This week the guys manage a little chat about all things Apple. Pebble Dasher Matt gets all in a fluster about the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc. Nvidia launch an Android gaming store and T-Mobile lead the way in better value contracts.
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Tomorrow is World Book Day, a worldwide celebration of books and reading. As lovely as it is to break the spine on a new book, technology now lets us enjoy a good story or two while on the go without having to lug around a heavy tome. Chick-lit, mystery or classics – no matter what you enjoy, there are a wealth of apps related to the literary world for your BlackBerry smartphone. Why not use it as an eReader to read on the train? Or order the latest bestseller from wherever you are and have it delivered to your house?
Check out a few book related apps after the break. You may find one that comes in handy?
nVidia’s Tegra Zone is now available for you to download off the Android Market. We got a sneak peak at this awesome little application/market back during CES 2011 and it looked and ran pretty smoothly. It had all the options a user would want including multiple screenshots, gameplay videos and HD trailers for each game, behind-the-scenes featurettes and a great looking user interface. You’ll also be able to see what people like us are saying about each game right in the description! Another great feature is that although this is technically another market application, it uses the Google Checkout back-end for payment processing. You won’t need another account to buy games, you can just use your Google account that you already have.
Games that will be available on Tegra Zone initially will be the same ones now available on the Android Market:
- Monster Madness
- Fruit Ninja THD
- Backbreaker THD
- Samurai II: Vengeance (See some of the coolest Samurai Swords here)
- Hardwood Solitaire IV
- Dungeon Defenders: First Wave HD
Also to be available after the release of Tegra Zone very shortly will be Vendetta Online which we know a lot of you Android gamers out there are looking forward to getting your hands on and playing, especially you space MMORPG fans. Other games coming shortly to Tegra Zone include Hardwood Spades and Galaxy on Fire 2. Time for us to get into the thick of things here at GDC 2011!
Alongside the iPad 2 being announced today, Steve Jobs with the help of Scott Forstall unveiled iOS 4.3 to the world. New features in the update include the Nitro Javscript engine from Safari on OS X to make browsing super sweet, new iTunes Home Sharing that lets you play content from iTunes to your iOS device over WiFi, new AirPlay features that we saw in the iOS 4.3 betas such as the ability for App Store apps to share audio and video. For the iPhone only, iOS 4.3 adds the personal hotspot feature but for only the GSM version and for the iPad it adds Photobooth and Facetime to take advantage of the new camera on the iPad 2. Oh and Apple is giving us choice of whether you want the switch on the side to be for locking the screen rotation or for it to be a mute switch.
iOS 4.3 will be a free download available on March 11 for the iPhone 4 (GSM), 3GS, iPod Touch 3rd and 4th gen and both iPad models.
Posted by Patrick
[ Post Tags: Airplay, apple, iOS, iOS 4.3, iTunes, tracyandmatt.co.uk ]
Announced by Steve Jobs only moments ago, the sequel to the iPad has been announced, imaginatively named the iPad 2. The next baby to come out of Apple uses the all new A5 dual core processor with 9x faster graphics, there are front and back facing cameras, it is 2lb lighter now at 1.3 pounds, a 1/3 thinner at 8.8mm thick (which is thinner than the iPhone 4 by the way) and all in a brand new design with a white version that will ship on time! The iPad 2 will come in the same 16Gb, 32Gb and 64Gb models, all at the same price as the previous model.
There is the usual Apple accessories like a keyboard dock and USB/SD card dock connector that was available last year but we have some now we have some new ones. The first is a HDMI connector that can go straight to a TV which mirrors the iPad screen and exports in 1080p, which will be good for app demos and the like. The next new accessory for the iPad 2 is a new “case” called Smart Covers. It apparently adds no weight or bulk to the iPad while keeping it protected, the inner material is micro-fibre which will get rid of any fingerprints made while using the device and comes in either Polyurethane ($39) or Leather ($69). But the coolest thing about these Smart Covers is that it uses magnets to wake and sleep the iPad when you open and close the case. Fancy!
But there is one missing chunk in this announcement. The lack of a Retina Display. Probably too costly for this iteration but I would of blown away every tablet on the market right now if it had that awesome screen.
Shipping on March 11 in the US and March 25 here in the UK. (The day before my birthday might I add. Anyone want to be kind?) Check below for more pics and full specs…
QuickPlay Media, Inc. the leading provider of solutions for the distribution of premium video to portable wireless devices, today unveiled Pocket Cinema by QuickPlay Media – a service that offers consumers the ability to download, rent and watch popular movies on their video-enabled mobile device. Initially, the service is available exclusively for BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone customers in the UK. Over time, QuickPlay plans to extend the service to additional mobile platforms and geographical markets. Customers who purchase a BlackBerry Torch from UK retailer Phones4U in March 2011 will receive a voucher for a complimentary movie download from the service.
Beginning today, BlackBerry Torch users will have access to a catalogue of hundreds of films by simply downloading Pocket Cinema on BlackBerry App World. Users will then be able to access the movies on their BlackBerry smartphone. Once downloaded over Wi-Fi, the film is cached on the device and available for an unlimited number of views for 48 hours. Users don’t need a mobile signal or network connection in order to view films they have downloaded.
A few weeks ago we got to see the new Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc at MWC and later at a small event in London. James and I were in attendance and we were able to record a short video of the Arc in action. We were both really impressed with the Arc, it has a wonderful display and feels like a quality piece of hardware.
Sony Ericsson have kindly given us one of their early prototype units to take a look at. In fact we’ve been lucky enough to receive one of only a handful of working prototypes currently in the UK so I’ve spent some time pawing over it in the video below which will hopefully give you a taster of what the Arc has to offer. I didn’t manage to keep the video under the 20 minutes I was aiming for but I hope you enjoy it anyway.
We’ll have a full review of the XPERIA Arc once the hardware becomes final and we’ll have a full unboxing video once we can get our hands on a retail version!
It’s that time again. An Apple press event day. Tonight at 6PM, London time, Apple will be holding an event in San Francisco. I am told that Apple have also hired a studio at the BBC here in London so we could see some local action too.
Most people are pretty sure that today will see the iPad 2 previewed. It may well be that or it could be something totally different. Either way we will bring you the important news as soon as we can. If you don’t follow us on Twitter you may like too. We shall be tweeting the good bits from the event. You can find us at:
Posted by: James
I like the sound of this. A six month contract. Yes, you did read that right. T-Mobile have introduced some new six month business plans and you can even get a free phone. The free one is the Nokia C3 Touch & Type so may not be your cup of tea but if you don’t mind paying towards the cost of the handset there is a huge range to choose from.
The price you pay for the device and the monthly charge depends on the handset but for a six month plan I don’t think the charges are too unreasonable. Lets hope the other networks all follow suit.
You can see more details below:
The Motorola XOOM is already available in the USA and it looks like we wont have to wait too much longer for it here in the UK. PC World have now opened up pre orders for the 10.1 inch Android Tablet.
Motorola XOOM Features:
- Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) (More information HERE)
- 10.1" (1280×800) Touch Screen
- 1GHZ Dual core Tegra 2 Processor
- 3G, but upgradable to 4G
- Front facing 2 megapixel front facing camera
- 5 megapixel rear facing camera with dual LED flash and 720p video capture capability
- 1080p video playback
- 32GB on board user memory
- 1GB RAM
- 802.11n WiFi
- 730g
- 249.1mm x 167.8mm x 12.9mm
We have no word yet on when review devices will be here but as soon as they are we will have one. Keep your eyes peeled.
Posted by: James
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