The Business has learned that Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has persuaded Orange to develop a mobile phone, the SPV C550, which will double as a Microsoft music player. Consumers will keep their music on a computer and transfer it to their mobiles. The music phone will go on sale in HMV’s flagship stores next month. HMV is using Microsoft software to run its digital music internet download service, HMV Digital Jukebox, which can be accessed by the phones.

Microsoft spokesman Jason Langridge said: “The mobile digital music market is about to take off. Porting digital music on to mobile phones represents a massive opportunity for Microsoft. While Apple has sold about 10m iPods worldwide to date, a quarter of the world’s population own mobile phones, which Microsoft software can turn into digital music players.”

Gates has timed the launch to coincide with his arch-rival Apple founder and chief executive Steve Jobs’ long-awaited unveiling of an iTunes phone, expected this week. Jobs is expected to launch the Motorola iTunes phone, which incorporates the technology of the world’s most successful digital music player, the iPod, into a mobile, at Apple’s annual product show in San Francisco. According to industry sources, the phone will run on the Cingular mobile network in the US and on O2’s UK mobile network.

According to Roger Entner, a US analyst working for telecoms research company Ovum: “Despite their secretive approach to product strategy, it is known that Apple, Motorola and Cingular are planning to announce the new iTunes phone at Macworld in San Francisco this week.”

Despite Apple’s refusal to comment on the existence of an iTunes phone, Motorola has won US FCC approval for the device, the E970. The phone is designed to function in all big markets and will work across any of the world’s main cellular bandwidths.

Microsoft plans to topple Apple’s iTunes from its position as the world’s best-selling digital music service and make Windows Media Audio the industry standard. The Microsoft-powered phone will do everything that an iPod can but will be incompatible with Apple’s products.

In Silicon Valley, the fight between Gates and Jobs for digital music dominance is seen at the latest battle in a war that has been raging between the two businessmen for 25 years.

But while Gates and Jobs go toe-to-toe next week, UK entrepreneur Richard Branson, head of Virgin Group, is in the wings. Virgin plans to release music phones, but only when it is certain Gates and Jobs have ironed out the bugs. Sources within the company say there will not be a sufficient range of reliable handsets until the middle of 2006. Last week Virgin unveiled its own internet music service, Virgin Digital. ...

Resident Evil 5 was announced a month ago with a trailer showing impressive graphics. The game was announced for the Xbox 360 and Playstation3, but not Nintendo's next generation console, Revolution. Since Resident Evil 4 was a huge succes on the Nintendo GameCube, most analists expected that an announcement for RE5 for Revolution would follow when Nintendo brought more concrete details about the new console.

This article on Cubed3 seems to confirm this. Below is a snippet.

"…As they will most likely be for the impending release of Resident Evil: Deadly Silence, which was briefly revealed in Famitsu via some sketchy images and later by the official Capcom website. Reaction to the game so far has appeared mixed, with the idea of RE DS being positive, but the current graphical quality not impressing at all due to it looking much more rough than the gorgeous N64 port of Resident Evil 2 – and with the DS being reportedly more powerful than the N64, the angry bandwagon is rapidly overflowing. However, I learned at that night Capcom is working the original RE into a fully-3D format, with first-person shooting sections from RE4 on the GameCube. Now do you see why it all looks a little rough around the edges at this early stage? This game is going to BIG, with players having to wipe the touch-screen with their fingers to clear away blood that has splashed in your face! Capcom and Nintendo are as close as ever, which is why it was also confirmed that what a few of us had suspected is true – Resident Evil 5 has yet to be announced for the Revolution purely because details of the system are not publicly available. There will be good news on this front, worry ye not!"

Seems very likely indeed. Fingers crossed, Nintendo fans. ...

Here is an interview between Shigeru Miyamoto and a Japanese woman on the radio. This is a straight French to English translationi, so it is pretty rough:


And when it is thought that that failed to pass to the trap door! Miyamoto was expressed with the radio Japanese woman; between two songs, of appearance surprised, during an emission on the video games of 10 min which informs beautiful Nintendo , a few days ago.

It is new and it is on Puissance Nintendo in first. It is regretted just that the Master remains still a little too discrete and that it appears only in this type of media to be expressed so naturally. Even if the secrecies prove kept still well on the various projects of big N and that the dad of Mario cannot reveal some too much. Normal.

No frustration, just a lack of shivers It is not well on step in this type of interventions that will be revealed crusty official infos. However, it is always a pleasure of intending to speak the Master with his communicative enthusiasm. The remarks of Shigeru Miyamoto were reccueillis originally by Onomatop� then Frederic, thank you with them to share these remarks with us all!




