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Oh, we knew the Apple tablet / iPad / iSlate would be good, but we didn’t think it’d be this good. Walt Mosspuppetberg got his hands on an iSlate, and has been using one for a couple of years as it’s gone through its various development cycles. He finally breaks his silence with this review, stating that “this is probably the most completely perfect product to ever be released.”

Wednesday’s Apple tablet event can’t come soon enough!

Gallery: First iPad Apple tablet review


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Verizon iPhoneGotta love those analysts, as they’re always good for stirring the rumor mill - this time it’s BusinessWeek reporting claims that will likely be ending it’s exclusive relationship with AT&T in order to bring the iPhone to all major US carriers. According to Tim Horan, telecommunications analyst at Oppenheimer & Co., T-Mobile USA should have the iPhone available this summer (whatever the follow-up to the iPhone 3GS turns out to be,) with Verizon and Sprint getting the goods this fall. Even Clearwire will be able to get in on the action, as they are expected to get the iPhone sometime in 2011. Of course, AT&T has been the exclusive carrier of the iPhone since it launched in June 2007.

Of course, Apple has the perfect opportunity to announce changes like this if they’d like, as they’ve got what many are predicting to be a colossal Apple event on January 27th, just two days from now. We’ll keep you posted.

Read More | BusinessWeek

Gallery: Analyst: iPhone will soon be available on all US wireless carriers


Apple Tablet

While we await the coming arrival of the fabled Apple tablet, which we all expect to finally arrive at the January 27th Apple event, it appears that the Wall Street Journal has gotten a bit of inside information that offers a glimpse of what the iPad / iSlate will end up doing for us. Of course, we still suggest taking all of this with a grain of salt, but this isn’t far off from the whispers we’ve been hearing either:

  • The Apple tablet will have some sort of virtual keyboard. This only makes sense, because if there’s no physical keyboard, you’d need a virtual one to type on (similar to the iPhone and iPod touch)
  • Publishing firms like Conde Nast, The New York Times, and HarperCollins have been in discussions with Apple on how they can get their content onto the tablet, and new ways of displaying the news on a modern (or even futuristic) device
  • Apple is definitely pondering a switch as it pertains to the default search engine on their iPhone OS, focusing on replacing Google with for search, as well as Maps.
  • They’ve also been in talks with TV networks about the possibility of a multi-show iTunes TV subscription package, where users would get to choose a package of the best 4-6 shows per channel and subscribe for a monthly fee.
  • That whole Lala acquisition by Apple will likely lead to a web-based version of iTunes, which would allow for purchasing music outside of the actual iTunes application. It would also allow for publishers to place buttons that would allow readers to purchase iTunes content right on their website. There may even be a service that would allow users to stream all their iTunes music through the service to other computers, iPhones, and the like. This is basically a merge of iTunes and Lala in its current form.
  • The tablet may have some sort of smart recognition built-in, giving it the ability to recognize the user by using its camera, and then applying settings for that specific user on the fly

There’s a lot there, we know. Luckily, we are just six days away from hearing the word from the horse’s mouth. What do you think? Anything up there sound a little too far-fetched for your tastes? Also, please be sure to vote in our poll letting us know if you’d pre-order the Apple tablet sight unseen.

Gallery: WSJ: Apple Tablet to focus on games, TV, music, reading


iPhone OS 4.0

Our pals over at Boy Genius Report are saying they’ve received some inside information about the iPhone OS 4.0, which is heavily rumored to debut, and possibly even be released, at the Apple event on January 27th. Here’s what they are saying about iPhone OS 4.0:

  • There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide. (Would make sense for that as the rumored OS for the iTablet is close if not the same as the iPhone)
  • “A few new ways” to run applications in the background—multitasking.
  • Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient. We haven’t had this broken down, but we can only hope for improved notifications, a refreshed homescreen, etc.
  • The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will “put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers” more than any other phone to date. Everyone is “really excited.”
  • The last piece of information is the most vague, but apparently there will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.

As far as we’re concerned, we think that a graphical and UI interface refresh is definitely needed for the iPhone, which hasn’t really seen any major interface changes since it launched. Of course, we will be bringing you all the new on January 27th as it happens.

Gallery: iPhone OS 4.0 to arrive 1/27 with new interface, multitasking?


Apple Event January 27th

Okay, gang, has finally sent those press invitations out to an event they are holding on January 27th, and if there is one thing we can surmise from this one, it’s that we will be seeing the release of a new product. Whether you want to call it the , iPad, Apple Tablet, MacBook touch, or whatever else, we’re putting all our money on a brand new multitouch tablet device, with Apple aiming to change the world yet again. Oh, and updated MacBook Pros as well.

