Do you think that the current PlayStation Store is just looking too tired, and is in serious need for a revamp? For those who have answered in the affirmative, then you would be pleased to mark down October 23rd on your calendars as that is when the new and redesigned PlayStation Store for the PS3 will launch. Sony claimed to have listened closely to users’ feedback, and have used it to construct a totally new PlayStation Store from ground up. From what you see above, what do you think of the new user interface? Is it “stunning” as described by Sony themselves? Delivering simple search and powerful content discovery, the new PlayStation Store aims to be an in-store experience which is far more streamlined and accessible than before.
With the new PlayStation Store, you will be able to access over 20,000 pieces of game-related content, ranging from downloadable games, add-ons and themes and more than 100,000 videos and TV shows. There is a whole lot more to choose from, where the redesign offers easier navigation to locate the perfect game, video or application. Product pages will be more comprehensive as they deliver in-depth information concerning games and videos, all presented in high definition visuals.
While some app developers seem to forget about Windows Phone, Evernote definitely has not. The tiled version of the cloud-based note taking app received an update on Thursday that brings an arsenal of new features, including an updated tile layout for note lists, a redesigned login / registration screen and user help tips. Perhaps the most anticipated new additions here are an improved note editing settings that adds more space to jot things down and a much welcomed performance boost. If your memory isn’t quite what it used to be and you’re looking for a helpful tool to take notes while on the go, you can snag the latest version of Evernote from the Windows Phone Store now. That is, if you can remember which tile to tap when trying to get there.
For all of the many directions Ubuntu One’s cloud storage has gone, it hasn’t headed the Mac’s way. Official clients have been the province of Linux devotees (naturally, Ubuntu is recommended) and their Windows friends across the aisle. A newly available Mac beta puts all three major desktop platforms on an even keel, very literally — the OS X port is almost identical to what you’d get in Linux or Windows, including a few rough points where other interface concepts clash. Still, the Ubuntu One test build has a handy Mac-specific menu bar item, and it’s one of the few cloud options that will natively support both the Ubuntu box in your den and the MacBook Pro in your bag. Grab your copy at the source link if you can deal with a few unfinished elements.
Samsung and Apple have a strange sort of symbiotic relationship. On one hand, Apple uses Samsung for a large number of the components it needs for its devices, and Samsung receives considerable business from Apple. Despite this, the two companies have also been caught up in a series of patent wars, with lawsuits being slung back and forth. Recently, Apple began shifting its orders around to multiple suppliers, reducing its dependence on Samsung, although it states that this was due to risk management.
Now another story unfolds involving the two companies. Jim Mergard, Samsung’s chief system architect, has left the company after 16 months to work for Apple. Before working for Samsung, Mergard spent 16 years working for Advanced Micro Devices as chief engineer and vice president. Perhaps adding to the story, back in August, Advanced Micro Devices hired Jim Keller, who previously worked as a chip architect for Apple. Apple also recently hired John Bruno, a system architect for AMD who left the company to join the Apple ranks.
What’s with the employee shuffle? It’s not uncommon for high-level technical workers to leave one major company in favor of another. What is curious, in this instance, is that the move was from Samsung to Apple at a time when both companies have been at each other’s throats. While Mergard spent a decade at Advanced Micro Devices, he only spent 16 months at Samsung.
Apple has been pursuing chip architects for some time now in order to improve its mobile devices. At the same time, Samsung has been vocally upping its game in the world of microprocessors. Whether this employee transition has anything to do with the ongoing spat between the two companies is unknown, but as things continue to heat up, it is something of interest.
Here’s a video that’ll shatter many a Hollywood movies: putting duct tape over somebody’s mouth doesn’t stop them from screaming, it doesn’t make them stop talking and it definitely doesn’t keep them quiet. In fact, putting duct tape over somebody’s mouth does… absolutely nothing. More »
We got a peek at DirecTV’s Genie system just a few weeks ago with promises of a system that would both suggest related shows and optionally record them unbidden. It’s here, and it’s being joined by some rebranding. The company’s flagship HR34 DVR has been relabeled as the Genie and makes the new software its centerpiece, with those five tuners letting even the chronically uncommitted take new recommendations as seriously as they like. As before, simultaneous viewing is otherwise the biggest angle: there’s support for up to eight RVU-capable TVs hooked up at once, two shows playing on one TV and up to four TVs watching the same show. You’ll have to be a new subscriber to get the video recorder under the Genie moniker, although we don’t see too many existing customers dropping everything to get that symbolic distinction.
