Digital Kiwi

New Beginnings...

2009-12-31T02:38:00.003+13:00

Hey everyone reading this,

In case ya haven't noticed, this blog has kinda slowed down (read: stopped) in the past couple of weeks and that there has been no new posts nor twitter updates coming from me.

One of the reasons for the lack of content is that being the holiday season, gadget news tend to slow down during this period. As such, I've taken the opportunity to think about the next step in my attempts to eke a living out of being a tech-blogger and the most logical progression I could come up with was to create a full-fledged website.

Thus I present to you: TheDigitalKiwi

All of the old content from this blog can still be accessed on the new site and the only thing has changed is the URL, which will make navigating to the blog much easier as the address now ends in ".com".

Since making the transition to a full-on webpage, I've also decided to take a break and am now currently on a short hiatus in Singapore to recharge the batteries, but be sure to check in after the first or second week of 2010 to see the brand-spanking new DigitalKiwi as I bring to you reviews and news from the tech/gaming world.

Till then have a great summer and an awesome new year!

Benedict James Wee

The Digital Kiwi

Kindle Now Available In New Zealand.. As An iPhone App.

2009-12-15T13:35:00.008+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Despite Amazon thinking us unworthy to ship their e-Readers to our shores, you can take comfort in the fact that their latest iPhone/iPod Touch application brings us the same functionalities as their physical device does.

Kindle for the iPhone allows you to:

Buy a Kindle book from your Mac, PC or iPhone using a web browser and wirelessly transfer the books to your iPhone
Read the beginning of any book for free before you buy
Download the Kindle books you already own for free - they are automatically backed up on Amazon.com
Adjust the text size and add bookmarks
Tap and hold on a word to create a note or a highlight. Whispersync will back up and synchronize annotations with your other Kindle devices
Read in portrait or landscape mode
Select alternate background and text colors to improve reading comfort in low light conditions
Tap on either side of the screen to flick pages
Pinch to zoom images in books

The app is free and you pay only for the books you download which cost around US$9.99/NZ$13.75 for New York Times Best Sellers and most new releases.

Source:

Engadget Mobile - Kindle for iPhone takes over the world, hits over 60 new countries

The Google Phone Revealed.

2009-12-13T13:27:00.003+13:00

By Benedict Wee

TechCrunch has once again gotten the scoop on the details about the "Super" Google Phone we reported on late last month and the details are pretty exciting.

The first juicy piece of news comes in the form of Twitter updates by Google employees who've just received the phones. One of them described the phone he was just given as "an iPhone on beautifying steroids" after explaining that the hardware is provided by HTC and is running Android 2.1 while another employee elaborated that the new Homescreen has visual enhancements like animated desktop wallpapers.

Other hardware details of the Google Phone include:

an OLED touchscreen
two mics (one to eliminate background noise)
runs a Snapdragon processor
no physical keyboard
come with a large 5MP camera on its back

As mentioned before, the phone's hardware will be provided by HTC but it will not carry the phone manufacturer's branding and will be known only as a Google-branded phone. Apparently, leaked shots of the HTC mobile code-named "Passion" that have been seen around the internet is the phone in question.

What sets this phone apart from the other Android phones in the market right now is the way Google plans on selling them. The Google Phone will not be tied to any carrier and will be sold unlocked, which means that we could potentially import them from the US if the frequency bands they use are the same as ours in New Zealand. If successful, this marketing strategy poses to upset the telcos which depend on handset exclusivity and subsidization to attract consumers to use their carriers. Bad news for them but really good news for us as the telcos here aren't very generous when it comes to mobile subsidiaries and their contract terms are one of the worst in the developed world's.

Of course most of the information given have yet to be confirmed by Google and thus should be treated as rumors. We won't have long to wait however as some have mentioned that Google was planning on launching the phone this holiday season but somehow it got delayed and will now be making a January appearance instead. And with their employees already using the phone as you read this post, you can be sure that an announcement is looming just over the horizon. Best start saving that Christmas money now.

Update:

More details of the Google Phone have been crept online. Here are the details complied according to their site they were taken from.

Engadget: The FCC has a filing for a "NEXUSONE" phone built by HTC. This should be the Google Phone we've been hearing about unless HTC was ambitious enough to come up with another mobile amidst all this Google hoo-ha. The tech sites have thus begun to call the mobile a combination of names which include the words "Google", "Nexus One" and "Phone". Feel free to come up with whatever name combo you want.

BGR, TechCrunch & Engadget: Photos of the Google Nexus One Phone have been tweeted, confirming that the hardware/design of the mobile is the early-on reported HTC Passion. A helpful equation of what the phone is like, tweeted by one of the employees goes:

"Google Phone = iPhone + a little extra screen and a scroll wheel. Great touch screen, and Android."

Engadget: Has gotten exclusive shots of the phone. Note the updated OS features like 3D elements to the app tray, more Homescreens (which can be navigated via the grid icon at the bottom), and a newly designed lock screen.

Sources:

TechCrunch - The Google Phone, Unlocked (Confirmed And More Details)

TechCrunch - ZOMG The Google Phone Is "Like An iPhone On Beautifying Steroids"

TechCrunch - Nexus One, The Google Phone, Captured In the Wild (Pictures)

Engadget - HTC Nexus One blessed by the FCC (updated)

Engadget - Exclusive: first Google Phone/Nexus One photos, Android 2.1 on-board

Google Powers Up Its Search Capabilities With Google Goggles

2009-12-08T20:24:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

One of the reasons why I prefer Android-run mobiles over the iPhone is because of the great software support Google gives to their mobile OS with useful apps like SMS Backup. And with today's surprise launch of Google Goggles it has made owning an Android smartphone just that bit more special.

Google Goggles is a visual search application that reads photographs of books, bar codes, art, products etc. and searches the web for information regarding the object you took a picture of. In addition to that amazing ability, it can scan printed text and numbers such as business cards, giving you an easier method to input contact details. They've also thrown in an augmented reality function to display information about surrounding businesses using the camera and GPS hardware built-into the phones for good measure.

How does that work? I don't know but I'm currently sticking to the: "my HTC Magic was magically made sentient" theory. Google Goggles is now available for all Android phones running firmware 1.6 and up.

Source:

Gizmodo - Google Goggles: Google's Scary Good Visual Search App.

HTC First Half-2010 Android Lineup Leaked, Looks Very Promising.

2009-12-07T13:04:00.007+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Android and Me has gotten the scoop of HTC's newest mobiles, slated to be released in the first half of 2010.

The 5 android-powered smartphones, categorized into three categories -Design/Lifestyle, Performance and Social- come from a leaked brochure that was handed out in Vienna, Austria on October this year and though the specs and designs might be altered throughout the course of development, we at least have an idea of what HTC's got up their sleeves for the coming year.

DESIGN/LIFESTYLE

Phone code-name: Legend

Expected release date: March 2010

Processor: Qualcomm MSM 7227, 600MHz

Impressions: Looks like a slightly modified Hero. Not particularly interesting.

Phone code-name: Salsa

Expected release date: June 2010

Processor: Qualcomm MSM 7225, 528MHz

Impressions: The first Android phone to run on a QWERTY/bar model similar to RIM's BlackBerry models and the Nokia E-series mobiles. Perhaps this phone is an attempt at getting converts from the people who use such form-factors.

SOCIAL

Phone code-name: Tide

Expected release date: April 2010

Processor: Qualcomm MSM 7225, 528MHz

Impressions: A traditional-looking phone which targets the tweenies who still use numeric keypads. The "social" category and the slower processor (which means a lower priced phone) also leads one to believe that the Tide's for the younger generation .

Phone code-name: Buzz

Expected release date: May 2010

Processor: Qualcomm MSM 7225, 528MHz

Impressions: Also with a slower processor, the phone might end up in the budget section of phones and replace the position the Tattoo currently holds.

PERFORMANCE

Phone code-name: Bravo

Expected release date: April 2010

Processor: Qualcomm QSD 8250, 1GHz

Impressions: I guess the category says it all. This will be HTC's first 1GHz phone running Android and though its screen is smaller than the HD2, you can expect the Bravo to run the best video/music/games compared to the other HTC Android handsets as they've got DivX playback and Dolby-quality sound.

So there you have it. Looks like it's gonna be an exciting year for HTC (and Android). I've got my eyes on the Bravo as it looks much better than the Acer Liquid and has a more masculine-vibe than the Sony Xperia X10. Can any of the mobiles shown tempt you into trying out Google's mobiles OS?

Source:

Android and Me - HTC's 2010 Android lineup revealed.

Google Announces Android Developer Contest 2 Winners.

2009-12-01T20:48:00.006+13:00

By Benedict Wee

After three months of writing code, designing interfaces and judging from a panel as well as Android users all around the globe, Google has announced the overall winners for their Android Developer Contest 2 held at the end of August.

The top prize of US$250,000 was given to the SweetDreams app which allows you to preprogram your phone to change its settings automatically and optimizing the system to save battery life when you sleep.

Second place was taken by What the Doodle!?, a real-time online multiplayer game in the vein of Pictionary. That app won US$150,000.

The third prize of US$125,000 was awarded to WaveSecure, a security app that allows you track your lost phone, lock it remotely and backup/restore the phone's data.

Other prizes were also given out according to their categories and you can find the list here.

Source:

Gizmodo - Android Developer Challenge 2 Winners: Grow, Marketplace, Grow

Creative Releases Concept Shots Of Zii Phone, All It Needs Is Manufacturers.

2009-12-01T19:40:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Gizmodo's got the scoop on the Zii Phone by Singaporean tech company Creative as they display Zii hardware concept shots to hardware licensors in China today.

A pretty ambitious project, the Zii Phone -called the Trinity- hopes to run dual mobile operating systems (Google's Android and Creative's own Plszama platform), full 1080p HD video playback over HDMI, OpenGL 2.0 (the one the iPhone 3GS uses) for better graphics rendering and a 1GHz processor, which would make it the 3rd Android phone we currently know of that will run at that speed. The other two being the Acer Liquid A1 and Sony Ericcson's Xperia X10.

The pictures taken of the Trinity make the mobile seem a tad bland design-wise right now as it looks a whole lot like Creative's Android multimedia player: the Zii Egg. But like the Egg, Creative is hoping for hardware manufacturers to adopt the concept of the Zii Phone and put their own personal touch to their product.

Their approach to marketing the Zii-brand is confusing as I wonder why they don't just manufacture the gadgets themselves and cut out the middle man like they've done with the rest of Creative's products. The Zii Egg has been in stuck in developer hands for awhile now and there's no sign of a consumer version on the horizon and looking for a manufacturer would just take up loads of time, causing them (and us) to miss out on buying what seems to be very a promising line of next-generation gadgets.

On the bright side however is that at least Android's penetration seems to be gaining a lot of momentum and more developers are willing to give Google's OS a shot. Could 2010 be the year they beat the iPhone/iPod Touch?

Source:

Gizmodo - Zii Lives: First Look at the 1080 Android Powered Trinity Phone.

New iPhone Now Being Tested

2009-11-30T10:04:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Those of you who're considering getting the iPhone 3GS this Christmas might have to think twice now that rumors of Apple's next iPhone is currently being tested in San Francisco where the company is located.

A list provided by app analytics company PinchMedia to iPhone developer Pandav (creators of the iBART app, a transportation guide for the San Francisco train system) show an identification number for an iPhone assigned by Apple that has been utilizing their application.

The number "iPhone3,1" does not match up with any iPhones currently being sold or shipped and if you compare it to last year's news in October where an "iPhone2,1" identification string was spotted around the same area and it turned out to be the iPhone 3GS, you can probably conclude that "iPhone3,1" is Apple's next iPhone.

If you can, I'd advise holding out the next 6-7 months for the next-gen iPhone which is rumored to run a multi-core processor that could out-perform the 1GHz phones already announced by the other mobile manufacturers. If not, then be prepared for some buyer's remorse when Apple introduces the iPhone 4G in June/July 2010.

Source:

Mac Rumors - Apple Starts Field Testing Next Generation iPhone (3,1)

Ivy The Kiwi?: The First Proper Game For Windows Phones?

2009-11-30T08:16:00.009+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Windows Mobile 6.5 is far from the revolutionary mobile operating system we've come to expect, especially when compared to Google's Android or the iPhone, but that isn't stopping Japanese mobile game developer PROPE from creating a stunningly beautiful puzzle-platformer starring our very own mascot.

