Next Xbox chipset in production, will release fall 2013

 Multiple reports today have stated that the chipset for the Xbox 360's successor has been in production since the end of last year. The biggest report yet has just hit, with IGN claiming the system will launch in the Fall of 2013.

Earlier reports in the day came from Fudzilla and SemiAccurate, both of whom stated the "Oban" chipset has started production under the watchful eyes of IBM and Global Foundries. IGN has provided further specs, noting the GPU will be based on an upgraded version of AMD's 6000 series. IGN further states that the processors on the next Xbox will be six times as powerful as the Xbox 360's, and 20 percent more powerful than the Wii U. While the reported production of the GPU won't commence until the end of the year, IGN states that development kits will make their way to Xbox partners in August.

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Realistic Steve Jobs Action Figure

An unauthorized replica of the late Apple founder Steve Jobs is planned by Chinese company InIcons, an eerily lifelike collectible that includes his signature black turtleneck, rimless glasses, and jeans.

The foot-tall action figure will also come with a stool and a backdrop that reads “One More Thing…” -- a reference to the trademark phrase Jobs used to unveil his latest gadget at the carefully orchestrated press events where he debuted the Macintosh computer, the iPhone, the iPad and other "insanely great" products.

The volume of Internet traffic Tuesday morning slowed InIcons’ website to a crawl, proof of continuing public interest in the Silicon Valley inventor. But whether the product will ever see store shelves remains to be seen. Apple’s famously combative lawyers are reportedly aware of the product, according to the Daily Mail, and most take issue with InIcons’ appropriation of Jobs’ likeness.

“Mr. Jobs has not consented to the use of his name and/or image in the product,” Apple lawyers reportedly said.

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PlayStation Vita Sells 321,000 Units During First Two Days In Japan

The Sony PlayStation Vita has sold 321,407 units in the first two days of sales in Japan, according to market researcher Famitsu.

Sony has pinned a lot of hopes on the Vita, which is the company’s answer not only to the Nintendo 3DS gaming handheld but popular gaming apps on smartphones and tablets as well. Enterbrain, which is the parent of Famitsu, estimates Sony Vita sales will reach 1.4 million in its first week on the market. That’s a respectable number.

But the Vita sales have apparently fallen short of the Nintendo 3DS, which sold 371,326 units in its first two days. Also, looking to the past, the previous-generation NIntendo handheld, the Nintendo DSi, sold 170,779 units in its first two days, while the PlayStation Portable sold 166,074 units on its first day and sold out the original shipment of 200,000 by its second day.

Considering early reports of problems Vita buyers have experienced, the Sony Vita may experience a fluctuation in sales during its first week.

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Hasbro sues Asus over use of Transformer Prime name

Transformer Prime — does this name make you think of Android tablets or toy robots that can disguise themselves as semi-trucks and sports cars?

Hasbro, the toymaker that owns the popular Transformer's brand, is suing consumer electronics manufacturer Asus over its latest tablet, the Transformer Prime, alleging that consumers might get confused and think the toys and tabs are somehow related, when they're not.

The suit, first reported by the website PaidContent.org, cites Hasbro's ownership of the Transformers name and a pending trademark for the Transformers Prime cartoon.

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Saudi Prince Buys $300M Stake in Twitter

Saudi billionaire Prince Walid bin Talal and his Kingdom Holding Company announced a combined investment of $300 million in the social networking site Twitter, in a statement Monday.

“Our investment in Twitter reaffirms our ability in identifying suitable opportunities to invest in promising, high-growth businesses with a global impact,” Prince Walid said in the statement released on Kingdom Holding’s website.

The statement said that the investment was finalised after “several months of negotiations” and represented a “strategic stake” in the social networking site.

Prince Walid, a media mogul and one of the world’s richest men, in September announced plans to launch Alarab, a pan-Arab news channel, by 2012, saying the television network will promote freedom of speech.
Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook played a crucial role in spreading information and organising protests in the revolutions that have rocked the Arab world since January.

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SteriPEN Freedom Sterilizes Undrinkable Water Anywhere

 

The SteriPEN Freedom probably can’t save the world from dieing of thirst, but if you head to a foreign land where drinking water can be more dicey than chugging down a liter of vodka you’ll probably want to carry around this apparatus.

This pocket sized device charges via micro-USB and can sterilize up to .5 liter of water, destroying over 99.9% of bacteria, viruses and protozoa such as giardia and cryptosporidium.  One liter of water can be sterilized by treating it twice, though it’s not clear if more than a liter can be treated in one container.

