Reviews On Q

Reviews On Q Is Moving!

2011-01-11T00:41:00.000-08:00

That's right, we've upgraded! For anyone looking for the amazing crew at ROQ, we're using our recently acquired domain name, and our half-a-year-old server properly at http://www.ReviewsOnQ.com!

With that, we say good riddance to Blogger, and usher in the many years of independence!

Oh, and if you were wondering, we do have a sexy new layout. That's right.

Love Nintendo's 3DS? Enough To Pay $70 Per Title?

2011-01-10T09:27:00.000-08:00

Imagine a world where the handheld titles are costing you more than the console titles. Now imagine that if it were real, but you had to pay it in Yen. If you were expecting a lot out of the 3DS, you would be right, as it has shown some amazing potential so far in system performance, but clearly the system, as it is releasing soon internationally, is showing it's downsides day after day.

Confirmed across much of the internet in the last few days, the 3DS already stood out among it's predecessors as having a much shorter life when compared to the Lite model of the DS series. Five to eight hours of battery as compared to around 15 hours of life from the Lite. (And that's only for the regular DS titles) Early estimations by Nintendo showed us that these specifications should be around 9 hours of life to 12, however manufacturer estimations always seem to rate higher than true-to-life use.

The real story this week however falls upon the cost of the 3DS' titles, as they have been widely released in Japan for pre-order. Sources around the net are beginning to point at the cost of 3DS titles in Japan, and the cost of the hardware, then doing the math and getting very upset at what they see. If you were to take the ridiculous estimation of 5800 yen, and 25,000 yen respectively, and do a natural conversion, that's going to make the 3DS cost about $300 USD for the handheld, and upward of $70 USD for a game!

These prices, though they could be reflective of the costs of the hardware and IPs for the individuals who will be buying them in Japan, may likely not reflect the costs of the same titles and hardware in other regions. Prices of DS titles, as they currently reflect in cost in the states might show you what I mean. Go on YesAsis.com when viewing prices today and it will show that Mario Kart DS should be costing us Americans 53 dollars to buy the IP, however we plainly will pay no more than $35 here stateside at any retailer.

Let's just hope that for the sake of the cost of gaming, 3DS doesn't keep up the dollars when it comes across the Pacific. I don't want to pay double for a title, just to have it in 3D, when it doesn't really contribute to better game play so far as I've seen.

ROQ Sports: Techmo 2011 Playoffs.

2011-01-09T19:05:00.000-08:00

Posted earlier on Kotaku.com, I could not help but repost it here for our viewers on ROQ. A hilarious reinterpretation of the biggest playoff highlight this week in the NFL.

Original Replay, for comedic effect.

CES 2011: SATA 6 GB/s Just Became Obsolete!

2011-01-09T02:43:00.000-08:00

OCZ Technology, a major worldwide distributor of Random Access Memory (RAM), Solid State Disks (SSD), and many other forms of computer component, have announced during this CES conference arguably the most important breakthrough in computing on the year.

Above, the image which you see is a sample device of what OCZ has dubbed the "IBIS XL" model SSD with proprietary HSDL (High Speed Data Link.) Why ever is this technology going to replace the SATA format? I'll leave that to OCZ's official website announcement to explain.

"OCZ strives to push the envelope by delivering higher performance, reliability and storage capacity to meet the demands of the enterprise market. The follow-up Z-Drive “R3” PCI-Express SSD is OCZ’s first SandForce-Driven PCI-Express SSD for Tier-0/1 data applications, and offers staggering performance at over 1GB/s and 135,000 IOPS and up to 1.2TB of capacity in a small and elegant footprint. An on-location technology demo includes the IBIS “XL” based on OCZ’s proprietary High Speed Data Link (HSDL) interface unveiled last quarter, featuring 4TBs of storage capacity at over 1.8GB/s transfer speeds and 200,000 IOPS. "

Now, after reading through all of that, I'll explain it to you in a simpler way:

SATA Non-SSD: Top end sustained data rate of about 200MB/s
SATA SSD Current: Top end sustained data rate of about 140 MB/s
SATA IBIS XL: Top end read/write speed of about 1700 MB/s

That's a whole lot of improvement!

