The Blu-Ray Disk Association (BDA) has announced plans to release two new specifications for the Blu-Ray Disk format later this year. The new high capacity formats will see Blu-Ray Disks reach capacities of 100GB and 125GB respectively for write-once disks. Rewritable disks meanwhile will reach 100GB in size.

The new formats are primarily aimed at professional and commercial applications such as broadcasting, medical and imaging where archiving large amounts of data is required. The new disks will also be avaialbe for consumer grade products however the downside is that new hardware will be required in order to make use of them.

A simple firmware update for the PS3 will not be enough this time round for the system to make use of these disks as it was when Blu-Ray 3D was announced. This is because the new disks use three or four layers of writeable media to achieve their higher capacities. This means the laser will need to penetrate the disk further to read the deeper layers. Current Blu-Ray players aren't powerful enough to peer deeper than the one or two layers found on your standard Blu-Ray disks.

There is no word yet on when the new hardware to read and write to these disks will be available, but I'd expect it to be quite expensive when it does come out, after all they are aimed more at a commercial market. For now backing up to your USB stick or external hardware will be more than adequate for most people, not to mention more convenient.

Apple has released an update for Snow Leopard today which fixes many issues with the Operating System. Update v10.6.3 as it's known fixes various security, compatibility and stability issues with the OS and includes amongst many others the following updates and fixes that:

• improve the reliability and compatibility of QuickTime X
• address compatibility issues with OpenGL-based applications
• address an issue that causes background message colors to display incorrectly in Mail
• resolve an issue that prevented files with the # or & characters in their names from opening in Rosetta applications
• resolve an issue that prevented files from copying to Windows file servers
• improve performance of Logic Pro 9 and Main Stage 2 when running in 64-bit mode
• improve sleep and wake reliability when using Bonjour wake on demand
• address a color issue in iMovie with HD content
• improve printing reliability
• resolve issues with recurring events in iCal when connected to an Exchange server
• improve the reliability of 3rd party USB input devices
• fix glowing, stuck, or dark pixels when viewing video from the iMac (Late 2009) built-in iSight camera

To update Snow Leopard to the latest version simply go to Software Update in the Apple menu. Your system will then be scanned for any updates that are required. Any updates that exist will then be listed in the update program. Depending on what's required the update download size will vary from machine to machine.

Some updates are required before others can be applied to Apple recommend that Software Update is run several times to ensure that all the updates have been applied.

You can also download and apply the update manually using the update installer. This is quite a hefty download at just over 700MB but at least the update can be applied to multiple machines without having to download it all the time.

For more details see the official About the Mac OS X v10.6.3 Update page.

According to Major Nelson and Joystiq, Microsoft are preparing an update for the Xbox 360 that will see the system gain "USB Mass Storage Device Support". Currently Xbox 360 gamers can only save content to official Xbox 360 Memory Units and hard drives. Both of which are prohibitively expensive considering their capacities.

On April 6th it seems that Microsoft will relinquish control of what type of storage device can be used on their system and will in effect bring an end to official Xbox 360 Memory Units. The largest capacity at the moment for these devices is just 512MB, which in this day and age is no good to man or beast, particularly gamers.

After the update is applied gamers can plug their flash storage device into the system and will have to configure the device either manually or via an automatic means. It is not just a simple process as whacking the device in and saving straight to it, this is Microsoft after all.

The catch however is that only two USB Storage devices can be used at a time and further to this only 16GB can be used on each device even though both devices may total more than 16GB each. In effect you can add up to 32GBs of extra storage space to your beloved 360.

The configuration process will basically perform a check of the device to make sure it is compatible and in good working order. It will also set a system partition on the device which will occupy 512MB of memory. The remainder of the device (or up to 16GB of it, whichever comes first) can be used by the gamer to store virtually anything that can currently be saved to the 360's hard drive. This includes game profiles, demos, themes, video and saved game files.

