ALJ Tech Blog

Samsung pays Apple $1 Billion sending 30 trucks full of 5 cent coins

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 17:05:00 +0100

This morning more than 30 trucks filled with 5-cent coins arrived at Apple’s headquarters in...

Apple quietly release a new iPod Touch

Thu, 30 May 2013 15:35:39 +0100

Apple have updated their iPod range with a new iPod Touch without a rear-facing camera. Sporting...

Xbox One Will Not Function Without Kinect Attached

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:34:42 +0100

After a Microsoft-hosted London event around the Xbox One reveal, Xbox’s UK marketing director...

The new Google Maps

Thu, 16 May 2013 07:37:19 +0100

The new Google Maps

Video

Sun, 12 May 2013 21:37:24 +0100

The Sims 4 officially announced, will allow offline play EA...

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:35:53 +0100

The Sims 4 officially announced, will allow offline play

EA announced today that The Sims 4, a follow-up to 2009’s The Sims 3 and the latest in Maxis’s long-running life-simulation series, will be coming to PC and Mac in 2014. The news broke on the company’sThe Beat blog, with more news promised later in the day.

The Sims franchise is one of the most commercially successful in all of gaming as it reaches out to casual gamers and the more hardcore crowd alike. The Sims 3 has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide and spawned a number of console and handheld spin-offs and numerous themed expansions.

As a fan of the series, I was relieved to hear that Sims 4 is going to include an option for offline play, as reported by IGN. After all of the problems experienced by gamers during the recent SimCity launch (including in our own Celebrity SimCity series), I hope this signals a change of opinion from Maxis and parent company EA regarding always-online DRM and the stability of permanently server-based gameplay. It is of course far too early to tell for sure, but it’s only Monday; I’m still allowed to be optimistic.

Laser-Cut MacBook Lids Are More Stunning Than Stickers Visit...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:51:35 +0100

Laser-Cut MacBook Lids Are More Stunning Than Stickers

Visit any tech-heavy conference and you’re bound to find a sea of MacBooks covered in clever decals playing up the glowing Apple logo on the lid. But a sticker only offers so much customization; if you really want your hardware to stand out you need to take things to the next level with a custom-cut Uncover replacement lid.

It sounds like a complicated process, and that’s why Uncover requires you to either send in your MacBook to be enhanced, or just buy a new one through them that they can customize before sending your way. The company offers a series of existing designs if you’re not that creative, but since you’ll be spending anywhere from $260 up to $780 for the service, you’ll probably want to choose a design that’s completely unique to your machine. Here’s a few examples of what Uncover has created already:

Windows Phone Ad Paints Apple and Samsung Fans as...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:45:43 +0100

Windows Phone Ad Paints Apple and Samsung Fans as Buffoons

Microsoft is attempting to triangulate in the Apple-Samsung war with a new ad that presents itself as above the fray of their petty bickering.

The ad takes place during a wedding. As a nerdy guy steps up to photograph the event, an iPhone fan challenges him to remove “your enormous phone.”

“You mean the enormously awesome Galaxy?” another Samsung fan counters. “Search: ‘One trick pony,’” a middle-aged woman replies, speaking to Siri on her iPhone. “Aren’t you a little young to have an iPhone?” another Samsung fanboy retorts.

The scene soon erupts into a brawl. At the conclusion, a waiter and waitress observe the scene calmly as they clutch their Windows Phone-based Nokia Lumia 920s. “You think if they knew about the Nokia Lumia they’d stop fighting all the time?” the waiter asks. “I don’t know. I think they kind of like fighting.”

Though the ad seeks to differentiate itself from both Apple and Samsung, the background music and tone are strikingly similar to Samsung’s anti-Apple ads, including its 2012 Super Bowl spot. (This spot was directed by Roman Coppola, best know for the 2001 film CQ.)

At this point, Nokia is more of an underdog than Samsung was at the time. Nokia sold 5 million Lumias in the most-recent quarter vs. 37.4 million iPhones and Samsung shipped around 70 million smartphones in the calendar first quarter. Comparatively, in 2011, Samsung shipped some 94 million smartphones.

