News via http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/...pEiwzrjgim.php

C4E posted some updates about the Xbox360 fall2010 dashboard security on #FW@EFnet. He reports the Update Process itself seems 'safe' atm, however that doesn't mean you can go ahead updating and booting everything you want. AP2.5 games are a problem/unsafe for sure (and we don't know exactly which titles all have or will have AP2.5 active). For the rest nothing is 100% confirmed safe atm.

[c4eva] ap2.5 already defeated, backup fable 3 running fine on beta dash! more data required for analysis!
[**] C4 are you planning on releasing the new LT+ for the old consoles? ie. not slim?
[c4eva] **:yes

[***] c4eva, is it confirmed that current FW and older games will be safe in the new dash?
[c4eva] ***:unknown at present!

[c4eva] dash out?
[c4eva] version please?
[c4eva] so it begins,dash version please?
[****] c4 2.0.12611.0
[c4eva] very good, thx, same version im already working with!

[*****] C4 are you still working on hitas? Will they eventually be released =)?
[c4eva] *****:was working on it , not for a while now!
[*******] c4eva so there will be a LT+ for lite-on and benq drives
[c4eva] yes

[c4eva] ok, have logged the update process, analysing!
[c4eva] logged entire update process, no vendor packets, only standard inquiry and key exchange, so update process safe!
[c4eva] fable 3 not safe! ap2.5 active for that title with new dash!

[c4eva] as soon as we have enough data on ap25 then there will be something
[c4eva] testing more game titles soon for ap25! ...

News via http://www.aep-emu.de/PNphpBB2-file-...c-t-15835.html

The beta version of the NES emulator Nintendulator has been updated again.


Quote:
October 29, 2010

In order to improve usability (and likely improve compliance with any existing standards for program data storage on Windows), Nintendulator´s savestates, SRAM files, and debug dumps are now stored within the current user´s "My Documents" folder rather than within their roaming "Application Data" folder.

Additionally, the build configurations have been tweaked such that the ANSI version of Nintendulator can now be run properly on Windows 98 again (and possibly even Windows 95), for those inclined to do such a thing; it had apparently stopped working when I first changed it to store save data within the Application Data folder, appropriately enough.

http://www.qmtpro.com/~nes/nintendulator/ ...

We've talked before about Apple's plans to turn future iDevices into electronic wallets, allowing you to wave your phone over a reader to pay for things. Now, there's an unsourced report claiming that Apple has a much more "revolutionary" goal: putting your entire desktop on your phone so that any Mac can become your Mac.

Leander Kahney at Cult of Mac shared the interesting revelations from a source that asks to be anonymous in a report today entitled "iPhone 5 Will Enable Ambitious Remote Computing Program." According to the source, the iPhone 5 will allow a user to "carry a lot of their desktop data and settings with them

http://modmyi.com/forums/iphone-news...-portable.html ...

News via http://www.dingux.com/2010/11/da330-specs.html

I believe there's some confusion on the DA330 specs. As I mentioned in the previous post, I have only preliminary, general, info, but this is what I found out so far (don't take it for granted anyway):

•CC1800 processor (ARM926 400MHz).

•320x240 LCD, slightly larger than the A320 one.
•64MB RAM.
•2.4 GHz communication module. This is a true radio device and not just a keyboard hack. Enables multiplayer and custom peripherals.

•USB OTG port, which allows connecting USB devices, but you'll need external +5V power (i.e. a powered hub).
The CC1800 has some nice features: the OMIP seems to be a video decoding coprocessor, and the VPU seems to be some kind of video post processor which can do quick scaling and color conversion before spitting out the data to the LCD.

I would say that the CC1800 CPU core belongs in the same class than the JZ4732 in the A320, however, being an ARM architecture has the advantage of the existing assembly optimized emulation cores. I bet that the VPU will allow a sizeable boost in performance by offloading the color conversion work from the SDL code.

64MB vs. 32MB in the A320 are a big advantage too. ...

News via http://www.dingux.com/2010/10/a330-guts.html

It's been some time now since I received the two Dingoo A330 sent by ChinaChip (DA330 from now on, to distinguish it from the other A330 out there which is basically an A320 with 64MB RAM). We're still working out the details (NDA, possible trip to China) to acquire the required info on the CC1800 SoC (system-on-chip) and the A330 itself in order to port dingux, and it might still take a bit longer. Please excuse me if I don't comment more on the matter until everything is settled.

I'm working on the x760+ dingux port. As I said, I have all the required info, but time is limited and I've invested most of it reviewing all my initial work together with recent developments. Please be patient (yes, even more, sorry).

You'll notice that there is no battery in the pictures. The samples were sent without battery due to customs regulations, and though it's not strictly necessary for development, I'll get hold of substitutes soon.

You know I don't use the A320 and DA330 much for gaming (lack of time, you know, bla bla bla), so I can't give you a thorough review of the new DA330. Here are some first impressions. Please bear in mind that I'm not sure to which point the samples I got are definitve production machines, so take it with a pinch of salt:

•The construction build feels good but not as good as the A320.
•The LCD is exposed, i.e. there is no plastic protection (which is part of the enclosure) over it, as happens in the A320 and the X760+. This is definitely a no-no.
•The LCD is a "delta matrix" type. Don't know much about the technology (I'll appreciate links), but it basically means that the color dots are not aligned in an orthogonal matrix but spread in a zig-zag pattern. This is supposed to be better for displaying pictures and video, but I think it's not good for games.
Please let me stress what I already said: these might not be definitive production units and the final product to market may have many of these thingies fixed. Also, note that ChinaChip actively supporting linux on their machines is a huge advance, and a first in the chinese PMP market as far as I know. And more powerful machines will come in the near future.

