| Google Chrome OS Landing Next Week  Google [GOOG] back in July announced that they were working on a new operating system called Google Chrome OS. The new operating system is a step-up from Android in that it's designed to run on computers rather than phones. The main problem with the launch being next week is that there's still a lack of drivers which will probably mean that when you install the OS on your computer you might get a bit disappointed that half of your hardware doesn't work. However, it is believed that Google have a team of developers working on this as well as leaning on hardware manufacturers to create compatible drivers. TechCrunch have mentioned that Google might endorse a small amount of devices such as ASUS Eee's as being Google Chrome OS ready although a lot of testing will need to be done first to confirm that. I suspect with the amount of notice that Google have got for Chrome that there will be plenty of downloads on the day of launch and hopefully a nice array of drivers to get as much compatibility as possible. Hopefully a Google Chrome OS compatibility tool will be launched to let users know if their hardware is supported. Will you be testing Google Chrome OS?  |
| Sony XBR11, XBR12 and OLED Screens Leaked  A leak shows that Sony are to launch a new range of TV's that will probably go on display at CES in 2010 in just a few weeks time. Amongst the new TV's is a new OLED screen that is a new model from the XEL-1 that was a 3mm thick, 11 inch OLED screen launched last year. As of now it is unknown what size of screen the new OLED TV will be. I'd expect it to be a larger screen to perhaps compete with the new 15 inch LG OLED screen. Also a new HDTV called the Sony KDL-XBR12 series has been mentioned that uses "high range advanced LED RGB" backlighting to function allowing for blacker blacks due to being able to dim certain parts of the screen individually. The screen pictured here is believed to be the XBR11 that appears to look sleek as the screen looks to be embedded in glass rather than the traditional black bezel's we normally see. The KDL-XBR11 is to use what is referred to as W-LED technology with HDTVLounge guessing that means White LED. Sizes of these range of TV's will run fro 32 inches up to 60 inches.  |
| AMD Over-clocked Processor hits 7GHz  An event held recently by AMD was recently run where contestants tried to overclock their processors – to the extreme. A few months back those working on the overclocking projects were getting very close to 7GHz but never actually broke through that barrier. CrunchGear have now reported that the 7GHz barrier was smashed through by also setting a record on 3DMark. The AMD processor that was overclocked was a Phenom II. To achieve the goal of 7GHz a large amount of liquid helium was needed to keep things cool… so much of it that a ton of vapour can be seen on the massive heat sink keeping the whole thing cool. Check out the video below to see how fast the 7GHz processor can run 3DMark.  |
| Banned XBox Users Might get Unban Hack  Microsoft recently banned a huge amount of XBox owners (around 1 million of them) from accessing XBox Live due to them running modded XBox 360 consoles. Microsoft at the time of the ban said the only way to access XBox live was to basically buy a new XBox console and not mod it. Hackers of course wouldn't sit down and accept that so it seems a workaround has already been created whereby if you make a few tweaks to the firmware running you can actually log back on to the service. The process looks to be quite complicated requiring that you use iXtreme LT (Light Touch) to cover up some of the signals that tell Microsoft you are running a hacked console while at the same time, acting as a modded console that still can do what it did before. Rather than repeat the complicated process here, I'd say check out DailyTech who have a list of instructions and all the steps needed to get your console back online. One thing to also note is that the complete process requires the use of a number of free tools, so use at your own risk. Now I doubt that all 1M hacked console owners will get back online due to the complexity, but the next step would probably be that someone will create a single pass tool to unblock your XBox with a click rather than a complex process.  |
| Palm webOS 1.3.1 Now Available  If you have a Palm Pre on the Sprint network then information on the Palm site indicates an update to webOS is being launched on November 15 (although some reports are saying you can get it right now). The update takes webOS from version 1.2.1 to 1.3.1. Information in version text at Palm indicates that no new applications are being added, but that some changes are being made to current versions of the applications. Updates include backups now saving cookies so that when a restore is done you can continue using websites where your username and password has been stored. A quick run down of some of the features include Yahoo now appearing as a Calendar synchronisation account, All-day events now showing correctly when they span multiple days, the Calendar now syncs correctly with Google, a number of picture enhancements for the camera and a lot more. If you are on Sprint and want the update, just run the update program on the Pre and it will let you know if the 126MB download is available for you. Full details of the update can be found over on the Palm site.  |
| ioSafe Fireproof and Waterproof External Hard Drive updated  We reviewed an ioSafe a few months back and were VERY impressed with the USB external harddrive that can withstand temperatures of 1550 degrees F as well as being dunked in 10 feed of water for 3 days. At the time of writing the review the ioSafe had a maximum capacity of 1.5TB. We now hear that a new two Terabyte model has been launched in the same series of external drives. The fireproof external harddrive is priced at $399 and provides the ultimate physical protection for your data should your house or office be flooded or be set on fire. "The 2 TB ioSafe Solo is a great product for anyone looking to buy a desktop external hard drive who needs the high capacity and single drive simplicity. When used as a backup device, the ioSafe can protect against data loss from primary hard drive failure, accidental deletions as well as fires, floods and other forms of physical disasters," said ioSafe CEO, Robb Moore. "Businesses struggling with disaster recovery or regulatory compliance such as HIPAA, PCI or Sarbanes Oxley can also use ioSafe hardware to add simple and secure protection. The ioSafe Solo is one of the easiest, fastest and least expensive ways to protect your data." The ioSafe is available from various online stores such as Amazon.  |
| YouTube 1080p HD Coming Soon  Google [GOOG] have officially announced that their YouTube service will soon start accepting uploads of 1080p HD video content. Currently the limit is set at 720p, but this will change next week when higher resolution videos can be uploaded.
At the moment there is a 2GB limit and 10 minutes set for uploads and it is unclear if the 2GB limit will need to be increased to accommodate the higher resolution uploads. The move to full HD comes because of advances in technology. YouTube say they want to provide the best quality for your content. If you have already uploaded 1080p content in the past then Google say that this content will be reprocessed so that it can display in the resolution it was made in. We should see the changes come online next week sometime.  |
| Samsung Vodafone 360 M1 Launched  Vodafone are now selling the Samsung M1 in the UK costing nothing when paying £20/month on a 2 year agreement. If you prefer an 18 month agreement then the cost is £35/month currently. The Samsung M1 is a Vodafone 360 phone that has a large touchscreen. Software called 3D contacts allows you to tap on a photo of a friend to chat with them or send them a message. GPS built in the phone allows you to share your current location with friends allowing you to easily meet up with those nearby. For storage the phone has 1GB of memory that can store music, video and photos taken by the 3 megapixel camera. Realistically it's not a lot of memory, but if you don't mind switching your music out when it gets full then you should be ok. For connectivity there is no wi-fi, but you do get bluetooth, HSDPA, 3G and GPRS on the quad band phone. Due to the lack of storage and no wifi support, the phone is a lot cheaper at £20/month getting the phone for free. If you want access to Vodafone 360 then the M1 looks to be a good option for the price.  |
| Garmin Nuvifone M20 Windows Mobile 6.5 Update  The Garmin Nuvifone took ages to be launched from when it was announced at the beginning of this year. We first got our hands on it in April and then it was only just recently launched a few months ago. When launched the phone was running Windows Mobile 6.1 which Garmin ASUS have now said that all owners of the phone are entitled to a free upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5. When I tested the phone back in April briefly I was quite impressed with what it could do. It just sucked that it took them so long to bring it out which seemed to kill quite a bit of interest in the device. A quick recap of the specs reveal that the phone has a 2.8 inch touchscreen that has a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. Other specs are fairly standard also with it having a camera, GPS chip, Bluetooth etc… The update should be rolled out soon in most places except for this side of the world being Europe and US where we will have to wait till after Christmas for the free update.  |
| Fujitsu F-04B Dual Keyboard Projector Phone  Fujitsu have revealed a new phone called the Fujistu F-04B that has a dual keyboard setup, projector and a 3.4″ screen that separates from the keyboards. When separated the keyboards and screen connect over a Bluetooth connection. Each part of the phone contains a battery to keep it running. The screen section of the phone works independently allowing you to detach the keyboard to slim the whole unit down a little and then use the keyboard when needed. Alternatively you can attach them together and access the keyboard like a slider phone. Another feature that is available on the phone, although it's optional, is a 6 lumen projector allowing you to create a larger screen with an 854 x 480 resolution of I'd estimate here about 50 – 80 inches in the right lighting conditions. The projecotr has an 800mAh battery that is good for projecting 2 hours of video at the highest brightness setting. When connecting the projector up to the phone you actually have to remove the keyboard which then acts as a remote control for the projection unit. It's an interesting idea for a phone and I quite like the detachable keyboard feature. At this moment I am unsure if it will leave Japan though.  |
| Spinning Power Outlet Accepts any Plug  I came across this interesting power outlet today which has three spinning plug sockets which each contain several types of socket allowing various plugs from around the world to be connected to it. It's really not that exciting except for that if used in hotels around the world it could come in handy for those who travel with a number of gadgets with the wrong type of power lead. I believe the photo of the spinning power outlet was just emailed to Wired with no real explanation of where it comes from and where it is to be installed, if at all real. Does anybody know if these are available?  |
| Motorola DROID Teardown  Back on November 4th, iFixit posted a bounty asking for someone to provide the innards of the Motorola DROID. The person who could get some decent pictures to them first would receive $300… that person has now provided the photos. The reason they didn't do their own teardown was due to being busy on other projects. phoneWreck were the ones who got the pictures sorted first and describe the DROID as being difficult to take apart thanks to hidden screws and a bunch of other preventative ways of letting you in to the phone. Anyway, they got past the problems and managed to take the phone right apart. A notable function on the phone is the sliding keyboard which has been described as one of the most simple mechanisms the person tearing it down has seen. More pictures over at phoneWreck and iFixit.  |
| HTC HD2 on Vodafone – Free on £35/Month Contract  Vodafone [VOD] have launched the much anticipated HTC HD2 on to their network in the UK, and good news is that if your willing to spend £35/month on a 2 year contract, you can pick it up for free. The 35/month 2 year contract also entitles you to 900 minutes of free calls to landlines and other mobile networks along with unlimited internet access. The main feature of the HTC HD2 is that it has a large 4.3 inch capacitive touchscreen along with a 1GHz SnapDragon processor that allows it to work very smoothly. HTC decided to go with Windows Mobile 6.5 on the HD2 although they also have installed the HTC Sense UI hiding some of the frustrations that Windows Phone operating systems bring.  |
| ASUS Eee PC 1101HA-WP  ASUS have announced a new netbook named the ASUS Eee PC 1101HA-WP. The netbook is similar to the 1101HA with the WP version running Windows 7 Home Premium rather than Vista like the 1101HA. The netbook being in the 1100 range has an 11.6″ screen along with some improved specs that include 2GB of RAM along with a 250GB hard drive. The netbook is powered by the usual Intel Atom Z520 processor and has a GMA 500 graphics chip. Battery life on the Windows 7 netbook is quite impressive in that it is capable of powering the 1101HA-WP for up to 8 hours on a single charge. 8 hours is actually lower than the previous model which could mean that a smaller battery is being used on the netbook. The ASUS Eee 1101HA-WP will go on sale soon in Japan, come in white or black and have a retail price of about $610 at today's conversion rate.  |
| The Hexatech £120,000 F1 Simulator  The Simulator company Cruden has built an F1 simulator that costs a hefty £120,000. The simulator is called the Hexatech and is capable of providing what Cruden call 6DOF (six degrees of freedom). The simulator is said to provide g-Force simulation of multiple G's as well as realistic steering that is 100% accurate. "Let's be clear: this is not a video game linked up to a steering wheel, race seat and pedals. Although easy to operate, this is the exact same equipment used by the top racing drivers and engineers to improve their race craft and evaluate new tracks and car settings. Our simulator and the software it uses cannot be bought in a store." The £120k simulator comes with either 3 42 inch screens or stereo projectors to wrap the image around the user providing a more realistic simulation. Due to the hefty price you also get a number of options that can see the simulator configured for single or 3 seat setup along with open or closed cockpits as well as the optional body kit. The system requires 5KWh of electricity to run and requires a room with 2.3m x 3m of space along with a ceiling height of 3m and a floor capable of carrying 1000kg/m2. Full details available over here. – Note: Requires free registration to view page.  |
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