tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15288871002060601592024-02-15T14:45:50.740+08:00Internet and Tech NewsBringing you the latest updates of the World Wide Web.Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-51563608954647497362012-11-26T11:03:00.002+08:002012-11-26T11:03:13.094+08:00Black Friday Online Sales Top $1 Billion For The First Time - comScore<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://imgur.com/6QFiD"><img alt="" height="201" src="http://i.imgur.com/6QFiD.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="400" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Black Friday retail sales online this year
topped US$ 1 billion for the first time ever as more consumers chose to use the Internet for their early holiday shopping, <b>comScore</b> reported on Sunday.</div>
<br />
Online sales jumped 26 % on Black Friday to US$ 1.04 billion
from sales of US$ 816 million on the same day last year,
according to the data analyst company.<br />
<br />
Amazon.com was the most-visited retail website on Black Friday, and
it also posted the highest year-over-year visitor growth rate among the
top five retailers. Wal-Mart's website was second, followed
by Best Buy, Target and Apple.<br />
<br />
Digital content and subscriptions, including e-books, digital music
and video, was the fastest-growing retail category online, with sales up
29 % versus Black Friday last year.<br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td><b>2012 Holiday Season To Date vs. Corresponding Days* in 2011</b><br />
<b>Non-Travel (Retail) Spending</b><br />
<b>Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases</b><br />
<b>Total U.S. – Home & Work Locations</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Millions ($)</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Millions ($)</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Percent<br /> Change</b></td> </tr>
<tr> <td></td><td></td><td></td> <td></td> </tr>
<tr> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>2011</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>2012</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> </tr>
<tr> <td>November (1 – 23)</td> <td style="text-align: center;">$11,832</td> <td style="text-align: center;">$13,726</td> <td style="text-align: center;">16%</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22)</td> <td style="text-align: center;">$479</td> <td style="text-align: center;">$633</td> <td style="text-align: center;">32%</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Black Friday (Nov. 23)</td> <td style="text-align: center;">$816</td> <td style="text-align: center;">$1,042</td> <td style="text-align: center;">26%</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b><b>Cyber Monday Outlook</b></b><br />
<br />
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span id="byLine"></span>It's unclear whether the strong Black Friday sales online will weaken
growth on Cyber Monday, which has been the biggest e-commerce day in the
United States in recent years.<br />
<br />
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span id="byLine"></span>"Cyber
Monday will be a big day, but not as much of a big day as it has been
in the past," - Mia Shernoff, executive vice president for Chase
Paymentech, a payment-processing unit of <b><b>J.P. Morgan Chase </b></b><br />
<b><b></b></b></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="textBodyBlack">
</div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
"Faster
broadband Internet connections in the office used to drive this. But
now many consumers have faster connections at home and smart phones and
tablets - they don't have to wait." - <b>ComScore</b> Chairman Gian Fulgoni </div>
</blockquote>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<br /></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span id="byLine"></span>More
than 129 million Americans plan to shop online on Cyber Monday, up from
almost 123 million on the same day last year, according to a survey
conducted in recent days for the National Retail Federation. The group
also expects 85 % of retailers to have a special promotion for
Cyber Monday.</div>
Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-78667480621706069912012-07-23T11:53:00.000+08:002012-07-23T11:53:53.998+08:00Google stop new orders for 16GB Nexus 7 tablet computer<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgur.com/3i9hu"><img alt="" height="320" src="http://i.imgur.com/3i9hu.png" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="296" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After it's unveiling on June 27, 2012 for release by mid-July at Google I/O, an overwhelming response from the tech enthusiasts have forced Google to stop receiving new orders for 16GB Nexus 7 device from it's Play Store in the UK and US. Orders that were made in the period up to the end of last week are due to be fulfilled, but a shortage of stock now means a hiatus in sales.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">While the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_7_8gb">8GB model, which costs £159, is shown as "in stock"</a> and being delivered in 3-5 business days, the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_7_16gb">16GB version only offers an option to "sign up to be notified by email"</a> when it becomes available. The low cost of the Nexus 7 puts it in direct competition with the Kindle Fire, which share similar price tags. The low price of the Nexus 7 is also in comparison to higher-end tablets rivals such as the Apple iPad.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The Nexus 7 marks Google's first step into the tablet business. The device is powered by Asus and latest version of Android, 4.1, codenamed Jelly Bean OS. the 8GB version is being sold almost at cost ($199 compared to the build cost of $157), according to <a href="http://www.isuppli.com/Teardowns/News/pages/Low-End-Google-Nexus-7-Carries-$157-BOM-Teardown-Reveals.aspx">estimates by IHS iSuppli</a>.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Although the 8GB Nexus 7 is being sold only on the Play Store rather than physical retailers, the online buyers have surprised Google by preferring the 16GB model rather than the half storage sized unit. The sheer size of today's media and the Nexus' 7 inch screen means buyers opted to choose the bigger storage because it's storage can't be upgraded.<br />
<br />
Initial shipments of Nexus 7 is reserved to the US, Canada, UK, Republic of Ireland and Australia. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Specs:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgur.com/Al72C"><img alt="" height="400" src="http://i.imgur.com/Al72C.png" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="232" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><ul><li>7-inch LED backlit 1280x800@60Hz 18-bit pixel IPS display (Hydis HV070WX2) fused to Corning scratch-resistant glass</li>
<li>1.3 GHz Quad-core (plus one "companion" core) Nvidia Tegra 3 processor with a 12-core graphics chip (T30L - 4 x Cortex A9 SoC)</li>
<li>1 GB DDR3 RAM (Hynix HTC2G83CFR)</li>
<li>NFC (NXP 65N04)</li>
<li>Wi-Fi b/g/n with Bluetooth 4.0 (Broadcom BCM4330 paired with AzureWave AW-NH665)</li>
<li> Gyroscope and accelerometer (Invensense MPU-6050), magnetometer</li>
<li>GPS (Broadcom BCM4751)</li>
<li>Front-facing 1.2 MP camera (Aptina MI 1040)</li>
<li>Rechargeable 4325 mAh, 16 Wh Li-ion non-removable battery</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-5279190149401790862012-06-21T00:46:00.002+08:002012-06-22T20:04:36.786+08:00Microsoft announces Surface tablet to rival iPadAfter a 2 year domination of the tablet computers market by the Apple iPad which <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/07/20results.html" target="_blank">sold 67.1 million units</a> as of 31 March 2012, it appears that Microsoft want a piece of the tablet market action that also include the Touchpad, Blackberry and other Android tablets.<br />
<br />
At it's LA event on Monday, Microsoft showed off their latest result of excellent engineering technology that could probably be bad news for desktop computer and laptops manufacturers, <b>Microsoft Surface</b>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgur.com/3N3a9" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" height="292" src="http://i.imgur.com/3N3a9.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surface with Type Cover - 2mm more thicker than Touch cover, making the keyboard in total 5mm thick</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Firstly, it's made of magnesium-based VaporMg chassis material which is as rigid and also smooth to touch. The Surface tablet computers shown are powered by Intel's 22nm Ivy Bridge chips running Windows 8, and another Surface powered by an ARM chipset and Windows RT.<br />
<br />
The Windows RT version is just 9.3mm thin, weighs 1.5lbs, includes a built-in kickstand. It will ship in 32GB or 64GB versions, complete with a 10.6-inch ClearType HD 16:9 display.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dpzu3HM2CIo" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
Microsoft Surface's Intel-based tablet will run Windows 8 Pro, with a thickness of 13.5mm, a weight of 1.9lbs including USB 3.0 support. This version will also include magnesium casing and a built-in kickstand, but will ship with either 64GB or 128GB storage.<br />
