Star Wars Getting 3D Re-release Starting 2012

It looks like Lucasfilm is jumping on the 3D bandwagon; the company is said to be re-releasing the entire Star Wars series on 3D, starting in 2012.

Earlier this year, George Lucas said he was considering re-releasing the movies in 3D, and yesterday sources spoke to the Hollywood Reporter claiming it was a done deal.
Lucasfilm confirmed the rumors earlier today on the official Star Wars website and said fans can expect a 2012 release for the 3D version of Episode I. Lucasfilm says the studio will take its time and work slowly in converting the movies to ensure fans get the best possible experience.

Wi-Fi Seen as Important Part of Relationships

Which would you rather give up, Wi-Fi or coffee?

The internet has changed a lot of things. Whether it's the social networking craze that allows people to stay in touch with relatives in Timbuktu, or the fact that people like me can make a living writing for a tech website and not even have to leave the house, it's safe to say the internet has made a significant impact on many of our lives. In fact, it seems the internet has become so important to people, we would find it difficult to maintain relationships if we didn't have Wi-Fi. With the popularity of mobile devices and laptops, more internet-capable machines connect through Wi-Fi rather than the traditional cabled connection.

Acer Launches Notebooks with Nvidia Optimus, 3D

Three new laptops are available now, while a fourth 3D model is expected in late October.

Monday Acer America announced three new Aspire notebooks geared for consumers who want multimedia and mobility all in one powerful package: the 15.6-inch Aspire AS5742G, the 15.6-inch Aspire AS5745, and the 17.3-inch Aspire AS7745. The company also announced the upcoming Aspire AS5745DG, a new 3D laptop featuring Nvidia 3D Vision technology and Intel's Core i5 processor.

Salam hw r u? Send me friends Request..!!

The icon that many Internet Explorer users will be clicking on for years to come.

Now that the Internet Explorer 9 beta is out for everyone on Windows Vista and Windows 7 to try, it's quite clear about what new direction Microsoft is taking with its new browser.

Not only is it hardware accelerated, it also tries to maximize the pixels dedicated to displaying the web. Along with this new design approach, Microsoft has made a new logo to help convey the new lightweight and slickness of IE9.
The logo itself, that blue "e", is the subject of a blog post on the IEBlog. First, a quick review of the evolution of the IE logos over the years:


For the transition from the logo used in IE7 and IE8, Microsoft has ditched the Helvetica font and has made its own custom one for a more lightweight letter.
"First, we defined a shape for the e that focused on clarity and legibility: a true circle. Then we examined the details of the e. By reducing the contrast in stroke weight, we made it appear much lighter weight than the previous logo. The updated logo has more open negative space (counters) that maintain their presence at small sizes. The counters in the previous logo were very closed and disappeared at small scale. With no obvious horizontal or vertical variation in the character, the fluidity of the form is emphasized. The result is a simple, more open letterform."

Microsoft also changed the orbiting ring for a tighter look.
"We also updated the orbiter. To make it feel more alive, a small amount of transparency was added, and the stroke contrast and size of the shadow were decreased. Whereas the IE7/8 orbiter stops short of connecting to the e on the upper right side, the updated orbiter makes a full, more continuous connection. The updated orbiter is proportionally smaller when compared to the e than was its predecessor. These new proportions give more emphasis to the e, and give the logo a stronger presence."

Evolving a logo is nothing new. Even Firefox went through a similar change. The IE logo, however, may be a bit more important since it's iconic in its representation of internet services, such as at internet cafes.

Tell us what you think of the new logo that you might be clicking on often (if it's your browser of choice).

Sony Says Fake PS3 Controllers Could Explode

Cheap knock off controllers might be tempting but Sony is warning users that they can be dangerous and could possibly even explode.

Sony this week released a consumer alert warning users about the dangers of counterfeit or unlicensed controllers.
"Counterfeit PlayStation 3 Wireless Controllers, which are practically identical in appearance to genuine PlayStation 3 Wireless Controllers, have been discovered in the market," Sony said in the statement.

Intel Launches Scavenger Hunt for iPhone Users

Who doesn't love a good scavenger hunt?

Scavenger hunts are tons of fun, but there aren't nearly enough of them once you outgrow the bouncy-castle-in-the-back-garden type of parties. Looking to reignite our love affair with party games that went out of fashion when we discovered the opposite sex, Intel has launched a scavenger hunt that offers smartphone users the chance to win prizes from the chip giant by taking pictures of Intel ads.

Bored Hunters Are Shooting Down Google's Fibers

Google has had to switch from aerially deployed fiber to underground fiber for its Oregon data center after hunters decided to use the fiber insulators as target practice.

You're out hunting and you're not having much luck. No animals have happened past and you're getting extremely bored. What to do, what to do? How about using Google's fibers for target practice? According to IT News, network engineering manager for Google, Vijay Gill, last week told the AusNOG conference that people in Oregon were using the fiber insulators for target practice because they were bored. It's become such a problem that Google is moving its fibers underground.

