Pujutengineered World

2013: Blackberry Returns, Plays Catch Up to iOS and Android in Comeback

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:56:00 +0000

2013: Blackberry Returns

After being the powerhouse of corporate smartphone just a decade earlier, Blackberry has faded tremendously in popularity no thanks to its inability to evolve within the smartphone sector, taken down by the ever famous Apple iPhone and a myriads of SAMSUNG and HTC phones running on Google’s Android OS.

A lot has happened over the time gap between Blackberry’s stagnant innovation and Apple vs Samsung war over the past few years. RIM has been rebranded as Blackberry and it finally launched the rebuilt BB10 OS. Don’t get it wrong, Blackberry’s stronghold still lies in the physical QWERTY keyboard lovers and Blackberry loyalists.

In the end of March 2013, Blackberry announced Q4 profit of $98 million, surprising many analysts and technologists alike. A lot of us would have put our money on Blackberry to be ousted from the market and sent to the history books for good. However, it is still hard to tell if this achievement could spur a turnaround for the Canadian company.

The Blackberry Z10 is a promoted as a sleek, multi-tasking smartphone based on a much awaited BB10 OS.It is extremely crucial for Blackberry to convert as many corporate users to BB10 as possible judging by the fact that many corporate structures have shifted to the iOS as their preferred choice in recent times.

Many analysts have labeled Blackberry’s Z10 launch a disappointment, which proves to say that they still have a lot of catch up work to do to prevent from going into the history books for good. The last Blackberry I owned was in 2007. And I don’t think I would buy another to play with, unless they reinvent another smartphone evolution. Till then, I will save my spare cash for more apps purchase.

Retrieve Live Messenger Saved Password

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 03:23:00 +0000

How to retrieve Windows Live Messenger saved password?

Option 1: Download this recovery tool (link)

Option 2:
This article focuses on recovering a Windows Live Messenger password and the way this can be achieved. It reveals the methods user can use to change or recover a lost or forgotten password on Windows Live Messenger. Changing a password can be done in just a few steps, whereas recovering the password can be done by choosing a secret question when signing up. It can also be done by downloading MSN Messenger Password Recovery. The link to the location is included in the article.

Regularly changing your MSN account password is important in order to prevent other people from trying to decrypt it, particularly when you use public or shared computers. You should keep a record of your passwords in an external folder in case you forget it. If this does occur, there are other ways to recover your password which are explained in this article.

1.Changing your password (Windows Live Messenger)

To change your password, you must sign in to your email account.

1. Sign in to Windows Live Messenger and open your email account (the envelope icon in the upper left-hand corner of the screen)
2. Once your mailbox accounts is open, from the upper right-hand corner of the screen, select Options.
3. Under Manage your account, select "View and edit your personal information".
4. Your personal information should now be displayed, as well as a section labelled "Password reset information". Click on "Change" next to "Password: *******"
5. Another window will pop up prompting you to enter your current password and type in your new one. Rthe new password for confirmation.
6. If you want to change your password regularly, tick the box labelled "Make my password expire every 72 days"
7. Finish by clicking "Save".

Note: Don't forget to store your password in a safe folder

2. Password recovery

If you have forgotten your Messenger password, there are three ways to recover it.

Secret question

When signing up for your account, you have been asked to choose a secret question from the list and provide an answer. You can use this option to recover your password by choosing "Forgot your password?" at the bottom of the screen before signing in. This will open a new browser and you will be directed to this link: https://account.live.com/ResetPassword.aspx?mkt=EN-US

1. Enter your account name (e.g. john-smith@hotmail.com).
2. Enter the characters displayed in the required field.
3. Click "Continue".
4. When asked to select the option for resetting your password, choose "Use my location information and secret answer to verify my identity".
5. Choose your location from the list (it must correspond to the location you entered upon the creation of your account). Enter your secret answer in the required field. Click "Continue".

Send password reset instructions to your alternative email address

If you do not remember the answer to the secret question, you can also try to send the password reset instruction to the alternative email address entered upon account creation.

Note: You should know the substitute email address that has been suggested upon registration of your account..

1. Choose "Send password reset instructions to me in email".
2. Select "Alternate email address". Click continue.
3. "Password reset instructions were sent to your alternate e-mail address.

