CHIPNIT

Its the end of the week. The weekend is knocking down out doors. The tech-journalists are tired, and the industry is gearing up for the weekend. So what is a tech blogger (like myself) to do on Friday. Since opening Chipnit’s doors, Fridays have consistently been the slowest days for me. Both in the new information I can find online, as well as the people to seem to be interested in it. I can’t blame you, the last thing I want to do on Friday is sit in from of my laptop all day working. However, I really don’t have a choice because today I am stuck on campus finishing up finals (see below)

, and there really isn’t much I can do about that expect wait it out, and try my darnedest to squeeze some life out of the blogosphere in the meantime.

So, what is there to do on “Slow Fridays?” Here are a few suggestions:

Google your own name
You would be surprised how much fun this can really be. Not only will you realize how unoriginal your parents really were when they named you (unless you’re named Apple or something), but you may even be surprised to see that you are online and you didn’t even know it. Give it a try, trust me.

Go HERE and brush up on your knowledge of Chuck Norris facts
There is no better to break the ice at a fancy dinner party than doing so by reciting at least a few of your favorite Chuck Norris facts such as: If you have five dollars and Chuck Norris has five dollars, Chuck Norris has more money than you; There is no ‘ctrl’ button on Chuck Norris’s computer. Chuck Norris is always in control; Apple pays Chuck Norris 99 cents every time he listens to a song; Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open; or my personal favorite: Chuck Norris doesn’t sleep… he waits…

Play some Bowman 2
There is nothing better than trying over and over again to get a head shot with a bow and arrow. Tons of fun to be had here

So there you go. Hope this boring Friday is a little less boring to you now. I promise there will be some relevant stuff to talk about come Monday, when the techies come back out of their holes.

Is there a specific idea you have for one of my tip of the day segments? Do you have a problem and want to see a video how-to solution? If so please email me at b.pope3@gmail.com. The best questions and or tips will be turned into the latest chipnit.com how-to segment and will be featured (with credit to you or your website or both) on the main page of chipnit.com. I look forward to your emails.

~Brandon Pope

WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference) is quickly approaching, and Apple is bound to make a few announcements. Here is a list of speculation that Wired posted earlier today. I will run through the list and break down their predictions.

1. 3G iPhone

We expect this one at least to come true. The stock of current iPhones has dried up. Even the Mothership has run out, and orders are being filled with by a combination of rationing (AT&T is limiting orders to one per customer) and recycling (AT&T is selling reconditioned handsets). The rumors are whirling around us like trailer park dogs in a twister, and seemingly every telco in the world is announcing deals with Apple, bringing the potential market of the iPhone to 500 million.

What to expect? Well, 3G is all but certain. GPS would be nice, although it isn’t a standard part of the Infineon chip (pdf) expected to power the iPhone 2.0. The software we mostly know about because the SDK is out there in use and leaking new information almost daily. A proper camera is essential: The crappy 2 megapixel camera in the current iPhone is not much more than an afterthought; the new one should at least have video.

A month ago we asked you what you would like to see and you came up with some crackers: Radio (never), Bluetooth for headphones (maybe), MicroSD slot (yeah, right) and a real keyboard (never!)

Likelihood: 10/10

10/10 is probably right. If it doesn’t come out at WWDC it will definitely surface before then. Needless to say, one way or another, we will all have our 3G announcement before WWDC has concluded. The recent shortage in phones makes one wonder whether the announcement is leaning toward pre-WWDC, but its hard to pass up the press surrounding a now sold out conference.

2. Proper New MacBook Pro

Up until we broke the news of the MacBook Air (one day before it first slid from a manilla envelope), many people were predicting a new 12″ MacBook Pro to replace the beloved 12″ PowerBook of old. Apple refreshed the aging pro notebook line in February, but apart from some multi touch love under the hood, there wasn’t much change. In fact, the MacBook Pro is almost exactly the same in looks as the original PowerBook G4, announced back in January 2001. It’s time for a change.

