iPhone 5 Mockup

The next-generation iPhone, iPhone 5, rumor mill is hot on tracks as we are approaching the announcement time. Previous rumors suggested a bigger screen and today we have more tidbits that worth noticing.

The next iPhone, iPhone 5, no doubt will sport a slimmer shell and feature a taller screen display, probably to keep the overall device measurements. The new display will sport around 1132 x 640 pixles at 326 ppi measuring a 4″ display with 16:9 ratio (current iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S have 960 X 640 pixels, 3.5″ with 3:2 ratio).

Next iPod Touch Panel Leaked

Adding to the rumors, MacRumors and BadGizmo have posted the front panel for the next alleged iPod touch along with the camera sensor for the next iPhone. Interestingly, according to this, the front panel for the iPod measures 4.1-inches diagonally:

"iPhone 5" front camera (left) and rear camera (right)

BothThe Wall Street Journal and Reuters have stated previously that the next iPhone will be “at least 4-inches.”

Other rumors suggest that Apple is about to introduce an all new smaller dock connector. Stay tuned

Related posts:

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Behind the Scenes Preview for CBS's New Sherlock Holmes Series: Elementary

CBS released a 3-minute behind the scenes preview from the upcoming series: Elementary. Starring Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson, the show is a contemporary take on Sherlock Holmes stories. Unlike the hit BBC series “Sherlock” starring Benedict Cumberbatch, this one apparently will not be based on original stories by Conan Doyle.

Watch the video below, does it live to your expectations?

official Synopsis:

ELEMENTARY stars Jonny Lee Miller as detective Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson in a modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD’s most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare – a sober companion, Dr. Watson. A successful surgeon until she lost a patient and her license three years ago, Watson views her current job as another opportunity to help people, as well as paying a penance. However, the restless Sherlock is nothing like her previous clients. He informs her that none of her expertise as an addiction specialist applies to him and he’s devised his own post-rehab regimen – resuming his work as a police consultant in New York City. Watson has no choice but to accompany her irascible new charge on his jobs. But Sherlock finds her medical background helpful, and Watson realizes she has a knack for playing investigator. Sherlock’s police contact, Capt. Tobias “Toby” Gregson (Aidan Quinn), knows from previous experience working with Scotland Yard that Sherlock is brilliant at closing cases, and welcomes him as part of the team. With the mischievous Sherlock Holmes now running free in New York solving crimes, it’s simple deduction that he’s going to need someone to keep him grounded, and it’s elementary that it’s a job for Watson. Rob Doherty, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Michael Cuesta, who directed the pilot, are executive producers for CBS Television Studios.

Elementary airs on CBS this fall Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT

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Apple Rumored to Unveil Revamped 3D Maps in iOS 6

Apple is expected to introduce a revamped Maps application in the next major update iOS 6, ditching Google Maps service as a backend to provide its proprietary solution that will feature 3D mapping technology.

AllThingsD reported that the new feature is expected to be unveiled at Apple’s WWDC which will be held June 11 through 15 in San Francisco

“Sources describe the new Maps app as a forthcoming tent-pole feature of iOS that will, in the words of one, ‘blow your head off,’” Paczkowski wrote. “I’m not quite sure what that means, and the source in question declined to elaborate, but it’s likely a reference to the photorealistic 3-D mapping tech Apple acquired when it purchased C3 Technologies.”

Apple’s proprietary mapping solution has been a long time in the making after the company acquired Placebase, C3 Technologies, and Poly9.

The most important thing in the new Maps application is a powerful new 3D mode provided by C3 Technologies:

C3 Technologies is the leading provider of 3D mapping solutions, offering photo-realistic models of the world for search, navigation and geographic information systems. Since 2007 when it was spun out of the aerospace and defense company Saab AB, venture-backed C3 has redefined mapping by applying previously classified image processing technology to the development of 3D maps as a platform for new social and commercial applications. The Sweden-based company’s automated software and advanced algorithms enable C3 to rapidly assemble extremely precise 3D models, and seamlessly integrate them with traditional 2D maps, satellite images, street level photography and user generated images, that together are forever changing how people use maps and explore the world.

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Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit

Warner Bros. screened 10 minutes footage of Peter Jackson‘s upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at CinemaCon, and it was screened in 48 Frames Per Second. The issue is that a lot of people seemed to be disappointed with the new projected standard. Many said that the footage was terrible and non-cinematic.

After such complaints Director Peter Jackson recently talked to Entertainment Weekly about these concerns, and he hopes critics would change their minds after seeing the movie as a whole:

At first it’s unusual because you’ve never seen a movie like this before. It’s literally a new experience, but you know, that doesn’t last the entire experience of the film–not by any stretch, [just] 10 minutes or so. That’s a different experience than if you see a fast-cutting montage at a technical presentation.

I can’t say anything. Just like I can’t say anything to someone who doesn’t like fish. You can’t explain why fish tastes great and why they should enjoy it.

There can only ever be a real reaction, a truthful reaction, when people actually have a chance to see a complete narrative on a particular film.

However the movie, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, will be showed with 6 different formats; 3D, 2D, IMAX 3D, each in 48fps and ordinary 24fps.

Watch the trailer released earlier below:

official Synopsis:

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever … Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths ofguile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

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Samsung Hires Flashmob to ‘WAKE UP’ Apple Users

It wasn’t enough for Samsung when they started their anti-iPhone and “get samsunged” campaign months ago, today Samsung sent a paid flashmob to Apple’s retail store in Sydney, Australia to try to “Wake Up” iPhone users.

