What's new on SlashGear.com |
- Microsoft Sells 1.9 Million Consoles in December, Sees Year-Over-Year Growth
- Street Fighter IV 3D Edition Features Online Versus Mode, Other Online Features
- BAE Systems Plans to Use E-Ink to Camouflage Tanks
- Windows Phone 7 ROM Loaded Onto HTC HD2, Missing Windows Live Services [Video]
- Apple Awarded Patent for Solar-Powered Devices
- BlackBerry Torch 2 Outed, Features 1.2GHz Processor
- My Kinect Is Already Collecting Dust
- Larry Hryb Says Microsoft Ran Out of Xbox 360s in December
- SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: January 12 2011
- Mix-Style Headphones Going on Sale in UK January 31st
- iPad 2 to Debut April 2nd or 9th, Rumor Suggests
- Analysts Report Apple May Have Sold Nearly 90 Million iPhones Since Launch
- Sony PSP2 Said to be as Powerful as the PlayStation 3
- Xbox LIVE Refer a Friend Program Launches
- HorodronHD-01 Concept Watch Features E-Ink Display
- 3D Video Recording Could Come to Future Version of Nintendo 3DS
- BlackBerry Dakota Pictured, Specs Leak Along With it [Updated]
- TP-Link shows off 450Mbps dual band wireless router
- FireWire has shipped 2 billion ports globally
- DIY ice claws keep you from busting your rear
- Geek hacks Kinect to work with Wii controllers for Call of Duty action
- GSLO to sell Volt Solar Charger for iPhone in US
- Can Sony ban gamers that hack PS3 without them connecting to PSN?
- KFA2 GeForce GTX460 video card goes wireless
- Scosche axes iClops iPad camera accessory
- Millennial Media December 2010 mobile market stats unveiled
- Case-mate announces Verizon iPhone 4 accessories
- Spotify and Shazam partner on mobile music ID & streaming
- NVIDIA and TSMC ship billionth GeForce GPU
- Microsoft server chief axed as Ballmer disappointed by growth plans
| Microsoft Sells 1.9 Million Consoles in December, Sees Year-Over-Year Growth Posted: 13 Jan 2011 03:12 PM PST Earlier today, we reported that Microsoft was seeing strong sales of its home videogame console, the Xbox 360. So strong, in fact, that Larry Hryb (or Major Nelson, if you prefer) was told that Microsoft had literally “run out” of the consoles. With stock supposedly tight in January and February as well, Major Nelson was quick to note that if they didn’t get first place in console sales from the NPD group with their results today, it would be due to strong sales, and not the opposite. Microsoft has released the NPD’s highlight reel for the 360, and sure enough, Microsoft’s console is doing very well.
The NPD reports that the Microsoft Xbox 360 is the only console that saw year-over-year growth through December at 42%. That makes the Xbox 360 the fastest-growing console in 2010. Their records show that a total of $6.2 billion was sold in 2010, which means that the most money was spent at retail outlets on the Xbox 360, versus the other current generation consoles. Microsoft sold 1.9 million consoles in December, which marks Microsoft’s biggest month for the console yet. The NPD’s highlight reel also points out that three of the top ten selling videogames in December launched on the 360: Call of Duty: Black Ops (which was also a multi-platform release), Kinect Sports, and Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (which was another multi-platform title). So, we’ll have to see how Nintendo’s and Sony’s numbers were in the console race, before we can compare the month of December against the competition. Highlight Reel
December 2010 NPD highlights include: · Xbox 360 was the only console to show year-over-year growth at 42%, making it the fastest-growing console in 2010. (Source: NPD Group, December 2010) In order to keep up with holiday demand in December for Xbox 360 and Kinect, Microsoft pulled units from its January and February production. Despite this, Microsoft still experienced out of supply situations in late December, and it expects supply constraint to continue in January and February as it works with retail and manufacturing partners to expedite production and shipments to replenish the channel.
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| Street Fighter IV 3D Edition Features Online Versus Mode, Other Online Features Posted: 13 Jan 2011 01:10 PM PST
Nintendo’s stance on online gaming is barely a stance at all. Even on their home console, the Wii, the company hasn’t made a huge push into the online gaming market. And it doesn’t look like that position is going to change with the upcoming launch of the Nintendo 3DS. The portable gaming unit, while featuring highly-detailed, 3D titles of which many could very well feature online play, is forced to suffer with a small online architecture. Fortunately, Capcom is ready to bring the latest edition of their Street Figher series to the 3D realm, and they’re bringing online multiplayer along for the ride.