In Ivy the Kiwi? you help a lost kiwi chick find her way home by drawing vines along its path to help it climb out of holes, avoid predators and in certain cases, launch into breakable walls. There are 50 stages in total to complete with an online ranking board to compare high scores.

Perhaps this might be the game that will help Windows Phones get a foothold in the mobile OS wars but nothing is standing in the way of the game coming to the other smartphones in the market and to handhelds like the DSi and PSP via downloadable content.

Ivy the Kiwi? gets released in December on the Windows Marketplace but there's currently no exact date nor price for the game.

Latest Final Fantasy XIII Trailer Mocks You For Not Being Able To Get It Till Next Year

2009-11-26T08:19:00.004+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Square Enix's latest Final Fantasy XIII trailer once again shows you why the company is famous for its JRPGs, with tones of action for the guys and drama for the ladies. The last bit is especially exciting with all the characters teaming up with their summons in battle.

This is purportedly the last Japanese trailer we'll see before the Japanese version of the game is released in Japan on the 17th next month. Us english-speaking folks won't be getting the game till March next year but I guess we can wait for them to do the voice overs for the trailers to tide us over in the meantime.

Creative Launches Nex-Gen Vado Pocket Camcorder.

2009-11-25T12:34:00.007+13:00

By Benedict Wee

The current Vados have decent enough specs to compete in the pocket camcorder market right now but Creative's newly announced 3rd generation model might prove to be one of the better portable video-recording gadgets this holiday season.

The Vado HD one ups its previous predecessor with the follow improvements:

Better quality video in low light or brightly lit conditions
Manual exposure adjustments
External stereo microphone support for better audio recording
Headphone output for private listening
Motion Detection Mode - camera only records when motion is detected
Out-of-the box Mac and PC compatibility
Still Photo Capture Mode

The slight downside of the next-gen model is that its internal storage space has gone down to 4GB from its previous 8GB, but Creative was sensible enough to sell it at a lower price of US$180/NZ$248, which is a good deal.

The Vado HD will be in retail stores in the US come mid-December so here's hoping that it'll be available to us somewhere around the Christmas period.

Source:

Engadget - Creative rolls out third gen Vado HD pocket camcorder

Another Tablet Running Android. Available Soon.

2009-11-24T11:31:00.003+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Lining up in the queue of unknown China companies producing Android tablets, Camangi's WebStation offers a 7-inch screen, WiFi enabled, GPS built-in, glass touchscreen device running Android 1.5 (Cupcake) for a pretty steep price of US$400/NZ$553. Judging from the videos below it doesn't come with Google services either so that's a dealbreaker for me.

If you are thinking about getting the WebStation, Camangi's offering an early bird discount on their website if you sign up and leave your email address.

Source:

Engadget - Camangi's WebStation tablet ships soon, sports Android, loves early birds (video).

Google Introduces Chrome OS.

2009-11-20T08:48:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

With their fingers in so many pies Google has, on more than one occasion, threatened the status quo of the internet companies with their web-based applications, and now they're taking it one step further by challenging the two major giants in the industry -Microsoft and Apple- with the announcement of their own operating system.

Chrome OS (not to be confused with Chrome the web browser) is the amalgamation of Google's services that relies entirely on the internet to run, which makes sense as most of us out there spend almost all of our computer time on the web anyways.

With Chrome OS you'll be able to carry out everyday tasks like read news, create/edit documents, listen to music and watch videos, just like what you'd normally do with a Windows or Mac computer. And it's super fast, taking only seconds to load from the time you turn on your computer.

The downside to the OS is that being only a web-based application, it won't support hard drives as all your stuff (i.e. music, movies, documents) will be stored on the internet. On the other hand, you could say that the files will be easily accessible from any computer, though you would need to have access to the web in order to retrieve them.

Though it won't possess the same functionality of Windows 7 or Snow Leopard, and businesses would need to rely on these two operating systems to run their 3rd party programs, Chrome OS will appeal to the majority of people who use computers for web-only reasons and if you think about it, that number is big enough for Microsoft and Apple to take Google's new baby seriously.

Chrome OS is expected to hit netbooks (and maybe tablets) next year.

Sources:

Gizmodo - Everything You Need To Know About Chrome OS.

Gizmodo - What is Google Chrome OS? (Explained by Google).

Rumor: Google Phone Coming Soon, Might Be VoIP Only.

2009-11-19T09:50:00.006+13:00

By Benedict Wee

TechCrunch has it on good sources that senior Android guys over at Google are currently carrying and testing a "super" Android phone that might be unveiled as early as next year.

The stand-alone Google-made device is said to been planned quite some time ago when the Android OS was being adopted by the major phone manufacturers (HTC, Motorola, Samsung etc.) and that though the phone's hardware might be produced by one of the mobile companies, it will only have Google branding. Just like what the iPhone is to Apple.

In addition to that rumor, the Google phone is said to only use data for all forms of communication. That means calls are made through VoIP using their Google Voice service, which has already gained a high amount of adopters in the US because of their unlimited calls and voice forwarding services.

If this rumor proves to be true, we will soon see a new age of mobile communications which will free us from the expensive calls/data/text plans the telcos have pinned us under. Already in first world countries like the US and UK, most telcos provide contracts with unlimited data at a low monthly cost which is poised to drop even further without the need for calls or texts.

Source:

TechCrunch - The Google Phone Is Very Real. And It's Coming Soon.

TechCrunch - The Google Phone May Be Data Only, VoIP Driven Device.

Facebook Arrives To The PlayStation 3 Too.

2009-11-17T20:10:00.004+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Taking a leaf from Microsoft's book, Sony's next PlayStation 3 update (firmware 3.10) will come with Facebook integration.

Starting this thursday, PS3 owners will be able to assign their PlayStation Network (PSN) IDs to their Facebook accounts which will send status updates of PSN purchases and Trophies earned in games played. Unfortunately, writing your own status update from the console isn't possible yet but on the bright side the service is free, unlike the Xbox 360 which requires a Gold membership account in order to use its social networking features.

The update also brings a better photo browsing interface to the Cross Media Bar (XMB), an improved PSN Friends List and the ability to choose a color for your PSN ID.

Check out the video below to learn more about the new update.

Sources:

Engadget - Facebook for PlayStation 3 'begins' this Thursday with firmware update 3.10 (video)

PlayStation Blog Europe - PlayStation 3 Firmware (v3.10) Update Preview

Facebook And Twitter To Arrive On Xbox 360s Today.

2009-11-17T15:44:00.004+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Microsoft's second major update of the year for the Xbox 360 should hit dashboards all around New Zealand as you read this post.

The latest update brings Facebook and Twitter to the console, but is only accessible if you have an Xbox LIVE gold account. In addition to a paid subscription, I suggest you invest in a cheap USB keyboard should you choose to utilize the new features as the thumb-stick and button input method is a tedious endeavor when you want to update your status. Don't bother getting the official Chatpad either cause it's way too expensive.

Windows Marketplace Now Available For Windows Mobile 6 Phones.

2009-11-17T09:01:00.003+13:00

By Benedict Wee

While we have yet to see smartphones running Windows Mobile 6.5 over here in New Zealand, those who've been clamoring for the Windows Marketplace can now install it to their Windows Mobile 6.x phones by directing their phone browser to http://mp.windowsphone.com

According to the announcement on the Windows Blog, roughly 90% of the applications available on the Windows Marketplace is optimized for older Windows Mobile 6 phones, which is a pretty decent number of apps. So rejoice Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 users, you've now got an application that consolidates a list of other applications to download from.

Source:

The Windows Blog - Windows Marketplace For Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1

English Version Of Final Fantasy XIII Hits March 2010.

2009-11-14T11:14:00.008+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Square Enix has just announced on their official Final Fantasy XIII site that the English translation of the game will be available for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on the 9th of March next year.

The highly anticipated game features a new battle system, a "dramatic story" focused on the emotions of the characters (I don't know what that means) and will have Leona Lewis singing the official soundtrack -My Hands- of the game.

Check out the announcement trailer below which features never before seen footage of the game.

Source:

Final Fantasy XIII Official Site link.

The Return Of Vodafone's Crazy Circus (Updated)

2009-11-13T13:03:00.043+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Here we go again. A lively debate on the prices of the services and mobiles Vodafone NZ offers sprung up on Twitter and yours truly (as well as a couple of others) joined in to grill the telco about their high prices. Below are the exchanges that me and Paul have made and what I got out of the conversation.

The debate was already raging between other tweets when I logged on but I decided to only enter when Vodafone NZ made this remark:

I responded with:

Vodafone responded:

along with:

and:

This basically meant that they don't care for PrePay users as much as they do for those who are On Account (attached to contracts). And if you're not happy about their plans: switch telcos cause you're not their target group.

I replied:

and:

Vodafone:

and:

By now I know they were just bullshitting the whole situation. $29 for the Vodafone 541 is On Account and they were comparing it to a PrePay price in the UK.

Me:

First, Vodafone wanted to compare population size, which I did. After losing that battle they wanted to compare geographical size and challenged me to prove their phones were expensive:

which I did:

Again, after losing this battle they then decided to change tactics and go for their previous rediculous strategy of comparing PrePay with On Account:

Once again, they reiterated that they didn't care for PrePay customers as much. So I played their game and compared their On Account plans:

Vodafone NZ was trying to slip a quick one by comparing iPhones as Vodafone UK doesn't sell them and thus, there could be no fair comparisons. I chose the HTC Magic instead cause it was the same Vodafone branded smartphone offered in both regions.

Sensing that this battle was lost also, Vodafone attempted to change their stance with:

I responded:

The HTC Magic in the UK was free on a 24 month plan less than 6 months after it was launched. This is just them trying to coverup that fact that their phones are being sold cheaper in their overseas branches.

Even if you do not have a timeline for when the UK dropped their prices, take a look at any of Vodafone NZ's phones. None of them are free with contracts. Their attempts at justifying high prices are terribly weak and transparent.

The debate continued with them replying with the "UK is not NZ" argument they've tried to use before and after asking why is the same telco not offering a relatively similar price on their mobiles they replied that both Vodafone branches are completely separate entities that order different amounts of handsets so they're priced differently.

Vodafone stopped replying after my last message, guess they decided not to incriminate themselves anymore.

As you can see from the long exchange above, they claim that their phones are not ordered in bulk along with the head Vodafone branch for distribution throughout the world but instead, are made after the initial order which is why their phones are expensive.

Makes sense? I don't think so. Yes the phones are made by batches but they're still the same ol phones and saying that they have to pay more because of a smaller order is silly. If you owned a multinational corporation and made a product, wouldn't you order them in one big bulk and distribute them according to the market size? How do they explain that parallel importers (who are much smaller than the telcos) managed to bring in HTC Magics and sell them for $400 lesser than what Vodafone NZ asks for on PrePay?

Everything about what Vodafone NZ has said reeks of PR spinning, and a bad one at that. Proclaiming that they don't care for PrePay customers as much as they do for those On Account is a terrible statement to make considering most remain on prepaid plans do so because of the lack of value when you take up a monthly contract. I still stand by the theory that they're just exploiting the New Zealand market as they've got a strong hold over us which comes about from the lack of competition. It's about time we stand up to their tyranny and greed.

Hands On: enTourage eDGe

2009-11-12T08:31:00.006+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Gadget-site Gearlog has a hands on preview of enTourage's Android eBook reader and judging from the impressions they have, forking out US$490/NZ$650 doesn't seem too bad when you consider how much netbooks cost in New Zealand.

To refresh your memory, the eDGe is a dual-touchscreen device with a 9.7-inch electronic ink display on one side and a 10.1-inch LCD screen running Android 1.6 (though it might be updated to 2.0) on the other. This means all the standard Android features such as a web browser, media player and more importantly; the app market will be usable from the get go.

The eDGe is WiFi-capable and has Bluetooth but 3G access comes in a module which is sold separately. Its internal storage space is only 3GB though you can always expand it with a SD card and it comes with a standard headphone jack, built-in stereo speakers and a Lithium-ion polymer battery which will power the eBook reader for 16 hours on the e-ink display alone or 6 hours when both screens are in use.

To read more about the preview, hit the link below.

Source:

Gearlog - Hands On: enTourage eDGe eBook Reader Runs Android.

Nokia N900 Maemo Ad Makes Me Not Want To Buy It.