Its Samsung’s most ridiculous move yet, they sent hordes of chanters people dressed in black to protest outside of an Apple retail store. with a clear message written: Wake Up!

It’s believed that this is Samsung’s Galaxy S III marketing, which was put together by Australian creative agency Tongue.

The ‘Wake up.’ campaign has also seen the words written on the bottom of Bondi Ice Bergs pool, as well as on a series of billboards placed around town. There was also a website at wake-up-australia.com.au that allegedly counts down to the May 3 launch for the Galaxy S III which is Apple’s iPhone primary rival.

[via mactrast]

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Google

Google, as every year, has a bunch of great pranks for April’s fool day. Here is the complete list:

• The 8 bit maps

• Introducing Gmail Tap, A new binary input Keyboard for Android and iOS devices

• Google Chrome multitask:

• Google Self Driving NASCAR Racing:

• Google Jargon-bot:

• Youtube comes to DVD…

• Fiber Bar for Kansas City:

• Also, Google’s Really Advanced Search, weather control, Interplanetary Analytics, GoRo, Google Street Roo, underwater image search and Voice for Pets

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Google Drive

Google are ramping up the works on it’s cloud storage service as we are getting closer toward the expected product unveil date. The service is called “Google Drive” and it is similar to Dropbox and obviously a response to Apple‘s iCloud.

According to a leaked screenshot by TalkAndroid, Google Drive is set to offer 5GB of free storage and files can stay in synch and be accessed via computers, mobile phones, tablets and web browsers.

Google Drive is expected to launch on April 16th.

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Apple Responds to the new iPad Battery Overcharging Issue

The issue concerning Apple‘s new iPad’s battery and its ability to charge beyond 100% was on hot water over the previous days when NBC’s John Fortt reports that Apple said charging beyond 100 percent could “harm the longevity of the battery.”

Apple is saying when it reads 100% the battery indicator reads 100%. It’s actually full enough to give you the kind of performance that they promise in their marketing. That’s ten hours of all-day battery life. They say if you charge it more than that, you could harm the longevity of the battery. So they say this isn’t just an issue with the new iPad. It was an issue with the previous ones well but this battery is 70% bigger so you’re more likely to notice it.

Now, however, AllThingsD seems to have a word from Apple VP Michael Tchao that put the issue in rest:

Apple does in fact display the iPad (and iPhone and iPod Touch) as 100 percent charged just before a device reaches a completely charged state. At that point, it will continue charging to 100 percent, then discharge a bit and charge back up to 100 percent, repeating that process until the device is unplugged.

Doing so allows devices to maintain an optimum charge, Apple VP Michael Tchao told AllThingsD today.

“That circuitry is designed so you can keep your device plugged in as long as you would like,” Tchao said. “It’s a great feature that’s always been in iOS.”

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Uncharted 4 Teaser Site?

A mysterious teaser site pointing to a March 22 reveal has popped up with a style very similar to Naughty Dog‘s Uncharted series franchise. PlayStation Norway has posted a picture of Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen along that site.

Fridtjof Nansen

The image was published on Facebook, Nansen’s face is obscured by the word ‘uutforsket‘, which translates to ‘unexplored‘, or uncharted ??. Traveler Nansen is known for crossing Greenland and also reaching a record northern latitude of 8614′ during his North Pole expedition.

Another tidbits surrounding the teaser site, the font used in writing the date is the same stencil type used in all Uncharted games, the .no Norway domain used for the page and the map used which is a pre-1914 map of Christiania, Former name of Oslo, are obviously in some way the reveal tied to Norway in particular.

Sony Denmark launched in the past a similar teaser campaign led up to Uncharted 3, the teasing site Uutforsket.dk which looked almost identical to the current campaign, but with a map of Copenhagen in the background However the guys at Naughty Dog are currently split into two teams, one still working on The Last of Us and the other is probably working on the next Uncharted game.

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The new iPad

Apple has recently held a conference call discussing Apple’s plans for its $100 billion cash balance, they are initiating a dividend and share repurchase program later this year, during that Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company saw “record” sales for the new iPad in its opening weekend. Now Apple elaborated on that by issuing an official press release showing how many new iPads were sold in the three days following the product’s launch last Friday; three million new iPads sold in just three days:

The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold―the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display, and we can’t wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday.

These are some interesting tidbits showing iPad and iPhone sales over time.

• Apple sold 1 million iPads in 28 days after the device went on sale in April 2010;
• 2 million iPads were sold in less than 60 days;
• 3 million first-gen iPads were sold in 80 days;
• 3 million new iPads sold in three days.
• 4 million iPhone 4S sold in 3 days.

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The new Office 15 is being designed for the Desktop, and isn’t a Metro app. But a first look at it reveals that it’s getting a Metro-like makeover, according to Paul Thurrott from Supersite for Windows. That might not be good news for Office users.

Microsoft Office 15 Gets Metro-like Makeover

Office 15 is now only available as a Technical Preview to a select group of beta testers, but Thurrot got his hands on it, and gives it a brief review. He installed it on a tablet running the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. He ran into some trouble upgrading from the existing Office 2010 Professional.

