iPhone locked for early 2011 on Verizon, says Fortune
Though Verizon famously turned down the original iPhone before Apple ultimately signed a deal with AT&T, the company's outspoken CEO -- Ivan Seidenberg -- has been very careful over the past couple years to note that he'd love toeventually have an iPhone in his lineup. With Verizon Wireless boss Lowell McAdam tapped to take over the top job next year, what'd be a better swan song for Seidenberg than to finally pull it off? Fortune's new profile of the longstanding chief exec and elder statesman is reporting in very matter-of-fact terms that a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 will be a reality on Verizon in "early 2011," lining up with most of the rumors the interwebs has been generating over the past few months.
The piece details the phone as the culmination of literally years of careful discussions between Seidenberg, McAdams, and Steve Jobs; Verizon's guys claim that Jobs acknowledged in late 2007 that the two companies had "missed something" by failing to partner up. The first visible fruit of those talks is the MiFi-bundled iPad that just launched, but that's clearly a minor stepping stone on the way to an actual handset. Fortune reports that Jobs has voiced his concerns over CDMA in the past and the fact that it doesn't work in nearly as many countries as GSM does, but the story goes on to say that the first model on Verizon's shelves "probably" won't be dual-mode and presumably won't have compatibility with the company's shiny new LTE network, either. If true, that'll make for an interesting battle for the spotlight in the first few months of 2011 as an EV-DO iPhone wages war with a number of LTE phones -- some of which look downright gorgeous -- and might put Verizon in the awkward position of having to heavily push two almost diametrically opposed handset and platform initiatives. Furthermore, it's hard to deny that a Verizon iPhone would stress the carrier's network in ways it's never been stressed before; they may be prepared for it, but there's no way of knowing until it all goes down and they get a sense for uptake and conquests from AT&T. Translation: McAdam looks to have a busy 2011 ahead of him as he transitions into the new office.
The PlayStation Phone: new photos, more details!
We've gotten our hands on some more images of the PlayStation Phone, and gleaned a few more juicy details about the handset. Firstly, as you can see in the photos, the model in question does indeed seem to be codenamed "Zeus" (as we reported on the 27th). Furthermore, the handset pictured is running Android 2.2, though apparently there are multiple devices out there with different versions on board (including at least one packed with Android 3.0). Based on what we know, there's little chance the phone will launch with Froyo -- but it's clear these have been worked on for some time with various versions of the OS.
The device appears to have an 8GB microSD card slotted, and at least 512MB of internal storage (though we're hoping it's the 1GB we've heard would be present). As you can see from the pictures in the gallery below, the device isn't exactly thin -- we surmise that the handset is around 17mm thick, or slightly thicker than HTC's Touch Pro 2 (and funnily enough, about the same as the PSPgo). From a design standpoint, the device seems to have more in common with BlackBerry handsets than previous Sony Ericsson phones; that smoky chrome bezel which surrounds the device is definitely giving us Torchflashbacks. As always, we're hard at work digging up more info on the phone (and potentially more images), but for now, just sit tight and enjoy the exclusive photos in the gallery below.
Samsung notches record profits, aims to sell ten million Galaxy S phones this year
My, how a year changes things. Q3 2009 was a nightmare for mega-corps in terms of earnings, but things have definitely been on the up and up just 12 months later. After Sony pushed out a glowing quarterly report this morning, rival Samsung has done likewise. The company saw record breaking revenues of ₩40.23 trillion ($35.8 billion) as well as profits (₩4.46 trillion; $3.96 billion) in this most recent quarter, with Sammy crediting strong semiconductor performance for the bulk of its newfound fortune. A tip of the hat was also given to its mobile communications business, with the outfit moving a staggering 71.4 million phones during Q3 2010 (a 19 percent boost year-over-year). Reports are noting that between five and seven million of those were of the Galaxy S variety, and it's hoping to sell ten million of 'em before the close of this year. All that said, the firm isn't expecting an equally rosy Q4, noting that a strengthening won and heightened price pressures around LCD panels and DRAM could put a damper on skyrocketing profits. So much for taking a day to celebrate, eh?
