Don’t Unlock Your iPhone!

27/9/2007

People in the US come unstuck having unlocked their iPhones enabling them to be used on other networks.  A patch update that was sent out on Thursday gave some fresh functionality, like bringing the Wi-Fi Music Store to the unit, as well as several other security and enhancement features.  The patch, however, also locks all handsets that were unlocked from the AT&T network.  Those units are useless apart from making all important emergency calls.

Apple had already issued a warning, stating that unlocking applications could cause “irreparable damage” to the phone, and likely result in the modified iPhone becoming permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone software update is installed".

DIY CSI

25/9/2007

The law’s not going to like this one.  After throwing its toys out of the pram for revealing secret techniques to used by forensics to catch the killer, the latest invention briefcase DNA testing kit must have been dreamt up by someone watching CSI Miami/NY/Nottingham.

Conventional DNA identification techniques can take upwards of a week to get results and this is primarily down to the time it takes for the heating and cooling process.  The new briefcase kit, produced by Japan’s NEC and Aida Engineering, can produce results in 25 minutes, making the unit the ideal “briefcase DNA analysis system”.

"The compact unit can be used to: (1) take cell samples, (2) extract the DNA, (3) perform polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification to generate copies of the DNA, (4) perform electrophoresis to measure the spacing between DNA bands (to create the genetic fingerprint), and (5) perform short tandem repeat (STR) analysis to create a unique genetic profile for the individual," according to Pink Tentacle.

And He Had 3 Halos, They Really Did Adore Him…

24/9/2007

Games come and games go, but every now and then, a game comes along that will impact more than just the gaming world.  Take Halo 3 that is due to be released tomorrow.  The previous two guises of the game have been terrific, undoubtedly fueling the online gaming scene.  Yet this installment is going to be more than just about the  game itself.

Instead, this game could make or break the fortunes of Microsoft gaming, with Nintendo waiting eagle-eyed from the corner.  It’s not untrue to say that Halo 3 will be the game that is most played over the coming month, but this will be intriguing to Nintendo, seeing that it sits proudly at the top of the pack.

Even though Nintendo suffered a 5 percent drop in sales compared to July, last month it still sold 404,000 Wii units which is way in front compared to the 277,000 unit of the Xbox 360 in July.  The Playstation 3 is a mere speck in the distance, selling just 131,000 units.

But still, the key to the market must be the software, afterall, how much fun can be had from looking at the box without it switched on.  Now if you consider this in the light that the 277,000 figure represents a 63 percent increase compared to July and that the famous Madden game was released in August, then things take a different slant.  Could people be getting bored with all that novelty swinging of arms required for the Wii, and simply want plain, good ‘ol, quality gaming?