Mac OS X version 10.5 line of “Leopard” is the sixth major release of the Mac OS X operating system for Apple’s Macpersonal computers, and is the successor to Mac OS X v10.4 “Tiger”. Leopard was released on October 26, 2007, and is available in two variants: a desktop version suitable for personal computers, and a server version, Mac OS X Server. Apple offers a reduced-cost upgrade to people that purchase new Apple computers between October 1, 2007 and December 29, 2007 that do not already have Mac OS X v10.5 pre-installed or a Leopard upgrade DVD included.According to Apple, Leopard contains over 300 changes and enhancements, covering core operating system components as well as included applications and developer tools. Leopard introduces a significantly revised desktop, with a redesigned Dock, Stacks, a semitransparent menu bar, and an updated Finder that incorporates the Cover Flow visual navigation interface first seen in iTunes. Other notable features include support for writing 64-bit graphical user interface applications, an automated backup utility called Time Machine, support for Spotlight searches across multiple machines, and the inclusion of Front Row and Photo Booth, which were previously only included with some Mac models.
Apple missed Mac OS X v10.5’s release time frame as originally announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. When first discussed in June 2005, Jobs had stated that Apple intended to release Leopard at the end of 2006 or early 2007. A year later, this was amended to “Spring 2007″; however on April 12, 2007, Apple issued a statement that its release would be delayed until October 2007 because of the development of the iPhone.
End-user features
Apple advertises that Mac OS v10.5 Leopard has 300+ features, including:
Back to My Mac, a feature for .Mac users that allows users to access files on their home computer while away from home via the internet.
Boot Camp is included. It is a software assistant which has been available as a beta release download for Mac OS X v10.4 from Apple’s website since April 5, 2006. It assists in the installation of Windows XP or Windows Vista to a separate partition (or separate internal drive) on Intel-based Macs.
Dashboard enhancements, including Web Clip, a feature that allows users to turn a part of any web page displayed in Safari into a live Dashboard widget, and Dashcode to help developers code widgets.
New Desktop, comprised of a redesigned 3-D dock with a new grouping feature called Stacks.
Dictionary can now search Wikipedia, and a dictionary of Apple terminology as well. Also included is the Japanese-language dictionary Daijisen, Progressive E-J and Progressive J-E dictionaries, and the 25000-word thesaurus “Tsukaikata no Wakaru Ruigo Reikai Jiten” (使い方の分かる類語例解辞典, “Tsukaikata no Wakaru Ruigo Reikai Jiten”), all of which are provided by the Japanese publisher Shogakukan.
A redesigned Finder, with features similar to those seen in iTunes 7, including Cover Flow and a Source list-like sidebar.
Front Row has been reworked to closely resemble the interface used by the Apple TV.
iCal calendar sharing and group scheduling as well as syncing event invitations from Mail. The icon also reflects the current date even when the application is not running. In previous versions of Mac OS X, the icon would remain at July 17th until the application was run.
iChat enhancements, including multiple logins, invisibility, animated icons, and tabbed chats, similar to features present in Pidgin, Adium and the iChat plugin Chax; iChat Theater, allowing users to incorporate images from iPhoto, presentations from Keynote, videos from QuickTime, and other Quick Look features into video chats; and Backdrops, which are similar to chroma keys, but use a real-time difference matte technique which does not require a green or blue screen. iChat also implements desktop sharing, a feature previously available with Apple Remote Desktop.
Mail enhancements including the additions of RSS feeds, Stationery, Notes, and to-dos. To-dos use a system-wide service that is available to all applications.
Network file sharing improvements include more granular control over permissions, consolidation of AFP, FTP and SMB sharing into one control panel, and the ability to share individual folders, a feature that had not been available since Mac OS 9.
Parental controls now include the ability to place restrictions on use of the Internet and to set parental controls from anywhere using remote setup.
Photo Booth enhancements, including video recording with real-time filters and blue-screen technology.
Podcast Capture, an application allowing users to record and distribute podcasts. It requires access to a computer running Mac OS X Server with Podcast Producer.
Preview adds support for annotation, graphics, extraction, search, markup, and size adjustment tools.