The SteriPEN is automated to operate for 48 seconds, which is obviously how long it takes for your water to go from indigestable to drinkable, or so one would hope.  It weighs just 2.8oz – about half the weight of most smartphones, so carrying it around in your pocket shouldn’t be an issue.  Each UV light, which is the tech that disinfects the water, will last for up to 8000 .5 liter treatments then you’ll need to replace it.

The SteriPEN Freedom should go on sale soon for $119.95.

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Astronomers discover 18 New Alien Planets — and they're huge!

Astronomers have found 18 new alien planets, all of them Jupiter-size gas giants that circle stars bigger than our sun, a new study reports.

The discoveries increase the number of known planets orbiting massive stars by 50 percent. The exoplanet bounty should also help astronomers better understand how giant planets form and grow in nascent alien solar systems, researchers said.

The haul comes just a few months after a different team of researchers announced the discovery of 50 newfound alien worlds, including one rocky planet that could be a good candidate for life. The list of known alien planets is now well over 700 and climbing fast.

Staring at 'retired' stars

The researchers surveyed about 300 stars using the Keck Observatory in Hawaii and instruments in Texas and Arizona. They focused on so-called "retired" type-A stars that are at least 1.5 times more massive than our own sun.

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YouTube remake spotlights TV-style channels

YouTube on Thursday unveiled a major redesign that showcases television-style channels and promises slicker integration with other Google online properties.

“We are trying hard to marry the best of TV and the best of online,” YouTube vice president of product development Shishir Mehrotra said while providing an early glimpse of the changes at the company’s offices in San Bruno.

“The term ‘online video’ is about to disappear as video becomes available to every device,” Mehrotra said.

To demonstrate the point, group product manager Shiva Rajaraman demonstrated a YouTube application that makes the website’s videos viewable on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 videogame consoles connected to the Internet.

The new YouTube home page features channels created by anyone from self-styled video lovers to professional television or movie studios.

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FBI, cops arrest suspected Filipino terror hackers

A group of suspected Filipino hackers allegedly financed by a Saudi-based terrorist cell was arrested by agents of the Philippine National Police and the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) disclosed on Thursday.

The Filipino and American operatives working jointly arrested on Wednesday night four suspects and confiscated computers and telecommunication equipment believed being used by the suspects in their hacking activities, CIDG director Samuel D. Pagdilao Jr. said.

The group was allegedly behind attacks on the US telecommunication firm AT&T that resulted in $2 million in losses to the company in 2009.

In a statement, the CIDG said the group also had links to the Asian terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).

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PayPal lets Facebook friends send cash

Online financial transactions powerhouse PayPal released an application on Thursday that lets friends send one another cash at leading social network Facebook.

A “Send Money” application tailored for Facebook by PayPal lets members of the online community tie money to occasions such as birthdays or send it in an unadorned online transfer.

“We are bringing the largest online payments company to the world’s largest social network to make it even easier to send money to your friends and family directly from Facebook,” PayPal marketing manager JB Coutinho said in a blog post.

“Our new Send Money application on Facebook allows users to turn those wall posts into actual gifts,” she said.

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Facebook users get graphic images in spam attack

Facebook said Tuesday that a “coordinated spam attack” was responsible for graphic images appearing in the news feeds of some members of the world’s largest social network. Facebook, which has more than 800 million members, said some users of the social network were tricked into unknowingly sharing the offensive content.

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PETA hits Super Mario for wearing raccoon dog fur

He may be a hero in "Donkey Kong" and many other Nintendo games, but Mario the plumber is a villain in the eyes of at least one animal rights group.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) scored "Super Mario 3D Land" for the Nintendo 3DS, after it depicted the hero wearing fur from a Tanooki.

"Tanooki may be just a 'suit' in Mario games, but in real life, tanuki are raccoon dogs who are skinned alive for their fur. By wearing Tanooki (the fur of a raccoon dog), Mario is sending the message that it's OK to wear fur," PETA said in its website, "Mario Kills Tanooki".

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Android now “king” in Southeast Asia

The King is dead. Long live the King. Or so it would seem in the vibrant telecommunications market in Southeast Asia—now ruled by the Google Android smart phone operating system (OS).

Results of the latest study by international market research firm GfK showed that the Android OS, which is used on the cheapest to the most expensive of mobile phones in the market today, has finally overtaken the long-time leader, the Symbian platform, in terms of sales in Southeast Asia.

“GfK Asia’s retail tracking reveals consistently healthy sales performance of Android phones—the only smartphone OS which has been registering unwavering month-on-month growth over the last 12 months,” GfK’s regional account director for telecommunications Benedict Hong said.

“Compared to the third quarter a year ago, sales volumes of Android smartphones has grown exponentially by over 1,000 percent,” he added.

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