“Doom” movie puts viewers behind the gun
Hollywood is breaking ground on the silver screen by putting movie fans in the seat of trigger-happy game players as it tries to cash in on gaming’s popularity this Friday with a film adaptation of the classic title “Doom.” In a novel sequence lasting several minutes, the movie offers a taste of the first-person-shooter gaming style introduced in the original “Doom” title, but whether the gimmick will lure fans awaits weekend box office results. “Doom,” based on the blockbuster video game series considered to be the granddaddy of this generation, pits an elite team of Marines against chromosomally mutated monsters on Mars. When the film’s action peaks, the camera’s perspective changes to that of Karl Urban’s “Reaper,” the movie’s hero, as he blasts a series of gruesome aliens to bits.
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Apple Computer Inc. has a runaway hit with its market-leading iPod digital music player, but could the device’s success actually hurt the company’s profitability over the longer haul? “It’s an excellent question,” said Shaw Wu, an analyst at American Technology Research, who estimates the gross margin average of all iPod models is about 22 percent, narrower than the margin earned on its higher-end Macintosh computers. “You look at last quarter, their gross margin went down a bit sequentially.” Gross margin, or the percentage of revenue left after subtracting product costs for Apple in its September-ended quarter was 28.1 percent, narrower than the 29.7 percent in the June-ended quarter. Gross margin is one common metric analysts and investors track to gauge the health of a business and how much to pay for a company’s stock.
Samsung Taiwan launched five handsets yesterday in Taiwan, with four models priced below NT$10,000 (US$299) targeting the middle- and entry-level segments. Samsung’s X208, at NT$5,200 (US$155), represents the lowest-priced handset ever launched by the South Korea vendor in Taiwan, according to market sources. The other models introduced are the E348, E358, X668, and E758.
Utimaco has released its latest SafeGuard PushMail security technology, software that encrypts all e-mails sent to and from BlackBerry devices, thereby preventing information from being read by unauthorized persons. Only the recipient can read and process the decrypted mail. BlackBerry users always receive their e-mail encrypted with S/MIME and OpenPGP security standard. A recipient who does not use a BlackBerry device receives the e-mail either in encrypted or unencrypted form. Although BlackBerry vendor Research in Motion (RIM) has long used encryption to protect e-mail, some official agencies around the world have identified certain security deficits as a result of RIM’s server structure. As a result, a recent German Federal Office for Information Technology Security (BSI) report labeled “the architecture of BlackBerry as unsuitable for use in critical IT infrastructures of authorities and enterprises threatened by espionage.”
Already the world’s leading supplier of image sensors for medium-format professional photography, Kodak is expanding its product line with the introduction of the world’s highest-resolution sensors for professional photography. The KODAK KAF-39000 Image Sensor, featuring 39 million pixels, and the KODAK KAF-31600 Image Sensor, with 31.6 million pixels, offer professional camera and camera back manufacturers resolution and image detail that was once unimaginable for digital cameras, allowing photographers to experience a new level of image quality for portrait, wedding, landscape, fashion, studio, and commercial photography. These new CCD image sensors have already been selected for use by Phase One A/S for use in their upcoming P45 and P30 digital camera backs.
Rice University Scientists have done it. After BMW announced the possibility of producing a car that would utilize nanotechnology practically for all functions, Rice University scientists developed the world’s first single-molecule car- the car that was driven on a gold microscopic highway. It a small coupe that is devoid of any plush seating or conventional steering system. But it is a real solution for the grid locked cities. With a wheelbase of less than 5 nm, parking it is a cakewalk. The nanocar consists of a chassis and axles made of well-defined organic groups with pivoting suspension and freely rotating axles. The wheels are buckyballs, spheres of pure carbon containing 60 atoms apiece. The entire car measures just 3-4 nanometers across, making it slightly wider than a strand of DNA. A human hair, by comparison, is about 80,000 nanometers in diameter.
3S Digital Korea has 
Sony announces new packages for the Sony PSP called Giga Pack in Japan. The PSP-1000 G1 contains the black Sony PSP bundled with a 1GB Pro DUO Memory stick. Now Sony also bundles a USB cable in this package along with the usual stuff known from the value pack. Only thing missing is the white strap. Sony thinks consumers want custom straps and released a set of Sony PSP straps in different design. The PSP-1000 G1CW is the same packages just featuring the white Sony PSP. The new Sony PSP Giga Pack will be selling starting November 17th for 29,800 Yen (~$260). Via 
Gizmondo USA has announced its games lineup for the North American launch, set for October 22. The 14 titles are the first in what’s hopefully a long line of releases for the versatile handheld game platform. Mike Carrender, CEO, Tiger Telematics, says: “This line-up has something for everyone. We’re thrilled to be introducing the first two titles under the co-publishing partnership with EA to the US audience, and development is continuing at pace with titles from our other publishing partners, SCi, Microsoft Games Studios, and Disney Buena Vista.” These 14 titles will be followed by seven more over the coming weeks. Gizmondo owners can expect to see games like Chicane, Hit & Myth, Conflict: Vietnam, and Carmageddon at retail outlets carrying the system. The SD card-based Gizmondo games will be priced between 19.99 and 39.99 US, and are supplied on SD card.