Organizer: Miyamoto San, hello. Thank you to return in our emission. You one are accustomed and we thank you. First of all, that would like to say to your fans today?
Miyamoto San: The question is very vast. H� well, I hope that they are well, that they have fun with our plays. It will be the case I think with our new creations. We sought new things, new directions. Simpler, more direct.

You find that the plays of today are too complicated?
I am made take a little with my own trap in this question since it is me which designed the lever of Nintendo GameCube! The ways of playing do not depend inevitably on the lever used. A complicated lever can accomodate a play very simple and instinctive to play. Mario Sunshine uses all the buttons but remains one of the plays most pleasant and easy to handle. I will like to leave in this kind concept: accessibility. Nintendo always works in this direction there.

You thus say that the lever of Game Cube is too complex?
Do not make me say what I did not say (to laugh). I did not say that it was too complex, I think just that one can still improve it. And also ways of playing and the lever. But Mario sunshine is well adapted for the lever of the gamecube. The young people have fun much with this play, tous.les.jours in the world.

Why await as many time before leaving new a mario? This waiting is frustrating for the players.
Mario is a concept, it always was it since the departure. We always seek new ways of playing, to create something again. We are spirit to prepare something of special for the Mario future, of never considering. You will include/understand, when you see it, that one cannot leave such a play immediately. The new play Mario will surprise much people. Make us confidence. I think that one will open with a new way of having fun. There will be a new character at his sides.

Will Mario 128 leave well on R�volution?
Yes, of course! It is not any more one surprised, but it will be famous, obviously. It will not be the only surprise of the next year. We thought the Revolution compared to this new type of play. It is there for much in the design, like Mario 64 in its time. But we can direct our new console only towards him! We work on expensive under development, very impressive products and pushing the interactivity very far. Plays of a new era.

New deferred Zelda, it is not a very good news for...
... I stop you by saying to you that one needs that you have patience, really! Trust us! It will undoubtedly be the Zelda last such as one connait it today. I am occupied personally as, more as in Wind Waker. I will not invest myself any more as much as in that one. We want to make best Zelda ever left. Richest and more the melancholic person. We really improve it in a few months, much more than in one year one year ago! Because now that very finished, all that we make above is faster to build. Perhaps we have an idea of last minute but...

To defer on Revolution?
Euh... It is announced on GameCube...

In any case, you like to preserve the mystery at Nintendo !
We will give much details soon. We like to make surprises, it is true (laughter). While our players sleep, we are digging us the head on our next concepts. But while they play, and well we play too!

It is what for you the future of the play-video, in 20 years?
The retroone (laughter). The consoles will reach a ceiling with the next generation, there, in a few months. The future will be perhaps the play with multiple possibilities and unlimited data, by Internet. If we do not limit the number of giga of a play - Internet in is able, not theoretical limit, why not imagine a true virtual universe, where all the players would cross? The play only at its beginnings, is compared of it with the cinema. But all the revolutions are not made that ...

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced that top Microsoft and Intel executives will deliver keynote addresses at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corp., will return to deliver the highly anticipated pre-show keynote address on Wednesday, January 4, 2006, at 6:30 p.m. Paul Otellini, chief executive officer (CEO) of Intel Corp., will deliver his keynote address on Thursday, January 5, 2005 at 4:30 p.m. Both keynotes will take place in the Hilton Theater of the Las Vegas Hilton.

"As the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow, the International CES prides itself on bringing the most influential and notable industry visionaries to our conference program," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA.

"Gates and Otellini lead two of the most significant technology companies in the world and each plays a pivotal role in creating new technologies that define the marketplace and help consumers stay connected, entertained and informed 24/7."

Under Gates' leadership, Microsoft's mission has been to continually advance and improve software technology, and to make it easier, more cost-effective and more enjoyable for people to use computers. Building on the popularity of its Windows operating system and Office productivity suite, Microsoft focuses on developing technology for the next-generation Internet and on connected devices that meet consumer demands at work, at home and on the move - such as the Media Center PC, Windows Mobile software for Pocket PCs, Smartphones and Portable Media Centers and the MSN network.

In the past, Gates has used the International CES to preview products and technologies such as Xbox, Tablet PC, smart personal object technology (SPOT) watches and Smartphone.

For more than 35 years, Intel technology has enabled the computer and Internet revolution that has helped change the world. Founded to build semiconductor memory products, Intel introduced the world's first microprocessor in 1971. Today, Intel has evolved to become the world's largest chip maker, supplying platform-based solutions to meet the unique enterprise, mobile and digital home requirements of customers worldwide.

