USB mass storage support coming to Xbox 360 on April 6th

We had a pretty firm idea that this was happening, but now Major Nelson has gone and made it official: mass storage is coming the Xbox 360 at long last. There will be a system update on April 6th, which will allow up to two simultaneous USB flash drives plugged into the system, which will be capable of storing profiles, game saves, demos, "and more." The maximum size supported is 16GB, and even though regular USB hard drives will be supported, they'll be up against the same size cap, and performance will suffer as well. You'll have to manually format a USB device for use in this way when plugging it into the 360, but Microsoft will be partnering with SanDisk for a branded drive in May that will come preconfigured. Also tweaked is the new memory management screen (what convenient timing!) which should make shuffling around these files less of a chore.

FaceVsion rolls out 720p FVexpress webcam combo kit

FaceVsion already debuted its TouchCam N1 Skype HD webcam at CES, and it's now followed that up with its new FVexpress Combo kit, which is apparently tailored specifically for Google Talk users. That kit includes the company's FV TouchCam L1 HD webcam (pictured above), as well as an FVexpress ExpressCard that does hardware H.264 encoding of the video before streaming it over the internet with the included QuLives communication manager software (which is itself fully compatible with Google Talk). All of that expectedly pushes this kit past the usual cost of a webcam, but the $149.95 asking price isn't exactly too extravagant considering what you're getting.

Accessory listings hint at Samsung NX5 digital camera

Well, it looks like Samsung's NX10 hybrid DSLR may be about to get some company. While everything is still far from official, at least one online retailer is now listing a number of accessories that are apparently compatible with both the NX10 and a hereto unheard of NX5 camera, which would presumably be a less expansive, possibly more compact version of the NX10 (pictured above). That's backed up somewhat by a rumor that K-rumors has heard, which suggested that the NX5 would lack a built-in EVF and run between $499 and $599 depending on your choice of lens.

Pre gets a nasty 800MHz overclock patch for all 1.4 users to enjoy (at one's own risk) (updated)

Looking to harness the real power inside of your Pre (or Pre Plus) -- and you've upgraded to webOS 1.4? If that's the case, you're going to love what a couple of Palm-loving hackers have come up with. Namely, a major overclock kernel patch for the device which boosts the CPU speed from a measly 500MHz all the way up to a finger-searing 800MHz (there's also a more tame 720MHz variation available). The two phone magicians, unixpsycho and caj2008, had previously tapped into the power of the Pre's CPU on webOS 1.3.5 with a small file that can be semi-easily installed using WebOSQuickInstall and a tiny bit of Linux command-line activity, and now it's on for 1.4. So far, it looks like phones being tested with the somewhat risky tweak haven't experienced too much of the normally expected issues (crashes, freezing, phones exploding). Also a surprise is the fact that the creators of the hack say battery life drain is only an additional 2-4 percent hit... though if you're already struggling to make it through a day, this could be the nail in the coffin. We installed the patch on a Verizon Pre Plus, and we definitely observed a noticeable bump in app load times and improved fluidity when working with the phone -- though we've already had one major crash. If you don't mind possibly destroying your phone and must have a faster device right now, you can check out the patch in action and learn how to get it yourself in the video after the break.

Update: From the looks of things, that crash we experienced early on is likely due to a bug in webOS 1.4 and not related to the overclock. Actually, we haven't experienced any further problems... in fact, the phone is seeming super speedy, and battery life has not taken a substantial hit, verifying caj2008 and unixpsycho's claims (so far). Someone at Palm should take note -- these guys have some good ideas!

Sony intros four new made for iPod / iPhone headsets

Sony's already kicked out some decent looking PC gaming headsets this month, and it's now followed those up a new batch of 'buds (and one set of over-the-ear headphones) that are "made for" for your iPod or iPhone. The earbuds come in the form of the DR-EX300iP, MDR-EX38iP, and MDR-E10iP, which pack either 9mm or 13mm Neodymium drivers, along with in-line controls, a built-in mic and, in the latter two cases, your choice of two different colors. They're joined by the DR-V150iP headphones "tailor-made for DJs," which pack the same in-line controls and mic, along with a 30mm ferrite driver that promises "deep bass and generous power handling." Of the lot, only the MDR-EX38iP is available now (for $40), with the rest due out in May.