Quick Look, a framework allowing documents to be viewed without opening them in an external application.
Safari 3, which includes Web Clip, is included.
Sherlock, a search software included in Mac OS since OS 8.5, is no longer included.
Spaces, an implementation of “virtual desktops” (individually called “spaces”), allows multiple desktops per user, with certain applications and windows in each desktop. Users can organize certain Spaces for certain applications (e.g., one for work-related tasks and one for entertainment) and switch between them. Exposé works inside Spaces, allowing the user to see at a glance all desktops on one screen.) Users can create and control up to 16 spaces, and applications can be switched between each one, creating a very large workspace.
Spotlight incorporates additional search capabilities such as Boolean operators, as well as the ability to search other computers (with permissions).
Time Machine, an automated backup utility which allows the user to restore files that have been deleted or replaced by another version of a file.
Universal Access enhancements: significant improvements to applications including VoiceOver, along with increased support for Braille, closed captioning and a new high‐quality Speech synthesis voice.
The iPhone is a multimedia, Internet-enabled mobile phone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. It has a multi-touch screen with virtual keyboard and buttons. The iPhone’s functions include those of a camera phone and a portable media player (”iPod”), in addition to text messaging and visual voicemail. It also offers Internet services including e-mail, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity. It is a quad-band mobile phone that uses the GSM standard, hence has international capability. It supports the Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology for higher speed and reliability.
Following the success of iPod, Apple announced the iPhone in January 2007. The announcement was preceded by rumors and speculations that circulated for several months. The iPhone was introduced, first in the United States on June 29, 2007 with much media frenzy and then in the United Kingdom, Germany and France in November 2007. It was named Time magazine’s “Invention of the Year” in 2007.A new version of Apple’s iPhone will be introduced in 2008 that is capable of operating on faster 3G cellular networks.
Product Line:
iPhone
Cell Phone Type:
Camera, Digital Player, Bluetooth, MP3
Cell Network Technology:
GSM
Special Features:
Available June 2007
Specification
The iPhone brings together several features of the iPod, digital camera, smartphones and even portable computing to one device, with a widescreen display and an innovative input method.
Featuring a new input technology called “Multi-Touch” the iPhone features only a single “home” button, and is controlled by sliding a finger across its touch-sensitive 3.5-inch, 160 pixel-per-inch display.
The iPhone, which runs Mac OS X, has full iTunes integration and can also seamlessly sync data with a desktop, including music and videos from iTunes, contacts, calendars, photos, notes, bookmarks and email accounts.
The 11.6-millimeter thick device also sports a 2-megapixel camera, headset jack, 3.5-millimeter audio jack, SIM tray, a “sleep-wake” switch, speaker, microphone input and an iPod dock connector. The quad-band GSM + EDGE phone also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 capabilities. Jobs noted 3G capabilities will come in the future.
Three smart sensors also help control the iPhone’s behavior. A proximity sensor shuts down the display and touchscreen when the phone is held to the ear. An ambient light sensor automatically adjusts screen brightness to save power. Meanwhile, an accelerometer lets the phone know whether to display in portrait or landscape mode.
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts Partners. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version will be released in North America on December 18, 2007. The game will be available in Canada on December 17, 2007, and will be released in Europe in early 2008.
Rock Band allows players to perform in virtual “bands” by providing up to four players with the ability to play three different instrument-based peripherals (a guitar peripheral for guitar and bass guitar sequences, a drum peripheral, and a microphone). These instruments are used to simulate the playing of rock music by hitting scrolling notes on-screen. Players using next-gen consoles can interact through both online and offline multiplayer capabilities. In addition to the songs shipping on the game disc, potentially hundreds of new tracks will be made available as downloadable content. The European version will include localized content for the different countries in the region, both downloadable and on disc.
