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.


Source

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.


Source

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.


Source

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.

Source

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.


Source

Yet Another Vogue for the iPhone: Video Games

The iPhone has sent rivals scrambling, first to duplicate its glassy touch screen, then its successful mobile application storefront.
Now it is the video game industry that is sitting up and taking notice. Playing games, it turns out, is one of the most popular things to do with an iPhone. Of the 50,000 programs available for the iPhone and iPod Touch through Apple’s App Store, games are the largest category, about 20 percent of the offerings, according to the mobile analytics and advertising company Mobclix. The company also said that more than half of the billion downloads from the App Store are games.
That plethora of games, most of which are free or cost as little as 99 cents, are available in seconds via wireless download, which is driving the expansion of the audience for mobile gaming, said Tuong H. Nguyen, an analyst with Gartner Research who tracks the industry.
“Like many other features of the iPhone, it introduced the possibility of gaming on your phone to a whole new group of consumers,” Mr. Nguyen said.
Called casual gamers, these people who play a game for a few minutes here or there are a sought-after group by a video-game industry searching for growth. Sylvia Martinez, a 52-year-old educator living in Los Angeles, is one of them. Mrs. Martinez, who owns a 3G iPhone, said she had never played games on her cellphone before she bought the iPhone. “With older phones, the games were so hard to play,“ she said. “With the iPhone, everything works so well.“
Now there are several games that she plays at least once or twice a day, she said. “It suits my time frame,” she said. “I don’t have an hour to play; I have five minutes.”
Greg Joswiak, head of marketing for the iPhone and iPod, said, “This is the future of gaming.” The company has emphasized iPhone gaming in several television commercials. At the press conference in early June where the iPhone 3G S was introduced, the company ran a long video featuring testimonials from game developers. The company also trotted out several companies on stage to demonstrate games that made use of the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system.
The popularity of gaming among iPhone users — some 79 percent of all iPhone owners have downloaded games, compared with 31 percent of smartphone users in general, according to data from the Web analytics firm Compete — has game publishers flocking to get their titles on the platform.
One of them is Electronic Arts, the giant maker of boxed software for PCs and game consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation3. “We knew it would be big,“ said Adam Sussman, vice president for worldwide publishing for the mobile division of Electronic Arts. “We knew we had to scramble and invest more on the iPhone.“
The built-in audience, which amounts to more than 40 million iPhone and iPod Touch owners, adds to the platform’s allure, said Mr. Sussman, who has overseen the translation of some of E.A.’s bigger franchises to the iPhone, including the Sims 3 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour.
The iPhone has already increased revenue at the French game developer Gameloft, which publishes games across a variety of platforms including the hand-held Sony PlayStation Portable and Nintendo’s DSi, in addition to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The company said that 15 percent of its sales were from iPhone games during the first quarter of 2009. It anticipates sales from the iPhone to top $20 million this year.
Some experts say that the big-name titles available for the devices are further evidence that larger game studios are taking the platform as seriously as other portable gaming devices like the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.
It does not require a budget backed by a publishing giant like Electronic Arts or Sega to churn out a successful game for the iPhone. The low technical barrier to publishing games in the App Store means that anyone with programming skills and a laptop can try their luck at it.
Indeed, many of the App Store successes were born of a clever idea from a single coder or produced by small independent teams like Firemint.
Firemint, an Australian mobile development team, is behind Flight Control, a simple yet addictive game that challenges players to guide aircraft to landing strips. “When my mother-in-law couldn’t stop playing it, I knew we had a success on our hands,” said Robert Murray, company founder. Since Flight Control went on sale in early March, the game has sold a million copies and hovered in the top ranking spots on iTunes, said Mr. Murray.
Gamers spend about 30 minutes playing some of the more polished games, said Krishna Subramanian, a co-founder of Mobclix.
“That level of gameplay is really starting to bite into the gaming market occupied by the PSP and DS,” he said.
Al de Leon, a spokesman for Sony, said the company recognized there was an appetite among their audience for direct access to software and more of it. In October, the company plans to release a new version of its flagship portable gaming device called the PSPGo that won’t use cartridges at all; rather it will deliver software directly to the device — just like an iPhone.
But even though the company is responding to trends that iPhone is driving, Mr. de Leon said the company is not worried that Apple’s device will take over their core audience. “At the end of the day, you buy the iPhone to make calls,” he said. “And you buy the PSP to play games.”
Cammie Dunaway, vice president for sales and marketing for Nintendo, echoed similar sentiments about the company’s lineup of portable hand-held gaming devices. “No one can match our years of experience in the hand-held market and the subscriber base we’ve built up over the last 20 years,” she said.
Michael Cai, vice president for video games at Interpret, a market research firm, said, “Dedicated portable devices have a certain appeal that the iPhone can’t quite match.” But that does not mean those companies are not paying attention, he added. “Sony and Nintendo definitely realize the threat of the iPhone and iPod Touch.”