Office 15 clearly is being designed with tablets in mind, the ribbon is present but minimized by default, helping create that clean, Metro-style minimalist look. There is a new tab and the whole experience has got a Metro-style minimalist look.

Check out some screenshots below:

Microsoft Office 15 Gets Metro-like Makeover

Microsoft Office 15 Gets Metro-like Makeover

Microsoft Office 15 Gets Metro-like Makeover

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iPad 3 to Feature Senseg’s E-Sense Touch Technology?

When we first get the next-gen iPad (iPad 3 or iPad HD) event invitation, every body’s attention went to “We have something you really have to see.” which was translated instantly as the company might have attached a Retina Display to their new iPad which is a big possibility. But the invitation text goes with another words that – “And touch.”? Which in turn could be a reference to a new technology adopted by Apple.

According to reports by The Guardian, unlike Apple’s existing iPad display, next-gen iPad screen may be textured and actually you may feel rough, smooth, curved, flat, sticky, and slippery sensations by just touching the screen surface.

“Apple never uses words in its invitations without them meaning something,” said Carolina Milanesi, smartphones and tablets analyst for the research company Gartner. As she pointed out, the invitation for Apple’s previous event in October had a picture of some app icons, a “1″ against the iPhone, and the phrase “Let’s talk iPhone” – in retrospect, a pun on the planned introduction of the single iPhone 4S, with the Siri voice-driven “assistant” software.

Milanesi thinks similar analysis will pay dividends: “Saying you have to ‘see’ it obviously refers to the retina display. As for ‘touch’, my first thought was that they have done something to the back of the iPad.”

But the Guardian believes that the “touch” refers to a technology from Senseg, a Finnish startup which has developed a system called E-Sense which appears to give texture to a touchscreen.

The technology comes from a Finnish company called Senseg and it uses things called “tixels,” generated by electric fields from elements embedded around the screen, to provide a texture on the display that can change just like its pixels.

[via cultofmac]

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Kratos' brother, Deimos

The teaser you are about to see was spotted by the guys at PlayStationGang, and it’s actually grainy and the sound is somewhat distorted. The quality of the voice acting and the God of War IV logo displayed at the end is a little suspicious so we’d take this with a grain of salt.

However, the teaser opens with a voice can then be heard trying to awaken someone. Watch it below:

“Brother, the phoenix has-been drinking your blood, full of your anger, your strength, and during her rebirth she also has let you in life. Now I ask you: what are you going to do? Would you leave me here in hell?  wake up, wake up!” says the voice.

The voice suggests the speaker is Deimos, the ill-fated brother of Kratos. Deimos was taken by Ares as a child after hearing a prophecy about the destruction of Olympus at the hands of a ‘Marked Warrior’, believing him to be the child of prophecy the gods confined him to the Domain of Death.

Evidence of God of War 4 being in development is rumored a lot as it appeared in number of CVs, composers profiles, and listed by some retailers.

[via CVG]

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Assassin's Creed 3 officially Announced

Ubisoft has officially announced Assassin’s Creed 3, promising more details on the sequel next Monday, March 5. The game set during the American Revolution in New York and Boston cities between 1753 and 1783.

“We confirm that Ubisoft will announce all the details of Assassin’s Creed III on Monday March 5th at 5pm.”

Assassin's Creed 3 Setting During the American Revolution

Game Informer magazine cover image showing Assassin’s Creed 3 new hero wielding an axe and pistol. The new hero is called Connor and has an English father and Native American mother. During AC 3′s opening players will experience Conner’s childhood on the American frontier as he’s raised by the Mowhawk.

“Ever since the conclusion of Assassin’s Creed II, a senior team of Ubisoft developers has been secretly toiling away on what comes next. That team aimed high, with plans to examine and rethink every element of the franchise from the ground up, build something new, and take a full three year development cycle to do it.

Assassin's Creed 3 Setting During the American Revolution

Assassin’s Creed 3 using an updated game engine capable of putting thousand-man battles on screen powers Assassin’s Creed 3, and a brand new animation system (with nothing carried over from previous games) and impressive facial animations are promised.

Assassin's Creed 3 PS3 Cover

Here’s the full breakdown of the game details:

