Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Last Christmas, Blu-ray players costs an obscene amount of money and, while they aren’t exactly cheap now, they are heading in the right direction and becoming affordable for most consumers. Sharp’s BD-HP21H has just hit the UK and despite the sticker price of £250, you can find this player online for a shade under £200. This is a Profile 1.1 player with 1080p support and 24 frames per second (fps) playback, meaning the movies run at the same speed they were filmed at and make motion-scenes much smoother and clearer. The machine also promises to upscale your DVDs to near-HD quality and the HDMI 1.3 jack offers support for Deep Color as well as advanced sound formats like Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Advanced.Blu-ray players can take an age to start up but the BD-HP21H has a Quick Start feature which means you’ll be up and running in 10 seconds. There’s no memory card slot but you can read JPEG photos from blank CDS. And for those worried about bills, the player promises low power consumption: 26W in operation and 0.5W in stand-by.-Martin Lynch blu-ray movies

Original post by nafiz

Tired of tasting chemicals in your water? Is your expensive mineral water habit under threat by the recession? Then watch out, the Canadians are coming. A bunch of eco-inventors at Element Four have created WaterMill, a product designed to make getting clean water from the air outside possible for everyone. Well, everyone with money, that is. Looking like a big smoke alarm, it sits outside and, powered by about the same amount of electricity as 3 light bulbs, it can make up to 12 litres of fresh, clean water a day. It works by sucking air through filters which remove dust and any other particles before cooling it to the below the point that dew forms. The condensed water is then cleaned up in a self-sterilisation chamber, complete with UV light, to kill-off any little nasties. It’s then filtered again and passed inside the house via a pipe to your fridge or tap. OK, 12 litres a day is hardly going take care of all your needs but the company hopes this will appeal to those with eco-friendly hearts who know that the bottled water industry costs tens of billions of pounds every year globally in plastic bottle creation and recycling. Eco-friendly it may be but recession-friendly it is not, as it will cost around £780 when it launches in the UK, US, Italy, Japan and Australia next Spring.-Martin Lynch [Element Four via Guardian] recycling environment gadget

Original post by nafiz

Not content with ruling the mobile phone market, Nokia is now eyeing up our homes by announcing a platform that will let us control ’smart homes’ from our mobile phones. There are already lots of smart-home products out there from fridges with TVs and Net access to smart heating systems, intelligent biometric security systems and energy-saving washer/dryers but they all boast proprietary technology, command languages and remote controls. The Nokia Home Control Center will be Linux-based and allow makers of smart home techs to quickly create a method of controlling their products via the phone and the Web. It will enable grouping of different items and the interface will be ’simple’ for people to use. Nokia explains: “It will be possible for example to monitor and control electricity usage, to switch devices on and off, and monitor different objects, such as temperature, camera, and motion. On one hand, Nokia Home Control Center can be used as WLAN gateway. On the other hand, the platform covers everything from a basic security solution to a more sophisticated heating control system. Users are free to build a solution that fits to their needs and expand it whenever they want.” Nokia is recruiting partners now and Home Control is due to launch at the end of next year. Now all we need is a smart house.-Martin Lynch [Nokia] technology smart home nokia

Original post by nafiz

We don’t know about you but our calendars [and we have a quite a few] tend to be either (a) free from some bank or religious organisation (b) kid-drawn anti-litter campaign calendar or (c) scantily clad ladies draped over fast cars. They are, then, a very long way indeed from the Living Calendar or, to give it its correct title, Living Concept 2009. It looks like a large clock and in many ways it is, with the hands designed to track days, weeks and months. The large hand tracks the current day [and month] and will do one full circle in 365 days. The little hand tracks the day of the week and the hour. Like LED watches, this looks a bit confusing when your eyes are first assaulted by it, but it is easy enough to follow. I can see some room around the outside for writing reminders but it looks limited indeed and would get head-wrecking fairly fast if you have a day with say, 5-10 things, to do. I′m guessing slapping Post-It Notes on this would defeat the purpose and destroy all that design finery. Designed by Maksim Biriukov for newave.com.ua it’s actually being launched as a product next month. The only confusion - since the site is not in English - is whether it costs $94.95 or $94,950. We’re plumping for the former but don’t blame us if your credit card snaps in half.-Martin Lynch [Bornrich] gadget home