Rumor has it that OCZ is currently working with undetermined motherboard manufacturing companies on having this required HSDL input built into future boards. If your board doesn't support the device, early models of the drive as shown are transferring all data over PCI-E ports, so keep your fingers crossed that this technology can hit your home or office in the near future!

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Images Surface!

2011-01-09T01:48:00.000-08:00

Well that didn't take long. Looks like the internet has got a way with images now a days. Screens of the newest Game Informer Mag have surfaced showing the newest and recently announced Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in all its new engine glory. Hit the link to see the HQ images!
Click images to enlarge!

Thanks to our readers for the heads up on the link!

Source: Sythe Forums

Killzone 3's Story Trailer

2011-01-09T01:06:00.000-08:00

If theres a game thats gritty and dark but beautiful at the same time, it no doubt is called Killzone 3. Continuing the war of Humans vs Helgast, Killzone 3 takes you, the player, and throws you into the thick of it with visceral results! Confused on where the story will go after defeating Emperor Scolar Visari at the end of Killzone 2? Hit the jump to get a little taste of whats to come!

Mark February 22nd on your calendar because thats the day Killzone 3 drops exclusively for the PlayStation 3.

Resident Evil Revelations 3DS Gameplay

2011-01-08T13:09:00.000-08:00

Have you wondered how Resident Evil: Revelations, one of many launch titles for the 3DS, is going to actually look when being played? I have, especially after watching the trailer at E3 in person and being caught off guard by the detailed graphics the little handheld was producing. Hit the jump to see the video and get a few more details.

Resident Evil: Revelations is expected to launch with Nintendo's newest DS iteration later this year. If this and the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is any indication of the quality hitting the system, we've got a lot to look forward too!

Source: NeoGaf Forums

Hacker GeoHot Shows Us His PS3 Homebrew

2011-01-08T00:14:00.000-08:00

Famed iphone hacker GeoHot has released a video of his custom firmware running on PlayStation 3. This doesn't do much but it does show that that tools are now out there and the Playstation 3 is truly wide open for hackers/pirates to tinker with. Hit the jump for the video.

An unfortunate side effect of the recent jail breaking of the PS3 is the risk of piracy. Though it has been written across the internet that this move was motivated by Sony removing the "Install Other OS" feature from their console, it seems that the Playstation had a fairly good run. 3 years of being impenetrable is a credit to Sony for building such a solid console in the first place. I guess it had to happen sooner or later right?

Source: Kotaku.com

Android OS: Google fixes 2.2 texts going awry!

2011-01-07T09:45:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness for those people with Android 2.2, and timed just before gingerbread's release, Google has figured out it's error in coding, and will be patching the infamous text messaging error soon. After 6 months of the issue being prevalent, Google set the issue to a "Critical" level issue a short four days ago, and thankfully came through with a solution quickly.

There is no set date for the release of this patch, but it is assumed to be an over-the-air fix, coming very soon across all iterations. If you weren't familiar with this issue, it is considered to be very rare. For those people plagued with the issue, thank Google for the patch in the coming weeks. No more embarrassing pictures going to the wrong people!

CES 2011: Samsung Holds It's Smartphones for Barcelona!

2011-01-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

Within the last few days, the world has seen a slew of new cellular devices coming out of CES 2011. Samsung, however, wasn't showing up to the fight in the category. We've seen televisions, tablets, and an assortment of other devices, but no cellulars. Why you ask? Samsung has decided it will be better for it not to get lost in the sea of new mobiles if they announce their new devices at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Coming along just around the corner, February 14th will be the day to look for Samsung's hottest new super-phone devices. The question ROQ has to ask to Samsung's marketing devision: Will everyone's hearts already be set on the Atrix and Droid Bionic, or LG's Optimus 2X handset before Samsung even gets in the game? Looks like we'll have to wait and see.

CES 2011: What Microsoft Is Doing Right? A 60 Second Display.

2011-01-06T22:48:00.000-08:00

So you've certainly by now heard from ROQ the full story on Microsoft's Keynote at CES 2011, however, I wanted to venture into the quite brief details Microsoft released on it's most innovative device in show - The "Surface." This device is the mother of all tablet PCs, with greater scale than most people might use, and greater technology that has grown even stronger in the last three years.

