The BlackBerry PlayBook launched yesterday (20th April) and as expected, iFixit managed to get hold of the tablet and take it apart to see exactly what makes it run. The tablet is RIM’s first attempt at the new generation tablet market and from what we have seen, they have done quite a new job. This is in part thanks to the QNX operating system that it uses which helps multitasking run quite smoothly. The design is also excellent and certainly looks the part.
Archives for April 2011
Angry Birds Magic Mixes Gaming with NFC
April 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Rovio will be launching another version of Angry Birds in the coming months. The new version will be called Angry Birds Magic and will be designed for phones that utilise NFC (near field communications). The idea behind it is that you need someone else with an NFC device to help you move to the next batch of levels. Rovio is making the Magic version exclusive to Nokia and will launch it on the Nokia C7 when the Anna update arrives.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v Pre-Orders Open for Vodafone Australia
April 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Vodafone Australia has announced that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v in Australia is now available for pre-order. The pre-sale went live at 8pm today (AUS time) and gives those who registered an interest a change to get one ahead of the launch tomorrow.
Ovi Maps 3D Goes Live in 20 Countries – More to Come
April 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Ovi Maps received a large update today that pushes the usual flat 2D mapping system in to the world of 3D. The new Ovi Maps 3D is available in 20 countries around the globe and provides realistic skylines of those cities. Nokia has also announced that more cities will be arriving in 3D over the coming months.
iOS 4.3.2 Update for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch Arrives
April 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Apple has released an update for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The new version is 4.3.2 which is a minor update that brings a few bug fixes to the OS.
The fixes include the FaceTime problem where a blank screen or frozen video would occur during a call. Also, a fix specific to the iPad WiFi+3G model has been fixed which prevented some users from connecting to networks (international problem only). Finally, a number of other security updates were baked in to the update which we suspect just seal a few security holes, perhaps to help prevent those who update from jailbreaking with the current methods.
Self Erasing Hard Drives Coming Soon from Toshiba
April 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Toshiba is working on a new type of “smart” hard drive that can be programmed to either wipe data or secure it in the event of being plugged in to an unknown machine. The drives work with AES 256 encryption and when users move files on to the drive, they can specify if the files are to be kept secure, or if the drive is to be wiped if unauthorised access is detected.
The system works to the Opal specification that lists the standards that corporations work to and this is mostly where the new range of drives will be aimed at… corporations. If a drive happens to be stolen, then companies have more assurance that data will be either deleted or encrypted so that those trying to access the data cannot see it and in turn, it could prevent a data leak.
Nintendo Could Unveil Next Gen HD Wii This Year
April 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Today, reports are hinting that a new Nintendo HD could be launching this year. The new console is expected to be announced at E3 this year, and perhaps earlier from what we also hear.
What we expect to see with the new console is of course, HD – high definition graphics. Although the Wii defined a different type of gaming experience a few years ago, one of the problems with it was the lower resolution graphics when compared to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Dell Streak 7 Goes on Sale in the UK
April 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Dell has launched the Streak 7 tablet in the UK. The new 7 inch screen tablet launched in the US recently and just like the US based version, this one runs the Android operating system. On this model is Android 2.2 although future updates will be provided over the air, perhaps to 2.3 or possibly Honeycomb if it follows the HTC Flyer.
This version of the tablet has a 7 inch multi-touch display. The device is capable of running Adobe Flash 10.1. It has a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front as well as a larger 5 megapixel camera on the back. The camera on the back uses auto focus and also has a flash. Powering this tablet is an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor.
Windows Phone Developer Update Coming in May – Multitasking Support Included
April 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment
At MIX11 this year, Microsoft took the stage and announced that the next version of Windows Phone is coming. To add to that, Microsoft also commented that developers will be able to download it free in May this year.
Several new features are being added to the update such as multitasking with background processing, fast app switching, audio and file transfer as well as deeper integration with apps in to the operating system.
The new update will also allow developers to have deeper access to the sensors on the device so that the gyro and compass will be available. Access to these will come through the Motion Sensor library.
White iPhone 4 Could Arrive within Weeks
April 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The White iPhone 4 has been very elusive over the last 9 to 10 months. It was first announced along with the regular iPhone 4 and since then, it has been delayed over and over to a point where most people believe Apple wont bother with the device and instead launch a white iPhone 5 in the next few months.
Bloomberg is now reporting that “three people with knowledge of the plans” have said the white iPhone will be launching within the next few weeks, before the end of April.
Angry Birds Seasons Easter Version Coming Very Soon
April 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment
While looking around the Rovio twitter account for the Angry Birds Sync details, we also came across an update that mentions an Easter version of Angry Birds Seasons being launched in the next couple of weeks. Angry Birds Seasons is the version of the game that is themed with special events such as Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day, St Patricks Day and the soon to be Easter version.
Judging by the previous seasons updates, we expect to see quite a decent update being added to the game along with more worlds and levels for you to play.
Rovio to Add Angry Birds Sync Tool to Popular Game
April 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Angry Birds has been downloaded millions of times, up near 100 million times to be exact. One problem that has always existed with the game is that when you play it on more than 1 device, you need to start the game from the start. For example, you complete 3 worlds on the iPhone version, get a new iPad, download the game and you have to start right from the beginning on your iPad.
This can be frustrating for those avid and casual gamers who want to continue on from where they left off. Thanks to a tweet sent out by Rovio, it seems that a way to sync games might be introduced within the next few months. The system will be called Angry Birds Sync and from what we can gather, it’ll allow you to to sync your progress among a number of platforms so that when you load it up on the iPad, you play from where you left off on your iPhone.
