accounts, Google Gmail notifier, alerting you to all your incoming Gmail messages and VTap the great new mobile video search and streaming service. The release of these early fringAdd-ons give fringsters a taste of new, fun way to enjoy & experience the internet on-the-go from any supported mobile device, simply with the latest version of fring and a data plan from a network provider.

fring-Add-ons are completely free of charge to activate and are integrated into fring, complementing the existing communication features and utilising its always-connected mobile internet capability to provide instant, hassle-free interactive access to pre-selected internet services. And because fring is, always-connected, fringAdd-ons provide real-time, two-way experiences, enabling fringsters to remain more connected than ever before and get even more out of taking their online world mobile with fring.

To activate the new fringAdd-ons, fringsters simply need to subscribe to their selected fringAdd-ons from the new “Manage Add-ons” menu.

Once selected, the fringAdd-on applications appear as familiar icons in the fringster’s Contact List. The “Manage Add-ons” menu will be continually updated and new fringAdd-ons will automatically appear in the Menu as they become available.

fringAdd-ons can be created under the recently released fringAPI by any web developer with a basic knowledge of XML/PHP , by visiting the developer zone at developers.fring.com. Third party developers will be able to publish their completed Add-ons to the new fring catalogue within a few weeks.

Avi Shechter, co-founder and CEO of fring comments: “The release of fringAdd-ons represents a natural and exciting step in the evolution of fring, designed to bring the richest user experience possible and put all of the fringster’s communication and mobile internet needs into one place with functionality and useful features that are fun, enjoyable and easy to use. We look forward to rolling out new fringAdd-ons developed by third parties and independent developers to enrich the experience even further as soon as they become available.”

MultiChoice enhances its Dual View offering

2008-07-11T17:57:00.001+02:00

MultiChoice announced today the introduction of an enhanced version of Dual View, which is called XtraView.

This next generation solution provides a more cost effective and flexible viewing option in the home. XtraView is delivered through linking two decoders and allows the subscriber to add and link a decoder to another one as and when is required. The only cost to the subscriber’s monthly subscription is an access fee of R55.00, which is the current amount payable on the Dual View offering.

This new solution has improved benefits, which include the ability to add new features quicker, an improved sound and video quality on the second viewing environment, as well as full Interactive services in both viewing environments.

MultiChoice Chief Technology Officer: Gerdus van Eeden says, “Maintaining our technology leadership status enables us to keep abreast of technology developments. Our customers want flexibility and choice. The XtraView Solution provides this to MultiChoice’s diverse customer base.”

The implementation of this solution will initially be on the 1110 decoder models and will be available in early August. A subscriber will be able to add this decoder to another 1110 model to create a second viewing environment. The 1110 decoder is currently retailing at R399.00. This means customers will be able to experience an additional viewing environement at half the price normally paid for a Dual View decoder.

The XtraView Solution will be enabled in most of MultiChoice’s future decoders. However, the pairing options of various decoders will be announced in the near future.

The XtraView Solution is available on the Premium, Compact, Indian and Portuguese bouquets.

The battle for the remote will be replaced by the battle of which great channel to watch!

48 Hour Blogging Marathon

2008-04-17T19:04:00.000+02:00

My good mate, Townboy, is trying to set a record for the longest blogging session. Check it out here....

That's a Wrap Folks....

2008-02-14T15:55:00.001+02:00

More than 55,000 visitors attended the world's premier mobile event, the GSMA’s Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona to do business and debate the future of the mobile phone industry, making this year’s event the largest yet. The three-day conference, which featured more than 230 chief executives and other high-level speakers from across the world, attracted more than 8,000 delegates.

Arun Sarin, CEO of Vodafone, actor and filmmaker Robert Redford, Wang Jianzhou, CEO of China Mobile, John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO of Nokia, Black-Eyed-Peas front man will.i.am and film actress and filmmaker Isabella Rossellini were among the diverse range of speakers at the Congress.

“The record attendance figures at this year’s Congress reflect both the extraordinary and compelling conference programme, which covered a broad range of topics from Long-Term Evolution to made-for-mobile short films to the environment, and the high quality of the exhibition,” said John Hoffman, CEO of the GSMA’s conference division. “We are also delighted by the seniority of the people that have travelled from all over the world to Barcelona for the Congress - more than 43% of conference attendees hold C-level positions within their organisations.”

Observing, analysing and reporting on the Congress were 2,700 international print, Web and broadcast media and the event made headlines across the globe. The Congress also hosted 1,300 exhibitors across 1,500 stands with approximately 29,000 square metres of exhibition space and 30,000 of square metres of hospitality space, reflecting the fact that people come to the show to network and do business. Mobile entertainment and content formed a major theme throughout the show with an entire hall (Hall 7) dedicated to multimedia content for mobile devices. In addition, the Mobile Backstage event at the National Palace explored the creation of compelling and high-quality content for mobile devices.

"Once again, Barcelona has successfully accomodated a further increase in the size of the Congress," added Mr. Hoffman. "We would like to thank the city, Catalonia, Fira and all our Barcelona partners for being such warm and efficient hosts. We would also like to thank our sponsors, particularly LG and Telefonica, for their support."

The Mobile World Congress's sister event, the Mobile Asia Congress, which takes place in the vibrant city of Macau from November 18th to November 20th, will also stage a world-class conference programme and exhibition, attracting mobile industry leaders from across the globe.

Roam and Ye Shall Pay

2008-02-12T19:04:00.000+02:00

South African cellular subscribers that access email and the Internet using 3G while roaming abroad are often confronted by outrageous bills when they return. In some cases, customers are coming home to bills in the tens of thousands of Rands after making modest use of cellular data services in the US, Europe and Asia.

Says Mark Taylor, managing director of independent telecommunications service provider, Nashua Mobile: "Many of our customers face ‘bill shock’ when they come home after spending a couple of weeks overseas on business or holiday. Much to their surprise, they land up with a cellular data bill several times more expensive than their flights and accommodation.

"For example, MTN and Vodacom customers who were paying R15 - R25 per MB to roam on one of the French networks less than a year ago are now paying between R60 and R113 per MB for the same service."

One Nashua Mobile customer was slapped with a data bill of R15,000 after spending a few days in Europe. The hapless customer managed to incur a bill of R4,000 in a single day for downloading a mere 44 MB of data. Other customers have run up bills of R60,000 or more while roaming overseas.

“To put it in context, this amount of data equals downloading a couple of big emails with large PowerPoint presentations or spreadsheets attached, spending a little time browsing the Internet, and perhaps sending a few video clips or photos back home,” says Taylor.

The cost per MB of data reaches maximum costs of over R100 in the UK, R120 in the US, R118 in Japan, and R200 in China. What's more, service providers such as Nashua Mobile are not able to get billing data from the operators in real-time, which means that it cannot warn customers before they run up exorbitant data bills on overseas networks.

Says Taylor: "The question that must be asked is why the price of data services for customers roaming internationally has soared. Prices have gone up by a factor of four or more in a year, and subscribers can justifiably feel that they are being ripped off. We would like to know who is to blame: are international network operators making obscene margins off our subscribers? The local network operators charge overseas visitors as little as R25.00 per MB when they roam in South Africa.

Taylor says that South African cellular subscribers that plan to use data roaming while travelling abroad should get information about the costs they face before they leave. They should also look at other ways of accessing data services while abroad: for example, buying a prepaid SIM card when they arrive at their destination, or using Wi-Fi networks instead.

Many cellphones and laptops are now equipped with Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi networks are freely available in airports, coffee shops, hotels, restaurants and other venues in most First World countries. In some cases, it may be cheaper to make a quick phone call or send an SMS than to send an email.

Concludes Taylor: "South African network operators have managed to drive the costs of their data services down to less than 20 cents per MB, depending on the package the customer is on. Customers should be aware that an affordable service they use routinely at home can cost them several hundred times more when they're abroad."

GSMA: Nokia will help you find your way.

2008-02-12T10:01:00.001+02:00

Nokia Maps is taking its mapping and navigation experiences to the next level by enhancing its pedestrian navigation, adding multimedia city guides, offering satellite images, and sporting a redesigned user interface.

Nokia Maps 2.0 adds Walk, a pedestrian focused navigation component to the application, while still offering Drive, a world class car navigation system. The pedestrian navigation efficiently walks you from A to B with visual turn-by-turn guidance. It helps you to locate yourself by giving information about the surrounding buildings, streets and parks (including pathways through the park) and in newer handsets, like the Nokia 6210 Navigator, points the direction in which you are walking; using the handset’s built in compass for orientation.

The new Nokia Maps 2.0 update also adds the option to purchase first-class multimedia guides that feature photos, videos and audio streams to enlighten your journey even more. As with the previous version of Nokia Maps, map users will receive a free 3-day Navigation trial, for Walk and Drive, plus an additional free 10 minute City Guide trial.

“By taking navigation services out of the car and onto the sidewalk, Nokia is enabling people to explore and discover what’s around them with the confidence of a local,” said Michael Halbherr, vice president, Nokia location based services. “By combining the integrated compass of the Nokia 6210 Navigator, with the speed and accuracy of assisted GPS, Nokia Maps 2.0 provides a unique experience with which other less accurate mobile navigation applications can’t compete.”

Upgrading to the GPS navigation option enables your mobile to become a powerful connected personal navigation device, that provides clear, turn-by-turn visual and voice guidance. If your Nokia device doesn’t have built-in GPS, you can also use an external GPS module with a compatible device. Nokia Maps 2.0 will also have, for an optional fee, real-time traffic feeds with dynamic re-routing in 18 European countries. With vector maps provided by TeleAtlas and Navteq, Nokia Maps now has maps covering over 200 countries, with over 70 of them navigable.
Nokia Maps 2.0 can also lead you to the nearest transit station using localized icons in 17 cities so you can hop on the Metro to get across town. While you are on riding on the Metro you can discover and explore new places using the hybrid satellite views or by purchasing one of the new multimedia city guides from companies like Berlitz. The expert advice on where to go and what to do, combined with the integrated Nokia mobile search, helps Nokia fulfill its goal of bringing people context aware Internet services forward.

Nokia also announced that they are planning on bringing Nokia Maps to the mass market with a Series 40 version of Nokia Maps, which will be ready during the 1st half of 2008. Devices based on the Series 40 platform accounted for a large portion of the more than 437-million devices Nokia estimates it had cumulatively shipped by the end of 2007.

GSMA: NuviPhone

2008-02-11T23:21:00.000+02:00

I have seen the future and thanks to some nifty work from Garmin, I did not get lost.

Those mapping guys have released the NuviPhone, a phone, they claim, is the first touchscreen device to integrate a mobile phone, premium web browser and personal navigator. It is a quad-band GSM mobile phone with UMTS, which is compatible with the latest in 3.5G networks around the world. Designed for high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), nüvifone supports the highest download speeds offered by 3G mobile networks. The nüvifone also includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Sounds complicated. Sadly, they don't have one that actually works, so I didn't get to play with it, but after chatting to one of the bosses at Garmin, he assured me that it was as easy as working with your regular direction finding devices that you already have melted onto your windscreen.

The nüvifone's built-in camera has Location Message Service (LMS), which tags every location with the exact latitude and longitude reference of where the image was taken. The user may then save the image so they can navigate back to the location, or email the image to a recipient who can navigate directly to the location. In addition, the nüvifone provides direct access to millions of geo-located landmark and sightseeing photographs available through Google's Panoramio picture sharing site. The Panoramio photo search feature enhances the enjoyment and adventure of sightseeing in an otherwise unfamiliar location. Other multimedia functions of the nüvifone include a built-in video camera and MP3 player.

When will we be seeing this wonderful peice of 'find-me-talk-to-me-while-I-show-you-where-I-Am" thingy? (I still don't know what to call it. Is it a phone or a GPS or a camera?)
Garmin tells me that it should be ready to be sold later this year, but look out for a BIG Xmas launch worldwide, then a little later on the southern tip of Africa.

GSMA: This Parrot has some Cracker!!

2008-02-11T23:08:00.001+02:00

Parrot launched the Parrot DS3120, an innovative home stereo that combines Parrot’s award-winning wireless music and handsfree calling technology in one unit. Let consumers enjoy their music without being tethered to headphones, allowing them to listen to music out loud virtually anywhere, anytime.

The Parrot DS3120 allows users to play music from mobile phones, MP3 players such as an iPod, PCs and laptops wirelessly via Bluetooth – with a 10m range - or through a USB connection. It also has an SD card slot and a built-in FM radio.

“Music is part of our every day life. The Parrot DS3120 is a modern radio with unique highquality sound, amazing new features like the built-in screen display, all packed in an exceptional wireless design” says Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot. “The Parrot DS3120 has been designed to offer unmatched audio performance, and provides a smooth connection to a wide range of audio sources”.

Once paired with a mobile phone, the unit also allows users to search through their contacts and channel voice calls through its high-quality 20W speakers.

The 1.8” colour TFT screen displays track and album details when playing music and phonebook information when making or taking a call. When in music mode, the track details are grouped by source, artist, album and title. Users can select their source, see the track information and enjoy their music.

The Parrot DS3120 has its own battery power source when required, allowing for up to 10 hours playback, and weighs in at only 1.5kg making it highly portable. Voice calls are very high-quality thanks to Parrot’s heritage in making high-end in car communications technology. A microphone built into the unit picks up the user’s voice from wherever he is in the room.

Music is automatically muted with incoming calls with caller ID displayed on the bright
screen.

GSMA: Sound Blade from Altec Lansing

2008-02-11T23:04:00.001+02:00

Altec Lansing today launched their first Bluetooth stereo speaker - the SoundBlade. Designed to release the music of Bluetooth stereo (A2DP) enabled devices such as mobile phones, MP3 players and laptops, the SoundBlade is essential for music loving users on the move.

Uber stylish, the SoundBlade stereo Bluetooth speaker system sounds as good as it looks; the sound panel features dual 2” full-range high output drivers, SRS TruBass and full stereo Bluetooth v.2 for wireless connectivity with most stereo Bluetooth mobile phones and laptops.

Equipped with AVRCP, a mobile handset can be used as the remote control, giving two-way remote volume, mute and track forward/back. The “blade-like” design, carried over from the successful iM500 iPod speaker, measures 6.125” H x 11.125” W x 1.0” D (15.6 CMSS X 28.3 CMS X 2.54CMS) for easy portability. Supporting both AC and battery power, the SoundBlade delivers up to 24 hours of continious playback on 6AA batteries.

“The trend is clear, people love to listen to their music on the move, with their phones, on their MP3 players and laptops” says Luc Ackaert, the European Marketing Director for Altec Lansing. “Our goal is to give consumers what they need to enjoy and share their mobile entertainment lifestyle with easy, portable and powerful speakers.The SoundBlade is perfect for people who listen to music on the go, super thin and lightweight with fantastic sound.”

Weighing only 455g and only 1 inch thick, the SoundBlade is ideal for business travellers who demand great quality sound from a speaker that can easily fit into any laptop luggage. With a built-in echo-canceling microphone the SoundBlade also converts to a wireless speakerphone, ideal for conference calling.

The SoundBlade will be avalable in stores from March and will costs in the region of €119.99 / £89.99 inc VAT.

For more information visit: http://www.alteclansing.com

LG Launch Three New Devices

2008-02-11T15:05:00.000+02:00

MMMM, TOUCHY!!!!

LG’s target of selling 100 million mobile devices in 2008 is looking strong as the Korean appliance giant released three new phones in Barcelona this afternoon. The three phones are extending the depth of market that LG are planning on making, not only in South Africa but across the globe.

The phones that were released today all feature cutting edge touch-screen technology and all the latest additional technologies that is expected of a modern mobile device; technologies that will not be redundant in a year but will last you well into your two year contract. Add in the good looking nature of the LG handsets and I think you have a winning recipe.

Each phone has its own individual character from the elegance of the LG-KF700 to the stylish LG-KF510. LG seems to be making a major move towards not just making great mobile phones but aiming those phones at certain individuals. As we move more into wanting to customizing our lives, LG have seen this and are creating phones that are not just pretty to look at but are adding graphics and setups on the devices to help you add your own sense of style to them.

The touch screens on the new LG devices are something to behold. Says Dr Skott Ahn, “The mobile phones are smartly touchable and more useable.”

LG are using the touch screen technology to not just be touchy but to help the user take advantage of all of the features of the phone. In a recent survey done by the company, they found that only 20% of the market use the camera more that once a week. The rest of the functions on the phone, from MMS to Web browsing came in a weak last. Adding in the touch technology as well as the intelligently changing screen, the new devices make accessing the features a very simple and easy thing to do.

Dr Ahn went as far as predicting that ½ of the mobile phones in the world will be touch in the “next few years.” How many is a few is something of a mystery but I cannot wait to find out.