2009-11-12T08:10:00.003+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Nokia's decision to ditch Symbian and create a Lunix-based smartphone might be a gamble that decides if the mobile company survives the upcoming year dominated by Android mobiles and iphones, but their latest viral ad for the Maemo might tilt the balance against their favor as the two and a half minute video is a pretty disturbing introduction to the phone.

Anyone who wants a schizophrenic, transforming mobile raise your hands.

Source:

Gizmodo - The Nokia N900 Isn't A Phone, It's A Psychotic Shapeshifter.

Gorgeous Japanese Phones You'll Never See.

2009-11-11T07:26:00.009+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Japanese telcos SoftBank and NTT Docomo have unveiled their cellphone lineup for the rest of the year thru to 2010. Here are some highlights of the really high spec phones we'll never see outside of the country.

SoftBank Phones

Sharp AQOUS 940SH

3.4-inch screen with 480x854 resolution, WiFi, 12MP camera

Samsung 940SC

3.5-inch OLED touch screen smartphone with WVGA resolution, Band & Olufsen speakers

Sharp AQOUS 943SH

3.4-inch screen, WiFi, Double digital TV tuner, 8MP camera, Blu-ray recorder connectivity, USB 2.0 port

Sharp AQUOS 941SH

4-inch screen with 480x1024 resolution, WiFi, 8MP camera, Blu-ray recorder connectivity

NEC 940N

3.2-inch screen with 480x854 resolution, WiFi, 8.1MP, Extra-slim body

NEC 740N

For the kids, 2-inch screen, No camera, Waterproof

Sharp 942SH KT

For highschool girls, 3.4-inch screen with 480x854 resolution, 8MP camera, WiFi

NTT Docomo Phones

Fujitsu F-04B Separate Keitai

World's first detachable Bluetooth keyboard handset, 3.8-inch touchscreen, 12.2MP camera

Fujitsu F-01B

3-inch LCD screen with 480x854 resolution, Blu-ray connectivity, 12.3MP camera, microSD card slot, waterproof

Fujitsu F-03B

Slim body, 3-inch WVGA display, 12.2MP camera, Blu-ray recorder connectivity, GSM bands

LG L-01B

For non-Japanese speaking users and those who travel frequently, 3-inch WVGA touchscreen, 5.1 camera, Menus in English/Korean/Japanese, GSM bands

NEC N02B

12.2MP camera, Blu-ray recorder connectivity, Dragon Quest III video game pre-installed

NEC N-01B

Developed in collaboration with designer Samantha Thavasa, 3.2-inch WVGA screen, 8.1MP camera, GSM bands

Sharp SH-03B

3.7-inch WVGA touch screen, QWERTY keyboard, 5.2MP camera

For more phones models click the links below.

Sources:

MobileCrunch - SoftBank's Complete 17 Cell Phone Winter Line-Up (Photo Gallery)

MobileCrunch - NTT Docomo Announces 19 New Cell Phones (Photo Gallery)

Price Check: Vodafone-made Phones And Modem Sticks.

2009-11-10T17:36:00.012+13:00

By Benedict Wee

I've been saying that the telcos in New Zealand have been overcharging for their mobile plans and handsets for a while now -Vodafone being the worst offender of the three- and that finding an alternate method to get that iPhone 3GS or a better substitution to the crippled HTC Magic could easily be done on the internet.

But what about the phones that are made by them? Surely there wouldn't be any major price discrepancies with the other Vodafone branches overseas and that we'll get all the available choices they've got?

Well after quick search online it turns out that even then, we cannot catch a break from the red logo-ed telco.

Vodafone 541 Black

Date Checked: November 10th 2009

Vodafone UK:

40GBP/NZ$90.55

Vodafone NZ:

NZ$300

(before 1/2 price Holiday offer)

How about prepaid broadband then? After a comparing with the prices amongst the other stores overseas it looks like we're stuffed too...

Vodafone NZ:

Modem Stick costs NZ$99, comes with 512MB of data.

Prepaid prices are NZ$10 for 100MB or NZ$40 for 512MB per month.

Vodafone Aus:

Modem Stick costs Au$99/NZ$124.20, comes with 1GB of data.

Prepaid prices aren't available online.

Vodafone UK:

Modem Stick costs GBP35/NZ$78.80, comes with 1GB of data.

Prepaid prices are GBP15/NZ$33.75 for 1GB per month.

For something that they're heavily advertising everywhere, Vodafone NZ doesn't seem to mind that their holiday offerings are still far from the prices the rest of their sister branches are charging internationally. Maybe if they'd spend the resources they used to make mobile orchestras on giving us better deals instead we'd be able to actually get something fair for once.

Vodafone NZ link.

Vodafone Aus link.

Vodafone UK link.

Summer Gear: GoPro Hero HD Portable Camera.

2009-11-05T14:19:00.011+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Now that summer season is upon us, we're all getting ready for our beach activities and for those who're planning on doing a bit of surfing (or any kind of water/beach activity really) should check out Gizmodo's review on the GoPro HD Camera.

Highlighted specs of the camera include:

Full HD video recording - Shoot 1080p, 960p and 720p in 30 and 60 frames per second with 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio.
Automatic photo taking - A 5 MP camera takes photos at 2,5,10,30 and 60 second intervals.
Audio - Built-in microphone with automatic gain control.
Battery - Recharable 1100mAh lithium-ion battery lasts for 2.5 hours of constant recording. Recharged to 80% when plugged into a computer for 2 hours or 1 hour when plugged into a wall/car charger.
Shock/Waterproof case - Polycarbonate and stainless steel housing and up to 180 feet/60m deep waterproof.
SD card slot - up to 32GB capacity (SDHC).
Cables and connections - USB 2.0, HDTV out to NTSC & PAL televisions, 2.5mm audio jack.

The average recording time using a 32GB SD card are as follows:

4 hours 21 minutes : 1080p (30 fps)
5 hours 26 minutes : 960p (30 fps)
4 hours 21 minutes : 720p (60 fps)
8 hours 09 minutes : 720p (30 fps)
8 hours 09 minutes :WVGA (60 fps)

The GoPro Hero retails for US$320/NZ$450 (shipping included) and is available from the 2nd week of November onwards. Gizmodo's full review can be found on the source link below.

Source:

Gizmodo - GoPro Hero HD Camera Review

Buying Guide: HTC Touch Pro2

2009-11-05T08:20:00.009+13:00

By Benedict Wee

When you've got the iPhone dominating the realms of popular culture, the BlackBerry being the top favorite of business professionals and Google's Android spreading like a zombie virus throughout phone manufacturers, it's hard for older -and admittedly, less user friendly- mobile operating systems such as Windows Mobile to maintain their niche in the smartphone market.

However, after spending about a week with the HTC Touch Pro2, I've come to the realization that although Apple and Google will soon be the mobile OS of choice by many in the next year or so, it is still too early to discount the current phone choices we have available to us in New Zealand. So here with go with a buying guide to Telecom's latest smartphone.

Why I like it

HTC's TouchFlo UI:

Let's start off with the best bit about the phone. Starting from Windows Mobile 6.1 and working backwards, Microsoft's mobile OS has been the bane on the existence of many users who've had to deal with the two-handed, stylus-only, only-accurate-when-standing-still interface hell.

HTC had the foresight to cover all that nastiness with their TouchFlo UI, which has gone through many incarnations since their implementation on early WinMo handsets, to the awesome software interface present in the Touch Pro2.

Aside from the initial five second lag when you turn on the phone and the two second one when you wake it from sleep mode, TouchFlo is fast and is very responsive to finger touches, swipes and long presses. From scrolling past programs to flicking through pictures to touching song selections, the UI works smoothly and I hardly encountered any misread errors when I wanted it to do a particular function or input words/numbers.

Speaking of input, the virtual keyboard works the same way as the ones found in Android mobiles and the iPhone so writing texts and emails, surfing the web and dialing numbers are done using fingers and even fat digits (such as mine) aren't a problem as the keys are adequately spaced out and there's always the good-old "predictive text" feature to help solve misspelt words.

Navigation through the basic features of the Touch Pro2 is done easily by sliding the bar located on the bottom of the screen horizontally to scroll from one program to the other. Everything you usually do on a daily basis is located on the bar: contacts, web browser, weather, text, emails, music, calendar, pictures etc. are all there and if you've got a specific program you plan on using repeatedly, there is always the Start button on the top left of the screen which sends you to the list of programs installed in the smartphone. The Start button mimics the one used in Windows Mobile 6.5 by using big icons on a scrollable list which is navigated by flicking the screen up or down.

Overall I'd say that HTC's TouchFlo UI is a good enough reason to buy this phone but then it wouldn't be very professional of me to not go though the rest of the other features.

Sound quality and microphone:

It's really good. Crystal clear voices coming thru the speakers and dual microphones ensure that calls are never misheard and I'd dare say they're quite on par with landline quality. Of course this is also dependent on the mobile connection you have. Telecom works perfectly on the West Coast and I didn't have a problem in talking or listening from my contacts.

HTC's Straight Talk:

Another well-implemented HTC feature, Straight Talk allows you to switch from email to single, multi-party or conference bridge calls. This feature is easy to use and is practical, considering the phone is designed for business purposes. Combine this with Windows Mobile and the great sound quality of the phone and you get what is essentially a full-on portable office.

Meh

Tilting Screen:

Although I thought it was a cool feature at first, later on I realized that I had no idea how I'd use the feature in my everyday life. Does it become an upright alarm clock next to my nightstand? Do I put it on the table and use it as a mini-notebook?

The mechanics of the phone work really well, the keyboard slides out smoothly and everything clicks into place when the screen is brought upwards, making it a solid piece of equipment but I feel the tilting screen is kind of gimmicky and does nothing helpful to the phone as a whole.

Physical Keyboard:

I guess business-types aren't comfortable with using virtual keyboards. I have nothing against physical ones however and the Touch Pro2's is nice and responsive but I found myself using the virtual one more. It could be also that the physical keyboard can only be used when the phone is in landscape mode and that the virtual one in portrait, and I did use Touch Pro2 in the latter more than I did the former.

If I had any gripe, it would be that the physical keyboard adds a significant thickness to the phone, essentially doubling its size.

Zoom Bar:

I didn't even notice it was there till under certain lighting conditions were met and the icon magically appeared. The zoom bar is located at the bottom of the screen (and in landscape mode, to the right) and it's supposed to help you zoom in or out when viewing images, web pages, maps or reading email.

I don't know if I was doing it correctly or if the response wasn't good but using the zoom bar felt clunky and at the end of the day I didn't find any reason to utilize the feature, choosing to use the options located in the program itself instead.

Why I do not like it

No headphone jack:

Really? In this day and age? Granted you wouldn't see your businessman pumping tunes into his ears with headphones while walking down the street and most likely the only time they'll be listening to music will be when they're in the car, but placing a 3.5mm jack into the pretty big smartphone shouldn't be a problem and you never know what market you'd open to if you had put in a simple feature such as that. Also, it would be nice not to disturb anyone should I want to watch a quick video on YouTube while I'm at work.

Size:

Ok this thing isn't exactly pocket-friendly. The Touch Pro2 possess a considerable size and frame which means you should expect to see an unsightly bulge if you decide to carry it in your pants. The smartphone seems more of a hold-in-your-hand or store-it-in-your-handbag kind of a gadget though its size does betray its weight so carrying it around wouldn't be an extra burden.

Other things to know

Camera: Average quality pictures and video. To be expected as it is only 3.2MP.

Screen: Great. Crystal clear and easily readable. Not grainy at all.

Conclusion

I like the phone. Yes its size may be a little too big for my tastes and I could do without the physical keyboard, but bearing in mind that the phone is designed for PMEBs and therefore business use, you can see that the Touch Pro2 does suit its intended clientele really well. With its big (and very clear) screen, a fantastic UI and possessing great quality sound clarity, I'd gladly take this phone over a BlackBerry any day. If you're a Telecom customer and are looking for a good business smartphone, I'd highly recommend this one.

The HTC Touch Pro2 is now available all Telecom NZ shops for NZ$1499 without contract.

Specs Of The Xperia X10.

2009-11-04T07:06:00.003+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Sony's first Android phone -due out first quarter of 2010- represents the next step in smartphones with features like a faster processor (1GHz Snapdragon) and a high megapixel count camera (8.1).

Shown here are the full specifications of the new handset which, when compared to the iPhone 3GS, indicate how fast Google's mobile OS will soon take over Apple's device in providing powerful mobile computing.

