The New Playstation 3

IT'S SMALLER, it's lighter and it's half the price of the original.

There is a lot to like about Sony's newest PlayStation, nicknamed the PlayStation 3 Slim.

Undoubtedly an effort to move consoles en masse before Christmas, this games machine seems like a cunning purchase for those who didn't jump on board the PlayStation 3 bandwagon in 2007 when the machine cost $999.

This slimmed-down $499 model replaces that pricey machine, and Sony insists it is just as good. Connect broke the new games machine from its packaging to find out if that is true.

One thing is certain about this new console: it's slimmer and prettier than the one before. The new PlayStation is neither as wide nor as tall as its predecessor, giving the 32 per cent smaller machine a fresh and sleek appearance.Also improving its aesthetics is the finish on this console: it now has a textured feel on its top and bottom, with glossy accents on the sides alone, limiting fingerprint smudges.

Other changes are more subtle, including the new PS3 logo on its top and the physical eject and on buttons that replace their touch-sensitive counterparts.

It's worth noting that this console also consumes 34 per cent less power than the other PS3, and is 36 per cent lighter.

The game machine still weighs 3.4kg, however, so while convenient this weight loss is not likely to make the PS3 a regular passenger in your carry bag.

Like the last model, this PS3 has only two USB ports, down from four on the original, and no slot for a memory card.

It does, however, boast a sizeable 120GB hard drive that Sony intends to put to use in future with more PlayStation Network games for download and, by the end of the year, movie downloads.

Tricky techy users can also swap this hard drive for an even larger model with instructions provided in the pack.

The operation can be as simple as undoing one screw and slotting in the replacement drive, and goes a long way to future-proofing this device.

The new PS3 still works as a Blu-ray DVD player, making it one of the cheapest players on the market, and it comes with wireless internet connectivity built-in and a DualShock3 SIXASIS controller.

The new model comes with an optical cable that plugs into the red, white and yellow AV ports on older TVs, though it also has an HDMI connection you can use if you own a spare HDMI cable and high-definition TV.

After setting it up, there is no discernible difference between the $1000 original PlayStation 3
and its new, half-price replacement. The graphics are slick, the sound punchy and the controller quakes in your hands as if you really are holding a rifle.

The only difference is if you try and insert a PlayStation 2 game disc into the new machine.

As it lacks the Emotion Engine of the original model, it cannot play these discs and a sad message appears to inform you that ''this PS3 is not compatible with PS2 software''. As long as you keep a working PS2, this should be an inconvenience rather than a deal-breaker.

The new PlayStation 3 seems like it delivers a lot of technology for the money, and is further proof that good things come to those who wait.

With this machine on the market, and a fresh price cut to the top Xbox 360 model, new gamers appear to be in for an interesting Christmas.

By Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson

30,000 Notebooks for Zambian Teachers

Against the backdrop of a rising e-waste problem in developing countries, a sustainable and practical approach to refurbishing computers for donation purposes is absolutely indispensable. This is what Digital Links, a social enterprise founded in 2002, is aiming for.

The most recent project is the deployment of a scheme allowing teachers in Zambia, the host country of eLearning Africa 2010, to purchase computers. The idea is to equip teachers with around 30,000 notebooks, taking varying income levels into account. This will be done in partnership with the 50x15 Foundation and Mecer, South Africa. The laptops are specifically aimed at the teacher/education market and have exceptionally low power consumption. Ten thousand public servants and teachers have already signed up for the first year of this program.

Once this program is running, Digital Links will begin the planning of digital labs across the country. Out of an expected eligible number of 80,000 teachers countrywide, Digital Links expects to service around 60,000 teachers over the course of three years. However, this scheme has the potential (and the agreement of the government in principle) to involve more than 150,000 public servants. There has also been considerable interest in the digital lab model in Zambia. Digital Links partner Mecer is one of the three major corporate ICT distributors in Zambia. MDZ has entered into an arrangement with the Zambian government to distribute all its products to civil servants and has approached Digital Links to help deploy their large-scale computerization program.

Source: digital-links

Google sponsors Linux notebooks for Fijian schools

A substantial grant from Google has enabled notebook computers running Linux and a variety of open source software to be rolled out at rural schools in Fiji.

Google's Open Source Program Office made the donation via the Imara Project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which aims to expand the use of technology in developing communities. Details of the donation were revealed in a post on Google's official coding blog. (note that this project is separate from OLPC) "

The Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) component is central to the sustainability and adaptability of the project," MIT staffer Jonathan Proulx wrote in the post. "Since it's free, there's no additional software cost when the project expands, or if community groups wish to further leverage the technology." The machines use Edubuntu, an education-tweaked version of Ubuntu, along with common packages such as OpenOffice and The Gimp and specialist education software.