We expect a big multi touch trackpad, the new chiclet-style keyboard, an almost bezel-less screen (which should bring the overall size down despite still having a 15″ screen) and perhaps some 3G connectivity (Apple has so many deals with cellphone networks now that an international rollout of an always-on connection is feasible). We’ll probably see a version without an optical drive, too, perhaps with a second hard drive filing the space. And after all the whining about the MacBook Air being a little wussy in its specs, it could be time for Apple to drive home a powerful, well endowed twelve-incher.

Likelihood: 8/10

More like 6/10. While I agree that the MacBook Pro line is in need of an overhaul, and I would love to have a nice 12″ pro laptop (because who really wants to carry around a 17″ machine anymore). However, WWDC isn’t MacWorld, so I don’t know how many hardware announcements we are going to see. If there is another one besides the iPhone, though, it would be this one or maybe the next.

3. Aluminum MacBook

This rumor has been drifting in the background for a while. If true, expect nothing more than a new case and a multi touch trackpad. White plastic used to be the marker that set the consumer goods apart from the pro gear, but ever since the iMac went all brushed aluminum and the iPod lost its iconic white case, that’s no longer so.

Likelihood: 4/10

I would say probably 5/10. Honestly both the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines are due for a major upgrade, so while the pro upgrade seems more called for, I cant say I would be surprised to see either both or neither.

UPDATE: Taiwan’s top two flat-panel makers by revenue, have obtained flat-panel orders for Apple Inc.’s new MacBook, the Commercial Times reported Friday, citing industry sources.

Sop there you go. These things will not be seeing major updates at WWDC.

4. Internet Tablet

Steve Jobs said that Apple would never make a Tablet Mac. He also said there would never be a video iPod. A Kindle-sized iPod Touch would certainly be a great toy, but would anybody buy it? The iPod Touch is popular because it is a regular sized iPod with a slew of killer features, and people are used to the size. But a MacBook Touch would be a whole new product: too big to fit in a pocket and too small to do any real work (not to mention the lack of a real keyboard). But then, if anybody can take a flailing (read: all current tablet PCs) category and make it attractive, it’s Apple. Remember the iPod?

Likelihood: 1/10

Try 0/10. Unfortunately I don’t think Apple has this thing far enough along yet. While they will almost definitely head in the direction of a “TouchBook” or something someday in the near future, Apple just wouldn’t have been able to get a product like this developed and ready without the blogosphere getting some kind of info leaked. No company is that sneaky anymore. Yes, there has been wild speculation about a touch screen something coming from Apple, but nothing hard enough to warrant a release of said mystery device within the next month. Sorry.

5. Touch Screen Nano

Why not? Ever since Apple got all touchy-feely with the iPhone, touch is showing up everywhere. We don’t expect a full on mini iPod Touch, but an iPod of the current Nano’s size which is all screen on one face is certainly possible. Apple could leave out email and Maps (and the Stocks application – who ever uses that apart from Jobs himself?), but Wi-Fi would be likely, if only for buying tracks from the iTunes Store.

Likelihood: 5/10

1/10. I will tell you why not. The current Nano isn’t good for video as is. Yes, it can do it, but most people are not happy with that small of a display to watch any kind of video. So even if you make the whole front surface of the nano a screen, you still have too small of a viewing area. Plus the dimension are all wrong for widescreen playback like the iPhone and iTouch can do. If they did bring something like this to market, it would be a mistake and unless it was absurdly well priced, most people who want video on their iDevice will opt for the larger screen with more memory.

The current 3G providers in the states have all been bechmarked by Computerworld, and guess who came out on top? Thats right, the company getting ready to launch maybe the most highly anticipated 3G device yet. That’s great news for those of us getting ready to buy one of these puppies. What’s even more interesting is the fact that AT&T was recently quoted saying that they are planning to jack the speeds up to a whopping 20Mbps by 2009. WHAT!? Crazytown is right. The apartment complex I am at right now grants me around 2.8Mbps as a benchmark for how fast browsing on these phones is going to be.

