NVIDIA Release GeForce 295.73 Beta Drivers

Andrew Edney
-
0
NVIDIA Release GeForce 295.73 Beta Drivers

NVIDIA have released a GeForce 295.73 beta driver for it’s graphics cards.

GeForce-Logo_thumb_thumb_thumb

Some of the hottest gaming titles in the market include Diablo III, Mass Effect 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. But you won’t get the most out of them without the latest GeForce R295 drivers.

Our new drivers come packed with GeForce-exclusive performance and quality enhancements, and they are now Microsoft WHQL-certified.

Download GeForce 295.73 drivers from GeForce.com.

GeForce R295 highlights (performance measured on GeForce GTX 560 at 1080p resolution):

  • Game-changing performance boost of up to 45 percent in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, “the fastest selling title in Steam’s history”
  • Up to twice the performance in Mass Effect 3 with SLI technology.
  • GeForce-exclusive quality enhancements with ambient occlusion support for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Diablo III, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
  • New 3D Vision and SLI profiles for over 50 titles.
  • New PhysX software for the best experience in top PhysX titles like Alice: Madness Returns and Batman: Arkham City.

Skype for iPhone and iPad Updated to version 3.7

Andrew Edney
-
0
Skype for iPhone and iPad Updated to version 3.7

The Skype app for the iPhone and iPad has been updated to version 3.7.

skype-for-iphone-hero-2_thumb1_thumb[1]

What’s New in Version 3.7

Updated chat and dialpad views
Various bug fixes
Stability improvements for iOS 5

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skype/id304878510?mt=8

RIM Release BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0

Andrew Edney
-
0
RIM Release BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0

Research In Motion (RIM) announced that the new BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 will be released for download today.

blackberry-playbook-os-2-0-update

BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 delivers an enhanced tablet experience and allows you to use the BlackBerry PlayBook in new ways throughout the day – at work and at play.

“Building on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s proven web browsing, multimedia and multitasking strengths, the new BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 introduces a range of new communications and productivity enhancements as well as expanded app and content support,” said David J. Smith, SVP Mobile Computing, Research In Motion.

New BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 features include:

 

Integrated email client with a powerful unified inbox: With BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 you have the option to use a unified inbox that consolidates all messages in one place, including messages from Facebook®, LinkedIn® and Twitter®, as well as personal and work email accounts.

Social Integration with Calendar and Contacts apps:  The built-in calendar harnesses information from social networks and makes it available where and when users need it.  Contact cards are also dynamically populated with updated information from Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to create a consolidated view of contacts.

Updated BlackBerry Bridge app: BlackBerry® Bridge™ is a unique app that provides a Bluetooth® connection between your BlackBerry PlayBook and core apps on your BlackBerry® smartphone (including BBM™, Email, Contacts, Calendar and Browser) in order to let you view the content on the larger tablet display. With BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, it’s easier and quicker than ever to take documents, web pages, emails and photos that appear on your BlackBerry smartphone and display them on your BlackBerry PlayBook for an optimized viewing and editing experience. The updated BlackBerry Bridge app also provides a new remote control feature that allows a BlackBerry smartphone to be used as a wireless keyboard and mouse for a BlackBerry PlayBook.

Improved mobile productivity: Updated document editing functions, the new Print To Go app, and increased control and manageability of corporate data with BlackBerry® Balance ™ allow you to get more out of your BlackBerry PlayBook every day. Plus, an updated virtual keyboard with auto correction and predictive next word completion learns how you type to enable faster, more accurate typing.

New apps and content: Thousands of new apps are being added to BlackBerry App World™ today (including a range of Android® apps that will run on the BlackBerry PlayBook). A new BlackBerry Video Store1 is launching today. Enhanced web browsing capabilities are also available with BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0.

In conjunction with the release of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, RIM is making available an initial release of BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion that will include support for managing BlackBerry PlayBook tablets and BlackBerry smartphones2 in an enterprise. The full release of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion (with mobile device management capabilities for iOS and Android devices) is planned for general availability in late March 2012. For more information about BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, please visit www.blackberry.com/mobilefusion.

Availability

The BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software update is now available as a free download for all BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.

Firecore Updates Seas0nPass Jailbreak Tools Package for AppleTV to version 0.8.2

Andrew Edney
-
0
Firecore Updates Seas0nPass Jailbreak Tools Package for AppleTV to version 0.8.2

FireCore have released an update to Seas0nPass taking it to version 0.8.2.

