Why 2011 is an epic year for video games

This year's Electronic Entertainment Expo was one of the most exctiting in recent history. Here's a look at the big trends that emerged and the big ideas that will be leading the video game industry for months and years to come.aBy Winda BenedettiIn the last week’s time, Nintendo has unveiled its brand new Wii U home game machine, Sony has taken the wraps off its handheld PlayStation Vita gadget and Microsoft has breathed new life into the historic “Halo” game franchise.aMeanwhile game companies from around the world have revealed dozens of games for the very first time and showed off hundreds of other games they’re working on and will release in the coming months.aThe Electronic Entertainment Expo — the video game industry’s biggest trade show — swept through Los Angeles this week and in...

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Facebook facial recognition gets 'animated'

http://nma.tvaBy Suzanne ChoneyIf you're creeped out by Facebook's facial recognition program — under fire this week by European regulators — Taiwanese animation company NMA has a thing or two to share with you about that (including the outrage being "ironic, considering the pervasive nature of public surveillance in Europe.")aAnd, as we explained in December when Facebook rolled out the app in the U.S., you can turn off the "photo tag suggestions" feature, for which facial recognition is used.aStill, the program seems to be kicking up a lot of dust, and there's no entity better to take it on than NMA, known for its caustic comedy on such events as Tiger Woods' Thanksgiving Day car accident, Mark Zuckerberg being stalked and Lindsay Lohan's jail time.ahttp://nma.tvaRelated stories:a ...

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Nokia Deal Could Make Phone 7 No. 2 in World Market

If a research group's reading of the tea leaves is correct, time is on Microsoft's side in the fast-changing smartphone market. Framingham, Mass.-based International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts the software giant's Windows Phone 7 will be the second most popular mobile operating system in the world by 2015 with 20.5 percent of the market after Google 's Android, which would dominate with 43.8 percent. Replacing Symbian That would be a huge boost from the measly 3.8 percent forecast for this year by IDC. The growth would largely come at the expense of Nokia's declining Symbian platform, which will be gradually...

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Add contact photos to Gmail inbox

aaaaaA picture is worth a 1000 words, and in case of this Chrome extension.. a picture is worth a long email address. Gmail Photo is a Chrome extension that shows a sender’s profile picture in the mail list and in the mail view. It makes it easier to spot which mail is from which user. aaaaa aaaaaThis extension is right now for Google Chrome only. Get it @ Chrome extensions...

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Booming Apple Is World's Largest Semiconductor Buyer

Apple surpassed Hewlett-Packard in 2010 to become the world's largest buyer of semiconductors among original equipment manufacturers, according to a new report from IHS iSuppli. Driven by booming demand for the company's iconic mobile devices, Apple spent $17.5 billion on semiconductors last year -- up 79.6 percent from 2009 and $2.4 billion higher than what HP paid for semiconductors in 2010. What's more, iSuppli forecasts that Apple will continue to extend its expenditure lead this year by spending $22.4 billion on semiconductors, while HP and Samsung Electronics are expected to spend $14.8 billion and $14.3 billion,...

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i4i Wins $290M Patent-Infringement Case Against Microsoft

On Thursday, Microsoft lost a major patent-infringement case in the U.S. Supreme Court, which left standing the largest patent award ever upheld on appeal -- a fine of $290 million. The case could have established a new threshold of evidence required to overturn a patent. In 2007, a small Canadian company called i4i filed suit against the software giant, alleging patent infringement in Word 2003 and 2007 because of a tool that enabled document manipulation. A 2009 decision by a U.S. District Court in Texas ruled in favor of i4i, and Microsoft was forced to drop the XML feature in order to continue selling Word while it...

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Google Chromebooks now can be pre-ordered

AceraAcer's Chromebooks cost $379.99 for a Wi-Fi only model, or $449.99 for one that also has 3G.aBy Suzanne ChoneyGoogle's Chromebook laptops are now available for pre-order from either Amazon.com or Best Buy. The laptops, made by Samsung and Acer, start at $379.99 with the most expensive of the six models at $499.99. They'll be shipped starting June 15.aThe minimalist Chromebook, which uses Google's Chrome operating system, has an 8-second boot-up time and lots of other promising features for those who aren't looking to store gigabytes of data on their laptops. Chromebooks are "not typical notebooks," wrote Linus Upson, Google's v-p of engineering and Sundar Pichai, Chrome senior vice president, on a blog:a With a Chromebook you won’t wait minutes for your computer to boot and browser to...

