Apple are expected to unveil a revolutionary new gadget in January, which will take the company back to its computing roots.
The tablet computer will have a 10.6" touchscreen and allow users to surf the web, watch TV and read eBooks, according to industry insiders.
The device will not have a mouse or keyboard and instead resemble a large iPhone. It will help Apple take control of the wireless multimedia market.
Speculation has reached fever pitch on technology blogs that the device, dubbed the iSlate, will be unveiled at the Apple conference in San Francisco on 26th January. Apple registered the domain name iSlate.com in 2007.
Previous launches at the New Year event include the original iPhone and MacBook Air.
Rumours and counter-rumours have always surrounded fledgling Apple products. Previous reports suggested an Apple tablet would have a 7" screen and be called the iMod.
Apple filed a European design trademark for a tablet-style computer way back in 2004 and numerous tablet patents have been popping up ever since.
However, the plans were put on the back burner because the technology simply wasn't advanced enough to fulfill Steve Job's vision.
Now sources at various Asian manufacturers have confirmed they are building components for a new Apple device, due to be shipped in the third quarter of 2010.
Innolux, the panel-making subsidiary of the Foxconn Group will supply the touch panels, according to DigiTimes.
A Taiwanese newspaper reported Cheng Uei Precision Industry will manufacture 'connectors' for the device.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs launched Apple's Macbook Air in 2008. Could the Apple Tablet follow in 2010?
Apple is also rumoured to be in talks with media groups such as Disney and CBS to secure regular content for the tablet.
The company revolutionised the music and mobile phone industry in the 21st century with its streamlined and intuitive gadgets including the iPod, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch.
Shares in the company have gained almost 150 per cent thanks in large part to the popular iPhone and hugely successful App Store. They closed at a record high of $209 (£131) in Christmas week.
There’s a rumor going around that Google isn’t just developing an operating system for netbooks (which we already know is true), but that company is also in the process of developing an actual netbook. While Google isn’t exactly known as a hardware maker, this rumor falls into the plausible category, since Google is also widely reported to be developing a cellphone running Android OS. And as Apple has demonstrated time and again, if you want your operating system to run smoothly on hardware, your best option is to design the hardware.
This weekend the rumors got a little more interesting as British site IB Times listed the rumored specs of the upcoming Google netbook:
IB Times also says the netbook could be subsidized by wireless carriers and sell for under $300.
All told, it sounds like one heck of a machine. And to be honest, I’d say it’s far more powerful a device than you need for running web-apps alone. Then again, anyone who has spent some time watching movies, editing documents, and performing other tasks in a web browser can tell you that more RAM and memory is always better than less. But I wouldn’t be surprised if people picked up this netbook in hopes of hacking it to run a different flavor or Linux or of tweaking the open source Chrome operating system to run native apps instead of the web-only apps Google plans to offer.
When Google officials introduced the operating system recently, they stated that netbooks designed to run Chrome OS would be larger than today’s netbooks and have full sized keyboards. At the time, I figured this meant the netbooks would have screens larger than 10 inches, but it’s possible that Google reps, like a lot of other people, still think of netbooks as 7 to 9 inch devices with cramped keyboards even though the vast majority of mini-laptops released in the last two years are much larger and more comfortable to type on. Anyway, if the rumored specs are true, the Google netbook will have a 10 inch screen and likely won’t be much larger than the average netbook on the market today.
Of course, we’re still dealing with rumors and speculation here, so please pass the salt and I’ll take a grain. I suggest you do the same.
In a holiday-shortened week, AT&T has spawned a raft of headlines on the Internet after the company halted online sales of the iPhone in New York City, at least temporarily. The phone is still available to New Yorkers in Apple /quotes/comstock/15*!aapl/quotes/nls/aapl and AT&T stores, however.
The decision has revived talk about whether AT&T's network can handle the traffic generated by iPhone users, especially in dense urban markets. Owners of the iPhone tend to use the Internet much more than other wireless customers, but existing mobile networks are not designed for such heavy data traffic.
Although AT&T /quotes/comstock/13*!t/quotes/nls/t has beefed up its network, complaints about dropped calls and Internet interruptions seemed to have increased. That's spurred rivals such as Verizon Wireless to mock the quality of AT&T's network in commercials.
In almost any other week, AT&T's effort to limit online sales in New York City might have gone little mentioned. Yet business news is scarce in the last week of December, between the Christmas and New Year's Day holidays.
Dallas-based AT&T hasn't helped its cause with a cryptic and tight-lipped explanation of its action. Several spokespeople have given different media outlets, including MarketWatch, the same response: "We periodically modify our promotion and distribution channels."
Since reports of AT&T's online move surfaced Sunday, a number of people have tried to order the iPhone online using New York City ZIP codes. An effort by this writer to do the same showed that "there are no phones and devices that match your search criteria," according to AT&T's Web site.
A blog called the Consumerist, apparently the first site to report the halt in online sales, said a customer-service representative cited a lack of wireless cell towers in New York City for AT&T's decision. Other AT&T representatives blamed excess fraud or said the online stock of iPhones available to New York customers had been depleted.
Whatever the case, AT&T knows it has to continue to expand its network to match the increased usage by iPhone customers -- 11 million and growing -- as well as 70 million other AT&T wireless subscribers. Brand is critical in the fiercely competitive U.S. wireless market -- as Sprint Nextel Corp. unhappily discovered -- and AT&T can ill afford to see its image suffer. In a worst-case scenario, AT&T might even have to consider raising prices for iPhone customers, who now pay a flat monthly rate for unlimited Internet access.
Ralph de la Vega, AT&T's mobile-operations president, hinted at such a possibility in a presentation to investors earlier this month, though he later said a change in pricing policy is not imminent. He insisted AT&T is merely exploring a variety of methods to reduce the strain on its wireless network.
The release of Windows 7 has definitely helped in increasing the sales of the PC at work, but have failed to slow the increase in adoption of Macs at the workplace, according to a study. Apple is expected to grow at the same time, while the number of companies buying Mac desktops remains flat at about seven percent, the number of those buying MacBooks has grown by 10 percent, according to Electronista.
