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Microsoft : Project Natal Is "The Endgame"

What is Project Natal? Is it a fancy motion controller? Is it an easy way to talk to your TV? Is it a new way to use the 360 or Live? No, to Microsoft, it's much more. It's the goal.

Talking to Marc Whitten, Microsoft's Xbox Live General Manager, he's happy to show you last.fm, Sky, Facebook or Twitter, the latest services to be announced for Xbox Live. But these are just updates, part of Live's slow evolution to...something bigger. And you can see that in Whitten's body language when he hears "Natal." He goes from somewhat stiff and professionally cordial to shifting restlessly in his seat with sparkling eyes, like a kid who just wants to get back to his favorite toy.

As it happens, Natal is precisely what Microsoft's Xbox 360 Live team is and has been working toward since at least the development of NXE (though surely earlier, especially from a pure hardware perspective). And according to Whitten, it's the last step of Live.

You can have an amazing Live experience without Natal and you can have an amazing Natal experience without Live. But the magic, the endgame, the place that we're going in this social world in the living room is [Natal and Live] tied together. We spend a ton of time on how we're going to reimagine the future with this idea of controlerless gaming and Live together.

To be fair, "endgame" was my word originally, but Whitten, a man ever so careful with his diction, couldn't help but to use it. He sees entertainment and communication converging on Live, and he sees Natal as the way to assemble it all in your living room.

Indeed, if Natal works as well as advertised it's hard to see the technology, the idea, as anything less. You know, at least until we get the holodeck.

source : gizmodo.com
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Sony lifts curtain on tinier PSP games device

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sony Corp unveiled on Tuesday the latest in its Playstation Portable line of hand-held devices, the PSP Go, as it races to catch rival Nintendo in the mobile gaming arena.

Sony's gaming chief Kaz Hirai displays the new Sony PSP Go at the Sony E3 media briefing in Los Angeles June 2, 2009. The gadget goes on sale October 1 in North America and Europe for about $249, before hitting stores in Japan November 1.

Executives at the E3 videogames conference in Los Angeles said it will be half the size of Sony's current PSP 3000 and 40 percent lighter.

Sony aims to sell 15 million units of the PSP -- which competes with Nintendo Co Ltd's DS -- in the financial year to March, up from 14.1 million units a year earlier.

Nintendo's gaming consoles and hand-held devices have in past months outsold its rivals' products. Its DSi, released in the United States on April 5, sold roughly 800,000 units in the month, far outpacing Sony's PSP handheld.

The DS franchise overall sold more than 1 million units.

Nintendo's core "Wii" console was also the top-selling platform in April, even though sales fell by half to 340,000 units alongside a dive in consumer spending, according to research group NPD.

source : reuters.com
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Palm Inc's Launchs The Palm's Pre

NEW YORK (June 2) - It's no iPhone-killer, but the launch this weekend of Palm Inc's "Pre" could well become the brightest event this year for a gloomy industry.

Palm Inc's smartphone may not attract lines around the block like past Apple Inc iPhone launches. But its launch will be seen as a badly needed shot of adrenaline for Palm and exclusive provider Sprint Nextel Corp.

Plenty could go wrong. Executives have warned of shortages. Scathing reviews could smother not just Palm's hopes, but also Sprint's. And investors might have to wait a long time for the device to boost Palm's financials.

But the hope is Pre -- with touchscreen control, a slide- out keyboard and an operating system designed for trendy Web services such as social networks -- wows consumers enough to stem Palm's loss of market share and customer defections at Sprint.

The Palm Pre has a touch screen like the iPhone, but also has a slide-out keyboard and runs on Palm's new webOS software, which can run several applications at once, unlike an iPhone.

The original Palm Pilot was all about organizing the user's personal information, and the Pre will take that idea further by synchronizing contacts from Facebook, Gmail and Outlook into a single list — something else the iPhone can't do. The Pre will connect with Apple's iTunes software and download music and photos as an iPhone or iPod can, which may be a first for a device not made by Apple.

Since the Pre made its debut at the Consumer Electronics show in January, excitement over the device has intensified. Even arch rivals Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc both say they want to sell it after Sprint's exclusivity runs out at the year's end.

If it takes off, Palm may even be an acquisition target.

"If you're buying (Palm shares) now, definitely what you're looking at is that they're going to have the most valuable asset in the industry. At some point, somebody will want to pay a premium for that," Pacific Crest's James Faucette said. "From a products perspective, the impact on the market is probably as important as iPhone."

Sprint and Palm are David to Apple and AT&T's Goliath,

with some casting Pre as the first credible iPhone rival.

Some analysts had fretted about the timing of Pre's June 6 launch, days before Apple is expected to unveil a new iPhone. But several now see Apple announcing an iPhone that is not radically different from previous models.