Nintendo DSi XL review

Since Nintendo first asserted sole domination over the handheld gaming market with the release of the paperback-sized Game Boy in 1989, the company has striven time and again to make its pocket systems smaller, meeting fantastic financial success along the way. Nintendo did it with the Game Boy Pocket, the Advance SP, the Micro, the DS Lite and again ever so slightly with the DSi -- the last even at the expense of backwards compatibility and battery life. Now, for the first time in the company's history, it's made an existing platform bigger, with questionable reasons as to why. Does the Nintendo DSi XL squash its predecessors flat? Or is Nintendo compensating for something?

There's a reason Nintendo calls it the DSi XL, and it doesn't have anything to do with your sweater size. At 6.3-inches long and 3.6-inches wide, it's both taller and wider (closed and held upright) than that 1989 Game Boy, and at two-thirds of a pound it's heftier than either the original DS or PSP. Less than an inch thin, the handheld is still slender enough to slip into your pocket -- assuming you wear cargo pants -- but the thought is daunting enough we don't expect most to even try.

Of course, Nintendo isn't letting that heft go to waste -- every ounce contributes to the DSi XL's phenomenal design. Though practically every port, light and button from the original DSi is duplicated here in its entirety (down to the power jack -- you can use the DSi charger), Nintendo has crammed in a pair of crisp, clear 4.2-inch LCD screens with nearly double the original real estate, and further rounded the corner grips so they no longer dig into our palms during extended play. It's the comfiest DS we've held, and the most durable -- the unit barely flexes even when twisted, and closed we felt completely comfortable sitting on the thing. (Stress testing, anyone?) The only missteps are the two oh-so-dull colors available (which, knowing Nintendo, will soon see remedy), and the glossy plastic fingerprint magnet Nintendo inexplicably affixed to the top of the unit -- which developed hundreds of smudges and miniature scratches well before review time. Please don't fix what ain't broke, Nintendo; you got it right with the matte finish DSi.

Function

Sadly, where it really counts -- actually playing games -- the XL has scarcely seen improvement. The software's exactly the same, warts and all; we still had to wade through menus to set up WPA2 security, even as cartridge-based games forced us back to easily-cracked WEP for their WiFi. The larger screens are a nice touch and do, as Nintendo claims, support wider viewing angles and make text easier on the eyes, but since they are the exact same 256 x 192 resolution, what Nintendo's done is effectively up the size of each pixel. In games that already looked pixelated (especially 3D titles like Mario Kart) the additional aliasing drove us to distraction, and even games with little motion were noticeably made up of tiny squares on occasion. Buttons were similarly a mixed bag; while we liked the additional give on the shoulder triggers, the XL's clicky D-pad and face buttons are even slightly tighter than that of a new DSi, and gave us stiff thumbs after only a single 3-lap race in Mario Kart. The DSi XL is still not a system you'll be playing in a sunny park, also -- a hair brighter than its predecessors, perhaps, but unplayable is unplayable, and as you'll see in our gallery, the XL's a good bit dimmer than an iPhone. Indoors, though, expect to play quite a while; with a 3.7v, 1050mAh lithium-ion battery (compared to the 840mAh in the DSi) we got a solid 5.5 hours of battery on max brightness -- ahead of Nintendo's estimate of 5 -- which means you can reliably eke out double that duration with the backlight's turned up halfway.

The one undeniable improvement in the DSi XL experience is audio quality. We're not sure what Nintendo's done to the unit's speakers other than provide larger grills, but where previous DS units provided only a sizable sound bubble, the XL's two speakers can fill an entire living room with clean audio on max volume. Believe it or not, it's the first Nintendo portable where we'd recommend against using headphones.

Wrap-up

The Nintendo DSi XL is a solid handheld; without a doubt, one of the most solid Nintendo's ever offered. But at $190, we're not sure exactly who the system is for. If you've already got a DSi (or even a Lite) it's not a worthwhile upgrade; for every point in its favor, there's a trade-off. We'd recommend it as a fantastic first DS, if the stereoscopic 3DS wasn't just around the corner. For those looking for the latest and greatest, it's an interesting choice, but though portable, it's far too big a bulge in the pants pocket to show off without embarrassment. In the end, the only ones we can think of are those who Nintendo marketing originally identified; old folks and those with eyestrain who simply can't do without the larger screens. Them -- and the younger version of ourselves.

When we were 15, we crammed our shiny new Game Boy Advance into our overloaded school backpack, but one day we dropped it, only to hear a sickening crunch. If we could travel back in time and stick a sturdy DSi XL in there instead, we never would have had to cry over that cracked, inky black LCD screen.

