HP Z800 Workstation with model escorts, Puss In Boots and Kitty Softpaws at the Hollywood premiere.

DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. selected HP technology to push the boundaries of digital animation and produce the company’s most technically advanced film to date, ”Puss in Boots,” now showing in cinemas in Malta.

To create ”Puss in Boots,” artists used more than 200 high-performance HP Z800 Workstations, allowing the flawless execution of exceedingly detailed and creative tasks. The workstations helped design everything in the film, from the swashbuckling hero Puss, to digital effects such as complex tornados and cloudscapes.

HP technology has played an integral role in many of DreamWorks’ awe-inspiring films, including the ”Shrek” series, ”How to Train Your Dragon,” ”Kung Fu Panda” and ”Kung Fu Panda 2.”

“As with all of our films, ‘Puss In Boots’ required powerful systems to support the digital demands of our creative teams,” said Ed Leonard, chief technology officer, DreamWorks Animation SKG. “Knowing that we have the support of our partners at HP allows us to free our artists from technical limitations, letting them focus on creating the most powerful 3-D CG experiences.”

As part of a technology relationship that began with HP in 2001, DreamWorks deploys HP Converged Infrastructure as the technology backbone for complex animation, helping shape the future of digital filmmaking. To bring feature films to life, DreamWorks Animation utilizes everything from HP desktop workstations to HP networking products to HP digital rendering resources accessed via the cloud.

Do note that this is not official, so take the news with a pinch of salt. Watch below the Cinematic trailer of this great upcoming game if you haven’t seen it yet!

Norwegian company FXI technologies showed off a USB stick-sized portable computer prototype, complete with a dual-core 1.2-GHz Samsung Exynos ARM CPU (same as in the Galaxy S II), 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI-out and a microSD card slot for memory. Codenamed Cotton Candy because its 21 gram weight is the same as a bag of the confection, the tiny PC enables “Any Screen Computing,” the ability to turn any TV, laptop, phone, tablet, or set-top box into a dumb terminal for its Android operating system.

The Cotton Candy has a USB 2.0 connector on one end and an HDMI jack on the other. When connected to an HDTV, it uses the HDMI port for video, the USB for power, and Bluetooth to connect to a keyboard, mouse, or tablet for controlling the operating system. The device can output up to 1080p so even a full HD screen can display the Candy’s preloaded Android 2.3 operating system at its native resolution. The dual core CPU is powerful enough to play local 1080p video or stream HD clips from the Web. Learn more and see our hands on video below.

When you plug the Cotton Candy into a Mac or PC, the Windows or OS X operating system recognizes it as a USB drive. You can then launch the software and run the Cotton Candy’s Android environment in a secure window while you use your desktop OS outside the window. You can even transfer files between your notebook’s native OS and the Cotton Candy’s Android environment by dragging them off or on the USB stick’s memory.

HDTVs, monitors, and computers are just the tip of the iceberg for the Cotton Candy. The device will be able to connect to tablets, smartphones, and even set top boxes via USB or Bluetooth. He says that he expects the device to be able to turn even an iPhone or an iPad into a terminal for its environment. Imagine an iPhone running Android!

Because the Cotton Candy is a full-fledged computer, it should be able to plug into a USB hub and connect directly to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to launch its OS. Offices or schools could set up docking terminals to support users who carry it in their pockets.

Cotton Candy’s purpose is to provide a computing experience that users can carry with them and replicate anywhere they go. Imagine walking into an Internet cafe or a business center, popping your Cotton Candy into a USB port, and having your own operating system and applications take over the device.

Though the current prototype runs Android 2.3, Borgar told us that the ARM-based hardware can run Ubuntu Linux currently and future versions should be able to run the ARM version of Windows 8. Future versions of the device will have a USB 3 connector and faster processors.

From developers to students to mobile workers, there are a number of groups that could find innovative ways to use a computer the size of a USB stick. However, you won’t see a consumer product shipping anytime soon from FXI. The company plans to sell the Cotton Candy to developers and let OEMs license the technology and turn it into something that can appeal to a wide audience.

Borgar does not expect these future “any screen” products to replace your primary PC or smartphone, but says they could become popular secondary devices. With Ubuntu installed, the Cotton Candy can even be turned into a mobile file or web server!

FXI hasn’t set pricing yet for the Cotton Candy, but expects it to cost considerably less than $200 per unit. That’s not bad for a full-fledged computing device the size of a cigarette lighter.

Dubbed as both a therapeutic and a mind-boggling experience, the game was conceived and developed in Malta by local software programmer Noel Baldacchino, who led a team of 2 artists and an audio engineer to bring the product to the Apple App store. The game was released on 11-Nov-11, to coincide with the local release of the iPhone4S.

