Thursday, May 17, 2012

How yellow is the new iPad screen?Latest News

Some users upgrading from the older iPad to the 3rd generation iPad are saying that the new iPad has a yellowish hue.

Ad execs say jury still out on Facebook as mediumLatest News

NEW YORK/LONDON: General Motors Inc's decision to stop advertising on Facebook may be a wake-up call for the No 1 social network, but top advertising executives say it's far too early to know if the site will take off as an advertising platform.

Samsung shares fall further on Apple-Elpida alliance fearsLatest News

SEOUL: Shares in South Korea's Samsung Electronics extended their heavy slide on speculation that arch rival Apple Inc is looking to cut its reliance on Samsung memory chips and turn increasingly to Japanese chipmaker Elpida.

Activision and Electronic Arts settle lawsuitLatest News

LOS ANGELES: Activision Blizzard Inc and arch rival videogame company Electronic Arts Inc have settled a lawsuit in which Activision accused two former executives of breaking their employment agreements to develop games for EA.

Compact but feature-packedLatest News

GENERAL Imaging's latest cameras promise big features at a low price.

Privacy worries dog Facebook ahead of IPOLatest News

The question of privacy and the use of personal data is a key issue for Facebook as the booming social network prepares to list on Wall Street.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

ABN makes offer to content developers

The Asian Broadcasting Network Sdn Bhd wants to liven up the local content development industry.

Lenovo readies two laptops

LENOVO will be shipping its latest IdeaPad and ThinkPad notebooks next month, each geared for two different market segments.

What will Apple unveil at WWDC?

Apple is working on a new line of thinner MacBook Pro laptops and a significant iCloud refresh according to multiple reports from sources including Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, 9to5Mac and The Verge.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Diablo rises again

AFTER waiting what seems like an eternity, Diablo 3 fans finally got their chance to continue their crusade against the forces of darkness in the latest installment to the popular CRPG game.

Microsoft gets on MDeC cloud-onboarding platform

KUALA LUMPUR: Multimedia Development Corp (MDeC) is partnering with software giant Microsoft Corp to accelerate the development of locally-made cloud software and services under MDeC's MSC Malaysia Cloud Onboarding Programme (COP).

Expertise vital when developing smart properties

PETALING JAYA: Buildings in our high-tech century require the expertise of not only the regular mechanical and engineering (MNE) consultant, but also that of an IT network consultant.

Customs goes with Smartag's RFID solution

PUTRAJAYA: Smartag Solutions Bhd has entered into a two-year agreement to implement and operate its Secured Trade solution with the Royal Malaysian Customs.

Dispelling the dark cloud over cloud computing

PETALING JAYA: The first steps into any venture can be the most apprehensive, and any organisation's migration to cloud computing is no exception, according to one industry player.

Man boasts magnetic attachment to iPod

NEW JERSEY: Professional body piercer Dave Hurban is a man attached to his iPod. Literally.

nVidia picks up wireless patents in mobile push

NEW YORK: Graphics chipmaker nVidia Corp is buying about 500 wireless communications patents from privately held IPWireless, as it locks horns with Qualcomm Inc in the lucrative market for smartphone and Tablet chips.

Amazon to launch front-lit Kindle in July?

CHICAGO: Amazon.com Inc will launch new versions of its Kindle e-reader and Tablet, including a monochrome e-reader with front lighting, a source who has seen the prototype told Reuters.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Your chance to win this Tablet

Sign up for The Star newspaper and ePaper bundle and stand a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. One Tablet will be given away everyday.

A good old friend

Friendster, one of the first social networks, has been reinvented. Will it be a sustainable fixture the second time around?

Friday, May 11, 2012

MDeC to improve successful Icon programme

Multimedia Development Corp hopes to continue with the MSC Malaysia Integrated Content Development Programme.

Making virtual libraries more vibrant

Plans are afoot to facilitate knowledge sharing through a virtual library network called U-Pustaka.

