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Disney Interactive Studios (DIS) has expanded its studios into China with the announcement the company have acquired developer Gamestar.

Gamestar may not be known to many as they have mainly done outsourcing work for other companies since they were set up in 2002. Still, they are a force to be reckoned with in China, being made up of over 90 staff in two studios and recognized as one of the top producers of high-end outsourcing. Many of the staff are senior ex-technical staff from Ubisoft Shanghai.

Graham Hopper, executive vice president and general manager of DIS commented:

Gamestar will play an important role in our global growth plans, providing a high quality talent pool for our expanding product portfolio … Our global expansion is aimed at achieving a new level of creative capacity, quality, and expertise in video game software development.

This is an interesting acquisition by DIS and one that could turn out to be a very important asset. One of the biggest problems of developing games for the new platforms (PS3 and Xbox 360 in particular) are the sheer amount of assets required and the time it takes to produce them. If you have a 90-strong team of experienced staff used to outsourcing work, that problem could just disappear.

Definitely a clever acquisition if handled right and it is likely to be copied by other large game developers if successful. For more information on Gamestar check out this Gamasutra China outsourcing review from 2006.

Read more at MCVUK.com

In our last episode, you may recall, I was hunting around for an ipod Touch substitute that would be cheaper - and perhaps even better, in some ways, at playing videos and Web surfing. And I thought I might have found it: the Archos 605 WiFi, which the CNET reviewer liked a lot.

But even at $200 less than the Touch, that’s still serious bucks to nag my loving family into spending on my birthday. So more research was indicated. Which gave me a reason to try out a new search engine, name of Retrevo.

Oh no, not another search engine! Oh ho, yes indeedy. But Retrevo is not just another search engine. It’s a search engine designed for one of Popgadget’s deepest avocations: Shopping. Shopping for electronic items, to be precise.

Precise is just the word for Retrevo, in fact. Plug the eProduct (or iProduct) of your dreams into Retrevo and up come reviews, blog posts, manufacturer info, and buying sites, all neatly organized and categorized for your researching pleasure. It will also search for solutions to problems you’re having with a technotoy, and it finds manuals for you, too. No more excuses for not being able to RTFM!

Laser Challenge Pro

These two monster weapons are packed with enough technology to keep you happy for hours, if not months. Each gun has a 75m range as well as a laser dot sighting spot (as is required in pretty well every macho boy movie) to make targeting your enemy easier and a lot more fun.

If you get hit ten times you’re not only dead, but you’ll need some lessons. Maybe you should use the ‘Beginner’ switch on the side of your gun to give you a wider beam, and flip your fire rate to automatic, which is a load more fun anyway.

Each gun has an on-board LCD screen which keeps tally of the score and shows you how much ammo you have left - fortunately you can reload at the touch of a button!

As well as barrel extensions, fold down legs and an extendable shoulder stock, this awesome weapon comes with a rotating sighting scope, giving you everything from wide view, down to expert sniper.

You can either play with all the regalia on the guns, or strip them down to pistols for faster and less cumbersome close quarter play.

As they come with three channels, you can play with up to three people (though of course the third person will also need to get hold of one of these top shooters). It was quite exhausting just trying to list all of the features these puppies have, let alone run around playing with them. Suffice it to say that Laser Challenge Pro is about as good as it gets.

You can have this for £49.95 - Approx USD $89.91 / €73.93

Overview

Hitachi, world’s leading electronic and digital product manufacturer, has come up with their new DZ-BD70A Blu-ray/DVD Camcorder. Enjoy lifelike and rich color images with the CMOS image sensor and HD quality 12-element lens system of Hitachi DZ-BD70A Blu-ray/DVD Camcorder. With Hitachi DZ-BD70A Blu-ray/DVD Camcorder you can easily record videos at 1920 x 1080/60 Hz and still images at a resolution of 2400 x 1800 pixels.

Features

• Photo Capture.
• High Resolution Image Processing LSI.
• 5.3 mega pixel ½.8” CMOS Image Sensor.
• 8cm BD-RE/-R/DVD Drive.
• Built-in Interactive Guide.

Incorporating features like Disc Navigation and Widescreen 2.7” LCD View Finder, Hitachi DZ-BD70A Blu-ray/DVD Camcorder is just perfect to capture those memorable moments. Hitachi DZ-BD70A Blu-ray/DVD Camcorder comes with a 16:9 Widescreen Recording option. Not only this, it takes just 1 minute to start this camcorder quickly. Its one-touch finalize button can create or play DVD with a single touch of a finger.

Box content

The box comprises of Hitachi DZ-BD70A Blu-ray/DVD Camcorder, Remote Control, Battery DZ-BP14S, USB Cable, Quick Start Guide, PC Software for Video Authoring, 1 Year Limited Warranty, Disc Cleaning Cloth and User’s Manual.

Price

Hitachi DZ-BD70A Blu-ray/DVD Camcorder is available at a price of $ 849.95.

Via: Hitachi

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Overview

LG, world’s leading electronic and phone manufacturer, has come up with their new LG LSP-400 CDMA WLL Phone with all the advanced features. LG LSP-400 CDMA WLL Phone can store up to 50 numbers in its call history. Its advanced network development lets you avail Voice Mail Notification, Caller ID and 3 Way call conferencing facilities. This phone can be charged in just 4 hours and lets you avail 4 hours of talk time and 120 hours of standby time.

