iPhone / iClone

Source: Wired.com

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If so, Apple must be feeling mighty good about itself right now. These handsets all try to emulate the quintessential Jesus phone with touchscreens and copycat graphics. But when we roll up our sleeves and drill down, cracks begin to show.

In honor of the benevolent beard-god of Cupertino, we rate the strength of every iClone with black turtlenecks, five turtlenecks being a nearly flawless facsimile with one turtleneck being a messy mockery not even worthy of the term iClone.

Samsung F700

There seems to be a little quid pro quo at work with the F700. Samsung's answer to the iPhone brings a squint 2.7-inch touchscreen, sports HSDPA (but no Wi-Fi) and uses a drag-and-drop interface (without multitouch). Happen to be typo-allergenic? The F700's full QWERTY keyboard makes typing relatively glitch free. And the 5-MP camera? More than twice as powerful as the one on the iPhone.

HTC Touch

The Touch is two parts iPhone nemesis, one part clone. First off, it's smaller, runs Windows Mobile 6, zips about the internet on HSDPA/EV-DO, and arguably has a better paint job. But the iPhone does have the Touch licked in screen real estate

HTC's 2.8-inch display is barely roomy enough for those with dainty digits -- forget the sausage-fingered. How does HTC work around this? By including two stylus' with the handset.

LG Voyager

LG found the easiest way to build an iContender -- it just slapped a 2.8-inch touchscreen on the enV. Luckily, the Voyager gleaned most of the fine features from its less tactile cousin. Speedy EV-DO connectivity, a QWERTY keyboard and a host of multimedia features easily take the Voyager beyond clone status.

However, no Wi-Fi support flunks it right back to the remedial class. Oh, and that tiny touchscreen it boasts? Let's just say it's more suited for caveman-like pokes and less for elegant finger whisks.

CECT P168

China spews out iPhone clones like The Empire pumps out Storm Troopers. But in the P168, CECT has managed to rip off almost all of what made the God phone iconic. Nods to Cupertino include a 3.5-inch touchscreen, a metal frame and Mac OSX-style wallpaper and startup images.
Six-speaker, 3-D sound and dual sim cards are nice, but with no advanced sensors, P168 users are missing one of the iPhone's biggest perks -- effortlessly switching from landscape to portrait modes with a flick of the wrist.

Meizu M8

Meizu's M8 lives in a dreamworld between major cloneage and vaporware. Although shrouded in speculation and wrapped in mystery, the M8 supposedly runs a version of Windows CE 6.0 that's been dressed up like Apple's GUI.

The similarities don't stop there. This copycat features 4-MB and 8-MB flash versions, Wi-Fi, tilt sensors and a 3.3-inch touchscreen. Setbacks? Meizu has been sketchy on the release date and the unit only supports standard touching. Fanboys of the iPhone's uppity multi-touch need not apply.

LG Prada

The Prada captures just one of the iPhone's features perfectly: pretension. As if bearing the name of a posh Italian designer wasn't enough, this never-to-be-available-in-the-U.S. phone is sleek, and sports a 3-inch touchscreen.

Unfortunately, beauty is only skin deep for this Apple polisher. The Prada embarrassingly relies on a sparse GUI and is missing an on-screen QWERTY keyboard. With Wi-Fi not making the cut either, it's mind-boggling that the Prada is more expensive than its iMuse.

Public test next week for Vista SP1

Source: news.com

Microsoft on Tuesday said that it has reached the "release candidate" with the first service pack for Windows Vista, with plans to make the test software available publicly next week.

It is releasing the test code this week to the 15,000 or so people who have been beta testing SP1 already, and will also make it available on Thursday to those in the MSDN and TechNet developer programs.

"We feel really good and we look forward to receiving feedback from our larger set of testers," said David Zipkin, a senior product manager on the Windows Client team.

Microsoft also said on its Vista blog on Wednesday that it will make available a "blocker" that will allow customers who have Vista and use Windows Update to block SP1 upon its final release to allow for further testing. Microsoft offered a similar option with Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Service Pack 1 is mainly designed as a collection of bug fixes and performance improvements rather than an attempt to add new features. Among the changes that are more feature-related is the ability to use BitLocker encryption on multiple hard drive volumes as well as changes to the desktop search feature, which were made to satisfy antitrust concerns from Google.

