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    Kingston reveals 512 GB and 1 TB flash drives at CES

    Everyone has a flash drive or two or six or seven lying around somewhere—most people use them to store small files, such as music, photos, and work or school documents. They’re often 4, 8 or 16 GB in size. But imagine bringing the files of your whole computer around in your pocket, and we’re not talking just music, photos, and documents—you can bring around some HD videos, a small or medium sized Steam library of games, or several iPod Classics worth of music, or you can mix and match all three. Kingston, one of the major makers of flash drives, has announced that they’re releasing 512 GB and 1 terabyte flash drives at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

    The DataTraveler HyperX Predator 3.0 has a USB 3.0 input and can read up to 240 MB/s and write up to 160 MB/s. “Our new DataTraveler HyperX Predator 3.0 allows users to store their entire digital world on a portable USB 3.0 Flash drive,” said Andrew Ewing, Flash memory business manager at Kingston. “The large capacity and fast USB 3.0 transfer speeds allow users to save time as they can access, edit and transfer applications or files such as HD movies directly from the drive without any performance lag.”

    Prepare to empty your wallets, however—the 512 GB version is available now and can be yours for “only” US$1,750, or Php 71,952. There is no available pricing for the 1 TB version, but it is also expected to be released in 2013. For those who think that is too much space or too much money, there will also be 32 and 64 GB offerings available in 2013 as well.

    Nikon adds J3 and S1 to the 1 Series

    Nikon 1 J3

    Nikon has just launched two new members to its line of mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras (the Nikon 1 series)—the Nikon 1 J3 and the Nikon 1 S1.

    The Nikon 1 J3 hosts a 14.2-megapixel CX-format CMOS sensor. The S1 wields the same sensor with 10.1 effective megapixels. The ISO of the J3 ranges from ISO 160 to 6400, while in the S1, it’s from ISO 100 TO 6400.

    Manual, Automatic, and Creative modes are all present in both the J3 and the S1. This includes the  Advanced Movie Mode, which allows the user to shoot Full HD videos and high-resolution stills of a scene simultaneously.

    Nikon 1 S1

    Both models essentially offer the same features, save for the Easy Panorama Mode in the J3. They both have a 3-inch LCD screen, an integrated flash, a hybrid autofocus (AF) system that features a 73-point AF array, burst shooting in 15 frames per second (fps) with continuous focus, plus an upgrade of the Expeed 3A image processor. They also have the ability to wirelessly share and transfer images if the camera is equipped with the WU-1b Wireless Mobile Adapter1 and you have the Wireless Mobile Adapter Utility app (for Android and iOS) in your mobile device.

    Nikon claims that both cameras boast of the world’s shortest release time among digital cameras with interchangeable lenses, at around only 80 milliseconds.

    Both devices will be available in February. The Nikon 1 J3 equipped with a 10-30mm 1 NIKKOR lens will retail at USD $599.95, which is roughly at least PHP 24,500. Likewise, the Nikon 1 S1 camera with the 11-27.5mm 1 NIKKOR lens will be available at USD $499.95—roughly at least PHP 20,450.

    Additionally, Nikon also launched two new 1 NIKKOR lenses, namely the 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 and the 10-100mm f/4-5.6. The two new lenses are equipped with Vibration Reduction (VR) technology.

     

    Samsung reveals 2013 Smart TV lineup at CES

    Samsung plans to take the next step in Smart TVs by introducing a whole new lineup of Smart TVs for 2013 that will range from a “small” 46 inches to a room-filling 110 inches at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. In addition, a lot of the features from the 2012 lineup will be back and improved, such as Gesture Control, where you can now use two handed gestures and pinch to zoom.

    The TV lineup includes the F7500 LED TV, which comes in 46″, 55″ and 60″ models, and is the entry level offering of the new Smart TVs that Samsung is releasing in 2013. Picture quality improvements include Motion Judder Cancellation Pro for smoother pictures, De-Jagging Pro for better scaling of low-quality sources, and Precision Black for better black levels through LED backlight control.