Source

New Releases, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii

New video game releases on Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony PS3 and PSP, Nintendo Wii and DS For the week of June 22 through June 26.

 

Fight Night Round 4 -X360, PS3: The champ is here! EA SPORTS challenges you to step into the ring with Fight Night Round 4. This highly anticipated iteration of the critically acclaimed franchise has perfected every jab, slip, and punch in the sport of boxing to bring you the most realistic fighting experience to date. With an advanced physics system, stunning graphics, and deep gameplay and feature enhancements, Fight Night Round 4 is putting the science back in the sweet science.  

Release Date: Jun 23, 2009

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen -Wii, X360, PS3, PS2, PSP: The video game is based on the upcoming live-action feature film from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures. The game lets players take on the role of their favorite AUTOBOTS or DECEPTICONS, picking from the largest, most diverse range of playable TRANSFORMERS – each with their own distinct abilities and weaponry. Set in unique environments across the globe such as Cairo and Shanghai, the game allows players to instantly switch between vehicle and robot modes as they drive, fly, fight and blast their way through intense, pressure-packed levels. After engaging in single player action, players for the first time ever will be able to go online and battle friends in all-new multiplayer modes.  

Release Date: Jun 23, 2009

Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires -X360, PS3: Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires is game that brings together the best aspects of the action and strategy genres. In this latest edition, players can experience Ancient China’s greatest and most glorious war as an all-powerful lord or as an officer. 

Release Date: Jun 23, 2009

Overlord II - PS3, X360, PC: Overlord II is the sequel to the hit warped fantasy action adventure that had players being delightfully despotic. In Overlord II, a new Overlord and a more powerful army of Minions take on an entire empire in a truly epic adventure, inspired by the rise of the Roman Empire. As the Glorious Empire conquers kingdoms and destroys any sign of magic it finds, it’s time to go Minion Maximus and send in the horde. Release Date: Jun 23, 2009.
Other video game Release Date: Jun 23, 2009:

Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil - Wii. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories / Vice City Stories - PS2. Little League World Series Baseball 2009 - Wii. The Conduit -Wii. Spore Galactic Adventures -PC. Overlord Minions - DS. Overlord: Dark Legend -Wii.

Source

Amazon Has Cheap PS3 Games All Day Long

Looking for some relatively cheap, older-type PlayStation 3 games? Amazon's doing the PS3 deal day thing once again, kicking things off with a little Modern Warfare and seeing where things go from there.


Judging from the clues and the games already on sale, Amazon seems to be trying to move games that everyone who owns a PlayStation 3 have already picked up by now, but if you are a new PS3 owner, then you might want to take a look. As per usual, they have one Deal of the Day, and that is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, available all day long for $29.98, or 42% off of their normal price.

Then they have the timed deals, which right now features a $40 copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, good for another couple of hours. It looks like that will be replaced by a game I am not able to decipher the clue for, with Guitar Hero: Metallica, Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction possibly, and finally a chance to "Step into the ring with the Eighth Wonder of the World", whatever that may mean.

Amazingly helpful, aren't I? You smart folks will probably have the clues figured out before I even post this. Feel free to lord your superior riddle-solving skills over me in the comments section.


Source

BlackBerry (Storm) Apps 2Day: ÜberTwitter

For Twitter users there is a a very full featured BlackBerry (Storm) app that works on all current BlackBerry devices which we give our coveted Blackberry (Storm) app of the day and recommend for all BlackBerry Twitter fans.

ÜberTwitter is a full featured Twitter client.  It gives users the the ability to upload pictures to a site dedicated to serving ÜberTwitter users. You can also optionally update your Google Talk status with your last tweets and automatically update your location based on the cell tower information provided by your phone, no GPS hardware required. Other features include the ability to send videos embedded in your tweet and see everyone who is tweeting near you.

When viewing a tweet in ÜberTwitter which contains a latitude/longitude pair in the location field, the 'human readable' address shows for the location which also works for iPhone geolocations in the Twitter profile location field.

ÜberTwitter is currently in open  Beta 3 and they are adding new features all the time.  They recently integrated Google Maps and added the ability to follow a thread of replies. One could say that it is very "twitterliscious."

Their BlackBerry Storm version ÜberTwitter uses touchscreen gestures  to go to the top and bottom of the timeline. Swipe 'east' goes to the top, and a swipe 'west' goes to the botom.

You can download different versions of ÜberTwitter for the BlackBerry Storm, Curve, Bold and classics at  http://www.ubertwitter.com/bb/download.php.

BlackBerry Storm Apps & Accessories Articles from Wireless and Mobile News

BEST BLACKBERRY STORM APPS ARTICLES:

• Best New Apps for Free for the BlackBerry Storm this Month (June).
  
