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A test update for the PSP has been leaked from a Sony owned web domain. This update includes web browsing, word processing, voice communication and music downloading software among more applications. Sony has not released any information about this update nor is it known if it is fake or the real thing. Installing this update will corrupt your system, however some people have already installed it. You may check out the pictures and video of the installation here. Of course the page is in Japanese, but you can see that the file does work. The full contents of the update include web browsing software, e-mail, word processing, voice communication, scheduling, a text-to-speech application, a program for music download and organization using SonicStage software, and three titles which appear to be new online games. Remember this information is unofficial. Could the reason that Sony is slowing down on the Clie side of things be that the PSP might take its place?
Read More 
| Joystiq
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PC Cards Get a High-Speed Upgrade with ExpressCards
Posted by Oscar M. Cantu Categories: Peripherals,
Add-on cards for notebook computers are set to receive an upgrade. The new cards are named “ExpressCards” and will have an orange rabbit as their logo. These new cards will be faster and smaller than the current lineup. They will even have features such as high speed backup and the ability to receive HDTV programing. Supporters of these cards expect the product to eventually hit the desktop PC market, where PC upgrades will not involve opening up the case. This is a very interesting concept. Imagine being able to just buy one upgrade card with the ability to use it on all your computers without having to open each one. Look for the new chipset in the notebooks to launch this month and for these cards to be available for purchase in the coming weeks.
Read More | Reuters
Hey, I personally enjoy all the movie trailers that show before the beginning of a feature film. I mean, how else am I going to know what is going to be coming out in the Summer of 2009? However, not everyone shares my sentiments. In fact, one Connecticut State Representative Andrew Fleischmann hates them so much that he is trying to get legislation passed that would force theaters to print the start time of the actual movie which patrons are there to see in addition to the start time of the trailers. This would give viewers the choice of arriving to see the previews, or for just the feature. According to the Cinema Advertising Council, an industry group, on-screen revenue for its members grew 45 percent from $190.8 million in 2002 to $315 million in 2003.
Read More | TechDirt
Latest Gear Live Videos
Do you carry too much tech gear? Do you find it difficult to store all your belongings in your pockets? Are you a guy? If you answered yes to all of these questions, you would be a candidate for the eHolster. Wear your cell phone around your shoulders like a gun! Keep your PDA secret from the world (as long as you are wearing a jacket). Or try and look as much like a man as possible with what can only be equated with a purse… but for gear! Give it a shot. They have many sizes and styles available.
Read More | eHolster
It looks like the next version of the Windows OS, codenamed Longhorn, could possibly integrate features of Microsoft’s Media Center and Tablet PC features into the main OS. The example given is docking your laptop and having it act as a Media Center, and then undocking and act like a tablet. While Microsoft may think these features being built into the system give its users more flexibility, it will likely make the OS more bloated than it needs to be. Most users with HTPC systems have their own software for running their computers, and having Windows force settings on them might not sit well with the crowd. Microsoft is still deciding on the direction they would like the next OS to take.
Read More | PCWorld
The great new phone announcements just keep coming in. Actually this one was announced at last week’s CES. Meet MobilePC’s pick for Best New CES Product. This beauty features a landscape screen with a numerical pad that swings out from behind it, reminding me a little bit of the SideKick series. Other similarities include email and MMS, plus WAP support. A few more things: an integrated camera, mp3 and mp4 playback, Memory Stick Pro support, and a touch sensitive screen with handwriting recognition software. Still want more? You get Bluetooth, USB, a sound recorder, and can also capture and send video.
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| SonyEricsson.com
How many times have you printed a label for a freshly burned disc and screwed it up? Those labels are tough to stick on. With HP’s LightScribe discs and software, you will never have to print a label again. Using the laser in your drive, the software will etch a design of your choosing into the disc. All you have to do is flip the disc, run the software, and choose your image. Everytime, you will get a perfect image on your disk.
A few examples of things you can print on the disc:
- A list of track titles and lengths for a music CD
- A digital picture of the DVD or concert on the disc
- Images created in PhotoShop
- Professional looking labels for disks you give to clients
This technology is sure to change the way users burn discs. Now, if only they could figure out how to make labels for dual layer discs…
Read More | Hewlett-Packard LightScribe
Imagine doing a search using a picture taken from your camera enabled cell phone. Does it sound too good to be true? Hatmut Neven doesn’t think so. He is currently working on a way to make this happen. Image-recognition software is already being tested for used in various tasks. Using that technology he hopes to make it happen. The following is a quote of what this service could do for you:
”You take a picture of something, send it to our servers, and we either provide you with more information or link you to the place that will. Let’s say you’re standing in front of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. You take a snapshot with your camera phone and instantly receive an audio-visual narrative about the painting. Then you step out of the Louvre and see a cafe. Should you go in? Take a shot from the other side of the street and a restaurant guide will appear on your phone. You sit down inside, but perhaps your French is a little rusty. You take a picture of the menu and a dictionary comes up to translate.”
Read More | TheFeature.com
Advanced Micro Devices sets to produce a new notebook computer chipset to rival Intel’s Centrino brand. The new 64-bit Turion will be aimed at the “thin and light” notebook segment. This announcement is very good for consumers, as competition is always welcomed. This technology is set to be available by mid-year.
Read More | Yahoo! News
So you want a new accessory for your new iPod and you head to your favorite online or off line store to buy one. You discover a vast array of products and manufactures to choose one. Which one do you choose? The cheap one that may not work and potentially damage your precious gadget or do you choose the more expensive one? Set aside those worries with Apple’s newest certification: Made for iPod. Next time you are on the market for a new iPod accessory, be sure to look for the new branding and make your iPod a happy gadget.
Read More | iPodLounge.com