Nintendo hasn’t built a large architecture for developers to build online features into their games, so that’s why developers must do it on their own. For Capcom, which is one of the main third-party developers for Nintendo’s 3D handheld gaming unit, it’s a chance to step up and add features that they believe gamers will enjoy. First and foremost, the company is including an online Verus mode, called “Internet Versus,” where players will be able to match up with other players hanging out in “limbo,” waiting for an online match. But, that’s not all. Capcom also revealed that gamers will be able to go through the Arcade mode’s challenges with a friend as well. And, if you don’t want to jump online to play with a friend or stranger, you can use the game’s offline mode to play with your friend sitting right next to you. For Capcom to be successful in this endeavor, and to stand out amongst the other developers and publishers who will surely include their own multiplayer features into other games released for the 3DS, the online game modes and features need to stand out. Hopefully next week we’ll find out when we will all get a chance to play the 3D version of Street Fighter IV outside of Japan. [via TG Daily]
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| BAE Systems Plans to Use E-Ink to Camouflage Tanks Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:40 PM PST BAE Systems is a British defense firm that specializes in bringing some of the coolest, and craziest ideas to military personnel. Based on concept designs that the firm believes can be brought into reality in a short amount of time, their new idea to hide tanks on the battlefield is certainly one that could make E-Ink awesome.
BAE Systems has designed a concept that would work with a collection of sensors, and E-Ink distributed over the entirety of a tank. The idea is that the sensors would take readings from the surroundings. The sensors would take in the terrain, colors, and other information that the E-Ink would then be projected over the tank’s body, essentially camouflaging it on the spot. Unfortunately for BAE Systems, the technology needed to make this happen is simply too expensive at this point, especially to deploy it into a battlefield. However, the defense firm believes that they can get it up and running inside of Afghanistan within a few years. [via DVICE]
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| Windows Phone 7 ROM Loaded Onto HTC HD2, Missing Windows Live Services [Video] Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:12 PM PST The development community can make any phone live long past its manufacturer support timeline. For the HTC HD2, which features plenty of hardware to make it a stand-out device even in today’s market, the fact that it wouldn’t be able to be upgraded to Windows Phone 7 rubbed a lot of owners the wrong way. But, thanks to the development community, Windows Phone 7 hasn’t been a complete stranger to the device. And now, thanks to Dark Forces Team (DFT) a true-to-life Windows Phone 7 ROM is available for the HD2.
Unlike some earlier builds that had been released for the handset, this version of Windows Phone 7 is functioning at 100%. However, the developers weren’t able to include Windows Live services. That means you can’t download any applications or other types of media from the Windows Marketplace, nor will you be able to take advantage of Xbox LIVE or put your Avatar on your phone. The missing Windows Live services obviously make the experience not the complete one envisioned by Microsoft, but for those who own an HD2 and want to get their hands on the newest mobile Operating System (OS) from Microsoft, but don’t want to buy a new phone, it’s better than nothing. You can check out a quick demo of the ROM loading onto an HD2 below. [via XDA-Developers]
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| Apple Awarded Patent for Solar-Powered Devices Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:44 AM PST
Solar power is becoming a common addition to some gadgets. Yet, it’s mostly tied to accessories that charge our more important devices, rather than being an integral part of them. That looks to be changing for at least one company, as Apple has recently been awarded a patent for solar-powered devices. Generally speaking, the patent describes solutions for charging devices that range from smartphones, to laptops and tablet devices, courtesy of solar power.
The general description of the patent goes into detail about the devices that would be included, which describes about as generally as possible any of the devices aforementioned. It goes on to say that these things could be charged from several different sources, and that solar power would be part of that method. This particular patent was originally filed by Apple way back in the first quarter of 2009. Rumors about a solar-powered Apple-branded device haven’t been as rampant as others, but they are out there, and this awarded patent would suggest that the company is certainly looking into the possibility. [via TechCrunch]
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| BlackBerry Torch 2 Outed, Features 1.2GHz Processor Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:26 AM PST The BlackBerry Dakota wasn’t the only device to find its way onto the Internet prematurely. The Torch 2, the second generation “best BlackBerry ever,” features the same physical construction as the first device, but the main differences that should catch potential customer’s attention is the hardware inside the phone. While the original Torch featured a processor clocked at 600MHz, the new model significantly upgrades the speed, along with bringing new features to the mobile Operating System (OS) on board.