    The F8000, which includes a built-in camera and mic, will come in 46”, 55”, 60”, 65” and 75” models, and will be the first LED TV to have a quad-core 1.36 GHz A15 CPU that will make switching between TV, apps, and online services more seamless than ever, so you don’t miss your favorite TV show while you’re exploring the other functions of the F8000.

    The F8500 plasma TV will also include native support for High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC), which can support 8K Ultra High Definition (UHD) at 8192×4230 resolution, double that of the current 4K models, and will come in 51”, 60” and 64” models.

    There’s also the OLED F9500 model, which will eliminate backlighting, thus producing absolute blacks and pure whites, and will also be the first Samsung model to offer Multi-View, so if you and someone else can’t agree on what to watch, you can watch both—in full 3D (with the special glasses) HD even, with independent sound and controls.

    For those who think their screen is still too small, Samsung is also releasing the S9 UHD TV—which has a 110″ model, and it can also upscale your regular HD or full HD content to UHD 8K, in addition to all the new features that Samsung will include in their 2013 lineup.

    The TVs will also come with Samsung’s SmartHub, which will be the first thing you see when you start up your TV. Its S-Recommendation technology, which is integrated into SmartHub, is a new voice recognition software that will come with all Samsung Smart TVs in 2013. Don’t like flipping from channel to channel to find something good? It will suggest something based on your viewing habits. It will also analyze your viewing patterns—if you like to watch the news on a Saturday afternoon, for example, it will suggest that for you. Looking for a movie or show that fits a specific genre or title, or has your favorite actor or actress in it? It will suggest content based on that as well.

    Samsung’s Smart TVs also managed to snatch some CES awards in the process—the Samsung UHD S9 received a CES Best of Innovation award, while the F9500 OLED TV, F8000 Smart LED TV and F7500 Smart LED TV were named as 2013 CES Design and Engineering honorees.

    “As the plethora of apps and content grow, consumers are faced with the overwhelming challenge of discovering quality content that appeal to their interests. They are looking for ways to experience converged content, and they want to do it easily. We have simplified the process with TVs that offer more intuitive features. We have simplified the process with TVs that offer more intuitive features, endless connectivity and content options, and larger screen sizes with true-to-life picture quality so that consumers can discover a world of possibilities in home entertainment,” said Kim Hyun-Suk, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics.

    Qualcomm makes Snapdragon 800 and 600 mobile chips official, 4K video support, up to 2.3GHz quad-core speeds

    Qualcomm has revealed their next generation of mobile chips that’ll power your future smartphone. The company has ditched the S naming convention and has stuck with their new numerical branding. The new chips, dubbed as the Snapdragon 800 and 600, are destined to arrive in tablets, smartphones and even Smart TVs in the coming months. The chip manufacturer is promising increased graphics performance when it come s to the Snapdragon 800 chip, and has said that the new processor include the new quad core Krait 400 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU, Hexagon v5 DSP and their latest 4G LTE Cat 4 modem that delivers increased system performance and platform upgrades that further enhance user experience. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 also promises to deliver up to 75 percent better performance than the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and the move to 28nm High Performance for mobile (HPm) technology node ensures exceptionally low power. As far as raw speeds are concerned, you can expect to see speeds up to 2.3 GHz per core. So you’re looking at extreme performance with low power drain. Well, theoretically. The Snapdragon 800 should hit mobile devices by the middle of 2013.

    Qualcomm is also offering a slightly more sedate processor compared to the Snapdragon 800, which is the Snapdragon 600. The Snapdragon 600 delivers 40 percent better performance than Qualcomm’s current Snapdragon S4 Pro processor at a lower power point, features a new Krait 300 quad-core CPU with speeds up to 1.9GHz, a new speed enhanced Adreno 320 GPU and support for LPDDR3 memory. Both the Snapdragon 800 and 600 are capable of LTE connectivity. The Snapdragon 600 will be arriving in devices around Q2 2013.

