Archos reveals GamePad 2 gaming tablet

The Archos GamePad 2 appears to fix everything that was wrong with the first model.
(Credit: Archos)

The original Archos GamePad didn't attract much attention, despite the fact that it offered what a lot of hardcore gamers seemingly wanted: built-in game controls in the form of dual control sticks and lots of buttons. It was, for all intents in purposes, an Android-powered Sony PSP, though with a bigger screen and a lot more games to choose from.

No doubt hoping for a better reception, Archos just unveiled the GamePad 2, which promises a host of improvements over the original.

I actually thought the first GamePad was one of the most underrated products of the year. Yes, it suffered from mediocre battery life, and the controls had some issues. But for less than the price (at the time) of aKindle Fire, you got a full-featured Android Jelly Bean tablet that really was stellar for playing certain kinds of games.

The GamePad 2 looks to correct every single shortcoming, starting under the hood: It's powered by a 1.6GHz A9 quad-core processor, a dedicated quad-core graphics processor, and 2GB of system RAM. Archos has also bumped up the screen resolution -- not all the way to 1080p, but at least to a more competitive 1,280x800 pixels. (Personally, I think that's more than adequate for a 7-inch screen. Anything higher is nice, but hardly necessary.)

As for the battery, a definite sticking point in the original GamePad, Archos promises "a much larger battery than normally used on a 7-inch tablet," but doesn't get into specifics. That's understandable, given that games consume more power than most everyday apps, but it would be nice to know at least the capacity of the battery, if not the rated run time.

The first GamePad's dual thumbsticks earned well-deserved criticism for being stiff and imprecise. According to Archos, improving the controls was "one of the main focus points for the...GamePad 2." The thumbsticks now have a concave curvature that should make for a more solid grip, while the buttons have been upgraded with "a vastly improved...click-feeling for a better gaming experience."

The Archos button-mapping tool makes it easy to configure existing games for use with the GamePad 2.
(Credit: Archos)

Archos has also updated the control-mapping tool that allows you to map any onscreen button or joystick to their physical counterparts. For what it's worth, I thought the first one worked pretty well. It's a way better system than trying to get a Bluetooth-based gamepad to work with existing games.

Speaking of which, the GamePad 2 will come bundled with two of them: Asphalt 8: Airborne and Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour, both full versions, both optimized for use with the controls.

On top of all that, the GamePad remains a Jelly Bean-powered Android tablet with 8GB or 16GB of onboard storage, a microSD slot for expansion, a front-facing camera, front-facing stereo speakers, dual Wi-Fi antennas, and an HDMI output if you want to take your games to the big screen.

The GamePad 2 is expected to go on sale at the end of this month, with prices starting at US$199.99.

Microsoft's next tablet OS - Windows Phone Blue?

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Could the Windows Phone operating system become Microsoft's OS of choice for 7- to 10-inch tablets?

Based on new rumors, courtesy of Windows SuperSite's Paul Thurrott, this scenario isn't outside of the realm of possibility.

Windows Phone Blue, which may or may not ultimately be christened Windows Phone 8.1, is the first "major" update to the Windows Phone 8 OS since Microsoft launched it in the fall of 2012. We've known about the existence of WP Blue for months. The latest rumors I've heard continue to peg Windows Phone Blue's release-to-manufacturing date sometime around "spring 2014."

Thurrott's new rumors, from a single source who asked not to be named, include some new specifics around both the UI and guts of the Windows Phone (WP) Blue OS. We've known since February 2013 (courtesy of one of my unnamed sources) that WP Blue would be a stepping stone along the way to bringing Windows 8, Windows RT, and Windows Phone 8 into closer alignment around the NT core,programming interfaces, and UI look-and-feel. Thurrott's source cites an interesting statistic (which I've not seen Microsoft state publicly), namely, that Windows Phone 8 currently has "33 percent API unity" with Windows RT. Supposedly the goal is for WP Blue to reach (a very precise) 77 percent by the time it comes to market.

The ultimate goal, according to Thurrott's tipster, is to allow developers a single app that can run on both Windows RT and Windows Phone, thanks to universal binaries. That would fit nicely with the concept of a single Windows Store -- something to which Microsoft execs have committed privately to providing alongside the next major release of Windows (whatever that really means).