One of the major features of the LG-KF600 is that the screen changes very much from one feature to another. When it is in MP3 mode, then the screen looks like an MP3 player but switch it over to the camera mode and it looks like a camera with all of the camera features available with no fuss.

The phone also comes with eight separate “dynamic graphic interfaces” for the personalization of your device.

When will you be able to get your hands on the phone? Soon, very soon.

ZYB ANNOUNCES SOCIAL PHONEBOOK FOR MOBILES

2008-02-11T13:51:00.000+02:00

From the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ZYB announced the ZYB Social Phonebook, a first-of-kind service which changes the way people use the mobile phone address book from what is currently a very static to a more interactive and live experience. The ZYB Social Phonebook will be demonstrated for the first time to the industry at the Mobile World Congress.

ZYB’s research suggests we keep the contact information on the people most important to us – our closest friends, family and close business colleagues – on our mobile phones. The ZYB Social Phonebook provides new and unique ways of staying in touch with the people you really care about. This includes enabling users to see availability information on a contact they are about to call – so they may hold off on that late night call to avoid waking the other person up. And for those users who want to stay in even closer touch with their friends, they will be able to receive aggregated activity streams from other online services as well as getting direct access to their profiles on these services (e.g. Facebook, Twitter and LastFM). ZYB’s market leading online backup and management service for mobile content will continue to be part of this offering.

Runar Reistrup, Product Director at ZYB, explained, “When you want to call someone, the normal mobile experience is that you do so with limited information on the person you are calling. The ZYB Social Phonebook will provide you with live, updated information on the availability and recent activity of the person you are about to call or text – which will ultimately change the way you use your mobile phone.”

Tommy Ahlers, CEO at ZYB, said, “Take the Mobile World Congress as an example - you’ll undoubtedly meet someone for the first time who will give you their mobile number. When you save the number into the ZYB Social Phonebook you will instantly get their complete contact details, updated thumbnail picture and links to their different online social networks downloaded to your mobile address book. A year later you may like to get back in touch with them but perhaps their contact details have changed. The ZYB Social Phonebook ensures you always have their up to date contacts details on your mobile.”

OnSurf brings cutting edge mobile advertising technology to mobile video

2008-02-11T13:42:00.000+02:00

Surf Communication Solutions today announced OnSurf, a totally new multimedia platform for adding rich media mobile advertising into streaming video. OnSurf incorporates a number of unique capabilities, such as real-time adaptation of content to allow for individually targeted advertising--including interactivity options for on-the-spot user response--to thousands of concurrent users across different types of mobile handset. With OnSurf, mobile operators finally have the ability to significantly increase the revenue opportunities from mobile advertising by enabling high value, targeted content.

OnSurf uses real-time transcoding of both advertising and video content to allow instant, on-the-fly insertion of targeted advertising into multiple simultaneous content streams. Whereas existing mobile advertising needs to be inserted into video content and formatted for the mobile screen in advance, OnSurf handles all this dynamically in real-time. OnSurf enables banner and video ad overlays, interactivity, text on video, pre-roll and post-roll insertion and, in an industry first, mid-stream advertising. These features are all enabled by OnSurf’s comprehensive video toolbox, which allows advertising to be added to any video stream quickly and easily.

OnSurf also enables the real-time collection of ad metrics by tracking user response to provide measurable results to specific campaigns. By harnessing the power of the OnSurf solution, any mobile operator offering streaming content can enjoy additional revenue streams quickly and cost effectively by delivering targeted, interactive advertising to thousands of viewers simultaneously.

“For Surf, mobile advertising was the next logical step to evolve our technology, which already helps many of the world’s leading mobile operators to deliver high quality, compelling video services,” said Eyal Zagagi, CEO, Surf Communication Solutions. “With OnSurf, we are able to deliver an optimal user experience, while giving operators an array of tools to maximise revenues from multimedia services - in effect, delivering the best of both worlds.”

As an existing leading vendor of content processing solutions for multimedia telecom applications, Surf has leveraged its considerable market expertise to create the OnSurf platform. OnSurf’s core technologies provide mobile operators and value-added service providers (VASP) with a fully interoperable mobile advertisement delivery platform for distribution of rich content to mobile phones in a way which overcomes the current technological and commercial challenges that are preventing these services from fulfilling their potential.

Surf’s expertise in embedded DSP computing has led to the development of a scaleable, cost-effective, high density solution in an extremely compact system. In addition, OnSurf leverages advanced technologies, such as HSDPA, and handles the entire range of advanced video codecs to deliver a high quality rich media experience to the widest possible range of mobile devices.

OnSurf is Surf’s first integrated, single-box solution for mobile operators. Surf currently has plans to expand the OnSurf range with solutions targeted to a number of different rich media applications.

Panasonic

2008-02-11T13:36:00.000+02:00

There are some pretty phones available only in Japan at the moment from Panasonic. One is named the mirror as it has a mirror on the front, strange that. Thin, light and available in a number of colours, the mirror is a must for women and men who tend to hang around at the gym a little too much.

When will it hit South African stores? One answer I got was started with a laugh and the other one wanted to know where South Africa was. Not a pleasant experience, but then I mentioned the 2010 Football World Cup and things settled down.

Day One of The World Mobile Conference

2008-02-11T09:16:00.000+02:00

Day 1 of the World Mobile Congress has dawned under clear skies in Barcelona. The transport system is standing by, the taxi drivers are still pretending not to speak English and the delegates are warming up their presentations. Last night we went to La Rambla. It is a large walkway running through some wonderful areas of Barcelona. The great guys at LG treated us to a fantastic dinner at one of the tourist traps but the ham was the best I have tasted in a very long time.

The city seems like a first world country but it has the history and the legacy of an old-world country. I cannot wait to see more.

Nashua Mobile kicks off campaign to beat 'Internet-lessness'

2008-02-08T16:05:00.000+02:00

Nashua Mobile has launched a new brand campaign that aims to cure the common condition of ‘Internet-lessness’ in South Africa.

The company defines ‘Internet-lessness’ as an absence of a connection to the Internet resulting from perceived high costs and/or a lack of knowledge of the benefits to be derived from being connected to the Internet.

Says Doug Mattheus, marketing director at Nashua Mobile: "Millions of South Africans are suffering from the condition of ‘Internet-lessness’, and most are unaware of how cost effective and easy it is to cure their condition. Our aim with this campaign is to help people understand how they can get connected quickly and affordably, and which personal and professional benefits they can enjoy by going online.

“We also want to increase awareness of Nashua Mobile's evolution from a leading cellular service provider into a telecommunications service provider that offers a full range of Internet and cellular products and services to its customers,” says Mattheus.

Nashua Mobile offers cures for Internet-lessness from as little as R49 a month. The company offers the widest range of Internet, data and broadband solutions available from a single point in South Africa, including a full portfolio of Internet access offerings including fixed-line ADSL powered by Telkom and Verizon; wireless Broadband from iBurst and Sentech; and, of course, cellular technologies (such as GPRS, EDGE, 3G and HSDPA) from Vodacom, MTN and Cell C.

Nashua Mobile also offers web site design, website and/or email hosting, e-commerce, anti-virus, mobile personal information management, anti-spam and systems integration solutions.

The ‘Internet-lessness’ campaign will highlight the features and benefits of a range of these solutions, educate people about how going online can improve their lives, and help consumers to make the right choices from the many Internet offerings on the market.

Vodacom and RIM launch the GPS-enabled BlackBerry Pearl 8110 Smartphone in South Africa

2008-02-07T12:44:00.000+02:00

Vodacom and Research In Motion today introduced the new BlackBerry® Pearl™ 8110 smartphone in South Africa.

Presented in a striking black finish, the sleek, small and elegant BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone integrates GPS (Global Positioning System) along with powerful communications and multimedia capabilities. It is one of the smallest and lightest smartphones available, and is designed for people who want to make the most of their work and personal lives.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone's built-in GPS with Vodafone SatNav, powered by Telmap SatNav technology, enables users to find an address and track their location simply and easily as the route is displayed on a 3D map, together with audible step-by-step directions.

"We are pleased to bring the BlackBerry Pearl 8110 to Vodacom customers in

South Africa

. By providing users with easy, mobile access to communications, multimedia, navigation and personal productivity applications, the BlackBerry Pearl 8110 is an extraordinary lifestyle tool." says Charmaine Eggberry, vice president and managing director, EMEA at RIM.

Dot Field, Chief Communications Officer at Vodacom Group: "The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 offers our subscribers an ideal blend of personal and business features in a compact design. We are pleased to offer this feature-packed, but affordable smartphone to South African customers who want a solution that will help them maximise the use of their time."

Easy To Use

The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone provides an exceptional user experience through its intuitive trackball and visual interface, along with the popular SureType® keyboard system, which allows a narrower handset design while maintaining easy phone dialling and message typing. SureType now offers word completion, easier editing of misspelled words and a built-in spell checker. The smartphone also features Afrikaans as a language setting.

Multimedia To Go

The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone features a 2 megapixel camera with 5X digital zoom and enhanced flash. The camera also supports video capture in two resolutions (240x180 or 176x144) for sharing via email or MMS.

The media player allows users to create and edit playlists right on the handset. Alternatively, users can manage their media files from their PC with the Roxio® Media Manager for BlackBerry®, which is included with the BlackBerry® Desktop Manager software. The Roxio software is based on the award-winning Roxio Easy Media Creator® 9, making it easy for users to search for media files on their computer, view and organise them, create MP3 music files from CDs, create playlists, add audio tags and album art, and convert files for optimal playback.

Roxio Photosuite® 9 LE is also included - this comprehensive tool makes it easy to create photo albums and edit pictures. Pictures can also be cropped, rotated and straightened, redeye can be removed, and brightness, contrast and saturation levels can all be changed.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone supports the Bluetooth® stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP), and comes with a standard 3.5 mm stereo headset jack so that users can plug in their preferred headphones or speakers. The handset also provides the convenience of an externally accessible microSD/SDHC memory card slot for additional storage of music, videos and pictures. The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 from Vodacom includes a 1 GB microSD card.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone also supports high-speed USB for transferring files between the handset and a PC at data throughput rates of up to 10MB/sec.

Advanced Phone Features

The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone offers many convenient phone features including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialling (VAD), Bluetooth 2.0 with support for headsets, car kits and Bluetooth peripherals, dedicated 'send', 'end', and 'mute' keys, smart dialling, speed dialling, conference calling, call forwarding, a low-distortion speakerphone for hands-free conversations and support for polyphonic, mp3 and MIDI ring tones.

The smartphone also includes features that improve phone audio quality including enhanced background noise, wind and echo cancellation for better performance in loud environments such as airports, restaurants or busy downtown streets. An 'enhance call audio' feature allows the user to boost the phone audio's bass or treble while on a call.

Broad Email Support

The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone can be used with BlackBerry® Internet Service, giving users access to up to 10 supported work or personal email accounts (including most popular ISP email accounts), as well as BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, which enables push-based wireless access to email and other applications along with advanced security and IT administration within IBM® Lotus® Domino®, Microsoft® Exchange and Novell® GroupWise® environments.

Vodacom customers can enjoy unlimited email, web browsing, and navigation for as little as R69 (including VAT) per month when using BlackBerry® Internet Service along with an existing Airtime Contract; or for R139 (including VAT) per month along with an existing Airtime Contract when using BlackBerry® Enterprise Server.

Pricing and Availability

The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone is available from Vodacom outlets beginning February 2008 on selected Vodacom contracts.

COMPACT CONVENIENCE FROM IBURST

2008-02-05T16:54:00.001+02:00

iBurst has launched a new ExpressCard modem after its Japanese technology partner Kyocera Corporation developed the device for use in new generation laptops featuring ExpressCard Slots instead of PCMCIA slots.

“Much of iBurst’s success has been due to the excellent relationships we enjoy with our shareholders, subscribers and suppliers. It’s pretty impressive when a massive global organization like Kyocera develops hardware because we asked them to,” said Thami Mtshali, CEO of iBurst.

The iBurst Express Slot modem is available to all iBurst subscribers at R1820 (Incl. VAT) as an outright purchase or included on one of the many 24-month contract options. “The declining popularity of the PCMCIA modem and the desire amongst subscribers for an alternative to the USB modem will ensure the success of the ExpressCard device,” added Mr Mtshali.

ArrayComm, the world leader in smart antenna technologies, is the developer and patent holder of the iBurst broadband wireless system sold globally by licensees while Kyocera Corporation is the hardware manufacturer.

The current iBurst Express Modem, available in the 54mm variation of the ExpressCard standard, is also shipped with a mobile antenna. to provide a better internet experience for subscribers.

DS Lite in South Africa

2008-02-05T06:41:00.000+02:00

The same guys that brought us the Wii have decided that it is now time for South Africa to get the DS Lite. The DS Lite, they say, is the best selling prtable gaming device on the planet. I have managed to play a couple of games on the DS Lite and I have no idea why. It is uncomfortable to hold, difficult to control and the games are aimed at children.

I must admit here that I am massive PSP fan and the PSP Lite is a wonderful device.

The DS Lite has a couple of screens, one on top and the one underneath and the bottom screen is touch sensitive with the included stylus. The top screen does not seem to be touch sensitive with the included stylus or your finger.

One of the selling points when the DS Lite was launched was the abillity to communicate with other DS lite players as well as a Wi-Fi gamining so that one can join gamers from around the world. Can you say, Optional Extra? Surely in the wireless world in which we live, Wi-Fi is not optional extra?

The games are limited but the advantage with a late release is that only the good games will hit the South African shores, so they say. More about those and the DS Lite in further posts.

Bio Tent Pegs

2008-02-01T15:28:00.000+02:00

Music fans attending this year's Glastonbury festival will be told to use biodegradable tent pegs in an effort to protect grazing cattle.

The pegs are made from biodegradable potato starch, which is strong and already used in the turf industry.

Organiser Michael Eavis said the measure was an attempt to prevent grazing dairy cows at his farm becoming injured by metal tent pegs left behind after the weekend summer festival.

Up to 175,000 people attend the annual bash in fields at Worthy Farm, Somerset, many of whom bring their own tents.

The metal pegs are "a real problem for the cows", Eavis told BBC News.

"We're going to buy a biodegradable tent peg this year, but it is very stout actually. They use it in the turf industry and we've just discovered it.

"So we're going to force people to use the tent pegs and not use the wire ones."

The move is part of a series of environmental measures called "Leave No Trace" which are to be announced in March.

Music fans began registering for tickets for the June 27 - 29 festival on Friday.

Children aged between 13 and 15 will have to register for the first time this year, providing a photograph which will appear on the ticket in an effort to stop touts.

Registration has been extended by two weeks this year until March 15, though registration does not guarantee a ticket. They go on sale from April 6.

The line-up will not be announced until after then, though Eavis told the BBC that crooner Neil Diamond is on the bill.

Big Brother wants to buy the other Big Brother

2008-02-01T14:42:00.000+02:00

Technology giant, Microsoft Corporation, has offered to acquire Internet media company Yahoo for 44-point-six billion U.S. dollars in cash and stock. Microsoft says it has offered to buy Yahoo for 31-U.S. dollar per share, which it says represents a 62-percent premium above the company's closing stock price on Nasdaq. Microsoft Chief Executive, Steve Ballmer, says Microsoft has identified four areas that will generate at least one-billion U.S. dollars in annual synergies for the combined entity. Yahoo shares rose 56-percent to 29-dollars-95 cents in premarket trading today, following the announcement. U.S. stock index futures also jumped after the news was released.

Garmin unveils the Nuviphone

2008-02-01T07:32:00.000+02:00

Satnav maestros take aim at Apple with a 3G toting, GPS phone. Touch!

Garmin has peeled back the wrapping on its very own super smart blower, the Nuviphone. The iPhone is clearly in its sights, with a touch sensitive screen and a stack of Apple beating features.

The screen's a hefty 3.5-inches across, matching Infinite Loop's effort. However, Apple gets a serious smackdown when it comes to the innards.

We're talking HSDPA, WiFi and, naturally, full-on satnav, something which Steve Jobs can only dream of.

On top of that we're looking at complete multimedia maven, with camera and music and video playback.

Okay, we've seen so-called iPhone beaters before, but this one really has come out of the leftfield.

Garmin is offering no word when it comes to price, only saying that they'll be letting it out into the wild later this year.

As soon as we get any more news (and we expect of gossip over the next few months), we'll be serving it right up to you gadget hungry lot.

No it's not a toaster

2008-01-30T08:27:00.000+02:00

Well, it is, just not the type you have seen before. In fact, it's more of a mobile, indoor camp fire. Perfect for those cold winter days that are not that far away anymore.