<br />
Additionally, the Intel version will include additional digital ink support through a pen that magnetizes to the body of the tablet, and a 10.6-inch covered in Gorilla Glass 2 ClearType Full HD display. Both of Microsoft's Surface tablets feature optional <b>Touch</b> <b>Cover</b> that will contain an integrated multi-touch keyboard and trackpad or <b>Type Cover </b>that is a<b> </b>thicker full tactile keyboard.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgur.com/VQRjk"><img alt="" height="292" src="http://i.imgur.com/VQRjk.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="400" /></a></div><br />
For suggested retail pricing, Microsoft will announce it closer to availability and is expected to be competitive with a comparable ARM tablet or Intel Ultrabook notebooks PC. Hopefully with it's lightness and powerful processor capability it'll be affordable for the students in college and to the normal tech enthusiast. The Windows RT PC will be available in October, with the Windows 8 Pro model to ship about three months later.Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-85062439672139251182012-06-17T13:53:00.000+08:002012-06-17T13:53:02.731+08:00Akamai: South Korea still have the fastest internet connection in the worldEach quarter, Akamai publishes a "<b>State of the Internet</b>" report that includes data gathered from attack traffic, broadband adoption, mobile connectivity
and other relevant topics concerning the Internet and its usage, as well
as trends seen in this data over time.<br />
<br />
According to the network solutions provider, <a href="http://www.akamai.com/html/about/press/releases/2012/press_043012.html" target="_blank">South Korea is putting other countries to shame</a>
with average fiber and broadband internet access speeds of about 16Mbps. By comparison, The U.S offers an average connection speeds of 5.8Mbps, putting it behind
a host of country's internet service providers including Romania, Japan and also Switzerland.<br />
<br />
Akamai also revealed that cities in the Asia Pacific region are far more
likely to have high speed internet, with 61 cities in Japan
featured in the list of fastest connections for cities.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgur.com/0yZW1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" height="266" src="http://i.imgur.com/0yZW1.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lighter the color, the faster the internet connection speed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Despite that, only a minority of people have access to the highest speeds. Akamai found that just 27% of all connections came from speeds of 5Mbps or higher. On the mobile-connections side, it
saw a spread between 163 kilobits per second and 5Mbps, and found that
the vast majority of mobile connections average speeds of 1Mbps. <br />
<br />
Other report details include:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>On a year-over-year basis, average connection speeds in Asia
increased 13 percent while Internet users in Oceania have witnessed a
132 percent increase. </li>
<li>Average peak connection speeds in Africa were 55 percent faster than
four years ago while users in South America have experienced a 238
percent increase</li>
<li>Since 2008, South America has seen a 558 percent increase in high
broadband adoption, yet still ranks just above Africa in total high
broadband penetration.</li>
<li>Narrowband adoption continued to decline globally with all regions reporting similar percentage declines (64-78 percent). </li>
</ul>Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-71375222493329296332012-03-06T22:35:00.000+08:002012-03-06T22:35:20.507+08:00Any .com Domain Names Are Now Seizable<a href="http://imgur.com/Btmzo" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" height="211" src="http://i.imgur.com/Btmzo.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="320" /></a><br />
After the take down of sports-bet site <b><a href="http://bodog.com/">Bodog.com</a></b> by the U.S authorities last week, every domain names owner on the internet was shocked because the domain name was registered with a Canadian domain name registrar, <b><a href="http://www.domainclip.com/" target="_blank">DomainClip</a></b> thus putting it beyond the reach of the U.S. government.<br />
<br />
Knowing that, the feds went directly to <b><a href="http://www.verisign.com/" target="_blank">VeriSign</a></b>, a U.S.-based internet backbone company that own the contract to manage the coveted .com and other generic top-level domain names on the internet.<br />
<br />
<br />
Bodog.com was targeted because federal law generally makes it illegal to offer online sports wagering and to payoff online bets in the United States, even though online gambling isn’t illegal globally. <br />
<br />
<b>EasyDNS</b>, an internet infrastructure company, publicly <a href="http://blog2.easydns.org/2012/02/29/verisign-seizes-com-domain-registered-via-foreign-registrar-on-behalf-of-us-authorities/">protested</a> that the “ramifications of this are no less than chilling and every single organization branded or operating under .com, .net, .org, .biz etc. needs to ask themselves about their vulnerability to the whims of U.S. federal and state lawmakers.”<br />
<br />
<br />
VeriSign, said they are just complying with U.S. law.<br />
<br />
“VeriSign responds to lawful court orders subject to its technical capabilities. When law enforcement presents us with such lawful orders impacting domain names within our registries, we respond within our technical capabilities.”<br />
<br />
VeriSign often complies with U.S. court orders by redirecting the DNS (Domain Name System) of domain names to a U.S. government IP address that informs online visitors that the site has been seized like <b><a href="http://ninjavideo.net/">ninjavideo.net</a></b><br />
<br />
“Beyond that, further questions should be directed to the appropriate U.S. federal government agency responsible for the domain name seizure,” the company said.<br />
<br />
Despite that, Bodog is now operating using the .eu domain name. A move that is becoming more popular towards other similar themed websites around. Similarly, <i>The Pirate Bay</i> have moved their .org to a .se domain register.Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-91167630146247186302012-01-28T14:07:00.000+08:002012-01-28T14:07:07.640+08:00Nokia Lumia 900 CES Preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i43.tinypic.com/16a7192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://i43.tinypic.com/16a7192.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Nokia and Windows Phone continue to surge towards rejoining the smartphone elite fleet with their third, latest smartphone; <b>Lumia 900</b>, which has 4G on board for the US market.<br />
<br />
The success of the Windows Phone platform is good for the smart phone industry, offering a clear way out from the Android or Apple monopoly for the users. It should be the Nokia's biggest smartphone launch in the country to date. According to <a href="http://betanews.com/2012/01/03/windows-phone-partners-bet-100m-on-nokia-ace/">one report</a>, Nokia, Microsoft and AT&T will spend roughly $100 million marketing the phone.<br />
<br />
Lumia 900, is a smartphone that comes with a 4.3-inch AMLOED display with Cornering Gorilla Glass and Nokia ClearBlack technology. 16GB of internal flash storage, 512MB of RAM, and a single-core 1.4GHz Scorpion CPU mounted on the Qualcomm’s APQ8055 Snapdragon chipset.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://imgur.com/0dPy7" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" height="180" src="http://i.imgur.com/0dPy7.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="320" /></a>Nokia Lumia 900 also have <b>8MP</b> camera with autofocus, dual LED flash and Carl Zeiss’ lenses. With support for HD 720p video recording and a resolution of 3264×2448 pixels Lumia 900′s optic unit is almost everything you’d want from a phone camera.<br />
<br />
It is also pre-loaded with Microsoft’s latest mobile OS, Windows Phone 7.5.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://imgur.com/fS2sD" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" height="179" src="http://i.imgur.com/fS2sD.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="320" /></a>When it comes to connectivity, the high-end smart phone of the Nokia Lumia line-up comes with HSDPA (21 Mbps) and HSUPA (5.76 Mbps), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v2.1, microUSB v2.0, NFC chip and, of course, 4G LTE support.<br />
<br />
According to a leaked roadmap published at <a href="http://www.bgr.com/2012/01/25/atts-q1-2012-roadmap-nokia-lumia-900-to-launch-march-18th-for-99-99/">BGR</a>, the Lumia 900 will launch on March 18, for $100 with a two-year contract.Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-80714337545244735162012-01-04T20:26:00.000+08:002012-01-04T20:26:21.904+08:00LG to unveil 55-inch OLED TV at CES<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgur.com/kHqJR" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" height="245" src="http://i.imgur.com/kHqJR.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girl not included</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Every 10-13 January at the <a href="http://www.cesweb.org/" target="_blank"><b>Consumer Electronics Show</b></a> in Las Vegas is the place to be for consumer electronics companies to unveil their upcoming products for the year. This year <a href="http://www.lg.com/" target="_blank">LG Electronics</a> plans to show the world's largest OLED TV - a 55-inch display that's just 4 mm thin and weighs a mere 7.5 kg.<br />
