GTA 5 for Xbox One and PS4 could happen says Rockstar

GTA 5 could be Xbox One and PS4 bound after all

Ahead of the upcoming GTA 5 release date, publisher Rockstar has suggested the eagerly awaited game could be made available for the upcoming Xbox One and PS4.

Although remaining noncommittal on a next-gen GTA 5 release, Rockstar has confirmed its will monitor interest in the imminent Xbox One and PS4 console launches while stating it has already stated working on plans for its next-generation Grand Theft Auto releases.

Despite offering the strongest indication yet that an Xbox One and PS4 GTA 5 release could be on the cards, Rockstar has once again reittered its primary focus will remain on the current Xbox 360 and PS3 platforms. A GTA 5 release date will be held on September 17, just weeks before the new consoles are set to launch.

"We'll get the current gen version out first and see what happens in the future,” Leslie Benzies, President of Rockstar North said when questioned on next-gen GTA 5 offerings during yesterday’s unveiling of Grand Theft Auto Online.

He added: : "We already have plans for what the next world holds in terms of missions, new content, clothes, apartments, for the next while.

“We really want to see what people are playing, and we're putting a lot of effort into the back end, so we can keep an eye on exactly how long people are spending in deathmatches, races, and all the other modes - just to see what they're doing. And if we see any peaks anywhere, then we know where to concentrate our efforts.”

With many gamers calling for a GTA 5 PC edition to be released to seemingly little avail, earlier this year Rockstar suggested that the next Grand Theft Auto offering would be considered for all platforms.

Claiming that GTA 5 could land on everything from PC to iOS, Rockstar Vice President Dan Houser stated “everything else is up for consideration” after confirming day one would only see Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game released.

He added: “We are a third-party publisher. We're not Nintendo, we're not Sony, we're not Microsoft. We love all of them in different ways. But we can do what we want wherever there's the appropriate business opportunity and chance to find a market.”

Read More: PS4 release date

Via: Videogamer

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Dell profits drop 72 per cent amid buyout row

Dell reported a 72 per cent drop in earnings in its Q2 2013 financial report, with the PC maker heavily engaged in a takeover row.

Although earnings per share were slightly ahead of expectations at $0.25 (£0.16) and sales stand at $14.5 billion (£9.3 billion), Dell’s net profits fell 72 per cent from the figures recorded for the same quarter in 2012.

PC sales amounted to $9.5 million (£6.1 million), dropping 5 per cent from last year.

“In a challenging environment, we remain committed to our strategy and our customers”, said Brian Gladden, Dell CFO.

Currently the world’s third largest PC manufacturer, Dell was originally held up as a model of product-chain innovation, but has been resorting to price cuts to shift units. It was also late to enter the enterprise computing market, which hasn’t helped the company’s figures either.

“It was predictably bad. It’s not a big surprise that margins compressed to the degree that they did, when they’re prioritising sales volume over profitability,” said Carr Lanphier, Morningstar analyst. “You have to offset that uncertainly somehow.”

Michael Dell, the company’s founding CEO and activist investor Carl Icahn are currently engaged in a heated row over the future of the company. Dell is proposing to make the company private with a $25 million buyout plan, but Icahn, a leading shareholder, believes that price tag is too low.

The Q2 financial report figures may well back up Dell’s argument that a $13.75 per share offer, plus a 13 per cent dividend is more than ample for the company to go private.

“They can’t compete on a level playing field when you have a wrestling match over the future of the company,” added Lanphier.

The fight between Icahn and Dell will be moved to the courtroom in the coming weeks, with a shareholder vote on the plan taking place September 12.

Next, read our pick of the best Windows 8 laptops, tablets, convertibles and PCs.

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iPhone 5S to come with gold colour and 128GB options, says analyst

A recent analyst report has added weight to the suggestion that Apple will offer a gold colour option for its iPhone 5S, as well as claiming that there will be a 128GB model.

The suggestions come from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has generally been on the money with his Apple predictions in the past.

Accoring to Kuo, "the new model will add a new look, a golden casing, and a new option for larger 128GB storage, to offer greater differentiation from iPhone 5."

As Apple fans will know, the iPhone tends to come in black or white, so this would be a considerable diversion for the company if true. This new tri-colour premium iPhone is also expected to stand alongside the affordable iPhone 5C, which should come in a range of bright colours beyond black and white.