The event starts at 10:00AM Pacific time and comes to you from the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. Join us then, because we’ll be hitting you with the news as it happens.

Gallery: It’s official: Apple holding event on January 27, showing ‘latest creation’


MacBook Pro Core i5 leak

You know that Apple event that focuses on mobility products that is rumored to be happening at the end of the month? Looks like it won’t be just related to the Apple tablet iSlate iPad super iPhone. With the new Core i5 and i7 chips having just launched, we figured they’d make their way into the MacBook Pro line soon enough. In fact, Intel seems pretty confident here too, being that they are running giveaways where you could win a Core i5-powered MacBook Pro, despite the fact that they technically don’t exist. Yet. We bet that’ll change before the month is over.

Read More | Gizmodo

Gallery: Core i5 MacBook Pro accidentally leaked by Intel?


Apple iSlate tablet mockup

2010 will be the first year that doesn’t take part in MacWorld, but that doesn’t mean the company doesn’t have big announcements that need to be made. According to both the Financial Times and Fox News, they’ve been told by a “source inside Apple” that the company will be holding a special event on January 26th that will be focused on the mobility space. What does that mean? The iSlate / iGuide / iPad / Apple Tablet should become a reality.

Now, we aren’t ones to spur unnecessary excitement, but lets look at the facts. The last iPod event was on September 9th, so we know that this won’t be focused on the iPod, although we wouldn’t be that surprised to see an iPod touch with a camera appear here. The MacBook Pro should be getting a spec bump based on new Intel architecture, but that wouldn’t be enough in and of itself to warrant a special Apple Event. The rumors and leaks have gone on long enough, and we think that January 26th will mark the day that Apple shows the world how tablet entertainment devices should be done.

What do you think?

[Photo Credit]

Read More | Fox News

Gallery: Apple Event on Jan 26 says Fox News and Financial Times


TiVo Premiere

It’s been quite a while since has given us a new model of DVR, but a shipping error pretty much confirms that the company is set to launch a new device called TiVo Premiere (alongside the TiVo Premiere XL.) Recent TiVo HD purchaser Patrick McCarron had a TiVo Premiere setup guide included in his order, and he decided to throw the whole thing up on Scribed for our perusal. The main details here are the the S-Video port is out, and there is only space for one multistream CableCARD now, as opposed to the two slots found on the TiVo Series3 and TiVo HD.

Not much more is known about the TiVo Premiere at the moment, but we are crossing our fingers for a storage bump and beefier internal components that can power a new TiVo high definition interface. is just about a week away—we’ll be sure to stop and chat with the TiVo folks.

Read More | Infinite Shamrock

Gallery: TiVo set to launch TiVo Premiere DVR?


8GB iPhone 3GS

It looks like Apple is getting ready to replace the aging 8GB iPhone 3G that currently sells for $99 with a newer model, if their packaging is to be believed. A user on the German apfetalk discussion forum posted the image above, which is the label on the iPhone 3G 8GB box, and while he did receive a regular iPhone 3G, the box clearly says “iPhone 3GS v2.2 8GB” and has us thinking that Apple is finally ready to have the entire product line fall under the 3GS brand. Heck, the 8GB iPhone 3GS is a year-and-a-half old now, and we all know that Apple is set to release an all new iPhone model this summer, so it all makes sense to us.

Gallery: 8GB iPhone 3GS on the way?


CrunchPad

Anytime over the past year-and-a-half or so, whenever someone asked me what I thought about the , my answer was pretty much always the same: you’ll never get your hands on one. Call me a cynic, but I just found it difficult to believe that Mike Arrington would be able to pull off what no other major consumer electronics manufacturer has been unable to do as of yet. Today, Mike announced that the CrunchPad is dead. No more. Kaput. I’m not surprised.

Let me make myself clear, though. My thoughts had nothing to do with the capabilities of Arrington, FusionGarage, or anyone else involved in the project. I simply felt that there would be an outside influence that would knock the project off-track. Conspiracy theory or not, if a major manufacturer that had a lot of pull in the area where these devices are manufactured (like China) truly wanted to play hardball to make sure a small start-up couldn’t release a device like the CrunchPad because they were going to be releasing something similar, at a much higher price, I bet they could pull that off.

Not to say that this is what happened, I’m just thinking aloud. However, when you read Mike’s post on the matter, you quickly realize that something went on, and it was something strange and sudden. Either way, the CrunchPad is dead. No worries, though, 2010 will be the year that the tablet hits the mainstream.

Read More | TechCrunch

Gallery: The CrunchPad is no more


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