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Atari Celebrates The 40th Anniversary of Pong, Releases Custom Pong 40th Birthday Xbox 360 Screen Console

To celebrate the 40th birthday of Pong, one of the earliest arcade video games ever created. Atari has created a modded Xbox 360 which is equipped with a LCD screen and been custom styled to look like the original Atari 2600 games console.

The original Atari 2600 game console was released back in October 1977 by Atari and used microprocessor-based hardware and ROM cartridges containing the games code, rather than using non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with games code built in.

The company has also launched a new Pong game for iOS which is now available to download for free from the Apple iTunes App Store. “Pong World introduces a new generation to the classic game of PONG with a dazzling unique twist and colorful new look,”

To enter into the draw for the custom Pong Xbox 360 console, jump over to the Atari Facebook page to signup. Competition only open for residents of the U.S.

November 30, 2012
Apple iTunes Remote App Update: New Interface, New Features

Shortly after releasing iTunes 11 this morning, Apple has released an update to its Remote app for iOS with a revamped iPad interface that looks like the desktop app. The app also gets support for Up Next, the new song queuing system in iTunes.

Improved search is also on the docket for this version as well. The new app looks quite nice, and fits in thematically with iTunes 11 much more closely.

With version 3.0, Remote for iOS is meant to work better with iTunes 11, which has been released today for Mac and PC. The new iTunes in the Cloud service, which includes better iCloud and iTunes Match support, allows users to stream, rather than download, songs from Apple’s servers. Remote can also operate as a physical cursor for your Apple TV, allowing you to enter text and numbers on your phone or tablet, both of which have real (virtual) keyboards, rather than the time-consuming click-based method on the TV itself.

Remote can also function as an AirPlay intermediary, allowing you to push certain streams to different AirPlay-connected speakers or devices. If you’re entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, it all sounds awfully handy.

November 30, 2012
2013 Range Rover Launched in India

Tata owned Jaguar Land Rover Automobiles have launched the all new 2013 Range Rover in India. The 2013 Range Rover is available in three variants, the Vogue SE is set at Rs 1.72 crore, the all new Autobiography at Rs 1.79 crore and the range topping Autobiography petrol at a mind numbing Rs 1.84 crore ex-showroom-Delhi. According to Jaguar Land Rover, the 2013 Range Rover is the world’s first all-aluminium monocoque and also lays claims to be the largest automotive panel in the world’.

The new Rover has a redesigned body shell, which is lighter by about 400kg and this should contribute to better agility, performance and fuel efficiency.

The 2013 Range Rover also has a larger more spacious wheelbase (40mm more than the previous version), expanding the legroom for the middle row by 118mm.

The Range Rover’s off road capabilities also get a boost thanks to the 18mm increase in ground clearance. The wading depth is also now a claimed 900mm, up from the previous 700mm with an all new Terrain Response 2 system with auto setting and intelligent suspension control based on the terrain. The driver will also have the ability to set from 5 manual options for the ride quality.

The Autobiography Petrol has a 510PS supercharged V8 petrol engine with a response time from 0-100kmph of 5.1 second while the Diesel variants come with 258PS SDV8 which improves acceleration times when compared to the existing outgoing version. While Jaguar has started taking orders for the Super SUVs the delivers are said to begin early 2013

November 30, 2012
Original Galaxy Note N7000 Jelly Bean 4.1.2 update leaked

If you are still sporting a good old Galaxy Note N7000, then you are desperately holding your breath for the Jelly Bean update. There is some good news, a new build N7000XXLSA that’s available to download and install on the original phablet, has now been leaked and brings the Galaxy Note N700 Jelly Bean update.

[quote]According to Sam Mobile’s insiders, “the Galaxy Note still requires a lot of work,” until the Jelly Bean update can be released, so we certainly expect more test versions to roll out.[/quote]

While Most Indian Galaxy S3 owners are now happy with their new Jelly Bean Update, Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note N7000 owners are desperately waiting for the official update notification. According to the industry insiders behind the Galaxy Note N7000 jelly bean update leak however, the 4.1.2 update for the Galaxy S2 is “almost ready”.

As inviting as the proposition may appear to be, we would recommend that you avoid test builds unless you cannot simply wait for the final version. Hit the link below to download your copy today.