Haier goes 3D

HAIER will ship its first 3D Smart TV, the 46in LE46A700, here in July.

A pocket scanner

GREEN Office has a nifty little device called the MagicScan, a pocket scanner that fits in your pocket.

Souped up Alienware machines

GAMERS rejoice, for Dell has updated its 14in and 17in Alienware gaming laptops with the latest hardware components.

Handy accessories for handphones

Tired of shaky photos and sub par audio videos on your iPhone? Belkin's LiveAction products may be what you need.

VelociRaptor on the loose

WESTERN Digital has introduced its latest generation of super fast hard drives, the VelociRaptors.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

CRM headed for the next level

KUALA LUMPUR: The practice of customer relationship management (CRM) has evolved from its initial sales-oriented focus, said Oracle Corp.

Facebook recognises IF Isobar

PETALING JAYA: Digital marketing agency IF Isobar announced that it has taken the lead in Malaysia by being accepted into the Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer (PMD) programme.

China's ZTE preparing for when LTE expands in Malaysia

PETALING JAYA: The much-anticipated rollout of LTE technology in Malaysia will only begin early 2013, says ZTE Corporation.

Free calls and SMSes

PETALING JAYA: Mobile Network Operator, XOX Berhad has introduced a new communications app for smartphones.

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Twitter passwords bared online

Twitter on Tuesday said that it was trying to figure out how user names and passwords from thousands of accounts apparently wound up posted at an online file sharing website.

Judge throws out Proview's iPad suit vs Apple

SAN FRANCISCO: A California judge tossed out a lawsuit in which the Chinese firm Proview Electronics Co Ltd accused Apple Inc of tricking them into selling the "iPad" name for less than it might have.

RIM fills long-vacant chief marketing job

TORONTO: Research In Motion Ltd (RIM) named a pair of wireless industry veterans to senior management roles as it prepares for the make-or-break launch of its next-generation BlackBerry 10 smartphones later this year.

Twitter fights request for Occupy protester's data

SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter Inc filed a motion in a New York criminal court seeking to quash a subpoena for tweets and account records associated with Malcolm Harris, a Twitter user who was arrested last fall on the Brooklyn Bridge during an Occupy protest.

Young drivers know risks, but text anyway

NEW YORK: Most young American drivers agree that it is dangerous to text while driving, but nearly a third admit they do it anyway, a survey by Consumer Reports shows.

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

The Avengers to become pinball table

The Avengers are bound for Xbox 360, PlayStation3 and PlayStation Vita, not as the standard beat 'em up tie-in, but instead part of a new set of tables for Pinball FX 2 and Zen Pinball 2.

Retailer finds innovative use for Facebook 'likes'

BRASILIA: Clothing retailer C&A has found an innovative use for Facebook "likes," placing real-time information about the number of "likes" each item receives on the hangers of various garments throughout retail locations in Brazil.

AT&T making big investment in home monitoring

NEW YORK: AT&T Inc is making a big investment in a nationwide wireless home monitoring service that could potentially add US$1bil (RM3bil) to its annual revenue as part of the No 2 US mobile operator's ongoing effort to expand beyond cellphones.

Zuckerberg kicks off Facebook investor show

NEW YORK: Facebook Inc CEO Mark Zuckerberg fielded questions about the No 1 social network's slowing revenue growth and its US$1bil (RM3bil) purchase of Instagram as he kicked off a cross-country roadshow to promote the company's US$10bil (RM30bil) initial public offering (IPO).

Art of shooting good smartphone videos and photos

Many of us now use our smartphones as our primary cameras. Here are a few tips on taking more stable photos and videos, and editing them.

Editing movies and pictures on the go using iOS or Android

Once you've got all your video footage or taken your photos, you might want to edit them - especially with iOS, you have quite a robust list of apps for photo editing.

Monday, May 07, 2012

Facts and figures about Facebook

Facts and figures about Facebook, which priced its initial public offering on Thursday:

Design your own game

Put your game programming skills to the test at the upcoming GameDevthon competition. Participants will be grouped in teams of two to three and have to develop a game within 24 hours.

