Samsung and Apple aren't on good terms with each other as we all know. Both the companies are slamming lawsuits at each other left and right. Not much is spoken about the other aspect of the rivalry, the sales numbers. Apple has been leading the pack for quite a while now with its sales numbers surpassing Samsung's and Nokia's numbers fairly easily. Well, that is history now for Samsung has made its way to the top as the number one manufacturer in the world (in terms of sales) with 23.6 million shipments reported during Q3, with Apple coming in at second place with 17.3 million shipments. These numbers were calculated by IDC, which is a well known research firm. Therefore, Samsung now has 20% of the share of the global smartphone market while Apple is at 15%. Nokia's figures have dramatically dropped with the company losing half of its market share from the last quarter. The Finnish mobile manufacturer had 28% of the total smartphone market share during Q2 and now it has only 14%. RIM's market share also has taken a beating coming down to 10% from 15%. HTC, however, has crept up to the top five list with about 11% of the market share now. That's a growth of 4% from the last quarter. It is importantto bear in mind that shipments do not actually reflect into sales.So what do these figures tell us? Well, Apple doesn't rule the smartphone segment anymore, though it is being said that the wait for the new iPhone might have been a contributing factor for the low sales. Q4's numbers will give us a better idea of where the companies stand, since by then, most brands will have a flagship of their own. Nokia will have the Lumia in the market, while the iPhone 4S is almost a month old and Samsung is looking at the launch of the Galaxy Nexus. We don't have the numbers on the profits that these companies made but we figure Apple would top that list since it only has a couple of smartphones in its inventory. Either way, Samsung is now sitting right on top and we expect the company to do well in the current quarter as well.
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Android-run phones are about as unusual as Apple devices starting with ‘i’, unless we count the Apple TV. This next camera applications processor from Ambarella is dubbed the iOne. What’s atypical about it is the fact that the iOne SoC can be expected to support a category of smart cameras based on Android.
The SoC is projected to enable up to 32MP still image processing and high-speed capture of 5MP images at 30fps. It’s claimed to be the first ever low-power 1080p60 decoder accommodating full 3D HD decoding on a mobile OS platform. We’re also looking at 3D photoand video capture with the addition of Ambarella’s S3D pre-processor for stereoscopic HD video and still image shooting with this development.“Coupling our proven video and imaging processing expertise with the Android platform enables next generation cameras to take a significant leap forward in user experiences and capabilities. The iOne will fundamentally change the way consumers capture, create and share visual content. We are very excited about the possibilities,” trilled Fermi Wang, Ambarella CEO.
A smart camera based on Android and embedding the iOne will be able to work with a number of interfaces including dual CMOS sensor inputs, SATA, Gigabit Ethernet, analog video out, transport stream and much more. Apart from strong support for GPS, Bluetooth, FM, Mobile TV and Wi’Fi 802.11n, the processor can offer concurrent encoding of a full HD 1080p30 stream and a second stream for uploading to the internet or streaming via Wi-Fi.
The iOne employs a triple ARM CPU architecture that’s designed for low-power mobile media applications. A 533MHz ARM-11 deals with real-time camera tasks and allows a camera boot time of less than a second. At the same time, a dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 CPU supplies the energy to operate Android applications.
Ambarella’s iOne SoC is currently being shipped in sample quantities to early access customers. So the word on when we can expect to see smart cameras running Android will obviously have to wait a bit.
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Bose has just launched a set of headphones called the AE2. These headphones have not incorporated Bose legendary noise cancellation technology, but include a more sophisticated application of the proprietary Bose TriPort acoustic headphone structure. Bose says that this technology drastically improves the quality of sound, as a result of which, music sounds better and more natural throughout the frequency spectrum.The Bose AE2 headphones are circum-aural (around the ear), and the new ear cushions are made of memory foam which so that they can be worn by people with different head shapes. They also distribute weight more evenly around the ear to reduce pressure points, making the overall experience a lot more comfortable.
These headphones can be used with just about any audio device including the iPod, iPhone, iPad, portable media players and computers. The headphones have a new fold-flat ear cup design and a single, detachable cable and can be stored in the carrying case that has been provided by Bose.
In the headphone realm, Bose is probably bestknown for its noise-canceling (NC) line of QuietComfort models. But it islong made some non-NC models, including an around-the-ear design as well as an on-ear design. Bose has shortened those names to AE and OE, respectively, and now the AE model reviewed here is up to version 2.
Formerly known as the TriPort, the AE2 still uses the same basic design, but Bose has implemented some significant design improvements. For starters, these headphones, like the noise-canceling models, now fold flat. Also, Bose has moved from a double- (running to each earcup) to a single-cord design and the headphone cord detaches which means you can wear these simply to cover your ears and muffle sound.
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Tech-industry sources are now focused on when Apple is launching the tablet, and what it will be like, rather than if the device even exists. The Wall Street Journal has an interview with one of the people claiming to have inside information on the elusive product, while another person “briefed on the matter” claims Apple is working on two different material finishes for the tablet’s enclosure.
MacRumors points out to the WSJ report citing people briefed by Apple saying the Mac maker “plans to unveil a new multimedia tablet device later this month,” but doesn't plan on shipping the product until March. “While the shipping time hasn't been finalized and could change, people briefed on the matter said the new tablet devicewill come with a 10- to 11-inch touch screen,” the report (subscription required) adds.
