New iPhone Now Being Tested

By Benedict Wee

Those of you who're considering getting the iPhone 3GS this Christmas might have to think twice now that rumors of Apple's next iPhone is currently being tested in San Francisco where the company is located.

A list provided by app analytics company PinchMedia to iPhone developer Pandav (creators of the iBART app, a transportation guide for the San Francisco train system) show an identification number for an iPhone assigned by Apple that has been utilizing their application.

The number "iPhone3,1" does not match up with any iPhones currently being sold or shipped and if you compare it to last year's news in October where an "iPhone2,1" identification string was spotted around the same area and it turned out to be the iPhone 3GS, you can probably conclude that "iPhone3,1" is Apple's next iPhone.

If you can, I'd advise holding out the next 6-7 months for the next-gen iPhone which is rumored to run a multi-core processor that could out-perform the 1GHz phones already announced by the other mobile manufacturers. If not, then be prepared for some buyer's remorse when Apple introduces the iPhone 4G in June/July 2010.

Source:

Mac Rumors - Apple Starts Field Testing Next Generation iPhone (3,1)

Price Check: New Apple Products.

By Benedict Wee

iMacs

US

21.5-inch screen, 500GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

US$1199/NZ$1603

21.5-inch screen , 1TB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics - US$1499/NZ$2005

27-inch screen, 1TB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics -

US$1699/NZ$2272

27-inch screen, Quad-Core, 1TB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics - US$1999/NZ$2673

NZ

21.5-inch screen, 500GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

NZ$1999

21.5-inch screen , 1TB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics -

NZ$2499

27-inch screen, 1TB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics -

NZ$2899

27-inch screen, Quad-Core, 1TB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics - NZ$3399

MacBook

US

2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 250GB HDD, 2GB DDR3, NVIDIA 9400M graphics - $US999/NZ$1336

NZ

2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 250GB HDD, 2GB DDR3, NVIDIA 9400M graphics - NZ$1669

Mac minis

US

2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, 8x SuperDrive, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

US$599/NZ$801

2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, 8x SuperDrive, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

US$799/NZ$1070

2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 2x 500GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

US$999/NZ$1336

NZ

2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, 8x SuperDrive, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

NZ$1049

2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, 8x SuperDrive, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

NZ$1398

2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 2x 500GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400M graphics -

NZ$ 1749

Magic Mouse

US

US$69/NZ$92.30

NZ

NZ$119

Apple Remote

US

US$19/NZ$25.50

NZ

NZ$29

Source:

Apple Store US

Apple Store NZ

New Apple Stuff: Macbooks, iMacs, Minis, Mice & Remotes.

By Benedict Wee

Apple has announced a slew of next-gen computers and accessories today starting with new iMacs which come in 21.5 and 27-inch screen options.

The new iMac allows you to fit in 4 RAM modules (for a maximum of 16GB memory) and comes with a choice of Core 2 Duo (3.06 GHz) or Core i5/i7 (2.66/2.80 GHz) quad-core processor options. Its design has been changed from a plastic back and metal front to a unibody one which means the whole body is covered in a metal chassis. Prices range from US$1199 to US$2000.

Next up is the new Mac Minis. Apple has removed the optical drive in favor of two 500GB HDDs and it runs on a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo processor on 4GB of RAM and GeForce 9400M graphics. The new Mac Mini will run Snow Leopard Server and set you back US$1000 though cheaper options can go as low as US$599.

The new US$1000 MacBook comes with a rubberized bottom, a multitouch trackpad, LED backlighting, a non-replaceable battery and its internal specs have been improved to a 2.26 GHz processor with 250GB disk space. Its 2GB DDR2 RAM has also been upgraded to a DDR3 one which provides faster memory.

Now on to accessories. The infinitely frustrating Mighty Mouse has been replaced with the Magic Mouse which comes with a sleek aluminum base and a smooth multitouch top. No more getting that stupid trackball dirty (which in turn, causes the scrolling to not work). Instead, navigation such as flipping, 360-dregree scrolling and clicking is done with finger gestures on the touchpad. The US$69 Magic Mouse runs on AA batteries and is supposed to last for 4 months before having to change them (the batteries, not the mouse. Though you never know with Apple products).

Finally, the new Apple Remote comes with a new design and costs US$19.

Will update the actual cost of Apple's new line of products in Kiwi dollars soon.

Source:

Gizmodo - Apple iMac Hands On.

Gizmodo - Mac Mini Updates: Faster Processors, More Memory And A Dual Hard Disk Server/

Gizmodo - New Unibody LED MacBook Hands On.

Gizmodo - New iMac Finally Gets Matching Apple Remote.

Apple:New 3GS iPhones To Block Jailbreaking. Modders: No.

By Benedict Wee

Earlier this week news broke in the US that an exploit present in previous iPhones which allowed modders to jailbreak the phones was fixed and that Apple's latest batch of 3GS iPhones will not be jailbreakable.

Unfortunately (for Apple, not us), the exploit has just been cracked and the new iPhones are just as jailbreakable as ever.

Once again "the man" has been overthrown, move along, nothing to see here.

Sources:

MobileCrunch - Apple Moves To Block Jailbreaking In New iPhones.

Gizmodo - Apple's Jailbreak-Proof iPhone 3GS Units Totally Aren't.

Layar. Now On iPhones.

By Benedict Wee

Layar; the awesome augmented reality application which superimposes information onto live views of a location is now available on the iTunes App Store for free. The interface been improved since it made its debut on Android and you can now overlay all kinds of data from information sources like Wikipedia, to social networking sites like twitter.

It's a tad unfortunate that you'll need the iPhone 3GS to fully utilize the application as the older models do not come with digital compasses.

Source:

Gizmodo - Android's Best Augmented Reality App Hits The iPhone.

Warning: Snow Leopard Deletes All Files If You Use A Guest Account.

By Benedict Wee

Recent reports by various tech-blogs indicate that anyone who logs on to the Guest account of Snow Leopard-run computers will cause the OS to delete all user files on the main account.

If you've just upgraded your Mac and have a Guest account, I highly suggest that you disable it until the situation has blown over.

As of writing, Apple has not responded nor addressed the issue of the fatal bug.

Source:

Gizmodo - Reports: Snow Leopard Bug Eats User Accounts Whole.

Steve Jobs Is Now The Evil Dictator Of His Own Ad.

By Benedict Wee

25 years ago Apple launched an advertisment that promised to free the mindless zombies from the "evil" corporation that was IBM. It was a low-cost production but it captivated the minds of the public and soon Apple was symbolized as the company that challenged conformity.

Zip to the present and Apple has now become the evil corporation it once fought. Thus, it is befitting that Mr Jobs got a taste of his own medicine courtesy of DoubleTwist:

DoubleTwist is an iTunes-like media management program that syncs music/photos/videos to (almost) any gadget you own such as Personal Media/MP3 Players, mobiles, cameras and camcorders. It also allows you to share files between friends/family using the same program.

The people who've made DobubleTwist have been a thorn at Apple's side for awhile now as their software was first released for Mac OSX, posing a threat to iTunes as they could only sync with iPhones and iPods which meant mac users were once relegated to purchasing Apple-only products.

DoubleTwist Link

Source:

TechCrunch - DoubleTwist Remakes Apple's Classic 1984 Ad With A New Dictator: Steve Jobs

New Apple Tablet Rumors

By Benedict Wee

January 19 2010 has been reported by iLounge to be the specific date when Apple will announce its much-speculated tablet to the world.

Other newly rumored details of the tablet; it runs the iPhone OS on a 10.7-inch screen with a high enough resolution to read books, newspapers and magazines and there will be two versions, one with 3G connections and one without. The 3G version will be like a giant iPhone 3GS while the non-3G one will be a giant iPod Touch.

The Apple tablet is expected to hit around the May/June period (the months where new iPhones are launched) and though these rumors come from a reliable source, they're still subject to Steve Job's scrutiny before it reaches the manufacturing stage. There is a 20% chance that he might kill it.

Source:

iLounge - Ten New Details On The Apple Tablet

Photo:

Gizmodo - Apple tablet mockup

Bear Tear Out Your Ribcage? There's An iPhone App For That.

It's funny cause many (obnoxious) people believe it's true.

Hitler Is Pissed Off At iPod Touches Without Cameras

By Benedict Wee

He's not the only one.

Source:

Gizmodo - Hitler Rants About iPod Touch's Missing Camera

Is It Time To Move On From Apple?

By Benedict Wee

I woke up 75 minutes eariler than I normally do today because I was reading (and reporting) live updates about Apple's Rock and Roll iPod event. Why? Being a gadget lover and an Apple supporter will do this to you and I was really excited at the imminent announcement of a camera/microphone built-in iPod Touch which would essentially make the most-carried around device I use quadruple up as a point and shoot camera, camcorder and VoIP phone.

However that announcement never came. At first I thought maybe it was the lack of sleep making me miss the "iPod Touch with camera and microphone" segment, after all the rumors were fortified with a bazillion pictures of cases with holes in them right? Wrong. All we get is double the storage space and an upgrade of its processor. At the end of the event it was the iPod nano that made its built-in camera debut and even then it was disappointing as it would only be able to shoot videos.

So after taking a nap to make up for loss sleep I decided that to recap the past three months since the similarly disappointing WWDC event and I came to the conclusion that it might be time to move on from purchasing Apple products. Here are the main reasons why.

They're jerks:

Intense and Nazi-like security measures of your manufacturing company overseas (which admitted to breaking labour laws) that cause an employee to commit suicide when he lost a prototype, secretive and draconian policies when deciding what you'll allow in your App Store then pulling it with no reason or warning thereby frustrating both developers and users alike to the point that the US government has to step in, trying to silence people when the gadgets you made explode and endanger lives by only offering a replacement coupled with an iron-clad confidential agreement, making dumb statements such as hacking your devices would give rise to terrorism etc. cement Apple as first-class asswipes, not to mention the huge tsunami-size load of bad karma you bring home with you when you've purchased a product from them.

A detailed list can be found here.

They're also behind the times/lazy/greedy:

I had to live without FM radio for about 5 years now since iPods never came with them and I grinned and bore it when the iPhone 3G retained its 2MP camera. Because Apple said so, I was willing to believe that the features they omitted from their products were because they found that it wasn't necessary and no one wanted them (except for me).

However after a couple of years of blindly following them I realized that certain patterns emerged. They once said that no one wanted video on a tiny screen but then released the iPod Video the following year, they said no one wanted flash-based players but then they launched the Shuffle and then they said no one wanted FM radios in their PMP but their latest Nano announced today comes with the feature.

It seems like Apple wants to artificially hold back on the development of their gadgets in order to sell as many iterations of the same device. The iPhone 3G was the same iPhone as its first generation counterpart with a 3G connection and the iPhone 3GS is the 3G with video recording capabilities and a compass. So the iPhone they're going to announce next year will come with... a radio tuner? Instead of making leaps and bounds in their technology like the rest of the electronic manufacturers do they make only minor improvements with the knowledge that chances are we'd be giving it up to buy a newer version one year later. This creates a never ending cycle of drones who buy Apple's slightly-improved products over and over, hoping that the next time they will come up with something revolutionary.

So there you go, some very valid reasons on why it is time to move on from Apple. I guess it's a good time as any considering there is a huge selection of gadgets available in the market that is cheaper and constantly increasing in numbers. One of the main reasons I stayed with Apple was because they streamlined personal data (i.e. music, contacts and email) for me but with Google's Android OS appearing on everything from smartphones and budget mobiles, to Personal Media Players (PMPs), to tablets, to televisions etc. the obsessive compulsive side of me is sated in terms of having an account that organizes everything across devices. (Link to a list of Android devices here)

As for which portable player I'll be buying this year, there are many better alternatives to iPods hitting the market soon which means you can look to them for all-in-one devices packed with the latest technology. PMPs such as Creative's Zii Egg which runs Android might have a funny sounding name but it comes with dual-cameras, 1080p HD output, GPS and 3D hardware graphics acceleration and the Android Market to download applications from.

The Zii Egg

This is not to say I'm saying goodbye forever. If Apple cleans up their act and come up with something revolutionary that got me as excited as I was when they first announced the iPhone I just might go back and buy stuff from them. But until then, consider my membership to the house of Apple cancelled.

Apple iPod Event Details

By Benedict Wee

Here are the details of Apple's Rock and Roll Event.

iTunes 9

- 30,000 Ringtones for iPhones available in the iTunes store. US$1.29 each.

- Home Sharing: Copy songs, movies and TV shows amongst 5 computers in your house.

- iTunes LP: Flip though photos and individual songs which display lyrics directly in iTunes. Custom video interviews.

- iTunes Extras: DVD-like content for movies such as commentary and interactive menus.

- "Cleaner" looking iTunes Store.

- App Organization: Arrange apps the same way you do on your iPhone/iPod Touch.

- iTunes 9 is available today.

- Phil (Schiller) just compared games from the iTunes Store with the ones available on the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. Ignorant prick, quantity is not quality.

iPhone and iPod Touch Games

- Assassin's Creed 2: Discovery. Side-scrolling action.

- Riddim Ribbon. DJ music-mixing.

- Nova. First-person shooter with multiplayer via Bluetooth or WiFi.

- EA titles: Madden, Need for Speed Shift, Command and Conquer and NBA Live.

New iPod Touches

- 8GB for US$199/NZ$286.

- 32GB for US$299/NZ$430.

- 64GB for US$399/NZ$574.

- 32GB and 64GB versions will be 50% faster and run OpenGL ES 2.0, the same as the iPhone 3GS.

New iPod Classic

-160GB for US$249/NZ$358.

New iPod Shuffles

- New colors: Black, silver, pink, green and blue.

- 2GB for US$59/NZ$85.

- 4GB for US$79/NZ$114.

- 4GB Special Edition made of polished steel. US$99/NZ$142.

New iPod Nano

- Camera for video.

- Microphone.

- FM Radio.

- Voiceover.

- 8GB for US$149/NZ$241.

- 16GB for US$179/NZ$257.

(Note: The NZ$ shown is based on a direct currency conversion of the US dollar. Expect the prices of the iPods to be higher.)

Source:

Gizmodo - Apple It's Only Rock and Roll Event Liveblog.

Snow Leopard's Virtual Keyboard May Shed Light On Apple Tablet

By Benedict Wee

If you've recently upgraded your Mac computers to Apple's latest OS X you might not notice but the virtual keyboard that comes with Snow Leopard is big enough to use with your fingers should it run on a touchscreen device (read: tablet computer).

The keyboard can be enlarged to encompass the whole width of the screen and is considerably bigger than the pervious OS X versions where they were really tiny (and frankly very useless).

A point to note also is that the new virtual keyboard is now found under "System Preferences -> Keyboard" settings instead of being hidden away in the "System Preferences -> International" section which might mean that Apple might be highlighting the new and improved keyboard as a frequently used feature.

Ach well, nothing is confirmed till Steve Jobs takes to the stage 5 days later so feel free to speculate as much as you want.

Source:

CrunchGear - Snow Leopard's Much Bigger Virtual Keyboard Makes It A great Touchscreen Operating System, Right?

Apple iPod Event On September 9 Instead.

By Benedict Wee

Mea culpa. Looks like the invitation I posted was last year's one.

This year's iPod even will be held on the 9th of September instead of the 5th, look for iPod Touches with cameras then.

Source:

CrunchGear - Breaking: Apple "Rock And Roll" Event Happening On September 9

Today Is Snow Leopard Day

By Benedict Wee

Apple's latest OS -set to compete against Micosoft's Windows 7- is now available for purchase. OSX 10.6 (a.k.a Snow Leopard) costs NZ$59 to upgrade for Macs with an intel processor and comes with the following features:

• Exchange support built into Mail, iCal and Address Book
• Exchange support is free, requires Exchange Server 2007
• Expose built into the Dock
• 3D rendering for the Dock
• Recovers 6GB of storage space after installing
• Spell out Chinese characters using trackpad
• Safari faster than any browser on any platform (4.78x than IE8)
• Safari Full History search allows you to Cover Flow though your browser history
• Crash resistance feature
• Quicktime 10 with ColorSync, HTTP streaming and Hardware acceleration
• Edit and convert videos directly from Quicktime to export to various devices (i.e. iPod Touch, iPhone)
• New Magnifier blows up thumbnails within Finder

The Snow Leopard launch is an international event, with the US having to only pay US$29/NZ$42.30 to upgrade their macs.

Source:

Apple - Snow Leopard

September Gadget Events: New iPods on the 5th, Motorola Android on the 10th.

By Benedict Wee

The guys at Gizmodo have received an invitation to an event in San Francisco on the 10th of September organized by Motorola with a well-known smartphone OS mascot appearing on the save the date invite:

I'm guessing they're going to announce either their "tween-friendly" Morrison or the "for-everyone-else" Sholes. Maybe its both.

Let's hope the announcement doesn't get overshadowed by Apple's event on the 5th of September where the new built-in camera ipods (and maybe Apple Tablet) are expected to make their debut.

Source:

Gizmodo - Motorola's Dropping A Load Of Android On September 10th

Danger! iPhone/iPod Touch Firmware 3.0 Email Security Flaw

By Benedict Wee

If you're using your iPhone/iPod Touch to manage your emails and you got the latest firmware upgrade (3.0) you might want to try this out.

1. Delete an email with a subject line you can remember.
2. Go to your trash and empty it as well so the particular email is truly "gone".
3. Exit to the main Home screen and go to the Spotlight Search page on the left screen.
4. Type in the words from the subject line.
5. Watch in amazement as the email gets resurrected from oblivion.

This flaw in the system is so easy to exploit anyone can do it. All your private emails could be read by anyone!

Here's a video of how it works:

Let's chalk this one up to another reason why you shouldn't be using the iPhone for business purposes.

Source:

Gizmodo - Uh Oh: iPhone OS 3.0 Never Fully Deletes Your Emails

TomTom For iPhone Now Out In NZ App Store

By Benedict Wee

We've got an early surprise. There have been no announcements made yet about the popular navigation service but you can now download the TomTom application from the New Zealand App Store.

The maps/services are charged by region:

• New Zealand : NZ$119.99
• Australia : NZ$104.99
• Western Europe : NZ$179.99
• US & Canada : NZ$124.99

It seems that we're the first in the world to get this application. Whoo Hoo.

Source:

MacRumors - TomTom For iPhone Appears In New Zealand App Store

Here, Have Some Snow Leopard Box Art. Plus: How Much Do The New OS Upgrades Cost

By Benedict Wee

Apple's new OS due out in September has gotten its box art. Though not exactly artistic (it looks like they did a copy/paste from National Geographic), it does bring good news that Mac users would soon be able to get their shiny new operating system for the low low price of US$29/NZ$42.76 (termsandcondtionsapply*) ahead of Windows users who'll have to wait till October 22nd for Windows 7.

* just in case you want to compare how much the upgrade to your respective OS is going to cost you here is a comparison chart. (Prices are in US dollars)

Source:

MacRumors - Photos Of Snow Leopard Disc And Retail Packaging?

ZDNet - Windows 7 Versus Snow Leopard: How Much Do Upgrades Really Cost?

iPhone 'Slopde, Go Boom.

By Benedict Wee

A French teenager has suffered an eye injury by his girlfriend's iPhone when it exploded suddenly.

As with the other similar explosion that occurred England a few weeks ago regarding an iPod Touch, the phone started to make a hissing noise and the screen suddenly shattered and sent flying shards in the air, one of them hitting the French boy in the eye.

"My son was frightened but he did not lose an eye," his mother told AFP.

Source:

Yahoo! Tech - French Teenager Hurt By Shattering iPhone