Sprint CEO thanks iPad for uptick in Overdrive demand
Well, wouldn't you know it? Seems that tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign may actually be working. Way back in April of this year, Sprint decided it would begin offering its own iPad case, despite the fact that even today the iPad isn't sold in Sprint stores. The reason? It's the perfect opportunity to push theOverdrive, a 4G mobile hotspot that's able to take the iPad (and any other WiFi-enabled device) to 4G speeds where available. In a recent interview with GigaOM, the carrier's CEO (Dan Hesse) confirmed that most iPads being sold are of the WiFi variety, and due to that, "the company has seen an uptick in demand for its Overdrive (3G/4G) MiFi wireless-hotspot device, as people use it to connect their iPads to the Internet when on the go." He failed to exaggerate on actual numbers, but it's obvious he's in favor of Apple's darling tablet selling like hotcakes -- after all, how else are you going to get an iDevice into 4G territory?
MSI introduces the FR600 3D, their new 3D Laptop
MSI latest laptop, the MSI FR600, is now available with a 3D screen and sold under the FR600 3D Name. Our laptop is powered by an Intel Core i5 CPU, support up to 8GB of RAM, comes with a 15.6” Full HD LED backlight LCD Panel, Intel HD Graphic, HDMI out and VGA.
This FR600 3D comes with a DVD Super Multi Drive, 320, 500 or 640GB of HDD and the usual USB, eSATA, Wi-Fi, and 720p capable Web Camera.
Finally, the FR600 3D comes with MSI’s TDE (Turbo Drive Engine technology) that instantly throttles up system performance, THX Smart Wrap Around sound and MSI’s Cinema Pro Technology to better maximizes video quality.
Kanto AV Systems, one of the leaders in iPod speaker systems, has just launched a contest to find a design to apply in limited edition to their flagsh
Now on offer in Japan by Toshiba; a limited edition of its Dynabook Qosmio T75,0 featuring decorative casing and wallpaper with the emblems of one of twelve Japanese baseball teamsr.
The Dynabook Qosmio T750 comes with a 15.6” LCD monitor with 1366×768 resolution, 640GB of HDD, Digital TV Tuner, Blu-Ray Disc drive, *GB of RAM and an Intel Core i7-640M for 210,000 Yen.
Kanto Announces Speaker Graphic Design Contest with Great Prizes
Kanto AV Systems, one of the leaders in iPod speaker systems, has just launched a contest to find a design to apply in limited edition to their flagship speaker system, the SYD 5. The creator of the winning design will receive a SYD 5 system featuring their design, $2000 in cash, plus $50 for each unit featuring their design that is sold (I wonder how much they are planning to sell these things for). The winner will be announced and featured at the world-renowned CES consumer electronics show in Las Vegas in January 2011.
It looks like a pretty sweet contest for artists and graphic designers. The deadline is November 21, so you’d better get cracking. Full details are available by following the link.
MAL2635S, Marshal’s smart HDD case
Marshal, an electronics manufacturer in Japan, has released a new “smart” hard drive case with many interesting functionalities. The MAL2635S is a 3.5 inches SATA / SATA II external HDD case, with LED indicators to let the user know at a glance how much unused space remains on the drive: 90%, 70%, 50% or 30%. The case is geared towards energy savings: its aluminum body prevents it from overheating, and there’s a power saving mode that activates automatically after the drive has been idle for 10 minutes. It can be used as an external hard drive (USB 3.0/2.0), but also as an additional storage drive for the PS3, with Toshiba Regza, or as a storage drive for TV recording.
Size 34×206×115mm for 466g (without hard drive). No word yet on pricing.
Microsoft To See Revenue Increase, But What’s Next?
