Microsoft just announced their imminent release of their new Zune HD. And it look pretty good for a microsoft release I must say. Their last attempt at a worthy mp3 player was back in 2005 and yielded mixed results. Their newest Zune harbors HD viewing, a wider screen, more capacity, and a Solid State Media Player.
Punching in a a 272×480 screen resolution its just short of the iPhone’s 320×480. It does have something the iPhone doesn’t however, OLED pixels.
I guess we’ll see how it does pretty soon.
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We all know that the iPhone’s underlying major problem is the price of the AT&T Plan.
Apple and AT&T have noticed this and have decided to reduce some of the costs of owning an iPhone. iPhone 3.0 will be released in June and a new, maybe cheaper device might arrive around the same time.
Some even think that a prepaid iPhone may be released in the near future. I think this is a bit much and would detract from the overall splendor of the device itself. I can, however, believe that along with service reductions, the iPhone itself may become cheaper as well.
Whatever they have in stock for us, I believe a cheaper iPhone will most definitely boost the market and provide more, maybe low-income individuals the ability to own this awesome phone.
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Skype is Here!
Finally. Although it took an unexpected great length of time, Skype is here. And it is available for both the iPhone and iPod Touch. The interface is crisp and simple. It allows for calls and chat.
But there is a small catch.
Although Skype to Skype is still free, there is one tiny issue: Calls on Skype for iPhone work only if your in range of a Wi-Fi Network. So your call quality will depend on the wireless networks nearby. Calls will not work over the cell phone network on the iPhone, while chatting will.
Of course, iPod Touch users will need a mic and speaker if they don’t already have one.
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Although I was very skeptical at first, the possibility of an iPhone Nano is increasing. A report from Digitimes reports that the chip manufactures Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and United Microelectronics Corporation are supposedly ordering the chip sets for the iPhone Nano. If at all, the release would probably hit the stores in June.
One bad thing for those in the US is that the release is speculated to hit mainly China because it presents a more ideal market. This may be true, but I believe it would would most likely hit the US first.
More to come,
rooster
The cut and paste option has been near the top of the iPhone Flaws list. People have been complaining about its omission in the 3G and previous releases. 3rd party applications like OpenClip have tried filling the gap but have been largely unsuccessful… seeing as the newest update has made OpenClip unusable.
Well hopefully this is about to change. PasteBud, a web-based service will soon hit the market. Although the website is not up yet, the developers have promised it will bypass the App Store altogether. It will function through bookmarks and allow users to browse between pages and highlight text, hit a copy button, access another page, and paste the text.
The release date is approaching and we now know this important service will be available soon.
For those of you with iPhone 3Gs out there, you wil be hapy to read this. Original post found here.
We made some significant 3G progress this week.
Here’s a screenshot [look at the link] of a 3G iPhone whose baseband has been modified. And even though it’s modified — and fails the integrity check — it’s still running. Can you guess where the patch was made?
Running modified baseband code is a very useful ability, but it’s still not possible to accurately estimate how close we are to the ultimate goal.
They actualy have a video showing what they did, and you can watch it here. The video and the post aren’t to detailed, but it basically means that they modified the iPhone with their code. This is going to eventualy lead to unlocking it (knock on wood). So this is god news. Stay tuned for further updates.
The iPhone will start selling at Walmart November 15th!
This will boost iPhone sales exponentially. Smart move by Apple. Smart move by Walmart. Just imagine all those non-Internet buying, non-apple store shopping people seeing this amazing phone in stock at their favorite store. The iPhone will now be advertised to all the different types of buyers Walmart has. And because Walmart sells so many different things, this variety is enormous. The timing is also perfect because Black Friday is coming up and christmas shoppers will snag this up like crazy.
Although the iPhone is being sold at other nation wide stores like Best Buy Walmart will have the most affect on actual iPhone sales. But then again there are other things to consider. Walmart will only allow you to buy the phone if you activate it before you exit the store. And, of course… our currently failing world economy.
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Verizon introduced the Blackberry Storm today. It includes a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash as well as GPS for navigation but lacks Wi-Fi. It’s a touch phone with four buttons on its front side and is overall a pretty impressive phone. It can also operate on a 3G network.