Here is what they said:

Today we are happy to release a new version of Seas0nPass that simplifies the installation of older firmware versions. This process called ‘stitching’ allows Seas0nPass to utilize previously saved firmware signatures to jailbreak and restore an AppleTV version that Apple may no longer be signing.

What are signatures? Why do I need them?

Firmware signatures are required to install a particular firmware version onto iOS devices like the AppleTV. When installing the latest version, these signatures will be created in real-time during the iTunes restore process.

However, from time to time some firmware versions will stop being ‘signed’ by Apple, which will prevent them from being installed. Backing up your firmware signatures allows you to retain the ability to install an older firmware version in the future, should the need ever arise.

Firmware signatures are unique to each AppleTV and firmware version.

How do I get it?

As always, Seas0nPass is available as a free download from Seas0nPass.com.

Microsoft talks about Languages in Windows 8

Andrew Edney
-
0
Microsoft talks about Languages in Windows 8

In the next article on Windows 8, Microsoft talks about the use of languages, including the use of United Kingdom English!

Win 8 lang

This is how the next article begins:

Since its introduction in Windows 2000, Multilingual User Interface technology, or MUI, has allowed customers to install additional display languages on their Windows PCs and to switch between them. But for the majority of users, the language you got when you booted up your Windows PC for the first time was likely the one you were stuck with. For Windows 8, we have reimagined the display language experience, focusing on making additional display languages available to all Windows users, making them super easy to find and install, and allowing users to switch between them. This blog entry unveils the changes we’ve been making in Windows to achieve this.

February 21 marks UNESCO’s International Mother Language Day. This year’s theme is “Mother tongue instruction and inclusive education” and we think making sure Windows can be used in the language you want is one way we can contribute to this goal. For more information from UNESCO please see the full site.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Sky+ App for iOS Updated to Version 3.4.2

Andrew Edney
-
0

The Sky+ App for iOS has been updated to version 3.4.2.

mzl_thltanzl_320x480-75_thumb

The latest Sky+ App ensures you never miss the latest and greatest TV.

For a start, there’s a full Seven Day TV Listing Guide that presents all your favourite channels.

And for shows that are simply unmissable, we’ve now introduced Series Link for mobile. This ever-so-useful function lets you record entire seasons of favourite shows to your Sky+ box.

And all with just a few finger taps.

In the app’s Showcase section you’ll find the top TV picks of the week – whether it’s a movie premiere, a big match or a new must-see drama.

Now & Next shows you what’s on and what’s coming up. And beneath individual Programme Details you’ll find Other Airings (which tells you when else a favourite programme is on air) plus alternative programmes you may like.

The Sky+ App also lets you group channel Favourites together to create your very own personal TV guide. Recording couldn’t be easier – you just tap on the Record button alongside your chosen programme and the request will go straight to your Sky+ box. What’s more, the app allows you to record from anywhere in the world.

So take control of your TV – DOWNLOAD NOW.

In order to use Remote Record you will need to set this function up on your account/download this app to your Phone OR Tablet. To do this, simply visit http://www.sky.com/remoterecord and follow the simple instructions.

Once set up/downloaded, go to Settings and Sign In and you will then be able to choose what to record while away from home. Series Link is available to customers with a Sky+HD box or the latest black box.

What’s New in Version 3.4.2

A Bug fix release to resolve an issue with the displaying of programme rating icons

Download now from the Apple App Store

mzl_bcorvrgk_320x480-75_thumbmzl_iuobmiqw_320x480-75_thumb

mzl_rfsvjbdr_320x480-75_thumbmzl_vwsuvfym_320x480-75_thumb

Alan Wake for the PC gets released

Andrew Edney
-
1
Alan Wake for the PC gets released

The critically acclaimed console game Alan Wake has been revamped and released for the PC.

alanwakepc_standardedition_contents

The PC version includes the original game along with the two pieces of downloadable content (The Signal and The Writer) and everything you’d expect from a PC version and more.

Players will experience Alan Wake’s Pacific Northwest with higher resolutions and even higher fidelity. Players will experience the interplay between light and darkness like never before. With plenty of graphical customization options, every player can get the most out of their rig. Other refinements include a fully configurable mouse and keyboard setup as well as Microsoft gamepad support. Fan sought-after options such as field of view adjustments and “hide HUD” have also been include. Finally, the game supports multiple screens and stereoscopic 3D.

“Since our roots are firmly placed in PC development, we’re delighted to finally be able to bring Alan Wake to the PC” says Matias Myllyrinne, CEO at Remedy. “We’ve worked hard to reward those faithful PC players and did everything we could to make it worth the wait. I hope the fans agree with us, the PC version looks absolutely stunning.”

In Alan Wake, players assume the role of Alan Wake, a best-selling suspense author suffering from writer’s block. Wake escapes to the small town of Bright Falls, only to experience the mysterious disappearance of his wife. Players will unravel the riveting plot through multilayered character interactions, unique problem-solving and intense combat against the darkest of enemies. In this nightmarish world, where the boundaries between reality and fiction become increasingly blurred and ambiguous, Wake must use a variety of weapons to survive, including his most powerful ally against the darkness – light itself.
Alan Wake on PC is available now for PC via Steam.

The normal edition costs $29.99 and the limited collector’s edition costs $34.99. You can also download it right now via Steam.

Look out for our hands-on review soon.

WHS 2011 Add-in : Remote Apps

Andrew Edney
-
5
WHS 2011 Add-in : Remote Apps

G. Wade is working on a couple of different WHS 2011 add-ins and he wants your input.

windows-home-server-20114

I have been working on a couple of different WHS 2011 add-ins. The one that I am working on more actively is going to expand on the Server to client relationship that the Dashboard currently does. This add-in will allow users to run a variety of applications on the WHS from the client using Remote Desktop Services as the Dashboard does today. The first application that I am working to package is Resource Monitor. The plan would that you would install this add-in and a new icon would show in the launchpad and be called Resource Monitor. When you click on this new icon Resource Monitor would open on the client (current machine you are on) and the ResourceMonitor.exe would open over Remote Desktop Services.

Here is the current list of default applications that are available to have a Remote App created for:

Calculator
Character Map
Connect to a Projector
Create a System Repair Disc
Dashboard
Dashboard (Safe mode)
Data Sources (ODBC)
Default Programs
Disk Cleanup
Disk Defragmenter
Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager
iSCSI Initiator
Paint
Remote Desktop Connection
Resource Monitor
Security Configuration Wizard
Snipping Tool
Sound Recorder
Storage Explorer
Sync Center
Systme Configuration
System Information
Windows Live ID
Windows Media Player
Windows Memory Diagnostic
Windows PowerShell
Windows PowerShell (x86)
Windows PowerShell Modules
Windows Update
WordPad

I am pretty sure that any other *.exe that is installed on the WHS2011 server can be made into a Remote Application as well… I will do some checking into that and possible make a second add-in after I complete and roll-out my first.

Are there applications that you would like to see using this functionality?

Join in the conversation on the Home Server Show forums

Sony Xperia S Smartphone Available to Pre-order from Phones 4u

Andrew Edney
-
0
Sony Xperia S Smartphone Available to Pre-order from Phones 4u

Further to announcing Phones 4u’s exclusivity of the white Xperia™ S from Sony, the high street mobile retailer has announced that the first 250 people to pre-order Sony’s flagship smartphone from Phones 4u will get a Sony SmartWatch FREE.

UWHS-Hands-on-with-the-Sony-Xperia-S-1

The Sony SmartWatch was announced at CES along with the Xperia S, and is worth RRP £99. The Android™ watch, which will be available to purchase from Phones 4u from early March, connects to your Android smartphone and allows you to check out Facebook™ posts, catch up on tweets, texts and Email, and even see who’s calling.  Featuring a 1.3-inch OLED scratch & splash-proof multi-touch display, it also doubles as a Media Player, streaming the audio from your phone, to the device and then to your headphones. The first 250 customers to pre-order the Xperia S from Phones 4u will receive one absolutely free.

Sony Watch

Scott Hooton, Chief Commercial Officer at Phones 4u expressed his thoughts on the near record breaking interest the Xperia S by Sony has received so far; “A vast number of people have, and continue to, pre-register their interest and excitement in the Xperia S from Sony on our website.  As a result, Sony’s new flagship smartphone is now the 2nd most pre-registered device at Phones 4u ever. We wanted to give our customers something extra to look forward to that will enhance their experience of Sony’s new Android smartphone, and this is why we’re giving the first 250 pre-orders a free Sony SmartWatch.”

Available to pre-order via the Phones 4u website from today, the Xperia S from Sony will be available FREE from £31 a month, on a choice of networks from early March.

Key features of the Sony SmartWatch include:

· Android 2.0 and up

· Bluetooth 3.0

· Media player

· 10m operating range

· 1.3-inch OLED (65k color) touch screen

· Scratch and splash proof display

· Size: 36 mm x 36 mm, 8 mm thin

· Multiple colour wristbands available

See our hands-on with the Sony Xperia S at CES 2012

LG Unveils the LG Optimus LTE Tag Smartphone

Andrew Edney
-
0
LG Unveils the LG Optimus LTE Tag Smartphone

LG today announced its newest addition to its LTE smartphone line-up for the Korean market, the Optimus LTE Tag.

