Amazon Unveil iPad Challenger

Amazon unveiled their iPad challenger; it is called the Amazon Kindle Fire. It is a 7 inch Android tablet and is set to be released later this year. It was unveiled at a press conference in New York.  The tablet will cost a mere $199 (£127) which is a lot cheaper than $499 (£325). It will ship with Android 3.0 Honey Comb.

 

Spec

7 inch Touch Screen display with Gorilla Glass and a resolution of 1024x600.

Dual core Processor and 8GB internal memory                                                                   

8 hour Battery Life.

Built in WI-FI

Weighs  413g

It will be released in the US on 15^th November for $199, Amazon has yet to announce a UK release date.

By Robert Leat

Editor in Chief

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3D or not to be?

      So, we've kind of reached the stage where a reflective view on 3D films seem suitable, with hindsight on our side. Although the first 3D film was actually released back in 1915 it has been the blockbusters of the 21st Century which have captivated consumers interest in 3D-ism. We've reached an epoch of immense digitalisation and technological advancement, but are 3D films really the pinnacle of this ever-growing industry. Are they Dogs, or even just perhaps a Problem Child?

 No difference at all  
         A new UK film poll by YouGov has revealed some discouraging statistics. 41% say 3D films are a 'gimmick', with just 19% agreeing that they enhance a film. Furthermore, just under half of the participants said it made no difference at all. Are you shocked yet? To be honest, I'm not either. The poll also gives some interesting opinions concerning the cost of a ticket for a 3D film. If the price of a 3D ticket was the same as a 2D one, the poll suggests that cinema goers would still prefer to watch the traditional format. The survey did suggest that if 3D was possible without the glasses, over 52% of viewers would prefer it to 2D.  In conclusion, we prefer no glasses and are not yet prepared to take the risk.


Desirable concept
        Where does this leave the 3D industry? For one, the creators seem certain its a futuristic and desirable concept, with the introduction of 3D gaming and 3D TV's. With 3D's huge costs to produce ( it is the equivalent of filming something three times) it could be seen as a risk, but premium prices for TV's and cinema tickets seemingly being able to compensate for this. It is an innovative idea and has done well to move away from the 'jump-out-the-screen' picture to a 3D effect which makes it seem like we can see 'around' a person. From my experience, wearing glasses to watch a film is perhaps a step too far. They are irritable and just seem to add an unnecessary screen between you and the film, perhaps the worst thing that could occur when you are trying to immerse yourself in the storyline.


     It's hard to say where the future lies for 3D. It's a subjective topic which I'm sure has so many people being prescriptive of its purpose. I like it but I just don't love it, or loath it for that matter. Perhaps that's the problem. We should wait some time and see its true capabilities, but it's OK, it's simply OK.






What do you think of 3D films? Are you surprised of the statistics from YouGov? What are your experiences? Feel free to comment below or pop me an email. More stuff coming soon.






Glen
Contributor

Robert Leat at The EuroGamer Expo

I attended the EuroGamer Expo on 23rd September. I took a lot of footage here is the highlights.





 

Euro Gamer Expo 2011 Round up

On Friday 23^rd of September I attended the Euro Gamer Expo at Earls Court in London.   The event was sold out. I was fortunate enough to have been given a press pass which allowed me early entry to the expo before it was open to the general public. I didn’t have to queue to get in and there was a separate entrance for the press. When I was first arrived there were very little queues for all the booths. I went straight to Olive booth as they were giving away free Micro Consoles. I queued  for about 20 minutes , I got my Onlive console which came with a free issue of PC gamer magazine and vouchers for a 3 month trial if you’re a BT internet customer which I am.  After that I went to the AlienWare booth which featured all of the latest AlienWare  PC’s and a very difficult driving simulator which had hydraulics , a gear stick a steering wheel and 3 screens and it was playable in 3D with Nvidia’s 3D vision technology.  

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to play Battlefield 3 or Modern Warfare 3 as they were in the 18 + area and when I tried to gain access to that area it was being guarded by security so I couldn’t get in. But I got to play some awesome games including , Uncharted 3 the sequel to Uncharted 2  Among  Thieves which was awesome  I played the multiplayer mode which was great and highly addictive.   I also played a game called Rage which was made by Bethesda, The mode I played was arena mode where hoards of enemies were sent after you and you, the aim was to survive as long as possible, I also played Forza 4 motor sports which was good, you had about 4 cars to choose from and you could do a 2 lap race, the graphics were pretty good. Samsung had a booth there where they were displaying many of the TV’s and Gadgets they were releasing ,I got to have a go on the new Samsung galaxy tab and I was pretty Impressed , I played fruit ninja on it and the touch screen was very responsive.  There was a press exclusive room that only people press passes could go in, it had free WIFI and they provided us with lunch, I felt very amateur compared to everyone else as they all had broadcast quality cameras and macbooks.  One of my friends even over heard someone say that they worked for IGN.

