Sony announces PS4 release date
At a press conference at Gamescon, Sony revealed the information that hundreds of thousands of gamers have been waiting to hear -- the official launch date of the PlayStation 4.
And there’s not all that long to wait. In just over three months, on November 15 to be precise, the eagerly anticipated console will be made available in the US and Canada.
Google+ Photos app finally available to all Chromebooks
When the Google+ Photo app was released as a Pixel exclusive in June, many Chromebook loyalists (including myself) were dismayed. Since the Pixel was so expensive, it felt as if non-Pixel users were being punished for buying inexpensive devices. Surely my $249 Samsung Chromebook can handle a photo app!
Today, Google announces that the app is available for all Chromebooks -- including us in the cheap seats.
MHL 3.0 specification -- 4K Ultra HD video on your smartphone
Today, the MHL Consortium (Nokia, Samsung, Silicon Image, Sony and Toshiba) announces that the MHL 3.0 specification has been finalized. According to the consortium, "MHL technology is optimized for mobile and it allows you to send uncompressed high definition video and up to 8 channels of surround sound from your MHL smartphone or tablet to any digital TV or display, all while charging your device."
"With double the bandwidth compared to the previous specification, MHL 3.0 delivers 4K (Ultra HD) resolution and a wider color gamut to create a more brilliant visual experience, solidifying MHL’s growing presence in the living room. By using a bi-directional channel that’s significantly faster than MHL 2, the new specification enables concurrent 4K video and high-speed peripheral support of mass storage and input devices such as a touch screen, keyboard and mouse", says the group.
Gameloft bringing more games to Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8
I’ve played many a Gameloft game on my iPad (and other iOS devices), and although the company now likes to focus on Freemium titles packed with ridiculous in-app purchases, it is still a name synonymous with quality gaming.
Which is why it’s great news for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 devotees that the company plans to bring 15 of its new games to both of those platforms over the next twelve months, starting with Asphalt 8: Airborne and Dungeon Hunter 4 this fall.
ID@Xbox gives indie developers the chance to sell games directly on Xbox One
Becoming a developer for platforms such as iOS and Android is relatively simple, but the same has not always been true for anyone looking to break into the world of serious gaming. Microsoft is keen to help out, and the new Independent Developers @ Xbox (ID@Xbox) program aims to make it possible for small-scale devs to work in the same arena as the big players.
At Gamescon, Microsoft today unveils details of the program and Director of ID@Xbox, Chris Charla, is keen to welcome the next generation of developers who will usher in a new breed of games. The scheme will enable developers to publish their own games on Xbox One and gain access to the same development kits and resources that are already available to leaders in the market.
Full Throttle Override lets you maximize the performance of specific apps
If you’re looking to maximize your PC’s speed then enabling the High Performance power plan (Control Panel > Power Options) applies CPU and system tweaks which might help. But there’s a problem: the plan increases energy use, and mobile users will probably find their battery doesn’t last quite as long.
It makes sense to use the High Performance setting only occasionally, then -- and that’s where Full Throttle Override comes in. This tiny tool will automatically enable the High Performance plan for specific applications only, and restore your previous plan just as soon as they close.
Google Maps and Waze -- the integration begins
Google purchased mapping firm Waze back in June, bringing two services that many mobile users feel are among the best on the market under the one roof. The acquisition led to speculation that the unique features offered by Waze would slowly be rolled into Google. Much of Waze's information is crowd-sourced, such as accident reporting, traffic delays and even police radar.
That speculation begins leading to fruition today as the search giant rolls out step one. "No one likes getting stuck in traffic. That’s why the Waze and Google Maps teams are working together to harness the power of Google technology and the passion of the Waze community to make it easier to navigate your daily life", says Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps.
ImBatch adds image batch renaming
High Motion Software’s freeware image batch processing tool ImBatch has hit version 1.80, and the new release sees some very welcome additions.
Top of the list is a Rename task, which sees the program able to batch rename an entire folder according to its EXIF or IPTC metadata, height, width, size, creation/ modification/ last accessed dates, and many other attributes.
