Alright, so it was more one bored person who just thought of this brilliant idea, but still… PVII is currently in its beta stage but somewhat like an old-school Adventure game. The story revolves around some scientists in the year 1996, that seek out an anomaly that is affecting the flow of time. Kind of like a blast to the past, but without all the graphical advancement that should be seen in the 1990s. Just plain-simple clicks and tags, and you are it! Log on to http://pv2.homelinux.com/ to get started.

Alright, so it was not really Robocop that we spotted in town, but rather an interschool tournament to find out who the best robot designer is. Coming on the 19-25 June 2010, this internationally recognized tournament sees the brains from schools from all around the world compete for the ultimate title as – Robot Genius. Fine. So it is not really a competition for such a ‘cool’ title, but still, it would be pretty neat to tell everyone you met that you are in fact, the Ultimate Robot Genius.

Amongst the 300 local students competing to represent Singapore in this 2010 showdown, a child as young as 7-year old has been spotted. Talk about cultivating the young! Still, with over 3,000 participants from over 40 countries, an amazing variety of lively performance can be viewed.

From robots kicking footballs. Machines that perform rescue missions. Automatons that take on an uncanny ‘human’-like’ artificial intelligence that seemingly blurs the lines of what is real and what is man-made; one word describes this event- Amazing. For more info, log-on to www.ctoo.sp.edu.sg/aricc/ and check out SP’s updates on this upcoming event.

Entertainment meets compact intellect; where does the line stand to be drawn?

If you are an individual like us who can hardly stand to be left unconnected, especially with our growing obsession with Facebook-ing and checking up on that other gamer you met recently at your local LAN shop, the Nokia 6760 slide might be a solution to your problem. Well at least one easily accomplish issue.

Built with a QWERTY keypad which is human-speak translates to what a normal keyboard would be if it were scaled to 1/8th its normal size, then that would be exactly what you might use to thumb away at. Easily update your social networks like MySpace and Facebook, as well as to massively update your emails and check your IMs at one go. Definitely a great one for those who simply cannot have their internet speeds compromise during a raid, and yet would like to have a little bit more of contact with the outside world. You know, after all, we geeks aren’t really all that anti-social, we are perhaps best known as socially-misunderstood *cough*

Did we mention its 2.4-inch display screen that allows for a great web-browsing experience, and if you are into the games offered by Nokia, play away as this set apparently supports up to 9 hours of game time. As for audiophiles, music playback has been upped a notch and sits at a maximum playback time of 17 hours. The Nokia 6760 slide is available in black and white and retails from S$319. Not a bad deal for those looking to start out on their first smart-phones.

Nokia 6760 Slider- In a Nutshell

• Sliding QWERTY keypad makes typing easy
• Integrated A-GPS and Nokia Maps
• Supports up to 10 simultaneous email accounts and emails with attachments or with filtering
• Fast and easy access to social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace or Twitter
• Full focus 3.2 megapixel camera
• Instant messaging with support for most popular instant messaging services like Google Talk and Windows Live Messenger

With miniscule-designed camcorders being all the rage these days, the latest Toshiba HD Camileo Camcorder range comes jam-packed with a newfound HD 1080p resolution, a rather handy design, and content-sharing functionality.  The S10 (the first picture, top left) sees a rather streamline design and can be easily pocketed and placed within one’s trouser’s pocket with ease. The P30 on the other hand (Second photo, on the right) sees a rather neat touch of reliability within its HD-lens, that comes in a rather stylish pistol grip form.

A surprisingly inexpensive treat for those wannabe video bloggers and amateur movie producers, where at a mere $ 279 (S10) and $ 399 (P30), Christmas could not have arrived at a more timely date!

Camileo S10: One of the slimmest HD camcorders on the market

• Only 17.9mm thin and weighs just 120g: fits into shirt pockets or handbags easily
• Captures HD videos at 1080p / 30fps in H264 format
• Shoots still photos at 8 megapixels (interpolated); 5 megapixel CMOS sensor
• Connectivity: HDMI, USB2.0, TV-out
• SDHC support

Camileo P30: Comfort and reliability for ambitious users

• 5X optical zoom
• Stylish and comfortable pistol grip
• Captures HD videos at 1080p / 30fps in H264 format
• Shoots still photos at 8 megapixels (interpolated); 5 megapixel CMOS sensor
• Video stabilization (720p resolution)
• Connectivity: HDMI, USB2.0, TV-out
• SDHC support

For more information, head on down to www.toshiba.com.sg, Toshiba Data Dynamics, Tel: 67418181.