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Dancing Driod bot controlled via Android

aaaaa aaaaaGoogle had announced ADK for Android which allowed developers to control or take input from external hardware via android usb port. And here we have a homage to androids using the very same feature. A Dancing android bot being controlled via an Android tablet. The bot is made up of 4 servomotors and the developer is confirming that once he does polish on his project he will release it as open source for everyone to make their own bots or other similar things to be controlled via this Android software. check it out in action below: aaaaa aaaaaFollow the developments from developer @ Youtube channel...

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T-Mobile real life Angry Birds game

aaaaa aaaaaT-mobile made giant size real life Angry Birds game played by public via smartphone. Angry Birds has really become this generations pac-man. and this great AD campaign is a testament to the fame of it all....

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Best Buy customer database corrupted, says service rep

HD GuruaBy Gary MersonHD GuruaAttention Best Buy online shoppers: Your shipping info may be tainted.aWhen I went to check-out on bestbuy.com Thursday, I discovered the "ship to" address information was changed. No longer were orders to be sent to my address, but instead to some guy in Houston. The corresponding phone number had a 713 area code, also Houston.aWhat was going on? Was I hacked? Was this guy stealing my identity? Or at least my ability to buy electronics? If I had completed the order without catching the alteration, the chap in Texas would have received all the items I ordered.aCalling Best Buy customer service, I asked if their accounts were hacked. As many know, Best Buy used the Epsilon email service, and its customer email database was hacked as part of the overall breach.aHowever,...

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Nokia Drop: push content to your phone wirelessly

aaaaaMy wife has an Android phone, while I still use a Nokia phone. And although it serves me well but I really am jealous of one feature of Android. Its ability to install apps over the air. I can select app to install on my PC and it installs over to her phone. But Nokia users have also something similar to look at in the future and its called: Nokia Drop. aaaaaNokia Drop goes one step ahead of using this “over the air” transfer by pushing any type of content. The software is still in Nokia labs which mean its beta and thus not officially marketed, or full featured. But you can still download and start using it right away. aaaaaIt uses push notification to send data like images, wallpaper, rss feeds, urls, map markers to your phone via PC without need of usb cable connection...

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The zombies of 'Dead Island' will hunt and haunt you

Techland/Deep SilveraBy Winda BenedettiWe knew this the moment the first trailer for “Dead Island” was released — the game was not going to be a light-hearted, undead-fightin’ romp through the lighter side of the apocalypse.aThe “Dead Island” teaser trailer, which went viral seemingly in a matter of minutes after it was released in February, revealed in reverse order the heartbreaking tale of a very young zombie in the making. And from the trailer’s haunting music to its cinematic narrative to its bleak tone, it grabbed our attention like no game trailer has in a long time. And yes, it certainly raised our hopes and expectations.aOf course, the question has been — will “Dead Island” the game live up to “Dead Island” the game trailer?a This week at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in...

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Nokia Ovi features coming to Windows phone from rivals too

aaaaa aaaaaNokia chief Stephen Elop confirmed at Open Mobile Summit in London today that all Windows Phone manufacturers would get access to whatever services Nokia crafts for the Ovi platform. This is being done due to an agreement between Nokia and Microsoft to support each other against the two mobile OS giants: Android and iOS. aaaaaSpeaking during a Q&A on stage, Nokia CEO Elop was asked whether Samsung phones be able to use Nokia maps? aaaaa“Absolutely, I sure hope so, that’s very much the intent,” he said. “It’s about the Windows Phone eco-system, heavily contributed to by Microsoft, by Nokia and others. It is the case that we’re building an ecosystem in and around Windows Phone as the operating system…(but) it is the case that we want multiple...

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Three New Motorola Smartphones Offered by Sprint

Sprint Nextel said Thursday it plans to launch more than 10 new Motorola smartphones, including its new business -class XPRT that slid down the chute last Sunday at a price of $129.99. Up next are Motorola's Android-based Photon 4G and Triumph handsets, which are slated to take their inaugural bows this summer at prices to be disclosed later. The Photon 4G, which integrates several advanced multimedia capabilities, is capable of functioning as a world phone. When deployed at enterprises and government agencies, the smartphone also will offer support for critical IT policies, such as integration ease, cost of management,...

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Wii U Goes Against Market Trend as Nintendo Gambles

Nintendo has taken the cover off the successor to its market-shaping Wii. The company introduced the Wii U at the E3 Expo, making it the first to demonstrate the next generation of video -game consoles. Though the Wii U has met with mixed reactions, Nintendo is hoping for another success with its latest console. Here's what you can expect: A controller with a 6.2-inch screen that promises to drive new gaming experiences and the ability to customize entertainment. To be sure, Nintendo is taking a different approach to gaming with the Wii U. Typically, video games played on a home console are confined to the TV. Each...