Gameplay
Reusing many gameplay elements from the popular Guitar Hero series, Rock Band players use peripherals modeled after musical instruments to simulate the performance of rock music. Players must play these instruments in time with musical “notes” as they scroll towards them on the screen. Rock Band expands upon the Guitar Hero series, in that it offers gameplay for drums and vocals, in addition to lead and bass guitars. The game features independent single-player campaigns for three of the instruments (lead guitar, drums, and voice) called “Solo Tour Mode,” as well as a band campaign for multiple players called “Band World Tour.” Players can create and customize their own in-game rock stars, complete with adjustable hair, body type, clothing, tattoos, and onstage movements, as well as their band’s logo. Multiplayer modes (except for Band World Tour) support any combination of 2-4 online and local players for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions; the PlayStation 2 version will support any combination of 2-4 local players, but will not support online gameplay.
On-screen, Game Informer describes the game as a combination of the Guitar Hero and Karaoke Revolution gameplay elements. Instead of a single guitar neck (as there is in Guitar Hero), there are three vertically scrolling sections along the bottom of the screen, one each for lead guitar, drums, and bass. For lead guitar and bass, the colored notes correspond to the fret buttons on the guitar controller. For the drums, the colored notes correspond to the drum pads, while the orange horizontal line note represents the bass drum.Along the top of the screen is the vocals display, which scrolls horizontally, similar to Karaoke Revolution. The lyrics display beneath green bars, which represent the pitch of the individual vocal elements. The remainder of the screen is used to display the band’s characters as they perform.
Within the main co-operative mode, all players earn points towards a common score, though score multipliers and “Overdrive” (the equivalent of Guitar Hero’s “Star Power”) are tracked separately for each player. The bass guitar player can raise his/her multiplier to 6x, as opposed to the traditional 4x, because as noted by a GameSpot preview, “bass can get a little dry sometimes.” Overdrive is collected during special portions of a song by successfully playing all white notes within that section (and for guitarists, by also using the whammy bar to extract Overdrive from white sustained notes). Once the meter is filled halfway, players can deploy their Overdrive. In solo play, deploying Overdrive will double the player’s score multiplier. However, in band play, activating Overdrive increases the band’s score multiplier. Deploying Overdrive also results in the “Band Meter” (which tracks how well each player is doing) changing more dramatically. This allows players to strategically use Overdrive to raise the Band Meter and pass portions of a song they otherwise might have failed. Additionally, players can now deploy Overdrive independently of each other (previous Guitar Hero games required players in Co-Operative mode to deploy Star Power simultaneously), as well as collect additional Overdrive while it is deployed and draining (previous Guitar Hero games hid additional Star Power sections while it was deployed).
If a player does not play well enough and falls to the bottom of the Band Meter, they will fail out of the song and their instrument will be muted from the audio mix. However, any active player can activate their Overdrive to bring failed players back into the song. Special portions of songs are labeled as “Unison Phrases”; if players can play their parts perfectly in these sections, the band will be rewarded with a score bonus. Select songs will end with a special “Big Rock Ending,” which gives the players a chance to freestyle and earn extra points.
Players with multiple copies of the same instrument can compete against each other in the “Tug of War” (much like Guitar Hero’s “Face-off,” in which players trade playing sections of a song to move a meter in their favor) and “Score Duel” (much like Guitar Hero II’s “Pro Face-off,” in which each player plays the song in its entirety to earn points). Other multiplayer modes include “Head-to-Head Play” and “Band Quick Play.” Also included in Rock Band are “Tutorial Mode” and “Practice Mode,” which allows players to practice songs for each instrument. For players who want to experience an all-day concert atmosphere, the “Endless Setlist” mode involves playing the entire setlist from start to finish without having the chance to back out.
Band World Tour mode
Band World Tour is the game’s primary multiplayer mode. It allows any combination of 2-4 local players to create a virtual band, play gigs, and tour a virtual representation of the world. Although online play is not supported for Band World Tour, players can use the Band Co-Op Play mode to play together as a band online. In Band World Tour mode, bands can play in 41 different venues spanning 17 cities, including Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Stockholm, and Rome. After creating their own rock characters, the band members will choose a starting city and play a few concerts in small venues at that location until they unlock a van, which will in turn unlock neighboring cities. Eventually, players will unlock tour buses and private jets, which will unlock more cities and different continents. Successful performances will earn the band fans (which are used as a metric of measuring the band’s popularity) and stars (which accumulate based on the success of each individual song performed). Most cities and larger venues require the band to achieve a certain number of fans and stars before they are unlocked. In the process of meeting these requirements, bands will eventually begin to play larger venues in cities they have already visited. Thus, bands will loop around cities multiple times, playing larger venues on each visit. This was intended to mimic the real-life nature of touring for emerging bands. In-game venues are inspired by real-life venues, as well as local art styles from each of the represented cities.