Software giant Microsoft is expected to report a huge increase in revenue Thursday, aided by its newest versions of Office software and the blockbuster Halo video game, according to a Tuesday Reuters report. However, investors see many short- and long-term issues with the company’s core Windows franchise as personal computer sales are lagging, even though the company saw a record breaking 240
Inspiron Zino HD
Introducing the new InspironTM Zino HD mini desktop computer. You’ll be amazed by how many powerful features are inside such a perfectly small 7.8" (20 cm) by 7.8" (20 cm) square.
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Dell Studio 15 Laptop
Get creative and stay connected with the new Dell StudioTM 15 laptop. Its Hi-def, 15.6" (40 cm) LED widescreen design is multimedia-rich, and with a choice of colors the Dell Studio 15 is easily personalised to fit your style.
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Toshiba to launch 3D-capable laptop in July
Toshiba is set to become the first PC maker to put a 3D-capable Blu-ray Disc laptop on sale, it said Monday.
The company's Dynabook TX/98MBL will hit Japan in July and is based around a 3D system from graphics-chip maker NVidia.
NVidia's "3D Vision" system combines one of its GeForce graphics cards with a pair of active-shutter glasses, a plug-in transmitter to send sync signals to the glasses and software.
Active-shutter glasses flicker on and off 60 times per second in sync with the image being displayed on the screen. The screen shows 120 images per second with alternate frames for the right and left eye and the glasses help separate these and direct the relevant image to the correct eye. In this way the view gets an illusion of depth in the image.
Toshiba's laptop has a 15.6-inch display and a Blu-ray Disc drive with support for 3D movies. The laptop is based around an Intel Core i7-740QM processor and the GeForce chip in use is the GTS 365M, said Toshiba.
It will go on sale in July in Japan for about ¥250,000 (US$2,745). Toshiba plans to put it on sale overseas but isn't ready to announce launch plans.
Toshiba Launches the Camileo H10, a New, Low Cost Camcorder
Toshiba announced the addition of a new HD camera to its Camileo Series, the Toshiba Camileo H10. Our new camera records video in 720p, features a 10 Mpix sensor, 5x optical zoom, 2.7″ LCD screen, 64MB of memory, SD/SDHC slot (up to 8GB of memory), motion detection, night mode, and image stabilization.
This new camcorder will be available at the end of this month for 230€.
Report says Apple to launch 7-inch iPad by Christmas
Apple is readying another tablet similar to the iPad but with a 7-inch touchscreen for launch as early as the end of this year, according to a major Taiwanese newspaper.
This is the second report of an iPad 2 sighting in Taiwan, and it comes from the island's Chinese-language Economic Daily News financial newspaper, which was among the first to correctly report that Apple was making a tablet when other news sources said it would be a netbook. The launch of the original iPad proved the paper correct.
Taiwan's Digitimes newspaper last week reported that Taiwanese companies were starting to assemble a 7-inch iPad for Apple.
The Economic Daily reports that Taiwanese companies have won a number of component contracts for the iPad 2. Chimei Innolux will supply 7-inch LCD screens, which use the same IPS (in-plane switching) technology found in the original iPad, which improves viewing angles and color on LCD screens. Touchscreen technology for the screens will come from Cando Corporation, the report says.
Apple has also tapped Compal Electronics, one of the world's largest contract laptop computer makers, to assemble the new iPad, the report says.
The companies named in the Economic Daily report declined to comment. Contract manufacturers and component makers normally do not reveal what products they're working on because failure to maintain secrecy can cause them to miss out on future contracts.
White iPhone 4 release delayed to Spring 2011 by Apple: Will it come out with CDMA/Dual SIM slot on Verizon eventually?
Apple just cannot seem to roll out the iPhone in white and this has got to a point where people just want to buy one, not so much because it looks way better than the black one, but to finally flaunt the rare white iPhone handset. It is almost as if Apple finds it impossible to get its manufacturers in the Far East to make that color. Maybe that is because Steve Jobs is seeing nothing but ‘green’ off late. Either way, the White Apple iPhone 4 has been pushed back to Spring of 2011.
