Apple iPod shuffle 4G review
Apple’s iPod Shuffle received another makeover when Apple launched its new iPod line up in September, but were they right to go back to one of the previous designs or has the re-inclusion of buttons spoilt it? While the iPod touch is the flagship and the iPod nano the bit of fun, the iPod shuffle, to many, is a strange device that doesn’t really serve much purpose. With no screen and a small storage (2GB) chances are your phone will offer you a more complete experience.
However with such a low price point (£39) and such a small design, the shuffle is perfect for runners who want music, but also want to keep things light. Measuring 29 x 31.6 x 8.7mm there is no denying that the iPod shuffle is small – heck we’ve seen postage stamps bigger. Read more 
Apple iMac SSD 2010 review
Solid state drives are catching on. They’re faster than disk-based storage drives, and more durable too. Unfortunately, they’re also a lot more expensive.
The mid-2010 iMac refresh gives you a solid state drive as a custom option for the 27-inch model, but replacing its 1TB hard drive with a 256MB SSD costs £480, and if you want both, it’s an extra £600.
Read more
Android gains on iPhone
According to recent surveys from Changewave, consumers planned to buy smartphones with Google’s (GOOG)Android OS in growing numbers in the period between June and September. Seven percent more people plan on purchasing Android phones in September than the 30% who did in June. That’s up from single digits last year.
The iPhone dropped 12 points from a high of 50% of planned purchases in September, likely a result of a disproportionately large swath of people who wanted to buy iPhone 4s at launch.
FIFA 11 available on the Appstore for iPhone and iPod touch
Not expected until October, the iPhone and iPod touch version of FIFA 11 has arrived on iTunes a day before its console big brother hits the stores, presumably to capitalise on the buzz by offering fans something to play before their Xbox 360 and PS3 pre-orders arrive.
And it’s already entered the top ten paid app charts, so Electronic Arts is clearly no fool.
Apple TV review (2010)
You’ve been waiting, and it’s finally here: the Apple TV review. Months before Steve Jobs announced the new set top box at Apple’s annual fall event, we had been reporting on news that the company would strike out again into the TV market, offering a small, low-cost box that had more in common with the iPhone than the iMac. When those rumors came to fruition, we were presented with the completely revamped Apple TV — a tiny black puck of a device priced at a staggering $99, and centered around a handful of completely new ideas (for the folks in Cupertino at least) about getting content onto your TV screen. The first is a new rental system which allows you to nab brand new TV shows at $0.99 a rental, and HD movies for $4.99 a go (or $3.99 for older titles). And that includes new releases the same day DVDs hit shelves (or Netflix distribution centers). Speaking of Netflix, the new Apple TV also features the rental service’s “Watch Instantly” as a wholly integrated component of its offerings, alongside a new function the company calls AirPlay which will allow you to “push” video and audio content from your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch with the tap of a button. On top of that, the new ATV streamlines sharing from your home computers or laptops, making getting content you own onto your TV dead simple. So, has Apple finally solved the “second box” problem, or are they still struggling to turn this hobby into a real business? Follow along after the break for those answers (and more) in our full review of the Apple TV!
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FIFA 11 for iPhone and iPod
FIFA 11 is coming for your iPhone & iPod touch! We got a chance to sit down with the game and captured a Shootout in real time. The gameplay was taken off a iPhone 3GS.
FIFA 11 FEATURES:
- 500+ Licensed Teams
- Over 50 stunning stadiums
- Optimized Retina Display Graphics
- 360° Player Movement
- Gesture Based Skill Moves
- Penalty Shootouts
PlayBook vs iPad vs Galaxy Tab
| BlackBerry PlayBook |
Apple iPad |
Samsung Galaxy Tab |
|
| Screen size | 7 inches | 9.7 inches | 7 inches |
| Resolution | 1024 x 600 | 1024 x 768 | 1024 x 600 |
| Pixel density (approx.) | 170 | 133 | 170 |
| Platform | BB Tablet OS | iOS 3.2.2 (4.2 in November) |
Android 2.2 |
| Adobe Flash support | 10.1 | Not Supported | 10.1 |
| Processor | 1GHz dual-core Cortex A9 | 1GHz Apple A4 (ARMv7) | 1GHz Cortex A8 |
| Graphics | Unknown | PowerVR SGX 535 | PowerVR SGX 540 |
| RAM | 1GB | 256MB | 512MB |
| Internal Storage | 16GB / 32GB (unconfirmed) | 16GB / 32GB / 64GB | 16GB / 32GB |
| Expansion | Unknown | None | microSD |
| Connectivity | 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR | 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR | 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 |
| Cellular data | 3G and 4G promised for future | 3G optional (AT&T) | 3G (all carriers) |
| GPS | None | 3G models only | Yes |
| Camera | 3MP front,
5MP rear |
None | 1.3MP front,
3MP rear |
| Weight | 0.9 lbs | 1.5 – 1.6 lbs | 0.84 lbs |
3D movies on iPhone
Here’s something you probably didn’t know your iPhone could do: display movies in 3D.
Actually, it can’t quite yet. But a company called Spatial View is launching an online 3D movie store, 3DeeCentral, and it has submitted an app that grants access to it for review by Apple.
There’s a catch: unlike most apps, you need a piece of hardware to use 3DeeCentral. Spatial View makes a thin screen that you slip on top of your iPhone 3G or 3GS; this screen lets you see video rendered in 3D without wearing any funny glasses.
We don’t expect this to sweep the nation overnight. For one thing, it looks like the library of content will be fairly sparse to begin with. And the 3D effect isn’t as compelling as it is on a larger screen using glasses.
But we just tried it out, and it was real, live 3D right there on the phone. And that was awesome.
The store, screen, and app will all be available later this fall. The iPhone screen is expected to cost under $20. Similar screens for the iPhone 4, the iPad, and Android devices will follow.
iPad 2 patent shows possible future features
Detailed schematics that potentially show features of the next version of the iPad have been uncovered in China by Patently Apple, a website that tracks Apple patent applications.
The new designs, which are unconfirmed at present, describe two supposedly new features; the first is the addition of a second dock connector on the side of the iPad to allow for landscape as well as portrait docking, while the second illustrates a feature the site is calling a “smart bezel”.
According to the site, it first came across the term “smart bezel” in February 2010 in a separate Apple patent for a future iPad.
“The feature, whatever it is, is found in three distinct graphics to impress upon us that it is a distinct feature consistently found in the left bottom corner of the iPad”, the site reports.
The patent could be connected to another that was awarded to Apple earlier in the year by the US Patent Office. It talks about a new technology that remembers who you are simply from the way you hold the device.
Once the unit recognises who is holding it, buttons can be moved and settings personalised to reflect the way the person using the handheld product likes to have things set up.
While another patent, also held by Apple, hints at one that features disappearing buttons, suggesting that a smart bezel could be used for bookmarks or flicking through pages.
Whatever it is, it’s a distinct move away from the one button design current found in the iPad and the company’s iPhone and iPod models.
