Sony X Series MP3 Player Released Today

The Sony X Series Walkman, the latest in what is becoming a reasonably long line of touch screen MP3 players, is released in stores today and on the face of it everything looks pretty good. It offers the functionality to, as we’ve come to expect from such devices, listen to music, view pictures, and watch video clips. However, Sony has opted to offer OLED screen and has digital noise cancelling technology as standard and includes an FM radio (for the majority that’s not likely to be a deciding factor, but for others it will ensure that the Sony stands out above the iPod Touch).

The OLED screen is an impressive addition and it will make video clips and high resolution pictures all the better to look at. What’s more, it boasts considerably less power usage and Sony even claim that you will be able to enjoy up to 50% more video playback when compared to the same device without an OLED screen.

The other big boast from the Sony X Series is that it offers noise cancelling technology. Sony mp3 players and audio devices generally pack an impressive audio sound as it is, but this added feature which claims to reduce up to 96% of background noise improves things even further. And while the FM tuner may not be a major selling point to all of us, it will almost certainly be popular with those of us that enjoy listening to the news, weather, and sports while we’re on the move. And, let’s face it, for the minimal cost and effort that it actually takes to add one, Sony has probably made the right move.

Available from pretty much all stores, the 16GB version of the X Series will cost a shade over £200 while the whopping 32GB version will be nearer £270.

Online gaming meets Playboy

For the gamers out there who are also big fans of ‘lads mags’ you will be overjoyed to hear the news that a new Playboy game is in development. The ‘Playboy Manager’ is being developed for Playboy by Jolt Online Gaming and has been billed as a ‘Massively Casual Online Game’. The Playboy Manager game will be available to be played from any ISP and can be added to the player’s favourites, and is designed to be dipped into and played rather than spending hours bum glued to seat playing intensively.

Playboy Manager when released in the summer of 2009, will allow players to act out the fantasy of being a manager for a modelling agency who will promote the career of their model client, with the ultimate aim to have their model become a top Playmate and to eventually obtain residency in Hugh Hefner’s Playboy mansion. The game will be a multiplayer format and more excitingly will be free of charge with the likelihood of income being generated from advertising on the Playboy Manager game’s official site. The game is expected to involve experiencing the virtual world of the Playboy Playmate, from beautiful scantily clad women to celebrity parties and limousine lifestyles. Playboy Manager is not for the fainthearted as the game is likely to contain adult content, it is also reported as being of a trading card style, and is expected to feature videos and photographs.

Prospective players of Playboy Manager can pre-register and will be entered into a competition to win a lifetime subscription of the world famous Playboy magazine. To enter all you need do is visit the site and fill in the online form, and if you would like to improve your chance of winning then give a good reason in 140 words or less of why you deserve a lifetime subscription to the Playboy publication.

Will there be a Sony Playstation phone? Your guess is as good as ours!

Playing games on your mobile phone is by no means a new phenomenon, however playing Sony Playstation games on your mobile phone now that would be a completely different story. Not that there is any possibility of that happening right at the moment , but if an interview in the Financial Times with the president of Sony Ericsson Mr Hideki (Dick) Komiyama, is anything to go by then it could possibly happen one day.

There has always been much industry speculation that Sony would want to grab a piece of the gaming smartphone action and offer a Sony Playstation mobile phone, and this now seems one step closer to reality. In the interview with the FT, Mr Komiyama does not confirm nor deny that a Sony Playstation mobile phone will be launched. However he does more than hint at the possibility when questioned about the prospect of a Sony Playstation mobile phone stating that it “could happen”. Obviously for gamers this would be the stuff of fantasy, but is there a real possibility of a Sony Playstation mobile phone being able to compete with the main players especially Apple’s iPhone, by coming in so late to the gaming smartphone market? When all is said and done, Sony have tinkered with the smartphone very briefly with the release last year of the X1 which was, to put it bluntly a non starter.

