PlayStation 3 display to be sold exclusively through Harvey Norman

Anthony Garreffa | Displays & Projectors | Oct 13, 2011 12:11 AM CDT

It has just been announced that Sony's PlayStation 3D Display is finally getting released in Australia. The display allows gamers to play split screen games on a full screen via 3D glasses, with the 3D display receiving a limited "test" release in Australia - exclusively through Harvey Norman.

Sony Australia's Michael Ephraim says that this limited launch is to test the market. He goes on to say:

Continue reading: PlayStation 3 display to be sold exclusively through Harvey Norman (full post)

Samsung punches back against Apple, offers $2 Galaxy S II handsets

Anthony Garreffa | Mobile Devices | Oct 12, 2011 10:24 PM CDT

The current injunction against Samsung may hurt their Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales in Australia, but Samsung are not letting that get them down. Samsung have attacked the launch of the Apple iPhone 4S not with words, but with super-cheap Galaxy S II handsets. By super-cheap, I don't mean 10% off, or even half price, I mean you can get them for... wait for it... $2. Yes, $2. There are no zeroes behind that, just a mere $2.

The GSII handsets are available in a temporary pop-up Samsung shop that is just metres away from Sydney's Apple Store. Literally, metres away. The catch? The first 10 in line will receive a $2 phone, those behind the first 10 will have to wait until the day is over, wait the entire night and then the following 10 will receive that day's batch of phones. Samsung this week rented a store just two doors down from the Sydney Apple Store to promote their Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone as well as their new online music subscription service, Music Hub.

It will definitely hurt Apple, as their new iPhone 4S goes on sales 8am on Friday. With the Galaxy S II being the strongest competitor (and actually still better in some aspects) it is a huge blow to Apple, especially after Samsung paid their respect to Steve Jobs and postponed their Samsung Unpacked 2011 event where they were reportedly going to unveil their next-generation Nexus handset sporting Google Android 4.0/Ice Cream Sandwich.

Continue reading: Samsung punches back against Apple, offers $2 Galaxy S II handsets (full post)

Apple block the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia, again

Anthony Garreffa | BREAKING STORY | Oct 12, 2011 9:47 PM CDT

Sigh. Apple have won their injunction and have halted the sale of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia, with Federal Court Justice Annabelle Bennett delivering her verdict just a little while ago now. Bennett's said it was "appropriate" to grant a temporary injunction. This isn't the end, however. The case was reportedly "evenly weighed", but still ruled in Apple's favor.

This is partly because Samsung weren't willing to present itself for an early final hearing in November. Both parties are set to have statements released, and are both expected back in court tomorrow for a directions hearing that will determine where the case goes from here. Samsung's statement is below (or in the full news post):

Continue reading: Apple block the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia, again (full post)

Microsoft unleash Xbox LIVE Public Preview Program

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Oct 12, 2011 9:05 PM CDT

Yesterday I reported that the new Xbox LIVE Dashboard would drop on November 25th, but if you are one of those people who like to live on the bleeding edge then you can sign up for the Xbox LIVE Public Preview Program. Microsoft have announced an open call for all Xbox LIVE members to register to participate in the preview program to help them test the system.

They say that this is an important program as Microsoft are continually striving to ensure the reliability of a service that reaches tens of millions globally. They can't do this without you, the users. Once the program starts, an update will be pushed to your Xbox 360 console that will contain the new features, including:

• New design for integrated Kinect and controller navigation

Continue reading: Microsoft unleash Xbox LIVE Public Preview Program (full post)

Intel SSD roadmap leaked, new drives for 2011/2012 teased, expect 800GB SSDs by end of 2012

Anthony Garreffa | Storage | Oct 12, 2011 8:20 PM CDT

Intel's roadmap for 2011/2012 has been leaked and it is clear that Intel wants to give their SSD portfolio the same non-stop product cycle that their processor lineup enjoys, where we receive generation leaps every year or so. Intel will start 2012 with products that have been introduced just recently such as the SSD 520 "Cherryville", SSD 710 "Lyndonville", SSD 720 "Ramsdale", and "Hawley Creek" mSATA SSDs.

Most of these will launch in Q4 2011 where Intel will allow these products to lead the portfolio for the remainder of the year and until the end of Q1 2012. In Q2 2012, Intel plans to launch "Ramsdale MLC" which is a variant of "Ramsdale" Intel SSD 720 series PCI Express SSDs, which sport 25nm MLC-HET NAND flash memory instead of SLC NAND flash found on the normal "Ramsdale". MLC-HET gives Intel the ability to double capacities, whilst offering the same kind of endurance to SLC, and much higher price per gigabyte.

It does come at a cost though, slower throughput. This is where Ramsdale MLC is not really a replacement, but just an extension of the 700 Series PCI Express family. At this time, Intel will launch "King Crest", which is a successor to the SSD 520 "Cherryville" family. This is definitely an increase in tech, which uses 25nm MLC-HET NAND flash instead of regular 25nm NAND flash that is found on the SSD 520. Capability wise, there shouldn't be any surprises, but endurance, sequential data-rates and throughput should be increased. Also like the SSD 520, "King Crest" will be a 2.5-inch form-factor with a SATA 6 Gbps interface.

Continue reading: Intel SSD roadmap leaked, new drives for 2011/2012 teased, expect 800GB SSDs by end of 2012 (full post)

ASUS' ROG Tytan CG8565 desktop weapon is now bleeping on radar

Steve Dougherty | Computer Systems | Oct 12, 2011 2:23 PM CDT

ASUS is about to unleash a new ROG gaming rig in the form of a desktop machine which it calls the Tytan CG8565. It was first seen on radar during Computex earlier in the year, but a date of release wasn't mentioned at the time. A pre-order listing for it has just been spotted in Europe, however, indicating it to be just around the corner now.

