17/07/2008 by swordfish.

It’s nearly 40 years old but one leading research company says the days of the computer mouse are numbered.

A Gartner analyst predicts the demise of the computer mouse in the next three to five years. Taking over will be so called gestural computer mechanisms like touch screens and facial recognition devices.

“The mouse works fine in the desktop environment but for home entertainment or working on a notebook it’s over,” declared analyst Steve Prentice.

He told BBC News that his prediction is driven by the efforts of consumer electronics firm which are making products with new interactive interfaces inspired by the world of gaming.

Naturally enough those in the business of making mice are not wholly in agreement that the end is nigh!

Source: BBC Technology

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Posted in Wii, PC Games, Technology News | Print | 1 Comment »

16/07/2008 by swordfish.

Nintendo unveiled a highly-sensitive motion controller add-on for its Wii system as it seeks to capitalise on its position as the global console leader.

At the E3 games conference in Los Angeles, the firm showed off its Wii MotionPlus, which it promised would add more realism and depth to games.

The company has sold more than 10 million Wii consoles and 70 million DS handheld machines worldwide.

Rival Sony has announced a larger capacity version of its PlayStation 3. At a later press conference, Sony unveiled a film download service and an 80-gigabyte hard drive version of PS3 for gamers in North America.

Source: BBC Technology

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Posted in PlayStation, Wii, PC Games, Software, Technology News | Print | 1 Comment »

15/07/2008 by swordfish.

BT is to invest £1.5bn in fibre optic cables, giving up to 10 million UK households access to faster broadband.

The plans would bring 40% of homes in reach of an ultra-fast service by 2012. BT is also planning to put fibre-optic cable into about 1 million homes, making the service even faster for those customers.

However, the communications group has made clear it will only make the move if regulator Ofcom allows it to get a decent return on that investment.

Remaining customers would be offered broadband speeds of between 40 and 60 megabits a second (mbps), it said.

Source: BBC Technology

QBS PC Help comment: A speed increase resulting from this ‘fibre-optic’ upgrade will no doubt be welcomed by online gamers!

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Posted in Broadband, Technology News | Print | No Comments »

14/07/2008 by swordfish.

The giants of the video games industry gather in Los Angeles this week for the E3 conference, and all sights are set on the mass market.

Microsoft and Sony are both expected to follow the Nintendo Wii’s lead and push into social gaming. Observers say the recent cut for the Xbox 360 is Microsoft’s bid to make the console more appealing.

“There is a strong move to pull in women, young girls and older people,” said analyst Piers Harding-Rolls. “It’s not just about the traditional gamer anymore. More casual, lifestyle and family-orientated products are going to appeal to a wider demographic,” said the Screen Digest analyst.

Source: BBC Technology

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Posted in Wii, PC Games, Software, Microsoft, Technology News | Print | 1 Comment »

11/07/2008 by swordfish.

The second iteration of Apple’s iPhone went on sale in 22 countries around the world on Friday.

The new device uses 3G connectivity, whereas its predecessor used the slower Edge standard, and it now also comes with a bevy of enterprise-friendly features. It also has GPS connectivity for the first time.

The iPhone 2.0 software, which can also be bought for use on the first iPhone, supports push email and synchronisation with Microsoft Exchange. The iPhone 3G can be wirelessly synchronised with a Windows PC, and has security features such as support for Cisco IPsec VPN and WPA2 Enterprise with 802.1x authentication for Wi-Fi network protection.

Source: ZDNet

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Posted in Apple, Software, Mobile | Print | No Comments »

10/07/2008 by swordfish.

A row has broken out between the games industry and the UK’s content classifiers over who should regulate video games in the future.

UK games industry body Elspa has called on the government to replace the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) role’s in assessing video games. The industry favours its own voluntary system, called Pegi.

The BBFC’s Peter Johnson said Pegi was a “box ticking exercise” based on “no consultation with parents”.

The two systems have different approaches to classification. The BBFC system is enforced by law and based around the symbols used to classify films, while Pegi is a voluntary code.

Source: BBC Technology News

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Posted in PC Games, Software, Technology News | Print | 1 Comment »