Mr Komiyama is the first to recognise Sony Ericsson’s failure to keep ahead of the game, and remarks frankly “if we do not adapt to this new technology or new market environment, we’re going to lose”. He further provides details in the FT interview, what Sony’s plans are to make sure that they have a fighting chance of survival. These plans entail the release of two smartphones by the end of 2009 and a further new one in 2010 – as to one of these new releases being the Sony Playstation mobile phone, well we will just have to wait and see!

Proper Internet TV One Step Closer?

Internet TV is something that has been promised fairly regularly and consistently over a period of time and some small insteps have been made, but news from Samsung and Yahoo indicates that some (although depressingly few) decent movements have been made towards an integrated single Internet TV solution. The snappily titled LE40B650 from Samsung, which is already available, combines Internet widgets into your televisual entertainment and all with just the click of a button on your remote. There is a bit of a problem, at the moment, but one that we’re hoping will be fixed soon enough.

The service, currently called Internet@TV is a scheme being delivered by a partnership between Samsung and Yahoo and when you click the Internet@TV button your chosen widgets will be displayed along the widget bar at the bottom of the TV screen. This means you’ll be able to look at the weather, news headlines, and even view YouTube and Flickr updates without having to mess about with the PC and Internet.

The big problem is that there are currently only 4 widgets available, which is a pretty poor showing, but the technology is still in development and once it matures past infancy it’s likely that you’ll be able to get many more. Presumably that will include updates from just about every social networking website, as well as email, and other Internet technology delivered right at the bottom of Lost and Prison Break episodes – sweet.

Oh, and the TV itself is a pretty slick piece of kit too, so it’s looking pretty good.

The Pheromone Attraction Ring – For A Little Extra Help Getting Lucky

The ITEP Program at NYC University is certainly earning itself a reputation for being worth every cent of the research and development budget they undoubtedly get. This time they’ve done it thanks to an attraction ring that sprays pheromones from tiny piezo tubes. What’s more, you get the choice of six different chemicals (three for each sex) in order to try and chemically induce romance with a passer by (normally a fairly illegal habit, I would have thought).

Unfortunately, while the ring itself is quite small when you consider what it does, it’s also pretty obviously not a standard ring worn by, shall we say, standard people. If you are interested then you’ll be happy to learn that all you need to do when you see a good looking female, or indeed male, about to pass you by without a second look is press the side of the ring to encourage it to squirt its love juice and attract you a possible mate.

According to geek.com there’s no news on whether the ring has been tested, either successfully or otherwise, and we can’t find any news of a potential release to the public. We’re assuming that if their had been positive results from any testing then we’d probably have heard about a lot more about it by now, but then maybe the test subjects are too busy to comment. Either way, it makes a pleasant change to read about gadgets that aren’t attempting to single handedly save the world.

There Really Is An iPhone App For Everything – Even Finding The Best Recycled Loo Paper

We’ve all seen the TV ads, claiming that there’s an iPhone app for every occasion and every conceivable need. Well, Greenpace could be leading the way in providing apps even for the most inconceivable need too. Greenpace may have been known in the past for bemoaning the materials used in the manufacturing of the iPhone but it seems they’ve bitten the bullet and released their very own iPhone application to help consumers choose the greenest toilet paper – that’s in terms of eco friendliness, not colour, obviously.

The app is based on the Recycled Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide, which is a convenient pocket sized guide created by Greenpeace for any consumer that so desires it. Now, thanks to the free Greenpace iPhone app you don’t even need to carry the guide separately.

The tissue guide and, consequently, the app are currently US based versions (Damn the US; they get all the best stuff first don’t they?) but I’m sure that if it proves popular then there’ll be a UK version along too. The application is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch, Android phones, and can be viewed by mobile WAP pages so you can connect and do your bit whilst doing your business with any mobile phone.

There are more than likely some crazier apps on the market and we all know that despite being among the most bizarre will still get some download numbers. Next up? We’re not sure and, to be honest, we kind of struggled to think of anything that might top the toilet tissue guide.

Seat Ibiza ‘Bocanegra’ will be launched shortly

From concept car to reality the new Seat Ibiza ‘Bocanegra’ is perched ready to take the UK by storm. Certainly a head turner the Bocanegra has an earthy sportiness that is bound to get any car enthusiast talking, and is most certainly by its appearance a car that you will either love or hate.