Rather than complete predetermined sets of songs (like in previous releases in the Guitar Hero series), players will complete unique sets of activities at each venue. Some performances consist of single songs, mystery setlists, or specific challenges. Successful performances will earn the band in-game cash (in addition to fans and stars) that can be used to buy merchandise with which players can customize their characters.Players will also be faced with decisions that Harmonix refers to as “risk-versus-reward.”Bands need to choose which sized venue they perform at carefully, as a poor performance at a larger venue poses a greater threat of the band losing fans.For certain performances, bands will be faced with an optional double-or-nothing challenge that will result in a doubled cash reward upon completion, or none at all upon failure.Bands can also choose to perform a benefit concert (earning no in-game money but garnering more fans) or “sell-out” (earning more in-game money but losing fans).Additionally, bands can also hire band managers and roadies, as well as compete for a record deal with a recording label.
Solo Tour modes
Solo Tour is a single-player mode offered for the lead guitar, drum, and microphone peripherals (there is no support for bass). Rather than feature the open-ended gameplay and features of Band World Tour mode, Solo Tour is structured much in the same vein as the career mode in previous Guitar Hero games. Players will complete a predetermined list of songs ordered by difficulty, with each instrument’s setlist ordered differently. Players can use money earned for each performance to purchase merchandise for their in-game character.
Instrument peripherals
The game features special Rock Band-branded guitar controllers modeled after the Fender Stratocaster to be used for the lead and bass guitar gameplay; these are similar to the Guitar Hero controllers. The Stratocaster controller has 5 additional fret buttons of smaller size located further up the neck. These buttons can be used in special solo sections to play all notes as hammer-ons and pull-offs, with no strumming necessary. Additionally, the controller features an effects pickup switch that can toggle between five different effects (none, wah-wah, flange, chorus, and echo). The controller will be offered in both wired and wireless versions. Overdrive for guitarists can be deployed by holding the controller in a vertical position or pressing the “Select” button. Rock Band features a “Lefty Flip” setting, supporting left-handed guitar players; additionally, the strap peg on the Stratocaster controller can be moved to the other arm of the guitar, allowing comfortable use of the strap by lefties. Harmonix has confirmed Guitar Hero guitar controllers and additional third-party controllers are compatible with the game,[21][18] including the new Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Gibson Les Paul controllers, with the exception of the PlayStation 3 Les Paul peripheral. However, the Rock Band Stratocaster guitar is reportedly not compatible with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
Rock Band’s USB microphone instrument is similar to the model used in the Harmonix-developed Karaoke Revolution games. Xbox 360 users can substitute their console’s headset for a microphone, if they wish. According to an article in Game Informer, “Vocalists sing along to the rock tunes as they always have. Additionally, a phoneme detector will pick up the individual vowels and consonants.” When there are no vocals, the microphone can also be used as a tambourine and cowbell by tapping it or making vocal cues. Overdrive for singers can be deployed by singing in freestyle vocal sections of songs.
The drum controller features four drum pads (each consisting of a rubber-like surface supported by a foam layer underneath) and a kick pedal. The pads have colored rings around the edges that correspond to the notes onscreen, representing, from left to right, the snare drum (red), hi-hat (yellow), tom-tom (blue), and crash cymbal (green). The kick pedal simulates the bass drum. The four pads will commonly change functionality to represent other drums, depending on the requirements of a song. For example, yellow and green will sometimes act as additional toms, and both blue and green can function as ride cymbals. The default pad order can be reversed using the “Lefty Flip” option in the game. Included with the game is a pair of authentic drum sticks. The legs of the drum peripheral can adjust in height or be detached if the player wishes to place it on a table-top, while the kick pedal can be moved laterally. The drum controller also features standard controller buttons in the middle of the peripheral for navigating in-game menus. Drummers can improvise in special “freestyle drum fill” sections of songs, indicated by the columns for each note turning a solid color. Overdrive for drummers can be deployed by hitting the crash cymbal (green note) that appears directly after a freestyle drum fill. Harmonix representatives have suggested, “If you can play the drum parts on hard, you can pretty much play the drums [in reality].”