<br />
The new High Definition Television (HDTV) uses advanced <b>OLED </b>(Organic Light-Emitting Diode) technology with "<i>4-Color Pixels and Color Refiner</i>" features that generate natural, accurate colors without jaggies and other imperfections. With the 4-Color Pixels feature, each pixel uses a set of four colors - red, green, blue and white - which expands on the common RGB (red, green, blue) setup.<br />
<br />
According to LG, the TV is also 1,000 times faster than the normal LED / LCD tv displays.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://imgur.com/4hEfC"><img alt="" src="http://i.imgur.com/4hEfC.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" /></a><br />
<br />
The advantages of an OLED television are:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Light weight & flexible plastic substrates</li>
<li>Wider viewing angles & improved brightness</li>
<li>Better power efficiency</li>
<li>Faster response time </li>
</ul><br />
The Korean consumer electronics manufacturer will also unveil its 84-inch Ultra Definition set, which has 8 million pixels at CES.Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-73375202003841936702011-12-13T21:33:00.000+08:002011-12-13T21:33:47.617+08:00Hitachi releases 4TB hard drive in Japan<a href="http://imgur.com/PHSpe" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" height="320" src="http://i.imgur.com/PHSpe.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="280" /></a><br />
<br />
Although microchip giant Intel on Monday have announced that it expects to badly miss their sales forecast for the current quarter caused by lower sales of notebook computers and desktops due to the hard drive shortage caused by the massive floods in Thailand, <b>Hitachi</b> have released their new 4TB <b><a href="http://www.hitachigst.com/internal-drives/desktop/deskstar/deskstar-5k4000" target="_blank">Deskstar</a></b> hard drive for internal and <b><a href="http://www.hitachigst.com/external-drives/desktop/touro-desk" target="_blank">Touro Desk</a></b> for external use.<br />
<br />
Users will get <span id="intelliTxt">a free 3GB of cloud storage from HitachiBackup.com with every purchase of the Touro Desk external hard drive.</span><br />
<br />
This is the world first commercially available at that storage capacity. Granted it's not the fastest hard drive available by running at 5900 rpm, or what the Hitachi calls "CoolSpin" <span id="intelliTxt">resulting in the drive having up to 28 percent idle power savings</span> compared to the 7200 rpm drives. <br />
<br />
The massive storage of their new 4TB hard drive is sure to please a lot of users with massive files with it's gigantic storage and USB 3.0 capability.<br />
<br />
It's currently priced at 26,800 Yen ($345), but currently there's no official announcement from Hitachi for it's international availability and the Thailand floods will likely mean it's very low on stock. <br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br />
</div>Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-2382734429821182492011-11-27T19:52:00.000+08:002011-11-27T19:52:07.192+08:00One in Three Internet Users to Use Tablet PC by 2014<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgur.com/7VRAu"><img alt="" height="128" src="http://i.imgur.com/7VRAu.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="320" /></a></div><br />
According to <b><a href="http://www.emarketer.com/" target="_blank">eMarketer,</a> </b><b> </b>by the end of this year, it is estimated that 33.7 million people in the United States will be using a tablet pc thanks to the main leader of pc tablet, the Apple iPad.<br />
<br />
The growth of tablet users in the last year has been up by over 158% since December of last year, the first iPad was released.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgur.com/Tcpj1"><img alt="" height="163" src="http://i.imgur.com/Tcpj1.gif" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="400" /></a></div><br />
By the end of 2014, it is predicted almost 90 million people will be using a tablet pc. They believe that tablets will eventually be a personal necessity like smart phone these days.<br />
<br />
Apple is currently keeping the majority share of the tablet market with HP TouchPad and Kindle ebook reader way behind, eMarketer predicts that the iPad will have a 68% market share. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgur.com/I95Sv"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://i.imgur.com/I95Sv.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="451" /></a></div><br />
Women, who happens to have less than 50% of the tablet pc are expected to pull even with men. By the end of 2011, youths under the age of 18 will own 13% of the pc tablet. That will increase to 15.9% in 3 years.Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-35513551745536299462011-11-10T18:28:00.000+08:002011-11-10T18:28:55.805+08:00NVIDIA Releases Quad-Core Tegra 3 Processor<a href="http://imgur.com/T0xRQ" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" height="192" src="http://i.imgur.com/T0xRQ.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nvidia.com/" target="_blank"><b>NVIDIA</b></a> have introduced it's long-awaited <b>Tegra 3</b> processor (Formerly Known As Kal-El), which is the first quad-core mobile processor ever released.<br />
<br />
Mainly designed for the pc tablet , latest cell phones and smart phones , the Tegra 3 will purportedly best the processing performance of the older Tegra 2 chip by a factor of five (and graphics by a factor of three, thanks to it's 12-core NVIDIA GeForce GPU with stereo 3D support), all while reducing power consumption by 61%.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgur.com/TyBvO"><img alt="" height="220" src="http://i.imgur.com/TyBvO.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Although Tegra 3 is a quad-core chip, there is also a fifth "companion core", which is designed to take over for less-intensive computing tasks, such as listening to audio or web browsing. The technology behind the fifth core is NVIDIA’s Variable Symmetric Multiprocessing (vSMP).<br />
<br />
With the new Tegra 3, users can expect everything on their mobile devices to perform faster and better, including web browsing experience, gaming, streaming video, video edditing and running apps.Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-61234680534685227912011-10-29T20:48:00.000+08:002011-10-29T20:48:21.326+08:00Top Countries With The Fastest Internet Speed<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgur.com/m1J1L"><img alt="" height="136" src="http://i.imgur.com/m1J1L.png" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Internet data collection company, <a href="http://www.akamai.com/"><b>Akamai</b></a> have released their quarterly "<b>State Of The Internet</b>" report, which examines the world's fastest and slowest Internet connections by country, attack traffic, average & maximum connection speeds, Internet penetration and broadband adoption, and mobile usage, as well as trends seen in this data over time. <br />
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25,000 requests from unique IP addresses must be acheived in order to avoid making unfair comparisons between countries with large disparities in population or infrastructure.<br />
<br />
From the <a href="http://www.akamai.com/stateoftheinternet/">report</a>, global Internet speed from broadband providers are improving. Between the first and second quarters of 2011, average global connection speed increased 21 percent and is now 2.6 Megabits per second. By comparison, Internet speeds in the United States (12th fastest) look fairly speedy at an average of 5.8 Mbps compared to an average connection speed for higher ranked countries of 13.8 Mbps, more than twice as fast as the U.S.<br />
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<table class="tableizer-table"><tr class="tableizer-firstrow"><th></th><th>Top 9 Countries With The Fastest Internet Connection Speed </th><th> </th><th> </th></tr> <tr><td>Rank</td><td>Country</td><td>Average Speed (Mbps)</td><td>% Increase</td></tr> <tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td>1</td><td>South Korea</td><td>13.8</td><td>-4.2</td></tr> <tr><td>2</td><td>Hong Kong</td><td>10.3</td><td>12</td></tr> <tr><td>3</td><td>Japan</td><td>8.9</td><td>10</td></tr> <tr><td>4</td><td>Netherlands</td><td>8.5</td><td>14</td></tr> <tr><td>5</td><td>Latvia</td><td>8.2</td><td>29</td></tr> <tr><td>6</td><td>Czech Republic</td><td>7.4</td><td>13</td></tr> <tr><td>7</td><td>Switzerland</td><td>7.3</td><td>17</td></tr> <tr><td>8</td><td>Romania</td><td>6.8</td><td>2.3</td></tr> <tr><td>9</td><td>Belgium</td><td>6.4</td><td>4.8</td></tr></table>Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-18971662022205064602011-10-16T00:16:00.000+08:002011-10-16T00:16:00.256+08:00Microsoft completes Skype acquisition<a href="http://imgur.com/CxPwh" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" height="220" src="http://i.imgur.com/CxPwh.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="320" /></a>It's official, the internet video chat service <a href="http://www.skype.com/intl/en/home"><b>Skype</b></a> is now <a href="http://blogs.skype.com/en/2011/10/acquisitionclose.html">officially</a> a part of <b>Microsoft</b>.<br />