• Top Best Free BlackBerry Storm Apps this Month (MAY).
• Best Free BlackBerry (Storm) Travel Apps from BlackBerry App World.
• Best BlackBerry Storm Apps -Suggestions for the Holidays.

Apps of the Day and More Applications aka Apps:

• BlackBerry (Storm, Bold Pearl, Curve, 8800) Free Sports Apps Today: ScoreMobile BlackBerry.
  
• BlackBerry Storm App of the Day: gwabbit.
• Intercall Conferencing.
• Thomson Reuters App.
• LogMeIn BlackBerry Storm Apps Outed at WES.
• BlackBerry Storm Free App of the Day: Fee Finder Calculates, Tip, Mortgage, and Auto.
  
• Free TetherBerry Beta Apps for Macs for BlackBerry (Storm).
  
• Launch2Net Apps Tethers Macs to BlackBerry Storm.
• BlackBerry Storm Voice Control App: Vlingo.
• BlackBerry (Storm) Free App of the Day: Pocket Express.
  
• BlackBerry (Storm) Free App of the Day: I Love BlackBerry, BlackBerry Addiction Tester. 
  
• 4.7.0.141 Verizon Version of BlackBerry Storm Update Coming May Day or Later.
• BlackBerry Storm Update OTA Upgrade on May Day, This Friday.
• BlackBerry Storm Level Apps Checks Level
  
• BlackBerry Storm Qik Live Video Share Apps.
  
• Ticketmaster BlackBerry Apps.
  
• BlackBerry Storm  Funambol Cloud Sync and Pus Email Apps.
  
• BlackBerry (Storm) and Java J2ME BOLT Mobile Browser Apps.
  
• BlackBerry Storm Decorative Protection  Unique Skins.
  
• BlackBerry Storm Free Flying Game: Flight Path.
• SitOrSquat Free BlackBerry and BlackBerry Storm Toilet-Finder Apps.
  
•  BlackBerry Storm Play Storm Piano.
  
• Free BlackBerry Storm Artsy Theme: Art Gallery v.1.
  
• BlackBerry (Storm) Free Apps of the Day: eReader Pro.
• BlackBerry Storm Controls Race Car? Get Punked.
• Hail-a-Cab Apps for BlackBerry, iPhone or Windows Mobile Phone.
  
• BlackBerry Storm Free Music Download of the of the Day: Chris Cornell's Stop Me.
• BlackBerry Storm Free App WHERE, Location and Map App.
  
• BlackBerry Storm App: QuickLaunch.
  
• Free BlackBerry Storm Themes  BlackLight Themes.
  
• Free BlackBerry Storm App SMS2Desk Turns SMS into Email.
  
• Free BlackBerry Storm Download Song: Jonas Bros Remix.
  
• Free BlackBerry Storm and iPhone Apps of the Day: GIST (Data Speed Monitor).
  
• Free BlackBerry Storm App: StormSketch Turns Storm into Sketching Tool.
  
• Free BlackBerry Storm App  - Goolge Maps for BlackBerry Storm with GPS.
  
• Free BlackBerry Storm App Poynt GPS Locations, Listings, Maps and Movies.
  
• Free BlackBerry Storm App - BlackBerry Storm Light Saber.
  
• Free BlackBerry Storm Download  - Rihanna's Rehab Remix.
  
• Free BlackBerry Storm App  - Slacker Radio for BlackBerry Storm.
  
• BlackBerry Storm Accessory : OtterBox for BlackBerry Storm.
  
• BlackBerry Storm Game: Tiltris Teltris-Like Game.
  
• Control Video Camera Apps from BlackBerry Storm or Bold.
  
• BlackBerry Storm App: BeamReader.
  
• BlackBerry Storm App: TwitterBerry.
  
• BlackBerry App: FlyCast Free Radio with 1200 Stations.
  
• BlackBerry Version of Slacker Radio: BlackBerry Storm Version Soon.
• Manage Lights and Appliances with BlackBerry Storm, iPhone and G1.
  
• BlackBerry Storm App: Free QuickPull Frees Up Memory.
  
• BlackBerry Storm Wish-List 2.
• Use BlackBerry Storm as Garage Door Opener.
• TalkLock Turns off BlackBerry Storm's Touchscreen - Fixes Touchy Issue.
• Starter Kit for BlackBerry, Storm Wish-List.
• Map App for BlackBerry Storm - Google Maps.
• TeleNav Mapping GPS App for BlackBerry Storm.
• BlackBerry Storm YouTube App.
• Best BlackBerry Storm Apps -Suggestions for Holidays.
• BlackBerry Storm Must-Have Accessories Add-Ons
• Weekly Update: BlackBerry Storm Which Update / Upgrade Works Best?
• BlackBerry Storm Danger Warnings - Do's and Don't's.
• Fun BlackBerry Storm Tilty Marble Game: Marble Trap.
• BlackBerrry Storm Takes Dication with MyCaption

Source