Motorola Cliq
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)T-Mobile and Motorola have begun pushing a software update to the Moto Cliq. Google Android release 1.1.31 will offer the following changes. Motorola offers more information about the update on its support page.
- Longer battery life
- New battery management Feature
- Better Bluetooth
- Touch-screen accuracy
- TTY option
- Better business connections
- Improved caller connectivity
- Quick Office 2
- Accelerometer enhancements
(Credit:
JVC)
These days, what separates Blu-ray players from one another has less to do with how they play Blu-rays--they all do that pretty well--and more to do with the sort of extra features they offer. Many players, for instance, can access a variety of online entertainment options, including Amazon Video On Demand, Pandora, Vudu, and especially Netflix. Unfortunately, JVC's latest player doesn't have any of those online features. In fact, it can't even access the online extras found on some Blu-ray Discs.
JVC has released an entry-level Blu-ray player, the XV-BP11 ($200), which--surprisingly--only complies with the older Blu-ray Profile 1.1 standard. That means it's not capable of playing back any of the Internet-enabled BD-Live content that is included on some Blu-ray Discs. Now, we'll admit that virtually all of the BD-Live content we've seen is disappointing, but that's still not reason to get an underfeatured Blu-ray player when there are Profile 2.0 players with Netflix streaming for $100.
The rest of the features on the XV-BP11 are somewhat more respectable, including onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. There's also a USB port on the front panel capable of playing back a few digital media formats, like AVCHD, JPEG, MPEG-4, MP3 and WMA. (Sorry, no DivX.) On the other hand, like we said, there's no support for any online streaming-media services, unlike the entry-level players from LG, Panasonic, and Samsung. In fact, there's not even an Ethernet jack (at least according to the specs) for easy firmware updates.
When Nintendo announced Wii MotionPlus at last year's E3 2008 press conference, it certainly raised a few eyebrows. First off, we wondered why this technology wasn't included in the original Wii remote to begin with. Would every game be able to take advantage of MotionPlus?
We've had a few days to play around with Wii MotionPlus along with a few games that take advantage of what it offers. That said, we're not convinced that these games maximize its capability and therefore we're not giving it a score yet. We're going to wait until Wii Sports Resort is released--the first game that is supposedly fully optimized for MotionPlus--before we make any final judgments.
Regardless of a final score, we got to experience what MotionPlus is mostly all about, and for the most part, it does offer an impressive 1:1 representation of your movements on screen. We tested it out with two early games that can use it, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Grand Slam Tennis.... Read more
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The now dead HD DVD format had its faults, but we always loved the fact that there was a single hardware requirement for every player since day one. With Blu-ray, there are three different profiles, and each profile has a different set of required features, which affects what kind of special features you can play back on certain discs. And even though manufacturers aren't allowed to make the older Profile 1.0 players anymore, there's still a chance there are a couple of legacy units sitting on the shelf at your local retailer. So, is a Profile 1.0 player worth buying? Should you pay extra for Profile 2.0? Let's check out the differences.
Profile 1.0 is the original hardware requirement for Blu-ray players and essentially meets the bare minimum for playing back Blu-ray Discs. You'll have no problem playing back a movie, listening to standard audio commentary, tracks or using interactive "pop-up" menus, but you won't be able to access advanced features like picture-in-picture video commentary or download any extra content online.
If you're the kind of person that never watches special features, you might be fine with a Profile 1.0 player, but be aware... Read more
(Credit:
Nintendo)
Nintendo has just lifted the veil on a new accessory for the Nintendo Wii remote control. The Wii MotionPlus adapter will attach to the bottom of the Wii remote and give the player a more accurate sense of control by better measuring movements in a 3D space.
Sounds like this could be a blessing for those first-person-shooter games where the control may have been off a step or two. We'll have more on MotionPlus and when you can expect a review soon. Now, here's the press release:
Nintendo introduces the Wii MotionPlus
July 14, 2008
Nintendo's upcoming Wii MotionPlus accessory for the revolutionary Wii Remote controller again redefines game control, by more quickly and accurately reflecting motions in a 3D space. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player's arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion. Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play. The Wii MotionPlus accessory reconfirms Nintendo's commitment to making games intuitive and accessible for everyone. Nintendo will reveal more details about the Wii MotionPlus accessory and other topics Tuesday morning at its E3 media briefing.
Source: Kotaku
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