Microsoft demoed for a brief period this large table, which can apparently be mounted to a wall if you would prefer it as a television-style computer. In this table lies a Dual-Core PC, running a very sophisticated new piece of technology, which enables the device to thin itself a good few inches, and to much more successfully record data as it is input into the device. This device, created by Samsung, is labeled "PixelSense." PixelSense will record data from refracted infrared light, projected by each pixel on the screen, giving a very responsive screen that has the potential to read documents using Optical Character Recognition, considering it's great level of sensitivity.

Topped with Gorilla Glass, which can apparently withstand a full can of soda dropped from a short height without damage, the device is set out to become your everyday desktop - Literally. Above it's former version in technology and size, with PixelSense and another 10 inches in scale, this device will now also offer one more, very important benefit in sales: It's cheaper! Cheaper by five-thousand big ones, listed at $7,500 USD, this device is clearing into a new probability of falling into the extremely-high-average consumer's home.

As innovative as the tech is, don't expect this technology to become smaller any time soon, though it would solve the world's depleting mineral resource issues with developing existing touch screens, Samsung doesn't plan to downsize the technology's scale in the near future. Let's just hope that for Microsoft's sake, by the time these tables only costs us $1,500 USD, there's a Windows 8 platform that makes anyone want to buy one from them, eh?

"Playstation Phone?" Who needs a Sony Press Conference!

2011-01-06T21:47:00.000-08:00

A mere two days after being leaked on a Chinese website, the Sony-Ericson Xperia phone has been leaked fully in all it's glory. Leaked this time by Chinese website IT168, the phone dubbed, "Playstation Phone," due to it's analog touch pads, and PSP Go-esque layout, will boast more horsepower than was originally displayed with Neocore some months back. Processing with what is presumed to be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1 Ghz core, a Qualcomm Adreno 205 GPU, and 512 MB of RAM, this phone as it compares to today's press-released phones might not stack up as well as we'd hoped.

Full details of the device are as follows:

Processor: Snapdragon 1Ghz
GPU: Adreno 205
Memory: 512 MB
Storage: 512 ROM, Micro SD expanded
Other Specs: Sim card slot. Micro USB. Two microphones (for noise cancelling purposes.)
Android Version: 2.3 (Gingerbread)

Side-note: The app formerly named "Playstation" is now "Playstation Pocket."

Hopefully the upcoming Sony showing in a few weeks will give us more details on the device, as well as showing a live display to the public.

ROQast 19: Tony G., Kickin' Axe!

2011-01-06T18:44:00.000-08:00

Special episode featuring Tony Grice from EpicBattleAxe.com

Direct Download (Click once in HTML5 compatible browsers if above player shows "File Not Found")

1 Hour, 27 Minutes

Onlive in a Vizio? Check out the video.

2011-01-06T10:42:00.001-08:00

Video by CNET.com will continue automatically with devices released recently until stopped manually.

CES 2011: Microsoft Full Showing

2011-01-05T21:23:00.000-08:00

Microsoft brought every thing and its grand mother to this year's CES 2011 and ROQ was here to capture it all! From transforming tablet PCs, and a preview of the next version of Windows, to the Xbox Kinect's newest features and up dates, there was a lot to show and more in between. Hit the jump to read more!

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, took the CES stage to show off some of Microsofts current and upcomming products of 2011. The show started with some number touting by Microsoft on the Kinect and Xbox 360. Ballmer stated that the Kinect has exceeded their expectations of 5 million and has sold over 8 million units world wide.

Then the Xbox 360 numbers came rolling in, with Ballmer stating that the Xbox 360 has been the leading console domestically in the US for the last 6 months of sales. Then Ballmer announced that Xbox Live had reached 30 Million subscribers. Thats the number of Gold subscribers to date.

Steve then moved on to the updates expected to hit the Kinect this spring. The long awaited up date to Netflix is coming, as well as Hulu Plus browsing with just the flick of your wrist and the sound of your voice. These features have been shown off before, but at least we now have a more accurate time frame of release.

Then came an annoying but understandable cut in the feed of the Microsoft CES Presser. (Picture shown below)

Next up was some talk about Avatar Kinect, a kind of Hub like area where you and friends can take your Avatars and interact with each other(think PlayStation Home). Facial expressions were also mentioned as something Kinect will integrate. For example, if you smile Kinect will translate that expression onto your Avatar. Making for a more realistic and expressive conversation between friends.