This also means that one could install their games to multiple USB sticks and run the game off those devices when they require them. This is instead of from the game disk its self. The disk will still need to be inserted into the tray to authenticate the installation on the flash device. This is the current operation when installing a game to an Xbox 360 hard drive.

Although the system will only allow you to use up to 32GB at anyone time, the addition of 3rd party storage devices on the 360 is a welcome move by Microsoft if it turns out to be true.  After all, the PS3 and Wii have allowed 3rd party storage devices to be used on their consoles from day one. Microsoft should have been on board with this from day one as well instead of locking the system down the way they have. Now Microsoft need to open the system up to enable gamers to install their own hard drives...one can dream!

Source: Major Nelson and Joystiq

Last month Apple revealed it was to bring a touch device to market which they strongly believe will offer something better than a smartphone, netbook or a laptop. It's a device to fill the voids that those devices leave in the user experience, at least that's what Apple believe. The device is something that fits between the formats. In reality the iPad is for all intents and purposes a very large iPhone without the phone features.

Today the Apple store has been updated and is now accepting pre-orders for Apple's latest and greatest. As mentioned in our previous article there are two models available both with three storage capacities on offer. Prices for the WiFi only model are, $499(16GB), $599(32GB) and $699(64GB). This model will be delivered on April 3rd, a Saturday.

The WiFi+3G enabled model costs, $629(16GB), $729(32GB) and $829(64GB) respectively. To access content via 3G will cost $14.99 per month for up to 250MB of usage or you can fork out $29.99 per month to have "unlimited" access to AT&T's network.

The 3G devices won't ship until the end of April. Orders are limited to two per person, such is demand and delivery is free. You can also reserve one at any Apple retail store for pick up on April 3rd.

All models will be available to customers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK in late April.

Will you be buying an iPad, or can't you see anything in them. Let us know your thoughts below.

For most people out there, Bill Gates is best known as the founder and face of Microsoft. For years he guided and helped Microsoft become the company it is today and establish it's self as one of the most dominant tech companies in history. For his troubles Gates earned the reward of being crowed the richest man in the world and this is how other people know him.

For 13 years Bill Gates dominated the Forbes rich list and was constantly named the worlds richest man year in year out. He became the worlds first "centi-billionaire" with a wealth of just over $100 billion dollars back in 1999. This figure has since fallen sharply with Microsoft's stock value shrinking.

His dominance at the top came to an end in 2008 when investor Warren Buffett dethroned him with a wealth of $62 billion dollars. Gates' wealth was some $58 billion. Mr Gates would regain the crown the next year and until this week was still the worlds richest person.

Now Forbes are reporting that Mexican Telecom Tychoon, Carlos Slim Helu has narrowly knocked Gates from his throne to become the new richest person in the world. When I say narrowly I mean by $500 million dollars. An insignificant amount to these guys, but it puts their wealth into perspective for the rest of us. In the last year his wealth sky rocketed by more than $18 billion to $53.5 billion. A number which has taken him from third on last years list to first on this years.

Although Gates has lost the top spot he still gained $13 billion last year after Microsoft's shares rose by 50 percent. He is now worth $53 billion. Warren Buffett has sunk to third place with just $47 billion to his name, a jump of $10 billion on the previous year.

Other noteworthy names include the Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page who each share 24th place on the list with $17.5 billion each to their names. Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos took spot 43 on the list with $12.3 billion. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerbergon on the other hand came in at a lowly 212th place with just $4 billion to his name. Still he's only 25 so he has years to get to the top.

OnLive the cloud based, gaming-on-demand service that has the potential to kill game piracy and also kill traditional gaming platforms will go live this June in the US. The service has the potential to fundamentally alter the way games are developed, distributed and played forever, if it succeeds.

OnLive was announced last year and has since drawn widespread intrigue, scepticism and often hatred from gamers and analysts alike. Many gamers think the service will fail after them questioning whether games can be streamed over the internet without any input lag.