Like the BlackBerry Dakota, the Torch 2 will feature BlackBerry OS 6.1. That means the new device will feature OpenGL ES support, along with new APIs for several features, most of which focus on geo-location in one fashion or another. The Torch 2 will be a Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE device, and feature a 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 640 x 480. The main feature of the device, though, is the 1.2GHz processor. There will be 512MB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. The device will feature Bluetooth 2.1, a 5MP camera on the back, and GPS. Another new feature is the magnetometer. With the lack of changes to the exterior of the device, it’s good to see that Research In Motion is focusing on improving the inside. [via Boy Genius Report]
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| My Kinect Is Already Collecting Dust Posted: 13 Jan 2011 10:49 AM PST Not too long ago, I wrote on these pages that the Nintendo Wii in my house was collecting dust. I explained that Wii games aren't as appealing to me as they might be to other gamers. I also told you that I wasn't all that impressed by the Wii Remote itself. Suffice it to say that I'm perfectly content with a traditional controller. So, when I purchased Microsoft's Kinect after a few weeks of deciding whether or not it would be a sound purchase, I was a little concerned that the unique motion option would fall flat in the same way.
And then I played Kinect Adventures. The experience was unique, to say the least. And I was generally quite pleased with the gameplay. More importantly, I found that the Kinect followed my actions quite well. I had a similarly impressive experience with Dance Central. I'm not much for dancing, but in trying the game with friends and family, I started believing that the Kinect would do what the Wii couldn't in my life: make motion gaming a staple in my daily game sessions. But after a while, just as it did with the Wii, my interest in the Kinect waned. Most of the games available for the device are more casual in nature, and they require multiple players to make them fun. The technology still impressed me, but the games themselves couldn't quite stand up to the more traditional, "core" titles I typically enjoy. More than a month since I came to that realization, my Kinect has done little but collect dust. I haven't played a Kinect game in that span, and I haven't missed it one bit. Now, I'm sure some Microsoft fans would say that I'm premature in my judgement of the Kinect. After all, the platform has been out for only a couple months and some core titles should be supporting the device later this year. That might be true. And I am hopeful that more serious titles can change my stance on the Kinect. But I'm not confident that will happen. Jumping around in my living room isn't all that appealing to me. And once the novelty wears off on any casual Kinect game, I quickly realize that I'd rather sit on the couch and play a better title. I can say the same for Sony's PlayStation Move. Like the Wii, it falls short for me. And I can't help but wonder why I'm flailing my arms around, rather than enjoying a game with a traditional controller. So, unless the Kinect can deliver on my hopes of a viable hardcore experience, I'm not quite sure if it will do much in my house besides collect dust. It's certainly a neat technology, and I think it offers more fun than the Wii, but when it's all said and done, it still can't match traditional gaming for me. What about you? Is your Kinect collecting dust or are you playing with it each night?
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| Larry Hryb Says Microsoft Ran Out of Xbox 360s in December Posted: 13 Jan 2011 10:40 AM PST Today, market researcher NPD is supposed to release the sales rankings of the video game consoles. While it may not be released publicly, which NPD has chosen to do in the past, Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE Director of Programming Larry Hryb has come forward and tweeted why Microsoft may not be at the head of the pack if the numbers do get released. And, in a strange twist of fate, it’s not because the Xbox 360 isn’t popular, but it may be because the console is too popular.
According to Hryb, who is better known as Major Nelson, he was told that Microsoft had actually run out of the consoles. In light of that, he doesn’t think that Microsoft will “win” the NPD sales rankings, when –or if– they get announced. It’s an ironic twist that, if this is true and the Xbox 360 did run dry durin the holiday season, Microsoft wouldn’t win the first place spot, all because they couldn’t keep up with demand. Hryb didn’t help the situation either, when he went on to tweet that the stock for Xbox 360 consoles would continue to be tight throughout January, and even into February. The stock isn’t completely dry, though. Retailers like Amazon and Walmart still have consoles waiting for potential customers to come by. We’ll have to wait and see about those NPD numbers, though, and whether or not they’ll be made public. If not, we’ll have to hope that the console manufacturers report the sales. [via CNET]
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| SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: January 12 2011 Posted: 13 Jan 2011 10:23 AM PST See! As a possible new Samsung GT-i9023 – a possible Nexus S with Android 2.4, Hits FCC! The furtherance of this rumor shall be unfolding today, just you wait! We’ve got a hunch over at Android Community. See! The Sony PSP2 power up to levels equal to the PS3 and the PS3 Hacker Case continue to unfold! What about the PlayStation Phone? Just you wait. See! As a fabulously sleek looking Mystery Verizon Phone is found in Latest HTC Sync Update! Will it have a colorful background on it when you take it out of the box? You can bet on that. All this and MORE on SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up!