Blossoms is a well-crafted game, and thanks to the very simple controls, it’s easy enough for kids to enjoy as well as adults, making it the perfect time-killer, either whilst queuing at the bank, waiting for the bus, or lingering for a date to show up. The concept of the game is simple, yet Blossoms presents itself in a very abstract and unconventional way. The player has to swipe across the screen, to control the breeze and guide coloured leaves in the fountain of youth, whilst disposing of negative leaves as fast as possible. The more positive leaves hit the water surface, the more karma points are accumulated, which results in advancement to the next season.

Noel Baldacchino spent 18 months developing his own game engine for the iOS platform. His first iPhone game product, using his code framework, is now available for free. “We wanted to make a work of art, rather than just another game that follows the standard video-gaming playing rules we have all become accustomed to. The result is a minimalistic style, and it’s up to the adventurous spirit of the player to uncover the inner workings of the game. You won’t see a points counter, or a top score list, because in both Life and Nature there are no such rules! I believe that all art should be made available to everyone, so we put out the game for free”, says Noel.

The game can be downloaded today from the Apple app store for free.

The 60+ inch screen standing on Herald Square in Manhattan sports 1088×666 pixels of resolution, and one of the Tiles turns around to load up with live performers, which people can watch for free a few times during the day.

Redmond is not sitting still regarding the long-awaited Nokia Windows Phones, too. In France, which will be one of the first markets to get the new Lumia 800 and 710 handsets, Microsoft pulled down a gigantic banner depicting the ad for these that wraps up its whole French headquarters.

It’s stunts like these, together with events like the one we went last night in NYC, that will be drumming up excitement about Windows Phone, but ultimately work with carriers and retail salesmen that will determine its success in the stores, and Microsoft seems to be working on both ends, training 200 000 mobile sales people worldwide into the wonders of its mobile OS.

Ideal for enterprise, mid-market and public sector customers, the sleek, space saving HP Compaq 8200 Elite All-in-One Business Desktop offers robust performance, enterprise security and remote management features, as well as integrated collaboration tools that allow businesses to connect to co-workers at the office, across town or on the other side of the globe.

Featuring an expansive 58.4 cm (23”) diagonal full HD LED monitor, the HP Compaq 8200 Elite All-in-One includes an integrated webcam, microphone, and speakers for streamlined remote face-to-face communication. SRS Premium Sound is included to deliver a refined audio experience complete with immersive surround sound. It also comes with HP Virtual Rooms, allowing businesses to conduct business presentations, team meetings, training events and classes in an easy-to-use online conference center.

The first All-in-One addition to the HP Compaq 8200 Elite Desktop Series, the HP Compaq 8200 Elite All-in-One supports the latest Intel® processors and Intel® Q67 Express chipset to intelligently maximise computing performance and utilises Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology to improve integrated graphics multitasking. Allowing for easy deployment and manageability, the new 8200 Elite All-in-One is equipped with Intel Standard Manageability and HP BIOS features, as well as Intel® vPro™ technology to enable remote PC management and issue resolution.

Demonstrating HP’s Elite level of commitment to the environment, the HP Compaq 8200 Elite All-in-One is ENERGY STAR® qualified and EPEAT® Silver registered and offers an 87 percent efficient power supply. It also comes preinstalled with HP Power Assistant, is enabled with S3 sleep settings mode, and features a holistic thermal design with temperature sensors, fan acceleration, and power management settings.

Covering everything from Angel Investing to taking on a fresh perspective of the world we live in, the TEDxValletta movement is going beyond to engage with various stakeholders to effect positive change.

Giving some insight into the next TEDxValletta, Deborah Webster comments: “ This next event is especially near and dear to our heart. Along with others, we have a keen interest in innovative ways that can bring about positive change in this world, how we can reshape the balance away from the reality many people are experiencing. Bankers have stopped banking, limiting opportunities for new budding entrepreneurs, business dealings go awry under the banner of “but this is business”, and people feel stuck, feeling that an individual can’t make a difference.”

TEDxValletta is the platform we use to identify and highlight local and foreign talent, their stories and their vision for a more positive future for ourselves, our communities and our world.  The world we live in is a tad skewed, one in which those who do good should be poor and those who act in their own self-interests should be rich.  But times are changing and the current movement started in Wall Street is one simple example of humanity coming together to regain the balance in this world.  We need to shift from a mindset of scarcity to a belief of we have enough. TEDxValletta – All Things ‘W’ is one more step in the direction of what we want in the world.”

The event is open to the public and information on speakers and tickets is available on-line at www.tedxvalletta.com.

The public event is independently produced and operated under license from TED. TEDx is part of a revolution in global education made possible by local organisers wanting to engage their communities.  Every week, in multiple cities, people are coming together to pursue ideas worth spreading.

For more information, please contact Deborah Webster on info@deborahwebster.net

A new version of Gmail featuring a revamped look, redesigned conversation threads and improved search is slated for pending released, according to an official video that was mistakenly posted to Google’s YouTube channel.

Jason Cornwell, user experience designer for Gmail, unveils the new version in the video. The Google Operating System blog spotted the video and it has since been made private — but not before YouTube user crlsndrsjmnz had time to repost it.