certified

HTC smartphones and tablets may get PlayStation certification first

The Sony PlayStation mobile gaming empire could expand its borders to HTC gadgets next.

That's right, if a Pocket-lint report pans out, you'll be able to play PlayStation-branded game titles on on HTC smartphones and tablets soon.

My instant reaction to this nugget of potential news was joy and giddiness. Perhaps I'll be finally be able to enjoy a few PSP breaks during my daytime commute. Then cold hard reality set in when I realized PlayStation certified doesn't mean PSP certified.

Remember the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play? That was a device full of promise, billed to … Read more

Youngest female Microsoft Certified Professional dies at 16

Arfa Karim, the youngest girl ever to become a Microsoft Certified Professional, passed away in her native country of Pakistan on Saturday owing to complications from an epileptic seizure and cardiac arrest. She would have turned 17 next month.

Granted the MCP title in 2004, Karim was only 9 years old at the time, making her the youngest MCP in Pakistan and reportedly the second youngest in the world, just behind India's Mridul Seth, who became an MCP at the age of 8. Her excitement about technology first bubbled up after her father bought her a PC, mainly to … Read more

Hardware makers ally with BitTorrent for European, Asian invasions

LAS VEGAS--A phalanx of deals involving the commanding general of torrent protocols, BitTorrent, and next-generation hardware marched into CES 2012 today, the unofficial Day Zero of the show. BitTorrent also announced that more than 150 million people used sibling programs BitTorrent and uTorrent last month, making them by far the most popular torrent clients around.

Following up on the announcement from CES 2011 that it would partner with hardware manufacturers to ship their devices with torrent support built in, BitTorrent revealed four companies based in Europe, Russia, and Asia that have prepared new hardware that automatically works with the current BitTorrent program. BitTorrent-certified devices from these companies will carry the BitTorrent logo. … Read more

PlayStation games hit Sony Tablet S

Owners of the Sony Tablet S can now access the PlayStation Store and purchase games.

As of yesterday, a limited selection of games is available for those who wield the exotic tablet in the U.S., Canada, and seven other countries. Ten titles digitized from the original PlayStation console are being sold for $5.99: Cool Boarders, Destruction Derby, Hot Shots Golf 2, Jet Moto, Jet Moto 2, Jumping Flash!, MediEvil, Motor Toon Grand Prix, Rally Cross, and Wild Arms. … Read more

Creative's inPerson HD cam is made for Skype HD

Designed to work with HD video calling in Skype, Creative has introduced a $149 high-end Webcam, the Live Cam inPerson HD, which features built-in H.264 video compression.

Creative says by offloading the video processing to the Webcam you get, "Smooth movement and video calls every time."

Here's a look at its key specs:

Full HD 1080p video capturing at up to 30 frames per second Wide-angled glass lens with auto focus Skype HD certified Live Central 3 software (create movies, add special effects, and share media online) Extras: business card scanning software, H.264 decoder, security … Read more

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play vs. Sony NGP

By now we've come to terms with the fact that the Sony Ericson Xperia Play is not the PSP Phone that we were all wishing for, but we still think it's worth comparing it against the game-centric Sony NGP, announced just a few short weeks ago.

The Xperia Play is the first PlayStation-certified smartphone on the market, which means it will be capable of downloading content from the PlayStation Store. Its 1Ghz Snapdragon processor promises 60-frames-per-second performance without wiping out the battery.

We're not sure if the Xperia Play can satisfy the gamer who wants the latest and greatest from the portable gaming scene, but the Xperia Play will probably offer the closest approximation to it of any smartphone around. The real question is whether consumers will find the need to own an Xperia Play in addition to a portable system like the NGP or 3DS.

For a head-to-head look at the Xperia Play and NGP, consult our spreadsheet below.

… Read more

This wasn't the PSP phone I was looking for

I bought a PSP Go a year ago. Why? Because I believed the PSP could transform, become something more than it's been. Perhaps, even, achieve the promise I first felt when I held the very first PSP in my hands back in 2005. It was a magical device back then. It drew crowds, turned heads. Waiters and subway riders wanted to know what it was that I was holding, how they could buy one. My parents were fascinated. Friends wanted to hold it. A Sony portable device hasn't achieved that original PSP magic since--certainly not once the iPhone … Read more

Wi-Fi Alliance now certifies Wi-Fi direct products

First demonstrated at CES 2010, Wi-Fi Direct has taken another step to become part of the Wi-Fi usage spectrum.

The Wi-Fi Alliance, the group that tests and certifies Wi-Fi products to make sure they interoperate, announced today that it has begun certifying products capable of making Wi-Fi-based device-to-device connections and designating them Wi-Fi Certified Wi-Fi Direct.

Traditionally, Wi-Fi clients need to connect to a central place, called an access point, before they can connect to one another in their "infrastructure" mode. Other than that, they can also connect in pairs via a mode called "ad-hoc," which … Read more

Do receivers have too many features?

Do you remember when you bought stereo receivers based on their power and connectivity? The entry-level models were low in power and had just a few inputs. As you moved up in the line, they got more power, more ports, and an extra feature or two. The top models looked cooler than the entry-level ones, with a more high-end design flair and they hid their lesser-used controls under a flip-down panel. If someone bought a more expensive model, it's because they wanted better sound quality.

Home-theater receivers followed the same course, except the higher end models had more speaker … Read more