As you may or may not be aware, have announced that tomorrow (September 1st) they will be holding a special event (invitation pictured left) for reporters, bloggers and analysts, presumably with the intention of announcing their next latest and greatest inventions. There’s also much speculation regarding what exactly will be the headline announcement, with the general consensus pointing towards new iPod Touch and Nano, given the music themed invitation that was sent out.
This has been backed up by recent rumours of an iPod Touch touting front and rear cameras which would tie in with the pictures of what are supposedly cases for the new iPod Touch and Nano (right). The speculated cameras would in all likelihood allow the iPod Touch to benefit from the Wi-Fi only FaceTime and would perhaps explain why Apple, for now at least, have chosen to keep FaceTime Wi-Fi only across the board. It’s also said that the cameras would allow the new Touch to support Apple’s new iMovie software, allowing on-the-move video recording and editing. It’s also rumoured that the iPod Touch will utilise the Retina Display technology found in the current iPhone 4. The rumoured iPod Nano however, is likely to simply be a smaller, re-designed unit with a larger memory.
Whilst we agree with the majority, that tomorrow will see the announcement of a new iPod Touch and iPod Nano, we feel it’s worth mentioning the other announcements we could potentially be seeing tomorrow in place of or as well as the iPod Touch? Well, here’s a run down of what we think these could be:
A ‘Cloud’ based iTunes
There were rumours circulating only a month ago regarding a wireless iTunes streaming and synching functionality which would undoubtedly be in addition to a new iPod announcement at tomorrow’s event. Apple has already moved below the radar to add the ability to stream music from MobileME in it’s latest update, a move which is said to be a test run for the larger iTunes update and would make sense given the possible damage that could ensue if it were to go wrong upon release.
TV show rental
Again, this is another rumour which has been ‘to-ing and fro-ing’ around the internet, which would see Apple give the option to essentially rent a TV show for a few days for $0.99 (likely to be ?0.99 too knowing the Apple currency converison rates) as oppose to the current set up of having to purchase the show for $1.99.
Apple TV Update
There is rumoured to be a new version of the Apple TV winging its way to the market and we’ll give you three guesses as to what it’s called… Yeah, you’ve got it, the iTV (law suit filed in 5, 4, 3…) The iTV is rumoured to have a built in 16GB memory, the ability to run applications and the possibility of streaming iTunes to iPads/Phones/Touches through a Wi-Fi connection.
A new tablet
This is probably the least likely of all the possibilities we’ve outlined so far, somewhere up there with the pink elephants or flying farm animals of the swine variety, making an appearance but it’s still worth a mention. Ever since the iPad launched, there has been speculation as to whether Apple would release a 7 inch tablet to co-exist alongside the current, larger iPad. The recent tablet rumours from , , /Google et al, would suggest that they believe there will at some point, be a smaller tablet, given that each is looking to release tablet into this exact space as oppose to taking the iPad on head-to-head. Now, we’re not suggesting that there won’t be an iPad Mini on the horizon somewhere but we doubt very much that we’ll see anything concrete this year.
Well, i think that’s about covered everything unless Apple really pull an Ace from their sleeve and in all likelihood, tomorrows announcement will be the new iPod Touch/Nano as expected, but we wouldn’t be surprised at all to see the announcement of the cloud based iTunes in tow. Whatever happens, make sure you check back at the blog tomorrow for our coverage of the announcement(s).
A little over a month ago, you may remember us posting regarding the being In Stock here at . Well, if the latest rumours, snapshots and model number are to be believed, the Nokia C6 already has a successor in the pipeline; the Nokia C6-01. The confusing naming conventions adopted recently by the finns are not only causing confusion amongst the public but also with networks too it would seem given that the leak which comes from Vivacom, a Bulgarian network provider, was spotted by eagle eyed viewers of an advert which pictured the C6-01 in an advert for the C6-00.
The C6-01 was also spotted on Dutch Online storefront along with specs that would point towards the C6 losing it’s QWERTY keyboard, gaining an 8 megapixel camera in place of the 5 megapixel on the current model and is also said to be sporting where the current is stuck running on Symbian S60. The C6-01 is also said to have a nHD screen as well as 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. Surely then, the C6-01 would be more of an upgraded alternative, than a successor - contrary to what the naming conventions would indicate.
Aside from the aforementioned spec changes, it would appear that the Nokia C6-01 remains very similar to the original, still keeping an almost identical form, although with slightly redesigned hardware keys on the face and a re-worked back which includes a relocated camera, a Dual LED flash and a speaker. Price is said to be around 280 Euros and we expect the official announcement from to be around the time of Nokia World 2010 on September 14th. (Image from MobileGeek via Engadget)
By now, you’ve probably seen the Samsung Galaxy Tab teaser video (if you haven’t don’t worry, we’ve got you covered - ) and you maybe wondering what’s happening in Berlin on September 2nd, as pointed to at the end of the video. Well we’re guessing it’ll be the official announcement of the tablet, before the IFA kicks off on the 3rd. What is the IFA? Well, it’s one of the biggest consumer electronics shows in Europe and is where amongst quite a few other manufacturers, have chosen to showcase their latest and greatest inventions.
