Sony unveils its next game console, the PlayStation 4

Sony tonight announced its much-rumored next video game console, the PlayStation 4. Sony Computer Entertainment prez and CEO Andrew House announced the console with little more than a logo and a handful of concepts, though he did say it's coming in holiday 2013. We're sure to hear more as the night goes on, and we'll be updating this post as we learn more.

Lead system architect Mark Cerny -- legendary game dev and, to us, creator ofMarble Madness -- came up next. He said that development of the PS4 started five years ago. Cerny said he's been exploring how to evolve "the PlayStation ecosystem," and he started by speaking to the limitations of PlayStation 3. Cerny said he's been aiming to make sure "nothing gets between the platform and the game." An image of an old-timey hunter shooting space invaders in the sky is used as an example -- here's hoping the PS4 doesn't mean we'll be taking plastic guns and shooting pixels in the sky.

"We were able to create in PlayStation 4 a system by game creators, for game creators," Cerny said. As far as specs, he said it runs on x86 architecture, a "highly enhanced" PC GPU (with "almost 2 teraflops of performance," he added), an unknown amount of local HDD storage, and 8GB of GDDR5 system memory. Cerny next unveiled the DualShock 4, which looks an awful lot like the leaks we saw recently -- it features a touchpad, a light bar, and what looks like rubberized grips. Otherwise, it looks an awful lot like a DualShock 3 with some new bells and whistles.

Cerny's talking software now -- the PS4 can pause and resume mid-game, allowing players to multitask at any point. There's also a second chip dedicated to managing uploads and downloads, meaning you can download games in the background or when the system's off. More importantly, however, you can start downloading a game and begin playing it as the download goes -- pretty great! As far as sharing goes, PS4 is heavy on social interactivity; Cerny said its social network will extend beyond the console to mobile and Vita. He's ambiguous about which platforms that'll mean, but it sounds like Sony's aiming to make it platform agnostic. There's also a Pinterest-esque social app for friends to share screens and video, which Cerny said applies to the PS4's "personalization" angle. "You'll see real pictures of your real friends," he said.

[Source: Engadget - Click here to read the full sory]

Vodafone, O2 and Three win 4G, but auction falls £1.2bn short

O2, Vodafone and Three have all won slices of 4G spectrum, meaning networks other than EE can begin rolling out speedy data services this year.

This morning Ofcom confirmed that after more than 50 rounds of bidding, every major UK network has walked away from the now-concluded 4G auction with barrelfuls of bandwidth, including spectrum that was freed up in the TV digital switchover.

Vodafone was the biggest bidder, splashing out nearly £800m for a pair of 10MHz slices in the 800MHz band, as well as other bits of bandwidth that will enable it to offer faster mobile data to customers. BT was the lowest bidder, but managed to nab some bandwidth.

Although EE is already running a 4G network using 1,800MHz bandwidth it already owned, the operator -- which owns Orange and T-Mobile -- paid just shy of £600m to pick up even more spectrum.

It's hoped that more networks offering 4G will cause a price war that results in cheaper tariffs for phone buyers. Three has fired the first shot already, promising that it will roll its 4G network into existing coverage, without raising prices.

Meagre cash for Britain

Ofcom boss Ed Richards called the auction's result a "positive outcome for competition in the UK", but the amount of cash generated by bidding networks was substantially lower than expected, which is bad news for the UK.

The total cash generated was £2.34bn. That's nothing to sneeze at, but is well short of the £3.5bn the auction was expected to raise. Moreover, Chancellor George Osborne had already factored the expected sum into the nation's budget this year, making it appear that the UK's deficit would fall in 2013. That leaves the treasury £1.2bn short of its expected target. Take it away, Picard.

[Source: CNET]

Google Glass maps, translation and more shown off in new vid

Google's futuristic 'Glass' eyewear is slowly but surely coming into focus, with the Big G releasing a new video that gives a clue as to how the space-age pince-nez will function.

In several scenes, real-time GPS is shown to be feeding maps data into the eyepieces of Glass wearers, so you can see where you are on a map while driving or cycling.

The video also suggests that commands are summoned by saying "OK Glass", which calls up more voice-activated commands, including "Google", "Take a picture" and "Record a video".