Hook a sausage or a 'mallow onto the skewer and you have the ultimate romantic evening, inside. Don't you just hate those pesky mozzies anyway?

There are some other weird and wacky interior designs here at MoCo Loco...

Leaf launches HTC TyTN II

2008-01-29T07:40:00.000+02:00

Local distributor for HTC, Leaf International Communications, has launched the HTC TyTN II in South Africa. HTC is the world leader in Windows Mobile-based smart devices and manufactures 80% of Windows Mobile-based smart devices worldwide.

The TyTN II replaces the TyTN as HTC's flagship handset and introduces a number of upgraded features to what was a highly-successful handset for HTC in the local market.

"Based on the powerful Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 platform, which offers Mobile Office applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as DirectPush e-mail and rich online content, the HTC TyTN II is one of the most feature-packed and flexible devices available on the market today," says Quinton Leigh, managing director of Leaf International Communications.

According to Leigh, one of the most attractive features of the HTC TyTN II is the new black and grey form factor. It incorporates a sliding touch screen, which tilts upwards - also revealing a full QWERTY keyboard - and giving users the feel of using a compact laptop PC.

"This is ideal for people who need to be able to place the device flat on a desk and read e-mails and documents, use applications or even play games," he says.

The TyTN II offers a multitude of ways for users to connect to communications networks in any country, with tri-band UMTS and quad-band EDGE connectivity.

It also boasts 3G HSDPA and WiFi connectivity for lightning-fast Internet - ensuring that you will find connectivity no matter where you are in the world.

For people-on-the-move who need some direction in their lives, the TyTN II includes a built-in GPS receiver, which is compatible with a number of GPS software applications available on the market, including Navigon Mobile Navigator, which is also available through Leaf International
Communications.

The TyTN II offers a new user interface on its Home Screen - called HTC Home - which puts common and informative tasks such as photo dialling, text messages, calendar entries, e-mails and contacts, and live weather conditions directly at the user's fingertips.

"The 256MB of ROM and 128MB of RAM ensures that they will have enough storage space for their documents and multimedia," Leigh says.
"If that's not enough," he adds, "users can expand their TyTN II's memory capacity for music and videos with microSD HC cards, which currently support up to 8GB and will eventually be able to store up to 32GB."

The HTC TyTN II is a worthy replacement for the HTC TyTN and will serve as one of HTC's many devices that will drive the mass-adoption of Windows Mobile-based smart devices in South Africa.

The HTC TyTN II will be available from Leaf International Communications and all network service providers for a recommended retail price of R7 450 Incl Vat.

Amazon MP3 to go global

2008-01-28T14:24:00.000+02:00

Suits at the web giant say their iTunes rival will head out across the planet 'this year'.

Amazon has confirmed that its download service, Amazon MP3, will be rolling out across the globe in 2008.

However, the web retail giant has not given any specific dates about when the service will be available beyond the US, just saying that it'll happen 'this year'.

Amazon's store has been much vaunted thanks to its DRM-free policy, with iTunes and other major players forced to follow suit and offer tracks minus copy protection.

Amazon's real coup de grace is the fact you can play songs from its 3 million plus library on virtually any MP3 player. Not just your iPod and the odd machine Apple deem worthy of their affection.

Whether prices will directly translate from the 99 cents a track in the States remains to be seen. And with EU licensing bound to have some effect on the launch date, don't expect to be downloading Stevie Nick's greatest hits anytime soon. We're saying at least the last quarter of the year.

Still, it's always good to see a major player keeping Apple on their toes. Keep it here for any more news as we get it.

Vodacom customers get free HSDPA 3.6 country-wide

2008-01-26T08:24:00.000+02:00

All Vodacom customers now have the option to experience Vodacom’s new HSDPA 3.6 broadband service for free until 30 April 2008 across its extensive 3G HSDPA network.

“As the Mobile Broadband market leader, Vodacom has extended the benefit of South Africa’s widest HSDPA 3.6 coverage, free, to all our customers for a period of three months across all 3G HSDPA coverage areas,” says Dot Field, Chief Communications Officer, Vodacom Group.

Customers who have an HSDPA 3.6 capable terminal or device such as a Vodafone Mobile Connect USB Modem, a Vodafone Mobile Connect Express Card or an Embedded HSDPA 3.6 laptop, will enjoy the free activation of HSDPA 3.6 as an addition to their existing data tariff package and will be able to access this service country-wide where 3G HSDPA coverage is available.

From 1 May 2008, Vodacom’s HSDPA 3.6 service will be offered to Contract, Top Up and Prepaid customers as a Value Added Service (VAS) at R49.00 per month/30 days, in addition to the current data charge levied.

“With the widest 3G HSDPA coverage in the country, and now HSDPA 3.6 coverage, our customers have the opportunity to experience the fastest mobile broadband first hand”, she concluded.

HSDPA 3.6 is a 3G High-Speed Downlink Packet Access mobile telephony protocol, which offers increased data transfer speeds and capacity of up to 3.6 Mbps on the downlink and up to 348Kbps on the uplink, under ideal conditions.

C'mon now, it's not a good laptop!

2008-01-25T07:34:00.000+02:00

I cannot believe that I am writing about the Air so much, but the web is going on about it so much, that I seem to not be able to help myself.

The MacBook Air may be one of the thinnest laptops ever made, but Apple had to make some sacrifices to shed all that poundage. Did the company go too far? Some reviewers on the Web think so. Of course, a lot of the criticism centers around the stunted functionality the Air suffers because of its excised features — such as the lack of an optical drive and Ethernet port.

But that's not all the reviewers nitpicked. The Air has issues that go beyond its jettisoned components — the single USB port took some heat, for example, and not for the reason you'd expect. Click Continue for five downsides of the MacBook Air that have come to light since its big debut.

Read more from one of my favourite sites, DVICE!

2008-01-24T16:15:00.000+02:00

I still don't get why Mac Heads love them. Someone please give me a Mac and I will try and love them. in fact, i will give myself plenty of time on it to see if I like it. I will mention you on the radio, I will write about you on the website, I will rave about it anywhere you want me to. Until then, I don't get it.

More anti-MacBook here...

The HTC Touch just got a whole lot better

2008-01-24T09:06:00.000+02:00

Owing to huge customer demand, the world's leading manufacturer of Windows Mobile-based smart devices, HTC, has announced the next evolution in the hugely-successful HTC Touch series - the HTC Touch Dual.

The HTC Touch Dual combines the popular TouchFLO touch-screen interface from the HTC Touch with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard for the added convenience.

"It's everything you need at your fingertips," says Quinton Leigh, managing director of Leaf International Communications, HTC's official distributor in South Africa.

The HTC Touch Dual's 20-key slide-out QWERTY keyboard makes it easier for users to type messages or e-mails single handed - without the need to use a stylus for input.

"However," Leigh says, "the HTC Touch Dual also offers users an enhanced touch navigation experience, using HTC's updated Touch-FLO technology. With the Touch Dual, you can now flip through emails and SMS messages, as well as being able to rotate and zoom in and out of photos.

"HTC has also added a two touch compatible quick menus; one when you slide the device open and another when you hold the end call (red) button, to further enhance the phones user-friendliness," says Leigh.

The Menu system itself is designed to resemble a 3D cube, allowing users to "flip" the cube to reveal different menu options - such as photo dialling, Internet, multimedia, calendar and tasks - on each side.

"Consider the HTC Touch Dual the best of both worlds. HTC took in a lot of customer feedback about the HTC Touch and the results speak for themselves," Leigh says.

Other features of the HTC Touch Dual include the Live HTC Home screen, which features easily-accessible applications such as time and date, new messages, missed calls and live weather conditions.

3G, HSDPA and GPRS/Edge/GSM ensure that no matter where in the world users find themselves, they'll be able to connect to a network and stay in touch.

"The HTC Touch Dual is a worthy replacement for the HTC Touch," Leigh says, "and we're very excited to be able to give customers exactly what they have asked for in a smart mobile device."

The new HTC Touch Dual will be available through the cellular networks and at retail outlets from the beginning of Feb and will sell for a recommended retail price of R5 800.00 Incl VAT.

Skype on PSP called off

2008-01-23T13:34:00.000+02:00

It was big news in the days running up to CES, but now Sony is distancing itself from plans to bring the joys of Skype to the PSP.

It was due to launch tomorrow, but now the service has been suspended, apparently down to the failure of Sony's microphone products not meeting Skype's specifications.

In the week prior to this month's gadget-a-thon in Las Vegas, this story had everyone buzzing, with Sony even dropping the news on their official site before we all got to CES.

There's no word on when it'll be seeing the light of day, but we're willing to bet it's going to be a while yet.

Be sure to keep it here for any news as soon as I get it.

MacBook Air

2008-01-21T16:54:00.001+02:00

So it seems that everyone is raving about the MacBook Air but, as usual, Apple is conning you otherwise. It's amazing how people buy into the Mac hype. What is that? Click on the image above to see a wonderful comparison.

Mobiles stopping you from sleeping?

2008-01-21T15:37:00.000+02:00

Research done in the U.S says using a mobile phone before going to bed could stop you getting a decent night's sleep. The study, funded by mobile phone companies, suggests radiation from the handset can cause insomnia, headaches and confusion. It may also cut our amount of deep sleep - interfering with the body's ability to refresh itself. The study was carried out by Sweden's Karolinska Institute and Wayne State University in the US. This research suggests that if you need to make a make a phone call in the evening it is much better to use a land line. Funded by the Mobile Manufacturers Forum, the scientists studied 35 men and 36 women aged between 18 and 45.

Toshiba delivers powerhouse notebook for gamers

2008-01-21T14:47:00.000+02:00

Toshiba Computer Systems has announced a new addition to its Satellite premium performance notebook range – the Toshiba Satellite X200.

The Satellite X200, aimed specifically at gamers and power multimedia users, features the latest dual-core Intel Core 2 Centrino Duo processor, and nVidia SLI graphics for extra-high performance levels.

The notebook incorporates a 17” TruBrite screen and is powered by two nVidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics chips - putting graphics performance at the top of the list of priorities for this machine.

Particularly for multimedia enthusiasts, the Toshiba Satellite X200 offers high-definition graphics output through an HDMI interface, allowing users to plug the X200 into an HD-Ready LCD monitor or TV.

The audio system on the X200 is geared specifically to ensuring that the highest-quality sound is produced, whether watching an HD movies or playing an immersive first-person shooter.

The audio system uses a Harmon/Kardon Dolby Home Theatre-certified audio system - which incorporates two bass reflectors, two tweeters and a sub-woofer – delivering audio with depth that was previously unattainable in many comparable notebooks on the market today.

According to Reon Coetzee, marketing manager for Toshiba Computer Systems South Africa and Africa, multimedia applications and, particularly games, are becoming increasingly resource hungry.

“And to this extent,” he says, “computer manufacturers need to be able to keep up with the demands of their power users.

“Toshiba believes that the Satellite X200 is a notebook that will give gamers and multimedia enthusiasts the best possible performance and experience now and well into the future.”

While gamers and other power users will appreciate the performance aspects of the Satellite X200, Toshiba has worked to incorporate a number of features to help users secure their data and navigate their notebook more effectively.

These features include fingerprint identification for one-touch security, a dual-mode touch pad mouse, Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, a built-in webcam and a 5-in-1 multimedia card reader.

“An attractive carmine-red bezel combined with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, assures that users have a good-looking machine both outside and inside,” Coetzee says.

“Apart from the advanced multimedia and performance features that Windows Vista supports – particularly for DirectX 10 gaming – Windows Aero makes navigating the Windows environment a visually-appealing and user-friendly experience.”

Toshiba’s Satellite X200 is currently available at a recommended retail price of R18 999.00 Incl VAT. For more details on availability, please visit www.toshiba.co.za.

Multichoice Bring More Action for your Cell Phone

2008-01-15T10:44:00.000+02:00

Silicon & Software Systems (S3) today announced that leading Pay-TV operator MultiChoice has licensed S3’s onHandTVTM Software Development Kit (SDK) for DVB-H to further develop their interactive Mobile Broadcast TV services. S3, as the leading provider of broadcast Mobile DTV solutions, is bringing their detailed product expertise and market knowledge to bear in this close collaboration with MultiChoice.

MultiChoice, a wholly owned subsidiary of MIH, is Africa’s leading pay television operator. The company has operations in 47 countries on the Africa continent and adjacent Indian Ocean islands, with over 2 million subscribers. Operations include world-class subscriber management services and the management of digital satellite platforms broadcasting over 75 video channels, 40 audio services, 28 radio channels and 6 Interactive channels, 24 hours a day for its range of DStv bouquets. MultiChoice’s newest business unit, DStv Mobile, is currently investigating and trialing a technology that will play a significant role in the transmission of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa; namely DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast – Handheld).

DVB-H is a mobile broadcast technology that allows for the digital terrestrial transmission of live television channels to a mobile phone. MultiChoice has already made huge strides in the Mobile TV broadcast environment; having launched commercial DVB-H services in Namibia, Kenya and Nigeria in 2007.

“We are very proud to have been selected by MultiChoice to provide our expertise and software IP to enhance their entry into the interactive Mobile TV services arena. S3 is continuing to deliver on its strategy of enabling broadcast and mobile operators to transition from their existing services to converged interactive services across multiple platforms and we are extremely pleased to be adding such a prestigious company as MultiChoice to our client list,” said Philip Brennan, Vice President Consumer Systems, S3.

Commenting on the announcement Linda Vermaas, CEO of DStv Mobile, MultiChoice’s Mobile TV business unit, said “MultiChoice continues to operate at the forefront of technology and is focused on adding significant value for subscribers across Africa. The delivery of our premium content via the Mobile Broadcast TV platform offers an exciting challenge to us, as well as an enormous market opportunity. We have chosen a world-class partner in S3 to help us address some of these challenges and ultimately enable us to support interactive Mobile Broadcast TV services to our growing customer base.”

Transcend's 2.5" SSD Heats Up the Solid State Market

2008-01-15T10:37:00.000+02:00

With the ever-increasing popularity of low-priced compact notebooks and lightweight portable devices, the demand for solid-state disks (SSD) is greater than ever. Transcend is poised at the forefront of this new solid-state revolution, offering a full range of SSD products. Compared to traditional hard drives, SSDs are made of solid-state NAND flash memory with no moving parts, and are therefore not susceptible to mechanical failure resulting from vibration, sudden impact or power loss, heat, and other common factors that often cause irrecoverable data loss in portable devices that use regular hard drives.

Transcend's Solid State Disk product line includes notebook-sized 2.5-inch SATA / IDE as well as ExpressCard™/34 format SSDs, all fitted with a tough but extremely lightweight case, enormous capacities (up to 32GB), high reliability, very low power consumption and incredible resistance to shock and vibration. These features make them ideal drop-in replacements for conventional hard disk drives in both industrial and portable devices like ultra compact notebooks that require long battery life and must be durable enough to withstand a few bumps and scratches. Due to their standard form factor and industry standard IDE or SATA interface, Transcend's SSDs can be used in most notebook computers and mainstream PCs just like regular hard drives. As for data transfer rates, Transcend's SSDs deliver sustained read / write speeds of up to 30MB / 28MB per second*, which guarantee fast throughput no matter how big the file size is. Combine that with amazing latency of under 1ms, and it becomes clear why Transcend SSDs give users an overall more enjoyable, lag-free computing experience – especially with Windows Vista.

In addition, Transcend's SSDs have built-in ECC (Error Correction Code) that ensures highly reliable data transfer and increases your system's overall integrity. Advanced wear-leveling technology also guarantees ultra-long lifespan and data-retention durability for prolonged use, giving Transcend's SSD over twice the lifespan of normal hard drives. With no moving parts, absolutely no noise is generated from these drives, and much less power is needed for operation, which also means less heat is produced. For extra peace of mind, Transcend's SSDs are also backed by a two-year warranty. To meet the fast-growing needs of the burgeoning market for high speed, lightweight low-power solid state disks, Transcend plans to release its competitively priced 64GB and larger capacity SSDs in the very near future.

The Dirty Stuff comes to Blu-Ray, YAY!

2008-01-11T10:18:00.000+02:00

T3.com is reporting that the High-Def war might be over. Seems that the massive porn industry has finally made the move across to Blu-Ray, and not a second to soon I say.

Twelve months on, and big players including Digital Playground and Hustler have parked their asses on the fence, offering Blu-Ray porn along with blue HD-DVD offerings. DP has said they'll chuck at 15 titles in the format this year, Hustler upping their number to 25.

Sony would never admit it, but the truth is that this could be a huge boon for Blu-Ray. Whether we like it or not, pornography is huge, and if they want to throw some weight behind the format, well, it could finally give them the win they crave. After all, Betamax got beaten down because VHS embraced the filth

Now the question must be asked, how many porn actors can stand the glare of High Definition closeups?