The same tipster told Thurrott that Microsoft is planning to do away with the Windows Phone back button in the WP Blue release. That's something I hadn't heard previously. It makes me wonder what Microsoft will do, backwards-compatibility-wise, for those of us who have Windows Phones that include back buttons as part of the actual handset. (I'd love to see Microsoft move the Bing search button to the left on Windows Phones, given it's currently far too easy to accidentally hit the search button on WP handsets.)

But none of these tidbits are as interesting to me as one other piece of information from Thurrott's source. Supposedly, Windows Phone Blue will work on devices with 7- to 10-inch screens. Right now, Microsoft prohibits OEMs from putting the Windows Phone OS on new devices with those screen sizes; their only choice, if they want Windows, is to go either Windows RT or Windows 8. As I've reported previously, thecoming GDR3 update for Windows Phone 8 will support devices with 5- and 6-inch screens, like the expected Nokia "Bandit" Lumia 1520 phablet, for example.

Remember: Microsoft's own OS chief, Terry Myerson, recently said publicly that "as phones extend into tablets, expect us to see many more ARM tablets, Windows ARM tablets in the future."

I'm thinking this could mean Microsoft ends up dropping the Windows RT name and instead goes for a single unified OS brand across devices. Whether this ultimately is called "Windows Phone OS" or just "Windows" (or something else all together) will be interesting to see. Whatever it's called, this branded OS should, I'd think, work on ARM-based phones and ARM-based tablets.

It's funny to think of it this way, but after a number of us called for Microsoft to make Windows Phone OS the Microsoft solution for tablets, we just might get our wish, albeit two or three years later than we asked

HP first to get Leap Motion tech onto a computer

The new HP Envy 17 Leap Motion Special Edition is the first computer with Leap Motion's technology built in.
(Credit: Leap Motion)

From the beginning, Leap Motion's founders were certain their gesture-control technology was a natural to be embedded directly into computers.

That bet paid off Thursday when Hewlett-Packard became the first computer maker to build Leap Motion's technology into one of its machines. Starting in a few weeks, the San Francisco startup said, the HP Envy17 Leap Motion Special Edition laptop will go on sale.

Leap Motion's technology is designed to allow users to control their computers with hand gestures alone. Until now, the only way to use it was with the Leap controller, a USB stick-sized device that plugs into a computer's USB port. The technology measures -- and translates to the computer -- motion with an accuracy of a hundredth of a millimeter. Already, more than a hundred applications have been built to leverage the technology. They are available through Airspace, the company's app store.

In January, Leap Motion announced its first bundling deal, with Asus, in which its controller was packaged alongside a number of Asus' computers. Then in April, it announced it had struck a deal to embed its technology into then-unspecified HP computers. The Envy 17 laptop is the first fruit of the HP partnership.

Embedding the technology directly into a computer is possible, explained Leap Motion CEO Michael Buckwald, because the company has significantly reduced the size of the module housing the Leap's sensors and other hardware. Buckwald said the new module is 70 percent smaller than its predecessor.

Leap Motion's new module (right) is 70 percent smaller than the exiting Leap controller.
(Credit: Leap Motion)

For now, HP is the only manufacturer signed on to embed the Leap technology. But Buckwald said Leap Motion is in similar discussions with others. In fact, those discussions are, at least in part, geared towards the company's ultimate goal -- getting its technology build into smaller devices, such as tablets or smartphones. "We want to be embedded everywhere," Buckwald said.

While the actual applications for such a melding of hardware would be up to developers, Buckwald said he can imagine things like a smartphone with embedded Leap technology being used as a remote control for another device. Such an integration would not be possible with the Leap controller on the market today, but would be entirely feasible with the company's current technology.

Via CNET

Libyan PM freed after being seized over US raid

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan. PHOTO: REUTERS

TRIPOLI: Former rebel gunmen freed Libya’s prime minister (PM) on Thursday after holding him for several hours in reprisal for the capture by US forces at the weekend of a Libyan al Qaeda suspect in Tripoli.

“I am fine, thank God,” PM Ali Zeidan tweeted after his release. “If the aim of the kidnapping operation was for me to present my resignation, then I won’t resign.

