Do new PS3 bundles mean Slim is coming soon?

According to Kotaku, next Sunday (July 12) Best Buy will begin offering an 80GB PS3 with two of the best exclusives for the system--Metal Gear Solid 4 and Killzone 2--for the price of the PS3 ($400). 

How does Kotaku know this? Well, a Best Buy employee apparently sent the gaming site a photo of the bundle and other Best Buy employees have confirmed that the photo is real and the bundle is coming. (Chalk this up as a rumor, but it seems pretty legit as far as rumors go).

Recently, Best Buy had the PS3 paired with Wall-E and Little Big Planet for $400. But the MGS 4 and Killzone 2 bundle is definitely designed to tempt more hardcore gamers who, say, might just own an XBox 360 already and are looking for a Blu-ray player.

Clearly, such bundles are designed to move systems--and they probably will move. The big question is whether this is part of a concerted effort by Sony to clear the channel of "old" consoles to make room for the potential release of the rumored PS3 Slim, which many hope will cost $300. A recent report suggests that a new PS3 may arrive as soon as this summer.

If indeed it is clearing the channel--and if indeed this latest bundle is for real-- hand it to Sony for creating an enticing package that will lure in fence-sitters, even when faced with the possibility of a new system on the horizon. If you do the math using Best Buy's prices, you're looking at a savings of $90 on the games (Best Buy is selling MGS 4 for $30 and Killzone 2 for $60).

So, is an MGS/Killzone 2 bundle at $400 a better deal than a hypothetical PS3 Slim at $300 with no games included? That's a hard call until we know what specs we're looking at for the Slim.
But let us know what you think.

Is iPod Touch getting a camera?

One of the features that iPod Touch users have been requesting from Apple is a camera. According to reports, they may be getting their wish.

While attributing its information only to a "sources in Asia," TechCrunch claims that Apple has placed an order for camera modules destined for the next version of the iPod Touch. The size of the order, according to TechCrunch, is "massive."

MacRumors is taking the camera information a step further, claiming that both the iPod Touch and iPod Nano will receive cameras when they are updated. New case designs, purportedly for the iPods, show a hole for the camera.

This isn't the first time rumors of iPods getting a camera have come up. In May, AppleInsider said that iPods would get cameras similar to those found in iPhones.
At this point the only handheld device from Apple with a camera is the iPhone. All three models of the iPhone come with a one.

In addition to its 3-megapixel still camera, the iPhone 3GS includes video recording and basic video-editing software, which allows chunks of video to be uploaded to YouTube or MobileMe.


Credits to this site.

Nike+ ipod system great for running

The Nike + ipod system is great for running.   I have the combo of the ipod nano, 3rd generation, a pair of Nike running shoes and itunes. 
The system works with a small circle piece of equipment from Nike that fits in the bottom of your Nike shoe.  Once inside you can't feel it while running.  You plug another small piece of equipment into the bottom of your ipod and sync them up prior to starting your run.

You can program a song playlist to run to and then select a bunch of different items for the Nike + system to keep track of.  For example you can set a distance goal, or a time goal and during your run the system will  tell you (using a voice that interrupts your song) how far you have run and how much time is left in your run.

Another cool feature is you can then save the run's performance data in Nike+'s database via itunes.  You can just sync up your ipod's saved info when you log onto itunes.  Then info goes to a Nike website that opens and you can track your progress over several runs in a cool bar chart.  In addition there are a bunch of contests throughout the year you can join.  There are also song playlists from other runners and additional products you might want to buy.
Overall it is a great system.  It is also great if you are on an unfamiliar run, because you can keep track of how far you've gone very accurately.  I recommend this system.   Of note, you can buy a receiver carrier so that you don't have to use Nike shoes.  There is a pouch sold on amazon that fits on a shoe if you have another brand of shoe you prefer to Nike.


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Apple may add micro projectors to iPhones, iPod touches

With the storage capacities of iPhones and iPod touches on the rise, consumers are likely to begin carrying more and more of their digital video content on the devices, and could soon have the capability to project those videos for friends and family just about anywhere.

According to Taiwanese rumor site DigiTimes, Foxlink, a subsidiary of Apple's iPhone manufacturing partner Foxconn, is currently developing its own micro projector technology that should begin making its way into integrated devices as early as this year.

The publication cited sources "with Taiwan handset makers" who say that tier I smartphone makers such Nokia, Samsung and Apple, "reportedly all plan to launch handsets with built-in micro projectors by the end of this year."

Micro projects are an emerging technology for small form-factor handheld devices comprised of miniaturized hardware and software that can project digital images onto any nearby viewing surface, such as a wall of projection screen.

They're positioned at devices like the iPhone and iPod touch, which are sometimes too tiny to accommodate interfaces for connecting directly to external displays or televisions.

Several third parties have already taken to developing standalone micro projectors that can attach to existing iPhones and iPods, like Microvision's portable PicoP projector that was profiled by AppleInsider when it drew crowds at January's Macworld Expo.

Still a prototype at the time, device worked with either a composite video or RGB video input at standard definition WVGA video resolution (848x480), optionally displayed in a 16:9 wide aspect ratio. The battery was rated for 2 hours, and the focus-free unit was shown projecting a picture up to about 100 inches diagonal.