If you don't see the e-mail message in your inbox, look for it in your junk mail folder or check your e-mail again later." will display on your screen.

4. You can now check your email to get the reset instructions.
5. Copy the link provided in a new browser to confirm the request. It might take a few minutes to process the information.
6. Enter the correct information in the required fields to confirm your identity and reset your new password.

Download MSN Messenger password recovery programme

This programme will recover your password by decrypting it. It is compatible only with MSN messenger, Windows Live Messenger 8 can find the Windows Messenger passwords that have been saved on your system.

Note: This programme will only work if you have checked "Remember me" and "Remember my password" when signing to Messenger.

Download Link: http://www.msn-password-recovery.com/

When the download is complete, simply run the programme and click "Recover Password!"

Good Reason to Visit Chuck E. Cheese - Current Coupons $0.20 per Token

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:00:00 +0000

Current ongoing promotion from Chuck E. Cheese: 100 tokens for $20 (Save $5). That comes down to $0.20 per token.

Print the coupon and present at the counter to redeem the deal. Excluding Hawaii.

iPad 3 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:34:00 +0000

The Apple iPad 3 is to be announced on early March at an official Apple event, with many firmly expecting a Retina display in it, and possibly and A6 chip.

Apple iPad 3 Rumors Heating Up, A6 Processor and Retina Display

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:41:00 +0000

It's about the time when rumors of Apple’s next generation tablet, the iPad 3 is heating up with speculations that the Apple iPad 3 will be unveiled within the next two to three months. The latest story has the next-gen tablet getting cameras that match the iPhone 4S’s 8MP shooter.

Such a camera upgrade would be an enormous improvement.Many Apple fans were hugely disappointed when Apple went low with the iPad 2′s cameras. The iPad 3′s front camerawould also supposedly get an upgrade to be capable of shooting HD video, just nice for a more advanced feel when making the Facetime calls.

Many tech enthuthiasts will expect that the iPad 3 comes with an A6 processor wrapped inside(should be no surprise). The Retina display is also expected to be embedded into the iPad 3.
Now about the timing; the previous rumor calls for the iPad 3 to arrive in January (on Steve Jobs’s birthday) doesn't sound believeable, as this would upset holiday shoppers who bought the iPad 2 over the past Christmas. So it would be a more realistic call to expect the iPad 3 at about the same time as the iPad 2 last year (March 11).

One factor which is hot in discussion now is the pricing of the iPad 3. Will Apple reduce the iPad 2 price in order to help combat Amazon's Kindle Fire? This same strategy was used by Apple for several years with outdated iPhones. Any price reduction will definitely help the new-to-tablet consumers hop onto the iPad bandwagon.

5 Clubs Agree to Pay Neymar Release Clause of €45 Millions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:45:00 +0000

Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro has confirmed five clubs in Europe have agreed to pay Neymar's €45 million release clause.

The clubs - named in widespread reports throughout Brazil as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester City and Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala - will now be given permission to speak to Neymar.

"We don't want to sell the player, but of course there is a release clause in his contract that can be paid," he told ESPN Brasil. "Five European clubs have offered to match the clause.

"I cannot name them because there is an agreement between Santos and the clubs, but they are the most important European clubs. They have asked to speak to the player and obviously we've allowed them to."

He added: "The clubs have behaved ethically. They sought out Santos first and were willing to pay the clause. With this ethical approach, they can talk to anyone - with Neymar's father, with [agent] Wagner Ribeiro, and with the representatives of Neymar."

Chelsea had seen a number of bids rejected for Neymar last summer before the 19-year-old Brazil international signed a new long-term deal with the club.

Ribeiro added: "Last year, Chelsea's attitude was different. Their first action was to seek out the player's representatives."

The news comes just a day after Ribeiro said Neymar wanted to become the best player in the world while remaining in Brazil, and he remains confident that the forward will opt to stay at Santos.

"These clubs can come and make their offers, but if he wants to stay at Santos then he'll say no and stay at Santos," he said. "It's not a good time for him to leave.

"The 2014 World Cup is coming and the eyes of the world will be on Brazil. If he stays, and wins the Club World Cup, the Olympics and maybe the World Cup, he will become an idol and can go to Europe having done it all.