Microsoft’s Crazy IllumiRoom: More Details About a...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:09:41 +0100

Microsoft’s Crazy IllumiRoom: More Details About a Real-Life Holodeck

Not too long ago, Microsoft introduced its grand, pie-in-the-sky plans to maybe, someday turn your entire wall into an extension of your TV screen. Now, Microsoft Research has dropped some new details about how it all would work, and it’s shaping up to be pretty awesome.

The IllumiRoom would take the physical form of a small, wide-angle projection box that would sit on your coffee table, facing the TV. From there, it would feed off all kinds of information—from tapping right into a game’s source code, to reading raw controller input—to apply all manner of effects.

On the developer side, IllumiRoom would offer a wide variety of options from blowing out the whole screen to the walls, letting just explosions and gunshots bleed onto the nearby walls, having objects seem to fall off the screen and onto the floor, adding abstract reality-warping effects, or any combination of the above.

While we’ve got a little more detail here about how this tech would be applied, it’s still just a Microsoft Research project, and the information we’re getting is pretty high-level and conceptual. Even so, it’s a neat take on goggle-less virtual reality that could prove to be seriously awesome in the right hands. Here’s to hoping we see some prototypes in actually reality soon.

Microsoft announces Xbox event for May 21st What many suspected...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:33:05 +0100

Microsoft announces Xbox event for May 21st

What many suspected was coming has indeed happened: Microsoft just confirmed an upcoming Xbox event on May 21st, which we expect to be focused on the company’s next-gen Xbox console (informally codenamed Durango). The company isn’t diving into specifics at this stage, but the event is taking place on its own Xbox campus and should offer a “real taste of the future,” according to Xbox Live programming director Larry Hryb. Don’t worry too much that Microsoft will completely upstage E3, which happens just a few weeks later — Hryb also promises that his firm “continue the conversation” at the show, focusing its attention on its game lineup. Players will have a chance to stream the event through both Microsoft’s services (including Xbox Live) and Spike TV, but you can be sure we’ll be on the ground to share the news first-hand.

Ben Gilbert contributed to this report.

metallicash: Anyone else use Google Analytics for their blog?

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:48:50 +0100

metallicash:

Anyone else use Google Analytics for their blog?

ALJ Tech Blog

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:55:31 +0100

ALJ Tech Blog

How to Use a Gamepad for Any iOS Game(Not Just Emulators)(by...

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:01:49 +0000

How to Use a Gamepad for Any iOS Game
(Not Just Emulators)
(by lifehacker)

According to Nat Brown – the co-founder of the Xbox, and...

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:33:34 +0000

According to Nat Brown – the co-founder of the Xbox, and ex-Microsoft engineer — Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo should be quaking in their boots. Not because Valve’s going to kill them off, or Ouya, but of Apple. If it wanted to, Apple could simply kill them all.

In a blog post ruing Microsoft’s recent decisions and moves with the Xbox, Brown said:

“Apple, if it chooses to do so, will simply kill Playstation, Wii U and Xbox by introducing an open 30 per cent-cut app/game ecosystem for Apple-TV.

“I already make a lot of money on iOS – I will be the first to write apps for Apple-TV when I can, and I know I’ll make money.”

He goes on to say that even without the Apple TV having any sort of gaming powers it’s selling a lot, with large year-on-year growth to boot. The reason Brown is so adamant that Apple could kill the main-stable of games consoles is simply because of access.

Writing apps for iOS is simple and cheap in comparison to writing games for the Xbox. Microsoft charges over £6,000 a year to develop games for the Xbox, and has a similar veto power to Apple. There’s also a mountain of paperwork, and a load of pretty complex and expensive tools. In comparison, Apple’s £60-a-year iOS developer program comes with a complete SDK and all the tools required to at least get going. The only pre-requisite is that you’re using a Mac to code.

I’m not quite sure why Apple’s steered clear of gaming on the Apple TV. It could easily open up the market by simply adding an App Store. You have a controller in the form of an iPhone or iPod touch, and you know developers would be all over it. Gaming is massive on iOS, and a huge part of Apple’s App Store revenue. I’m sure it’ll happen one day, and Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo better prepare well because they could be totally wiped out if they’re not careful.

Development sources who claim to be holding Sony’s...

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:31:31 +0000

Development sources who claim to be holding Sony’s next-generation PlayStation4 controller in their hands right now say it does indeed come with the rumoured front touchpad that’s been mooted for quite some time.