“[...] People briefed on the matter said the new product will come with a 10 to 11-inch touch screen—which would make it closer in size to Apple's line of MacBook laptops than its smart phone,” the same source reveals.
One of these people, apparently briefed by Apple on a deeper level, has reportedly learned that the Mac maker is experimenting with two different case materials for the tablet’s shell. It is unclear whether the company will choose one of them once it’s satisfied with the performance, or both of them, for design variety.
It is also being speculated that Apple is testing these materials to come out with multiple versions of the device at different price points. The product is expected to ship with a $1,000 price tag, justifying its multifunction nature for video, gaming, ebook functionality, etc.
Going by the latest rumors, Apple is set to unveil the new product at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on the 27th, this month.
MacRumors points out to the WSJ report citing people briefed by Apple saying the Mac maker “plans to unveil a new multimedia tablet device later this month,” but doesn't plan on shipping the product until March. “While the shipping time hasn't been finalized and could change, people briefed on the matter said the new tablet devicewill come with a 10- to 11-inch touch screen,” the report (subscription required) adds.
“[...] People briefed on the matter said the new product will come with a 10 to 11-inch touch screen—which would make it closer in size to Apple's line of MacBook laptops than its smart phone,” the same source reveals.
One of these people, apparently briefed by Apple on a deeper level, has reportedly learned that the Mac maker is experimenting with two different case materials for the tablet’s shell. It is unclear whether the company will choose one of them once it’s satisfied with the performance, or both of them, for design variety.
It is also being speculated that Apple is testing these materials to come out with multiple versions of the device at different price points. The product is expected to ship with a $1,000 price tag, justifying its multifunction nature for video, gaming, ebook functionality, etc.
Going by the latest rumors, Apple is set to unveil the new product at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on the 27th, this month.
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Apple's online store is back up featuring a new iPod shuffle that sports a fresh design, as well as fresh features. We did expect the 4GB storage capacity, but we didn't expect the new look, and certainly not the VoiceOver capabilities.Apple touts this third generation iPod shuffle as “the world’s smallest music player.” The device is nearly half the size of the previous model. The third generation shuffle is significantly smaller than an AA battery, Apple says, and is able to hold up to 1,000 songs thanks to the 4GB of memory it boasts. All the controls are conveniently located on the earphone cord, enabling users to play, pause, adjust volume, switch playlists and enable VoiceOver with a few presses. The VoiceOver feature inside the iPod shuffle will be detailed in a separate article.
This iPod is also significantly prettier than its predecessor, doing away with any sort of play, pause etc. controlson the actual player, for a sleek new look. Adding to the gorgeous aluminum design is a built-in stainless steel clip that makes the shuffle both stylish and ultra-wearable. To round up the features list, Apple claims the iPod shuffle can play your music non stop for ten hours on a single charge.
“Imagine your music player talking to you, telling you your song titles, artists and playlist names,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPod and iPhone™ Product Marketing. “The amazingly small new iPod shuffle takes a revolutionary approach to how you listen to your music by talking to you, also making it the first iPod shuffle with playlists.”
Unfortunately for some, the fresh iPod shuffle only comes in two colors – silver and black. The device can be acquired immediately for $79. Visit Apple's store here to have a closer look at the features and the design of the third-gen shuffle.
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Logitech has introduced three new iPod/MP3 speakers - Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere, Logitech Pure-Fi Anytime and Logitech Pure-Fi Express - under the Pure-Fi range.Pure-Fi Anytime features motion sensing technology and is compatible with the recently launched iPhone. The motion-sensing backlight makes it easy to set an alarm without having to turn on the lights and the alarm clock's controls light up when you wave your hand over the speakers and the buttons automatically dim when you're done using it. Waving a hand over the speakers will also activate the 'Snooze' state.Pure-Fi Anytime also features an easy-to-read display that is visible during the day and night alike. A recessed dock helps prevent from accidentally knocking over the iPod or iPhone and it offers a digital AM/FM radio. It is compatible with other mp3 players also.
The Logitech Pure-Fi Anytime is priced at Rs. 7,495.
The Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere speakers offer a rechargeable battery with a 10-hour battery-life and indicator; an improved traveling case and a redesigned, advanced remote control with one-touch access to Shuffle and Repeat. The remote offers direct navigation of iPod menus from a distance of 20 feet. At 1.6 pounds and 3.6 inches by 13.2 inches by 1.5 inches, it features dual 2-inch Max-X, high-excursion drivers with neodymium magnets. 3-inch pressure drivers maximize bass response and minimize distortion.The Pure-Fi Anywhere is priced at Rs. 9,795.
The Logitech Pure-Fi Express has a sleek, lightweight design and metal grilles and runs on either AC or battery power. The speakers support all iPods, and the 3.5 mm auxiliary input lets you use them with any MP3 player.The Pure-Fi Express is priced at Rs. 4,995.
This new range of Pure-Fi iPod speakers is available at all leading electronic stores in India and comes with a 2-year warranty.
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Pictures of a MacBook nano based on the MSI U100 netbook have surfaced on the web. The 1.6GHz Atom-based machine sports a 10" display, 2GB DDR 2 RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and weighs just 2.2 lbs.Had someone told us this was an actual netbook coming from Cupertino, we probably wouldn't have rushed to dismiss the allegation. Still, the fact of the matter is that an MSI is still an MSI, even with a beautifully crafted, custom made shell with a backlit Apple logo and everything.