     

    Sony introduces new Cyber-shot models at CES 2013

    Announced earlier at CES 2013, seven new camera models—the WX200, WX80, WX60, TF1, H200, W730 and W710—are now welcomed into Sony’s Cyber-shot roster.

    The new additions to the line-up feature interesting new modes and effects, such as an improved  Optical SteadyShot feature, which assists you in stabilizing your shot in order to produce sharp, blur-free photos, especially when shooting in zoom. Another new feature called the Beauty Effect automatically removes skin blemishes from the person in the image. The new models also have what Sony calls Advanced Flash—a function that extends the cameras’ flash range. Sony notes, however, that in some models, there is a decrease in image size when one makes use of the Advanced Flash setting.

    The Cyber-shot WX200 with an 18.2-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, 10x optical zoom, Optical SteadyShot, Full HD video shooting, Superior Auto, Beauty Effect, Advanced Flash and Wi-Fi connectivity.
    The Cyber-shot WX80 with a 16.2-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, 8x optical zoom, Optical SteadyShot, Full HD video shooting, Superior Auto, Beauty Effect, Advanced Flash and Wi-Fi connectivity.
    The Cyber-shot WX60 has the same specs as the WX80, except that it doesn’t have Wi-Fi connectivity.

    Three new Exmor R-equipped compact cameras—the WX200, WX80 and WX60—are equipped with an enhanced automatic mode called Superior Auto. They are also able to shoot video clips in Full HD. Two of these cameras, namely the WX200 and the WX80, have built-in Wi-Fi to enable you to instantly share your images to your smartphone using the PlayMemories mobile app. Wi-Fi connectivity also lets you use your smartphone as a remote shutter trigger.

    Below are some of the features and specs of the other new Cyber-shot models:

    The water-, dust-, shock- and freeze-proof Cyber-shot TF1, which features a 16.1-megapixel Super HAD CCD sensor, 4x optical zoom, HD video capability, Optical SteadyShot, Beauty Effect and Advanced Flash, and can be submerged in water as deep as 10m for as long as an hour
    The Cyber-shot H200, which hosts a 20.1-megapixel Super HAD CCD sensor, 26x optical zoom, HD video, Beauty Effect, Advanced Flash, and can be loaded with AA batteries
    The compact Cyber-shot W730—rocking a 16.1-megapixel Super HAD CCD sensor, 8x optical zoom, Optical SteadyShot, Beauty Effect, Advanced Flash, and HD video recording
    This is Sony’s new model that’s aimed at novice users. The Cyber-shot W710 has a 16.1-megapixel Super HAD CCD sensor, 5x optical zoom, Beauty Effect, Advanced Flash, and HD video recording.

    The new Cyber-shot models will all be available in Europe in February 2013. No word yet on when they will be hitting our shores.

    Sony updates 4K Bravia line with X9000A series, will come in 65-inch and 55-inch models

    It looks like Sony’s monstrous 84-inch 4K TV finally has company. The Japanese company has officially outed a new 4K product line that’s a little more sane when it comes to screen size (and hopefully, price). The Bravia X9000A series delivers 4K resolution content much like its big brother, and utilizes Sony’s 4K X-Reality PRO engine. The new line uses Sony’s TRILUMINOS Display, which the company says “enriches your viewing with an even wider palette of rich, ultra-real colours, including hard-to-reproduce reds and emerald greens.”  By integrating QD Vision’s “Color IQ” optical component with Sony’s unique display technologies, this television set achieves significantly wider colour gamut, that provides a far more natural and vivid viewing experience with a heightened sense of depth. Like most of their TV models, these new Bravias are internet ready and are all Smart TVs.

