Sony to make their own iPad?

 

At this point since I am not very satisfied with the Apple iPad I am welcoming any and all companies that are developing tablets. Sony is now claiming they will be building their own tablet in the near future, according to Sony’s CFO Nobuyuki Oneda:

“[Slates are] a market we are also very interested in. We are confident we have the skills to create a product…Time-wise we are a little behind the iPad but it’s a space we would like to be an active player in.”

Sony does make pretty decent electronics, their Vaio laptop line are a good set of computers, their TV’s and other electronics are great as well. But their PSP Go is ho-hum. The PSP has good games, much better than what I have seen on the iPhone but has done horrible in sales, and it’s UI is nothing to really be amazed with.
However imagine a PSP combined with a Sony Vaio, all in a handy tablet shaped touch screen device – and you might be on to something Sony. I don’t think it could be worse than the iPad.

Paperboy Classic now available

 

Paperboy Classic is now available in the App Store, for your classic gaming fix. As of now the game is selling for $0.99, but that is listed as being an introductory price. The regular price, which is $2.99 is supposed to go into effect as of February 10.
Those of you that played Paperboy back in the day know the game is awesome and addictive, but you younger readers really need to check this game out as well.
This classic version just released is a teaser to the 3D version expected in the near future for release on the iPhone.

Sky Siege augmented reality game

 

Augmented reality is still a somewhat new concept for iPhone gamers, but has been around a little while now. However, their is not a whole lot of great games out there that use the augmented reality style, that really do the genre any justice.
Sky Siege is looking to change that. Available now on iTunes for 3 bucks, Sky Siege uses the 3GS compass and the accelerometer to bring an aerial defence game to your surroundings. Use your rocket launchers to fend off the helicopter gun ships from gunning you down. Check out the video below to see the app in action:

AT&T very likely to keep iPhone exclusivity?

 

Jonathan Chaplin, Research analyst  for Credit Suisse – believes that we can expect AT&T to keep the exclusivity to the iPhone through 2010. and possibly longer.

“Our analysis suggests that Apple will eventually sell the device at all carriers; however, there is a much greater probability that AT&T keeps exclusivity for another 12-18 months than investors realize,” Chaplin wrote. “We think this has profound impacts for Apple, the carriers and the other handset OEMs.”

The bottom line consensus from Credit Suisse is that the probability AT&T will keep the exclusivity to the iPhone is 75%

“We conclude there is only a 50% probability that it (exclusivity) ends in 2010,” Chaplin wrote. “Next, we try to determine whether AT&T bids for another year of exclusivity if exclusivity does end in 2010. We conclude they would and they can afford to compensate Apple such that Apple would be economically indifferent. Our approach yields a 25% probability for this outcome. Taken together, we see a 75% probability that AT&T keeps exclusivity for another year.”

This could bring a giant shift in smartphone consumers. Will the iPhone lovers stay with AT&T if this comes to fruition, just to keep their iPhone? If so this could swing a whole lot of those consumers that were patiently waiting on Verizon to get the famed iPhone and bring in a lot of new AT&T users. Or will we [iPhone user's] say to hell with AT&T the iPhone is not worth the headache of their crap service – and jump ship for a Droid phone or the Nexus One?
Personally if AT&T keeps the exclusive rights to the iPhone, I would definitely look to grab up a Droid or Nexus One. I am very fed up with the amount of dropped calls I get and lack of 3G coverage.
What say you readers? Would you stick with AT&T to keep your iPhone?

Dev Team releases Jailbreaking tool 3.1.5

 

The Dev Team has just released an update to PwnageTool. The newest version is 3.1.5 and it will work on Apple’s latest firmware update 3.1.3 however, for the moment this PwnageTool (3.1.5)  is only available for the Mac OS X.
PwnageTool 3.1.5 will allow you to create custom firmware so you will still be able to Jailbreak your iPhones while enjoying the newest 3.1.3 update.
If you plan on using the newest PwnageTool to jailbreak your 3.1.3 updated iPhone, I reccomend make sure to visit the Dev Team official site for more details before trying it out.

SD Cards for your iPhone finally

Finally someone has come out with the SD card reader peripheral. Working in conjunction with their ZoomIt app, the ZoomIt dongle connects throught the iPhone’s/iPod’s docking connector.
Now you can load photos, music and miscellaneous files (like PowerPoint, PDF and anything else supported by iPhone OS) from an SD card, using the ZoomIt.
This is truly exciting for most people that are on the go business types or students. I don’t know how many times I have needed something like this, and now it’s soon going to be available.
You can pre-order the ZoomIt for $50 now. It’ll actually be available this April.

Hulu on the iPad? but not for free

Reports are going around the net that Hulu wants to bring it’s streaming services to the iPad – however if it were to happen it would most likely be a paid for service.
The likely problem Hulu would be facing is not integrating with html5, since Flash is not a feature likely to grace the iPad, but to get the green light from Apple since it would be directly competing with the similar service iTunes provides.
Most likely this is a dream deal that may never come to fruition – but the alternative is that Hulu could in fact work through the iPads browser which is outside the realms of Apples control really. Then the only issue left for Hulu to settle is the paid service itself. Hulu has yet to reveal just what exactly a paid for service would include, nor have they made to much clear on what will remain free – if anything at all.