XPERIA X10 Specs:

Camera

8.1 megapixel camera
Up to 16x digital zoom
Auto focus
Face recognition features
Geo tagging
Image and video stabilizer
Photo and video light
Photo and video upload
Smile detection
Touch Focus
Video recording
Recent shot tray

Music

Album art
Bluetooth stereo (A2DP)
Media player
Music tones (MP3/ACC)
PlayNow
TrackID

Web

Bookmarks
Google search (from standby)
Web feeds
WebKit web browser
Sony Ericsson Timescape
Speakerphone
Vibrating alert

Messaging

Conversations
Email
Microsoft Exchange Active Sync
Picture messaging
Predictive text input
Text messaging

Design

Auto rotate
Gesture control
Picture wallpaper
Touchscreen

Entertainment

3D games
Media browser
Infinite button
Video streaming
Video viewing
YouTube

Organizer

Alarm clock
Calculator
Calendar
Flight mode
Infinite button
Office suite
Phone book with dialer
World clock

Location-based services

A-GPS
Google Maps
Wisepilot turn-by-turn (free trial version, available to certain markets)

Connectivity

3.5mm audio jack
Bluetooth technology
Micro USB connector
Synchronization
USB support
WiFi

Preloaded applications

Sony Ericsson Timescape
Sony Ericsson Mediascape
Sony Ericsson Home with clock widget
Sony Ericsson Sync
Android Market Client
Gmail
Google Calendar
Google Maps with Street View
Google Media Uploader
Google phone-top search
Google search widget
Google Talk
Google Voice Search
Network Location Provider
Set-up Wizard
YouTube

Screen

262,144 color TFT touchscreen
4.0 inches
480x854 pixels (WVGA)
Scratch-resistant

Accessories In-Box

XPERIA X10
Battery
Stereo portable handsfree
8GB microSD card
Micro USB for charging, synchronization and file transfer
User documentation

Optional

Hi-Fi Wireless Headset with FM Radio MW600
Car Charger AN 300
Screen Protector ET902

Facts

Size: 119 x 63 x 13 mm
Weight: 135 grams
Phone memory: Up to 1GB
Memory card support: microSD
Memory card included: 8GB
OS: Google Android 1.6 (Donut)
Processor: 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250

Availability and versions

UMTS HSPA 900/1700/2100
GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
Available in selected markets Q1 2010

Color

Sensuous Black
Luster White

Source:

Gizmodo - Watch the XPERIA X10's Rachael Interface in Action.

Sony's Android Phone Announced, Skips Nine Generations. (Update: with video)

2009-11-03T20:35:00.008+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Sony has just announced their entry to the now-overflowing market of Android phones due out next year and tech-blog Engadget has an exclusive hands-on preview of the mobile.

The XPERIA X10 (what happened to X2-X9?) runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon (1GHz) processor on Android 2.0 topped off with Sony's beautiful Rachael UI. Other specs include a full-on 8.1 MP camera with LED flash, a 4-inch touchscreen, 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD card slot (which you can use the prepackaged 8GB card for).

Pictures and hands on videos can be found on Engadget's article in the source link below.

Source:

Engadget - Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Announced, We Go Hands-On.

Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time Movie Trailer Looks Awesome. Except for..

2009-11-03T13:41:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

The cliche smoky-voiced princess background commentary.
The location to keep the magic dagger is a place called "The secret guardian temple".
The American/English voices of the Prince and princess.
Their witty exchange of dialogue like they're in a sitcom (similar to the latest PoP game).
The fact that the movie is made by Disney.

Here's hoping it doesn't disappoint. Till then however, I maintain that videogames should never made into movies cause they are bad at bringing the game across to the big screens.

Source:

CrunchGear - Watch the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Trailer Here.

Creative Joins The e-Reader Movement With A Color Screen.

2009-11-02T14:12:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

e-Readers! They seem to be the buzz gadget to have right now, next to the portable tablets, which makes sense since they're practically the same thing.

To add to the growing list of readers hitting the market for the holiday season, Singapore-based tech company; Creative have shown a prototype of their device which integrates a bunch of multimedia elements into one.

The Zii MediaBook sets itself apart from other e-Readers by utilizing multiple gestures for navigation on a color screen. It copies Microsoft's Courier with its ability to search for highlighted words and it comes with media player and video chat functions.

So it is basically a tablet (see what I mean?).

Not much else is known about the device (like does it run Android?) but I guess we'll hear an official announcement from them soon.

Source:

Engadget - Zii MediaBook UI Video Explains Very Little.

Telecom: Uploading Is Free Till End Of January For Home Broadband Users.

2009-11-02T13:58:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Telecom has just announced today that all of their home broadband customers get to upload as much content to the internet as they want without it affecting their monthly data allowance.

The promotion lasts till the end of January and your data cap is still counted when you're downloading stuff.

Free uploads for summer holidays

Take the rapid growth in photo-sharing sites and social media, add the Kiwi fondness for passing the holiday photo album around the rellies, top it with a bit of Christmas spirit, and you’ve got the recipe for a great broadband summer.

From now until the end of January, all Telecom home broadband customers will be able to upload whatever they want without affecting their monthly data allowance.

“Postcards, Christmas cards, holiday snaps and videos: the great Kiwi Christmas holiday is all about sharing experiences with family and friends,” says Telecom Director of Home Ralph Brayham.

“Letting New Zealanders upload content online for free is our way of recognising and encouraging the modern equivalent of that great tradition.”

Ralph says the past few years have seen an explosion in user-generated content (UGC) on the internet, with sites like Facebook, YouTube and MySpace routinely leading the way in both user numbers and growth rates.

“In mid-October, the 4 billionth photo was uploaded to Flickr, while internet analysts are predicting that more than half of US internet users will be posting UGC within the next five years.

“Our customers are as keen as anyone else to join in, and we want to make it easy for them to do so.”

Downloading data still counts towards the monthly data allowance.

Sony's Rachael Android UI Shows Off Its (Concept) Media Capabilities.

2009-11-02T13:05:00.006+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Gadget lovers in the US have been clamoring for a Zune phone based on the Zune HD UI while Android fans are asking for a more up to date media-friendly interface for Google's mobile OS and the answer might lie in Sony's (concept) build of the Android OS a.k.a Rachael.

A second video of Sony's Android UI has appeared on YouTube, showcasing its media navigation controls which might finally help Android get the edge it needs to be on par with the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The major features of Rachael's media interface include:

A crossbar on the bottom of the screen to switch between Music, Video and Photos home screens.
The top half of the My Music home screen has a similar layout to Zune's QuickPlay menu, displaying Favorites, Recently Added and Recently Played options.
The bottom half consists of the Sony PlayNow store, showcasing a list of Top 30 and Recommendations tracks.
When selecting an artist from the list, a photo of him/her is shown on the top of the screen and is replaced with the album's art once the album is picked. After a song a chosen the album art is displayed full screen in the background with the media controls in front.
Thumbnails of music, videos and photos can be scrolled horizontally or vertically depending on which menu you're in and the transition between screens is smooth.

As mentioned before, this is a concept build which might not end up in the final UI of Sony's Android phones. I'm also not sure if copying another gadget's interface could land them in legal trouble but all I know is that I can't wait for something like this to hit soon.

Source:

Gizmodo - Sony Ericsson's "Rachael" Android UI: Android+Zune HD > iPhone.

Upcoming Nintendo Wii & DS Games For NZ.

2009-10-31T09:47:00.009+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Nintendo and their 3rd party developers have just announced a list of upcoming games to hit the US, Japan and Europe. Since we belong to the latter group (God knows why), I've only posted the dates from the PAL region to save us the grief of knowing how much faster the the rest of the world will be getting their games.

First party DS titles:

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story 9th October 2009
Nintendo presents: Style Boutique 23rd October 2009
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky 20th November 2009
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks 11th December 2010
Pokemon HeartGold Version 2010
Pokemon SoulSilver Version 2010
WarioWare D.I.Y TBA

First party Wii titles:

Wii Fit Plus 30th October 2009
New Super Mario Bros. Wii 20th November 2009
Endless Ocean 2 (tentative title) 2010
Sin and Punishment 2 (tentative title) 2010
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (tentative title) 2010
Metroid: Other M (tentative title) 2010

Third party Wii and DS titles:

Bear in mind that game titles and the release dates are subject to change.

Sources:

Kotaku - Nintendo Announces Its Upcoming Wii Games

Kotaku - Nintendo Announces Its Upcoming DS Games

Kotaku - Wii And DS Games From Non-Nintendo Companies

HTC Touch Pro2: First Impressions (Update: with video)

2009-10-30T13:21:00.007+13:00

By Benedict Wee

The courier dropped by with Telecom NZ's HTC Touch Pro2 to test out for the upcoming issue of In Business so I thought I'd post some first impressions of the phone here before doing a full in-depth review:

12.05 pm : Package just arrived. Opened it up. Cool HTC box with an XT Network sticker on the top right hand corner.

12.10 pm : Opened the box, contents inside include:

The HTC Touch Pro2 smartphone
A USB wire (that charges the phone and connects to the PC)
A USB socket charger
A Leather case (Kinda ugly one at that)
Mini-USB headphones
A Battery
An extra stylus
A screen protector (Nice. It's considerate of them to include one, being a touchscreen phone an all.)

12.15 pm: Phone feels solid and bulky, but in a good way. Makes you feel very business-like. Its size and shape betray its weight as it is pretty light (178.5g).

12.30 pm: Fiddled with the back cover in an attempt to put the battery in. Gave up and consulted the manual. Finally got the cover open and turned on the phone.

12.35 pm: The initial start-up is pretty slow but it's expected as Windows Mobile phones take some time to load when you first turn it on.

12.36 pm: Phone's up and running. Wow, TouchFlo runs really smoothly, no lag whatsoever. Graphics are crystal clear despite the reflective screen (which seems to catch my image every time I take a photo/video of the mobile).

12.45 pm: Physical keyboard slides out with a solid "click". Keys immediately light up and the screen is automatically adjusted to landscape mode. Tilting the screen upwards feels natural, turns the phone into a mini-notebook which is pretty neat. Typing on the physical keyboard feels good, keys are soft yet responsive.

1.00 pm: Testing out the XT network with the browser and Youtube application. Sites and videos are loaded fast enough to be considered near-broadband speeds. I'm pretty impressed.

2.00 pm: Just realized that I have not used the stylus at all. The HTC TouchFlo user interface is pretty amazing, everything is finger friendly (even the virtual keyboard) and transitions from one program to the other are seamless, you wouldn't know the phone is running Windows Mobile if not for the logo on the Start bar located at top left corner of the screen.

First Impressions Summary:

So far, I'm loving this smartphone. Though many would discount its size and shape, it is good to remember that the Touch Pro2 was designed with business professionals in mind. I can't see college students nor your average-kiwi wanting to own one of these but I do think that this phone could be a shining statement of individuality and style for those working in the CBD area where BlackBerries are commonly found.

Look out for my full review next week.

LG's Android Smartphone Pics and Vids Revealed, Comes With Mascots.

2009-10-30T10:59:00.006+13:00

By Benedict Wee

LG has just launched the official site of their first Android smartphone, complete with the company's own personal touch of the mobile OS. While HTC phones use Sense, Motorola's CLIQ has Motoblur, leaving LG with.. euro-centric puppet mascots, each representing a social networking capability.

Not much else is known about the LG Gw620 (a.k.a Eve) except it's a slide-out keyboard-type phone similar to Motorola's CLIQ, but I'm guessing that an official announcement can't be too far behind since the site is already up.

Source:

Engadget - LG Launches Official Site For Gw620 Android Phone, Sort Of.

Can't Read Eric Cartman's Poker Face.

2009-10-30T09:08:00.006+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Last night's episode of South Park (broadcasted in the US) featured the ever-psychotic Eric Cartman singing Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" on Rock Band.

Now while I hate anything and everything that has to do with the singer and her inane music, I will concede that Eric does a fine job of singing the aforementioned song and it managed to produce a chuckle or two from me when I was watching the clip.

"Poker Face" isn't available on Rock Band though, but it should be. Think of the Cartmans of the world belting out that horrid song and you'll get your Halloween ring tone right there.

Source:

Kotaku - Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" Comes To Rock Band - In South Park

Nintendo Announces Newer, Bigger-Screened DSi.

2009-10-29T15:09:00.011+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Whispers of a big screen DSi have been circulating throughout the internet since early last week and today, Nintendo confirmed the rumors at a press conference in Tokyo by announcing the revised version of its handheld; the DSi LL.