Upon first glance the mid tower sized chassis looks to have been inspired by 'ballistic missile submarines', which was of course ASUS' intent with several of its Republic of Gamer series notebooks also running off similar design queues.

As for the most important aspect, its guts, it runs a 2nd-gen Core i5 or i7 processor on Intel's Z68, up to 32GB RAM, GeForce GTX 560 Ti or GTX 590 graphics card, DVD writer or Blu-ray combo drive and ASUS Xonar audio. It provides four USB 3.0 ports total as well as DVI and HDMI outputs and a 16-in-1 card reader. A single button on the case provides for instant overclocking to really help get those FPS numbers up there.

Continue reading: ASUS' ROG Tytan CG8565 desktop weapon is now bleeping on radar (full post)

Sony says up to 1.6 Million Bravia TVs could start smokin'

Steve Dougherty | Displays & Projectors | Oct 12, 2011 1:47 PM CDT

Once upon a time Sony was killing it in the TV market with their beautiful Bravia line, but thanks to increasingly fierce competition from the likes of Korean players Samsung and LG over the past eight years, Sony has been experiencing continuingly declining losses.

This latest report that's come out via Routers certainly doesn't help the situation for Sony, with word that several of its Bravia series LCD TVs manufactured in 2007 and 2008 have been subjected to faulty parts that may cause the TVs to overheat and emit smoke, or melt certain components inside. Lovely.

While Sony has noted 11 overheating incidents solely in Japan, the company has said in a news release that the faulty parts may affect TV sets sold all over the world, although the majority of the ones in the bad batch were apparently sold in Europe and the U.S.

Continue reading: Sony says up to 1.6 Million Bravia TVs could start smokin' (full post)

GeIL's EpicGear showcase Meduza, world's first HDST dual sensor gaming mouse

Cameron Wilmot | Peripherals | Oct 12, 2011 4:05 AM CDT

Earlier on today we attended the GeIL Overclocking Showdown featuring two famous Russian overclockers Smoke and Slamms. Besides all of the overclocking fun, GeIL took the opportunity to promote its new gaming brand called EpicGear.

It's a very new brand at the moment with products still in development, but one of their first products that they did have on display was the Meduza gaming mouse. Before you say, "oh, not another gaming mouse...", listen up.

This mouse features what EpicGear is calling the world's first "HDST" and that stands for hybrid dual sensor technology. As you'll see in the pictures, on the back surface of the mouse where you usually see either a laser or optical sensor for tracking, EpicGear include both a laser sensor and an optical sensor. EpicGear says that super fast laser sensor with speeds up to 6000 DPI and the stable optical precision with jitter-free operation leads to an overall much better feel and use than traditional mice.

Continue reading: GeIL's EpicGear showcase Meduza, world's first HDST dual sensor gaming mouse (full post)

ASUS UX21, UX31 ultrabooks will be here tomorrow, start from $999

Anthony Garreffa | Laptops | Oct 12, 2011 3:41 AM CDT

ASUS have stayed true to their word of an Ultrabook release in October, with the new Zenbook brand. Five new models will debut ranging in price from $999 to $1499. First up we have the Zenbook UX21 which is an 11.6-inch (1366x768) config, sporting 128GB of SSD and either a Core i5-2467M or Core i7-2677M whilst the Zenbook UX31 sports a 13.3-inch (1600x900) display and comes in three flavors: a Core i5-2557M model with 128GB of SSD, a similar model with the SSD pumped up to 256GB and the final model, including a Core i7-2677M.

The 11.6-inch Zenbook UX21 and 13.3-inch Zenbook UX31 weigh just 2.4 and 2.9 pounds, respectively. This os thanks to their aluminum alloy bodies, glass trackpads and all-metal keyboards. Not only that but they look absolutely gorgeous. The 11.6-inch UX21 ranges in thickness from 0.11-inch at the front, to 0.67-inch at the rear with the 13.3-inch packing more in the trunk with the same 0.11-inch front but a 0.71-inch rear.

All Zenbooks feature an instant-on feature that ASUS say will allow the Zenbook to resume from sleep in just two seconds. Battery life we have the UX21 rated for five hours of run time, sporting 7 days of standby time. The UX31 on the other hand lasts a tad longer, at seven hours of runtime or ten days standby from a single charge.

Continue reading: ASUS UX21, UX31 ultrabooks will be here tomorrow, start from $999 (full post)

New Xbox 360 dashboard drops on November 25th

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Oct 12, 2011 2:21 AM CDT

Microsoft have plans to launch the new Xbox 360 dashboard on November 25th which is based on "Lakeview", a modified version of Microsoft's Silverlight development framework. Included is support for Kinect's voice recognition and gesture control. The new dashboard will also show off applications based on Silverlight and H.264 encoded video delivery using Apple's HTTP live Streaming.

Microsoft seems to be targeting a Black Friday release of the Xbox Live update, which would add the new video apps an features such as Bing universal search. This could bolster sales for Xbox over the holidays as well as helping Xbox Live members enjoy cool new features to play with over Thanksgiving, thanks to Microsoft, giving them new toys. Pun intended. The Lakeview code is still being worked on, as Microsoft are pushing out weekly updates to the application framework.

Little things aren't changing in the code, either. Sources say that Microsoft are making fundamental changes and subtractions in Lakeview's capabilities over the past few weeks, causing partners to update and re-test their apps with each and every new release. The goal here is to quickly mature the platform, with the end goal from MS to enable other third-party developers to use the Lakeview framework to build their own apps for the Xbox 360 console.

Continue reading: New Xbox 360 dashboard drops on November 25th (full post)

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