ESPN came into the picture and was shown off using Kinect as we do now. A betting feature was shown for the BCS College Football season in where you would vote on a team to win and see your friends do the same, thus splitting the results and showing them in percent form.

It was Windows Phone and the PC that came last. Windows Phone 7 was show playing games and it was announced that Fable Coin Golf would be showing up on the platform in the future.

A montage was shown of several games that would be or are now available on the Windows Phone 7 platform such as Fable Coin Golf, Tetris, Fruit Ninja, and Star Wars: Cantina by THQ among others.

Copy and Paste were shown as part of the next Windows Phone 7 update. Steve expressed how proud Microsoft was about its Windows Phone 7 build and market growth. With over 20 thousand developers registered to work on the platform, the company is looking forward to its progress in the mobile market.

PC and Windows 7 came last but certainly not least. You could even say this was the most impressive part of the show, and not too many people would argue. Steve Ballmer then brought out Mike Angiulo, Windows PC Ecosystem and Planning team lead, who showed the audience some of the transforming laptop tablets running Windows 7. Including a dual, capacitive touch screen, laptop with integrated smart software keyboard.

A large Windows PC Surface table was show as well, with up to 20 finger touch detection.

Lastly, Ballmer closed off the show with a preview of PC's running the next version of windows. Several PCs and Laptops were shown running Window's next iteration, unfortunately it wasn't the software they were trying to show off, this was just a demonstration to show that windows is being worked on to integrate seamlessly into future hardware.

CES 2011: Microsoft Comes Up Short.

2011-01-05T20:25:00.000-08:00

In a day full of excitement with new and amazing changes in the mobile market, Microsoft today brought us more of the same from devices that already exist, and we ask, "Why, Microsoft, why?"

In short summary, Microsoft brought to the table explanations of a spring update to it's Xbox 360 console which will include gesture and voice controls for popular services that it currently doesn't support such as Netflix and ESPN. Additionally, AvatarKinect, the subject we mentioned earlier in the week will live up to almost every expectation of it's prediction, but will include recording of the space as you interact with your friends. The service will include between 15 and 20 environments to interact with your friends in, and will launch in the spring update.

After a very long discussion about services we've already interacted with quite a bit, Microsoft went on to talk about it's Windows Phone 7 platform, and it's upcoming update which is well known. Copy-paste, and more of the jazz in which Microsoft tries to convince the people, and industry, that it's a viable platform to develop more of it's "5500+ apps available on Windows Phone 7" the only notable change for Windows Phone? It has acquired an app called, Fable Coin Golf, in which you can earn coin to transfer over to your Fable 3 title.

Finally, Windows gave us something to truly look forward to, as reported earlier, Microsoft gave us many examples of the Windows platform, running on ARM processors, such as the Tegra 2 system (Used in the highest of handsets released today) and Qualcomm's Snapdragon.

In all, Microsoft didn't show us anything revolutionary, nor really "wow" worthy, but at least there's something to look forward to in the coming months, something like the short demo in the picture above they only touched on?

CES 2011: Sony Showing

2011-01-05T18:32:00.000-08:00

Sony just held it's press conference for CES 2011, and thats pretty much all I can say. Hit the jump for some info on what was shown!

Little was talked about it the way of gaming, but quite a few products were shown off. For example, Sony touted it's mulitmedia service Qriocity, which has been on the market for months now. Kaz Hari took the stage and teased the audience with words of mobile and media integration as well as tablet devices, but not solid confirmations on any PlayStation phones or a PSP successor.

The most impressive of the tech to come out of Sony's CES press conference was the Sony Vaio F Series 3D Laptop. Packing a Nivida GeForce GT540M GPU and an Intel quad-Core i7 processor, this little 3D monster was made to play games. The 3D feature has the ability to convert 2D DVDs and Blu-rays into full 1080p 3D media all on a 16 inch LED display. The Vaio F will be available next moth from Sony and will set you back a whopping $1,700. Better start saving.

CES 2011: Motorola Showing.

2011-01-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

Announced earlier today, along in AT&T's Developer Summit, the pair of companies announced the first device on the list today - the Motorola Atrix 4G. Designed in direct competition with LG's behemoth, the Atrix will be using a dual-core processor as well as sporting 1 GB of RAM, and a massive 16 GB of onboard memory. Details would arise later as to the specifics of this device.