It seems you won't need your hands for photographical functions then, but the futuristic specs are also going to include touchpad controls, which may come in handy for more sophisticated tasks.

Translation is another touted feature, so you could use Google's voice search to demand instructions on how to say a word in French, for instance.

Google's original 'One Day' trailer for Google Glass was a lot more ambitious, featuring icons that bob in front of your eye and other high-tech treats that likely won't be available when Google Glass eventually goes on sale.

I think it's good to see the search giant talking in more practical terms about what its glasses will be capable of. A new site explains some of its features, and opens the doors to fans who want to be among the first to use the new technology, if you can impress Google with your combination of words, pictures and relevant hashtags.

Better still, it reveals that Google Glass will come in black, grey, white, blue and orange! Hooray for colours!

[Source: CNET]

NVIDIA UNVEILS NEW TEGRA 4I PROCESSOR WITH BUILT-IN LTE

NVIDIA (NVDA) on Tuesday announced its first Tegra processor with an integrated LTE chip. The 2.3GHz quad-core Tegra 4i, which brings the company in closer competition withQualcomm (QCOM) and its line of Snapdragon CPUs, is equipped with 60 custom GPU cores, a fifth processing core for battery conservation and an integrated NVIDIA i500 LTE modem. It also includes NVIDIA’s Chimera camera technology that is capable of capturing HDR panorama shots without requiring a single-direction sweep. The company calls its the new processor the most efficient, highest performance CPU core on the market, noting that it will provide “amazing computing power, world-class phone capabilities, and exceptionally long battery life.”

[Source: BGR]

Samsung launches Wifi-only Galaxy Camera, promises better affordability

Samsung has added another device to its ever growing portfolio, and this time it's a minor -- very minor -- change to the Galaxy Camera. Until now, the Galaxy Camera has only been available to purchase with a cellular radio inside, and cellular radios always add something to the price of a device. Today Samsung announces the launch of a Wifi-only variant of their connected camera. 

Other than the lack of a radio, everything else about the Galaxy Camera remains intact. You still get a pretty impressive 4.8 inch HD display on the back, with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Touchwiz Nature UX on there, and a quad-core processor inside making everything hum along just nicely. Samsung promises that the Wifi-only Galaxy Camera will be more affordable than its LTE capable counterpart, but fails to provide an actual price at this time. Or any availability information. But, we're sure we'll see this appear in the coming days and weeks.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Google Nexus 7 and 10 first to try new Ubuntu tablet OS

Ubuntu for tablets is a new operating system for slates, joining Ubuntu for phones -- and you can try out features such as phone apps sharing the screen with tablet apps on your Google Nexus 7 or Nexus 10.

Although it's optimised for the ARM chips that power tablets, the tablet version of the OS shares most of its code with desktop Ubuntu. That means you should be able to dock your phone or tablet with TV, computer or keyboard and the interface will adapt accordingly.

With Side Stage, you can put phone and tablet apps side-by-side on your tablet screen to multi-task to your heart's content. Maybe you need to consult a website and a map or note app at the same time -- or maybe an app doesn't come in tablet form yet and you want to pair it with another app.

You navigate with gestures at the edge of the screen, so there's no physical buttons and no home button required. The software is based around a universal hub for search, apps and your music and movies and other stuff, with a notification centre that uses sideways swipes to access your email, tweets and settings.

There's support for multiple users so you can share the tablet round the family and visitors, and there's voice control using the Ubuntu HUD interface.

[Source: CNET - Click here to read the full story]

Mac Pro Now Unavailable for Purchase from European Apple Online Stores

As noted by 9to5Mac, the Mac Pro is no longer available for purchase from Apple's European Online Stores. 

In late January, Apple informed its European distributors that sales of the Mac Pro would cease as of March 1st due to new regulatory requirements that go into effect on that date. At the time, Apple told resellers that it would accept orders up until February 18, a deadline that appears to apply to general consumers as well.

The Mac Pro is no longer able to be sold in Europe because it is not compliant with Amendment 1 of regulation IEC 60950–1. According to information from Apple, the issue has to do with the Mac Pro's unprotected fan blades. Compliance with the new regulation would require fan guards and increased protection of the ports on the electrical system. 