Original post by nafiz

Microsoft Xbox folk are probably still back-slapping each other and popping champagne corks at the news that the Xbox 360 console has outsold the original Xbox earlier than expected. Just days after the Xbox 360 turned 3 years old, Microsoft has said that the Xbox 360 has outsold the original Xbox, with sales topping 25 million units. It even managed it a week or so early, thanks to the recent bouts of generous price cuts. Speaking to MCV, Vice president of interactive entertainment business for EMEA Chris Lewis, said: “We’ve already surpassed the installed base of the original Xbox - which is a really significant milestone. We’ve been blown away by the appetite of people to consumer digital entertainment experiences.”"We’re at a price point that is uniquely placed - not least of which because we’re in somewhat of a challenging economic time. Ever since we dropped the price seven weeks ago, we’ve outstripped PS3 on a weekly run rate in all the territories we care about in EMEA - specifically the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Russia.” Interestingly, elsewhere Microsoft execs cite stats which claim that 75% of most console sales happen after the price drops hits $199 or less - something the 360 price did just a couple of months ago. Somehow though, I doubt the 360 will be around long enough to push that 25 million to 100 million.-Martin Lynch [MCV] xbox Microsoft consoles

Original post by nafiz

Woolworths, home to all kinds of home products, consumer technology, toys and gadgets, has officially gone into administration, putting 30,000 jobs on the line and becoming the biggest High St. casualty of the recession so far. The group said it has entered administration following its failure to secure the sale of its 800 stores to restructuring company, Hilco. Although stores opened across the UK today, the fate of Woolies’ 30,000-strong workforce remains unknown. In a statement, the company’s board said: ‘The Board of Woolworths Group plc announces that discussions relating to the potential sale of its retail business have now ended. ‘Following, and as a consequence of the termination of those discussions, the boards of Woolworths and Entertainment UK have concluded that there is no longer any prospect of those businesses being able to operate as a going concern. Accordingly, the boards of both companies last night resolved to file petitions for administration in the High Court.’ Deloitte has been appointed as administrators and, while they say there has been some interest from third-parties in the crippled retail giant, it’s looking increasingly likely that they will start selling off Woolies stock at rock bottom prices to recoup some money for creditors. Get your bargain hunting runners ready.-Martin Lynch recession shopping news

Original post by nafiz

Woolworths, home to all kinds of home products, consumer technology, toys and gadgets, has officially gone into administration, putting 30,000 jobs on the line and becoming the biggest High St. casualty of the recession so far. The group said it has entered administration following its failure to secure the sale of its 800 stores to restructuring company, Hilco. Although stores opened across the UK today, the fate of Woolies’ 30,000-strong workforce remains unknown. In a statement, the company’s board said: ‘The Board of Woolworths Group plc announces that discussions relating to the potential sale of its retail business have now ended. ‘Following, and as a consequence of the termination of those discussions, the boards of Woolworths and Entertainment UK have concluded that there is no longer any prospect of those businesses being able to operate as a going concern. Accordingly, the boards of both companies last night resolved to file petitions for administration in the High Court.’ Deloitte has been appointed as administrators and, while they say there has been some interest from third-parties in the crippled retail giant, it’s looking increasingly likely that they will start selling off Woolies stock at rock bottom prices to recoup some money for creditors. Get your bargain hunting runners ready.-Martin Lynch recession shopping news