The pictures appeared on Flickr this week, and were spotted by various eagle-eyed tech-based sites. Mickphoto's picture set tries to show the MacBook nano as the real thing, all boxed and sealed up neatly and tidily. The box even contains all the software needed to run Windows XP Pro or Mac OS X 10.5.5. At least two models have been created, according to the photos – a white MacBook nano and a black model. Both have the neat Apple logo on the back, as well as the name MacBook Nano stamped on the front of the display, in a very Apple-like way.According to Gizmodo, specs include:
- MSI U100 MacBook Nano
- Windows XP Pro + Mac OS X 10.5.5
- Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz
- 2G DDRII
- 10" WSVGA LED (1024x600)
- 320GB SATA
- 1kg
- MMC/SD/MS 4
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PLEASE NOTE: The features described below revolve around the concept of dual GPU chipsets. As such they are only applicable to the new MacBook Pro range of notebooks. The MacBook and the MacBook Air do not have dual-GPU chipsets.Apple made a worthy inclusion to its MacBook range via addition of the NVIDIA 9400M and 9600M GT graphics chipsets. However, it is a known fact that Apple has restricted attractive features of the chipset such as the Hybrid SLI -- which would otherwise leverage the power of both the graphic chipsets as a tag-team; furthermore, Apple has also disabled on-the-fly switching between its two graphic solutions -- this requires a needless logout/login process.
So are the NVIDIA chips themselves incapable? Not from what we were told. Further confirmation also comes from a demo shown by NVIDIA to Gizmodo, wherein they confirmed that these graphics chips will soon be heading to different notebooks and also their hardware is very much capable to do all the aforementioned tasks which have been disabled by Apple.The question then is why were the features disabled? Let's take the Hybrid SLI feature -- a likely reason could very well be battery life. Note that the new MacBook's battery is actually lower-specced than the one inside the older MacBooks (the old ones are rated at 5600mAh, while the new ones are rated at 4700mAh). As the notebooks stand, their battery-life isn't that great and it could have been worse under a Hybrid SLI scenario. That could be one possible reason for not including Hybrid SLI. The other -- and this one is more conspiracy theory than plausible -- Apple will enable the feature under Snow Leopard and would like a clear path to encourage users to upgrade to their upcoming OS upgrade.
Of course, it could well be that Apple will enable Hybrid SLI through a free software upgrade program, and in the near future.
As to the login/logout requirement for switching chipsets, the reason we feel is more clear: lazy programmers. Yeah, no reason why this shouldn't have been included right out of the MacBook box. Seriously guys, get working on it already.
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While Apple's older iMacs (Late-2006) boast an impressive pair of stereo speakers (considering the all-in-one design and their small size), the same thing cannot be said about the company's 20-inch and 24-inch aluminum iMac (Mid-2007).However, both Apple's Late-2006 and Mid-2007 computers have their speakers placed at the bottom of the system, facing down. This leads to a considerable loss in sound quality, as the sound hits your desk and bounces off in all directions. Given this, some high pitched sounds (but not only) barely make it to your ears. There is a way to capture all the sound coming from your Mac's speakers, and direct it all towards your ears.
Buy a pair of headphones! Just kidding. No headphones. You do, however, need two extra items on your desk to make this happen. A couple of ashtrays, for instance. Just place them underneath each of your iMac's speakers. What happens is this:Channeling the sound (click to enlarge)
The sound waves hit the two hollow-shaped objects, becoming trapped inside the round walls for a short period of time. In a fraction of a second, the now-channeled sound bounces back out, upwards, since there's no other place to go. Simple, isn't it?
Go ahead, give it a tray… er, try! You don't necessarily have to use ashtrays. For once, they're not that aesthetic; second, we don't encourage smoking, and third, you can use some nicely designed pottery or something like that. You'll have to see what suits your room best, so the objects don't attract too much attention. After all, you don't want folks thinking that your all-in one computer actually needs additional hardware to work well, now, do you?
Notes
· You will see (hear) a significant difference in sound quality only when the volume level is above medium. The effect still applies even on a low volume level, only it's not so observable;
· For this to work, the sound first has to hit one of the inner-sides of the object, not the bottom directly. Check out more pictures below, to see exactly how you want to place your objects of choice.
Good luck and let us know how this trick worked for you.
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Normally, when we see an Apple rumor, we look the other way. Barely anything that "leaks" from Apple has any truth to it, so we scroll down on our RSS feeds and look for something else to care about. This time, however, it s different. The last rumors came true to an alarming degree, so we'll attach some credence to this one. That is, unless it turns out to be bollocks.AppleInsider now tells us that in the next month or so, we might see Apple updating the iMacs as well. Obviously, the idea would be to have a spanking new product line ready for the traditional blow-your-savings-on-cool-stuff festival (also known as Christmas).
However, the updates won't just be driven by business--there will be technology reasons as well. For one, since the last update in April this year, Intel has developed the Centrino 2 platform, which is already featured on the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Secondly, there s the shift to NVIDIA's graphics solutions--it is quite likely that the new iMacs will ditch the ATI chipsets.There may be more news on October 21--though not likely--when Apple holds a conference to announce its quarterly results.