This, just after a day, when we saw the white iPhone 4 pre-order option in the newly released iPhone app update. We were promised one for this holiday season, but once again Apple fails to deliver one. You will remember that earlier this month we spotted the white iPhone on the streets of New York in the hands of someone who was well connected with the top bosses in the Apple headquarters.
The man did mention that Apple were still having issues with producing buttons that match the white case and it seems the problems are long way from being resolved. With the Verizon iPhone 4 probably scheduled to be out at the same time, maybe we will get the White iPhone 4 on Verizon with dual SIM capabilities!
For now though the story is that science could put man on the moon and bring him back safely but has failed to produce keypad buttons white enough… Yes, we know. Now someone will start with the whole ‘we never went to the moon’ theory…
TDK LoR Introduces Its First iDevice Speakers
TDK LoR (Life on Record) announced five new iPhone speakers today, the first for the company, in its new Xa Lunchbox series. Chief among its characteristics is the overhead handle that three of the five models share, and which was probably the origin of the series name; also present is an alarm clock radio and a somewhat portable model that is foldable and compact (and powered by batteries). All five models support iPods and iPhones, although not the latest Nano, Touch, or iPhone – strange, considering it’s being released six months after the newest iPhone.
Fujitsu Upgrades Their Large Range of Laptops & Desktop PCs
Along with their FMV-Biblo Loox U presentation, Fujitsu introduced their upgraded FMV-BIBLO series.
FMV-BIBLO LOOX R
The 12.1” LOOX R has been updated. It’s now available with an Intel Core 2 Duo SU9300 (1.2GHz) and, depending on the model, with either 2GB or 4GB of DDR3, and 250GB of HDD.
The LOOX R also features a LED backlight with 1280×800 resolution, DVD DL multi drive, Wifi A/B/G/N, and Bluetooth.
FMV-BIBLO MG
The Biblo MG is available in 13.3” (MG/B70) and 14.1″ (MG/B75 and B90) versions. Released in Japan some time ago, Fujitsu decided to freshen-up the series by offering a Core 2 Duo T8100 (2.10GHz) with the 13.3” version. It also features 2GB of memory (DDR2), 250GB of HDD, DVD Super Multi-Drive, WiFi b/g, SD/memory stick/xD slot…
The 14.1” version has a Core 2 Duo P8400 CPU (2.26GHz) and is available with 2GB of RAM, 250GB of SATA HDD, a DVD DL multi burner, Wifi A/B/G/N, Bluetooth, and sold with either Windows XP Pro or Vista Business.
FMV-BIBLO NF
Our 15.4” (WXGA) notebook is available in a few different flavors, with CPUs ranging from a Celeron 550 to an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 (2.26GHz). Depending on which model you select, Fujitsu offers from 250GB to 320GB of HDD. You’ll also get 2GB of DDR2 or DDR3 memory.
The high-end version features a digital TV tuner, Blu-Ray disc drive and a Windows Media Center capable remote control. You’ll also get a Wifi a/b/g, webcam, 4x USB2.0 port, eSATA port, SD/memory stick card slot. All series are provided with Windows Vista Home Premium.
FMV-DESKPOWER
This series has also been upgraded. With an “Appleish” appearance, you’ll have a choice between 16” (1366×768 ) and 19’’ (1440×900).
The 16’’ F/B50 features an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T8100 (2.1GHz) with 2GB of RAM (max 4GB), 320GB of SATA HDD, Wifi B/G, and Bluetooth.
The 19’’ F/B70T features an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 (2.26GHz), 2GB of DDR3, 500GB of HDD, TV tuner, 1.3Mpix webcamera, WiFi a/b/g.
FMV-TEO
The TEO-B90D, and TEO-B70D desktops are both powered by a AMD Turion X2 RM-70 CPU (2GHz), AMD M780G chipset, 2GB of memory (DDR2) and feature HDMI interface, digital tuner TV, Wifi b/g, six USB ports, SD /SDHC/memory stick PRO card reader .
