“This acquisition helps Nokia to accelerate its vision of bringing
people and places closer together, in line with our broader services
strategy,” Niklas Savander, the head of Nokia’s Internet services, said
in a written statement.
More and more mobile phones are being equipped with technology that
allows consumers to pinpoint their locations through cell triangulation
and GPS and Plazes has been trying to utilize the potential of such
services for its social network, so it’s a smart, symbiotic move for
both companies. Nokia will roll out several mobile phones this year
that offer the service.
But is Nokia playing industry catch-up? Zyb, also a European mobile social network, was snapped up by Vodafone last month.
The cell-phone company has been busy lately: it also acquired Gate5,
a mapping system, which it turned into Nokia Maps and in October of
2007, it purchased digital mapping company Navteq.
Plazes launched in 2005. Its staff of 13 will remain in Berlin.
From : http://www.adotas.com/
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, a nonprofit mobile audio and
HD video recording and production facility, has been upgraded with new
HD cameras from Sony. The state-of-the-art, A/V studio-on-wheels has
provided free hands-on programs to hundreds of high schools, colleges,
music festivals, concerts, conventions and community organizations
since 1998.
Funded by Yoko Ono (the ex-Beatle’s wife) and sponsorships like those from
Apple, Maxell and NAMM, the bus features donated equipment from Apple,
Digidesign, Mackie, Roland and Sony. It encourages students to play
music, write songs, engineer recording sessions and produce video
projects using the latest audio, video and live sound equipment. As
part of its 10-month tour across the country, the bus was recently
parked outside Sony’s Park Ridge, N.J. headquarters, where Sony
executives got to live their dream of recording rock-and-roll for a day.
The
new Sony gear includes several PMW-EX1 XDCAM EX (solid-state) and
HVR-V1U and HVR-Z1U HDV (tape-based) camcorders; LUMA LCD displays and
LCD projectors; an Anycast Station for switching live productions; two
BRC-H700 pan-tilt-zoom cameras (which can be positioned on top of the
bus); and a full complement of wireless microphones and portable field
recorders. The equipment is being used by students to produce music
videos and other types of live music recordings (such as a recent
middle school’s chorus concert).
The Lennon Bus will be at the 2008 Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI,
June 26 to July 6, giving visitors the chance to try out new gear from
sponsors Godin Guitars, Roland, Crate, Ampeg, Boss, Abelton, Sibelius,
Propellerhead, Mackie and Audio Technica.
Following on from the news that a new firmware update issued by Nintendo for its Wii console renders Datel's Freeloader boot disc useless, the company has now removed the product from its website. Last week, it was revealed that the optional Wii firmware update was a part of Nintendo's clampdown on gamers from Europe who currently buy cheaper games from the US and Japan. Of course, Ninty wants Europeans to pay premium prices for games, so it has also been taking measures to do a mandatory install of the update on all consoles that land with them for repair.
There's absolutely no point in Datel continuing to sell the product and a statement on its website reads:
Please note, due to circumstances beyond our control Wii Freeloader is not compatible with latest version Wii firmware 3.3 and higher, just released (released as an online update 17/06/2008).
You can continue to use Wii Freeloader perfectly with any Wii console running firmware 3.2 and below. If you upgrade to Wii firmware 3.3 or higher this WILL disable the Freeloader function and it will stop working for all future use on all import games.
You can still grab the Freeloader from other sites, but what's the point? It's game over, for now.
UPDATE :: Wii hacked
Hoffman Estates, IL - June 23, 2008 - High Voltage Software, Inc., one of the world's largest independent developers, today announced Gyrostarr , an exciting new sci-fi shooter scheduled for release via the WiiWare downloadable service on Monday June 23, 2008.
Gyrostarr features fast action gameplay across 50 intense levels as up to four players pilot ships on a futuristic track, shooting enemies, dodging obstacles, and collecting upgrades. The game takes advantage of the company's proprietary Quantum 3 Game Engine technology, which provides advanced graphical capabilities. Gyrostarr's controls were built from the ground up to utilize the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii .
"Our original vision for Gyrostarr was to capture the fast-paced twitch style action of coin-op classics, but to infuse superior graphics and game design for the next generation," said Kerry Ganofsky, CEO and Founder of High Voltage Software. "I'm thrilled to say that the team has nailed the mark and exceeded our expectations."
"Aside from the visuals, which are gorgeous, there is a lot about Gyrostarr that players will love," said Eric Nofsinger, Chief Creative Officer of High Voltage Software. "As players develop their skills at the game, they will devise strategies to help them make it through all of the levels. Jumping into the game with four players just makes the experience that much better."
About High Voltage Software, Inc.
High Voltage Software is a game development company located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Established in 1993, it now employs approximately 130 staff members. Red Eye Studios, a motion capture facility, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HVS. For more information, please visit their website at www.high-voltage.com.