Blogger Jason Kottke tipped NASA would announce the discovery of arsenic on Titan, or possibly chemical evidence of bacteria utilising it for photosynthesis.
That speculation was quickly picked up and repeated by a number of other bloggers and internet sites.
However Kottke theory has been rebuffed by Alexis Madrigal, senior science writer for The Atlantic, who tweeted that he had read the Science article relating to the Nasa announcement.
''I'm sad to quell some of the @kottke-induced excitement about possible extraterrestrial life. I've seen the Science paper. It's not that,'' he tweeted.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science, which publishes the journal in which the research will appear, told ABC News in the US that it had received numerous inquiries about the "mostly erroneous online and/or tabloid speculation about the forthcoming research''.
"These reports clearly are not based on the peer-reviewed research being published under the auspices of the journal Science," it said.




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Neil Thompson, who runs Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division in the UK and Ireland, believes removing the controller is crucial to attracting casual gamers and those who think games are too complicated. He says: “In the research we’ve done, one of the barriers we did find was that learning the controls was putting them off.”
Instead, he says, Microsoft has opted to “take the technology away” or, at least, to make it invisible. “It’s so natural to play,” he adds.
The downside is that it doesn’t come cheap. Existing Xbox owners will have to pay around £130 for Kinect, while any new gamers who are tempted will have to pay about £250 for Kinect and an Xbox 360.
Thompson acknowledges that this is not a climate of extravagance but says that games represent very good value compared with films or music. A £30 video game offers hours and hours of playing time and the consoles themselves are becoming more rounded entertainment machines. Both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 offer TV catch-up services and HD film rentals and, in the case of the Xbox, you can use your voice to control playback via Kinect.
And the idea of having a games console under the television is no longer just something for the children. Thompson says: “People whose kids are teenagers grew up with gaming so it’s not such an alien concept.”
Of course, the Call of Duty series is so big with fans that plenty will have finished it long before Christmas morning rolls around, so perhaps the console will be free for some Kinect-powered family bonding after all.

So what is Xbox Live?
Xbox Live is Microsoft's online gaming service for the Xbox 360, allowing gamers to play online among other things. The service was launched in 2002 for the original Xbox and, although it wasn't the first such service, kick-started console-based online gaming.

So, is that it?
While online gaming is the main draw, Xbox Live has plenty to offer for everyone. Gamers can download the latest trailers, purchase downloadable games and chat with friends. Other established features, such as Facebook, Twitter, Zune, last.fm and the video marketplace will not be available in South Africa right away according to Microsoft.
There are also region-specific features on Xbox Live. US gamers have access to features such as ESPN, Netflix and Hulu while UK users have access to the Sky Player, which features live TV as well as on-demand content.

What do I need?
You'll need a broadband connection (although 384Kb/s will suffice for the most part) and an Xbox Live account. A free Silver account can be created to download content and chat online, although you'll need to splash out on a Gold account if you'd like to play online, gain early access to content, get exclusive deals and access other features.
You'll also need to purchase Microsoft Points if you'd like to buy content on Xbox Live, such as themes, avatar clothing, Arcade titles and game add-ons. These will cost R300 for 2100 Points, with most Arcade games and add-ons costing between 400 and 1200 Points.

I need to pay to play online?
Yes, you'll have to put down some cash to play online. Gamers that hooked themselves up to Live via "unsupported means" could previously pay for a 12-month UK membership for about R400. But the local version of Live will set you back R600 for a year's membership – a rather steep price increase. In an attempt to off-set the price difference, anyone purchasing a year's membership at launch will receive two months free.
The one distinct advantage that the PlayStation Network has is that you don't have to pay to play online. But the consensus is that Xbox Live offers a better service (fanboys be gone!).

Initial reviews of the Galaxy Tab, Samsung's answer to Apple's iPad, have been mostly positive, though some reviewers have taken issue with the pricing and stability of the new tablet device.Samsung launched its Galaxy Tab in the U.S. this week, and four major wireless carriers will eventually carry the device. The 7-inch tablet sports a 1GHz Cortex A8 ARM processor, a 1,024x600-pixel resolution touchscreen and rear- and forward-facing cameras. The device comes with 16GB of storage, expandable to 32GB. The base model of the Tab sells for $600, customers who sign a two-year contract can get the device for $400.