Microsoft also said this week that it will change the way its antipiracy features work in SP1, eliminating a system in which Vista machines found not to be genuine are relegated to a near-unusable "reduced functionality mode." In its place, Microsoft will show prominent warnings and prompt those with non-genuine software to get a properly licensed copy. The new antipiracy approach will be in the final version of SP1 but is not part of the release candidate version.

The software maker has made some changes to SP1 since it began testing it earlier this year. In particular, the company has worked to reduce the size of the update as well as the amount of free space required to perform the update.

Vista still requires up to 4.5GB of free space for a typical user, but that's down from the 7GB required in earlier beta versions. Most of that space is returned back to the user. For some people, though, particularly those with ultramobile machines or running Vista in a partition on their Mac, the free space limit can be an obstacle.

Microsoft has also significantly reduced the file size of the Windows Update and full versions of the service pack, Zipkin said.

The release candidate version of the Vista service pack comes just as the Windows Server team issues a public release candidate for Windows Server 2008. Development of Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 have been fairly closely aligned and both are slated for release in the first quarter of 2008. However, Zipkin said it is conceivable the release of the two products could vary, particularly if quality concerns arise for either one.

CJ7 (長江七號)

Stephen Chow's latest movie CJ7 is likely hit the screen in Singapore in early Feb 2008, during the Chinese New Year. Expect lots of CG effects in this movie and of course the usual Stephen Chow's slapstick comedy.

Plot:

A fantasy tale featuring state of the art visual effects, CJ7 is a comedy about a poor laborer father played by STEPHEN CHOW and his young son. When a fascinating and strange new toy enters their lives, they learn a poignant lesson about the true nature of family and the things money can't buy.

Nintendo offers new DS bundles ahead of holiday

Tue Nov 20 05:46:03
Source: Reuters

Nintendo on Tuesday unveiled two special editions of its DS handheld gaming unit as the video-game maker seeks to keep up fans' enthusiasm for the popular device heading into the holidays.

One version will be colored gold and come with the epic adventure game The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass while a metallic pink model will come with puppy-training title Nintendogs, Nintendo said.

The new bundles will go on sale in the United States on November 23, the "Black Friday" after the Thanksgiving holiday that is one of the biggest shopping days of the year. New DS color schemes are eagerly received by Nintendo fans, who scramble to buy them as collectibles or for bragging rights.

The DS originally was sold only in white when a slimmed-down version debuted in early 2006, but Nintendo has slowly rolled out new colors and in the United States. The device is now available in black, pink, and a crimson-black combination.

Apple iPod touch

Source: Hardwarezone.com.sg

Besides audio and video playback, the iPod touch has moved into the realm of the Internet. Web surfing on Safari through a WiFi connection was a sweet surprise. The 'pinching' move coined by Apple on the iPhone works best here allowing you to zoom in and out of any website, launch multiple windows and also double tapping to get an up-close look into a particular section.

Surfing YouTube was also a really cool experience as your daily dosage of video clips are available just by soft tapping on the YouTube icon.

Till now, you can get by with simple touch gestures, but surfing the Net would definitely require more, so the iPod touch gets an on-screen keyboard as well. The soft keyboard was simple enough to get used to and quite sensitive. Better yet, it even featured predictive text. One of those things thing that sets the iPod touch apart from the iPhone is that double tapping the spacebar will result in entering a period and a space after - a really good way to save time.

For a flash-based media player, touch screen aside, the price tag for the Apple iPod touch is way too expensive at US$299 (S$498) and US$399 (S$698) for the 8GB and 16GB models respectively, when compared with its other iPod brethren.

In terms of features alone, the iPhone (US$399, 8GB) looks like a better all-in-one product, which also includes a built-in camera. Of course, iPhones are currently carrier locked devices with hefty restrictions, but the iPod touch can be freely used anywhere. In any case, the main reason to go for the iPod touch (or iPhone) is for its looks, and the envious looks you will get in return (don't even try to deny it). Once again, fashion overrules function to dictate price.

On the bright side, iPhone and iPod touch owners can look forward to the promised SDK (Software Development Kit) coming in February 2008, which will mean improved functionality and added third-party application support for these devices.

Beowulf

Plot: 6th Century Denmark, and the domain of King Hrothgar (Hopkins) is under attack from a hideous demon named Grendel (Crispin Glover). The heroic Beowulf (Winstone), a Geat warrior, arrives and vows to defeat Grendel. But if he manages that, there’s Grendel’s angry and seductive mother (Jolie) to contend with ...