16GB JetFlash!!!

2008-01-10T07:41:00.001+02:00

Transcend today introduced a huge 16GB version of its JetFlash® V10 USB 2.0 Flash Drive. A member of Transcend's popular JetFlash Value Series, the V10 is a stylish compact flash drive with outstanding performance. Its special capless design includes a retractable USB connector with lock-switch, which makes the drive easier to use and protects the connector from damage when not in use. The JetFlash V10 measures a mere 64 x 21 x 10 mm and weighs only 11g. For extra convenience, the V10 features a lanyard / keychain attachment loop to prevent loss and make it easier to plug in and remove from your computer's USB port.

For added value, the 16GB JetFlash V10 comes bundled with Transcend's incredibly useful JetFlash® elite software package, which focuses on the needs of mobile computer users and is specifically developed to help you manage your data more efficiently and increase productivity. JetFlash elite includes eight useful functions: AutoLogin, PC-Lock, Mobile Favorites, Secret-Zip encrypted file compression, Mobile E-mail, DataBackup, Online Update and the My JetFlash browser. The JetFlash V10 is tested to work flawlessly with Vista™ and also supports Windows® 98SE/Me/2000/XP, Mac OS® 9.0 /OS X or later, and Linux® Kernel 2.4.2 or later.

Transcend's 16 GB JetFlash V10 is a great data storage and transfer device that combines good performance with enormous memory capacity. Soon after using it, you will find it to be an indispensable tool for all your data transfer and storage needs at school, work, or home.

Product Features
‧ Retractable USB connector with lock-switch
‧ Fully Hi-Speed USB 2.0 compliant, compatible with USB1.0/1.1 ‧ Easy Plug and Play operation
‧ JetFlash® elite software pack includes:
- Website AutoLogin: Automatically log in to your online accounts
- PC-Lock: Use the JetFlash V10 as a key to lock your computer
- Mobile Favorites: Browse your favorite websites wherever you go.
- Secret-Zip: Compress and password-protect files using powerful 256-bit AES Encryption
- E-Mail: Use any computer to securely check, save and send email
- DataBackup: Backup, restore and synchronize your mobile data
- My JetFlash: A convenient way to access files on your JetFlash
- Online Update: Update to the latest version of JetFlash elite
‧ Driverless (only older computers with Windows® 98 SE need the driver)
‧ USB powered. No external power or battery needed
‧ Lanyard attachment
‧ Lifetime warranty

Everex Cloudbook

2008-01-09T12:13:00.000+02:00

Everex have launched their much anticipated Ultra-Mobile PCs featuring the latest Open Source operating system from gOS.

Measuring 9” in length and 2 pounds in weight, the Everex CloudBook caters to users seeking the latest in mobile computing. With its 1.2GHz VIA C7-M ULV mobile processor, the laptop averages 5 hours of battery life on a 4-cell, lithium-ion battery. Unlike many of its competitors, the CloudBook also features 30GB of internal storage, digital video output (DVI-I), 4-in-1 card reader and 1.3MP webcam.

With its size, specification and energy efficient design, customers will find performance and features of much larger laptops in one of the most mobile computer designs on the market.

“The overwhelming success of our gPC desktop generated countless inquires from customers seeking additional Open Source mobile platforms,” states John Lin, general manager of Everex. “With the launch of the new CloudBook our vision remains the same: Provide mainstream users with their favorite applications wrapped in a no-compromise, low-cost, consumer friendly product.”

The CloudBook, model CE1200V, showcases the gOS operating system and familiar applications from Mozilla, Skype, Google, Facebook, Faqly and OpenOffice.org. Available January 25th, the CE1200V will be available at Walmart.com for $399.

“The ultimate potential of mainstream, Open Source PCs is tremendous,” said Lin. “Combine a revolutionary platform like our CloudBook with the stunning graphics and performance provided by gOS Rocket and consumers will be armed with the utmost in mobile computing.”

To learn more about Everex, the CloudBook and their entire line of computing products, visit www.everex.com. For information on gOS or to download a free copy of gOS Rocket see www.thinkgos.com.

Key Features*

- Operating System: gOS V2 Rocket

- Processor: 1.2GHz VIA C7-M ULV Processor

- Display: 7” WVGA TFT Widescreen (800 x 480 native resolution)

- Preinstalled and Linked Software (gOS version): Mozilla FireFox, gMail, Meebo, Skype, Google Documents & Spreadsheets, Google Calendar, Google News, Google Maps, Wikipedia, Google Product Search, GIMP, Blogger, YouTube, Xine Movie Player, RhythmBox, Faqly, Facebook and OpenOffice.org 2.3 (includes WRITER, IMPRESS, MATH, DRAW)

- Memory: 512MB DDR2 533MHz SDRAM (1GB Max)

- Hard Disk Drive: 30GB, 4200RPM PATA

- Graphic: VIA UniChrome™ Pro IGP

- Audio: VIA VT1708A High Definition Audio Codec with built-in speakers

- WLAN: 802.11b/g

- LAN: 10/100 Ethernet

- I/O: (1) DVI-I port, (2) USB 2.0 ports, (1) RJ45 Ethernet port, (1) Headphone/Line Out jack, (1) Microphone/ Line In jack, (1) 4-in-1 Media Card Reader (Secure Digital, Multi-Media Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO)

- Battery: 4-Cell (14.4V, 2200mAh), rechargeable Lithium-Ion

- Dimensions: 9.06” x 6.73 x 1.16” (W x D x H)

- Weight: 2 pounds

- Warranty & Support: 1 Year Limited Warranty with 24/7 Toll-Free Technical Support

- MSRP: $399.00

2008-01-08T13:00:00.001+02:00

Transcend Information proudly announces the latest addition to its T.sonic™ family of MP3 players, the T.sonic 850. This sleek new MP3 player is easy to carry due to its compact size (81.5mm long x 41.5mm wide x 12.7mm deep) and elegant lightweight design (just 48g). With a bright 1.8-inch high resolution full-color TFT-LCD screen, the T.sonic 850 is designed not just for great-sounding music playback, but also for viewing video and photos while on the go.

The stylish T.sonic 850 supports many audio and video formats such as JPG, BMP, MTV, MP3, WMA, DRM10, and WAV. Up to 8GB storage capacity ensures endless hours of video, music, or photo entertainment whether you're relaxing at home, on the road or at the gym. In addition, the T.sonic 850 is equipped with 7 equalizer effects, including a customizable USER EQ mode that lets you create your own music style. On a full charge, the T.sonic 850 supports up to 22 hours of continuous playback, so you can sit back and enjoy high quality music all day long.

More than just a portable entertainment center, the versatile T.sonic 850 also provides many useful functions including a digital voice recorder, a recordable FM radio with 20 station presets, and a time-zone adjustable world clock. The T.sonic supports 13 languages, not only in the user interface, but also in the included e-book text file viewer and during synchronized song lyrics display. With its adjustable playback speed and A-B repeat functions, the T.sonic 850 can also help you learn foreign languages, review voice memos, meetings, and class lectures more effectively. The built-in Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connector provides quick, easy charging and straightforward data transfer. Transcend's T.sonic 850 is now available in two capacities: 4GB (Ivory) and 8GB (Onyx Black), and comes with a protective silicone cover.

Microsoft Unveils New Titles and Powerful Momentum for Games for Windows

2008-01-08T09:32:00.000+02:00

Following one of the hottest years in video game history, Microsoft Corp. yesterday announced at the 2008 International CES the addition of new titles to the Games for Windows portfolio and strong first-year results for the Games for Windows initiative. Games for Windows drove the PC gaming category in 2007 with some of the most popular Windows-based games available, and will continue the momentum for Windows-based gaming in 2008.

“Games for Windows truly thrived in 2007. We went from two titles in 2006 to a continually growing portfolio of over 60 titles here at CES 2008,” said Kevin Unangst, senior global director of Games for Windows in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “We delivered on our promise one year ago to reinvigorate the PC gaming space and bring the best portfolio of games to Windows. And this is just the beginning. With our partners, we will continue to drive the resurgence of Windows-based gaming.”

CES attendees will get to experience some of the great games of 2008, with six upcoming Games for Windows titles on the show floor: “Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures” (Funcom, Eidos Interactive), “Conflict: Denied Ops” (Eidos Interactive), “Frontlines: Fuel of War” (THQ), “Space Siege” (SEGA), “Turning Point: Fall of Liberty” (Codemasters) and “Jigsaw Too Photo Edition” (Carbonated Games), a game for Windows Live Messenger.

Delivering Great Games

Microsoft announced the addition of nine new Games for Windows-branded titles joining the portfolio from renowned publishers Atari Inc., Capcom, Eidos Interactive, LucasArts, Microsoft Game Studios, SEGA and Stardock., bringing the growing Games for Windows portfolio to more than 60 titles. “Alone in the Dark” (Atari) and “Sins of a Solar Empire” (Stardock) join other branded games from top publishers around the world committed to delivering quality-tested Games for Windows titles, including 2K Games, Activision Inc., EA Partners, Midway Home Entertainment Inc. and Ubisoft. New Games for Windows-branded titles announced at CES include the following:

· “Alone in the Dark” (Atari)

· “Bionic Commando” (Capcom)

· “Conflict: Denied Ops” (Eidos Interactive)

· “Empire: Total War” (SEGA)

· “LEGO Indiana Jones” (LucasArts)

· “Microsoft Train Simulator 2” (Microsoft Game Studios)

· “Sins of a Solar Empire” (Stardock)

· “Space Siege” (SEGA)

· “Tomb Raider: Underworld” (Eidos Interactive)

Other highly anticipated Games for Windows-branded titles expected to release in 2008 include “Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures” (Funcom, Eidos Interactive), “Borderlands” (2K Games), “The Club” (SEGA), “Fallout 3” (Bethesda Softworks) and “Frontlines: Fuel of War” (THQ).

Driving the PC Gaming Industry Forward

In a year when gaming was one of the most popular choices of entertainment, the Games for Windows initiative drove the PC gaming category forward. Games for Windows has brought Windows-based gaming to the forefront of retail stores, raising consumer awareness of Games for Windows titles and positioning the category for successful sales. In November 2007 alone, the Games for Windows portfolio accounted for 20 percent of all PC game sales at retail stores in the United States, according to the NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service.

“Games for Windows-branded titles were among the most popular Windows-based games purchased as gifts this holiday,” said Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising for GameStop Corp. “Microsoft’s efforts to revive Windows-based gaming have helped grow the category.”

Casual Games on Windows: Windows Live Messenger Games and MSN Games
According to the Casual Games Association, the casual games industry generated $2.25 billion in revenue in 2007 worldwide, with a projected increase of 20 percent in 2008. Microsoft is a leader in the casual games space through gaming platforms including MSN Games and Windows Live Messenger Games. Today, MSN Games is enjoyed by 14 million people each month and offers them more than 600 games to play including “The Office,” “Luxor 3” and “Diner Dash: Hometown Hero.” Windows Live Messenger Games reaches 16 million people per month around the world and has 26 games to choose from, including the new exclusive title “Jigsaw Too Photo Edition.” “Jigsaw Too Photo Edition” is available now and lets players personalise the game by inserting their own photos. Players can also cooperate with each other via Windows Live Messenger to solve their personalised jigsaw puzzles.

Intel at CES have some news!

2008-01-07T17:07:00.000+02:00

Intel Corporation unveiled 16 products today, including the company's first 45 nanometer (nm) processors for IntelR CentrinoR Processor Technology based laptops.

All of these new chips include the company's new transistor formula and 45nm manufacturing process that boost a PC's speed, reduces power requirements, saves on battery life, helps the environment and comes in smaller packages for more fashionable and compact computer designs. With the introduction of the new processors, Intel will be offering a total of 32 desktop, laptop and server processors based on these industry-leading innovations.

The company also highlighted how it will take advantage of its transistor and manufacturing advances to spur a category of small form-factor, low-powered, high-performance devices that deliver broadband Internet access "in your pocket." The processors are up to 25 percent smaller than previous versions so computer makers can create sleek, new designs for consumers ranging from stylish all-in-one desktop PCs to smaller notebooks.

Among the 16 new products, 12 are designed for new laptops and desktops products and four are for servers. All are now lead-free1 and, starting this year, halogen-free2, making the processors a more eco-friendly.

Intel Adds Mobile Processors to Line-up

Intel is shipping five new mobile processors, enabling breakthrough performance and improved battery life, providing consumers with the ability to be more productive or just enjoy their digital entertainment while on the go. Helping to extend battery life is also a new Intel Core
microarchitecture design feature for advanced power management state called Deep Power Down Technology that reduces the power of the processor when it's not running data or instructions to the laptop.

The processors are the foundation for the company's popular IntelR CentrinoR technology for laptops, and deliver improved content and video capabilities with HD DVD* and Blu-Ray* support with an optional third-party decoder. Centrino-based notebooks also come with the Mobile IntelR 965 Express Chipset and wireless networking including the optional support for 802.11n networks with IntelR Next-Gen Wireless-N.

Intel has also added new video and graphics capabilities with IntelR HD Boost that includes IntelR Streaming SIMD Extensions 4 (SSE4) for speeding up workloads including video encoding for high-definition and photo manipulation.

Intel will also use this mobile technology foundation and energy-efficient performance to enable a variety of smaller, cooler and quieter, stylish desktop designs. These computers, including the increasingly popular "all-in-one" category, provide the performance to run a variety of digital
media and the latest software simultaneously, as well as enhanced high-definition video and smoother playback using IntelR Clear Video Technology.

More Mobility on Tap: in Your Pocket; Wireless WiMAX

Pushing the power of the full Internet "in your pocket," Intel's strategy for using low-power Intel Architecture platforms that drastically reduce CPU and chipset power, and package size continues to gain momentum. Intel plans to ship in the first half of this year its first-generation low-power platform chipset that will help deliver a range of ultra mobile and mobile Internet devices from a growing ecosystem of customers.

Intel also continues to work closely with carriers around the world to deploy mobile WiMAX networks. These networks will help deliver true high-speed mobile Internet experiences to a variety of digital devices starting later this year.

Mainstream Desktop PCs Get 45nm Performance and Efficiency Boost

Building on its November 2007 introduction (the IntelR CoreT2 Extreme quad-core processor QX9650), Intel announced three quad core and four dual core 45nm-based processors for mainstream desktop PCs arriving later this month and throughout the first quarter of the year.

The new IntelR CoreT 2 Quad and Intel CoreT 2 Duo processor offerings will speed the transition to Intel's newest processor line and multicore adoption, and are arriving at a time when digital and high-definition content, including photos, home videos, music, television shows and social networking, continues to grow exponentially.

Consumers will realize more performance at a variety of PC purchase prices as these processors feature a range of clock speeds, large L2 caches, and also come equipped with IntelR HD Boost (SSE4 instructions). These 45nm processors are also a requirement for computer-makers carrying the Intel CoreT2 Processor with ViivT technology brand, making it easier for consumers to select a great entertainment PC with Intel's most innovative technologies.

Dual core desktop processor-based PCs using these new processors begin shipping this month; quad core-based systems plan to arrive later this quarter.

The company also introduced four Intel Xeon processors for servers and workstations; they are expected to ship this quarter.

XBox 360 is all that and some chips.

2008-01-07T15:31:00.000+02:00

Holiday 2007 was a blockbuster season for the gaming industry, and Xbox 360 has hands-down emerged as the industry leader. Consumers spent more holiday dollars on the Xbox 360 total gaming experience: a great variety of consoles and the best games.

Here are some breaking sales figures:

* Microsoft has sold more than 17.7 million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide

* Microsoft has sold more than 8.1 million copies of "Halo 3" since its launch September 25, 2007

* "Mass Effect" reached 1.6 million units sold, in just six weeks since it went on sale November 20, 2007

* Consumers spend more on Xbox software and accessories, with a record-high software attach rate of 6.9, according to NPD

2008-01-07T12:11:00.000+02:00

Megarom Interactive (Pty) Ltd, announced that it will be releasing Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock on PC for the first time in March 2008.

Crank Up the Volume and prepare to rock with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Battle against some of the greatest guitar legends to ever shred on a guitar and become one yourself. Take your shredding skills online against other Guitar Hero players from around the world. Grab your Guitar Hero Controller and unleash your inner rock legend.

“Welcome to the jungle, we got fun n' games !”

“The lyrics from the Guns N’Roses’ hit “Welcome to the Jungle” summed up perfectly the Guitar Hero concept. The biggest critic and commercial success of 2006 comes in a third opus called Legends of Rocks.