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Evernote, a free application that allows users to capture information in any environment making it accessible at any time, has been updated to version 1.1.5. The software is still in beta, but now adds AppleScript support, as well as support for exporting and importing notes to and from XML.Evernote lets you capture stuff like webpages, whiteboards, scribbles, to-dos, even photos and music. As soon as you add a file to your account, you can assign it a name, or a tag, or more names and tags, and you'll be able to find it later on without any trouble, even if you can only remember a few characters. It brings up everything you might have once stored for safe keeping using tags and even text recognition. All you have to do is just search for an inside Evernote just like you remember it. The text recognition technology allows you to search for text within images, even handwritten text. If there's but one thing you can remember about a certain item, you'll most likely get to it as Evernote is an expert at narrowing down a search. Best of all, the service is available for all your devices, Mac, PC and mobile phone, as long as you can connect to the Internet with them.
Evernote 1.1.5 Beta brings the following new enhancements:- Support for exporting and importing notes to and from a well-defined XML format.
- AppleScript support.
- Fix a bug where note parsing errors could overwrite note content with the error message.
- When plain-text is pasted into a note it is no longer surrounded with a
tag.- List, Mixed and Thumbnail view should all remember their layouts between application launches now.- Fix a bug where creating a tag with just a double-quote (") for the name would cause a crash.- Some spiffy new toolbar and sidebar icons.A native iPhone client for Evernote has also been released via the iTunes App Store. Evernote for iPhone is location-aware, it lets you send e-mails from within the app, it securely decrypts notes and it provides to-dos and clickable URLs and e-mail addresses. Evernote for iPhone is currently at version 1.3 and can be acquired here.To upgrade your desktop client, use the link below.Evernote 1.1.5 Beta for Mac (Free Download).Read d rest...
Apple today officially unveiled an all new MacBook family that feature all-metal enclosures and pro-performance with prices starting from $700.The new MacBook and 15-inch MacBook Pro both have a precision unibody enclosure crafted from a single block of aluminum, resulting in thinner and more durable designs. In addition, every member of the new MacBook family includes NVIDIA graphics, instant-on LED-backlit displays and new large glass Multi-Touch trackpads that offer almost 40 percent more tracking area and support more Multi-Touch gestures.
"Apple has invented a whole new way of building notebooks from a single block of aluminum. And, just as important, they are the industry?s greenest notebooks," said Steve Jobs, Apple?s CEO. "The new MacBooks offer incredible features our users will love ?like their stunning all-metal design, great 3D graphics and LED backlit displays?at prices up to $700 less than before."
The new MacBook line features the new NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, a new 3D integrated graphics processor that features 16 parallel processing cores and delivers up to five times the 3D graphics performance as previous MacBook and MacBook Air designs.The new smooth glass Multi-Touch trackpad on the MacBook and 15-inch MacBook Pro gives users almost 40 percent more tracking area than before, making it even easier to use Multi-Touch gestures like pinch, rotate and swipe. New gestures allow users to activate Expos? or switch between applications at the touch of a fingertip. The entire trackpad surface is also a button, allowing users to both track and click virtually anywhere on the trackpad. Users can easily enable multiple virtual buttons in software, such as right-clicking.
Every member of the new MacBook family features an LED-backlit display for instant-on performance that uses up to 30 percent less energy than its predecessor and eliminates the mercury found in industry standard fluorescent tube backlights. Every display in the new MacBook line uses completely arsenic-free glass.
The new MacBook delivers the top three features that MacBook customers have told us they want in a new MacBook?an all metal enclosure, high performance 3D graphics and LED-backlit displays?at an entry price that is $700 less than the $1,999 price of the MacBook Pro. At only 0.95-inches thin and weighing just 4.5 pounds, the new 13-inch full featured aluminum MacBook is a compact and durable notebook starting at just $1,299. Featuring the new NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor, MacBook delivers outstanding 3D game play on a consumer notebook, with up to five times faster graphics performance than the previous generation. The new MacBook is available in two models: the 2.0 GHz MacBook with a 160GB 5400 rpm hard drive, and the 2.4 GHz MacBook with a 250GB 5400 rpm hard drive and a backlit keyboard.
The new 15-inch MacBook Pro at only 0.95-inches thin and weighing just 5.5 pounds. Starting at $1,999, the MacBook Pro uses the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors available, running up to 2.8 GHz, and a new graphics architecture that allows users to switch between the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor for better battery life and the powerful NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics processor for higher performance. The new MacBook Pro is available in two models: a 2.4 GHz model with a 250GB 5400 rpm hard drive and a 2.53 GHz model with a 320GB 5400 rpm hard drive.
Today Apple also updated MacBook Air and the 17-inch MacBook Pro. MacBook Air, measuring only 0.16-inches at its thinnest point, 0.76-inches at its maximum height and weighing just three pounds, now includes new NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics and a faster architecture. Starting at $1,799, MacBook Air is available with a 120GB 4200 rpm hard drive, a 50 percent increase from the previous generation, or a new 128GB solid state drive. The updated 17-inch MacBook Pro keeps its original aluminum design, and now comes standard with a high resolution 1920 x 1200 LED-backlit display and a larger 320GB hard drive or an optional 128GB solid state drive.
The new MacBook, 15-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air include a next generation Mini DisplayPort to connect with the new Apple LED Cinema Display featuring a 24-inch LED-backlit widescreen display with a built-in iSight video camera, mic and speakers in a thin aluminum and glass enclosure. Part of the next-generation DisplayPort industry standard, the new Mini DisplayPort delivers a pure digital signal that can drive up to a 30-inch widescreen display. The Mini DisplayPort is ultra-compact at just 10 percent the size of a full DVI connector, perfect for the sleek design of the new MacBook family. Adapters are available for using the MacBook?s Mini DisplayPort with older generation VGA, DVI/HDMI and Dual-Link DVI displays.