Apple’s “Hello, I’m a Mac” commercials are well-known. To get back into the game Microsoft has recently made their own “I’m a PC” commercial. Something Ironic about this matter (and all you Apple fans will love this) was found in a Computerworld report:
- Four of the images that Microsoft made available on its PressPass site today display the designation “Adobe Photoshop C3 Macintosh” when their file properties are examined. The images appear to be frames from the television ads that Microsoft will launch later today.
I’m sorry all you PC fans but Apple got the better of this one.
1. Crow-Mag Ralley
Guide your Caveman (or Women) thru multiple courses found in the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages that wind to and fro, past hazards (lava pits, tornados and such), while you pick up power ups (like bones you can throw as weapons, extra traction for your tires, and oil slicks) you can use against the your opponents.
You Can either:
a. Race – in which you must beat your opponents to the finish line
-or-
b. Gather – in wich you must pick up more items than your opponents.
-or-
c. Multi-player
- 9 different tracks
- 9 different power-ups
- 11 different vehicles
Stone Age:
Desert
Jungle
Glaciers
Bronze Age:
Crete
The Great Wall
Giza
Iron Age:
Medieval
Viking Village
Atlantis
Single Player:
In one-player mode, you can practice on each track or go into tournament mode, in which you must win all the first three races in the Stone Age before going to the other Ages.
Multi-player Mayhem:
With two player, one can race head-to-head on a split screen or try or try any of the following alternate playing methods:
- Keep Away Tag: One character is “it” and has to tag another player within a certain amount of time to avoid elliminaion from play.
- Stampede Tag: One character is “it” and the other characters attempt to tag him. If player “it” avoids getting tagged for 2 minutes he or she wins.
- Survival: In this mode, the goal is to blast and ram all your opponents off the raceway before the players own health diminishes.
- Quest For Fire: This game is played with two teams in which each one hides the six torches of the other team throughout the land. The other team must find the six torches and get them back to home base without being rammed off the course (CTF Crow-Mag Ralley version)
Pros:
- Amazing Visual Perforamance that utilizes the accelerometer for steering and sounds effects from the original.
- You can change the difficulty as well as steering sensitivity, vibration toggel (which drains the battery), and other preferences.
- It’s great Fun!!
Cons:
- On-screen controls are a bit awkward for some people
- Drains Battery like most games
- The “Hot Spot” for the gas pedal can be quit annoying because your finger slips off of it randomly and you suddenly slow down for no reason
- Some say the game gets boring quickly (but obviously the majority of buyers love the game enough to buy it and recommend its use to others.
- Pricey
Overall a good fun App. worth buying if you enjoy racing games and don’t have to tight of a wallet. Tell us what you think
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Expected release date: September 9th
Due to the reduced iPhone prices, Apple’s new releases will most likely be accompanied by some more price cuts. Steve Jobs hinted at some great releases in a presentation of Apple’s third fiscal quarter results on July 21:
“We set a new record for Mac sales, we think we have a real winner with our new iPhone 3G, and we’re busy finishing several more wonderful new products to launch in the coming months.”
The new iPods and iPod Nanos will probably have more storage space and a new (but not too new) design. The iPod Nano will be thinner (6mm), longer, and will have a wider screen. The iPod Touch 2G will most likely have volume controls on the side, be a bit thicker, and resemble the iPhone 3G (no Camera though).
The only other hints so far revealed for the design of the iPod is a iPod Nano 4G Case made by Hamlin and
the CAD specs (Below). Concerning the actual look and color, I guess well just need to wait and see.
New iPod Touch 2G & Nano 4G Dimensions
Apple also just announced the release of its new MacBooks. More memory (up to 4gb), more storage (250gb), the lastest Intel Core 2 Duo processors, and the multi-touch track pad first introduced in the iPhone!
Of course to top it all of they had to also release the fastest Internet browser currently available: Safari 3.0! (The new Google Chrome, however, may give it a run for its money)
Please comment on any new Apple rumors and leaks!
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