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Android market share to surpass 40 percent this year

By Suzanne ChoneyAndroid's worldwide onslaught, with 38.9 percent of the market, will easily surpass 40 percent in the second half of this year and take 43.8 percent of the market by 2015, according to a new report from IDC. By 2015, Windows phones, because of Microsoft's partnership with Nokia, may reach the No. 2 spot.aBy 2015, Nokia's Symbian operating system, in second place right now with 20.6 percent of the market, is expected to dwindle to 0.1 percent by 2015. Apple's iOS, which is third at 18.2 percent, is expected to be 16.9 percent by 2015.aResearch In Motion's sagging BlackBerry OS now has 14.2 percent of the market, and will continue to dip, to 13.4 percent by 2015.aAndroid passed Symbian as the leading mobile OS in late 2010 and should...

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Sony camcorder sees your 3D, doubles it

aaaaaPress release: Sony Gulf, the leading consumer electronics brand today announced the Middle East launch of the world’s first ‘Double Full HD’ 3D Handycam HDR-TD10, and the only 3D-enabled consumer camcorder. aaaaaUnveiled at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) at Las Vegas earlier this year, the 3D Handycam is a feature-packed Full High Definition (HD) revolutionary innovation. The camcorder employs an integrated dual lens system, which includes two of each key component – double Sony G Lenses, double ‘Exmor R’ CMOS image sensors, and double BIONZ image processors. aaaaa aaaaaThe dual recording system allows 3D content to be recorded in 1920×1080 Full HD resolution and viewed with 3D active glasses on 3D-capable HDTVs or in Full HD 2D on...

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'Dance Central 2' delivers more dancers, music, laughs

Matt Riveraa"Dance Central 2" knows that it takes two to tango. Harmonix showed off the forthcoming Kinect game at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this week.aBy Winda BenedettiIf you own a Kinect and an Xbox 360 and you’re old enough to drink, then you know this: the very best way to enjoy Microsoft’s new motion controller is by popping “Dance Central” into your console during a party, tossing back a few drinks and cranking up the volume.a“Dance Central” has been the hands-down favorite of the first wave of Kinect games. With the Kinect camera reading your body movements, the game challenges you to break out your inner dancing king or queen and try to perform the dance moves you see on the screen. It also challenges you to pit your rhythmic abilities against those of your friends.a It is...

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Facebook’s creepy Facial Recognition and how to stop it

aaaaaFacebook recently launched their new Face Recognition function that allows users the ability to automatically tag photos of their friends when Facebook recognizes them. It’s an admittedly easy way to tag friends when uploading photos because you can upload multiple pictures and tag your individual friends all in one go instead of selecting every photo and tagging friends one by one. aaaaaWhat you might also want to consider is that Facebook is now capable of recognizing your face from the multiple pictures you were, and will be tagged in (sometimes even inadvertently) by your friends. It won’t be long before a search of your name will lead to multiple photos of yourself along with your personal info online for everyone to see. As usual, this setting, which many consider...

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25 reasons Android should fear iOS right now

AppleaBy Rosa GolijanWhen Apple presented iOS 5 — the latest version of its mobile operating system — we couldn't help but point out how many features and elements it seemed to borrow from other platforms and apps. But as we started examining the software we realized something: The combination of those features with Apple's special touch should have Android — the biggest competitor to iOS — shaking in fear.aYes, we realize that when it comes to a lot of features — notifications, in particular — it seemed like Apple was playing catch up with Google's baby. But with iOS 5 Apple isn't just catching up — it's leapfrogging Android.aOf course, not everything we're about to list will make everyone's jaw drop as the earth shakes, but, along with the nearly 200 other...

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Facebook 152-friends-on-arm tattoo is a lie

The video of the fake Facebook friends tattoo. It's a "try-out" tattoo -- a publicity stunt. aBy Suzanne ChoneyThat story about a woman who had 152 of her Facebook friends' photos tattooed on her arm, a kind of "Facebook sleeve" — shared in a YouTube video that went viral, including here? It's a hoax, a fraud.aThe woman, from the Netherlands, identified as Suzyj87, touted the (fake) Facebook "sleeve" in the video called "My Social Tattoo." But none of it was real.aDutchNewsreported Wednesday that Rotterdam tattoo artist Dex Moelker "came clean on the Telegraaf website, admitting the tattoo and video is an advertising stunt":a 'It is a try-out tattoo, a transfer, that washes off in a couple of days,' Moelker, who has a tattoo shop in Rotterdam, told the paper. It took a couple of hours to...