You can play the guitar components of some of the greatest songs that have marked the history of rock music over the past two decades: "Paint it Black" (Rolling Stones), "One" (Metallica), "Anarchy in the UK "(Sex Pistols)," Kool Thing "(Sonic Youth) and a ton of features and surprises.”

A total dive in the universe where you’ll be able to wake up the rock guitarist in you! With the new wireless Gibson guitars, take the stage and rock the audience with your solos. Compete with legendary guitarists like Slash (Guns’n Roses) and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), and accompany mythical singers like Bret Michaels (Poison). Experience concerts and tours which will change your life !

Guitar Hero 3 Bundle (which includes the guitar) will also be available on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Playstation 2 in March 2008.

Free Map Updates, Bring it On!!!

2008-01-07T12:06:00.000+02:00

South African drivers will now be able to update their own maps on their GPS devices as they drive, and harness the local knowledge of fellow users to receive live updates on routes and road closures, thanks to Map Share technology, brought to you by TomTom, the world’s no.1 personal navigation company.

TomTom Map Share is a unique map improvement technology that enables users to easily and instantly improve maps directly on their GPS devices, and share their maps with the rest of the TomTom community of users, helping people to “drive like a local, wherever you are”, says Rutger-Jan van Spaandonk of Core Group, TomTom’s representative in Southern Africa.

He added that this feature was especially helpful given the upcoming holiday season, when many of South Africa’s drivers will be on unfamiliar roads.

Users link their TomTom navigation device to their computer and the info is sent through to TomTom, which verifies the change and then makes updates available on a daily basis to all TomTom users for automatic download via their PC or Mac, and from there onto their navigation device. Users can choose whether to receive all corrected maps from fellow users, or just those that have been verified by TomTom. “We believe this will be a very successful feature, as no one can improve maps in the way that drivers knowing local routes can,” van Spaandonk said.

TomTom has beefed up the safety features in its product ranges as well. Of particular interest is the emergency 'Help Me!' menu, which includes information about the nearest car repair centre, police station or hospital, and allows users to either locate or call the closest emergency service provider, no matter where they are. It also allows users to quickly identify their exact location, so that they can provide this information to emergency assistance providers and receive help more quickly.

“In all, we want to make driving faster and safer. With these products, we want to take the 'E' out of 'ETA' (estimated time of arrival),” said van Spaandonk.

Services such as Map Share and the Help Me menu will become the key driver for GPS devices in the future, predicts van Spaandonk. “There are so many GPS makers out there and I don't think adding bells and whistles such as MP3 functionalities to players will attract more customers,” he said. “Services will be more important to users.”

TomTom’s Map Share technology revolutionizes electronic mapping in two ways. First, a mechanism allows the user of a TomTom navigator to correct their map instantly on their own device – rather than altering the main map database, a unique map correction overlay is stored locally on the navigation device.

Other errors and feedback can be reported directly from the device. These reports do not have immediate effect on the user’s map.

But the real innovation is that these map corrections can then be shared with all other TomTom users, simply by connecting your device to TomTom HOME software application via a PC or Mac. The process is of course reciprocal, so the user can simultaneously upload changes and corrections submitted by other users (at the time of writing, some 12 million people worldwide). These corrections will in turn reduce the level of map errors, so improving the accuracy and reliability of the maps.

TomTom’s van Spaandonk says the technology is in many ways a turning point in the history of the satellite navigation industry. “The moment when we first harnessed the local knowledge of our millions of users and applied it on a global scale, to the benefit of those same users, we started talking about the democratisation of map-making.”

Skype on the PSP, YES!!!

2008-01-07T08:45:00.000+02:00

Sony said on Monday that it had teamed up with Skype to enable users of its new slim PlayStation Portable handheld video game machine to make free or low cost telephone calls around the world.

In the latest move by the electronics giant to try to broaden the appeal of its consoles amid fierce competition with rival Nintendo Co, Sony said the new service would be available in late January for PSP-2000 owners.

After a system software update, PSP users will be able to chat for free to other Skype users and, for a charge, call landlines and cellphones anywhere in the world, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc said in a statement.

The move aims to "promote the expansion of the PSP platform as a handheld entertainment system to enjoy a variety of interactive digital entertainment", it said.

Skype, which was bought by eBay in October of 2004, uses a peer-to-peer network to enable users to make free internet telephone calls to each other through their computers.

Skype calls "out" to standard or mobile telephones can be made at low rates.

Sony meanwhile, which changed the way the world listens to music with the Walkman, is trying to regain its cool credentials after struggling in recent years against innovative new products like Apple's iPod and Nintendo's Wii.

Wishes for 2008

2007-12-27T15:51:00.000+02:00

Wishes for the future often accompany the celebrations that ring in the start of a new year. And for technology fans, there's plenty to put on the wish list.

For while 2007 was a big year for product rollouts, in some ways it was transitional: offering us mere glimpses of the better things that might come. Here are a few.

--- An iPhone for the rest of us

Apple's iPhone was clearly a hot item in 2007, but there was just one problem: only those with deep pockets could justify the splurge. In addition to paying around 500 dollars for this stylish, versatile device, some had to switch cell carriers, since Apple did not have agreements in place with most network providers.

Could we actually see a cheaper iPhone in 2008? Some think it's inevitable if Apple hopes to achieve wider market penetration. The company does, after all, have a history of making a hot product more affordable. The iPod MP3 player was followed-up by the less expensive Nano and other models. Why not an iPhone Nano?

--- A better Vista

Here's to hoping 2008 is a "do over" year for Windows Vista. Although Microsoft's biggest product offering of 2007 is selling well, that's mostly because computer makers are delivering it by default on most new PCs and notebooks. Sales of Vista at the retail level and to corporations have been relatively weak. The reason: Vista just doesn't offer enough compelling features to warrant an upgrade from Windows XP.

To make matters worse, Vista's interface overhaul means that users need to put in some significant time relearning things that were second nature in XP. Performance and compatibility have also been widely criticised.

But Microsoft has a chance to make things better with Service Pack 1 of Vista, available now in a beta (pre-release) version. The final Service Pack 1 of Vista is due early next year and will reportedly address concerns about sluggishness and compatibility.

--- Faster wireless

The 802.11n wireless networking protocol has not yet been ratified, but it's close. 2008 is expected to be the year that 802.11n - which provides wireless networking speeds that easily rival those of today's common wired networks - is finally made official and interoperable products start appearing.

The advantages of 802.11n are significant. With ultra-fast wireless connections, users will not only be able to stream video and music from hotspots around the world, but worthwhile in-house networks can be formed that allow all computers to share files and be backed up safely and quickly. Current 802.11g wireless connections are good for checking e-mail and surfing the Internet, but not much more. May 2008 be the year that 802.11n truly frees networked computer users from wires.

--- An end to the high-def wars

Blu-ray versus HD DVD: the war over a high-definition video standard has been raging for years now, and there's no apparent end in sight. The real victims are consumers with high-definition television sets but no affordable way of playing high-def DVDs on them. Buying a Blu-ray or HD DVD player means two things: locking yourself into one standard over the other and paying a big price premium for the privilege. A typical Blu-ray DVD player costs between 600 and 1,000 dollars, compared to your average DVD player of just around 100 dollars.

It's true that hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD players are starting to appear - but again at a price premium. Some pundits predict that the movie studios will pressure the players on either side of the standards war to come up with a single format in 2008, since no one believes that wide consumer adoption of players will occur until there's a unified standard. Here's to hoping those pundits are right.

--- Ubiquitous Internet

Thanks to wireless hot spots, it's getting easier to be online no matter where you are, but we're still not there yet. Existing wireless hot spots needs to be upgraded to 802.11n as soon as it's available, since it offers not only faster wireless speed but also much wider coverage. And public venues such as airports and coffee shops need not only to offer wireless but also to do so at no cost to the user. Quite simply, people will prefer locations that offer free, fast wireless, and there's an obvious commercial advantage in attracting people. Here's to hoping that venues come to understand that in 2008.

--- A surge for open source

There's good reason to hope that 2008 is a watershed in open source software, a period when computer users learn that there are realistic alternatives to fee-based software. Open source products such as OpenOffice.org (http://www.openoffice.org) have proven that free software can be not only as powerful as the big-name products from Microsoft, Corel, and others, but they can be entirely compatible with those products as well. Today, a computer user can outfit a machine with virtually any productivity application at no cost whatsoever. Open source can put the power of computing in more hands than ever before.

--- A pause for thankfulness

Personal computer technology has advanced at a rate unimaginable when the first PCs were introduced to the public. A little over 20 years ago, a typical computer user was sitting next to a large, expensive 8088-based PC with 256k of RAM and two floppy drives, staring at a green or amber monochrome screen on which flickered a text-based application, probably a word processor or spreadsheet.

The goal was usually the same: printing out work on roll paper using a loud, slow, dot-matrix printer. The computer and printer would have lightened a person's wallet by some 5,000 dollars, and the next year would have brought newer technology that all but made the current machine obsolete.

Now your typical computer user sits in front of a large, thin flat-panel monitor, multitasking, communicating with people around the world, shopping, or talking for free over the Internet. And all of this capability is powered by a machine that not long ago would have made a rocket scientist green with envy. The total cost is typically less than half that of the old green screen, box, and printer.

So while a new year is for wishing and more gadgets are typically what gets a tech fan's attention, it's helpful to take some time out to reflect upon how far we've come. It's not that difficult, after all, to be thankful that technology has given us the ability to do things that a generation ago would have been unthinkable: sending e-mail, accessing the world's store of knowledge online, crunching numbers, compiling mounds of music and video digitally, working "virtually," and much more. Without the technology we have, the world would be a much less flexible place. And for that there's cause to give thanks.

Nokia N81

2007-08-29T13:26:00.000+02:00

YAY!!! Nokia have brought out a new phone! Who would have thought?
Not just any phone though, a Multimedia device that lets you "live in the internet". Nokia have also launched OVI, meaning "door" in Finnish. Nokia are hoping that we will open the door for them and create a whole new internet world.
We will be able to buy "all the music in all the world", they say. I cannot wait to see what the South African music industry will have to say to that.

Games are on the way too. Costing between 6 and 10 Euros, which in my book is not cheap, but who am I to judge this one, kids of today are the gamers and daddy has more money thatn you and I will ever have.

On the right of this post is the new Nokia N81. VERY PRETTY, all say ooooohhhh.
8GB of onboard memory, new graphic interface and touchy feely buttons. Nokia are promising touch screen soon, do we really need that?
All will be revealed from October!

Censorship is alive and well in South African Companies

2007-08-01T16:01:00.000+02:00

South African companies are beginning to follow their international counterparts in blocking workers' access to popular social networking site Facebook.

They cite concerns over productivity -- but some experts defend the site, saying it holds huge potential as a business tool.

Standard Bank is among those who have moved to include it on its list of the company's blocked leisure sites to prevent people spending non-productive time on non-work related issues, said bank spokesman Erik Larson.

And, according to Absa, the banking group has done the same although it will consider access based on individual requests.

"We don't see any business need for Absa staff to access the site," said a spokesman.

"Under certain circumstances we do grant permission to have access, but look at each case on merit so they are not totally cut off."

Facebook users also report that Wesbank and a number of smaller companies are following this trend.

According to the site's own research, its 31 million active users spend an average of 20 minutes a day interacting with their "friends".

But, most newcomers to the phenomenon, which has at least 170,000 users on the South African network, say they are addicted and spend far more than that interacting with their "friends" locally and globally

Website traffic monitor www.alexa.com ranks Facebook as the second most visited website in South Africa, next to Google, and Facebook ranks South Africa in the top 10 user countries.

"I can completely understand why they are restricting access to Facebook and Youtube (a video sharing site, also popular)," said Alan Levin, chairman of the Internet Society of SA.

"They can be incredibly addictive and in 99 percent of cases it is not productive. Corporate companies are grappling with the decision (to block it)."

The impact on infrastructure could be established by determining which business model a company has chosen -- whether they have a constrained pipeline or a system capable of handling higher traffic volumes.

But, said Levin, Facebook forms part of the global knowledge economy, and compnies are beginning to recognise and explore the possibilities beyond the purely social, for their own uses, as well as the potential it holds for research and development.

The site gives users a chance to list their likes, dislikes, interests, religious and political beliefs, schools, colleges, workplace and profession, as well as birthdate and hometown.

A keyword search for "journalism" for example, will bring up a list of all Facebook members who have included journalism in their profile details.

The user can then opt to ask someone to become their "friend".

This can be accepted or denied by the targeted friend and if accepted, they are listed on a group of friends with an accompanying picture -- and can communicate with each other on their common interest.

It began as a social network within the US's Harvard university, accessed through a student number, and has been rolled out gradually internationally.

Users can reconnect with long-lost friends already on the network by joining existing groups -- like an old school group -- or create groups where they interact with people with the same interests by writing on a "wall" or through private messaging.

People selected as friends can also see each other's personal details and wall posts, although privacy settings can fine tune that.

Users can also use or create a group and invite others to join. These range from ex-university pals and support groups, to quirkier groups like the local "Harry Pather and the Order from Phoenix" or "I don't care how comfortable Crocs are, you look like a dumbass".

"There is such a big market -- Facebook's target market is 18 and 35 --and this market is highly desirable. These issues have to be weighed up," said Levin.

Eric Edelstein, who runs an affiliate networking company www.trafficsynergy.com said: "It can hamper productivity, but, it is also a fantastic marketing tool."

He related a story of how he had tried unsuccessfully to make contact with a potential business partner in the US. As a last resort, he searched for the person's name on Facebook and sent them an instant message.

"Within five minutes he replied," said Edelstein. "It allows you to find the right person in a company very quickly. A lot of people are now using Facebook as a means of contacting people for the workplace."

He added that when he is about to meet a new business partner, he looks them up on Facebook and reads their profile to prepare for the meeting.

He also enthused about the possibilities the Facebook data base holds for companies, and the way the site allows outside users to add their own applications.

One of these has just been launched by local company Fontera which, through an application called Nudgemii, allows Facebook users to send free SMS messages to their friends all over the world.

Steven Ambrose, who heads the strategy division of technology researchers World Wide Worx, likens Facebook to the village fountain where people gathered to chat.

"It's taken off like crazy in South Africa," said Steven Ambrose, who heads the strategy division of technology research company World Wide Worx.

"It's in everybody's face."

Although its function is still mainly social, companies are making a lot of contacts and getting a lot of information from it.

"Companies are establishing a presence on Facebook which makes it quite compelling -- it's all part of the new interaction on the web," said Ambrose.

Regarding productivity, he points out that this needs to be compared with other time-consuming work-time activities like smoke breaks.

The biggest impact is bound to be on the company's bandwidth but, if users are just chatting, the impact should be minimal.

However, loading videos and songs could have a huge impact. It would certainly help chew up the limited bandwidth available for home use.

As with all networking sites, privacy is an issue and concerns have already been raised about possible risks to minor's safety.

"Young and vulnerable people shouldn't have totally uncontrolled access to the web," advised Ambrose.

Meanwhile, a quick search reveals that my deputy editor is on Facebook --mmm better quickly check my wall posts...

IBURST GIVES VOIP THE THUMBS UP

2007-04-02T15:10:00.000+02:00

Affordable voice communication in South Africa today received a boost with the launch of iCall, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service from iBurst.

iCall enables iBurst subscribers to make calls at competitive rates to any cellphone or landline in the world using their modems and VoIP devices which can be purchased from iBurst.

Compared to using a traditional fixed line phone, iCall subscribers will save 17% on calls to South African cellphones, 15% on national calls and in excess of 70% to many international destinations. With iCall, it is cheaper to call a landline number in Australia, China, the UK, USA and most of Europe than it is to call Cape Town from Johannesburg from a traditional landline.

The wireless broadband provider is emerging as a surprise player in the VoIP market. Already, iBurst is the only wireless broadband provider not to penalize subscribers who make VoIP calls across their networks.

“iBurst doesn’t have any traditional voice revenue to cannibalize so we’re quite happy to encourage the adoption of VoIP,” said Thami Mtshali, CEO of iBurst.

The deregulation of the telecommunications industry announced by Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri in September 2004 means that dozens of ISPs are beginning to take advantage of this cost-saving technology.

“VoIP allows individuals and organisations in particular to direct their savings towards priority areas,” added Mtshali.

Upon iCall signup, subscribers will be allocated an iCall number. The process is password-protected to verify calls being made and ensure accurate billing. The applicable rate for the destination and the duration of the call will determine how the subscriber's voucher is depleted.

Strict security protocols will ensure that calls are only made with the allocated username and password issued during signup. Subscribers are required to pay a subscription fee of R50 per month including VAT after which pre-paid vouchers need to be purchased as an additional top-up option for using the service. These are currently available in R100 and R200 denominations. The subscription allows for unlimited free calls between iCall subscribers which is ideal for inter-branch communication, amongst other uses.

