Audi's electric e-tron gets digital in PlayStation Home.
(Credit: Audi)Automakers are like forum trolls. Every time you turn around another one of them is yelling, "First!"
This time it's Audi claiming to be the first carmaker to develop its own virtual area in Sony's PlayStation Home. Audi Space, as it will be known, will come on line in late 2009. Audi Space will at first feature an Audi TV channel delivering video content relating to the German automaker.
In December of '09, Audi Space will be expanded to include Vertical Run, a futuristic racing game featuring Audi's e-tron concept. Players will collect electrical energy that will presumably be untamed by the e-tron as they race for the highest possible speed. Be the fastest and you could earn a place for your Home avatar in the virtual Audi apartments, located in a large tower in the center of Audi Space.
Audi Space will be a 3D area where players can explore the Audi brand.
(Credit: Audi)"Most young people gain their first driving experience from video games," explains Kai Mensing, who is responsible for video games and virtual worlds in Online Marketing at Audi. "With the Audi Space, we can bring this target group into contact with our brand in a highly emotion-packed and interactive environment, and demonstrate our 'Vorsprung durch Technik' with the virtual e-tron race."
"It was important to us to create an environment with Audi Space that differed from a classic showroom at an Audi dealership," Mensing said. "To achieve that, we got together with the architects at Allmann Sattler Wappner and developed an interactive concept where the focus is on selected Audi models, making it possible to experience the brand in a selective, interactive way."
The company has stated that additional Audi content will be added to Audi Space in 2010.
The Xanavi/Nismo GT-R GT car is featured prominently in the Gran Turismo screenshots.
(Credit: Polyphony Digital)Polyphony Digital usually plays its cards pretty close to the vest when it comes to releasing details about its Gran Turismo series. So, I was pretty stoked when I got a news release titled "First Official Gran Turismo 5 screenshots." I waited with baited breath as the images downloaded. Hurriedly, I flung open the attachments only to be greeted with a handful of images of the GT5's fancy menu system. Really? Talk about disappointing.
Ironically, we've already had more than a few good looks at GT5 in action, despite Polyphony Digital's weak attempts at teasers. We already know that the PS3-exclusive will feature 1,000 vehicles, damage modeling and rollover crashes, and online racing with voice chat. Heck, we even knew about the game's capability to flood YouTube with your weak sauce replays.
In fact, about the only thing we don't know is when we can expect to be able to play the game. Although to be fair, we're not so sure that anyone at Polyphony Digital knows either.
So, come on Poly-Dig. We've already seen the goods. Stop being such a tease and give us the full monty.
On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.
Q: I was an Alltel customer, but I'm now with Verizon Wireless following the merger. I want to add a fourth line to my family plan, but Verizon informed me that my Alltel phones were not compatible and that I'd need to replace them. Replacing all four phones would cost me about $600. What can I do?
- Sarah
A: Since Alltel and Verizon both use CDMA technology, I was surprised to hear that your Alltel phones aren't compatible with Verizon's network. I checked with Verizon and got a quick response. While most Alltel customers won't have to buy new phones, there are exceptions (there always are). ... Read more
What can I say? I'm a sucker for racing sims.
(Credit: CTA Digital)I'm not what you'd call a fan of chintzy, plastic, snap-on video game peripherals. I've got enough plastic guitars and controllers cluttering up my living room already without taking up more space with snap-on shells that make my Wii Remote look like the world's shortest golf club. However, I take my racing sims seriously, even on the iPhone. Which is why the CTA Digital Steering Wheel for iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch is interesting to me.
CTA's wheel is basically a plastic shell that snaps onto your iPhone, iPhone 3GS, or first- or second-generation iPod Touch to make the devices feel like a small steering wheel. The design doesn't block the screen, so you can still access virtual buttons for braking, nitro, and such. CTA offers two versions of the wheel, one with a suction cup mount and one without.
I think this is a cool idea for two basic reasons. Firstly, the bigger radius of the wheel's grip can help ease hand cramping caused by prolonged playing for people with big hands. Additionally, the suction cup mount means that iPhone racing games can be played with one hand, which is great because, well, I'm lazy like that.
I haven't been able to find pricing on CTA's Web site, but expect the iPhone wheel to be priced similarly to the company's $19.99 steering wheel for Wii.
This definitely isn't a product for everyone and I can't see myself busting this wheel out on the train as I commute to work. However, if you've ever spent more than an hour at a time racking up points playing Need for Speed: Undercover or Ferrari Challenge, then check the cheesy video after the jump to see the CTA Digital iPhone steering wheel in action.
... Read more
The $299 Flight System G940 will hit stores in September.
(Credit: Logitech)Flight-sim enthusiasts take note that Logitech has unveiled the $299 Flight System G940 at E3. It's the company's first force-feedback flight simulation controller, and Logitech says that its design and control were inspired by military and commercial planes and helicopters.
Available in September, the G940 is compatible with most popular PC flight simulators, including Microsoft Flight Simulator X, IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946 and Lock On: Modern Air Combat X-Plane 9. Logitech says the force feedback technology allows you to "control your aircraft with confidence as you feel its movement as well as its reaction to air, turbulence, and g-forces."
Check out the video after the jump: ... Read more
Two SIMs on the same phone? Yes, indeed.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)We promised it to you last month, and here is CNET's first review of a dual SIM card cell phone. We know the Duet D888 from Beyond E-Tech is not the first dual SIM phone ever, but it is the first one we've reviewed. Even better, it is the first dual SIM card phone widely available in the United States. You can get it for $199 from National Geographic and Cellular Abroad.
