Well we guess this is pretty much a given, but according to the folks at Pocket-lint, it seems that Apple has confirmed to them that the iPhone 3GS has been discontinued and that they will not be restocking the unit once the remaining stock has been depleted. Given that the iPhone 3GS is 3 years old already, practically ancient by tech standards, it’s not a surprising move. Let’s not forget that the iPhone 4 8GB model has already taken its place as the “free” iPhone when you sign with a new two year contract with a carrier in the US. So if for whatever reason you still want to get your hands on the iPhone 3GS, we suggest you better move fast before they are sold out! The iPhone 3GS is also expected to receive the latest update to iOS 6 although not all of iOS 6’s features will be included due to certain limitations.
Just a couple of days ago, we mentioned that Sony Mobile might actually take a gander at Windows Phone 8 devices in the future according to Pierre Perron, Sony Mobile’s UK & Ireland Managing Director, but I guess that this is a rumor will remain just as that since Sony Mobile’s President and CEO Kunimasa Suzuki put down his foot by squashing such rumors, touting that “we have no current plans for it.” He maintained that Sony Mobile will continue to focus on the Android operating system even though that Sony Mobile’s market share is not doing too well.
Suzuki intends to combat this slide by bringing products to market faster while increasing transparency between the different departments within Sony, further saying that “all devices are connected to each other, so we need a more horizontal organization.” I personally think that Sony Mobile has done pretty well for itself ever since it took on the new name and was reorganized compared to the days of Sony Ericsson, but they really need a main selling point to break into peoples’ psyches.
So you are one of the few people left who rock to the BlackBerry platform for some particular reason or another, and in order to keep track of your Facebook updates, would your day be better upon hearing that Facebook for BlackBerry has just been updated to version 3.2, and you are able to download the app from the BlackBerry App World? Some of the new features in version 3.2 include refreshed icons with a personalized touch, where the generic profile icon is no longer there as it has been replaced with your most current Facebook profile picture.
Not only that, you will no longer be a douchebag as there is no need to forget another friend’s birthday thanks to enhanced birthday alerts. Facebook for BlackBerry 3.2 lets you integrate the birthdays of your Facebook friends into your BlackBerry device calendar, letting your home screen remind you without the need to launch the Facebook app in the first place. Bear in mind that for some users, the app might take up to 24 hours for it to appear over in BlackBerry App World.
With 99 percent of the nation’s K-12 schools hooked-up to the internet, you’d think online learning was an educational staple. Sadly, it’s also estimated that some 80 percent of those connections can’t provide the 100Mbps per 1,000 students bandwidth the State Education Technology Directors Association recommends. That’s why NPO EducationSuperHigway has announced the National School Speed Test initiative, with the goal to take actual stock of the state of internet connections in our schools. The NSST hopes to measure the internet capabilities of every K-12 school, and identify those that are lagging behind. Educational staff and students can also help out by checking their own school’s speeds on a dedicated website (linked below). The results of the NSST will be open to the institutions themselves, districts and state departments of education, enabling them to better plan upgrade strategies for the future.
Patchy coverage; fragmented frequencies; tight-lipped and cautious carriers: the iPhone 5‘s LTE may be one of the headline features, but it’s also causing the most confusion. As predicted, Apple threw in support for LTE networks across the globe in the new smartphone, though it was forced to use three different versions to do so. Even those three may not be enough to satisfy everyone, however: there are some significant holes for high-profile carriers.
Beyond the usual color and storage capacity options, there will be three different types of iPhone 5. Each will cater to different carriers in different geographies: Model A1428 (GSM) with the AWS and 700b LTE bands (4 and 17) for AT&T in the US, and Bell, Rogers, and Telus in Canada (including Virgin, Fido, and Kudo, their respective sub-brands).
Model A1429 (CDMA) supports the most LTE bands, with 2100, 1800, 850, 700c, and 1900 (bands 1, 3, 5, 13, and 25), though ironically Apple is positioning it for the fewest carriers: only Verizon and Sprint in the US, and KDDI in Japan. Finally, Model A1429 (GSM) handles most places outside of North America, with LTE service for Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, the UK’s EE, Australia’s Optus, Virgin, and Telstra, Japan’s Softbank, Korea’s SK Telecom and KT, Hong Kong’s SmarTone, and Singapore’s M1 and SingTel.