R3 Media Network Editor’s Choice SlashPhone Android Community SlashGear To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash] or here: [SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up]
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| Mix-Style Headphones Going on Sale in UK January 31st Posted: 13 Jan 2011 09:42 AM PST For those who find themselves in certain regions of Japan, Mix-Style headphones are something of a normal occurrence. But they may not be everywhere else. For the United Kingdom, they’re about to get a big boost of the headphones hanks to audio retailer HiFi Headphones. The outlet will be selling a wide assortment of the headphones beginning at the end of the month, and they’ve got styles for everyone.
The Mix-Style headphones are meant to express the same styles that you’d find in Tokyo, and express the same street style as Harajuku. They may not be the best sounding headphones out there, especially compared to some of the high-end models from major companies, but they certainly stand out in their aesthetic appeal, as they blend design and fashion in a unique manner. Mix-Style headphones, and other styles like them, are certainly popular in Japan, so their appearance in other markets around the world is not surprising. HiFi Headphones will be selling 16 different color schemes of the headphones, and customers will be able to choose from over-the-ear designs, in-ear buds, or clip-on ‘phones. Exact pricing hasn’t been made available for the headphones in the United Kingdom, but in Europe they cost €55 for the over-the-ear design, €39 for the clip-on design, and €38 for the in-ear buds. They’ll go on sale on January 31st. [via Pocket-Lint]      
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| iPad 2 to Debut April 2nd or 9th, Rumor Suggests Posted: 13 Jan 2011 09:11 AM PST While the second generation iPad hasn’t been announced yet, there’s already folks talking about when the tablet device will launch. With as many rumors already swirling around, a release date is something we’ve been expecting to hear for quite some time now. According to MacNotes.de, the iPad is set to launch either the first or second Saturday in April, the 2nd of 9th respectively. Of note, the original German headline suggests that the 9th is a more likely date than the 2nd.
The report from MacNotes.de is coming from the site’s trusted source, and suggests that the second version of the tablet will follow a similar release pattern as the first iPad. It will launch in the United States in April, but the international release will probably be held off until some time in July. Furthermore, the report says that Apple will be handling initial sales themselves, for as long as six months, before the company lets retail partners, like Walmart, get their hands on it. As for details about the device itself, there’s nothing we haven’t heard before. The new tablet will supposedly feature a Retina Display, have a USB port, and dual cameras. [via MacRumors]
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| Analysts Report Apple May Have Sold Nearly 90 Million iPhones Since Launch Posted: 13 Jan 2011 08:49 AM PST Apple will be revealing their earnings during their last quarter, which ended on Christmas Day, next week, and it’s suggested that the company will announce that they’ve sold somewhere in the ballpark of 90 million iPhones throughout the world since its launch in 2007. These estimates were polled by Fortune from 33 different analysts, all of which had a different number to chime in as to how many iPhones Apple sold in their last quarter.
The high number comes from the already high 73.7 million iPhones Apple has sold throughout the world since September, when the company last revealed global numbers. That brought the Cupertino-based company $45.6 billion in additional revenue. Estimates for this quarter range from 14 million, all the way up to 18.35 million. The average seems to be at 15.78 million. And if that is the case, then the iPhone would have sold 89.6 million in worldwide sales, even before it launches on Verizon. There’s no doubt that when the iPhone 4 launches on Verizon next month, that the sales of the device will sky rocket once again. But, with Apple’s earning call right around the corner, it will certainly be interesting to see how many iPhones the company has managed to move since their last earnings call. Will the company surprise the world again? [via Fortune]
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| Sony PSP2 Said to be as Powerful as the PlayStation 3 Posted: 13 Jan 2011 08:21 AM PST Rumors regarding the upcoming, but still as of yet unannounced PSP2 may have all been knocked down a notch, when compared to this latest one. MCV is reporting that Sony is going around telling developers and publishers that the portable gaming system is just as every bit as powerful as the PlayStation 3 home video game console.