Whilst others think it will take too much control from the gamer and kill the enthusiast market and modding communities alike, which is something PC gamers in particular hold very dear. PC Gamers and console gamers rarely see eye to eye but having read a lot of reaction to the service, it would seem that both sets of gamers for the most part want this service to fail and aren't willing to even give it a chance.

OnLive have tried to reassure gamers by stating the service uses a propriety video compression algorithm which enables broadband connections of no more than a few megabits per second to use the service without any input lag. This is providing their access is no more than 1000 miles away from the OnLive data center providing them with a service. There are currently three such centers across the US. One in California, and the other two being in Texas and Virginia. At the moment these centers are providing the the service in beta form.

If it works the platform will give the gamer the illusion of playing any game locally as they do now. No impression of the game being streamed over 1000 miles should be felt. However it still is not clear how multiplayer games across different territories will work. For example will gamers in the US and UK be able to interact in the same games and at the same times?

If it delivers, OnLive promises to allow even the most demanding of games run on old or budget hardware since the game is streamed over the net, rather than being processed on the client computer. All the intensive on the fly rendering is done within OnLive's data centers and not through the gamers own hardware. This means we can all experience Crysis and any other game for that matter at the highest quality settings the game has to offer. That's if it works of course.

To help the service become as ubiquitous as possible, OnLive will also be releasing their own MicroConsole that will allow access via nothing more than a TV. The diminutive console will also come with a wireless controller although this device will not be launching at the same time as the service. The MicroConsole features a USB port, HDMI, Ethernet and Optical inputs on the back and two USB ports on the front.

OnLive has been in development for eight years and has cost millions to get to the point of release. OnLive CEO and founder Steve Perlman welcomed the announcement and  said "Everyone here at OnLive is just incredibly excited about this milestone. It’s the realization of a dream that we knew would be a huge undertaking, but also one that would change everything."

He continued by saying, "OnLive fundamentally transforms the way users experience games and interact with each other, and in time, will transform the way games are developed and marketed. By distilling specialized game hardware out of the equation, OnLive will allow games to be played as a pure media experience on virtually any device, with the same flexibility and instant-play experience that we’ve come to expect from online video and music."

The service is due to finally launch in the US on June 17th after several months of beta testing. Access to the service will cost $14.95 and does not incorporate the cost of game purchases or rentals. You will still have to cough up for those separately. Loyalty programmes, game pricing and other special offers will be announced by the start of E3.

OnLive could fundamentally change the way the gaming industry operates. With such a service, piracy could be wiped out as the games' are hosted rather than distributed. This has another affect in that developers and publishers will no longer need to go to the expense of having to box games up and physically distribute them. "OnLive breaks the console cycle. We don't need new hardware devices," said company founder Steve Perlman.

If OnLive takes off (I'm seemingly one of the few that thinks it will), then it could hit a lot of retailers hard, particularly those selling physical goods. If publishers are no longer distributing content to the high street, then many companies who's sole business model is based around the idea of selling games and renting them out could quickly be cut out of the market all together. This is the way it could well end up going with some of the industries leading publishers and developers providing top titles from day one. These include EA, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Brothers Interactive and THQ.

Gamers from outside the US will have to wait for the service as no details have yet been released. The focus for the company right now is getting the US up and running with the service before expanding to other territories.

What are your thoughts and prospects for the service? Do you think it's the best thing since Mario or do you think and hope it will be an embarrassing flop? Let us know by leaving your thoughts below.

Google Street View was launched in the UK last March with many of the UK's most prominent Cities having Street View mapping. According to CNET the initial roll out covered about 28,000 miles of British roads.

Since then I had always wondered when my local area would show up on the service. However I didn't have to wait long, as late  last year (maybe the Autumn I can't quite remember), I spotted a Street View car making it's way down my street. Ever since that day, I have been waiting and expecting Google to update their Street View maps to include my area.

