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2009 Honda Fit gets a price

Japan’s popular subcompact car, the Honda Fit was launched last October but they have now announced an updated version that will be available in Canada as a 2009 model. The launch date that Honda gave was September 15.

The updated model has had the width, the overall length and the wheelbase increased, which has given passengers more space. They have also increased the maximum cargo capacity to 1622 litres, which is up from the previous 1186 litres. And I know how handy a little extra space can help for all those shopping trips.

Because the Honda Fit has gained a little extra weight, the engineers have grafted a brand-new 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine. You have the choice of either a 5 speed automatic or manual transmission that produces 117hp.

There will be four versions available, the Sport at $19,280, the LX at $17,380, the DX-A at $16,280 and the DX at $14,980. You can also check out all our auto news here.

Source: Read

Wallet phone coming from Japan

Today we are hearing that a government official of Japan has said that they will aggressively push their mobile technology abroad, and this will include Japan’s popular wallet phone.

Japan has been known for many years to be at the forefront of technology, and their digital TV broadcasts, high-speed Internet connections, and electronics are some of the most sophisticated in the world.

They may have some of the latest technology around, but Japan has failed to make its mobile handsets, mobile services and wireless technology hits around the world.

There is a new initiative led by the Japanese government, including manufacturers and wireless carriers that will help Japan market their wireless technology to the world.

The flagship product will be their wallet phone; these devices have a FeliCa chip in each cellphone that will then communicate with a reader-device at vending machines, train stations and shops for payments via phones.

Would you use the Wallet phone for your cashless shopping?

Source: Read | View other cell phone news.

Sony PS3 Picking Up Steam: Xbox 360 loses its mojo

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is still a very popular games console but as it ages its becoming clear that the next-generation games console has some major weaknesses compared to the Sony Playstation 3.

When we look closer at Microsoft’s strategy for the Xbox 360 its clear that this needs addressing if the 360 is to get its mojo back. The Sony PS3 has been consistently been chipping away at the 360’s lead in both hardware and software sales in the US.

The PS3 looked like it had no chance when it launched thanks to the Xbox 360 having a hold on the next-gen gamer with better games, and a better online strategy. Microsoft also cornered much of the gaming market by taking some of the largest franchises Read more

Hands-on: Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 in CrossfireX

There have been so many graphics cards released over the last few months like the one we talked about the other day which was the GIGABYTE Radeon HD 4850, now there is the Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 in CrossfireX that boasts two HD 4870 cores on a single PCB. Will this be the graphic cards of all graphic cards?

The HD 4870 X2 performance isn’t really much of a surprise; it’s two HD 4870s clocked at exactly the same speed on a single PCB. For the most part we see the card performing almost in line with a pair of standard 4870s.

The thing is, though, that the P45 chipset from Intel at the moment is one of the hottest pieces of kit, thanks to the massive overclocks it’s achieving. The only problem with the chipset is that it doesn’t come with two PCI-E x16 slots; most configurations are x8 / x8 which actually hits the performance of two cards quite considerably.

If you find yourself a bit of an AMD fanboy (or fangirl) in the graphics card department, a single HD 4870 is still going to score behind a single GTX 280 consistently, meaning that you’re not buying the fastest graphics card available. And while a pair of HD 4870s would be great, the performance hit from not having a x16 / x16 configuration is just too much to justify the associated cost vs. performance increase.

Thanks to the release of the HD 4870 X2, this is something you don’t need to worry about anymore. It really is great news for people who want a super fast graphics card solution from AMD in their P45 rig.

Unfortunately Crossfire X still has issues, but hopefully the AMD driver team is still working hard on new drivers. It’s not something that we would rush out and do at the moment, or even recommend to most people.

The HD 4870 X2 is an excellent card and it really gives you the chance to buy a P45 board confidently. With the HD 4870 X2 I can now build a new system that will overclock extremely well, thanks to the ability of using the very fast P45 platform. It’s also an added bonus for a lot of people in that it’s cheaper than its X48 brother.