The ChangeWave study also reports that Dell and HP should benefit from a slight increase in corporate sales with a respective 33 percent and 18 percent companies planning to buy both desktops and notebooks from the two. Also, 93 percent of those who had tried Windows 7 were either somewhat or very satisfied with the OS, that hasn't translated into significant decisions to move up upgrades at the office. But only 19 percent plan any sort of change, and only three percent plan a "significant" change to get Windows 7 into their businesses early.
It's not known what's leading to Apple's increase, though native Exchange 2007 support in Snow Leopard may contribute to the results along with overall less expensive MacBooks and MacBook Pros from the past few months.
In the annals of tall skyscrapers, there is no doubt that the soon-to-open Burj Dubai will be the world's tallest. But how tall is known to only a few.
"It's still a secret," William Baker of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP, the tower's structural engineer, said in an interview ahead of the Burj Dubai's January 4 opening.
"The client (Emaar Properties) will only let us say it's more than 800 metres tall. It's part of the mystique of the project," he said.
Baker said the architects wondered if someone would try to figure out the slender tower's height by measuring its shadow.
Chicago-based Skidmore developed the "buttressed core" structural system that resembles a gigantic "Y" to support the super-tall tower, which is nearly twice as tall as Skidmore's 442-metre Willis Tower in Chicago.
The 35-year-old Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower and once the world's tallest building, will be bumped down to fifth spot, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which tracks such things. The current record-holder, the Taipei 101, will be dropped to second.
Seven of the world's 10 tallest towers are in Asia, all built in the past 13 years.
Jan Klerks of the Council on Tall Buildings said the group has asked to know the tower's exact height.
"We have expressed this a number of times, but if there are reasons not to disclose it, then I guess we have to do without an official number. We also do not know why they chose not to disclose the number. The only thing we are sure of is that it is the tallest building in the world, and that it is at least 800 metres," Klerks said in an email.
The Burj Dubai "really cannot be rationalized through urban scarcity and land prices," Klerks said. "As such it is very much an iconic building, aiming at those who want an iconic address."
Apparently, the emirate's recent financial problems have not hurt sales of the approximately 1100 one- to three-bedroom residences in the tower, which are "pretty much 100 per cent sold out," Baker said. Those include corporate "apartments" near the summit topping out at around the 164th floor.
A luxury Armani hotel will occupy the bottom floors.
The cost of the tower has been put at around US$1.5 billion (A$1.69 billion) in published reports.
From the 124th floor observation deck of the tower viewers can see 80 kilometres on a clear day.
Terraces are located at setbacks spiraling up the tapered tower, which is based on the "geometries of the desert flower and the patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture," according to its promotional literature.
The air is noticeably cooler and fresher on the terraces compared to the stifling heat and humidity at ground level during Dubai's summer, Baker said.
He said it takes about two minutes to get to the summit on some of the fastest elevators in the world, which travel at up to 40 kilometres per hour.
The tower's exterior is glass and steel that would cover 17 soccer fields, and will require six to eight weeks to clean.
Concrete was used extensively in the core, enough to build a sidewalk 1283 miles long, and the steel reinforcing bar used would stretch a quarter of the way around the Earth. The cooling system produces enough condensation to fill 20 Olympic swimming pools a year, which will be used to water the grounds.
Spotlight, an advanced utility for searching, migrated from the Mac to the iPhoneand iPod Touch, and we should all be grateful for that since it is quite useful. Spotlight also happens to be one of my favorite iPhone features, and this week I'd like to share some of my favorite tips about it.
Access Spotlight
You access Spotlight from the iPhone Home screen by pressing the Home button once when you are on the first Home screen, or by simply swiping left while that screen is displayed.
(Credit: Apple)
If you are on a different screen, press the Home key twice: once to get Home, pause briefly, and again to open Spotlight (or simply swipe left instead of pressing Home again).
Performing a search
You will now be able to search your entire device for apps, songs, and e-mails. Simply start typing the word, name of an app, name of a song, or e-mail content you are seeking, and the iPhone will display it as you type. I have nearly 400 apps and not all of them will display on the 11 available Home screens, so this feature comes in handy when I need to launch an app I cannot see. If you see an app appear in the search results, tap it and it will launch.
Search from inside apps
The following built-in apps have a hidden search feature: Mail, iPod, or Music (on an iPod) apps, and Contacts. In all these apps, to access the hidden search feature you need to swipe down to reveal the Spotlight search field. This search will be performed on data native to the particular app so its scope is limited. For example, in the Contacts app it will only show results from the contact apps database. It does not currently support the capability to search your entire device as Spotlight does from the Home screen.
Now you will have no excuses about losing something, since looking for that honey-do list, favorite song, or important e-mail from your boss is easy with Spotlight.
Microsoft had a relatively successful year. But 2009 is nearly history and Microsoft must look ahead to 2010. Google and Apple will remain its biggest competitive challenges. However, Microsoft would be wise to avoid unhealthy obsessions about the competition. Here is a look at 10 strategies Microsoft should follow in the new year.
Now that 2009 is coming to a close, it's time for Microsoft to look ahead to 2010. The software giant will be met with several challenges during the year. It will need to face off against Google, an increasingly disconcerting competitor that seems to have its sights set on Redmond.
It also needs to take on Apple, which has enjoyed unfettered growth in the mobile space. It gets even worse when one considers that Microsoft also needs to worry about regulators that have major problems with the strategies Microsoft follows. Needless to say, it will be a tough year for Microsoft.
That's why Microsoft needs to be smart about the moves it makes. It can't simply expect to maintain status quo by offering services and solutions that don't appeal to user desire. It also can't expect to run roughshod over the market without the European Union having a few things to say about it. So as Microsoft prepares for the challenges that it will face in 2010, it's important that it has the right strategies in place to ensure it will be successful.
Ten strategies Microsoft should follow in 2010. Let's take a look.
