Tuesday, 29 April 2008 9:14 AM
Original article taken from CNET.com.au
Midnight sees the release of Grand Theft Auto IV, a video game that had to be censored for Australian release due to its explicit content.
So how come gamers in other countries will be playing the original,
unedited version? It's all to do with Australia's gaming classification
scheme. Unlike the US and Europe, Australia lacks an adult rating for
games with high-impact violence, sexual content and drug use. Our
highest rating is MA, and to fit into this classification, games must
be deemed suitable for people aged 15 and up.
This means that games that are too explicit for 15 year olds are
either censored -- like GTA IV -- or banned altogether. Recently Dark Sector was banished from the Australian market
because its mutant hero did a little too much decapitating with his
magical razor frisbee. This same game is freely available on American
shelves to anyone aged 17 or older.
While some Aussie gamers have been using words like "puritanical"
and "draconian" to describe the nation's ratings scheme, others see no
need to overhaul a system that keeps explicit content away from local
consoles. Would an R rating for games give adults more choice, or is it
a fast track to a flood of nasty titles?
View the full article at Whaddyareckon?: R-rated video games.
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 8:40 AM
Original article taken from BBC News.
Microsoft has lifted the lid on a new web service called Live Mesh, designed to connect a multiplicity of devices and applications online.
The service is seen by many as a key plank in the company's vision for the future of the web.
Live Mesh is designed to blur the lines between running software and storing data on a desktop and "in the cloud".
Microsoft's Amit Mital said Live Mesh would "connect and bring devices together... to work in concert".
Live Mesh pits Microsoft against companies like Amazon, Google and Salesforce.com which are already offering different varieties of so-called software-as-a-service systems.
It comes as Microsoft is engaged in a bid to buy rival Yahoo and emphasises just how important the web has become to the firm.
"We may be seeing signs of a Microsoft that is newly focused," Jonathan Yarmis, a vice president and analyst at AMR Research, told Reuters news agency.
He added: "This is exciting because it has as much to do with who is doing it as what Microsoft is doing."
Microsoft has long been criticised for its unfocused efforts in the online space and for attempting to tie the use of Windows to the web.
While initially offered for Windows XP and Vista users, Microsoft has said Live Mesh will also be rolled out to Apple Macs and other platforms.
Mr Mital, general manager of Live Mesh, said: "Devices are how we interact in this new "web-connected" world and we use a variety of them, including PCs, laptops, media devices, phones, digital picture frames, game consoles, music players and the list grows at every CES.
"However, as we discover, adopt and use more of these digital devices, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep the people, information and applications we depend on in sync."
Microsoft says Live Mesh can be used to create an online network of devices, from your PC to your mobile phone.
Files and folders, such as documents, music and photos, on those devices can be synchronised online and accessed via a web browser.
Live Mesh is also designed to facilitate the sharing of media online between different users.
"This new software-plus-services platform enables PCs and other devices to 'come alive' by making them aware of each other through the internet," said Mr Mital.
"We aspire to bring together Windows, Windows Live, and Windows Mobile by creating seamless experiences that span these offerings," Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect, wrote in a memo to staff this week.
Users will have 5GB of personal online storage and unlimited peer-to-peer data, for synchronising information between devices.
Click here to view the original article from BBC News.
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Tuesday, 22 April 2008 8:14 AM
This article has been taken from CNET.
Following a storm of criticism, Apple has changed its Software Update software to mark a distinction between new programs, such as its Safari on Windows browser, and updates to existing ones.
Last month, Apple started to include Safari 3.1 in a list of applications available from its Software Update program.
Critics claimed Apple was deceiving people into installing a new program -- Safari 3.1 for Windows XP -- through a program meant to update already installed applications, namely iTunes and QuickTime.
Now, Apple's Software Update has two separate boxes, one labeled "New Software" and the other labeled "Updates." Before Safari 3.1 was under the "Updates" box and there was no "New Software" heading.
The folks at Mozilla noticed the change but don't appear fully satisfied.
"This is a good first step. Now Apple needs to stop checking the box for "New Software" items by default. With that change, I think I'd be pretty happy to let the Apple Software Update service back on my Windows machine," Asa Dotzler, director of Mozilla community development, wrote Thursday.
An Apple representative told Computerworld that the change was done to distinguish new software from updates but declined to say whether it was in response to criticisms or whether Apple may leave the "New Software" box unchecked, as Mozilla's Dotzler suggested.
Click here to view the original article.
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Friday, 18 April 2008 9:13 AM
Article taken from Australian IT website. Click here for original article.
RESEARCH tracking Australians' propensity to use their mobile phones to access the internet indicates use of the mobile internet will be commonplace within a year.
The research, which is conducted annually by the University of Adelaide and mobile phone company m.Net as part of an international study, has found the proportion of people who have accessed a website on their phone has doubled to 40 per cent in the past 12 months.
Sixty per cent of people nominated improved mobile services and the reducing cost of accessing mobile internet content as a reason to change carriers, according to m.Net director of research Marisa Maio Mackay.
"Twelve to 18 months ago, it wasn't an influencing factor," Dr Maio Mackay said. "People were more concerned with the usability of the handset.