That leaves plenty of carriers either with 3G-only support or planning LTE networks with no band support in any of the three iPhone 5 models. As Engadget highlights, UK carriers Vodafone and O2 may well be readying their own LTE push, but they’ll be using 800MHz (band 20) and 2.6GHz (band 7) for their 4G and thus won’t actually work with the iPhone 5.
To counter that, some carriers are offering a get-out-clause of sorts partway through the typical two-year agreement. O2′s new “4G Handset Promise” will mean iPhone 5 buyers will be able to upgrade to a device compatible with the carrier’s LTE network, it told The Inquirer, mid-contract when that network launches. Vodafone, meanwhile, is simply pushing its 3G network with the new nano SIMs needed for the iPhone 5, as is Three.
Even those with LTE on their carrier of choice may find they’re unable to use 4G while they’re in another country. With no direct LTE roaming between the North American GSM iPhone 5 and the European/Asia GSM model, those hoping to hop between continents with seamless high-speed data will be disappointed.
Somewhat comically, given CDMA’s history of being limited in terms of roaming, the CDMA iPhone 5 may be the best bet for international roaming, as it supports the same three bands of the Euro GSM version. Verizon told ArsTechnica that it would be “surveying which markets line up best with the frequencies available in our version of the iPhone 5″ when global roaming is enabled “in the future.” However, the three models don’t only vary by LTE bands; the UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA bands they each support are different too.
It’s worth noting that this 4G headache is nowhere near a problem limited to the iPhone 5, though it’s likely to be Apple’s handset that draws the greatest attention to the fragmented condition of LTE roll-out. Existing Android LTE phones, on sale for some time now, are also limited to 4G in specific markets, so even those with so-called “global roaming” support max out at 3G when abroad.
Despite hopes for a seven-band LTE radio based on Qualcomm technology, it seems size and other limitations have forced Apple’s hand when it comes to catering to the most territories with the least number of versions. For now, it’s worth doing some research if you’re hoping to use your new iPhone 5 with LTE in more than one country.
It goes without saying that you need to invest plenty of time at the gym (or generally other kinds of physical activity), and there is no such thing as a shortcut to a great looking body, chiseled abs and all. Those products that you see sold on TV channels that promise you a fantastic looking body with just 10 minutes each day do seem appealing, but do they really work? Having said that, I do have my reservations concerning the $79.95 Clinical Muscle Toner, where it is said to use electronic muscle stimulation (EMS) in order to tone and firm the body even as you spend time relaxing in your favorite chair.
Does it really work as advertised? I am not sure myself, as I have a 6-in-1 pack at my gut area, so why not let us check out the scientific reasoning behind the Clinical Muscle Toner and come to your own conclusion. Using clinical technology employed by physical therapists for rebuilding atrophied and weakened muscles, this device is said to be painless when delivering electrical pulses to key nerves, resulting in nearby muscles to rhythmically contract and release so that their tone is boosted. The handheld activator will hook up to interchangeable toners which target specific muscle groups and are secured by hook-and-loop fasteners. You can select the intensity level and program/session length from the activator, where they can range from five 10- to 40-minute sessions each week.
The oldest known color film footage has long been traced to a reel from 1909. But that was before Michael Harvey, the curator of cinematography at the National Media Museum in England, discovered an old forgotten tin in the museum’s archives. After examining the stock, Harvey discovered it was actually color test footage dating all the way back to 1902. That makes it officially the oldest color footage in the world—or, at least, the oldest that anyone in the world knows about. More »
Apple’s iPhone 5 has been announced, but it has not yet been released. That will only be taking place on the 21st of September for a handful of countries. However what are the impressions that people have had about the phone so far? Well as a prank, and perhaps to prove that it’s really all just in our minds, television host Jimmy Kimmel decided to take to the streets with an iPhone 4S to ask the average passerby what they thought about the new iPhone 5, and based on their comments, it seems that pretty much all of them thought that the iPhone 4S was the iPhone 5, and even made comments about how it was “thinner” and “faster”. We’re assuming that these aren’t paid actors but either way it’s pretty funny, so be sure to check it out in the video above!