An itemised bill will be mailed to subscribers electronically ensuring that they are aware of their monthly usage. iBurst also offers telephonic and e-mail support to ensure that all queries are dealt with quickly and efficiently.

Interested parties are invited to signup for their iCall service using http://www.iburst.co.za/, where they will also be able to access the applicable rates, terms and conditions along with further information.

iBurst’s wireless broadband service, which will cost as little as 12 cents a megabyte from 1 April, is up to three times faster than 3G and 17 times faster than dial-up. iBurst’s most affordable package from April is “Play Intro” offering 200 megabytes of data at R149 per month.

iBurst continues to lead the way by offering unrestricted VOIP, data-carryover, month-to-month contracts and great customer service.

For further information regarding iBurst products, the company's call centre can be reached 24 hours a day either via telephone (0860 IBURST or 0860 428 778) or email (sales@iburstgroup.co.za).

EA SPORTS FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 3 GETTING READY TO PACK A PUNCH ON MOBILES

2007-03-13T14:11:00.000+02:00

Electronic Arts announced today the launch of EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3. The critically acclaimed boxing game franchise will become available for download from April 2007 allowing mobile fans to be able to build and customize their boxer’s look and fighting style and fight their way from no name contender to champion of the world.

EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3 is an action-packed mobile game for diehard and casual boxing fans alike and is the closest thing to being in the ring without actually getting punched! Featuring ten of the most famous and notorious boxers of all time, gamers can take on the ring style of champions from Ricky Hatton to Oscar de la Hoya whilst enjoying breathtaking graphics, up to five different fighting venues, and an opportunity to create and design their own boxer to use in the ring.

From the pre-fight press conference and weigh-in to fitness and skills training, EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3 ensures no boxing fan is ever left outside the ring. The gameplay has been especially adapted for mobile and features a high-risk, high-reward punch system where gamers will put down their opponent or go down for the count. Jabs, hooks, haymakers, special moves, combos, counters and knock downs add to the fierce action. EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3 is quite simply the most realistic and graphically impressive boxing game available on mobile.

“The Fight Night franchise has been hugely successful for EA SPORTS™ and we’re delighted to be able to bring the passion and drama to mobile gamers across Europe – we’re certain it will be a knock-out!” said Javier Ferreira, VP European Publishing, EA Mobile.

To learn more on EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3 please go to www.eamobile.com

VIA Launches Most Powerful, Most Efficient and Most Media-Rich Nano-ITX Mainboard

2007-03-13T13:38:00.000+02:00

Next generation VIA EPIA NX first to feature the power efficient 1.5GHz VIA C7 processor, or the 1.2GHz VIA Eden for the fastest fanless Nano-ITX, plus the VIA CX700M2 system media processor for the richest visual experience

Taipei, Taiwan, 13 March 2007 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of PC platform solutions, today introduced the 12cmx12cm VIA EPIA NX-series mainboard, the highest performance, most power efficient and feature-rich Nano-ITX platform ever.

Designed for ultra compact embedded systems with demanding digital media requirements, such as slimline LCD PCs and digital signage, small yet powerful set top boxes and next generation car PCs, the VIA EPIA NX takes the Nano-ITX mainboard to the next level, boasting the latest generation VIA processors based on the ‘Esther’ core offering the VIA V4 bus, highly effective power management and the world’s most advanced hardware security.

Available with the 1.5GHz VIA C7 processor, or the 1.2GHz VIA Eden processor for the fastest fanless configuration, the VIA EPIA NX offers a host of advanced multimedia features through the VIA CX700M2 system media processor. This all-in-one digital media IGP chipset integrates the VIA UniChrome Pro II 2D/3D graphics core and an extensive array of high end audio and video technologies, including Vinyl Multi-channel HD audio, hardware MPEG-2/-4 and WMV9 video decoding acceleration, and a built-in HDTV encoder up to 1080i for the richest entertainment experience.

“Better multimedia within increasingly smaller, slimmer packages is clearly the main trend in consumer information and entertainment systems, and defined the design of this latest generation Nano-ITX mainboard,” said Daniel Wu, Assistant Vice President, VIA Platform Solutions Division, VIA Technologies, Inc. “The powerful, feature-rich EPIA NX will help fulfill the Nano-ITX ‘New Vision’ by enabling quieter, more space-saving and reliable embedded systems, further promoting the adoption of the x86 platform in everyday systems.”

The VIA EPIA NX-series Nano-ITX mainboard will be on display at the PressExpoUSA press event on Friday 16 March at the Messe Convention Centre during CeBIT 2007; learn more about this event at: www.via.com.tw/en/company/events/cebit2007/index.jsp.

About the VIA EPIA NX-Series Nano-ITX Mainboard

Measuring just 12cm x 12cm, the powerful, feature-rich yet highly power efficient VIA EPIA NX Nano-ITX mainboard is available with either the 1.5GHz VIA C7 processor or fanless 1.2GHz VIA Eden processor supporting the 400MHz VIA V4 bus and integrating the VIA PadLock Security Engine, combined with the VIA CX700M2 advanced system media processor with its support for a wide range of digital media technologies and I/O appropriate for the consumer electronics market.

The VIA CX700M2 system media processor features the VIA UniChrome Pro II 2D/3D graphics core, and boasts the VIA Chromotion CE video display engine, including an integrated HDTV encoder that utilizes an advanced ASIC with VIA’s Advance ProScale^® Technology to scale the input resolution for 640x480 up to 1024x768 encode for 1080i, 720p standard HDTV resolution output, as well as hardware decoding acceleration of MPEG-2/-4 and WMV9 video. The latest high definition audio is supported through VIA Vinyl 8-channel HD audio, and a rich range of display options includes an integrated LVDS connector plus a DVO pin connector for an additional LVDS panel through an appropriate daughterboard, plus a TV-out connector for S-Video, Component and Composite display outputs for unparalleled flexibility.

The VIA EPIA NX Nano-ITX mainboard has two Serial ATA connectors for full featured native SATA II RAID 0, 1, 0+1, configured using the VIA DriveStation SATA RAID with the VIA CX700M2, an Ethernet port for seamless broadband connectivity with the optional upgrade of Gigabit Ethernet, and supports up to 1GB of DDR2 400/533MHz SO-DIMM memory.

More details about the VIA EPIA NX-series Nano-ITX mainboard may be found on the VIA website at:

http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/mainboards/motherboards.jsp?motherboard_id=470 while information on the VIA CX700M2 system media processor can be found here:

http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/chipsets/c-series/cx700m/

VIA EPIA NX-series Nano-ITX Availability

The VIA EPIA NX-Series Nano-ITX mainboard is available now for developers, and will be available through authorized distributors shortly. For pricing and availability, please contact your local VIA sales representative or send an email to: embedded@via.com.tw.

The Local War has Started

2007-03-05T09:05:00.000+02:00

As you see in the article below this one, the PS3 gets launched in South Africa on 23 March. That is just a few days away now. On the 14th of March, the people that bring out the XBox here in South Africa are having a press function. Perfectly placed, 9 days before the launch of thier biggest opposition here in South Africa, what do you expect Microsoft to be doing on the 14th?

If they are lucky, thier press function and news will come out at the same time as the PS3 launch news, maybe just a little before. I am imagining that the news will be the launch of XBox Live which, until now, has not been avaialable to people with South African addresses.

The PS3 has some sort of wireless network and I am sure, is able to connect to the WWW without too much of a fuss. Until now, the XBox has not been able to do that.

The war is on.

Or is it?

At Look & Listen last night, I saw the price of the PS3! Are they insane? R6000 for a console that can play DVD's that aren't in South Africa yet? I think not!

Official Specs for PS3 in South Africa

2007-02-27T16:08:00.000+02:00

Sony announced last week that PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) to be launched in the PAL territories, which includes South Africa, on 23 March 2007 would utilise a new hardware specification.

The local PS3 will feature the Cell Broadband Engine™, 60 GB hard disc drive, Blu-ray Disc player, built-in Wi-Fi connectivity and SIXAXIS™ wireless controller. It also embodies a new combination of hardware and software emulation which will enable PS3 to be compatible with a broad range of original PlayStation®(PS) titles and a limited range of PlayStation®2 (PS2) titles.

“PS3 is first and foremost a system that excels in playing games specifically designed to exploit the power and potential of the PS3 system,” said David Reeves, President of SCEE. “Games designed for PS3 offer incredible graphics quality, stunning gameplay and massively improved audio and video fidelity that is simply not achievable with PS and PS2 games. Rather than concentrate on PS2 backwards compatibility, in the future, company resources will be increasingly focused on developing new games and entertainment features exclusively for PS3, truly taking advantage of this exciting technology.”

Some additional PS2 titles will become compatible on the PS3 system through regular downloadable firmware updates, which will be made available through the PLAYSTATION®Network, from www.playstation.com or via PS3 game discs, with the first update planned for the launch date of the 23rd March 2006.

Users will be able to check whether their titles are compatible with PS3 at http://faq.eu.playstation.com/bc. This site will be available on 23rd March to meet launch day.

Motofone F3

2007-02-21T07:57:00.000+02:00

How much can you take out of a phone to make it cheap yet still be used by the "cool" people?

The Motorola Motofone F3 hs gone the opposite of all cell phone companies and created a pretty phone, thin and light, that is difficult to use!

As you can see, it's thin, very thin. But as you can see, no colour screen and no camera. It wasn't too long ago that people were asking why a camera was in a cell phone. These days, people NEED that camera. I know people who don't own a stand-alone camera and use just thier cell-phone camera. In an attempt to create a cheap phone, Motorola have dropped the camera.

The phone comes in a pretty tin-type-container. Massive manual which you HAVE to read. Unlike modern phones, you can't just pick it up and useit. There is no menu, but a left/right key to chose highlighted icons. You havr to know what these icons mean t be able to select them. They just didn't make sense to me.

No MMS, no E-mail, no MP3. All the things I expect from a modern phone. Remember, it is thin.

The spec sheet from the Motorola site lists the things it can do, like Voice Prompts. Now that is cool. The phone tells you what to do. Good when you are alone, not so good when at work or in a noisy area where you can't hear it.....

Otherwise not much to say except I used it for one evening and HAD to change it. I am not the target market for this one.

You can buy one from Bid-or-Buy for R459 but the price is R549. Cheap, very cheap.

Microsoft's Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000

2007-02-21T07:44:00.000+02:00

I have been working on the 4000 for a couple of weeks now and didn't like it, at first. This review is being typed on a regular keyboard, Microsoft's fingerprint reader. Now that I am on a regular keyboard, I have to say that the Ergonomic one is a little better. Already my wrists are not as comfortable and I have nothing to rest on. How lazy have we become that we need something to rest on while type?

Let's start at the beginnig...

The Ergonomic 4000 is a USB keyboard, which is strange, I would have thought that everything would be wireless these days. Plug it in and it works. I am running VISTA at the moment and all seemed to work well.

The one thing you will notice about the keyboard is that it tilts down to the monitor unlike EVERY other keyboard ever made, that tilts down to the user. According to Microsoft, this is a better posistion in which to type. Strange that someone only thought of that now, my music teacher could have told them that in the 80's. The angle does take some getting used to as finding a key at the top of the board, there the Function keys are is a challenge. You kind of have to peak over the hill, as it were.

The Keyboard is a split one. Some letter on the left and some on the right. For a typist like me that only uses one finger on his left hand to type, this was not right. I felt as if the B was in the worng place and I had to cross over a few times to type something. I found that I made more mistakes when typing on the 4000.

The keyboard has a GREAT wrist rest, made of what feels like, fake leather. Very pretty in black and doesn't make you sweat at all like a plastic rest would.

The keyboard comes with all the expected added exras, like a zoom knob, multimedia controls and shortcut keys. You can find out all the details at thier site.

For a regular typist, I am sure that this keyboard would work fantasically. Some one who doesn't have to look at the keyboard while thy type. My PA would love one. As for the regular home user, I think that the cost of $60 is a little high for a pretty dekstop attachment.

How Much is Too Much

2007-02-15T09:32:00.000+02:00

In computing, is there ever such a thing as too much? Too much speed, too much memory, too much space? How about too many screens? Seems not.

Check out what this guy has done to his office. I must say that I WANT ONE!!!!

ROGUE WIRELESS OPERATORS DEGRADE RADIO SPECTRUM

2007-02-15T09:21:00.000+02:00

Rogue wireless Internet Service Providers (ISPs) providing Internet access to consumers in contravention of the Telecommunications Act put extreme pressure on South Africa’s scarce radio spectrum.

“Ultimately, people must decide whether they want to be customers of the Enrons and Masterbonds of the Internet industry,” said Thami Mtshali, CEO of iBurst. Only certain operators such as iBurst are licensed to build their own public communications networks.

The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has already warned illegal wireless ISPs that some contraventions of the Telecommunications Act are criminal offences and that it has decided to establish a “working relationship” with the South African Police Services (SAPS).

“We hope that consumers will not be seduced by unrealistic promises and remember that doing business with potential criminals will harm South Africa’s war on crime,” said Mr Mtshali.

Degradation of the available radio spectrum in a certain area will inevitably result from the operations of illegal wireless operators reselling unreliable, saturated and high latency ADSL lines.

Already, rising demand from licensed mobile and fixed-line operators, broadcasters, ISPs and others is causing ICASA to reevaluate the procedures and criteria for awarding the precious national resource that is radio spectrum.

Illegal operators using the public 2.4 GHz frequency band for commercial purposes not only degrade the spectrum they deny ICASA revenue in the form of license fees which could be used to provide the regulator with the resources it is currently lacking.

Consumers who didn’t carefully choose wireless ISPs with solid track records now face disconnection as ICASA cracks down on illegal operators. ICASA’s view is that all wireless operators outside of wireless hotspots in specific areas and limited in size are illegal.

License conditions stipulate certain minimum service standards and make operators liable for contraventions. Consumers are therefore at risk of paying unlicensed operators for a sub-standard service. ICASA has taken a hard line with non-compliant wireless ISPs by either shutting down their operations or confiscating equipment.

Consumers unsure of whether or not a certain ISP is operating legally should call ICASA’s Licensing, Enforcement and Numbering (LENA) Department on 011 321 8200.

PS3 Date for South Africa, AT LAST!!!!

2007-02-14T11:56:00.000+02:00

The revolution has started… Following widespread speculation, Ster-Kinekor Games has just announced that Sony’s PLAYSTATION®3 home entertainment-console (PS3) will be on sale in South Africa from 23 March 2007 – in conjunction with the console’s launches in the UK and Australasia. An expected one million PS3 units will be made available during the initial launch period.

PS3 is one of the most highly anticipated & sophisticated home entertainment systems to hit the international gaming market. Its features are the first of its kind and also revolutionize features usually associated with gaming consoles. Launching in a sleek black casing designed to enhance the contemporary home entertainment-lifestyle, the PS3 enables games & multimedia to be viewed & experienced in an unparalleled High-Definition environment with top-end audiovisual potential through BlueRay DVD. The system’s revolutionary sensor-sensitive Sixaxis controller can connect up to 7 gamers wirelessly via advanced Bluetooth technology.

Apart from being able to play games with the BlueRay DVD system – the next generation of DVD created for High-Definition (HD) TV systems – the PS3 also acts as a standalone high-end BlueRay DVD player (with a 60GB harddrive), provides storage space for personal photos, videos & music, has more speed than the best PC available commercially and also links to the Internet for downloads & gaming interaction.

A stellar launch line-up of game titles has been confirmed for PS3, including eagerly awaited titles published by Sony Computer Entertainment such as Resistance: Fall of Man™, MotorStorm™, Genji™: Days of the Blade, FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION and Ridge Racer™ 7. An exceptional range of titles in every genre will also be available at launch from the world’s leading third party publishers, including Electronic Arts, Activision, Namco Bandai, Sega, Take 2, Ubisoft, Vivendi Universal, and Sony Online Entertainment.

In addition to games on disc, an exciting range of fully-featured downloadable games will debut on the PLAYSTATION®Network. These will include gaming icons such as Tekken®: Dark Resurrection and Gran Turismo® HD Concept; the fully-featured PS3 debut of the best-selling franchise Gran Turismo, realised with full HD (1080p) visual quality. Created by Polyphony Digital Inc and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, Gran Turismo® HD Concept has been downloaded by more than 350 000 users since it was released in December 2006 in North America and Japan.

Also available on the PLAYSTATION®Network will be brainteasers such as Go! Sudoku and Go! Puzzle, and innovative games such as Blast Factor™ and flOw™, designed exclusively for PLAYSTATION 3 and delivering on the promise to provide original content created by non-traditional developers and publishers.

Selected Sony movie titles are already available in the BlueRay DVD-format. This format is expected to be the preferred format for delivering media in the future. BD-ROM (Blu-ray Disc ROM) has a maximum storage capacity of 54GB (dual layer) which stores 77 times more information than a CD and six times more than a double layered DVD, which means it can hold over 50 000 high resolution photographs, 15 000 music tracks, store full High-Definition movies and games, enabling delivery of entertainment content in full High-Definition (HD) quality, under a secure environment made possible through the most advanced copyright protection technology.
PS3’s console design, features and general iconic status again signals progression in terms of the PlayStation brand’s legendary penchant for stylish, sexy, cutting-edge product design. PS1, PS2 and PSP games (linked via the PSP console) are compatible with PS3.

Responding to a major retail and consumer demand, it has been confirmed that initially only the 60GB model would be available, with the 20GB model to follow later in the year dependant on demand.

Concurrent with the launch, a new System Update to further enhance the entertainment potential of PS3 will be issued.

Bigger and Brighter Navigation from Garmin

2007-02-13T09:31:00.001+02:00

When it comes to the screens on navigation devices, you can’t be too big or too bright. The latest in-car navigation models from Garmin follow that maxim, with more map display space and clearer viewing in bright ambient light.

Avnic Trading has announced the release of the new nüvi 660 and 610 models in the popular nüvi family of GPS navigators and Personal Travel Assistants which feature a new super-bright, 4.3” (109mm) widescreen display for an even clearer navigation display, media player and picture viewer applications. The screen is 480x272 pixels with a white backlight, and is touch-sensitive. All interaction with the units, other than the power button, is through an exceptionally easy to use touch screen interface.

The nüvi 660 and 610 have a further great new feature: both offer Bluetooth® wireless technology for hands-free calling when paired with compatible phones, turning the nüvi into a Bluetooth car kit. An external microphone jack is provided if you want to use a separate microphone.

Top GPS performance is ensured by the high-sensitivity integrated GPS receiver. Navigation instructions are both audio and visual, and the 660 features Text-To-Speech which gives you the full street names – for example “Turn right on Main Street” instead of just “Turn Right”. You can choose between overhead 2D views (track up or North up), or a 3D perspective view. A Points of Interest (POI) loader program lets you set up proximity alerts for school zones, safety cameras, or any other POIs you chose.

Internal memory available for supplemental maps, MP3s and audio books is approximately 700MB, and an SD memory card expansion slot allows you to add even more capacity.

Both units are supplied with Garmap Southern Africa Version 1 on CD and SD card, vehicle suction cup mount and dashboard disk, carrying case, USB interface cable, 12-volt adapter cable and sample MP3s and Language Guide content. The nüvi 660 additionally includes preloaded City Navigator Europe for travellers abroad and an AC charger.

The units weigh just 176g with built-in Lithium Ion battery that gives 3 to 7 hours use.

For further information, please contact Dealer Sales Queries info@garmin.co.za or call 0861 GARMIN / 0861 427646

LG demonstrates next-generation mobile technologies at 3GSM World Congress

2007-02-12T19:02:00.000+02:00

LG Electronics today announced the unveiling of its latest products and future technologies which will take place at the 3GSM World Congress 2007, in Barcelona, Spain, from 12 to 15 February 2007.

One of the main highlights of this congress will be the launch of LG’s second model in the premium “Black Label” series, which will be made known to the consumer as the LG “Shine” phone. The “Shine” will initially be launched in Europe and is expected to arrive in South Africa during May this year.

This range of striking new mobile phones with revolutionary technical features and luxurious designs will be launched under their theme “Born to Shine: the shining moments in your life.”

“In 2006, LG established its reputation in the world market with the Chocolate phone,” said Mr. K.W. Kim, President of LG Electronics – Middle East and Africa. “The European market is experiencing rapid growth in the demand for products with the latest technology and trendy designs, making it a vital market for mobile phone manufacturers around the world”.

“LG will make take a huge leap forward as its premium brand in the mobile industry will be the star of this event. We will introduce some of the most advanced technology that LG has employed to date in order to showcase these masterpiece handsets,” he added. “The models demonstrate how we continue to innovate across our range of products and in so doing, cultivate an unsurpassed customer experience.”

LG’s booth will feature the stunning new “Shine” handset, embodied in exquisite real-metal with a mirrored style. This new phone is the second installment of its premium Black Label series, and has been predicted another bestseller, as was the case last year with the Chocolate phone.

LG and Nortel will also demonstrate long term evolution (LTE), an almost-4G technology, which features data-transfers at twice the speed of HSDPA.

LG will display its second commercialised HSDPA phone and showcase its HSPA (HSDPA, HSUPA), WiMAX and mobile broadcasting (DVB-H, MediaFLO and DMB) during this event in Spain.

The 3GSM World Congress is the world's largest exhibition for the mobile industry, featuring mobile operators, vendors and content owners from across the world. Last year, the event hosted over 50,000 people who attended this unique experience.

LG’s booth is located at Hall 8, 3GSM World Congress in Fira de Barcelona, Spain.

MICROSOFT COMES DOWN HARD ON SOFTWARE PIRACY

2007-02-09T07:09:00.000+02:00

Microsoft Corporation says it will continue to “come down hard” on software piracy after reaching a multi-million dollar settlement with French company, MPO Group, linked to the distribution of thousands of counterfeit copies of its server software.

Disc replicator MPO Group admitted that its Thai subsidiary inadvertently replicated thousands of Microsoft server software discs after relying on a fake licensing agreement. MPO agreed to a multi-million-dollar settlement, and cooperated in the investigation. Details of the agreement have not been disclosed.

Microsoft SA’s Mark Reynolds, Microsoft SA Group Manager: Small Business & Transactional Partners, says that even though MPO “stepped up and did the right thing” by cooperating with the investigation and acknowledging its responsibility, Microsoft felt it had little choice but to insist on a substantial settlement.

“Microsoft cannot stand by when counterfeiting and piracy undercuts the work of honest and responsible resellers and partners whose prices are compromised by the introduction of counterfeit software into the market,” said Reynolds.

“There’s no question that software piracy is a global problem for the industry. By addressing the trade in counterfeit software at the manufacturing level, we are effectively shutting down illegal operators down to the point of production.”

According to MPO, its Thai office manufactured 20,000 counterfeit copies of Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server products in July 2003 on the basis of what turned out to be forged documentation from a third party that purported to have a license to distribute Microsoft software. In fact, Microsoft does not license its software to be reproduced and distributed in this way.

Reynolds continued to say that Microsoft would continue to identify and investigate organisations that manufacture illegal software, with several suspected South African pirate operations under surveillance. The company has been dogged in its pursuit of software piracy, launching the Genuine Software initiative to educate customers and resellers about the tell-tale signs of piracy.

According to the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the software industry lost US$34bn to piracy in 2005 globally, amounting to 35% of all software used worldwide. This figure was up US $1.6bn from 2004. In South 36% of business use illegal software.

“In the last 18 months, Microsoft and law enforcement agencies around the world have seized more than 675,000 units of fake Microsoft software and components. This represents a loss to Microsoft of $84 million,” concluded Reynolds.

MASSIVE HACKER ATTACK SLOWS BUT FAILS TO BRING DOWN INTERNET

2007-02-07T17:11:00.000+02:00

The biggest attack in years on the Internet's backbone servers, which slowed traffic but failed to bring down the Web, used infected computers around the world as "zombies," security experts said Wednesday.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at the London-based firm Sophos, said Tuesday's incident "seems to have been the most serious attack against these domain name servers since December 2002."

Cluley said three of the 13 domain name system (DNS) servers that control global Internet traffic were hit with a so-called "denial of service" attack, which means they were bombarded with information requests in an effort to bring them down.

He said that since the 2002 attacks, "the system has become more resilient and is well set up to bounce back from these attacks."

Mike Poor at the US-based SANS Internet Storm Center said experts at the computer security institute were "aware of the attacks," and trying to get more information about them.

Cluley said a big part of the attacks was linked to so-called "zombie" computers that are infected by spam e-mails, leaving them open to control by hackers.

He said some reports traced the attacks to South Korea, but added that "it doesn't mean the hackers are based there ... the bad guys could be based anywhere in the world."

BBJ Sport Guy: ATHLETES' BLOGS COME UNDER OLYMPIC SCRUTINY

2007-02-07T16:54:00.000+02:00

Seems that new rules need to be made by the IOC, and I am not talking about doping this time.....

BBJ Sport Guy: ATHLETES' BLOGS COME UNDER OLYMPIC SCRUTINY

PlayStation 2 Beats PlayStation 3 Sales in Japan

2007-02-06T15:38:00.001+02:00

The Sony PlayStation 2 sold 20,995 units while the PlayStation 3 sold 19,996 units from Jan. 22 to 28, according to numbers from Media Create. This marks the first time that the PS2 outsold the PS3, though the PS3 has only been available for a couple of months.

The digital entertainment analyst uses the sales data from 3,000 stores to estimate nationwide sales of all Japanese retailers. Sony plans on shipping more than 6 million PlayStation 3 game consoles worldwide before April.

The PlayStation 2 offers a lower price tag, more variety in video games, and higher availability to consumers, which contributed why it was able to sell more units than the PS3. The Nintendo Wii sold 83,000 units in the same time frame -- the Microsoft Xbox 360 sold 7,365 models. Analysts still believe the PS3's superior technology over its competitors will make it the viable console in the long-run.

Reports claim Sony's games divison could see losses as high as $2.57 billion USD for its fiscal year, which ends in March.

Apple: Wait on Vista

2007-02-05T20:14:00.000+02:00

Apple has urged PC users running iTunes wait for a new release of the jukebox software before upgrading to Windows Vista.

The iTunes maker has released a small repair tool that solves one compatibility issue between its jukebox software iTunes and Microsoft's newest version of Windows, but says PC users are better off waiting for the next version of iTunes before upgrading to Vista.

The latest version of iTunes, 7.02, may work with Vista on many typical PCs, but Apple knows of a few incompatibility problems, including some that are serious.

For instance, users who remove their iPod from their computer using the "safely remove hardware" feature in Vista may corrupt the contents of their iPod, Apple says. In addition, users may not be able to make changes to their iPod settings, synch contacts and calendars with the iPod, or play songs they've bought online from the iTunes Store.

Apple offers a support document with tips for customers who do decide to upgrade to Vista before the new iTunes release, including reinstalling the latest version of iTunes. Apple is also now offering the repair tool which should help customers who are having trouble playing songs they've bought from the iTunes Store.

Still, Apple recommends that customers wait until a new release of iTunes becomes available in a couple of weeks before upgrading to Vista.

Microsoft, which launched the long-awaited operating system last week, recommends just the opposite.

"We're committed to ensuring that all partners, including Apple, get all of the resources they need to ensure that their applications work with Windows Vista. Customers shouldn't feel that they need to wait to adopt Vista for these reasons," Microsoft said in a statement.

Microsoft offers software partners a variety of resources to ensure that their products will be compatible with Vista, it said.

Iomega expands storage capacity of two popular storage products

2007-02-05T13:15:00.000+02:00

Iomega Corporation, a global leader in data storage and protection, has announced new versions of two of its versatile storage products: the high-end Iomega UltraMax desktop hard drive with expanded capacity to a towering 1Terrabyte, and a new stylish black small form-factor Iomega dual interface portable hard drive with 120Gigabytes of storage capacity.

Designed for Mac OS X users, Iomega’s popular UltraMax desktop hard drives deliver secure, high-capacity storage in a rugged enclosure that complements the Apple Mac Pro and Power Mac series of computers. With RAID 1 and a built-in FireWire and Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0) hub for future expansion, Iomega’s UltraMax drives excel in digital content creation, graphic design, and other disk-intensive tasks.

“Apple’s Mac Pro is a thoroughbred personal computer that needs an external storage system that can keep pace,” said Bobby Kennedy, Key Account Manager for Iomega in South Africa. “With FireWire 800, the Mac HFS+ file system, and RAID 1 performance, Iomega’s new UltraMax drive has incredible power right out of the box, and its interface choices and RAID options will enhance your workflow whether you’re connecting it to Mac Pro, an iMac, or a MacBook.”

In addition to the default mode of RAID 0, which stripes data across the UltraMax drive’s two 7200-RPM SATA hard drives, other drive settings include RAID 1, ‘spanned’ (both hard drives are treated as a single volume), and ‘simple’ (each hard drive is treated as its own drive letter). For ease of use, the new Iomega UltraMax Desktop Hard Drive has a manual RAID switch, allowing the user to turn off the RAID configuration and use the drive configured as JBOD.

The Iomega UltraMax Hard Drive is preformatted with Apple’s HFS+ file system for Mac OS X users. HFS+ makes more efficient use of large hard drives and supports journaling under Mac OS X, which makes it easier to recover data in case of a problem.

The stackable UltraMax drive enclosure complements the new Mac Pro series of Apple computers as well as the older Power Mac series. The enclosure is metallic grey with a mesh grill, an echo of the Mac Pro computer’s industrial design. Its three interfaces include FireWire® 800, FireWire 400, and Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0), and it provides users with a three-port Hi-Speed USB hub for easy expansion. Cables for FireWire 800, FireWire 400, and USB 2.0 operation are included with the drive.

Fashionably thin at just 0.5 inches (12.7 mm) and an incredibly light 5.8 oz.(163 g), the Iomega black portable hard drive 120 GB Hi-Speed USB 2.0/FireWire is packed with ideal features for mobile users. It is the perfect storage companion for a Mac notebook, including host-powered operation and Drop Shock technology. The drive’s 2.5-inch hard drive delivers fast 5400 RPM performance and comes with both FireWire 400 (1394a) and USB 2.0 cables.

“Host-powered products are great for mobile users because they eliminate the need to bring along a power adapter and find a wall outlet for it,” said Kennedy. “The Iomega black portable hard drive gets all the power it needs from the USB or FireWire cable. Choice of connectivity combined with 120 Gigabytes and a stylish little package make the new Iomega black portable hard drive an ideal portable hard drive for road warriors and others that need more freedom and versatility in their storage products.”

For secure storage and worry-free backup and disaster recovery, Iomega also includes EMC Retrospect Express software with the new UltraMax Drive and the new Black Portable Hard Drive. Retrospect Express delivers automated, reliable, cost-effective protection for Windows® and Mac® users. Its award-winning design makes it easy to set up and manage highly efficient backups on any personal computer, greatly simplifying disaster recovery. Users can back up open files, verify backup integrity during the backup, have scheduled backups proceed even without logging in, and recover individual files or a complete system to any point in time.

A single Iomega 120GB Dual Interface Black Portable Hard Drive can hold up to 480,000 photos, 2,220 hours of music, or 180 hours of video.

The Iomega UltraMax desktop hard drive 1TB Triple Interface is compatible with Mac OS X 10.1 or above on Apple computers with an Intel processor or G3 processor or higher. The UltraMax Drive can be reformatted to NTFS or FAT32 for use with a PC (instructions included), making it compatible with Microsoft® Windows® 2000, Windows XP Home and XP Professional editions, as well as the upcoming Windows Vista. FAT32 format allows cross-platform use.

The Iomega portable hard drive 120GB Hi-Speed USB 2.0/FireWire is compatible with Mac OS X 10.1 or higher, as well as Windows 2000 Professional/XP Home/XP Professional and Windows Vista.

Speech recognition

2007-02-01T20:27:00.000+02:00

Okay. There are some things that are more important than typing. For example you might want to have a beer in your hand. I have had Windows Vista installed for one. I've just discovered a fantastic new thing and that his speech recognition. This whole entry on this story is done by voice recognition. When you read it supposed to be faster. I have been here for a good 5 minutes and store them struggling to get this thing written.

When I wanna do for now one is not do any corrections. Any mistakes you C and the rest of this paragraph is simply that made by the computer. I promise you I haven't type of thing. I enjoy using Windows Vista so far and I think that I could deduce that. I was talking to a friend of mine today and we were wondering what the big hype was. Shelley, there shouldn't be a big help. That is supposed to be hyper not help. Even that was not supposed to be hyper just hype. There we go. It only took three times to work out what I wanted to say. Back to the Windows-based the hype.

Windows is ubiquitous. There is nothing we can do about. I guess they could be better and want to fight with other operating systems. I like windows because when you do something it just works. There is no having to mess about worth codes and things. Take the speech recognition for example; all I did was plug in my headset, typed in speech recognition and here I am typing a blogger to the world. And when assayed tapping I mean talking.

So what about speech recognition? A little known while. Theez for now. Another mistake. But as for now, I'm going to have to learn to speak correctly. At least my spelling is correct.

Windows Vista is HERE!!!