Nikon D3s

• Newly Designed FX?format

• 12.1 Megapixels

• 3” VGA LCD Screen with wide?viewing angle

• Liveview Mode

• New & improved D?Movie (HD?Ready)

• ISO 200 – 12800 up to Hi3 (102400)

• 9fps in FX?format; 11fps in DX?format

• High?density 51?point AF

• Dual CF Card Slots

S$7,888

AF-S DX NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

• FX?format

• Built?in Vibration Reduction (VR II) equivalent to increase in shutter speed by 4 steps

• Normal VR or Active VR mode

• Silent Wave Motor (SWM)

S$3,699

PlayNow™ plus is an all-you-can-eat music buffet service with millions of international and regional tracks just waiting to be downloaded from the library.  Kind of similar to the likes of Nokia’s launch of its Nokia music store, the PlayNow™ plus enables users to create their own profiles, recommend music to their friends, or simply catch up with the latest from the music scene. That’s a plus point for customization and personalizing stuff for one’s entertainment.

Of course with the purchase of the Yari, which already comes preloaded with 1,000 best-selling international and regional songs, this mobile gives its user a truly mobile music-on-the-go experience. This services is exclusively available at M1 for SGD 19.26/month over a 24 month period.

And it doesn’t stop there, Sony Ericsson Yari™ and M1 exclusive promotion includes –· Free 2GB Micro SD card

• 3 FREE games (Select exciting titles from Gameloft such as Guitar Rock Tour 2, Raving Rabbits: TV Party, Spiderman: Toxic City and many more!)
• Plus 5 pre-loaded fun and exciting trial games
• FREE Special Edition Back Cover
• FREE limited edition Fahrenheit EZ-link card and phone pouch*

* While stocks last. Terms & conditions apply.

Not only does the Nokia E72 boast a sleek and contemporary design, it also supports instant messaging (IM) accounts (such as Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk and Ovi, amongst many others) provided by Nokia Messaging direct from the homescreen for the first time. For work emails, there are Microsoft Mail for Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes Traveler.

What we thought was really eye-catching lay in its connectivity of both a built-in 3.5G and WiFi-network. Simple and intuitive. A must have for the business user. And of course, we must not forget its new found 16GB of storage space and whooping 5MP camera feature.

Available in three colours:  Zodium black, Metal grey and Topaz brown, the E72 is definitely set to wow its users.

Key features of the Nokia E72 include:·QWERTY keyboard; One-touch keys for the Home, Calendar, Contacts and Email icons; Intuitive Optical Navi Key; HSDPA maximum speed: 10.2 Mbps; Integrated A-GPS with compass; Nokia Maps 3.0; 5 megapixel camera (2592 x 1944 pixels) with autofocus and flash!

Available at RRP: SGD$ 750, excluding operator plan and GST. www.nokia.com.sg

From the planets of the Galaxy that has arrived in Europe already comes its latest incarnation, or little brother known by the nick of  "Galaxy Spica.", or in our words, Spicy Galaxy…

Let us just say that we are more then taken by this newest Android’s smacking good looks where at a mere 13.2mm thickness and with a 3.5mm audio jack (Finally!), this speedy Gonzales that runs on a 800MHz core also comes with one drool-worthy feature. Its very own, in-built DivX support. Now, not only does video-rendering come at a top-notch quality, we get to show all our ‘videos’ to the world, of how sloppy our workmates are. Rumoured to soon arrive in Asia, we have our fingers crossed at this very moment.

More info: Engadget

The average household now has nine screens, including TVs, computers, PDAs, MP3 players and mobile phones. For nearly half, that includes three or more TVs, according to a survey of 500 Queenslanders done by Pure Profile Research for NRMA Insurance. <!–More To See–>

Our love affair with technology means we are defying international trends. It is confirmed by the bottom lines of electronic retailers such as JB Hi-Fi and research by electronics giant Canon.

NRMA Insurance spokesman Frank Adler said most households denied their screen time was impacting on family interactions but it was now "normal" for family members to be using different forms of technology at the same time.

While time in front of games peaked around the age of eight, an Australian Communications and Media Authority study found, internet use increased from the age of just four. The one constant was TV, used by about 94 per cent of Australians of all ages.

And when it came to television, rules about content and time were most often in place for younger viewers. "The majority of parents of 3 and 4-year-olds had rules about television content," the study said. "In contrast, more parents of 8 to 17-year-olds had rules about when their child could watch television rather than rules about television content. For more: The Herald Sun

The study into buyer attitudes by global automotive analyst company JD Power has global implications for car brands increasingly trying to snare a younger audience. The company’s Australian managing director, Brian Fine, believes the findings could change the way car makers deal with younger buyers.

"For car companies, younger buyers are their starting point," he said.

"If they don’t get them at the early stages then they are probably going to have a tougher sell later on."

Although it was a US study, Mr Fine said younger buyers have surprisingly similar views on car ownership globally. The survey found that the global economic crisis had made young people more aware of the costs involved with owning and fuelling a vehicle.

What else can we say about the youngsters today except that the money they have in their pocket is probably going to go to funding snacks and junk food whilst communicating via the inter-web. That is economies of scale if you ask us.

More info: The Herald Sun