I am really going to have to look further into tethering the iPhone to my MacBook. I attempted that once with the current-gen phone, but the process was ripe with issues and browsing on EDGE speeds wasn’t that appealing anyway. However, if I could get 3G speeds whenever and wherever my iPhone was right on my laptop, I would definitely have to work harder to make that work.

This list comes courtesy of GIZMODO. This is all rumor, and yes, you guessed it, Microsoft has already denied its validity (see my post “Why Does the Xbox Team Hate Rumors”). But here it is for you to take a look at anyway:

Xbox LIVE

1. Option to delay sign-in to Xbox LIVE upon booting console (to allow user to set Online Status).
2. Option to promote Child Account from Family Settings.
3. Disallow Child Accounts (over 1 to override Family Settings by launching Privacy Settings through a title.
4. Option in Family Settings for Child Accounts to enable child-oriented/non-mature advertisements. 5. Introduce a group chat (4) for Private Chat and conferences through Video Chat.
6. Support to indicate media being watched to gamercard status (video content from Marketplace only).
7. Extend height for Bio field in Personal Profile, easier navigation through text.
8. More fields present in Personal Profile - recent achievements, interests, games, movies, links, custom section.
9. Compact Personal Profile for new fields (navigating to field will open it up).
10. Mandatory option to delete duplicate titles from gamercard (excludes Games for Windows - LIVE). User disconnected from Xbox LIVE when booting any title until action complete.
11. Option to remove payment information from gamertag.
12. New payment methods for international users.
13. Download History on Account Management better organized - games, genre, type, download date, miscellaneous.
14. Long descriptions of items on Marketplace can be scrolled using right stick.
15. Better organization of free content on Marketplace.
16. Option to ‘ping’ when testing connection.
17. Allow re-connection to Xbox LIVE if Ethernet cable is re-inserted whilst powered on.
18. New strip colors available to developers, staff gamercards.
19. New corner icon available to ambassadors.
20. Re-introduce Messages button for Inside Xbox updates only.
21. Option to store up to 10 messages permanently on server (excludes invites, status messages). 22. Increase character limit for text messages between friends only.
23. Option to disable invites from non-friends or all players.
24. Option to disable invites from titles not on gamercard (excludes demos).
25. Option to have smaller items moved up in Active Downloads.
26. Automatically re-connect to Xbox LIVE if disconnected unexpectedly (set intervals).
27. Option to download gamer picture (if available) from a gamercard being viewed.
28. Display random tips to replace static text on Xbox LIVE and Games blades.
29. New button on Marketplace for optional dashboard features - uses Storage Device memory.
30. Option to donate Microsoft Points to anybody with a Windows Live ID.
31. Option to purchase Membership for charities (includes benefits).
32. Integrate file-sharing for selected titles on Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows - LIVE.
33. Disable notifications to friends of user repeatedly signing into service (set period).
34. Option to see ’snippet’ of text message in notification.
35. Windows Live Mail integration - includes support for Xbox LIVE Vision.
36. Web feeds integration - text, images, audio. Includes support for specific item codes on Marketplace.
37. Option to display gamer picture or standard picture as display picture in Windows Live Messenger.
38. Support for headset, Xbox LIVE Vision in Windows Live Messenger.
39. Support for limited ‘winks’ that display on dashboard interface. Option to disable ‘winks’ and ‘nudges’ added.
40. Notifications separate from Windows Live Messenger to Xbox 360 notifications.
41. Disable multiple languages from being used in any Xbox LIVE editable fields.