The front of the Bocanegra has been styled in such a manner that it appears to be grinning in a slightly sinister way reminiscent of The Joker from the Batman films. In fact the Spanish name ‘Bocanegra’ translated means black mouth, and it is easy to see why they have chosen such a name. The front of the Bocanegra is dominated by integrated bumper, a front grille that seems to dominate the front of the car.

If the Bocanegra is sporty on the outside then the inside is perfectly matched, the leather sports seats have been specially designed and feature a stylish red trim and stitching, the dash has every conceivable feature carefully included and designed to maximise the appeal and comfort of the driver. The sports steering wheel is also carefully designed for ease of use and for optimum appeal as are the sports pedals, in fact every tiny detail of the Bocanegra has been carefully considered.

The Seat Bocanegra is clearly aimed to appeal to the younger buyer and this compact sports coupe is likely to do just that, the paddle shift included on the steering wheel allows for immediate control of the 7 speed DSG gearbox and adds to the overall sporty feel of the car. The Bocanegra features a twin-turbo 1.4 petrol engine and is available in a choice of 180 bhp or 150 bhp and also sports the latest ‘agile chassis’ that means this Seat will offer the most superb stability and road holding. Whether ‘small and sporty’ is everyone’s cup of tea is another matter.

Carphone Warehouse buys Tiscali to become UK no.1 ISP?

Carphone warehouse has continued in their plans to dominate the UK broadband market, by purchasing the troubled UK division of Tiscali for a bargain price of £236 million. The original asking price was thought to be in the region of £500 million and with this latest acquisition by Carphone Warehouse it has reputedly placed them at the number one position of UK broadband service provider. Carphone Warehouse has already added the TalkTalk service and AOL to its portfolio of products which has resulted in leaping to the forefront of internet service providers.

BT has until now always held the top spot as the UK’s biggest residential broadband supplier and they argue that they still do, however the industry has other ideas and reports suggest that BT have indeed been knocked off their first position. Tiscali will come under the control of Carphone Warehouse in June but until then will remain separate.

Taking on ‘challenge Tiscali’ isn’t likely to be an easy one, TalkTalk themselves have enough customer service issues, but adding to that Tiscali’s renowned failure in supplying what their customers want is likely to put a strain on the call centre staff. For the new largest internet service provider it is likely to cause a headache trying to resolve the issues and to begin to deliver the kind of service that BT has struggled to deliver for so long. Existing Tiscali customers which is estimated to be in the region of 1.4 million, won’t see any interruption to their broadband or email service and will be able to access the internet services that the internet service provider already delivers as before.

A further pressure that the Carphone Warehouse acquisition is likely to face is the prospect that they must now ensure that the whole of the UK has a minimum of 2mbps of broadband in line with the Universal Service Obligation.

Games Of The Month For May 2009

May is a pretty busy month when it comes to video game releases, so let’s dive right in and look at the top games that are coming out on the various popular platforms this month.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Whilst the movie of the same name is filling seats and busting the box office at the cinema the game is also released on every platform imaginable. Whether you’ve got a Wii, a PS3 a 360 or a DS you’ll be able to grab a version of Wolverine, but as with any movie game there is going to be a certain amount of caution attached. This is because there are so few decent movie-to-game translations that it’s almost always sensible to steer clear of them. However, with X-Men Origins: Wolverine you should expect to be pleasantly surprised. It’s a God of War style beat-em-up, by which I mean it’s extremely violent, you can power up various weapons and there are the mandatory button mashing quick time events to get through. That being said it’s not a bad example of the genre, there’s plenty of variety in terms of level design and the controls are smooth and intuitive. The presentation isn’t always that consistent and this is indicative of a rushed completion of the title to tie in with the movie’s release, though that being said X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a game that fans of the series should definitely pick up.