"Right now, he lives close to his family and friends in the city he loves and is at a club that is right for him. There's no reason for him to go now. I think he'll stay."

New Wii Bundle with Mario Kart Wii Pack (with Wii Wheel)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 May 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Nintendo will release a new current generation Wii bundle to replace the
present pack that comes with Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. The Mario Kart with Wii Wheel is currently sold at $39.96 at Amazon. I think this would be a better attraction to potential Wii buyers, because you will be getting one of the best selling game of the Wii era in Mario Kart although some may argue that you will be losing 2 games which represent the flagship of motion sensor gaming from the Nintendo Wii.

This new bundle pack also comes with a price slash bringing the Wii MSRP officially to $149.99 amid the news that Sony will release the next generation Wii in 2012 and it will be showcased at the E3 in June 2011. Retailers like Toys R Us and Best Buy had started their own price cuts prior to Nintendo's official price cut in a move to sell as many Wiis off their shelves and inventories as they expect sales to slow down towards the launch of the next generation Wii. Many rumors are guessing that the new Wii a.k.a Wii 2 or Wii HD will finally bring HD graphics to the popular console with some even suggesting that the remote would come with a video graphics screen.

With Sony and Microsoft getting into the act of motion sensor gaming with the PlayStation Move and Xbox Kinect respectively, gaming enthusiasts are eager to know what Nintendo will pull out of its hat this time.

How to Check Wii Firmware Version

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 01 May 2011 22:12:00 +0000

I saw a post offering modding services for the Nintendo Wii 3.0-4.1 (any region) and I realised I don't know what version is my Wii. And to add insult to injury, I have no idea how to check the version on my Wii because there's no Help > About tab. I quickly searched on Google "how to check Wii firmware" and it returned some results, mostly linked to Yahoo! Answers page. In the end, I did manage to find out what's my Wii's version. It's version 4.3U. All you have to do to check for your Wii firmware version is to go into the Wii settings box and then it's on the top right corner of page 1!

Haley Reinhart Rolling in the Deep mp3

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 01 May 2011 02:17:00 +0000

I never knew the song Rolling in the Deep by Adele until I saw Haley Reinhart singing it on Americal Idol. For fans of Haley Reinhart who love her rendition of Rolling in the Deep, a quick search online will lead you to a working link easily.

2011 NFL Draft 1st Pick: Heisman QB Cam Newton Goes to the Carolina Panthers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:36:00 +0000

2010 Heisman winner QB Cam Newton of Auburn has emerged as the first overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. The Carolina Panthers, who finished last season with the NFL's worst record were given the first choice and as widely expected, they took the Auburn University quarterback and 2010 Heisman Trophy winner as the No. 1 pick.
The 21-year-old Newton is part of the 2010 Auburn Tigers who finished the season with a 14-0 record in 2010, culminating with a win in the BCS National Championship game in January, while setting several individual records.

Sony PlayStation Network (PSN) Hacked and Customer Information Stolen

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:19:00 +0000

Sony has been dealt a major blow last week when its PlayStation Network (PSN) was hacked and personal information of about 77 million accounts was stolen. After the PSN was down for a week plus, Sony belatedly made the official announcement that they are a victim of some hacker who obtained information such as name, address, date of birth, password and even credit card information if you have it stored in your PSN account. Obviously PSN users all over the world are pissed at Sony’s late actions and severely damaged their reputation and their CEO’s goal of having all Sony media electronics connected and unified in a common shared platform. This security breach has put a serious dent on the users’ trust in Sony’s system. Sony’s slow reaction and late disclosure has angered users who were not aware of the details of the breakdown and could have executed their personal mitigation steps in protecting their personal information like cancelling the credit card linked to the PSN account.

People are starting to file lawsuits against Sony for this matter and we expect there are more to come. Sony is going to pay a very heavy price on this. Do not forget that the downtime has cost Sony millions of dollars considering the revenue which they gain from the PSN activities of approximately $10 million per week. Even if they ended up paying $1 for each customer/account, that’s $77 million. If they pay $2 each, an additional digit is added to the payout amount ($154 million). And quoting the $1 and $2 price is merely to cite examples. I would feel really devalued if I get paid only $2 for them risking my personal information.

