InfoHQ.com Tech News

GameSalad for Windows in Beta

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:44:59 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – GameSalad Inc., which enables anyone to quickly develop sophisticated iOS, Android and HTML5 games, announced that it will bring its popular game creation platform to Windows. Today, GameSalad’s flagship product, GameSalad Creator, begins closed beta testing. GameSalad Creator streamlines the process for bringing mobile and web games to market by eliminating the need to code and allowing developers to publish to multiple platforms with the click of a button. Previously, GameSalad was only available to Mac users.

“The GameSalad developer community is both passionate and productive. In just three years, our platform has been used to create more than 60 Top 100 Games in the U.S. App Store, including a game that earned the number one slot,” said Jonathan Hunt, GameSalad’s Director of Marketing. “We are thrilled to welcome Windows users to our community and expect that this will open up a floodgate of creativity, resulting in even more high quality games for players everywhere.”

To participate in the Windows Beta of GameSalad Creator, sign up at www.gamesalad.com/windows. The software currently runs on PCs using Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Sony Introduces Speedy a37 Camera

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:29:32 +0000

SAN DIEGO, May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Lightweight, easy to use and packed with a variety of useful features, the new Sony SLT-A37 camera is an ideal choice for consumers eager to explore the world of interchangeable lens DSLR photography.

The new α37 camera is the latest to feature Sony’s acclaimed Translucent Mirror Technology, which delivers a potent combination of fast shooting, non-stop phase detection autofocus and continuous live image preview during still and full HD video (60i/24p) shooting. This innovative technology also allows the new α37 camera to grab split-second action with a burst of sharply focused images. Shots can be captured at up to seven frames per second in Tele-Zoom High Speed Shooting Mode, where the central portion of the sensor’s image is magnified by approximately 1.4x.

The camera has a precision 3-cross 15-point AF system with tracking autofocus that keeps faces and fast-moving subjects in sharp focus. From action-packed sports to spontaneous family portraits, it will ensure that all the drama and beauty of that special moment is captured.

“Delivering lightning-fast shooting speeds and autofocus plus advanced full HD video capture, our innovative Translucent Mirror Technology continues to serve as the backbone of our A-mount line of cameras,” said Mike Kahn, director of the Alpha business at Sony. “Featuring this unique technology plus a host of exciting new features and an attractive price tag, our new α37 camera brings a whole new meaning to the term ‘entry level DSLR’.”

Pricing and Availability

The new α37 digital camera will be available this June with an 18-55mm kit zoom lens (model SEL1855) for about $600. The new SAL18135 telephoto zoom lens will be available as a stand-alone product this July for about $500, and will be offered as a kit lens with Sony A-mount cameras beginning this August.

The camera kits, new lens and variety of accessories will be available at Sony retail stores (www.store.sony.com) and other authorized dealers nationwide.

Sony’s New Compact DSLR NEX-F3 Camera

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:25:11 +0000

SAN DIEGO, May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Sony’s α NEX-F3 digital camera delivers professional quality photos with a compact, pocket-sized body, allowing consumers to explore the creative world of high-quality, interchangeable lens photography in a refreshingly fun and entertaining way.

The new NEX-F3 camera features the same space-saving mirrorless design as other models in Sony’s E-mount family as well as an advanced, 16.1 effective megapixel Exmor™ APS HD CMOS sensor, identical in size to sensors found in traditional DSLR cameras. The large sensor takes in more light during image capture, resulting in flawless, low-noise photographs and crisply detailed Full HD videos (60i/24p). Photographers can also easily create images with beautiful defocus effects, where the subject is focused sharply against a smoothly blurred background.

New Lightweight 18-200mm Telephoto Zoom Lens for Sony α NEX

An ideal travel partner for the NEX-F3 camera, the new SEL18200LE E18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS LE telezoom lens offers a powerful 11x zoom range and superb resolution in an easy-to-carry package. Smaller and 12% lighter than the SEL18200 lens, the new E-mount model features Optical SteadyShot to compensate for the effects of hand-shake. It also features Direct Manual Focus to give users precise control over focus settings, resulting in crisp, beautiful images.

Pricing and Availability

The new NEX-F3 compact digital camera will be available this June in silver, black and white with an 18-55mm kit zoom lens (model SEL1855) for about $600. The new SEL18200LE telezoom lens will be available this July in black for about $850.

Will be available at Sony retail stores (www.store.sony.com) and other authorized dealers nationwide.

