Now that the format war is over, we can expect the market to soon flood with Blu-ray enabled gadgets. Dell is coming out with their first offering: a Blu-ray laptop, the latest in their Inspiron line, and it's going for less than US$ 1000. Details in the full article. *editor p

GPS devices and services provider Pharos Science & Applications Inc. has rolled two new models for its Drive GPS line. The Pharos Drive GPS 250 and GPS 150 includes a SiRFStarIII GPS receiver and is compatible with most smartphones on the market today.

While it doesn't exactly have dual-purpose capabilities like other GPS devices, this specialized device does its job quite efficiently.

Check out the specifications of the new models right after the jump!

Before getting rid of your old mobile phone for a new one, you may consider doing this as a farewell ritual to your old phone: throwing it away. Literally.

In Savonlinna, Finland, mobile phone throwing is actually a local event. Contestants to the mobile phone abuse-a-thon engage in various activities such as mobile phone juggling and phone throwing.

For some of the participants, mobile phone juggling is actually an artistic endeavor. Taco Cohen, a contestant hailing from the Netherlands, used his training as a circus performer to nab the freestyle gold medal in the event. When asked about how it is to juggle cellular phones, he said, "Juggling I have done for many years with balls. (But) these are irregular shapes and weights, it is difficult."

Another contestant, Tommi Houtari, added his impression on the mobile phone-throwing event. "I have never thrown a phone before but have been participating in potato-throwing ... surprisingly, a potato flies further."

The strange (yet possibly cathartic) activity has drawn a large crowd from other countries such as Canada, US, and some neighboring European countries.

The make or model of the phones used in the event were not disclosed.

 

Electronic Arts officially announced earlier today that the cover of FIFA Soccer 08 is to feature teen soccer star Jozy Altidore of the New York Red Bulls (Major League Soccer), one of only five teen athletes to grace the covers of an EA-branded game. Altidore is also the second youngest in that shortlist at 17 years old, topped by Freddy Adu who was the cover athlete for FIFA Soccer 06 when he was 16 years old.

Also joining the cover athlete lineup will be 22 year old Guillermo Ochoa of the Mexican Primera Division, who will feature side-by-side with FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho for the North American versions of FIFA Soccer 08 (PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS, mobiles).

Expect to see these athletes in the covers of their respective versions by October 2007, when the EA SPORTS soccer title developed by EA Canada will be launching on multiple game platforms. The game has yet to be rated by the ESRB as of press time.

For the typical globetrotter, a smartphone is perhaps one of the best investments one can make. Having said that, Sprint is now offering the BlackBerry 8830 to mobile users who need that extra "oomph" in their phones.

The first question most consumers would ask is how much will it cost. Well Sprint's Worldwide BlackBerry plan is available for US$ 69.99 per month and gives customers unlimited BlackBerry email and web access in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico using CDMA technology. That's a pretty good deal considering what other companies charge for their plans.

Of course, if you already own a CDMA-based BlackBerry smartphone from Sprint such as the BlackBerry 7130e or the BlackBerry 8703, you won't have to pick up a new handset since you can use the one you already have. If you do decide to pick up the BlackBerry 8830, however, it will be available next month.

It will be priced for US$ 199.99 with a two year-service agreement but you will get a US$ 100 mail-in-rebate and US$ 100 instant rebate.

The BlackBerry 8830 has a plethora of features that will make mobile phone users very happy to own one. Some of which include a speakerphone, voice activated dialing, and Bluetooth support.

The unit also sports a full QWERTY keyboard and trackball navigation. Want to know more, check out the list of features below:

• Built-in GPS – customers can utilize applications such as Sprint Navigation, spoken and visual turn-by-turn driving directions, or BlackBerry Maps, a mapping application.
• OnDemand - a unique application available exclusively from Sprint that delivers customized, up-to-date information such as sports, weather, news, money and movie information, all with the push of a button.
• Phone as Modem – with the included USB cable, customers can utilize the BlackBerry 8830 as a wireless modem to extend the capabilities of the Sprint Nationwide Network to a laptop. An appropriate service plan is required.
• Media Player – play videos, audio podcasts or music files with the built-in media player; also includes a stereo headset jack.
• MicroSD slot – allows expandable memory to store music and video files.

Given all those, you'll probably be thinking it can't get any better. Well, they're also the first company to offer AOL messenger service, so again,  that extra "oomph" you're looking for is definitely in this phone. When it rolls out next month, check it out and see if it's something you'll need for your busy lifestyle.