    What’s interesting with these new Bravias is that it also uses Sony’s One Touch NFC technology to seamlessly transfer content from one device to another. If you’re watching a movie on your smartphone and decide that a 5-inch display isn’t the best way to go about it, Sony’s One Touch NFC tech allows you to transfer that very movie to the big screen by just tapping your smartphone on the TV’s remote and voila – the movie is now on the screen. Pretty cool. The Bravia X9000A Series will be offered in 65 and 55-inch models.

    Unfortunately, no word on either price or availability has been set for these new Bravias.

    Sony Xperia Z official – Qualcomm S4 Pro inside, 13-megapixel shooter with HDR, 5-inch 1080p with Bravia Mobile Engine 2

    After countless leaks, Sony’s newest member of their Xperia line is finally official. The Xperia Z is the company’s flagship model for 2013, and it’s definitely bringing the goods to the table. The Xperia Z packs a 5-inch, full HD 1080p TFT Reality Display that’s paired with the company’s Bravia Mobile Engine 2 to deliver unparalleled image quality to your very eyes. The exterior of the Xperia Z looks extremely slick, with only the machined power button interrupting the overall sleek look of the device.

    On the imaging end, Sony has stuffed a 13-megapixel sensor in the back of the Xperia Z which has burst shooting modes and is able to shoot images in HDR. The front facing camera has also gotten an upgrade – it’s now a 2-megapixel Exmor R sensor. Under the hood, you can expect the Xperia Z to tout a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and Jelly Bean, along with LTE compatibility and as well as NFC capabilities. If that wasn’t enough, the Xperia Z is also IP55 and IP57 certified, which means it’ll definitely survive a dip into a pool (or if you’re particularly unlucky, a toilet) without any ill effects. No word on availability or price has been set as of yet.

     

    Samsung unveils NX300 mirrorless camera

    Meet Samsung’s newest flagship device for its NX series of mirrorless cameras – the NX300. The NX300 uses a 20.3 Megapixel APS-CMOS sensor ISO100-25600 and a brand new Hybrid Auto Focus (AF) system to deliver clear, sharp images. The NX300 uses Samsung’s newest  DRIMe IV imaging engine that the company says enables better color reproduction and greater noise reduction, as well as support for full 1080p HD video capture in both 2D and 3D (when combined with Samsung’s new 45mm 2D/3D lens). The NX300 has a  3.31-inch AMOLED screen on the back.

    The NX300 also uses Samsung’s WiFi sharing technology that they’ve developed for their other cameras as well, which allows you to share your photos directly from the camera to the web or to the smartphone of your choice. Like their other WiFi enabled models, you’ll also be able to use your smartphone to trigger the camera and to use it as a remote viewfinder thanks to the WiFi capabilities of the NX300, as well as the iOS and Android app the Korean firm developed just for it.

    Like we mentioned before, Samsung is also offering an optional 45mm 2D/3D lens that allows you to shoot images in, you guessed it, 3D. Capable of capturing both still pictures and full 1080p HD video, the Samsung NX300 and 45mm 2D/3D lens kit have become the only compact system camera supporting both 3D still and 3D movies. Naturally, the NX300 is also compatible with Samsung’s entire range of NX lenses and professional standard accessories. No word on price or availability as of yet.

    Canon outs square PowerShot N camera

    Yes, you are not seeing things. That image above is in fact a square camera. Meet Canon’s new PowerShot N, the most unique entry to their line of point-and-shoot cameras. The PowerShot N is unique because there is no wrong or right way to hold it. This particular camera is only 30mm thin so it’s pretty easy to stuff down your pockets or bag and boasts a tiltable 2.8-inch,  461k-dot capacitive touchscreen.

    It uses a 8x zoom 28mm f/3-5.9 lens that utilizes a unique way to shoot pictures, via two rings on the barrel of the lens. One of the rings is used to toggle the zoom on the camera while the other is used as the shutter release. The heart of the Powershot N is a 12-megapixel CMOS sensor with Canon’s DIGIC 5 processor.

