Microsoft upsizes Xbox 360's hard drive for free
Philip Wong | Jul 30, 2008
Following Microsoft's earlier E3 announcement, the Redmond software giant is finally extending the Xbox 360's free harddisk upgrade to selected Asia markets. Come August 13, the Pro model will be shipped with a free 60GB upgrade across Singapore, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. This puts its S$499 (US$366.91) console on yet another offensive drive following its latest price revision, though we believe Sony will respond with a similar 80GB carrot for its entry-level S$599 (US$440.44) PlayStation kit.
To clear its existing 20GB stock, Microsoft is further sweetening the deal with a complementary copy of Gears of War and a second controller. So if you're more than satisfied with the current disk storage capacity, the time is just about right to bag yourself the HD-enabled gaming console at a bargain.
Three ASUS PDA-phones officially "postponed"
John Chan | Jul 30, 2008
Earlier this month, there were rumors that ASUS would be canning its Lamborghini-branded ZX1 handheld to ensure that other key products would not be delayed. With the success of the Eee PC, that seemed very likely.
Today, we have the official word from ASUS and it's not just the ZX1 that has been canceled--both the upcoming P560 and M536 will not be launched, too. In response to our queries, the company revealed that the project has been "postponed" because of the "technical immaturity of a key component from one of our suppliers". According to the same statement, the driving force behind the decision was because a collaboration between ASUS and Lamborghini meant they had to provide "the best-quality and most innovative products to our customers", something they were not able to achieve in the immediate term.
So were the rumors inaccurate? No, we suspect the truth is a combination of both reasons. In any case, we noticed that ASUS said postponed and not canceled. Though the company may bring back the ZX1, it's unlikely that this will be similar to the one we have already seen. High-end handhelds have moved beyond the QVGA display barrier. If the ZX1 is to be revived, it will have to be much more technically impressive.
ASUS assured us it is not exiting the PDA-phone business and that it is targeting to launch a new device in this category come September. So long, ZX1, we never got a chance to love you.
Olympic athletes don red lenses to combat Beijing smog
Juniper Foo | Jul 30, 2008
The performance-enhancing contact lenses may make the wearer look like Darth Maul, but these are specially designed for players to see better, particularly in bright sunlight.
Beijing's bad air has been making headlines as it nears its August 8 Olympic Games launch. A recent Greenpeace report on the Chinese capital's air quality noted that the city was well short of international guidelines and that levels of particulates in the air were twice as high as recommended by the World Health Organisation.
In fact, fearing for his health, Olympic gold-medallist and world record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, who suffers from asthma, reportedly pulled out of the Beijing marathon. Australia has also told its athletes that they can withdraw if the air pollution poses a threat.
On its part, the Chinese authorities have promised that the haze pollution will not last throughout the Games and are taking measures that include banning cars on alternative days according to licence plate numbers, closing a number of factories, and playing weather God.
Via The Sun | Picture credit: Nike
Olympics at 8,000 frames per second
Leonard Goh | Jul 30, 2008
Although it looks like your typical studio video camera, the SprintCam can do much more. For one, it can record at 8,000 frames per second (fps), which is about 260 times more than your conventional camcorder. This means that every single detail and action is captured with fluid-like intricacy. The closest you can get with a consumer camera would be the Casio Exilim-EX-F1, which can record video at 1,200fps.
Also, it allows for instant playback which is very important for the judging panel. With the SprintCam, they can immediately watch the replay of, say, a 100m dash and determine who crossed the finishing line first. Games in the past have relied on still cameras to determine positions, but that had its limitations.
If your region is broadcasting the Olympics in HD, you may get a glimpse of what the SprintCam can capture.
Picture credit: I-Movix
Toshiba's first gaming laptop, the Qosmio X300
Reuben Lee | Jul 30, 2008
Notebooks these days are well-equipped to render the complex 3D graphics in the latest gaming titles. Yet, oddly, not many PC vendors in Asia are jumping on the bandwagon to offer laptops aimed at gamers. In fact, there are only a handful of brands with gaming notebooks in our region, including ASUS and Dell.
So it's great to see a Japanese PC maker (in this case, Toshiba) stepping up to the plate to unveil its first gaming laptop, the Qosmio X300, to the Singapore and Indonesia press recently. To appeal to gamers, Toshiba has adopted a rather typical approach with the X300's design, choosing to go with a fiery red theme which extends from cover to touchpad and speakers.
As with most gaming machines, the X300 comes packed with premium specifications, from the latest 2.53GHz Centrino 2 processor and 4GB DDR3 RAM to dual 250GB hard drives and a 17-inch WXGA TFT display. It also features an onboard 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9700M GTS GPU which should handle most new games smoothly, though there is no mention on whether it will support Nvidia's PhysX technology.
Other noteworthy features include four Harmon Kardon stereo speakers and a subwoofer with bass reflex technology, REGZA Link (HDMI-CEC), an FM tuner and built-in DVD drive. To complete the gaming experience, Toshiba will be bundling for Asia a Razer Krait Mouse, Goliathus soft mat and Bagman Backpack in the X300 package as well. The X300 is expected to retail at S$4,099 (US$3,013.97) from end August.
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