Lips. It’s like SingStar but with added percussion. You use the wireless microphones to sing along to the words onscreen, and fill in drums, cymbal crashes and tambourine shakes with a wave of  the motion sensitive mic.

There are 40 songs to choose from, as well as the ability to plug your mp3 player into the console to warble over tracks stored on that. It uses original artist videos, and dampens the vocal track so you can lay your own singing over the top.

Details about pricing and some of the specific features were sketchy, but it’s slated for a Christmas release.

On first impressions, it looked a lot like SingStar, albeit with a little bit of Rock Band thrown in. Should be quite fun!

Thanks for reading!
- Alex

Testers are being sought for technology that may help TV migrate to the net.
The P2P Next project has created a trial, or beta, version of software that can stream video across a file-sharing network. The EU has put 19m euros into the project hoping the software the team creates will become a Europe-wide standard for broadcasters. The P2P Next team are looking for thousands to sign up to give the technology a good workout.

Testers are being sought for technology that may help TV migrate to the net.

Stream and serve
Many broadcasters, such as the BBC with its iPlayer, are already using the net to let viewers catch up with programmes they missed. Most of these systems use a central server to stream programmes to those that want to watch them. However, most believe that TV via the net delivered this way will be unsustainable when huge audiences venture online for shows. In a bid to create a system that can support huge audiences, the SwarmPlayer draws on the widely used BitTorrent peer-to-peer technology. In such a system those watching a video share the data they are downloading with others, peers, who want to watch the same show. The SwarmPlayer lets people download TV shows to watch later, lets them watch video as it is being downloaded and can even cope with live broadcasts.

The P2P Next project now wants thousands of people to install the software to see how it handles large audiences and whether picture quality suffers as the numbers of users rises. Windows and Linux versions of the software are available with a Mac version due soon.

Those wanting to take part must have a broadband net connection speed of at least 600kbps or higher. Those downloading and installing the software will be able to see how it handles a live stream and a pre-recorded broadcast.

The P2P Next project is scheduled to run for four years and the SwarmPlayer is likely to be the first of many prototypes it produces.

Thanks For Reading!
- Alex

Windows 7 (formerly known as Blackcomb and Vienna) is the working name for the next major version of Microsoft Windows as the successor to Windows Vista. Microsoft has announced that it is “scoping Windows 7 development to a three-year timeframe”, and that “the specific release date will ultimately be determined by meeting the quality bar.” Windows 7 is expected to be released by 2009 or near January 2010. The client versions of Windows 7 will ship in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. A server variant, codenamed Windows Server 7, is also under development.

Microsoft is maintaining a policy of silence concerning discussion of plans and aspirations for Windows 7 as it focuses on the release and marketing of Windows Vista, though some early details of various core operating system features have emerged. As a result, little is known about the feature set, though public presentations from company officials have disseminated information about some features. Leaked information from people to whom Milestone 1 (M1) of Windows 7 was shipped also provides some insight into the feature set.

Thanks For Reading!
- Alex

Nintendo’s upcoming Wii™ MotionPlus accessory for the revolutionary Wii Remote™ controller again redefines game control, by more quickly and accurately reflecting motions in a 3-D space. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion. Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play. The Wii MotionPlus accessory reconfirms Nintendo’s commitment to making games intuitive and accessible for everyone. Nintendo will reveal more details about the Wii MotionPlus accessory and other topics Tuesday morning at its E3 media briefing.

Thanks for reading!
- Alex 

Some are calling it the best game released this year others are demanding it be thrown in the gutter but I have played this game and I have careful considered it and have made up my opinion.

Firstly before I either ratify it or dam it to the pits of fiery hell I will give you a short outline of the game.

Battlefield: Bad Company drops gamers behind enemy lines with a squad of renegade soldiers who risk it all on a personal quest for gold and revenge.

Featuring a cinematic single-player experience loaded with adventure and dark humor, the game delivers the series’ trademark sandbox gameplay in a universe where nearly everything is destructible. Battlefield: Bad Company also features a full suite of the franchise’s trademark multi player options with deep gameplay designed to take full advantage of the game’s massively destructible environments.

Sounds like a good game does it not? Well I didn’t like it

As a seasoned battlefield two modern combat player I was disappointed with the gameplay as it was not as fluid as I remember from modern combat.

Anyhow there are better reviews and comments over at Test Freaks which I would suggest you all check out.

Thanks

Andrew

That is my question. And I’m sure by the end of this post you will be also mulling it over in your mind along with myself and Matty.

I think I have found a phone with better features that is from a company that really makes phones not one thats just trying to!

The phone I am talking about is the Nokia N82 A masterpice of phone design including these features and many more.

Features

This phone has a 5 megapixel camera that is equipped with xenon flash, Carl Zeiss Optics and Tessar lens. The N82 is the first Nokia phone that has the xenon flash feature. Media players for both audio and video are available on this phone. FM radio with Visual Radio support can be played as well. That sound can also be changed from four other different options. For speakerphone use, a 3.5 mm audio jack is featured at the start of the phone and the phone has A2DP wireless stereo headphone support. It also has a built-in accelerometer. The built-in accelerometer is used for video stabilisation and photo orientation whereby it automatically adjusts landscape or portrait shots. It has an internal memory of 128MB and for the internal flash memory, 100MB. Internet can be accessed through networks WLAN IEEE802.11 b/g with UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) support on this phone. Nokia Web Browser with Mini map is provided for internet usage. Advanced S60 PIM features are definitely included in the Nokia N82.

