Archives for September 2010

Confirmed: New Wii Remote Plus On It’s Way

In an earlier post, where we spoke about the confirmation for dates and prices for the new Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo also confirmed rumours about a new version of the Wii remote but with no launch details as yet, though we’ll update you when we know more.

This news comes as Sony having just recently released their new Playstation Move and with Microsoft planning on bringing their new motion-tracking peripheral Kinect to us in November. [Read more…]

Vodafone Causing A Stir With “Bloatware”

The UK Mobile network, Vodafone has yet again caused a bit of a kerfuffle (understatement) due to their latest update for the Samsung Galaxy S.

Many had believed that they would finally be able to get the latest update for Android, being 2.2 (Froyo), but this could not have been further from what was actually recieived. Instead rather, it seems that many forum members and Galaxy users have snarled at Vodafone in shovelling “bloatware” onto their new phones with apps that are either not needed, that cannot be un-installed and which take up valuable space or that many find, now finding performance issues such as increased call-dropping as a result of the new update. [Read more…]

Nokia N8 Unboxed

Engadget took delivery of a Nokia N8 it appears. They decided to unbox it to see what is included in the packaging. When first announced, the N8 was due to ship in the 3rd quarter of this year. We are on the last day today and it appears that Nokia kind of kept its promise in that some people should get their N8 today. Others will be waiting a little longer while production is ramped up.

Not much is different from any other phone unboxing in that you see the device its self, a charger, few manuals and thats all there really is. [Read more…]

Paypal iPhone App to Bring Check Deposits By Camera

The TechCrunch Disrupt conference introduces a number of unique ideas that intend to disrupt how things work… hence the name.

One of the apps revealed is an update to the Paypal App for the iPhone. The new version will make it possible to deposit checks by taking a photo of the front and back. Once done and submitted, the checks are then deposited in to your Paypal balance making them ready to withdraw when needed. [Read more…]

iPhone 3GS HDR Photos Could Become Official

We have seen a hack before that allows the iPhone 3GS to get HDR photography. This modification required that you jailbreak the iPhone 3GS and edit a file to activate the feature.

What we hear now is that Apple [AAPL] could have intended on the iPhone 3GS getting HDR photography all along. The information comes from a couple of images of the HDR button found in the firmware for the phone. Two image files were found. One of them had a retina display enhanced version of the HDR image (button found at the top of the screen when capturing an image). A second lower resolution image was also found that looks to be optimised for the regular display.

What this indicates is a couple of things. Either Apple intended the HDR feature to be included in iOS 4.1 for the 3GS, or that they might add it in the future. [Read more…]

Apple TV Teardown

The next generation (2nd gen) Apple TV started shipping in the last few days. iFixit of course, managed to get it’s hands on one and has already taken it apart to see what exactly goes on inside.

The new Apple TV is far smaller than the original version that launched a few years ago. It runs iOS and is based around streaming content rather than storing content locally on internal memory.

Interesting information found about the Apple TV when tearing it down reveal that it has 256MB RAM just like the new iPod touch and iPad. The device also uses the same A4 processor package as is found in the iPad. [Read more…]

Nokia N8 Now Shipping

The Nokia Conversations blog has announced that the first batch of Nokia N8 Symbian^3 smartphones have now let the production lines and factory over in China. What this means is that the official launch is just around the corner.

No specific dates of delivery have been given other than a hint of the devices arriving with customers over the coming weeks. The N8 is launching globally which means that production of the device will be ramping up over the coming weeks to make sure there is plenty of stock available in all countries that the device will land in.

For some users who were the first to pre-order, you could actually get your device before the weekend which basically means you’ll get it either today or tomorrow. [Read more…]

Kobo Wireless eReader from Borders Launching November 1

Borders has announced the new Kobo Wireless eReader. When it launches on the first day of November, it will cost $140.

New features include wireless access that now lets you download and purchase books when you are connected to the internet.

Borders has a library of over 1.5 million eBooks making it a very good choice when wanting to find something to read. [Read more…]

Gateway NV59C66u Launched with Built-in WiMAX

Gateway has launched a new laptop with WiMAX built in. The laptop is the Gateway NV59C66u and it comes with the Intel 6250 Wi-Fi/WiMAX card allowing you to connect to the net wherever you are.

The WiMAX service works by pairing up to a WiMAX service provider and once done, you get access across many cities in the US.

Other technical specs reveal that the new laptop has the option of an Intel Core i3 or Core i5 CPU. AMD Athlon and Turion processors are also an option. [Read more…]

Chrome OS Gets Ported to iPad

UK based hacker, Hexxeh, has managed to port Chrome OS to the Apple iPad. The image above shows the new operating system running on the iPad. Of course it could be a fake, but from what we understand, the hacker has a good track record with Chrome OS builds which makes us inclined to think all is actually OK.

The port to iPad required that the tablet be compromised, perhaps jailbroke but not confirmed, and once installed, the only way to get iOS back on to the iPad is to do a complete restore. [Read more…]

HP PalmPad WebOS Version Landing Early 2011 – Rumour

HPs EVP Todd Bradley has commented that we could see the WebOS based HP PalmPad arrive early next year. HP also filed for the PalPad trademark earlier this year which also indicated a possible launch.

The HP PalmPad will join the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the newly announced BlackBerry PlayBook in the fight against the Apple iPad. Each runs a different OS which makes the whole thing a little more intriguing. WebOS of course, is what runs on devices such as the Palm Pre. The OS its self works well and with some tweaks, it could easily work well on a larger screened tablet device. [Read more…]

Skype to get Deep Facebook Integration in Version 5

Skype is rumoured to be heavily integrating Facebook features in to the next version of Skype. The information reveals that Facebook Connect could be pushed in to version 5. It will allow users to log on to Skype via their Facebook username and password.

By doing this, you’ll get all your Facebook contacts in your Skype list. You will then be able to SMS, voice or video call your Facebook contacts.

This, for both companies looks to be a good thing as there are many Facebook users that could start using Skype, and for Facebook it provides another method for users to contact each other. [Read more…]