There wasn’t really anything else AMD could do with the HD 4870 X2; no doubt over the coming weeks we will see companies overclock the card and hopefully we will see companies like ASUS go for a new cooling arrangement just to mix it up a bit more. But on a whole, AMD have done a lot right with this card, including the fact that they didn’t downclock the core or the memory from the already very impressive HD 4870.

Like we said before, Crossfire X still has some issues, but the ability for big performance is there with a minimum FPS count of 25 in World in Conflict at 2560 x 1600 with 4x AA and 16x AF. I think my own personal mission over the coming days or weeks will be to crack that 30 FPS minimum mark with a pair of HD 4870 X2s in hand. With a bit of overclocking on both the CPU and the graphics cards, it should be doable.

Without forgetting the company behind the sample, Sapphire have done a decent job with the package by including a number of applications, including a full version copy of 3DMark Vantage.

The HD 4870 X2 is going to quickly become a popular card among people at launch and hopefully can allow AMD to become a fearsome force in the graphics card arena once again over the next 12 months.

Now we just have to see how NVIDIA are going to retaliate; it’s doubtful that they’re just going to sit back and watch AMD enjoy the sales of their new card.

Read the full 18-page review over on TweakTown

Toyota Profit hits five year low: Down 28 percent

Toyota Motor Corp. has seen a huge drop in their profit, the biggest in five years. The world’s second-largest carmaker has blamed poor sales of sport-utility vehicles and trucks, due to high fuel prices.

Toyota has reported that their net income has fallen by 28 percent to 353.7 billion yen or $3.2 billion, shares are now just 112.28 yen a share. The year earlier net income was 491.5 billion yen, or 153.89 yen per share.

According to Bloomberg, Toyota’s operating profit in North America feel by 57 percent, as we mentioned it is the sale of larger vehicles that have seen the biggest drop. Katsuaki Watanabe, President of Toyota Motor Corp. has had to halt the production of Tundra pickups and Sequoia SUVs for three months as a result of high oil prices.

Toyota has always been known for their larger vehicles, where Honda seems to produce smaller and fuel-efficient cars. This has seen an 8.1 percent gain for the automaker.

It is not just Toyota who is being hit with huge profit losses; Ford and GM are two more to add to that list. Automakers are now facing a fork in the road; they now have some tough decisions to make. One thing is certain; they will all have to think about producing smaller fuel-efficient cars.

Motorola MOTO U9: The Stylish Side of Music

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced that the stylish MOTO U9 is now available unlocked for GSM networks in the U.S. exclusively through MOTOSTORE. In addition to its curvaceous, graceful design, the U9 features an abundance of mobile entertainment features.

“MOTO U9 is a stylish phone, designed for trendsetters seeking to make a fashion statement,” said Pete Peterson, general manager, global ecommerce, Motorola Mobile Devices. “In addition, U9 delivers a dynamic music experience, allowing consumers to carry the music that moves them anywhere they go.” Read more

Comic-Con 2008: Xbox LIVE joins forces with Warner Bros

Comic-Con 2008 once again takes over the San Diego Convention Center from July 23-27. Xbox LIVE® is joining forces with Warner Bros. to provide a look at panels, videos, interviews, and more.

Go to Xbox LIVE® Marketplace and catch Major Nelson as he interviews celebs, covers the hottest new movies and TV shows, and even more from the show floor as we bring Comic-Con 2008 home to you Read more

Closer Look at PlayTV for Playstation 3

Yesterday we announced the release date of PlayTV in the UK to be September 10 and the rest of Europe will be getting this new Playstation 3 hardware between September and December.

Today we take a closer look at Sony PS3’s new dual digital tuner, we take a brief look at what it can and cannot do, some more photos and we welcome your feedback about PlayTV.

The new PlayTV is not wireless and you will have to connect to one of the USB sockets in the Playstation 3, as far as PC or Mac support we’ll have to wait and see.

