Microsoft has released a new program which allows users to peer into space using images and data gathered from the combination of the Hubble telescope as well several powerful telescopes on Earth. The new Worldwide telescope (dubbed as WWT) program is built on Microsoft’s visual experience engine technologies.
It is said that Microsoft’s worldwide telescope will be better than Google Sky..don’t take anyone’s word for it, chek it out for yourself here: http://www.worldwidetelescope.org
The Grand Theft Auto (GTA) saga continues…With GTA 4 announcing its global release on 29th April 2008, it is said to be one of the most anticipated games of 2008 (or perhaps ever!) and estimated to earn sales in the excess of $400 mil or 6 million units within the first week. Upon the release date, GTA 4 has been heavily marketed around the world in the form of TV, online and print advertising.
Grand Theft Auto 4 has received shining reviews by gaming experts due to its rich environments, improved physics, in depth story plot and gameplay with many magazines giving it a perfect score of 10/10.
For the Australians…It has been confirmed by a spokesperson from Rockstar that an edited version of GTA 4 will be released in Australia & New Zealand to avoid R18+ classification, which does not exist in video games and will result in refusal of classification by the OFLC. This is believed to be due to a certain mission in the game where the main character must seek retribution of a friend who was a rape victim in jail. The mission requires a weapon which is used to sodomise the offender and due to the nature of this, it may be viewed as sexual assault which is a mandatory R18+ classification rating.
Grand Theft Auto IV has been released for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3
EDIT: Take-Two has posted that the total sales for the first week for GTA IV topped $500 mil USD (that’s right, half a billion!!), well above analysts predictions. This makes GTA IV the biggest gaming release in history, beating Halo 3 which raked in sales of $300mil in its first week of opening.
There has been recent rumours that Microsoft were releasing a Xbox 360 console with Blu-Ray support. These rumours were denied by Microsoft only to have them resurface once more. Aaron Greenberg, product manager for Xbox 360 has responded stating “Xbox is not currently in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience” in a recent Reuters interview.
The recent war between Toshiba’s HD-DVD and Sony’s Blu-Ray resulted in the demise of HD-DVD and movie studios taking up the new Blu-Ray standard which is supported on the Sony Playstation 3 over the HD-DVD which is supported on the Xbox 360. Xbox is confident that the news will not dampen the sales of its 360 consoles. Microsft boasts that the xbox 360 is the only gaming console that offers digital distribution of entertainment content (including high definition content). Recent supply problems by Microsoft in the US means that the PS3 has outsold the Xbox 360 for its 2nd consecutive month
As of 17th April, eBay will be enforcing Paypal payments (and cash on delivery) as the only forms of payment for all listings. Paypal, which is subsequently owned by eBay charges a fee to its sellers in accepting Paypal payments from buyers. This is on top of the eBay listing as well as final auction fee eBay charges.
ACCC has stepped in to investigate the changes which has angered many professional sellers.
Ebay has defended its change as an “improvement to safety”. Payment protection insurance for unreceived goods that can be claimed from eBay has also increased from $3000 to $20,000.
HP has come up with an answer to Asus Eee PC. Introducing the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC with 2 models from 1GB RAM to 2GB RAM. LCD screen size on the HP2133 is 8.9 inches running at resoluton of 1366 x 766. The HP 2133 Mini-Note PC has integrated bluetooth, 56K modem and WiFi (802.11b/g) encased in a sleek aluminium case and total weight of 1.27kgs.
Full specs on official HP website
Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has confirmed that they have come up with the fastest Satellite Internet in the world boasting 155Mbps downstream to homes and 1.2Gbps to businesses and corporate users. While here in Australia we are getting excited over our painfully slow 20Mbps while paying in the proximate of $80+ per month. It seems the term “broadband” gets thrown around too loosely. Australia’s level of “broadband Internet” is going at crippling speeds when compared to the rest of the developed nations. The JUS$342mil JAXA project is expected to go live in July.
Full story here - Gizmodo
China has decided to lift its ban once more after a year long ban on its local citizens from accessing the english only version of the popular website wikipedia. However, “sensitive” issues such as Tiananmen square and Tibet will still be inaccessible. A regulated Internet has always been a norm in China and this is not the first incident of a ban on the Wikipedia site. Bans on the Wikipedia website spans all the way back in 2004 and had a series of other bans and lifting of its banning status since then.
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