Free-to-Play Title Offensive Combat™ Beta Out Soon

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:55:23 +0000

BELLEVUE, Wash., May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — U4iA™ Games, the new independent games startup built by award-winning game developers, today revealed its first title, Offensive Combat™. Available free-to-play in web browsers around the world, Offensive Combat will empower multiplayer fans everywhere to experience a console-quality, high energy, frenetic competition anytime, anywhere that not only challenges their skills, but also gives them freedom to express their own unique attitudes and personality. The innovative gameplay, guided by industry veterans from Activision, Sony, and the Call of Duty and Guitar Hero franchises, will feature an irreverent mash-up of first-person-shooter archetypes, weapons and themes, including surreal fantasy, futuristic sci-fi, and modern military settings, among others. Offensive Combat launches later this year, but select fans will have an opportunity to be one of the first to explore the game during a limited beta this summer.

“Free-to-play is the next disruptive, permanent shift in gaming,” explains U4iA Games CEO and Co-Founder Dusty Welch. “Consumers are moving away from the traditional console retail model and demanding AAA-quality games accessible on all their devices with no upfront costs. U4iA plans to satisfy those gamers with unmatched, competitive, core games like Offensive Combat, playable through your browser at a level of quality previously not thought possible, all running on our breakthrough E-Sport level server architecture. Since the game is launched right in their browser, players will be able to fire it up, connect with their friends, and play for free – with no need for additional hardware or software purchases.”

More information is available at www.U4iAgames.com.

Facebook Users “Dislike” New Timeline Format

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:45:27 +0000

ALO ALTO, Calif., May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Attensity, the leading provider of social analytics and engagement applications, today announced the results of its analysis of public reaction in social media to the new Facebook Timeline format for profile pages. Using Attensity Analyze, the company’s social analytics application, Attensity processed 138,572 public comments posted on Facebook, Twitter and blogs over a six-week period. The results, showing an overwhelming 93 percent of comments contain negative sentiment toward Timeline, are published on the Attensity blog at blog.attensity.com/?p=4545.

“We were rather shocked at the degree of frustration expressed by Facebook users toward the new Timeline format,” said Rebecca MacDonald, vice president of marketing at Attensity. “We knew from anecdotal evidence that many users —both individuals and businesses— were unhappy with it, but the results generated by Attensity Analyze show a degree of negative sentiment we hadn’t anticipated, given that Facebook is still in the process of rolling out Timeline to individual users.”

Attensity’s data reveals a strong customer “churn” potential away from Facebook. The most frequently-appearing phrases in the messages are: “Delete FB Account”; “Hate New Timeline”; “Timeline Forced Changes”; “Switch to Other Social Network”; and “Will Delete FB.” During the research timeframe, which included the March 30 deadline for businesses to convert their profile pages to Timeline, many users indicated their intention to try competing social network Google+.

Voyager Mobile Launch Postponed Due to Network Attack

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:28:42 +0000

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — During its Tuesday, May 15 launch, Voyager Mobile experienced a malicious network attack to its primary website: voyagermobile.com. Due to the network outage, Voyager Mobile is postponing its launch to a time and date in the very near future.

Our goal of low cost wireless service for all will not be undermined and we strive to continue the voyage for a better wireless world.

For further information, please email us at voyager.mobile@voyagertelecom.com.

Solar 60™ Computerized Telescope

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:50:37 +0000

WOBURN, Mass., May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — iOptron announces its newest product – The Solar 60™ Computerized Telescope with Electronic Eyepiece- just in time for the Transit of Venus on June 5-6, 2012. This will be the last transit across the Sun for the next 105 years.

With iOptron’s Solar 60™ you’ll be able to see and capture this once in a lifetime experience. The computerized goto telescope with 60mm refractor includes iOptron’s signature SmartStar® technology that automatically locates and finds the Sun and tracks it as the earth rotates. The Solar 60™ includes everything you need: computerized mount, tripod, 4-line LCD screen hand controller, detachable white light glass solar filter, 60mm refractor, traditional eyepiece, and an electronic eyepiece (for viewing and recording directly on your laptop. Plus, it comes in a sturdy canvas backpack to carry everything to site—all for $399.

Observers in North America will see Venus move across the Sun on the evening of June 5, while observers in Eurasia, Africa, and the Pacific will see the later part of the transit on the morning of June 6.

The Solar 60™ can also function at night and includes over 5000 objects in its database. Database objects include: planets, Sun, Moon, asteroids, comets, Messier objects, nebulae, galaxies, NGC star catalog, and more. So, even after the Transit of Venus—you’ll still be able to use and enjoy the Solar 60 for daytime or night viewing.