App to help keep people safe

PETALING JAYA: It is not uncommon for a husband to worry about the safety of his wife whenever she goes off on her own. It is the same with a mother when she sends her child off to school.

Not your typical notebook

SONY'S latest Vaio notebook, the E 14P, comes in four attractive colours - white, black, pink and silver - to match your style.

Tips for a healthy heart

KUALA LUMPUR: To educate Malaysians on the importance of making heart-healthy choices, Maxis has launched a mobile app called myHealthy Heart developed in partnership with the National Heart Institute (IJN).

Jawbone releases Big speakers

Jawbone has rolled out an even louder version of its portable wireless speakers for smartphones and Tablets.

Slim and long lasting

ASUS says its latest notebook will deliver solid performance and a long battery life of up to 10 hours without burning a hole in your pocket.

Friday, May 04, 2012

Mark this date on your calendar

PETALING JAYA: Experience the latest innovations in portable gadgetry when GoMobile Expo 2012 takes place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from May 11-13.

Samsung holds court with the Galaxy S III

AFTER months of speculation about the Galaxy S III smartphone, Samsung finally let the successor to the wildly popular Galaxy S II out the bag at a glitzy official launch event in London's Earls Court Exhibition Centre.

More power to marketing via social media

PETALING JAYA: Social media is the buzzword in today's digital marketing circles but emerging trends such as online lepak (hang out) sessions and location status sharing, are set to intensify its power.

Forum seeks to tap HNIs for tech funding

PETALING JAYA: The Asian Business Angel Forum 2012 (ABAF) is seeking to encourage high net worth individuals (HNIs) to diversify their portfolios by investing in technology startups.

Thursday, May 03, 2012

AV receivers with mirroring tech

SONY'S four new Xplod AV receivers feature MirrorLink technology which allows them to seamlessly pair with smartphones. The XAV-701BT, XAV-741, XAV-64BT and XAV-63 will then replicate a smartphone's features and applications on the receiver's screen.

Nokia files patent lawsuit against HTC

HELSINKI: Nokia filed lawsuits against HTC in the United States and Germany, claiming that the Taiwanese smartphone maker is infringing its patents.

Nokia to launch Tablets and smartphones

LONDON: Nokia will launch a range of Tablets and "hybrid" smart mobile devices, the company's chairman, Jorma Ollila, told the Financial Times.

'Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview' coming to theatres

LOS ANGELES: Magnolia Pictures has acquired the US rights to Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview, and will open the film in select theatres on May 11, with DVD and video-on- demand releases following this summer.

GoW: Ascension to feature novel multiplayer mode

An all-new multiplayer mode will allow furious Grecian deities to team up for a bout of online monster bashing in 2013's PlayStation3 game, God of War: Ascension.

Nikon unveils the D3200

NIKON Malaysia recently pulled the covers off the D3200, the company's latest entry-level DSLR that features a whole host of new features over the D3100.

A versatile Handycam

SONY recently introduced its newest interchangeable lens camcorder, the Handycam NEX-VG20.

Infographics made easy with Piktochart

IF YOU have ever wanted to scream in frustration over a poorly thought-out or boring infographic (be it yours or someone else's), perhaps it's time to get acquainted with Piktochart.

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Yes unveils new 4G smartphone

YES has launched its latest 4G smartphone, the Eclipse, which also works with a 3G network.

BlackBerry 10 prototype fails to wow investors

ORLANDO (Florida): Research In Motion (RIM) Ltd gave developers a glimpse at its next-generation BlackBerry 10 smartphone and a set of software tools to create flashy apps to run on its new operating system, but investors were unimpressed and RIM shares tumbled.

Facebook IPO roadshow scheduled for May 7?

SAN FRANCISCO: The roadshow for Facebook Inc's initial public offering is scheduled to start on May 7, meaning the company's shares should begin trading on May 18, a source familiar with the process said.