• New hero called Connor/Ratohnhake:ton (pronounced Ra-doon-ha-gay-doo). He has an English father and Native American mother.
• More details about the protagonist/scenarios: You will experience Conner’s childhood on the American frontier as he is raised by the Mohawk. The Mohawk eventually clash with white colonists who burn their village down, causing Connor to dedicate his life to confront tyranny and injustice.
• A new traversal approach that has players leaping and climbing trees and mountain cliffs.
• Uses a new version of the Anvil engine that can “depict thousands of troops engaged in bloody battle” along with highly detailed face close
• ups. They later imply that if they used version numbers, they would be like going from Anvil 1.0 -> Anvil 2.0 or something of that nature.
• Judging by the images, the faces really are quite good.
• Combat is focused on putting you on the offensive and based on speed/momentum.
• The main character has thousands of new and unique animations (no carry over from other titles) to support the new combat system.
• Character details:
• George Washington: Interacting with Washington is one of the core relationships of the game.
• Benjamin Franklin: He’s not a convenient inventor a la Da Vinci.
• Charles Lee: His role is a mystery.
• The game is set between the years 1753 – 1783 and is centered around the cities of Boston and New York.
• “It’s not just going to a historical building now; it’s going to a historical event.”
• Event examples: “You will see the great fire of New York. You will visit Valley Forge as a location that is currently occupied by Washington’s forces. You will visit these places in the moment that they were important, and hopefully, experience the reason why we know where they are today. That’s the goal.”
• Connor is in the heart of major battles, and they can now have a couple thousand guys on screen, whereas before it was capped at about 100.
• The overall story is still centered around the Assassins versus the Templars and Connor’s journey.
• Not all the Colonists will be cast as good people, and not all the British will be cast as evil oppressors. They’re trying to focus on how both the Assassins and Templars viewpoints exist in a gray morality as the Templars really believe they’re saving the world.
• The French and Native Americans will also feature in the game, as was probably really obvious.
• The modern day stuff relates to that location in New York at the end of Revelations.
• There will be all sorts of wilderness in the game referred to as the Frontier.
• The map of the Frontier is 1.5 times bigger than the entire map of Brotherhood.
• The Frontier is not empty like in Assassin’s Creed 1, but features a third of the game’s missions and gameplay content.
• You can hunt animals for resources, and how you kill them effects your reward. A one hit kill on a bear gets you a much more valuable pelt than stabbing it eight times.
• The wilderness traversal plays a big part in the gameplay in the Frontier, allowing you to use trees, cliffs, ledges, and more to set up kills and combat.
• Connor does have a hidden blade.
• The world changes as time passes, so a field where a battle happened in one year may just be a series of empty encampments a few months later.
• The entire world will change with seasons, so the cities and the wilderness will all exist in both Summer and Winter settings.
• In the winter, soldiers will move slowly and stumble about in the snow, and lakes and rivers will freeze over allowing you new terrain to work with. This gives Connor an extra advantage since he can still use the trees and wilderness pretty effectively during this time of year.
• There are all sorts of clubs and groups who want you to join and give you quests. These are separate from the mission system. These clubs will contact you based on what you do in the game. For example, hunting a lot will get you an invitation to the hunting society.
• There will be a goods based economy, a new property system, and more Desmond stuff.
• There’s going to be some new puzzle thing like the first person Tetris.
• There’s a new Animus database known as Animus 3.0.
• They’re not unveiling anything about the multiplayer yet.
• There will be more platforming levels.
• Full synchronization returns, but with major tweaks. Missions have checkpoints, You also get significant rewards for doing these tasks instead of a 100%. “Imagine a leveling system in an RPG, except there’s a finite amount of XP to find. The more in-sync you get, the more you fill your sync bar. Within each mission, each activity you complete has a value”. You can replay everything to increase your score.
• They imply there is something resembling the Brotherhood system of picking up fellow assassins.
• Aligned groups are gone, but something new is replacing them in regards to factions. They don’t say what.
• There’s a new notoriety system that is more hidden and doesn’t penalize you for exploring risky areas.
• The game has fast travel because the game has more traveling.
• Don’t expect more tower defense.
• You can upgrade Connor’s gear and costume as the game goes on in an attempt to make it feel more authentic.
• The cities have a lot more subtle detail now in terms of ambient things that happen.
• You can now leap over wagons or slide under obstacles, including navigating over and around moving objects. The free running stuff also has you jumping through windows to trees and then on top of church roofs. Basically, expect the free running stuff, but more fluid and presumably generally closer to the ground.
• Connor enters battle with two weapons. The game uses the same controls in and out of battle.
• The tomahawk and knife are a “constant presence” in battle. They also let you do double counters and multiple takedowns, and you can chain kills.
• There’s no more target locking, it just automatically detects your target. Counter/defense are the same button to prevent turtling.
• You can use human shields and other context sensitive moves.
• They want you to constantly move in battle.
• There are lots of secondary attacks like the one shot pistol on the Y button.
• There’s a new dynamic camera to track the action and make it look as cinematic as possible.
• There is a new sprinting system also, so you can hold the button to instantly turn around and start fleeing from combat. They also let you kill people while still moving so you can keep chasing a target. They kind of imply you can even leap off of them after you kill them, though I’m not sure if that makes you faster or just doesn’t impede your movement.
• They really, really, really want you to constantly move. I mean like they say this every four sentences. Not just in battle, but in every section of the game.
• They also try to keep you more in control of the combat than ever before.
• Game Informer really loves their animation system.
• There are around 2.5 hours of character scenes in the game that are fully acted and recorded. They mean this in Naughty Dog style where they have the actors being mocaped while performing on a set that resembles the scene in the game.
• They’re aiming for accuracy by having historical dialog consultants and actual Native American actors.
• This game has the longest development cycle since AC1, and has twice the production capacity (in terms of work hours) and budget of Revelations.
• They want the game to feel like AC3.5, and the game will have its first version complete in just a few more weeks, at which point they’re going to spend the rest of their time refining it.

[ via NeoGAF ]

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A bigger Camera Lens and more tapered design for iPad 3

The next generation iPad, iPad 3 will look almost identical to its predecessor. The screen is allegedly sporting a 2048 X 1536 pixel resolution display provided by Samsung.

Interestingly, Samsung is about to spin off the company’s LCD display business into a new entity. a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, named Samsung Display Company.

iPad 3 is thicker than iPad 2

Back to the main subject, the new tablet is said to be a little thicker with more tapered edges hiding the extra bulk, and sporting a larger camera lens probably an 8 Mega pixel.

