Recently, Apple filed a patent for a technology that allowed them to have built-in SIM cards for their phones. Analysts widely believed that Apple would use this in their next phone, the iPhone 5. A move like this would mean that the iPhone 5 would be permanently locked to the carrier that sells it; making the lives of those who rely on an unlock hard, not to mention completely destroying the second hand market, making the next iPhone iteration truly a disposable product. Reception to this idea has been negative to say the least, from Apple’s carrier partners and users alike. Now, insider sources are saying that Apple have scrapped the plans for implementing this evil technology in the iPhone 5, but who knows what the future will bring?
Apple scraps iPhone 5 plans for built-in SIM amidst pressure
600 000 Galaxy tabs sold worldwide
Samsung electronics announced that they now sold more than 600 000 units of their Android based tablet. Launched less than a month ago this is quite an impressive feat, in Korea alone the galaxy tab has sold more than 30 000 units. In comparision to the Ipad which has sold 7.5 million units worldwide, it still has some catching up to do. However, with the upcoming launch of the Ipad on the Galaxy’s home turf the future looks rather bleak. According to local distributors there have been more than 40 000 pre-orders.
Source: Korean Herald via Engadget
Apple finally releases iOS 4.2 with a surprise lined up
Apple’s PR machine has begun rolling! The long awaited and highly anticipated iOS 4.2 update is finally here, serving us a slew of updates to the iPad that iPhone and iPod touch users will already be used to, namely folders, multitasking and the brand new AirPrint feature, offering the ability to print files wirelessly to select printers that support this. Other minor features that iOS 4.2 brings to the iPad include the ability to rent TV episodes directly on the iPad, the ability to highlight words in Safari and enhanced enterprise security. According to Apple, the update will be available on iTunes at 10am PST today. iOS version 4.2 is compatible with all iOS devices except the original iPhone and 1G iPod touch. However, the iPhone 3G and the 2G iPod touch will only be offered a limited feature-set. For us European users, this update also brings the long awaited support for international keyboards on the iPad with all the umlauts and whatnot supported by the virtual keyboard
Oh, and one more thing… With iOS 4.2, Apple makes the Find my iPhone service free to all users, something that only MobileMe customers had access to prior to this. Nice!
Source: Apple
LG E-Note H1000B 10.1-inch Windows 7 tablet coming soon to fail in a store near you
Windows 7 hasn’t really taken off as a viable OS for tablet computers, but LG aims to change this with it’s newly announced E-Note H1000B tablet running on Windows 7 Starter. The LG E-Note H1000B comes with a 10.1-inch 1366 x 768 pixel capacitive screen and a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor with 16GB of SSD storage and 1GB of memory. Powered by a 4-cell battery, this 14.5mm thin tablet weighs in at 850 grams, packing two USB 2.0 ports, a SD card reader, WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0. Over in Korea, this tablet will retail for a mighty expensive 961,000 won which is approximately €621 Euro or $850 USD. Do we smell a flop here?
Source: LGE via Akihabara News
Sony Ericsson CEO is hyping up the PlayStation phone
Apple’s strong performance with gaming on their iOS devices has caused Sony to react, with an Android-based PlayStation phone in development. In a recent sit-down with the Wall Street Journal, Bert Nordberg, CEO of Sony Ericsson said that “there’s a lot of smoke, and I tell you there must be a fire somewhere” when asked about the PlayStation Phone rumors and leaks. When questioned why we’ve not yet seen a PlayStation-branded Sony Ericsson gaming phone, Bert said “the future might be brighter”. Nordberg also said Sony Ericsson plans to make a lot of “noise” at Mobile World Congress next February, which can be interpreted as him hinting that Sony Ericsson will be announcing this PlayStation Phone early next year.
Source: WSJ via Android Community
Russian president Medvedev owns a Galaxy Tab, disappointed by camera
Today’s news come straight from Twitter-town. It seems that Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has gone against the stream of world leaders using iPads and gotten himself a Samsung Galaxy Tab instead. Medvedev was recently in South Korea with his trade delegation to ramp up business between South Korea and Russia, so it’s not super surprising that he picked up a Galaxy Tab while he was there. However, he doesn’t seem to enjoy the Galaxy Tab’s GT-P1000 camera. According to a recent tweet made from his official Twitter account, the Samsung Galaxy Tab’s camera’s “quality isn’t great.” Hats off to Medvedev however, it’s great to see presidents becoming early adopters of tech. One step closer to world domination by geeks.
thegadgetsite: Second week in review
Welcome to our second weekly roundup! thegadgetsite has now been in business for two weeks! So sit back, grab a beer, and let us summarize the past week together.