Ben 10: Race Against Time is a live-action adaptation of the animated television series Ben 10 created by Man of Action. The working title was previously Ben 10 in the Hands of Armageddon. Directed by Alex Winter, it premiered on November 21, 2007 in the USA as a Cartoon Network original movie. The movie has a rating of TV-PG-V.
Plot
In Bellwood, a mysterious figure teleports into town, and immediately starts destroying things. Ben Tennyson (Graham Phillips), in the form of Heatblast (David Franklin), confronts him. After a short battle, Ben seemingly obliterates the villain.
The next day, Ben goes back to school, and has trouble adjusting to normal life again. After a bad day at school, he and Gwen Tennyson (Haley Ramm) go over some yearbook photos she took. In the background of one with Ben, Gwen enhances a blurred spot and reveals the same villain Ben defeated earlier. Max Tennyson (Lee Majors) identifies him as Eon (Christien Anholt), the first alien the Plumbers faced almost two centuries earlier. When he arrived, he brought a device with him called the Hands of Armageddon, which would open a time rift to the alien’s home dimension and unleash his race upon Earth if activated. They travel to the containment facility where Eon is supposed to be kept, where they find his guardian aged to near-death.
Traveling back to Bellwood, Max takes Ben and Gwen to the location of the Hands of Armageddon, guarded by the few remaining Plumbers. Eon has them followed and breaks into the facility, but cannot activate the device. When Ben attempts to use the Omnitrix, it malfunctions, glowing and refusing to activate. Eon attempts to kidnap Ben, claiming it to be a rescue, but Ben escapes. Eon manages to corner Ben, explaining that his race learned to control time itself, but trapped themselves by misusing their power. He claims that his fate is intertwined with Ben’s. Eon is scared off by another Plumber before he can elaborate.
The Plumbers resolve to guard Ben around the clock. When Ben goes to the school gym to be alone, Eon arrives again. This time, Ben is able to become Diamondhead (Daran Norris) and fight him off. Ben decides to lure Eon into a trap by purposefully leaving himself open, but this backfires and he is captured along with Gwen and Max.
At the Plumber facility storing the Hands of Armageddon, Eon explains some of the background of the Omnitrix: Ben can only remain in his alien forms for ten minutes at a time, a failsafe to prevent them from overwhelming his personality. Eon knows how to deactivate the failsafe, and in doing so can resurrect himself through the Omnitrix. He does so, and Ben is transformed into a younger version of Eon. The older one retreats since there are now two of him. Reborn, Eon activates the Hands of Armageddon. Gwen and Max manage to free themselves and work to stop him. While Max tries to disable the time rift, potentially at the cost of his own life, Gwen appeals to Ben inside Eon. Ben successfully overcomes Eon, and with the help of the other Plumbers manages to save Max and disable the time rift, sending Eon’s race back to their own dimension.
Just when it seems like they’ve won, time stops for everyone but Ben. The older Eon reappears, angered at Ben’s victory. Ben transforms into Wildmutt (Dee Bradley Baker) and fights him off, eventually knocking him into the Hands of Armageddon, destroying them both. After doing an impromptu magic show for the school talent show, using Wildmutt’s timely de-transformation and a well placed stage curtain, Ben finally accepts being just Ben for a while. However, Max points out that aliens are persistent, and as the film ends an alien ship flies towards Earth.