The ripple effects of identity theft would be hard to assess in terms of the true damages. All the hassle they caused me could have cost a lot of people a lot of time and money. I am not going to put my credit card info on PSN anymore.

Sony PSPGo Discontinued?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:14:00 +0000

Sources have revealed that the Sony PSPGo is discontinued after the product page was removed from Sony’s website. So all that are left of the PSPGo are those in the shelves.
The PSPGo which was introduced back in 2009 after the PSP-3000 series failed to garner much market attention in its attempt to do away with the UMD and shifted focus to digital media download instead.
This move nicely paves the way for the Sony NGP introduction which is rumored to be sometime around Fall 2011. Will it be another shot at scrapping physical media in favor of digital media download? Most likely not. The market is still too young for full digital content. Unless, of course, Sony chooses to push through this barrier and give it one more try. The Sony NGP release may be delayed due the supply chain being affected by the 311 Japan earthquake.

Wii Price Drop to $150 and Arrival of Wii HD (Wi 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:57:00 +0000

The rumors of Nintendo finally giving in to a price drop has appeared on various sites in recent weeks. More interestingly, the rumors of the possible upcoming announcement of the Wii HD (Wii 2) has gain traction and it does seem like it’s going full steam ahead with some expectations from Nintendo at the E3 conference this June.

Ever since Nintendo brilliantly made the first step of the gaming breakthrough with motion sensing gaming through its revolutionary Wii console in 2006, the price tag has never had an official price slash. The notable “discounts” would be through regular sales and also Black Friday sales. For e.g. I snagged a Nintendo Wii White Bundle with Motion Plus for $199.99 with $50 free credit from Amazon.com just this past Christmas shopping. That would drop the actual value of the Wii to $149.99. That’s as close as you can get to a cheap Wii. There were also offers seen previously for $170.

The Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 have both introduced price cuts and also improved slim editions. Sony introduced the PS3 in 2006, the PS3 slim in 2009 and price cut in 2009. Microsoft meanwhile launched the Xbox 360 in 2007, Xbox slim in 2009 and price cut in 2009. Everyone has been thinking it’s got to be Nintendo’s turn to take a step down in terms of retail pricing.

The most expected outcome would be a Wii HD which is backwards compatible to the current Wii. The Wii has been widely known to be behind the pack when it comes to graphics quality and has taken some bashing for the lack of details and focus on the kiddy games. But guess what, people kept buying it and it’s the best selling console ahead of the PS3 and Xbox 360! And Sony launched the Move and Microsoft launched the Kinect in 2010 to try and get a piece of the motion sensing gaming pie sector. This only proves that Nintendo got it right way back in 2006 and after much delay, Sony and Microsoft followed.

What Wii-ll Nintendo bring to the table this time? Let’s wait and see…. It should be interesting.

Best of Both Worlds: Street Fighter X Tekken Game Coming to PS3

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:00:00 +0000

This is gonna get the Street Fighter fan pumped up and the Tekken fans excited at the same time. Capcom and Konami have teamed up for a new release: Street Fighter X Tekken crossover game for PS3. The Street Fighter franchise has been a great tradition dating back to my kiddo days when the NES was the game console that every kid on the block wanted. Ryu and Ken are still the living legend in fighting games uptil today. With this collaboration, fans of fighting genre can have the best of two worlds with Street Fighter X Tekken (SFXT). This joint venture however will cast some questions on which franchise is the main star of the game. Obviously nobody wants to take any trademark moves or original features out of both the characters and the settings. To find the midway point of balance between the Street Fighter combo moves and Tekken’s settings can be quite a task in order to satisfy both sets of fans. Put this in your to-buy list. Better still, pre-order your copy at Amazon.com and be ready for the unleashing of SFXT come release date (TBD).

How to Disable Firefox Portable Splash Screen

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 03:40:00 +0000

For users of the Firefox portable, the splash screen is displayed everytime you open the program. There is a way to turn off the Firefox portable splash screen. In order to hide the Firefox portable spash screen, you will need to do an easy edit of the "FirefoxPortable.ini" file which you can find in the \Other\Source directory. In my case it was C:\FirefoxPortable\Other\Source. You can change the "DisableSplashScreen=false" option here. Just change "false" to "true". Save the file and then copy that file to the root directory where the Firefox portable launcher is. In my case it was in C:\FirefoxPortable.