[SAM MOBILE]

November 30, 2012
Tata Motors to now cater to Bangladesh Car Market

stock image

Indian car maker Tata Motors has now made a foray into the Bangladesh new car market by introducing two sedans and a hatchback. Tata has started operations with the compact sedan Tata Indigo eCS, the Tata Indigo Manza which is a luxury sedan and the Tata Indica Vista hatchback, according to a company statement.

[quote]”We are happy and honoured to enter Bangladesh with our passenger cars. Our 40-year association with Bangladesh has given us an insight into the aspiration of the country’s motorists,” Tata Motors Managing Director Karl Slym said.[/quote]

Tata Motors introduced its buses in Bangladesh in 1972 and has around 53,000 commercial vehicles on Bangladesh roads, the statement said, adding that the company is today the market leader with a 70 per cent market share.

[quote]”Our association with Tata Motors goes back over two decades and we are extremely happy that in addition to commercial vehicles, Tata Motors has now placed their confidence in us to market their passenger cars and utility vehicles,” NITOL Motors Chairman Abdul Matlub Ahmad said.[/quote]

The vehicles would be marketed through Nitol Motors of the Nitol-Niloy Group in Bangladesh. The Group has been marketing Tata commercial vehicles in Bangladesh for the past 20 years and in 1991, it commenced assembly and building body of Tata vehicles.

November 30, 2012
Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro priced starting US$899 for 64GB

Microsoft has finally put a price tag on the Surface tablet variant which will come with Windows 8 Pro. The Microsoft Surface was announced earlier this year and went on sale in the beginning of November in the US. While Microsoft has failed to move numbers, many owners are surprisingly happy with their devices. Microsoft plans to up the ante with a Pro edition packing Microsoft’s full fledged Windows 8 Pro.

It’s confirmed in a Microsoft blog post that the device will start at $899 for the 64GB model, and the higher capacity version with 128GB storage will cost $999. The Pro packing Surface also has a “Standalone” moniker which means you’ll get a Surface pen/stylus, but the touch/type covers will cost anothe US$100. Both capacity variants will be available in January, with no word on dates.

The Surface Pro will resemble the Surface RT and, including the same “VaporMg” casing and built-in kickstand, boasts a 10.6-inch display with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The upgraded Surface will also have a full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, 3rd Gen Intel Core i5 Processor with Intel HD Graphics 4000, 4GB of RAM, a Mini DisplayPort that can output a 2560 x 1440 resolution, a full-size USB 3.0 port and Windows 8 Pro with support for all desktop applications.

[Official Microsoft Blog]

November 30, 2012
Apple iTunes gets upped to version 11, Not so Much-Awaited after all

If you just hit the software button like us, you have been in an encounter with the an update of iTunes that pushes the number to iTunes 11. The desktop variant download includes a new MiniPlayer for playing tracks in a widget-sized window. The whole app now is remenicient of the iPad music player app (iPod) , an “Up Next” feature for cueing up songs and viewing what’s next at a glance, and instant recommendations depending on your music tastes.

iTunes 11 also has active memory and will remember where you left off while playing a song, movie or TV shows if you get interrupted.

iCloud integration will allow you to play back your library on any device, while an offline option should allow in-flight or underground listening sessions to continue without a hitch.

iTunes 11 is available as a Software Update for existing users, and a fresh install from the Apple website.

November 30, 2012
Popslate Case adds a second screen with E-Ink to the iPhone 5

An Awesome case that takes iPhone photography and ability a step further. Its called “Popslate” and its a pretty cool cover that adds a second (E-Ink) display to the back of the iPhone which is also touch sensitive. The iPhone app lets you take a picture with your phone and display it on the back of the device instantly , the always-on, ultra low-power, black and white display can also become a canvas for notifications, sports scores, maps, lists and notes.

The open API will let you cutomize your apps to work with Popslate, The company has a partnership with E Ink to use the latest in ruggedized e-paper technology and is hoping to raise enough funds to make Popslate a reality. The Popslate will be available in two colours at launch (White and Black like the iPhone) and will be available for US $79 for the first 500 supporters and US$99 post the 500 mark.