Nintendo's newest handheld will have a screen that is 93% larger than the DS lite's and -according to Nintendo- is targeted towards those who use their handhelds for internet browsing and to playback music. I'm guessing this is for everyone else who's sick and tired at looking at tiny screens while gaming too.

The DSi LL is packaged with two styli; a short one that fits into the handheld and a bigger, pen-looking one which I guess is for home use. The handheld will also come with 3 DSiWare titles pre-installed; humanities and sciences brain training games and DS Easy Dictionary.

The DSi LL will be released on November 21st in Japan, retailing at 20,000 Yen/NZ$305 and will come in Dark Brown, Wine Red and Natural White colors.

Source:

Kotaku - Nintendo Announces Big Screen DSi

Telecom XT: New Phones, Broadband Plans &.. Ye Gods! Do We Finally Get Unlimited Texting?!

2009-10-29T13:06:00.007+13:00

By Benedict Wee

It's good to know that the squiggly 5 year-old drawing isn't the only thing Telecom NZ decided to revamp in their recent overhaul.

In a press release yesterday, the telco announced that they were introducing 'Non-Stop Text', an unlimited texting add-on for their XT network that allows you to send as many texts as you want to any network for NZ$12 a month. The catch to this offer is that you got to sign up for the add-on by the 31st of January 2010 and it'll only last till 31st January 2011. (Link to site here).

This would mark Telecom NZ's return fire in the mobile war, specifically at 2Degrees who introduced any-network texting and calling at 9 cents a message and 44 cents a min respectively when they first launched.

No word on Vodafone's response to Telecom's new add-on, though I wouldn't hold my breath when it comes to them offering a similar promotion. I once had a debate about the lack of an unlimited plan on their blog and Paul (Vodafone's PR guy) responded by saying to the effect that we do not get the luxury of unlimited options in New Zealand. There were also some issues that he failed to comment on too.

The next announcement Telecom talked about was new mobile broadband rates for notebooks.

The details are as follows:

Prepaid - NZ$99 for a T-Stick Modem with SIM and 500MB data to use within the calendar month.

Postpaid - A free T-Stick Modem with 8GB of data at NZ$70 per month (NZ$80 if you're not a Telecom broadband customer) on a 24 month contract.

Postpaid - NZ$150 for a Turbo T-Stick Modem (at a fast 21Mbps) on a 24 month contract.

The last and not-so-interesting bit of the release is their latest offering of new mobiles; the Sony Ericsson Anio U10a (NZ$999) and the Samsung S6700 (NZ$499). Both of which are way too expensive and which lack any decent specs worth mentioning.

It looks like Telecom has decided to finally offer affordable services mobile-wise which the rest of the world has been enjoying for awhile now, although it would great if they'd also come up with better phones at more competitive prices (I could get an Android-run HTC tattoo for NZ$577 locally). Here's hoping competition would cause this to happen soon.

Source:

Telecom NZ - Press Release

Verizon US Unveils Motorola Droid And Its Sexy Android 2.0

2009-10-29T11:55:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Well that didn't take long. Just after Google's official confirmation of the Android 2.0 update, US telco Verizon has announced its two firsts; their first Android smartphone available on their network and the first phone internationally to use Google's newest mobile OS.

The Motorola Droid is a slide-out QWERTY keyboard mobile which runs on an ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz processor and comes with 3G& WiFi connections, a 5MP Camera with DVD-quality (720x480 pixels @24fps) video recording and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Its 3.7-inch screen has a high 854x480 (267ppi) resolution which displays crystal clear graphics that beat the iPhone 3GS' 163ppi.

The Droid goes on sale on November 6th and will retail for US$200/NZ$275 with a 2-year contract after a US$100/NZ$135 mail-in rebate.

Source:

Gizmodo - Motorola Droid Hits Verizon On November 6th for $200.

RIP GPS Companies; Google Introduces Maps Navigation.

2009-10-29T07:55:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Not content to rob large conglomerates of search engines (Google Search), email (Gmail), mobile operating systems (Android), browsers (Chrome) and mobile calls (Google Voice), Google has announced Maps Navigation; a turn-by-turn navigation add-on application for Google Maps.

Here are some of its major features -

* It's a Free Service: Where once you had to pay a subscription fee (around US$100/NZ$135) to GPS companies like TomTom and Garmin in addition to purchasing the GPS device, Google's Maps Navigation is not only free, but it doesn't use ad support for revenue as well.

* Text/voice input: You can either choose to type down or give voice commands to your destination.

* Traffic view: The ability to see which road is congested via green/yellow/red color codes.

* Offline support: Maps are cached along your route to the destination so there is no worry of losing your connection midway though the journey.

* Always updated maps: Map data is constantly updated automatically without prompt.

* Multiple views and layers: Being a Google Map application, you can switch between Street, Satellite and Terrain views while points of interests like landmarks will be visible with layer support. Expect to see Google Latitude integrated with the service in the near future, making it easy to pick someone up without them having to give you the exact location.

* Point to destination: If you spot a landmark or a specific place that you want to travel to you can just point to the location on the map without needing to reenter the address.

Google Maps Navigation is currently in beta and will only be available on Android 2.0 (for now) but seeing as the mobile OS appears on any gadget with a screen, expect to see budget GPS sets running Android popping up in stores in the near future.

Source:

Gizmodo - Google Maps Navigation: A Free, Ass-Kicking, Turn-by-turn Mobile App.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Rocks Bon Jovi.

2009-10-29T06:55:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Japanese Role-Playing Games (JRPGs) have a long standing tradition of J-pop artists singing the game's soundtrack but FFCC: The Crystal Bearers does something different by featuring legendary rock band Bon Jovi providing the official theme song of the game.

The track - We Weren't Born To Follow - is from their latest album; The Circle due out November 10. An appropriate song as the game's narrative is about a mercenary born with magical abilities which gets him (and those possessing similar powers) ostracized by the general populace. Incidentally, the protagonist does look like a young Jon Bon Jovi too.

The Japanese ads for the game feature the theme song but for the benefit of those who are easily distracted by the million-and-one things going on in the clips above I've provided the official music video below:

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers hits Japanese/US Wiis this year while PAL regions (read: us) will only get it in February 2010.

Android 2.0: Now With Video.

2009-10-29T06:25:00.003+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Google has just released the official video of Android 2.0, showcasing features we already knew about in BGR's sneak preview as well as introducing new ones such as two-way sync support, a Bluetooth API for local connection activity like multi-player gaming and searchable SMS.

As we speak, the SDK for 2.0 is available for developers to tinker around with so expect to see Android's next major update hitting smartphones as early as december. Pretty awesome stuff.

Source:

Gizmodo - Android 2.0 Official: It's The Android We've Been Waiting For

Internet Speed/Cost Chart Shows We're Faster Than Australia But More Expensive.

2009-10-27T08:40:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Shown here is a chart of the 20 top nations in the ITIF Broadband Rankings compared by cost, speed and broadband penetration rate.

Average speed-wise, we seemed to have lost out to first world nations like the US, Canada, UK and a big portion of Europe, coming up in 22nd place though we fared better than those across the Tasman.

Australia does beat in price however, and so does most of the rest of the world as we fall into the $10-20 price per month category for 1mbps.

Despite the high cost, it's good to see that we've got a healthy broadband penetration rate, coming up to the 80% mark alongside Australia and the UK.

Source:

Gizmodo - Internet Speeds and Costs Around the World, Shown Visually.

Create Your Own Comic With Marvel.

2009-10-22T09:47:00.006+13:00

By Benedict Wee

If you've got a lot of time on your hands (me), and love comic books (also me), you could try your hand out at Marvel's Create Your Own Comic application on their Superhero Squad site.

The app is primarily designed for kids to play around with but that shouldn't stop the budding comic book writer in you to explore the realms of comic creation and your work can be saved as a PDF file which makes it easy to hock to your friends and family.

Here's what I did:

Source:

Gizmodo - Marvel's Comic Book Creator Is $&@#ing Brilliant.

Leaked Video Of Dell's Shiny Mini-Tablet.

2009-10-22T07:03:00.006+13:00

By Benedict Wee

A leaked video of Dell's prototype Android tablet has made its way to Vietnamese tech site Tinhte.com. Calling itself the Streak, the device boasts a 5-inch touchscreen, 3G and WiFi connections, a 5MP camera with dual LED flash, a front-facing camera, microSD card slot and a 1300mAh battery.

Although not particularly pocket-friendly, the Streak looks portable (read: thin and light) enough to carry around with you, though its shiny finish does seem like it'll be fingerprint magnet. Something in matte might be nice.

Other details of the Streak remain scant, let's just hope it comes with an affordable price tag when it launches as the only other Android tablet in the market is pretty pricey.

Source:

Gizmodo -Leaked Video: Dell's Streak MID With Android 2.0.

Symphony Of Phones Doing Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture Is Wicked Cool.

2009-10-21T20:29:00.003+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Vodafone's new ad is a perfect example of how you merge the old world with the new.

I may hate everything about the way they do things, but I have to admit they really know how to make great advertisements when they want to.

It also helps when you love classical music.

Source

Vodafone NZ - 1000 mobile phones. 2000 texts. One song.

Android-run Alex e-Reader Shown On Video.

2009-10-21T13:48:00.007+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Right. So after getting burned by both Amazon and Barnes & Noble for not making their e-readers available to New Zealand we're left looking at the smaller companies to give us our e-book fix.

Spring Design's Alex is next in the line of e-readers that I'm hoping will reach our shores. Its specifications are pretty decent and judging from the video below it looks like Alex's bottom screen runs on a full Android OS which integrates with the top screen really well.

Source:

Engadget - Watch Spring Design Alex Push The Web To e-Reader Format.

Barnes & Noble e-Reader Called Nook, Costs US$260. We Don't Get It Either. (Update)

2009-10-21T09:27:00.011+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Barnes & Noble have just revealed their e-reader in the US, joining the soon-to-be-over-saturated market of e-book devices announced in the past couple of weeks.

The Nook is equipped dual screens; a 6-inch E ink display for reading and a 3.5-inch touchscreen color LCD for navigation. Other specifications of the device include 3G & WiFi connections, 2GB internal memory, a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Unique features of the e-reader include bookmarking, highlighting passages and note taking support and the ability to lend books to other Nooks for up to 14 days.

Unfortunately, the lack of Android makes the purchase of the Nook a deal breaker for me as stuff like web browsing and video playback are features that I would like in my e-reader so currently my money is pointed at Spring Design's Alex at the moment.

Update: Hey it turns out it DOES run Android! Though it does not specifically mention what features (i.e. Market, browser, video player) of the OS it does.

Update 2: Just like the Kindle, the Nook isn't available to New Zealand either. Poo.

Source:

Engadget - Barnes & Noble Officially Launches Nook e-Reader: $259, Pre-orders Are Live.

Price Check: New Apple Products.

2009-10-21T08:31:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

iMacs

21.5-inch screen, 500GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

US$1199/NZ$1603

21.5-inch screen , 1TB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics - US$1499/NZ$2005

27-inch screen, 1TB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics -

US$1699/NZ$2272

27-inch screen, Quad-Core, 1TB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics - US$1999/NZ$2673

21.5-inch screen, 500GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

NZ$1999

21.5-inch screen , 1TB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics -

NZ$2499

27-inch screen, 1TB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics -

NZ$2899

27-inch screen, Quad-Core, 1TB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics - NZ$3399

MacBook

2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 250GB HDD, 2GB DDR3, NVIDIA 9400M graphics - $US999/NZ$1336

2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 250GB HDD, 2GB DDR3, NVIDIA 9400M graphics - NZ$1669

Mac minis

2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, 8x SuperDrive, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

US$599/NZ$801

2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, 8x SuperDrive, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

US$799/NZ$1070

2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 2x 500GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

US$999/NZ$1336

2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, 8x SuperDrive, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

NZ$1049

2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, 8x SuperDrive, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

NZ$1398

2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 2x 500GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

NZ$ 1749

Magic Mouse

US$69/NZ$92.30

NZ$119

Apple Remote

US$19/NZ$25.50

NZ$29

Source:

Apple Store US

Apple Store NZ

New Apple Stuff: Macbooks, iMacs, Minis, Mice & Remotes.

2009-10-21T07:16:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Apple has announced a slew of next-gen computers and accessories today starting with new iMacs which come in 21.5 and 27-inch screen options.