"For the first time we're starting to see the use of mobile data (or non-voice) services has reached a critical mass.
"MDS will take off in the next six to 12 months," she said.
Some of the research, which surveyed the phone use of 18 to 50-year-olds, appears to contradict another study released this week by Sony Ericsson and 3 mobile, which found 91 per cent of respondents did not use their phone to access the internet.
However, this study also found that 80 per cent of people would increase their mobile internet usage if the price were lowered.
Dr Maio Mackay said the suggestion that only 9 per cent of Australians had accessed the internet on their mobile was contradicted by other data. She cited an Australian Interactive Media Industry Association survey last year that found 22 per cent of respondents had used a web browser on their phone.
"Consumers may not associate information accessed on-deck (via the carrier's content menu) or clicking on a text message as necessarily accessing the internet on their phone," she said.
The survey found use of MMS (multimedia messaging) was particularly high in Australia, where 54 per cent of respondents used it.
While Australians had been ahead of Americans in their use of MDS, the study showed Americans were closing the gap.
Among the nations surveyed, Taiwan was the most advanced in terms of purchasing products on mobiles.
Other trends from the survey included a new willingness among Australians to pay a low capped rate for unlimited access to particular data services.
Most mobile phone surveys have indicated people preferred free services supported by advertising.
Read the full article at Australia IT.
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Thursday, 17 April 2008 11:08 AM
Taken From the ITNews Website....
LAS VEGAS - January 6, 2008 - Samsung Electronics America, a
subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, a world-leading
manufacturer of professional LCD and PDP display products, today
introduced the new
SyncMaster 2263DX monitor, a 22-inch LCD
monitor that features an additional 7-inch monitor connected to the
display. The breakthrough model, which creates a more productive work
environment for business users with dual screens, was chosen as a 2008
CES Innovations Honoree. A selection of Samsung's monitor lineup will
be on display during CES 2008 at the Samsung booth, #11033 in the
Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center from January 7-10.
Featuring a tandem seven-inch monitor connected to the primary display,
the 2263DX monitor facilitates simple connectivity without the cost of
an extra monitor. Facilitating a multi screen environment, the 2263DX
monitor is ideal for users that require multiple screens to run
programs and applications simultaneously, therefore increasing
productivity. For example, the extra screen enables users to create and
edit documents on the 22-inch screen while using the additional screen
to simultaneously instant message, read emails or video conference with
co-workers around the globe. Furthermore, the 7-inch tandem screen is
attached via a pivoting, swiveling arm allowing it to be positioned on
either side or above the main display for a comfortable, highly
customizable work environment.
Leveraging Samsung's proprietary UbiSync technology, the 2263DX
delivers simple plug-and-play USB 2.0 connectivity, allowing for
effortless dual screen configuration. The 2263DX monitor's USB
connectivity also allows the monitor to provide USB hub functionality,
facilitating simple communication and connectivity. Furthermore, the
display features HDMI input, providing for superior image quality and
next-generation audiovisual input.
The 2263DX monitor is optimized for Microsoft's Office Communicator
2007, enabling users to communicate with colleagues around the world
without needing to pick up a phone, put on a headset or lean into a
microphone. The monitor is an ideal choice for true-to-life web
conferencing, which can reduce long-distance phone costs and the need
for frequent business travel, as the monitor is equipped with a
built-in 2.0M pixel high-resolution webcam, dual-array microphone and
speakers.
"With a 7-inch screen working in conjunction with a 22-inch
high-performance display, the 2263DX is an outstanding solution for the
increasing body of consumers looking for a multiple monitor work
environment to increase productivity, facilitate seamless communication
and stay aware of business-critical news and events," said Young Bae, senior product manager, display group, Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
"This intuitive, easy-to-use monitor is a perfect compromise for
consumers seeking to combine heightened multitasking abilities and
increased efficiency and productivity, while not sacrificing image
quality and response time.
With a wide 160/160 viewing angle and a high 1680 x 1050 resolution
on the 22-inch screen and a resolution of 800x480 on the tandem screen,
the SyncMaster 2263DX provides clear, precise clear image quality and
maximum versatility. Additionally, this innovative display features
Samsung's MagicBrite3 technology, as well as an 8,000:1 contrast ratio
complimented by a 5 ms response time, enhancing the user's total
viewing experience and reducing blurring or ghosting while utilizing
multimedia applications.
Read the Full article at www.itnews.com.au
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Thursday, 17 April 2008 10:38 AM
Taken From the ITNews Website
The Danger mobile internet platform is designed to connect people to social circles and other content over a mobile handset.
Danger will become a part of the new Premium Mobile Experiences (PMX) team, a group within Microsoft's Mobile Communications Business.
The PMX team focuses on consumer-facing mobile projects and is led by Roz Ho, corporate vice president of premium mobile experiences at Microsoft.
Danger co-founders Matt Hershenson and Joe Britt will join the new organisation, reporting directly to Ho.
"Combining Danger's and Microsoft's talents in the Premium Mobile Experiences team will deliver cool, new, fun mobile experiences to consumers. We want people to smile every time they look at their phone," said Ho.
Danger's employees will continue to work from their current offices. Financial terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.
Read the Full article at www.itnews.com.au
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