Articles by Walaika Haskins

Gateway upped the ante for plus-sized computer monitors with the Thursday rollout of its latest flat screen, which offers users resolutions at more than four times the level of a standard 720p high definition. Billing it as "the world's first 'Quad-HD' display," Gateway said the XHD3000 is perfect for consumers desirous of "truly remarkable, cinema-quality" viewing...

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced Friday that it will launch a new 40 GB model of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) in the UK, Europe, in the Middle East, Africa and Australasia. It will also drop the price of its 60 GB model of the video game console "The introduction of the new PS3 has been the result of extensive research into the entert...

Microsoft confirmed Friday that Bungie Studios, the developer behind the "Halo" franchise, will begin a transition to become an independent company, verifying rumors that had been circulating for a week. Microsoft will retain its rights to all things "Halo" and will continue to publish any games from Bungie "Our collaboration with Bungie has result...

The hit video game "Halo 3" has raked in more than US$300 million and drawn some 3 million gamers to play online on Xbox Live, according to Microsoft. However, the part about "Halo" that really has the Web rumor mill working overtime is whether or not Microsoft and Bungie Studios, the developer behind the game, will part ways mere weeks -- or days -- after the biggest launch in video game history...

Verizon Wireless trotted out four new mobile handsets Wednesday that it hopes will be able to compete against heavy hitters such as the iPhone for a share of the 2007 holiday season market Two of the phones, the Voyager and the Venus, both from LG, include touch screen functionality. The Juke is aimed at music lovers, and the Blackberry Pearl 8130 ...

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has opted to postpone the planned opening of its new National Applications Office (NAO) that would oversee the expanded use of spy satellite imagery of American territories, the agency announced Monday. The NAO had been scheduled to start operations on Oct. 1 The decision came after the agency received seve...

Consumers who thought Christmas would be the perfect time to join in on the hottest craze in video game consoles could be disappointed, according to Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America. The supply for Wiis will remain tight for the 2007 holiday season, he said Extremely high demand for the consoles has outstripped even Nintendo execu...

Microsoft took the wraps off its latest entrant in the online business applications market Monday, announcing the creation and upcoming beta of its Microsoft Office Live Workspace. The software maker also revealed details about its "software services strategy and road map" for businesses "This new era of connected computing is about empowering peop...

Microsoft has given its Windows XP operating system -- originally set to disappear from store shelves in January 2008, one year after the release of Windows Vista -- a reprieve "There are some customers who need a little more time to make the switch to Windows Vista," said Mike Nash, corporate vice president, Windows management. "So we're respondin...

Microsoft has given its Live Search service an extreme makeover. In addition to improving the way Live Search makes queries and presents search results, the company has added channels for entertainment, shopping, and health searches The renovation -- the biggest update for the platform since it hit the Web nearly three years ago -- could help Micro...

Gamers have made "Halo 3" the biggest launch in entertainment history by scooping up enough units to bring in an estimated US$170 million in its first 24 hours on store shelves, Microsoft announced Thursday Moving that amount of product puts the Xbox 360 title ahead of smash hit movie releases and blockbuster book launches, such as "Spider-Man 3" a...

Continuing the consolidation trend that is sweeping the video game software development industry, Activision announced Wednesday that it acquired Bizarre Creations, the independent UK-based game developer behind such titles as "Project Gotham Racing" and "Geometry Wars." The purchase gives Activision an in to the US$1.4 billion racing genre market ...

Thieves were able to breach the corporate databases of TJX Companies and steal millions of credit card numbers because the company retained too much information that was not properly secured, according to a report released Tuesday by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada TJX is the parent company of several discount retailers operating i...

New York's Attorney General Andrew Cuomo launched an investigation into social networking site Facebook and its claims that it is a "safe" site, the AG's office announced Monday. At issue is the company's alleged failure to adequately respond to complaints from undercover agents working for the AG's office that adults on the site had sent inappropriate requests to underage users...

MTV, the teen-centric network focused on reality TV, the luxurious lifestyles of the rich and famous, and the occasional music video, announced the beta launch of Think.MTV.com Thursday. The network called the site an effort to give teens and young adults a community through which they can do good works within their local, national and global communities...

It will be long, cold winter for PlayStation 3 owners hoping to take part in Home, an online 3-D virtual world that will double as a social network and gaming site for Sony. They'll have to wait until next spring before the system is up and running News of the delay came from Kauo Hirai, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI), Thur...

In what could prove to be a classic pairing of a video game with a gaming console, LucasArts has announced that it will release "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" in spring of 2008 on Nintendo's Wii platform, with gameplay exclusively designed to capitalize upon the Wii-mote and Nunchuk controllers "The Wii is a great platform for 'The Force Unleashe...

After seeing its fortunes rise and then tumble as an Internet access provider, AOL, a division of Time-Warner, announced a series of changes the company hopes will make it a contender in the ever-expanding online advertising market The new enterprise, named "Platform A," will be accompanied by a change of scenery from Dulles, Va., to New York City....

The Wii Zapper, a plastic gun-shaped casing for the Nintendo console's Wii-mote and Nunchuck controllers, will makes it debut in the U.S. in time for the holiday shopping season on Nov. 19, Nintendo announced Monday The console maker unveiled the add-on in July at this year's E3 Media and Business Summit. It is designed to turn the two controllers ...

VMware on Monday unveiled the latest version in its ESX Server line at its VMworld 2007 conference, held this week in San Francisco. The next-generation thin hypervisor, VMware ESX Server 3i, has the backing of industry heavyweights such as Dell, HP, IBM and NEC, all of whom have committed to integrating the software into their server hardware "In ...