iPad 2 on sale in S'pore in April

Sourcce: AFP

WASHINGTON: Apple said Tuesday that the iPad 2, the latest model of the hot-selling tablet computer, will go on sale in Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea in April.

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Novel Blackberry alerts for Philippine disasters

Source: AFP

MANILA : A Philippine charity said Monday it had launched a novel early warning system for disaster-prone areas using Blackberry devices and laptops.

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Apple called on to pull 'gay cure' app from iTunes

Source: AFP

Apple on Monday was under pressure to yank a so-called "gay cure" application from its iTunes shop for software for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices.

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"Homefront" videogame sells 375,000 on first day

Source: Reuters

Video game maker THQ Inc said it sold 375,000 copies of its new military-themed video "Homefront" on the first day of sales in North America.

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Samsung, LG fight for 3-D tech supremacy

Source: ANN

Korea's electronics powerhouses, Samsung and LG, are embroiled in a bitter war of words trumpeting the superiority of their 3-D TV technologies.

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Google purges tainted apps from Android phones

Sourcec: PDI

SAN FRANCISCO—Google has remotely purged Android smartphones of applications tainted with malicious code that could take control of the handsets and steal information.

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Gadgets ruining people's sleep: study

Source: AFP

SAN FRANCISCO - A study released on Monday indicated that people in the United States are losing sleep over their gadgets.

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More drivers install video cameras in cars

Source: CNA

SINGAPORE: More drivers are installing video cameras in their cars.

The drivers say the cameras help prevent car break-ins and are useful in gathering evidence in the event of an accident.

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New portable game console from Sony

Sony unveils new 'NGP' portable game console

Source: AFP

TOKYO: Japanese entertainment giant Sony on Thursday unveiled a new portable touchscreen gaming console as it looks to launch a fresh challenge to Nintendo and Apple in the competitive mobile gaming market.

At a special media event in Tokyo, Sony also unveiled a "Suite" application for older PlayStation games, allowing them to be played on mobile phones and tablet computers running Google's Android operating system.

The device, codenamed "Next Generation Portable" will succeed Sony's PlayStation Portable handheld device and boasts 3G mobile connectivity and WiFi, allowing users to download games and other content, said Kazuo Hirai, president and group chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment.

The NGP features a five-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touchscreen, a GPS receiver, a motion sensor and a rear panel touchpad to control certain actions, as well as navigation buttons and a joystick.

Software titles will be available on a small, flash-based memory card, Sony said.

The device will also incorporate front and back cameras and gyroscopic controls.

Sony said the device would be available in time for the 2011 holiday shopping season but did not indicate a price.

The Japanese giant's PSP Go, launched in November 2009, already features software downloads through a wireless connection, allowing players to also browse the Internet, watch movies, play music and read books and comics.

Its gaming rival Nintendo is also about to introduce its new 3DS handheld device next month which allows users to play 3D videogames without the need for special glasses, the first major game machine to do so.

"NGP has fascinating new features, such as a touch panel on the backside, which would be enough to differentiate itself from rival game consoles," said Hiroshi Sakai, an analyst at SMBC Friend Securities.

"It's easy to try to compare NGP to Nintendo's 3DS, but they have earned two different customer groups already. Sony has earned serious game fans by providing sophisticated consoles."

Sony sold nearly 65 million PSPs as of the end of September 2010, but the device has been overshadowed by the popularity of Nintendo's DS, which has sold at least double that since its release the same year.

Sony's move comes as smartphones and tablet computers such as Apple's iPhone and iPad take a growing share of the market for portable gaming devices on to which high quality games can be easily downloaded and played in minutes.

The PlayStation Suite, an application for Google's Android market that will run videogames of older PlayStation console quality, will be available later this year.

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Over reaction over warning for Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo says reaction to 3D warning was overblown

Source: Reuters

A top Nintendo Co Ltd executive said reaction to a health warning on its new 3D handheld game player was overblown, portraying as routine the warning that hit its shares two weeks ago.

Nintendo had warned that its 3DS, set to go on sale March 27 in the United States, could harm young children's eyes, and advised that children 6 years old or younger play games only in 2D mode.

The warning, which appeared on the company's website in Japanese, was picked up by media outlets and blogs, and triggered a three-day sell-off in Nintendo shares two weeks ago. Some people criticized Nintendo for the warning, saying there was no medical evidence 3D harmed children's eyesight.

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime downplayed the worries at a promotional event in New York on Wednesday, saying other devices in the home have similar warnings.

"It certainly has been a reaction that has been a bit over the top," Fils-Aime told Reuters in an interview.

He added that children 7 and above "can certainly enjoy the 3D features."

Nintendo is betting heavily on the 3DS, which doesn't use bulky glasses, but it faces far stiffer competition than when it launched other notable handheld game devices, including the Game Boy in 1989 or the DS in 2004.

The device, which will sell for $249.99, can play 3D graphics and video and snap 3D photos without the need for glasses -- features that analysts have said will give it an edge over Apple.

"The 3DS gives Nintendo something that Apple can't offer people right now," MKM Partners analyst Eric Handler said.