Obviously, Sony has to do quite a bit to make the PSP2 attractive to developers, especially in light of the overall unattractive sales of the PSP Go, so comparing the handheld gaming device to the powerful PlayStation 3 isn’t so surprising. Additionally, with the focus on mobile gaming so high right now, with Apple’s presence now a dominating factor and Nintendo’s 3DS on the verge of being released, Sony has to show that their upcoming handheld device not only measures up, but surpasses the competition. In the same report, it states that the PSP2 will have a strong downloadable content backing, but that the device will be able to play physical media too. This means that games will be able to be sold in stores again. As for a release date, some time in the fourth quarter of 2011 has been suggested. It could even find its way onto store shelves as early as October. [via MCV]
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| Xbox LIVE Refer a Friend Program Launches Posted: 13 Jan 2011 08:04 AM PST If you know a few people who haven’t jumped onto the Xbox LIVE Gold Membership bandwagon yet, and you feel like with a gentle nudge from you they just might, here’s your time to act. Not only because you’ll get even more friends to play your favorite online games together with, but also because Microsoft has just launched the Xbox LIVE Refer a Friend program, which means you’ll get a cool prize for getting one of your friends to sign up for Gold.
Microsoft’s new Refer a Friend program is meant to draw in more users to the Gold Membership plan, by rewarding those with a current gold membership for bringing more folks into the fold. The idea is that if you refer someone, and they successfully sign up for a Gold Membership, you’ll be provided with a “token.” Once you receive that token, you’ll be able to cash it in for a prize. One reward provides you and your friend with 400 Microsoft Points, or 600 Microsoft Points depending on the amount of time the new Gold member signs up for. If you get someone to sign up, you can choose to have Microsoft pick an Xbox LIVE Arcade game for you and your friend to download. And finally, if you get a friend of yours to just try Xbox LIVE Gold with a promotional token, you’ll receive 200 Microsoft Points. The promotion is set to end on July 1st, 2011, and people will be able to refer five friends every day until that date. As for the prizes themselves, referrers to the program will be eligible to win each of the four prizes only once until July 1st. The tokens will expire by December 31st, 2011, while the Microsoft Points received from the referral will expire by June 30th, 2012. [via Xbox LIVE Refer a Friend]
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| HorodronHD-01 Concept Watch Features E-Ink Display Posted: 13 Jan 2011 07:51 AM PST Extravagant watches are becoming a normal, every day occurrence. With companies like Tokyoflash creating some of the most unique, and hard-to-read watches out there, it’s good to see that some future watches will still be able to tell us time in a more direct fashion. The HorodronHD-01 concept watch focuses more on the aesthetic appeal of its design, instead of beautiful lights to grab a potential customer’s attention.
The HorodronHD-01 concept watch, designed by Jonathan Frey, features an E-Ink display. And instead of just telling you the time, it will relays the date, in its full day, month, and year glory. The image above shows the time being displayed as Military time, but we imagine that if the watch does ever become the real deal, an owner of the watch would be able to change that, if they wanted to. [via YankoDesign]   
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| 3D Video Recording Could Come to Future Version of Nintendo 3DS Posted: 13 Jan 2011 06:55 AM PST While we’re still waiting for the current version of the Nintendo 3DS to land in store shelves, the higher-ups at the company are already talking about what the future of the 3D portable gaming unit could look like. Namely, how the camera on the device, which is capable of taking 3D photos, could be used to record 3D video as well.
Iwata Asks took some time to chat with Shigeru Miyamoto, the famed developer behind titles like Mario Bros., and Satoru Iwata, the President of the company. In their talk, it was Miyamoto that dropped the first hint that the camera could be developed into a full 3D video capturing device. Thanks to the 3D photo feature, it seems that the company has already made steps into making sure something like that can happen. But, it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen in the current generation 3DS. Iwata pointed out that a 3D video recording camera could be added to a future version of the 3DS. More details about the device are rumored to hit the world at the end of January, when Nintendo holds their press event. [via TechRadar]
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| BlackBerry Dakota Pictured, Specs Leak Along With it [Updated] Posted: 13 Jan 2011 06:08 AM PST The BlackBerry Dakota has managed to shy away from the lens of a camera for quite some time, but it looks like anyone looking for their next top-of-the-line BlackBerry device might be staring at their next device. Boy Genius Report has managed to get the first shot of the device, which features a capacitive touchscreen along with the company’s trademark physical keyboard below.