Audio
- Olive O6HD is a music server that will please the most demanding audiophiles
- Apple’s iTunes announcement a big letdown
Gaming
- Microsoft totally cool with Kinect hacking
- GameStop president expects Kinect and Move to be in high demand this Christmas season
- The Tech Behind Kinect
- SteelSeries Shift MMO keyset will earn you respect in Kalimdor
- Microsoft Kinect: 1 million units sold in 10 days [NumbersGame]
- Harakiri! PS Jailbreak now supports PS3 firmware versions 3.42 and 3.5
Mobile
- Casemate Bounce is an iPhone 4 case that protects you from cellphone radiation
- Rumor mill says Palm Mansion coming with a 5-inch display, webOS 2.0
- Smartphone + Windows XP = supersmall netbook?
- iPhone 4 gets a QWERTY keyboard with BoxWave Keyboard Buddy
- Nokia Ovi Store reaches 3 million downloads a day milestone
- Blue Microphones Mikey lets you play reporter with your iPhone and iPod touch
- Kid faces legal threat for selling white iPhone 4 conversion kits
- SkyFire Cashes in a Blazing $1,000,000 in two days
- Confirmed: Meizu M9 going international
Photography
- Get a Grip with GorillaPod for iPhone 4
- When blown up Apple products become art
- The worlds lightest interchangeable lens camera
Tablets
- Dell Inspiron Duo netbook tablet hybrid goes official
- BYD Alice Tegra 2 Android Froyo tablet
- See the BlackBerry PlayBook whopping some iPad ass
- ViewSonic ViewPad 7 tablet specifications & preorder
Other
Just like in the previous week, there has been a lot of focus on mobile phones. I guess this emphasizes the ever increasing importance of the mobile phone in our lives.
Get a Grip with GorillaPod for iPhone 4
Are you tired of holding your iPhone 4 during FaceTime calls, when filming your latest clip for YouTube or simply looking for a new angle? Then you need the GorillaMobile for iPhone 4 by Joby – the creators of the famous GorillaPod flexible tripod loved by photographers all over!
Now you can attach your iPhone to almost anything or simply let it stand on any surface, completely level. By slipping it in a special case, the iPhone can be attached to rails on the tripod allowing quick attachment whenever you feel the need for it. As a bonus Joby supplies a universal camera clip, meaning you can attach any other compact camera to the tripod as well. For a price of €39,95 it might as well be worth it!
Microsoft totally cool with Kinect hacking
Microsoft’s first response to hackers tinkering with the Kinect was pretty heavy-handed, with a representative saying: “Microsoft does not condone the modification of its products,” pledging to “work closely with law enforcement and product safety groups to keep Kinect tamper-resistant.” However, with Kinect hacks coming out one after the other, the tone from Redmond has changed. Microsoft’s Alex Kipman spoke to NPR Science Daily listeners and said that the Kinect still hasn’t actually really been hacked, where real hacking would mean someone figuring out Kinect’s inner algorithms or developing a cheating device for the games. He means that Microsoft actually left the camera’s USB connection unprotected “by design” to let the community take advantage of it. He and fellow Microsoftie Shannon Loftis also let it slip that the company would “partner sooner rather than later” with academic institutions to get the Kinect hardware rolled out, and even suggested that some universities had access to the Kinect before its launch.
Source: NPR Science Daily via Engadget
GameStop president expects Kinect and Move to be in high demand this Christmas season
We already know that Kinect has sold really well, but how about the PlayStation Move? Yesterday, GameStop president Tony Bartel was caught saying that both Microsoft’s Kinect and Sony’s PlayStation Move would both be difficult to find this holiday season, noting that the Kinect would be “a hot item through the holiday season and the key opportunity will be just to continue to keep them in stock.” He also stated that the Move would be “in short supply,” and even went so far as to suggesting potential customers would be “following the UPS truck to our stores to pick up that product as soon as they can find it.” Bartel offered no evidence for his statement, but one can’t blame a man for trying to drum up his business, right?
Source: Seeking Alpha via CNET
