New PC unveiled - with chance to win holiday to US

THE hunt is on as Asus UK have selected the Easter Bank Holiday weekend to unveil to the UK consumer the artfully designed Karim Rashid Eee PC Seashell 1008P Collection.

World-renowned industrial designer Karim Rashid’s touch is evident in the techno-chic Eee PC Seashell 1008P which is designed to appeal to all 5 senses.

Available in either glossy Hot Pink or matte Coffee Brown finish it brings together function and fashion in a simple, practical and affordable package.
The Eee PC Seashell 1008P integrates the new Intel Atom N450 processor with Windows 7 Starter, Express Gate and Super Hybrid Engine. This winning combination helps optimise energy efficiency and deliver up to a whopping 8 hours of battery life -giving users long lasting functionality when and where they need it most.

Asus’ own highly styled Ken Lee will be popping up all over London (April 3-4) and asking the question:

Which one are you, hot pink or seductive brown?

Everyone who joins in will not only receive a free Asus USB stick but the chance to win a shopping holiday for two to Bloomington, Minnesota - home to the Mall of America.

All entries will be posted online at www.techinstyle.tv from 07 April.

If you aren’t able to join in the Karim Rashid Easter Hunt, worry not, just capture your choice of pink or brown on camera, log on to techinstyle.tv and share with friends and family and the most popular entry will win the shopping holiday*

In addition, the first 500 video entries will all receive a free ASUS USB stick.

The holiday is supplied courtesy of Bloomington, Minnesota (bloomingtonmn.org) and Sun Country Airlines (suncountry.com) and includes return economy flights from Stansted to Minneapolis, 4 nights accommodation and a Mall of America shopping spree voucher as well as a shopping voucher booklet.

So this Easter, dump the egg, and come on an Easter hunt with the Karim Rashid Eee PC.

Ps. If you spot Ken Lee around London on April 3-4, take a snapshot and send to info@techinstyle.tv and one lucky winner will receive a free Karim Rashid Eee PC.

FirstPlay console show launches in April

EUROPE’S first on-console show FirstPlay will launch its first weekly episode on Thursday (April 8) on the PlayStation Network, bringing high-def video reviews and previews every week, plus exclusive downloadable content and much more.
Brought about by TechRadar’s publisher Future, FirstPlay will be available to UK gamers through Sony’s PlayStation 3 console from the PlayStation Network for 99p an episode or £8.99 for a 90-day subscription.
Highlights in the first episode include a review of Just Cause 2 – rewarding viewers with an exclusive in-game item for use by Rico Rodriquez as well as Sony’s God of War III – and a first-look at EA’s Fifa World Cup 2010.
Plus, there’s an interactive gallery function, including screenshots and artwork from Formula One 2010, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and Red Dead Redemption.

Other OS to be disabled in new PS3 software update

FAT PS3 owners beware - if you have installed an alternative operating system on your console, it may become redundant in a couple of days' time.

The next system software update for the PlayStation 3 system will be released on April 1, and will disable the “Install Other OS” feature that was available on the PS3 systems prior to the current slimmer models, launched in September 2009. This feature enabled users to install an operating system, but due to security concerns, Sony Computer Entertainment will remove the functionality through the 3.21 system software update.

This was a handy feature for techie PS3 owners to have, but obviously worries over the console and the PlayStation Network mean you will just have to make use of the Sony OS from now on.

Planet MiniGolf heading to the PS3

ZEN Studios has announced that Planet MiniGolf will be coming exclusively to PlayStation Network in Spring 2010.

ZEN is applying its acclaimed ball physics engine used in top-selling ZEN Pinball to deliver the best golf experience on PlayStation.

Planet MiniGolf features a deep single-player campaign with beautiful and intricate courses and over 140 challenging holes to play through, as well as a multitude of fun multi-player options, from the local hotseat mode to weekly online tournaments and a Worldwide Competition mode.