The company does not have a prototype yet and has assembled a team of engineers and designers, to make the Popslate a reality. However if you look at their video, it seems quite unlikely that an E-Ink display fitted case could be that slim, and the display that responsive. Also with the display running on the iPhone’s batteries, it may be a major concern. Since the iPhone 5 is not doing great in the battery department anyway. Checkout the Video below and hit the link if you wanna buy one.

[Indiegogo (popSLATE)]

November 30, 2012
Steve Ballmer : Windows Phone Sales Have Quadrupled

Speaking at the company’s annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer waxed enthusiastic about Windows Phone 8, claiming sales were off to “a great start.”

Without citing any exact numbers, Ballmer said Redmond is selling four times as many Windows Phone devices than at this time last year.

In addition, he said the Windows Phone Store now offers more than 120,000 apps, and that it will soon have “46 of the top 50 apps that people use.”

Those aren’t bad results for a product that launched only a month ago, and Ballmer’s comments must surely have sounded encouraging to Microsoft shareholders, for whom the poor performance of the Windows Phone division has been a longstanding gripe.

Competing with Android and iOS is no simple task. Apple is a pioneer in the smartphone space that has demonstrated a blend of persistent innovation, and recently, price flexibility in its smartphone line to reach several socioeconomic demographics. At the same time, Android has taken on the position in the smartphone market that Windows has long enjoyed in PCs: the low-cost, volume leader that also has the ability to sell high-end devices to enthusiasts.

According to Microsoft, demand for Windows 8 PCs and tablets is enormous; the data, however, shows a 21% decline for Windows PCs over last year (including tablets, which were practically non-existent), and according to analysts the Windows 8 tablet market is “virtually non-existent.” Again, until we hear from OEMs reporting actual sales data we won’t know for sure. We’ll also likely hear how many Surfaces were sold when Microsoft issues its next quarterly results. Either way, it will be spun into a web of success: Ballmer is good at that, and we love an underdog.

November 29, 2012
Go Android! Facebook Wants Employees To Choose Android Over iOS

Facebook reportedly is encouraging its employees to switch from Apple‘s iPhones to devices running Google‘s Android operating system.

In the past, Facebook gave employees iPhones; however, according to Tech Crunch, the push is on to get them to begin using Droid-based phones; FB also is encouraging workers to begin looking for issues with Facebook apps for the Android OS.

The Android Facebook app has floundered as a hybrid HTML5/native app for months, periodically adding features to the camera or chat portions but rendering the main timeline in a web view.

This issue is not unique to Facebook. Despite its huge market presence, most app developers choose to cater to iOS version before Android. While we’re at a point where we can count on an Android version to be released, it often comes weeks or months after the iPhone or iPad.

Facebook, by asking its engineers to “dogfood” its Android app by switching to the platform, may be the first of many companies seeking to change the perspective of Android as an also-ran OS for developers. Some dev houses see Android as a necessary evil, and prefer to develop for iOS. This runs counter to the sheer numbers of devices sold, but it also speaks to the financial incentive of building an app for Apple’s platform.

Over the coming months, as Android 4.0+ devices broach the majority of overall share, we can hope to see more Holo-based Android apps with excellent performance and great feature sets. Now if only Google could ensure developers make enough money to continue building great paid Android apps, we’d be set.

November 29, 2012
WhatsApp Hoax Messages Doing Rounds Again

WhatsApp users on Wednesday were in for a rude shock, when they first found everyone on their contact list switch their status field listed “error: unknown” and then got a terse message from the CEO of the company complaining about how they weren’t making money and you needed to forward the message to all your contacts to prove you were a legitimate user.

Thankfully though there’s little to worry about: WhatsApp remains free to use, the CEO doesn’t hate as you as much as you thought from his message and it was just a spam message that made the rounds as a feature of the messaging service was affected.

Several hoax messages have recently been going around on the cross-platform messaging app, WhatsApp, which allows users to chat between iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone via an internet connection rather than using SMS.

The CEO hoax however seems to be designed to garner mobile numbers and contact information, which could in turn be used to scam money. Don’t fall for it.