A new photo has surfaced on the WeiPhone forums via iMore showing a system-on-a-chip nestled onto a prototype logic board, carrying a previously unheard of “A5X”. The A5X chip also includes a date code of “1146″, which would peg production at or around November 14th-20th of 2011.

iPad 3 Logic board A5X SoC

This could mean that iPad 3 will have an updated variant of the Apple A5 chipset rather than an Apple A6 chipset as previously speculated or this is only a prototype was being tested.

The A5X chip is model #S5L8945X, that indicates a dual-core architecture rather than going to a quad-core architecture as previously speculated.

For iPhone 4 screen when first debuted with a Retina display moniker. To achieve this capability there were four factors to be taken into account; Display size, resolution, pixel density and the distance viewed, in the iPhone case it has 3.5″ display, 960 x 640 Pixels, at least 300 pixels per inch held at 12-15 inches away. But this is different form a 9.7-inch tablet display, for the iPad it normally held 15-18 inches away, needs more than 240 pixels per inch to get Retina condition. iPad 3 is said to have 9.7″ with 2048 x1536 resolution at 264ppi which is more than enough.

iPad 3 may include 4G LTE network support after all but its less likely.

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Benedict Cumberbat in the series 'sherlock'

Ever since the BBC produced hit ‘Sherlock‘ series debuted, it has got major critical acclaim from all around the world.

The season 2 finale titled,’The Reichenbach Fall‘ ended with a cliffhanger as Sherlock‘s nemesis Moriarty blew his own brains out and Sherlock had to kill himself or risk his three closest friends being assassinated. Sherlock jumped off the building watched by Watson leaping from the roof, he was later seen by his shaken-up friend bloodied, dead on the concrete with no pulse.

Steven Moffat

In an interview with the guardian Series creater/writer Steven Moffat says, “There is a clue everybody’s missed, so many people theorising about Sherlock’s death online – and they missed it! We’ve worked out how Sherlock survives, and actually shot part of what really happened. It all makes sense.” In this, he argues, he and co-writer Mark Gatiss have gone one better than Doyle. “He cheated outrageously. He has Watson deduce that Holmes fell off a waterfall. But there was no body. And it only means one thing in a detective show when there’s no body.” That the victim survived. So you set yourself the test of killing off Sherlock, putting his corpse in plain view and then bringing him back from the dead to watch his own funeral? “Yes. We had to have Holmes dying in Watson’s arms – and get away with that, which we have.” But how?

Sherlock will be back for a third series of three 90-minute episodes, hopefully before the year is out”

The question now is how on Earth are Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss going to get out of this one?

Dr. Watson clearly was out of site to the landing spot

The clues? Watson didn’t see Sherlock actually hit the floor. Watson was struck by a cyclist and knocked to the ground while running to Holmes’s corpse. Sherlock told Molly that he needed her. Sherlock was very specific about where Watson needed to stand when making his ‘last phone call’ to him.

Here are some of the most popular theories on how Sherlock faked his death.

The bike hit Watson

The bike:

Watson being hit by the bike on his way to Sherlock’s body could have been the biggest clue of all. Was the cyclist someone we know? Were they hired by Sherlock? Did they carry some Baskerville drug in their basket, which made Watson more suggestible to the idea of a dead Sherlock?

If they were involved in the cover-up, what was their role? The biker would have given Holmes extra time and possibly even have given Watson a light concussion, but he still saw his friend’s cold and bloodied body with his own eyes on the pavement.

The rubbish truck

The rubbish truck?

A brief glimpse of a rubbish truck is what many people have been clinging on to after watching ‘The Fall’. Did Sherlock make a soft landing on the vehicle and then use the extra time from John’s bike accident to mock himself up as dead or use a dummy body? It seems like the easiest explanation, but is it the right one?

Mycroft:

Could Mycroft really have been stupid enough to leak all that information to Moriarty or was he plotting with Holmes all along? Or maybe he felt guilty about his error and helped his brother with the suicide trick. Mycroft would have had the power and resources to help his sibling pull off the fake suicide, hold off John and ensure that Sherlock’s death was properly covered by all the papers to keep everyone safe. Was Mycroft upset in those final scenes or relieved?

Molly Hooper:

Holmes told the bumbling Molly that he needed her and we very much doubt this was a sexual come-on from Holmes. Could Holmes have persuaded Molly to help him? Her access to corpses and medical knowledge could have been very useful. Or maybe it was Molly on the bike? Or was that Mycroft? Or even Irene Adler? Our brain hurts.

Moriarty is not dead:

Moriarty is not dead:

Moriarty might not be dead. No blood from the mouth, no brain matter, no burns, just blood on the ground. Sherlock never checked the body, never even came close and nobody else knew he was up there.

Sherlock impersonator/ Mask

Imposter Holmes that clearly kidnapped the children. ‘Gretel’ reacted very badly when she met Sherlock for the first time implying that she was kidnapped by someone who appeared identical to him

The Squash Ball

Pulse in wrist stopped by simple act of placing squash ball, which he was playing with before, in armpit and lying on said arm.

What is your theory? Which theory of the above you agree with? Have your say in the comments.

[source guardian, digitalspy]

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Anti SOPA and PIPA Banner

If you were paying attention this week, you probably have noticed that on Wednesday, January 18th, few Websites, Wikipedia, Reddit, Google and Microsoft have gone blackout trying to stop the infamous controversial SOPA and PIPA Acts. The blackout has worked and both acts placed on hold indefinitely.

