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Archive for the ‘News’ Category

HP has announced the death of webOS phones and TouchPad, but enthusiasts have already found a way to resurrect the latter, through installing Android on it.

We already had the chance to have a look at an Android port for the TouchPad a few weeks ago, but things were only incipient at that time, and many functions of the device were not working.

However, things evolved in the meantime, and additional functionality was added to the said Android port.

At the moment, Team-Touchdroid has got full 10-point multitouch working on the tablet PC, after successfully putting the Gingerbread build on it.

Of course, this does not mean that the software will be ready for prime time as soon as tomorrow, but it does show that progress is being made.

Soon, the port will add more features into the mix, and users will even have the chance to download and install the first ROM on their own devices.

For the time being, you can have a look at how things have evolved through the first video embedded at the bottom of this article.

The project will be moving on, but there is no telling on how long it will take before the TouchPad will be able to run smoothly under Android.

In the meantime, you should also have a look at the second video below, which shows the HP device enjoying dual-boot, with both the webOS and the Android platform loaded on it.

The fact that Android is coming to the TouchPad comes as great news for all those who purchased the device, or plan on purchasing it.

HP has just announced that they will be producing a new set of TouchPads, so as to meet demand for it, but that the tablet PC will go six feet under as soon as the new wave of devices is sold. Keep an eye on this space for more. (via liliputing and rootzwiki)

A brand new report concerning the upcoming Battlefield 3 first person shooter has arrived from Japan, of all places, with a poster saying that the game will ship on two DVDs for the Xbox 360 and just one Blu-ray disc for the PS3.

Battlefield 3 is scheduled to arrive this October for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, so already a huge amount of gamers are anticipating the new first person shooter from developer DICE and publisher Electronic Arts, especially since it seems to be the first actual competitor for Activision’s Call of Duty series, at least in the eyes of EA itself.

Now, as the game is nearing completion and its release date, a special poster from Japan was dug up by gaming blog Esutero, that depicts some key technical information about Battlefield 3.

More specifically, it seems that the new shooter will ship on one Blu-ray disc for the PlayStation 3, as usual for games on that platform, and two DVDs for the Xbox 360 console.

Electronic Arts hasn’t commented on the report, but considering Battlefield 3 has an all-new engine, Frostbite 2, as well as lots of new technologies and systems, it’s not out of the question for it to not fit on a single DVD.

Quite as few games these days are overstepping the one-disc limit, with the likes of Dead Space 2, occupying two DVDs, or L.A. Noire which arrived on three discs for the Xbox 360.

Meanwhile, the PlayStation 3 with its Blu-ray disc, which fits around 25GB in standard form, has more than enough space for all of its games, and even allows some developers to fill the extra space with demos for other titles, like the new Resistance 3.

What do you think? Is the fact that Battlefield 3 might occupy 2 DVDs on the Xbox 360 going to make you opt for the PlayStation 3 or PC versions of the game? Share your thoughts in a comment below.

Video game publisher Activision Blizzard has announced that the new Elite subscription service for the Call of Duty series will cost a gamer 49.99 dollars for one year, which is a little more than 4 dollars for one month.

The service is set to be launched at the same time as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the first person shooter from Infinity Ward, and will allow players who love the series to get important in-game statistics about their play time and to get access to a host of content, including all downloadable content offered for free.

Eric Hirshberg, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Activision Publishing, has said that “Just buying the DLC alone would cost you $60 a year.”

He added that most of the players who have bought Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops have also spent money on DLC, allowing Activision Blizzard to top 18 million pieces of it shipped for the series, and predicted that a significant number of them will probably also subscribe to Elite.

The Activision executive also talked about the social elements included in Elite, saying that it will feature Facebook integration and that gamers will be also able to sync with a new mobile app from the first day Elite and Modern Warfare 3 are launched.

Elite also allows those who pay to get into a number of competitions that feature both real world and in-game prizes.

Activision has also confirmed that Elite will deliver two television style series this fall, one created by Will Arnett and Jason Bateman of Arrested Development fame, called “N00b Tube”, and another name developed by Tony and Ridley Scott under the name “Friday Night Fights”.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be launched at the beginning of November and will face tough competition from the DICE and Electronic Arts made Battlefield 3.

About a month ago, Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion announced the release of new handsets running under the BlackBerry 7 OS, and the BlackBerry Torch 9860 was one of them.

The company has already made the new device available for purchase in various markets around the world, and also brought it along at IFA 2011 in Berlin, where Softpedia’s editors snapped a few photos of it.

The BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone is the successor of RIM’s Storm series, featuring the same candybar design with a large touchscreen display on the front.

Unlike the previous devices, the new mobile phone comes with an even larger screen, at 3.7-inches, capable of delivering a 480 x 800 pixels 253ppi high-resoultion.