CMP Technology, the organizers behind GDC China, has unveiled a few more details about the upcoming developers conference. The event is set to take place in Shanghai this August and will focus on topics such as online gaming, outsourcing, recruitment and mobile gaming. A short list of speakers who have already signed up for GDC China include the following:

• David Coleman (EA Canada)
• Tom Leonard (Valve)
• Mark Ollia (Nokia)
• David Perry (Gameconsultants.com)
• Gordon Walton (Bioware)

According to GamesIndustry.biz, GDC China is being jointly produced with IDG and will be overseen by an advisory board that includes a number of Chinese developers from companies such as Epic Games China, Shanda and JDL International. GDC China will take place at the Shanghai International Convention Center on August 27 to 29.

  

UltraGames101 and Star Productions team up to bring the first OfficialUltraGames Expo over to Toronto, Ontario, Canada for a video game event bonanza for consumers and industry leaders alike. As announced in an official press release, Star Productions and UltraGames101 hope to combine the best elements of a video game trade show with a consumer even focused on the past, present and future of the video game industry.

"It will be the biggest video game event to hit Canada!" said UltraGames101 president Mark Bartkowiak. Canada is site of two of the world's largest development studios, including Electronic Arts Canada and Ubisoft Montreal.

The event is planned to be a major software showcase, for consumers to try out games offered by publishers and developers slated for release soon. The event will also sport conferences, press events, live demonstrations of new video game technology, but may be subject to being an invitation-only affair.

Evenings will allow attendees to mingle with developers, publishers, retailers and media folk at informal gatherings, while being able to watch video game titles to be released for the year. The event will be open to the general public, although there has been no official announcement of ticket prices or entrance fees.

Companies involved in the PC, online, console, and mobile game industries are all eligible to participate in the event. Even hardware manufacturers of gaming peripherals are also invited to attend. Certain meetings and demonstrations will be invitation-only, however. There is no word yet on the official even bookings, but the venue could be at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

In the next six months, the announcement of the official Exhibition venue, date and location will be made. Alan Smithson, President of Star Production, concluded the announcement stating:

The UltraGames101 Game Expo 2K8 is first and foremost biggest video game event to hit Canada! When UltraGames101 asked its members they heard that they wanted opportunities for a video game expo to happen in Canada. And after careful consideration UltraGames101 and Star Productions have partnered up to make this event happen.

Back in January, we reported that Canadian communications giant, Rogers, will be the exclusive carrier of the Apple iPhone in Canada. This was based on the alleged emails that Rogers has been sending to their customers about the iPhone's availability, but at that time, no public statement from Rogers or Apple has been made.

Fast forward to today, Rogers has now made a public statement. Only problem is the announcement itself - apparently, a Rogers customer rep told CBC news that the company has not announced any plans to carry the iPhone in Canada. So who would distribute the iPhone in Canada?

Website iPhoneWorld.ca didn't buy this CBC news report so they decided to know what's up straight from the horse's mouth. They called Rogers Wireless regarding the report and another customer rep (named Amanda) told them that,

We (Rogers Wireless) are going to offer the iPhone in Canada… We’re just unsure of the exact release date.

So basically, it all boils down to who you'll believe more - the CBC news report or iPhoneWorld.ca's information. You be the judge folks!

   

We get all sorts of phone designs all the time, but somehow, an individual design often falls short of everything we'd like in a phone. So a 15-year old Korean high school student studying in Canada decided to make a phone that he thought would fit all of a student's needs. The results were quite impressive.

Andrew Kim wanted to enter a high school design competition focused on social networking. His entry was "The Butterfly", a slide phone that features a touch screen and a main screen that interacts with each other. It features an SD card slot for memory expansion, an SVGA camera, the aforementioned touch display and an AMOLED display. It also boasts of conveniences such as a lockable hold switch, 18-hour rechargeable battery and a flippable design.

It's a great concept, but it's still far from being professional. Of course, we cut Andrew some slack, him being in high school and all. We think he could be trained to become a great phone designer! And we wish we'd get to see all the other entries in this contest. That'll be interesting...

 

Remember when we introduced you to Ozura? In case you've been out of the loop, Ozura Mobile
is responsible for such games as Lava Kroft, Underground Racer and Beauty Queen. Recently, Ozura Mobile has even announced a partnership with Zingy, Inc. to distribute Ozura's new games such as Antopia, R.A.T.S., Peng The Guin, WWD and others.

What about Zingy Inc.? The US-based company licenses, publishes and distributes all sorts of mobile content. Zingy Inc's Director of Games, Matt McEnerny says that they are very excited about such a partnership. It will give them access to some fantastic titles for all of distribution outlets. Zingy is also hopeful that the relationship with Ozura will put a greater impact on their business.

Ozura believes that their partnership with Zingy will help them distribute their games in a more global market including U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America, and Australia. It's been forecasted that the market for mobile games is going to increase. Revenue generated from mobile content is expected to grow from US$ 7.7 B in 2005 to US$ 36 B in 2010. Ozura is optimistic that it will take advantage of such growth.