A look at gadget, game and geek happenings in the week ahead.
Now that E3 has come and gone and we’ve all got over the excitement of Kinect, the most interesting thing for current Xbox 360 owners is probably the all-new slimline 360 console. This is not just the 360 with a shiny new black exterior; it has built-in Wi-Fi, a larger 250GB hard drive and two additional USB ports to the two already in the front.
Oh, and it will never get the red ring of death. This is not because the new Xbox 360 is impervious to the ravages of time, overheating and general malfunctions, it is because red LEDs are no longer being used so when your console bites the big one it will be conveyed in a pleasing combination of green lights.
Other big news from E3: Sony has finally given us a date for the PlayStation Move motion controller for the PS3. Us Europeans will be getting it on 15 September and it will retail for €39.99 (RRP).
Elsewhere, it seems we are more obsessed with the irritating noise than the beautiful game of football: the South African vuvuzela has become an online, as well as offline, phenomenon.
Mobile apps are “the” biggest technology trend in 2010, so it comes as no surprise that smartphones around the world are honking like startled ducks as both paid and free vuvuzela apps enjoy huge numbers of downloads on the App Store, Android Market and more during the World Cup.
There are now seven vuvuzela apps on the iTunes App Store, and one of them is in the Top 10 most downloaded iPhone apps in Ireland right now.
Another irritating phenomenon is pop star Miley Cyrus, but her PR people are as web savvy as her record company is keen on cranking out radio friendly hits: five songs from her album will be arriving on the Rock Band Music Store as downloadable content the same day as it goes on general release on 22 June.
