Sony Reveals 3D Gran Turismo 5

Sony, hoping to boost 3D Bravia television sales, has revealed four 3D augmented PlayStation 3 games, of which are Grand Turismo 5, Wipeout HD, Motorstorm 2, and Killzone 2. GT5 was the only playable demo in the unveiling in Tokyo.

GT5 apparently didn´t look markedly better or worse in 3D compared to its 2D twin. Sadly, it is reported that it has the "pop-up book look" that 3D images give with 2D images layered on top of each other.

Sony is expecting to turn profits as it looks to aggressively launch 3D gaming and television products. Sony´s shares have risen since the the announcement.

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=84278

Vitamins Fail Man in Protection From Bladder Cancer

A new study is correlating that vitamins may not help men in their fight against bladder cancer. While researching more than 10,000 men in prostate screenings, it was found that 60% took supplements (48% taking three or more) and found no connection.

Other studies on residents aged 50~76 in Washington State (77,719 surveyed) found that 330 developed bladder cancer over a span of five years. Researchers found no link in vitamins lowering chances of developing the bladder cancer.

"It´s really disturbing to think that so many people are taking vitamins, assuming that these pills are providing some sort of health benefits," bemused Dr. Mark A. Moyad, who moderates a panel where these finding will be discussed today.

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=84280

Bangladesh Bans Facebook of Muhammad Drawing Group

Social networking site Facebook has been blocked from servers in Bangladesh after the discovery of a group page that urges people to draw the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. Pakistan has also banned the site over religious concerns.

The government in Bangladesh assured people that Facebook would be restored to the country when the offensive content was removed. There is a page on Facebook called "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day". Some in Bangladesh blasted the ban.

One Facebook user said: "The government should have stopped the objectionable page rather than blocking the entire site." Approximately 1 million people in Bangladesh have a Facebook account.

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=84291

Google Street View Banned in Austria

Austria has banned the Google Street View cars temporarily so that government regulators can take the time investigating privacy concerns. The Data Protection Commission (DSK) in Austria confirmed the investigation was taking place.

The DSK said: "To clarify the matter, we are asking Google... to present a precise technical description of its data-collection activities by June 7, 2010, as well as to answer a detailed questionnaire."

The investigation comes after Google admitted the company had "screwed up" while taking pictures for the Street View feature on its mapping service. It was discovered that the cameras inadvertantly collected person information and sent it unsecured.

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=84293

iPad on Sale in Europe and Asia - Long Lines and Eager Buyers

On Friday Apple´s new tablet computer, the iPad, went on sale in Europe and Asia and caused long lines in the shops in London, Paris, Frankfurt and Tokyo. In Frankfurt hundreds of buyers already came at 3 a.m. to snatch one of the popular devices.

"If I was a music fan, it would be the launch of a Lady GaGa album in the U.S.," comedian Stephen Fry said about the launch of Apple´s newest product. In the United States already, a million units have been sold in only 28 days.

After workers at a Chinese factory that produces iPads committed suicide, concerns about working conditions were raised. In a statement, Apple however, responded that the conditions for workers are safe and that they are treated with respect.

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=84299

2-Year-Old Smokes 40 Cigarettes Per Day

At first sight 2-year-old Ardi Rizal looks like a normal boy but he has a "special" habit. He smokes about 40 cigarettes a day and no one can prevent him from doing so. Local officers even offer to buy the family a car if the boy quits smoking.

"He´s totally addicted. If he doesn´t get cigarettes, he gets angry and screams and batters his head against the wall. He tells me he feels dizzy and sick," his mother complains. Furthermore the Indonesian boy smokes only one special brand.

Even if the boy is really unfit and his condition is getting worse, his father does not see any problems. "He looks pretty healthy to me," he says. A study in Indonesia shows that Ardi Rizal is not a singular case.

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=84298

Summer cell phones: which will make the biggest splash?

SoftBank, DoCoMo and KDDI are all hoping that their new lineup of cell phone models are going to make a big splash on the market when they’re released this summer. On one count at least, that will be true for almost all models, as waterproof was the dominant feature in this season’s phones.

But being able to cut it poolside wasn’t the biggest issue. What had keitai-watchers buzzing was whether DoCoMo and KDDI would to outshine SoftBank in the smartphone arena. SoftBank currently sell the iPhone, which has quickly become the nation’s favorite smartphone. Given the exclusivity of Softbank’s agreement with Apple, Docomo and KDDI naturally had to come up with rival devices to knock the sheen of Apple’s best selling gadget. To that end, last week both carriers announced new phones that will run on the Android OS. Among them were more interface options. For example, KDDI’s IS01 smartphone offers both a qwerty keyboard and a touch display; same goes for Docomo’s Sharp LYNX SH-10B.

But SoftBank still seems to continue to be one step ahead, in terms of innovation. Many of the new cell phones in the SoftBank stable are Twitter-friendly, straight out of the box, thanks to either an app or widget. After the U.S., Japan has the highest number of Tweet traffic in the world, with the Japanese making up 15 percent of the globe’s Tweets, so it’s easy to see how this function might be popular.

SoftBank also showed itself to be ahead of the curve by introducing a pet monitoring device called Mimamori which can be controlled by the user’s cell phone. This very groovy looking digital camera is equipped with a motion sensor that allows it to track a pet’s movements while in the home and relay shots of that pet to the user’s mobile. The camera can also be remotely controlled in real time by users who want to check up on their pets while they are out of the house.

While Softbank pulled ahead with novelties such as these, DoCoMo really came up trumps in the style stakes by offering brand-designed phones for their Style Series, including models designed by popular brands Francfranc and Marimekko. Expect to see these stylish numbers dangling from the handbags of Shibuya and Ginza this summer.

As we already mentioned, the majority of phones were waterproofed this season. Will solar charging be the next big thing in the fall collections? If so, both KDDI and SoftBank are already out of the gate. SoftBank’s Solar Hybrid 936SH developed by Sharp offers two hours of standby display or one minute call time for a 10-minute charge. KDDI also offers a Sharp model with their Solar Phone SH007 and also claims that a 10-minute solar charge is enough for a one-minute phone call.

As temperatures soar and these new phones hit the streets, the battle to knock the iPhone off its top spot is set to intensify.

http://blog.japantimes.co.jp/japan-pulse/turning-up-the-heat-on-this-summers-cell-phone-releases/