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Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on Wii destined for greatness

The July 15 movie release based on the sixth book of the highly acclaimed Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, is just around the corner. Eager fans who just can’t seem to wait another two weeks will be glad to hear that the video game of the same title will be released by EA this week for pretty much every platform.

Although the game will be available to every gamer whether they own a PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 or PC, the overall experience will be drastically different on the Wii due to the incorporation of motion controls using the Wii remote and the nunchuk. Holding the Wii remote like a wand, gamers will be able to cast well known spells from the Harry Potter universe dependent upon what is necessary in each situation. For example, if there is an out-of-reach crest, the main collectible in the game, players can use Wingardium Leviosa to levitate the crest towards them. Besides collecting crests, quickly casting spells such as Stupefy and Protego, attack and defense spells respectively, can come in handy during a duel against that annoying Slytherin Draco Malfoy.

In addition to casting spells, the Wii remote and nunchuk are also used when mixing potions. By using motion controls, gamers can pour vials of ingredients into their potion as well as fan their concoction if too much of an ingredient is added and smoke starts to appear.

Besides the clever use of motion controls, EA has included an adjustable camera which allows gamers to examine every last nook and cranny of Hogwarts to their heart’s content. This feature wasn’t included in the last game released: Order of the Phoenix.

Overall Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is shaping up to be the best Harry Potter game created to date. According to IGN.com, EA has promised that the story of the game will follow the arc of the movie as closely as possible, which means that it will be the most accurate representation of Hogwarts in a video game to date.

Potter fans looking for a fun game about the series they’ve grown to love should keep an eye out for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince which is set to release later this week.


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Protecting BlackBerry users

We don’t think the government’s temporary ban on the distribution of BlackBerry smartphones in Indonesia was influenced by other mobile phone producers attempting to disrupt the marketing of the Canadian product, as some members of the information technology sector have alleged.

The ruling is simply the enforcement of the 1999 consumer protection law which stipulates, among other things, that the suppliers of goods and services that fail to provide after-sales services and do not provide consumers with service or operation manuals in the Indonesian language should be prohibited from marketing their products in the country and must withdraw their products from the local market.

Since this law applies to all producers of goods and services, the government (the ministries of communication and information technology and trade) is obliged to give equal treatment to all mobile phone producers.

We cannot understand why the BlackBerry manufacturer, the Canadian company Research in Motion (RIM), has not realized the crucial importance of establishing after-sales service centers in supporting its marketing campaign in the country as its competitors have done.

However, as strong as its competitive edge may be, BlackBerry sales will eventually suffer if users have to go to Singapore for after-sales service, as they have to do now, because BlackBerry is not the only smartphone sold on the domestic market.

If economies of scale are the main reason behind the RIM decision to delay the establishment of local service centers, they are using a flawed marketing strategy, especially for a new comer such as BlackBerry, which according to RIM, has sold around 300,000 units.

It would have instead been good business sense for RIM to establish a representative office early on, and after-sales service centers at least in Jakarta to support its marketing campaign. Such a move would have assured potential users of RIM’s long-term commitment to Indonesia, which is a huge potential market for such information technology products.

The longer RIM postpones the establishment of service centers the more harmful it will be for BlackBerry marketing because unauthorized service shops with questionable and unreliable services may fill the vacuum.

The only aspect of the ban that might have raised unnecessary questions or suspicions of the real motive behind the measure was related to the timing of the measure. Why indeed was the ban imposed only several years after BlackBerry cell phones had already entered the country?

RIM’s greatest concern over what it called the massive illegal sales of fake BlackBerry smartphones should have been another compelling factor for the Canadian company to set up a local representative office.

Fake products are not BlackBerry’s monopoly. But a local sales office or service center would help RIM keep itself appraised of the local market demand and preferences and enable it to conduct, together with the government, a market intelligence operation against counterfeit products.

The government is strongly committed to protecting the intellectual property rights of all producers of goods and services but, due to a lack of resources and inadequate institutional capacity, it needs whatever assistance manufacturers or producers can provide to launch a more effective drive against fake products.

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New iPhone 3GS on sale July 10, says Vodafone

New Zealanders will be able to get their hands on the new iPhone 3GS on July 10, says Vodafone.
The 3GS is the new, faster version of Apple's popular iPhone, with a video camera, more memory and a slew of new features. The 'S' in the phone's title stands for speed.

Vodafone says the 16GB version of the phone will cost $1,179, while the 32GB is $1,379.
Contract prices and "handset subsidies" for people signing up to different data plans will be announced closer to the launch date, says the company.

The 32GB iPhone 3GS has twice as much memory as the current biggest iPhone and costs $US299 on a contract in the US, while the 16GB version sells for $US199.

It has the same design as iPhone 3G released last year. Messaging applications, games and attachments all load faster and there's a better built-in camera, with 3-megapixels, autofocus and video camera.

The release of an updated iPhone comes as Apple is facing tougher competition in the smartphone market. Its sales still trail those of the Blackberry, made by Canadian firm Research in Motion.


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