According to sources quoted by usually reliable games blog VG247, the PS4′s controller is largely the same as the current generation Dual Shock, only with remodeled shoulder buttons and the Start and Select buttons shifted aside to make way for the touch input panel. Previous reports of there being a “share” button added to the controller (as in the above mock-up) to enable the capture and sharing of game grabs and footage were debunked, with this latest source claiming there’s no such thing.

Hopefully we’ll learn all about these exciting new buttons and pads at next week’s big Sony event

We’re just days away from the launch of the PlayStation 4, but...

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:41:20 +0000

We’re just days away from the launch of the PlayStation 4, but that’s not the only next-gen gaming system we’ve got to look forward to. A new report published today gives us some juicy gossip on the Xbox 720, and there’s both good and bad news for gamers.

The ever reliable Edge says multiple sources have spilled the beans on the next Xbox: it’ll ship with a new, more powerful Kinect motion sensor cam, an eight-core processor and a beefy 8GB of RAM. It’ll run games off high capacity 50GB Blu-ray discs but – and it’s a big but – it needs to be connected to the internet at all times, and won’t let you play second hand games. That’ll be a big blow to gamers used to trading in one title to get hold of the next big release.

The report also says that so far, developers working on games for the new consoles are finding Sony’s machine easier to program for – a big change from this generation, as the PS3 was notoriously tricky to make games for to begin with.

The sources also suggest that Sony is working on its own Kinect rival – a camera system that may be announced at the PlayStation event later this month, and may be a sequel to Sony’s oft-forgotten Move set-up.

What do you make of the news? Is Microsoft shooting itself in the foot blocking used games? Sound off in the comments below with your view.

Alfred - By Running with Crayons Ltd Alfred is a keyboard-driven...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:25:31 +0000

Alfred - By Running with Crayons Ltd

Alfred is a keyboard-driven productivity application, helping you launch apps and search your local computer as well as the web with great speed.

Any Mac owner should install this FREE app as it improves your experience in nearly every single way. Want to search the web? Hold ⎇ & Space to launch Alfred and simply start typing and hit ⏎ to search! Use Google’s Lucky Search to go straight to a website that you’re usure of the domain or even better, add your own custom URL searches! Alfred has loads of built-in searches too:

Facebook, Twitter, IMDb, Amazon, Wikipedia, eBay, YouTube and many more!

Click here to view the app

Best Keyboard Ever This E-inkey Keyboard Concept is pretty...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:15:00 +0000

Best Keyboard Ever

This E-inkey Keyboard Concept is pretty awesome if you ask me. Imagine using e-ink screens as keyboard buttons that allow us to use different layouts and customise keys as per our needs or program we are using at that moment! The use of E-ink technology gives it the power saving edge as well as the option of being wireless. Simply love it, what about you?

Designers: Maxim Mezentsev & Aleksander Suhih

ALJ Tech Blog

Apple Officially Announces the 128GB iPad Yesterday it was...

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:28:00 +0000

Apple Officially Announces the 128GB iPad

Yesterday it was a rumor; today it’s true: Apple is launching a 128GB iPad.

The new device is practically identical to the current, fourth-generation iPad, only with more storage memory. So far, iPad has been available with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of memory.

“With twice the storage capacity and an unparalleled selection of over 300,000 native iPad apps, enterprises, educators and artists have even more reasons to use iPad for all their business and personal needs,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

The new iPad comes with a new price tag, and it’s a hefty one. The Wi-Fi-only model will set you back $799, and the Wi-Fi + LTE model costs $929, making it one of the most expensive tablets around. It will become available starting Feb. 5.

How do you like the new iPad, considering the price? Would you buy one? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Image courtesy of Flickr, twid

Philips Fluid Concept PhoneThe Phillips Fluid has an organic...

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:10:54 +0000

Philips Fluid Concept Phone
The Phillips Fluid has an organic light emitting diode (OLED) screen, the mobile phone is so designed that it can be wrapped around the wrist as a bracelet or it can be used as a normal MOBILE or IT can be worn round the wrist like a watch. Phillips Fluid is fashionable and filled with features.SAMSUNG is another company that is working on the bendable concept and developing the samsung skin that too can make many shapes.

Youtube: Philips Fluid Concept Phone