It is important that the FirefoxPortable.ini has to be in the same folder as the launcher (FirefoxPortable.exe). This was tested with Firefox Portable 3.6.13.

Get the latest version of Firefox Portable from PortableApps.com

Keywords leading to this page

Disable Firefox portable splash screen

Remove Firefox portable splash screen

Hide Firefox portable splash screen

Turn off Firefox portable splash screen

Sony NGP (PSP 2) Rumored to Face Delays Due to Supply Chain Effects from 311 Japan Earthquake

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 04:10:00 +0000

There are rumors circling around about Sony’s next generation portable gaming console being delayed due to the supply chain no thanks to the Japan 311 earthquake. The Sony NGP comes with improved gameplay experience via the back panel sensor which makes use of the gamer’s fore fingers that are normally rested behind a portable gaming console. The NGP is expected to be a hit as it is considered a true 2nd generation of portable gaming console with fresh new features after Sony’s launch of the PlayStation Portable (PSP) back in 2006. The UMD will not be a feature on the NGP and there wasn’t much debate about the UMD being a failure which has seen it been phased out when Sony went for the PSP Go. Trying to revamp the portable gaming console scene, Nintendo has entered the market with its 2nd generation DS in the form of the Nintendo DS 3D in 2011. Game selection is still a constraint for potential portable gaming console buyers and many are eagerly waiting for the Sony NGP to provide truly satisfying portable gaming experience to teenagers, students, and frequent travelers (be it college students embarking for semester break getaways or working adults being dispatched for business trips). NGP, I will wait for you…..

Motorola Xoom Tablet - Can It Kill the iPad?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 04:30:00 +0000

Motorola's much publicised Xoom tablet, powered by Google's Android 3.0 Honeycomb, goes on sale Thursday with many potential tablet buyers waiting to see how it can fulfill its tag Xoom slogan: Redefining the Tablet Experience. The Motorola Xoom is will be the first tablet to run on the much-awaited Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS and dubbed as the 1st serious competitor to Apple’s iPad. Crowned the best gadget at the giant Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2011 in Las Vegas last month, the hype surround the Motorola Xoom is gaining traction as the official sales date draws closer.

Apple sold more than 15 million iPads since its launch in April 2010 in the timeframe which the iPad had the market virtually to itself. The market for tablet is undeniably huge. No wonder so many are having a go at it. There will be increased competition in 2011 from Google, HP, RIM, Samsung and now Motorola. With the tablet market being such big piece of a pie just sitting their waiting to be captured, Motorola has made the right move to muscle out Apple’s dominance.

The Motorola Xoom hardware supports high-definition 1080p video playback. It has a 2 MP front-facing camera for video chatting via Google Talk over regular Wi-Fi or 3G and a rear-facing 5 MP camera with LED flash for photos and 720p HD video. The Xoom has a 1280×800 widescreen, now--tablet-standard 10.1-inch HD display and 3D graphics acceleration with HDMI-out support for you to hook it up with your HDTV. It boasts a few different types of sensors (gyroscope, magnetometer, accelerometer and barometer). Nope, still no USB port for a tablet. We’re still waiting for the 1st major player to come out with a tablet which has a USB port.

The default advantage that other tablets will always have is Adobe Flash support which Apple iPhone and iPad do not support. However, at first release, Adobe Flash and SD card feature will not be functional. Adobe Flash support will be available through an update via Android Marketplace in Spring 2011. A future software update will enable the SD slot. What a bummer. I guess Motorola must be very desperate to push their product out to the market before iPad 2 does while they let the software update team work on it at the same time. Who knows, this might actually trigger iPad 2 to be launched earlier than Apple had planned. But being typical Apple, they don’t need to because they always say theirs are the best.

The Xoom will run Google's Android 3.0 Honeycomb, whose new features include a redesigned specifically to tablets, tablet-optimized user interface, a 3D desktop purportedly taken from BumpTop (which Google acquired in April 2010), improved multitasking, Google Maps 5 in 3D and browser enhancements. All previous Android tablets, most notably the Samsung Galaxy Tab, have run builds of the OS designed for smartphones, which took a bashing from Apple for ruining the market with a 7 inch screen on a smartphone OS.

The Motorola Xoom is retailed at $799.99 without contract and $599.99 with a 2-year data plan. At a staggering $800 price tag, there also doubters out there thinking anything over $500 cannot compete with the Apple iPad. What say you?

Motorola XOOM Tablet
OSAndroid 3.0 Honeycomb
DifferentiationLarger display in smaller form-factor, 1080p HD support, first tablet with Honeycomb software, dual-core 1GHz processor, and a wide range of docking options
Dimensions249.1mm (h) x 167.8mm (w) x 12.9mm (d)
Display10.1” 1280x800 resolution
Weight730 g
ProcessorNVIDIA® Tegra™ 2: 1GHz dual-core processor
BatteryUp to 10 hour video playback
Connectivity3.5mm, micro USB 2.0 HS, Corporate Sync, Wi-Fi 2.4GHz & 5GHz 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR + HID
Network3G, 4G LTE upgradeable, 802.11n w/Personal Hotspot
Messaging/Web/AppsEmail (Corporate Sync, Google Mail, POP3/IMAP embedded, Push Email, Yahoo Mail) , WebKit w/ Flash
AudioAAC, AAC+, AMR NB, AMR WB, MP3, XMF
Video720p capture/1080p playback/streaming, H.263, H.264, MPEG4
Camera5 MP rear-facing camera with dual LED flash/2MP front-facing camera
Memory32GB on board user memory, SD card support after software update, 1GB DDR2 RAM

And you can get your hands on one easily via Amazon.com, my favorite and most trusted online market place. Oh yeah, by the way, now Amazon Prime members can enjoy Instant Video streaming. We’ll see how many would swap NetFlix for Amazon Prime in 3 months.

iPad 2 Announcement Boiling

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:31:00 +0000

There have been rumors circling around about the near future announcement of the next generation Apple iPad, dubbed the iPad 2. We have all read about various reports about the new features of the upcoming iPad 2 like front facing camera, rear speakers and SD card slot to name a few. Now a new rumor has surfaced that the iPad 2 will be announced on March 2 in where else, San Francisco California!

Besides that, we are expecting a new lineup of MacBook Pros to be revealed by Apple this coming Thursday. The MacBook Pro lineup is long due for an overhaul to add some refreshments to it, something which they have done over the time for the successful Apple iPhone. New MacBook Pro will be another shot in the arm for Apple. And we’ll see if there’s any surprise from the iPad 2 to recapture some of the tablet market share taken away by the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Also noteworthy is that Samsung has already announced its 2nd gen tablet to rival the iPad (well, they are actually targeting iPad 2) with an improvement which drives the screen size to 10.1 inch from the previous smaller-than-ideal-for-tablet 7 inch.

2011 F1 Bahrain GP Cancelled Amid Gulf Unrest - Delay or Postponement Possible

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:23:00 +0000

It’s official. The cancellation of the 2011 Formula 1 (F1) season opener of the Bahrain GP has been expected by many due to the unrest encircling the Gulf region. The crown prince has decided to put a stop to the Bahrain GP for the sake of the nation’s political stability. It is safe move taking into consideration the calculated risk of negative exposure Bahrain may receive in the event of any unwanted incidents during the Bahrain GP weekend which was scheduled to take its stage on March 11 2011. They obviously do not want to show the world what they’re incapable of under the scrutiny of Bernie Ecclestone. Imagine viewers from all around the globe seeing a disruption to the F1 race or worse still, military force being exerted to control the situation.

So now teams will have to wait 3 weeks longer to strut their new machines and pit against each other for a head start early in the season. Looks like we’ll have to wait for March to see how does Ferrari’s F150 cope with Red Bull’s RB7 and McLaren’s MP4-26.

