Archive for September 1st, 2010

Apple’s Music Event Keynote

Well here it is. This is Apple’s holiday lineup and it was a biggy. We at the Giggaheim felt it would be easier to not just post several smaller articles detailing 1 thing but to just do the entire event in one post. Apple has done it again. We are gonna go in the order that Apple did:

#1: New Retail Stores

Apple has always done well with there retail stores. Steve revealed 3 new stores openings around the world and the elegance that is presented with the stores is stunning. I am an engineer and I gotta say I was impressed. The locations consisted of Shanghai, Paris and London. The Paris and London stores were built in refurbished old buildings and are HUGE. The Shanghai store has a glass cylinder enterance and is large as well. Just take a look at some of the photos Steve released of the new stores.

[galleria]

Apple has stated that they almost get 1 million visitors a day across all 300 stores worldwide. They are doing something right!!

#2: 2 new iOS 4 updates (4.1 and 4.2)

iOS 4.1 is going to be good update. It is scheduled to be released sometime next week and will be available for the iPhone and iPod Touch (*excluding some models). It will be a free update and will include these features:

  1. Multiple bug fixes:
  2. HDR Photos
  3. HD video uploading over Wifi
  4. TV Show Rentals
  5. Gamecenter

Multiple Bug Fixes:

These fixes include performance improves for the iPhone 3G. It also improves the Bluetooth functionality and fixes some of the proximity sensor problems some user may have been experiencing. (I have to be honest, my iPhone 4 is experiencing the bluetooth and sensor issues.)

HDR Photos:

HDR photos is something new that Apple is pushing on us to improves the quality of our photos. What it does is when you take a standard photo on the iPhone, it actually takes 3 photos. 1 photo at regular exposure, another underexposed and the last one overexposed. It then uses software(probably black magic Photoshop) to improve the image; and it WORKS! Some of the examples Steve was showing showed massive improvements in the photos but

removing a lot of the light that was taking some of the detail out of the images and sometimes adding some in darker images. Check out some of the examples Engadget took; the first image being before HDR, the second with HDR processing. Unbelievable!!!

HD Video Uploading over Wifi:

Since the iPhone 4 has been released there have been a lot of complaints about how the iPhone cramps the HD resolution to 480p when uploading to YouTube directly from the phone. Apple has addressed that and will allow for 720p uploading to YouTube when connected to Wifi. Trust me, you’ll eat the crap out of your data if you do this over cell and it will probably take forever.

TV Show Rentals:

Apple has implemented a way where you can actual rent and watch TV shows directly on the iOS device. This is done through the iTunes app.

Gamecenter:

Because of the huge success of the iPod Touch, Steve announced that the iPod Touch has outsold Nintendo and Sony by holding a 50% market share. There have been 120 million iOS devices sold since the original iPhone. Because of this success, Apple is now going after Xbox Live and is trying to getting into the multiplayer aspect of gaming. You can now use Gamecenter to unlock achievements in games, have a friends list, play online with friends and matchmaking as well. You can challenge your friends and some of the games look stunning. Epic Games has an amazing looking game coming out this year and its running on an iPhone. The power of this device continues to astound us.

iOS 4.2

iOS 4.2 is everything in iOS 4 and 4.1 but for the iPad. It is scheduled to be released in November and it looks to be huge. Multitasking is coming to the iPad, folders, and now wireless printing. You can print to any connected printer right from your iPad. Another cool feature about 4.2 is something called Airplay. More on that later.

Steve then moved onto iPods, so I will go in order of the Shuffle, Nano and Touch.

#3: iPods

iPod Shuffle:


The new shuffle is getting a pretty significant upgrade. They are bringing back the click-wheel from the 2nd generation and are keeping the Voice-over from the 3rd generation. Think of it as the 2nd and 3rd generations combined. The shuffle has a max battery life of 15 hours of music. They come in multiple colors and all look awesome. It will retail for $49 and has a 2GB flash based memory.

iPod Nano:

iPod Nano

The iPod Nano is also getting a significant overhaul. Apple has made it even smaller. To make it smaller they removed the clik-wheel and made it just a multi-touch screen. The built in all the touch controls we use with our iPhones and iPod Touches but with some customized features. There is no accelerameter, but to concur that you just twist 2 fingers on the screen and it rotates. It can rotate all 360 degrees in 90 degree increments. The battery life on the nano will last about 24 hours worth of music playing. The new Nano will come in 7 different colors and has 2 different versions. An 8GB model for $149 and a 16GB for $179. There is no longer a camera on this; so no more video recording or picture taking.

iPod Touch:

iPod Touch

The iPod Touch seems to be the biggest thing Apple “touched.” The retina display, the A4 chip, the 3-axis gyro, front-facing and rear-facing camera are all coming to the iPod Touch and they were still able to make it thinner. How have they done that??? The new Touch will has a battery life of 40 hours worth of music playing and can record HD videos just like the iPhone 4. This sucker will retail in 3 different configurations. The 8GB model will go for $229. The 32GB model for $299 and the 64GB model for $399.