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The two companies joined forces this week after Microsoft Corp. completed its $8.5 billion purchase of Skype. The closing came five months after Microsoft announced the acquisition.<br />
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Skype<a href="http://www.skype.com/intl/en/features/"> features</a> includes video calling, video conferencing, voice over ip calling and also conference calling.<br />
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In a press release sent out Friday morning, Microsoft confirmed that the deal, and revealed that Skype CEO Tony Bates will now report directly to Steve Ballmer in his new role as president of the new Skype Division of Microsoft. Skype employees will continue to be located around the world as before. <br />
<br />
Microsoft is counting on Skype to help it catch up in some the hottest markets in technology and media. Those areas include online socializing, mobile phones and digital video.<br />
<br />
Skype's roughly 170 million users made 207 billion minutes of voice and video calls last year — almost 400,000 years' worth.Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-64113138846995237362011-10-05T18:34:00.000+08:002011-10-05T18:34:02.744+08:00iPhone 4S vs. Galaxy S II and Bionic Smartphones<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" height="156" src="http://i.imgur.com/Id9c4.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="320" /></div><br />
The newly released <b>Apple <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/">iPhone 4s</a></b> will be made available to U.S.A, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan initially and will be launched to 22 more countries by October 28th, and to 70 more countries by the end of 2011.<br />
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<br />
There will be Black and White versions as usual, while the price of iPhone 4S will be as follows:<br />
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16GB variant for $199, 32GB for $299 and the 64GB for $399 in US with contract,available to Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint.<br />
<br />
<h2>iPhone 4s Specs</h2><ul><li>OS: iOS 5.</li>
<li>Processor: Dual core A5 Chip-2X processing and 7X Graphics.</li>
<li>Display: 3.5″ Ratina display 960X640.</li>
<li>Camera: 8 MP camera with CMOS sensor and 1080p recording with video stabilization.</li>
<li>Both CDMA/GSM support is available and HSDPA support upto 14.2 MBPS.</li>
<li>Up to 8 hours on talk time on 3G and up to 14 hours on 2G (GSM)</li>
<li>Standby time: Up to 200 hours</li>
<li>Internet usage: Up to 6 hours on 3G, up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi</li>
<li>Video playback: Up to 10 hours</li>
<li>Audio playback: Up to 40 hours</li>
</ul>Special Features: SIRI voice assistant, AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV support at 720p, iCloud storage.<br />
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Here's a comparision to it's mightiest competitors on the Android platform.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="height: 122px; width: 650px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" valign="bottom" width="17%"><b>iPhone 4S<br />
</b><img border="1" hspace="4" id="vimage_4501216" src="http://i.imgur.com/ub8pA.jpg" vspace="4" /> <b> </b></td> <td align="center" valign="bottom" width="17%"><b>Samsung Galaxy S II<br />
</b><img border="1" hspace="4" id="vimage_4498358" src="http://i.imgur.com/m4zoW.jpg" vspace="4" /> <b> </b></td> <td align="center" valign="bottom" width="17%"><b>Motorola Droid Bionic<br />
</b><img border="1" hspace="4" id="vimage_4498359" src="http://i.imgur.com/4FJeL.jpg" vspace="4" /> <b> </b></td> <td align="center" valign="bottom" width="17%"><b><br />
</b> <b> </b></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><br />
<br />
<table border="1px solid black" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" frame="HSIDES" rules="ROWS" style="height: 122px; width: 650px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Platform</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">iOS 5</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">Android 2.3.4 with TouchWiz 4.0</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">Android 2.3.4 with custom skin</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Processor</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">Dual-core Apple A5 (likely 1GHz)</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">1.2GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos or 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">1GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4430</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>RAM</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">Unknown (likely 512MB)</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">1GB</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">1GB</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Storage</b></td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">16GB / 32GB / 64GB internal</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">16GB / 32GB internal, microSDHC expansion</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">16GB internal, microSDHC expansion</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Cellular</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">Quadband GSM, quadband HSPA+ 14.4, CDMA / EDVO Rev. A</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">Quadband GSM, quadband HSPA+ 21 / 42 or CDMA / EV-DO Rev. A, WiMax</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">CDMA / EV-DO Rev. A, LTE</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>WiFi</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">802.11b/g/n</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">802.11a/b/g/n</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">802.11b/g/n</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Display size</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">3.5 inches</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">4.3 or 4.5 inches</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">4.3 inches</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Display resolution</b></td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">960 x 640</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">800 x 480</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">960 x 540</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Display technology</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">IPS LCD</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">Super AMOLED Plus</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">Pentile-matrix TFT LCD</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Integrated TV-out</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">Dock connector</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">MHL</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">HDMI</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Primary camera</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">8 megapixel AF, f2.4 lens, BSI sensor, LED flash</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">8 megapixel AF, LED flash</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">8 megapixel AF, LED flash</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Secondary camera</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">VGA</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">2 megapixel</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">VGA</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Video recording</b></td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">1080p at 30fps</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">1080p at 30fps</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">1080p at 30fps</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Video calling</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">Yes</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">Yes</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">Yes</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Location / orientation sensors</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">AGPS, compass, accelerometer, gyroscope</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">AGPS, compass, accelerometer, gyroscope</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">AGPS, compass, accelerometer, gyroscope</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>SIM standard</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">Micro SIM</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">SIM (on GSM variants)</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">SIM (for LTE)</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Quoted max talk time</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">8 hours on 3G, 14 hours on 2G</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">7-8.7 hours on 3G</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">10.8 hours on 3G</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Quoted max media playback time</b></td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">40 hours audio, 10 hours video</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">5 hours video</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">6.5 hours video</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Battery</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">Unknown capacity (likely 1420+mAh), embedded</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">1650-1850mAh, removable</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">1735mAh, removable</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Weight</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">140 grams / 4.9 oz.