Written by NEWS on Friday, December 5th, 2008 in News.
FROM GAMERTELL - Here’s another nifty two-controller charge station, this time by TeknoCreations for Xbox 360 controllers. It’s relatively easy to use and the battery rechargeable packs even lighter than a pair of standard AA batteries… MORE »
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Written by Daniel Lim on Friday, December 5th, 2008 in News.
If I keep coming on PS3 superiority on handling Blu-ray materials, I might get flamed with fanboyism. May be it is better if I state the opposite first. Why PS3 is not a good standalone? PS3 is loud, the noise tops my projector runs at high beam mode. Bluetooth remote sucks, additional IR dongle requires to add PS3 on Universal remote control. Hardware constraints; no multichannel audio support on analog output, advanced audio codec limits on LPCM though HDMI. Last but certainly not least, it’s awfully ugly!
But truth hurts; we’ve seen how PS3 leads loading time in a small group test, here’s another victory for PS3 fans – An exclusive Blu-ray player benchmark test from Blu-ray.com - The dreadful beast once again crowns the best in system booting, disc loading and operation. It is not only stands out among 12 Blu-ray players in test, but performance trumps contestants in Blu-ray Disc Java department by a large margin.
No surprise there, the results reflect the superiority of cell power processing in comparing with hardware-based units. The best-equipped standalone can’t even come close to the level of PS3 achieved; on the other hand, user has to deal with cooling noise works against the excessive heat resulting from the cell processor.
Test in question didn’t cover audio quality or image reproduction in legacy DVD upscaling or blu-ray disc, but unit’s ability to handle intensive Java content and interactive menu. You can visit Blu-ray.com to see more information on how the test was conducted and categorized.
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Written by Brenda Stokes on Thursday, December 4th, 2008 in News.
A lot of people who own MacBooks tend to want to show them off. However, if you’re finding you need to protect your precious MacBook Air from bumps and scratches, you might be interested in the U-Suit Case.
The U-Suit covers up your MacBook Air and keeps it protected. However, it looks remarkably like a Dell Inspiron, doesn’t it? Kind of strange, don’t you think? But hey, at least you can still see the Apple insignia poking through the clear part.
Make by Uniea, the U-Suit Premium is available in both red and black color options. It is resistant to scratches and can hold up against most impacts. You can get this case now for $69.95, which is quite expensive, but most computers are an investment, so this can just go toward securing it further for you.
[via Chip Chick]
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Written by NEWS on Thursday, December 4th, 2008 in News.
FROM GAMERTELL - A Microsoft spokesperson confirms that Arcade bundled Xbox 360 units will feature 256MB internal memory rather than a memory card… MORE »
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Written by Daniel Lim on Thursday, December 4th, 2008 in News.
Most PC desktop/notebook now comes equipped with a HDMI output for external display or digital flat screen (unless you have Mac), there are alternate solutions if your equipment lacks the output in question, you can get a DVI-HDMI adaptor or try out Atlona’s AT-HDPix Universal USB to HDMI convertor.
Compatible with both PC and Mac platform; the Atlona Technologies’ HDPiX is designed to add a HDMI port to any computer, provides a quick and dirty HDMI connectivity to view content on any HDTV at a maximum resolution of 1600×1200 PC signal or HD content at 720P.
The unit has a unique design to preserve full bandwidth of its USB input for HD Video content. Audio input is separated from video path from a 3.5-millimeter stereo input jack rather than through the USB port. The HDPiX is slated to ship before Christmas with a MSRP of $179.
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Written by Brenda Stokes on Thursday, December 4th, 2008 in News.
Boxee is pretty much brand new, but they’re already releasing an update to add new features to the mix. The company’s media player software that’s currently in an alpha version for Macs and Linux only, just got an update that adds the ability to stream Netflix movies and videos from sites such as the WB network, MTV and offers up photos from the Boston Globe.
Just two weeks ago, Boxee was working to gain venture capital funding in an effort to license their XBMC-based software to set-top box makers. An update like this certainly can’t hurt that effort, especially as more and more people are looking for ways to get their online media on their TVs.