Brothers in Arms 2 App now available

Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front has hit the app store! [$7.99 - iTunes link]. This is a sequel to Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes, One of the first 3D shooters on the iPhone which was released in 2008.

Obviously the sequel would expectantly be a huge improvement since it’s 2008 predecessor. Here are some of the games features:

* Battle across 5 locations: Pacific, Normandy, North Africa, Germany, Sicily.
* Challenge up to 5 friends on five multiplayer maps online
* Pilot 3 vehicles including the tank, off-road vehicle or glider, or gun down enemies from the vehicle
* A wide range of realistic weapons: machine guns, bazookas, sniper rifles, flamethrowers and more.
* Compelling cinematic moments with more interaction between you and your squad members
* Stunning graphics and authentic settings inspired by real life battlefields from WWII.

Apples 2 billion dollar data center revelaed (Video)

A while back we reported that Apple has invested about 2 billion bucks into the building of a new giant data farm in North Carolina. Not much more has been revealed about its specific purposes, maybe a super MobileMe or iTunes, or whatever else crazy Steve Jobs can come up with.

Check out the video fly by clip below of the new Apple mega center!

iPad A4 Chip costing Apple $1 billion

The driving force behind the new iPad is the newly acquired A4 chip set custom made for Apple. News is that this new chip is costing Apple quite the pretty penny, in upwards of a billion dollars. 
This A4 chip really raises the bar and is the whole reason the iPad is going to make a huge impact on the standards of mobile tech. Any company wanting to compete against the iPad in the tablet market is going to need to have some pretty deep pockets to compete with a 10 hour battery the iPad reportedly packs, according to Steve Jobs.

Jailbreak 3.1.3 for iPod Touch, all iPhone & iPad

Jailbreaking has never been so easy as it is today. Whether you have an iPhone 2G, iPhone 3g, iPhone 3G (S), or any iPod Touch or even iPad, you can now jailbreak in one simple click with the newest iPhone Jailbreak SPIRIT.
1. Download Spirit here.
(available for Mac OS & Windows)
2. Sync your device of choice to your cpu.
3. Run Spirit and click “Jailbreak.”
It may take a sec, but you will be restarted with Cydia now available to take advantage of. Check out the video below for any issues.

Top 10 iPhone games

 

The most recent poll for top ten iPhone games have shifted around a little this week, but the reigning number one title is still Rock Band. The number one title also just recently added a few more new songs as well as a free version of the app for those that have yet to buy in – can get a small taste of what they might be missing.

Check out the top ten list below:

Position	Title	Price	Weeks	Last Week
1	Rock Band (EA)	$6.99	3	1
2	Call of Duty: World at War Zombies (Activision)	$9.99	6	3
3	Bejeweled 2 (PopCap Games)	$2.99	23	4
4	Assassin’s Creed II Discovery (Ubisoft)	$6.99	1	-
5	Doodle Jump (Lima Sky)	$.99	4	5
6	Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Rockstar Games)	$9.99	3	2
7	The Sims 3 (EA)	$6.99	22	8
8	All-In-1 Gamebox (Triniti Interactive Limited)	$.99	1	-
9	Madden NFL 10 (EA)	$6.99	4	8
10	Tetris (EA)	$4.99	21	9

Sprint HTC Evo 4G — here comes the iPhone HD/iPhone 4G competition

Phil Nickinson over at Android Central has just posted a full review of the Sprint HTC Evo 4G, which he’s billing as the baddest Android on the planet. Big screen, front facing video call camera, brand new OS in the pipeline, it’s not hard to see that this will be Sprint’s answer to the iPhone HD/iPhone 4G (unless and until they’re able to offer the iPhone HD/iPhone 4G on Sprint — just sayin’).

It’s at the top of the Android smartphone pile, for the moment. That’s not to say that phones like the HTC Incredible and Nexus One (and very possibly the Samsung Galaxy S) aren’t right up there. But the screen size, 4G data and promise of an upgrade to Android 2.2 make the Sprint Evo 4G the phone to beat, and it may well hold that title through the end of 2010.

Check out the galleries, the videos, and all the words holding them together and then come back and let us know what you think about the Sprint HTC Evo 4G — is it the right handset, on the right network, at the right time, to give the iPhone HD/iPhone 4G a run for your money?

Galactic Untangle HD for iPad – app review

Galactic Untangle HD for the iPad is a puzzle game. It is simple, yet challenging, and can easily keep you occupied for hours.
In each level, you are a given a bunch of points connected by lines, and your goal is to move the points around until there are no lines crossing. In mathematical terms, you are given a graph and it is your job to rearrange the vertices until no edges are crossing, i.e., result with a planar representation of the graph. This game is very strait-forward and simple, but not generally easy to beat. As you progress, the graphs become much more complicated and difficult to beat.
There are two modes in Galactic Untangle HD. In “free mode”, there is no stress of being timed and you can relax and play at a leisurely pace. In “challenge mode” you are being timed and you have an option to submit your score to the world scoreboard. However, even though you are asked to enter your name, the world scoreboard does not display names. As someone who holds a few of the records, I find this annoying.
Galactic Untangle is an excellent game. It is designed well and looks beautiful on the iPad’s screen. It has a simple objective, yet challenging gameplay. And best of all, it’s a fun way to give your brain some exercise!
Video and screenshots after the break!