The new iMac allows you to fit in 4 RAM modules (for a maximum of 16GB memory) and comes with a choice of Core 2 Duo (3.06 GHz) or Core i5/i7 (2.66/2.80 GHz) quad-core processor options. Its design has been changed from a plastic back and metal front to a unibody one which means the whole body is covered in a metal chassis. Prices range from US$1199 to US$2000.

Next up is the new Mac Minis. Apple has removed the optical drive in favor of two 500GB HDDs and it runs on a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo processor on 4GB of RAM and GeForce 9400M graphics. The new Mac Mini will run Snow Leopard Server and set you back US$1000 though cheaper options can go as low as US$599.

The new US$1000 MacBook comes with a rubberized bottom, a multitouch trackpad, LED backlighting, a non-replaceable battery and its internal specs have been improved to a 2.26 GHz processor with 250GB disk space. Its 2GB DDR2 RAM has also been upgraded to a DDR3 one which provides faster memory.

Now on to accessories. The infinitely frustrating Mighty Mouse has been replaced with the Magic Mouse which comes with a sleek aluminum base and a smooth multitouch top. No more getting that stupid trackball dirty (which in turn, causes the scrolling to not work). Instead, navigation such as flipping, 360-dregree scrolling and clicking is done with finger gestures on the touchpad. The US$69 Magic Mouse runs on AA batteries and is supposed to last for 4 months before having to change them (the batteries, not the mouse. Though you never know with Apple products).

Finally, the new Apple Remote comes with a new design and costs US$19.

Will update the actual cost of Apple's new line of products in Kiwi dollars soon.

Source:

Gizmodo - Apple iMac Hands On.

Gizmodo - Mac Mini Updates: Faster Processors, More Memory And A Dual Hard Disk Server/

Gizmodo - New Unibody LED MacBook Hands On.

Gizmodo - New iMac Finally Gets Matching Apple Remote.

enTourage eDGe: Dumb Name, Cool Netbook/e-Reader Hybrid.

2009-10-20T15:05:00.007+13:00

By Benedict Wee

If you think a 3.5-inch screen is too small to run Android ala Spring Design's Alex e-reader then perhaps this portable is for you.

Part Microsoft Courier/part e-reader/part Android netbook, the enTourage eDGe looks like a giant Nintendo DSi, except both are touchscreens and one isn't in color. On the left of the gadget, we have a 9.7-inch screen e-paper display where PDFs and ePub files are automatically opened to and on the right, a 10.1-inch 1024x600 resolution screen with Android.

Other specifications of the eDGe include 3GB of internal memory, an SD card slot, WiFi & 3G connections, Bluetooh, 2 USB ports, audio (MP3)& video (MP4,3GP) playback and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The device gets shipped in February next year and will set you back US$490/NZ$650, unless you want a different color other than midnight blue then it's US$40 more.

enTourage eDGe website.

Source:

Engadget - Entourage eDGe Is The Red-headed Stepchild Of Two Over-Saturated Markets.

Android e-Reader Makes Its Debut, But It's Not From Barnes & Noble.

2009-10-20T09:53:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Tomorrow's the day when book store/publisher Barnes & Noble announces its long (by long I mean 2 weeks) awaited e-reader, poised to compete against Amazon's "popular-but-unavilable-to-kiwis" Kindle. While we wait in anticipation for a confirmation of the rumored Android-run device the people at Spring Design have stolen their thunder by announcing their own Android e-reader a day before.

The Alex has dual-screens; a 6-inch E-ink Electronic Paper Display on top for reading and a 3.5-inch color LCD on the bottom which runs Android for web browsing and viewing video/audio/photos/notes. Other nifty features include a removable SD card slot, speakers, a headphone jack and WiFi & 3G connections.

There isn't any information on which publishers would be supplying digital books to the Alex but Spring Design will make the details available closer to its launch at the end of the year.

Source:

Engadget - Spring Design Alex: Dual-screen Android-based e-reader

Android 2.0: A Smoother, Slicker Interface.

2009-10-17T19:08:00.006+13:00

By Benedict Wee

While we and the rest of the world wait for our Android phones to get the 1.6 -Donut- update, the guys over at Boy Genius Report already have an early version of 2.0 -Eclair- in their hands for a preview.

Eclair looks beautiful and the update promises to optimize its user interface experience with simple (but significant) changes like quick-access to a contact's... contacts and a 'Car Home' application which has large shortcut functions with voice control.

Other improvements include:

- Faster browser loading and double-tap-to-zoom support

- Facebook integration with contact list

- MS Exchange support

- A unified email inbox that consolidates all emails

- Upgraded Google Maps with layer support

- Voice control for almost everything

- A YouTube widget for easy uploads

As previously mentioned, this build of 2.0 is in its early stages but it's shaping up to something really exciting for Android users. Expect to see the update somewhere Q1 of 2010.

Source:

The Boy Genius Report - Android 2.0 Screenshot Walkthrough.

Telecom Has A New Logo, Drawn By A 5 Year Old.

2009-10-16T20:14:00.004+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Telecom has just announced their new logo at an event in Auckland:

Can someone please tell them that they don't need a new logo, they need newer, better phones and cheaper price plans.

The Sinking Ship That Is Nokia.

2009-10-16T15:07:00.002+13:00

By Benedict Wee

With the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android phones being readily adopted worldwide it's not surprising when Nokia announced a major loss for the third quarter of this year.

Their smartphone market share has dropped to 35% compared to 41% last year and 50% in the previous years.

One could attribute their insistence on using Symbain for their phones and the refusal to adopt Android as one of the factors the once-popular Finnish mobile maker is experiencing such a major disinterest by consumers.

Motorola -who is in a similar situation- will be releasing two Android phones to the market by the holidays to try and save whatever is left of their company, maybe it's time Nokia bit the bullet and do the same thing.

Nokia Press Release - Q3 2009 Net Sales

Source:

Engadget - Nokia Posts $834 Million Quarterly Loss, Smartphone Share Down To 35%.

Samsung's Galaxy Lite Now Called Spica.

2009-10-16T14:47:00.003+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Well, the headline pretty much says it all.

The Samsung Spica comes with a 3-inch touchscreen, 3.2MP camera with autofocus, GPS, FM radio and runs Android on a 528MHz Qualcomm processor.

No price or release date yet for the lime-green smartphone but we expect it to compete with the two other budget Android phones in the market; T-Mobile's Pulse and HTC's Tattoo.

Just in case you forgot how the phone feels/looks like here's a video to refresh your memory:

Source:

Engadget - Samsung i5700 Galaxy Lite Renamed Spica, Spied and Specced In Italy.

Apple:New 3GS iPhones To Block Jailbreaking. Modders: No.

2009-10-16T10:25:00.002+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Earlier this week news broke in the US that an exploit present in previous iPhones which allowed modders to jailbreak the phones was fixed and that Apple's latest batch of 3GS iPhones will not be jailbreakable.

Unfortunately (for Apple, not us), the exploit has just been cracked and the new iPhones are just as jailbreakable as ever.

Once again "the man" has been overthrown, move along, nothing to see here.

Sources:

MobileCrunch - Apple Moves To Block Jailbreaking In New iPhones.

Gizmodo - Apple's Jailbreak-Proof iPhone 3GS Units Totally Aren't.

Acer Liquid To Be The First Android Phone With Snapdragon. (Update: with video)

2009-10-16T09:42:00.003+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Acer's first Android phone will be powered by the mighty speed of Qualcomm's 1GHz processor (a.k.a Snapdragon) which is currently present in only one other phone -The Toshiba TG01- thus far.

The Liquid A1 runs Android 1.6 (Donut) and will come with a custom made Acer user interface like HTC's Sense and Motorola's Blur. Other specifications include a 5MP camera and 3G/WiFi connections but not much else has been revealed about the phone.

The Snapdragon is able to handle 3D graphics as well so expect to see better-looking games coming to the Android Market in the near future.

Source:

Gizmodo - Acer Liquid Finally Gives Android The Snapdragon It Deserves.

Layar. Now On iPhones.

2009-10-16T09:28:00.003+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Layar; the awesome augmented reality application which superimposes information onto live views of a location is now available on the iTunes App Store for free. The interface been improved since it made its debut on Android and you can now overlay all kinds of data from information sources like Wikipedia, to social networking sites like twitter.

It's a tad unfortunate that you'll need the iPhone 3GS to fully utilize the application as the older models do not come with digital compasses.

Source:

Gizmodo - Android's Best Augmented Reality App Hits The iPhone.

Xbox LIVE Update Preview Program Now Open.

2009-10-15T13:16:00.006+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Like a couple of months before, Microsoft is accepting sign ups for their next Xbox Live Preview update which will bring social networking sites -facebook and twitter- as well as internet radio; Last.fm to the dashboard of Xbox 360s.

If you want to enter be prepared to fill out a tedious survey form which will require the make and model of your entertainment setup as well as your 360's serial/ID numbers in order to participate in the program. And bear in mind not everyone will be chosen as they'll only need a sample size though your chances of getting the invite are pretty good.

Xbox Live Update Preview SignUp.

Source:

Engadget - Xbox 360 Dashboard Update... updates: Preview Program Reopened.

Freaking Walmart Has Better Mobile Plans Than We Do.

2009-10-15T11:59:00.004+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Walmart; the US equivalent of The Warehouse over here in New Zealand has just announced their own contract-less mobile phone rates which would make our telcos here hang their heads in shame.

For US$30/NZ$41, you get 1000 minutes, 1000 texts and 30MB of data while US$45/NZ$61 gets you all three for as much as you want (read: unlimited). The only down-side of the deal is that they currently are not offering any smartphones for sale. It's still an awesome offer though.

Source:

Engadget - No-contract $30/$45 Straight Talk Wireless Plans Storm Walmart.

Family Guy Creator Sells Out To Microsoft, Does Something I Don't Wanna Watch.

2009-10-15T10:08:00.004+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Seth MacFarlane, writer/producer/voice actor/creator of the Family Guy/The Cleveland Show/American Dad shows has teamed up with Microsoft to create a (partially) live-action special due to air on November 8th in the US (8.30pm PST and EST).

The show will be advertisement-free but it will have Microsoft's newest OS -Windows 7- plastered strategically around to remind you who the sponsors of the episode are.

What does an animated comedy have to do with an operating system that should have been the next step after Windows XP instead of the abomination Vista? Beats me.

To have a sneak peak at what the show would like go here and click on the LAUGH (cue irony) panel.

If you're a Family Guy fan like I am you would see that the clip is reused from an earlier episode with a reused joke redone with a reused script to put the words "Windows 7" in.

I do not know which is more painful/scary, watching 20 minutes of this crap or being chased out of your flat by anthropomorphic icons of programs.

Source:

Gizmodo - Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane And Microsoft Team Up For the Hackiest Hackathon That Ever Hacked.

Gizmodo - Family Guy Windows 7 Clip Does Not Have Me Rushing To Set My DVR.

BeBook Two: Another e-Book Reader.

2009-10-15T09:21:00.007+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Don't you just love how advanced our technology is that we get duplications of the same gadget really quickly?

If you've been disappointed by Amazon's Kindle not reaching our shores you still have the Barnes & Nobel one to look forward to and if you can't wait till next tuesday, another entry by BeBook is expected to make its appearance at the Frankfurter Buchmesse (that's the Frankfurt Book Fair for those who do not speak German) today.

The BeBook Two is a touchscreen eReader that comes with 3G /WiFi connections and free wireless RSS support (compared to having to pay on the Kindle).

No price or release date has been set yet but expect to hear more details as the device is announced.

Source:

Ebook Readers Review - BeBook Two To Be Released On The 14th Oct At Frankfurter Buchmesse.

Black Wiimote Comes With Motion Plus, Is Cheaper.

2009-10-15T07:12:00.003+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Wiimote NZ$100 + Wii Motion Plus NZ$45 +Wii Nunchuck NZ$50

= NZ$195 is a pretty high price to pay for what is essentially, a one-person controller for Nintendo's console.

Thankfully, the first variant color of the bundle promises to be cheaper as the Motion Plus device comes built into the Wiimote.

The black Wiimote will retail for US$50 (NZ$68), which is US$10 cheaper than having to buy both Wiimote and Wii MotionPlus accessories separately. Don't expect us to get a major discount when it reaches our shores that match the US price but we should be paying lesser than what we'd be forking out right now.