One final comment on the CC1800: it as a video processing unit (VPU) capable of doing scaling and all kinds of color conversion. The JZ4732 in the A320 has an image processing unit (IPU) which unfortunately is only good for converting YUV to RGB. This is very useful for video playing but useless for gaming. The CC1800's VPU will allow to provide each game with the framebuffer resolution and color space which is best suited, allowing for a significant increase in performance. Being an ARM processor will allow also to use the already existing assembly optimized emulation cores, for another boost in performance. ...

The Augen E-Go is billed as a Netbook that ships with Windows CE. [Moogle] got it to boot the Linux kernel after a bit of hardware snooping. He found a UART connector on the main board and discovered that if you tie the enable pin to ground you can send an ARM bootloader to the device during boot up. His past experience hacking the Didj and the Explorer helped him recognize the processor used in the Augen. This lead to using a zimage from the Didj to boot the Linux kernel. So far the process halts at a kernel panic, but that’s because he hasn’t built the image with a file system for the device yet.

If the E-Go ends up playing nicely with Linux, [Moogle] may have found a suitable replacement for the Zipit.

http://hackaday.com/2010/11/01/augen...booting-linux/ ...

We appreciate Ubisoft's sense of restraint. How, you may ask, could it be considered "restrained" to bundle a Michael Jackson-style white glove, covered with rhinestones, with initial shipments of the Wii version of Michael Jackson: The Experience? Because Ubisoft could have chosen to put a big loop on it for you to strap the Wiimote into, but it didn't. That's totally classy.

The glove is not included with the PSP or DS versions also out this month, but Ubisoft hasn't mentioned whether a similar offer would come with next year's PS3 or Xbox 360 versions. (We doubt one would be bundled with the Xbox game, though, because Kinect would probably freak out if you were wearing a reflective glove.)

In addition to this critical hand-warmth news, two more songs were announced for inclusion in the game: "Speed Demon" and "Dirty Diana." It's another show of restraint on the part of Ubisoft -- the company could have gone the Guitar Hero: Aerosmith route and loaded the game with non-Michael Jackson music.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/01/mi...erience-glove/ ...

"It Only Does Everything," says the PS3's ad campaign. But how many users actually know how to take advantage of all of the system's features out of the box? With PS3 increasingly positioning itself as a be-all entertainment device, Sony is forced to confront the XMB's clutter of icons, which may be befuddling mainstream consumers.

PSN director Susan Panico told us that Sony is currently "creating educational videos that will be a great welcome kit for people that are coming to the PS3 and the PlayStation Network," which aim to "really walk them through all the advantages you get from the PlayStation Network," including the store. The videos "will answer questions like, 'How do I have Netflix movies stream on my PS3?' And it will certainly talk about original content available," Panico noted, referring to PSN productions like The Tester and Pulse. "That's something that's really important to us -- to make sure people understand from the get-go how to find all this great content."

While many of the details are still being ironed out, the how-to videos will appear both on the web and on the XMB. "Primarily, it's going to be content that you find very easily on PlayStation.com, as well as on the console itself," Panico said, though "we haven't decided where it's going to live on the XMB." Presumably, it'll be in a prime position, lest Sony find itself posting a "How to find the how-to videos" video.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/01/ho...ng-to-ps3-xmb/ ...

Harmonix's hope that low sales of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock were caused by anticipation surrounding Rock Band 3 have been dashed this morning by official UK sales figures.

According to UKIE, Rock Band 3 sold just 7386 units for the week ending 30th October. That breaks down into 5318 Xbox 360 copies, 1555 PS3 copies and 295 Wii copies.

As a result, Harmonix's tour de force spent a debut week at 26th in the UK all-formats top 40. Rival Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock finished one place below in 27th.

But Activision's game had a much better start, entering the chart in sixth before going on to place 14th, 22nd and 21st in subsequent weeks. In the US, first-week GH:WOR sales were reported to be 86,000.

On Friday Harmonix told Eurogamer "the early read" was that people were "waiting for our game [Rock Band 3]", which was perhaps why GH:WOR struggled to penetrate the market in a way the series once could.

"I'm not an analyst," RB3 project director Daniel Sussman added. "I know that as a game player I'm the type of gamer that would wait and spend my money on Rock Band 3.

"It's possible that sales of other games in the category are down because people are waiting to spend their money on Rock Band 3. That's what I hope anyway!"

Judging by UK the performance of Rock Band 3, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and DJ Hero 2, the writing appears to be on the wall for the once prosperous music genre. Certainly we're a long way from 2008, a year in which Guitar Hero III managed to shift 3.5 million copies in two months.

The declaration by Harmonix boss Alex Rigopulos earlier this year that "I absolutely do not believe that rhythm-action gaming has reached its peak" may come back to haunt him.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ck-band-3-sell ...