Nintendo could use the boost of a new hot product to regain its luster.

After three years of record earnings until March 2009, Nintendo's margins have fallen sharply and the company has forecast that profit will fall to its lowest in five years.

Nintendo's first major piece of hardware since the Wii, is a bid by the Japanese company to outpace rivals Sony Corp and Microsoft and to beat newer rival Apple, which is stealing handheld market share.

"We are convinced that the Nintendo 3DS is the next entertainment breakthrough," said Fils-Aime. "We think it's going to set us apart."

Fils-Aime, 49, dismissed critics who say Nintendo is in decline.

"Some so-called experts don't understand how the maturation cycle works in this industry and the fact is, no one can sell 10 million units of any system year after year," he said referring to the company's once explosive Wii sales.

When asked whether Nintendo was keeping up with its rivals, Fils-Aime insisted it was Nintendo's rivals who should be threatened by the company.

"Our competitors continue to be at a place of having to react to what we've done and not the other way around," he said.

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Xoom - best CES gadget

Motorola Xoom tablet crowned best CES gadget

SOURCE: Agence France-Presse

LAS VEGAS— Motorola Mobility's Xoom tablet computer powered by new "Honeycomb" software from Google was crowned the best gadget at the giant Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on Saturday.

Along with being declared the top creation at the dazzling gadget extravaganza, Xoom was also honored as the best of the scores of tablets introduced here as fresh competitors in a market dominated by Apple iPads.

Motorola also scored a victory with its Atrix smartphone designed to work with high-speed 4G wireless networks and which can be used in a dock to power a laptop.

Atrix won the top spot in a smartphone category at the official Best of CES awards.

"We took big risks and they paid off," said Motorola Mobility chief software engineer Seang Chau. "We didn't know if people would get it; but obviously they got it."

US telecom maker Motorola Mobility jumped into the bustling tablet computer market Wednesday when chief executive Sanjay Jha unveiled Xoom at CES.

Motorola Mobility's hotly awaited tablet computer, the "Xoom," will be available in the first quarter of the year, Jha said.

With a 10.1-inch (25.6-centimeter) screen, the Xoom is about the same size as Apple's iPad, which hit stores in April and has other leading technology companies around the world scrambling to catch up.

Xoom will be a fierce competitor in the marketplace because Google built Honeycomb software specifically to power tablet computers, according to Jha.

"This is really the next generation of tablets," Motorola Mobility device team head Alain Mutricy said as he held a Xoom in one hand at the awards ceremony.

"Our partnership with Google has been very intense and has enabled some great technology."

The CES accolades came just four days after Illinois-based Motorola split into two companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions.

Motorola Mobility will focus on mobility, the Internet and computing markets while Motorola Solutions will target next-generation communications solutions to government, public safety and enterprise customers.

"This has been a great week for us," Mutricy said of Motorola Mobility. "It is a good beginning."

The official CES awards were sponsored by tech news website Cnet, which had editors pick the winners.

Japan-based Wii console maker Nintendo took top honors in a gaming category with a version of a DS videogame handset that allows 3D play without the need for special glasses.

A Sony "HandyCam" handheld video recorder with a built-in projector placed first in a Digital Imaging category, while a Casio Tryx digital camera was deemed the slickest gadget design at the show.

US chip giant Intel got some of the spotlight, with a speedy new generation of "Sandy Bridge" chips that thwart film piracy and enable quick handling of data-rich video and games rated the best computer innovation at the show.

A Toyota Entune innovation that makes fun or helpful software applications available while driving won top spot in a car category.

A Vizio TV that features Internet television from Google and online videogames from OnLive was declared the best in its category.

A sleek Razor Switchblade laptop that packs desktop computer gaming power into a small "netbook" won a People's Voice award based on votes logged on the Internet.

Meanwhile, a dual-screen Acer Iconia laptop with a second screen, touch controlled, where a keyboard would usually be won "Last Gadget Standing" honors at another CES competition.

A color version of the Nook electronic reader was the favorite in online "Last Gadget Standing" voting.

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Charge your gadgets while walking

Gadget charger harnesses walking power

SOURCE: AFP

A US company has come up with a baton-shaped device that charges gadgets using power generated by walking, hiking or running.

Tremont Electric was in Las Vegas on Tuesday for the Consumer Electronics Show, where it will tout the nPower PEG (personal energy generator) as ideally suited for today's gizmo-dependent lifestyles.

"It's for any outdoors enthusiast who is deep in the woods and doesn't have access to a power outlet or for a commuter who constantly needs backup battery power," said Jessica Davis of Tremont.

"You could use this for an emergency situation or just for your commute."

PEG batons measure nine inches (23 centimeters) and weigh 11 ounces (312 grams). Electricity is generated when floating magnets slide through coils, according to Davis.

The batons can be put in a backpack, brief case, or runner's pouch where they synch to up-and-down motion to generate power.

"It tunes to optimize the amount of power being produced," Davis said.

PEG works with more than 3,000 handheld devices that are USB 2.0 compatible.

The Ohio-based company began selling the 160-dollar "kinetic" chargers in September and has been scrambling to catch up to demand.

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