Facebook calls on members to flag organ donor status

CHICAGO: Tired of the long wait for a new kidney, Michael Shelling, a 50-year-old videogame marketing consultant based in San Diego, decided to take a more active role in the search.

Wii U games to release at retail and as downloads

Nintendo is getting ready to make it easier than ever for customers to download games directly to their consoles, according to plans laid out by company boss Satoru Iwata in its April 27's quarterly Financial Results Briefing.

Monday, April 30, 2012

On the Razer edge of gaming tech

Why are some companies more innovative than others? It all boils down to passion, says one.

Adobe rolls out CS6

ADOBE Systems has unveiled its Adobe Creative Suite 6 product line, which comprises 14 applications that include the popular Photoshop, Premiere Pro, InDesign and many others.

Galaxy phones power Samsung to record profit

SEOUL: Samsung Electronics made a record US$5.2bil (RM15.6bil) profit in the first quarter, overhauling Nokia as the world's top mobile phone seller, and its Galaxy smartphones outstripped Apple's iPhone at the high end of the market.

Google online translation tops 200mil users

NEW YORK: Google Translate marked its sixth birthday with news that more than 200 million people use the free online translation service monthly.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Developing apps for kids has its rewards

KUALA LUMPUR: A boost to the local web content eco-system has arrived in the form of a Geek-the-Genius contest by Alcatel-Lucent Malaysia, a telecommunications solutions company.

MDeC tastes success with cluster programmes

KUALA LUMPUR: Local content development under the Creative Multimedia Cluster (CMC), a collection of visual effects, animation and mobile content programmes, has seen significant achievements in total sales.

Game on in May

THINGS are finally starting to pick up in the month of May for games in general.

On the hunt for thinkers and tinkerers

CYBERJAYA: Innovation and creativity can be found in the most unlikeliest of places and the Malaysian Innovation Foundation (YIM) is actively hunting for these these.

Giving retail a boost with mobile solutions

THE retail sector can no longer afford to hold back on adopting new technologies to enable better operational efficiencies and meet the demands of a new breed of tech-savvy consumers.

A comfy pair of headphones

Designed for maximum comfort and audio performance, the Fidelio L1 is Philip's latest premium headphone.

Four new printers from Canon

Canon Marketing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has got a quartet of new Pixma printers, namely the MX897, MX517, MX377 and E600.

Art in your hand

Microsoft has unveiled the expansion to its Artist Edition mice series, with six new designs for the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 and Arc Touch Mouse.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

The camera defies smartphone onslaught

SINGAPORE: While most attention in the gadget world is on the breakneck pace of innovation in mobile phones, Tablets and computers, another device has resolutely refused to die: The camera.

Nokia, HTC win European patent ruling

HELSINKI: Finland's Nokia and Taiwan's HTC won a key European ruling that a patent of German firm IPCom, which was threatening sales of their phones in Germany, was invalid in its current form.

Apple growth hinges on China, new devices

SAN FRANCISCO: Sometimes even eye-popping results are not enough. Apple Inc's shares may have risen 9% on the back of another spectacular quarter that included soaring iPhone sales in China, but the naysayers are still asking if the most valuable US company might need yet another revolutionary product in the next year to sustain its sizzling growth.

Google trial docs show plans for growth

MOUNTAIN VIEW (California): Google Inc projected in 2010 it would get more than 35% of its 2013 revenue from outside its flagship search operation. It is anticipating three non-search businesses, including commerce, would generate more than US$5bil (RM15bil) each, according to internal company documents filed in court.

Intel to challenge antitrust fine in EU court

BRUSSELS: US chipmaker Intel Corp will ask Europe's second-highest court in July to scrap a 1.06bil euro (RM4.3bil) EU antitrust fine, arguing regulators failed to prove it blocked a rival in their 2009 decision.

Over 300,000 could lose Internet access by July

The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) warned that more than 300,000 Internet users worldwide could lose their Web access starting in July following a multi-million-dollar scam.

