Apple Mac OS X 10.6.3 Update now Available

If you are using Snow Leopard on your Apple [AAPL] Mac then it’s time to check for software updates as a new one became available recently.

Apple have released version OS X 10.6.3. Fixes found in the latest version are said to increase reliability and stability of the operating system as well as a few application specific problems have received a fix too.

One of the main things that has been fixed was a problem found in Mac OS X 10.6.2 where a USB flash drive could become corrupted. According to the release notes an update to improve reliability on 3rd party USB devices is included which will hopefully mean less corruption happens. [Read more…]

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 GPU Launched

NVIDIA have launched the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 GPU that falls in to the high-end of graphics cards. The card has been named Fermi and is capable of creating life-life 3D images and animation.

The card it’s self is capable of supporting DirectX 11 and from early reports it appears that the GTX 480 is 10 – 20 percent faster than the AMD 5870 GPU.

On to the technical specs we find it has a 700MHz processor. 1.5 GB of GDDR5 memory is included that is clocked at 1.85GHz. It requires 250W to run and will be shipped next month costing $499. [Read more…]

Nokia Aquires Novarra – a Mobile Web Browser Company

Novarra is a name you might not be too familiar with in the mobile phone industry, yet their software powers many mobile phone browsers around the world.

The Novarra company has provided software to Palm, Motorola and Samsung as well as several other companies. Novarra’s main product is the Vision Mobile Browser that runs on both Java or BREW. This particular browser is used on the Sprint networks lineup of basic phones (their entry level devices).

Due to the sheer amount of phones that use this software, Nokia buying the company will create quite a stir in the industry. [Read more…]

Google Chome 5 Beta for Microsoft Windows Announced

Google [GOOG] have announced Google Chrome 5 Beta that is ready now for download. The new version 5 fixes a couple of security holes present in the current Chrome browser as well as adds a new options for automatic webpage translations as well as a tabbed bookmark manager.

If you are either a beta or dev user it is recommended that you download the latest version to seal off the couple of security holes present in the browser.

If you currently have Chrome installed and are using a developer release then you can use the update checker program built in to the web browser. [Read more…]

iWEB 2.0 Portable Laptop Concept

The iWEB 2.0 Laptop is a concept gadget that overcomes the problem of a small keyboard found on a netbook sized device. The iWEB has a fold out keyboard that essentially doubles the size of the keyboard when opened out.

When the keyboard is opened up, it is the same size as a normal PC keyboard allowing you to more easily type when compared to the 92% of so sized keyboards that can be found on netbooks.

Although it’s quite a good idea mixing a large keyboard in to a netbook sized casing, this particular concept design does look a tad on the bulky side which would be a downer should this ever get made. [Read more…]

Geo Hot Suggests Holding off on PS3 Firmware Update

Yesterday we announced that Sony are releasing a new firmware for the Sony PlayStation 3 that will get rid of the “other OS” option on the older fatter PS3 model. Sony didn’t cite any reasons why they are doing this other than it’s a security concern. They list no benefits for adding this restriction.

Geo Hot has suggested that those who want to use the Other OS install option should hold off installing the new firmware update this Thursday when it is launched. Instead, he says the following will happen…

“A note to people interested in the exploit and retaining OtherOS support, DO NOT UPDATE. When 3.21 comes out, I will look into a safe way of updating to retain OtherOS support, perhaps something like Hellcat’s Recovery Flasher. I never intended to touch CFW, but if that’s how you want to play…”

[Read more…]

Apple iPhone SDK 3.2 now Gold

If you are a paying member of the iPhone Developer program from Apple [AAPL] you should now have access to the iPhone SDK OS 3.2 Gold version.

The update has followed several beta updates over the last few weeks where a few new features have been spotted which includes a couple of new gesture functions that were spotted in the Beta 4 update which includes 3Tap and LongPress being new gestures. [Read more…]

Best Buy to get 15 iPads per Store – Rumor

The leaked Best Buy document has been found to mention that on launch day Best Buy will only have 15 Apple iPads available per store (those stores that sell it) to buy. That makes it five of each device as in 5 16GBN models, 5 32GB models and 5 64GB models.

None will be made available on the website to buy in the beginning and it is believed that once those 15 Apple iPads have sold that the next batch wont arrive till April 11.

This information all relies on the accuracy of the leaked documents though, but looking at the Apple site it does mention that all pre-orders that are made now wont be honoured till April 12 which indicates a lot of the Apple iPads have already been purchased. [Read more…]

Apple iPhone HD Coming Soon – The Apple iPhone 4G Handset

WSJ are reporting that an Apple iPhone will be launched this year. In fact, they actually mention two iPhones are launching this year with one being a version specifically built to work on the Verizon [VZ] network. It is expected that both models will run the exact same features other than the compatibility of what networks they actually work on although the CDMA model for Verizon actually might be just an older 3G S version of the phone. This point isn’t clear just yet.

Although rumours have been around a while now about a new iPhone arriving from Apple [AAPL] this year, they have been based on the fact that Apple have launched a new iPhone every year since it’s initial launch. Now that WSJ say it’s happening we almost know for sure that this will happen.

The new iPhone is believed to be called the Apple iPhone HD rather than the iPhone 4G and focus on a larger resolution screen. John Gruber who often predicts upcoming Apple products says that the Apple iPhone HD will run an A4-class SoC and have a 960×640 pixel display. A front facing camera is also predicted and the OS is expected to be be the new Apple iPhone OS 4.0 which enables third party multitasking. [Read more…]

HTC Desire Black Edition Confirmed to hit Orange in the UK

Orange, the UK mobile phone network, have confirmed that a special version of the HTC Desire will launch on their network towards the end of April. The new version is the Black Edition of the new HTC Desire phone.

It seems that Orange are snapping up a few exclusives recently with them also recently grabbing the exclusive of the White Sony Ericsson X10

From what we understand there are no hardware differences in terms of the main specifications of the phone, and the only difference is that it’s black instead. The phone it’s self runs a 1GHz Qualcomm SnapDragon processor, has a 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen and has a 5 megapixel camera. [Read more…]

TomTom Announced Lifetime Map and Traffic Updates in the US

TomTom have announced that a number of their products will now come with lifetime map updates as well as traffic updates. This will allow users of TomTom devices to always have up to date maps and coverage in North America.

The service will cost no extra for customers who will be able to take advantage of the updates for the lifetime of the device.

‘The nation’s roads are changing every day, so TomTom is proud to offer Lifetime Map Updates on our portable navigation devices, said Tom Murray, vice president of market development for TomTom Inc. ‘This feature, in conjunction with TomTom’s Lifetime Traffic Updates, offers our customers the assurance that they will always have the industry’s most accurate maps and the real-time traffic information they need for hassle-free navigation.

[Read more…]

Nokia N8 Confirmed in XML File

An XML file was found on the Nokia site that confirmed the existence of the Nokia N8 smartphone.

The N8 comes from the N-Series of mobile phones and due to the high single digit number, also confirms it will be quite an advanced device. From what we understand it will have a 12 megapixel camera on the back and it will run the Symbian^3 operating system.

The screen is estimated at being around 3.5 inches when seen in leaked pictures and it will have a resolution of 360 x 640 pixels from what we hear. The screen is also supposed to have a 24-bits per pixel setup allowing it to display 16 million colours. [Read more…]