Businesses must focus on optimizing IT costs Gartner warns
After years of cost cutting through the recession, businesses now have the challenge of continuously optimizing their IT costs. According to a survey of over 2,000 chief information officers worldwide, 65 percent see the main barrier to optimization as the mindset needed for all resources to work towards the same goal.
"Organizations don't often achieve the desired results from their optimization initiatives, and costs end up returning into the business," says Sanil Solanki, research director at Gartner. "CIOs should consider incorporating five key principles into their organization's cost optimization practices to form a basis for continual optimization. These principles are geared toward avoiding the danger of tactical cost initiatives, which may seem to generate savings in the short term, but can mean costs returning into the business in the long term".
Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S -- Windows 8 done right [Review]
My relationship with Windows 8 is very tumultuous; sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it. However, this is due to the inherent problem with Windows 8 -- depending on what you are doing with it or what hardware you are using it on, the experience is different. I have used Windows 8 devices that are wonderful and others that are horrible. I often ponder, what if there was a device that could change based on what I was doing? I am happy to say, such a device exists and its called the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S.
The name "Yoga" is very appropriate as the convertible laptop offers multiple positions. No, I am not talking about the downward-facing dog -- this device can be a laptop, tablet and desktop. Lenovo calls these modes "Laptop", "Tablet", "Tent" and "Stand". However, "Tent" and "Stand", in my opinion, have duplicate functionality -- I refer to both of these as "Desktop Mode".
Surface Pro -- is Windows 8 the biggest failing of this expensive tablet?
Almost every time I have written about Microsoft in the past, I have been accused of being on the company's payroll when I write something positive, or being a hater out to bash the firm when I write something negative. Fair warning to anyone inclined to make such accusations (and a slight spoiler); this is one article in which I am going to sit firmly on the fence.
Let’s get one thing out of the way to start with. I quite like Windows 8. It’s not perfect and I have my complaints, but it is my primary operating system on three computers, and has been for some time. Until now, my only experience of Windows 8 has been on a traditional desktop and a laptop -- this means I have only interacted with the OS using a combination of a keyboard, mouse and trackpad.
Latest Microsoft ad targets students while dissing iPads
In a recent ad Microsoft levelled its guns at Google, but this time around it is Apple who finds itself in the crosshairs. The thinly veiled attack pits the Lenovo Yoga against Apple’s iPad in a bid to win favour in time for the ‘back to school season’.
The advertisement is set in a lecture hall and finds the lecturer’s audience divided into three distinct camps -- old-school pen and paper fans, iPad users, and a solitary student with a convertible Windows device. As the cue comes to start taking notes, the Windows user casually stops playing the word game she was engrossed in, flips the Yoga into ‘notebook’ mode and starts typing.
Skype for Outlook.com now available
Microsoft continues to integrate Skype into more of its products, a process that seems slower than it should be. The messaging and calling service is now finding its way into one more property, in this case the web-based email service, Outlook.com.
The new integration is considered a beta release, but is available in multiple international markets -- the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada and Brazil. "The Skype for Outlook.com preview makes it easy to connect with your Skype friends right from your Outlook.com inbox", says Skype's Pierre-Eric Jacoupy.
Microsoft talks user numbers, new features for Windows Phone App Studio
Two weeks ago Microsoft released its Windows Phone App Studio to beta. The service is designed to encourage the development of new apps and help non-developers "code" their own cool creations. No, you will not be building the next million dollar hit game using this alone, but you can see a smaller project from concept to completion here. The company expects the service to be used by hobbyists and enthusiasts.
Today Microsoft is talking numbers about where the service stands at this point in its brief life. Emilio Salvatore Prieto claims that within the first 48 hours of the beta going live more than 20,000 people had signed up and over 30,000 projects were underway -- a number that now stands at 55,000.
Microsoft announces Xbox One’s games line-up -- 38 percent of the titles will be exclusive
The Xbox One has had a lot of press since it was first announced back in May, with most of the coverage concerning the ever changing details of the console -- the removal of the DRM features, the backtracking on needing Kinect to use the device, the dropping of eight of the planned launch countries…
While the Xbox One might be a very different animal from what was originally revealed, one thing at least remains the same -- the console will play games. And today Microsoft revealed the list of titles available for the console.
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