After months of waiting and speculation, the new iPhone 3G S was revelead during the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) at San Francisco, California.  The “S” stands for speed. The new iPhone 3G S has over 100 new features which has pleased most of the avid iPhone fanatics. The new model has improved in speed and performace especially for gamers with updated 3D graphics that deliver an incredible gaming experience. It prides itself of being twice faster than the previous model and has a longer battery life.

One of the best improvements is the inclusion of a 3 megapixel autofocus camera. With a tap on the screen of the object you want taken, iPhone 3G S adjusts and focuses automatically. You can send your photos via email, MMS or post everything directly to the MobileMe Gallery. With the same 3 megapixel camera comes the ability to record video. You can record at 30-fps of VGA video which is perfect for posting on the web. Afterwards, you can trim the footage right on the iPhone and save it. You can post the video online via Mobile Me or even on YouTube.

Other noted features are the cut, copy and paste which has been in the wish list of every iPhone user. Voice Control has the ability to recognize the names in your Contacts and call them. Also, it can play the music on your iPod.  Just say it and it plays it.

The new iPhone 3G S will be available on June 19th in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK in both black and white and will be priced at $199 for 16 GB models and $299 for 32 GB models

For more details on the new 3G S iPhone, visit the Apple website.

SOURCES: APPLE, USA TODAY, MACRUMORS

The twin speakers has a combined 12 Watts RMS power (with a 3D stero effect) so you can jam with your tunes. Power can be supplied via an external power supply, via 4 C (LR14) batteries (not included of course) or via car adapter (included). With its robust shock-resistant rubberized contours, you can expect dependability and strenght. It’s not called a Hercules for nothing.

The Hercules i-XPS 120 Outdoor is compatible with iPod® Nano (1st, 2d, 3rd generation), iPod® Mini, iPod® (30GB, 60GB, 80GB), iPod® Classic, & iPod® ShuffleTM via line input. With the auxiliary line input, you can connect an MP3 player or other external source to the Hercules i-XPS 120 Outdoor such as a another mp3 player, a video camera or a cellphone. The unit comes with a rear carrying handle (34cm x 16cm x 15cm) for portability.

Also, it has the “under Made for iPod® license.” Thus, the unit has passed very high standards.

The Hercules i-XPS 120 Outdoor is available at Amazon.com for just $129.99.

SOURCES: HERCULES, AMAZON.COM

The Yubz Talk Mobile digitally enhances sound quality and reduces background noise for a much better conversation. Worried about mobile phone radiation? No worries. This product is tested and founded to reduce 95% mobile phone radiaiton based on the findings of Worldwide recognized laboratories. Its dimensions are 2.4″ x 2.4″ x 8.3″ (L x W x H) and weights only 0.5 lbs.

The YUBZ TALK MOBILE handset is ready to use. Just plug it in and it is ready for use. Although, some mobile phones may require an adaptor to work properly. You can check the Yubz website to easily find the adaptor you need.

This mobile phone add-on will truly make you stand out.

The Yubz Talk Mobile comes in nine colors namely hot red, green and black and is sold at US$ 44.95.

SOURCES: YUBZ

The Pulse PC may be the greenest PC in the whole today. But it doesn’t mean it is lackluster in its features.

The Pulse includes 802.11b/g wireless for your internet surfing and online gaming. It comes with standard 7.1 LPCM over HDMI, Optical S/PDIF and 5.1 Analog for audio. It has eSata support for maximum expandability. You can connect Blu-ray and TV Tuners to make The Pulse PC a digital multimedia center. Of course, The Pulse has much room for upgrades to make it the ultimate gaming computer.

According to Wallace Santos, Founder and CEO of MAINGEAR, “NVIDIA’s ION platform has opened up a new realm of possibility for small form factor PCs. By delivering a GeForce-upgradeable product, we are maximizing ION’s potential with high performance, energy efficient CPUs and GPUs to deliver a powerful and balanced computing solution in a sleek, inconspicuous design. It’s a tremendous option for the living room, a dorm, or for the kids.”

The base price for the Pulse is $799.

For more info, visit www.maingear.com.

SOURCES: MAINGEAR

Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kazuo Hirai introduced to the public their next generation portable video game console aptly entitled PSP Go during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, California. The Sony PSP Go is smaller than the predecessor PSP (apparently less than half the size), has a slide-up screen, will come with Wi-Fi and an internal 16G of flash memory. What’s missing is the U

MD (Universal Media Disc) drive which is now consider obsolete. Still not in the new console are such anticipated upgrades as a touch screen and second analog stick.

Here’s some fact about the highly anticipated PSP Go.

• The PSP Go has a 3.8-inch wide screen.
• Has 16GB of built-in flash memory and an expandable Memory S tick Micro (M2) slot.
• Controls: Four-way d-pad on the left, the standard quartet of geometrically coded Sony controls (circle, square, cross, triangle) on the right, select/start buttons in the cen ter, and the PlayStation “home” button to the left of the screen.
• Wi-fi Support which could allow standard Bluetooth headsets and A2DP headphones and speakers to link up with the PSP Go.
• Support for music, video, and photo files. Movies can be downloaded from Playstation Store via Wi-fi.
• Apparent existing interoperability between the PS3 and the PSP line.
• PSP games will be available for download directly from the PlayStation Store via Wi-Fi.