2007-01-31T08:45:00.000+02:00

I have a copy of the 32 bit and the 64 bit Windows Vista. I have had it for a day now so I thought that I would link to a few other sites that have done reviews on the new operating system and then I will write something up later.

Latest Hi-Tech News

Help with Windows.com

OSNews.com

Vista Hunt.com

Coreno.com

Most of the reviews same the same thing. Now we wait and see.

In Box Support for VIA in Vista

2007-01-30T07:40:00.000+02:00

VIA Technologies today confirmed the most comprehensive and flexible range of core logic solutions for Vista-based systems across all the major processor platforms for motherboard, PC, server and device manufacturers.

Five of VIA’s leading edge IGP chipsets have received the Windows Vista Basic logo from Microsoft: the VIA K8M890 and the VIA P4M900 for the latest mainstream AMD and Intel desktops respectively, the VIA K8N890 for AMD processor-powered notebooks, the upcoming VIA CN896 for VIA C7™ processor desktop and embedded systems, and the brand new VIA VN896 mobile chipset for VIA C7-M and Intel Pentium® M processors. All these PCI Express chipsets feature the latest VIA Chrome9™ integrated 2D/3D graphics processor supporting DirectX® 9.0 and the Chromotion™ CE video display engine.

The certification of these chipsets ensures that VIA customers can build desktops, laptops and ultra mobile devices with confidence that they are ready for the highly anticipated new Vista operating system. The testing involved in the certification process guarantees a reliable and trouble free installation and usage of the Ultimate, Enterprise, Business, Home Premium and Home Basic editions of Microsoft Windows Vista.

VIA also boasts leading edge discrete chipsets such as the VIA PT890 and the VIA K8T900 that, combined with DirectX 9.0 PCI Express graphics cards such as the S3 Chrome S27, make the ideal platform to power high-end systems that can really take advantage of the stunning visual effects of Windows Vista™ Premium.

“With the much-anticipated release of Microsoft Windows Vista, we are pleased to support it through our portfolio of feature-rich chipsets covering so many market segments, from the highest performance gaming PCs to handheld ultra mobile devices,” said Chewei Lin, Vice President of Product Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “Our chipsets offer proven and certified building blocks for Vista™ Capable and Vista™ Premium Ready PCs, allowing end-users to enjoy the full Vista™ experience and optimal system performance.”

Support for VIA chipsets is provided in-box with Windows Vista, while additional drivers for VIA Ethernet controllers, VIA Gigabit Ethernet, VIA HD audio, VIA Envy24 Family audio controllers, IGP chipset WDDM drivers for certified chipsets and VIA SATA/RAID controllers are additionally available for download from VIA’s International Technical support website, VIA Arena at http://www.viaarena.com/default.aspx?PageID=2&Type=1

VIRTUA FIGHTER 5 OFFICIAL SITE LAUNCH

2007-01-26T13:07:00.000+02:00

SEGA Europe Ltd. are pleased to announce the launch of the official website for Virtua Fighter 5, the hotly anticipated fighting game for the PlayStation3 computer entertainment system. www.sega-europe.com/virtuafighter5 offers a range of content for both fans of the highly acclaimed series and gamers new to Virtua Fighter.

www.sega-europe.com/virtuafighter5 includes a range of material covering everything from a game information section describing all the aspects of Virtua Fighter 5 to a detailed character section explaining everything there is to know about fighters old and new. An extensive media section allows visitors to view a selection of movies and screenshots, going great lengths to prove the undeniable beauty of Virtua Fighter 5 and also includes a variety of wallpapers and icons for fans to download.

Visitors wanting to brush up on their Virtua Fighter knowledge can browse through the history section of the site to get the inside information on the critically acclaimed and much loved game, helping to make www.sega-europe.com/virtuafighter5 the perfect site for fans of what is hotly tipped to be the world’s greatest fighting game.

For more information on Virtua Fighter 5 please visit www.sega-europe.com/virtuafighter5

PS3 arrogance and a great site

2007-01-26T08:06:00.000+02:00

I sat back yesterday after reading international web sites and realised that I have no idea when the PS3 will be hitting our sunny South African shores. Why do I not know when the PS3 will be hitting our shores? That is a damn fine question. Remember, all of this is happening in my brain, not out loud, that would be sad.

So after reading these international websites on the launch of the PS3 and how much it will cost and that only the expensive version will be available in Europe, I thought that I had better do some research. By the way, us lowly, bandwidth challenged South African form part of Europe. The Japanese might love our animals, and our animals love eating Japanese, but we are still European to them.

I clicked on www.playstation.co.za and followed the link to the PS3 Website. 1st: I hate pop-up windows! Don't do it! But they did and I went, so I moved on. After waiting for 3Kb of Flash movie to load, I saw that the SA launch is in March 2007. WOW!!! Same as Europe, just no date.

Next step, I went to the Ster Kinekor website to phone the people who release all the PS's to South African stores. There are no contact details on the PS3 site. Again, be warned, you have to wait for pretty animation to launch. HAVE THESE PEOPLE LEARNED NOTHING FROM GOOGLE?

The only number you can find on the Ster Kinekor website is Ticket Line. I would love to copy & Paste it here, but the site won't let me. I can also not Skype it as it's all graphic. Anyway, I called the number and told them my story and they told me to call another number. Which I did.

Once I got to that number, a lady tells me to hold, which I did and I get through to a voice mail box that says it's full. GREAT, now what? No option to go back to the operator, so I call again and tell her that the voice mail box is full. She puts me through to another person who seems to know a little more than the ticket line guy.

All she can do, though, is take my details and promise that someone will call me back.

That someone did call me back, yes, I know, it's amazing! She tells me that I am no longer on the mailing list and will check with her PR company if I can get on the list. HELLO!!! I am on a national radio station and run a blog and influence millions, if not tens.

So now I wait.

What I can tell you about the PS3 is what IOL are running this morning. I didn't want to put it up on this site as all of the numbers will be wrong.

But onto better things.

I found this GREAT site named AfriGadget. It features all of those "Boer maak a plan" things that clever minds in tough conditions come up with. You think that your new iPhone is cool, check out what people make when they HAVE to.....

Web Browsing and Mail Retrieval Alternatives for your smartphone

2007-01-24T15:51:00.000+02:00

I've just been investigating how to best view my Gmail account on my Nokia N91 smartphone.

I've had the Gmail/mobile app installed for a while, and I thought it was a godsend. Unfortunately, it's FULL of limitations that makes it completely unsuitable for business use.

Here are the key Gmail/mobile limitations in my book:

1. It's not possible to save attachments in email you've received.

2. There is no way to resize downloaded photos, and they're actually not downloaded. They're simply in a view window that you can't save from.

3. When replying to a message, you cannot see the original text you're responding to. This means that if you're responding to a complex business message, you have no way of verifying what you're answering, until AFTER YOU'VE SENT THE MESSAGE!!!

4. There is no way to 'save a draft' of a message you're writing.

5. Gmail arbitrarily decides on a message-length limit, at which point, it simply truncates the message, without giving you any means to view the truncated part. So if someone sends you a long message, you most likely will not be able to read the entire thing.

6. If you've got the free document viewer loaded (this is a non-Gmail app available from Microsoft), Gmail applies the same arbitrary truncation rule to that. So, if you've received a big Word document, and you're viewing it, it's cut off at the point Gmail decides. And because you can't SAVE the document -- you can only VIEW it!!!! -- there's nothing you can do about this until you get yourself to a real computer.

7. Gmail prevents you from seeing any quoted text. So if I've responded to a message of yours using the traditional email quoting system, you actually cannot see the context that I'm quoting. Gmail strips it out. With no way of seeing it.

I'll give you an example...

Here's what I've typed to Mike...

Mike said:
>I really love the way your last Creativity Seminar ran, Roy

Roy replies:
Cool, dude! It was a pleasure!

This is what Mike actually SEES on his Gmail/mobile app on his phone:

Mike said:
Roy replies:
Cool dude! It was a pleasure!

Aaaaaargh!

NOT acceptable!

So far, the only way round this on a Symbian phone such as mine was to use the built in web browser. which is an authentic nightmare. It's the WORST web browser I have EVER encountered. And I've been on the internet since the very beginning.

So what's the answer?

Prabhu has it solved on the Gmail Help Forum. Here's his solution...

Dear All,
"Gmail mobile in India"
Is a big topic right now I just give small and very inportent
information to all gmail user in India
Option 1:-
Download "OPERA MINI" to your mobile
URL:- www.operamini.com
Start opera and type www.gmail.com
Enter your User id and password in gmail window
And surprise your mailbox is open save this page as a bookmark on
starting window
Note:- you have to refresh this page every time for new mails as its
working great
And its free
Option 2:-
Download "Flurry" in you mobile
URL:- www.flurry.com (you have to register with flurry and its free)
Enter your email id and password on flurry.com up to 5 Accounts
Once you email address and password verified you can read and send your
email to others
Please try it and enjoy
I am using SE W700i with Airtel NOP service and it's great for me.
Thanks and best regards,
Prabhu

Thank you Prabhu! You've saved my life. And you've saved my phone. I LOVE my phone, make no mistake about it. But every single time I get a truncated message on my Gmail app, I have to restrain myself from flinging the phone against a wall.

I've just installed the free operamini webbrowser, and it's a dream. I see EVERYTHING in my Gmail account. Including the quoted text.

Blue skies
love
Roy

VODAFONE UNIT TO OFFER FULL INTERNET PHONES IN GERMANY THIS YEAR

2007-01-24T14:24:00.000+02:00

Arcor, a subsidiary of phones multinational Vodafone, is to offer German customers from March a telephone service that uses the internet only, without traditional phone circuitry, the company said Wednesday in Hamburg.

Spokesman Michael Peter said Arcor would be the first major phone company in Germany to offer home customers the all-internet-protocol (IP) service. Arcor demonstrated a white box the size of a large paperback book which will connect existing phones to the network.

Arcor is Germany's number-two fixed-line phone provider after former monopolist Deutsche Telekom and is 74.9-per-cent owned by London-based Vodafone. Deutsche Bahn and Deutsche Bank own the rest.

Peter said Arcor was currently signing up about 200,000 new customers per quarter in Germany, Europe's biggest market.

Unnoticed by most consumers, many phone companies around the world have completely converted their backbone networks to IP, whereas home and small office customers have been hooked up through old-fashioned analogue phone lines or an ageing technology known as ISDN.

Arcor executive Zoltan Bickel demonstrated the white box, manufactured in Asia to Arcor specifications, which automates the complex task of reconnecting existing phones to the new technology.

He said new customers would be offered the "next generation network" from the time of the Cebit computing trade fair to be held in Hanover, Germany from March 15 to 21 and promised there would be no deterioration in voice quality.

Combined phone and internet access charges would remain the same as at present. There would be no compulsion: users could retain traditional lines if they preferred. Arcor also announced Wednesday a new television service using its broadband connections.

VIA Announces PCI Express Chipset for Vista-Ready Mobility

2007-01-24T12:46:00.000+02:00

VIA VN896 with VIA Chrome9 IGP core supporting DirectX® 9.0 and Chromotion™ 3.0 offers rich visual Hi-Def™ experience for notebooks and ultra portable devices

Taipei, Taiwan, 24 January 2007 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today announced the launch of the VIA VN896 digital media mobile IGP chipset, certified Vista Basic-ready by Microsoft and designed to provide users with unsurpassed visual clarity for notebooks and the new breed of ultra mobile devices.

The VIA VN896 chipset features the VIA Chrome9™ HC integrated graphics processor (IGP) featuring a DirectX® 9.0 3D accelerator for high performance and a 2D accelerator for productivity applications. The 3D graphics engine of the VN896 chipset offers the industry’s only simultaneous usage of single-pass multitexturing and single-cycle trilinear filtering, providing stunning image quality without performance loss.

Also integrated is the latest generation Chromotion™ video display engine, featuring advanced video processing, including acceleration for MPEG-2 decoding, and picture enhancement through adaptive de-interlacing technology and video deblocking, all executed in hardware to offset the processor workload. The VIA VN896 also features versatile LCD panel, CRT and TV-out support, to as high as 1080i high definition, while separate display engines enable two outputs to display at the same time, with different information at different resolutions, pixel depths and refresh rates.

By passing the Microsoft® Windows Vista™ 32bit/64bit Basic logo tests, customers can integrate the VIA VN896 PCI Express chipset into their products with the assuredness of digitally signed drivers and trouble-free installation of Microsoft Windows Vista, including Ultimate, Enterprise, Business, Home Premium and Home Basic editions.

“As computing increasingly goes mobile, the VN896 mobile chipset offers unparalleled visual quality for a rich digital media experience,” commented Chewei Lin, Vice President of Product Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “Coupled with its advanced power saving features, it’s an excellent choice for notebooks and even smaller, ultra mobile devices requiring superior performance and extensive peripheral connectivity.”

The VIA VN896’s robust graphics controller implements dynamic CKE and clock grating to minimize DDR SDRAM power consumption and achieve maximum power savings.

Details on the chipset can be found here...

Garmin’s Two-Wheeler GPS Announced

2007-01-24T07:15:00.000+02:00

Avnic Trading has announced the availability of the first full-featured, no compromises GPS navigators designed specifically for motorcyclists, the all new Zūmo 500 and Zūmo 550.

Motorcyclists have particular requirements that standard automotive navigators fail to meet: they wear helmets and gloves, and they and their equipment are exposed to the elements. The new Zūmo units use Bluetooth1 to link to compatible cell-phones and in-helmet speakers and microphone, allowing the rider to place hands-free calls or answer by simply tapping on the screen. Navigation prompts are also given over the Bluetooth link, announcing full street names so you can keep your eyes on the road. The screen is designed to be used left-handed, with riding gloves, with oversized icons and menus on a high-brightness, sunlight readable and UV-resistant display. The device comes packaged in a rugged waterproof casing (industrial rating IPX7) with a choice of silver or black caps with other optional colours available to match your bike’s colour scheme (and attitude!). An optional external microphone is available.

For entertainment on long trips, an MP3 player is included: songs are loaded onto the Zūmo just by dragging and dropping – no special software is required – and for additional storage there is an SD card expansion slot.

A locking motorcycle mount securely attaches the Zūmo to the bike with a standard 4 hole AMPS mounting, and is supplied with special security screws and screwdriver. Further security is provided by the Garmin Lock anti-theft feature: when enabled you need a PIN to use the device, which is de-activated when you are within 50 meters of a security location that you designate. The 550 additionally comes with a car suction cup mount with built-in speaker and a car power cable, so you can use it with four wheels as well as two.

A console shows trip information, including a re-settable fuel gauge, and proximity alerts can advise you of custom Points of Interest (POIs) such as safety cameras and school zones. If you are interested in knowing exactly where you have been, and possibly sharing that with others, you can export and view routes in Google™ Earth and join in online rider communities through MotionBased.com.

The units are supplied with carrying case, removable Lithium Ion battery, and AC charger, motorcycle power lead, USB data cable and the Garmap Southern Africa Version 1 CD and pre-loaded SD card for immediate use. The Zūmo 550 also includes City Navigator® Europe NT data and DVD.

“Gears of War” Juggernaut Continues With More Than 3 Million Units Sold

2007-01-22T16:33:00.000+02:00

Gears of War®” has gone triple platinum, reaching the 3 million-units-sold milestone in just 10 weeks on store shelves, ending 2006 as the top-selling game among all platforms during the month of December.

Expanding upon its reign as the fastest-selling title of 2006 and the fastest-selling original exclusive Xbox® game of all time, “Gears of War” has captivated gamers across the globe with its action-packed single-player campaign.

“Like blockbuster titles from Microsoft's ‘Halo®’ franchise and the ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and ‘Zelda’ franchises, ‘Gears of War’ is tracking to be one of the best-selling video games of all time and has established itself as the most successful new IP of the next generation,” said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of Global Marketing, Interactive Entertainment Business Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft Corp.”

“Gears of War” continues to wow consumers and critics alike, garnering more than 20 nominations for game of the year. The game is a truly global phenomenon: prestigious Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu recently gave “Gears of War” the coveted Platinum award; “Gears of War” joins “Blue Dragon” as the second Microsoft Game Studios title in the past two months to receive this high honor.

Not just a gaming sensation, the acclaimed “Gears of War: Mad World” cinematic trailer was featured in Advertising Age’s Book of Tens as one of the top creative concepts of 2006. With more than 2.4 million views of the trailer online, the campaign has inspired not only tremendous sales, but also a number of hilarious parody videos currently circulating around the Internet.

LG Show Up the new iPhone

2007-01-18T13:53:00.000+02:00

Do we really need the iPhone? My answer is "No". The capital letter is there on purpose.

Check out Engadget's new article on the KE850 PRADA from LG. I like it, I like it a lot!!!