There have been numerous rumours of a gold or champagne-coloured iPhone over the past few months, but Kuo's assertion stands as one of the strongest supporting voices yet.

As for the other potential addition, commentators have been speculating about a 128GB iPhone model for the last few generations of Apple's smartphone. Apple has always stuck with 64GB as the maximum capacity option for its iOS devices - that is until it added a 128GB iteration of the iPad 4 in February.

This, along with Kuo's prediction, suggests that Apple might finally double down on storage space for its premium smartphone. The only question is, will we be willing to pay the price? The 128GB iPad added an £80 premium over the 64GB model.

All will (probably) become clear on September 10, when Apple is widely expected to hold a launch event for the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.

Next, read our iPhone 5S feature predictions.

Via: AppleInsider

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Amber update starts rolling out to Nokia Lumia Windows Phone 8 devices

Nokia Smart Camera, part of the Amber update

Nokia's major Windows Phone 8 update has begun rolling out to its Lumia range, bringing a host of improvements to the Nokia Lumia 920, 820, 720, 625, 620 and 520.

Amber is built on top of the most recent Windows Phone 8 update from Microsoft itself, which adds a new FM radio player and improvements to Internet Explorer and Xbox Music.

But Nokia's tweaks and additions go much further. Perhaps the biggest improvement is to the Nokia Lumia range's camera abilities, which are already pretty strong. Nokia has improved the algorithms that handle noise reduction, colour reproduction, exposure and autofocus across the range.

Individual Lumia handsets will benefit further from the Amber upgrade when it comes to taking pictures. The Nokia Lumia 920, for example, you now get controls to adjust the ISO from 800 to 3200.

The whole range now has access to the Nokia Smart Camera app which debuted on the Nokia Lumia 925, but its abilities vary according to the handset. If you own a Nokia Lumia 720, 620 or 520, for instance, the app's burst mode will only be able to fire off seven 1-megapixel images instead of ten 5-megapixel images.

Away from photo taking, the Amber update adds Nokia Glance Screen to all Lumia phones except for the Nokia Lumia 520 and 625. This adds a subtle clock to your inactive phone, as well as a battery indicator and whether your phone is running in silent mode.

All Lumia phones get the ability to mute calls by flipping over the phone, as well as the ability to double tap the screen to unlock the phone.

Updating HERE Maps will now be faster too, as you won't have to re-download whole countries every time the smallest amount of data is added.

All in all, a pretty sizeable update for Nokia Lumia owners. Amber will be rolling out automatically, first to Nokia Lumia 920 and Nokia Lumia 820 owners (Nokia Lumia 925 owners already have it), and it should reach all Lumia phones by the end of September.

Next, read our Nokia Lumia 1020 vs Nokia Lumia 925 vs Nokia Lumia 920 comparison.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 Tablet Review

What is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0?

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 is an 8-inch Android tablet that continues the Korean manufacturer’s intentions to make a tablet in every size possible. It's the first 8-inch tablet in the Galaxy Tab range and is set to take on the 7.9-inch Apple iPad Mini, 7-inch Amazon Kindle Fire HD and the 7-inch Nexus 7 2. But with a £279 starting price that puts it above even the iPad Mini (£269), does the 8-inch Galaxy Tab make any sense?

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0: Design

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 is essentially the Galaxy Note 8.0 minus the S-Pen. It’s the same Galaxy smartphone-inspired design from the curvy edges, glossy white plastic back and silver metal band.

This isn't a good thing. We've said it before and we'll continue to say it: this is another Samsung tablet that looks and feels cheap compared to the iPad Mini or the Nexus 7. Considering it's more expensive than either, it's hard to understand why Samsung hasn't put more effort into the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.0's design.

It weighs 314g making it lighter than the Note 8.0 (338g) and the 7-inch Nexus 7 (340g), but slightly heavier than the iPad Mini (308g). At 7.4mm thick it’s actually thinner than the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone, but it’s not quite iPad Mini slim (7.2mm).

There’s nothing radically different to report on the button and port layout front. The capacitive buttons sit either side of the physical home button. The micro USB charging port is flanked by two speakers that are loud but not great quality, and can be easily blocked when held in landscape mode.