As reported by Reuters, Lamar Smith, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee saying his panel would delay action on similar legislation until there is wider agreement on the issue:

“I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy. It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products.”

“The House Judiciary Committee will postpone consideration of the legislation until there is wider agreement on a solution.”

Its nice to see how effective was the Internet protest.

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Join the Strike against SOPA and PIPA Banner

Today, Wikipedia, along with others like Mozilla and Google, is joining the virtual strike against Internet censorship to raise awareness of US Congress legislation that could fundamentally alter the Internet we know.

This harmful legislation, Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate, will be voted on as early as January 24th in the Senate.

Wikipedia has blacked out their web site in protest. But what if you were in need for that urgently? There are several methods to use and access Wikipedia during the SOPA blackout:

1. Use Mac OS X’s built-in Dictionary app
2. Disabling Javascript

For Safari:

• Open Safari Preferences/options
• Click on “Advanced” and check the box next to “Show Develop menu in menu bar”
• Pull down the “Develop” menu and select “Disable Javascript”
• Load Wikipedia and browse as usual

For Chrome:

• Open Google Chrome’s Preferences/options
• Click on “Under the Hood” and then “Content Settings”
• Find Javascript then click “Manage Exceptions”
• Type “en.wikipedia.org” into the box and pull down the contextual menu, selecting “Block”
• Load Wikipedia as usual

Why should you join the fight against SOPA to stop internet censorship? What makes this legislation so bad? Here is the catch:

• Communication platforms – from YouTube to Facebook to Amazon – could be shut down if a single rights holder alleges a violation.
• It would make the Web less stable and less secure.
• Social networking sites, like Twitter or Facebook, could be forced to track and control user behavior, stunting innovation and undermining free expression.
• Your Internet provider could be required to inspect all of your traffic and browsing.

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Apple Education Event

Apple has managed an upcoming event on this Thursday, January 19th. In which the giant company will reveal its latest plans in digital textbooks through the iBookstore. Some speculated Apple will make the digital books publishing more attractive to authors — think “GarageBand for eBooks.”

Apple is said to be working with major publishers since June. McGraw-Hill is one of them. According to The Wall Street Journal:

McGraw-Hill Cos., Pearson and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt are among the education-publishing companies most likely affected by an Apple textbook announcement. The companies have experimented with interactive approaches, such as allowing students to take quizzes as they read and hear audio for foreign-language study, but many digital textbooks have looked a lot like their physical counterparts.

McGraw-Hill has been working with Apple on its announcement since June, a person familiar with the matter said. It wasn’t known whether Pearson and Houghton Mifflin also would participate.

According to Ars Technica’s, Apple will unveil “GarageBand for eBooks” on January 19th.

At the same time, however, authoring standards-compliant e-books (despite some promises to the contrary) is not as simple as running a Word document of a manuscript through a filter. The current state of software tools continues to frustrate authors and publishers alike, with several authors telling Ars that they wish Apple or some other vendor would make a simple app that makes the process as easy as creating a song in GarageBand.

Our sources say Apple will announce such a tool on Thursday.

Steve Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson that he wanted to revolutionize textbooks and make them digital and interactive. We are about to see that vision come true.

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New Year’s Resolutions Visual Guide

Via Visual.ly

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John Carter

Disney has released the official trailer as well as three new banners for the upcoming sci-fi film John Carter. The movie based on the classic novel Princess of Mars.

The movie stars Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Polly Walker, Bryan Cranston, Thomas Hayden Church, and Willem Dafoe.

Official Synopsis:

From Academy Award(R)-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes “John Carter”–a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). “John Carter” is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

The movie is set to be released on March 9th 2012.

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Microsoft's Tellme vs Apple's Siri

Microsoft’s chief strategy and research officer Craig Mundie talked to Forbes about the company’s kinect and when asked about Siri, he said that Siri was nothing special, and Microsoft’s own voice capabilities have been around for over a year. Siri is all about good marketing nothing else:

People are infatuated with Apple announcing it. It’s good marketing, but at least as the technological capability you could argue that Microsoft has had a similar capability in Windows Phones for more than a year, since Windows Phone 7 was introduced.

This is what Microsoft execs usually say when challenged with a tech by their competitors:

you can pick ‘em up and say ‘text Eric’ and say what you wanna say and it transcribes it. You can query anything through Bing by just saying the words. I mean, all that’s already there. Fully functional, been there for a year.

This is not the first time, we all know when Steve Ballmer slammed the original iPhone back in 2007 and touted it as being overpriced and not appealing to business for the lack of a keyboard.

Jason from techau ran a test and put a video comparison between Microsoftt’s Tellme and Apple’s Siri. Watch the video below. The results speak for themselves:

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Metal Gear Solid: Rising

Speaking to the latest issue of Official PlayStation Magazine, Hideo Kojima head of Kojima Productions, said the latest Metal Gear Solid title, Rising, might not appeal to fans of the series’ signature stealth gameplay but it “shouldn’t be a problem” for “those willing to try new things.”

“If somebody thinks ‘I love Snake’ and just really wants traditional stealth gameplay and that experience, then it may be hard to get into Rising,” Kojima said.

“But for people who are more open and willing to try new things, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

With Metal Gear Solid: Rising, they’re taking the Metal Gear Solid 4 approach to creating Raiden.