The Audi R8 is a mid-engined sports car introduced by the German automaker Audi in 2007. The first appearance of the car was in 2006, appearing at auto shows and events all over the world. The R8 is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo platform, as Audi has full ownership of subsidiary Lamborghini s.p.a. Audi announced in 2005 that the name of the successful Audi R8 race car would be used for a new road car in 2007, the Audi R8, based on the Audi Le Mans Quattro concept car concept vehicle, appearing at the 2003 , which was based on the earlier Audi RSQGeneva Auto Show and 2003 International Motor Show. The R8 was officially launched at the Paris Auto Show on 30 September 2006. There is some confusion with the name which the car shares with the Le Mans winning R8LMP. Originally, many thought the car would be called the R9 (as there is a gap in numbering left when Audi announced the R8’s successor, the diesel-powered R10).
Technical Details
The Audi R8 is equipped with a 4.2 L V8 developing 420 hp (313 kW), the same engine seen in the Audi RS4. Pricing for the 414 bhp (309 kW) model starts from €104,400(€160,000 in Ireland) or £77,000. The base price in the US is $109,000 for the 6-speed manual. An R-Tronic equipped R8 will be priced at $118,000. The R8 has a dry weight of 1560 kg (3439 lb). Its suspension utilizes magneto rheological dampers.
As Audi AG owns Lamborghini, 15% of the R8 is shared with the Lamborghini Gallardo, including the transmission and chassis. The R8 is made further distinct by its exterior styling, cabin, engine and pricing.
The European Audi R8 will also be the first production vehicle to feature all-LED headlights.
The Audi R8 also features an optional Bang & Olufsen sound system.
Performance
The 2-seat coupe is already available in Europe and will be made available to the U.S. in the summer of 2008. In addition, an open-top, Porsche Carrera GT-like model will follow in 2009.
Many publications were hailing it as the first car to truly be able to beat Porsche – considered by many to be one of the best sports cars ever made and the leader in its class. Initial comparison tests have proven quite positive in this respect; Evo Magazine in its comparison test between the R8, 911 Carrera 4S, Aston Martin V8 Vantage and BMW M6 have claimed that the Audi is a better sportscar saying that “Audi humbles Porsche. A new dawn starts today.” Other publications have also made similar reviews of the Audi beating the Porsche in comparison tests.
Regardless of those comparisons, it is concluded that “the 911 C4S is, quite simply, the most complete, cost-effective supercar on the planet”.While the R8 does do well for a car that costs $118,000 MSRP (Audi of America does not allow Dealer markup) versus a $98,000 911 C4S, when pitted against the Porsche 911 Turbo ($122,000), it is absolutely trounced.
Mac OS X version 10.5 line of “Leopard” is the sixth major release of the Mac OS X operating system for Apple’s Macpersonal computers, and is the successor to Mac OS X v10.4 “Tiger”. Leopard was released on October 26, 2007, and is available in two variants: a desktop version suitable for personal computers, and a server version, Mac OS X Server. Apple offers a reduced-cost upgrade to people that purchase new Apple computers between October 1, 2007 and December 29, 2007 that do not already have Mac OS X v10.5 pre-installed or a Leopard upgrade DVD included.According to Apple, Leopard contains over 300 changes and enhancements, covering core operating system components as well as included applications and developer tools. Leopard introduces a significantly revised desktop, with a redesigned Dock, Stacks, a semitransparent menu bar, and an updated Finder that incorporates the Cover Flow visual navigation interface first seen in iTunes. Other notable features include support for writing 64-bit graphical user interface applications, an automated backup utility called Time Machine, support for Spotlight searches across multiple machines, and the inclusion of Front Row and Photo Booth, which were previously only included with some Mac models.
Apple missed Mac OS X v10.5’s release time frame as originally announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. When first discussed in June 2005, Jobs had stated that Apple intended to release Leopard at the end of 2006 or early 2007. A year later, this was amended to “Spring 2007″; however on April 12, 2007, Apple issued a statement that its release would be delayed until October 2007 because of the development of the iPhone.
Dictionary can now search Wikipedia, and a dictionary of Apple terminology as well. Also included is the Japanese-language dictionary Daijisen, Progressive E-J and Progressive J-E dictionaries, and the 25000-word thesaurus “Tsukaikata no Wakaru Ruigo Reikai Jiten” (使い方の分かる類語例解辞典, “Tsukaikata no Wakaru Ruigo Reikai Jiten”), all of which are provided by the Japanese publisher Shogakukan.