1. Drastically improve Windows Mobile
It's not enough for Microsoft to simply address the problems users have with Windows Mobile. The company needs to drastically improve its mobile OS if it even wants to stay relevant in the space. Right now, Windows Mobile is little more than an "also-ran." It lacks multitouch support, it has none of the features users are looking for in next-gen offerings today, and the number of apps available to the platform pale in comparison to anything Apple offers. Windows Mobile is in desperate need of improvement.
2. Leverage Bing
If Microsoft wants to be successful online, it needs to do a better job of leveraging Bing. In 2010, the company must integrate Bing into just about everything it does. Bing Search should be in Windows Mobile. It should become a key component in Windows 7. It should especially find its way into Microsoft's many online services. Bing is the centerpiece of Microsoft's online strategy. It must be leveraged.
3. Adhere to the EU's demands
The European Union has a major problem with Microsoft. It believes that the company is engaging in practices that the governing body finds unacceptable. When Microsoft made the deal to offer users the opportunity to download up to 12 different browsers, it was the smart play for the software giant. It can't spend 2010 trying to find ways around that agreement. Microsoft needs to do what the EU wants and move on with other strategies.
4. Get to work on Azure
It's unbelievable that Microsoft would allow Google to be the first company to move into the online-operating-system space. As a software firm, most expected Microsoft to lead the way to the Web. It hasn't. That needs to change in 2010. The company needs to work hard on Azure and get it to market as quickly as possible. It can't allow Google to steal the online-OS spotlight. Microsoft could easily find itself trying to catch up to Google, rather than leading it.
5. Create a solid marketing campaign
Apple's "I'm a Mac, I"m a PC" ads have proven extremely successful. Over the past few years, Microsoft has tried to match their success with marketing campaigns of its own. Unfortunately, they never worked out. Microsoft needs to spend time in the new year developing marketing campaigns that appeal to consumers, shed its products in a good light, and make them understand why they want to buy Windows or use Bing. It's not easy, for sure, but the software giant needs to do its best.
6. Stay true to the enterprise
As Google and Apple attempt to steal operating-system market share away from Microsoft, it's in the enterprise where the software giant can solidify its power. In the software space, the big money is made in the business world. Google can't break into that space. Apple has had very little success. Microsoft rules the enterprise. In 2010, it needs to maintain that rule. It can't simply switch gears to appeal to consumers because the competition has. By controlling the enterprise, Microsoft can keep its stranglehold on the market, no matter the competition's offerings.
7. Get rid of Starter edition
Microsoft made a mistake offering Windows 7 Starter edition to netbook users in 2009. Many of those consumers were upset to see that they couldn't get the same experience on a netbook that they might otherwise enjoy on a standard notebook or desktop. In 2010, Microsoft needs to optimize Windows 7 to work with the netbook, so all versions of the software have the new features users want.
8. Don't forget Web advertising
For too long, Microsoft's Web-advertising efforts have been poor. When compared to Google's advertising platform, Microsoft's service falls short in almost every area. Microsoft needs to drastically improve its Web-advertising platform in 2010 if it wants to be successful on the Internet. Advertising is the way Microsoft will pay for many of its services going forward. Without providing a good alternative to Google's advertising services, it won't have much of a chance.
9. Get to work on security
Microsoft has done a better job of confronting the many security issues that face its operating system, but it has much more work to do in 2010. This year, the operating system faced zero-day vulnerabilities and far too many unpatched items that could have wreaked havoc on the user's computer. A better security initiative (and more services like Security Essentials) will increase Microsoft's stock in the security community. It has an opportunity to secure its operating system even more effectively in 2010. It can't miss that opportunity.
10. Don't obsess over Apple
Microsoft has a tendency to obsess over its competitors. It had an unhealthy obsession over Apple and Google in 2009. The Google obsession is understandable (after all, that company could cripple Microsoft), but the software giant's focus on Apple is a bit much. There's no debating that Apple can have a direct impact on Microsoft's bottom line. At the same time, its OS market share is small, at best. And although the iPhone is beating Windows Mobile badly, Microsoft can still fall back on the enterprise. Apple is a large, powerful company, but it's not nearly as big of a threat to Microsoft as some want to believe.
The buzz about the impending launch of Google's very own Chrome OS-based netbook refuses to die down with many industry watchers claiming that the internet giant has tapped at least one hardware manufacturer to make the netbook.
According to several tech blogs, including TechCrunch, the Mountain View-based company has sent RFPs (Request for Proposal) to several hardware manufacturers, including two prominent companies based in Far East Asia.
No real word on the hardware specs yet but there are rumours that Google's netbook will sport a chipset from Nvidia's Tegra line and it will be powered by an ARM CPU (which reportedly performs better than Intel Atom and consumes less power).
Meanwhile, sources close to the development said Google is keen on subsidising the device and selling it directly to consumers. However, it has not totally dismissed the idea of tying up with one or more network operators, who could sell the netbook with a bundled plan.
Google's Chrome OS was unveiled last month and it generated tremendous interest as it heralded Google's maiden entry in the OS market, which is currently dominated by Microsoft. Incidentally, Google's browser offering by the same name has failed to impact the browser market, which is currently dominated by Internet Explorer (again a Microsoft product).
So will Google Chrome OS be able to do what Chrome browser could not?
Not likely, claims tech analysts, as unlike Windows OS, Chrome OS will be compatible to a limited number of hardware. For instance, it will run only on a flash drive and not on traditional hard drives.
According to Google's vice president of product management Sundar Pichai, it increases boot-time speed and makes it more stable and secure but tech analysts claim that Google has an ulterior motive - by shunning hard drives Google gets to keep your data on its servers, which it can be used to target ads.
Meanwhile, word is out that the Google netbook will not hit the market before 2010 holiday season.
What do you think, folks? Will Google netbook end up as another rumour? Or is Google serious about taking on Microsoft? Will Chrome OS be Google's cash cow? Leave your comments below.
According to Digitimes, OmniVision, the supplier of the 3.2 megapixel camera for the current iPhone 3G/iPhone 3GS has secured 5-megapixel camera orders for the iPhone 4G . The iPhone 4th generation will launch in the second half of 2010. It will also contain a CDMA chip that allows it to be used on the Verizon Wireless network, if the rumors are true.