The screen is powered by Liquid Graphics Technology, while the entire mobile phone runs on a 1.2GHz application processor, the same as other new BlackBerry 7 OS-based handsets do.

The mobile phone also features 768 MB of RAM, along with 8 GB of internal memory, complemented by a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 32GB of additional storage space.

In addition to HSDPA 14.4 Mbps / HSUPA 5.76 Mbps capabilities, the BlackBerry Torch 9860 also features Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP connectivity, as well as microUSB port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and built-in GPS receiver.

RIM placed a 5-megapixel photo snapper on the phone‘s back, with auto focus and HD video recording capabilities, and also included great multimedia playback capabilities with the device, as well as fast Internet browsing.

This last feature is powered by the new BlackBerry 7 OS, which also delivers improved Universal search, or the possibility to keep the personal and work lives separated on the same device.

RIM’s BlackBerry Torch 9860 measures 120 x 62 x 11.5 mm and weighs in at 135 grams, while packing a Li-Ion 1230 mAh battery that can deliver up to 7 hours of talk time, or up to 330 hours of standby time.

The handset also offers support for various applications that can be downloaded from the BlackBerry App World, as well as for mobile services available for RIM’s BlackBerry smartphones.

The new device also features world connectivity capabilities, with support for Dual-Band CDMA 2000 1x EV-DO Rev A 800/1900 MHz and Quad-Band GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, along with Single-Band UMTS 2100 MHz and Tri-Band UMTS/HSPA Networks: 2100/1900/850/800 MHz (UMTS Bands 1,2,5/6) and 2100/1700/900 MHz (UMTS Bands 1,4,8).

The entire BlackBerry 7 family of devices was spotted on the floor at IFA 2011 in Berlin, including the younger member, BlackBerry Curve 9360 which started to arrive on shelves since last week, only a few days after Research In Motion made it official.

Present at the show in Germany, Softpedia’s editors stumbled upon this smartphone as well, and decided to take a few photos with it, to publish them for your viewing pleasure.

It might not be a top-of-the-line smartphone, yet the new BlackBerry Curve 9360 does have many features to offer, all packed inside an affordable smartphone.

With an 800MHz application processor and 512MB of RAM inside, the new Curve 9360 can offer far more performance capabilities than any of its predecessors, which should make it a great candidate for those looking to upgrade without breaking the bank.

Moreover, it comes with a 2.44-inch screen that can deliver a HVGA (480 x 320 pixel) resolution, and sports a 5-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with video recording capabilities.

The mobile phone also comes with 512MB of internal memory, and with a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 32GB of additional storage space.

It was packed with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity too, as well as with 3G capabilities, built-in GPS receiver, microUSB port, and 3.5mm headphone jack.

The new BlackBerry Curve 9360 runs under RIM’s latest operating system version, BlackBerry 7 OS, and can deliver various features powered by it.

For example, the new device is capable of offering fast Internet browsing via the BlackBerry 7 browser, as well as universal search features, or the ability to keep the personal and professional lives separated on the same device.

The smartphone measures 109 x 60 x 11 mm and weighs in at 99 grams. It is powered by a 1000 mAh battery that can deliver up to 5 hours of talk time, or up to 348 hours of standby time.

Note: Fellow editors Cosmin Vasile and Sorin Nita are on the floor at the 2011 IFA Show and are keeping us posted with pictures and live reports on the latest product previews and launches.

Now, it’s time to talk about one of the game’s core mechanics, at least in the words of its developer, Eidos Montreal, the social aspect of gameplay.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution, like any good role-playing game, allows players to choose their own dialogs and the reactions of the playable character, Adam Jensen, to certain events within the game.

While that’s not something new for RPGs, the social nature of Jensen and the player are put to the test in the so-called Social Boss Battles, where the protagonist needs to gain various key information from other characters in the game.

This isn’t similar to Fallout games, for example, where if you have the necessary Speech skill points, you automatically convince the other characters to give you anything you want, however. Instead, Jensen needs to formulate his own phrases while reacting to the arguments of the other NPCs and slowly persuade them to give him what he wants.

You aren’t just choosing replies blindly like in Mass Effect, however, as the game also allows Jensen to equip a Social augmentation. This turns the protagonist into a walking human analyzer, displaying all sorts of extra information when engaged in these social battles.

As you can see in the screenshot above, he now has a full description of the other character, complete with personality traits, not to mention a Persuasion Level, which shows how close you are to getting the other person to spill his secrets.

What’s more, if the player makes the wrong choices, Jensen can emit three different kinds of pheromones, depending on the personality of the character (alpha, beta or omega) and get them to do what he wants.

Basically, while interacting with characters in other games is quite boring, in Human Revolution, it becomes a crucial gameplay aspect and, like with other things, including stealth or combat, you can use augmentations to conquer it.

What do you think of the social aspect in Deus Ex? Have the boss battles delighted you or should the system be scrapped? Share your thoughts below.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is now available for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.