The Wall Street Journal

Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal called the Galaxy Tab the iPad's "first real rival," despite it having some minor usability issues. During tests of the tablet's video calling service, Mossberg experienced problems with the Qik video software, noting that some calls failed to go through, dropped, or dropped audio. According to Mossberg, Qik is "fixing the problems."

Though the Tab is touted partly for its compatibility with Adobe Flash, Mossberg wrote that it "needs work," as it slowed the browser down. "Sometimes they [embedded Flash videos] played and sometimes they didn't," said Mossberg, noting that Flash caused the Tab to crash at one point.

Mossberg also took issue with the lack of tablet specific apps on the Android Market app store. Some of the apps written for phones scaled to tablet size, but others "were surrounded by large black bars."

Using the same battery test as when he reviewed the iPad, Mossberg got 6 hours and 50 minutes of battery life out of the Tab, compared to 11 hours and 28 minutes from the iPad.

The New York Times

In his review for The New York Times, David Pogue called the new tablet "gorgeous and expensive." Pogue found that the device's diminutive size wasn't a significant issue, preferring to think of it as "like an extra-spacious Android phone" rather than a "cramped iPad." According to Pogue, the smaller size has a "huge" payoff, with the Tab weighing 13 ounces compared to the iPad's 1.5 pounds. Pogue enjoyed the portability of the device, noting that users can carry it in a blazer or jeans pocket.

However, Pogue's experience with the device wasn't completely positive. Like Mossberg, Pogue had trouble getting Flash videos to play, especially on the ESPN website.

"As smooth and slick and convenient as the Galaxy is, though, it’s not without its frustrations," wrote Pogue, who found the Android ecosystem "unlimited, chaotic, and more confusing." "The biggest drawback of the Galaxy may be its price: $600," said Pogue. The review also lamented the Galaxy Tab's inability to charge from a laptop USB port.

"So yes, the dawn of the would-be iPad is upon us. But the Android tablet concept represents more than just a lame effort to grab a slice of tablet hype. As with Android phones, it represents an alternative that’s different enough to justify its existence," Pogue concluded.

Wired

Wired reviewer Christopher Null wrote that, as with its smartphones, Samsung "continues to take its cues from Apple," adding that it's "not necessarily a bad thing."

Null appreciated the better portability afforded by the Galaxy Tab's smaller size, remarking that the Tab "feels like a jumbo-sized cellphone." However, Null found that the tablet was "prone to dropping" because of its smaller form factor and slick surface.

"In use, the Galaxy Tab performs well, but is not exemplary," wrote Null. "It feels snappy enough, but longish load times can sometimes be tiresome, and webpages invariably loaded more slowly than the iPad — sometimes taking twice as long. We also ran into a few issues with apps hanging and the Wi-Fi connection suddenly vanishing without explanation. Reboots solved both issues."

Null had only a few "relatively minor complaints" about the Galaxy Tab, deciding in the end that the device might not compete directly with the iPad. "The Tab ultimately reveals itself not as a competitor to the iPad but as a new class of mobile devices: a minitablet that is designed to go everywhere you do."




More to come

The Galaxy Tab is largely considered the first "real" competitor to the iPad, which launched in April. As such, sales of the Tab will likely stand as a touchstone for the "raft of new devices" scheduled to be released on the heels of the Tab.

Competitors will have significant ground to make up. In the September quarter, the iPad dominated the tablet market with a 95 percent market share.

Research in Motion is set to launch its own 7-inch tablet in early 2011. RIM co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie told Bloomberg this week that the PlayBook will go on sale for "under" $500. The BlackBerry maker unveiled the tablet, which is aimed at business users, in September.

In October, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs disparaged the 7-inch form factor, calling it "too small to express the software." Jobs joked that the smaller tablets would need to ship with sandpaper so users can file down their fingers in order to hit smaller targets on the screen.

"We think the 7 inch tablets will be dead on arrival, and manufacturers will realize they're too small and abandon them next year. They'll then increase the size, abandoning the customers and developers who bought into the smaller format," Jobs predicted.