Research In Motion have managed to throw in plenty of features, if the listed specifications pan out to be true. Though, as we’ve seen in other devices in the past from the company, the Dakota doesn’t stand as the king of the smartphone hill, but strictly at the head of the BlackBerry lineage for a short time. Features like a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display, but with a VGA resolution of 640 x 480. The device will also feature Near Field Communications (NFC) built-in. It is a Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE device, with a 5MP camera on the back. RIM has included 4GB of internal memory, along with 768MB of RAM. The Dakota will have Bluetooth connectivity, integrated 802.11 WiFi b/g/n, an accelerometer, proximity sensor, and a magnetometer. Perhaps one of the device’s best features is the ability to use it as a 3G mobile hotspot. It will use a microUSB port for charging. The Dakota is reported to be launching with BlackBerry OS 6.1, so we imagine there will be new features within the mobile Operating System (OS) itself, but details regarding those are not available at this time. What carrier exactly the new Dakota will launch on is up in the air, but it is likely that the device will launch on AT&T some time in the future. No exact date is available. [Update]: It looks like BlackBerry OS 6.1 just broke cover over at DevCon Asia over in Bali late last night. Some of the new features in the OS will be the new magnetometer listed above, and APIs for digital compass usage. There will also be support for OpenGL-ES 2.0, Window API, and event-based geo-fencing location APIs. [via Boy Genius Report]
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| TP-Link shows off 450Mbps dual band wireless router Posted: 13 Jan 2011 05:16 AM PST
The dual band mode of the router allows the device to avoid interference from other wireless networks in the area and from other devices in the home or office. The router has 5GHz band along with the common 2.4GHz band. The two bands can be used at the same time too with the user surfing the web on 2.4GHz and shooting HD video around the house with 5GHz band. The router uses MIMO tech to allow for a 60% longer range. It supports all sorts of wireless security like WEP, WPA, WPA2, and Mac filtering.
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| FireWire has shipped 2 billion ports globally Posted: 13 Jan 2011 05:03 AM PST I would bet that most of us are already familiar with the FireWire port. These ports are common on many devices today with both PC and Mac users getting the ports and add in cards available for rigs that lack the port. FireWire is used for all sorts of things from faster data transfers from external storage than USB 2.0 to sending video from cameras directly to the computer.
For a long time FireWire was the fastest port on a PC, but USB 3.0 now has that honor. The 1394 Trade Association has announced that it has now shipped two billion FireWire ports all around the globe. The ports are used in storage, set top boxes and more according to the association. Despite the faster USB 3.0, port on the market the 1394 Trade Association still expects the standard to grow in 2011. Once integrated USB 3.0 controllers are inside most mainboards on the market I have to think that the FireWire port will start to fade away. "The two billion ports represents a significant new milestone for 1394," said Max Bassler, chairman, 1394 Trade Association. "Just as impressive is the innovative and creative application of FireWire in new generations of advanced industrial automation, vision systems, and production equipment. FireWire will continue its steady, stable growth during 2011, as we migrate to the first products operating at 1.6 Gigabit/second bandwidth — and as 1394 proves itself superior to competitive interfaces in a variety of sectors." Bassler added that there is now a new generation of set top boxes with FireWire, providing data transfer speeds of 800 Megabit/second.
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| DIY ice claws keep you from busting your rear Posted: 13 Jan 2011 04:47 AM PST With almost all of the states in the US under snow this week a lot of ice has come with the snow. I know here in Texas things have been bad, we rarely get snow and a lot of areas are under several inches still. That means a lot of folks have slipped and busted their butt.
If you are the geeky DIY sort that doesn’t care for wiping out on the driveway or the stairs where everyone can see you, you might want to check out these DIY krampons or ice claws as I like to call them. These are the sort of things that climbers wear when they need to go up an icy slope. The dude made them using a T profile plate that is 2mm thick, 25mm metal screws, and a nylon strap. Basically, you drill into the T profile plate, then put the screws into the holes, and strap them to your feet. If you are uncoordinated, the downside is if you still manage to fall you can now stab yourself as you hit the ground.
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| Geek hacks Kinect to work with Wii controllers for Call of Duty action Posted: 13 Jan 2011 04:33 AM PST We have seen all sorts of hacks for the Kinect since the motion tracking gesture controller launched for the Xbox 360. The thing is really cool and has turned out to be quite the hackable little device for people to take and use for all sorts of things. So far, most of those hacks haven't been anything that I am interested in.
A geek going by Demize2010 over on YouTube has posted up a video of him using the Kinect with the Wii nunchuck and remote for playing some Call of Duty. The movement of the player is controlled with the normal Wii motion controls with the Kinect picking up the gestures to control other things. Now for the part that will really blow your geeky little mind, the version of Call of Duty the dude is playing is running on the PC. He hacked the Wii controllers to work for motion, aiming, and shooting and the Kinect to do things like lean and others. Talk about a geeky mashup of gaming goodness. Via PC World
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| GSLO to sell Volt Solar Charger for iPhone in US Posted: 13 Jan 2011 04:21 AM PST GSLO has been buying up the rights to sell some interesting gear in the US. This is the company that is bringing the Peel 520 to the states among other things. GSLO has announced that it has landed the North American distribution rights to the Volt Solar Charger for the iPhone.
GSLO is getting the exclusive rights to the solar charger for all of North America. The Volt is made by a company called XSE. The Volt Solar Charger is an external battery pack that fits onto the iPhone and extends the battery life by using a solar charger on the outside of the case to trickle charge the battery. The battery inside can also be charged by using a USB cable for longer runtime with the solar panel helping to keep the battery topped off. GSLO is mum on when the Volt will come to the US and how much the device will cost.
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| Can Sony ban gamers that hack PS3 without them connecting to PSN? Posted: 13 Jan 2011 04:10 AM PST Sony has decided to voraciously go after the people that offer up hacks and mods for the PS3 console this week after some hacks have surfaced that render existing Sony security on the PS3 moot. The latest hack of the PS3 came from Geohot and landed him in hot water with Sony suing him for circumventing the security on the console despite the fact that bypassing security doesn't mean the user is a pirate.
Some have speculated that if a user hacks their PS3 using the Geohot or other hacks to bypass security, as long as they don’t connect to the PSN Sony will have no way to know that the console has been hacked and therefore won't be able to ban the console. As it turns out there is evidence that this is not the case. A user going by the name NeoGAF has posted that when port sniffing his machine he found that the PS3 contacts Sony servers if there is a web connection as soon as the machine is turned on. That would allow Sony to know that the console has been hacked and ban the machine if wanted. There is also some speculation that Sony could push updates to all consoles as well. Sony has already said that it plans to fix the security breach these hacks take advantage of with a series of updates.
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| KFA2 GeForce GTX460 video card goes wireless Posted: 13 Jan 2011 03:57 AM PST When it comes to a gaming computer, there are typically tons of wires running around. One of the cables that can be really expensive if you need a long one is the DVI cable. If you are already using a wireless mouse, a wireless keyboard, a wireless printer, and you want to go even more wire-free a new video card has surfaced just for you.
The video card is from KFA2 and is the GeForce GTX 460. The five antennas sticking out of the back of the card stream the video to your monitor sans wires. That’s actually really cool and would be great for shooting your video from the PC over to a desk across the room when you don’t have a network cable long enough to reach. The card supports all the features that the normal GTX 460 card offers like SLI capability, 3D Vision, and DirectX 11 support. The card has 336 cores, a 675MHz graphics clock, 1350MHz processor clock, and an 1800MHz memory clock. The card uses WHDI tech for putting that video on your PC screen. Pricing on the card is unknown at this time.  
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| Scosche axes iClops iPad camera accessory Posted: 13 Jan 2011 03:37 AM PST Scosche has confirmed that it has officially cancelled development of its iClops iPad camera accessory, which had previously been tipped for release in March this year. SlashGear reader Afonso had contacted the company regarding the plug-in camera – which promised 2.1-megapixel stills or VGA-quality video on the Apple tablet – and been told that in fact the project had been axed.
Interestingly, Afonso was apparently told by Scosche that the decision was “due to legality issues that we had run in to”; however, Scosche’s PR team tells SlashGear there were no legal issues involved. We’ve waiting on a full official comment from the company, and will update when we get it. What it’s looking like, however, is that the only way for iPad users to get a still/video camera on their Apple tablet is to wait for the second-gen model, expected to arrive later in 2011 complete with an integrated camera. The iClops was also billed as operating with the iPod touch, adding image and video support to versions of the Apple PMP that lacked camera functionality.