Well today, that has happened, and its happened in a lot of other places to. According to CNET, Google have added almost 219,000 extra added value miles to their UK Street View service. A number which covers about 96 percent of the country. There's not much else to say about the roll out other than to say, go check out your area because it's more than likely on there now.

In other somewhat related news, Google have also added more than 12,000 miles of trail data to their maps service in the US. The new feature that allows you to plan and customise your cycle routes as per your requirements. Whether it's the daily commute to work, or a leisurely freeride through your favourite woodland trail. Amongst other things you can tell the route planer to make use of bike lanes for safe commuting, calculate routes that avoid hills and calculate routes that are safe for bikes to travel on. These are routes that avoid car swamped roads, which are always dangerous for cyclists. Just go to http://maps.google.com/biking to plan your routes.

Sources: Cnet.co.uk and the Official Google Blog

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) have announced that they have struck a deal with six major film studios that will see downloadable HD film titles made available over the Playstation Network. The deal will see content made available for both purchase and rental.

Sony are proud to point out that their Playstation Network is the first such service available on a console that will supply content from all the major film studios. Although film content has been available for download for a while, there was little HD content available. Now with 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Brothers on board to deliver content over PSN, Sony will be able offer an exhaustive list of HD titles for it's PSN users to choose from.

Towards the end of last year it was announced that Netflix would be available on the PS3, as it already was on the Xbox 360. What's unclear now though, is how this will affect Netflix on the PS3 as Sony have effectively made them selves a direct competitor with that service. Although the content available probably won't be as extensive as what Netflix have on offer, users won't need to have a paid membership or use the "instant streaming Blu-Ray disk" that is required for the Netflix service to work on the PS3. With the announcement that Sony has penned deals with all the major film studios to provide content directly though PSN, Sony could in effect remove Netflix from their platform if the service matured enough.

What's also worth considering is that Sony if they wanted to, could ship Internet ready TVs that could access the same movie content via PSN, making movie rentals and purchases extremely convenient for those that don't have a Playstation 3.

Access to to expanded list of movies will also be available to European users, including those in the UK, France and Germany, although it's not expected to be rolled out just yet.

Sony might be having problems getting Gran Turismo 5 out the door, but that doesn't stop them posting trailers for the up and coming title which we've all been waiting an age for.  The company via it's Playstation blog have released a new GT5 video/trailer targeting the games inclusion of NASCAR. The video features Polyphonic Digital's CEO Kazunori Yamauchi seemingly walking around taking snaps of all the cars as they whiz by and of the pit area it's self. It's not clear if this is research for the game or pure leisure, maybe it's a bit of both.

It will be interesting to see just how far Polyphonic Digital have gone with the inclusion of NASCAR in GT5 and whether it will actually be as good and worth while as they claim on the video. Anyway, find the video below.

Ubuntu certainly aren't afraid of change. After announcing that the soon to be released Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid) is to default to using Yahoo as the the search engine of choice, they have also announced that it will also receive a fresh new look and UI called "Light". The new theme, style or whatever else you want to call it looks far more mature and professional when compared to the current default theme,  "Human".

The theme will become the face of the Ubuntu desktop for the next several years and may indicate that Ubuntu is entering a new phase with their product. It's possible that Ubuntu will be advertised more vigorously in the coming years and with a far more professional and clean look, could make it more attractive to those who wouldn't otherwise consider it. More information about the facelift can be found on the Ubuntu web site, but here are some screenshots of how 10.04 will look.

Boot Splash

Ubuntu 10.04 Boot Splash

Desktop Theme

Ubuntu 10.04 desktop theme

In addition to overhauling the way the Operating System looks, the Ubuntu brand and all it's assets will also get a face lift. Ubuntu are going for simple yet effective styling in their new brand as you can see from some of the images below. In the coming months expect to see changes to the logos, community sites, merchandising and the official Ubuntu website.

Logos

The new look Ubuntu logos, clean and efficient.

Merchandise

Ubuntu will likely update its merchandising to.

