The week in gadgets


28 Feb 2011

A look at gadget, game and geek happenings in the week ahead.

Nintendo 3DS launches in Japan

Nintendo’s upcoming 3D handheld games console, the Nintendo 3DS, went on sale in Japan this Saturday.

According to Bloomberg, 2,000 people queued outside Yodobashi Camera Co’s store in Akihabara, Tokyo, to get one after it sold out on pre-order at other electronics stores. Many had been in line since 10pm the previous night.

It’s a good start for the new handheld console. Nintendo has been facing stiff competition, thanks to the rising popularity of mobile gaming on smartphones.

The gaming giant’s profits were down 74.3pc year-on-year in its last financial results. The 3DS will be a key part of its strategy to turn things around.

The Nintendo 3DS will be available in Europe on 25 March, with 13 individual games available on release.

Apple testing gesture-based lock screen

Reports say Apple is implementing a gesture-based lock screen on internal iOS devices, which may or may not reach consumer devices.

According to 9to5 Mac, the locking system works similarly to Android’s lock screen feature. Users lock the device by setting up a touch-based pattern onscreen, as opposed to a number-based pin code.

The lock screen is planned to be implemented for internal applications and may be implemented on its upcoming mobile payment system.

Samsung could join forces with Google TV

Samsung is reported to be considering using Google TV software for its home entertainment products.

According to Businessweek, Samsung previously went against using Google TV after it heard the software needed Intel’s Atom chips to work.

However, Google has now removed the restriction, allowing Samsung to use its internal chips.

The support would be a huge boost for Google, as Samsung is the world’s largest television maker, but could hurt Intel’s plans to implement its processors in televisions.