Also noteworthy is the match up of Lotus vs Lotus in Lotus Racing vs Lotus Renault as the damaging impact of the ongoing legal battle between Lotus Racing’s owner Tony Fernandes and the Malaysian automaker Proton who has a controlling stake of Lotus. Neither would budge on the issue; Proton doesn’t want to see its Lotus brand exploited by Fernandes’ Tune group while Fernandes is not willing to step down from the challenge because he doesn’t need to be bullied out on this fight. Tony Fernandes had bought the rights to Team Lotus from David Hunt, brother of former F1 World Champion James who had bought the defunct team some 13 years ago and Proton claims that they should have the rights to the Lotus name.

Samsung Galaxy Tab II - 10.1" Screen with Android 3.0 Honeycomb and 1GHz Chip

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 08:50:00 +0000

Samsung is about to unveil the latest update to its iPad-rivalling Samsung Galaxy Tab II at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The new 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab II will run Android 3.0 Honeycomb at 1280 x 800 resolution and on a 1GHz processor. Also rumors are saying that it'd have an 8 megapixel camera with HD video recording as well. Looking at the pre-official event photo, it seems to be bridging the gap between the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Apple iPad, at least appearance wise.

Looks like Samsung has taken Steve Jobs' comments pretty seriously. The Apple CEO previously condemned the Samsung Galaxy Tab I because of its size, claiming at 7", it's too small. Now we'll need to see how the market responds to the Galaxy Tab II powered by Android 3.0 Honeycomb and whether it can compete with the iOS experience.

First PS3 Custom Firmware is Released!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:45:00 +0000

The PS3 jailbreak scene was kicked off with the release of PS3 jailbreak on USB dongle which did not require any hardmod (hardware modification) and done via the PS3’s USB port. It prompted Sony to file for an injunction in Australia court to ban the sale of the PS3JailBreak USB dongle while they work on their firmware update to close the loophole from firmware version 3.5 onwards.
And today, I saw a post about the first PS3 custom firmware being released. One can enable homebrew and in most cases play backup copies of your games right from the flash memory or disk memory instead of reading from DVD for improved read time when one installs a custom firmware in place of the original or official firmware from the manufacturer. Manufacturers have always been against the homebrew in fear of game piracy, which affected the previous PlayStation generations (PS1, PS2, PSP, Xbox, Xbox360, Wii, etc.) It has been reported that game piracy costs the industry billions of dollars every year.

PS3 jailbreak has already been confirmed doable for PS3 consoles with firmware version 3.41. Do a quick search on PS3 Jail Break on a search engine or the popular video streaming site should yield many usable results if you like to get more details or proof of its existence. Of course, homebrew fans would argue that Sony broke their promise when they launched the PS3 by blocking the installation of Linux. Nevertheless, homebrew is an area of interest because it enables the hidden capabilities of the console which are not put to use by the manufacturer through the official firmware. I’ve previously had CFW on my PSP and installed custom ROM on my Windows Mobile smartphones and I believe the idea of getting all the juice out of that internally powerful gaming console of PS3 or Wii sounds pretty tempting if the CFW is stable and reliable.

New Mario Wii Game - Mario Sports Mix (Feb 7 2011 Release)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:50:00 +0000

Mario™ has a long history as a sports fan. Throughout his storied career he has pursued an interest in golf, tennis, baseball and go-karting, to name just a few. Now Mario’s tackling four different sports at the same time, all of them included on one disc for the Wii™ console. The game MARIO™ SPORTS MIX lets players jump into games of hockey, basketball, volleyball or dodgeball. The game launches on Feb. 7.

Mario Sports Mix presents these four familiar sports – but with a Mario twist. Players can choose from a variety of playable Mushroom Kingdom characters and can even challenge Mario and friends directly by playing as their own Mii™ characters. Each game contains a number of Mushroom Kingdom power-ups that can turn the tide of a game in an instant, such as banana peels, green shells and even mini mushrooms. In over-the-top Mario sports fashion, each character can unleash his or her unique special move that ranges from Mario’s fire dunk in basketball to Yoshi’s rainbow attack in dodgeball.

Players can also elect to hold their matches in a number of interesting venues. For example, the Wario Factory has conveyor belts that affect how the players move on the court, while in Peach’s Castle, fountains go up and down to block certain areas of the net in Volleyball.

Up to four friends who are in the same room can join in the fun, while up to four players (one or two at each location) can compete over a broadband Internet connection via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection. Players can play online against friends with whom they have traded friend codes, or anonymously against other opponents. Multiplayer modes require additional controllers, which are sold separately.