2012 marks the beginning of the next 11 years of significant solar activity. Your family, friends, or classmates can actually see and track the daily sun spots using the iOptron Solar 60™. The Solar 60™ is the ideal computerized telescope system for beginners to advanced users. The computerized mount can hold up to 11lbs with the universal Vixen-style dovetail saddle. So switching out the scope with other scopes or cameras is simple to do and increases the versatility and value of the Solar 60™.

Visit www.iOptron.com for more information on the Solar 60™ including dealer listings around the world and other products from iOptron.

NETGEAR Introduces New Additions to 802.11ac Product Line

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:44:37 +0000

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced a new line of products that provide access to next-generation high-speed 802.11ac wireless to meet growing customer needs for better and faster wireless on Internet-enabled WiFi devices in the home. The products—two wireless routers and one wireless USB adapter—make 802.11ac WiFi available to laptops and PCs, even before this capability has been built into these systems.

The previously announced NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router is the industry’s first 802.11ac router. Following up on the introduction of that product, NETGEAR is pleased to announce that it will be expanding its 11ac range with a second 11ac router and a USB adapter. The NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router supports combined WiFi speeds up to 1750 Mbps, while the NETGEAR R6200 WiFi Router announced today supports approximate combined WiFi speeds up to 1200 Mbps and has a lower price point. Both are backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n to provide optimum interoperability with legacy WiFi devices and maintaining maximum performance on Wireless-n.

NETGEAR is also announcing the NETGEAR A6200 WiFi Adapter, a first-to-market 802.11ac dual band WiFi USB adapter that enables consumers to easily upgrade their existing PC or laptop to 802.11ac performance. The suite of products illustrates that consumers can continue to rely on NETGEAR to provide market-leading solutions that enable them to enjoy the fastest wireless speeds in their home.

Pricing and Availability
The NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router, priced at $199.99, will be available from major retailers and online in May 2012. The NETGEAR R6200 WiFi Router and NETGEAR A6200 WiFi Adapter retail for $179.99 and $69.99, respectively. They will be available in the third quarter of 2012.

To learn about other new NETGEAR consumer products and services, visit www.netgear.com.

Over Half of World’s Computer Users Admit to Pirating Software

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:13:36 +0000

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Well over half the world’s personal computer users — 57 percent — admit they acquire pirated software, the Business Software Alliance reported today in the ninth-annual BSA Global Software Piracy Study. Some users say they pirate all or most of the time, according to the study. Others say they do it occasionally or rarely. The net effect fueled a global software piracy rate of 42 percent last year.

The commercial value of all this pirated software climbed from $58.8 billion in 2010 to $63.4 billion in 2011, a new record, propelled by PC shipments to emerging economies where piracy rates are highest.

“If 57 percent of consumers admitted they shoplift, authorities would react by increasing police patrols and penalties. Software piracy demands a similarly forceful response — concerted public education and vigorous law enforcement,” said BSA President and CEO Robert Holleyman.

Overall, the study found that piracy rates in emerging markets tower over those in mature markets — 68 percent to 24 percent, on average — and emerging markets account for an overwhelming majority of the global increase in the commercial value of software theft. This is because emerging economies are rapidly extending their influence over the global PC market. (They took in 56 percent of last year’s shipments.) It is also because frequent pirates in emerging economies install nearly four times more software per new PC than their counterparts in the developed world.

LG Previews Google TVs

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:07:53 +0000

NEW YORK, May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — LG Electronics USA is conducting live demonstrations of LG’s highly anticipated Google TV models at Internet Week New York, which starts here today. LG’s Smart TV with Google TV (G2 Series) combines the power of Google services with the speed of LG’s new L9 dual-core chipset and a user-friendly interface for the next-generation Google TV experience. The event runs from May 14-17 at 82 Mercer Street in Manhattan.

“LG is excited to work with Google to bring Google services to TVs, making it easier for consumers to access a growing amount of content on the big screen,” said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of the LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company. “This all-new TV series reflects our work as a company to deliver the latest technologies to consumers so that they have an immersive and interactive home entertainment experience.”LG’s G2 Series TVs are the first Google TV models coming to the U.S. market with a dual-core processor – LG’s L9 chipset based on the ARM architecture with a quad-core graphics processing unit (GPU) – offering ultra-fast processing speeds. The chipset powers the TV’s highly powerful Google TV Search across the Web and live TV, allowing consumers to quickly watch what they want, with little upload and lag time.

Through the TV & Movies app, YouTube, Chrome, and the Google Play Store, the LG Google TV makes watching anything you want, no matter where it is, easy. The LG G2 with Google TV brings it all with superb broadcast picture quality. The L9 chipset also provides the power needed for LG’s 5-mode Magic Remote with QWERTY keyboard.

For more information, please visit www.lg.com.