Origin PC stuffs 4.4GHz Core i7-980X, Fermi-based GTX 470 and 480 into Genesis desktop

Hope you didn't just pull the trigger on a new Origin PC Genesis, else you'll be forced to know that your rig was made obsolete in record time. Okay, maybe not obsolete, but there's precisely no doubt that you'd rather be rocking a new Fermi card than whatever you've got now. Right on cue, NVIDIA has launched its latest pair of powerhouse graphics cards, and as of right now, prospective Origin PC buyers can opt for either the GTX 470 or GTX 480 on the Genesis desktop. Better still, you can buy 'em in single, dual or triple SLI configurations, and in case you're down for paying the premium, a 4.4GHz overclocked Core i7-980X Extreme Edition CPU can sit alongside of it (or them).

NVIDIA unleashes GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 'tessellation monsters'

Let's get the hard data out of the way first: 480 CUDA cores, 700 MHz graphics and 1,401MHz processor clock speeds, plus 1.5GB of onboard GDDR5 memory running at 1,848MHz (for a 3.7GHz effective data rate). Those are the specs upon which Fermi is built, and those are the numbers that will seek to justify a $499 price tag and a spectacular 250W TDP. We attended a presentation by NVIDIA this afternoon, where the above GTX 480 and its lite version, the GTX 470, were detailed. The latter card will come with a humbler 1.2GB of memory plus 607MHz, 1,215MHz and 1,674MHz clocks, while dinging your wallet for $349 and straining your case's cooling with 215W of hotness.

NVIDIA's first DirectX 11 parts are betting big on tessellation becoming the way games are rendered in the future, with the entire architecture being geared toward taking duties off the CPU and freeing up its cycles to deliver performance improvements elsewhere. This is perhaps no better evidenced than by the fact that both GTX models scored fewer 3DMarks than the Radeon HD 5870 and HD 5850 that they're competing against, but managed to deliver higher frame rates than their respective competitors in in-game benchmarks from NVIDIA. The final bit of major news here relates to SLI scaling, which is frankly remarkable. NVIDIA claims a consistent 90 percent performance improvement (over a single card) when running GTX 480s in tandem, which is as efficient as any multi-GPU setup we've yet seen. After the break you'll find a pair of tech demos and a roundup of the most cogent reviews.

How would you change Canon's EOS-1D Mark IV DSLR?

We know, you're packing furiously for your next shoot tomorrow, but look -- you need to sit back for 12 seconds, give this article a once-over, chime in below and take one of the biggest sighs of your life. As unprepared as you feel, everything's going to be alright. We promise. Now that we've got you in a proper state of mind, we're curious to know how you'd change Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. The outfit's latest and greatest professional DSLR has come out shining in nearly every review we've seen, and while it's rather massive in stature, it's loaded with features. For nearly five grand, we suspect that you'll be pretty critical on it, and that's exactly how it should be. Is the low-light performance satisfactory? How's the speed and handling? Has it revolutionized your business? Are you a Canon fanboy (or girl) for life now? Spill all down below, cool?

Nokia phones will still Come with Music, only stores see rebranding

If you live in India, our story was correct -- your mobile subscription music service will be called "Ovi," and no longer carry the weight of the cumbersome Comes with Music branding -- but we're hearing that in other Nokia territories, including the UK, that's not quite the case. Nokia UK told Pocket-lint that while the company's online music store will indeed be renamed "Ovi Music" across all 22 territories this year, the Comes with Music service is here (and there) to stay. To tell you the truth, though, we're not that interested in the fate of a brand name. We'd prefer if Nokia made a more ballsy move -- like discontinuing their service's most controversial feature, Comes with DRM.

Twist alarm clock has you wring math equations by the neck

Man has striven for centuries to build a better mousetrap, but in the digital age, mice are the least of our worries. No, the modern day rat race requires a better alarm clock instead, and lord knows we've seen plenty, from tickers that chomp your change to clocks that give you target practice. What we don't see that often is a clock that makes you think at the same time it provokes a physical action. Thus, the Twist Alarm Clock, which displays a simple math equation when it's time to wake up, but requires effort to silence. In order to quiet the alarm, you have to twist the numbered dials on either side of its LCD screen into the right position -- in this case, to figure out what minus what equals two. It's no Turing Alarm Clock, to be sure, but this human number cruncher's actually for sale; you can get yours for ¥2,625 (about $28) in Japan.

