Product Reviews Net |
- Apps: The best way to teach yourself guitar
- Winamp for Android Receives Update
- The Walking Dead Video Game: More Details Unveiled
- Best Crossover Vehicles: List of 2011 Models – Ford Explorer the Best?
- Free Realms Free-to-Play MMO Receives PS3 Release Date
- Batman Arkham City: Official Release Date on Xbox 360, PS3 – Must Buy?
- HTC Thunderbolt secretive release date learned from Apple
- iPhone 5 vs. iPad 2 launch lines, expectations
- iPad 2 problems with teardown
- Salt-Grain Sized Camera set to Revolutionize Safety Systems and Surgery
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Play: UK release date and price
- iPad 2 Need Accessorizing? Check out Latest Products from Amzer
- SOCOM: Special Forces (aka SOCOM 4) Gets European Release Date
- Cyber Snipa Gaming Headset: Sonar 5.1 Championship Headset
- iPad 2 launch, differences for 2011 release
- Apple iPad 2: New Angry Birds Cases Arrive
- iPad 2: UK site reports Android tablet favouritism
- Gears of War 3 Multiplayer Could Seal Fate
- Atom Z670 from Intel is three-times the Tegra 2, but not in performance
- Verizon HTC Thunderbolt Chosen Over iPad 2, Obviously
| Apps: The best way to teach yourself guitar Posted: 12 Mar 2011 05:20 AM PST The Internet has made it easy to learn new things including how to play the guitar, which in most cases is free or much cheaper than the conventional ways of learning. While watching a video online is a good way to teach yourself guitar, it's not the best way when you're on the move or need the lessons to be more mobile. The best way to learn guitar this way is with apps, and you've got a lot of choice. The price of apps can be from free to rarely above one dollar, and we have highlighted a few before. These include 'JamPlay Guitar Pack' that helped users with both video lessons and in-depth information, 'E-Folk' focused on teaching users the acoustic guitar, which is especially good for beginners. E-Blues is another app we posted details on back in March last year, this app was one of the best for teaching blues guitar. Another two apps we wanted to highlight today are 'Learn Easily To Play Guitar Like A Pro', this iOS app not only teaches guitar but it also educates you on the history of the guitar, and the most important parts of a guitar. The second app we want to point out is 'Jools Holland’s Music Makers Guitar', which claims to help with 'basics to blues'. If you want to know how to tune and hold a guitar, then this app is recommended. If you know any other good apps to teach guitar, then let us know in the comments. For more coverage:
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| Winamp for Android Receives Update Posted: 12 Mar 2011 04:46 AM PST We have a bit of news now for those of you that have previously downloaded the Winamp for Android media player app, as we've just received word that it's now received an update. The latest version not only features a re-designed Home screen, but also includes additional language support. As noted by Tarik over on the blog.winamp.com website, the Now Playing and Lock-Screen Player screens have also received a re-design. The re-designed Home screen now provides users with access to free music, where they are able to either stream the song or download directly to their Android device. If users tap on the screen in the Now Playing screen, they are able to bring up more options such as the info button. As well as providing photos, discographies and biographies, the info button will also provide users with a news link to articles about all their favorite artists. Another great new feature is the ability to change tracks by swiping left or right on the album art. The updated version of Winamp for Android also includes several bug fixes and has now fixed a crash issue that was occurring on Sony Ericsson Xperia phones. Have you downloaded Winamp for Android? For more coverage:
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| The Walking Dead Video Game: More Details Unveiled Posted: 12 Mar 2011 03:56 AM PST Back in February we announced that a video game adaptation of AMC's popular zombie-related television series The Walking Dead was in fact on its way. However, that was about all we knew at that point, as no other details about the upcoming game were given. We now have a few more details to bring you, thanks to a recent interview between Rick Marshall from splashpage.mtv.com and The Walking Dead creator, Robert Kirkman. When speaking about the project's current status, Kirkman simply said that things are moving along. Judging by Kirkman's comments, it looks like we could well be seeing a few screenshots pretty soon. The Walking Dead will of course be an episodic video game and according to Kirkman's explanation, gamers could see the game released in pretty rapid succession. When asked whether gamers would be taking on the role of the TV series' main character Rick Grimes, entirely new characters or a mix of all the survivors, Kirkman would not divulge any more details other than the fact that gamers will be playing as characters from The Walking Dead. However, he did tease a little by stating that different levels will see gamers playing as different people. Do you like the sound of the game from the minimal amount of details you've heard so far? For more coverage:
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| Best Crossover Vehicles: List of 2011 Models – Ford Explorer the Best? Posted: 12 Mar 2011 03:00 AM PST If you feel that now is the right time to upgrade to a crossover vehicle for the family, you’ll want to know which models are the best ones. You’ve probably seen some of the best crossover models over the last few years, but now we have a list of models for the newest 2011 vehicles. Two key factors when searching for a good crossover vehicle often comes down to which ones are affordable and perhaps more importantly, which crossover vehicles are the safest to drive. One such vehicle which falls under this category is the Subaru Forester, which Buzzle has labelled one of the best for 2011. The four wheel vehicle features a 2.5 liter engine, independant suspension, 170 hp power, traction control system, antilock brakes, vehicle dynamics control, tire pressure monitoring system and much more. If you’re interested in the Subaru Forester, you’ll find it listed with a price of around $20,500. Another good new crossover vehicle is the 2011 Ford Explorer, which we have already given you extensive coverage on since it’s release. You can read all of our information on the 2011 Ford Explorer here. It’s more expensive than the Subaru at $28,200 but you may find it’s features more worthwhile. You can view a more definitive list of the best crossover vehicles for 2011 over in the link to Buzzle above. Alternatively, you may find this article over at Edmunds useful, as it lists the best crossover vehicles by price and also features. Let us know if you have a recommendation to give us. For more coverage:
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| Free Realms Free-to-Play MMO Receives PS3 Release Date Posted: 12 Mar 2011 01:58 AM PST When Sony Online Entertainment-developed Free Realms – a free-to-play MMO RPG game – was released for the PC back in 2009, a PlayStation 3 version was meant to have launched alongside it. However, SOE decided to delay the PS3 release, in order for them to offer players a little bit more. Up until now there has been no mention of a PS3 launch date, but gamers knew that it would be arriving eventually. Well it looks like that time has finally come, as according to Adam Wolfe at playstationlifestyle.net, the free-to-play MMO has now been given a PS3 release date. There isn't too much of a wait for PlayStation 3 owners either, as the Free Realms game is due to launch on March 29th. The game isn't like most other MMOs, as it enables gamers to forgo the combat and instead concentrate more on things such as mini-games, exploration and social networking. By offering the other gameplay mechanics, as well as the combat side, SOE hopes that the Free Realms game – which is set in a fantasy-themed world called Sacred Grove – appeals to a wider range of gamers. Have you been waiting to hear about a PS3 release date for the Free Realms title? To learn a little bit more about the upcoming PS3 game, you can check out PSLS's recent interview with the game's lead designer Stephen Bokkes. For more coverage:
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| Batman Arkham City: Official Release Date on Xbox 360, PS3 – Must Buy? Posted: 12 Mar 2011 01:48 AM PST We have some good news for those of you planning to pick up the highly anticipated sequel to Batman Arkham Asylum, as we’re pleased to say that Warner Bros has just put out a final release date for Batman: Arkham City. We all knew the game was due out at somepoint towards the end of the year, but now there’s no need for any further speculation. The game will release on October 18th in the US, and October 21st in the UK – three days difference as usual. Considering how good the first Arkham Asylum title was, we have a feeling that Arkham City is going to be a must buy for Xbox 360 and PS3 owners, and that the outcome of reviews for the game won’t really affect decisions to buy or not – Arkham Asylum was really that good. New villains will be introduced for the game, two of which include Huge Strange and Two Face as reported from VG247. Catwoman will also feature, but the exciting news for fans of the first game, is that Joker is very much part of the storyline in Arkham City as well, although those of you who were hoping for a co-op mode with him and the Bat may be left disappointed. How excited are you about the upcoming release of Arkham City? Is this game a must buy for you like we predicted above? For more coverage:
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| HTC Thunderbolt secretive release date learned from Apple Posted: 12 Mar 2011 01:04 AM PST HTC and Apple are showing some similar qualities this year, and for HTC's Thunderbolt release date it seems they are taking notes from Apple. While some buyers may see these qualities as problems and bad customer service, we cannot help but think its part of a bigger plan. Apple is known for their secretive approach to all product release dates and information, now HTC / Verizon seem to be following this same plan. News about the HTC Thunderbolt has been very secretive since CES 2011, and while they did give us an indication of a release in the first half of the year, not much else has been said other than leaks. We know the HTC Thunderbolt specs, which is something you will never know about iPhone 5 before it's unveil (other than leaks), although we see a trend of more mobile brands following Apple's approach for the release of new technology. The battle between HTC Thunderbolt and iPhone 5 may still be more about marketing, and small leaks of information than ever before. Verizon has done a good job of keeping the Thunderbolt in the forefront of everyone’s thoughts, thanks to the lack of official communication. People have been complaining about the delays, but what's the betting they will still buy the HTC Thunderbolt anyway? Or have you moved on already? For more coverage:
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| iPhone 5 vs. iPad 2 launch lines, expectations Posted: 12 Mar 2011 12:00 AM PST The iPhone 4 was met with high demand followed by big problems, which was due to a massive signal issue with all new iPhone 4's. The demand in the U.S. was such that the UK had to wait a lot longer to get the 4th generation iPhone, and the iPad 2 popularity seems much more than the original iPad. So what should we expect for the 5th generation iPhone? The first thought is signal; we expect no problems with Apple learning from the previous issues, this has to happen to stop a major PR disaster. The second thing expected is massive lines, but how will iPhone 5 in 2011 compare to 2010 for launch lines? Tablet PC's are really taking off, and most brands are launching iPad-like devices that are claimed to be better than Apple's tablet, which is leading to tablet's becoming "must-have devices". Can the demand be so great that the lines for iPad 2 are near those of iPhone 5, or even more? The iPad 2 line in downtown San Francisco was reported to wrap around the block, and early reports claim there was more demand for iPad this year. Apple stopped advance preorders for the iPad 2 and some websites claim that the lines were longer than any other product launch, and its safe to expect the iPhone 5 lines being of epic prepositions if no advance preorders are allowed. We can only hope that Apple allow preorders for iPhone 5, but if they do not, how do you expect the launch lines for iPhone 5 to compare to iPad 2? Would you pay for first position in the line? For more coverage:
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| Posted: 11 Mar 2011 11:34 PM PST What's really inside the gadgets we buy? This is a question that ifixit love to answer by taking apart the latest technology, and this includes the 2nd generation Apple iPad. Some problems were experienced with the iPad 2 teardown, when ifixit tried to remove the glass front panel they found no screws, and instead were met with a lot of adhesive that keeps the front glass in place. While the website points out that you shouldn't use their guide as disassembly instructions, if anyone does then they might want to wait until a solution is found for the iPad 2's front glass problem. Apple's tablet received a repairability score of 4 out of 10, which was due to the difficulty of gaining access to the internals. You can view the full iPad 2 teardown in their article here, which shows the original iPad's glass and LCD thinness at 3.2 mm, compared to the iPad 2 at 2.4 mm. Other components inside the iPad 2 include: ST Micro LIS331DLH accelerometer, ST Micro AGD8 2103 gyroscope, S6T2MLC N33C50V Power Management IC, Broadcom BCM43291HKUBC Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM tuner combo chip, Texas Instruments CD3240B0 11AZ4JT touchscreen line driver, Broadcom BCM5974 CKFBGH capacitative touchscreen controller, Broadcom BCM5973KFBGH Microcontroller, and Toshiba TH58NVG7D2FLA89 16GB NAND Flash. Ifixit point out that the thinner glass in iPad 2 could "reduce the durability of the device", although this is yet to be confirmed. Read the full report and let us know your thoughts about this iPad 2 teardown, and if you've got your hands on one, what do you think so far? You can see a video of the teardown below. View all photos and full iPad 2 teardown on ifixit.com For more coverage:
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| Salt-Grain Sized Camera set to Revolutionize Safety Systems and Surgery Posted: 11 Mar 2011 01:43 PM PST For years now doctors and surgeons have used cameras in their work to aid them in looking in place they otherwise would not be able to. Tiny cameras on the end of fiber-optic cables called endoscopes to be exact. This technology has advanced over the years as you would imagine. Today we have news of a new development in endoscopes that has seen a camera the size of a grain of sand created. Unlike the traditional endoscopes this is designed to be disposed of after as you would a needle, gloves or a razor. Also it is cost efficient, using a simplified electric cable rather than the usual fiber-optics and has 62,500 pixels. It was designed by Awaiba GmbH and Frauhofer. If you check out this link now you will find out more information about how the device works. What do you think of this development? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below. For more coverage:
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| Sony Ericsson Xperia Play: UK release date and price Posted: 11 Mar 2011 12:31 PM PST Many people are looking forward to Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play; the device will be running Android 2.3 Gingerbread and powered by 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Now we have the UK release date and price to give you. The handset will come with six pre-installed games which for the UK are Fifa 10, The Sims 3, Crash Bandicoot, Battalion, Tetris, and Bruce Lee Dragon Warriors. It will become available in UK stores and online beginning March 31st. Price wise the handset will cost you £500 SIM-free, but will be cheaper if you sign up for a two year contract with one of the networks. You will also have available fifty PSone classic titles via the PlayStation Suite. According to Caleb Cox from The Register Sony Ericsson will use its biggest ever marketing campaign for the handset. The Xperia Play should prove a big pull for gamers who love their PS classics, but will many wait for Sony's NGP? Will you be considering the Xperia Play? For more coverage:
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| iPad 2 Need Accessorizing? Check out Latest Products from Amzer Posted: 11 Mar 2011 09:33 AM PST Many new tablets have been released or are being released this year other than the most hyped Apple iPad 2. With each new device comes a line of accessories that they are compatible with and normally can cater for next gen versions too. However some next generation models are a lot different from their predecessors. This is the case with the iPad 2; it is 33% thinner than its predecessor so most cases and covers designed for the original iPad won't fit the new one. This is why Amzer has announced their new line of redesigned iPad accessories. Featured in the lineup are the Amzer Foldo hands free display kit, the Amzer Luxe Argyle cases and the Amzer Silicone Skin Jelly skins. Each can be found at the site by clicking the link. There you will also find what else the company has on offer. What do you think of these accessories? Which accessories will you be wanting for your iPad 2? Share your thoughts below. For more coverage:
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| SOCOM: Special Forces (aka SOCOM 4) Gets European Release Date Posted: 11 Mar 2011 09:21 AM PST Back in January we announced the official release date for the much-anticipated PlayStation 3 exclusive SOCOM 4, although the date we provided (April 19th) was only for gamers in the US. However, we have just received news that a European launch date has now been revealed. The third-person tactical shooter – which is in fact known as SOCOM: Special Forces outside of the United States – will be released in Europe on April 20th. Australian and New Zealand gamers can look forward to the game arriving on April 21st, while UK gamers will get it on April 22nd. As most of you will already know, the SOCOM: Special Forces game, which is developed by Zipper Interactive and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, comes with support for the PlayStation Move controller and features both single player and multiplayer that supports up to 32 players. You can read the full article (written by Wesley Yin-Poole) over at eurogamer.net. Will you be buying the SOCOM 4/SOCOM: Special Forces game? For more coverage:
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| Cyber Snipa Gaming Headset: Sonar 5.1 Championship Headset Posted: 11 Mar 2011 08:59 AM PST If you are a hardcore gamer you most likely use a headset to communicate and also for sound experience, whilst playing. That being the case we have some exciting news as Cyber Snipa has released their latest gaming headset the Sonar 5.1 Championship Headset. It has a unique design and the 5.1 represents its surround sound channels that the gamer would be receiving so as to hear every little sound made so as to not get snuck up on during game play. The headset has two large ear cups each containing 4 speakers, one of which is dedicated to bass and it also features an adjustable boom microphone. The gaming headset is available now for $79.95 at the CyberSnipa website. This includes a padded carrier case which can also plug to your PC via USB cable. Check out the site for yourself for more details. What do you think of the Cyber Snipa Sonar Championship headset? Will you be playing your games with one? Let us know. For more coverage:
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| iPad 2 launch, differences for 2011 release Posted: 11 Mar 2011 08:30 AM PST The iPad 2 has been launched today in the US, but what differences are there compared to the launch of the original version? With the iPad 2 consumers have not been able to pre-order or reserve the device on the Apple Store, unlike the original iPad which could be preordered three weeks ahead of launch. People can buy an iPad 2 from a bigger choice of outlets. Last time the device was only available from Apple and Best Buy on day one, now you can add Target, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Verizon and AT&T to your choices. The US is getting the device today, but in two weeks time another 26 countries will be having the iPad 2. With the original it was launched in the US in April, only another 9 countries got it towards the end of May. Josh Lowensohn over at Cnet is reporting that there is also a bigger choice in model variations besides color on launch day. Did you buy the original iPad on launch day? Have you managed to get an iPad 2 today? For more coverage:
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| Apple iPad 2: New Angry Birds Cases Arrive Posted: 11 Mar 2011 08:25 AM PST We've been hearing quite a lot of news about new iPad 2 accessories ever since Apple officially unveiled the new tablet PC, including the elegant Booqpad Folio and the carbon fiber 360 Shield from XGearlive. However, I don't think any are as a funky as the new Angry Birds cases. If there are any Angry Birds fans out there that are thinking of buying the new iPad 2, then these cases have to be the ultimate accessory. The cases, which are made of polycarbonate and cost £39.99, are available in Family Shot, Red Bird and Pg King vs. Red Bird. However, if an Angry Birds case just isn't you style, then there are other options such as the ScreenShield (£19.99), the GamingGrip case (£24.99) or the rubber-edged Icebox Edge (£29.99). There are also three new cases in the Jumpsuit range, which cost between £19.99 and £24.99. You can view more images in a recent pocket-lint.com article by Paul Lamkin. Are you thinking of buying the iPad 2? If so, would you purchase the Angry Birds case? For more coverage:
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| iPad 2: UK site reports Android tablet favouritism Posted: 11 Mar 2011 08:21 AM PST The launch of the iPad 2 is just a matter of hours away and is expected to sell like hotcakes. However a UK site is suggesting otherwise, claiming over a third of their readers are not impressed with the iPad 2 preferring the Android platform tablets that are on offer. The site V3.co.uk is saying they will be amongst the first to report the Apple release breaking news as it happens the Apple store in San Francisco later today. This news comes from a recent reader poll that they did, where they found that many of their readers do not think the device is worth the money. When the readers were asked whether they would be buying one 36% said they'd rather get the tablets on the Google OS. 12% of their readers even said they preferred Windows OS. 23% of readers confirmed they would buy the iPad 2 however. What do you make of these statistics? Are they enough to generalize the opinion across the whole population? Let us know what you think. For more coverage:
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| Gears of War 3 Multiplayer Could Seal Fate Posted: 11 Mar 2011 08:17 AM PST Earlier this month we revealed the start date for the Gears of War 3 beta, now we are hearing how the game’s multiplayer experience is going to be key to whether or not the Gears of War franchise has a future. According to Epic Games’ design director the Gears of War 2 multiplayer experience was not up to scratch upon launch, after 6 title updates things were much better, however the general feeling seems to be if the GoW 3 multiplayer isn’t great upon launch the franchise is dead. Chances are Gears of War 3 will be much better on release thanks to the beta testing which millions of Xbox 360 gamers will undertake, there was no public beta for GoW 2, therefore a lot of developers were unsurprised to hear of all of the multiplayer problems gamers experienced. If you head over to IGN you can find out a lot more about how much pressure is on Epic Games to deliver a great multiplayer experience with Gears or War 3, do you think that Epic Games will step up to the plate and restrengthen the GoW franchise? For more coverage:
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| Atom Z670 from Intel is three-times the Tegra 2, but not in performance Posted: 11 Mar 2011 07:42 AM PST With Intel one of the leading developers in computer hardware about to release their Atom Z670 processor, information has seemingly been leaked and it's not good news for those wanting Intel's latest offerings. An average price from a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 based processor, such as the NVIDA Tegra 2 will be about $20. Intel is reported to be selling their 1.66GHz processor for more than three times that amount, a staggering $75, there most expensive Atom CPU yet. For this price you're getting a single core with two threads and a 512KB cache memory. Originally thought to cost $25, the Atom Z760 will have to drop its price in order to compete in the already competitive and reasonably priced market. You can read the full article at Fudzilla where you will find out what the chip is to be used for. What do you think of this leaked information? Should Intel drop their price? Let us know your thoughts. For more coverage:
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| Verizon HTC Thunderbolt Chosen Over iPad 2, Obviously Posted: 11 Mar 2011 07:24 AM PST So far this year we have seen a lot of impressive tablets and smartphones unveiled which are being released in 2011, two of the hottest products we have seen are the HTC Thundebolt and the Apple iPad 2, recently PhonesReview.co.uk asked their readers which they wanted first, the HTC Thunderbolt was the clear favorite. At the time of this post 1,468 votes had been cast, 83.0% of which wanted the Thunderbolt first, 9.0% wanted the iPad 2 first, 5.0% wanted both devices and 3.0% wanted neither of the device, but why was the HTC Thunderbolt so popular? Before we look at why the Thunderbolt seems much more popular than the iPad 2 we must remind you that this poll does not give us an accurate representation of the entire market, also remember that people probably head over to PhonesReview for smartphone news, not tablet news, therefore the votes may be biased, but either way you look at it 83.0% is still pretty impressive. The bottom line seems to be that a smartphone is a necessity these days and a tablet is seen by many as luxury, a smartphone can carry out a lot of the tasks which a tablet can (albeit not as easily or intuitively), however the iPad 2 does not make calls (ignoring Skype etc) or send messages via SMS. Another thing to remember is price, smartphones usually cost roughly $200 as part of a two-year deal, whereas the iPad 2 costs $629.00 (16GB), $729.00 (32GB) or $829 (64GB) from Verizon, at the time of this post there was no option to commit to a Verizon contract to subsidize these prices. Do you think that smartphones are a necessity and tablets are a luxury? Let us know in the comments section below. For more coverage:
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