The CGI of this movie looks great ... wonder if they are bringing in the 3D version of this movie???

New Microsoft Zune Players

Monday, November 12, 2007 06:00 AM PST
Source: PCWorld

It took them a while, but the folks at Microsoft have finally built a pretty good portable media player. With wireless syncing, a new touch-pad control to rival Apple's Click Wheel, and some interesting new features built into the Zune player software, this latest generation of Zunes should finally provide some real competition.

We've reviewed both the $250 80GB Zune and the $200 8GB flash-based Zune that released today. Both offer very good sound quality and a nice set of features beyond standard audio and video playback, though the 80GB player is probably a better fit among its competition. But it's the Zune software--and the changes to the Zune Marketplace and online environment that come with it--that may eventually have the biggest impact on the Zune's success.

The Zune Social

Yes, they're still going with that name. No, there still does not appear to be any ice cream. There is, however, some interesting stuff going on with the Zune Social. Microsoft has taken a page from its Xbox Live service for this next iteration of the Social.

Plug in a Zune player with the new software installed, and you'll have a chance to create a Zune Tag. This part of the service wasn't available for testing during our evaluation of the new players, but it should be online today. Zune Tags, much like the gamer tags in Xbox Live, collect information about what music you're playing and share it with friends.

Click through a Zune Tag online, and you'll find a list of that person's favorite songs. Click on any artist or album that appears, and you'll see which Zune Social members have it as a favorite. Then you can start to discover new music by clicking through to other songs that person likes. If you have a Zune Pass subscription, you should be able to download files to your Zune right there.

Eventually, the Zune Social could become something a little like Last.fm, with apps that let you embed Zune Tag info on Web, Facebook, or MySpace pages, all likely future additions. ...

Young Xbox 360 Gamers Face Restrictions

Forthcoming Xbox 360 controls will let parents limit the number of hours played by young gamers.

Saturday, November 10, 2007 07:00 AM PST
Source: PC World

In addition to restricting the type of games played, Xbox 360 will soon be able to limit the total number of hours played by younger gamers.

"As the customer base broadens, the demand for these kinds of capabilities does increase," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division.

Not unlike a similar feature found in Microsoft's Windows Vista operation system, the new timer will grant care-takers the ability to restrict total hours played on either a daily or weekly basis. Once the time limit is reached, the console will automatically turn off.

According to Bach, a restriction timer was the number-one most desired feature by parents in a recent study conducted by Microsoft. News of an Xbox 360 timer was first rumored in early September.

Cool javascript for internet browsers

Just saw this on the net:

Paste the codes below in your internet browser address bar, press enter and see wat happens...

javascript:R=0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI=document.images; DIL=DI.length; function A(){for(i=0; i-DIL; i++){DIS=DI[ i ].style; DIS.position='absolute'; DIS.left=Math.sin(R*x1+i*x2+x3)*x4+x5; DIS.top=Math.cos(R*y1+i*y2+y3)*y4+y5}R++}setInterval('A()',5); void(0);

Effect: Any website that appears below the address bar where you put the code will have its images’ position altered. Just refresh the page to return to normal :)

Sony to release new PS2 model in Japan

By Reuters -->
Published: November 6, 2007, 5:21 AM PST

Sony plans to launch a lighter version of its PlayStation 2 game console later this month, in a bid to drive sales of the seven-year-old machine heading into the crucial holiday season. The new model, which has a built-in AC adaptor, weighs 1.6 pounds, down from a combined weight of 1.9 pounds for the previous model and its external AC adaptor. Since the new machine's power cord comes without a bulky AC adaptor, it would be easier for gamers to enjoy the PS2 anywhere at home, Sony's game unit said on Tuesday. It will go on sale in Japan on November 22 for about $140 (16,000 yen), unchanged from the price of the previous model. The timing for overseas launches has yet to be decided.

Maintaining brisk demand for the PS2 is just as important for Sony as shoring up sales of its latest game machine, the PlayStation 3, as the PS2, which has sold more than 120 million units worldwide, is a cash cow for the game unit. Sony appears set to reap larger profit from each PS2 it sells since the game unit said it had managed to reduce manufacturing costs for the latest PS2 model from those for the previous model.

The basic version of the PS3 sells for about $390, nearly three times as expensive as the PS2. Sony aims to sell 12 million units of the PS2 in the year to March, while targeting the PS3 sales of 11 million units.