Keepin' it real fake: 'new' iPad is the jumbo iPod you always wanted, coming April 3

Tired of all those "jumbo iPhone" jibes you keep hearing about the iPad? So are we, but there's simply no other way to describe this priceless Shenzhen knockoff than as a supersized iPod. Featuring the unmistakable click wheel and what looks like some sort of riff on Apple's Mac OS, the "new" iPad will be on sale immediately alongside Apple's offering, this April 3, for 2,000 Yuan ($290). Of course, we doubt Shenzhen Huayi's distribution network will stretch quite all the way to the USA, but given the population of 1.3 billion people in China, someone's bound to be happy to help you out. What say you -- does this 4GB pen-friendly beastie do anything for you?

Victorinox Secure Pro USB drive is 'un-hackable,' can file your nails

This isn't the first USB drive / Swiss army knife we've seen from Victorinox, but the company's new Secure Pro drive is the first that is supposedly "un-hackable." To put that claim to the test, Victorinox actually offered a £100,000 prize to a team of "professional hackers" if they could crack the drive during the company's launch event -- they were unable to do so. That un-hackableness apparently comes primarily from the drive's combination of AES256 technology and fingerprint security, which is paired with (get this) a self-destruct mechanism that irrevocably burns the CPU and memory chip if there's any attempt to force the drive open. All that and a pair of scissors -- how can you go wrong? No word on a release over here just yet, but the drive is now available in the UK in capacities from 8GB to 32GB for between £50 and £180 (or about $75 to $270).

Oregon Scientific debuts solar-powered weather station and projection clock

Oregon Scientific only introduces a few new products each year, so when we heard that a new pair were making their debut, we couldn't help but take notice. Unfortunately for those in favor of fantastic overhauls, you won't find a whole lot here to cheer about; for those that can appreciate subtle but satisfying updates, you might just be in heaven. Up first is the new +ECO Solar Projection Clock, which is equipped with a detachable solar panel and an integrated projector that beams the time out onto a nearby wall. Second, we've got the Helios Weather Station, also outfitted with a built-in solar panel; it's designed to forecast the weather in your location for the next dozen hours, and it'll also spit out indoor / outdoor temperature and humidity readings in up to three locations around your abode. We're told that the former will be available for an undisclosed amount next month, while the latter can be snapped up now for $54.99

Nokia finally reveals its flexible mobile concept

Do you want your phone looks like your wristwatch?, Pen? or even like your arm band? Do you like a phone which never need to charge its batteries? Nokia is working on making this into reality with the support of Nanotechnology. Recently at Design and The Elastic Mind” exhibition in the Museum of Modern Art, Nokia Research Center (NRC) in collaboration with the Cambridge Nanoscience Centre (United Kingdom) released its Morph concept technology.

Nanotechnology enables materials and components that are flexible, stretchable, transparent and remarkably strong, and Nokia believes this can be applied to making Flexible, Changing, Self-Cleaning communication devices with Advanced Power Sources (such as solar power utilization). Your device will also will be capable of – Environment sensing. It can measure analyzing air pollution, to gaining insight into bio-chemical traces and processes.

Tarmo Virki of CNET Says “The market for Internet services is approaching 100 billion Euros, and Nokia is the first big mobile phone manufacturer to embrace the Internet media business. Close rivals Samsung and Sony Ericsson could follow, but are a couple of years behind”. While Forrester Research says mobile Internet users to triple over next five years to 125 million just in the Western Europe, Nokia confirms their wild ideas like Apple and Google succeeded with many such ideas. Nokia now has its global device market share was about 40% in Q4 of 2007, so reaching their customers with innovative products is something they are working hardly now.

Changing new directions is not new to Nokia. They started as wood-pulp manufacturer in 1865 (Nokia wood Mills), after acquired by Finnish Rubber Works, they entered in to telephone and telegraph cables manufacturing. They were also involved in producing telephone and telegraph cables, and finally they entered in 1967 into commercial and military mobile radio communications technology.

Click HERE to know this on Nokia's official web-site

4G -Technology launch soon.....

The 4G technology is the most topic of discussion now-a-days. It is the fastest technology in wireless Internet communication. But, the biggest drawback of this technology is its cost. It is too costly. The investment on this technology is beyond the limits. On the potential standard of 4G, WiMax, the Telecommunications Industry Association has estimated to invest more than $4.4 billion. You can now better estimate the cost of all the other areas. Hence, it is not at all economic to use this technology to make the wireless Internet communication easier and faster. Moreover, the technique it uses is also not user friendly. People can get confused in accessing it.


Indians were still waiting for 3G mobile services when other countries are forgetting 3G and looking towards 4G mobile technologies.