“Raiden in MGS4 was received very well, and I wanted to keep going with that direction in Rising. The people who liked him in 4 will like him in this, but it’s a personal preference.

“The character in the game is supposed to equal the player, so if you want to introduce things to a new recruit, you have to learn how to interact with that world along with the character. If we had Snake [in MGS 2] he was this old, experienced veteran and there would’ve been a disconnect with the [new] players. So that’s why we brought in Raiden.”

Metal Gear Solid: Rising coming for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC.

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"Snake was supposed to die"

Hideo Kojima has confirmed in a interview with the Official PlayStation Magazine that Metal Gear Solid 5 is a reality, and that he will be in charge of the game’s development. More info will be revealed by Kojima in the December issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine. This will be the first time in the 16-year history of Official PlayStation Magazine a developer will grace the magazines’ cover.

Hideo Kojima on the cover of Official PlayStation Magazine

The developer will also talk about the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Rising and his desire to kill off series protagonist Solid Snake. In Kojima’s own words, “Snake was supposed to die“.

Previously, Kojima Productions has confirmed that Yuji Korekado is the new producer of Metal Gear Solid: Rising, replacing Shigenobu Matsuyama. More game details to be revealed in the upcoming VGA.

The December issue of Official PlayStation Magazine will be available November 29th.

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God of War IV‘s release date may have been leaked. New Zealand retailer MightyApe has listed the game with an estimated release date of September 28, 2012.

A job listing previously discovered on recruitment site Creative Heads has revealed that that the game may be in development, and this listing only adds fuel to the fire. According to the listing, the title is in the “military/combat” genre, and the person chosen for the position will start “immediately.”

The job is with Sony’s Santa Monica studio, which is responsible for developing all three previous God of War console titles. Since the portable God of War installments have been developed by Ready At Dawn Studios, Sony Santa Monica’s involvement could mean that the in-development title is God of War IV.

“Join the GOW team,” the listing reads. “The Santa Monica Studio is an open and creative environment, where we strive to make the best games in the industry. Join us as we embark on our next project.”

For now, Sony hasn’t confirmed that the game is in development and the release date is only a rumor.

[via IGN]

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has broken the franchise’s own sales record by reportedly selling 9.3 million copies in the first 24 hours eliminating its predecessor Call of Duty: Black Ops that sold over 7 million copies in its first 24 hours. MW3 is now the highest selling game of all time.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 breaks sales records

A reported 1.5 million people queued at midnight globally to get their hands on Modern Warfare 3, with a total of 9.3 million copies sold on the first day. The Xbox 360 version sees around a 54% share, meaning it’s the first game on one platform to pass 5 million on its first day. The PlayStation 3 version held 42%, which is around the 4 million mark. Both day ones are only slightly behind Black Ops entire first week sales. The PC version and the Wii version held the remaining 4%, which is around 370,000 units.

As a whole, Modern Warfare 3 is up 33% over Black Ops’ first day sales, and a whopping 55% up on the previous Modern Warfare. the US and the UK combined account for 7 million, which is just over 75%. According to VGChartz:

Call of Duty day one sales

Early data suggests first week sales are on course for around 12 to 13.5 million. With just over 87 million Call of Duty games already sold on home consoles and PC this generation, by the end of this week the Call of Duty franchise will have sold over 100 million games this generation.

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Here’s what everyone had to say about the game:

• OXM UK: 9/10 – Like it or not, it’s heartening to know that the most popular game on the Xbox 360 is also one of the best.
• Edge: 9/10 – Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare trilogy stands as this generation’s defining FPS series – and Modern Warfare 3 is an emphatic, feature-packed and sometimes stunning final act.
• OXM: 9.5 – When everything here is this well-executed and offers so many enduring thrills, it’s hard to knock it too much. MW3 absolutely delivers.
• GamesRadar: 9/10 – If you’re looking for a new kind of shooter, look elsewhere. Modern Warfare 3 succeeds by doing more – much, much, much more – of what’s always worked spectacularly for the series. We still can’t get enough.
• Guardian: 5/5 – The Infinity Ward engine is far from cutting edge – the overall look of the game has not moved on enormously since MW2. But the vision, the choreography, the sense of scale and detail – they are awe-inspiring at times.
• Telegraph: 5/5 – Modern Warfare 3 is a shining example of refinement and improvement. It’s familiar, sure, but here familiarity doesn’t breed contempt, just respect and reward for those who’ve dedicated so much time to the series. And for new players, it’s the perfect starting point, more accommodating and encompassing than ever.
• AusGamers: 9.6/10 – Don’t go hating on this because it’s Call of Duty. This is Modern Warfare 3 – the final chapter in an epic tale, and part of a series that changed the first-person shooter landscape forever. It’s an absolutely solid title, the best entry in the series and something that should keep you playing for some time to come. More than worth the investment.
• Destructoid: 9.5/10 – Whether you like what it does is a matter of personal taste, but the skill and experience brought to the table is hard to refute. Modern Warfare 3 gets it done, and it gets it done damn well.
• GameTrailers: 9.3/10 – If you’re expecting a huge departure from what’s come before you’ll be disappointed, but fans will get exactly what they’re looking for. World War III shouldn’t be this fun.
• 1UP: A- – I’m glad to say the multiplayer remains addicting and is more balanced than ever.
• VideoGamer: 9/10 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t do anything new, but it also doesn’t do anything wrong. For better or worse, this is a slick and well-metered trio of modes that make an entertaining package, but Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward are simply looking to augment previous games rather than expand the series into pastures new
• Joystiq: 4.5/5 – Modern Warfare 3 is a great Call of Duty game, just as every other entry in the franchise is a great Call of Duty game. However, it shares more than quality with its predecessors – it, like its forefathers, leaves you waiting for something perfect.
• IGN: 9/10 – Despite its flaws, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 takes the fantastic series we’ve come to love over the years and iterates on it with great success. The multiplayer is hands-down the best it has ever been, with more features, more modes and a ton of new levels and ways to interact via Call of Duty Elite. The singleplayer campaign and Spec Ops mode add value to the overall package, creating something that may not be perfect, but is too damn addicting to pass up.
• GameInformer: 9/10 – When it comes down to it, Modern Warfare 3 meets expectations. The core elements of multiplayer and the campaign remain fundamentally unchanged, but the game serves as a great example of how many subtle tweaks can add up to an improved overall product.
• GameSpot: 8.5/10 – This is some of the best online shooter action around, and with the daunting challenges of Spec Ops and the exciting, globe-trotting campaign, Modern Warfare 3 stands tall as another great descendant of the game that changed a generation.
• GiantBomb: 4/5 – Modern Warfare 3 feels split between the great excitement of its time-tested multiplayer and the feeling that this whole style of game has just gotten old.
• Eurogamer: 8/10 – That the single-player story brings the Modern Warfare saga to a fairly definitive end is, then, cause for celebration. Whatever next year’s entry brings, some measure of reinvention will be essential. For now, its exuberant blend of testicular bravado and blockbuster gloss ensures that Call of Duty retains its crown as the shooter genre’s biggest, boldest rollercoaster ride for at least one more year.