The high-end TEO-B90D features 750GB of HDD, and Blu-Ray disc drive, while the TEO-B70D will be equipped with 500GB of HDD and a DVD super multi drive…
Dell Streak/Mini 5 MID Tablet prototype pops up in China
While we are all busy caught up with the news of iPad, the prototype of Dell’s upcoming tablet the so-called “Dell Streak” or “Mini 5” has been spotted in Shengzen under what must be the official name “Dell M01M” according to the Shengzen-based PC Online. Its features include 5 inch 800 x 480 touchscreen, Android 1.6, a 1GHz CPU, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G, a 5 megapixel camera with duel-LED flash and a front-facing camera.
It comes at around 7,500 Yuan / $1,098.
Viewsonic VX2258wm 22-inch multitouch display hits stores in Europe
Toshiba introduces flashy Satellite L635 S3030 Laptop
The entry level Satellite L635 may not be the most exciting laptop ever, and its choice of CPU ranging from the AMD Athlon, Turion to the Intel Core i3 or i5 does not reassure performance-oriented people. Nevertheless, the L635, introduced earlier this June in the USA, comes today with an interesting choice of colors including a “Flashy” Green and Metallic like silver. So if you were looking for something to match your Surf or Sk8 outfit, well, Toshiba’s latest L635 S3030 may just be what you were looking for.
–Update– The L635 S3030 is also named : L635 Kids’ PC featuring a Wipeable keyboard, a Dual-core Intel Celeron P4600 processor, 2GB of RAM, a DVD drive, and 250GB of HDD and many little soft for kids.
SAP Asks For Gag Order In Oracle Case
SAP AG (Sap, SAP.XE), which is preparing for a November intellectual-property trial against Oracle Corp. (ORCL), has asked the court for a gag order in the case.
Late on Friday, SAP filed an administrative motion for an order regarding counsels' extrajudicial communications, asking the court to prohibit the involved attorneys from making statements about the trial outside of court.
"Oracle's attorney first raised concerns about the issue of the lawyers involvement in publicity on the case at the end of the September 30th pretrial conference," said SAP spokesman Saswato Das. "We agreed with the position taken by their attorney and have documented our agreement with the filing of the motion."
Oracle declined to comment.
Oracle and SAP, rivals in the business-software market, have been involved in a legal battle since 2007, when Oracle alleged in a lawsuit that now-defunct SAP subsidiary, called TomorrowNow Inc., infringed on Oracle's intellectual property. The trial is scheduled to begin in federal court in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 1.
SAP said in an August legal filing it would accept responsibility for the copyright infringement and pay restitution to Oracle, of Redwood Shores, Calif. But Walldorf, Germany-based SAP refutes Oracle's claim that Oracle likely suffered more than $1 billion in damages.
SAP's motion concerning extrajudicial communications in large part springs from a recent incident involving the New York Times in which Times reporter Joe Nocera sharply criticized Leo Apotheker, who was named CEO at PC maker Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) on Sept. 30. Nocera implied that Apotheker, a longtime SAP executive who was briefly the German company's chief executive, would have known about TomorrowNow's copyright infringement while he was at SAP. It suggested that the Palo Alto, Calif.-based H-P should not be so critical of Mark Hurd --its former CEO--given the circumstances outlined in the lawsuit.
After the Times article ran, H-P's incoming chairman, Ray Lane, defended Apotheker in a widely circulate letter to the Times. Then it emerged that Nocera's fiance is the communications director at Boies, Schiller & Flexner, a law firm representing Oracle in the lawsuit.
"The episode involving the New York Times article--coupled with Oracle's counsel's refusal to eschew publicity efforts during trial despite recognizing that jurors may not heed a court instruction not to read press coverage--leads to this motion," SAP's motion says.
