THE NEW CHROMEBOOK PIXEL BY GOOGLE

And it is, indeed, an extremely high-end laptop — by far the fanciest Chromebook to date, with specs that would be impressive if it were a Windows Ultrabook or a Mac. The knockout spec is the screen resolution: it has a 12.85″ screen with 2560-by-1700 pixels, for a density of 239 pixels per inch — the highest of any laptop ever, says Google. That’s high enough that it’s in the territory that Apple calls “retina” — Google’s Chrome honcho, Sundar Pichai, says that users will “never, ever see another pixel.”

INTERNET EXPLORER 11 FOR WINDOWS BLUE

Information on Windows Blue, the next major version of Windows, has started to leak out of Redmond recently. The first round of screenshots revealed a major NT kernel change, but Win8china has now published a screenshot from a recent Windows Blue milestone build that shows Internet Explorer 11 is being prepared for the update. Microsoft previously built Internet Explorer 10 into Windows 8, and it looks like the company is preparing to do the same with IE11 in Windows Blue.

There's no details on features for IE11 or availability to Windows 7 users, but a browser upgrade in Windows Blue seems likely given it will be a feature heavy upgrade to Windows 8. Win8china speculates that a Windows Blue preview version will be released for public download in the coming months, with IE11 for testing. Given Windows Blue will likely debut later this year alongside new hardware form factors, it's reasonable to expect Microsoft to start testing publicly by the summer time.

Microsoft has so far refused to comment on Windows Blue, but the company did accidentally confirm its existence in a job posting recently. Although most of the focus is on Windows itself, Microsoft is also working on a Blue update for Windows Phone and other services such as Outlook.com. The updates won't all launch simultaneously, but they're part of a broader push to harmonise Microsoft's software and services.

SONY UNVEILS THE PLAYSTATION 4

Sony Computer Entertainment has introduced PlayStation 4 (PS4), its next generation computer entertainment system that redefines rich and immersive gameplay with powerful graphics and speed, intelligent personalization, deeply integrated social capabilities, and innovative second-screen features.

With PlayStation Network (PSN), PS4 offers an expansive gaming ecosystem that is centered on gamers, enabling them to play when, where and how they want.

PS4 was designed from the ground up to ensure that the very best games and the most immersive experiences reach PlayStation gamers.

PS4 accomplishes this by enabling the greatest game developers in the world to unlock their creativity and push the boundaries of play through a system that is tuned specifically to their needs.

PS4 also fluidly connects players to the larger world of experiences offered by PlayStation, across the console and mobile spaces, and PlayStation Network (PSN).

PS4 specs

Other confirmed PS4 specs:

NOKIA ANNOUNCES NEW MUSIC SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE

Nokia has announced Nokia Music+, a new subscription-based upgrade to its popular free-to-stream mobile music service, offering a range of additional features for a minimal monthly fee.
 

It will be rolling out as an optional update to the existing service in Q1 2013. The existing Nokia Music service will continue to be available free of charge, with no advertisements, registration or subscription to Nokia Lumia owners.

BEFORE YOU MIGRATE TO WINDOWS 8...

There always seems to be something new in the computing world. Is it a novelty that will make your life a little more convenient, or something that affects business overall? Let’s be honest this is not Windows 7.  The decision to migrate to Windows 8 requires significant consideration and evaluation.  What is Microsoft’s goal with Windows 8?  The adoption of one common operating system on the PC, tablet and personal data assistant.  Ambitious yes but the concept has great potential if your focus is simplification.  Yes, simplification something all business and IT departments greatly desire.  The question becomes what should your business consider before planning a migration to Windows 8. 

REVAMPED BLACKBERRY WORLD (BLACKBERRY APP WORLD) FOR BLACKBERRY 10

RIM said last week that it renamed its app store to BlackBerry World (from BlackBerry App World) as it intended to add music and video offerings to the service for BlackBerry 10. The Waterloo-based company has now given us details on what sort of selection the store will offer: it has released a full list of music labels and movie studios it has made deals with to distribute on the storefront. 

There's little information on pricing or payment options, but users will be able to rent or download shows and movies — though there won't be a subscription music option. The majority of movies, however, will be available on BlackBerry World the day they're released on DVD, and "many" current TV shows will be released the day after they air in the US, UK, and Canada. The company's music offerings will be available in 18 countries.

RIM has managed to line up an impressive list of partners for the re-launch of BlackBerry World as a media and app store: all the major movie studios are on board, as are the major music labels in addition to some independents. The TV show selection, however, is currently light on cable channels like those from A&E Networks and Discovery. While it's not made clear in the release, it's presumed that the service will launch day-and-date with BlackBerry 10. We're sure to find out more this Wednesday at RIM's press conference in New York.

IRAN FIRES MONKEY INTO SPACE (PHOTO)

Successful launch comes just weeks after Tehran announced plans to put a man on the moon by 2025

Media outlets in Tehran today are reporting that the Iranian government has successfully launched a monkey into space. According to the AFP, the monkey was launched inside a capsule to an altitude of 75 miles before returning back to earth unscathed.

"Iran successfully launched a capsule, codenamed Pishgam (Pioneer), containing a monkey and recovered the shipment on the ground intact," the defense ministry's aerospace department said in a statement. The department added that the animal came back "alive" after completing its sub-orbital flight.

Iran's monkey is alive and well.