Its not coming to North America as their digital terrestrial is different to the UK and Europe. (The Americans use ATSC Standards. Europeans and British people use Digital Video Broadcasting DVB standard)

TV shows / content recorded from the Freeview is not protected and you can move it where you want as long as it is in a suitable format, that includes the media server function.

To receive TV through Play TV you will need a good TV aerial, the one you normally use for analog TV will do or an existing aerial if you’ve already got Freeview. Just connect the standard TV aerial cable into the Play TV aerial socket and tune it and it should work.

The price should be EUR 99 (£79.99), although you should not bank on that, as it’s not official yet and we may have to wait until PlayTV hits the shops.

Thanks to PR readers for information they sent in and if you want to share, then just leave a comment. You can read all news on Product Reviews for PlayTV Here.

What’s even more strange is the fact that Amazon still have an incorrect release date of 31 Oct 2008 on their website.

Google Mobile App for iPhone and iPod Touch

The rush of Friday June 11th is well and truly over but people are still trying hard to get their hands on the new iPhone 3G, while all this is happening things are still all go with the new App Store.

Today we hear that Google has launched their new Mobile App for iPhone, this application makes it easy to search the web on the move and find your contacts even faster.

The Google Mobile App is currently only for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users in the US, although other countries will also get this application soon on their App Stores.

When you search results will appear right away as your typing. The slick interface will learn what you do over time and will place your frequently clicked results on the first search page.

The main features of the Google Mobile App include search history, My Location and Google Suggest. Will you be using this new powerful application?

Source: Read

U.S. auto sales hits 15 year low: more fuel-efficient cars needed

It looks as though the current price of a barrel of oil is now having a profound affect on U.S. auto sales, which have now hit a 15 year low. The rest of 2008 does not like it will be any better, now automakers are working hard to meet the demand for smaller fuel-efficient cars. So it now shows that the current credit crisis is not just causing problems for the housing market.

Many automakers in the U.S. are now cutting the production of trucks; they are now scrambling to increase production of fuel-efficient cars as it is these that are now showing more sales strength. Auto sales for North America are down 18.3 percent from June 2007, this is now the worst half year sales performance since 1993. Autodata Corp has released some data stating that U.S. consumers purchased just 7.41 million vehicles in the first half of 2008.

According to Freep, some automakers are having worse sales figures than others, Chrysler LLC is 35.9% down, Ford Motor Co. is down by 27.8%, and Toyota Motor Corp. is down by 21.4%. Also down is Nissan Motor Co. by 17.7% as well as General Motors Corp. who are down 18.2%.

However Honda Motor Co. has bucked the market by reporting a 1.1% sales increase; this is a result of their more affordable, fuel-efficient vehicles.

It is not just in the U.S that people are wanting more fuel-efficient cars, in the UK they have to pay £5.40 a liter, that about $10.69. Also they are being taxed for having larger cars, so more people want to sell their larger cars and swap them for smaller cars.

Open Source vs. Profit: Google Android (iPhone 3G), Linux (Microsoft Vista)

The world of software for computers, cell phones and other gadgets has been changing to benefit the consumer for a while now and today change is moving faster than ever. Thanks to the world of Open Source we have many options to get great software for free, sadly not every consumer knows this and still decide to buy software that can be downloaded in a similar form for free thanks to Open Source.

There are many factors to think about when considering Open Source vs. For Profit software, but one of the biggest and prominent examples of free software and open source development would be the Linux operating system. This alternative to Microsoft Vista is free and if you get it installed with laptops then you will save a lot of money off the price, just look at the Eee PC.

You may not want to change all the underlying source code of Linux, but if you choose that option, you can. There are some benefits to buying Vista, but are these still worth the price compared to today’s versions of Linux?

Open Office is another software package that is available thanks to open source, this project gives you some free to download software that’s compatible with all other major office suites. This software is packed with features including databases, graphics, presentations, spreadsheets and word processing. You are able to read and write files from some of the top office software packages.