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Siri has finally made its way to the iPhone 4

Developer Steven Troughton-Smith had successfully ported the Siri onto the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch. The video provided below not only shows the Siri functionality on an iPhone 4, but is in depth and shows a side-to-side comparison against the iPhone 4S. In addition, the video shows the Siri Dictation in action.

iPhone 4S jailbreak was the key to make the port working successfully on iPhone 4. 9to5mac’s Mark Gurman has brought this story and an got exclusive interview about the port with the developer:

Mark: Where do you go from here with the port?

Steven: At this point it’s all about confirming this works across devices, making it reproducible (we got it working on two devices today), and documenting everything. It does require files from an iPhone 4S which aren’t ours to distribute, and it also requires a validation token from the iPhone 4S that has to be pulled live from a jailbroken iPhone 4S, and it’s about a 20-step process right now.

Mark: In its current state, is the port 100% functional, is there anything you would like to see work better?

Steven: Yes, it seems to be 100% functional. I’m working on the rough edges, but everything that works on the iPhone 4S seems to work here.

Mark: Do you ever see Siri showing up in Cydia (or another jailbreak store) for non natively supported devices?

Steven: No, I could not be a part of that. I have no doubts that others will package this up and distribute it quasi-illegally, or try and sell it to people. I am only interested in the technology and making it work; proving that it works and works well on the iPhone 4 and other devices.

Mark: So, you also got Siri working on the fourth-generation iPod touch, how is that working out?

Steven: We got chpwn’s iPod touch up and running with Siri after proving it works on my iPhone 4. Unfortunately the microphone on the iPod is nowhere near as good as the iPhone – you will notice that the Siri level meter hardly moves when you talk to it. While it does work, you have to speak loudly and clearly to the iPod.

Mark: How long did porting take you, what was the “I got it” moment?

Steven: Basically, I already had everything I needed to make it work. I had spent a lot of time mapping out in my head exactly how Siri works on the iPhone. All I needed was access to a jailbroken iPhone 4S to put my hunch to the test. It literally took no longer than 10 minutes to put all the pieces in place and perform our first test on my iPhone 4, and it was an instant success.

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Watch Microsoft’s Vision of the Post PC Era

Watch how future technology will help people make better use of their time, focus their attention, and strengthen relationships while getting things done at work, home, and on the go.

The future is amazing, and Microsoft has video to prove it. Watch the clip below:

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Samsung caught again copying Apple

Official Samsung website for Galaxy Player 50 has a slightly modified version of the Apple iOS Maps app, directly taken from a 2008 screenshot of iPhone Maps app. Apparently, Samsung doesn’t know (or care) that although the Apple’s Maps app uses Google maps data, the user interface is designed and copyrighted by Apple since 2007.

• Check out Samsung’s 2011 knockoff at: http://www.samsung.com/galaxyplayer50/ (removed)
• Direct image URL: http://www.samsung.com/galaxyplayer50/img/img_gms.gif

No wonder Apple wins injunction in Australia and Germany. Fandroid drones, what excuses do you have now? Still think Samsung using Apple’s App Store and Safari icons is an “accident”?

Samsung using Apple’s App Store and Safari icons in their stores

This isn’t the first time a rival to Apple has used their artwork. Recently we’ve had Samsung using icons from Apple’s App Store in the backdrop of their in-store displays, a move which once again led to much embarrassment for the firm fighting a legal battle claiming they’re copying Apple’s iPhone and iPad.

Note: Samsung took the page down.

[Discovered by @raruler]

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