Editor

Sky today announced plans to launch a new service allowing customers to watch some of its most popular content over the internet. Taking advantage of the rapid growth in broadband-connected devices, and building on Sky’s experience in multi-platform TV, the new service will be an additional choice for people who don’t currently subscribe to a pay TV service.

Launching in the first half of 2012, the new service will provide instant and simple access to a range of Sky content, including hundreds of films from Sky Movies. Giving consumers even more choice and flexibility, the service will be available to anyone in the UK with a broadband connection.
Key features of the new service will include:
Great content – the new service will offer some of Sky’s most popular programming. Sky Movies will be available from launch and the service will expand to offer sport and entertainment soon afterwards.
Flexible pricing – with no minimum contract, customers will be able to choose from a variety of pricing options. For example, people will be able to pay monthly for unlimited access to Sky Movies or rent a single movie on a simple, pay-as-you-go basis.
Easy access – the new service will be available across a wide range of connected devices, including PCs, Macs, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, games consoles and connected TVs.
Ease of use – with immediate streaming through an intuitive interface, backed up by recommendations and editorial support, customers will quickly and easily find the content they most want to watch.
More details of the new service will be revealed closer to launch.
Sky has offered television over the internet for a number of years and in 2006 became the first UK broadcaster to offer content to download over the internet. The service has since evolved into Sky Go, which is now accessed across millions of internet-connected devices. Alongside the new internet TV service launching this year, Sky Go will continue to develop as a bonus service for existing Sky TV customers, offering access to a wide range of live channels and on demand content. The launch of a new internet TV service will complement Sky’s existing pay TV services and open up a wider opportunity to bring its content to more consumers.
Jeremy Darroch, Sky’s Chief Executive, said:
“This exciting new service will offer some of Sky’s most popular content through a wide range of broadband connected devices. Alongside the continued growth of our satellite platform, this will be a new way for us to reach out to consumers who love great content, but may not want the full Sky service. Bringing a distinctive, new choice to the marketplace will help us meet the needs and demands of an ever wider range of consumers.
“This new product launch will build on our early leadership in multi-platform distribution. It will allow us to make our expertise and investment in content and technology work even harder, extending our options for continued growth.”

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, announced the launch of the Samsung GALAXY S Advance. Designed for those who define themselves by the phone they carry, the GALAXY S Advance strikes a balance of style, power and performance. It will be available in Russia starting from February, and then be gradually rolled out in CIS, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Southeast and Southwest Asia, Latin America and China.

“The GALAXY S Advance adds to the successful track record of the GALAXY smartphone range with a phone that combines power and style with all the versatility of Samsung’s Hub services,” said JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics.

Dual Core performance, curved design and Super AMOLED display

Powered by a dual core 1.0 GHz processor and HSPA 14.4 Mbps connectivity, the GALAXY S Advance has been built with power and connectivity in mind, delivering great versatility and a highly responsive user interface for easy multitasking. Application start-ups are faster with virtually no lag time, and the user experience is boosted with smoother screen transitions, faster image processing, and enhanced Web download and browsing performance.

The GALAXY S Advance’s curved glass design enhances handling of the phone and fits the user’s facial form easily and naturally. Its 4.0″ Super AMOLED display provides the stunning visuals users have come to expect of Samsung GALAXY smartphones, offering unparalleled color reproduction and ensuring that photos and videos captured with the device’s 5MP camera can be enjoyed with vivid clarity.

The Samsung user experience

Running on Android Gingerbread and featuring Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface, the GALAXY S Advance enables users to stay connected through the Samsung Hubs and ChatON services. Music Hub offers a full music store experience with access to over 11 million tracks and the ability to fully personalize users’ own music catalogues. Readers Hub offers access to over 2.3 million e-books, 3,500 magazine and 200 newspaper titles; while the hugely popular Game Hub offers access to thousands of catalogued games supplemented by gamer news feeds and news.

Samsung’s cross platform communication service, ChatON connects all phone users into a single community using phone numbers instead of usernames and passwords, provides aneasy instant messaging, group chatting and sharing of content in multiple formats-images, video, voice, contacts, calendar-to make messaging simpler and more intuitive than ever.

The GALAXY S Advance also features Find My Mobile, a unique lost-phone management system that ensures secure phone data encryption in case of phone loss, and that enables users to trace their lost phone directly via the Web or even delete the device’s data remotely.

New Lineup Features High-Resolution Sensors, Enhanced Low-light Performance and Fast Auto-Focus

SAN DIEGO – Sony’s newest Cyber-shot® digital still cameras make it easy to capture beautiful memories anytime and anywhere.

Three new models include the DSC-TX200V model from the ultra-thin Cyber-shot T series and the DSC-WX70 and DSC-WX50 models from the stylish, traditionally designed W series, each featuring a high-resolution “Exmor R” CMOS sensor and an improved BIONZ™ image processor that together boost low light performance and enhance auto-focus speeds, among other benefits.

“We continue to innovate in the compact camera space, finding new ways to help consumers produce high-quality photos and videos as easily as possible, regardless of lighting conditions” said Yosuke Tomoda, director of the Cyber-shot business at Sony Electronics.

“With new technologies designed to improve the overall imaging experience – including extended creativity, control and more – this new lineup of Cyber-shot cameras delivers impressive results with stylish, pocket-sized bodies.”

High-Resolution, High-Speed, High-Quality
The new TX200V camera features a newly developed 18.2 MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor, the highest-resolution currently offered in the “point and shoot” market, and a new BIONZ™ processor, which work together to create images and video files with extremely low noise. The advanced model also offers lightning-fast AutoFocus speeds of approximately 0.13 seconds in daytime and 0.25 seconds in low-light situations (speeds may vary based on shooting conditions), helping to ensure you never miss the moment.