The update also adds interface tweaks for sites such as CNN, Flickr, Picasa and Hulu. Plus, watching YouTube videos is now easier due to better browsing and added support for H.264 video. Though not currently compatible with Apple TV because of hardware issues, Boxee is working on adapting their software to it soon. A Windows alpha version is also on the horizon.
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Written by NEWS on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 in News.
FROM GAMERTELL - Details have come out about the newly outfitted Xbox 360s including why the systems should be Red Ring of Death-proof… MORE »
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Written by flung on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 in News.
Microsoft reports the Xbox 360 console had record beating Black Friday sales in the U.S. – outselling the PlayStation 3 by a three-to-one ratio and selling an estimated 25 percent more than 2007’s Black Friday sales figures.
Worldwide, Xbox 360 sales have also surged ever since the September price drop with Microsoft claiming the 360 consistently outselling the PS3 across Europe. “Console sales in Europe are up as much as 400 percent, with sales nearly double year over year and reaching 7 million consoles sold this generation.”
There’s no doubt that the recent surge in Xbox 360 consoles sales can be attributed to the price cuts but one must not forget about the recent holiday bundles that were introduced as well as the incredible bundles retailers were offering for Black Friday. In total, this is a good time to check out the Xbox 360 console.
Written by flung on Monday, December 1st, 2008 in News.
First the good news – Jasper based Xbox 360 consoles have been confirmed in the wild. Now the bad news – there’s no clear way to differentiate a Jasper system from a previous (Falcon probably) system without opening up the box. In case you’re not familiar with the Jasper version of the Xbox 360 board, it features three main areas of improvement – graphics, power supply, and internal flash memory.
The Xbox 360 GPU – a key area for improvement gets one thanks to some die shrinkage – from 90 nm to 65 n. This translates to less heat which translates to smaller less powerful fans on the inside which… (drum roll) means quieter systems with lower power consumption.
In addition, the new 360’s appear to come with 150 watt power supply units – down from the traditional 175 watt units typically found. That should eek a few cents off of your electric bill.
Finally, the new rev appears to have 256MB of flash memory – up from the original 16MB. It’s assumed the larger space is being used to accommodate the New Xbox Experience.
This leaves us to the question of – how the hell do you tell a Jasper system from a non-Jasper system. Well, according to Anandtech, lot number 0842 from team FDOU or CSON and lot number 0843 from team FDOU have been confirmed to have Jasper units. HOWEVER, the irritating bit is – there have been confirmed Falcon units also within these lots. The only saving grace is this:
“If you get a console labeled 12.1A on the 12V rail and comes with a 150W PSU, you can be assured that you have a Jasper-based console. “
However, you won’t really know this until you open up the box. Good luck.. you might want to wait this transition period out before getting an Xbox 360 console. Jasper is the only reason I would finally get a new 360 over my current 360 (which has been replaced.. 4 times now I think?)
[Check it out via PC World]
Written by flung on Monday, December 1st, 2008 in News.
Missed this one last week. Blockbuster teamed up with 2Wire to introduce the 2Wire MediaPoint digital media player which allows users easy access to on-demand video content via Blockbuster’s ONDEMAND content. For a limited time, customers can get the 2Wire MediaPoint digital media player for free with the advance rental of 25 Blockbuster ONDEMAND titles for $99 dollars.
While it’s certainly easy to compare ONDEMAND to Netflix’s Watch Instantly service, it’s more akin to services from Apple TV and Xbox 360. You pay rental fees on a per title basis for as low as $1.99 each. This also means you can watch newer titles than those typically found on Netflix.
The Mediapoint digital media player connects to your network via Ethernet or Wi-Fi and allows you to fast-forward, rewind, and pause your on-demand video. Movies are streamed at DVD quality for now although the player supports HD video content and can be connected to HDTVs.
I think Blockbuster missed the boat on this one. We don’t need another on-demand video rental service. What we need is an all-in-one subscription based service that lets customers stream on-demand all of the movie titles they want on a flat monthly fee.