Games

1. Option to delete titles from gamercard with 0 gamerscore and 0 achievements (excludes some titles that will be re-added to launch another title).
2. Organize My Games at the Games Library section better (includes disc-based titles) - sort by genre, platform (Games for Windows - LIVE), percentage completion.
3. Support to display friends leaderboards for disc-based titles.
4. Show dates of an achievement unlocked when comparing.
5. Preload Games Library upon dashboard bootup for faster access.
6. Game updates now shown as items in Memory, increased amount of updates on Storage Device.
7. Option to delete game updates, removed ‘cheat code’ as no longer needed.
8. Support for more titles to display banner when accessing guide in-game.
9. Option to re-introduce awarded gamer pictures from titles that do not have their own re-introduce feature (requires saved game).
10. Disable gamer pictures from being awarded from trials.
11. Support for titles to store installation data on Storage Device for faster loading.
12. Synchronization to achievements offline/online that were deleted and then re-added from developers.

Media

1. Option to hold LT and RT for rewinding/fast-forwarding video content.
2. Option to delete individual music tracks from storage device.
3. Option to rip music CD at different quality.
4. Copy non-protected files (pictures, music, videos) from USB storage devices, CDs and computers to proprietary storage devices.
5. Support for menu, top-menu features on video content downloaded from Marketplace.
6. Section added for audio delivered through feeds (podcasts). Option to stream, download to Storage Device.
7. Support added for video titles/description to gamercard status.

Dashboard/Miscellaneous
1. Option to navigate quickly out of several menus back to respective blade home (applies to Games, Media, System).
2. New blade trim styles added.
3. Introduce expanded Inside Xbox as a portal to news, weather, entertainment, help and community features.
4. New sounds for various functions (notifications, blades, navigation).
5. Calibration options for display/sound.
6. Calibration options for motion sensor devices.
7. New effects for Xbox LIVE Vision and dashboard background.
8. Disable changing of Theme when on Memory to prevent ‘hanging’.
9. Preload recent, limited items upon dashboard bootup on Memory.
10. Faster loading of Themes section on guide.
11. Option to see what items will not work offline due to DRM license changing from Memory.
12. Option to automatically associate new DRM to items downloaded for free.
13. Indicate ‘charging’ status on guide when Play & Charge kit is connected.
14. Option to change text colors on guide to better contrast some backgrounds.
16. Language improvements.
18. Word censor updated for fields.
19. Privacy Settings/Family Settings updated for new features.
20. Voice, picture messages can be read at Xbox.com (Gold accounts).

So, nothing really groundbreaking, but like the last major update 6 months ago, all of these changes rolled up into one will definitely aid the user experience which is already pretty darn good. I guess we will have to see whether or not this list is real when the update rolls out.

Rumor: Xbox 360 may be getting blu-ray support later this year.

Microsoft: “NO! NO! NO! Don’t say that its not true. We never said that.

Rumor: Xbox 360 may be coming out with a slim version next year

Microsoft: “Shut up! Stop it! We never said that, we completely deny that.

Every time the blogosphere comes up with any sort of speculation about the Xbox 360, some PR agent from the mother ship publicly assassinate the rumor within a few days. I don’t get it. Let people dream Microsoft. So what you aren’t planing to put blu-ray in the system (even though you should be). When you let the community speculate about rumors not only do you get free buzz, but you get a chance to see how the community will react to features you maybe haven’t even thought of yet, say like a slimmer profile

Instead of just letting the people have their rumors, and provide your console with free press all over the net, you come out and sledgehammer each and every bit of speculation out there. You want to know of a company who doesn’t hate on rumors ever? Apple, and it seems to be working out pretty well for them recently. Take the new iPhone coming out. People have basically painted a picture of this thing, full of expectations and hopeful features, over the last few months. All that has done for the thing is given it free press, and increased hype about whatever the phone actually ends up being. When people started saying that the iPhone may be black, you didn’t have some Apple PR woman come out and call the blogosphere stupid for saying that, did you? No. They seem to welcome speculation and the hype it brings for their products.

Wake up Xbox team. This console isn’t Vista. You don’t have to worry about over promising and under performing. So far your system has done pretty well for itself, but the ideas and rumors the net provides are good ones, so instead of killing them when they surface, let people wonder, and maybe use some if it as feedback for direction. Just a thought guys.