LG Optimus

Coming on the heels of impressive sales of its Optimus LTE, the world’s first HD LTE smartphone, the Optimus LTE Tag advances LG’s vision of offering the most diverse collection of LTE devices for all types of customers.

“Our goal is to offer the widest variety of LTE smartphones in the industry in 2012,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Mobile Communications Company. “The Optimus LTE Tag isn’t just a cosmetically-enhanced version of Optimus LTE, it offers a truly innovative feature which we think really makes a smartphone smarter.”

The Optimus LTE Tag gets its name from a unique new feature, LG Tag+, which uses NFC (Near Field Communication) to communicate with special stickers or “tags” that can be programmed to automatically change the phone’s settings. Swiping a tag upon entering the office could put the Optimus LTE Tag in silent mode and activate Wi-Fi. A tag on the car dashboard could be programmed to turn on Bluetooth, GPS and raise the volume. The options are limitless.

With Slim and sleek design, the Optimus LTE Tag is available in white. Running a 1.2GHz Dual-Core processor, Android 2.3 Gingerbread (with the option to upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich later) and 4.3-inch IPS display, the Optimus LTE Tag is the ideal multimedia environment.

Key Specifications:

Chipset: 1.2GHz Dure-Core processor
Display: 4.3-inch (800 x 480) IPS
Memory: 16GB eMMC
Camera: 5.0MP with AF-LED Flash (Rear) & 1.3MP (Front)
OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread
Battery: 1,700mAh
Others: LG Tag+, MHL(Mobile High Definition Link), DLNA(Digital Living Network Alliance)

Connecting your apps, files, PCs and devices to the cloud with SkyDrive and Windows 8

Andrew Edney
-
2
Connecting your apps, files, PCs and devices to the cloud with SkyDrive and Windows 8

In the next Windows 8 article, Microsoft talks about Connecting your apps, files, PCs and devices to the cloud with SkyDrive and Windows 8.

Skydrive 8

This is how the next article begins:

Many folks reading this blog are active users of SkyDrive and Mesh, both part of the broad set of Windows Live services (like Hotmail), and the Windows Live Essentials programs (Messenger, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Mail, and more). With their introduction and with Windows 7, we have talked about how these services really complete the Windows experience. As we developed Windows 8, we thought deeply about how these services can take an even more active role in completing the experience—offering a cloud service for each and every Windows 8 customer and all their PCs (and phones), should you choose to use it. In previous posts (Signing in to Windows 8 with a Windows Live ID and Extending “Windows 8” apps to the cloud with SkyDrive) we kicked off talking about cloud services, how you can automatically roam your settings to multiple PCs, and how applications can take advantage of this roaming. In this post, we will show you three cool things that you will get by choosing to sign up and use SkyDrive with Windows 8.

To continue reading the article, click here.

I am a big fan of SkyDrive and can’t wait to try out the integration with Windows 8. Not long now until the Consumer Preview!

Ceton Announces New $199 Retail Price for InfiniTV Digital Cable Quad-Tuner Models

Andrew Edney
-
0

Ceton have today announced a $100 price reduction on their InfiniTV Digital Cable Quad-Tuner models.

infinitv4usb117lg_thumb3

Here is what Ceton said:

KIRKLAND, WA — February 20, 2012 — Ceton Corporation, the world leader in digital cable tuner solutions for the PC, today announced a drop in the suggested retail price for its award-winning InfiniTV 4 PCIe and InfiniTV 4 USB digital cable quad-tuner products to $199.00 in the United States. Effective today, consumers can purchase InfiniTV 4 devices from Amazon, Cannon PC, Fluid Digital, Hard Drives Northwest, Micro Center, Microsoft Store, Newegg and Velocity Micro at the new price, a $100 (33 percent) savings, making an outstanding value even better.  The Ceton line of InfiniTV digital cable tuners continues its legacy of delivering the best value and uncompromised quality in the market.

A Ceton InfiniTV 4-equipped PC makes exciting new entertainment scenarios possible in the home, including:

· Watching and recording up to four live HD channels at once;

· Streaming live HD channels or recordings to multiple TVs, and making Digital Video Recording (DVR) available on virtually every TV, using Windows Media Center Extenders;

· Enjoying cable TV, Internet TV, music, photos, videos and more, all through one device, with the Media Center experience from Microsoft;

· Eliminating cable set-top boxes, expensive hardware rental fees and DVR “taxes”;

· Sharing individual tuners with other Windows 7-based PCs to enable watching TV programming on PC displays as well as TV sets.