When it comes to the cell phone world it has been rocked since the launch of the Apple iPhone and this has a lot to do with the expandability of the device and with the 3G iPhone coming this year, things will only get better. When it comes to phones another application is about to rock that world and this will be from the Open Handset Alliance.

This is a group of more than 30 mobile and technology companies, they have joined to give the very first “complete, open and free mobile platform”. When Google Android hits the market later this year we will see it become a direct competitor to the iPhone, what will the outcome bring?

Open source will keep growing and as it makes its way to more devices in our homes like Linux, the user will want more open source software for the savings it brings. How has Open Source affected your life?

Samsung SP-A800B projector with 10,000:1 contrast ratio hits the US

If you are in the market for a high-end projector which offers you a contrast ratio of 10,000:1, then you should consider the Samsung SP-A800B. This projector which is now available in the US offers superb image quality thanks to 1080p HD resolution; this is a result of advanced optics as well as Texas Instruments 1080p DLP chip. There are a few great modes to increase viewing enjoyment, one of which is film mode which gives you 24 frames per second image quality; these are the same which are used in commercial theatres.

As you would expect the technology used in HD projectors is moving along at a fast rate, not only is the performance capabilities improved but also the styling as well. The design of the Samsung SP-A800B is unique, and the functionality of this HD projector puts it classes above the rest.

So what does this HD projector have to offer in the way of features? Well it has a native resolution of 1920 x 1080, although the NHK’s Super Hi-Vision projectors are still in another class. The Samsung SP-A800B HD projector also has a 95% aperture ratio as well as a fast 16 microsecond (0.016 millisecond) response time. Keeping things cool is a low-noise cooling system of just 25db; this means that your movie will not be spoilt by the humming noise of your cooling fan.

Although this all sounds impressive, what we do not know is how much the thing will cost yet, do not understand why Samsung did not give us pricing details.

Source

Nissan to Showcase X-TRAIL Diesel Prototype at 2008 G8 Summit

Clean diesel technology is something that we must have if we want to help the environment and its great to see auto brands embracing this technology, today we are hearing that Nissan is to Showcase the new X-TRAIL Diesel Prototype at 2008 G8 Summit and you can read the full details in the press release below.

TOKYO (June 9, 2008) – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that it will showcase the X-TRAIL diesel prototype at the 2008 Integrated Exhibition of the Environment in Hokkaido*1 (June 19-21) as well at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit’s International Media Center (July 7-9). Nissan’s participation supports the focus on environmental issues at the G8 Summit meetings.

Japan is slated to introduce its new emission regulatory standards, referred to as ‘‘Post New Long-term Regulations’’, by October, 2009*2. Ahead of its implementation, Nissan plans to introduce the X-TRAIL diesel in September this year, which will meet with the more stringent standards.

The G8 Summit offers an ideal platform for Nissan to showcase its latest clean diesel technology, as delegates and members of the media will have the opportunity to test drive the product and see related technology exhibits.

Based on the M9R diesel engine co-developed with Alliance-partner Renault, the Nissan version on the X-TRAIL employs advanced technologies to deliver high torque and powerful acceleration, in addition to improved fuel-economy while meeting the demands for cleaner emission standards globally.

The clean diesel technology incorporated include:

• Piezo-electric-controlled injectors
• Commonrail system (1600 bar)
• Variable nozzle turbos
• Diesel particulate filters (DPF)
• Lean NOx-trap catalysts
• Sophisiticated control-system for precise modulation of the DPF and catalysts in tandem with the driving conditions

Under the Nissan Green Program 2010 mid-term environmental plan, the company aims to introduce new technologies, products and services that can lead to real-world reductions in vehicle CO2 emissions.

*1 2008 Integrated Exhibition of the Environment is part of a series of events related to the Hokkaido Toyako Summit
Dates: June 19-21 Venue: Sapporo Dome (1 Hitsujigaoka, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo-shi)
The exhibition will focus on the latest environmental products and technologies, and will feature forums from leading environmental experts, seminars and workshops with environmental groups, corporations, universities and research institutions. See do-summit.jp/kankyouten2008/

*2 The new emission regulatory standards will apply to all new vehicles starting from October of 2009, and all replacement / imported models from September, 2010.