</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">116 grams / 4.1 oz. to 130 grams / 4.6 oz.</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">158 grams / 5.6 oz.</td> <td style="background-color: #eeeeee; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td valign="top" width="15%"><b>Dimensions</b></td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3mm</td> <td style="background-color: #b3e2c4; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;">125.3 mm x 66.1 mm x 8.49 mm to<br />
129.8 x 69.6 x 9.65mm</td> <td style="background-color: white; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; width: 17%;"><span class="sub-feature">127.5 x </span><span class="sub-feature">66.9 x 10.99</span>mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-43858815972072573472011-09-30T21:48:00.000+08:002011-09-30T21:48:08.636+08:00Amazon Releases $199 Kindle Fire Tablet<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" height="234" src="http://i.imgur.com/9nDMw.png" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="320" /></div>But amid the excitement amongst consumers and fierce tension amongst tablet manufacturers, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/"><b>Amazon</b></a> buried the news that two of the new tablets would only be available in the U.S. market thus leaving the U.K. and European consumers out in the cold.<br />
<br />
The new Amazon Kindle Touch, the touch-screen e-ink powered e-book reader (left), and the new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051VVOB2/ref=famstripe_kf">Amazon Kindle Fire</a> tablet (right), the 7-inch colour display, Android-powered tablet, will only be available in the United States when the two devices go on sale.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" src="http://i.imgur.com/hwsdZ.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" /><br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top" width="100%"><div style="color: #e47911; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">Movies, apps, games, music, reading and more, plus Amazon's revolutionary, cloud-accelerated web browser </div></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top" width="100%"><br />
</td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top" width="100%"><div id="feature-bullets-atf"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr> <td class="bucket normal"></td><td class="bucket normal"><ul><li>18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, e books and e reader</li>
<li>Amazon Appstore - thousands of popular apps and games</li>
<li>Ultra-fast web browsing - Amazon Silk</li>
<li>Free cloud storage for all your Amazon content</li>
<li>Vibrant color touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle</li>
<li>Fast, powerful dual-core processor</li>
<li>Amazon Prime members enjoy unlimited, instant streaming of over 10,000 popular movies and TV shows</li>
</ul></td><td class="bucket normal"></td><td class="bucket normal"></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
It is rumored, however that the new Kindle e reader tablet will still go on sale outside of the U.S. soon with the retail price of £89.Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-85448486672355774362011-09-28T05:54:00.000+08:002011-09-28T05:54:36.361+08:00Apple sends invites for October 2011 event: "Let's talk iPhone"<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" src="http://i.imgur.com/niKfZ.png" title="Hosted by imgur.com" /></div><br />
<br />
<b>Apple Inc.</b> has formally announced it's upcoming media event after months of rumors and speculation. The event will take place on Tuesday, October 4 at 10am Pacific Daylight Time on Apple's campus in Cupertino and will be led by Apple's new CEO Tim Cook. <br />
<br />
Apple's invitation graphics include four iOS app icons (Calendar, Clock, Maps, and Phone) along with the quote "<i>Let's talk iPhone.</i>"<br />
<br />
Usually, Apple doesn't get this specific when sending out its invitations, but apparently it's trying a new, more direct approach this time around. The calendar says October 4, clock says 10:00, map points to Apple's campus, and the phone icon shows one phone call.<br />
<br />
Still, Apple fans are left wondering exactly what may come out of this iPhone announcement. At the moment, it's widely expected that Apple will make iOS 5 available to the public and possibly even roll out an all-new iPhone 5, a slightly modified iPhone 4 in the form of the iPhone 4S, with a working antenna or both phones at the same time.<br />
<br />
There's also some talk of a new white iPod touch. A relatively minimal detail that reminds us that the fall event <i>was</i> originally about iPods.Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-80386216685721571132011-09-21T20:43:00.000+08:002011-09-21T20:43:05.641+08:00America’s Internet Service Slips to #25 Worldwide<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" height="192" src="http://i.imgur.com/Kgv7z.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="320" /></div><br />
<br />
The <i>New York Times</i> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/us/downloads-are-slowest-in-idaho-study-finds.html" rel="nofollow" title="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/us/downloads-are-slowest-in-idaho-study-finds.html">reported on Wednesday</a> that the United States has sunk to 25th in a global ranking of Internet speeds, just behind Romania.<br />
<br />
Why? Because the nation's regulators abandoned an earlier commitment to foster competition in the marketplace for Internet access providers.<br />
<br />
After the signing of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, lobbyists working for powerful providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon pressured a compliant FCC to tear down all of the important safeguards established by Congress.<br />
<br />
Under the Bush administration, the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/opinion/11crawford.html" rel="nofollow" title="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/opinion/11crawford.html">FCC tossed out competitive broadband safeguards</a> such as open-access requirements, which opened lines to other providers.<br />
<br />
Back in 2002, the agency declared that<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span> cabled high speed internet service would no longer be considered a telecommunications service that opened the network to competitors, but rather an “<i>information service</i>” that did not. Following a 2005 court decision, the FCC also reclassified broadband delivered by the phone companies as an “information service.”<br />
<br />
These were radical policy shifts that went against the long-held assumption that open communications in competitive markets were essential to economic growth and innovation.<br />
<br />
While the U.S. blindly followed a path of "deregulation," other nations in Europe and Asia beefed up their pro-competitive policies. The results are evident in our <a href="http://www.freepress.net/files/Dismantling_Digital_Deregulation.pdf" rel="nofollow" title="http://www.freepress.net/files/Dismantling_Digital_Deregulation.pdf">free fall from the top</a> of almost every global measure of Internet services, availability and speed.<br />
<br />
About this my Free Press colleague Derek Turner writes:<br />
<blockquote><blockquote>"When price and speed are considered together as a measure of value, we see that Americans pay more per megabit per second than consumers in many other countries. The value of U.S. connections is some four times less than that of countries like France, and is only slightly better than the value of connections in Hungary, a country with a per capita GDP nearly two-and-a-half times lower than the United States."</blockquote></blockquote>This lack of competition has turned America into a broadband backwater. In the aftermath of the FCC’s verdict, powerful phone and internet access providers<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f9f9f9; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span> legislated and lobbied their way to controlling 97% of the fixed-line residential broadband market thus leaving the vast majority of consumers with two or fewer choices of land-based providers in any given market.Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-32537904034002600232011-09-16T23:04:00.000+08:002011-09-16T23:04:29.421+08:00Portal is free on Steam<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" height="320" src="http://i.imgur.com/bnFFy.png" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="227" /></div>From now until September 20, you can download <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/400/"><b>Portal</b></a> for absolutely free for your desktop pc or notebook.<br />