Original post by nafiz

While there have been a rush of budget DAB radios hitting in market recent times, the latest offering from PURE is not one of them. The Avanti Flow is for those that want everything crammed into one device. It’s described as a ‘high-performance’ DAB/FM/Internet radio with an iPod dock and some serious audio punch. The Avanti sports a 5.25in downward firing subwoofer, 2 x 3in mid range drive units and PURE’s Clearsound technology - an audio subsystem for producing better sound at higher volumes without using too much power. With onboard Wi-Fi, the Avanti allows for an overdose of radio by allowing you to tune into Internet radio stations, DAB digital radio, FM, podcasts, ‘listen again content’ and media streaming from PCs or network storage.You can register the Avanti on PURE’s radio and media portal, the PURE Lounge, which offers a simple way to access Net stations, organise your favourites and even download from a library of 100 ’sounds’ designed to ’set the mood’ or help junior doze off. Clad in glossy piano black, the Avanti Flow goes on sale soon for £280.-Martin Lynch [PURE] DAB radio music ipod

Original post by nafiz

While there’s little reason to jump about the living room, wailing in uncontrolled joy at the arrival of the latest PlayStation 3 console update, there are at least a couple of noteworthy additions that might warrant a small smirk. The most notable of these in the new 2.53 update is that the PS3’s Net browser now supports full-screen mode for Adobe Flash Player content. Support for Adobe Flash Player 9 has also been added. Other notable tweaks include an option to set the PS3 to turn off automatically after background downloads or installations and some new power-save options to stop your controllers dying just as you′re about to defeat that final level boss. Jump now for the full list of tweaks.Users * You now have an option to set the PS3 system to turn off automatically after a background download or installation of content has completed. This option is available when you turn off the system under [Users] > [Turn Off System] while content is being downloaded or installed. Settings * [BD/DVD Settings] has been renamed to [Video Settings]. * [Under [Video Settings], the [Cinema Conversion] option has been renamed to [BD/DVD Cinema Conversion] and the [Upscale] option has been renamed to [BD/DVD Upscaler]. * [ [Sequential Playback] has been added as an option under [Video Settings]. * [ [DivX VOD Registration Code] has been added under [System Settings]. You must use this registration code to authenticate and register the PS3 system to be able to play video files that are compatible with the DivX VOD (Video On Demand) service on your system. For details, visit the DivX website. * [ [Power Save Settings] has been added as an option under [Settings]. To save power, the PS3 system and wireless controllers can be set to turn off automatically after a certain period of inactivity. * [Under [Accessory Settings] > [Audio Device Settings], the method for reconnecting Bluetooth devices has been changed. * [Under [Accessory Settings] > [Keyboard Type], you can now choose the following keyboard types: [German Keyboard (Switzerland)], [French Keyboard (Canada)] and [French Keyboard (Switzerland)]. * [Under [Printer Settings] > [Printer Selection], you can now select printers that support network connectivity. You can also select HP printers using the [HP] option. Music * [You can now select one of nine volume output levels using the [Volume Control] setting on the control panel (or the mini-size control panel). * [Pause] has been added as an icon on the mini-size control panel. Video * [You can now select one of nine volume output levels using the [Volume Control] setting on the control panel. * [ [Scene Search] has been added as an option on the control panel. * [You can now use the [Mosquito Noise Reduction] setting for video content that is saved on the hard disk or storage media. Use this setting to reduce mosquito noise that appears on the edges of visual images. * [During BD (BDAV) and DVD playback, a technique known as “chroma upsampling” is now automatically selected based on the movement of objects within the video content and then applied to enhance images in the content. Game * [New for 2.52: The playback quality of some PLAYSTATION3 format software has been improved. * [New for 2.52: A text entry issue that occurs when using the on-screen keyboard, USB keyboard or Bluetooth keyboard with some PLAYSTATION3 format software has been addressed. * [ [Sync with Server] has been added as an option under [Trophy Collection]. * [By pressing the PS button while playing PLAYSTATION3 format software, you can now view information from the [Settings and Connection Status List] option under [Network Settings].* * This feature is not available for use with some PLAYSTATION3 format software. Network * [New for 2.53: The Internet browser now supports full-screen mode for Adobe Flash Player content.* * [Support for Adobe Flash Player 9 has been added to [Internet Browser].* PlayStationNetwork * [The way to disable the automatic sign-in option and the way to sign out from PlayStationNetwork have been changed. * [In PlayStationStore, the design of the [View Downloads] and [View Cart] buttons has been changed, and a [Redeem Codes] button has been added. Friends * [You can now view information about the most recent sign-in for Friends who are on your Friends list.* * If you do not set the correct date and time in the [Date and Time] settings under [Settings] > [Date and Time Settings], this information may not be displayed. Like I said, nothing major, but a few things to keep those that love to fiddle with their settings happy for awhile.-Martin Lynch ps3 games console

