Google's hotly anticipated push into operating systems for mobile phones was a media sensation, but HTC's version of its Android-powered device is falling short of the hype. Critics say the "Google phone," which went on sale Oct. 22, is a little clunky with design flaws like no earphone jack and an oddly jutting chin. Close, but no iPhone killer.
Zune video MP3 player - Price: $230
Microsoft's latest answer to the iPod, with 120 gigabytes of storage and a 3.2-inch high-resolution color screen, is a vast improvement over the original Zune, which debuted in 2006. But the new Zune faces the same problem as the iPod: Smartphones and other Web-enabled devices chock full of features (think iPhone) threaten to render these one-trick players obsolete.
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I have found Microsoft's updated version of Xbox Live to be a mixed bag navigation-wise. And I haven't used a few key features like parties or Netflix yet.
But there's one feature I'm using that is undeniably awesome: Saving games to the hard drive. As soon as I got the NXE (new Xbox experience) beta test, I immediately saved "Fable 2" to the hard drive, mainly because the game is constantly accessing data from the disc and it is loud, even by Xbox 360 standards.
I was hoping I would no longer be distracted by the noise of a disc spinning with such fury it could fly out of the machine and behead me and I was right. The 8 minutes or so it took to transfer the game to my hard drive was well worth it, because the 360 is now virtually silent while I play.
But there was one extra, unexpected benefit: "Fable 2" looks noticeably better. The graphics are sharper and brighter. So much so that it's like the game, or my graphics processor, has gotten an upg... More »
At PDC today, Microsoft gave the first public demonstration of Windows 7. Until now, the company has been uncharacteristically secretive about its new OS; over the past few months, Microsoft has let on that the taskbar will undergo a number of changes, and that many bundled applications would be unbundled and shipped with Windows Live instead.
There have also been occasional screenshots of some of the new applets like Calculator and Paint. Now that the covers are finally off, the scale of the new OS becomes clear. The user interface has undergone the most radical overhaul and update since the introduction of Windows 95 thirteen years ago.
First, however, it's important to note what Windows 7 isn't. Windows 7 will not contain anything like the kind of far-reaching architectural modifications that Microsoft made with Windows Vista. Vista brought a new display layer and vastly improved security, but that came at a cost: a significant number of (badly-written) a... More »
Recently Microsoft detailed the Themes 2.0 and Friends Channel from their new XBox Experience. Today, Microsoft has launched their New XBox Experience Web site (linked above), despite not offering a specific release date for it yet.
The Web site has been modelled in the style of navigation which will be present in the update that is due out later this year.
To quote: Welcome to the New Xbox Experience!
Get a glimpse of what the New Xbox Experience is all about–the destination for social gaming and entertainment.
What is it?
Enter the ultimate social entertainment experience. Connect with your favorite people and enjoy more games and entertainment online than with any other device connected to your TV. Welcome to the New Xbox Experience. Jump in.
How do I get it?
You don’t have to do anything, really. The ... More »
Researchers believe that our brains contain navigation systems much like satellite navigation with grids, compasses and in-built maps.
Recently, two researchers used the PS2 game 'The Getaway' to analyse how taxi drivers use their brain areas to navigate.
To quote: In a follow-up study, Dr Spiers and Professor Maguire used the PlayStation 2 video game "The Getaway" to examine how taxi drivers use their hippocampus and other brain areas when they navigate. Taxi drivers used the virtual reality simulation to navigate the streets of London whilst lying in an fMRI brain scanner.
The researchers found that the hippocampus is most active when the drivers first think about their route and plan ahead. By contrast, activity in a diverse network of other brain areas increases as they encounter road blocks, spot expected landmarks, look at the view and worry about the thoughts of their customers and other drivers.
When looking at an alternative phone to the iPhone or 3G versions, you may want to take a look at the Sony Ericsson Experia X1 because it does sport from advantages.
We are still waiting for the Experia X1 to have a price and carrier announced, this would likely be AT&T or T-Mobile later this year.
What we like about the Experia X1 is the option of both a high-resolution touch-screen and hardware QWERTY keyboard as navigation options.
The keyboard slides from under the display and will appeal to those that love real buttons to press, although the touch screen will give the phone the benefits of more keys if they update the software in the future or add 3rd party add-ons.
Some people might find this a better option than just having a touch screen like on the Apple iPhone but there are problems with this, you should be aware that the hardware keyboard makes the Experia X1 about a quarter-inch thicker than other touch-screen phones.
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Panajev2001a posted on NeoGAF (linked above) that Sony was recently granted a patent for what many think could be the next PSP or PSP phone. The patent is for a 'hand-held device with touchscreen and digital tactile pixels'.
The patent application states that the device could be used as a "game device, phone, portable media player, email device, Web browser device or navigation device."
Another patent was granted for a "data-transfer using hand-held device." The device would be able to "recognize a remot... More »
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