The circumstances call attention to a case of musical chairs among top executives at Oracle, H-P and SAP. Apotheker, who now runs H-P, used to run SAP. Lane used to be Oracle's president and chief operating officer, but now is on H-P's board. Last month, Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison hired Hurd, H-P's former CEO, to be a co-president at Oracle.
The filing also comes amid deterioration in the decades-old partnership between Oracle and H-P, two Silicon Valley powerhouses. Signs of strain first appeared last year when Oracle announced its acquisition of Sun Microsystems Inc., a maker of computer servers that compete with products from H-P.
But the trouble accelerated rapidly as Hurd left H-P amid questions over his personal conduct in August. At the time, Ellison said H-P had made "the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs many years ago."
Ellison further antagonized H-P when he hired Hurd, prompting a lawsuit from H-P the following day. The suit has since settled.
Then when H-P hired Apotheker, Ellison wrote in an email to the Wall Street Journal that "HP had several good internal candidates... but instead they pick a guy who was recently fired because he did such a bad job of running SAP."
At that time, an H-P spokeswoman said Ellison's comments don't "deserve the dignity of a response."
On Friday, SAP shares closed up 1.2% to $53.15. Oracle closed up 0.6% to $28.99, while H-P was up 1.1% to $42.87.
How to call on iPod Touch 4G for Free (No Jailbreak Required)
hey guys, this is a 100% easiest and legit way to call for FREE on the new ipod touch 4th generation! Hope you enjoy this quick tutorial. (I apologize for the mic quality) If you have ANY problems about this app or a question about it please feel free to PM me or leave a comment. I will get to you as son as I can. Requirments: – ipod touch 4th generation – Voip App Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Don’t forget to subscribe. EXTRA – How to call people from the iPod Touch w/o jailbreaking it. apple ipod nano iphone touch 2g 3g 4g mac macbook 13 inch review real unboxing quick review iPod Touch 4G Photo Quality Test HDR iPod Touch 4G “FaceTime” Video Calling Hands-On hands on calling facetime Steve Job’s demonstration of the new iPod Touch 4th generation from the newest Apple live event that took place on September 1st. It features a 960×640 IPS screen, 1GHz Apple A4 processor with PowerVR SGX 540 graphics, 512MB of RAM, dual cameras (rear camera supports 720p video recording, but still pictures are only 0.7 megapixels. All credit goes to Gizmodo for recording this amazing event completely. Also demonstrated were a new iPod Nano, complete with multi-touch screen. Also mentioned was a new iPod Shuffle, AppleTV, iOS 4.1 and 4.2, and iTunes 10 complete with new Ping functionality and a revamped icon/interface How to make Phone Calls with your iPod Touch and how Call instructions apps wireless Ap
Dell’s New Tablet Notebook (IDF 2010)
Convertible tablet PCs – that is, tablet PCs that can turn into a regular laptop form factor – have traditionally had swivel screens on hinges that work the same way as the swivel screens on Sony’s Alpha DSLRs, for example. There was also one with an awkward sliding mechanism that nobody remembers, but we won’t go into that here. At the Intel Developer Forum being held right now in San Francisco, Dell introduced an upcoming addition to their Inspiron line with a 10-inch netbook that transforms into a tablet PC using a whole new approach. Once you open the lid of the laptop, the screen flips around on an axis halfway down the sides of the display, turning into a clamshell laptop
The HP Slate’s out!
No, you’re not dreaming: after months of speculations, rumors and leaks, HP has finally announced the Slate 500 — with a twist: it’s meant for business, not for consumers (though anyone can buy one if they’re willing to fork over 800 bucks). In that sense, I don’t think it can be thought as competition for the iPad, but if designed correctly, it might be way more useful in a professional settings (say, a hospital) than the iPad.
The HP Slate 500 packs a 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540 processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 64GB SSD under its 8.9-inch touchscreen, as well as 2 cameras and a special stylus, since yes, you can take notes with the Slate! Its Wacom active digitizer lets you use your stylus to do pretty much anything you want, if you don’t like handling touchscreens with your fingers. That, among others, definitely sets the Slate apart from most other tablets out there.