Apple announces dates for 2012's WWDC

Apple has confirmed that its 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will be held from June 11 to 15.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Chip lets smartphones see through walls, clothes

Researchers at a Texas university have designed a chip that could give smartphones the long-envied ability of comic book hero Superman to see through walls, clothes or other objects.

Google offers cloud storage

GOOGLE launched its long-anticipated Drive service that lets people store, share and collaborate on digital files in the Internet cloud.

Facebook deals may add a week to IPO timing

SAN FRANCISCO: A recent acquisition spurt by Facebook Inc may add about a week to the social network's journey to public markets, a source with knowledge of the situation said.

Groupon to seek new directors for board

NEW YORK: Online coupon company Groupon Inc is recruiting at least two new members to its board of directors after it had to revise fourth-quarter results last month, Bloomberg reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Oracle confronts Google's Schmidt about Java

SAN FRANCISCO: Google's former CEO told jurors that he was confident that the Android smartphone platform was developed legally, and that top executives at Sun Microsystems did not object to the project now at the centre of a high-stakes court battle.

Kuwait to regulate social networking sites

KUWAIT: The country plans to pass laws this year to regulate the use of social networking sites such as Twitter, its information minister said, in the wake of cases of alleged blasphemy and sectarianism that have prompted protests.

EU privacy chief warns of Internet spying threat

BRUSSELS: A global trade deal to stop copyright theft could give Internet providers the right to spy on users, breaching European Union law, the EU's data privacy chief said.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

PS Vita to arrive on May 9

PETALING JAYA: Sony's latest portable game console, the PS Vita, is expected to arrive here on May 9.

Security of supply chain equally important

PETALING JAYA: Protecting important business data from outside threats is a norm for many companies but a security expert says that businesses should also watch out for threats that come from within its supply chain.

CA changes business model to expand in Asean

KUALA LUMPUR: CA Technologies is banking on its newly introduced Country Representative Partner (CRP) business model to help it rapidly expand its business footprint in the country and Asean region.

Malaysian companies to collaborate with BAE

PETALING JAYA: BAE Systems Stratsec is moving aggressively to establish local ties in line with its strategy to support technology transfer to Malaysia.

Google to launch online storage service for consumers

SAN FRANCISCO: Google Inc is preparing to roll out a service to let consumers store photos and other content online, a source familiar with the matter said, pushing into a market now dominated by the likes of Dropbox and Box.

Facebook reveals revenue, profit slide ahead of IPO

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook Inc reported its first quarter-to-quarter revenue slide in at least two years, a sign that the social network's sizzling growth may be cooling as it prepares to go public in the biggest ever Internet IPO.

Facebook pays Microsoft for AOL patents

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON: Facebook will pay Microsoft Corp US$550mil (RM1.65bil) for hundreds of patents that originated with AOL, beefing up its intellectual property arsenal.

Microsoft found infringing Motorola Mobility patents

WASHINGTON: Microsoft infringed Motorola Mobility's patents in making its popular Xbox gaming consoles, a judge for the US International Trade Commission ruled.

Cat and mouse games

F-Secure's Mikko Hypponen weighs in on cybersecurity and the new mobile frontier.

What is the F-Secure Response Lab?

ANTIVIRUS, computer security and ­software company F-Secure established a presence in Malaysia in September 2006, making Kuala Lumpur the hub for its regional operations which now has a staff count of more than 200.

Google dumps publisher payment platform

The One Pass payment platform for Internet news websites, which was launched when co-founder Larry Page took charge last year, was shut down as Google continued house cleaning.

Scientists working on 'super-nano' plastic fibres

MATERIALS scientists in France said they had made highly-conductive plastic wires on the nanoscale, an invention with potential for mobile devices, computing and solar energy.

Canon's latest SOHO printer

CANON'S latest Pixma Ink Efficient E600 all-in-one photo (AIO) printer allows users to fax documents apart from the usual trio of print, copy and scan capabilities.