“We are taking small steps, but in the right direction.”

“The prime minister has been released,” a government official confirmed. A security source also said PM Zeidan was free.

A Reuters journalist outside the Interior Ministry building where the prime minister was held by militiamen linked to the government said people demanding his release had opened fire at one point. PM Zeidan was seized at dawn from a luxury hotel where he lives under tight security and was held for about six hours.

Two years after a revolution ended Muammar Gaddafi’s 42-year rule, Libya is in turmoil, with its vulnerable central government and nascent armed forces struggling to contain rival tribal militias and militants who control parts of the country.

The militia, which had been hired by the government to provide security in Tripoli, said it “arrested” PM Zeidan after US Secretary of State John Kerry said Libya had a role in the weekend capture in the city of Abu Anas al-Liby.

“His arrest comes after … (Kerry) said the Libyan government was aware of the operation,” a spokesman for the group, known as the Operations Room of Libya’s Revolutionaries, told Reuters.

Before his release, an official in the Interior Ministry anti-crime department told the state news agency that PM Zeidan, a former diplomat and exile opposition activist against Gaddafi, was being held there and was being treated well.

The Libyan government in a statement confirmed the premier was taken at dawn to “an unknown place for unknown reasons.”

The prime minister, who is in his early 60s, was taken from the Corinthia Hotel, where many diplomats and top government officials live. It is regarded as one of the most secure places in Tripoli.

The kidnapping, however brief, raised the stakes in the unruly OPEC nation, where the regional factions are also seeking control over its oil wealth, which provides Libya with the vast bulk of government revenues.

Brent oil prices rose on the news.

“Everybody is watching this… We still haven’t seen any disruption to supply from Libya, so we don’t expect a spike in prices,” said Ken Hasegawa, a commodity sales manager at Newedge Japan.

A mix of striking workers, militias and political activists have blocked Libya’s oilfields and ports for more than two months, according to Oil Minister Abdelbari Arusi, resulting in over $5 billion of lost revenues.

He said on October 2 that oil exports could return to full capacity in days once the strikes ended.

Repsol and Eni, involved in western Libya, have seen output largely restored since fields reopened last month. But companies invested in eastern Libya are entering a third month of closures at several important export terminals.

Oil companies have become more wary of North Africa after an attack in January on the Amenas gas plant in neighboring Algeria, a top gas supplier to Europe and an oil-producing OPEC member.

Unknown location

US special forces on Saturday seized Nazih al-Ragye, known by his alias Abu Anas al-Liby – a Libyan suspected in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Liby is being held on a Navy ship in the Mediterranean Sea.

After PM Zeidan was seized, the US State Department said it was “in close touch with senior US and Libyan officials on the ground.”

The Operations Room of Libya’s Revolutionaries had been affiliated with the Interior Ministry which assigned them to provide security in the capital as part of a program to reintegrate former fighters.

Guards at the hotel said there were no shots fired or clashes during the incident.

Al-Arabiya television channel quoted Libya’s justice minister as saying that PM Zeidan had been “kidnapped” and showed what it said were video stills of PM Zeidan frowning and wearing a grey shirt undone at the collar surrounded by several men in civilian clothes pressing closely around him.

PM Zeidan said on Tuesday Libyans accused of crimes should be tried at home, but that the raid to capture Liby would not harm US ties – trying preserve relations with a major ally without provoking a backlash from militants.

But the raid angered militant groups, including one blamed for the assault on the US consulate in Benghazi in 2012, who called for revenge attacks on strategic targets including gas export pipelines, planes and ships, as well as for the kidnappings of Americans in the capital.

Bale Fit For EL Classico??

Gareth Bale and Xabi Alonso are working full out in Valdebebas to be fighting fit for the big game in the Camp Nou, which, as was confirmed last Monday, will be held this Saturday 26th at 6:00 pm.

After eight league and two Champions League games, Real Madrid seems to still be having trouble getting out of first gear. Things aren't turning out as expected, and some of the Real Madrid faithful are beginning to question Ancelotti. "El Clásico", as the Real-Barça games are called, will be the Italian manager's acid test.