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| Millennial Media December 2010 mobile market stats unveiled Posted: 13 Jan 2011 03:36 AM PST Millennial Media tracks the mobile market to offer us all sorts of little details on the most popular devices, makers, and operating systems and the details are based on impressions for mobile ads generated online. The latest details offered from the metrics firm are for December 2010.
Apple continued to be the most popular device maker with 21% of the impressions on its devices for the month. Samsung was in the second spot, and HTC was in third place. One interesting fact was that on an individual device basis, Android devices held 16 of the top mobile device spots. The iPhone was number one, the Blackberry Curve was in the second spot, the iPod touch was third, HTC Nexus One was fourth and the Motorola Droid took fifth. The OS mix showed that Android was tops with 46% of the impressions, iOS was second with 32% of all impressions, and RIM had third with 16% of all impressions. The Windows OS share of all impression was only 1%. Android surpassed iOS as the largest smartphone OS on the network for the first time in December with its 46%.
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| Case-mate announces Verizon iPhone 4 accessories Posted: 13 Jan 2011 03:11 AM PST Case-mate has been offering cases for the iPhone 4 on AT&T since the smartphone launched. That doesn’t mean that the company isn’t taking advantage of the newly announced Verizon iPhone 4 though with a grab specifically for those looking to get the Apple smartphone on the Verizon network.
Case-mate is reaching out with cases for the Verizon iPhone 4 and some of them are strange. Take the Monsta case for instance; it reminds me a bit of The Walking Dead. It has a white base with a blood spatter looking top with a mouth and uses the lens and flash area for an eye. You can also get the Waddler, which looks like a penguin. If you want something a bit more mundane the Egg is well cushioned, the Gelli looks cool, and the Vroom with a tire tread pattern is perfect for auto fans. Any of the cases for the iPhone 4 will fit the Verizon offering since it and the AT&T iPhone have the same design and shape.
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| Spotify and Shazam partner on mobile music ID & streaming Posted: 13 Jan 2011 03:07 AM PST
In order to use the Spotify Mobile app, however, you’ll need to have a premium account with the service, and the linked functionality isn’t available in Shazam’s free app yet either. Still, that’s promised to come soon. It will work with Spotify apps on iPhone, iPod touch -including (SHAZAM)RED – and Android, though not yet on the Nokia or Windows Phone 7. Press Release:
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| NVIDIA and TSMC ship billionth GeForce GPU Posted: 13 Jan 2011 02:56 AM PST NVIDIA and TSMC have announced that the one-billionth NVIDIA GeForce GPU has been shipped. The GPUs are designed by NVIDIA and TSMC builds them inside its foundries. The announcement marks a milestone for NVIDIA whose line of GPUs are very popular in the desktop and mobile space.
NVIDIA and TSMC have worked together for the last 12 years and it has taken that long to deliver a billion of the GPUs to PC makers. NVIDIA also notes that almost every major PC maker uses its GPUs inside their machines. “Since inventing the GPU more than a decade ago, NVIDIA has driven innovation in these processors at a rate virtually unmatched in the technology industry,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and chief executive officer, NVIDIA. “With our close partnership with TSMC, the complexity of these devices has increased more than 1000 times, enabling enormous progress in computers ranging from handhelds and PCs to workstations and data centers.”
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| Microsoft server chief axed as Ballmer disappointed by growth plans Posted: 13 Jan 2011 02:54 AM PST Microsoft has shed another exec, this time server and tools division president Robert Muglia. A 24-year Microsoft veteran, Muglia is to be replaced – according to an internal letter sent by Steve Ballmer but seen by the WSJ – after discussions over the “overall business and what is needed to accelerate our growth” seemingly failed to satisfy the CEO.
Although Microsoft has not been specific as to the circumstances surrounding Muglia’s departure, it’s not the first time the exec has displeased Ballmer. Previously head of Microsoft’s internet business, he was demoted in 2001 after an online project fell foul of privacy advocates. However, in 2009 he was made president of servers and tools. Recently, Microsoft came under renewed criticism for changes made to the next version of Windows Home Server, amid partner HP pulling out of the segment.
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TP-Link was showing off some gear at CES last week that will be interesting to those looking for faster wireless networking and dual band capability. The router is called the 
Spotify and Shazam 
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