Apple launches new iPhones during the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). This year the WWDC conference is expected to be held during June, so that’s when we will find out whether or not there really is an iPhone 4G coming to Verizon. I’m hoping there will be one because I know a lot of people that would buy the iPhone if it came to Verizon.
If you’re staring down at your shiny new iPhone or iPod Touch wondering which apps to try first, Here is a list of great applications that I enjoy. I’ve attempted to include some of the popular free apps, most of which I use often but it isn’t exhaustive by any means. In fact, I welcome you to chime in with your own essentials in the comments of this post.
Happy holidays, and enjoy that new iPhone or iPod Touch!
Sony's PlayStation 3 got a boost from last week's launch of "Final Fantasy XIII" as Japanese consumers snapped up special-edition consoles to give the PS3 its best week since a relaunch several months ago, according to data released on Friday.
Sales of the PS3 totaled 237,086 units in the week of Dec. 14 of which about 92,000 units were a "Final Fantasy XIII" special edition offered by Sony, said Media Create. "Final Fantasy XIII," the latest installment in the long-running Final Fantasy series, launched on Dec. 17 so the figures cover its first four days on sale.
The weekly sales easily outpace those of recent weeks and are higher than those of early September when Sony relaunched the PlayStation 3 in a slimmer case and with a lower price tag. The PS3 sold 152,000 units during its relaunch week, according to Media Create.
The relaunch helped breath new life into the PlayStation 3 platform and push sales higher in the last three months. The PlayStation business remains a money loser for Sony but the company has targeted 2010 as the year it will return its gaming operations to profitability. The launch of games like "Final Fantasy XIII" plays an important role in this plan.
The "Final Fantasy XIII" software scored a major success for Square Enix with sales of just over 1.5 million copies over its first four days, said Media Create.
Sony is also attempting to widen the console's appeal.
Services such as movie rentals are being added to the PlayStation 3 and will be expanded next year with the addition of TV shows and other content. Sony has also pledged to offer a software update that will bring the capability to play back 3D content on Blu-ray Disc.
Sony's chief rival in the Japanese market, Nintendo, scored second place for the week. In the software chart its "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" ranked with 567,890 copies sold while the Wii console chalked up sales of 191,915 units, said Media Create.
Media Create estimates game software and hardware sales from point-of-sales system data gathered from around 3,000 retailers across the country.
After word spread that Apple had rented a stage for a "major" announcement in January, the rumor mill was at full speed that the oft-rumored Apple-branded tablet may finally be a reality.
The Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal and Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster all had stories over the past few days, claiming that a "a major product announcement" was set for January. Munster gives it a 50/50 chance of being the tablet, while the WSJ says Apple is already debriefing media companies on how their content would work on the devices.
Munster said the tablet would likely be 7-10 inches, and would be priced between $500-700, giving it competitiveness in the netbook market without actually being a netbook. The tablet's OS would be a tweaked iPhone OS, or a multi-touch-enabled Mac OS X.
Additionally, the device could have 3G wireless integrated, and could be sold through cell phone carriers. Covering all bases, the tablet could also include e-book software for books that could eventually be sold through the iTunes Store.
With a huge Christmas-eve surge in its stock Thursday, Apple Inc. has almost reached market parity with Googleand Wal-Mart. The 3.4 percent or $6.94 rise in Apple's stock during the day took its market value to $188 billion. The Apple stock sold for $209.04, surpassing the previous high of $207 last month. The stock surge brought Apple within striking distance of Google Inc. ($196 billion) and Wal-Mart ($204 billion). The Cupertino-based (California) software manufacturer is already ahead of IBM Corp. ($171 billion) and General Electric ($164 billion) in market valuation. The spurt in its stock has been fuelled by the speculation that the company is set to unveil an Apple tablet computer next month. The new device, which could be called iPad, will be a cross between the iPhone and the Kindle reading device. The New York Times said Wednesday that "there are too many signs that point in this direction'' of the Apple tablet. The San Francisco Chronicle also said Thursday that the tablet device "will likely be similar to an iPod Touch but with a 10-inch screen.'' The tablet will run a version of the iPhone OS software made to handle larger applications, the newspaper quoted a software analyst as saying. The newspaper said "Apple's tablet would compete well in the netbook category even though it would not be a netbook.Rather, it would focus more on apps, entertainment content (from the iTunes Store) and web surfing.'' According to a gadget blog, Apple is may launch a 7-inch tablet alongside or in place of the speculated 10-inch tablet.
There’s no denying that if you want to see your email when you’re on the move, you can’t beat BlackBerry with its efficient, fast, easy-to-use system. And if you’re suffering a little Apple iPhone envy, BlackBerryhas its own touchscreen handset, the Storm, released a year ago.
Although popular with end users, it had a mixed critical reception. Nobody liked the lack of wi-fi, requiring you to find a decent 3G phone signal before you could surf the net at speed.
Its unique touchscreen was a Marmite affair: the screen was sprung so you’d rest your finger on a menu item to highlight it but push through to make the screen click in order to activate it. I loved this – it was a reassuring confirmation that you were doing what you were trying to and worked better than the vibrating response offered with some other smartphones. And many felt that texting was a dog and the motion sensor was erratic – turn the phone sideways and the screen took an age to reformat, for instance.
So how does the Storm2 fare? Well, it’s a whacking great improvement in every single way. The springy screen is more accurate, though you’ll still like it or loathe it. The new software makes the accelerometer responsive and effective and texting is a little better – though the fact that when you touch a key with your thumb renders it invisible still hasn’t been addressed. Other smart phones display the key above your finger, so you know you’ve got the right one. Best of all, though, the BlackBerry boffins have found space for a wi-fi chip.
The new model is sleeker and sexier than the first, and in the last six months the BlackBerry AppWorld application store has built up its catalog. Not huge, but with lots of business-oriented add-ons, though many are pricey.