ALL NEW iPODS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NEXT WEEK!!!!

#4: iTunes:

Steve announced that iTunes is still going strong as being the #1 retailer of music purchased PERIOD. There have been 11.7 billion songs, 450 million TV shows, and 100 million movies downloaded from iTunes. So what are they doing with iTunes in the next release. Well iTunes 10 is out TODAY and here is what they have added:

  1. A new logo: Apple has ditched the CD in the logo for an all new slicker design.
  2. New listing functionality: When scrolling through your list of songs, if you have more then 5 from 1 album it will then show you the album artwork on the left.
  3. Ping: Ping is Apple’s version of Facebook and Twitter combined but for music only. iTunes will now let you share and post your favorite songs you have downloaded, let you follow your friends or artists (just like Twitter) and will show you what concerts are available around you. It also customizes a top 10 list of songs based on who you are following. There are many more features so go download it and check it out.

That was all UNTIL Steve has “one more thing…or hobby.”

Apple TV:

AppleTV

Apple’s AppleTV was never a big success. Why?? It was too expense, too hard to use and ran very hot and loud. Apple has addressed all of this. First thing they did was remove the hard drive. Everything you do to the new Apple TV is streamed based content only; whether from iTunes or you computer. You can stream movies, TV shows, music and photos directly to the new device. The interface is much easier to use and a lot of third party based services have been implemented. Some of these sites include: Netflix, YouTube, Flickr, Rotten Tomatoes and others. Apple also released there new TV show rental services with ABC and FOX (currently) which will let you rent TV shows and stream them over to AppleTV for only $0.99 a show. These are not just SD shows, these are HD shows for $0.99. New released movie rentals will also be available for rent for $4.99 a movie.

Technical Specs:

  • The thing is 25% the size of the original AppleTV. Its about the size of a hockey puck.
  • 802.11 n wifi built in
  • HDMI
  • No power brick
  • Optical port
  • ethernet jack

The coolest thing about AppleTV now is something I referred to earlier as AirPlay. AirPlay is the reworked version of AirTunes but this time not only lets you stream music over but movies, TV shows and photos to another device. The other device I am talking about is AppleTV. Steve demonstrated this but streaming UP from his iPad to AppleTV without the use of the computer. All you do is play the movie on your iPad, hit a button and it instantly plays on the AppleTV right where you left off. It was awesome. You can also do this from your iPhone and iPod Touch. All of these features and then some and AppleTV will retail for only $99. Not $229 but $99. That’s more like it Apple. It will be available in 4 weeks and pre-orders start today.

So this was it. Apple’s lineup for the holiday season this year and it is shaping up to be a very big year for Apple. All products will be available within 4 weeks and some are available today!!! Pre-orders yours now before they are gone!!!!

If you would like to watch the Keynote, you can either stream it from Apple’s website, if you have a Mac or iOS device, or by downloading it from iTunes.

 

September 1, 2010   Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Category: Featured, Tech News, Video Game News   No Comments comments

“Kiss and Make Up” – AutoCAD Returns to the Mac!

Let me lay a little Muppets on you dear readers as I’ve been looking for an excuse for some time now. Sing it with me:

Together again,
Gee, it’s good to be together again!
I just can’t imagine that you’ve ever been gone,
It’s not starting over, it’s just going on!

After an 18 year absence, AutoCAD is finally coming back to Mac. It’s as if thousands of engineers suddenly cried out in unison and were rewarded.  Let me take you back for a moment. It’s June of 1992 and the very first World Ocean Day is being celebrated. The Russian President is a man named Boris Yeltsin who has a love affair with both country and vodka. John Gotti has been sentenced to life in prison and our Vice President, Dan Quayle, erroneously corrects a student’s spelling of the word potato, indicating it should have an e at the end. Yowsah.

Amidst this flurry of world events, AutoCad vowed to never again offer their software for anything Apple might produce and walked off into the Microsoft sunset. It would appear all of that is now behind us. But don’t take it from me, enjoy this quote from the AutoCAD site:

AutoCAD® for Mac® software—it’s AutoCAD, for the Mac, bringing robust 3D free-form design tools and powerful drafting capabilities to your platform of choice. It takes full advantage of the Mac OS® X platform, with an intuitive, graphical user interface that makes it easy to bring your ideas to life. And because it’s AutoCAD, you’re working natively in DWG™ format, so you can easily share files with clients, suppliers, and partners around the world, regardless of platform.

