Archives for July 2010

Apple TV Could offer 99 cents Show Rentals

July 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Apple [AAPL] is rumoured to be moving a few key people around to work on Apple TV. It seems like the project is getting a big push from the company to make it more main-stream than previous attempts.

We have heard previously that iOS might be running on the Apple TV which could indicate an app store could be involved as well as an easy to use iTunes service. Mix that in with iTunes Cloud and potentially the Apple TV will be able to receive streaming content for the TV.

A rumour is also saying that Apple are in talks with bringing TV show rentals to Apple TV which could see a 99 cents cost for a 24 hour rental with a 30 day expiry date. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cool Gadgets

Samsung Vibrant (Galaxy S) Could Launch July 15 on T-Mobile

July 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Earlier today we mentioned that the Samsung Captivate was landing on AT&T [T] in the US on July 18. The Captivate is a Galaxy S phone re-branded for the AT&T network. Likewise, the Samsung Vibrant is also a Galaxy S phone but T-Mobile branded. However, the T-Mobile version seems to be launching a few days earlier on July 15.

The original date for T-Mobile was July 21, which means the new release date is almost a week earlier than originally planned.

If the change of launch date does happen, it will land on the same day as the Motorola DROID X which indicates that Samsung / T-Mobile are trying to put an alternative option in the way of potential DROID X buyers. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

iPhone 4 International Release Coming Soon

July 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Apple [AAPL] launched the iPhone 4 just a few weeks ago in five countries with promise of more countries getting it in the near future. It seems that the next list of countries is getting closer as Movistar in Spain has indicated that the iPhone 4 will be available on it’s network on Wednesday July 28.

The information comes from a series of tweets sent out from the official Movistar twitter account.

It isn’t 100% certain that the release date is set in stone as Apple are the ones who will make the official announcement. But we suspect by this time next week, if the tweets are true, that those in Spain will be able to pre-order the iPhone 4. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

iPhone 4 Catches on Fire

July 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

One user unluckily had their iPhone 4 set on fire when trying to connect the docking cable. The image here shows the damage what was done to the cable and the iPhone 4.

It appears that the issue was caused due to a problem with the USB port rather than a user error which is a little worrying. Hopefully this is just a one off incident as the user who’s iPhone 4 went up in flames around the port also had his hand burned.

When the user took the phone back to AT&T [T] to replace, it was out of stock so it is believed the customer will have to wait a little while to get a new handset replacement. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

iRiver eBook Reader gets WiFi

July 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The iRiver Story eBook reader when launched lacked the connectivity it needed for those who wanted to grab books whilst on the move. iRiver has included an update on the latest model which sees the eBook reader now get a WiFi connection built in.

As well as gaining WiFi, the Story eBook reader also connects up to the WH Smiths online ebook store allowing users to grab books wherever they are.

The wireless addition is the only addition to the latest version whos other specs have remained identical. It’s still a nice upgrade though for those who wanted the iRiver Story but held back due to the lack of connectivity. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tablets

Google Street View Gets Moving Again

July 9, 2010 by 3 Comments

Google [GOOG] recently grounded all it’s street view cars globally due to the company capturing WiFi data whilst driving about the globe. Changes have been made by Google which see’s the WiFi scanning equipment removed from cars as well as the software used to capture the data.

The WiFi data collection equipment has been removed from our cars in each country and the independent security experts Stroz Friedberg have approved a protocol to ensure any WiFi-related software is also removed from the cars before they start driving again.

What this means is that with new protocols in place, the company is now about to re-send out cars in various countries. The roll out of Google Street View cars will start next week in Ireland, Norway, South Africa and Sweden. These countries will be followed by other countries in the weeks to come. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Camera Gadgets

Samsung Captivate Launch Date on AT&T – July 18

July 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

AT&T [T] announced that the Samsung Galaxy S was coming to their network but with the name of Samsung Captivate. The Captivate we now hear will be made available in a couple of weeks time on July 18 and will cost $200 on a 24 month contract.