Original Storm users are promised a software update which will, it’s claimed address many of the usability issues. But, of course, it can’t add wi-fi. Still, it may tide you over until it’s time to upgrade.
For the second time in a week, a Blackberry outage has left North American users without access to e-mail on their handsets.
Bloomberg reports that two recent versions of Blackberry's Messenger program could be to blame, and that Research in Motion, which makes the handsets, has released software to fix the glitches. Customers are encouraged to download the latest version if their last upgrade was after December 14.
Thanks for the tip, RIM, but two outages in five days deserves more than a patch and a half-hearted "we apologize for any inconvenience." Show your customers the money.
It doesn't have to be much. Maybe a $5 or $10 credit, arranged with wireless carriers. Or maybe a $20 voucher off the purchase of a new Blackberry phone. Something to show that customer satisfaction is a priority and that RIM doesn't intend to make a habit of e-mail outages.
RIM doesn't have a flawless track record for responding to outages. In 2007, it took the company a few days to explain a day-long outage, causing outrage among users. Crisis management consultants said RIM should've communicated early and often, even if the company didn't fully grasp on what went wrong.
RIM appears to have learned that lesson, keeping the press updated during last week's outage, even when the exact cause wasn't known. But with two outages in short succession, it could be time to go the extra mile with compensation.
Some customers appear to have already worked the system. On the Crackberry forums, user "climbguy" said he received a $25 credit from AT&T after the December 17 outage by complaining and following up. Another user said he got a $5 service credit from his carrier by complaining about today's outage.
But if RIM really wants to make good on its recent failings, it'll spare customers the hoop-jumping and cough up the dough.
Google's pretty good at keeping its Web and search developments secret, but it's quickly learning that hardware's a different beast, as details on the Nexus One, a.k.a. the Google Phone, are leaking all over the Internet.
The Official Story
Google has developed an Android phone exclusively for its employees, for the purpose of testing and collecting feedback. An unnamed hardware partner has created what Google calls a “mobile lab” to “experiment with new mobile features and capabilities,” with employees around the globe chipping in. Everything else you've heard, from the name to the photos to the specs, comes from unnamed sources via the Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, Engadget, Gizmodo, Boy Genius Report and others.
The Specs
According to Engadget, the Nexus One measures a little over 0.45 inches thick, and has a 3.7-inch OLED touch screen. It could possibly run Qualcomm's 1GHz QSD 8250 “Snapdragon” processor, and has 512 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM and a 4 GB microSD card included, expandable to 32 GB. The camera has a 5-megapixel sensor, mechanical auto focus and LED flash, and could also include 2x optical zoom (this wasn't mentioned in a hands-on report from Gizmodo). Unsurprising frills include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, accelerometers and a compass.
The Interface
I'd recommend you check out the YouTube video, which was uploaded yesterday. The Android 2.1 interface isn't a dramatic change over Android 2.0, but it looks smooth given the shaky camerawork. A hands-on report from Gizmodo notes that the phone is considerably faster than the Droid, and even beat out the iPhone in multiple Web page loading tests. The screen is also noticeably better than that of the Droid, despite being the same size and resolution. This could be the rumored 1 GHz processor at work. Multitouch was not evident in the browser or map.
The Carrier
Reuters has reported that in addition to the usual carrier subsidy route, Google will sell the Nexus One unlocked and unsubsidized, but all signs point to T-Mobile as the carrier of choice. The HSPA 900/1700/2100 support cited in Engadget's specs suggest that only T-Mobile's 3G service will work on the phone, so AT&T users would be stuck with the slower EDGE.
The Price and Release Date
A T-Mobile source tells PC World that the carrier won't have anything to announce at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, so don't hold your breath. We don't know how much this phone will cost, and suggestions that the Nexus One will subsidize itself with ads are just speculation. A rumor at Android and Me says the price will be $199, but it's a vague report that doesn't describe how the subsidy will work. For all that we know about the Google phone, its business model -- arguably the most interesting thing about it – remains a big question mark.
As their prices fall, Blu-ray Disc players add streaming media capabilities to their already state-of-the-art high-definition image quality.
Today's Blu-ray Disc players do a lot more than play Blu-ray movies. Even so, they cost much less than they did a year ago.
Every model on our Top 10 Blu-ray Disc Players chart has an ethernet port for accessing Internet-based supplemental disc content via BD-Live. Seven of the ten support Web-based streaming media delivery.
Widgets and Web services are now a major feature of Blu-ray players. Rather than buy a dedicated box to handle streaming, you can buy a Blu-ray player that combines the pristine high-definition images of Blu-ray and the instant gratification of Netflix On Demand, YouTube, and other Web content.
Through Netflix On Demand, Netflix subscribers can access their Instant Queue over their TV. Other streaming services that one or more players we tested accommodate are Pandora Internet Radio, PlayStation Network, VieraCast (which includes Amazon On Demand and Picasa Vudu), and YouTube.
You'll get far superior image quality from a Blu-ray movie than from a streamed video, even if it's a high-def stream, but still the streaming options are convenient and worthwhile extras.
Every model on our chart can read digital images and music files from USB or SD Card; some can read AVCHD camcorder video and other video formats, too.
Price drops are another big development in this category. A couple of premium-priced models hit the $300 mark, and a handful come in at $250, but a typical player now costs $200.
All of the ranked models produced enticing high-def images, but we noted differences in image quality and (even more) in how the players handled standard definition. There, the Panasonic DMP-BD60K and the Sony BDP-S560 earned top honors.
This video game should be enshrined in some museum as a litmus test for just how far a release of this kind can coast on festive goodwill. Before one is able to dissect its value as a piece of entertainment, one has to take certain considerations on board. This is a game aimed primarily at children and it is designed to be consumed while the Disney animated feature it's based on is still fresh in their memories. It's not intended (hopefully) to be too challenging, nor is it meant to occupy a space in any avid gamer's collection. It's design and content seem to indicate that it's meant to be considered only as a marketing peripheral to the new Disney film. One could argue that, at the very least, it introduces its target audience to a story by Charles Dickens, and this is no bad thing. However, depending on your level of Christmas cheer this Nintendo DS game is either a disposable piece of festive fun or a poorly designed cash-grab.