Samsung Tab, RIM PlayBook Looking to Challenge Apple Ipad Dominance. Now Acer Joins the Race of Tablets

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 05:58:00 +0000

RIM is rumored to enter the touchscreen tablet market with their PlayBook at $100 less than Apple’s iPad for the entry level version (8GB with WiFi). The PlayBook was rumored to be 3 times faster than the iPad, a counterstatement to Steve Jobs’ comments that devices like the PlayBook are dead on arrival because their 7 inch screens are too small for a desired user experience.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab has shown potential to rival iPad’s dominance as it recorded 600,000 units sold in the first month. Apple sold 1 million iPads in its first month. Those figures really show some seriously significant information on the touchscreen tablet market and begs the question of how much market is still left out there untapped. No wonder more and more companies are tapping into the touchscreen market to gain a share of the pie now kept by Apple.

Taiwan maker ACER has launched its own quest to challenge Apple’s iPad by introducing 3 models of touchscreen tablets for release next quarter. 2 of them will be powered by, guess what, Android and 1 more will use Windows. The iPad opened the door and led the way, now can the others surpass it or just merely play catch up. Can iPad continue to be ahead of the pack when iPad 2 comes out? Many will bet it will.

Apple iOS 4.2 Update Release for iPad (Also for iPod and iPhone)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:55:00 +0000

The much-awaited update of iOS 4.2 from Apple is finally available to the public officially. Now you can fire up your iTunes and get the [number] MB update. This update will bring the much awaited multitasking feature to the iPad which disappointed Apple fanboys after the initial OS of the iPad, iOS 4.1 does not support multitasking even though it has been presented in the keynote by Steve Jobs during the unveiling of the iPhone 4. This iOS 4.2 update will bring the iPad closer to the purpose of a netbook replacement. Other features brought onboard by iOS 4.2 are folders, unified inbox, AirPlay wireless streaming and AirPrint wireless printing.

Steve Jobs said this update “makes the iPad a completely new product.” Apple pre-dominated the tablet market with iPad beginning April 2010 before other competitors started coming out with their own versions of touchscreen tablet to cash in on the hype, popularity and uptrend generated by the iPad. South Korea's Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab which runs on Android and has a smaller 7 inch screen and Canada's Research In Motion (RIM) who makes the Blackberry, are going to launch a version of theirs in the PlayBook.

Many of the features in iOS 4.2 were already available for the latest versions of the iPhone and the iPod touch but not for the iPad. So the victors are the iPad owners. With multitasking, iPad users can now switch between applications instantly and run multiple apps in parallel, something which the iPhone 4 users have been enjoying. Applications can now be organised into folders with a drag-and-drop feature. E-mail features a unified inbox for users with more than one account while Game Centre lets users of the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch play against friends or other opponents and discover games that others are playing.

A new feature called AirPlay streams music, video and photos wirelessly from the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch to a television set equipped with Apple TV, Apple's TV set-top box.AirPrint allows an iPad owner to wirelessly print documents or photos to AirPrint-enabled printers.
Apple said that 40,000 applications have been created for the iPad and 300,000 for the iPhone and iPod touch. It would be difficult for the other makers to match the iPad’s popularity, so look forward to more dominance by the Cupertino giant.

Google Voice App is Coming to Your iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 04:06:00 +0000

The Google Voice app is finally approved for iPhone. Google Inc.'s Voice application has won approval to be on the iPhone after more than a year of haggling with Apple Inc. where the FCC inquiry of both Apple and AT&T were trying to prevent Google's popular app from competing with them. Google's Voice application has the edge in terms of cheaper rates on international calls and voice mail. The free app already has been available for Blackberry phones and devices running on Google's Android operating system. It now joins the more than 300,000 apps currently available on the App Store.

The FCC sent letters to Google, Apple and AT&T asking why Google Voice had not been approved for the iPhone during which Apple replied that it was blocking the app because it duplicated some of the iPhone's built-in features. AT&T initially only allowed Internet calling services through WiFi but later on started allowing iPhone owners to use Internet calling services on its 3G network.