about-electronics.eu

digital spy: Following Microsoft’s promise of a free Xbox Live game as a ‘thank you’ for users’ loyalty, the firm has confirmed that the title will be become available this Wednesday.

Aquatic shooter Undertow, which normally sells for 800 Microsoft points, will be made available free of charge to all members worldwide.

However, Microsoft has yet to confirm whether it intends to refund points to Xbox Live members who have already purchased the game.

During the Christmas period, Xbox Live users complained of not being able to access the service, but Microsoft, which claims the problems were caused by an increase in the number of gamers joining Xbox Live, decided not to compensate users, but to ‘thank’ them by issuing a free game.

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Techradar: It’s a fact of life (in technology terms, at least) that trends in the US ultimately make their way to the UK. And they take their own sweet time about it, arriving maybe one or two years later. The US had high-definition before us, they had a fully-fledged iTunes before us, and they had the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 before us.

Nowhere was this tech-lag more evident this year than at CES which, with keynote speeches from Microsoft, Intel, GM and Comcast, had a more obvious American bias to it than its ‘International CES’ tag usually suggests. Watching the US tech industry from the UK is like having a friend who’s an early adopter. And who doesn’t invite you round much.

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Electronista: Nokia says that the N95 8GB has been greenlit for the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) specification, making it the first cellphone to ever receive the status and the first to become a handheld media server.

The approval allows the deluxe N95 to both share and receive media over a local Wi-Fi network between other DLNA devices; users can share music on the N95′s 8GB of storage to a nearby notebook or browse the photos from a PlayStation 3. The feature lets phone owners be selective and share only some of their media with other devices in the area.

The Finnish handset maker has not said whether DLNA support is already available but notes that the upgraded media serving support should be free for existing owners of the device.

Support is believed to extend to both the imminent North American Model and the original European version.

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Daily Mail: They are supposed to make our lives simpler. But it seems modern gadgets have become too complicated for their own good. 

Research reveals that most of us would prefer devices including mobile phones and digital cameras that are more simple and easy to understand.

Nearly two thirds of consumers questioned in a survey said some gadgets had functions they did not understand – and never used.

Complex remote controls for television sets, DVD players and stereos were the least popular gadgets, with nearly two thirds saying they would choose a basic design instead of one with lots of extra functions.

Buttons that allow the user to pick languages, choose screen size and alternate between “first and second language” appear to be unnecessary and confusing.

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NaviGadget: Toshiba Portégé G910 and G920 are PDA phones with GPS, touch screen and a full keyboard, as well as a small external screen. Main features of these handhelds is the 3″ internal screen with 480×800 resolution (WVGA). Contrary to their little brother G710, G910 and G920 are 3G, have Wi-Fi and have a fast Qualcomm MSM7200 processor running at 528 MHz. The GPS chip also comes from Qualcomm and compared to G910, G920 also features A-GPS.

Here are some features for Toshiba G920 and G910:

• Tri-bands GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz), 3G (2100 MHz), GPRS Class 10, EDGE and HSDPA (3G+)
• Integrated GPS Receiver chip Qualcomm MSM7200 (A-GPS, only for G920)
• 2MP digital camera
• 0.3MP front camera for videoconference
• Biometric finger print reader
• 128 MB RAM
• 256 MB ROM
• Bluetooth 2.0 (A2DP)
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• HC microSD HC port that supports up to 16 GB
• MiniUSB 2.0
• Battery: 1320 mAh lithium-ion with 460 hour standby and 5 hour talk time
• Dimensions : 11.7×6.4×2 cm
• Weight : 183 gram
• Mobile Windows 6 Professional

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Engadget: Yeah, the whole igloo comparison loses some steam once you peek this thing from the side, but when glancing it head-on, we can’t help but be overcome with imagery of our childhood days spent in the plains of Greenland. Unfortunately, this thing’s ability to conjure up said memories is probably its standout feature — well, aside from the RF remote that enables users to browse iPod content right on its screen.

Outside of that, you’ll find a totally average speaker setup consisting of twin one-inch tweeters and three-inch woofers along with a set of touch-sensitive controls atop the device itself.