Adobe MAX 2010
Adobe Systems is targeting mobiles, TVs, and app-stores with new editions of various Flash-centric tools and its Rich Internet Application (RIA) framework.
The company has unveiled preview editions of the next Flex Framework, its Flash Builder design and development environment, the Flash Catalyst design tool, and version 2.5 of its Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR). Previews are due at Adobe's annual MAX conference in Los Angeles, California, with final code promised for sometime in 2011.
Adobe's software now works on Google's Android and RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook, putting Flash-based applications and services on these devices.
The software isn't yet working on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 because Adobe missed a cut-off date for the release of Microsoft's latest mobile operating system, launched this month. Adobe is still working with Microsoft to deliver AIR on Windows Phone 7, Adobe toldThe Reg.
Flex Framework and Flash Builder will be updated to work on Apple's tablet-tastic iOS in an unspecified follow-on release, but Flex Catalyst won't be making the move.
Adobe said it picked the Blackberry tablet because RIM is being very aggressive and "really wants to get into the game."
Adobe and prime tablet provider Apple have had a major falling out during 2010, as Steve Jobs lambasted Flash, championed HTML5 as the Flash alternative, and went to extraordinary lengths to confuse developers and exclude Flash from the iPad.
As it now stands, Flash can cross compile on iOS, but Adobe must use native code for the runtime on Apple. On non-Apple devices, AIR is the runtime.
Season 3 Episode 5 review
Episode 5 presents an oddly sombre finale to the season as a whole. It’s funny, a comedy first and foremost, and a wonderfully imaginative finale – but one that packs several stings in the tale, and more than a couple of dead bodies. It feels like an epilogue as much as an episode, not just to this specific story, but potentially to Telltale’s stint as Sam and Max’s storytellers. Right from the start, this episode has a different feel – a new title sequence, bigger set-pieces, and most notably, no Max as Sam’s partner. He’s still a major player, but as a snarky enemy, appearing mostly as an army of flaming heads using the now familiar psychic powers to sabotage your progress.
He’s not desperately effective at this though. The limited number of rooms and objects makes this the easiest episode of the series by far, but that’s fine – it keeps the story bubbling along admirably. The superb Narrator remains the unquestionable highlight, and even if a couple of the big story reveals do fall oddly flat after all the build-up, his Twilight Zone style commentary papers over the cracks with great style. Such a shame he probably won’t be back now that his chosen story is told.
As for the series as a whole, ignoring a few wobbly moments here and there, especially in Episodes 2 and 4, it’s been an excellent year for the Freelance Police. The Devil’s Playhouse hasn’t been a deep story, but it’s been a fun one, letting Telltale stretch their creative fingers and try some much needed new twists on its formula. It would be a shame for the series to end here, but a fitting send-off if it does.
Evernote Android app helps capture ideas that might slip away
Some of us get our best ideas in the weirdest of places. Whether it's on a train heading into town or while we're on the run (literally), many of these ideas quickly slip away before we have a chance to grab a pen and paper.
Evernote, thankfully, turned your phone into a nearly perfect thought-recording device. Whether you prefer typing notes, taking pictures, or recording audio, Evernote makes it super-easy to capture any idea in real time, and then sync it with your computer (Mac/PC), iPhone or Android.
However, it's not perfect. The app lacks any kind of sorting or organization tool for your notes. Plus, the app is useless without an always-on Internet connection and an Evernote account.
Finally, older notes sometimes have the nagging habit of being unavailable.The folks at Evernote Corp. have pledged gobs of cash to upgrade and extend the capabilities of this popular application, however, so we'll probably see all of these issues resolved in the coming months.
For now, it's worth your time to install and get comfortable with the app. After all, when pen and paper are unavailable, we all need to record those million-dollar ideas somehow. And your trusty Droid is always with you, ready to serve.