Crysis: Maximum Edition
The system-crippling awesomeness of the original Crysis with its stunning visuals is brought together with the two expansion packs; Crysis: Warhead and Crysis Wars giving you hours upon hours of first person carnage in luscious surrounding. Bear in mind that you will need quite a powerful PC to run this collection and laptop owners need not apply.

 

 

 

 

 

Fallout 3: Broken Steel
This is another reason to be pleased to be living in the age of downloadable content as owners of the brilliant Fallout 3 can treat themselves to this expansion pack that is available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in May. Add ons include a larger limit on the level your character can reach, more main quest goodies and loads of side missions and additional content for the game like new weapons.

 

 

 

Demigod
This game has already had positive reviews from many areas and is sure to be a hit when it’s released for the PC on the 15th of May. It’s basically an RTS combined with an RPG and has plenty to offer for fans of both genres. You choose from a selection of demigods and then battle it out Black and White style with minions in a series of well designed arenas. One to watch.

Rock Band 2
The Wii finally gets the second instalment of the hugely popular Rock Band series. The original team who worked on the first few Guitar Hero titles are responsible for this series, and kitting yourself out with the drums, bass, guitar and vocal peripherals makes this the best party game around.

Battlestations: Pacific
After last month’s fun aerial combat simulator Hawx comes Battlestations: Pacific, this time contextualising things in a historical way with the chance to control both American and Japanese forces in one of the most brutal theatres of World War 2. You may be getting sick and tired of war games rehashing the same material again and again, but at least the perspective of airborne fighting will feel refreshing after the constant barrage of first person shooter releases.

Virtua Tennis 2009
Another important release on the Wii is the latest in Sega’s tennis series that began a fruitful life on the Dreamcast many years ago. Known for its simple interface but ultimately deep gameplay we can only hope that this latest edition works in the Wii’s motion sensitive controls to good effect. If not we’ll all just be reaching for our Gamecube controllers and shaking our heads knowingly. Since this title is being released on the PS3 and 360 a week later everyone should be able to pick up a copy for their console.

 

 

Punchout
Finally, a Wii exclusive with some decent heritage and with controls that lend themselves to arm flailing. This boxing game is the first in the Punchout series for a decade and a half and comes at a time when some of the hardcore are loosing faith in the Wii’s ability to allow innovation rather than just casual gaming for kids and mums.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terminator: Salvation
Another game based on a movie licence, this title is getting a lot of hype online so we hope that it will deliver. Going for a Gears of War over the shoulder shooter style this may be good fun, but the controls and the level variety will be where this game lives or dies.

Buy them now from Play.com

Polaroid Two PoGo leaps into the market

Times change and sadly sometimes things that were once considered state-of-the-art and a ‘must have’ slip very easily into obscurity and it is only when you are reminded of them, you think… Oh yes, that was good, those were the days! If like us you remember the joy of experiencing instant Polaroid pictures (then you are knocking on a bit – oops sorry!) then be happy because you can enjoy all that instant heaven all over again with the release of the Polaroid Two PoGo next week.

The Polaroid Two PoGo instant digital camera will allow you to print off your favourite picture instantly using inkless technology. The Polaroid Two is a 5 megapixel digital camera, featuring a 3” LCD screen with 4 x digital zoom and of course the ability to print via the integral 300dpi printer instant 2” x 3” pictures.

The Polaroid Two PoGo instant digital camera will allow you to save to a memory card and can be uploaded to your PC via the USB cable. Whilst in use the camera will allow you to do simple editing such as removing red eye, adding borders and cropping and also has a very useful movie mode.

Now for the downsides of the Polaroid Two PoGo instant digital camera the special paper required will set you back £8 per pack of 30 sheets and the rechargeable battery will only provide the ability to print 15 before it will require charging again. The price tag is set to shock at just a smidgen under £230.00.

The Polaroid Two PoGo instant digital camera is what you would expect it to be a fun camera, with something just a little bit different to offer in today’s market. But it has to be said with mobile phones having 8 megapixel cameras, the ability to film videos, and the option to text or email them to friends or family whenever you wish instantly, we have to ask does the PoGo actually have a valid place in the modern world?

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