About 623,000 Pres are expected to move in Palm's fiscal first quarter ending August, five analysts polled by Reuters said. Estimates ranged from 500,000 to 865,000 phones.

That would be a fraction of Apple's launch-quarter sales of 6.89 million for the iPhone that started selling around the world last July. But it's still an ambitious estimate for one phone at Palm, which had third-quarter phone sales of 482,000.

"My sense is that there will good pent-up demand," said Avian Securities analyst Matthew Thornton. "(Palm) is a company that's really gearing up for a complete product refresh."

source : reuters.com
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Windows 7 Will Launch by October 22

Microsoft confirmed on Tuesday that it is planning for Windows 7 to hit retail shelves and start showing up on new PCs on October 22.

To reach that milestone, Microsoft plans to wrap up development of the operating system by the middle or end of next month, Senior Vice President Bill Veghte said in an interview. "The feedback from the release candidate has been good," Veghte said.

Microsoft made the near-final release candidate version available last month. Shortly after its release, Microsoft finally confirmed that it was aiming Windows 7 for a holiday 2009 release, something that was widely anticipated, but not confirmed by those in Redmond.

In an interview, Phil McKinney, chief technology officer of Hewlett-Packard's computer unit, said that he feels good about Microsoft's launch date.

"We're locked and loaded for the launch," McKinney said. "The quality of code is just absolutely stellar."

The software maker also confirmed, without giving details, that it plans to offer some sort of "technology guarantee" giving those who buy Vista machines close to the Windows 7 launch a free or discounted copy of the new operating system. As with past similar programs, details on pricing will be up to individual computer makers, although Microsoft did say the upgrade program will apply to Vista Home Premium and higher-priced editions (meaning not Windows Vista Basic).

The tech guarantee program is not beginning immediately, but Microsoft did raise the possibility it will offer some sort of lower-cost upgrade to those who are already using Windows Vista.

I've gotten a lot of e-mails suggesting Microsoft do something along those lines, but its comments this week were the first time I had heard it acknowledge that it was considering such a move.

As for the technology guarantee program, it likely means that Microsoft will do some deferring of Vista-related revenue, though Microsoft again did not spell out details.

"Depending on when we do it there will be the associated accounting for it," Veghte said.

Microsoft has said that Windows 7 will come in five different editions in most markets--Starter, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate. A "Windows 7 Basic" will also be sold in emerging markets, Microsoft said.

source : cnet.com
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Kaka signs for Real Madrid ?

MADRID (AFP) – Brazilian playmaker Kaka has signed for Real Madrid from AC Milan in a 65-million-euro deal, Spanish radio station Cadena Ser reported on Tuesday.

Newly-installed Real president Florentino Perez sealed the deal with AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani and Bosco Leite, father and agent of the 2007 world and European player of the year, Cadena Ser said.

Kaka, currently in Brazil with the national team ahead of a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay, will sign up for five years and a salary worth nine million euros a year, it added.

AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi had hinted at 27-year-old Kaka's departure moments before Cadena Ser had claimed he was indeed moving.

"I do not know if we can keep Kaka at Milan because they (Real) have offered him so much money," Berlusconi was quoted as saying by Italian press agency Ansa.

It comes on the same day as Kaka - who was courted by English Premiership side Manchester City back in January - was telling La Gazzetto dello Sport he had no intention of quitting Milan.

"I'll tell you this for the last time, the very last. I don't want to leave Milan. To the millions of Milan fans, I tell you that I've made my choice. I've said I want to stay. Leave me in peace, please," Kaka told La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.

"I want to continue to win with Milan. And from today, all discussion is over."

Should his transfer be confirmed officially it comes a day after Milan lost their coach Carlo Ancelotti, who agreed to take over as manager of English FA Cup winners Chelsea.

It had been hoped that his connection with Milan would have persuaded Kaka to also move, but those hopes appear to have been dashed.

source : yahoo.com
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Basic Tips & Tricks to Search on Google

This is What are u looking for? Find another google Tips & Tricks here

If you’re like me, you probably use Google many times a day. But, chances are, unless you are a technology geek, you probably still use Google in its simplest form. If your current use of Google is limited to typing a few words in, and changing your query until you find what you’re looking for, then I’m here to tell you that there’s a better way – and it’s not hard to learn. On the other hand, if you are a technology geek, and can use Google like the best of them already, then I suggest you bookmark this article of Google search tips. You’ll then have the tips on hand when you are ready to pull your hair out in frustration when watching a neophyte repeatedly type in basic queries in a desperate attempt to find something.