A camera for self-portraits

DO YOU love taking portraits of yourself or with your friends? Samsung says it has the ideal camera for you in its newly improved, WiFi-capable Dual View DV300F camera.

Monday, April 23, 2012

China Internet firms face venture capital funding squeeze

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG: China's hot Internet sector is facing a problem it is unaccustomed to: A lack of money.

Remodelled Pavilions unveiled

HEWLETT-PACKARD has refreshed its Pavilion line of notebook PCs with new styles and enhanced features under a new design approach called Mosaic.

The idiot box just got smarter

SAMSUNG Malaysia Electronics has introduced its latest range of Smart LED TVs with its flagship model, the ES8000.

How WWII codes on Twitter thwarted French vote law

PARIS: Twitter users turned the French presidential election into a battle between a green Hungarian wine and a red Dutch cheese in a bid to get round tough laws banning result predictions.

Friday, April 20, 2012

A faster reader from Kingston

KINGSTON has released the third generation of its MobileLite ­portable card reader family, which it aptly calls G3.

More than just a Handycam

Are you looking for a video camera that is something out of the ordinary? Sony's HDR-PJ760VE is a unique Handycam that not only records full HD videos but also has its own built-in projector.

Online merchants to get seal of trust

PETALING JAYA: CyberSecurity Malaysia is embarking on an initiative to better protect Malaysian consumer rights on the Web and fight online-shopping scams.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A dock for your Android

ARE YOU envious of the large collection of docking speakers designed for iOS devices? Fret not Android fans, Philips has introduced a new Fidelio series docking speakers that cater specifically to Android devices.

nVidia releases GTX 680 GPU

NVIDIA has officially launched its latest GPU, the GTX 680, which is based on an all-new graphics chip architecture codenamed Kepler.

Samsung's Galaxy advances

SAMSUNG has launched its Galaxy S Advance, aimed at mid-range smartphone buyers.

South Korea seeks ways to disable 'silent camera' apps

South Korea is seeking ways to disable smartphone apps that allow users to silently snap photos in a bid to prevent Peeping Toms from secretly photographing women, an official said.

Titan Quest team Kickstart Grim Dawn

HERE IS a Kickstarter project with a difference - exciting Diablo-esque PC game Grim Dawn is looking for US$280,000 (RM860,000) not to get things started, but to add a final coat of polish.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Taking your status updates 'off the record'

SOCIAL networks have become ubiquitous in the digital age. Whether you use them to communicate with your friends and family, to make new contacts, to keep an eye on new trends in your line of work or to find cute pictures of cats, there's almost no escaping sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Pinterest.

An affordable entry-level Android

IF YOU are in the market for an affordable entry-level Android smartphone, the i-Mobile i695 might be something for you to check out. The phone has a sleek brushed aluminium body and features a 3.7in, 262,000 colours TFT touchscreen with IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology display for a full 180-degree viewing angle.

Luxury automaker to offer 'genius bars'

THE growth of technology in today's vehicles means that sometimes, it can be difficult to know where to go for help. You can't go to an ­electronics shop, because it's in your car. You can't go to the mechanic, because they might not be clued up about the high-tech gadgetry inside either - so what's a 21st century driver to do?

Amazon, Apple, Twitter score low on clean energy

AMAZON, Apple and Twitter were graded poorly in a Greenpeace study of technology titans' use of clean energy to power the mushrooming Internet cloud, but Facebook, Google and Yahoo! won praise.

Dishonored trailer shows next game from 'Skyrim' publisher

FROM certain angles, Dishonored, Bethesda Softworks' 2012 marquee title, bears a passing resemblance to BioShock 2, Deus Ex, Thief, and Half-Life 2, but there's a reason for that.

Halo 4 marks Nov 6 as launch date

Master Chief will be back in the limelight come Nov 6, the Halo 4 launch date that marks his return as main character for the sci-fi shooter franchise.