Nokia Says Putting Android on Phones is Like Peeing Your Pants for Warmth

A lot of people still wonder why Nokia decided to completely forgo Android in favor of an all-Symbian line up. Here to tell us why is Nokia smartphone chief Anssi Vanjoki.

Speaking to the Financial Times, the head of Nokia's smartphone department said that Android is but a short-term solution that will lead companies to bigger problems related to brand-recognition in the not too distant future. Though that explanation is simple enough for most people to understand, it seems Vanjoki couldn't resist giving the Financial Times a colorful example of what he was talking about.

Phonebook? Facebook Denies Smartphone Rumor

One of the biggest stories to emerge over the weekend was the rumor of the Facebook phone. TechCrunch's Michael Arrington Sunday reported that the social networking giant had plans for a Facebook-brand smartphone utilizing third-party hardware.

But wait, why would Facebook want to build a phone? Well, Arrington's source says that around the time the first rumors about the Nexus One hit, Facebook started to think more about deeper Facebook integration in phones. When the social network heard about a supposed Google phone it became more worried about the power Apple and Google held with iOS and Android, because to do stuff like integrating with contacts lists, etc., Facebook would need full control of the operating system. 

Android Continues Creeping on BlackBerry, iPhone

The Android grows in market share at the expense of RIM and Apple.

Although Apple is still selling its new iPhone 4 by the boatload, it's actually losing out on market share as Android surges with greater strength every day.

Verizon, Sprint Not Getting Win Phone 7 Until 2011

Disappointing news for Verizon and Sprint users waiting for Windows Phone 7 to launch before they upgrade: Neither will actually have the phones when the new OS launches this fall.

Verizon yesterday confirmed to Bloomberg that it wouldn't be offering Windows Phone 7 devices until 2011, despite the fact that Microsoft is expected to launch the OS in October. In an interview with Business Week, Verizon's Brenda Raney said the carrier does plan to support the new operating system and will probably release a phone in 2011.

Adobe Launches 64-Bit Flash Player ''Preview''

Adobe launched an enhanced player for Internet Explorer 9 Beta and 64-bit platforms.

Adobe's Paul Betlem said Thursday that a special preview build of Adobe Flash Player--dubbed as "Square"--is available to download. The new preview build offers enhanced support for the just-released beta of Internet Explorer 9, and native 64-bit support for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

"Flash Player 'Square' leverages the new GPU support available with Internet Explorer 9 Beta to deliver a faster and more responsive user experience," Betlem said. "In our internal testing, we’ve seen significant improvements in Flash Player graphics performance--exceeding 35-percent in Internet Explorer 9 Beta compared to Flash Player running in previous versions of IE."
As for the 64-bit native support, Betlem said that Linux users should have a faster and even more reliable Flash experience than the previous version. Square also marks as the introduction of 64-bit Flash to Windows and Mac OS X, however users are cautioned to be on the lookout for any issues, as "not everything will be fully baked."

Nokia Slaps HTC in the Face With 'Survival Kits'

Meow!
Nokia and HTC both held press events in London this week. Nokia announced three new phones at Nokia World while HTC announced the launch of the Desire Z and the Desire HD. However, it seems Nokia was a little less than pleased with HTC for scheduling a press event during Nokia World and the Espoo company wasn't shy about broadcasting that fact.

Lenovo Charger with 4 Built-in USB Ports is Genius

A shortage of USB ports is a problem tons of people are familiar with. It's easily solved with any one of the countless USB hubs available. But what's a USB hub if it's not also a laptop charger? A one-trick pony, that's what.

After speaking to customers about what they buy and use the most in conjunction with their laptops, Lenovo learned that a large amount of people buy a spare adapter as well as a USB hub. Last week, the company revealed the Lenovo Power Hub, a device they describe as "one part power adapter and one part USB hub."
The Lenovo Power Hub combines those two devices, resulting in a single $75 purchase. Though it takes up a USB port, it more than makes up by giving users access to four ports located on the end of the power brick.
It's on sale now from Lenovo. Who wants one? More importantly, who wants the rest of the big name companies to follow suit?

PlayStation Move Hits Best Buy Shelves Early

If you've been quivering in anticipation for the launch of Sony's PlayStation Move peripheral, get thee to your local Best Buy, for you might get lucky.
Engadget reports that a reader in Benton Harbor, Michigan, picked up Move at his local Best Buy branch yesterday afternoon. Officially set for launch next Sunday, it seems the Best Buy staff got their Sundays confused. It's not clear if this mistake is confined to just one store, or if other shops are also selling Move a full seven days before they're supposed to.

Amazon.com is still reporting a shipping date of September 17.

Google Will Simplify Privacy Policy in New Update

Google has said it will update its privacy policy to make it easier to understand.