We already know quite a bit about the Galaxy Tab following the , but what if the Samsung Galaxy isn’t quite your cup of tea? What other touting tablets are we expecting to be revealed at the IFA? Well feast your eyes below for the full run down of the one we know about:
ViewSonic ViewPad 7
Firstly, we have this, the ViewPad 7 which is said to be a cheap and cheerful tablet PC. Cheap and cheerful doesn’t necessarily mean that functionality has been compromised though, with 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, SD card support, front and rear cameras and a 7 inch screen, if ViewSonic manage to get a decent interface on this, it could prove a perfect low cost alternative to the Galaxy Tab.
Archos Internet Tablets
Next up we have not one but five tablets (supposedly) heading to the IFA from Archos. These are said to range in size from the 10 inch iPad rival down to a rather miniature 2.8 inch tablet which we’re not quite sure qualifies as a tablet so much as an oversized touchscreen watch. Anyway, we’re going to assume that this also falls under the heading of cheap and cheerful, since Archos aren’t particularly well known for their PC expertise but more so for media players meaning these tablets should have quite a wide range of media format support.
MSI Windpad 110
MSI are said to be bringing two laptops along to the IFA, a Windows 7 touting Windpad 100 and an Android Windpad 110. Although, we’re not convinced by the naming (Windpad - Windows Pad?) and expect to see it carrying a different moniker at the IFA. Both tablets are said to be sporting 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processors and a stock UI known as WindTouch (again, Windows Touch?) as well as built in web cams. We’re not sure about this one, it’s rumoured to be around $400 which doesn’t quite put it in the cheap and cheerful category but likely to be somewhere in between this and the Galaxy Tab.
Google Chrome OS Tablet
Technically this isn’t an Android tablet but is definitely worth a mention since it’s coming from the Google camp. Said to be sporting the web based Chrome OS and being produced by HTC, this is the only tablet we’ve mentioned so far that could truly give the Galaxy Tab a run for its money and given HTC’s recent success with its smartphones, we doubt they’re likely to ease off the accelerator peddle and miss this opportunity to dominate the Tablet market too. We don’t know much about this tablet, but you can should expect something rather special, given that Google won’t want a repeat of the , which to be fair is an awesome phone but was far too late to the party here in the UK.
Orange Tablets
Okay, so these probably aren’t going to make an appearance at the IFA but are still worthy of a mention. A French publication yesterday pointed towards carrying three tablets in the not so distant future, according to the translation, these will supposedly be a subsidised iPad, an Android Tablet (Galaxy Tab?) and also an Orange own branded tablet that is said to be ‘made by a famous Asian company’ according to the translation and early rumours seem to point towards this being Foxconn.
Well, that about covers all of the tablets we’ve seen rumoured so far that we’re exepcting to see at the IFA and if we’re honest, the real competition here seems to be between and /Google. The majority of the tablets seem to be falling in the cheap and cheerful end of the spectrum, we were hoping to see some more in the way of high end devices looking to stick it to the iPad. Let us know what you think and keep an eye on the blog for our run down of the IFA.
Following yesterdays Champions League Group stage draw, have announced that they intend to leverage their existing relations ship with UEFA, in order to ‘activate a global marketing programme around the UEFA Champions League until 2012.’ It is said that the programme will be ‘fan-focussed’ and will look to offer football fanatics the opportunity of greater access to the sport they love. This will apparently be in the form of a dedicated Application that Sony Ericsson will offer to handset users, in a similar way to the ‘FIFA’ affiliated we guess.
According to the report, plans are set to use the GPS capabilities found on the Xperia range (, and ) to ‘enhance the experience’, which to be honest doesn’t tell us much. Could this simply be a dedicated live-results based application that will join the Market or are we looking at the possibility of a much more in depth application offering results, fixtures, live commentary/highlights or possibly even a live streaming service to watch the action on our phones? Keep an eye on the blog for more details. (Please note, image is a mock up and not official imagery)
Posted on 2010 under Uncategorized | Comments are off
Computer Shopper makes the quad-core Mac Pro an Editors’ Choice, citing its speedy performance, easy upgradability, and new lower price. The reviewers write: “Creative professionals who need a machine with both muscle and good looks, and Mac fans who love to game, will find a lot to like in the new Mac Pro.”
A video has found its way onto the internet, courtesy of a South Korean website (dt.co.kr) that not only gives us some footage of the Galaxy Tab in action, but also shows it playing happy families posing for a photo with an iPad and it’s younger sibling, the . We have to say, it looks much smaller than we expected. It seems then, that the Galaxy Tab may not quite be the competition to the iPad we’d been expecting, instead, it seems that is hoping to beat Apple to the punch with the rumoured iPad Mini.
The video isn’t of the highest quality, but does allow us to see quite a substantial insight into what to expect from the Galaxy Tab and we’re pained to say that, if the video is to be believed, that the Galaxy Tab will be incredibly iPad-esque. In that, apps appear to be listed in an almost identical fashion with side scrolling screens. We can take some solace though, in the fact that there is an on-screen ‘Home’ button below the application grid pointing towards the fact that, although not seen on the video, the Galaxy Tab does retain the usual Android customisebale screens found on the and what we’re actually seeing on the video is merely the app drawer.