<br />
In case you're not familiar with it already, Portal is regarded by many pc gamers to be one of the best games of all time. GameSpot awarded it a 9.0 and an Editors Choice while IGN said it is "<i>quirky, clever, polished, and presented with a spark of a subtly evil humor</i>."<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable infobox collapsible" id="collapsibleTable1"><tbody>
<tr><th>Aggregator</th> <th> Score</th> </tr>
<tr> <td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameRankings" title="GameRankings">GameRankings</a></td> <td> 89.15%<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gamerankings_75-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_%28video_game%29#cite_note-gamerankings-75"></a></sup></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metacritic" title="Metacritic">Metacritic</a></td> <td> 90/100<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-metacritic_76-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_%28video_game%29#cite_note-metacritic-76"></a></sup></td> </tr>
<tr> <th colspan="2" style="background: #d1dbdf; font-size: 120%;">Review scores</th> </tr>
<tr> <th>Publication</th> <th> Score</th> </tr>
<tr> <td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1UP.com" title="1UP.com">1UP.com</a></td> <td> A<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1up_pc_review_25-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_%28video_game%29#cite_note-1up_pc_review-25"></a></sup></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurogamer" title="Eurogamer">Eurogamer</a></td> <td> 9/10<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-eurogamer_pc_review_29-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_%28video_game%29#cite_note-eurogamer_pc_review-29"></a></sup></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameSpot" title="GameSpot">GameSpot</a></td> <td> 9.0/10</td> </tr>
<tr> <td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameSpy" title="GameSpy">GameSpy</a></td> <td> 4.5/5.0<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gamespy_pc_review_28-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_%28video_game%29#cite_note-gamespy_pc_review-28"></a></sup></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IGN" title="IGN">IGN</a></td> <td> 8.2/10<br />
<br />
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ign_pc_review_30-1"></sup></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The game primarily comprises a series of puzzles that must be solved by teleporting the player's character and simple objects using "the handheld portal device", a device that can create inter-spatial portals between two flat planes. The player-character, Chell, is challenged by an artificial intelligence named GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) to complete each puzzle in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center using the portal gun with the promise of receiving cake when all the puzzles are completed.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/mIepf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="225" src="http://i.imgur.com/9JXiA.png" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="480" /></a></div><br />
The game was originally part of Valve's The Orange Box bundle that also included the now F2P Team Fortress 2, before later becoming a $20 standalone game for the PC and Mac computer system. The sequel of the game, <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/620">Portal 2</a> is priced at $29.99.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/mIepf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="225" src="http://i.imgur.com/mIepf.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="480" /></a></div>Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-84711084513426084922011-09-10T16:01:00.000+08:002011-09-10T16:01:26.102+08:00Apple wins German court ruling against Samsung PC tablet<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" height="236" src="http://i.imgur.com/VIikD.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The resemblance is uncanny</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></div><br />
It appears that Apple is the only company that can make minimalist rectangular pc tablet design in Germany.<br />
<br />
A trade court in Dusseldorf, Germany has found Samsung Electronics Comp., Ltd.'s (<a href="http://www.google.com/finance?q=SEO%3A005930" title="Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Public, SEO:005930) ">SEO 005930</a>) guilty of violating Apple, Inc.'s (<a href="http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/aapl" rel="nofollow" title="AAPL: Stock Quote & Summary Data">AAPL</a>) patented design, which is featured in the iPad.<br />
<br />
The latest hearing went in Apple's favour and means the <b>Galaxy Tab 10.1</b> is again banned from sale across Germany.<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote>The "minimalist, modern form" of the two products gave a "clear impression of similarity". <br />
- Judge Johanna Brueckner-Hoffmann </blockquote><br />
<br />
<span id="articleText">By contrast, a Dutch court ruled last month that it found no infringement for Samsung's pc tablets.</span><span id="articleText"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="articleText">Apple repeated its usual statement saying that: "This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas."</span><br />
<br />
Samsung has indeed confirmed it will appeal the decision and warned the ruling "severely limits consumer choice in Germany" and "restricts design innovation and progress in the industry."<br />
<span class="normalblack"></span> <span id="articleText"> </span><br />
<span id="articleText">In a global intellectual property battle, Apple has claimed the Galaxy line of mobile phones and tablets "slavishly" copied the iPhone and iPad and has sued the Korean company in the United States, Australia, Japan and Korea as well as in Europe.</span><br />
<br />
Samsung, whose tablets are based on Google Inc's Android software, has counter-sued Apple.<br />
<span id="articleText"><span id="midArticle_4"></span></span><br />
On Thursday, Apple had also filed a suit against Samsung in Japan, seeking to ban sales of some of its gadgets there.Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-48683152358397151162011-09-01T20:12:00.000+08:002011-09-01T20:12:32.356+08:00HP resurrects TouchPad to challenge iPad again.<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" height="233" src="http://i.imgur.com/1hDWr.png" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="320" /></div><br />
<br />
When HP said they were done with its WebOS Touchpad two weeks ago, then sold off the remaining stock at $99 a pop, it seemed the tablet would be dead for good.<br />
<br />
Nope. The <a href="http://h41112.www4.hp.com/promo/webos/us/en/tablet/touchpad.html">TouchPad</a> tablet is entering an odd state of zombie-hood as HP is making one last batch to meet "<i>unfulfilled demand</i>."<br />
<br />
There is no exact date on when that will arrive or for how much ( expected much cheaper than Apple's iPad ), and HP won’t guarantee it will be enough to meet demand, but there are more on the way.<br />
<br />
If you didn’t get in on the first round of the sales, HP has announced that it will be making more HP TouchPads available in the coming weeks. According to <a href="http://h20435.www2.hp.com/t5/The-Next-Bench-Blog/More-TouchPads-on-the-Way/ba-p/68749">The Next Bench</a>:<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote>“A limited supply are coming and it will be a few weeks before they are available. As we know more about how, when, and where TouchPads will be available, we will communicate that here and through email to those who requested notification. We can tell you that HP’s Small and Medium Business team has sold out of HP TouchPads and will not have more inventory.”</blockquote><br />
<br />
Experts are saying the reason HP is doing this one last run of TouchPad is because there are tons of HP TouchPad components still in their supply chain. Regardless, the hype around it is great and HP can really milk it good for a dead OS.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-67272672851473334902011-08-26T17:54:00.000+08:002011-08-26T17:54:43.748+08:00Steve Jobs resigns from Apple, Tim Cook is the new CEO<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" height="320" src="http://i.imgur.com/88jmk.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="212" /></div><br />
<br />
