Sony announces the PlayStation 4, arriving this holiday season

As was widely expected, Sony announced their upcoming PlayStation 4 gaming console at the February 20 event. While a lot was said about the console at the event, we still don’t know what it looks like or how much it would cost.

But let’s talk about what we do know, starting with the hardware. For the PS4, Sony is using an x86-64 AMD processor with an integrated 8-core ‘Jaguar’ CPU and GPU. The GPU is capable of delivering 1.84 TFLOPS of performance, which pegs it slightly above AMD’s Radeon HD 7870 desktop GPU announced last year. The PS4 will also have 8GB of GDDR5 memory with around 176GB/s of memory bandwidth.

Other specifications include a built-in hard drive (no mention of SSD or ability to swap the drive), 6x Blu-ray and 8x DVD drive, USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, HDMI, analog AV-out and optical S/PDIF audio output.

The PS4 will be sold with the new DualShock 4 controller, which looks very similar to the leaked prototype we saw last week. It features a two-point capacitive trackpad above the joystick and a three-color LED light bar on top, which changes color to identify player or even during a game to denote things such as player health.

The PS4 has dual 1280 x 800 resolution 3D cameras with f/2.0 fixed focus lenses, 85-degree field of view, 30cm minimum focusing distance and four-channel microphone array. These track the light bar on the controllers, they way the Move did. The DualShock 4 also has three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer, vibration, mono speaker, microUSB port, stereo headset port, extension port and a 1000mAh battery.

Moving back to the console, there are quite a lot more new features to talk about, including:

• Ability to stream games, thanks to the Gaikai cloud based service. This could be used in future to stream PS3, PS2 and PSOne games to the PS4.
• Ability to stream PS4 games to the PSVita. Sony is aiming to offer virtually every PS4 game on the PSVita through streaming in the future.
• Ability to play games while they are downloading.
• Ability to try any new game before purchasing.
• Ability to record and upload game videos while playing games. The processing is done by a separate background processor. You can view videos uploaded by other players.
• Ability to download games and updates while the console is switched off using the background processor.
• Brand new interface for the PS4 as well as the PSVita.
• New iOS and Android PlayStation App will let you use your smartphone as a second screen to view game details as well as view videos and other content uploaded by other gamers.

There will be no backward compatibility of PS3 titles on the PS4, a direct result of the new processor architecture used on the latter. The Gaikai streaming feature remains the only hope to play older titles on the PS4, although that feature hasn’t been officially announced yet. You will be able to play used PS4 games on the new console, something a lot of people do.

Speaking of games, we have a handful of confirmed titles, including ‘Killzone: Shadow Fall’, ‘inFAMOUS: Second Son’, ‘Destiny’ by Bungie, ‘Deep Down’ (working title) by Capcom, ‘DriveClub’, ‘Knack’, ‘The Witness’, ‘Diablo III’ and ‘Watch_Dogs’ by Ubisoft.

As mentioned before, we still don’t know what the console looks like or will cost. All we know is that it is expected to be released by the holiday season by the end of this year.

iPad mini 2 Backplate leaked in Chinese Website

Over at Chinese website, WeiPhone.com, a guy posted a bunch of photos that he claimed are backplate of the second generation of iPad mini. There’s no way to tell whether the backplate is really built for the iPad mini 2. But given the original iPad mini is released in October, it is possible that Apple is now testing the next generation.

As you can see in the picture, the backplate is made of aluminum. It also suggested that the next iPad mini may be thicker. This is possible if Retina Display will be used, and Apple wants to equipp the tablet with a bigger battery.

Another thing you will notice is the blue Apple logo and iPad branding. In late January, there is a Sina Weibo post that suggested that the production process of iPad mini’s Apple logo has been improved. Is the blue Apple logo crafted using the new process? Again, there is no way to tell at the moment. Let’s wait and see more leaks.

 

Acer H226HQL and H236HL Full HD IPS LCD Displays

Acer launches in the US market its H6 series LED-backlit LCD displays. Available in 21.5-inch H226HQL and 23-inch H236HL models, the H6 series has a Zero-frame construction featuring a super thin 0.08-inch bezel. Its brushed hairline finish makes it stylish.