There were several cos players (people dressed up) and some very hot gamer girls.  There were quite a few games I would love to have seen but the queues for them were just too big, Counter Strike GO’ for example and Batman Arkham City. My favourite game that I played was defiantly Uncharted 3 and I am going to pre-order it.  I had hope to get round to doing some interviews with developers but I was just having so much fun that I didn’t get round to it. Next year I think I will go to more than 1 day as there was so much I would have liked to see / play but couldn’t. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to next year . You can see all my pictures from this year on my personal Facebook fan page.

By Robert Leat

Editor in Chief

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Yahoo CEO is fired amid 'dull' growth

“I am very sad to tell you that I’ve just been fired over the phone by Yahoo’s Chairman of the Board”. These were the last words from Carol Bartz, the 62-year-old former CEO of Yahoo. The email, sent on Tuesday, saw her sacked after a “lack of a turnaround for the business”.

1 Billion US dollars. Enough to buy infinite Yahoo memberships, as free as they are. It seems that is all Yahoo is renowned for now; many email accounts and abnormal bulletins on the homepage. Yahoo had a revenue of $1 Billion last year, and was still described as being “largely flat in recent years” by The Wall Street Journal. Carol Bartz was therefore sacked on Tuesday (6/09/11) after two and a half years as CEO of the once market-leading company of the dot-com generation. So, why?

Stock increase

Bartz had one year left on her contract so the decision to dismiss her now seems to suggest change was needed immediately. In fact, the day after her departure saw Yahoo’s stock close with an increase of 5.4% the next day. Optimism is on the rise again it seems, almost rather embarrassingly, as soon as Bartz was deemed unfit for her duties. Does it come has a surprise? If you look on Yahoo, or have followed its existence, you’d know that it hasn’t changed too much. From being the no.1 search engine at the beginning of the last decade it has, in recent years, lost ground to Google and been slightly damaged by the surge of Facebook. In fact, the number of visits onto the site from U.S viewers has dropped by 33% since Carol Bartz arrived.

However, Ms. Bartz must have some credit. She overhauled the organisational structure to make it more decentralised and challenged the efficiency of the business. Unfortunately, her response to a reporter back in 2010 seems rather ironic nowadays.

Reporter: Why isn’t Yahoo as hot as Facebook?

Bartz: Remind me, what’s their revenue?

Where now?

Yahoo is to now focus on organic growth. Organic growth is growth which is achieved ‘naturally’, usually from sales, and not from external sources such as mergers or acquisitions. It needs to think of innovative ways to regain its market position, with the stand-in interim CEO Tim Morse given the go-ahead to steer the turn-around. Expect in the very near future features from Yahoo to engage the late teens/young adult demographic which Facebook has done so well to draw in. Hotmail might be an example of such developments with its unlimited storage capacity and connections with MSN messenger. Or maybe this really is the beginning of the end of Yahoo, with competition becoming increasingly competitive. It’s safe to say, Yahoo’s dominance is now over and the expulsion of their CEO seems to indicate they feel the same way. This is a new beginning for Yahoo and new possibilities for the market. Watch this space.

Glen Gostlow

Contributor

More stuff coming soon. Any suggestions please leave a comment below or email me.

New Facebook Layout Causes Uproar Among Users

This morning I woke up and did what I do every morning, I checked Facebook but this morning was different, Facebook have changed the layout of the site. This has caused quite uproar among users of the site, my news feed was filled with status’s about how people didn’t like the new layout.  

Instead of Facebook having the recent posts and the top posts on separate pages they are now all on one page, the home page is a mess of posts from earlier today and recent posts making it impossible to see anyone’s new posts. Facebook also added a new ticker feature which is very annoying and distracting but if you’re on Google chrome there are various web add-on’s that remove the ticker and they actually work to.  Many Facebook users are now turning to Google + which was made available to the public today. I am not going to delete my Facebook account but I will be using it a lot less and favouring Google +. What do you think about the new Facebook layout? Leave a comment be low.

By Robert Leat
Editor in Chief
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Images of iPhone 5's inner Workings leaked

Photos have been leaked of the inner workings of an iPhone5. From these photos we can see that it will feature an A5 processor, which is the same processor currently found in the iPad. The pictures were posted anonymously on the Chinese social networking site Weibo.

By Robert Leat
Site Founder and Editor
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Leats Tech Corner at Euro Gamer Expo

On Friday 23^rd September I will be at the Euro Gamer expo which is the UK’s largest gaming expo. I managed to secure a press pass and I am hoping to get interviews with developers of upcoming titles, I have come up with some questions but I need your questions. A list of games that are being exhibited can be found here. You can tweet @leatstechcorner or @robsterleat your questions using the hash tag #askeurogamerdevlopers or post your questions as a comment be low. I will be covering the expo on my YouTube channel and on the podcast.  Also follow @leatstechcorner and @robsterleat for live updates from the expo. Don’t forget to tweet me your questions and post questions as comments be low.

By Robert Leat
Site Founder and Editor
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Deus Ex: Human Revolution shifts 2million Units

Source

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Dues Ex Human revolution has sold two million units worldwide. However there was some controversy with GameStop who put OnLive vouchers  inside copies of the game, a lot of these copies will be sent back but  , but sales are still high. DLC will hopefully be released soon





By Robert Leat
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White PS3 Exclusively available at GameStop UK

Source

GameStop UK have confirmed that they will be selling a classic White 320GB PlayStation 3 from the 1^st November. It will be exclusively available from GameStop UK. GameStop UK’s stores can be found in Ireland and Europe but the consoles can be bought from their website.

By Robert Leat
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Battlefield 3 Hits 1.25 million Pre-orders

source 

Battlefield 3 has hit 1.25 million pre-orders.  EA’s CFO Eric Brown confirmed this in an interview , “ Around 1.25 million pre-orders “,  which has put it “Well ahead” of predecessor Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Last year  by may Battlefield Bad company 2 had sold 5 million copies, Brown also said “We have the advantage of a two-and-a-half week early launch window versus our competitor [Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3], and we intend to use that.”

By Robert Leat
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AKG Acoustic D44S Microphone Un-boxing

This is my un-boxing of the AKG D-44S microphone. I intend to use this for interviews at the Euro Gamer expo which I managed to get a press pass for.

Modern Warfare 3 PC to have LAN play

(C) Activision/ Infinity Ward

Robert Bowling, Infinity Ward’s Creative Strategist, confirmed via Twitter that there would be LAN play in the PC version of Modern Warfare 3. He also confirmed that there would be class restriction and the default class creation.

PC players will have the ability to restrict any, perk , weapon, equipment  and death streak  from being used when setting up a game. Activision has confirmed that dedicated servers will be returning, you might remember that they were removed from Modern Warfare 2 which caused an up roar within the PC gaming community, this means that it will again be possible to mod call of duty.

HTC to Sue Apple over Patent Infringement

HTC the maker of Smart Phones is going to sue Apple over a patent infringement. HTC is using patents they bought from Google to lodge complaints against the technology giant Apple. HTC’s complaint was that Apple computers and mobile devices breach the patent s for Wi-Fi capability and processor communication technology.

Apple Vs Android (source)

This is the third time HTC have filed a complaint against Apple. Grace Lei has said in a statement "We are taking this action against Apple to protect our intellectual property, our industry partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones”

Apple have also been sued by Samsung before, Samsung’s phones also use the Android operating system. It is clear that this is becoming a fight between Apple and Android.

                                                                   

By Robert Leat
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Olympus VN-8700 unboxing

Samsung's Newest Camera Features Flip out Screen

Samsung’s Latest camera the MV800 will feature a flip out LCD touch screen. The screen flips up vertically above the lens, which allows for greater self portraits. The camera will be 16MP with a 1/2.3 inch CCD sensor, it also features a 5x optical zoom.  As is standard in most cameras these days it has 720p HD video. There is a panorama feature which allows the shooter to preview a whole shot by holding the shutter button halfway down and moving the camera in the intended direction.  

By Robert Leat
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Apple iPhone 5 Prototype Left in a bar

It has been reported that an iPhone 5 prototype has been left in a bar in San Francisco. This is not the first time this has happened to an Apple employee; a year ago an unreleased iPhone 4 was misplaced in a bar and sold to a gadget website.  However no spy shots have been found online. Apple has reported the incident to the police.  Apple are desperate to recover the phone so that they can avoid a similar situation to what happened last year in the run up to the iPhone4 release.

By Robert Leat

Editor and Site Founder

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