This one just seems like a no brainer. Macs have been the go to tech for years when it comes to anything art, animation or graphics related. The overwhelming question remaining to be answered will be whether or not current AutoCAD users will make the jump. It’s not as if engineering work has been frozen for the last 18 years, and everyone has been doing that on a Microsoft platform. Time will tell if AutoCAD’s engineered move is up to code.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-pDf4nFzbw&feature=player_embedded

 

September 1, 2010   Tags: , , ,
Category: Tech News   No Comments comments

Digital Comics Review: The Pro

The Pro PanelsFile this review under: Extremely Late to the Party. Like many of the issues you can grab on the digital outlets, The Pro was published a while ago, and for those of us reading them for the first time, we get a false sense of discovery. The Pro, written by Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti, was first released in 2002. That’s gives you a sense of how late to the party I am. The pizza isn’t just cold, it’s at the curb. But, despite my tardy arrival I still felt special for reading this book. Who wouldn’t feel special after reading a book about a hooker who gets super powers? And better yet, I proudly read this in public on Saturday while getting my oil changed. That’s right a family of four got to watch me read a comic on my iPad that had a guy who looked like Superman get a  blow-job.

This is purely a satire/comedy prestige format book that takes some wild swings at DC and Marvel’s mainstream comic characters. Here’s the basic plot, A hooker gets powers from a Galactic overseer, and despite being rough around the edges she saves New York. The super team, villains, and other characters are simple satires of the JLA and the Avengers (mostly JLA), and portrayed as overly-sexual yet restricted shadows of what we have all grown up with. Some sections could be seen as childish humor, while other scenes made me laugh out loud at times. Ennis certainly showed no restraint (why would he?) as he took some swings at the Bat-family dynamic, Wonder Woman’s ambiguous nature, and Superman’s chaste reputation.

Amanda Conner was  a brilliant accompanist to illustrate this raunchy parody. Her honest look at a hooker who has to care for a baby on her own had great touches of realism mixed into the sexual tinsel. There were two panels that made my jaw drop, by the way they were laid out, and the humor that was infused with them. But the use of bruises, band-aids, knobby knees, grungy apartments, and implied actions was brilliant from page to page. Now, I don’t have any censorship issues, but I’m sure certain readers do, so I’ll keep this review brief. I would however like to take a small stab at Comixology’s  “Guided View”.

Why the Hell did it censor certain panels when I have to prove I am over 18 when I purchase or update my comic reader? Clearly I am over 18, and don’t give a rat’s ass about the adult content. Now I can see how a kid could find my iPad, somehow flip thought he comics, and see some inappropriate panels, but take the restrictions off if you are going to have me sign on.

Anyways, if you want a fun, Dick & Fart joke comic book that takes a swing at mainstream comics, this was a really enjoyable one.

 

September 1, 2010   Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Category: Digital Dollar Comics, Featured   No Comments comments

Diamond Announces Tuesday Delivery for 2011

If you are a comic book reader, know of one, or ever had a slight run it with one, you know that Wednesday ahs been the traditional day for new comic book releases. Every Wednesday, the local comic book readers will make their pilgrimage to whatever strip mall, shopping complex, or dark alley to pick up the latest books. All of these books come from Diamond Comics Distribution who has announced that in January if 2011, new comics can come out in Tuesday. Well at least your local comic shop CAN get the books earlier if they pay a $5/week extra charge. I know things are tight at my LCS, so I’m not too sure if they would pony up for it, but Perhaps Diamond is making progress by offering this extra incentive. What do you think? Comment below.

Here is the official press release by Diamond:

diamond-comic-dist“Effective in January, 2011, Diamond retailers in North America and the UK will have the option of “day-early” delivery of weekly product shipments on Tuesdays for sale on Wednesdays.

Day-early delivery – which was outlined to retailers in the form of a Q&A following Diamond’s Retailer Summit in April — will take effect with shipments delivered on Tuesday, January 11, that have a scheduled on-sale date of Wednesday, January 12.

Please Note: The current industrywide Wednesday new release day will remain unchanged, and retailers who do not wish to use the new option may continue to receive their shipments on Wednesdays.

“Our decision to proceed with day-early, Tuesday-for-Wednesday delivery resulted from positive discussions with leading publishers and vendors, from retailer requests and feedback, and from retailer responses to our recent survey on the topic,” explained Diamond Vice President of Sales & Marketing Roger Fletcher.

In that survey, retailers were asked how they thought the day-early option would affect their business and the Direct Market. “Of more than 1,000 retailers who responded to the survey,” Fletcher said, “75% believe day-early delivery will benefit their business, while 72% believe it will benefit the entire Direct Market.”

The survey also asked retailers: “If given the choice between Monday delivery for Tuesday on-sale, and Tuesday delivery for Wednesday on-sale, what would be your preference?” Retailers could choose between the two options, or for “Either Monday for Tuesday or Tuesday for Wednesday.”