Interestingly, the video shows the Galaxy Tab to be a 3G connected device. Although, we’re going to hang on to our hopes that a Wi-Fi only version will be available too. The video also shows us the dialer, browser, a calendar and a maps application as well as an application which appears to allow the Galaxy Tab to pick up TV programs.
Check out the video to see for yourself and let us know what you think of the Galaxy Tab in the comments section below.
You may have seen our post last week about the , which didn’t really gives up much in the way of specs. Well, it would seem that the C7 has now winged it’s way into the hands of Eldar Murtazin (Mobile Review) who is widely renowned as the guru of mobile phone leaks and is already high up on Nokia’s hit list (Google Eldar Murtazin and you’ll see what i mean.)
Despite (in spite of?) this, Mobile Review have posted a preview on the as yet, un-announced Nokia C7. Here’s what we know. The C7 is said to be a ‘Lite’ version of the if you like, sporting a lower cost plastic chassis and an 8 megapixel camera and LED flash (vs. 12 megapixel and Xenon flash on the N8) The HDMI port has gone and the internal memory is said to have reduced to 8GB. Aside from the above, everything else is said to remain the same, a 3.5″ nHD AMOLED screen, 680MHz CPU, 256MB RAM, 1200 mAh battery and of course, the proprietary Symbian^3 and all of the usual connectivity options, Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) and Bluetooth 3.0.
Mobile Review have also estimated the cost of this stripped out handset at 350 Euros, 20 Euros cheaper than the Nokia N8. Well, i think we’ll wait for official announcement from but if that is the case, who would chose not to pay that little bit extra given how much more you get for your money? (Images from Mobile Review)
By now you may be getting a bit sick of the sight of devices ‘leaking’ left, right and centre and we don’t balme you; Windows Phone handsets are leaking faster than a colander full of water. This latest addition though, is a little bit different to any we’ve seen before.
This is the T8788, although we’re certain it’ll gain a more memorable name in the near future. On first sight, the handset appears to be a regular, run of the mill slider; that is until you actually slide it open. You see, where as with the majority (all?) slide phones on the market currently, you get either a QWERTY or alphanumeric (0-9) lurking below the screen but here the slider hides a speaker. We guess the, that this handset will be built with multimedia in mind, which is supported by the claim that there is a kickstand on the back.
Well, the T8788 is only rumoured to be heading to our American cosuins through AT&T at the moment, although it’s likely to get a European release too, that is if the handset is even real. Judging by the pictures though, we’d wager that this is in fact very real and likely to break cover soon. Keep an eye on the blog.
That’s right folks, a video was posted on the internet last night by Samsung themselves, bringing the official debut of their first tablet; say hello to the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Okay, so the name isn’t particularly original, but, this is the touting tablet computer that has leaked more times than we’ve had hot dinners and although Samsung have neglected to give us a full run down of the specs, they have teased us with some of the more mouth-watering features.
These being, Augmented reality, video calling, full web browsing, Android 2.2, a camera on the back and a 7 inch screen which seem to be the biggest shouts in the video. Although interestingly, at around 9 seconds, we can see what looks like ‘HD Movie Play’ a great hint towards the screen being HD resolution and the possibility of watching your favourite HD movies on the go. We can also make out ‘e-reading’ which would make sense given the iPads success here.
Of course, sporting Android 2.2 also means that the Galaxy Tab will benefit from all of the Google services such as the Android Market, GMail, Street view, Maps and of course, the free Google Maps Navigation that has proven to be so popular amongst Android fans. Although, we’re not quite sure how practical this would be when mounted onto the windscreen in reality but we’d sure love the opportunity to give it a try! If your reading this and feeling rather generous, how about sending us a Galaxy Tab to play with? (well, it’s worth a try…)
What the video doesn’t confirm and that we’re keen to know, is how the Galaxy Tab would co-exist along side an ? In that, will the Galaxy Tab follow in the footsteps of Apple and offer a Wi-Fi only version for those that own an Android Smartphone already and can utilise the Wi-Fi hotspot option that Android 2.2 has unlocked, as well as a subsidised 3G model. Also, should you already own an Android , will the apps be shared across both devices, assuming the apps are tweaked by the developers to cope with the Tabs larger screen dimensions?
Have you been considering an Ipad? Well, you may just will want to hold off until the September 2nd announcement in Berlin, which we imagine will be the official unveiling of the Tab and is a date that we’ve underlined, highlighted, circled… (you get the picture) in our calendar. Keep an eye on the blog, as soon as we know any more details, we’ll post them right here. In meantime, why not take a look at our and grab yourself a piece of the action and a perfect partner for the Tab when it’s released.
Posted on 2010 under Uncategorized | Comments are off
In just over three years, iTunes U downloads have topped 300 million — making it one of the world’s most popular online educational catalogs. A dedicated area within the iTunes Store, iTunes U offers users public access to university courses, lab demonstrations, special lectures, and more from world class institutions such as Harvard, MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, University of Melbourne, and Universit? de Montr?al.