“For anyone thinking about buying a Ceton InfiniTV, there is no better time than now,” said Gary Hammer, president and chief executive officer of Ceton Corporation. “We are giving shoppers every reason to experience new entertainment scenarios they have only imagined before, and with better value than ever.”

This is a really good price!

Have you used one? Tell us what you think.

Sky Go App for Android Released Today

Andrew Edney
-
0
Sky Go App for Android Released Today

Last month we told you that the Sky Go app for Android would be released in February, now it’s actually released!

SkyGo-420-90_thumb_thumb

This is what Sky said today:

Sky Go, the TV service available at no extra cost to Sky customers across PC, laptops, iPhone and iPad, is now available to download from Android Market across a selection of handsets.

Sky TV customers can access all five Sky Sports channels, ESPN, Sky News and 11 Sky Movies channels in line with their subscription using the Sky Go app on a selection of Android smartphones for the first time, starting with the most popular Samsung and HTC handsets.

Sky TV customers can also enjoy their favourite Sky entertainment channels on the move, significantly expanding the choice of TV on offer. Sky Atlantic has been added to Sky Go on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch (4th generation) as well as Sky 1, Sky Living and Sky Arts 1, with all three channels plus Sky Atlantic available on Android smartphones and iOS devices.

We know how much Android users have been looking forward to the launch of Sky Go on Android smartphones, and we’ve done everything we can to make sure that it has been worth waiting for; bringing you more entertainment including new programmes like Luck, Blue Bloods Season 2 and The Love Machine.

Have you used Sky Go? What do you think of it?

Download Sky Go from the Android Market

An Update on Raspbmc – XBMC for Raspberry Pi

Andrew Edney
-
0
An Update on Raspbmc – XBMC for Raspberry Pi

Earlier this month we told you about Raspbmc, now there is some more news.

raspbmclogo

This is what Sam has posted:

On to the development side of things. A draft version of the Windows installer has been completed. There is need to update a DLL pinvoke reference in future versions, but there is no reason to necessarily do so at this point in time.

winstaller

I’d like to thank Alexander Beug for his continued permission in using his fantastic usbit32 IO routines for imaging devices at the block level under Windows. This has allowed integration of the imaging module into the UI installer with reportable progress for the Crystalbuntu project, and now for the Raspbmc project too.

An early version of the Linux and OSX installers has also been completed as well. I will be using the Mono GTK C# platform to allow me to develop this. At the moment, the imaging and extraction routines are not integrated well into the UI. If someone wants to take a look at that and see what they can do, that would be great. Obviously, some users won’t need the UI on Linux and will feel more comfortable installing Raspbmc with a simple: wget followed by gunzip -c image.img.gz | dd of=/dev/target.

The source code for the Windows installer is available here

The source code for the Mono installer is available here

As I am approaching the project’s development via installation first (as the target system should be an easier job), the next logical step is the Linux based installer that must run on the system itself. This will be known as the RAMDISTRIBUTION. This is because it will load itself into the memory of the Raspberry Pi, allowing the original contents of the SD card that booted to be overwritten. The advantage to this over a direct image installation, is that the ram based distribution will be able to adapt for any card size that exists, as the ext4 partition will simply be placed on the end and dynamically created.

So, where did I get to with this? Well. I was pushing up some sources so I could build the ram based distribution, and consolidating a series of scripts I had written (I’m sure devs will prefer a single ./script-to-build). Building the ram distribution takes a few stages, namely:

  1. We build a kernel for the device, and a kernel for QEMU – to finish the foreign debootstrap.
  2. We build a bootable partition for the device with the modules and GPU binaries, such as start.elf
  3. We initialise QEMU upon an ext4 filesystem and finish the debootstrap and configure the installer.
  4. Build an image to encapsulate everything: the vfat partition, the ext4 partition and a swap file.

The current sources are here

A bootable system is the most complex bit in the process now, but I believe I’m pretty much there. At the moment, I’m using 3.0.4 kernel for QEMU and a 3.1.9 kernel for the device itself. I created tarballs of pre-configured kernels, which is not ideal, as they rely on a static path toolchain. However, this is just for the initial version, and in the future there will be one kernel for Raspberry Pi and QEMU, creatable by different defconfigs.

Looking good! Can’t wait to get my hands on a Raspberry Pi board!

1...1,3681,3691,370...1,616Page 1,369 of 1,616