The new MacBook, 15-inch MacBook Pro and 17-inch MacBook Pro are now shipping and the new MacBook Air will be available in early November through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple?s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. An updated 13-inch white MacBook featuring 2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processors, a 120GB 5400 rpm hard drive and a slot-load 8X SuperDrive is now available for $999 (US).
For more information visit Apple
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Apple is notifying developers through its Developer Connection that an iPhone Tech Talk World Tour is scheduled to hit North America, Europe, India and Asia starting with Paris and San Francisco on October 22. The event is free to attend to and (obviously) focuses on creating cool software for the iPhone.From Apple's Developer connection page, don't miss this unique opportunity. The event is free, but space is limited.
Apple technology evangelists and engineers will soon be traveling the globe bringing iPhone development expertise to a city near you. Learn about the tools and technologies you'll use to create great iPhone applications, then work with the experts to optimize your code, refine your user interface, and apply the knowledge you gain from the sessions to enhance the capabilities of your iPhone application.
The company notes that you must be a Registered iPhone Developer to attend. However, if you are not a registered developer, you can sign up right now for free. You'll be registered in minutes! As noted above, the iPhone Tech Talk World Tour is scheduled to hit North America, Europe, India and Asia Pacific. Here's the full breakdown:
North America - Oct 22, San Francisco; Oct 24, Los Angeles; Nov 03, Austin; Nov 05, Chicago; Dec 02, New York(FULL); Dec 04, Toronto; Dec 09, Seattle.
Note: FULL means that if a location is at capacity, interested parties can still register but will be placed on a "wait list." Should space become available or additional dates be added, you will be notified by e-mail.
Europe - Oct 22, Paris; Oct 24, Munich; Nov 03, Amsterdam; Nov 07, London; Nov 10, Berlin; Nov 11, Madrid; Nov 14, Copenhagen; Nov 17, Zurich; Nov 19, Rome; Dec 08, Stockholm.
India - Nov 24, Bangalore; Nov 27, Delhi.
Asia Pacific - Oct 30, Tokyo; Nov 04, Singapore; Nov 10, Hong Kong; Nov 19, Sydney; Nov 21, Melbourne
The event will include Introductory Seminars, User Interface Design, Maximizing Performance and a Technical Q&A, according to Apple's website. Ok then, no time to waste. Go!
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It was only a matter of time before new alleged spy shots of a next-gen MacBook Pro emerged. This time around, new specs are being dished out as well, such as a black casing, and a more square-ish appearance, two aspects not at all consistent with MBP expectations.Reportedly, Techno Minds is the source of these images. Submitted to modmyi to be made public, the shots allegedly come from an Apple staffer, close to the company's design team.
“We just received an email from a tipster Techno Minds who grabbed some pictures/images of the new Macbook Pro from a claimed Apple Employee working on Apple's design team,” writes cash7c3. “According to the source the above picture is the new Macbook Pro grabbed with a camera phone. Some interesting details about the Pro were also included,” the post reads.Those tidbits include a new magnetic opening/closing system, a glossy top “shell” (similar to the iPhone's), an aluminum bottom, keyboard that is similar to the MacBook Air keyboard, while the iSight built-in camera is hidden in the glossy frame. Another important piece of information the modmyi poster reveals is that the “Touchpad Dock” rumor is false. “If this picture is real the 'TouchPad Dock' rumor is killed, although the touchpad in the picture does look like it may be made with a different material than the past,” the poster explains.Also worth noting is that MBP does not sport curved edges, a feature widely believed to be implemented in the new designs – an aspect borrowed from Apple's ultra thin laptop, the MacBook Air.
But then there's always the possibility that these images are fake, which is why Engadget finds the promo mockup (image #2) “amazingly [...] less plausible,” suggesting that “rendering and photoshop artifacts [are being] unobscured by cameraphone fuzziness.”
And, while the publishers of these shots urge readers to “remember the source is on Apple's design team,” we sincerely hope this is not just another complete forgery, since we too noticed the missing power button on these babies. Source : softpedia.com
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With the introduction of its new iPod line, announced at the Let's Rock event in San Francisco, Apple immediately started advertising the two newest iPod models on its website. The 4G nano and the 2G touchhave their own private galleries up on Apple's servers, with stunning imagery, special viewers, and TV commercials to show off the new media playing portables.
But why don't we offer you some information about the two devices while you scroll down through the beautiful renderings.iPod touch 2G
The new iPod touch 2G sports additional functionality, such as build-in volume control buttons (previously available only with Apple's iPhone) and an integrated speaker, for “casual listening.” Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, stated on stage that it was pretty difficult to add a speaker to the iPod touch, the device being so thin and all. This is all because, “for the holiday season,” Apple wanted to make the touch “even better." There's more!
Users can place the Nike + iPod sensor (sold separately for $19 US) in their Nike + shoe to seamlessly connect with the new iPod touch, and track workout sessions, since the new touch has built-in Nike + iPod support.