The changes have come about after Ubuntu felt it was time they updated their image and identity to bring it more in line with their key business values and practices..."We're drawn to Light because it denotes both warmth and clarity, and intrigued by the idea that "light" is a good value in software. Good software is "light" in the sense that it uses your resources efficiently, runs quickly, and can easily be reshaped as needed. Ubuntu represents a break with the bloatware of proprietary operating systems and an opportunity to delight to those who use computers for work and play. More and more of our communications are powered by light, and in future, our processing power will depend on our ability to work with light, too. "

All images credited to Ubuntu.

In a move that will surely confuse rather than help most Windows users', Microsoft has rolled out it's browser ballot screen at the behest of the EC. This brings an end to a long standing dispute between Microsoft and developers of other web browsers who feel that Microsoft was abusing it's market leading position with the Windows platform by bundling Internet Explorer with Windows.

From yesterday anyone using Internet Explorer as their default browser, who updated their Windows machine would have been greeted with a message asking them if they would like to choose a different browser. With IE still dominating the browser market, it is likely that many millions of people in the EU will be greeted with this pop up screen.

When the popup presents it's self it will tell users that there's "An important choice to make: your browser". When the user clicks "OK" the screen will change so that twelve browsers are shown to the user. The most popular browsers, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and IE will be presented at random on the first screen while the other browsers in the ballot, Green Browser, Maxthon, Avant, Flock, K-Melon, Slim and Sleipnir will be shown at random on the next screen. Each of the browsers will have a button that will provde more information about the browser when the suer clicks the button and one to install the browser. When the browser is installed it will automatically become the default browser and will append it's self to the users Start Menu.

With twelve browser choices the move will surely confuse and in some cases anger many people who aren't that tech savvy. Many will probably end up blaming Microsoft even though it's others that have brought about these changes. Some might even see the pop up as a threat to their system as they may think their computer has been taken over by a virus. It is not yet clear if this solution will do anything to entice users away from Internet Explorer and have an impact on it's market share.

Source and Images: Microsoft Blog

The green light has been given by the EU for France Telecom (Orange) and Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile) to merge their business operations in the UK. Integration between the two corporations can commence immediately. As part of the merger Orange and T-Mobile have to ensure that the transition does not impact their respective customers in an adverse way. In other words the merger has to go as smoothly as possible. The two companies will also free them selves of 2x15Mhz of their 1800Mhz GSM spectrum by the end of 2011. Their merger will create the biggest mobile operator in the UK, serving 29.5 million customers.

Both the T-Mobile and Orange brands will continue to be used for at least the next 18 months. The merger is expected to offer consumers better network coverage, enhanced 2G and 3G services as well as the removal of some 5,000 masts according to The Guardian, which will no longer be required due to the consolidation of both companies masts under one brand. As separate operations Orange and T-Mobile have their own masts which are often situated near one another.

Tim Höttges, CFO of Deutsche Telekom welcomed the decision by the EU and said "This is excellent news, for our customers, for our highly committed teams in the UK and for our shareholders. Now the way is clear for pooling our resources to create an outstanding high-speed mobile broadband network in one of the most competitive markets in Europe. This joint venture company is based on a significant potential of synergies which create substantial value for the two shareholders and translate directly into customer benefits. Our teams in the UK will be rolling up their sleeves to roll out these benefits."

The board of the merged companies will consist of equal representation from T-Mobile and Orange and will consist of, Tim Höttges as the board chairman, Gervais Pellissier Depute CEO and CFO of France Telecom will take the roll after two years. Other names on the board include, Tom Alexander, CEO of Orange UK and Richard Moat, CEO of T-Mobile UK who will become CEO of the merged companies.

It remains to be seen if the merger will mean lower prices for consumers. The UK is one of the most competitive markets in Europe for mobile operators and profits are said to be low. The joint venture between T-Mobile and Orange should bring operating costs down, but that doesn't mean that any savings will be passed on to consumers.