Additionally, the TX200V Cyber-shot showcases a new beautiful, reinforced glass design with a large, 3.3-inch (8.3cm) Xtra Fine™ TruBlack OLED wide touch-screen. It is also water-proof (up to 5m or approx.16 feet), dust-proof and freeze-proof (up to 14oF), and features a “Photo Creativity” interface that lets users easily adjust creative settings to produce unique, custom-styled photos.

The new WX70 and WX50 models each are equipped with a high-resolution 16.2 MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor, with the WX70 featuring a 3.0-inch 921k dot LCD touch-screen and the WX50 featuring a slightly smaller 2.7-inch LCD screen.

All-Around Performance
Each of the new Cyber-shot cameras features a new “Extra High Sensitivity” technology, which minimizes unwanted noise in low-light shooting conditions. For consumers who want to get closer to their subjects without losing quality, these new models have “Clear Image Zoom” technology, which boosts optical zoom to 2x virtual capability (i.e. 5x optical zoom to 10x virtual zoom) at full camera resolution.

The TX200V, WX70 and WX50 cameras also offer image stabilization during video and still shooting. Using technology borrowed from the Sony Handycam® lineup, the “Optical Steady Shot Active Mode” drastically reduces blurring caused by camera shake while on the move. All models can shoot video in Full HD resolution.

Additional notable features of the new lineup include nine “Picture Effect” options for expanded creativity, “Dual Record” capabilities, 3D shooting modes (3D Still Image, 3D Sweep Panorama and Sweep Multi Angle), fast shooting speeds (10 fps burst mode) and more.

Product Specs, Pricing and Availability
The new assortment of cameras and an expanded range of stylish accessories, including the new LCS-WM and LCS-THT soft carrying cases, will be available this March at Sony retail stores and online (www.store.sony.com) as well as other authorized retailers throughout the Sony dealer network. Detailed specs are below:
• The DSC-TX200V camera will be available in silver, red, and violet for approximately $500. Features include:
• 18.2 MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor
• 26mm equivalent lens with 5x optical zoom, 10x virtual zoom via “Clear Image Zoom” technology
• “Extra High Sensitivity” technology enhances low-light shooting capabilities
• Lightning-fast AF speed of approximately 0.13 second in daylight, 0.25 seconds in low-light (speeds may vary based on shooting conditions)
• Beautiful, slim reinforced glass design with 3.3-inch (8.3cm) Xtra Fine™ Tru-Black OLED wide touch-screen
• Waterproof (up to 5m,16 feet), dustproof and freeze-proof (up to 14oF)
• Captures 13 MP equivalent still images while shooting video via “Dual-Record”
• Full HD Movie Shooting capability (1920×1080/60p) and Optical SteadyShot Active Mode
• Photo Creativity interface and 9 “Picture Effect” options for creating unique, custom-styled photos and video

• The DSC-WX70 camera will be available in silver, black, pink, violet and white for approximately $230. Features include:
• 16.2 MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor, 3.0-inch 921k dot LCD touch screen
• 25mm equivalent lens with 5x optical zoom, 10x virtual zoom via “Clear Image Zoom” technology
• “Extra High Sensitivity” technology enhances low-light shooting capabilities
• Captures 12 MP equivalent still images while shooting video via “Dual-Record”
• Full HD Movie Shooting capability (1920×1080/60i) and Optical SteadyShot Active Mode
• 9 total “Picture Effects” options, allowing for creative, custom styled photographs

• The DSC-WX50 camera will be available in silver and black for approximately $200. Features include:
• 16.2 MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor, 2.7-inch LCD screen
• 25mm equivalent lens with 5x optical zoom, 10x virtual zoom via “Clear Image Zoom” technology
• “Extra High Sensitivity” technology enhances low-light shooting capabilities
• Captures 12 MP equivalent still images while shooting video via “Dual-Record”
• Full HD Movie Shooting capability (1920×1080/60i) and Optical SteadyShot Active Mode
• 9 total “Picture Effects” options, allowing for creative, custom styled photographs

Valve has announced a Steam Mobile App limited beta for iOS and Android.

With the free Steam app for iOS and Android., you can participate in the Steam community wherever you go. Chat with your Steam friends, browse community groups and user profiles, read the latest gaming news and stay up to date on unbeatable Steam sales.

“The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers,” said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. “Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale – these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone.”

Genius, announces the world’s first battery-free wireless mouse that is recharged within minutes – DX-ECO BlueEye Mouse.

Ready for a full day’s use after only a three-minute charge, the Genius DX-ECO uses a built-in gold capacitor with a long life of 100,000 recharges instead of outdated, environmentally unfriendly disposable batteries. Consumers no longer need to waste time and money whether on a PC or Mac when using DX-ECO. It’s ideal for government and corporations to provide a wireless mouse option that is not only cost-cutting but also hassle-free from controlling and resupplying batteries.

The DX-ECO BlueEye sensor technology allows for smooth, uninterrupted pointing and clicking on virtually any surface including dusted glass, marble, or thick carpet. Working wirelessly from a distance of up to 15 meters due to the 2.4GHz USB pico receiver, this innovative battery-free mouse can be used anywhere and everywhere. Even when on-the-go the tiny USB pico receiver can be stored inside the DX-ECO for safe keeping.

Featuring 4-way scrolling, adjustable dpi (800/1600 dpi), as well as next/previous page hot keys for more efficient web-surfing, the DX-ECO battery free blue-eye mouse also includes plug and play design and comfortable ergonomic construction.

Package Contents:
DX-ECO wireless mouse
USB pico receiver
CD driver
Micro USB rechargeable cable
Multi-language user’s manual