    The PowerShot N is positioned as a camera that’s a step above your smartphone, and such boasts some integrated WiFi capabilities that allow you to share your images as soon as you capture them. Because of the way it’s built, the PowerShot N uses a microSD card to store images and pictures, as well as video. Speaking of video, the PowerShot N is capable of recording full 1080p video and even has an integrated LED flash in it. You can also expect the PowerShot N to have multiple shooting modes and creative modes as well. The PowerShot N will hit different markets come April and will have an expected street price of $299.99. No word on how much this baby will cost when it reaches our shores.

    NVIDIA unveils Project Shield, handheld Android powered device for gaming, Tegra 4 inside

    NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang sprang a surprise announcement at the tail-end of their CES presser earlier today in the form of Project Shield – a handheld Android gaming console powered by their recently announced Tegra 4 processor. The new device sports their Tegra 4 processor, along with physical keys and controls along with 38Wh worth of 18650 Li-ion batteries.  Like any self-respecting handheld console, Project Shield has a number of connectors which include USB, micro SD, mini HDMI port and 3.5mm headphone jack.

    Project Shield will pack a 5-inch, multi-touch 720p display – big enough to satisfy hardcore gamers, we imagine.

    Project Shield’s OS of choice is of course, Android, and Jen-Hsun says that the device will be able to sync with the Android Marketplace as far as downloading and buying games is concerned. The overall size of Project Shield is comparable to an XBOX 360 controller, which should alleviate fears of it being too bulky for any kind of real gaming. Project Shield will also be capable of working with Valve’s Big Picture mode for Steam, which basically tethers Project Shield to your PC, allowing you to play controller friendly Steam games right on Project Shield. During the demo, Project Shield managed to run NFS: Most Wanted off of a master PC, without the PC showing signs of being used (it still showed the standard desktop wallpaper, even while one of the demo guys were ripping it in NFS: Most Wanted.

    NVIDIA unveils Tegra 4 mobile processor at CES, 72 GPU cores, almost 6x faster than Tegra 3

    NVIDIA’s mobile processors, codenamed Tegra, has had a lot of competitors as of late. It only made sense for the company to announce the successor to their Tegra 3 processor that has made its way onto hundreds of mobile devices around the world. The successor, simply called Tegra 4, promises to deliver far more computing power than the previous generation of chips. During their CES press event, NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said that the new chip retains the old  4-plus-1 arrangement of its predecessor, but it will now sport 72 GeForce GPU cores. It’s also the first quad-core processor with Cortex A15 cores on-board. Unfortunately, Tegra 4 still does not have an LTE module built-in, although it is compatible with LTE networks right off the bat. While it’s not confirmed yet, it looks like Tegra 4 will be using the company’s new 28nm manufacturing process, which is a far cry from their old 40nm process that was used with Tegra 3.

    Jen-Hsun also claims that “Tegra 4 is the fastest mobile application processor in the world today,” beating out Apple’s A6X processor. He also adds that their new chip helps with taking HDR photos, allowing devices to take HDR photos in only .2 seconds, something that other mobile processors can’t deliver. In a demo on-stage during their CES presser, Jen-Hsun demonstrated Tegra 4’s imaging prowess by taking shots using HDR, all the while composing the whole image with a live preview of HDR to guide them. Pretty impressive, if you ask us.

     

    Blizzard Entertainment planning a game with a Linux port for 2013

    Blizzard Entertainment, the company responsible for the immensely popular franchises World of Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo, have announced that they are making a Linux port for one of their games, but it is not known which game it is at the moment.

    Blizzard, along with many other game developers large and small, have expressed a desire to publish for the Linux OS, following Valve’s suit after CEO Gabe Newell said that Windows 8 would be a “catastrophe” for gamers last year. Rob Pardo, Executive Vice President for Game Design at Blizzard, shared Newell’s sentiments—”It’s not awesome for Blizzard either,” he said in a tweet last July.