NVIDIA has taken the wraps off of its latest Kepler graphics cards, the GeForce GTX 650 and GTX 660, bringing the CUDA-based GPUs to the lowest price so far. Prices are promised at around $109 for the GeForce GTX 650, which offers a 1GHz clock speed and 1GB of DDR5 memory, and around $229 for the GeForce GTX 660, which doubles the RAM and is the cheapest way to get NVIDIA’s GPU Boost for automatic overclocking.
That’s not to say that the GTX 650 can’t be overclocked, or indeed that it needs to be. Out of the box it can simultaneously drive four monitors for a total resolution of 5760 x 1080 with its 384 CUDA cores, but there’s a 6-pin power connector for those wanting to coax up to around 1.2GHz from the GPU.
Gamers, though, might want to step straight to the GTX 660 for the native GPU Boost. That works with the card’s 960 CUDA cores, and 192-bit memory channel (versus the 128-bit of the GTX 650) to drive Full HD monitors at some impressive frame rates compared to its predecessors; check out the benchmarks in the table below (click for a larger version):
Connectivity includes a Dual Link DVI-I, Dual Link DVI-D, HDMI, and a DisplayPort on the double-width GTX 660, and a Dual Link DVI-I, a Dual Link DVI-D, and a Mini HDMI on the double-width GTX 650. Expect cards from the usual suspects from today.
Yesterday’s Apple event included the announcement of new generation Touch and Nano products. Over 350 million iPod devices have been sold over the years. And the new generations should prove to continue the sales trend.
After a 2 year hiatus from new models the 5th generation Touch provides loads of enhancements. Following many of the leads of the iPhone 5, the Touch has a sleeker look. At just 6.1mm and 88g, it is the thinnest and lightest Touch ever. The 4” retina display means more space to view what you choose. For the first time the Touch comes in silver, black, blue, yellow and red. And as practical flair the “iPod Touch loop” pops up from the back of the Touch so you can attach a wrist strap. Units also come with Apple’s new EarPod earbuds.
Internally the A5 chip with dual core graphics will boost graphics up to 7 times. And iOS6 will give all the latest advantages that the iPhone 5 offers. Feature-wise a built in 5MP iSight camera means autofocus, LED flash, help with motion artifacts and panoramic capability. Battery time will give you 8 hours of video or 40 hours of music and it charges via the new, smaller Lightening connector. The iPod Touch will retail for $299 (32GB) and $399 (64GB) and ship in October.
The small but mighty iPod Nano underwent a massive change too. The Gen 7 form factor – usually a Nano advantage – does not disappoint at just 5.4mm thin and 31g. Apple saw then need that many users did and added big, easy to use controls for common tasks like volume and play/pause/forward and backward. The advantage is that you no longer have to look at the screen to perform basic functions. For those that do want to look at the 2.5” screen, the Nano contains a multi-touch screen. Choose one of 8 colors (including a Product RED option). EarPod earbuds are also included.
Internally the Nano finally includes Bluetooth, perfect for streaming music to other receivers. The Nano can handle widescreen video too. A full charge via the Lightening connector will get a user 3.5 hours of video or 30 hours of music. The 16GB, $149 Nano will also ship in October.
These majorly revamped products sure do give existing owners reason to upgrade and perfect gift options for the holidays!
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Well we guess this is pretty much a given, but according to the folks at Pocket-lint, it seems that Apple has confirmed to them that the iPhone 3GS has been discontinued and that they will not be restocking the unit once the remaining stock has been depleted. Given that the iPhone 3GS is 3 years old already, practically ancient by tech standards, it’s not a surprising move. Let’s not forget that the iPhone 4 8GB model has already taken its place as the “free” iPhone when you sign with a new two year contract with a carrier in the US. So if for whatever reason you still want to get your hands on the iPhone 3GS, we suggest you better move fast before they are sold out! The iPhone 3GS is also expected to receive the latest update to iOS 6 although not all of iOS 6’s features will be included due to certain limitations.
Just a couple of days ago, 
So you are one of the few people left who rock to the BlackBerry platform for some particular reason or another, and in order to keep track of your Facebook updates, would your day be better upon hearing that 
It goes without saying that you need to invest plenty of time at the gym (or generally other kinds of physical activity), and there is no such thing as a shortcut to a great looking body, chiseled abs and all. Those products that you see sold on TV channels that promise you a fantastic looking body with just 10 minutes each day do seem appealing, but do they really work? Having said that, I do have my reservations concerning the 