While the game's level of appeal may be open to debate, the paucity of its content isn't. The game's story mode takes just under an hour to beat and once that's been done there's precious little here to keep anyone entertained. The game follows the events of Dickens' classic tale with the player occasionally being called on to solve the odd puzzle to move the plot along. This involves shifting items on the screen around in a certain order with the stylus. There is usually one solution, or one sequence of events required to unlock the next stage of the story, so once the story mode has been beaten, there's very little reason to play it again. The puzzles are a mixed bag. Most of them are insultingly easy, but there are a couple which have solutions that aren't immediately obvious. In these instances, however, this is sometimes a due to a fault in design; one example of this occurred when we had to tickle Scrooge's feet and while placing the stylus exactly on the right point produced the desired effect, moving it a fraction of an inch to either side produced a dialogue window.
As A Christmas Carol's main story mode unfolds, the player will come across a selection of mini games. These are based around arbitrary activities such as playing cards, flicking coins and making Christmas dinner. The design of the mini games is patchy. The card games are quite good and the cooking game isn't bad. However, some of the games are frustrating and badly designed – stand outs in this regard include the snowball fight and coin flicking games which involve zipping the stylus across the screen with varied results. Another example of a poorly designed game involved using the stylus to tap out notes on a fiddle which felt muddled and unresponsive. As hit and miss as these experiences are, however, at least they don't hold up the game because, unlike the other puzzle games, players don't even have to beat the mini games to move the story along.
Aside from the main story mode, there's very little on offer. Players can replay the story mode's mini games separately, either by themselves or in multiplayer (pass the DS) mode. There's a selection of spot the difference puzzles packaged as an advent calendar and finally, the game also contains a copy of the original story in its extras section (along with the game credits and the cheat code entry point). The game looks the part. The animated sequences are nicely rendered and the character art faithfully represents one's expectations; Scrooge is a hunched miser, the Cratchits drip with wholesomeness and piety and the ghosts of Christmases past, present and future look like a cherub, Brian Blessed and the Grim Reaper respectively. However, none of the actors from the Disney film supply their voice talents for the game. The main story mode, instead, is narrated by Charles Cecil (of Broken Sword fame) who does a very solid job.
As nice as it all looks and sounds, however, one can't help coming back to how lightweight this game is. Even for a title aimed at a younger audience, Disney's A Christmas Carol is an anorexic package which offers very little in the way of replay value. The puzzles and mini games aren't challenging enough to be entertaining the first time round and once all the solutions have been worked out there's no reason to play it again. Ironically, the content which offers the most reward is the story upon which the game and the movie are based, and you don't need to pay full price for this video game to get hold of that. Players with low expectations may enjoy playing through this game a couple of times, but it will probably test the Christmas spirit and patience of anyone else.
While 2009 was a fantastic year for games, we were rather shocked to see so many of the titles that were ear-marked for release this year get shuffled into next year's schedule. Chief among these were four titles which featured in our list of the most anticipated games from 2009 , God Of War III, BioShock 2, Heavy Rain and Alan Wake. Despite the delay in their release, all of them still look very promising. The games starring Kratos and Mr Wake were unveiled at E3, with the former looking satisfyingly brutal and bloody, and the latter showcasing a lot of crushing atmosphere filled with nerve-wracking thrills. Heavy Rain, for its part, is still garnering handfuls of praise for its mature approach to emotive video game storytelling, with, thankfully, not all of its plot details becoming common knowledge. The real surprise, however, is BioShock 2. When news of a sequel to 2K's highly acclaimed steam punk shooter emerged, it caused many to wonder out loud how it could possibly live up to the impossibly high storytelling standards of its predecessor. We can confirm, having been allowed some hands-on time with it, that fans of the original should start getting excited. BioShock 2 combines improved gameplay with even loftier literary ambitions than BioShck and, if our experience is anything to go by, it's set to be one of this year's best games.
9. Splinter Cell: Conviction
For a while there, it was beginning to look like gamers had seen the last of Sam Fisher. The latest instalment of Ubisoft's premier stealth title had endured a dispiritingly lengthy development period. The only results of this as shown to the public were a couple of previews in which the game's protagonist could be seen wandering around an inner city park covered in grubby clothes and shaggy facial hair. However, after yet another re-think, Splinter Cell: Conviction seems back on track. At E3, we were treated to a lengthy preview and Ubisoft's new game didn't disappoint. The emphasis on stealth is still present but the addition of the 'mark and kill' feature, low-tech equipment and Sam's overall darker demeanour makes Conviction feel like a far more brutal vision than previous Splinter Cell titles. We can't wait to get our hands on Conviction, but in the meantime, the memories of one of video game's most enduring heroes emerging from the shadows at E3, filled with fresh promise, will hopefully tide us over until the game's day of release.
8. Rage
id Software's new shooter has been in the pipeline for about two years now and news has begun to emerge that the game will finally see the light of day next year. The game's development and its march towards release has apparently been unaffected by the fact that its publishing rights have changed hands; ZeniMax Media, who own Bethesda Softworks and who recently bought id, picked them up off EA, who is now completely out of the picture. This will be music to the ears of shooter fans as Rage is id's first original game in over a decade and it's also the first to make use of the company's new Tech 5 engine. The game is set in the not too distant future in which the impact of a gigantic meteor has turned the earth into a post-apocalyptic hellhole. Rage is pitched as what a video game would look like if you crossed Mad Max with Fallout 3. Gameplay looks set to involve driving as well as shooting and the trailers currently making the rounds depict an exciting world filled with eccentric characters, vicious gangs and insane mutants. Rage's pedigree makes it look promising; after all this is a shooter produced by the people who brought us Doom and Quake, so what could possibly go wrong?