The world known man who always wore a tucked in black shirt with blue jeans on Apple's new product unveilings and already cartoonized on Comedy Central's South Park, <b>Steve Jobs</b> on Wednesday resigned as chief executive of <b>Apple Inc</b> in a stunning move that ended his reign at the technology giant he co-founded in a garage 14 years ago.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1314350483726399">After the news broke, Apple shares dived as much as 7% in after-hours trade. Jobs has been on medical leave for an undisclosed condition since January 17, is now replaced by COO and longtime heir apparent <b>Tim Cook</b>.<br />
<br />
<br />
Even though Android is the most popular smartphone platform for users craving wireless internet service , the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>iPhone 4 is the best-selling phone. A recent <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/08/22/iphone-3gs-outsells-everyone/" id="yui_3_3_0_1_1314351811025440">study</a> shows that the second best-selling phone on the market is the over two year old iPhone 3GS.</div><br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1314350483726487">"I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come," - Steve Jobs</div></blockquote><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1314350483726487"><br />
<br />
</div><div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1314350483726488">The 55-year-old CEO had briefly emerged from his medical leave in March to unveil the latest version of the <b>iPad</b> and later to attend a dinner hosted by U.S President Barack Obama for technology leaders in Silicon Valley.<br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/LMhHF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://i.imgur.com/LMhHF.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bigger picture <a href="http://i.imgur.com/LMhHF.jpg">HERE</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Rumors on the internet stated the reason for his resigning is that he is unable to make a recovery quick enough for the unveiling of the new iPhone 5 which is coming very soon. <br />
Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-28967170276691440192011-08-19T21:25:00.000+08:002011-08-19T21:25:19.130+08:00Large ISP Profit From BitTorrent Traffic<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" height="320" src="http://i.imgur.com/hvajj.png" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="277" /></div>For many years Internet Service Providers from all over the world have throttled or even banned BitTorrent traffic on their networks.<br />
<br />
Claims often heard on the news from high speed internet providers is that heavy users are using too much resources and bandwidth and are making them lose a lot of money. <br />
<br />
Well, not according to <a href="http://www.aqualab.cs.northwestern.edu/publications/JOtto11SIGCOMM.pdf">a new paper</a> out from Northwestern University and Telefónica Research that studies how P2P applications affect ISPs. The paper claims to look at the whole ecosystem, across network boundaries and geographical borders to detail the effect of the entire system of files.<br />
<br />
As far as larger ISPs concern, there’s an upside to BitTorrent as well. In fact, companies like Comcast make a substantial amount of money from BitTorrent traffic.<br />
<br />
<br />
The goal of the research was to understand the network impact of BitTorrent, both in terms of traffic and the costs involved. To answer these questions the researchers conducted a 2-year study where they tracked the downloads of 500,000 people for 169 different countries. The end result is an interesting trend report which, among other things, shows how BitTorrent traffic has developed over time. <br />
<br />
<b>A third of BitTorrent traffic stays local</b>: Thirty-two percent of BitTorrent traffic stays in the country of origin and 49 percent of traffic is intra-domain or crosses a single peering or sibling network link.<br />
<br />
<b>BitTorrent traffic doesn’t usually hit the big backbone transit providers</b>: That’s partly because it stays local and partly because the largest amount of BitTorrent traffic stays inside a local area network run by a hosting company or enterprise.<br />
<br />
<b>BitTorrent traffic occurs at the same time as peak web traffic and it’s growing</b>: The old myth that BitTorrent users were up late at night seeding files has evolved and most users are sharing files during the day. Many are doing so during “peak traffic times,” which the researchers don’t disclose unless daytime means peak traffic time.<br />
<br />
The researchers translated their findings into the actual costs and revenues of Internet providers and found that contrary to what the public would expect, large <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tier_2_network">Tier 2 ISPs</a> actually make money off BitTorrent traffic. This means that broadband providers like Comcast, Virgin Media and France Telecom profit directly from heavy downloaders.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>“Using inferred business relationships between ISPs, we showed that most BitTorrent traffic flows over cost-free paths and that it generates substantial revenue potential for many higher tier ISPs,” the researchers write.</blockquote><br />
But not all Internet providers make money off BitTorrent; those in the lower tiers where most traffic is flowing through have less local (and free) traffic and often have to pick up the bill.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>“Unlike with tier 2, provider traffic is larger than customer traffic for tier 3, indicating that these ISPs on average are paying for rather than profiting from transit charges due to BitTorrent traffic,” state the researchers.</blockquote>Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-33908308141257939862011-08-12T17:03:00.000+08:002011-08-12T17:03:08.636+08:00Sony To Replace PSP Of Mugged Student In London Riots<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" height="179" src="http://i.imgur.com/IBwfO.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Savages.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></div><br />
<b>Sony Computer Entertainment Europe</b> (SCEE) has promised to replace the PSP portable gaming device of <b>Ashraf Haziq</b> – a straight A Malaysian student who just arrive in United Kingdom a month ago on an accounting scholarship. <br />
<br />
Ashraf was video taped being mugged of his PSP after being brutally beaten up. The shocking video that have gone viral shows Haziq being robbed off his goods from his backpack after being assisted to his feet by youths. He suffered a broken jaw and was seen sitting at the roadside, bleeding heavily. He was caught in the midst of widespread rioting in London on Monday night.<br />
<br />
SCEE marketing director Alan Duncan wrote on a <a href="http://somethingniceforashraf.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> set up specifically for this purpose that the company would “like to give Ashraf a new PSP and games,” and requested to be put in touch with him or a hospital where he is being treated.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>“If we can find out how to get it to him we’ll replace the PSP,” added a SCE UK rep.</blockquote><br />
Speaking at a press conference after being discharged from the Royal London<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/london" title="More from guardian.co.uk on London"></a> hospital after a three-hour operation on Wednesday, Haziq said he felt sorry for his attackers.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>"I was really sad for them because amongst them there were children," he said.</blockquote><blockquote> "There was a boy from a primary school, I think. It was shocking because I expected it to be someone older, but there was this boy."</blockquote><br />
Despite this horrible incident, Haziq still want to complete his 2 year study in the UK and hold no grudges to his attackers.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6Gex_ya4-Oo" width="450"></iframe><br />
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<br />
Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-79740761889542531052011-08-08T18:03:00.000+08:002011-08-08T18:03:43.414+08:00Starbucks Blocking Ports To Prevent Wi-Fi Campers<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" height="212" src="http://i.imgur.com/PhpPL.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="320" /></div><br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></div>It's a sight almost all of us have seen in the city everyday. People buying a cup of latte and staying at <b>Starbucks</b> for hours on their laptops for their wireless internet access.<br />
<br />
It has apparently become quite the problem. <b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/05/uk-coffee-starbucks-idUSLNE77401N20110805">Reuters</a> </b>points out that some highly trafficked Starbucks outlets in New York City are actually blocking electrical outlets in a bid to keep campers moving on and provide seats for other customers who just need a place to sit after buying up a latte or pastry. <br />
<br />
<span id="articleText"><span class="focusParagraph"></span></span><br />
