Sony’s 25 megapixel Alpha A900 to arrive in August or September

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We already spent some time grappling with Sony’s monster full-frame Alpha A900 prototype at PMA, but the company’s displaying an updated version at the Photo Imaging Expo in Japan, and reps are apparently now saying that the 24.6 megapixel DSLR will be launched during IFA in August or Photokina in September. Other than that, there’s not much we didn’t already know — which means there’s really not that much at all — but there are some more shots of this nifty clear-bodied display unit at the read link for your ocular delight.

 

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Sony’s 25 megapixel Alpha A900 to arrive in August or September

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We already spent some time grappling with Sony’s monster full-frame Alpha A900 prototype at PMA, but the company’s displaying an updated version at the Photo Imaging Expo in Japan, and reps are apparently now saying that the 24.6 megapixel DSLR will be launched during IFA in August or Photokina in September. Other than that, there’s not much we didn’t already know — which means there’s really not that much at all — but there are some more shots of this nifty clear-bodied display unit at the read link for your ocular delight.

 

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Blu-ray Review: Space Ace

Back in summer of 1983 I had a life changing event, well I had lots of life changing events in the eighties but this particular one was walking past a Dragon’s Lair machine in my local arcade, needless to say I did a double take. Dragon’s Lair looked like something from another world compared to […]

How would you change the outcome of the 700MHz auction?

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So now that the dust is settling, winners are boasting, and Auction 73 is in the record books, it’s time to take a good, hard look back on what was, what is, and what could’ve been. As we all now know, Verizon came away with the biggest prize — the giant Block C that will be obligated to provide open access to any device that can technically support it — but AT&T and Echostar partner Frontier Wireless could end up making quite a stink with their Block B and E wins, respectively. So how does everyone feel about the results? Is Verizon the proper trustee for what is likely the single most important swath of wireless broadband to hit the US auction block in the foreseeable future, or would Google have been a better choice? Should AT&T have stepped up to the plate and taken a shot at Block C, or is the lower bandwidth Block B sufficient for its needs and desires? Don’t be shy now!

 

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Microsoft unloads 500 GTA IV Xbox 360 Elite consoles

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While folks at the Xbox 360 repair lab know good and well how to strip a console back to its birthday suit, Microsoft is going the opposite direction with its limited run of Grand Theft Auto IV Elites. The console itself is purportedly blasted with automotive quality paint and each one is individually numbered. Apparently, the 500 units — which look to come with a case full of peripherals — are only being dished out to press outlets and the like, so it seems your only shot at actually acquiring one is by scouring the second hand market. Or you could just steal one and toss a Molotov cocktail behind as you’re getting away — that’d be fitting, we guess.

[Via Xbox360Fanboy]

 

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Microsoft unloads 500 GTA IV Xbox 360 Elite consoles

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While folks at the Xbox 360 repair lab know good and well how to strip a console back to its birthday suit, Microsoft is going the opposite direction with its limited run of Grand Theft Auto IV Elites. The console itself is purportedly blasted with automotive quality paint and each one is individually numbered. Apparently, the 500 units — which look to come with a case full of peripherals — are only being dished out to press outlets and the like, so it seems your only shot at actually acquiring one is by scouring the second hand market. Or you could just steal one and toss a Molotov cocktail behind as you’re getting away — that’d be fitting, we guess.

[Via Xbox360Fanboy]

 

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Poll: Did The Onion’s predicted Apple backlash actually start today?

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You might recall The Onion breaking the news back in October that the Apple backlash was set to begin as of today, and if The Onion says it, it’s got to be true. Right? Sure, the Cupertino fruit company’s been riding high as of late, but if America’s Finest News Source has it, we’ll all be looking at our iDevices like bellbottoms and Betamaxes soon enough.

 

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Array-based flash memory could enable 1TB memory chips

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The alphabet soup of different flash memory technologies is already a little bewildering, but it looks like the latest entrant could end up being the most promising of all, with single chip storage capacities of 1TB expected within ten years. Called array-based memory, the tech has been under development at a company called Nanochip, Inc. for nearly 12 years, and it looks like the the first working samples will go out next year. Although those first prototypes will have storage roughly equivalent to NAND flash at tens of gigs per circuit, the plan is to rapidly scale up to 100s of gigs and finally to 1TB on a single chip. Because the chips can be manufactured using conventional fabs and aren’t subject to the same manufacturing constraints as traditional flash, they may also end up being far cheaper per gigabyte. The company is being funded by a number of prominent tech giants, including Intel, and says the tech can be used to improve everything from USB keys to SSDs to enterprise-grade servers — wait, bigger, cheaper, and potentially better? Yeah, sign us up.

[Via Slashdot]

 

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Gibson still thinks a video game is a musical instrument, sues Harmonix for Rock Band

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gaming_news/Gibson_now_sues_Harmonix_for_Rock_Band’; We still think Gibson’s attempt to claim that Guitar Hero violates its patent on “simulating a musical performance with a musical instrument” is totally unfounded and ridiculous for a number of reasons (it involves a “3-D headset,” for one), but we can sort of see why the company is now suing Harmonix as well — they’re a Fender outfit, after all. The third in a series of petulant lawsuits filed by the notoriously litigious guitar maker over the patent claims Harmonix, Viacom, and Electronic Arts are all liable for Rock Band, but it’s not clear if Gibson is going after just the guitars or the drum kit as well, which is probably closer to actually counting as an instrument. Of course, the patent itself hasn’t changed since the last time we read it, and it’s obvious that Gibson’s going to have itself quite a challenge convincing the court that playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band involves musical instruments of any kind — after all, it’s just Simon, right?

Disclaimer: Nilay is a lawyer and a rock star, but he’s not your lawyer (or your monkey, man) and this is not legal advice or analysis.

 

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Gibson still thinks a video game is a musical instrument, sues Harmonix for Rock Band

Filed under:

We still think Gibson’s attempt to claim that Guitar Hero violates its patent on “simulating a musical performance with a musical instrument” is totally unfounded and ridiculous for a number of reasons (it involves a “3-D headset,” for one), but we can sort of see why the company is now suing Harmonix as well — they’re a Fender outfit, after all. The third in a series of petulant lawsuits filed by the notoriously litigious guitar maker over the patent claims Harmonix, Viacom, and Electronic Arts are all liable for Rock Band, but it’s not clear if Gibson is going after just the guitars or the drum kit as well, which is probably closer to actually counting as an instrument. Of course, the patent itself hasn’t changed since the last time we read it, and it’s obvious that Gibson’s going to have itself quite a challenge convincing the court that playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band involves musical instruments of any kind — after all, it’s just Simon, right?

Disclaimer: Nilay is a lawyer and a rock star, but he’s not your lawyer (or your monkey, man) and this is not legal advice or analysis.

 

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