The iPhone is a multimedia, Internet-enabled mobile phone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. It has a multi-touch screen with virtual keyboard and buttons. The iPhone’s functions include those of a camera phone and a portable media player (”iPod”), in addition to text messaging and visual voicemail. It also offers Internet services including e-mail, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity. It is a quad-band mobile phone that uses the GSM standard, hence has international capability. It supports the Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology for higher speed and reliability.
The iPhone brings together several features of the iPod, digital camera, smartphones and even portable computing to one device, with a widescreen display and an innovative input method.
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts Partners. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version will be released in North America on December 18, 2007. The game will be available in Canada on December 17, 2007, and will be released in Europe in early 2008.
The game features special Rock Band-branded guitar controllers modeled after the Fender Stratocaster to be used for the lead and bass guitar gameplay; these are similar to the Guitar Hero controllers. The Stratocaster controller has 5 additional fret buttons of smaller size located further up the neck. These buttons can be used in special solo sections to play all notes as hammer-ons and pull-offs, with no strumming necessary. Additionally, the controller features an effects pickup switch that can toggle between five different effects (none, wah-wah, flange, chorus, and echo). The controller will be offered in both wired and wireless versions. Overdrive for guitarists can be deployed by holding the controller in a vertical position or pressing the “Select” button. Rock Band features a “Lefty Flip” setting, supporting left-handed guitar players; additionally, the strap peg on the Stratocaster controller can be moved to the other arm of the guitar, allowing comfortable use of the strap by lefties. Harmonix has confirmed Guitar Hero guitar controllers and additional third-party controllers are compatible with the game,[21][18] including the new Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Gibson Les Paul controllers, with the exception of the PlayStation 3 Les Paul peripheral. However, the Rock Band Stratocaster guitar is reportedly not compatible with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
The drum controller features four drum pads (each consisting of a rubber-like surface supported by a foam layer underneath) and a kick pedal. The pads have colored rings around the edges that correspond to the notes onscreen, representing, from left to right, the snare drum (red), hi-hat (yellow), tom-tom (blue), and crash cymbal (green). The kick pedal simulates the bass drum. The four pads will commonly change functionality to represent other drums, depending on the requirements of a song. For example, yellow and green will sometimes act as additional toms, and both blue and green can function as ride cymbals. The default pad order can be reversed using the “Lefty Flip” option in the game. Included with the game is a pair of authentic drum sticks. The legs of the drum peripheral can adjust in height or be detached if the player wishes to place it on a table-top, while the kick pedal can be moved laterally. The drum controller also features standard controller buttons in the middle of the peripheral for navigating in-game menus. Drummers can improvise in special “freestyle drum fill” sections of songs, indicated by the columns for each note turning a solid color. Overdrive for drummers can be deployed by hitting the crash cymbal (green note) that appears directly after a freestyle drum fill. Harmonix representatives have suggested, “If you can play the drum parts on hard, you can pretty much play the drums [in reality].”
Ben 10: Race Against Time is a live-action adaptation of the animated television series Ben 10 created by Man of Action. The working title was previously Ben 10 in the Hands of Armageddon. Directed by Alex Winter, it premiered on November 21, 2007 in the USA as a Cartoon Network original movie. The movie has a rating of TV-PG-V.
The Audi R8 is a mid-engined sports car introduced by the German automaker Audi in 2007. The first appearance of the car was in 2006, appearing at auto shows and events all over the world. The R8 is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo platform, as Audi has full ownership of subsidiary Lamborghini s.p.a. Audi announced in 2005 that the name of the successful Audi R8 race car would be used for a new road car in 2007, the Audi R8, based on the Audi Le Mans Quattro concept car concept vehicle, appearing at the 2003 , which was based on the earlier Audi RSQGeneva Auto Show and 2003 International Motor Show. The R8 was officially launched at the Paris Auto Show on 30 September 2006. There is some confusion with the name which the car shares with the Le Mans winning R8LMP. Originally, many thought the car would be called the R9 (as there is a gap in numbering left when Audi announced the R8’s successor, the diesel-powered R10).