The wait on today's press-only event was long, as Motorola ran behind schedule, having to reject non-pre-registered press in order to keep seating available to all press that registered for the event. After 20 minutes of the event being postponed due to screening, Motorola was off and running with a slew of new devices, each of which were feature-filled.

Atrix 4G:

"The world's most powerful smart phone"
4" Display (960x540 pixels)
Dual-Core 1Ghz
1 GB RAM
16 GB onboard memory
qHD display
Fingerprint reader
1930 mwh battery

Using an 11.6" "Webtop" or HD Dock (3 USB, HDMI out) designed for this Flagship phone, an individual can transform this Dual-Core super phone into an ultra-mobile PC running Android 2.2. The Webtop version of Motorola's revolutionary Android docking systems will allow you 8 hours of battery life while using a physical keyboard on the netbook-size 11.6 inch display. This accessory is designed specifically not to use the battery of your cellular device while in docked mode, so if you have a flight or a long day at work ahead, you don't have to worry about loosing your phone, nor your data, as all of your documents will be saved in one location, which will always retain it's power once you've un-docked the Atrix.

Need to do research? The Atrix is also designed to give you a full interpretation of the newest version of the Firefox web browser while docked, with a fully functioning Adobe Flash 10.1. Now Android can truly serve as your complete business and play model, with your every day apps available in the webtop. Let's talk about Angry Birds in a huge form factor, with a mouse. Right?

Cliq 2:

A new release for the T-Mobile users out there, the Cliq 2 will have to live on the platform of the past, as with the other two releases by Motorola and LG's big-boy, this model becomes the new him-haw. Touting a 1 Ghz processor, a 3.7 Inch screen, and a 5 MP camera, this introductory 4G device only shines with it's customizable profiles. Profiles? Yep, that's right. This Cliq-ey device allows you to setup three profiles for your weekly use: Home, Work, and Weekend. Assuming you use your device differently in each of these situations, changing profiles will change the format of your Android device for each situation, to help save you those precious seconds while on the go. Clean up the details with the ability to make Wi-Fi calls, rather than use your precious minutes, share your internet capabilities over 3G hotspot, and speed up your texting with it's physical keyboard and you've got what we've come to expect from a solid company in Motorola. One question remains though, why does it use Motoblur?

Droid Bionic:

Dubbed the "End of Waiting," the Droid Bionic is a 4G handset that nearly steps up to the Flashship level of Moto's new Atrix, but will be available for Verizon Wireless in the second quarter rather than for AT&T. What's so big about it? Everything. In the land of super phones, the Droid Bionic is large, at 4.3 inches of qHD display. Smart, with it's dual-core 1 Ghz processor paired to 512 MB of available RAM. Topping off with secure, at the same level of security you've come to expect from the Droid label. As you've seen often today, this phone will feature two cameras. One front facing 1.3 MP, and one rear facing 8 MP camera, likely capable of capturing full 1080P HD. After recording in HD, you can also share your videos over the built-in HDMI port. Looks to be a very promising device, as it's one of the few dual-core models set to release in the coming months.

Moto Xoom:

With very few hard details on the device, it looks as though Motorola is targeting the Xoom (Pronounced Zoom) to those who are extremely interested in getting their hands on Honeycomb, rather than spicing up the technical details on the device. Slumping a bit on the wireless end, the device itself is only listed to have 3G speeds upon release, but by Q2 it is "ready to upgrade" to 4G capability. Again this device is toted as dual-core, presumably the same 1 Ghz processor, with two cameras, 5 MP in the rear. Details on the device end with the screen specified as a 10.1", 16:10 aspect ratio HD display.

A good showing for Motorola overall, was all business, as it was cut short by the mentioned 20 minute delay, but showing great products, I hope I speak for everyone when I say Motorola is definitely leading the way this year at CES in the mobile department thus far, giving LG's new device a run for it's money.

ROQ Mobile: What does (Android) Honeycomb offer? An OS for tablets only!

2011-01-05T15:47:00.000-08:00

Looks like Google is making a pretty good showing on the first version of Android built specifically for the upcoming tablet wave! Let's just hope that it can transition into all the devices just announced at CES 2011, because we've got quite a list!