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Digital Spy: An online report has stated that PlayStation 3 owners enjoy not only one of the cheapest Blu-ray players on the market, but also one that is uniquely future-proof.

While owners of most other Blu-ray DVD players may find themselves unable to enjoy future developments in the technology because their machines are not upgradeable, PlayStation 3 consoles feature the hardware and online access that allows them to download updates, claims the BBC.

The lack of upgrades on other Blu-ray players is, claims the report, due to backers failing to devise a set standard relating to system requirements for the platform, meaning that it is not mandatory to include internet access in standalone players.

European chairman of the Blu-ray Disc Association Frank Simonis said that, while the issue is “not an ideal situation”, Blu-ray consumers are more concerned with the high-definition playback than with upgradeable features.

Later in the year, Blu-ray will introduce Profile 2.0, allowing upgradeable players, such as the PS3, to access media content, including ringtones, trailers and photos.

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Slashgear: Remember the Panasonic’s 103-inch (262cm) plasma TV? It was once the world’s largest Plasma TV but it has been replaced by the 150-inch (381cm) model this year announced at CES 2008. Anyway, if you wonder anyone would spend that sort of money to get a €35000-€55000 plasma instead of a projector, think again.

The news from Far East reveals there have been 15 of them sold worldwide from US, Europe to Japan, and 5 of them were sold to a man from Middle East. But they are still far from reaching the 5000 units target, the 150-inch replacement seems to be a better and more logical choices over projector.

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PMP Today: This time it’s a collaboration between the iPhone Development team and the iPhone Elite. Firmware 1.1.3 has been jailbroken. With the jailbreak, you can install third-party applications on both the upgraded iPhone and iPod Touch.

The method will not be released until the jailbreak team can figure out an easy way for users to do it themselves without professional help. the process is very complicated. For now, let this suffice: iPhone firmware 1.1.3 is code-named “LittleBear.” 

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HiddenWires: Control4 announced the release of their latest Home Controller the HC-500 at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The HC-500 is a high performance home automation controller with extensive I/O connections for device control and in-built media server.

In addition to managing the home cinema, the Home Controller HC-500 can control multi-room music, lighting, temperature, security and many other home automation sub-systems.

“The combination of improved processing, high-definition screen graphics and expansion capabilities as well as the new industrial design makes this a core part of the platform for the digital home.” says Will West, chief executive officer.

The Home Controller HC-500 offers multiple infrared and serial connections and video sensing for easy home cinema integration.

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Connected Home: HP will be adding the HP MediaSmart Receiver, a new wireless digital media receiver (DMR), to its family of MediaSmart Connected Entertainment solutions. The new product promises to transform any HDTV into a next-generation connected TV, letting you enjoy photos, music, movies, and videos—wired or wirelessly—from multiple PCs around the home to the “big screen” in the heart of the home.The MediaSmart Receiver, which works with Microsoft Vista and XP PCs, has a stylish, high-gloss, piano-black finish. The product features advanced network connectivity, including 802.11a/b/g/n, three embedded antennae, and compatibility with other UPnP- and DLNA-compliant devices such as the HP MediaSmart Server. The device is also DivX certified, demonstrating interoperability across a range of digital devices.

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Electronista: Increasingly larger cellphone producer HTC is taking control of making smartphones for a few of its larger challengers, a report in Taiwan’s Commercial Times says. Without naming specific models, the trade paper says that Palm, MWG, and Dubai-based i-mate are all pushing their assembly orders back to HTC after previously turning to other contractors or their own factories. The reversal is not explained but should help HTC’s manufacturing for others account for over 10 percent of the firm’s bottom line, representing a significant boost for a company increasingly known for its own devices.

The shift may prove especially relevant to Palm, which has repeatedly struggled to turn a profit and will use HTC’s production for its newer phone designs, which include the Centro and the upcoming Treo 800 full-size smartphone. The motivations for i-mate and MWG are unclear, though the former was originally built around selling HTC-made devices in areas not covered by the European cell carrier O2.

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