<blockquote>"<b>Customers are asking (for it) .... They just purchased a latte and a pastry and there is nowhere to sit down in some of these really high-volume stores</b>," said Starbucks spokesman Alan Hilowitz.</blockquote><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/cRUPZ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="283" src="http://i.imgur.com/cRUPZ.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Move it along brah.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<blockquote>"<b>If this is what the store needs to do to support the business, then they're allowed to make the decision to do that</b>," Hilowitz said. "<b>It really is all about the balance</b>."</blockquote><br />
Starbucks offers free wireless internet access to all of its customers. While inviting customers to linger can result in repeat purchases, it also can have unintended consequences.<br />
<br />
Seating is limited in some cafes frequented by students, freelancer workers and other laptop users who sometimes stay for hours eventhough their cup of latte is empty for quite a while.<br />
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Perhaps they can just bring more batteries? Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-36435440707030816172011-08-03T18:15:00.000+08:002011-08-03T18:15:41.997+08:00Norway Pulling Violent Video Games After Killing<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" height="180" src="http://i.imgur.com/oZWgV.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="320" /></div><br />
After the world shocking mass murders allegedly performed by <b>Anders Breivik</b> (picture) 10 days ago, retail chains in Norway are pulling violent video games off their shelves and as usual, violent video games are targeted as the main motivator of the shooting .<br />
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<a href="http://coop.no/">Coop Norway</a>, one of the Norway's largest retailers, announced late last week that they will be removing over 50 video games and weapon-like toys from their shelves in the aftermath of the Oslo/Utoya shootings.<br />
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Among the titles affected are Homefront, Counter-Strike, Sniper: Ghost Warrior, World of Warcraft and various Call of Duty games. According to statements made to Norwegian newspaper <b><a href="http://www.rogalandsavis.no/nyheter/article5684654.ece">Rogalands Avis</a></b>, the ban on these games is apparently only temporary, but no reinstatement date were announced for gamers to continue to buy video games.<br />
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Coop Norway Retail director Geir Inge Stokke said, "The decision to remove the games was made around the time we realized the scope of the attack. Others are better suited than us to point to the negative effects of games like these."<br />
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Stokke added, "At the moment it's [appropriate] for us to take them down. I wouldn't be surprised if others do the same. We have to think very carefully about when to bring these goods back. The economy involved is of no importance."<br />
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A comment someone posted awhile ago:<br />
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"I even heard he drank milk once! They should ban that too."Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1528887100206060159.post-51922029562220340092011-07-29T23:39:00.000+08:002011-07-29T23:39:29.314+08:00Heroes of Newerth is now Free to Play<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></div><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img alt="" src="http://i.imgur.com/clcia.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" /></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">It's still summer and that means tech savvy teenagers are staying indoors doing computer gaming, killing newbies and mic spamming on TF2 since it went F2P. Now another company is going on the same road. </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br />
<a href="http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/f2p_splash.php"><b>Heroes of Newerth</b></a> (well known as <b>HoN</b>) is <i>now</i> a free-to-play science fantasy, action real-time strategy game developed by <b>S2 Games </b>and is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Released back on May 2010, HoN is heavily inspired by the <b>Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne</b> custom map, Defense of the Ancients.<br />
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Similar to TF2's F2P method, new players will have a Free Account. After a player has surpassed a certain threshold of game time, or purchased Goblin Coins, their account is upgraded to a Verified account.<br />
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Existing paying players will have Legacy accounts which can't be purchased anymore. Legacy accounts players will receive a lifetime of free access to all HoN heroes and are able to play in Verified Only games.<br />
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You also don't need a kick ass gaming notebook or computer as the game will run smoothly on any modern systems.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>System requirements</b> </div><div style="text-align: center;">2.2GHz processor</div><div></div><div style="text-align: center;">1GB RAM</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">GeForce 5, ATI 9x00, OpenGL 2.0 compatible (Linux and Mac) video card</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Linux/Windows XP/Vista/7/Mac</div><div style="text-align: center;">Network Connection Required</div><br />
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<img alt="" height="320" src="http://i.imgur.com/Qe4TS.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" width="400" /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable infobox collapsible" id="collapsibleTable0"><tbody>
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<tr><th>Aggregator</th> <th>Score</th> </tr>
<tr> <td>GameRankings</td> <td>78.14%<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GameRankings_20-0"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Metacritic</td> <td>76%<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Metacritic_21-0"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> </tr>
<tr> <th colspan="2" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(209, 219, 223); font-size: 120%;">Review scores</th> </tr>
<tr> <th>Publication</th> <th>Score</th> </tr>
<tr> <td><i>Game Informer</i></td> <td><span style="white-space: nowrap;" title="3.5/5 stars"><img alt="3.5/5 stars" height="11" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png" width="11" /><img alt="" height="11" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png" width="11" /><img alt="" height="11" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png" width="11" /><img alt="" height="11" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Star_half.svg/11px-Star_half.svg.png" width="11" /><img alt="" height="11" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Star_empty.svg/11px-Star_empty.svg.png" width="11" /></span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GameInformer_2-1"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Game Revolution</td> <td>B+<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GameRevolution_22-0"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> </tr>
<tr> <td>GameZone</td> <td><span style="white-space: nowrap;" title="8/10 stars"><img alt="8/10 stars" height="7" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/7px-Star_full.svg.png" width="7" /><img alt="" height="7" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/7px-Star_full.svg.png" width="7" /><img alt="" height="7" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/7px-Star_full.svg.png" width="7" /><img alt="" height="7" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/7px-Star_full.svg.png" width="7" /><img alt="" height="7" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/7px-Star_full.svg.png" width="7" /><img alt="" height="7" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/7px-Star_full.svg.png" width="7" /><img alt="" height="7" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/7px-Star_full.svg.png" width="7" /><img alt="" height="7" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/7px-Star_full.svg.png" width="7" /><img alt="" height="7" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Star_empty.svg/7px-Star_empty.svg.png" width="7" /><img alt="" height="7" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Star_empty.svg/7px-Star_empty.svg.png" width="7" /></span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GameZone_23-0"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><i>PC Gamer US</i></td> <td>71%<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PCGamerUS_24-0"><span></span></sup></td> </tr>
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<tr> <th colspan="2" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(209, 219, 223); font-size: 120%;">Awards</th> </tr>
<tr> <th>Entity</th> <th>Award</th> </tr>
<tr> <td>Independent Games Festival</td> <td> Audience Award (2010)</td><td> </td><td> </td></tr>
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</tbody></table>Kopitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15286993975715027069noreply@blogger.com10