If you are looking for a new all-in-one PC for your home or office, then check out the ASUS ET2701. It is a Windows 8-ready all-in-one PC that features a 27-inch frameless, 10-point capacitive touchscreen LED backlit display with a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and a wide viewing angle of 178 degrees in both horizontal and vertical directions. The ASUS ET2701 is available in various configurations, depending on your budget. The company will include the Intel Core i7-3770S (8 MB Cache, 3.10 GHz, TBD: Turbo Boost up to 3.9 GHz), the Core i5-3450 (6 MB Cache, 3.10 GHz, TBD: Turbo Boost up to 3.5 GHz), the Core i5-3330, or the Core i3-3220 processor. Other specs include up to 8 GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 2 TB of storage capacity (SATA HDD), a tray-in Blu-ray writer, a 3-in-1 SD card reader, USB 3.0 and an e-SATA/USB 2.0 combo port. [ASUS]
If you read a bunch of websites that do not relate to your work whatsoever while you’re at work, well, here’s the one chrome extension worth downloading: Panic Button. It quickly hides all of your open tabs in Chrome and lets you open them up all later. Like, when your boss isn’t around. More »
Sony has introduced its first tabletop PC in the US market, the VAIO Tap 20, a massive 20-inch tablet computer, as well as the smaller VAIO Duo 11 “hybrid slider” PC, which we reviewed back in August. In addition to the Tap 20 and the Duo 11, Sony has also released touch-enabled ultrabooks, including a refresh of the T13 and the E series 14P models. This line of touch-enabled PCs runs Windows 8.
We got our hands on the Tap 20 back in August, and yes, it is as massive as you think it is. This 20-inch tablet is a full PC, and offers a 10-multitouch touchscreen at 1600×900 resolution, a front webcam, USB ports, audio in and out ports, an adjustable metal stand, and a battery. Watch us playing Fruit Ninja on Tap 20 in the video below. The VAIO Tap 20 is priced at $879.99, and will be available in white and black.
Meanwhile, the smaller “hybrid slider” VAIO Duo 11 PC is a smaller, portable tablet/laptop hybrid, with a built-in keyboard that slides under the display when you want to use it as a tablet, and slides out when you want to use it as a touch-enabled laptop. The Duo 11 has a full HD display, a pressure-sensitive stylus with swappable pen tips, a backlit keyboard, Active Clip, Sony original app for photo cropping, and the Note Anytime note taking application. It weighs in at 2.84lbs. The VAIO Duo 11 is priced at $1099.99, and will only be available in black.
As a bonus – especially for artists and graphic designers – Sony partnered with ArtRage, and will provide a copy of ArtRage Studio on all five of these new touch-enabled devices. In addition to ArtRage, the VAIO Tap 20 will include the FingerTapps Organizer, a calendar/organizer app designed to allow families to easily share notes and events with each other, perhaps an indication of who Sony’s primary intended market is. In line with the family-oriented apps, the VAIO Tap 20 will also include My Daily Clip, an app developed in partnership with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment that allows individuals to sit around the tablet and play a movie trivia game.
As for the other three models, the VAIO T13 ($669.99) is a refresh model, with an added touchscreen display running Windows 8. The E series 14P ($689.99) is also a refresh model, with an added touchscreen running Windows 8. The E Series is price as follows: models 11, 14, and 15 at $449.99, and model 17 at $729.99. Both T Series models are priced at $669.99. The S Series 13 has a starting price of $799.99, while the premium S series 13 starts at $1199.99. The S series 15 model starts at $849.99, and the L Series 15 starts at $1199.99.
All five of these devices will be available at the end of the month. Whether the Tap 20 and Duo 11 are the future of PCs as traditional PC sales slip and Microsoft pushes its touch-friendly Windows 8 is yet to be seen. For now, however, it looks like things are getting interesting.
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Do you think that the current PlayStation Store is just looking too tired, and is in serious need for a revamp? For those who have answered in the affirmative, then you would be pleased to mark down October 23rd on your calendars as that is when the new and redesigned PlayStation Store for the PS3 will launch. Sony claimed to have listened closely to users’ feedback, and have used it to construct a totally new PlayStation Store from ground up. From what you see above, what do you think of the new user interface? Is it “stunning” as described by Sony themselves? Delivering simple search and powerful content discovery, the new PlayStation Store aims to be an in-store experience which is far more streamlined and accessible than before.