The new PSP Go will be available in stores in North America on October 1. Priced at $249.

SOURCES: CNET, CNN, PCMAG

The franchise that resurrected and reintroduced the bands and the music they have played to have whole new generation has hit the jackpot. The dream has come true - The Beatles is now in Rock Band. The band that history considers to be the ones who revolutionized the music industry as we know it will continue to do so using technology. You can now jam with The Beatles with their hit such as “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Day Tripper,” “I Am The Walrus” and “Back In The U.S.S.R.” with “The Beatles: Rock Band.”

The two surviving members of the iconic group were onstage during the launch of the new game at the E3 video-game and entertainment conference in Los Angeles. Yoko Ono (widow of John Lennon) and Olivia Harrison (George Harrison’s widow) and Dhani Harrison (George’s son) were also at the event but did not speak.

Here are some quotes from the two remaining Beatles:

“We love the game, it’s fantastic! Whoever thought we’d end up like androids?”, said McCartney.

“Well, the game is good, the graphics are very good, and we were great,” said Ringo Starr.

“The Beatles: Rock Band” was developed by Harmonix and published by MTV Games. The game will take let you become anyone of The Beatles (John, Paul, George and Ringo) and take the band from their Liverpool beginnings to worldwide superstardom.

“The Beatles: Rock Band” will be available on Microsoft’s Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii on September 9, 2009.

SOURCES: CNN, NEW YORK TIMES, LA TIMES

Nope. It is not natal as in embryo. It is pronounced “nuh-TALL” and it could be in your living rooms in the nearest future.

Microsoft has announced that it will go head-to-head with the Nintendo Wii with its Xbox without any controllers. Instead, it will use a camera to capture the movements of players in a 3-dimensional space. Your entire body becomes your controller. It aims to immerse the player inside the game. It’s a literal “Look Ma! No hands.” deal. Not only that. It recognizes faces and voice commands - technology that is already present today.

“Before, there was a barrier separating video-game players from everyone else. Now, with Natal, everyone can join in using the best controller ever invented: you.” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president for Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft.

The Microsoft Xbox Natal was demonstrated to an audience recently. During the demonstration, players interacted with a soccer/football game using their legs, hand and, practically, their entire body.

None other than acclaimed director Steven Spielberg was in attendance. He even mentioned that this new technology will reach a new audience who are afraid of holding a controller or a joystick.

Microsoft has not announced when the Xbox Natal will be available nor its pricing. However, much anticipation was generated and it seems that the console wars are not yet over.

SOURCES: CNN, INFORMATION WEEK, DEVIN’S ADVOCATE

Contrary to rumors, Microsoft’s highly anticipated Windows 7 Starter edition will not have a three application limit. This means that users can have more than three applications running at the same time. This is good news for netbook owners and potential users who would want Windows 7 for their new operatin system. Microsoft Windows 7 is being positioned as the next Windows operating system for netbooks following a re-surgence of Windows XP.

Here an announcement taken from the Windows 7 Team Blog:

“There of course will also be Windows 7 Starter edition, but based on the feedback we’ve received from partners and customers asking us to enable a richer small notebook PC experience with Windows 7 Starter, we’ve decided to make some changes compared to previous Starter editions. For the first time, we will be making Windows 7 Starter available worldwide on small notebook PCs. We are also going to enable Windows 7 Starter customers the ability to run as many applications simultaneously as they would like, instead of being constricted to the 3 application limit that the previous Starter editions included.”

But don’t expect the Microsoft Windows 7 to be too eye candy and ultra-powerful compared to its Windows Vista counterparts. Windows 7 Starter will not have the Vista Aero graphical user interface but will have the Microsoft Windows Basic theme similar to Microsoft Windows XP. Also missing are features such as DVD playback, multi-monitor support and personalization tools such as changing the desktop wallpaper, colors and sound themes.

According to Michael Cherry (analyst with Directions on Microsoft), “They’re really doing everything they can to remove any barrier to the OS, and by removing these barriers, they really are working to make as smooth a transition as possible into Windows 7.”

The new Microsoft Windows 7 is expected to be released in time for the 2009 holiday season.

SOURCES: ELECTRONISTA, ARSTECHNICA, COMPUTERWORLD

There has been rumors that Palm’s latest phone gadget called the Palm Pre can actually synchronize with iTunes. The treatment will be the same. The Palm Pre will be recognized a any iPod or iPhone gadget by iTune. Thus, linking the Palm Pre to iTunes and enabling it to receive music and videos. Unfortunately, should you have DRM-clasped music files, you cannot transfer these to the Palm Pre.