7. Halo Reach
Halo: Reach has the potential to be the defining moment in the franchise that established Microsoft's position in the console wars. When it was announced earlier this year at E3, details were scarce, but as 2009 draws to a close, the rumour mill has been working overtime. Set before the events of the original Halo titles, Reach follows the adventures of a team of six SPARTAN II soldiers during an epic battle in the war against the Covenant alien alliance. Seeing at it's a Halo title, we're going to go ahead and assume that the FPS action will be present and correct, that the multiplayer will be fantastic and that the story will be in keeping with the hokey space opera that has run throughout all the Halo titles. We already know it looks great, and really, we expect the best from Reach. After all, Halo was the game that established Bungie, and if the rumours that it's the developer's last outing with the Halo franchise are true, we can be sure they'll want to go out with a bang.
6. The Last Guardian
When The Last Guardian was finally revealed at E3, the beautiful footage of a young boy and his gryphon-like companion left nary a dry eye in the house. The soaring soundtrack tugged at the heart strings, and the burgeoning friendship between boy and creature captured the imagination of all in attendance. Who are they? Where are they going? And are those arrows protruding from the gryphon's back? Style, emotion and magic. Three things you can rely upon from a Team Ico title. Agonisingly little is known beyond that trailer, but given the developer's pedigree with Ico and the magnificent Shadow of the Colossus, we're expecting another wonderful ride.
5. Super Mario Galaxy 2
This was one of the two get-out-of-jail-free cards that Nintrndo played at its press briefing at E3 2009. Until one of the company's American head honchos announced that Super Mario Galaxy 2 (and a new Metroid title) were on their way, the presser was being chalked up as a damp squibb. Once the applause died down, expectations began to soar and they haven't come down since. The original Super Mario Galaxy is widely recognised as one of the best video games ever made for this generation of consoles and the prospect of its sequel is enticing to say the least. This could obviously work against Nintendo, because Super Mario Galaxy 2 will have to live up to such impossibly high standards. However, with the inventive minds of Nintendo's best developers hard at work, we fully expect the sense of wonder we had playing the original to be faithfully rekindled.
4. Starcraft II: The Wings Of Liberty/World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Blizzard is famous for taking ages to churn out its video games; Every IP that it releases into circulation is the result of years of developing, testing and tweaking to make sure it will satisfy the exacting standards of the Blizzard faithful - who are very used to waiting. This year, their patience will be rewarded because if BlizzCon 2009 was anything to go by, 2010 is going to be a busy year for Blizzard. The Anaheim Convention Centre which played host to Blizzard's annual party this year was filled with mad whoops and thunderous applause when company executives announced that not only would Starcraft II ship in the new year, but a new World Of Warcraft expansion pack was on the horizon. Fans have been waiting for over a decade for the second installment in the groundbreaking RTS sci fi game, and WoW players will line up in droves for Cataclysm - which is scheduled to tear apart the world of Azeroth later this year. Now, if Blizzard can get just Diablo III out the gate before 2011, they'll have accomplished an incredible trifecta.
3. Bayonetta
Bayonetta is a bespectacled witch who looks like a cross between Sarah Palin and a dominatrix from a high-end leather club. She carries a gun in each hand and firearms are attached to each of her stilleto clad heels. Her body is covered with a catsuit made from hair , which can transform into a dragon and attack foes. Every single thing about her is madder than a bag full of spanners, and if you can believe it, she is the least insane aspect of the game she inhabits. Bayonetta is a Japanese-made fighting game which boast an utterly insane, yet self-aware plot, amazing animation, a cheesy soundtrack and arguably the best control system for a game of this type. We have to recommend it because is so over the top, it's down the other side, through the earth's crust, straight through its core and out the other end. Then it blasts into space.
2. Red Dead Redemption
No one knows whether Rockstar Games has drawn a line under its Grand Theft Auto franchise, but we do know that its next open world adventure isn't set in Liberty City. For its first big release of 2010, the British developer has applied its extraordinary world-building talents to the Wild West in Red Dead Redemption.Rockstar has gone all out in its latest release; the game turns players loose in the great American wilderness, in which they’ll encounter wildlife, bandits, ghost towns, isolated farmlands, mountain ranges, rivers and frontier towns populated by settlers. In short, the living, breathing Wild West. There is, of course a plot, which tips its hat to classic Western conventions, and from what we've seen so far the the writing is as strong as in the best of Rockstar's titles. What ultimately blows us away, however, is how breathtaking it all looks. The pain-staking attention to detail in the look and feel of Red Dead Redemption makes the world it presents utterly believable and completely immersive. The year hasn't even started yet, but we're confident that based on what we've seen, and Rockstar's unimpeachable track record, Red Dead Redemption is going to be one of the best games we play in 2010.
1. Mass Effect 2
The finale of Mass Effect left the galaxy in turmoil. As Commander Shepard, it's up to you to stave off the ongoing threat of the 'Reavers', an AI lifeform hell-bent on destroying the species of the Citadel. BioWare's space-opera enthralled millions of gamers with its exquistely detailed galaxy and gripping tale. It wasn't without its technical quirks though, and BioWare have spent the last two years polishing the engine to within an inch of its life. Visually, it glistens, while the third-person gunplay has undergone a much-needed overhaul. But at the heart of it all is that bewitching space yarn, crammed with politik and intrigue, action and romance. This next chapter of the saga can't come soon enough.
TWe’ve admired the thin and light MacBook Air before, and come to terms with our disappointment that Windows users didn’t have a comparable equivalent. The recent Nokia Booklet 3G comes close, but if you want something more powerful and with a screen approaching the Air’s 13-incher, this new and beautifully designed machine from Sony has a lot going for it.
No surprise that such a stylish machine would come from Sony’s stable – the company has a history of making great-looking computers which few other manufacturers can match. So it’s certainly a laptop that will look great in your CEO’s possession, as it’s casually plonked onto to the boardroom table or the desk in the First Class lounge.