Free app to track down Cask Ale locally

TODAY sees the launch of CaskFinder, a new iPhone application available free of charge from Apple’s AppStore to coincide with National Cask Ale Week.

CaskFinder is designed to help consumers enjoy and appreciate Cask Ale wherever they may be in the UK!

Combining data from The Cask Marque pub quality inspection scheme and The Cyclops Beer standardisation initiative, both industry sponsored bodies, CaskFinder uses the location-awareness of the iPhone to show consumers nearby pubs, brewers and events.

Finding a Cask Marque quality approved pub couldn’t be easier – there are over 6,000 in the UK and growing all the time – just click on the Cask Marque pub icon on the downloaded app and CaskFinder shows you automatically on a map where your nearest pubs are.

Once you have found a pub, you can click on its icon and find out what beers it serves, based on its Cask Marque quality inspection.

If you are unfamiliar with the beers or just want to try something new, you can click on the beer logo and immediately view the Cyclops Beer database information held for over 1,000 beers. The Cyclops database contains standardised tasting information compiled by trained inspectors, including Head Brewers, so you’ll know they know what they are talking about!

If consumers find a beer that interests them, they can search in reverse i.e. find nearby pubs where the beer is served, using a “Where to Drink” facility. If they like a particular brewer’s beers, they can find out more about the brewer and even see what other beers they produce – and find out which pubs you can drink them in. Or they could just browse through the database and choose any one of the 1,000+ beers at random!

In addition to finding pubs and beers, CaskFinder includes a number of other useful features – a list of Beer Festivals complete with contact details, admission prices and maps to show you where to go – a Beer Blog from award winning writer Pete Brown that gives you an inside track on the beer industry – and Beer of the Week, a featured beer of interest from your region.

The Cask Marque website www.caskmarque.co.uk has a SatNav coordinate download feature so that you will have no difficulty in finding your nearest Cask Marque pub even without an iPhone! Also available is a text messaging service - Text CASK followed by a FULL STOP and your post code i.e. CASK.CO4 9HT to 60300 and within 30 seconds you will be sent details of your 2 nearest pubs.
With a 46% consumer awareness of Cask Marque by cask ale drinkers these new information services will be of great benefit to the Cask Marque award winning pubs and cask ale drinkers.

Just Cause 2 out this week

GRAPPLERS at the ready - Square Enix London Studios has confirmed that Just Cause 2 will hit the shops this week across North America, Europe, Middle East and Australasia.

As Rico Rodriguez, the Agency’s most powerful weapon, players must take on the island of Panau and its military regime in order to track down Rico’s former boss and mentor, Tom Sheldon, who has gone rogue with millions in Agency cash and intel.

Using a unique grapple and parachute combination, there is no vertical limit as the air becomes your playground: grapple a passing plane in flight, hijack helicopters, BASE jump from the tallest buildings or mountains and leave a trail of chaos and destruction in your wake. Just Cause 2 offers players the freedom to tackle missions any way they choose and, with over 100 vehicles and countless upgrades and collectibles, the choices for relentless adrenaline-fuelled action are limitless.

Just Cause 2 will be available for the PS3, Xbox 360 Games for Windows. I loved the first instalment and can't wait to get my hands on the latest edition - the demo showed there is plenty to explore out there!

Sony Move games are revealed

MOVE over Natal, Sony's motion controller is on its way - and some of the games that will incorporate its movement technology have been revealed.

Most of the games being worked on are coming from Sony, although a few titles are the product of third-party publishers. Sony says that 36 publishers will support PlayStation Move with games this autumn, though the majority of these games have yet to be revealed.

Confirmed games include EA Sports Active 2.0, Tiger Woods 2011, The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest, Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition, LittleBigPlanet, and SOCOM US Navy SEALs 4.

A number of downloadable games will support PlayStation Move as well such as Flower, Echochrome 2, High Velocity Bowling, and Pain.

More games are expected to be announced during E3 in June.