Apple's Mac Pro is now unavailable in European Union countries, EU candidate countries, and the European Free Trade Association countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. 

Though the Mac Pro has been discontinued in Europe, resellers are still able to sell remaining product after the March 1st deadline. Apple plans to continue to support existing Mac Pro machines and will supply replacement parts. 

Apple has also announced plans to offer a redesigned Mac Pro in 2013, following a minor update in 2012.

[Source: MacRumors]

Nokia Music+ now live for US Lumia owners

After launching the service across the pond just a few short days ago, Nokia's now ready to make Music+ available for the US -- confirming to us today its availability on Yankee soil. To recap, the paid subscription service ramps up the free app's offerings with higher quality audio, unlimited offline downloads and Mix Radio skips, multiple device use, as well as lyrics -- all for $4/mo. It's a significantly cheaper alternative to other freemium music streaming servicescurrently available in the Windows Phone 8 ecosystem. So, if you've recently gone Lumia, you might want to check it out.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple Releases iOS 6.1.2, Fixes Exchange Calendar Bug

Apple on Tuesday released iOS 6.1.2, which the company says fixes that maddening Exchange calendar bug. It was only last week when Apple verbally acknowledged a fix was incoming, so it’s nice to see the issue has been squashed rather quickly. The previous bug increased network activity and, in some instances, lead to decreased battery life. Some users even said their Exchange Servers blocked iOS altogether because of the increased network activity. The 12.8 MB update is available now, so just go to your Software Update tab under General in Settings.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

HTC One – Everything You Need To Know

You can worry all you want about specs, the number of megapixels and the density of a screen, but what ultimately matters is the experience. How does a phone improve your life, make communicating with the people you care about most easier? With the HTC One, the company covered what is by now becoming the standardized specs: big Full HD screen, fast processor, LTE, etc.

But the company has also introduced new features it hopes will change the way you interact with your super phone. By including BlinkFeed, you’ll have at-a-glance access to all your favorite social and news content, so you’re always up to speed. And with these so-called UltraPixels, HTC has engineered a better way to capture life’s moments, no matter how well lit the scene is.

It’s these thoughtful touches that make specs secondary, and shows that HTC, despite the company’s struggles, can craft a pretty darn good device. We’re excited to spend more time with this amazing-looking handset. Until then, stay tuned for more HTC One coverage.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Top 5 YouTube Alternatives

When I think Internet video, I think of YouTube. And to be honest, I'm more than confident that you do too.

Below, I have listed my top 5 YouTube alternatives.

1. Vimeo

Vimeo is a great video sharing website. Personally, I find that the videos that are uploaded to Vimeo are of a higher quality than the videos on YouTube. The creators aim for a higher quality, and normally more creative too.

2. Blip.tv

Blip.tv is more tailored towards web series. Blip.tv offers you access to a wide variety of comedies, dramas, comedies, arts, sports and other shows.

3. Veoh

Veoh is an Internet television company that allows users to find and watch major studio video content. It's not very well known. But it does let you upload substantial sized videos.

4. Viddler

Viddler is focused on the business side of video rather than the adverage customer. It's main aim is to build your company brand. It has a great analytics tool and you can customize your video player. Because Viddler is made for businesses, it does have a few payment plans.

5. yfrog

yfrog is famous for being a photo sharing website for Twitter. However, did you know that is also allows you to upload short videos too? yfrog is great for taking a short video, then sharing it to your Twitter followers.

What do you think about this top 5? What's your favourite video sharing website? Let us know in the comments below.

[Image Credit]

Xperia Z now on sale at Sony Mobile France store

It looks like Germany isn't the only country getting an early chance to pick up the Sony Xperia Z. The phone has just gone up for sale on the Sony Mobile France online store. Purchased SIM-free, the 5-inch, 1080p-toting handset will set French buyers back €649 -- that's not cheap, but nor is it significantly more expensive than the average high-end smartphone.

The phone is available in black and white -- the purple version isn't being offered unlocked, as it's exclusive to the SFR network in France.

The Xperia Z should start appearing in brick-and-mortar stores before long, starting with the Sony Store in Berlin. Other European territories are expected to follow around the end of the month.

[Source: AndroidCentral]