VIRTUAL REALITY

Virtual reality (VR) is a technology, which allows a user to interact with a computer-simulated environment, be it a real or imagined one. Most current virtual reality environments are primarily visual experiences, displayed either on a computer screen or through special or stereoscopic displays, but some simulations include additional sensory information, such as sound through speakers or headphones. Some advanced, haptic systems now include tactile information, generally known as force feedback, in medical and gaming applications. Users can interact with a virtual environment or a virtual artifact (VA) either through the use of standard input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, or through multimodal devices such as a wired glove, the Polhemus boom arm, and omnidirectional treadmill. The simulated environment can be similar to the real world, for example, simulations for pilot or combat training, or it can differ significantly from reality, as in VR games. In practice, it is currently very difficult to create a high-fidelity virtual reality experience, due largely to technical limitations on processing power, image resolution and communication bandwidth. However, those limitations are expected to eventually be overcome as processor, imaging and data communication technologies become more powerful and cost-effective over time.

Enlarge pictureJust a couple of days ago, modders were able to break into the Beta of Halo 3 and extract the most vital information ever about a game – everything: weapons, vehicles, game types, variations and so on. Although it sounds like a long-shot for Bungie to have left all this in the open, it sounds quite real. Thus, TeamXbox has posted the entire contents of what modders found. One in particular strikes you right in the kisser: a Four player co-op mode."Only 2 players may play splitscreen coop on the same Xbox 360 console. The party size is too large to start the game. Up to 4 players may play coop on Xbox Live or System Link," says TeamXbox.And for the full list of features, soon to be available in the full Halo 3, check right below:Weapons- Assault Rifle- Battle Rifle- Beam Rifle- Brute Shot- Carbine- Excavator- Gravity Hammer- Flamethrower- Magnum- Missile Launcher- Needler- Plasma Pistol- Plasma Rifle- Fuel Rod Cannon- Rocket Launcher- Shotgun- SMG- Sniper Rifle- Spartan Laser- Spiker- SwordVehicles- Mongoose- Warthog- Hornet- Pelican- Scorpion-Ghost- Brute Chopper- Spectre- Shadow- Banshee- Phantom- Wraith Game Types- Capture the Flag: Invade your opponent's stronghold, heist their flag, and bring it back to your base to score.- Slayer: Kill as many of your opponents as you can. The player with the most points wins.

- Oddball: Find the ball and hold on to it to earn time. The player with the most time wins.- King of the Hill: Gain control of the hill to earn time. Keep your opponents off and earn the most time to win.- Juggernaut: Work together to take down the Juggernaut. Beware, you kill the Juggernaut, you become the Juggernaut, and only the Juggernaut can win.- Territories: Find and control the territories on the map. The more territories you control, the faster you earn time.- Infection: Destroy the Flood or become infected. Score points for killing flood or big points for infecting a human. The player with the most points wins.- Assault: Da bomb!- V.I.P.: Protect the V.I.P. from dying at the hands of your opponents. If you are the V.I.P., you must stay alive or your opponents score a point. - VariationsShareable content with other users in a similar way to movies. - Team Slayer- Team Swords- Team Rockets- Team Shotguns- Team Fiesta- Team Phantoms- Slayer Duel- Sword Duel- Rifle Duel- Rumble Slayer- Rumble Swords- Rumble Rockets- Rumble Shotguns- Oddball- Fiesta Ball- Team Ball King- Phantom King- Crazy King- Team Crazy King- Multi Flag CTF- CTF Wraiths- CTF Classic- Shotgun CTF- 1 Flag CTF- 1 Flag CTF Fast- Multi Bomb Assault- Rapid Assault- Neutral Bomb- Neut. Bomb Fast- 3 Plots Land Grab- Games menu optionsSettings from the game menu options:- Damage resistance- Shield multiplier- Shield recharge rate- Immune to headshots- Grenade counts- Infinite ammo- Weapon pickup disabled- Player speed (25%, 50%, 75%, 90%, 100%, 110%, 125%, 150%, 200%, 300%)- Player gravity (50%, 100%, 200%)- Vehicle use (passenger only)- Motion tracker range (10m, 25m, 75m, 100m, 150m)- Appearance: Vis effects (black glow, team glow, white glow). Active camo: good camo that might fool the elite, poor camo that might fool a grunt. Indestructible vehicles (on, off)

Enlarge pictureSony Ericsson Lizy phone model has been seen on very few occasions up to this point. From this reason, the new image that has been going by for the past few days has naturally opened the door for speculations and discussions on the phone's features.Unfortunately, there is little information available on the Sony Ericsson Lizy phone. Among the few sure things known about it is that it supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. This places it among the cellular models that offer a large amount of information to its users at fast and reliable transfer rates. Moreover, it is a tri-band phone, which supports GSM900/1800/1900 networks.

The cell phone follows the path line set by the Sony M600i model when it comes to design. Instead of plastic, it now has a metal case. Even more, it shares the same keypad with the M600 phone model, as to provide QWERTY keyboard on the number buttons. Considering its simple design, this promises to be a considerably practical phone model, that will come as great help for information transfer. Moreover, the Wi-Fi connectivity means that it can easily handle media, by downloading music, images and videos to be later listened or viewed.Sony Ericsson M610i Lizy also comes equipped with a camera and a series of features that are expected to at least match those of the M600 model. For this reason, the Lizy phone will most probably be 3G enabled and also run on Symbian OS. Media support, such as MP3, video rendering and email are also expected to be provided at high quality. Even more, it is left to see if the TFT touchscreen will also be capable of recognizing handwriting, as it was the case with the other phone model.Sony Ericsson M610i has just finished FCC testing and has been approved. A date for its release has not been revealed so far.

V CAST

Enlarge pictureVerizon Wireless announced the availability of V CAST Song ID, an enhancement to the V CAST Music service that allows users to easily identify songs. With V CAST Song ID, when users hear a song, they can capture a sample of what they are listening to on their phone and the service will identify the song. V CAST Song ID also lets consumers purchase the matching full-track song, ringtone or ringback tone over-the-air right from the cell phone.To use the service, customers only need a V CAST Music-enabled phone to start identifying recorded music playing on the radio, in a club, on the street or from virtually

any music source. V CAST Song ID can identify more than four million songs, spanning almost all music genres, from the latest chart toppers to ‘80s rock classics. When the user places the phone near a music source and records a 10-second clip, V CAST Song ID names the artist, song and album title. After successful recognition, the application will determine if the song is available as a full-track song, ringtone or ringback tone and directly launch the Verizon Wireless’ V CAST Music store where the consumer has the option to purchase and download the track.Mike Lanman, Verizon Wireless chief marketing officer, commented: "Launching V CAST Song ID is yet another reason why Americans who want the best mobile music experience are switching to Verizon Wireless. At a time when some of our competitors won’t even allow you to download your music over-the-air, Verizon Wireless is pushing forward by offering Song ID for free. We’ll help you find the music you love, then make it easy for you to buy."V CAST Song ID is available as a free download on V CAST Music-enabled phones in the Music and Tones section of the Get It Now virtual store. Once downloaded, consumers can use the application for free to identify songs.