November 29, 2012
RIM Anounces Blackberry 10 Dev Alpha C With A Physical Keyboard

At BlackBerry Jam Asia this morning RIM announced a number of changes and additions that we can expect in the coming months. First, the BlackBerry App World, RIM’s app store, will be renamed when BB10 officially launches to simply “BlackBerry World.” This will feature more than apps as you’ll be able to purchase music, movies, TV shows and games.

Alec Saunders, RIM’s VP of Developer Relations, also revealed the new Dev Alpha C device – a BB 10 smartphone with a physical QWERTY keyboard. This BB10 is only for developers who are looking to test their BB10 apps. Similar to the all-touch Dev Alpha A and Dev Alpha B, there’s a limited amount to go around. In total, RIM has only produced 1,500 Dev Alpha C devices and interested developers need to qualify to score one. On their blog they noted scoring is based on a point system, specifically that “The top 1,500 people to submit two or more applications will be given priority seeding for the BB 10 Dev Alpha C.” Here’s the breakdown of the point system:

– 50 points for ported Android applications
– 250 points for all other applications (Native, BlackBerry WebWorks, Adobe AIR)
– 1,500 points for Built For BlackBerry certified application
– 200 points to start for BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha A/B recipients
– 200 points to start if you are a BlackBerry Elite Member

Developers who received a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device and who have submitted a “qualifying” BlackBerry 10 application are eligible to receive a free, limited edition final-release BlackBerry 10 smartphone shortly after the January 30 BlackBerry 10 launch event. More details on terms and conditions can be found on RIM’s developer blog.

November 29, 2012
Microsoft Windows Phone 8 Reboot Bug Fix Coming In December

Microsoft has found the issue that’s causing some Windows Phone 8 users devices to randomly reboot. It’s certainly frustrating and it’s happen to other platforms in the past.

Hundreds of users of the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8X smartphones have reported on Internet forums that their phones were repeatedly and spontaneously rebooting. The reports identified several different mobile operators in the U.S. and Europe. The forums didn’t identify a consistent culprit for the problem.

Initially, it was speculated that the patch to fix the rebooting issue will be part of a larger software update for the platform, known as Apollo Plus, that would bring added features. However, it looks like as the problem has been identified, Microsoft may not want to wait and is rolling out the patch ahead of Apollo Plus.

Unfortunately Microsoft isn’t specifically saying what’s causing this, only stating that it’s not them but “with our partners.” No indication if it’s a manufacturer, carrier or app developer. However, according to AllThingsD a fix is en route OTA in December.

November 28, 2012
Latest Leaked Images Of Blackberry 10 L-Series, Next To An iPhone, Note 2 And Lumia 920

Yet another photo of Research in Motion’s upcoming BlackBerry 10 L-Series leaked online Thursday, though the latest image adds a new dimension to the speculation.

That is, the photo shows the BB10 phone snuggled up next to Apple’s iPhone 5.

The only brand really missing is HTC, but there’s the Samsung Galaxy Note, Nokia Lumia 920, Apple iPhone 5, and apparently the upcoming all-touch BB10 L-Series from RIM (the device has the old style icons).

This picture gives a good idea of it’s size compared to the other devices. We already know the screen resolution will be 1280 x 768, but it’s now looking like this BlackBerry 10 device will have a screen size of 4.2-inches.

The rest of the images show some familiar BlackBerry features (like the clock) and more angles of the device itself.

Of course, everything is unconfirmed until RIM officially unveils their goods on January 30th, 2013.

November 28, 2012
Ad Block Plus for Android not only Rids ADs from Browsers but also from Apps

The newly launched Ad Block Plus Android app is a derivative of the original and much loved Ad Block Plus for mainstream PC OS. The Ad Block Plus Android app is available for free in the Google Play Store claims to “block all annoying ads on your Android device” including “mobile ads, video advertising, banners, push notifications, display advertising, HTML5 advertising and much more” without requiring any rooting.

There are limitations to the effectiveness of the Ad Block Plus Android app, Non-rooted Android devices running Android 3.1 or later can only block ads over Wi-Fi and devices running Android 3.0 or earlier requires some manual configuration. Rooted devices however will have full access to blocking ads over Wi-Fi and 3G.

The Ad Block Plus Android app will bring a lot of promise to users, the only people who will be unhappy with Ad Block Plus are Advertisers and App developers who rely on the AD revenue.

November 28, 2012