Apple to Launch iPad 2G in the US by April?

A German site is reporting that Apple scheduled to launch the second-generation iPad tablet by April, either on the first or second Saturday of the month.

The story goes:

Reliable sources told us about the upcoming launch of the Apple iPad 2: the first or second Saturday in April will see the first sales of Apples new tablet. The iPad 2 will sell US-only for three months, and Apple Store-only for up to half a year. In July, more countries will follow. Walmart, Best Buy and Co. maybe have to wait until October until they are allowed to sell Apples new tablets.

We can recall last year when Apple unveiled the first iPad that it will become available in US stores by March, but later delayed to April 3rd (also a Saturday). It looks like the rumored launch by April 2nd or 9th this year really makes sense, as far as schedule-plotting pattern is concerned.

Regarding the confirmed features of the device, the site also added that the 2nd-gen iPad include retina display, USB port, and front and rear-facing cameras. Sounds familiar, right? Of course that will run on iOS 4.3! We’ll just see if this rumor turns into a reality, so just stay tuned! [via]



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Apple to Release iOS 4.3 in March with Personal Hotspot for iPhone 4

Apple just released the beta version of iOS 4.3 to developers yesterday, and while there’s no word of its official release to the general public – the folks at Redmond Pie are reporting that the latest firmware for iPhone and iPad will be available sometime in March.

iOS 4.3 Build 8F5148b is said to bring the Personal Hotspot feature to GSM-based iPhone 4 devices. The Personal Hotspot is a feature which allows Wi-Fi tethering (utilizing cellular data) on the recently-announced CDMA-based iPhone 4 from Verizon Wireless in the US. Though Verizon’s iPhone 4 will be available by February 10th and will run on iOS 4.2.5, Apple won’t release a firmware update to existing iPhone 4 users to match with that of Verizon’s. Instead, they will be releasing iOS 4.3 (with Personal Hotspot) in March. So, that actually makes sense.



The Personal Hotspot on iOS 4.3 is confirmed to support iPhone 4 only. There’s no word if it will also support iPhone 3G and 3GS. But with the newly released iOS SDK 4.3 beta, it appears that only iPod Touch 3G, iPod Touch 4G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and the iPad are supported. There’s no software update for iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2G, so I guess the Personal Hotspot feature will be supported only in iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS.



Anyway, we’ll let you know more once we get official word from Apple, or perhaps more evidence and proof. [via]



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NTC Broadband Capping Proposal Didn’t Push Through

Back in December last year, the National Telecommunications Commission or NTC, proposed a Memorandum Order on Minimum Broadband Speed, which contains a promulgated rule that addresses the ISP’s compliance of minimum broadband or internet speed being offered to its subscribers.

And another rule specified in the memo may require the ISP to set the maximum volume of data allowed per subscriber per day or what is known as broadband capping.



The proposed broadband capping raised concerns from consumers and several internet-advocates to be impractical and is against consumers’ right to access information. Though not much a havoc, buzzes regarding the issue lead NTC to call public hearing and consultation about the proposed Memorandum Order last Tuesday, January 11th, at NTC headquarter in Quezon City.

And fortunately, just a day after the hearing, the NTC scrapped the proposal of broadband capping as seen in the original Memorandum Order.

“We are happy to announce that the provision on broadband Internet data caps has been deleted from our draft circular,” NTC Deputy Commissioner Jaime Fortes said. 

“We’ve removed this provision to make the discussion on the issue more lively. The provision was counterproductive to increasing Internet usage in the country,” he said. [via]

Good news, eh? Now that the clause in the memo about broadband capping has already been deleted, what’s next?



Again, the Memorandum Order originally addressed the broadband service providers to specify the minimum internet connection speed every subscriber should get. They are also required to offer a service reliability of 80%. Technically, it has been practiced with any other Telcos in the world to only specify the maximum speed a subscriber should get. And requiring the country’s local Telcos to “promise” the minimum speed to offer is going to be long debate, at least for now as it has to go through a funnel process.



Several telcos have already sent their position on the issue and you can read all of those from here. We’ll be eyeing on the development of the MO, so just stay tuned.



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PlayStation App for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android Devices is here!

Got those cool PSP and PS3, or even the 6th-gen PS2 gaming consoles from Sony?

If you own any of the supported iOS devices as well as Android-based handsets and want to access your account on the Play Station Network even you’re on the go – you can already do that with the new PlayStation app.

Sony already released the official PlayStation app for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android devices – which will allow you to connect to the PSN and keep updated with your trophies, check your friend’s games and online status, look for the latest hardware for your PS console and latest available games at the PS Store, as well as read the latest news via PlayStation Blog.



The app is free and the first version is only available to 6 countries which include: UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and The Netherlands. It is available for download from the Apple App Store (direct link) and Google’s Android Market (check out directly on your handset).



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Verizon iPhone 4 Launched: Same Specs, New Feature, Not 4G

“If the press talks about it long enough and demanded for it hard enough, it eventually comes true” - this is according to the President and CEO of Verizon Wireless, Lowell McAdam.

I was following the press conference of Verizon Wireless earlier today, and it’s not going to be a big surprise (after non-stop leaks and rumors) that the largest wireless carrier in the US, together with Apple, finally launched the CDMA version of iPhone 4. Verizon Wireless customers can pre-order the device starting February 3rd, while it will be available on the network February 10th, just of the same SRP with that of AT&T: $199.99 for the 16GB model and $299.99 for the 32GB model, with 2-year contract.



For the sake of those who are confused why I’m talking about Verizon Wireless and AT&T here giving the fact that both are US carriers, simply because it’s not impossible that SMART Communications or any other Telcos in the country would also close a deal with Apple, putting an end to Globe Telecom’s iPhone exclusivity. I’m not saying though that Globe Telecom offers poor service to its iPhone subscribers, at least based on my own personal experience they are doing great. But needless to say, having competing carriers would benefit end-users, eh?



Back to Verizon iPhone announcement, it would somehow end the hype, and that millions of Verizon Wireless’ subscribers can now avail of the iPhone 4. Some thought there would be some changes on the device, and well there are few.



The Verizon iPhone 4 still has the same hardware specs with the first iPhone 4 models that came out, except that there’s an additional antenna break on the upper-right side of the device and the original antenna break beside the 3.5mm audio jack has been moved to the upper-left.

[Credit]

Technically, the new antenna design is needed for Verizon’s CDMA network; but it still unverified if it also fixes the death grip, the problem which causes the phone signal to significantly drop.



The new Verizon iPhone 4 has a feature called Personal Hotspot which allows users to share the phone’s internet connection over Wi-Fi or popularly called as Wi-Fi Tethering. Originally, the first iPhone 4 only supports tethering through Bluetooth and USB connections, and now there’s the Wi-Fi. Basically, Personal Hotspot works like the app called MyWi, which is only available to jailbroken devices – so it’s not really something new.



The much anticipated 4G support didn’t come to reality, at least for Verizon’s iPhone 4. Even though Verizon utilizes its LTE network which is traditionally faster than 3G, the technology used by AT&T, the Verizon iPhone 4 is still a 3G device. That means until today, there’s no 4G iPhone yet. Could it be the iPhone 5? I’d bet. One important thing to note also with Verizon’s iPhone 4 is it doesn’t come with simultaneous use of voice and data over its CDMA network. That means you won’t be able to surf the internet when you receive or make a call.



The question now is there would be any other carrier here in the Philippines which will follow Verizon Wireless? We don’t know. But that’s most likely to happen, as long as there’s a better deal from Apple. What do you think?



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iTour-PoP Speaker and SkullCandy Riot Headphones Unboxed!

It’s almost a month already since I received these gifts last December, the iTour-PoP portable speaker and Skullcandy Riot headphones; but still I haven’t tried using these stuffs until now.

Looks like my Apple headset (the one came with the iPhone 4) is looking for a replacement – its whiteness is actually fading away due to continuous use. Though it still works perfect and continues to bring great audio experience, it didn’t stop me picking these new stuffs out of the drawer and unboxed it. I’ll make a review of these gadgets probably tomorrow, but for now – let me show you first the unboxing photos. Here we go…

Skullcandy Riot Headphone 

Skullcandy Riot Headphones on iPhone 4

The iTour-PoP Portable Speaker

iTour-PoP Speaker on iPhone 4

So, that’s it! My apology for the low resolution photos- I know that actually s*cks. Nope, not really. Those are still fine shots. Stay tuned for the review! J



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Philips Electronics Join Cebu City Sinulog 2011

It’s a week more to go yet the people of the Philippines “Queen City of the South”, together with the guests from several parts of the world already feel the excitement of what’s going to be another big event in the city.

Main events of Sinulog 2011 will kick-off this Sunday, but as early as that – the city is showcasing cultural events and mall shows including those of consumer electronics.

Dutch company Royal Philips Electronics, Inc. - or best known to us as Philips – joined the city celebration of this year’s Sinulog festival. Philips held a special 3-day event at the Ayala Activity Center showing-off various consumer electronics products and gadgets - ranging from entertainment appliances; kitchenware like the Aluminum or “ALU” series of blenders, juicers, and steamers; their high-tech personal dental health care gadget called Sonicare toothbrush, as well as men shavers and women hair dryers and stylers.

“Just as we endeavor to celebrate the Sinulog Festival every year, Philips Consumer Lifestyle believes that life in itself is a celebration and intends to “Celebrate Life” with the many happy and experiential moments that we can share with families and love ones each time one uses our products,” explains Philips Consumer Lifestyle Business Leader Victor Caindec.

Prior to the tour to see the top of the line household appliances from Philips, the members of the press and bloggers had a quick briefing of the latest product lineup the company will launch in the country.

There’s the Esee Camcorder which will basically compete with Cisco’s Flip, their flagship speaker systems SoundSphere MCi900 and SoundSphere MCD900, the Fidelio Music Lounge which is a portable docking speaker for iPods and iPhones, among others.

Philips also showcased the gigantic Cinema 21:9 Platinum HDTV which is the world’s first cinema proportion 3D TV. This 3D TV is equipped with Philips' Ambilight technology which visually extends the picture on screen beyond the TV frame by projecting a halo of light from behind the TV into the surrounding walls.

That’s the first time I saw a HDTV that supports 21:9 aspect ratio, and the Philips rep told us that’s actually the first unit here in the Philippines. Awesome!



We’ll talk more about Philips' latest products this week, so just stay tuned!



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