9ff GT9 Based on the Porsche 911 GT3 hits (409 km/h) 253 mph

As you know when it comes to fast cars Porsche is one of the best machines on the road, but when it comes to über-fast supercars the German automaker has not had anything to handle the onslaught from others like the Bugatti Veyron and the Koenigsegg CCX as well as the new supercar king the SSC Aero Twin-Turbo. Well it looks as though there is now a Porsche that might be able to take the fight to these mentally fast vehicles, the 9ff GT9 is sadly not a car directly made by Porsche it has been based on the Porsche 911 GT3, although the chassis is about a foot longer.

The 9ff GT9 has managed to hit 409 km/h that’s a mental 253 mph, this is been done with the help of the twin-turbo 4.2-liter flat-6 which pushes out a massive 987bhp. We are not sure if this is the best speed that the 9ff GT9 can manage or wheather the vehicle has a little more left to try and make the other über-fast supercars look over their shoulder. I reckon that the super Porsche 911 GT3 still has a little more to give, and I bet it would outperform the Bugatti Veyron, as it looks a lot lighter and more agile. Who just wants a car that is fast in a straight line, its all bout the handling and quick it can get you around a race track.

Source - Autobild

BlackBerry Curve 8330 hits Sprint today

For those of you who are on the Sprint carrier you would have heard many rumors for the release date of the BlackBerry Curve 8330, well we can now tell you that the suggested date for this handset to hit Sprint will be May 9 which is today. You can have one of these BlackBerry’s in your hand for a price of just $179.99 that will be on a contract with rebates; it seems that Sprint wants to reward their customers for purchasing the latest in phone technology.

The BlackBerry Curve 8330 will help you bring your business and personal needs together in one handset, as this is the next generation BlackBerry. The 8330 is the smallest of the BlackBerry handsets which still features a full QWERTY keyboard; the phone has sexy styling thanks to a titanium-finish. Many BlackBerry’s do their job well but I have to say do not look all that nice to look at, this is not the case with the BlackBerry Curve 8330, the handset has that perfect balance of functionality along with usability and design.

This handset allows you to not only make calls, but to also send personal and corporate email as well as GPS Navigation, expandable memory and enhanced web browsing. The Curve 8330 is not all about work though; you sometimes need to chill out, which is where the multimedia side comes in. You are able to enjoy viewing your images as well as checking out your videos and playing your music.

For full details of this BlackBerry Curve 8330 head over to Nextel Online

Xbox 360’s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock gets 3 songs from Muse

If you love your guitar music and own an Xbox 360 that’s connected to Live, then I am sure you already own Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. If you do not, then that’s a shame and you might as well stop reading. This is one for the rockers, as today we are hearing that British trio Muse have added a song pack to Xbox Live and it includes three tracks that can be downloaded for use with Guitar Hero 3.

Muse are known for their unique blend of rock music styles and exhilarating live performances, the song pack will include the hits Stockholm Syndrome from Absolution and Supermassive Black Hole, Exo-Politics from their album Black Holes and Revelations. The downloadable content for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock can be accessed in the downloaded songs set list for all online modes, Practice, Multiplayer, Quickplay, Career and Co-Op game modes.

If you love their music you can get more information on muse.mu, the site features recent shows, photo galleries and concert dates. The song pack is available right now on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Let us know what you think of Muse and the songs in the comments box below.

Are Sony PS3 owners paying to beta test GT5 (Gran Turismo 5 Prologue)?

Gran Turismo has become more popular than many people would have thought it would become, as it is now more than just a racing game. When the first Gran Turismo game was being made game developer Polyphony Digital had to approach many car manufactures so that they could include their vehicles on the game. How the tables have turned as it now seems as if the car makers want to see what the developers are going to do next.