UPDATE: Point in case. Today a potentially legitimate list of 80 new features to be included in the spring 2008 update was met by this PR statement:

“We don’t comment on rumors or speculation, but what we can tell you is we’ve never seen this list before.”

Don’t Comment on rumors? Are you kidding Microsoft? Thats all you seem to be doing these days. I still don’t get it.

UPDATE:

“While we don’t normally comment on rumours like this, we can tell you that we have no plans to release a new console in 2009.”

“We don’t normally comment on rumors” must be Microsoft’s new PR opening line by default for when they are commenting on rumors that they don’t normally comment on.

Its a busy week for me here, so that explains the lack of updates thus far. If anything major happens this week I will make sure to keep everyone posted, but don’t expect to see to much else in the way of videos and things of that nature until next Monday.

Due to the iPhone shortage beginning this month, it is very unlikely that the iPhone launch will be put off until the rumored launch in June. It is simply too much lost business for Apple. Instead it is more likely that the 3G iPhone will be surfacing sometime this month. That being said, there is going to be another announcement at WWDC this year. I have heard a few rumors from people close to the company that a black version of the macbook air is in the works, and this one features a few of the missing features from version 1, including a DVD drive. This is just a rumor, so take it with a grain of salt. Macrumors.com spoke a little about the possibility of the new iPhone launching in May:

In April, SwitchToaMac.com published a rumor that Apple would be launching the 3G iPhone earlier than expected… in May. At the time, we dismissed it, as the rumor didn’t seem to correspond with the circulating expectations that the new iPhone would be launched in June at WWDC. Apple’s dwindling stock of iPhones in both the U.S. and U.K. however, has made us look at this rumor once again.

As mentioned, SwitchToaMac’s source claimed that the 3G-capable iPhone would be announced in May, with the belief that it would be available for purchase the day after the announcement.

The reason for a pre-WWDC announcement? Reportedly, Apple would instead announce a brand new portable device at WWDC. No other details of what this device might be, but there have been rumors that Apple was developing a mini-tablet multitouch device for launch in 2008. This PDA-like device would reportedly have a higher screen resolution (720×480) and be about 1.5x the size of the existing iPhone.

Repubblica.it first reported (in April) that they expected the Italian 3G iPhone launch “in the next few weeks”, suggesting a May launch. While Telecom Italia and Vodofone did announce their intentions to supply the iPhone in Italy, no formal announcement had been made from Apple. Meanwhile, Apple’s supply of iPhones has dwindled to nothing and our retail sources have indicated that they too will not be receiving many (if any) more iPhone shipments, leading many to speculate that the 3G-capable iPhone launch will be sooner than expected.

We don’t necessarily believe this rumor is true, but present it as an interesting possibility. Obviously, we’ll see between now and WWDC if it has any merit.

Nothing really to say here. This technically confirms the fact that the new 3G iPhone will in fact be a 3G device, but you all knew that anyway.

I grabbed this press release of sorts from the WinSuperSite Blog. There was no link given to where this came from, but here is what was posted there:

2K Games announced today that it has reached an agreement for BioShock, the universally acclaimed smash-hit video game, to be developed as a feature film by Universal Pictures. 2K Games, whose 2K Boston and 2K Australia studios developed BioShock, is a video game publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.

The prospect of bringing this blockbuster game to life has attracted not only a major studio, but top Hollywood talent. Gore Verbinski, director of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, is slated to direct and produce the BioShock movie. John Logan, Academy Award-nominated writer of Gladiator, The Aviator and Sweeney Todd, is in talks to do the screenplay.

The expected release date and terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

So what do I think about this? Meh. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the story, presentation, and gameplay in Bioshock made for a great game. Some say one of the greatest games of all time, but u wouldn’t voice that opinion. However, when I think back to the memorable portions of the video game, I have trouble imagining it as an enjoyable movie. I honestly don’t even know what genre this thing would fall under.

Oh a more positive note, the team of guys that are supposedly making this film is and exciting group, no matter what film they are working on, so, we will have to see how this unfolds.