A 31-year Intel veteran, Otellini became CEO in May after serving as the president and chief operating officer since 2002.

The 2006 International CES focuses on more than 30 product areas from more than 2,500 exhibitors spread throughout the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Sands Expo and Convention Center, the Las Vegas Hilton and the Alexis Park. For more news on CES before, during and after the show, visit www.CESweb.org, the interactive source for CES information. The 2006 International CES runs January 5-8. ...

News from Carcharius:

After not having much spare time to work ok Quake 3 for the last week or so, I’ve managed to put in a few hours this morning.

‘So what’s new?’, I hear you cry... well most of the time was spent trying to sort out a few ‘under the hood’ things. More on that later though.
First, the console now displays, both when loading and in game.
The console can’t be used for entering any commands (not at this time anyway) but at least it can show some information – and it wouldn’t be Quake without a console would it??
The second thing is related to that behind the scenes work. I’ve been trying to get some mods loading, with variable success. The following screenshots are from a mod called Urban Terror. Unfortunately this particular mod isn’t playable – the xbox runs out of memory before the level can load.
I also tried out another mod called Matrix (I don’t have a homepage link, I found it on PlanetQuake) which worked fine. So playing some mods is definitely possible.

Screenshots below (via the comments) ...

AgentQ has updated his port of ScummVM (an emulator of sorts for old Lucasarts games) for the Nintendo DS, heres whats new:

Thanks to Zhevon for contributing the Sam & Max cursor code. Changes in this version:

Full GBA Movie Player support, including save/load. This means full talkie games are playable!
Rewritten blit operations in assembler, causing a speed increase.
Fixed crashes in Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Added Indiana Jones fight mode. Use the options menu to enable it.
Fixes SRAM clear keypress sometimes not being detected
Prevented temporary saves from being saved to SRAM on flash cart version.
Added alternative controls for Sam and Max. Cursor is displayed on the top screen, and D-pad right switches modes.

Downloads and screenshots here --> http://nintendo-ds.dcemu.co.uk/scummvmds.shtml ...

If theres one game for the PSP that would encourage you to upgrade to a higher firmware or indeed buy another PSP its Grandtheft auto, the Hong kong Online store Lik Sang is taking preorders and has this posted on their site:

"This PlayStation Portable GTA edition is an all-new game set in the seedy, sprawling underworld of Liberty City, the New York-Chicago hybrid that was also the crime scene for Grand Theft Auto III. Developed by Rockstar Leeds in conjunction with the franchise creators at Rockstar North, you can expect all manner of adult felonies from car theft to robberies, murders and more. As has become a standard for the ambitious and controversial series, Liberty City Stories will shine on Sony's handheld with interactive, open environments, superb voice talent and diverse, cool music."

Heres some mouth watering screenshots from GTA Portable.Com



More screenshots below (via the comments)

Its looking very good ...

If theres one game for the PSP that would encourage you to upgrade to a higher firmware or indeed buy another PSP its Grandtheft auto, the Hong kong Online store Lik Sang is taking preorders and has this posted on their site:

"This PlayStation Portable GTA edition is an all-new game set in the seedy, sprawling underworld of Liberty City, the New York-Chicago hybrid that was also the crime scene for Grand Theft Auto III. Developed by Rockstar Leeds in conjunction with the franchise creators at Rockstar North, you can expect all manner of adult felonies from car theft to robberies, murders and more. As has become a standard for the ambitious and controversial series, Liberty City Stories will shine on Sony's handheld with interactive, open environments, superb voice talent and diverse, cool music."

Heres some mouth watering screenshots from GTA Portable.Com



More screenshots below (via the comments)

Its looking very good ...

If theres one game for the PSP that would encourage you to upgrade to a higher firmware or indeed buy another PSP its Grandtheft auto, the Hong kong Online store Lik Sang is taking preorders and has this posted on their site:

"This PlayStation Portable GTA edition is an all-new game set in the seedy, sprawling underworld of Liberty City, the New York-Chicago hybrid that was also the crime scene for Grand Theft Auto III. Developed by Rockstar Leeds in conjunction with the franchise creators at Rockstar North, you can expect all manner of adult felonies from car theft to robberies, murders and more. As has become a standard for the ambitious and controversial series, Liberty City Stories will shine on Sony's handheld with interactive, open environments, superb voice talent and diverse, cool music."

Heres some mouth watering screenshots from GTA Portable.Com



More screenshots below (via the comments)

Its looking very good ...