“The number of respondents who selected Tuesday delivery for Wednesday on-sale and the ‘Either’ option totaled 63%,” Fletcher said, “while those selecting the Monday-for-Tuesday alternative and the ‘Either’ option totaled 38%. This encouraging consensus has convinced us that moving forward with day-early delivery for Wednesday on-sale holds considerable advantages for vendors, retailers, and the industry.”

With the implementation of day-early delivery, Diamond will also initiate a “mystery shopper” program to ensure that participating retailers abide by the industrywide Wednesday release date for books received on Tuesday.

Fletcher urged retailers to “stay tuned” to Diamond Daily and Diamond Dateline for more details about registering for the day-early delivery option.

Additionally, Diamond has announced that — working in concert with vendors — Diamond will deliver product on its normal Wednesday schedule in December. The first shipment of 2011 will arrive after the New Year’s holiday on Wednesday, January 5. Day-early shipping will commence the following week.

“During the holidays, our retailers and their customers depend upon Diamond to keep the newest and hottest product flowing into stores, and we’d like to thank our vendors for working with us to maintain our regular schedule,” Fletcher said. “We’d also like to thank our vendors and our customers for working with us to get 2011 off to a great start by making the day-early shipping option a reality. We look forward to a smooth transition to what we feel will be a highly beneficial and profitable service.”

 

September 1, 2010   Tags: , , , ,
Category: Comic News   No Comments comments

From the iRumor mill…

The Mexican technology site CanalMX is reporting that a hardware fix for the much hyped iPhone 4 reception issue could see the streets as soon as the end of September. Telcel, a Mexican cellular company, opened up sales of the iPhone 4 in Mexico last Friday along with the Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, Portugal, and Slovakia. For one reason or another, the spreading global sales of the iPhone went mostly unpublicized by Apple.

Marco Quatorze, Telcel’s Director of Value Added Services, stated that the iPhone 4 sold in Mexico will be the same hardware being sold here in the U.S. and elsewhere, with Apple offering a free case to address potential issues with antenna performance. That much we pretty much already knew, but Quatorze went on to spill some rather spicy Mexican beans. Quatorze claims that by September 30th, when the current free case program expires, a revised version of the iPhone 4 that addresses the antenna reception issue will be available for purchase. A number of questions become readily apparent: Would an executive such as Quatorze be privy to this kind of information? Could this just be some misunderstanding regarding the end of the free case program? Who put the ram in the rama lama ding dong? These are the questions that puzzle my mind and occasionally leave me with left side paralysis. Ye gods.

Pretty much going to have to wait and see on this one kids, but maybe the Apple press conference later today might clear this area up along with their new product rollouts. Of course, rather than have your world revolve around “antenna-gate,” you could just put your phone in a case and be done with it.

Yeah. Think about that. :)

 

September 1, 2010   Tags: , , , ,
Category: Tech News   1 Comment comments

Ah yes, get you some earthy/tech lovin…

So who wouldn’t want a case that keeps your high tech device eco-friendly at the same time? Okay, besides any of the Captain Planet villains, who wouldn’t want one? That’s what I thought. Jerks.

For the eco lover in you, I’ve found your case and it’s made of plants no less! The fine folks over at “bioserie” took the jump into bioplastics some time ago and now have a number of products to offer you, the consumer. From their site:

Environment is at the core of bioserie’s product and packaging development. Our principle is that the materials we use in production – including the coloring agents and additives in our products, ink and window piece of the package – should all be derived from plants, to the highest extent possible with current technology.

This level of attention to detail requires extensive research and innovative thinking as the kind of materials needed to achieve such demanding products are in most cases cutting edge bioplastics and difficult to obtain. Therefore, most material blends developed for our products are one of a kind and exclusive to bioserie. They do not contain oil derivatives, petrochemicals or toxic materials.

bioserie products achieve three significant environmental goals;

1. Use of renewable materials.

2. Use of materials with drastically reduced carbon emissions during production.

3. Prevention of toxic pollution of the air, soil or water once the cover is discarded.

We continue to develop new, cutting edge plant based material blends that enable us to present more exciting, stylish and functional protective covers for mobile devices. On our radar are plant based covers with customizable prints. Yes, there are such cases in the market today, but we’ll do all that with plants, and raise the bar once again.

We firmly believe in the future of bioplastics. We’d like to continue to be a pioneer in bringing to the market stylish, functional and affordable products that allow people to enjoy the fruits of technology in an environmentally responsible way.

So there you have it. Head on over to the “biosere” site and pick up one of their products for your iPhone 4, iPhone 3G/3GS, iPad, iPod Touch 2G/3G, or iPod Nano 5G. Easy. Simple. Made of plants. Full of win.

 

September 1, 2010   Tags: , , , ,
Category: Tech News   No Comments comments

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