ROQ Mobile: LG announces two revolutionary new smartphones.

2011-01-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

If you're a ROQ frequenter, by now you'll know that we've been speaking of LG's new flagship smartphone for months. The Optimus 2X is the most revolutionary piece of mobile hardware to come along in a year. Featuring the first ever Tegra 2 processor in a mobile device, LG's highest end product now officially will be running on a dual-core processor! Clocked at 1 GHz, this behemoth should be leaving all other smartphones in the dust behind it, while being able to decode full 1080P high definition and play it back on your TV over it's built-in HDMI output. The 2X features an 8 MP rear facing camera, and 1.3 MP cam forward facing. Don't forget about storage, as this phone boasts plenty of it at 8 GB of internal, with 32 GB expandable.

While you're in the mood for a revolution, LG also released the Optimus Black, to bring their company back into your good graces. With a phone like the 2X, how can the Black measure up? This handset features LG's new "NOVA" display, a super-bright screen format designed to compete with the iPhone and Samsung brands. So how does it hold up to the competition? Relatively speaking, brightness is measured in nits, where Samsung's AMOLED screen has a brightness of 300 nits, iPhone at 500, but both are dwarfed at the amazing 700 nits of brightness from this new NOVA display. Worried how LG is going to be pumping out all of this brightness from your little battery? Don't be. The NOVA display is not only brighter, but uses around half of the power when displaying white on the screen, which is the primary color scheme for most websites, browser GUI, and programs. Other specs include the world's first 2 MP front-facing camera, a 5 MP rear-facing camera, 1 Ghz OMAP processor (Used in most high-end current devices), and 2GB of internal storage.

Common ground among the cellular devices comes along when you mention that they both run on Android's 2.2 version software, while being "upgradeable" to Gingerbread (2.3) software. No plans to release these devices state-side as of yet, but expect that to change as hype explodes on these devices.

LG releases the "Smart TV" officially at CES 2011.

2011-01-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

The Smart TV by LG can unlock a world of new features for any individual who may have a TV that's just a bit too old to use apps internally. Going up against systems like Apple TV, and Sony's SMP-N100, LG's device will enable you to use services available in most of their higher-end model TVs, such as Netflix, Vudu, Pandora, Youtube, and CinemaNow. Additionally, features like Hulu Plus, Amazon VOD (Video On Demand), NHL GameCenter, NBA Game Live, and MBL.TV.

Not enough features to make you buy this handy little device? LG decided to step it up a bit, just for you. Smart TV is also going to feature a web browser, which can be controlled by any Android, or iOS device for typing, using the provided free app. Not only are they providing you with a service that isn't really an industry standard in the small market, but they are going to provide some decent support for the device, giving you a physical keyboard, of sorts, rather than the typical on-screen keyboard, which always took forever to type on! This is a DLNA-enabled device, to boot, so remember that you'll be able to stream in videos, pictures, and music from any local enabled PC on your network while the Smart TV is connected. The device will be priced at under $100 USD, so if you're interested, there's really no reason to have to wait out getting your slightly older HDTV brought up to par with the best brands on the market.

LG Launches it's first portable Blu-Ray player!

2011-01-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

Without many details, LG has announced that it will be offering up a BD player you can pack with you when you go for a ride. No details have arisen on extra features that may be enabled on the device, such as Wi-Fi for BD-Live, or any streaming media possibilities. As a price is also yet to be determined, ROQ will continue to update for CES coverage, so expect this post to change. On the plus side, at least Panasonic doesn't have a monopoly on this small market any longer!

OnLive MicroConsole now 33% off!

2011-01-04T22:08:00.000-08:00

Speaking of sick deals on already cheap hardware, the console is only $66 through Sunday. Don't miss out on this deal, as OnLive is about to get HUGE with it's recent claim to become a VIA Plus app for new Vizio TVs.

If you were't planning on buying a new TV, and wanted to get your hands on a great investment console, you can't miss this deal. Trust us, we're founding members, and active users of the service.

Gaming on the go. Will it kill the Windows OS?

2011-01-04T19:46:00.000-08:00

With Windows 8 looming and expected to be a full touch screen OS, I found myself pondering what might come of the PC industry. Remember the days that you would call a tablet a PC? I do, and that's how the world seems to be turning. With W8 becoming a full touch platform, can it hold up against the likes of Android OS, iOS, and other small platforms on this format? This is what I'm prepared to find out.

Smartphones -

According to Nielsen.com, as of November 2010, the Smartphone market is still ruled by Apple's iPhone, with Android devices taking huge margins of emerging sales, and huge cuts into the market share of RIM (Blackberry) overall. Windows Phone 7 still hasn't made much of a cut into the market, proven as the market share for all other smartphone platforms leaves only 13.1% for theirs, Palm, and the Nokia platform.

Tablets -

The Wall Street Journal reports that after the third quarter of 2010, Apple's iPad owned nearly 95% of the overall market share in the tablet industry with a large cut being made fresh into the market by Android tablets, such as the Galaxy Tab by Samsung. Does this market, highly influenced by the Smartphone apps available on those platforms which dominate it, have any room left for Microsoft's PC platform to make a transition?

PC -

In a category which is obviously dominated by Windows, having Apple and Linux barely nipping at the heels, Netmarketshare.com provides the details: PC, 90%. Mac, 5%. iOS, 1.7%. Linux, 1%. Other, 2%.

The question that arises: If Windows is a very stable market in the PC industry, why change the formula? Because Microsoft knows that the numbers are against them, and that the Tablet is a larger extension of the super-intelligent mobile handsets we all use today. Does a change for Windows mean a revolution in computing, or have we already quietly reached that revolution? Is Microsoft to late to catch the winning pony? I believe so, but for as long as there's business to be done, we will still be using a platform that supports office programs, not just flashy gaming, and a beautiful interface.

DC Universe Beta Ending Tomorrow!

2011-01-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

DC Universe Online is almost here and that can only mean one thing, the beta is ending. Tomorrow, January 5th is the day Sony Online Entertainment shuts down its servers in preparation for the game's official US launch on January 11th. Sony's not going to let all of its beta testers go out with a bang though, hit the jump to read more about the epic plans they have!

Directly from the DC Universe Online Facebook page the post reads:

Tomorrow, Wednesday January 5, 2011 will be the last day of the DC Universe™ Beta in the U.S. and Thursday will be the last day to fight to save or rule the universe in Europe (in beta that is!).

To celebrate – we plan to stage The Battle of the Legends in-game in the spirit of the DCUO cinematic, “Who do you trust?” Beta players can align and fight alongside or against some of DC Comics most notorious superheroes and villains including; Batman, Superman, Lex Luthor and The Joker. Together will we take on DC’s greatest icons as we embark on our own path to legendary! Show up to the battle when it erupts on your server!

Heres the scheduled break down:

US Beta Servers – Wednesday January 5

PC BETA 2 / Wednesday January 5 / 4PM PT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker)

BETA 1 (PC) / Wednesday January 5 / 5PM PT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker) or Centennial Park (Superman vs. Lex Luthor)

PS3 BETA 2 / Wednesday January 5 / 5PM PT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker) or Centennial Park (Superman vs. Lex Luthor)

*PC BETA 3 / Wednesday January 5 / 6PM PT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker) or Centennial Park (Superman vs. Lex Luthor) *Come join the battle and fight alongside or against Jim Lee aka Future Batman in this event as he takes on Nick Kolan PC Editor at IGN and his league of wanna be villains!

PS3 BETA 3 / Wednesday January 5 / 6PM PT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker) or Centennial Park (Superman vs. Lex Luthor)

PC BETA 4 / Wednesday January 5 / 7PM PT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker) or Centennial Park (Superman vs. Lex Luthor)

*PS3 BETA 1 / Wednesday January 5 / 7PM PT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker) or Centennial Park (Superman vs. Lex Luthor) *Once again, fight against Jim Lee aka Future Batman, as he attempts to protect the Universe from the chaos and destruction that Greg Miller, Executive Editor – IGN, and his villainous band are trying to spawn!

EUROPEAN Beta Servers – Thursday January 6

EU PS3 BETA 1 / Thursday January 6 / 11AM CT or 5PM GMT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker)

EU PS3 BETA 2 / Thursday January 6 / 12 NOON CT or 6PM GMT / Centennial Park (Superman vs. Lex Luthor)

So get your tights back on and set your clocks for a send off worthy of the DC name!