YouTube defends video widening

A YouTube statement, published on the site reads: "This new, wider player is in a widescreen aspect ratio which we hope will provide you with a cleaner, more powerful viewing experience. "And don't worry, your 4:3 aspect ratio videos will play just fine in this new player." Many users object to the addition of black 'pillarbox' bars at the side of older 4x3 aspect ratio videos.Previously, widescreen clips have featured 'letterbox' bars at the top and bottom. Some users have suggested the switchover is for commercial reasons.(Mackenzie, 2008)

What do you guys think?I really liked it the ways it was before,there was no need to change it.This new wider screen is okay if the video has the "high quality" option available which doubles the resolution of the video thus making it less blurry,the problem is that most don't.Anyways Youtube is owned by GOOGLE, and they always do the right thing(except for putting BETA on everything even though it has been done for years).

BlackBerry Battle Royale: Storm vs. Bold

BlackBerry fans in the market for a new smartphone have a tough decision to make. They can go Bold with a deluxe handset that features a traditional keypad, or they can go the touchscreen route with the new Storm. Reviewer Eric Benderoff recommends the former.With the touchscreen Storm, Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) offers a response to Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone. Unfortunately, the Storm is more like a flurry, failing to add much more than a trace of innovation.The Storm is sleek and offers nice multimedia functions; videos look great. But navigating the phone can be cumbersome.(Benderoff, 2008)

I was suprised that RIMM launched the Blackberry "Bold" and "Storm" so close that you  actually see the commercials of both products back to back(im serious).The storm has gotten many reviews that show that it didn't live up to the hype,on the other hand the "Bold" has been approved by traditional blackberry users.The "storm" is like other iphone wannabes that want to remove  apple  from the touch-screen throne,but it seems that it would take more brainpower to that,since even the almighty Blacberry couldn't do it.

Benderoff, Eric (2008/11/28). BlackBerry Battle Royale: Storm vs. Bold. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from technewsworld.com Web site: http://www.technewsworld.com/story/BlackBerry-Battle-Royale-Storm-vs-Bold-65320.html

Apple made to drop iPhone advert

An Apple iPhone advert has been banned by the advertising standards watchdog for exaggerating the phone's speed. The advert boasted the new 3G model was "really fast" and showed it loading internet pages in under a second. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld complaints by 17 people who said the TV advert had misled them as to its speed.(peters, 2008)

Finally somebody has done something about this annoyingly frustrating thing that these big companies do to hype up their products.Even though the 3G network is really fast,it is no match for wifi and even that and can't load up a webpage in less than a second(on a cellphone).The video game public has been victim to these adverts,where they show stunningly amazing graphics but when you finaly load up the game at your own home,you soon realize that the commercial was produced somewhere in hollywood by a supercomputer.

peters, laley (2008,11,2008). Apple made to drop iPhone advert. Retrieved November 26, 2008, from news.bbc.co.uk Web site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7749435.stm

'Fallout 3' Mod Pack to Let Gamers Redecorate the Post-Apocalypse

Bethesda Softworks announced Tuesday that it will software tools to allow gamers and developers to tinker with the publisher's recent PC and console release, "Fallout 3." Dubbed the "Garden of Eden Creation Kit," or G.E.C.K., the editor will enable gamers to create mods, or personal modifications of the PC version of the game. Bethesda will make the editor available as a free download in December.(Haskins, 2008)

This tool pack is really cool cause it lets you mod the whole gaming landscape,which affects the outcome the game,you can create special items that could give you a leg up against people you play online. Even though this was done before by bungie studios (Halo 1,2,3) and it was pretty awesome,these new tools by Bethesda take game modding to the next level.

Haskins, Walaika (2008/25/11). 'Fallout 3' Mod Pack to Let Gamers Redecorate the Post-Apocalypse. Retrieved November 25, 2008, from www.technewsworld.com Web site: http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Fallout-3-Mod-Pack-to-Let-Gamers-Redecorate-the-Post-Apocalypse-65299.html

Gluttonous Gaming Machines

When they're turned on, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 use about enough power to keep a couple of refrigerators running, according to an NRDC report. What's more, some people leave these power suckers running regardless of whether they're playing games. Better power management software could save a considerable amount of money and kilowatt hours.(Haskins, 2008)

So remember kids if you got your xbox'es and what not,remember to turn them off because it takes about 40 dollars a year just to power them.You could leave your wii's on 'cause they use less electricity than a flashlight.