Both H6 models feature Full HD 1920×1080 resolution and uses IPS panel for a viewing angles as wide as 178 degrees. They also feature 100,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 5ms response time and eColor Management for optimized image performance. The monitors comes with built-in speakers and offers HDMI, DVI and VGA inputs. They have tilt capability from -5 to 15-degrees for users to adjust for best viewing angle, and the magnetic surface allows you to post notes and store paper clips directly.

Acer’s H226HQL and H236HL are available now for $149.99 and $179.99, respectively.

 

Wateen Telecom Launches Core Values

Naeem Zamindar – Values Launch – KHI.

In a first for any corporate organisation in Pakistan, Wateen Telecom recently launched its Core Values during special events organised for all company employees in Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad.

The events kicked off with the first one held at the Wateen Head Office at Oberoi House in Lahore. Over 700 Wateen employees were in attendance, ranging from office assistants to the Senior Management Team, Wateen CEO Mr Naeem Zamindar, and senior Board Member Mr Zouhair Khaliq.

A select group of the company’s Enterprise customers were also invited to attend the explosive, high-energy and fun-filled event.

The most significant aspect of the launches was the Value Champions Team, comprising of employees from every tier, segment and background. Following six weeks of ‘living the Values’, Wateen now has a total 100 employees who’ve experienced the benefits of the Values and have become ‘commandos’ who will drive the new culture.

Asad Rezzvi, Wateen Chief Transformation Officer, says, “Culture is the source of great strategy.  It is the conglomerate of the beliefs of the people. Beliefs drive behaviour and thoughts. With extraordinary beliefs and thoughts come extraordinary actions. Keeping this in mind, we set out to sow the seeds for a high performance culture.”

Naeem Zamindar & Zohair Khaliq – Values Launch – Lahore

The entire process of defining and creating the Wateen Values took over a year and a half, finally resulting in five final Core Values to be implemented within the organisation: Serve & Enable; Passion, Energy & Fun; Team work & Respect; Ownership & Accountability; and Innovation & Creativity. Each of these values is defined by three specific behaviours, allowing the values to be integrated easily into every day behaviour.

Commenting on the successful launch, Mr Zamindar said, “For Wateen this marks the dawn of a New Beginning and a sign of our commitment to build a workforce that exemplifies the right attitude, behaviour and mindset of Pakistan’s leading converged communications service provider.”

The events consisted of demonstrations, presentations, skits, and other interactive activities aimed at allowing employees to actually experience the Core Values as they might be applied in real life settings. The Lahore event was followed by similarly successful events in Karachi and finally Islamabad.

Moving forward, the plan is to drive the Values throughout the organisation by getting every single employee on board. A Rewards Program is being planned around the Values and their behaviours, which will motivate people to focus in the direction of the new culture.  Every time someone hits a certain level of points, a reward will be triggered.  This will create momentum and create healthy competition in the right direction.

VimpelCom to bring easy payment solution for Windows Phone Apps

VimpelCom, Nokia and Microsoft Corporation have signed a deal which will enhance digital entertainment experience for VimpelCom customers across its markets. VimpelCom customers will be able to easily find, try and download apps or digital content available on the Windows Phone store and the price amount will be conveniently deducted from their prepaid credit or will come in their postpaid bill. There have been trials of services to provide such features by integrating it with payment options like credit card and utility payments with a single bill provided by the operator.

Windows Phone has not yet been able to gain much popularity like Android or iOS as it is still in its initial phases of maturity despite the agreements between Nokia and Microsoft to pledge their future together in the smartphone industry. Windows Phone has only 125,000 apps in its app store for 191 countries however, the operating system is beginning to gain attention within developers, with most popular applications now being created, or adapted, for Windows Phone.

VimpelCom will create its own ‘VimpelCom Shelf’ that will bring tailored content to Windows Phone smartphones using VimpelCom customers around the globe thus providing them with the most convenient way to access and pay for apps. In many of the markets in which VimpelCom is operating, the telecom giant will be the first to introduce the service.