Original post by nafiz

Looking for a faster, bigger hard drive this Christmas? (Two days till Black Friday sales by the way) Well, I came across this funny Youtube video of the day - filmed at famous Mac Store Tekserve in Manhattan, New York and paid for by drive manufacturer Seagate. It’s a tad long, but it features a hip-hop office drama and the desire for “A new disk drive. 1.5 Terabytes….” (don’t let that little jingle get stuck in your head) Just in time for the Christmas holiday season.

Via 9to5mac.com

Tags: Black Friday, Christmas, funny, Mac Store, Manhattan, NYC, Tekserve, video, youtube

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Original post by nafiz

HTC’s Touch HD is arguably the best touch-screen Windows Mobile-based phones you can buy. In fact, even before the HTC Touch HD, I always felt HTC mobile phones were the best Windows Mobile phones you could buy. I own an older HTC-based “Apache” XV6700 Windows Mobile with a cooked ROM upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.1 and I’m still pretty happy using it. I still consider my xv6700 one of the top 5 Windows Mobile phones available. Installed on it I have a standalone Youtube player, TCPMP Media Player, Opera Mini, HTC Streaming Media Player, Java (Jbed), Skyfire browser, and more. It does the job and I especially like the slide-out keyboard. I’m not into the iPhone touch-screen’s keyboard or the new Blackberry Storm for that matter. I find tactile keyboards work best for typing lengthy emails.

Comparisons between the new HTC Touch HD and the Apple iPhone will no doubt be made, since they both offer large touch-screens. In fact, the Touch HD beats the iPhone’s screen with it’s 3.8″ WVGA (480 X 800 pixel) screen vs. 3.5″ (320 x 480) for the iPhone. It beats the iPhone in size and resolution! In addition, unlike the Apple iPhone, Windows Mobile apps can run in the background, which is important for IM & VoIP apps like Skype. You have to jailbreak your iPhone if you want to enable background processing. What’s up with Mr. Steve Jobs? He can be anally retentive sometimes when it comes to “controlling” Apple products.

Continue reading HTC Touch HD…

Tags: 3.5G, Android, HSDPA, HTC Touch HD, iPhone, mobile phone, Windows Mobile

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Original post by nafiz

Medion is a good choice for solid and reliable, if a little uninspiring, in-car satnav devices and is updating its range with the new GoPal P5430. This little number will suit those who find smaller, budget alternatives a bit difficult to manage since it sports a large 5″ widescreen display and full maps of Europe are preinstalled. There’s also an FM transmitter, a fingerprint reader for security, a built-in TMC antenna for navigating your way around traffic jams and Bluetooth for pairing with your mobile phone. Add an MP3 player, travel guide and even a game of Sudoku to keep you entertained when you’re stuck in traffic and it becomes one of the most feature-packed on the market. The good news is that Medion is sticking with its policy of offer a lot for your money and the GoPal P5430 will set you back just £175 when it’s released at the end of the month. - Paul Lester [TechDigest] Medion GoPal GPS

