Archivi giornalieri: 13/06/2011
Toshiba Thrive pre-order now live, starts at $430 and ends up in your hands in mid-July
As promised, Toshiba is marking June 13th with pre-order availability of its Thrive Android (3.1!) tablet, a device whose life aspiration and name happen to coincide perfectly. This 10-inch Tegra 2 portable has the usual 1280 x 800 resolution, dual cameras (5 megapixel on the back, 2 megapixel up front), a gigabyte of RAM, and a 23WHr battery, but it also brings nice expandability with full-size HDMI, USB 2.0 and SD card slots. The Easy Grip back covers can be swapped — which, yes, means you can also replace the battery — though you’ll have to splash out $20 for any non-black hues. The 8GB Thrive costs $430, followed by the 16GB unit at $480 and the 32GB option at $580. You can order yours directly from Toshiba or at Amazon, Best Buy or Office Direct, with deliveries slated for mid-July.
PlayStation Network: tre arresti in Spagna per l’attacco di aprile
Un’inchiesta partita ad ottobre 2010, questa susseguente all’attacco informatico del sito del Ministero della Cultura spagnolo, ha portato la polizia iberica all’arresto di tre personaggi accusati anche di aver rubato milioni di informazioni personali dal PlayStation Network.
Le autorità spagnole non hanno annunciato precisamente quando si è svolta l’azione ma i tre “sospettati”, appartenenti al Team Anonymous e rispettivamente di Barcelona, Alicante, e Almeria, sono stati rilasciati qualche giorno fa – senza cauzione – e sono tuttora sotto investigazione.
Nonostante Anonymous si sia più volte dichiarata innocente, nelle case degli arrestati sono stati trovati server e altri computer che sarebbero risultati coinvolti anche in attacchi informatici alle banche BBVA e Bankia, all’ENEL e a infrastrutture informatiche governative di paesi come Egitto, Algeria, Libia, Iran, Cile, Colombia e Nuova Zelanda.
Giusto a titolo informativo ricordiamo che il furto di informazioni personali dal PlayStation Network è costato a Sony circa 170 milioni di dollari.
Rocksmith: un’edizione speciale avrà una Epiphone Les Paul Junior in bundle!
Ubisoft ha ufficialmente annunciato che Rocksmith, innovativo titolo musicale che permetterà di utilizzare una vera chitarra come controller, sarà disponibile anche in edizione speciale con in bundle una Epiphone Les Paul Junior. Chi non fosse già in possesso di una vera chitarra, potrebbe quindi approfittare del bundle in vendita a 200$ per imparare a suonare questo fantastico strumento divertendosi!
Prototype 2: trailer ufficiale in HD!
Un po’ in sordina ma pur sempre presente. Nessun annuncio in grande stile né paurosi video del gameplay; Prototype 2 però c’era e, direttamente dall’E3 di Los Angeles, ecco arrivare un teaser trailer interessante sul titolo in sviluppo presso gli studi Radical Entertainment.
Il gioco arriverà sui mercati nel corso del 2012.
Codemasters website hacked, 'tens of thousands' of personal accounts compromised
This must be the season of the hacking witch as we’ve now seen yet another company’s online security walls breached. Independent UK games developer Codemasters, responsible for titles like Dirt 3 and Overlord, has reported that its website was hacked on the third of June, exposing the names, addresses (both physical and email), birthdays, phone numbers, Xbox gamer tags, biographies, and passwords of its registered users. Payment information wasn’t compromised, but when you consider that almost everything else was, that feels like hollow consolation. For its part, Codemasters says it took the website offline as soon as the breach was detected and a subsequent investigation has revealed the number of affected users to be in the tens of thousands.
HP rolls out the YouTube carpet for TouchPad slate, prices accessories (video)
Now that HP’s TouchPad has a confirmed July 1st release date, the company’s going to do its darnedest to make sure you’re excited for the slate, and the company’s starting off rather well if you ask us — instead of attempting to find a new anthem, it’s simply showing off what the dual-core tablet actually does. The nine YouTube videos after the break may not be the most exciting things you’ll watch all day, but they certainly do show off the multitasking magic of HP’s card-based operating system. If that’s not nearly enough TouchPad information, though, Geekazine also taped a 37-minute conversation with HP product manager Tim Pettitt, where he reveals that the final TouchPad won’t have a traditional gesture area, but it will recognize the traditional swipe up for opening and closing apps. By the by, all the TouchPad’s accessories have now been priced: you’ll drop $30 for a charger, $50 for the official folding case, $70 for the Bluetooth keyboard, and $80 for the new Touchstone dock. Pricey.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 official: 12.1 MP, 1080i video, no hot shoe in sight (hands-on)
Last week, we caught a glimpse of the Lumix DMC-GF3, a new addition to Panasonic’s ever-growing family of Micro Four Thirds shooters. Turns out, the camera we spied in that YouTube video was legit: the company just made it official and yes, it’s missing a hot shoe. Available in four colors with 12.1 megapixel resolution, it uses Panny’s latest imaging processor, shoots 1080i AVCHD video, and has a 3-inch touchscreen, ISO range of 160 to 6400, and the usual array of intelligent Auto enhancements. Unlike the GF2 — which isn’t going anywhere, by the way — it’s designed with the greenest of novices in mind, which means it forgoes things experienced photogs might like, such as a hot shoe and viewfinder. This one has a mono, not stereo mic, and swaps in a simple scroll wheel on the back side. Panasonic also rejiggered the touch UI to make certain settings easier to find, and added a miniature art filter — already a staple on Olympus’ PEN series. Oh, and as a beginner-friendly camera, it looks more like a point-and-shoot than a DSLR — it’s 15 percent lighter than the GF2, and 17 percent smaller.
The GF3 will be available in July for $699 with a 14mm lens, to be followed in late August by a $599 kit that comes with a 14-42mm lens. In the meantime, head on past the break and check out our impressions after spending a few minutes with a not-final unit and a 14mm lens. We only got to play with it in a fluorescent conference room, alas, but hopefully our handful of test shots will give you a taste of what you can do with the depth of field should you spring for the higher-end of the two kits.
Spotify signs UMG, only Warner stands in the way of US invasion?
Six months ago, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek couldn’t tell us when his subscription streaming music service might launch in the United States, and that won’t change today, but apparently there’s not much left keeping $10 unlimited monthly music away. All Things D reports that Spotify has signed Universal Music Group to a US distribution deal, the third of the four largest labels to agree, and anonymous sources say the last remaining holdout, Warner Music, may also soon cave. Mind you, one of Spotify’s most intriguing new features just got shown up by iTunes in the Cloud, but when it comes to extra competition and consumer choice, we won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Virgin Mobile lets Android run Blur-free on the Motorola Triumph
Motorola hopes to rescue its tarnished MOTOBLUR UI with a name-change. We, however, think the rust runs deeper than that — and it seems we’re not alone. Virgin Mobile has decided to give its prepaid customers the “true Android experience” from now on, which means you’ll find no proprietary shell whatsoever sitting atop its new Motorola Triumph handset. Aside from a few bits of Virgin bloatware, the Triumph escapes with a relatively standard install of Android 2.2. Meanwhile, MOTOBLUR will still be foisted on pay-monthly customers who buy a Photon 4G or XPRT from Sprint, Virgin Mobile’s parent company. Some of them might like the shell and its add-ons, but others will be better off without such OS contamination.