With the new Gran Turismo 5 Prologue already released this is giving a taste of what we can expect once the full game is released some time next year. However; you have to ask the question “are we paying to beta test some new features.”
In the past Gran Turismo games feature a huge amount of events for us as the driver to compete in, from time trials, endurance racing and some rally racing thrown in to the mix. However; do not expect anything like that on Gran Turismo 5 prologue as it is just a glorified demo of the full game. In the demo game we have three tiers, each has a handful of races and challenges for you to compete, and if you manage to finish in the podium on each you will then move on to the next tier. Once you complete the first three you will unlock a secret group of challenges for you to compete in.

The greatest thing about the new game is that it is the first one from the Gran Turismo series to be playable online, with over 16 people being able to race each other on the internet. There is one problem with this though as the setup is a little backwards, it does not have a friends list and you do not get the choice to choose your track or settings, but as this is a new feature we should be thankful that we have this function.

The new demo allows you to download videos; this showcases new cars and events that will be coming in the future. Sony has said that they plan to expand on the cars and tracks through downloadable updates, but what sticks in my mind is how you are having to pay money for this game with less that half the content than you would expect.

If you liked GT2 and GT3 then you will feel right at home with GT5 prologue as it mixes the driving simulator with fun. If you want to get the best from the game, then I advise you to get a racing steering wheel to connect to your PS3, if not then at least get a new dual shock three controllers. This will allow you to drive better as you can get a feel when you are pushing the car to much.

So we know that as a racing simulator GT5 is great, but there is one big downside and that is the online gameplay. Online play is up and down, the setup options are poor and the lack of voice chat makes this part of the game below par. That is not all, there is always connection issues as well as sometimes being able to bump and grind with someone, and then sometimes you can’t. The problem is the main part of the game is so polished and this only makes the online troubles stand out even more, but I am certain that a future patch will fix these problems in due course.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is indeed a superb game but there is no getting away from the fact that it is only a stop gap until the real game hits us. One thing that gamers will moan about is how high the price is for what you are getting.

So the question I ask is Are Sony PS3 owners paying to beta test GT5?

Jay-Z signs $150 million Live Nation deal

It has been reported that Jay-Z has agreed a $150 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation.

The ten-year deal means that we should see him tour, release records and launch his own talent and management company Roc Nation. Jay-Z said: “I’ve turned into the Rolling Stones of hip-hop. In a way I want to operate like an indie band. Play the music on tour instead of relying on radio. Hopefully we’ll get some hits out of there and radio will pick it up, but we won’t make it with that in mind.”

Do you think that this was a good move for him?

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Soulja Boy: This Year’s Hottest New Music Star

The R’n'B sensation took the top spot in the list compiled by website forbes.com after shooting to fame with his worldwide hit ‘Crank That’ which started a dance craze across the US.

The official ‘Crank That’ video racked up tens of millions of hits on video sharing website YouTube, while Soulja Boy’s instructional dance video was viewed over 30 million times.

This Year’s Hottest New Music Star according to forbes.com top ten:

1. Soulja Boy
2. Sean Kingston
3. Colbie Caillat
4. J. Holiday
5. Flo Rida
6. Plies
7. Jordin Sparks
8. Huey
9. Hurricane Chris
10. OneRepublic

Check out the video for Crank That below

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How Companies Fight US Recession: Dell buys $70 billion of computer parts from China

Much of the world is in fear of not only a US recession, but also a global recession. Like many companies, Dell is looking down the road and plans on spending $70 billion on computer parts from China between 2007-2009. That’s a lot of cash, but this could also save the company in a recession when people do not have much money and want much cheaper computers.

Cisco Systems has said that it will double it’s spend on computer components in China, so what does this mean for the Public? If or when the recession hits, Google will want money from online advertising and companies will want to sell products.

Google and other companies could give free broadband so people go online and visit the ads, Dell and Cisco Systems could make cheaper products thanks to buying in China so that they can sell products when money is tight. It does look like a U.S. and maybe Global recession is coming, one where China will grow massively and brands that survive will already be putting plans in place.

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