A 360-degree viewer lets you see the new iPod touch from any angle, with the option to zoom-in and out, to be able to distinguish its thinness, shiny new steel casing, and other new elements (pictures #5 and #6)
Image Credits: Apple
The new iPod touch comes in 32GB, 16GB and 8GB versions. The model with the highest storage capacity can hold up to 7,000 songs, 25,000 photos or 40 hours of video.
Since the 360-degree viewer advertises a 2G iPod touch playing "Iron Man," Apple notes (just under the gallery) that the movie will be available on the iTunes Store starting September 30, 2008, in the U.S. and Canada.iPod nano 4G
Although Apple added some pretty cool new functionality to the 4G iPod as well, the new nano is all about design. Dubbing its line “nano-chromatic,” Apple made the new iPod fit “even more comfortably in your hand,” while a two-inch display, with a curved aluminum and glass enclosure, were only logical steps for Apple to take with such an ambitious device. The new iPod nano works seamlessly with iTunes importing, managing syncing content, but also the new Genius feature, recently included by Apple in the latest version of iTunes.
An accelerometer is also built inside the device, allowing users to shake-to-shuffle their music, and watch video in landscape view, by turning the device side-ways.
The 4G nano can go up to 24 hours of constant music playing, and four hours of video playback. It can hold up to 4,000 songs, 14,000 photos and 16 hours of video – for the 16GB model, and 2,000 songs, 7,000 photos and 8 hours of video – for the 8GB model.source : softpedia.com
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Toshiba tonight upgraded its onboard flash memory with a new, 32GB module destined for smaller portable devices. The storage combines eight 4GB NAND flash chips built using a smaller 43 nanometer manufacturing
process and makes a single package, fitting twice as much capacity into a similar space as before. The design also builds in its own controller to manage its data traffic and would let device makers drop the new package in without reengineering their hardware.The combined storage is explicitly intended for cellphones, portable media players, video cameras, and other devices where a large amount of storage is necessary in one package. Toshiba doesn't name individual customers, but is a key supplier of Apple and through the design would enable a 32GB iPhone as well as a 64GB iPod touch. Toshiba also produces its own electronics, including Gigabeat media players, and frequently sells its memory for competitors and manufacturers of MMC and SD cards.
The Japan-based company will start offering samples of the enhanced memory to its clients in September and will start producing the design in bulk quantities during the fall. Release dates for products based on Toshiba's components will vary by the company but have historically started in the quarter following mass production.
process and makes a single package, fitting twice as much capacity into a similar space as before. The design also builds in its own controller to manage its data traffic and would let device makers drop the new package in without reengineering their hardware.The combined storage is explicitly intended for cellphones, portable media players, video cameras, and other devices where a large amount of storage is necessary in one package. Toshiba doesn't name individual customers, but is a key supplier of Apple and through the design would enable a 32GB iPhone as well as a 64GB iPod touch. Toshiba also produces its own electronics, including Gigabeat media players, and frequently sells its memory for competitors and manufacturers of MMC and SD cards.The Japan-based company will start offering samples of the enhanced memory to its clients in September and will start producing the design in bulk quantities during the fall. Release dates for products based on Toshiba's components will vary by the company but have historically started in the quarter following mass production.
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If Apple has a giant target on its back, it's Dell that keeps taking aim. Earlier this week Dell launched its Studio Hybrid desktop, a hip looking miniature sized PC that will do battle with Apple's Mac Mini, and now the company wants to wage a war in the portable music player market too.According to the Wall Street Journal, several Dell officials have indicated the OEM has been testing a digital music player for the past several months and that it could see the light of day by September, the same time millions of kids will be seen lugging their iPods back to school as dozens of those less fortunate look on in envy with their Zunes. But it's not exactly unchartered territory for Dell, who half a decade ago launched its Dell DJ line, a now defunct music player that never even had a chance to take on the iPod. Now Dell will get that chance.Dell's new music player will purportedly feature a small navigation screen with basic button scrolls, and will sport a WiFi connection for linking up with online music services. Most surprisingly, the new player is said to be priced at less than $100.
Does Dell have a shot at slicing into Apple's market share with a budget MP3 player, or will it ultimately join the DJ in the gadget graveyard?
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QuakeCon keynote liveblog is starting now! We're watching a video, and Todd Hollenshead is getting everyone all cranked up about the Corvette that Ventrilo is giving away.The real news starts momentarily. Click through the jump, and make sure you're logged in to get live as we post updates.Todd Hollenshead's left now, and Marty Stratton is talking about QuakeLive.
6:24: Everyone here is getting QuakeLive beta access, which is pretty sweet. We're looking at a QuakeLive video from SpikeTV now. Everything I love about Quake3 is in Quake Live it looks like, we just saw DM17, one of my all-time favorites.6:30: QuakeLive beta has been going with 100 people 3 months ago, and invites have grown it to about 6000 players. Feedback is what they're using to make the game. QuakeLive is facelifted Quake 3 Arena, with some geometry changes, new maps, etc, and it's something you can play online for free. Load it up in your browser, and play. They're going to keep dumping new content, but you can play on any PC. Also, it's free, which is pretty sweet too.
6:35: Marty's talking about the tournaments here, with $50k in tournament prizes.
Todd's back up. He's letting everyone know how much he loves his IR remote and his Mac. (they played the Rage video early, by accident)
Next is Katharine Anna Kang talking about id's mobile games. It looks like a Wolfenstein game, oh... Wolf RPG for phones. It's a java-=based game, and people in the audience are laughing a little at the video, but it reminds me of the early first-person RPGs that were maze crawlers.
