By Paul Thomson :: 11:22 PM
The world is waiting for the third generation of Apple’s popular touch screen tablet, and here are our top 3 predictions for the new gadget.
1. The iPad 3 will be as powerful as a desktop computer.
It has been rumored that the iPad 3 will come with a quad-core processor, most likely the A6.
2. Retina Display
The retina display was expected in the second generation tablet, but Apple did not deliver. The iPad3 will most likely have the retina display with a resolution of 2058X1536 pixels expected.
3. Camera with flash
Now those 3 predictions deal with the features of the iPad 3, but here’s an additional prediction that most people probably won’t like – the price. The iPad 2 will probably be the last $499 offering from Apple. We expect the lowest priced iPad3 to enter the market slightly higher, perhaps at $529 or $549.
By Gilbert Falso :: 11:44 PM
Google has announced its acquisition of high-end restaurant and shopping reviews publisher Zagat, in an effort to build out its local business content.
The deal, announced in a blog post earlier today, will be a cornerstone of Google’s local offering, claimed Marissa Mayer, Google Vice President for local search, maps and location services. The Zagat deal comes two years after Google attempted to buy Yelp for a reported $500 million. That deal crumbled however, due to various reported reasons.
From Google’s Mayer:
“Zagat provides people with a democratized, authentic and comprehensive view of where to eat, drink, stay, shop and play worldwide based on millions of reviews and ratings,” adding, “For all of these reasons, I’m incredibly excited to collaborate with Zagat to bring the power of Google search and Google Maps to their products and users, and to bring their innovation, trusted reputation and wealth of experience to our users.”
By Paul Thomson :: 11:42 PM
Los Angeles Laker guard Kobe Bryant briefly joined Twitter on Wednesday evening, taking the handle @KobeBryant and issuing his first tweet, “Can you hear me now?!?!” at 8:35 PM. Bryant’s official Facebook page offered a message announcing his new Twitter account.
Within a few short hours, Bryant’s account garnered 36,000 followers, but the hoops star pulled the plug, according to Yahoo! Sports, who reported that the decision for Bryant to Tweet was made prematurely.
Bryant was following 15 twitter accounts, including NBA players Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony.
It is expected that Bryant will return to the 140-character service at some point, but no definite date has been set.
Below – message on Bryant’s Facebook page, announcing the new Twitter account:
By Gilbert Falso :: 10:48 PM
A photo supposedly shot with a prototype iPhone 5 has been leaked, and according to mobile/tech news site PocketNow.com, appears to be the real deal.
The picture, of an Apple engineer’s sushi meal, has metadata that claims it was taken by an iPhone 4, but the picture dimensions point to something more sophisticated. The original picture measured in at 3264 x 2448 a little under eight megapixels. And even more telling, the lens was recorded as a 4.3mm f/2.4, which is more like the lens on a point-and-shoot consumer camera than on the current iPhone 4’s lens, which comes in at 3.85mm f/2.8.
It is possible that the image’s metadata has been altered, but likely not, since the GPS coordinates of the photo put it at 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, Calif. – Apple’s headquarters. So it appears as if we might be able to expect an 8MP camera with the quality equal to that of a point-and-shoot model to be standard on the iPhone 5 when it launches in the coming months.
The photo (not the original, that one is here) is below:
By Paul Thomson :: 2:56 AM
According to reports published about recent contracts awarded for creation of iPad3 components, it is possible that the third-generation Apple tablet will be thinner and lighter than its predecessors.
According to an article in the Taiwan Economic News, two companies that are already suppliers for the current iPad have been awarded the contracts to produce batteries for the iPad 3. Simplo Technology and Dynapack International Technology will also produce a battery that has a longer service life than the iPad 2’s battery.
The thin specs and extended service life mean that this battery will cost Apple roughly 25% more to make. It is unknown at this time if that means Apple will maintain iPad pricing at or near current levels, or raise the prices to make up part of the difference.
Battery production will begin toward the end of the fourth quarter of this year, and the iPad 3 is expected to reach full production cycles sometime in the first quarter of 2012.
Given the current timing and planned production, the iPad 3 may be on store shelves at the one-year anniversary of the launch of the iPad 2.