Open source advocates have long argued that developing communities will benefit from being able to use free software components to build their technology knowledge. However, choosing the hardware for use in Fiji proved to be something of a challenge.

Notebook PCs were deemed more suitable because of variable power supply availability in the different schools. The 10 Lenovo Thinkpads were taken to Fiji as carry-on luggage by three MIT staff members.

Future plans for the project include sponsoring additional training for local teachers, and rolling out printers and digital cameras.

Source: iTWire Website

ICTs to revolutionize education system in Vietnam

The e-learning initiative by Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) aims to modernize Vietnam's education system by 2011 and to provide opportunities for the country's teachers and students – especially those in remote and rural areas.The Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam and Viettel are collaborating on a project ‘education network’, which will allow 39,000 kindergartens, secondary and high schools to have free access to the Internet. These schools will also be exempted from installation fees. Notably, they will enjoy this free service forever. For provincial and municipal Departments of Education and Training, universities, colleges and vocational training schools (around 600 units), Viettel will collect a portion of monthly Internet charges.

The MOET is also in partnership with Intel Semiconductor Ltd. Vietnam to accelerate the MOET's e-learning initiative. Under “Computer for Schools” project, Intel and local technology companies will make available 1 million affordable PCs during the next 2 years. The program's objective is to provide all Vietnamese teachers with a PC with educational software and broadband Internet connectivity. The MOET and Intel also announced a contest to encourage 1 million teachers nationwide to create e-learning content. In Vietnam, Intel has cooperated with the MOET in the past too, to increase Internet-connected PCs and development of rich, localized content and software applications among local schools, teachers and students. These efforts include the donation of more than 1,900 PCs; training 43,000 teachers to date under the Intel® Teach program; and an intention to train an additional 15,000 teachers in the year 2009-2010.

Elead, ViOlympic and Bkis would bring the ‘Computer-for-schools’ program another breakthrough product ViOlympic. ViOlympic is the especially significant computer, meaningful for those who wish to compete in the ViOlympic contest by the Ministry of Education and Training. This is the unique series to have onboard ViOlympic software for practice mathematical problem solving. The computer is also installed Myeqtext- mathematics software to meet the requirements of pupils in general and ViOlympic contest in particular. ViOlympic computer ensures the safety and protection for pupils from negative impacts when accessing the Internet as it is pre-installed with copyright BkavPro 2009 Internet Security antivirus software, which is able to control and prevent access to websites of bad contents.

Sources: VUFO- NGO Resource Centre Vietnam, Intel News Release, FPT Newsroom

New Versions of XO Laptop by OLPC

One Laptop per Child, a non-profit organization with a mission to provide low cost, connected, educational laptop to each child in the world, recently announced its product road map regarding new versions of their XO laptop with enhanced performance, lower power requirements and lower costs.

XO-3, the latest XO concept to be available in 2012, would offer an innovative design of a thin touch screen tablet at lower power consumption and cost and will have a target price of well below $100.

OLPC laptops are designed to be rugged, low cost, low power, connected laptops with special educational softwares for children of remote and underprivileged rural communities.

OLPC (One Laptop Per Child)

OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) is non profit association which develops a low cost laptop ~(100$ – 200$) to educate the world’s poorest children. Most of us haven’t even heard about this association but this is in existence and helping a lot of children around the world in their education by providing these laptops. Laptops developed by this associations are not just like a toy laptop which we people generally sees in some gift shops while these are actual laptops which has its own operating system, called XO laptops.


Mission Statement: To create educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning. When children have access to this type of tool they get engaged in their own education. They learn, share, create, and collaborate. They become connected to each other, to the world and to a brighter future.

XO Laptop’s user interface is known as ‘Sugar’. These laptops are built especially for children in developing countries, living in some of the most remote environments. The most amazing things about these laptops are -
It is about the size of textbook and lighter than a lunch box
Can easily be assumed as several configurations like standard laptop use, ebook reading, gaming.
Children may also have a second battery for group charging at school while they are using their laptop in class.
Wireless networking: Integrated 802.11b/g (2.4GHz) interface; 802.11s (Mesh) networking supported; dual adjustable, rotating coaxial antennas
It has in built Video camera
USB Support
A unique screen that is readable under direct sunlight for children who go to school outdoors.
Extremely durable, brilliantly functional, energy-efficient (can be run through solar power)
The estimated product lifetime is at least five years.