There's a special guest from Doom in WolfRPG. It's on the floor, so I'll play it later and report back. Next game is... .Doom RPG for cell phones!
6:33: Now Hollenshead is talking about Wolfenstein, seems like he's getting everyone pretty riled up. Just took a shot at poor Kevin Cloud. Now they're going to play some exclusive QuakeCon content. Do you still play BJ? Do you fight Nazis? Are the Nazi's into the occult? There's multiplayer it seems. There's squad-based combat. This is the first time they've ever showed this footage, much more than the E3 teaser.
This video may be inappropriate for children. The sub pen is really huge. There's a lot of physics, and there are shaders that run across the whole screen. Jetpacks! Lots of destructable rooms and stuff. Wow, bad guys are disintigrating pretty good too. This looks quite nice. Release is"when it's done"
6:36: Some dude just yelled out "Tell us about Duke Nukem Forever!" Everyone laughed, and Hollenshead is mocking the Macbook again. Marty Stratton is laying on the floor mashing buttons.
Next up seems like it's Rage... What else could they be showing? DOOM4!!!
No real details, but basically it's going to be Doom, and maybe it seems like it's going to be on earth.
Carmack's coming up next to talk about Rage!
6:40: Carmack promises this is going to be intelligible. Rage is being worked on, but it had a reboot earlier. Did we know that?
Rage characters are shown. The environments are huge, and don't look like they're height-mapped to hell. Looks very- Max Max. There are lots of people in bars, monsters,tons of everything. Loks like melee combat, plus weapons, and there are some badass looking mutant dudes.Kind of like the kid from Gooonies. There will be racing, in additoin to open world stuff. In the races you have guns. Big guns. Looks like all the best stuff from Car Wars in a videogame that looks pretty sweet.
Rage runs at 60Hz, like John told us in E3. Doom 4 is the same engine, but runs at 30Hz instead of 60. Should be 3x richer than Rage, it will look like it's built with a next-gen engine.
Now, instead of doing just one project at a time, and working with partners to expand their catalog of games, they're doing lots of games. They're growing slow up until this point, doing one really good project at a time. Fifteen years later, with 4 year dev cycles, they can't continue doing that, so they're spooling up.
They've got big guns - AAA titles like Doom 4 and Rage. They have mobile - short game cycles and room for lots of innovation. "It seemed like a good idea and it seemed like it might work out" they've sold 2M units on phones. Each game is better than the next.
6:50: Most of the games they've sold on phones are under 300KB. They're thinking about features based on the amount of code they involve. It's limiting they fear, but they're increasing their low-end spec. 600K minimum size now, 2.5MB on low-end. He's disappointed that the market hasn't moved any faster than it has, and the low-end phones are still very low-end.
He's not talking about the iPhone yet. Oh wait. Here it is.
6:55: He says that the iPhone dev kit is much better than Java or Brew phones. Pure graphics are roughly equivalent to Dreamcast he says. It's about what you can do on a PS2 or Xbox, and you have a boatload of RAM, more so than on the earlier phones. Not as much in graphics, but more memory. You could make a $10M game for the iPhone today, but he doesn't know if they can make it back. Orcs and Elves was on the iPhone, but they didn't want to devote 3 man-months to make it happen.
6:56: id has plans for two games on iPhone. One RPG style game, one graphical tour de force. He says it's more powerful than the PSP or DS. No idea when this is going to happen, but they think there's a good market. Only about 15% of people in this audience have an iPhone though.
The touch interface could be both an excellent phone and an excellent gameplay device. The all-in-one awesome device. Apple's done a lot of stuff that John really likes. They make nice to him when they want him to do a keynote, and then they "put him on the shitlist when he says something else in interviews". The SDK is great, and marketing support is good. Apple still doesn't get games, but they've got people who are trying. He's excited to see the sales numbers for the games on the iPhone. 8 of top 10 apps on app store are games. He hopes that the iPhone will scare the providers into making good hardware.
7:00: iPhone isn't going to take over the world. There won't be a billion iPhones going out into the world. Carmack's really excited about mobile. He doesn't like the carriers or the phone builders. He's hopeful that Google will bring something out that's awesome. He wants to do native apps on Android, but it's possible that it will be a non-native Java version. there are performance problems. Next up is Symbian, since Nokia owns everything outside the US. EA takes the two versions (high and low) that id provides, and then EA converts it to boatloads of different versions of a lot of different phones.
Doom RPG 2 is "fun". Doom RPG had moments. They're really cranking up the quality of the products on Doom RPG 2. Will there be a double-barreled shotgun? They're going to have a iPhone version of Doom RPG 2.
Next up, Quake Live.
7:05: Web development is hard. He says that the game was done about six months ago, and they're working on the web side for the last six months. They've got stats, friends lists, leaderboards, etc. They're ramping up slowly, adding 1000 people per day. Matchmaking stuff isn't working here, but it will be when the game goes live. I'm really excited about this.
They collect a crazy number of statistics, and they're going to do cool stuff with achievements, tournaments, etc because they're collecting a boatload of stats.
This is pretty experimental. Not sure it's a good business decision, not sure if it's a good idea or not a good idea. What if we take a nine year old game and we put it out, and no one shows up. With just 50k users, they have spent a lot of money on nothing.