AT&T outbids competition for iPad?

Reports are coming from Fox News that AT&T outbid all other GSM service providers for offering a reasonable $14.99 and $29.99 data plans for future iPad owners.
Meanwhile Verizon and Apple are still in negotiations and have been at a stalemate for sometime, since 2006, over details for the Verizon service to carry Apple products.
Verizon spokesman Jeff Nelson said:

Apple and Verizon are still “very much talking over plans to bring an iPhone and an iPad” to the CDMA network this year, following the expiration of AT&T’s exclusive agreement with Apple.

We also still are not entirely clear on when the AT&T exclusivity with the iPhone is supposed to end. Will it end if Verizon and Apple fail to agree to terms?

Email Apple CEO, get response from Jobs. Email AT&T CEO, get legal threat

From the surprisingly poplar PR manual in how not to win customers and engender goodwill, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson’s email address doesn’t seem anywhere near as likely to receive a Steve Jobs-style terse if direct response. Indeed:

Giorgio Galante found out today, sending AT&T’s CEO two emails in two weeks results in a phone call from AT&T’s Executive Response Team and a warning that further emails will result in a cease and desist letter.

Galante reportedly first emailed to ask about his eligibility date and to request tethering, the second to complain about AT&T’s new, tiered data rates released yesterday and inform them he’s switching to an HTC Evo 4G on Sprint.

We hope there’s something we’re missing in this story (including AT&T’s side of it), because they could use a few feel good endings about now.

SIM-free iPhone 3GS now available online

TheApple iPhone 3G S is now available online in 16GB and 32GB varieties priced at £799.99 and £899.99 respectively. There's probably not a whole heap of people that don't know the 3G S' vitals by now, but in case you've been in a cave, its particulars include:

• 3.5-inch 320x480 touchscreen
• Video capable 3.15-megapixel camera
• 3G HSDPA connectivity (7.2Mbps)
• WiFi
• Bluetooth v2.1
• A-GPS with Google Maps

Naturally, a large appeal of the iPhone lays in-waiting at the iTunes app store, with thousands of various functional and gaming apps.
With a seriously steep price tag that's roughly equivalent to a decent spec laptop, you're going to have to have a fairly serious phobia of O2 and contracts in general to shell out the reddies for this up-front.
If that sounds like you, then head on over to the Play.com website to peruse its wares.

iPhone OS v3.1 Improves iPhone Video Edits, Voice Controls

Apple already is gearing up for a new OS update
It didn't take Apple long after the release of its iPhone OS v3.0 to begin preparing for the first major update to the new OS. Apple has announced the availability of a beta of its OS v3.1 along with a 3.1 version SDK, for its developers.

IPhone OS v3.1 will improve video editing, one of the hot new features on the iPhone 3G S. The 3G S allows users to edit videos by selecting or deselecting series of frames, however, the edits automatically overwrote the original. Now the system prompts the user with the option to save a copy, when saving your editing work.

Arranging icons on the home screen also has had a cool vibration effect added. Another little OS level tweak is the boot time -- the phone now boots considerably faster.

Another nice addition is the inclusion of paste into the dialing screen. Users can now paste phone numbers into the dial box. Alphanumeric numbers, such as 1-800-MY-APPLE, will be properly converted to phone numbers.

MMS functionality is supported in the beta, though it is still not supported on the network by AT&T. The beta's final major addition is the ability to use Voice Control via a Bluetooth headset.

Your dog wants you to download some Free iPhone Apps

Lately, the number of travelers who are accompanied by their canines has increased so dog friendly information has become a hot commodity. In the past there were informative but not necessarily mobile user friendly Dog Lovers Companion guide books, the Dog Friendly website and Bay area’s Dining with Sophie website. More recently, lucky iPhone mobile users have found imper

Apple's iPhone can be Infected with SMS messages

iPhone SMS vulnerability could allow malicious users to install and execute malware.

Recently, Apple has struggled with the security ramifications of a higher commercial profile, and seeing an increasing number of OS X malware. Now another security flaw has been found, this time in the iPhone OS. The flaw allows attackers to gain root access to the iPhone's underlying OS, allowing them to install and execute malicious programs at will.
The iPhone apparently automatically executes binary code sent in SMS messages. Messages are limited to 140 bytes, but this is little deterrence as longer programs can be broken up into several messages, which the phone automatically reassembles. While other applications such as the Safari browser on the phone only enjoy access to their sandbox, the SMS system is automatically granted root access, and SMS commands execute as root.
Charlie Miller, during a presentation at the SyScan conference in Singapore on Thursday introduced the vulnerability to the public. He declined to go into specific details or offer his proof-of-concept code to the public, as he has entered under an agreement with Apple. Mr. Miller did state, "SMS is a great vector to attack the iPhone."