Privacy and Google are two words that often incite a debate as to how Google uses our personal data. In an attempt to quell the concerns of those worried about their privacy, Google has announced that it will simplify its privacy policy to make it more transparent and easier to understand. Though the search giant was quick to clarify that it's not actually making changes to the policy itself, the company also said it would delete a number of product-specific policies.

Toshiba Recalls 41,000 Laptops Over Overheating

Toshiba has recalled 41,000 laptops sold between August 2009 and August 2010 because the units in question represent a burn hazard to users.
Toshiba yesterday announced a voluntary product recall affecting just over 40,000 of its T-Series of Satellite laptops. The company says potentially faulty DC-In harnesses were used in the manufacture of certain Satellite T135, T135D and Satellite Pro T130 laptops. In some cases, the defective harness may overheat to the point of melting the computers base, near where the AC adapter plugs into the unit. Toshiba says there have been no reports of serious injury because of the defect but warns that the temperature is sufficient to pose a burn hazard to the user.

Party! Skype 5.0 for Windows Has 10-way Calling

Conferences and parties without having to ever leave the house.

You probably remember back in May when Skype announced that it would begin testing five-way video calling for Windows users. The feature was free back then, but Skype said it would start charging for it in a few months time. However, it seems that before it'll start charging, Skype is going to up the ante to 10-way video conferencing.

Windows Phone 7 is Finally Officially Finished

Finally!!

Windows Phone 7 is finished. It's officially done and we couldn't be more excited, because despite the fact that Microsoft is still perfectly on time with development of its brand new OS, we feel like we've been waiting forever.
Microsoft first announced Windows Phone 7 in March at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. At the time the company told us that we wouldn't be seeing any Windows Phone 7 smartphones in shops until at least the fall. Though we were promised the first round in time for the holiday season, Microsoft refused to be specific about dates and we've had to rely on rumors that say we'll see the first in September or October to get us through the long, hot summer.

Apple Announces Apple TV, Three New iPods Designs, Social Network in iTunes

Apple held its fall event today and it was a doozie. Aside from Apple TV, we also got a completely new iPod line, new iTunes (complete with social network) and a peak at iOS 4.2. Whew!
Apple's event today packed plenty of surprises. If you missed our live blog, you can check it out here. But it's hump-day and we're all busy people so there's a condensed version below if you're short on time.

New iPods

The fall Apple event is always iPods and music orientated. Though this year did bring an Apple TV announcement (it's not called iTV), the biggest surprise still involved iPods, amazingly enough. This is because Apple decided to completely revamp the iPod line, introducing all new designs across the line.
The iPod shuffle is both regressing and progressing as Apple is bringing back the click-wheel from the second generation shuffle, but keeping the VoiceOver playlists that everyone loved about the third generation shuffle. It's teeny, holds 15 hours of battery and it comes in five colors. Available next week, it's got 2GB of storage and it costs $49.

The iPod nano also got a major redesign, despite the fact that it was updated last year. Apple ditched the video camera that they added just recently, completely took away the scrollwheel, made the screen smaller and added multitouch. It's now a tiny little cube with a multitouch display covering the front of the device. Steve and his friend's also added the clothes-clip that shuffle users will be familiar with. It's still got Nike+, an FM radio, a clock, etc, everything is just in a really small package. While the old iPod nano was supposed to be pretty good for watching videos (hence it's widescreen display), I can't imagine anyone but Thumbelina would want to watch video on this thing. Swipe to either side to reveal more menu items (playlists, artists, radio, Nike+), and use two fingers to rotate the screen. This has 24 hours of battery and comes in seven different colors. It sells for $149 for the 8GB version, $179 for the 16GB. Again, it'll be available from next week.

Gmail Rolls Out Awesome Priority Inbox Setting

Drowning in mail that's not junk but definitely isn't important? You're not alone.
Spam isn't the only thing that clogs up your inbox. Because only a fraction of the emails we get are high priority, they're sometimes lost in the barrage of regular emails that we get. Google is trying to fix that with a new feature that sorts your important, high priority emails that need addressing straight away from the not so important correspondence that you can probably take a few days to get back to.
Dubbed the Priority Inbox, the beta feature acts sort of like a turbo spam filter, learning your Gmail habits by looking at what emails you read and who you frequently respond to. It then splits your inbox into three sections, showing the most important in the first, top section. Underneath that are your starred emails, and under that is an 'everything else' inbox with all your regular emails. You can also add more boxes to this (such as 'unread and important') and tweak a number of other Priority Inbox settings.

Obviously it doesn't get everything right, but it's reportedly pretty accurate. If it does mislabel something, all you have to do is mark it unimportant/important yourself (by clicking the little yellow label seen above) and all mail going forward will be affected by your interferance. The more you use it, the more accurate it will become.
You should see Priority Inbox hit your Gmail in the next week or so as Google is rolling it out to all users. Let us know what you think!