One Red Paper Clip

Someone in Singapore also started a website for trading (http://www.youswop.com), let's see if I can also trade my way to a new house : )

Apple Preps Next iPhone Firmware Update

Gregg Keizer, Computerworld
Monday, November 05, 2007 2:00 PM PST

Apple Inc. will update the iPhone's firmware to Version 1.1.2 as early as this Friday, when the Cupertino, Calif., company starts selling the smart phone in the U.K. and Germany, several British and U.S. gadget and Apple enthusiast Web sites reported today.

They also speculated that the hacks -- only recently rebuilt after the 1.1.1 update blocked iPhone unlocking and other modifications -- will likely be broken again by the new update.

According to T3, a U.K. site that covers consumer electronics, the iPhone slated for sale on Nov. 9 comes with firmware Version 1.1.2. Among the enhancements is support for several additional language character sets, said T3, as well as a fix for a vulnerability in the TIFF image-rendering library, which is shared by the iPhone's Safari browser and e-mail program and by iTunes.

The TIFF bug that could be used to hijack any iPhone has been the foundation of some of the hacking tools needed to unlock, or "jailbreak," the smart phone to allow non-Apple software to be installed on the device. HD Moore of Metasploit publicized the bug last month by posting multiple exploits.

Meanwhile, MacRumors.com said Sunday that its sources reported that Version 1.1.2 will break current unlocking software and perhaps some third-party applications as well . The last time Apple updated the firmware, the new software disabled most unauthorized applications and "bricked" unlocked iPhones. It took developers and hackers weeks to resurrect their tool sets and unlock the software. For example, iPhoneSimFree, a group of developers that markets an unlock program through a network of online resellers, revised its SimFree application only a week ago.

The 1.1.2 firmware update will be released via iTunes, the iPhone's update platform.

Google sends Android to conquer mobile world

By Elinor Mills Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: November 5, 2007, 2:13 PM PST

The search king became popular more than a decade after PCs went mainstream and several years after the Web became a staple. Has Google done exceptionally well? Of course. But it's one of many companies vying for eyeballs on the PC browser.

Enter Android. Unlike the PC market, Google joins the contest for mobile access to the Internet with its Android software while there is still much work to be done. Many would argue Apple's iPhone was the first mobile computing device to allow a Web page to look exactly as it does on a PC's browser.

The search giant announced the Android platform for mobile devices and the Open Handset Alliance on Monday in a move to break the lock existing carriers and phone makers have on the industry and make it as easy to use the Web on mobile devices as it is on desktop computers.
With Android, Google can ensure current and future mobile phone subscribers can see Google services, applications, and ads. Also, the announcement could pave the way for a Google branded phone that would give the company a direct connection to consumers, even more than the ubiquitous search bar...

The PlayStation 3 gaming console officially gets its second price cut in less than a year.

Friday, November 02, 2007 2:00 PM PDT

The PlayStation 3 officially gets its second price cut in less than a year.
Announced in October, the new smaller capacity PS3 launches in the U.S. Friday, just in time for the holiday shopping season as Sony aims to better compete against rivals Nintendo and Microsoft.

The new 40GB PS3 comes bundled with Spider-Man 3 on Blu-ray but lacks PS2 playback, additional USB ports, and multi card memory support. It retails for US$399. "We're pleased to offer the consumer a lower price point without sacrificing the core technology components that make PS3 the most advanced high-definition entertainment system available," said Jack Tretton, president SCEA. "Every PS3 comes with a Blu-ray drive, HDMI output, an integrated Wi-Fi connection, Cell Broadband Engine and a built-in hard-drive."

What I Want for Christmas is ...

Wii

Revolutionary controller design offers unique motion-sensitive gameplay options; built-in Wi-Fi delivers free online services and (eventually) gameplay; Virtual Console has major nostalgia appeal; compatible with all GameCube games and controllers; built-in SD slot for storage and photo viewing; includes Wii Sports game; most affordable of all next-gen systems.

iPhone 8GB
Revolutionary Phone: iPhone redefines what a mobile phone can do. Tap a number to make a call. Listen to voicemail in any order with Visual Voicemail. iPod: It's the best iPod ever. Enjoy music, videos, and more on the 3.5-inch color display, and browse by album artwork with Cover Flow. Internet Device: iPhone features a HTML email and Safari, the most advanced web browser for portable devices.