It’s spectacularly slim and in certain configurations qualifies for shouting out that it’s the World’s Lightest Laptop from behind its demure gloss-black casing. But does it do the business? Pretty much, yes. The 11.1-inch screen is bright and pin-sharp with HD resolution despite its modest size. The keyboard is expertly spaced so that it’s easy to type on even for longer documents. Small laptops traditionally have poor mouse pads, but the one here is highly usable. Onboard memory is not outstanding at 2GB, but nippy enough to work well and at speed, even when multitasking. The hard drive (choose from 128GB or 256GB capacities) is also fast and responsive as it’s the light flash memory kind. And if you’re not in a wireless hotspot, the sim card slot hidden under the battery means you can connect through the 3G phone network, too. This is a really excellent laptop, delivering classy looks and performance. It is absolutely unbeatable for portability. But the high price, though good value given the components, just denies it a fifth star. Even for your CEO.
But shoppers hoping for a price war between the major network operators will be left disappointed – Vodafone's cheapest deal for Apple's 16GB iPhone 3GS works out more expensive over the lifetime of the device than any of its competitors.
People signing up to Vodafone's £40 per month, 18-month contract also have to pay £89 for the iPhone itself, meaning they will have spent £809 on the phone and monthly payments by the time their contract expires.
O2 and Orange, which also offer the iPhone, are a significantly cheaper than Vodafone, but there is just 84p difference in price between the two: a 16GB iPhone 3GS on O2's £29.38 per month, 18-month contract will cost users £713.82 over the lifetime of their device, including the £184.98 initial outlay for the phone; the same handset on Orange's £29.36 per month, 18-month contract will cost £712.98 over its lifetime, including an upfront cost of £184.50 for the handset.
Supermarket giant Tesco, which started selling the iPhone last week, represents the cheapest deal for shoppers, who can choose between a 12-month or two-year contract. The cheapest monthly tariff is just £20, but shoppers will have to pay a whopping £320 up front for the 16GB iPhone 3GS.
The number of free minutes and texts available varies between networks and tariffs, and will be a key consideration for shoppers as they try and decide which contracts represent the best value for money for their needs.
But mobile phone experts have warned that purchasing decisions may boil down to more than just cost. O2's network, which has suffered frequent crashes in recent months, has gone down again, leaving some iPhone users unable to make or receive calls or surf the internet.
"Consumers who were hoping that with four networks vying for a share of the iPhone market that a price war would ensue, are likely to be disappointed, particularly those who have been holding out for Vodafone's announcement in the hope of picking up a New Year bargain," said Ernest Doku of mobile phone comparison site Omio.
"The networks are battling on the fronts of quality of call reception and data usage limits, rather than the cheapest deals. It will be interesting to see if their stance changes in the New Year, when the feeling is that the real battle for market share will commence."
The popular browser, which accounts for 24.7 per cent of the global browser market – according to Net Applications’ December figures - is almost ready to make its debut on mobile.
Jay Sullivan, who is heading up the project – codenamed Fennec - told the BBC that it is currently going through testing and could be released before the end of the year.
It will be able to synchronise with the desktop version of the browser – meaning any pages open on a Firefox user’s desktop will automatically open in the mobile version of the browser.
"At the end of the working day you can walk away from your computer and keep on going on your phone," Mr Sullivan told the BBC.
"It encrypts all of the information and sends it back through the cloud between your desktop and mobile."
If all goes to plan, before the end of the year he hopes N900 users will be able to download Firefox in Nokia’s Ovi store.
Mozilla, the parent company of Firefox, is also working on versions for Google’s Android and Microsoft’s Windows respective operating systems.
However, iPhone owners who like using Firefox on their desktop, will have to keep waiting to be able to sync their desktop and mobile browser experiences as Mr Sullivan told the BBC that Apple was a “pretty closed platform” so he didn’t see it happening soon.
Opera is the most popular mobile browser at the moment – as it is well optimised for the platform and comes pre-programmed into many mobile handsets.
BlackBerry users faced a second disruption in less than a week last night, prompting phone maker Research In Motion Ltd. to release new software to restore e- mail service.
The breakdown may stem from flaws in two recent versions of the BlackBerry Messenger program, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company said in an e-mailed statement today. RIM said it has taken action to fix the glitch, which didn’t affect phone or text-messaging service.
The breakdown affected customers in North America, home to about two-thirds of RIM’s revenue. Suffering two disruptions so close together may frustrate consumers, one of RIM’s biggest growth areas, said Jeff Fidacaro, an analyst at Susquehanna Financial Group in New York.
“They’re vulnerable to something like this because the perception of BlackBerry is that it’s a superior messaging device,” said Fidacaro, who has a “neutral” rating on the stock and doesn’t own any RIM shares. “RIM has to be very careful that they can offer reliability and uninterrupted service -- if it becomes frequent, then their reputation could be at risk.”
Customers who downloaded BlackBerry Messenger versions 5.0.0.55 and 5.0.0.56 since Dec. 14 should download the new version, RIM said. Its BlackBerry Curve was the top consumer smart phone in the U.S. in the third quarter as price cuts fueled sales, according to researcher NPD Group Inc. Models of the iPhone, made by Cupertino, California-based Apple Inc., took second and third place.
RIM fell 4 cents to $67.18 at 9:32 a.m. New York time on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The stock had climbed 66 percent this year before today.
The previous BlackBerry disruption, which affected consumer users, occurred Dec. 17 in North America. RIM has sought to broaden its subscriber base beyond that region by expanding in developing countries such as China, striving to compete with Apple and Schaumburg, Illinois-based Motorola Inc.
Businesses and governments worldwide rely on BlackBerrys to communicate with mobile workers. RIM had about 36 million subscribers globally at the end of its third quarter, ended Nov. 28.
Co-Chief Executive Officer Jim Balsillie said last week that the third quarter was the company’s strongest for growth outside North America. About 35 percent of subscribers are from outside the region, he said on a conference call.
Balsillie also announced an agreement with China Telecom Corp. to offer the BlackBerry in China, the world’s biggest mobile-phone market. RIM plans to sell a BlackBerry customized for that country with China Mobile Ltd.
The Dec. 17 interruption affected BlackBerry users who rely on RIM’s Internet-based service, instead of corporate servers, according to Verizon Wireless, the biggest U.S. mobile-phone carrier. RIM restored services several hours later.