Original post by nafiz

If you’re wondering what to buy a tech-obsessed relative for Christmas then why not pick up a USB toaster so that they can prepare breakfast at their desk or via a notebook on the commute? Only one slice of bread can be done at a time and it’ll take between seven and nine minutes to toast it properly. It also supports Firewire 400 and 800 for Mac owners and you can remotely control toasting levels via the supplied software on your computer. It’s been named as Best Cooking Peripheral at the Golden Floppy awards, which is the gadget industries most prestigious cooking event. Seem like a genuinely useful invention to you? Of course it doesn′t, its ridiculous, and luckily nobody has really been paid to design and build such an absurd product (though we wouldn′t be that surprised if they had). The USB toaster is actually a joke present from US comedy website The Onion and in reality is an empty box that you can wrap up and put under the tree just to see the feigned delight on the face of the poor sap you bought it for. You still have to pay £5 for the privilege of owning an empty box, but if you’re that kind of prankster you might think it’s a good idea. - Paul Lester [RegHardware] USB toaster joke

Original post by nafiz

We are not talking about silly Wii peripherals here but the real deal, the mother lode, the real [although without the body chopping laser] lightsaber that Mark Hamill waved around in the first Star Wars flicks. And, a snip, at only £120,000. Used by farm boy Skywalker in Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, this is the original hunk of Jedi hardware. If that’s too rich for your blood, you could always opt for C3PO’s face and metal hands for £54,000 and £19,500, respectively. No? How about a bit of that Indy magic then? You can pick up Indiana Jones’ fedora hat and his whip from Indiana Jones in Temple of Doom for a cool £40,000 apiece. Maybe you fancy some original signed Ian Fleming Bond books or a signed collection of the Lord Of The Rings books, complete with fold out maps? Jump to see some of the highlights. • C-3PO face for $83,000 and hands for $30,000. • Mohawk and Brain Gremlins puppets for about $7,000 each. • The original Jor-El tunic wore by Marlon Brando in Superman for $51,000. • His t-shirt in Apocalypse Now for $20,000. • An original set of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, bound in red cloth, signed by Tolkien, and containing a fold-out map of the Middle Earth for $124,000. • For the same amount you can also snatch an 82-inch flying saucer made of wood, steel and fiberglass from Forbidden Planet. • First editions of James Bond novels inscribed by Ian Fleming, including one that said “To the real James Bond from the thief of his identity”, which was dedicated to American Ornithologist James Bond. These items make up a treasure trove [almost 500 objects] of Hollywood-related gems spanning movies to the silent era. They will will be sold at aution on December 11 by Profiles in History.-Martin Lynch [Source and thanks to Gizmodo US for the pics] hollywood movies star wars

Original post by nafiz

We are not talking about silly Wii peripherals here but the real deal, the mother lode, the real [although without the body chopping laser] lightsaber that Mark Hamill waved around in the first Star Wars flicks. And, a snip, at only £120,000. Used by farm boy Skywalker in Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, this is the original hunk of Jedi hardware. If that’s too rich for your blood, you could always opt for ʡPO’s face and metal hands for £54,000 and £19,500, respectively. No? How about a bit of that Indy magic then? You can pick up Indiana Jones′ fedora hat and his whip from Indiana Jones in Temple of Doom for a cool £40,000 apiece. Maybe you fancy some original signed Ian Fleming Bond books or a signed collection of the Lord Of The Rings books, complete with fold out maps? Jump to see some of the highlights. • C-3PO face for $83,000 and hands for $30,000. • Mohawk and Brain Gremlins puppets for about $7,000 each. • The original Jor-El tunic wore by Marlon Brando in Superman for $51,000. • His t-shirt in Apocalypse Now for $20,000. • An original set of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, bound in red cloth, signed by Tolkien, and containing a fold-out map of the Middle Earth for $124,000. • For the same amount you can also snatch an 82-inch flying saucer made of wood, steel and fiberglass from Forbidden Planet. • First editions of James Bond novels inscribed by Ian Fleming, including one that said “To the real James Bond from the thief of his identity″, which was dedicated to American Ornithologist James Bond. These items make up a treasure trove [almost 500 objects] of Hollywood-related gems spanning movies to the silent era. They will will be sold at aution on December 11 by Profiles in History.-Martin Lynch [Source and thanks to Gizmodo US for the pics] hollywood movies star wars

Original post by nafiz