Over all these XO laptops are amazing. Just check it out on below links and donate in india.

http://laptop.org/en/

A real world laptop for real world change. The XO laptop.

Many years and an infinite amount of sweat equity went into the creation of the XO laptop. Designed collaboratively by experts from academia and industry, the XO is the product of the very best thinking about technology and learning. It was designed with the real world in mind, considering everything from extreme environmental conditions such as high heat and humidity, to technological issues such as local language support. As a result, the XO laptop is extremely durable, brilliantly functional, energy-efficient, responsive, and fun. Come take a look.

New Gaming Laptop

The brand new Video gaming laptop computers tend to be continuously enhancing as well as getting stronger along with every brand new development.

Lately, there have been a number of brand new technical breakthroughs or even enhancements, which might improve your own video gaming pleasure. A few of these brand new functions might have a cost, however they must be a minimum of regarded as, if you would like the best video gaming encounter.



Whilst scanning this, bear in mind, numerous game enthusiasts nevertheless item in order to utilizing a laptop computer with regard to video gaming as well as choose choosing the desktop computer that is less expensive, fairly stronger and may become more very easily improved than the usual laptop computer. Nevertheless, in spite of these types of problems as well as bad electric battery existence, video gaming notebook computers tend to be successful more than increasingly more purchasers, who desire the “relatively” transportable device which may be acquired as well as transported in one spot to an additional.

Therefore listed here are a number of brand new advancements which might conquer some more changes:



1. Exotic Link Processors — They are the 2nd era associated with Intel’s i3, i5 as well as i7 processors that offer considerably faster overall performance compared to their own previously predecessors. This particular higher overall performance is actually accomplished along with multiple cores, hyper threading, over clocking plus much stronger incorporated images. The majority of high-end video gaming laptops computers may right now include these types of brand new chipsets — a few well-liked types becoming the actual i7-740QM, i7 2820qm as well as i7 2920XM.



Form manufacturing plant over clocking, they are the very first Intel chipsets to actually incorporate images silicon straight within or even on to the actual processor chip. In addition, this is actually the very first nick to become dependent completely upon Intel’s cutting-edge 32-nanometer production procedure. All of this allows really power-efficient processors that have a lot enhanced media as well as video gaming abilities.



The reason why tend to be Exotic Link processors this kind of an issue? Nicely, based on Anand Shimpi associated with Anandtech. com:



“For exactly the same cash while you would have invested this past year, you may expect between 10-50% much more overall performance within current programs as well as video games through Exotic Link. inch



two. three dimensional Improvements — No matter your own viewpoint associated with three dimensional watching as well as three dimensional items, this particular brand new technologies offers truly strike the actual video gaming laptop computer industry difficult within the last couple of months. Whilst three dimensional video gaming is actually absolutely nothing brand new, the actual Nvidia three dimensional Packages has existed for a while, however completely energized Accurate three dimensional video gaming laptop computers tend to be brand new. These types of include 120Hz LCD displays that can handle dealing with the actual three dimensional pictures and many make use of shutter eyeglasses, even though we’re viewing a number of Glasses-Free three dimensional laptop computers, like the Asus Republic associated with Game enthusiasts G53SX as well as Toshiba F750 three dimensional.



Whilst main laptop computer manufacturers tend to be pressing these particular stereoscopic three dimensional technologies, this nevertheless continues to be to become observed in the event that three dimensional is victorious common popularity along with everyone with game enthusiasts. However the choice has become obtainable in the event that anybody ought to would like the entire three dimensional encounters. As well as it ought to be mentioned, increasingly more three dimensional items tend to be arriving on-stream, for example digital cameras, portable online game techniques (Manufacturers 3DS) as well as pills. Along with eyeglasses right now as a choice rather than requirement, three dimensional might just possess entered more than to the popular.



3. Bigfoot Monster Cellular — Bigfoot Systems possess launched Monster Wireless-N Adapters with regard to notebook computers that will truly drive the actual limitations as well as limitations associated with Wi-Fi with regard to on the internet video gaming, Hd movie as well as high-quality sound. Softer video gaming is definitely the aim of each and every game player as well as these types of brand new “Killer” adapters would have been a made welcome add-on in order to any kind of video gaming laptops computer.



Alienware, among the top titles within video gaming laptop computers, is actually including these types of quick effective “Bigfoot Monster Wireless-N Adapters” being an choice to it’s most recent video gaming mobile computing, like the well-liked M18x, M17x, M14x as well as M11x. This really is essential simply because these types of “Killer” adapters will offer you higher cellular rates of speed along with information prices as much as 450Mbps