Today's announcement comes two years after Iran successfully launched a ten-foot research rocket carrying a mouse, two turtles, and several worms. Officials announced plans to put a monkey in space earlier this month, as part of its ongoing mission to send a human to space by 2020, and to have an astronaut on the moon by 2025. Iran launched its first domestically built satellite into orbit in February 2009. See astronaut monkey photos after cut.

TRENDING POSTS...CLICK TO READ MORE

 SAMSUNG UNVEILS GESTURE-CONTROL TVS

  

TARGUS TOUCH PEN ENABLES TOUCH INPUT ON NON-TOUCHSCREEN LAPTOPS

 

SENSUS BRINGS A TOUCH PANEL TO THE IPHONE’S BACKSIDE

 

LG UNVEILS 55-INCH ‘ULTRA-HD’ TV

 

LENOVO TO RELEASE GIANT 27-INCH ‘COFFEE TABLE PC’

 

IROKO PARTNERS OPENS SA OFFICE

 

PANASONIC UNVEILS BONE-CONDUCTION TV HEADPHONES

 

CES: SONY’S WATERPROOF WALKMAN SPORTS MP3 PLAYER MAKES SWIMMERS HAPPIER

 

ALCATEL UNVEILS THE WORLD’S THINNEST SMARTPHONE - THE 6.5MM-THIN IDOL ULTRA

1 TERABYTE FLASH DRIVE - KINGSTON’S DATA TRAVELER HYPERX PREDATOR

 

NVIDIA UNVEILS PORTABLE GAMING DEVICE, THE SHIELD!

SAMSUNG UNVEILS GESTURE-CONTROL TVS

New TVs from Samsung will recognize an expanded range of gestures so people can swipe through on-screen menus in a way that revolutionizes the old remote control.

The new lineup of smart TVs respond to more natural speech and motion, similar to the way the Kinect controller on an Xbox 360 game console allows users to swipe through menus by gesturing in the air. The camera is mounted on top of the screen and can be folded back for people concerned about privacy.

TARGUS TOUCH PEN ENABLES TOUCH INPUT ON NON-TOUCHSCREEN LAPTOPS

With the Touch Pen for Windows 8, Targus has found a way to welcome old laptops to the touchscreen party.

The pen enables touch input on Windows 8 laptops that don’t have touchscreens. Users must clip a small receiver to the side of the laptop, then perform a one-time calibration to tell the device where the edges of the screen are located. After that, the pen can be used like a finger for tapping, scrolling or drawing on the screen.

SENSUS BRINGS A TOUCH PANEL TO THE IPHONE’S BACKSIDE

If you ever wished your fat fingers would stop getting in the way of your iPhone’s touch screen, a company called Canopy thinks it has an answer.

It’s come up with an iPhone case, called Sensus, that adds touch-sensitive panels to the rear and sides of the phone. To get a feel for it, a short demo of a space shooting game, where you must drag a small spaceship around while firing at incoming enemies. Controlling the ship through the rear touch panel instead of the iPhone’s touch screen prevents your fingers from obscuring the action. (This may sound familiar to owners of Sony’s PlayStation Vita, which has a rear touch panel built-in.)

LG UNVEILS 55-INCH ‘ULTRA-HD’ TV

LG unveiled a 55-inch TV that sports “ultrahigh-definition” resolution with four times the sharpness of regular HD television sets, kicking off what is likely to be a mini-obsession with the latest super-clear format at the annual International CES gadget show.

The model announced Monday is the smallest in a 2013 lineup that includes 65-inch and 84-inch versions. But the smaller size – and smaller price tag – begins the parade of TV makers that are seeking to bring ultrahigh definition to the masses.

LENOVO TO RELEASE GIANT 27-INCH ‘COFFEE TABLE PC’

Dismayed that family members are spread out over the house, each with a separate PC or tablet? Lenovo has something it believes will get them back together: a PC the size of a coffee table that works like a gigantic tablet and lets four people use it at once.

 

Lenovo Group Ltd., one of the world’s largest PC makers, is calling the IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC the first “interpersonal computer” – as opposed to a “personal computer.”

At first glance, it looks like a regular all-in-one machine in the vein of the iMac: It’s a 27-inch screen with the innards of a Windows 8 computer built into it, and it can stand up on a table.

IROKO PARTNERS OPENS SA OFFICE

iROKO Partners, an established online distributor of Nigerian movies and music, starts 2013 with news of further expansion, with the opening of a new office in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The office, located in Maboneng precinct, will house a team of up to 5 and will be a regional hub for iROKO Partners with specific focus on the development of new business partnerships, working closer with key South African media agencies and the sourcing of new content for its popular movie and music platforms, iROKOtv and iROKING.

PANASONIC UNVEILS BONE-CONDUCTION TV HEADPHONES

People who don’t want to disturb sleeping family members could use a new product from Panasonic that doesn’t need speakers or even your own ears: wireless bone-conduction headphones.

The headphones connect to a TV via the Bluetooth wireless standard and attach to your head like a normal set of headphones. But instead of using your ears, the headphones work like hearing aids by transmitting sound waves through your skull.

They are one of several innovations Panasonic unveiled at the International CES show in Las Vegas. It also showed off a new user interface for its “Smart Viera” TVs, featuring a TV-mounted camera that recognizes the user and sets viewing preferences accordingly.