Should this be the case, we can expect some lawyers throwing lawsuits at Palm Pre for violating their sole use of their intellectual property. This could be a treat against their iPods and iPhones because users can just purchase the music via iTunes and transfer them to their Palm Pres.

Let us just wait and see if this is true. But there is no denying the buzz the Palm Pre is creating especially with their WebOS operating system that is reported to be very stable.

SOURCES: Engadget

Facebook is now valued at $10 billion thanks to a $200 million investment from Russian investment group Digital Sky Technologies. The news broke out these past few weeks and it is only now that Facebook has confirmed this rumour. Digital Sky Technologies is a hugely aggressive Internet investor in Russia and Europe. Mark E. Zuckerberg said, “The financing will serve as a cash buffer to support our continued growth, allowing us to scale.”

What will Facebook users expect from this latest development? Will there be better service or restricted access? Will there be changes that can affect the number one social networking site in a positive or negative way? Do the users find this news disturbing or is it acceptable?

While we ponder on these questions, here are some points from the recent teleconference by Facebook (taken from Techcrunch.com)

Mark Zuckerberg:
Despite a pretty tough economic environment, our revenue is up and growth continues. Removing barriers to communication across the web.

Advertising products performing strongly. Now have tens of thousands of advertisers. On track to create a nice self sustaining business. Lots of firms have approached us. DST approached us with an investment background demonstrating advanced background in the power of social networks. Getting this money gives us a cash cushion. Not going to talk about how it’s going to be used, but nice to have the flexibility.

Yuri Milner (DST Chief Executive):
Giving some background on DST. Largest internet investor in Russian and European markets. One of largest groups involved in exclusively internet companies. Organized as a holding company, not a fund. Since 2005, have raised and invested over $1 billion. Investment in Facebook underscores belief that social networks change the way people communicate. We’re convinced Facebook has potential to be one of the most valuable internet companies globally.

Q: How does this affect Facebook’s approach with regard to an IPO.
Zuckerberg: We want to take money that will help us realize the long term vision of the company. For lots of startups the IPO is the end goal. That’s not the case for us, it’s a milestone along the way. It’s not something we see happening on the immediate horizon.

Q: About Facebook valuation with common stock.
Zuckerberg: Nothing to report there at this time, we’ve structured a few different transactions. Over the next few months (over the summer) we’ll have more to announce.

Question about the Microsoft valuation
Zuckerberg: It’s important to note that the Microsoft deal was part of a larger partnership with the company. That was a strategic partnership with a lot of different components. That was a year and a half ago when the market was at its peak. This is only taking the form of an investment right now with DST, we’re hoping it can work into other things over time.

Q: How are you going to monetize international audience?
Zuckerberg: I want to let Yuri speak about this, because of his experience with other social networks.
Milner: Advertising and micropayments generated by users themselves. (seems to imply that Facebook will be doing payments soon, which has been long rumored)
Zuckerberg: The different models are advertising, a number of things we’ve experimented with. The bottom line with the other social networks abroad is that they’re doing well, each with a different model.

Q: Idea about projected advertising revenues going forward? What do you see your role as?
Zuckerberg: As a private company we don’t share revenue numbers. I can tell you what we’ve shared so far. A couple of months ago everyone outside the company was underestimating our performance. We expect our rev growth to be greater than 70% year over year. We know that with our current rate of growth we’ll be cash flow positive some time in 2010. This relationship is purely cash buffer.
Milner: *joke about joining management of Facebook* Says that he has his own business to run.

Q: Can you talk about why Facebook is not interested in larger brand ads?
Zuckerberg; We’re actually very interested in it. We’ve got a dedicated team, building out international offices.
Sandberg: We’re working with the largest brands around the world. Our ads are specially designed for the Facebook environment, so they look and behave differently.

Q: Quick question about the preference shares you’re issuing to DST. How similar are these to the ones Microsoft got in 2007?
Zuckerberg; We’re not going to discuss the preference structure of the stock. I’m going to duck that one.

Q: I was wondering if the $10 billion valuation includes any debt, and if the company carries any debt at all.
Zuckerberg: This is an equity investment. There is some information that has been public about debt from equipment, but this is equity.

Q: To be clear on this valuation. The $10 billion doesn’t refer to common stock. So how should we think of the valuation of Facebook itself.
Zuckerberg: That’s really up to you. As a private company there’s not really a market for the shares. One of the reasons we haven’t been as focused on that. The common stock valuation would be different from this.

Q: How many other suitors did you have? Did you line them up and pick from the highest bidder?
Zuckerberg: There were multiple discussions, we were comfortable with DST, felt like I really learned a lot from my conversations with Yuri.

Q: Is this the largest foreign investment in Facebook?
Zuckerberg: There has been other information that has been available, but the size of those things haven’t been public.

Q: There was buzz about Facebook working on a video chat feature, does this investment give you a little breathing room to focus on that kind of feature.
Zuckerberg: We’re testing that currently. Don’t think the investment has much bearing on that.

SOURCES: TECHCRUNCH, NEW YORK TIMES, CNN