The 3.5mm headphone jack is up top with volume rocker and on/off button on the right. There’s a microSD card slot on the left protected by a latch you can dig a nail into to open. The camera sensor has been moved to the corner to avoid covering it up when shooting pictures in landscape mode.

The back is non-removable, so there's no getting at the battery. What's more of a concern, though, is the glossy finish on the back. Holding it in portrait mode, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 feels very slippery to the point that it's difficult to grip.

The 8.0 is bit of a stretch to hold in one hand, but in landscape mode it's perfect as a media consuming tablet. Despite our feelings about the build, the 8.0 does feels durable and solid enough use on a daily basis. It’s just not that pretty.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0: Screen

Samsung has opted for the same 1,280 x 800 resolution screen found in the Galaxy Note 8.0, the first generation Nexus 7 and the Galaxy 2 10.1. The latter is a two-year old Samsung tablet. The Nexus 7 2 is £100 cheaper yet has a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution display, which makes the Samsung look distinctly old hat.

The screen also manages the same 189ppi as the Note 8.0 matching clarity levels of the S Pen-toting device. The screen is not bad. Colours are good, it's very bright and the contrast is good enough to enjoy HD videos, but it just lacks the sharpness of the Nexus 7 2.

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Canon i-SENSYS MF-8280Cw Printer Review

What is the Canon i-SENSYS MF-8280Cw?

A colour office printer which can also provide colour copies, scans and faxes can be the cornerstone of a small to medium-size office. Canon’s i-SENSYS MF-8280Cw offers all these things and is definitely big.

Canon i-SENSYS MF-8280Cw - Design and Features

It's mainly white case, with a black insert around the output tray, only helps to reduce the apparent size slightly and a fairly chunky Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) on top doesn't help.

Below this, is a well laid out and substantial control panel, including a large, seven-line colour LCD display, large easy-to-use mode buttons, a numeric pad for fax dialling and special buttons for copy enlargement and to scan directly to two designated PCs.



Underneath the control panel to the right is a front panel USB socket, from which you can print documents and photos – though without the facility to display thumbnails – and scan to.

Perhaps the oddest thing about this multi-function device is its paper tray. A 150-sheet tray slides out from the bottom of the front panel. Yes, we did say 150-sheet; a lower capacity than several inkjet all-in-ones aimed at the SOHO market and costing a lot less than this device.

Take the Epson Workforce Pro WP-4025DW, which has a 250-sheet cassette and an 80-sheet rear tray as standard, with the option of a second 250-tray.



On the i-SENSYS MF-8280Cw there's a single-sheet feed slot for special media, such as envelopes, but no option to add a second tray to increase the overall capacity. If you intend to share this machine on even a small network, somebody is going to have to refill that tray very regularly.

The four combined drum and toner cartridges slide out together in a tray, once you’ve folded down the front panel, and are very easy to remove and replace. The bundled software includes Presto! Page Manager and Canon's own MP Toolbox. They work well together to provide document management and OCR from the scanner.

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Windows 8.1 will include Skype as default messaging service

Microsoft has confirmed that Skype will replace the default Messenger app when the Windows 8.1 update rolls out later this year.

Despite forking out $8.5 billion on Skype in 2010, Microsoft chose not to pre-install the app within the Windows 8 software, instead making users download it from the Windows Store.

Now, in a blog post published on Thursday, Microsoft has revealed Skype will be the go-to messaging option on both Intel and ARM-based Windows 8.1 devices, come October when the update drops.

Skype 'Right from the Start' as Microsoft says will form part of a bundle of Microsoft's own apps like Xbox Music, Sky Drive, Internet Explorer, Mail, Video, Games and Photos, making up the core experience.

"We believe that connecting and sharing should be a seamless part of every Windows experience. Over 300 million people today use Skype for the most personal connections in their lives, sharing those everyday moments big and small across messaging, audio and video calling. With Windows 8.1, Skype is included right from (the) Start, making your new Windows device the best way to stay close and connected."

The inclusion of Skype, albeit belatedly is no real surprise given Microsoft's expenditure and the way the company has phased out the once-beloved MSN messenger platform in favour of Skype.

Other Windows 8.1 improvements will be the much heralded return of the Start button and navigation system, improved SkyDrive integration, better personalisation options and more.

Via ZDNet

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