There's a good community there, and they think they can enhance it to bring in lots more people, but they have no idea how many people will actually show up. He says "we're groping in the dark with two orders of magnitude". 100,000 people signed up with no promotion at all. "This is a gratifying turn of events." Quake Live is special to him, because he loves the purity of the game. You can't do a $50 boxed game that's that pure. When you buy a game, they expect a $20M development cost game, which they're doing with Rage and Doom 4.
Quake Arena was tournament deathmatch oriented game. He thinks they can really make a run of it this time, and it's a helluva lot of fun, especially if it's free.
They did an in-company tournament, and he was rusty as hell. He used to win the in-house tournament, now he gets spanked. He made it past the first round. It's still a fun game. It looks a little better, a little more polished, and just a little bit better. "It was hardware accelerated and really realy fast, which was cocmpletely fine back in the day" They went in and did another polish pass on the game, which has made it a lot better. They've integrated the in-game advertising, without it looking bad. In-game ads make sense for certain types of games. He seems very sensitive to putting the ads in the games in the right way. You don't want to see an Intel ad when you're shooting Nazis.
7:13: The have 8 people internally working on the project now. Worst case, they've trained a whole team of people through an entire dev cycle, which is pretty unusual now. He's excited about being able to do that with a high-end PC project, and put them on another project and it won't be money wasted. He's really stoked about the game, and that it's approachable. If you join the game, it won't put you on servers that you'll get spanked on. Matchmaking is going to put you with people that you'll have fun playing with.
Hardcore gaming community is different than most people. Hardcore gamers are an insular community. Frag or be fragged isn't fun for normal people who play GTA single player. There probably won't be another Quake Arena project right now. They're working on Doom4 instead, but if Quake Live is a huge success, they'll probably change their mind and do it anyway.
7:20: There aren't any mods in Quake Live. They've integrated lots of stuff that mods implmented, but they're taking advice from the people who've been played the game for 9 years. They're pulling the best rulesets and gameplay types, but there is no ability to take a SDK and build a mod that we support. It won't be hard for someone to go from QuakeLive universe to step over to the classic scene, where the code is open source, and you just have to buy the game off of Steam. Quake Live is the gateway drug to Q3A + online multiplayer.
They want to integrate some of the better stuff into the game after they get started. There will probably be officially approved user-generated maps that run on official servers. It's a web service, so there's a lot of flexibility to try out a lot of cool stuff. They're on new ground, expect some mistakes, but the core is that the game is good, it's fun, and there's good infrastructure. What they're putting around it is state of the art. Community forums, matchmaking, friends, all that is state of the art, and will be supported in future games. It's not just a portal for other games to play online. It's not a new "casual gaming destination.
It's playing to the PC's conventional strengths. the hardware's better, but there's the same compatiblity problems. There won't be more big budget AAA titles on PC again. They're still going to support it, and you can crank it way the hell up, but it's not going to make worlds of difference. Rage runs at 60Hz.
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Always holding onto iPod to enjoy audio, images and video is a stressful experience. Watching movies or images on the small screen; scrolling the wheel to navigate menu and listening to music via earpieces make is sometimes exhausting. At times, it becomes an inquisitive attempt to hook up the media player to a home theater system for relaxed and pleasurable entertainment period.Now, Yamaha has introduced its latest docking station that takes care of the impulsive urge of enjoying a stress-free entertaining experience. Known as YDS-11SL iPod dock, it has the ability to let consumers play the digital music that are stored on the iPods through the home theater system.You are required to connect the dock to Yamaha’s receivers and YSP-3050 speaker bar for full control over the operations by using a remote control of the home theater electronics maker’s remote. The included single cable provides an easy connection and eliminates the need of additional adaptor.
With the help of Yamaha’s On-Screen Display visual interface, users will be able to view the iPod screen on their video displays. They can even watch videos on the connected TV.
This universal dock shows its compatibility with the iPod touch, nano, mini and click-wheel iPods like iPod classic. Charging iPod also becomes easy with the YDS-11SL iPod dock while playback.
Yamaha YDS-11SL iPod dock can be purchased through online stores and retailers for $100 (approx. Rs. 4300).
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Sprint Nextel Corp. will be taking on the iPhone with a lower price for its own touch-screen smart phone, the Samsung Instinct.The carrier said Wednesday that the Instinct will cost $129.99 when released on Friday. That compares with $199 for the cheapest model of the new iPhone, which goes on sale July 11 with AT&T Inc. as the carrier.
The Instinct shares many features with the new iPhone, including access to a fast wireless data network and a GPS receiver. Sprint was unusually involved in the phone's development, and plans to promote it heavily.
The new iPhone costs half as much as the old one, since AT&T is now subsidizing the hardware, much likecarriers do for other phones. Previously, Apple had a unique arrangement with AT&T under which the phone was sold at full price, but Apple got a share of wireless service revenue from the carrier.
Before the announcement of the iPhone price cut, Sprint had indicated that the Instinct would cost more than $200. Afterward, it said it would match the price. Wednesday's announcement lowers the price further, and points to the intense competition in the smart-phone market, which has been very strong the last six months.
The Instinct's price is with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate.
The purchase price of a smart phone is only a fraction of the total cost of ownership, since the phones require a data plan. The cheapest monthly plan for the Instinct will cost $69.99, which ends up closer to $80 with taxes and fees. The cost for two years of service is then about $1,900.
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