14th August 2007 Archive

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MS announces revamped Xbox 360 coding kit

XNA 2.0 to merge pro, amateur SDKs

Microsoft will offer the next major version of its XNA Game Studio pro- and amateur-oriented Xbox 360 game creation tool for download later this year, the software giant has said. The PC-hosted software development kit, to be re-released as version 2.0, will sport a new user interface that Microsoft said would make …

Gaming 14 Aug 2007, 01:29
Apple head-hunters reveal Australia, UK store plans

Hiring, mate

Apple has begun recruiting staff to run its first Australian Apple Store, currently being kitted out in Sydney's central George Street. It's also looking for workers for new stores in the UK in Exeter, Milton Keynes, Glasgow, Reading and Brighton. The Mac maker's website currently lists a range of key posts for the Sydney …

Mac 14 Aug 2007, 02:20
Surround sound... with a single speaker unit?

Yes, you heard us correctly

Being pelted by speakers placed at almost every angle has long been, acoustically speaking, the tried and tested way to gain surround sound. Now, US-based Polk Audio has created a single-bar speaker that it pledges will deliver a 5.1 surround sound experience from one location. The SurroundBar 50 raises the bar The …

Gadgets and Gizmos 14 Aug 2007, 03:59
Unannounced Slingbox surfaces on the web

Original Slingbox revamped?

Sling Media is working on a new incarnation of its Slingbox TV-over-the-internet box, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website has revealed. Sling Media's 'Slingbox 3': in the labs Details of the new box, mentioned in FCC electromagnetic emission testing documentation, are sparse, but it appears to sit …

Media players 14 Aug 2007, 07:26
Power gadget set to cut electricity bills

Turn off all your equipment at the push of a button

A company based in the UK has launched an innovative way to quickly and easily turn off all that household electronic equipment more often than not left on power-consuming 'standby' mode: a radio-controlled power plug. Ivy's Standby Buster: power cutter Dubbed the Standby Buster, it's a three-pin adaptor that sits between …

Gadgets and Gizmos 14 Aug 2007, 08:02
Nokia issues battery warning

Warning over 46m batteries

Batteries used in a range of Nokia handsets, from the 1100 to the latest E60, are at risk of overheating during charging. Of 300 million BL-5C batteries manufactured by Matsushita Battery Industrial Co. for Nokia last year, 46 million belong to the dodgy batch. One hundred incidents have already been reported, but none have …

Phones 14 Aug 2007, 09:44
RIM BlackBerry 8820 smartphone

Review Now with added Wi-Fi

It seems that Research In Motion (RIM) just can't help adding new features to its BlackBerry line. It's barely six months since the 8800 was released and there's already a new model nipping at its heels. The 8820 offers the form factor and features of its predecessor but adds a couple of new extras - most notably Wi-Fi. RIM …

Phones 14 Aug 2007, 11:02
Intempo gets first dibs on DAB iPod docking station

Tune into this...

We thought the iPod accessory market was already bursting, but apparently the one thing it’s been missing is a DAB digital radio iPod docking station. Intempo claims to have developed the industry’s first such device, incorporating dual band DAB digital and FM radio into a sleek black unit. Intempo’s RDI-03 iPod docking …

Media players 14 Aug 2007, 12:21
Sony Ericsson slides out K770 mobile camera phone

Another snap-happy mobile

Sony Ericsson has unwrapped its K770 Cyber-shot phone which touts a 3.2-megapixel camera and promises picture quality that rivals a standalone digital camera. But despite the upmarket camera specs, Sony insists it's a phone first and foremost. The handset has a 1.9in TFT screen, which uses Sony’s Cyber-shot camera menu system …

Phones 14 Aug 2007, 12:38
Camera pole puts you in the frame

Stretch out and snap

It’s weird, it’s ever-so slightly ridiculous and it’s up to 94cm long. What is it? It’s the XShot handheld camera pole, which the manufacturer claims enables users to snap themselves in pictures or videos just by holding it out in-front. XShot said all digital compact cameras can be secured onto the pole, and taking pictures …

Gadgets and Gizmos 14 Aug 2007, 12:45
How to watch TV on your PC

Feature PC as PVR

Watching TV used to be a passive affair: you sat back and watched whatever happened to be on. These days, passivity is passé. Digital Video Recorder (DVR) set-top boxes can pick up programmes beamed out from a terrestrial transmitter, sent via satellite or pumped down a cable and save them on a hard drive so you begin watching …

HD 14 Aug 2007, 14:02
Boffins build bendy paper battery

A4 will never be the same

Researchers in the US have developed a flexible paper battery which is about the size of a postage stamp. The concept device works like a conventional battery and can pump out around 2.5 volts, enough power to illuminate a small light. The research team at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York claim the design is …

Bits 'n' Chips 14 Aug 2007, 16:08