Grand Theft Auto V Release Pushed Back Until September

Originally set to release in the spring, Rockstar Games’ new Grand Theft Auto V has announced that they are pushing back the date. September 17th is the new release date to allow more time for development and the perfection of game details. Although many gamers are disappointed by the delay, Rockstar is apologetic and has promised that GTA V will be their largest game world yet.

Game Setting

GTA V will be located in the vicious, yet stunning city of Los Santos. The single-player story line will allow the gamer to play and switch between three central characters. Michael, Trevor and Franklin’s paths interconnect throughout the story line. Franklin, an ex-street gangster, now looking for real prospects and significant money; Michael, a former conman  whose retirement is not what he thought it would be; and Trevor, a brutal maniac driven by the opportunity of a cheap high and the next big score.
All of the traditions of the revolutionary series return, including the meticulous attention to detail and Grand Theft Auto’s dark perspective on modern culture, with a brand new and determined approach to an open world multiplayer.

GTA IV was multiplayer-with up to 16 players on PS3 and Xbox 360 and up to32 players on the PC version.

Grand Theft Auto V will also be multiplayer, however, Rockstar is withholding the specifics. GTA enthusiasts wait impatiently and speculate if the multiplayer options will be similar to GTA IV, or if it will evolve into a full-blown MMO.

The game will be released on PS3 and Xbox 360 gaming formats.  But there are still many fans who would like the see a PC version GTA V, which doesn’t appear to be happening any time soon.

Spike’s 2012 Video Game Awards announced Grand Theft Auto V as the winner of the title of Most Anticipated Game of 2013.

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Microsoft Working On Software That Predicts Catastrophic Events

Can a single piece of software predict catastrophic events? Microsoft believes it may have found a way to complete that very task.

The software giant alongside the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is developing a disaster-predicting software platform that predicts future events by analyzing news headlines.

The program examines news headlines from different regions in order to spot signs of diseases, outbreaks, and civil unrest that is the result of regional violence.


Eric Horvitz, a co-director at Microsoft Research believes this type of disaster predicting software will soon become commonplace. Horvitz notes:

“I truly view this as a foreshadowing of what’s to come. Eventually this kind of work will start to have an influence on how things go for people.”
The team at Technology Review explains the early efficacy cases of the software. For example in Angola droughts often cause cholera. By examining headlines to determine how far spread a drought in that region has become, Microsoft can determine if an outbreak is likely. Microsoft could then track claims of the cholera to find diseases and then track new cases to determine if an outbreak is on the horizon.

Technology Review points out that “in similar tests involving forecasts of disease, violence, and a significant numbers of deaths, the system’s warnings were correct between 70 to 90 percent of the time.”

Eventually the software could be used to make other predictions outside of disease tracking. For example, areas prone to higher levels of crime could be monitored more closely by police.

Secondary uses for Microsoft’s new disaster predication tool will have to wait, the company does not plan to make its new software available for public use until it has been thoroughly tested and approved for accuracy.

Do you think software firms can effectively predict catastrophic events by paying attention to the news?

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Samsung Reveals New Durable Device

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Xcover 2 – its latest durable mobile device with smartphone capabilities.

Hot on the heels of Sony’s new flagship water-resistant ‘super-phone’, the Xperia Z, Samsung’s latest model is also designed to endure the most rugged outdoor conditions and protect against the elements.

Like the latest Sony model, the Galaxy Xcover 2 is dust and sand proof and is water resistant to a depth of one metre for up to 30 minutes.

Longer battery life and motion detector

Aimed at people who enjoy exploring the great outdoors, the smartphone has an LED flash next to the camera which can be used as a torch and the phone has a battery capacity of 570 hours.

A Samsung spokesman said: “Customers can expect the powerful performance characteristic of a Samsung smartphone with the Galaxy Xcover 2 shell. The intuitive Motion UI understands peoples’ movements and has the ability to overturn and mute incoming calls.”

The device comes pre-downloaded with Google Maps data, an enhanced GPS + GLONASS which shortens the satellite signal detection by up to 20 per cent to track each customer’s location more accurately.

Underwater camera

The Cardio Trainer Pro workout application can also be used to help achieve fitness goals by creating a tailored training program, which checks the user’s progress and records their track and speed.

Owners of the new device can also now take photos under water with the direct camera key and ensure the device is kept safe with its strap holder.

Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), enabling faster and smoother screen transitions and provides an enhanced user interface, featuring a new, easy-to-use notification panel. Data can also be synced, backed-up and restored with S-Cloud and the handy S Voice lets customers control the phone using their voice

The Galaxy Xcover 2 will be available to purchase in the UK by March.

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New HP Chromebook Leaked On HP’s Site

A recent ad was leaked onto, and then retrieved from, HP’s website. The PDF told of HP joining in on the Chromebook market. This info came out just one week after Lenovo announced that it would be offering its own version designed for use by students and teachers.

Benefits of Chrome OS

Chromebooks are currently becoming quite popular with other manufactures like Acer and Samsung as well. The reason for this popularity is due to the removal of expensive Microsoft containing Windows and Office applications, which requires more storage and slows down booting. Chrome OS is cloud-based operating system that allows users to connect directly to the web for access to applications and software, freeing up the hard-drive and requiring less RAM.

HP Chromebook Details

Some of the advantages of HP Pavilion’s Chromebook are an 8 second boot up, the maintenance free ability to cloud compute, the care free OS of a Linux based system, and the extra roomy screen.