His constant changes in the team's structure since the start of the season have not gone down well with the Bernabéu higher-ups. To date he has tried Khedira-Modric, Khedira-Illarra, Isco-Modric, Illarra-Modric, Khedira-Modric-Isco and Khedira-Modric-Illarra in midfield. None have convinced him. It is evident that 'Los Blancos' are in much need of their midfield playmaker from last season, Xabi Alonso. The last game Xabi played was in the Copa del Rey final against Atlético de Madrid last May.

Gareth Bale, meanwhile, is getting himself ready for the big game at the Camp Nou in two weeks' time. If Carlo Ancelotti, does finally have him available for the big game, he will be treated with kid gloves, as if the Welshman does make it on time, it will be a very close thing indeed.

Aisam-Rojer progress to quarter-finals

Aisam and Rojer will now play fifth-seeds Marcel Melo from Brazil and Croatia’s Ivan Dodig in their next match. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

KARACHI: Aisamul Haq Qureshi and his Dutch partner Jean-Julien Rojer, who had received a bye in the first round, cruised into the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters men’s doubles event yesterday.

The fourth seeds defeated the Polish duo of Mariusz Fyrsten and Marcin Matkowski 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 in an hour and 16 minutes in the second round of the tournament. Earlier, Fyrsten and Matkowski had overcome German’s Andre Begemann and Martin Emmrich 6-3, 7-6 in their opening-round match.

Aisam and Rojer will now play fifth-seeds Marcel Melo from Brazil and Croatia’s Ivan Dodig in their next match.

Melo and Dodig defeated Roger Federer and local player Zhang Ze 6-1, 1-6, 10-8 in their second-round encounter.

Federer crashes out of event

Federer crashed out of the Shanghai Masters yesterday at the hands of flamboyant Frenchman Gael Monfils — another damaging defeat in a miserable season for the former Swiss great.

Monfils went toe-to-toe with the 17-time Grand Slam champion during a feast of attacking tennis, eventually emerging on top 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3.

Federer, playing his first tournament since the US Open, started in the worst possible way, limply losing his first service game to immediately hand the initiative to Monfils, who went on to take the opener.

Despite vocal support from a partisan crowd, Federer was broken midway through the second set but he broke back, sealing the game with an overhead smash.

Monfils, clad in bright orange, drew first blood in the tie-break but crucially put a relatively straightforward forehand long when he had a chance to engineer match points, allowing Federer back into the set and the Swiss made no mistake.

With both players sticking to a plan of all-out attack, Monfils grabbed the initiative, breaking to take a 3-1 lead and managed to save the break points that Federer carved out before going on to seal the match.

Federer, who made early exits at Wimbledon and the US Open, came to Shanghai seeking much-needed points as he bids to reach next month’s World Tour Finals, which he has won a record six times.

Earlier, seventh-seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga brushed aside Kei Nishikori to reach the quarter-finals as Juan Martin del Potro progressed with a walkover

Wayne Rooney reveals Fergie frustration

Rooney’s relationship with Ferguson deteriorated last season before the legendary manager announced his retirement. PHOTO: AFP

LONDON: Wayne Rooney confirmed he had become frustrated at former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson’s decision to play him away from his favoured central striker position.

Ferguson retired at the end of last season after some 27 years in charge at Old Trafford, an era laden with trophies, and bowed out with United crowned champions of England once again.

But it was clear his once close relationship with Rooney had soured, the England forward often left out of a starting line-up where Robin van Persie was now the star striker and lead goal-scorer.

But new United manager David Moyes made keeping the forward at Old Trafford a key task amid suggestions he would have asked for a transfer had Ferguson remained in charge.

“There came a point where I had to be a bit selfish for my own career,” said Rooney. “Everyone at the club knew where I wanted to play. That wasn’t happening.

“I’ve had no problem playing out of position in the past, but I’m a forward and I felt I deserved the right to play in my position.

“Moyes has come in, he’s playing me up front, and I’m enjoying it.”

The 27-year-old striker reiterated he had no plans to leave United in the summer.

“I know from the outside looking in it might not have seemed like that, but I have been settled all summer. I spoke with the people who matter at the club and we knew what we were doing.”