Sony has officially announced their PlayStation 3 Slim that will retail for $100 less than the current PlayStation 3 fat which is also being reduced in price.

According to Gizmodo, the PS3 slim will come with a 120GB drive, and will be 32% smaller and 36% lighter than the standard PlayStation 3, as well as using 34% less power.

The $300 price will apply to all PlayStation 3s and the Slim will be available to the public during the first week of September.

The current PS3 model will be reduced to $300, whereas the 160GB PS3 will be $400. There will be a new PS3 logo as well as modifications to the official name from PLAYSTATION 3 to PlayStation 3.

It’ll also have a BRAVIA Sync feature that’ll allow you to control the PS3’s XMB with your Sony TV remote as long as they’re connected via HDMI. And the TV will automatically turn off the PS3 when the TV goes off.

Sony also says that they’re eliminating the feature of installing other operating systems on the Slim, so no more Linux.

And there will only be two USB ports.

To shop for the current Sony Playstation 3 please click here.

For the past couple of weeks rumours of a smaller version of the Sony Playstation 3 are getting stronger and we may very close to an official confirmation and release date. Rumours are so hot that we even included in our latest poll: 3 Gadgets for Xmas – Zune HD, Apple iTablet, Sony PS3 Slim

While doing some research on the subject, we even found that some American based shopping websites are already pre-selling a PS3 Slim priced at $300 which includes Blu-ray, a 120 GB HD, DualShock 3 controller and a HDMI output with 1080p support.

With the confirmation of the PS3 Slim prices on the current chubby Playstation 3 are likely to drop but that is not the only reason for a price drop on the PS3.

According to a very reliable source we found out that Sony found a way to reduce the Playstation 3 production costs by 70% which is already raising some eyebrows at Microsoft and Nintendo, manufacturers of the Xbox 360 and the Wii respectively. Though the drop in costs maybe has more to do with going to a 45nm fab as IBM has got the cell processor down to that levels – the original PS3 was 90nm.

With those PS3 Slim rumours, some retailers jumped to conclusions and have already reduced their prices, which strengthen the rumours about a slimmer version of the Playstation 3.

All these rumours could be confirmed later today during Sony’s press briefing at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, and according to the show’s press site, Sony is factoring in a three-hour presentation, a very long time to just announce a price cut and a new Playstation 3 version.

Industry experts and gamers around the globe are in two minds, while some believe Sony will announce a release date for Gran Turismo 5 others think Sony’s 3 hour presentation will have to do with the new motion controller, Sony’s contender to Microsoft’s Natal presented at this year’s E3.

Tired of searching through your collection of remote controls to find the right one. A new research project has come up with a very different way to control all the gadgets in  a typical living room.

CRISTAL (Control of Remotely Interfaced Systems using Touch-based Actions in Living spaces) is a research project from a group of universities that attempts to create a more natural way of interacting with devices found in a typical living room. The system offers a live video view of the living room displayed on a tabletop, so users can can walk up to it, see the layout of the room and touch the table to interact with the TV, photo frame or any of the other devices – the prototype can also control the lights and a Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner.

You can see how this system works in a video the team have produced.

One of the team members Dr Stacy Scott says:

“We wanted a social aspect to activities such as choosing what to watch on TV and we wanted to make the process easy and intuitive,”

Stacy estimates that the current cost is around £7000 but she is confident that in a few years something like it will be a viable consumer product, especially as Microsoft is also experimenting in this area.

2009 is turning out to be a bumper year for gadget fanciers with a number of long awaited electronic gadgets just launched or on the runway to a launch for the Christmas shopping season. 

Apple iTablet

With the long in the gestation Apple Tablet / iTablet due for a launch before Christmas. Will apple be able to create a new type of computer product or is this another Newton a  nice technology that in the end goes nowhere

.

 Zune HD

Microsoft’s OLED iPod killer is out in the states to very good reviews which is not common for Microsoft hardware products – could this be a turning point for Microsoft?

 Sony PS3 Slim

There have been loads of rumors about a slimed down and cheaper Play Station 3 for some time now. And there have been glimpses of pre release marketing with a new 120GB model being the most common rumor. Sony have apparently managed to reduce the cost of producing a PS3 by 70% and maybe be gearing up for an assault on the XBOX and Wii  at Christmas.

Let us know what you think in our poll

[poll id="2"]

A US court has banned American Software Company RealNetworks from selling a program that lets people make copies of their DVDs.

The ruling stops Real from selling RealDVD, a piece of software that allows you to make back-up copies of their movie discs and save them to their computer.

Although free DVD ripping software is already available online, Real raised the hackles of Hollywood executives in 2008 because it paid for a license to the DVD Copy Control Association, believing that it could be interpreted to allow the services they wanted to provide.

In her ruling, Judge Marilyn Hall Patel said:

“While it may well be fair use for an individual consumer to store a backup copy of a personally-owned DVD on that individual’s computer, a federal law has nonetheless made it illegal to manufacture or traffic in a device or tool that permits a consumer to make such copies.”

Campaigners had argued that consumers had the right to make personal copies of material they had legally obtained, and that Real should not be punished.

Real Networks said that it was “disappointed” in the ruling and would take time to examine the verdict closely before considering whether to appeal.

