Hasta La Gadget!

It goes without saying that a company like Hasselblad is one that is knee deep in tradition, but then again, it would be rather difficult to build up a rather large user base when the starting price of your cameras would be able to purchase a new car for you. Well, we have heard that Hasselblad is about to halt the production of its V System camera, which would also be better known by its model number, the 503CW. This bit of information comes about 17 years after the first models were introduced to the world off the assembly line.

Apparently, interest in the past five years of the 503CW’s life has waned rather rapidly. Although support for the camera will continue in addition to accessories for it being sold, chances are Hasselblad will concentrate all of their “firepower” on the digital-first H System cameras such as the H5D. Are you sad or indifferent that the V System has finally hit the end of the road? [Press Release]

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The connection between Microsoft and Facebook is becoming tighter as Microsoft has announced what they’re calling the Facebook for Windows Phone Beta app program. This marks the first time that the Facebook app for Windows Phone will enter into an extensive beta program, but it will allow users to submit bugs and feedback to improve on the app.

Microsoft says this new beta program is targeted to those who like to mess around with experimental software, so folks that hate when apps crash or don’t perform smoothly most likely don’t need to apply. However, anyone can join in, as it’s not just limited to developers, and Microsoft is encouraging anyone to try it out.

The beta app for Facebook underwent major redesign, and it comes a lot of new features, including support for high-resolution photos, improved post sharing, and Facebook’s Timeline. If you spot a bug or just want to give your overall feedback about the app, you can head to Settings > About in the app to report information.

If you didn’t know Microsoft actually develops the Facebook app for Windows Phone, and it’s the same way with BlackBerry, so essentially, Facebook only actively develops mobile apps for iOS and Android. However, with the social network’s permission, Microsoft can develop their own Facebook app for Windows Phone users.

Facebook for Windows Phone enters beta, brings high-res photos and Timeline is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

An update for Vine is rolling out today that brings a few new features to the social app as well as various bug fixes. One of the major updates included is the added support for front-facing cameras. By pressing the button located on the bottom left corner of your phone, you can switch over to your front-facing camera and send 6 second messages that way. We’re expecting many users to abuse this new feature with selfies and whatnot.

The second new feature being added is a Twitter classic. You are now able to mention users in your Vine messages by using the @ symbol. By typing @ and a person’s username or real name, you will be offered suggestions of people you would like to mention in your message. This new feature will promote social interaction in Vine and encourage more conversations and usage of the app.

For those of you who don’t know, Vine is a social app released by Twitter that allows people to send each other short video messages. Each message can be up to 6 seconds long, and is easily shared to the internet. You can choose to upload your content to only Vine, or you can choose to upload your content simultaneously to Twitter and Facebook as well. Once your content is uploaded, it will be in public view for anyone to see.

Currently, Vine is only available for the iPhone and the iPad, but it should be making its way to Android devices sometime in the future. It’s unsurprising for these apps to head to iOS before they’re ported over to Android. The same thing happened with Instagram, which came to Android 2 years after its debut on iOS. Now 50% of Instagram users come from Android, which shows developers the importance of bringing their apps to both operating systems. If you want to take advantage of the new Vine update, you can download it from the App Store right now. For those of you patiently waiting for Vine to head over to Android, it shouldn’t be too long now before that’ll happen.

Vine upgraded with mentions and front-facing camera support is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

With the release of the latest ThinkPad design from Lenovo, legacy users may notice a change in Lenovo’s design language. This Lenovo ThinkPad S431 takes much of what fans of the ThinkPad line have seen in models released over the past several years and makes tweaks to continue with a design evolution. Here with the ThinkPad S431, a 14-inch LCD display also fits inside a 13-inch frame and a bit of touchscreen technology is employed to control Windows 8.

This machine works with a 180-degree open angle on its display, allowing users to work with the keyboard and/or the touchscreen and Windows 8 in a variety of ways. This notebook works with 3rd generation Intel Core processor options and up to 8GB of memory. Also under the hood users will be able to keep 500GB of files, this allowing for students and entertainment users to store media to their content.

Lenovo appears to be moving toward a cross between small business users and budget thinkers this week with the ThinkPad S431. This release marks the first time that a Lenovo ThinkPad notebook is offered at a price point under a thousand dollars. Starting on the 21st of May, this machine will also be the first ThinkPad to be offered under nine hundred dollars and eight hundred dollars as well, coming in at a cool six hundred and ninty-nine dollars MSRP.

This machine will join its cousins in the ThinkPad line revealed earlier this year at CES and between then and the release of Windows 8. Have a peek at the timeline below to see additional insight on the Lenovo path from here into the future. Things are getting bendy, touchy, and ready for Windows 8, that’s for certain.

Lenovo ThinkPad S431 eases legacy look for Windows 8 touch is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We think it’s safe to say the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES as it’s better known these days, was a huge success and quite possibly a step in the direction to possibly make home video game consoles what it is today. But before the NES was created, Nintendo built the Family Computer, or Famicom and released it in 1983. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Famicom, and its head developer Masayuki Uemura spoke to Shupure News sharing some stories of his stories about the console, such as his lack of faith in its success.

During his talk with Shupure News, Masayuki-san revealed then Nintendo president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, wanted “an arcade game that could be played on a home television set,” which the project was handed off to Masayuki-san and his team of three people to develop. Masayuki-san had no faith in the project as Nintendo’s Game & Watches were handled by dozens of people and were cheap and portable, which he felt worked against him in developing the Famicom. (more…)

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