Features

• LCD and Keybutton Backlight.
• 3Line Character LCD Display.
• Speed Dialing up to 300 numbers.
• Large phone book with 300 entries.
• Hands free speakerphone.

If you have LG LSP-400 CDMA WLL Phone, you need not buy a cell phone for messaging, as you can send advanced SMS from this landline phone. LG LSP-400 CDMA WLL Phone comes with a unique receiver Off-Hook Tone and 12 Polyphonic sound and 15 new Melodies Ringtones. Its adjustable ring volume, key volume and earpiece volume lets you easily adjust the volume as per your desire.

Box content

The box comprises of LG LSP-400 CDMA WLL Phone, Dipole Antenna, Built-In Backup Battery and AC/DC Power Adaptor.

Source: LG

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As I may have mentioned, my iPhone is terribly spoiled; always has to have the latest case, the newest earbuds, or the system mysteriously slows down. Right now, it’s sporting the new Wave case by Griffin, ($24.99) which is a bright red and made of a translucent polycarbonate shell.

Named the Wave case because of the unique wave-shaped closure, it provides greater interlocking surface area, so you can carry your iPhone and keep it somewhat protected in case of drops. Handily protecting your iPhone without impinging on it’s functionality, it comes in translucent red, pink, orange, green, blue, and black, but please don’t tell my iphone.

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Filed in archive Software by jim on April 07, 2008

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If your memory card's data becomes corrupted, deleted, or even if the card has been reformatted you can probably recover all or most of the pictures with this free program.

"Art Plus Digital Photo Recovery 3" software is advertised as being capable of recovered most images captured in the most popular formats such as, JPEG, TIFF, and RAW, and many others.

This a small free program that you don't want to be without.

Source:www.www.artplus.hr

Overview

If you want to experience the legendary sword used by Japan’s Samurai, then go for SANYO Katana Cell Phone that has been designed keeping in mind to evoke the same passion for craftsmanship. Sporting an ultra-sleek design, SANYO Katana cell phone comes with a 2.2-inch QVGA TFT LCD Main Display and 1.0-inch TFT LCD External Display. You can choose SANYO Katana Cell Phone from any of its four exciting colors, Blue Sapphire, Mystic Black, Cherry Blossom Pink and Polar White.

Features

• digital camera.
• Supports Bluetooth, HSP, HFP, DUN and OPP.
• Superior Battery Performance.
• Caller ID capability.
• External side Volume Controls.
• Sprint PCS Vision capable downloading games and browsing the web.

With SANYO Katana Cell Phone you get up to 3.6 hours of talk time. Its phone book can store up to 700 phone numbers and 1000 Email and 500 Web Addresses. Apart from the advanced features like Dual band/ Tri mode, T9 Text Input and Call Screening, SANYO Katana Cell Phone also supports functions like calculator, alarm clock, vibrating alert and stopwatch.

Box content

The box comprises of SANYO Katana Cell Phone, Headset Adapter, Travel Charger and Standard SANYO Battery.

Price

SANYO Katana Cell Phone is available at a price of $ 129.99.

Source: Sanyo

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Blogging may be fun for some, but it can lead to some serious health problems according to an article by the New York Times. According to the article, bloggers are under a great deal of stress due to the need to to break the latest facts and news before their competitors do. Some health problems reported by bloggers include weight loss, weight gain, sleep disorders and exhaustion.

The problem has come to light recently due to the death of two well-known bloggers including Russell Shaw and Marc Orchant. Both died of a heart attack. A third well-known blogger, Om Malik, also suffered a heart attack back in December, but survived.

Like most things in life, the issue at work here is stress. Stress to be the one to break the latest and greatest story is what is driving some writers to stay up late, sleep little and miss meals. That is just a lifestyle which can not be sustained especially as you get a little later in years.

I’m happy to say that the only stress I feel is ensuring my writing stays up to par for the readers. In order to be a blogger or online journalist you have to love it. If you don’t it shows up in the writing. Still, it gives me some pause to see the toll the profession has taken on some in the industry. Good thing I’m going on vacation in a few weeks.

Read more from the New York Times article.

Overview

Easing you off talking while driving, bluetooth headsets are pretty useful devices. BlueAnt Z9 is one such innovative bluetooth headset that has also won the International CES Innovations 2007 Design and Engineering Award. BlueAnt Z9 comes packed with advanced features like near-field sensing with Automatic Gain Adjustment. This innovative bluetooth headset sports a tie clip that can be easily attached to shirt, cuff, collar etc when not in use.

Features

• On-the-fly switching between devices.
• World class Digital Signal Processor (DSP) software.
• Abnormal Disconnection Notification.
• Echo suppression and noise cancellation.
• Auto connection and reconnection.

With BlueAnt Z9, you get to enjoy up to 7 hrs of talk time. Its 2 microphones deliver pure speech with every use. You can even select a different ring tone for contacts and for unknown callers on your BlueAnt Z9. Its firmware is upgradeable by USB and it has an exceptional ability to be paired with multiple devices at a time.

Box content

The box comprises of BlueAnt Z9, AC Adapter, 3 Replacement Ear Hooks, and User’s Manual.

Price

BlueAnt Z9 is available at a price of $ 99.95.

Source: BlueAnt

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