Additional Features

• GPRS
• EDGE (EGPRS)
• 3G
• WCDMA (2100 MHz)
• Multimedia Messaging
• Office document viewer
• Memory card slot – microSD, microSDHC
• Bluetooth
• Personal Information Management (PIM)
• Advanced S60 PIM features including calendar, contacts, to-do list, and PIM printing

Now ok the iPhone may have that lovely large touch screan but look at this phone… Its a real phone not a wanna be computer manafacters attempt at storming the market.

Anyway check out some of the awsome reviews and extensive information at Test Freaks NoKia N82 page

Thanks

- Andrew

Mozilla has officially made history with a new Guinness world record for the largest number of software downloads in a 24-hour period. The final record breaking 8,002,530 downloads for Firefox 3.0 took place in June with parties in over 25 countries. “The enthusiasm and creativity of Firefox fans was key to making this happen” said Marketing head Paul Kim. Gareth Deaves of Guinness World Records called it “an extremely impressive accomplishment”. The official figure was confirmed after logs from download servers were audited and checked to ensure duplicate and unfinished downloads were not counted. Marketing manager Mary Colvig said no party is planned to celebrate the record until the actual certificate is presented by Guinness World Records in London next week.

The company said while IE reached a record low last month, it predicted Firefox will break the 20% share bar sometime this month. Mr Kim said “We offer the best browsing experience and this shows people are getting the message and voting with their browser choice.” Meanwhile Mozilla has shipped a high priority update for Firefox 2.0, warning that there are at least five serious vulnerabilities that could lead to code execution attacks. Mr Kim said Mozilla will continue to support Firefox 2.0 until the middle of December. After that users will be expected to switch over to Firefox 3.0 which since its launch over two weeks ago boasts 28 million downloads and counting.

Source: BBC

Microsoft will soon cut the price of its best-selling Xbox 360 model, according to a published report. The company will reduce the retail price for the 20-GB Xbox 360 Pro by $50, to $299 “in the coming weeks,” according the Hollywood Reporter. The magazine’s report cited anonymous sources in the retail industry. Microsoft officials did not immediately return a call from InformationWeek seeking comment. Microsoft is looking to maintain recent Xbox sales’ momentum in the face of stiff competition from Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii unit. The 40-GB PlayStation 3 sells for $399, while the Nintendo Wii sells for $250.

In its most recent quarter, Microsoft reported that Xbox 360 total console sales surpassed 19 million during the period, up 74% from the previous year. Recent releases of hot-selling game titles, including Halo 3?and Grand Theft Auto IV, have helped spur Xbox 360 sales. Halo 3, an Xbox 360 exclusive, smashed numerous gaming industry sales records when it debuted late last year — including most launch-day sales. Among the upcoming titles that Microsoft is counting to further grow Xbox 360 sales is Rock Band 2, which is slated for release in September. The game lets players perform popular songs by using an array of virtual instruments.

So what is this going to mean for us here in the UK? There is no word on it by hopefully we will be reciving the price cut as well but maybe not to £175 we will just have to see.

- Andrew

Source: Info Week

Computer security researchers from ETH Zurich, Google, and IBM believe computer software would be more secure if, like a perishable food product, it were labeled with an expiration date. In a newly published paper, Stefan Frei and Martin May of the Computer Engineering and Networks Laboratory at ETH Zurich, Thomas Dubendorfer of Google Switzerland, and Gunter Ollmann of IBM Internet Security Systems make this recommendation because they found that 637 million (45.2%) out of 1.4 billion Internet users worldwide are at risk from their failure to use the latest, most secure version of their chosen Internet browsers. “Given the state of the software industry and the growing threat of exploitable vulnerabilities within all applications (not just Web browsers), we believe that the establishment of a ‘best before’ date for all new software releases could prove an invaluable means to educating the user to patch or ‘refresh’ their software applications,” the paper says.

The issue of browser security matters more these days because more and more malware is targeting Web browser vulnerabilities. Remotely exploitable vulnerabilities have been on the rise since 2000 and accounted for 89.4% of vulnerabilities reported in 2007, according to the study, which claims that “growing percentage of these remotely exploitable vulnerabilities are associated with Web browsers.” Among the various Web browsers studied — Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2, Safari 3, and Opera 9 — Firefox 2 is the most secure, according to the study. Firefox 2 is considered to be the most secure Web browser because 83.3% of its users worldwide are running the most current version. Second, third, and fourth places go to Apple Safari 3 (65.3% of users running the most current version), Opera 9 (56.1%), and Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (47.6%).

Source: InfoWeek

There’s nothing quite so rock and roll as a reunion tour, a fact underlined by today’s announcement of Rock Band 2, which will see MTV Games and Harmonix once again team up with Electronic Arts to put toy instruments and games on shelves across the nation. However, unlike last year’s series debut, Rock Band 2 will be very selective about which shelves it appears on. The game will debut on the Xbox 360 in September, and after a North American “exclusive launch window,” it will find its way to additional unspecified platforms by year’s end. With this year’s installment of Activision’s rival rocker Guitar Hero going head-to-head with the full four-piece band concept, Rock Band 2 is making a few upgrades of its own. First and foremost among the details revealed today is that the sequel will be backward compatible with the original Rock Band’s downloadable content, with no need to repurchase or redownload it to the system.

That makes for a sizeable potential Rock Band 2 library right off the bat, given that the Rock Band music store currently has more than 200 songs available, which have garnered some 15 million paid downloads since the game launched in November. Furthermore, Harmonix will be offering “new and improved” drum and guitar controllers with new features and designs, “all fully compatible with original Rock Band instruments.” The game’s tracklist will consist entirely of master recordings, and Harmonix is also promising new online modes with a greater emphasis on the Rock Band community’s social aspects. More details about Rock Band 2 will be made public at this year’s E3 Media & Business Summit.

Source: Gamespot