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Chrome 12 Accelerates 3D on Hardware, Boosts Security

Google has rolled out a Chrome browser update featuring hardware-accelerated 3D graphics capabilities, additional privacy controls, and improved security features. On Tuesday, Chrome 12 was automatically installed on many PCs running earlier editions of Google's browser. Chrome 12 will display a warning about web sites a user is about to visit that are suspected of phishing -- attempting to trick the user into sharing personal or other sensitive information. Warnings also will appear in the browser window about any web sites containing malware designed to steal personal information. "We've carefully designed this...

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Sony NEX-C3: Slimmest DSLR camera announced

aaaaa aaaaaSony NEX series is a great for camera fans who want a DSLR camera in slightly compact size. The latest C3 model is perfect fit for a slim yet powerful camera. aaaaaSony NEX-C3 weights 225g. Supports a resolution of 16.2MP stills, 720p video and includes a Picture Effect function (giving you lots of crazy and retro effects to choose from), 3D sweep panorama, 3″ Xtra fine LCD screen, auto HDR and a twilight mode. And Photo Creativity app inside the camera to easily edit images inside camera. aaaaaSony NEX-C3 starts shipping in end August with 16mm or 18-55mm kit lenses for $599 and $649 respectively. It is a feature packed camera designed to fit snugly in the gap between point-and-shoot digital snappers and full-fat DSLR cameras....

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Developer Interest In Windows Phone 7 Tops iOS

A new global survey of mobile -app developers underscores a major shift in their outlook, with interest in building apps for Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 (32 percent) now second only to Google 's Android OS (35 percent). By contrast, Apple's iOS ranked third at 27 percent, according to Vision Mobile's latest survey of 850 developers worldwide. More developers are planning to invest in Phone 7 because Microsoft is offering best-in-class XNA and Silverlight developer tools and encouraging an influx of PC and Xbox developers. However, Microsoft has "a challenging year ahead" as it begins leveraging Nokia's mobile brand...

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Parrot AR Drone comes to all mobiles

aaaaa aaaaaParrot AR Drone, made some big air waves last year by putting a video equipped flying drone in your hands controlled via iPod touch / iPhone. But now Parrot announced that it will now be coming to all mobile platforms: Android, Symbian and Bada. aaaaaParrot has also released a SDK to develop new applications for AR Drone as well as AR Race, a race game which supports one to four pilots. AR race is more than a free app for creating custom circuits to race your Drone. There’s actually physical accessories (available at parrotshopping.com) for your courses such as pylons and donuts. aaaaaAR Drone Challenges which kick off on June 24th. After registering at ARdrone.com participants will have three video challenges where they’ll have to film their flying skills....

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Mammoth Apple 'spaceship' HQ to land in Cupertino

By Nidhi SubbaramanSteve Jobs has unveiled plans for a spanking new Apple campus in Cupertino, CA, which will hold 12,000 employees in a single building shaped like a spaceship.  aThe Apple CEO shared his proposal for the sprawling 150-acre campus with the Cupertino City Council on Tuesday evening, and didn't mince his words: "It looks a little like a spaceship landed."aJobs told the council they’d submit formal plans as soon as possible, break ground by next year, and "plan to move in by 2015."aApple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs presents his proposal for a new Apple Campus to the Cupertino City Council. This presentation was recorded Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at the Cupertino Community Hall.aIn addition to the circular main building, the campus will have a parking garage, an energy center,...

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Samsung research: 90% of US consumers either have a tablet or want one

aaaaaSamsung has posted a particularly interesting research report on the desirability of tablets among consumers in the US. aaaaaAccording to the survey, 90% of US consumers either already own a tablet device or are planning to purchase one in the near future. Of the 1000 tablet owners polled, 76% said they use the tablet to read news or books, 64% use it to watch shows or movies, 61% use it to listen to music, and 56% use it update their social networking profiles (I guess they do that with their smartphones, there is no way this number is so low). aaaaaInterestingly, 53% of the survey respondents said that would rather play games on a tablet than sit on a PC or kick it back with a console – a worrisome figure indeed for developers and publisher investing in...

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Nintendo Introduces Tablet-Controlled Wii Successor

A while back, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the new design of the MacBook Air was meant to look like what would happen if an iPad and a MacBook mated. Now Nintendo's updated game console may appear to some as the product of an iPad that hooked up with a Wii. The Wii U was launched Tuesday by Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, known as E3, at the Los Angeles Conference Center. Taking wireless control and motion-sensing to a new level, the Wii U's controller is a 6.2-inch touchscreen device similar to a tablet computer . In addition to touch input, the controller supports...

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