Source:

Kotaku - Black Wii Remote And Nunchuck Price For U.S.

First Barnes & Noble e-Reader Photos.

2009-10-15T06:46:00.007+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Gizmodo has information and the exclusive shots of Barns & Noble's e-reader, which is set to be announced next tuesday at their "Major Event".

The device has dual-screens, the first being a 6-inch e-ink display with 800x600 pixel resolution where you'll be doing most of your reading and the second screen will be a multi-touch one which will be used for browsing books in a coverflow fashion similar to iPhones and iPod Touches.

The eBooks B&N plans to offer are said to come with a huge discount since they're also publishers and they will have access to scanned books from the Google Books project.

Source:

Gizmodo - Exclusive: First Photos Of Barnes & Noble's E-Reader.

Windows Mobile 6.5 Update Now Available For HTC Touch Pro2 And Snap

2009-10-14T11:49:00.004+13:00

By Benedict Wee

If you've got a HTC Touch Pro2 or Snap then it's update time!

Well, it might be.

Head over to the official HTC website to get instructions on how to upgrade your smartphones to Microsoft's latest mobile OS but bear in mind that they might not work as it is dependent on factors such as carrier branding and locking. If you can't update your mobile you'll have to wait for our telcos to support it.

HTC Touch Pro2 Link.

HTC Snap Link.

Source:

Engadget Mobile - HTC Touch Pro2 and Snap Among First Official WinMo 6.5 updates.

Fake BlackBerry Storm, Genuine Android OS.

2009-10-14T11:04:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

We're still waiting for the bootleggers over at Shenzhen, China to launch an Android phone as we've seen many prototypes but none have made it to the shops so far.

The Broncho A1 is latest of those prototypes to have appeared online, looking like the abysmal BlackBerry Storm but running a genuine version of Android 1.5 (a.k.a Cupcake). The A1 features a 600MHz processor, 128MB RAM, a 3.2-inch touchscreen, 3.2MP camera, WiFi/GPS/FM Radio connections and even comes with a trackball from the HTC Android models.

No price and release date has been set for the phone yet but we'll be keeping an eye out for this counterfeit as it'll definitely be cheaper than the one that we have available on our shores right now.

Source:

Cloned In China - Broncho A1, A Blackberry 9500 Clone, Runs On Android

Barnes & Noble e-Reader Coming Soon, Might Run Android.

2009-10-14T08:53:00.007+13:00

By Benedict Wee

After being denied the Amazon Kindle here in New Zealand and no word from their PR on why/how this happened, a glimmer of hope presents itself in the form of the US book store Barnes & Noble who are expected to introduce their own e-reader to the market soon. How soon? Most likely next tuesday as Gizmodo has received an invitation to a B&N "Major Event" in NYC on the 20th of October.

Adding to that glimmer, there is a rumor that the reader will be powered by Android, which means a color screen and app downloads from the Market, definitely a better option than Amazon's monochrome screen and a way better choice than buying a Vodafone NZ imported one.

Source:

Gizmodo - Barns & Noble "Major Event" Next Tuesday.

Gizmodo - Rumor: Barnes & Noble's eReader Will Run Android.

Budget HTC Android Phone Now Available In The UK.

2009-10-14T07:51:00.004+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Vodafone UK is now giving away HTC's budget Android mobile -the Tattoo- for free on a 25GBP/NZ$54.20 a month plan which comes with unlimited internet access, 100 minutes and 500 texts.

Unfortunately it isn't available yet on PrePay but give it a couple of months and you'll be able to ask your mates/family in the UK to get one for ya.

And if you're from my era and miss the highly-customizable Nokia Xpress-on phones which allowed you to swap mobile covers, the Tattoo comes with interchangeable battery covers and faceplates. You can choose to buy one of 15 pre-made designs at the HTC website for 11.99Euros (NZ$24.25) or create a personal one for 14.99Euros (NZ$30.30).

Vodafone UK HTC Tattoo link.

HTC: Tattoo My HTC link.

Source:

Pocket-lint - Photos: HTC Tattoo Cover Designs Revealed.

Warning: Snow Leopard Deletes All Files If You Use A Guest Account.

2009-10-13T12:28:00.006+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Recent reports by various tech-blogs indicate that anyone who logs on to the Guest account of Snow Leopard-run computers will cause the OS to delete all user files on the main account.

If you've just upgraded your Mac and have a Guest account, I highly suggest that you disable it until the situation has blown over.

As of writing, Apple has not responded nor addressed the issue of the fatal bug.

Source:

Gizmodo - Reports: Snow Leopard Bug Eats User Accounts Whole.

Freaky Windows Phone Ad Tells You What Windows Mobile Does.

2009-10-12T21:37:00.003+13:00

By Benedict Wee

The rebranding and launch of Windows Phone (known previously as Windows Mobile 6.5) comes with an ad explaining how you can carry your work/social/virtual life with you everywhere you go:

If anthropomorphic icons of the programs I used appeared in my home as I was leaving for work I'd be screaming in fear.

Source:

Engadget - Windows Phone Commercial Is Confusing For A Variety Of Reasons.

Rumor: Vodafone NZ Might Bring The Kindle In.

2009-10-09T11:05:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

An article over at Computerworld hints at the possibility of Vodafone bringing in Amazon's Kindle, which was denied to us despite it being available to Australia.

If this is true then expect to pay out of your nose for the gadget as Vodafone will possibly try to jack the price up and justify it by saying the Kindle is "unlocked" and they are afraid you'll skip over to another telco.

Full article here.

Source:

Twitter Juha Saarinen via. Twitter IT Sercurity

Delve Into The Shadowy World Of Fake China Gadgets.

2009-10-09T10:33:00.004+13:00

By Benedict Wee

The people over at shanzai.com have made a mini-documentary about their recent visit to the home of gadget knockoffs, complete with hidden camera a la Fair Go.

The place: Shenzhen, China. The gadgets: mobile phones, and man are there tones of these things. So sit back and enjoy the wacky world of Buddha handsets and fake iPhones, where trademarks and likenesses laws do not exist.

Source:

Engadget - China's KIRF Marketplace Captured On Hidden Camera.

Here's A Video About What You Can Do With The Samsung Galaxy.

2009-10-08T16:37:00.002+13:00

By Benedict Wee

If anything, this video makes me not want to buy a Galaxy for fear that I might look like a douche.

Source:

CrunchGear - In The Mood For French Clowns Running Around Pretending To Use Cellphones?

Kindle Now Available To New Zealand. (Update: Nope, None For Us)

2009-10-08T10:23:00.014+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Update: I've tried purchasing the Kindle and it turns out that Amazon is not making it available to New Zealand despite it being purchasable in Australia. Stuff.co.nz has a story about it here.

Original Story:

Books. You know, that thing that has words in it and relies heavily on the imagination to picture scenes of the narrative? Yeah well Amazon's device that displays and stores a ton of those in digital format is now available for Kiwis.

What was once a US-exclusive gadget, the Kindle can now be shipped internationally and features the following:

Slim and Light - 1/3 of an inch thickness and weighing only at 10.2 ounces.

Books under 60 seconds - Books are delivered wirelessly in less than 60 seconds.

3G Wireless - Download books from anywhere with a 3G connection.

Paper-like Display - Reads like real paper without glare, even in bright sunlight.

Carry Your Library - Holds up to 1,500 books.

Long Battery Life - Read for days without recharging.

Read-to-me - Experimental Text-to-Speech feature allows the Kindle to read out to you. (Subject to book's rights holder availability)

Free Book Samples - Download and read the first chapters for free before deciding to buy.

Large Selection - Over 350,000 books (including 104 of 112 New York Times Bestsellers) plus international newspapers, magazines and blogs.

Low Book Prices - New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases are US$9.99/NZ$13.60 (unless marked otherwise).

The international version of the Kindle retails for US$279/NZ$378 (minus shipping) and will be released on the 19th of this month.

Source:

Amazon.com - Amazon Kindle Now For Sale To Customers In More Than 100 Countries.

Samsung's Android InstinctQ Now Know As Moment.

2009-10-08T09:58:00.004+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Not much information was available about Samsung's InstinctQ when leaked photos of the phone made their way onto the internet but the details have now been made official in a recent press release by Samsung.

The 'InstinctQ' name has been dropped for 'Moment' instead and the phone will run Android on an 800MHz processor outfitted with a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen, an optical trackpad and a 3.2MP camera. The most notable difference between this phone and Samsung's other Android handsets is that the Moment has a physical QWERTY keyboard.

The phone will retail in the States for US$179/NZ$243.08 after US$50 savings and a US$100 mail-in rebate on a 2-year contract.

Source:

Engadget Mobile - Samsung Moment Slider Coming To Sprint, Packing Android (update: offical, $179).

Android 1.6 Coming To New Zealand

2009-10-08T09:14:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Vodafone NZ has announced via Twitter that the Android 1.6 update (a.k.a Donut) will be hitting HTC Magics in a couple of weeks. Just in case you forgot, the video below explains the improvements made in the latest firmware:

Still no news about the paid Android Market though, and nothing about new Android handsets either. Poo.

Source:

Twitter

THIS Is The PSPgo Everyone Can Afford; A Fake China Gadget.

2009-10-07T22:05:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Sony made a big mistake when it decided to maket a smaller-screened, non-removable battery, expensive hardware and software version of the PSP (a.k.a PSPgo), proving that they have no idea how to cater to the gaming market... wait. We did this already.

If you have do not own a PSP Slim to modify into Tim's PSPgo killer then perhaps you might want to give this China-made knockoff a look.

The PXP-2000 is a power-packed handheld that runs NES/Famicom, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, SFC and MD (32-Bit Rom) games and plays a whole list of video extensions such as RM, RMVB, WMV, ASF, MPG, MPEG, MOV and MP4. It also has a voice recording function, speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack, camera with photo and video recording and a TV-Output that supports PAL/NTSC televisions.

The price of this knockoff? US$84/NZ$114.40, a pretty good deal considering this has more functions than the US$250/NZ$340.48 PSPgo. Yeah it won't play PSP games but they're way more expensive to download compared to their UMD counterpart anyways.

Note to Sony: When a China knockoff has better functions than the original product you're selling, it means you have failed big-time.

Source:

PMP Today - PXP-2000 MP5 Player and Gamer > Than PSP Go?

THIS Is The PSPgo Everyone Wants.

2009-10-07T11:16:00.006+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Tim Magoolaghan has modified an old PSP Slim by giving it dual nubs, a second USB port for charging, an integrated camera, 32 GB worth of storage space and custom firmware capable of playing SNES, Genesis and Nintendo 64 games.

This 20-year old young man has single-handedly destroyed the PSPgo, he's even provided a tutorial on how to modify the PSP by yourself. Sony, Nintendo... hell even Microsoft should consider hiring this guy for their game hardware division.

JoblessPunk DESIGNS PSP Link.

Source:

Engadget - PSP O Rly? Modder Adds Camera, Custom Firmware To Slim, Films His Own Informercial.

'My Phone' For Windows Mobile Now Live

2009-10-07T10:30:00.007+13:00

By Benedict Wee

With the release of their latest mobile OS -Windows Mobile 6.5 (a.k.a Windows Phone)- Microsoft has launched their new My Phone service for all mobiles running Windows Mobile 6 and up.

My Phone allows you to backup and arrange data stored in your mobile such as contacts, texts, photos, calendar events, documents and music to a personal account so should you ever lose your phone or purchase a new one the information can be easily retrieved from their servers. Though you can only store up to 200MB worth of said data, there are plans to expand the storage space for an additional fee.

Speaking of additional fees, paying an additional US$5/NZ$7 gets you the Premium service which allows you to:

You can try this service for 60 days for free. To see if your WinMo phone is compatible go to Start -> Settings -> System -> About on your mobile.

My Phone for Windows Mobile Link.

Android + TouchWiz = Samsung Behold 2.

2009-10-06T08:03:00.006+13:00

By Benedict Wee

While we're being starved with only one (expensive and flawed) Android smartphone in New Zealand, the rest of the world is being overrun with these things.

Behold.. the Behold II, an Android-operated mobile by Samsung running their TouchWiz interface. The phone comes with your standard specs like Bluetooth, a 5MP camera, microSD card slot, 3.2-inch touchscreen and the trinity of connections (3G, WiFi, GPS). There are no pricing details nor launch dates yet but Samsung says it'll be out in the US around the holiday season.

