Microsoft Bets On Sports With Xbox One

With Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) releasing its Xbox One at roughly the same time that Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE) (TYO:6758) will release its new PlayStation 4, the two are scrambling to include features that will act as a tipping point for people looking to purchase a new gaming console. So far it appears that the PlayStation 4 will look to appeal to the more hardcore gamer, while Microsoft is looking for a crossover audience with features to augment Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) viewing and now the addition of features for the sports fan.

 

 

Microsoft to feature improved apps

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) announced today that the Xbox One will feature improved appsfor sports fans tuning in to ESPN and the NFL.

The new ESPN app will allow users a great deal of customization that will be used to provide users with a personalization that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) believes will appeal to the sports lover. The app will utilize individual user profiles identified through the Kinect sensor to bring them the most relevant sports news and videos. Whether users choose to personalize the program, all users will be treated to breaking news and trending videos.

All users will also be able to view video clips from espn.com and watch live events on ESPN 3, while those with cable subscriptions will be allowed to link their cable logins with their Xbox Live accounts to view programming on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and the other channels owned by the sports giant.

Microsoft to offer content from NFL.com

In addition to the new features for the ESPN app, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) will also offer Xbox One users content from NFL.com. Users will also be allowed to view NFL Red Zone, which provides live coverage of games when a team gets inside the 20-yard line and is threatening to score. It’s a great way to watch a game(s) especially for those that manage a fantasy football team.

For those that participate in fantasy football on NFL.com, they will be allowed to change their lineups  and follow their teams using just the Xbox One, never mind that the season will be half over by the time the Xbox One is released. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) also says that they will look to add leagues from other providers like ESPN.com and Yahoo.com in the near future.

 Font: valuewalk

Nintendo 2DS: dropping one dimension, adding one more choice (hands-on)

Nintendo caught us all by surprise when it announced its -- all too literally named --2DS handheld last week. But are we really surprised? For a company that found its last success with the "family" experience, and loves to create products in families of their own, it's perhaps surprising that it didn't create a more affordable, more accessible handheld sooner. Either way, it's here now, and will be reaching shelves by October 12th -- just in time to make those Christmas lists. Our list is getting pretty full already though, so we spent a little time with it to see if it could make the cut.

 

If you were one of the many that blinked when the news of the 2DS landed, here's a quick primer. Internally speaking, the 2DS is exactly the same as the 3DS, with one significant, nay obvious, difference -- there's no 3D effect on the games. Pretty much everything else though, is the same on the inside. The good news is this means all of the 3DS back catalog is good to go from launch when the two models we saw -- white with red detail, or black with blue, will vie for your attention. As always, we can imagine even more color-combos to come in the future.

As for the outside, Nintendo's done away with the clamshell form factor, opting for a slate-like, flat design. The first thing that's worth mentioning here is that, it's not actually as big as you might imagine. Without perspective, the initial press shots gave an impression of size that is deceiving. In the hand, it's actually very comfortable, light, even... nice feeling. The controls sit just in the right spot so that the device balances, no doubt in part thanks to that wedge-shaped profile. Around the sides you'll find a volume slider on the left, headphone jack and sleep switch on the bottom, stylus and SD-card slot on the right, and shoulder buttons, cartridge slot and power up top. The camera remains above the top screen, and you can still shoot 3D photos with the stereoscopic shooter on the back, you'll just need to view the results on something else.

What better way to test the 2DS than with a bit of good old fashioned Mario. And that's exactly what we did. It only took a few seconds for us to forget about 3D completely, and while the flat design might not mean you can get exactly the same comfortable configuration of controls and screen position as you might be used to, it wouldn't take you long at all to get accustomed to it. And there's the thing. For new entrants to the Nintendo world, perhaps those who don't want (or whose parents don't want) the 3D experience, picking up the 2DS will likely feel natural from the off. Couple that with the likelihood that the 2DS will be pitched as a value proposition, one where you can pick one up, with a game of your choice for the price of a 3DS, and you see where this might be going.

So, while it might look a little strange, or might not have the title feature of its predecessor, and it has a mildly confusing name, it's perhaps not the oddity that it might at first seem. This isn't the first time Nintendo has tried something different, and it likely won't be the last. But it's perhaps not as crazy as it might first seem. We'll of course have a full review in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, it looks like business as usual for Nintendo -- doing the unusual. And that's okay with us.

Source: engadget

Земля разминулась с семиметровым астероидом

2013 RG относится к группе околоземных небесных тел.

Фото: teleport2001.ru

Метеорит 2013 RG пролетел сегодня около 16:30 на расстоянии 223 тысячи километров от нашей планеты. Как и предполагали ранее исследователи, угрозы для жителей Земли он не представлял.

Впервые астероид заметили американские ученые еще накануне утром, сообщает «РИА Новости». Его размеры составляют от 2 до 7 метров, небесное тело относится к группе астероидов Аполлон — околоземных тел, чьи орбиты пересекают земную с внешней стороны.

Напомним, что опасный болид пролетел в непосредственной близости от Земли 9 марта, тогда его размеры были сопоставимы с небоскребом, а в случае столкновения с Землей астероид мог бы уничтожить целый город. Он в 8 раз превышал размеры метеорита, упавшего в середине февраля в Челябинской области.

источник: properm

Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch: What to expect this week

Justin Sullivan/GETTY IMAGES - Samsung is introducting its new wearable tech on Wednesday with the Galaxy Gear smartwatch

 
Samsung has stirred a lot of excitement for its upcoming smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear, which its expected to make its debut Wednesday.