With the D888, you can make calls and send texts from two numbers on the same handset. Outside of a few usability quirks, the arrangement works quite well. Believe us when we say that Duet is a pretty average phone otherwise. Call quality is decent, but the D888 feels a little cheap in the hand and it doesn't offer any outstanding features. Yet even with those caveats, the two SIM card slots are enough to warrant a look.
Get the full scoop in our Duet D888 review.
The Duet D888 takes two SIM cards.
(Credit: Beyond E-Tech)Though dual SIM card cell phones have been around for a while, I've only seen them while traveling abroad and at trade show booths. The premise is simple and very attractive: with slots for two SIM cards, a single phone can have two phone numbers. You can receive and make calls on both lines and the SIM cards can even be from separate carriers.
It's a great option for anyone who wants to combine their work and personal phone and it's perfect for frequent international travelers who want a local number while retaining their U.S. number.
With such advantages, it's no surprise that a lot of CNET readers have asked how they can get such a phone. But outside of a handful of unlocked models, and a few crude adapters for regular handsets, dual SIM card phones remain relatively scarce in the United States. No U.S. carrier sells them and you can bet that no carrier would give up that kind of control.
But leave it to National Geographic to come up with another option. The organization has partnered with Cellular Abroad to offer the Duet D888. Made by Beyond E-Tech, the unlocked Duet accommodates two SIM cards: one for the Cellular Abroad intentional SIM card and one for another card of your choice. You could use your own SIM card for a GSM carrier like AT&T or T-Mobile or you could buy a prepaid card during your travels.
... Read more
SIM card in Palm Pre?
(Credit: PreCommunity)We were really hoping that Palm would announce the HSDPA/GSM version of the Pre during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but that didn't happen. The folks at PreCommmunity managed to get some time with the device, and in a quick shot that showed the back battery cover off, a Vodafone SIM (subscriber identity module) card was spotted.
The fact that it has a Vodafone SIM card indicates that this is a GSM version of the Pre. So even without an official statement we know that Palm doesn't only have the CDMA version ready. Just why the Sunnyvale, Calif., company is holding back on an announcement isn't clear. But these manufacturer-operator relations can be tricky, so we just have to be patient. Check out PreCommunity's video for a quick look at the Palm Pre's SIM card slot.
Via PreCommunity
(Via CNET Asia)
(Credit:
SIM2)
Tired of hearing about unaffordable displays that are light years beyond what you have in front of you right now? Yeah, well so am I. Doesn't mean I'll stop reporting on them though, 'cause misery loves company.
At the 2009 Integrated Systems Europe in Amsterdam, SIM2 Multimedia and Dolby Laboratories unveiled what they refer to as "the latest in high-dynamic-range (HDR)-enabled LCD flat-screen display technology featuring Dolby Vision." Called the SIM2 Solar Series, the new displays will be available in the second quarter of this year.
SIM2's Solar Series is a 47-inch LCD display utilizing Dolby Vision technology. According to SIM2, Dolby Vision features a proprietary algorithm that manages LEDs behind the liquid crystal panel.
Each LED is controlled individually in concert with the image on display. By selectively turning off the backlight behind black areas in scenes, Dolby Vision says those areas become truly black. Dolby Vision also has the ability to selectively brighten the backlight behind bright areas.
SIM2 worked in collaboration with Dolby for reference design and prototype development while simultaneously designing the production models from the ground up.
The Solar Series display is able to handle 16-bit processing for HDR signals, producing 65,536 shades per color.
Here are a few specs to whet your appetite. SIM2 has not announced pricing for the display, so who knows? It could be something you can pick up at Best Buy. Judging by the following specs though, I kinda doubt it.
- Display: LCD panel and power LED BLU (2,206 high-power LEDs), plus HDR technology
- Peak brightness: 4,000 candelas per square meter
- Resolution: 1920x1080 full HD
- Contrast ratio (full on/full off): infinite (over 1000000:1)
- Full 16-bit processing (65,536 shades per color) and widest range of displayable colors
- Luminance uniformity: more than 95 percent through the LCD panel
- White point: adjustable
- Professional inputs, including HD-SDI
- Silicon: Xilinx Virtex field programmable gate array (FPGA) chipsets
EA's 'The Sims 3' is scheduled for a June 2 release on the PC. Versions for the Mac, iPhone and iPod Touch will come later in the summer.
(Credit: Electronic Arts)Electronic Arts said on Tuesday that The Sims 3, the third full iteration of one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, will hit store shelves on June 2.
The game will be released for PCs first, and versions for the Mac, iPhone, and iPod Touch should come later in the summer, EA said.
The original version of The Sims, which launched in 2000, quickly became the best-selling PC game of all time. In the years since, the franchise has surpassed 100 million total units sold, counting The Sims 2 and all of the expansions for both full iterations.
Originally developed by legendary game designer Will Wright's Maxis studio--which is now focused on Spore--The Sims has since become its own division within EA. As such, it is run out of the company's Redwood Shores, Calif., headquarters, while Maxis is based in Emeryville, Calif.
On Tuesday, EA also announced its third-quarter earnings and said it would be laying off about 1,100 employees--about 11 percent of its total staff--and closing 12 facilities worldwide.