Technical specs of the Galaxy S class phone include a 4 inch AMOLED screen along with a 1GHz processor and a 5 megapixel camera. The phone it’s self is very powerful thanks to the type of processor it uses which allows it to shift three times more triangles per second than the Nexus One by Google [GOOG].

For storage the Captivate has 16GB of internal memory. For connectivity it has Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0 as well as Wireless that can connect to 802.11b/g/n networks. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

Sony Creating new PSP and Playstation Hardware?

July 9, 2010 by 2 Comments

The people at Sony are working on a new Playstation concept according to the Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida.

It isn’t clear at the moment if the new concepts being created are for a new Sony PSP 2 or perhaps even a PS4 although the PSP 2 is the more likely off the two considering the PS3 has a number of years of life left in it yet.

Sony has filed a trademark called Playview that reveal a few features that could be included in the new update…

”Portable electronic device for receiving and reading text and images and sound through wireless Internet access and for displaying electronically published materials, namely, books, journals, newspapers, magazines, multimedia presentations. with an added ‘Computer game software recorded on optical discs.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Computer Gadgets

ASUS Eee PC 1215N Coming Next Month

July 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Last week, ASUS announced a new netbook called the ASUS Eee PC 1215N. The new netbook has a 12 inch screen, a 1.8GHz dial-core Atom D525 CPU and will be based around the Ion 2 platform.

At the time of writing last week there were no release dates or prices known. We now hear that the new ASUS netbook will ship on August 23 and have a price tag around the $500 mark although the price isn’t confirmed just yet.

Regarding the technical specs, the ION 2 graphics processor allows for 1080p video to be played back without issue. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Laptops

Fring Brings Face to Face Video Calling on iPhone 4

July 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Fring has updated it’s iPhone 4 app to allow 2 way video calling on the iPhone 4. What makes this update stand out is the ability to use Fring to do 2 way video calls from the iPhone 4 to other devices over 3G or WiFi.

Features include…

* Face-to-face video calls with friends on their Droids, Nokia (Symbian S60) and other iPhones
* Video calls over 3G or Wi-Fi (Performance over 3G is subject to mobile operators’ 3G coverage & quality)

What makes this version stand out is the ability to call across platforms. With FaceTime from Apple [AAPL], you are restricted to WiFi and iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 to make use of it. With Fring, those restrictions are gone making it way more handy than before. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones

Next Gen iPod Touch could get Front Facing Camera

July 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

When Apple [AAPL] launch the next-gen iPod touch, it is likely to follow the same design as the iPhone 4. We also expect that features from the iPhone 4 will also be added to the new touch such as a front facing camera, perhaps a retina display and a faster CPU.

The front facing camera rumour has been further strengthened by some leaked shots that show a glass iPhone 4 style front with what looks to be a camera hole in the middle at the front.

Two pictures were captured with one showing the glass and the LCD and the other just showing the glass, both with a small hole in the middle top of the unit. On the iPhone 4 the middle top section is where the speaker sits with a camera just to the left. The iPod touch of course doesn’t need a speaker at that point, so shifting the camera to the middle does make sense. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Music Gadgets

iPhone 3GS iOS 4 Update Causing Battery Issues for Some

July 8, 2010 by 11 Comments

Reports are showing that those who updated their iPhone 3GS to iOS 4 have been suffering with a shorter batter life when compared to iOS 3.1.3.

A Norwegian journalist asked Steve Jobs by email if any deterioration should happen when iOS 4 is installed to which Steve simply replied “Nope”.

Over on the Apple forums a thread has started with a number of people (26 pages worth of people) reporting that they are also having problems with battery life with iOS 4 on their 3GS.

It isn’t clear if there is a problem that a software fix can fix. Ideas on the forum include closing out multi-tasking apps that are still running as well as lowering screen brightness and disabling push notifications. It isn’t clear if those will fix it enough to return to 3.1.3 levels and it isn’t clear if all users are experiencing a drop in battery life. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones