Apple Launches New iPod with Camera

Apple has launched the new line-up of world’s famous portable music player iPod Nano, and by continuing further with its innovations, it has added a built-in camera, mic and speaker to these new models of iPod Nano.

The new iPod Nano will enable you to shoot videos and you can easily share them using YouTube, it also has a FM radio on it, and has a new thin design, a display of 2.2 inches and available with polished aluminum and glass enclosure in nine different colors. These new iPod Nano models are available in 8GB and 16GB models, the price will be $149 and $179 respectively
Well, Apple has not introduced any new technology with this product, instead it has added some advanced and attractive features with it, you can also visit: iPod Nano Homepage

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Gran Turismo gets its own PSP Bundle on October 20

PlayStation Portable Entertainment Packs are like the weather in Kentucky: if you don't like what's going on right now, wait fifteen minutes and you'll get something different. Sony has announced one more Entertainment Pack that's coming on October 20 for $199.99. What will you get with that package?

• Gran Turismo—Developed exclusively for the PSP system by the internal team of designers and engineers at Polyphony Digital, Gran Turismo features more than 800 vehicle models from the world’s top manufacturers (over 4,500 total paint variations) and 35 tracks (60+ total layouts)—including famous world circuits, city courses and other environments. Seasoned Gran Turismo fans will recognize the depth of content and unparalleled visuals the series is known for, including graphics running at a stunning 60 frames per second. Additionally, a first in the Gran Turismo series is the ability to trade and share unlocked vehicles with others online via ad hoc mode, a feature that is not available in any other racing game on the PSP system. Rated “E” for everyone.
• Exclusive car download—Includes an exclusive PlayStation Network voucher to download a white version of the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 for Gran Turismo, the same car featured on the cover of the game.
• PlayStation Network movie voucher—Consumers can easily download a movie from the PlayStation Network to their PSP system. Title to be announced.
• 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo—Leverages the PSP system’s multimedia functionality by storing photos, music, videos, and game saves.
• Music voucher—Consumers can download 10 free songs onto their PC or Mac using Sony Music Pass. Available to U.S. residents only.

Not a bad deal for $199.99, especially if you're not interested in the PSP Go. Lord knows we'll get a few more Entertainment Packs in the coming months, so we look forward to making more regional humor in the near future.
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fast food usb drives: i can has cheeseburger and fries with that

Now we’ve certainly seen our share of odd food-themed USB drives here at technabob, but it seems that there’s an entire cottage industry in China dedicated to creating a never-ending supply of even weirder flash memory devices, seemingly just so we can write about them.

usb_cheeseburger

These fast food USB drives come in two flavors: cheeseburger and french fry. The french fry drive stores 4GB of files, and tastes better with salt and ketchup and sells for $19.99 (USD). The 8GB cheeseburger memory is already loaded with all of the toppings you’d want on a burger and sells for $29.99.

french_fry_usb_drive

At this point, they’re not offering any Chicken McNugget, Filet ‘O Fish or McRib drives, but I figure it’s only a matter of time before they do.

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Zune HD is competitive in price against ipod.

August 14, 2009 , Microsoft announced the availability of the Zune HD on September 15th. The Zune HD is also competitively priced. Coming in at $219.99 for the 16GB base model (Compared to Apple’s 16GB at $299), and $289.99 for the 32GB (Apples 32GB at $399). In all matter of opinion, the Zune HD looks absolutely extravagant.The key point Microsoft is hitting with the Zune HD is gaming. NVIDIA’s Tegra offers a great amount of power, in a very small area. The Zune HD runs off of the Tegra 600 series, and is the first device to be sold with it. The Tegra 600 series buffs huge support for many features, such as a 12MP camera , and smooth high definition media playback.The new Zunes will also be able to play downloadable videos. And with the use of optional docking stations, they'll even be able to play HDTV-format videos on a TV set.
Lastly, the players, which will have touch screens, will also be Wi-Fi equipped for Web browsing and downloading audio and video.

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Microsoft’s sweet Yahoo deal to take on Google !!!

Source:http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6736245.ece
By Jano
Not long after Carol Bartz took over at Yahoo in January she dropped the “F Bomb”. Explaining what was wrong at Yahoo, the tough-talking executive said there were “a lot of people running around telling engineers what to do but nobody is f*****g doing anything”.If anything, that endeared Bartz to potential critics. After years of bloodless management, here was a woman fired up to get Yahoo moving again.She arrived as the floundering internet giant was showing co-founder Jerry Yang the door. Shareholders were furious that Yahoo had rebuffed a $33-a-share offer from Microsoft and today the shares are worth less than half that.It had lost its way defending against the software giant and was falling ever further behind Google. Bartz was going to give Yahoo “some friggin’ breathing room” so it could “kick some butt”. Seven months later it’s Bartz’s butt that is getting the kicking. She is accused of selling off Yahoo’s crown jewel for a song.Microsoft finally reached a deal with Yahoo last week to, in effect, take over its search business. It will make Microsoft’s Bing search service Yahoo’s search engine, handing the Windows software giant almost 30% of the search market and is the end of an era in internet search, reducing the field to two key players: Microsoft and arch enemy Google.Microsoft will pay Yahoo 88% of the search revenue generated from its sites in the first five years of the agreement, the companies said. But for Yahoo, once the leader in online search, it is the end of the road.

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Gaming on the Apple iPhone

Since Apple launched its iTunes Application Store in July 2008, iPhone and iPod touch users have downloaded more than a billion “apps” - city guides, translation dictionaries, travel tools, photo-sharing widgets and restaurant-finding applications - on to their devices.But it is the unexpected success of the iPhone and iPod touch as a gaming platform that has taken everyone by surprise.The touch-screen interface and motion-sensing capabilities of Apple’s devices have allowed video-game developers to experiment with new kinds of gameplay. Instead of simply bashing buttons, as on a conventional hand-held games console, players instead tap the screen of their iPhone, or move the device itself, to control on‑screen action.Games account for 14 of the 20 most popular paid-for iPhone and iPod touch applications of all time, and six of the top 20 free applications.While games companies such as Sony and Nintendo are largely dismissive of the threat posed by the iPhone and iPod touch in the portable gaming space, they ignore the platform at their peril. Apple has sold more than 35 million touch-screen devices worldwide since July 2007, creating a huge potential audience for a growing number of game developers who are making titles specifically for Apple’s gadgets.
And a recent software update has enabled the use of micropayments in applications - this means that users will be able to make in-game purchases, splashing real money on virtual weapons, armour and new levels, generating more revenue for Apple and game makers, and keeping players engaged with their favourite games.

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Windows Mobile to be Windows Phone!

Now, this is one rumor we seriously wish remains a rumor. So, someone from Microsoft's naming department (we made that up, alright) seems to think Windows Mobile, the age old mobile operating system needs a name change. And why not? In the midst of the Androids and the OSX'es of the world, Windows Mobile juts out like a Ford Model T in the midst of a dozen Lamborghinis.So, after zillions of round table conferences and board room meetings, they seem to have come up with the "Windows Phone" moniker for the revolutionary Windows Mobile 7 (sigh) OS that is set to hit the shelves by next year. This is not the first time we have seen Microsoft's obsession with the word "phone". In fact, earlier this year, we had heard of the same name crop up and then die a natural death. If the rumors have sprung up again, it more or less looks likely that this one might just not remain a rumor.Why would someone want to change something that's been doing so well? Windows Mobile is still cool! Why fix it if it's not broken Microsoft?

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Researchers identify critical iPhone security flaw

Researchers have identified a critical iPhone security flaw that could allow hackers to take control of the shiny device. Although Club Cupertino was warned of the ulnerability in July, it has yet to issue a patch or even comment on the issue.Security experts Charlie Miller and Collin Mulliner explained that the public needed to be cognizant of the fact that iPhones were at least as vulnerable to attack as personal computers."If we don't talk about it, somebody is going to do it silently," Mulliner told Reuters at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. "The bad guys are going to do it no matter what."According to Mulliner, hackers could exploit the flaw to prevent users from making calls, acccessing the Internet and exchanging text messages. He added that the two have already tested the hacks on four German carrier networks. The hacks - which are reportedly enabled by an SMS memory corruption bug - were also successfully implemented over the AT&T network in the US.

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Microsoft Released Silverlight 3 !!!

Report By Jano
Microsoft has rolled out Silverlight 3 with a lot of new stuff including the Smooth screening feature. Silverlight is a browser plugin that enables rich media experience, audio playback, vector graphics and animation. Silverlight 3 was released a day early, as it was supposed to be out officially on July 10. Currently, Silverlight 3 supports Internet Explorer 6/7/8, Firefox 2/3 and Safari 3/4 browsers - no support for Opera and Chrome browsers.Microsoft's Silverlight is a direct rival of Adobe Flash and is available for download from Microsoft's Silverlight site.This new Silverlight 3 RTW (3.0.40264.0) version brings along a number of features, including Smooth Screening, GPU hardware acceleration, H.264/AAC/MPEG-4 Video support, and out-of-the-browser experience without any additional plugin downloads. Thousands of other API features are enumerated by Tim Heuer, program manager for Microsoft Silverlight. Microsoft touts that Silverlight 3 brings streaming of high-definition video in full screen with stutter-free live and on-demand video. For a demo of Smooth Screening, head to this special link for checking out the Smooth Screening experience of playing HD video at any point of time, instantly. The third version will allow streaming of 720p HD content over the web with an ability to Pause and Rewind the video.The GPU hardware acceleration support will allow this framework to make the best of the available graphics in the user's system. Apart from that, version 3 is a mash up of streaming video and offering Rich Internet Applications experiences. Developers would be able to create Silverlight based apps so that videos can be seen even if the browser is shut off.

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World Has 2,000 BlackBerry Apps

Report By Jano
In just over 4 months, Research in Motion managed to get double their applications on their App World store for the BlackBerry in hopes to get more Apple users on their side. This will be pretty hard to achieve, seeing that the iPhone App Store now has about 50,000 applications up and running.Although they're not even close, RIM is pretty happy with the number of apps, saying that "it doesn't matter whether it's 40,000 or 2,000, you've still got a broad range of choice".This month, RIM's 2,000 BlackBerry apps will be available to users in France, Italy, Germany and Spain, with Brazil and India to follow in the coming months.

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Apple iTunes App Store is 1 year old this week

Report By Jano
In case you didn’t know, Apple are celebrating the 1 year old milestone of the iTunes App Store this week. As a result of this, the company are promoting and recommending some of their favourite apps and games.As reported from Cnet, in just one year, the Apple App store has managed to accumulate more than 50,000 apps, a staggering number when you think about it. They have also notched up more than 1 billion app downloads and made the App store one of the most essential things about the iPhone.Well I guess congratulations is in order, isn’t it? Well not if your an angry developer who have had their apps swiftly declined by Apple. Let us know your thoughts on the milestone.

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Gmail, Google Apps Finally Out of Beta

It may be difficult to believe, but Gmail and Google Apps are finally out of beta, indicating Google is getting serious about marketing its products to large businesses."More than 1.75 million companies around the world run their business on Google Apps, including Google," the official Google blog states. "We've come to appreciate that the beta tag just doesn't fit for large enterprises that aren't keen to run their business on software that sounds like it's still in the trial phase. So we've focused our efforts on reaching our high bar for taking products out of beta, and all the applications in the Apps suite have now met that mark."Gmail users aren't going to notice a difference, but it's true that removing the beta tag may help Google convince companies to begin using paid versions of its software. Google hopes to get Gmail, Docs, Calendar and other software it develops into the corporate workplace, charging companies for additional perks and benefits unavailable in the free versions.Furthermore, removing the beta tag from some its services indicates their maturity and a stronger dedication towards the corporate workplace.Joining Gmail and Google Apps, the Mountain View-based company also removed the beta tag for Google Calendar and Google Talk (enterprise and consumer); with many computer users previously wondering if the popular services would always be in beta.Although Gmail and other services have continually had a beta tag since launch, they've been stable, reliable services for both home users and businesses for quite some time now. It's unsure why the services remained in beta so long, with Google lacking a true set of policies or rules as to when software can be removed from beta.Google continues to be well known for creating multiple services for its users, but then seemingly keeping all of its services in beta. The company still has dozens of other services and programs that are still in beta, and it's obviously highly unlikely they'll all lose their beta tags in the future.

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ANALYSIS-Google-Microsoft war may bring down PC prices

Report By Jano
Google Inc's (GOOG.O) bid to compete with Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) Windows operating system may help lower the cost of personal computers at a time when prices are already being pinched by inexpensive netbooks Google said it will offer its just-announced Chrome operating system for free when it is launched in the second half of 2010, a move that could force Microsoft into a price war.Although Windows is the dominant operating system -- installed on 90 percent of the world's PCs, Microsoft won't take Google's challenge lightly, analysts said. Its new Windows 7 operating system will be available in October."Microsoft's strategy is likely to be to compete on price," said Brent Williams, an analyst with the Benchmark Co. "Now there's a competitor with the muscle and the brand recognition. Google is that company."Google said Chrome OS, which is based on the open-source Linux code, is being designed for all PCs but will debut on netbooks. It makes sense for Google to initially target the stripped-down, Web-centric netbooks, one of the only segments showing any growth in a PC market that is contracting.Netbooks generally sell for $300 to $400, but prices are dropping as new offerings flood the market and wireless carriers offer subsidies with the purchase of a data plan.Kaufman Bros analyst Shaw Wu noted that while the prices on nearly all PC components have been falling, "the one thing that has not been coming down is the cost of the operating system. This is going to put some pressure on Microsoft."Microsoft doesn't say how much it charges PC brands for Windows, but analysts estimate it gets $20 to $40 for the older XP system used in the vast majority of netbooks, and at least $150 for the current Vista system.Wu said price competition could ultimately give a bump to PC makers' margins."I think overall it should improve the profitability for PC vendors. It's really a question of how much they pass on to the customers," he said. REWRITING THE RULES

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Nokia N97 with £30 of vouchers included!

Report By Jano
Those of you that are not enamoured with the iPhone or Pre might be pleased to know that e-tailers are looking after your Nokia (NYSE: NOK) needs with the N97 and some good deals!eXpansys is one of those companies, and are currently offering the N97 for £499.99 - but with £30 of vouchers in there, for you to spend on what you like in the rest of their store:Buy the Nokia N97 from eXpansys and we’ll give you £30 of eXpansys vouchers to spend on accessories so you can make the most out of your new phone. Why not use them to get yourself a car charger or a spare battery so you never run out of power? Follow this link for full terms and conditions.Running Series 60 5th Edition, the Nokia N97 Smartphone makes connecting more personal with the touchscreen and full QWERTY keyboard. Take top-quality 5 megapixel photos and watch widescreen videos on the large screen or download the latest games

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iPhone apps get down to business

Report By Jano
The enduring popularity of the Zippo branded lighter app for the iPhone has not been lost on the business world. Its virtual flame has been spotted lighting up concerts around the world, keeping Zippo safely at the top of the iTunes charts.Australian businesses are now getting in on the act, adding their home grown applications to the iTunes app store in the hope that some of the iPhone's marketing magic rubs off on their brand.Starting out as a cottage industry, most iPhone applications in the app store today are the creation of small developer-entrepreneurs hoping to cash in on the faddish appetite for novelties and gaming applications.While a handful of them have reaped small fortunes from apps that went on to top the charts, it is brand visibility rather than profit that has lured companies like ANZ and Honda Australia onto the platform.Both companies chose to act quickly to gain a presence on the iPhone, to project their brand as innovative and forward thinking. ANZ beat competitors to the punch with its first transactional banking app delivered alongside the Australian iPhone launch - which has since been downloaded 50,000 times.Sam Plowman, head of online banking said: "It was very apparent to us that Apple had developed an interface that would bring forward the use of browser and internet apps on mobiles. We decided we had to be ready with app when the iPhone launched here.''

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Teen hacker releases Windows and Mac jailbreaking programs for iPhone 3G S

The teen hacker who unlocked the original iPhone is at it again. George Hotz, 19, claims to have created an app that can “jailbreak” the iPhone 3G S.That means the program, dubbed purplera1n, can install third-party software on an iPhone 3G S, even if that software is not approved by Apple. It didn’t take him that long to hack the iPhone 3G S, which has only been available since June 19.Jailbreaking is a big deal because it shows that it isn’t impossible to overcome Apple’s built-in security features for the iPhone. To some users, jailbreaking adds value to the phone because they are able to run a variety of unauthorized apps. Apple tries to close off vulnerabilities that make jailbreaking possible, but hackers such as Hotz look for new ones in a cat-and-mouse game.Note that while Hotz originally was able to “unlock” the iPhone so that it could make phone calls on non-AT&T networks, “jailbreaking” is different in that it merely allows unapproved apps to run on the iPhone.Hotz released software on Friday that works with Windows-based computers and the latest version of iTunes, as well as an iPhone 3G S running the latest iPhone 3.0 software. He talked about it in a blog post. Today, he released a Mac version. He warns that people who try the software should do a backup before they start.

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Five fab apps for iPhone OS 3.0 and the new 3GS

Apple Inc. has an interesting pie-slicing problem coming as far as developers of iPhone (and iPod Touch) applications are concerned. All of those first- and second-generation iPhones run the same operating system -- the just-released iPhone OS 3.0 -- as the new 3GS model. But the latter includes new hardware such as a magnetometer, a faster CPU and faster GPU, as well as more memory. If developers build shiny new apps with only those features in mind, they'll limit their market. What to do?So far, most developers seem to be focused mainly on expanding existing apps to incorporate iPhone OS 3.0-enabled capabilities, such as push notifications and MMS support (in some markets). They're evolutionary changes, much as the newest iPhone itself is evolutionary, but still offer an interesting look at where the iPhone hardware/software combo is headed.Here's a quick look at five applications iPhone and iPod Touch owners should consider. The easiest way to track them down is by accessing the App Store on the iPhone and searching for the app title. (You can do it in iTunes, too, if you want.)

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Firefox 3.5 patch coming soon as Mozilla cranks up downloads

Mozilla Foundation notched up five million downloads in the first 24 hours after it released Firefox 3.5 earlier this week.The open source browser maker also confirmed it would be bringing out version 3.5.1 soon to squash bugs its development team hadn’t managed to eradicate ahead of the launch.Mozilla’s security patch is expected to rock up in the next few weeks. It will kill at least three bugs and “topcrashes” that remain present in the latest iteration of the popular Internet Explorer rival."[The] goal of this release should be a quick turnaround that fixes topcrashes and bugs we almost held ship for," said Mozilla earlier this week in its status meeting notes.One of those fixes includes a patch for TraceMonkey, the outfit’s speedy JavaScript engine.Indeed, Mozilla was forced to hold back the release of Firefox 3.5, nee 3.1, by about six months, because of the number of showstopping bugs it found in the pesky little monkey JavaScript engine.

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Apple Obliquely Addresses iPhone 3GS Overheating

While not acknowledging a problem, Apple has added the iPhone 3GS to the heat-management advice it has given for the older version of the smartphone.The support page originally explained how to keep the iPhone 3G within "acceptable operating temperatures." As of June 25, the company included the iPhone 3GS under the same advice.Users of the iPhone 3GS, which Apple started selling June 19, have been complaining that the gadget runs too hot. In the case of the white model, the heat has been sufficient to cause discoloration.Users have said through various blogs and forums that the overheating tends to occur while using applications that tap the iPhone's GPS and 3G wireless components. Apple has not acknowledged a heat-related problem with its popular smartphone, but the company has posted some advice on preventing iPhones from running too hot.First, the device should only be operated when the external temperature is between 32 degrees and 95 degrees. "Low- or high-temperature conditions might temporarily shorten battery life or cause the device to temporarily stop working properly," Apple said.Also, the iPhone shouldn't be stored in a place where temperatures are lower than 4 degrees below zero or higher than 113 degrees. This means the gadget shouldn't be left in a parked car in the sun.If the iPhone's interior temperature exceeds the device's limits, then it could stop charging, its display my dim, or the cellular signal may weaken. A warning may also appear, telling the user, "iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it."

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Animoto launches a premium app for the iPhone and iPod Touch

Animoto Videos has come back with its latest version for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Called as the Animoto Videos 2.0, this application facilitates users to create and view professional-quality music videos.This latest application permits iPhone and iPod Touch users to connect their devices to their accounts at Animoto.com. Users can then synchronize and play them in any of those places. Further, the videos created on Animoto.com are immediately orchestrated with the iPhone app. It thus allows users to access all of their videos either on the desktop or on their mobile phone irrespective of the time and place.“Usage of our iPhone application has exceeded expectations. This release brings closer feature parity between our mobile and online experience but, more importantly, makes the iPhone and iPod touch the ideal mobile companion to Animoto.com since users can now view all their videos in either location while online or offline.” remarked Brad Jefferson, CEO & Co-founder of Animoto.Additionally now iPhone and iPod Touch users can store Animoto videos on their handset and view them even when they are offline. Moreover paying users are not restricted to 30-second videos within the mobile application. In order to create a video using this app users have to select pictures from their handset and also select a song from Animoto’s music compilations. The application then designs an exclusive video synchronization with the visual liveliness of a music video and the touching effect of a movie trailer.Further users can also remix their video into a fresh one or include it in their album. The essence of Animoto is the Cinematic Artificial Intelligence Technology. This technology thinks akin to a real director and editor and makes use of the similar refined post-production proficiency and practices that are used in television and film. Every aspect of the song like the genre, song structure, energy, rhythm, instrumentation, and vocals are taken care of by this technology.It ascertains that no two videos are alike, even if the videos are created with the same images and music. Both of them will have a unique set of motion design. Moreover videos are generated in widescreen format to exploit the full iPhone and iPod touch screen. It also enables users to share their videos through email effortlessly.The Animoto Videos 2.0 application can be downloaded from the iTunes App store for free.

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