Analysts and consumers alike are watching Samsung’s launch with interest, as the firm becomes one of the first major technology companies to dip its toe into the market for wearable devices. Fitness trackers, headsets, connected watches and even Internet-enabled clothing are expected to become big business for firms looking to add devices to their smartphone ecosystems over the next few years. The most optimistic projections for the wearable market estimate that consumers could buy as many as 9.4 million devices by 2016.



Samsung’s rumored watch, much like Google’s much-touted Glass headset, is said to be deeply integrated with users’s smartphones, providing a second screen for notifications and quick compositions so that users don’t have to reach for their pockets or purses. The argument is that by making the smartphone screen more accessible to users, it’s easier to dismiss unimportant notifications quickly and spend more time engaging with actual, real-world life.

The concept is intriguing, but the question remains as to whether Samsung, or any tech firm, can pull off the promise of wearable tech with designs that offer good battery life, compelling features and — perhaps above all — an attractive design.

According to a report from VentureBeat,which cites anonymous sources and an allegedly leaked promotional video, Samsung may not be meet that high bar with its first Galaxy Gear watch.

The report, from VentureBeat’s Christine Farr, is based on information from a third-party company that claims to have made an internal promotional video for the watch, as well as sketches Farr made of an actual smartwatch. Farr, who cautioned that the version she saw may change before the device is released, said that the Galaxy Gear measures 3 inches on the diagonal and sports a 4MP camera. The device, Farr said, also has WiFi capability, so users will be able to compose some e-mail when not connected to the phone — though she was not able to test that particular feature.

The watch also reportedly offers many of the health-related features that Samsung put into its latest smartphone, the Galaxy S4. In that way, the Galaxy Gear could tap in to the already growing interest for fitness wristbands, such as the Jawbone UP, the Nike Fuelband or the Fitbit. Though we’ll have to see whether a bulkier device — bulky, that is, for the wrist — will catch on among the active consumers who already use data from wristbands to track their daily lives.


Font: Google news

Представлены смартфоны HTC One и HTC One mini в цвете Vivid Blue

До сегодняшнего дня флагманский смартфон HTC One был доступен в серебристом, чёрном и ярко-красном корпусе. Теперь тайваньский производитель официально представил версию One, а также One mini в исполнении Vivid Blue.

Оба аппарата выполнены в сине-голубом корпусе с чёрной рамкой вокруг сенсорного дисплея. В продажу в отдельных регионах они поступят в четвёртом квартале 2013 года. Цена при этом не будет отличаться от существующих моделей в корпусах другого цвета. 

                   

В техническом плане версии Vivid Blue смартфонов HTC One и HTC One mini не претерпели изменений.

Напомним, что HTC One располагает дисплеем с диагональю 4,7 дюйма формата Full HD (1080х1920 точек), процессором Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 с четырьмя 1,7-гигагерцевыми ядрами, 2 Гбайт оперативной памяти, флеш-модулем ёмкостью до 64 Гбайт, камерой UltraPixel с 1/3-дюймовой BSI-матрицей, контроллерами Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11a/ac/b/g/n) и Bluetooth 4.0, микрочипом NFC и GPS-приёмником.

                      

Что касается аппарата HTC One mini, то он оборудован 4,3-дюймовым дисплеем с разрешением 720х1280 точек, чипом Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 с двумя ядрами с частотой 1,4 ГГц, 1 Гбайт ОЗУ, накопителем на 16 Гбайт, камерой с 1/3-дюймовым 4-Мп BSI-фотосенсором UltraPixel и поддержкой видео в разрешении 1080p, модулями Bluetooth 4.0 и Wi-Fi Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n с поддержкой Wi-Fi Direct.

Источник : 3dnews 

Lenovo puts latest ThinkPads on diet, adds hot swappable batteries

Lenovo is rolling out a new armada of ThinkPads as it aims to put the lineup on a diet and bridge consumer features with corporate must haves. Even the workhorse ThinkPad T-series is trying to cut down to ultrabook weights.

The No. 1 PC company's ThinkPad strategy plays well with its enterprise base and tries to capitalize on what analysts call a mini corporate PC refresh cycle. Indeed, Windows XP support ends in April 2014 and companies are evaluating Windows 8 vs. Windows 7 in new machines. Most enterprises will have a mix of both.

Speaking on a conference call, Matt Bereda, marketing director of Lenovo's Think Business Group, said the company is still focused on reliability and ease of deployment, but wants to add features that are unique. Lenovo has dabbled with enterprise multimode PCs with the ThinkPad Helix and Twist, but has largely stayed with a script that has worked for 20 years.

Kendrick: ThinkPad Power Bridge: Putting battery life in the hands of customers

The latest batch of ThinkPads, which feature the latest Intel chips, includes the following:

T440s and T440: The T Series will now have touch enabled displays, solid state drives and can cut down to 3.5 pounds with the T440s in a 21mm think frame. The T-440 will weigh about 4 pounds. A T430 today can push 4.77 pounds, according to Lenovo's Web site. The main addition with the enterprise ThinkPads are hot swappable batteries. Lenovo has added "power bridge" technology that allows a user to change batteries without powering down.

                  

The T440s is available at the end of October starting at $1,149. The T440 is available at the end of September with a starting price of $899.

X240: Lenovo's corporate ultraportable play weighs in at less than three pounds and is 20 mm thick. A touch screen is an option and the X240 doesn't require various dongles---a plus for the road warrior. The X240 is available at the end of October starting at $1,099.

ThinkPad S Series, which is designed for small businesses. The SS440 and S540 have touch displays and add thin bezels and what Lenovo calls a "floating design." U.S. availability is unclear.

For good measure, Lenovo also rolled out a 21:9 panoramic ThinkVision monitor. The 2560x1080 display with HD Webcam is designed to be used with collaboration applications and multitasking. The display starts at $799 with October availability.

Font: zdnet