HP Pavilion Chromebook will run Google’s Chrome Linux based operating system and will also come with a 1.1GHz 847 Intel Celeron processor, an Intel HD GPU, 2GB of DDR3 SDRAM (expandable up to 4GB), and 16GB of SSD storage space. It will also feature a 14 inch HD display it with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, which give this a distinct advantage in screen size and resolution over its competition. The 37WHr lithium-ion battery will apparently give you up to 4 hours of usage, which, due to the larger screen size, is less than its competitors. Additionally, the laptop will feature a multi-format digital card reader, three USB 2.0 ports and an HDMI port. The Pavilion Chromebook also will have an HD webcam. It is believed to be priced at $329 and will be released on February 17th.

This announcement may be particularly appealing to you if you are computer shopping on a budget or if you have heard the negative buzz and want to avoid Microsoft Windows 8.

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New NIR Scanner Alerts To Brain Trauma Faster

Each year, more than 10 million people world-wide suffer from severe head trauma while 1.5 million of those people are in the U.S. alone.

Infrascan has created an innovative, safe, and noninvasive way to detect brain trauma instantly and at the scene of the accident.  This sturdy handheld, portable device uses near-infrared (NIR) technology to instantly determine if internal bleeding is present in a patient’s head and if immediate use of a CT scan is required.  Successful treatment often depends upon a timely intervention to prevent neurological deterioration.

Brain hematoma detection is vital within the first hour of a cranial trauma. This device could become a standard for emergency medical technicians, first responders, on the field athletes, and also battlefield medics.  Uncontrolled bleeding from the brain can become deadly within a matter of minutes, so an instant assessment of possible intracranial hematomas (more commonly referred to as bleeding on the brain).  For patients who live in rural areas, immediate evaluation of the severity of brain trauma could be essential if the patient requires immediate transport to a hospital with specialized CT equipment.

The FDA has recently approved the use of the Infrascanner Model 2000 for use, which is an upgrade of the previous Model 1000, and is now available to even to the general public.

How it Works

This transportable device functions by emitting infrared light to different areas of the brain.  The absorption of light should be symmetrical throughout the brain unless there is greater local concentration of hemoglobin.  The differential of this light absorption in a particular area of the head leads to an instant estimation of the location and extent of the injury.

Scanning a patient with the device takes about 2-3 minutes. Rapidly and with ease, the Infrascan reforms emergency medical assistance and could save and improve the value of many lives.

Infrascanner 2000 is available for civilians via MedLogic and for U.S. military customers via ADS Medical.

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First Grader Invents Mobile Game App

Who is Zora Ball?  While you may not recognize the first grader’s name now, chances are you will be hearing it again, as she is currently the youngest person to have created a mobile game app.  While computer programming is perhaps not a typical school activity for an average 7 year old, it is for students at Zora’s charter school.  Zora created the mobile app while taking part in an initiative by the Foundation for the Advancement of Technology and Education (FATE).

According to their website FATE is a “non-profit corporation whose mission is to promote the skilled and intelligent use of education technology by educators and learners through targeted demonstration, funding and community networking in the Greater Philadelphia area.”

Through a program called Bootstrap, Zora was able to design her video game.  Bootstrap teaches students how to program their own videogames using algebraic and geometric concepts.  While they don’t use actual computer programming language, they instead use actual math to design simple games.

Perhaps not surprisingly, mobile video game app creation is not all just fun and games. Students build the games using algebra and geometry, thereby making it easier to apply those concepts learned building the games, to broader mathematical problems.  Many computer programming languages use concept that are actually incompatible with algebra, which could make it difficult for students to use what they learn in programming in math class.  Bootstrap is engineered so that functions and variables behave as they do in mathematics, rather than as they do in classical computer programming, so that mathematical reasoning is reinforced.

Over time, FATE plans to continue to work with Bootstrap in order to train more teachers and collect more research.  It looks as though we can look forward to more apps created by kids, as this is just the beginning of integrating technology and education.

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Windows 8 Upgrade Prices Back To Normal In February

When Windows 8 was released in October 2012, anyone with an existing Windows license could upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $39.99. Microsoft made it clear from the beginning that the extremely low price was a special offer to encourage more and more people to use the brand new operating system.

The original price for the upgrade is set at $199.99 (Windows 8 pro) and $119.99 for a basic version of the operating system. The special offer ends on 31st January, and upgrades made from 1st February onwards would cost the normal ($199.99) prices.

Windows 8 is significantly different from its predecessors because it is aimed to power smartphones, tablets and PCs alike. It has several touch-screen features and a completely different UI. Windows 8 garnered a positive response from a small niche, while most people still aren’t comfortable using the new operating system. The majority of market share in Microsoft operating systems is still being held by Windows XP and Windows 7, while Windows 8 has only been able to secure a small piece of the pie.

The special price for the upgrade has so far been unable to increase sales. Although Microsoft has repeatedly claim that Windows 8 is doing well, reports from third party sources and sales numbers from last year say otherwise. It can be speculated that Microsoft would have extended the duration of the special offer if the pricing was having an effect on sales.

Since support for Windows XP ends this year, many users will be switching from XP to either Windows 7 or 8, and it is quite possible that Microsoft expects them to switch to Windows 8. It can also be expected that people still indecisive about Windows 8 will feel rushed to upgrade before the end of January, thus inducing a hike in sales.

We will keep you updated about the developments in this regard. For now, if you are thinking about upgrading to Windows 8, do it before 31st January to make use of the special offer.

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