Haskins, Walaika (2008/11/24). Study: Gluttonous Gaming Machines Could Use Lesson in Power Management. Retrieved November 24, 2008, from www.technewsworld.com Web site: http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Study-Gluttonous-Gaming-Machines-Could-Use-Lesson-in-Power-Management-65281.html

Joke of the week.

every week my last post will be a joke.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip. After a good dinner, they retire for the night, and go to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend. "Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see." "I see millions and millions of stars, Holmes" exclaims Watson. "And what do you deduce from that?" Watson ponders for a minute. "Well, astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful, and that we are a small and insignificant part of the universe. What does it tell you, Holmes?" And Holmes said: "Watson, you idiot, it means that somebody stole our tent."

Sigbritt, 75, has world's fastest broadband

Sigbritt Löthberg's home has been supplied with a blistering 40 Gigabits per second connection, many thousands of times faster than the average residential link and the first time ever that a home user has experienced such a high speed.

But Sigbritt, who had never had a computer until now, is no ordinary 75 year old. She is the mother of Swedish internet legend Peter Löthberg who, along with Karlstad Stadsnät, the local council's network arm, has arranged the connection.

Sigbritt will now be able to enjoy 1,500 high definition HDTV channels simultaneously. Or, if there is nothing worth watching there, she will be able to download a full high definition DVD in just two seconds.(johnson, 2008)

Man, this lady is lucky she gets gets to to download hd movies in 2 seconds! For those who dont know how big a hd movie is,they are about 6 to 8 gigabites in size.Even though she might never use the net for anything else besides ordering medication and cat food(heh,heh im mean),it is still a great feat to be admired.

lewis, johnson (2008/10/13). Sigbritt, 75, has world's fastest broadband. Retrieved November 22, 2008, from www.Thelocal.se Web site: www.thelocal.se/7869/20070712

Gateway P-7811FX

The P-7811FX Features a high-end Centrino 2 CPU and Nvidia GeForce 9800 graphics card for an incredibly reasonable price; higher screen resolution than previous models; 4GB of RAM and 64-bit OS.(Ackerman, 2008)

Man this laptop awesome!The stats are almost the same as other gaming laptops that come from supposedly high-end companies(Falcon,voodoo,alienware,etc).The reason this laptop is great is 'cause it comes at such a low price ,you could get this baby for under 3,000 bucks,compared to buying 5,000 dollar laptop from falcon, voodoo,etc.This laptop handles games dubbed "system hogs"like a charm,and that's not the only thing 4 gb's of ram could do;as we all know windows  vista  makes ten million gigs of ram seem like nothing,so having as much ram helps.This and all the other things that make a computer go tick-tock make this laptop a great value.

Ackerman, Dan (2008/8/15). Gateway P-7811FX. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from www.cnet.com Web site: http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/gateway-p-7811fx/4505-3121_7-33201021.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

"The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 features an interactive panel interface that lets you customize the smartphone to your wants and needs. The Windows Mobile device also has an attractive design and a full QWERTY keyboard".(Cha, 2008)

The article above mentions an interactive panel interface,the interface looks really cool;it's functions are almost like the ipod's "coverflow" feature (dont know?GOOGLE IT!).The phone has a really cool looking keypad,that whe you open it  kinda arks towards you,making it easier to view and also reduces the glare. Anyways the phone is awesome,it has cool apps and multimedia features.So Yeah the phone looks great and all but it's kinda pricy,so if you're loaded buy two and give me one.

Cha, Bonnie (11/11/2008). Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 - silver (unlocked). Retrieved November 21, 2008, from www.cnet.com Web site: http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/sony-ericsson-xperia-x1/4505-6452_7-33351304.html?subj=re&tag=centerColumnArea2.1

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