    If you play Blizzard games on Linux, especially World of Warcraft, you might have found yourself accidentally banned at one point. Gamers on Linux have to use the program Wine, which allows Linux users to access applications designed for Windows, to access Blizzard games. That sometimes led to false flags causing the company to ban those using the service. Third-party programs that utilize the game are generally prohibited by the Terms of Use and are widely used by bots in the game to exploit game mechanics or scam people.

    Although World of Warcraft has had a Linux client, it was largely underused, with a forum post in 2011 stating that “One of the big problems with Linux, and this is from other game developers too, is the problem of targeting a specific version of the platform. Since everyone is free to create their own distros, they can become somewhat unstandardized. That makes ‘targeting Linux’ difficult. Add on that there are far fewer linux users than windows/mac users, and that you can play WoW on linux using Wine…and there isn’t a lot of reason to target even a specific distro.”

    Despite the problems with gaming on Linux, game developers want to fix those problems and find Linux attractive for its open-source nature. In an interview with Jay Wilson, director of Diablo III, he said, “A lot of our server stuff actually uses Linux, so I don’t think that it would be outrageous, but I think that we’d have to see that there’d be a demand for it. And then we’d have to see that that demand would be worth the time we take away from the other things that we could do.” Blizzard plans to make a public announcement in the next few months regarding which game will have a Linux port.

    The Bicholim Conflict joins list of Wiki hoaxes

    According to a Wikipedia article, a war between the Portuguese rulers of Goa and the Maratha Empire in India occurred in mid-1640 to early 1641. The 4,500 account of the said war was supplied with various sources, including an alleged book entitled Mistrust Between States by an author named Mark Thompson. The book, as it turned out in the research of a skeptical Wikipedia user known as ShelfSkewed, did not exist. Recently, after further unearthing of facts, Wikipedia finally decided that the entire war didn’t exist either.

    The entry, entitled the Bicholim Conflict, stayed in Wikipedia for 5 years, 5 months, and 25 days—all the while being false and non-existent in the records of history. It had even achieved a Good Article status and was nominated to be among one of the site’s daily Featured Articles. Both recognitions are typically rewarded to articles that are well-written and well-researched.

    The writer of the article has not been determined yet, but Yahoo! News reports that members of the Wikipedia community have narrowed it down at least one suspect.

    The Bicholim Conflict has been deleted from Wikipedia and now joins a long list of hoaxes that have been posted on the site.

    Sources: TechCrunch, Yahoo! News, The Verge, PC World, The Daily Dot 

    Slow Motion + bullets = awesome

    If you’ve ever wanted to get a good look at the effects of different cartridges on calibrated ballistics gelatin for the sake of choosing a good defensive round, the Youtube channel by BrassFetcher, a ballistics testing outfit, is just the place to look. Here they go through different calibers, loads, brads and bullet weights so you can take a loot at the hard facts. Each video lists down characteristics of the ammunition being tested and the firearm from which the round is fired. This plus some light reading on how ballistics works should go a long way to helping you decide what loads you should be looking at for defensive carry. These are by no means the only resource on the ‘net for this kind of thing, but the results, methodology and process seems consistent, so you can quite reliably weigh one option against another. A little warning, though, you might spend a lot of time just watching these vids, so make sure your to-do list is clear before you head out.

    Hundreds: A game for quick brains and fingers

    Here’s a great game that can teach you how to think fast.

    Hundreds is basically a puzzle game in which the objective in each level is to tap the numbers in the circles and make sure that the sum of all the numbers you’ve tapped is 100. Here’s the catch: once you’ve tapped a circle, it turns red. If red circles collide, then it’s game over for you.

    The game contains 100 levels—each of which consists of a unique puzzle to solve. Higher levels contain a variety of obstacles, such as spinning blades and circles with negative numbers.

    The app normally costs USD $4.99, but is on sale in iTunes until January 10 in the U.S. for only USD $2.99. Although it is optimized for the iPhone 5, Hundreds is compatible with any Apple gadget that uses iOS 5.0 or later.

    Check out the promotional site here.