This makes 3 Android smartphones by Samsung, the first two being the Galaxy and Galaxy Lite.

(Edit: It's actually 4. Forgot about the InstinctQ)

Source:

Gizmodo - Samsung Behold II Hits T-Mobile, Pairs Android With TouchWiz Interface.

Flash 10.1 For All Mobiles! .. Cept The iPhone.

2009-10-06T07:18:00.007+13:00

By Benedict Wee

The people at Adobe have announced that their next version of Flash - version 10.1- will come to Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, WebOS and Windows Mobile phones and will be GPU accelerated which means watching flawless YouTube videos in HD.

Though the full software will only be available mid-2010, the beta version will be released to Windows Mobile and WebOS phones by the end of the year with Android and Symbian following early next so expect to stream television shows on your mobile in just a couple of months.

Too bad for iPhone users however. Given Apple's overprotective attitude towards their smartphone Adobe is reporting that there isn't much progress in developing Flash for the system. Sad, Flash support could work wonders on a device that relies heavily on a touch interface.

LOS ANGELES — Oct. 5, 2009 — At Adobe MAX, Adobe’s worldwide developer conference, Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq:RIMM; TSX:RIM) today announced they are working together to bring Adobe® Flash® Player support to the BlackBerry® platform. RIM is joining the Open Screen Project, a broad initiative dedicated to enabling standalone applications and richer Web browsing across mobile phones, televisions, desktops and other consumer electronic devices through the Adobe Flash Platform. The collaboration is expected to bring the full Flash Player browser runtime to BlackBerry smartphones.

“As an industry leader for innovative smartphones and wireless solutions, RIM delivers superior mobile user experiences to customers around the world,” said David Wadhwani, general manager and vice president, Flash Platform Business Unit at Adobe. “It’s a natural fit for both companies to work together to bring Flash technology based video and Web content to BlackBerry smartphone users.”

“As part of the Open Screen Project, RIM will be working with Adobe to deliver a great Flash technology experience on BlackBerry smartphones and to enable users to enjoy the exciting content and services that Flash technology developers and content creators are bringing to the Web,” said Alan Brenner, SVP at Research In Motion.

Led by Adobe, the Open Screen Project includes close to 50 industry leaders working together to provide a consistent runtime environment and user experience across mobile phones, desktops, and other consumer electronics devices. The initiative addresses the challenges of Web browsing on a broad range of devices, and removes the barriers to publishing content and applications seamlessly across screens. For more information, visit www.openscreenproject.org.

Source:

Gizmodo - Flash 10.1: Full Flash For Everyone But iPhone, Actually Playable HD Vids

Adobe - RIM joins Open Screen Project

Sidenote: Doesn't Ming the Merciless look kinda like Steve Jobs with a beard?!

Budget Android Phone Now Available In The UK.

2009-10-05T09:01:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

If you've been thinking about getting an Android smartphone and got friends or family in the UK, the T-Mobile Pulse we previously reported on is now available for 186.16GBP/NZ$414.08 on Prepay. With that low a price the Pulse is currently the cheapest Android mobile sold in the world right now.

The specs of the phone are as follows:

T-Mobile UK Link.

ODROID: An Android Handheld Console.

2009-10-01T07:18:00.008+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Firstly, let me say that I don't buy Apple's statement about the iPod Touch being a gaming device. It's more a gadget that has the extra function of playing games like the old Nokia mobiles which came with the pre-installed Snake game. To call something a portable gaming console you've got to a) focus primarily on games, b) get big name publishers making aforementioned games and c) have more than one button and a physical D-pad. Oh, they also must come with a decent narrative as games are, after all, interactive stories.

Seeing as Android is a free mobile OS, it was bound to pop up on anything with a screen so it isn't surprising to see it appear on what is being marketed as a handheld console. The ODROID comes with an impressive spec sheet; a Samsung 833MHz Processor (what the iPhone 3GS runs), 512MB RAM, WiFi & Bluetooth connections, 3.5mm headphone jack and a HDMI connector for HD (720p) viewing, all incased in what looks like a WonderSwan housing.

The ODROID doesn't stand up as a gaming device unfortunately as most games currently on Android are of the iPod Touch/iPhone variety which -as I've previously mentioned- does not count as proper games but what it does do is provide a cheaper Personal Media Player alternative to Creative's Zii Egg, if you do not mind the lack of GPS and dual cameras and full HD output support.

The developer's version of the ODROID is now out for US$320/NZ$442.11 and it'll ship in November but I recommend you waiting for a month as the consumer version will only retail for US$250/NZ$345.40.

ODROID Link.

Source:

Gizmodo - ODROID Gaming Handheld Runs Android; Now Available For Pre-Order.

Steve Jobs Is Now The Evil Dictator Of His Own Ad.

2009-09-30T12:18:00.006+13:00

By Benedict Wee

25 years ago Apple launched an advertisment that promised to free the mindless zombies from the "evil" corporation that was IBM. It was a low-cost production but it captivated the minds of the public and soon Apple was symbolized as the company that challenged conformity.

Zip to the present and Apple has now become the evil corporation it once fought. Thus, it is befitting that Mr Jobs got a taste of his own medicine courtesy of DoubleTwist:

DoubleTwist is an iTunes-like media management program that syncs music/photos/videos to (almost) any gadget you own such as Personal Media/MP3 Players, mobiles, cameras and camcorders. It also allows you to share files between friends/family using the same program.

The people who've made DobubleTwist have been a thorn at Apple's side for awhile now as their software was first released for Mac OSX, posing a threat to iTunes as they could only sync with iPhones and iPods which meant mac users were once relegated to purchasing Apple-only products.

DoubleTwist Link

Source:

TechCrunch - DoubleTwist Remakes Apple's Classic 1984 Ad With A New Dictator: Steve Jobs

Acer's Android Phone: The A1.

2009-09-30T08:25:00.007+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Details about Acer's Android phone have been posted on the eXpansys site for France and Germany. The A1 will be the first of its kind to run Android 2.0 (a.k.a Donut) on a 768 MHz processor and will retail for 389.99 Euros/NZ$795.22 without a contract.

Other specifications of the smartphone include 3.5G/WiFi connections, a 5MP camera with auto focus, GPS, microSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Though they're taking pre-orders right now, no launch date has been announced yet.

Source:

Gizmodo - Acer A1 Android Phone: 68Mhz CPU, 5-Megapixel Camera, Wi-Fi, GPS

New Apple Tablet Rumors

2009-09-30T07:54:00.004+13:00

By Benedict Wee

January 19 2010 has been reported by iLounge to be the specific date when Apple will announce its much-speculated tablet to the world.

Other newly rumored details of the tablet; it runs the iPhone OS on a 10.7-inch screen with a high enough resolution to read books, newspapers and magazines and there will be two versions, one with 3G connections and one without. The 3G version will be like a giant iPhone 3GS while the non-3G one will be a giant iPod Touch.

The Apple tablet is expected to hit around the May/June period (the months where new iPhones are launched) and though these rumors come from a reliable source, they're still subject to Steve Job's scrutiny before it reaches the manufacturing stage. There is a 20% chance that he might kill it.

Source:

iLounge - Ten New Details On The Apple Tablet

Photo:

Gizmodo - Apple tablet mockup

250GB Playstation 3 Slim Coming To New Zealand Soon

2009-09-28T19:38:00.003+13:00

By Benedict Wee

If you love streaming tones of media on your television or if you're the "download-everything-from-the-Playstation Network Store" kind of person then good news, Sony's just confirmed that there is a 250GB version of the Playstation 3 Slim and it'll expect to hit New Zealand stores on the 15th of October.

The bigger-volumed console will retail for NZ$699 which -as usual- is a major rip off as Australia is charging Au$600/NZ$724.20 but it'll come with a bundle of either:

- Uncharted 2

- Singstar Motown

- Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time

- EyePet

That is NZ$25.20 more for a brand-new game.

If you've already gotten a Playstation 3 Slim don't fret about the smaller 120GB space as you can always expand it by attaching an external HDD.

EB Games NZ Won't Be Stocking PSPgos Either.

2009-09-28T12:15:00.005+13:00

By Benedict Wee

Looks like the PSPgo hate has spread to New Zealand. EB Games has just sent word that they will not be stocking Sony's new handheld which will be released this week internationally. The decision isn't final however as they said the situation could change in the future.

It makes sense though, selling something that would end up cannibalizing your business would be pretty silly.

PSPgo: Retailers Don't Want It. No-Go For UMD Transfer Program.

2009-09-26T08:52:00.009+12:00

By Benedict Wee

Sony has confirmed that they currently do not have any plans for an exchange system that will allow you to convert your UMD-based PSP games into digital versions for their latest portable console system.

The PSPgo -which will be released internationally next week- does not have a UMD reader, rather it relies on an internal hard drive to download and play games.

Not being able to play their current collection of games would be a huge barrier for those who already own a PSP though it might appeal to those who do not already own Sony's handheld as the PSPgo is lighter and slimmer compared to its predecessor. Sony says that due to legal issues they will not be able to carry out an exchange system for PSP owners but they are working on finding a solution.

The PSPgo looks to be stirring up some controversy with its imminent release, with rumors that the downloadable games would cost more than the physical retail versions and they won't be available on the same day online as the ones you can get in the store. Also, certain retailers from the Netherlands and Australia have commented that they won't be stocking the new portable console and though they have not given specific reasons why, it is clear that the PSPgo's digital distribution model would be a threat to their business of selling and trading video games.

We've contacted EB Games in New Zealand and asked if they'll carry the handheld and will wait for a comment from them.

Source:

Kotaku - Another Retailer Says Nothankyou To The PSPgo

Kotaku - Sony Nixes Plans For UMD Conversion Program For PSPgo

On Sale: 1-Day Selling Criterion Desk with USB and iPod Docks

2009-09-24T13:20:00.003+12:00

By Benedict Wee

If you're looking for a way to organize your PC and the seemingly endless amount of gadgets and USB devices then you might want to think about getting the Criterion Desk which is on sale at NZ$199.99 over at 1-Day.

The desk -which usually goes for NZ$398.95- comes in silver/maple and has a built-in 4-port USB hub and an iPod dock with a stereo output jack. Shipping is an extra NZ$20 and it'll be dispatched starting Monday.

Link: 1-Day

Leaked Shots of Microsoft's Phones: The Turtle and Pure

2009-09-23T17:37:00.000+12:00

By Benedict Wee

In addition to the awesome looking Courier tablet we saw yesterday there's a rumor going round that Microsoft is collaborating with Sharp to develop their own phones code-named project "Pink" to rival the iPhone.

Thankfully unlike Apple, security isn't very tight over at the company Mr Gates built because screenshots of the phones have been leaked and picked up by Gizmodo.

The phones -named "Turtle" and "Pure"- are said to be closely integrated with software the Zune HD currently runs, having music/movie services and an applications store. Besides that there is no other information available about the phones but it's pretty safe to say that it will come with the trinity of connections (WiFi, 3G, GPS).

These Sharp-designed mobiles aren't very esthetically pleasing and I'm hoping they're just concept shots, it's good to know at least that Microsoft isn't just content to sit on its ass while the iPhone continues to be the choice smartphone globally.

Sources:

Gizmodo - The Pink Phones Pictures Microsoft Doesn't Want you To See Yet

NZ Elite Xbox 360s Finally Get Price Cut

2009-09-23T17:15:00.007+12:00

By Benedict Wee

As reported earlier last month, the Xbox 360 Elite in New Zealand has gotten its anticipated price deduction, dropping NZ$100 to NZ$499 while the soon-to-be-phased-out Pro has dropped to NZ$449 from NZ$499. The Arcade's price-tag remains the same.

Here are the official price checks:

Elite 120GB - US$299.99/NZ$412.49

Pro 60GB - US$249.99/NZ$343.74

Arcade - US$199/NZ$273.62

Elite 120GB - 199.99GBP/NZ$328.12

Pro 60GB - 169.99GBP/NZ$383.49

Arcade - 129.99GBP/NZ$293.95

New Zealand

Elite 120GB - NZ$499

Pro 60GB - NZ$449

Arcade - NZ$349

Get Your Free HALO:ODST Premium Theme Now

2009-09-23T14:48:00.004+12:00

By Benedict Wee

To celebrate the launch of HALO: ODST for the Xbox 360 Microsoft is giving away the HALO: ODST premium theme as a free download but only if you're an Xbox Live Gold Member (and over 18 here in New Zealand).

That is all.