Do you agree with the judges verdict or do you think we should be able to copy our own DVDs??

Either way you can watch them on the DVD players and recorders available here at AJ Electronics, for more details please visit the website.

Google has announced a new version of its search engine which is said to be faster and more accurate than ever before.

The upgrade, which has been dubbed “caffeine” by insiders, was announced on Monday after the company opened up access to web developers.

Although little about the appearance of the new version has changed, engineers promised that radical changes behind the scenes would result in vast improvements for users.

The company said in a statement: “For the past several months a large team of Googlers has been working on a secret project: next-generation architecture for Google’s web search.”

Caffeine will allow Google to index the web at a higher pace – gathering more information and doing it faster.

Martin McNulty, director of search marketing specialist Trafficbroker wrote on his blog: “Google’s Caffeine is undoubtedly faster, almost twice as fast at times. It’s like a Google Gti.”

The company claims that significant changes to the way the system works will improve the experience for users – although it will also send shockwaves through marketers who try and optimise their results to appear higher up in Google’s index.

This new Google “caffeine” injection will increase the speed of your searches on your MacBooks and Sony Living Room PC available here at AJ Electronics.

It looks likely that Microsoft will launch a new version of the Zune MP3 Player on September the 5th or 8th.

Microsoft say the about the Zune HD

• Zune HD is the next iteration of the Zune device family and brings a new level of listening and viewing experiences to the portable media player category.
• Zune HD comes with a built-in HD Radio receiver so users can listen to higher-quality sound than traditional radio on the go. Users also will have access to the additional song and artist data broadcast by HD Radio stations as well as additional channels from their favorite stations multicasting in HD. If you don’t like the song playing on your station’s HD channel, switch to its HD2 or HD3 channels for additional programming.
• The bright OLED touch screen interface allows users to flip through music, movies and other content with ease, and the 16:9 widescreen format display (480×272 resolution) offers a premium viewing experience on the go.
• The HD-compatible output lets Zune HD customers playback supported HD video files from the device through a premium high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) audiovisual docking station (sold separately) direct to an HD TV in 720p.*
• Zune HD will include a full-screen Internet browser optimized for multitouch functionality.
• Zune HD is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing for instant streaming to the device from the more than 5 million-track Zune music store.

Even some Apple fans have been saying that maybe this is the MP3 player with a chance of making some inroads into the iPods dominance. And with Apple getting a lot of bad press over problems with the iPhone app store recently* and Microsoft getting the better of Yahoo in the search deal, may be Steve Ballmer isn’t such a bad replacement for Bill Gates.

The launch will be USA only at first it will be interesting to see what features a UK /Euro version of the Zune HD would have – the HD radio feature would have to change quite radically.

What do you think is the iPod going to be knocked off the top spot as the must have MP3 Player?

*note: The author thinks that most of Apples problems are due to its iPhone deal with ATT – you don’t get a nick name like the “Death Star” for nothing.

As part of the pre-season event for season ticket holders at the Dallas Cowboys. A Sony PlayStation 3 console tournament was played out on the worlds largest HDTV – the Godzillatron.

PlayStation and EA Sports invited more than 200 fans to the NFL’s newest stadium last Saturday to battle it out on Cowboys’ Stadium’s big screen, playing Madden NFL 10 and a Sony PlayStation 3.

For those of you who don’t own a football club, AJ Electronics has a range of large HDTV’s more suited to the average home.

note: John Madden is a well known American Football coach and American TV presenter.

For those of you looking to get into HDTV there has never been a better time to replace your old TV set. With LCD and Plasma TV Manufacturers battling it out for dominance in the HDTV market there are loads of good deals around. To help you make the decision there are a number of interactive tools available including one from LG Electronics here.

HDTVtest also has a system to recommend a HDTV based on your viewing habits for the  important entry level HDTV they recommend the LG 42PG6000 42 Inch Plasma TV which we have on offer.

The LG 42PG6000 42 inch plasma television should make the shortlist of anyone looking to acquire a flat screen HDTV for less than £600. the LG 42PG6000  has  a “frameless” design which scooped up the “Best Of Innovation” award at CES 2008 in Las Vegas,

The 42PG6000 is currently just £555 here. This is a great TV for general TV viewing how ever if you play a lot of Games via your XBOX 360, Wii or PS3 a LCD HDTV like the Samsung 40 Inch 1080p LCD TV here may be better suited.

The 2009 Panasonic Blu-ray players launched earlier this year will now be able to view more than just Blu-ray discs, following a deal with Amazon.

According to Panasonic, current owners of Panasonic’s 2009 Blu-ray disc players in the USA will automatically receive a free software update to be able to access their Video On Demand service.

The Blu-Ray players, which were launched in April, will be able to access 45,000 titles, 1000 of which are in HD.

Models to get the software update include the DMP-BD60, BD70V, BD80 and the company’s portable Blu-ray disc player, the B15.

As well as Amazon Video On Demand, VIERA CAST will continue to provide access to YouTube, Picasa Web Albums, Bloomberg News and weather information says Panasonic.

To shop for current Panasonic Blu-Ray players at AJ Electronics please click here.