The following Google search tips are based on my own experience and things that I actually find useful. The list is by no means comprehensive. But, I assure you that by learning and using the 12 tips below, you’ll rank up there with the best of the Google experts out there. I’ve kept the descriptions of the search tips intentionally terse as you’re likely to grasp most of these simply by looking at the example from Google anyways. Here you are 12 Expert Google Search Tips :

1. Explicit Phrase:
Lets say you are looking for content about internet marketing. Instead of just typing internet marketing into the Google search box, you will likely be better off searching explicitly for the phrase. To do this, simply enclose the search phrase within double quotes.

Example: "internet marketing"

2. Exclude Words:
Lets say you want to search for content about internet marketing, but you want to exclude any results that contain the term advertising. To do this, simply use the "-" sign in front of the word you want to exclude.

Example Search: internet marketing -advertising

3. Site Specific Search:
Often, you want to search a specific website for content that matches a certain phrase. Even if the site doesn’t support a built-in search feature, you can use Google to search the site for your term. Simply use the "site:somesite.com" modifier.

Example: "internet marketing" site:www.smallbusinesshub.com

4. Similar Words and Synonyms:
Let’s say you are want to include a word in your search, but want to include results that contain similar words or synonyms. To do this, use the "~" in front of the word.

Example: "internet marketing" ~professional

5. Specific Document Types:
If you’re looking to find results that are of a specific type, you can use the modifier "filetype:". For example, you might want to find only PowerPoint presentations related to internet marketing.

Example: "internet marketing" filetype:ppt

6. This OR That:
By default, when you do a search, Google will include all the terms specified in the search. If you are looking for any one of one or more terms to match, then you can use the OR operator. (Note: The OR has to be capitalized).

Example: internet marketing OR advertising

7. Phone Listing:
Let’s say someone calls you on your mobile number and you don’t know how it is. If all you have is a phone number, you can look it up on Google using the phonebook feature.

Example: phonebook:617-555-1212 (note: the provided number does not work – you’ll have to use a real number to get any results).

8. Area Code Lookup:
If all you need to do is to look-up the area code for a phone number, just enter the 3-digit area code and Google will tell you where it’s from.

Example: 617

9. Numeric Ranges:
This is a rarely used, but highly useful tip. Let’s say you want to find results that contain any of a range of numbers. You can do this by using the X..Y modifier (in case this is hard to read, what’s between the X and Y are two periods. This type of search is useful for years (as shown below), prices or anywhere where you want to provide a series of numbers.

Example: president 1940..1950

10. Stock (Ticker Symbol):
Just enter a valid ticker symbol as your search term and Google will give you the current financials and a quick thumb-nail chart for the stock.

Example: GOOG

11. Calculator:
The next time you need to do a quick calculation, instead of bringing up the Calculator applet, you can just type your expression in to Google.

Example: 48512 * 1.02

12. Word Definitions:
If you need to quickly look up the definition of a word or phrase, simply use the "define:" command.

Example: define:plethora

Hope this list of Google search tips proves useful in your future Google searches. If there are any of your favorite Google expert power tips that I’ve missed, please feel free to share them in the comments.

This is What are u looking for? Find another google Tips & Tricks here

source : blog.hubspot.com
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Petite Cargo Pickup Plays Transformer


Here’s the deal about this fantastic Cargo Pick-up concept: Traffic’s bad, it’s only gonna get worse with time. To tackle inner city deliveries, is this innovative battery powered vehicle that boasts of variable track, wheelbase and load carrying configurations. It features a Compact Mode, Narrow Mode (with banking corner action) and Pick-up Truck Mode.

The Compact Mode sees the Pick-up section flushed to the back of the cabin. It’s an ideal situation for small deliveries. The Narrow mode gives reduced width and higher maneuverability and as the name suggests, the Pick-up Truck Mode allows you to carry larger payloads.

The Clip-On composite body panels give plenty of real estate for putting up adverts, which I think is a brilliant idea.

The CarGo Pod or the storage compartment when empty can be removed to further reduce the vehicle length.

The CarGo contains a pick-up bed and an extra storage compartment that can flip up, pull out, or get removed/stowed away depending on how large you need your car to be. This vehicle might be useful for college kids who could use the pick-up mode to move in and out of dorms, the narrow one to park in alleys and stuff when there's no legit parking to be found, and the wider but more upright compact mode to go about the normal business of picking up sorority chicks.


Designer: Adam Schacter
For detail design and further info : http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/06/01/petite-cargo-pickup-plays-transformer/
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YouTube making jump to TV screens

YouTube XL brings along the same basic UI that came to game consoles, but it can be accessed on normal PCs. Like everyone else, YouTube hopes to make its way from the PC to a more prime entertainment location--the TV set.

Google's video service is rolling out a new browser feature, called YouTube XL, designed to present YouTube videos on big screens, company managers said Tuesday.

During a demonstration before a handful of media, YouTube showed how XL is designed for people who have hooked up their TVs to their laptops or video game consoles, such as Xbox 360 or Sony PlayStation 3.

How does it differ from YouTube's typical Web page?

It's a much more stripped down player. There are no scroll bars or viewer comments. There's little more than a search field and video thumbnails to help direct users. YouTube XL will work with any Web-connected device and on any browser.

The new feature is another sign that the battle in online video now is being waged in the living room.

One of the drawbacks is that you can't yet watch YouTube's modest library of movies or premium TV shows, as the company is working through licensing issues, managers said. I can see this being used by people who might want to throw in some user-generated fare into their TV-viewing mix.
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The Beatles’ Remastered Albums Due September 9, 2009

On September 9, 2009, after a nearly 22-year wait, digitally remastered versions of all of the Beatles studio albums will be released, a press release has confirmed. Each album will feature the track listings and artwork as it was originally released in the U.K. and come with expanded booklets including original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited time, each of the Fab Four’s 12 proper albums will be “embedded” with a brief documentary about its making. The rereleases will include the Beatles’ 12 studio albums and Magical Mystery Tour as well as Past Masters Vol. I and II, which will be packaged as one collection. All 14 discs will be available with DVDs of the documentaries in a stereo box set, and a set titled The Beatles in Mono featuring 10 discs will also be released.

A crew of engineers at London’s Abbey Road Studios have spent four years working on the remasters using new technology and vintage equipment, the press release says, in an effort to preserve “the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings” and ensure “the highest fidelity the catalog has seen since its original release.”

9/9/09 promises to be a huge day in Beatles lore, as it’s the same day The Beatles: Rock Band will hit stores. This weekend brought a bit of Beatles news, too, as Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr reunited onstage at a New York benefit for David Lynch’s Transcendental Meditation foundation (see photos here). Preorders for the remasters are already popping up on Amazon.co.uk. Demand for Beatles remasters has steadily increased since 1987, when Capitol/EMI first released the Beatles’ discography on CD with what many audiophile fans deemed substandard sound quality compared to the original vinyl.

While it seems like other artists remaster their entire catalog every several years, Capitol/EMI have barely touched the Beatles’ discography since 1987, with the exception of 2004’s The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1 box set, which compiled and remastered the band’s first four American releases in stereo and mono formats. The soundtrack for the Beatles’ Love show also gave listeners a brief tease of how fantastic the band’s songs would sound if properly remastered.

The Beatles in Mono will include the 10 albums originally mixed for mono release, as well as two additional discs the press release says features similar songs to those on the Past Masters compilations. The mono versions of Help! and Rubber Soul will boast bonuses: the albums’ original 1965 stereo mixes, which have not been previously released on CD, per the press release. The mono collection, like the stereo one, will include all original inserts and label designs, and the CDs are designed as tiny vinyl replicas.

The press release didn’t include news regarding a possible deal with iTunes or another digital-music vendor to distribute the catalog digitally: “Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalog will continue. There is no further information available at this time,” the press release reads. Both Apple Corps. and Paul McCartney have expressed reluctance to release the Beatles’ music digitally until all the albums had been remastered. The solo work of each of the four Beatles is available on iTunes.

The Beatles Remasters:

Please Please Me
With the Beatles
A Hard Day’s Night
Beatles for Sale
Help!
Rubber Soul
Revolver
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles (The White Album)
Abbey Road
Let It Be
Past Masters
Yellow Submarine

source : www.rollingstone.com
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Do you believe Drake LaBry is Adam Lambert's Boyfriend ?

Adam Lambert steps out with his boyfriend, holding hands with interior designer Drake LaBry, at Guys and Dolls nightclub in West Hollywood on Monday night (June 1).

Although the 27-year-old American Idol runner-up has never publicly stated that he’s gay, NY Post is reporting that Lambert will be coming out officially on the next cover of Rolling Stone.

FYI: Drake, 24, has been spotted in the Idol audience and backstage with Adam.
The sexual orientation of Adam Lambert is no longer a question.

Following months of speculation about this singer's likely affinity for men, Lambert let an evening out this week do all the talking:

He was spotted leaving Guys and Dolls nightclub in West Hollywood with Drake LaBry, a 24-year old interior designer that we can now confirm is dating the popular American Idol runner-up.

Sources say LaBry was often in attendance at Idol tapings this season, though no one knew of his relationship with Lambert at the time.

source : www.thehollywoodgossip.com
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Just an ordinary people who wanna retire early and travel around da World, Someday I Hope..I started this Blog in 2009 to connect and communicate with all of you that maybe I don’t even know before.

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