Techy Kid

The new Apple iPod Touch

The new Apple iPod Touch will probably sell like hot pancakes because of its new features such as: FaceTime, retina display, HD video recording, and the Game Center. It also makes use of the Apple A4 chip. This is the same chip that’s being used in the iPhone 4. These new features remind me of the iPhone 4. Thus, the new Apple iPod Touch is like an Apple iPhone 4 minus the phone features. However, taking photos with it are said to be not as good as the iPhone 4. According to CrunchGear, it can only take photos at a 960×720 resolution which is weird because it can take HD videos at 720p.

Apple iPod Touch Specifications:
Display: Diagonal 3.5″ widescreen multi-touch, 960×640 resolution (326 pixels per inch)
Dimensions: 2.3″ x 4.4″ x 0.28″
Weight: 101g
Capacity: 8GB / 32GB / 64GB
Wireless: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz only), Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR. Maps-location based service, Nike + iPod support built in
Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV

TV and Video:
- H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
- MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
- Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format
- Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable (cables sold separately)
Back camera: Video recording, HD (720p) up to 30 frames per second with audio; still photos (960×720) with back camera
Front Camera: VGA-quality photos and video up to 30 frames per second with the front camera
Other features for the camera: Tap to control exposure for video or stills, Photo and video geotagging over Wi-Fi
Sensors: Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor
Input and Output: 30-pin dock connector, 3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack, Built-in speaker, Microphone
Battery: Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Prices (Apple Online Store Philippines)
12,490.00 pesos – 8GB
15,990.00 pesos – 32GB
21,990.00 pesos – 64GB

With the new features, I think that the price is just right.

Globe Telecoms: Accepting Pre-registrations for the iPhone 4

Globe now accepts pre-registrations for iPhone 4. On Globe’s iPhone 4 microsite, they have a form there that you could fill out to let them know you are interested with the iPhone 4. I noticed in the form that they’re asking from what telecoms provider you are currently with and if you are a postpaid or a prepaid subscriber. They’re also asking if you’re a current iPhone 3G/3GS user.

It’s quite disappointing though that they do not have any information (on the website) on the pricing of the iPhone 4. There’s also no mention of a specific date when will the iPhone 4 be officially launched here in the Philippines.

Take note that Globe is not taking those form submissions as pre-orders. They just like to know how many are interested and how many subscribers from other networks that will probably change to Globe Telecoms. You will receive information from Globe when you can pre-order online.

If you’re currently a Globe Telecom subscriber, you need to get a micro-SIM. Or you can just have you existing cut from stores that offer that have micro-SIM cutters. Read more of the FAQs of iPhone 4 pre-registration in Globe’s microsite.

Unlock your iPhone 4 with Ultrasn0w 1.0-1

The Dev team just released Ultrasn0w 1.0-1 which will unlock the iPhone 4 (01.59 baseband), iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS (basebands 04.26.08, 05.11.07, 05.12.01, and 05.13.04). This is great news for those who would like to use their respective iPhones on a different carrier but are not using the factory unlocked iPhones.

Your first step is to jailbreak the iPhone via JailBreak Me. Install Ultrasn0w by:

1. On your iPhone, open Cydia
2. Add this source: repo666.ultrasn0w.com
3. Install Ultrasn0w
4. Restart your iPhone

JailBreakMe 2.0: Jailbreak your iPhone and iPad

JailBreakMe 2.0 is a jailbreak available for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G and iPad on iOS 4, iOS 4.0.1, and iPad iOS 3.21. Here’s the step-by-step procedure in jailbreaking your iPhone or iPad.

1. Sync your iPhone/iPad with iTunes.
2. On your iPhone, open Safari
3. Go to jailbreakme.com
4. Slide to Jailbreak.
5. Follow further instructions from JailBreakMe 2.0

Even if I would like to jailbreak my iPhone 3G now, I still would like to wait for the iOS 4.1 update because of the issue of iOS 4 slows down the iPhone 3G.

iOS4 slows down the iPhone 3G

Ever since I’ve installed iOS4, my iPhone 3G has been quite slow. And there are other users who are experiencing it. Some of them just downgraded their respective phones to iPhone version 3.1.3. Some users have reported that the Spotlight Search is the main suspect on why iPhone 3G users are experiencing this.

Apple will be investigating this problem as reported in WSJ.

I guess Apple will be releasing a software update to fix this issue. For the mean time, why don’t you try the solution posted in LifeHacker. First, you need to disable spotlight searches. Go to Settings > General > Home Button > Spotlight Search. Then, disable all the options there by clicking on each item.

One user said that a double-hard reset (in addition to disabling most of the options in the spotlight search) worked for him. In case you don’t know how to do a hard reset, just press the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button simultaneously. Wait until the Apple logo appears before you release the keys.

Safari Extensions: Improve browsing experience with Safari

With the release of Safari 5.0.1, Apple introduced its newest feature: Safari Extensions. Safari Extensions works like Firefox Add-ons where it gives more features to one’s regular internet browser. To look for Safari Extensions, go to the Safari Extensions Gallery.

You can choose Safari Extensions from these categories:

• News
• Shopping
• Search Tools
• Social Networking
• Entertainment
• Productivity
• Bookmarking
• Security
• RSS Tools
• Twitter Tools
• Translation
• URL Shorteners
• Email
• Photos
• Developer
• Other

How do you install a Safari Extension?

Simple, just go to the Safari Extensions Gallery and look for an extension you want to install. Then, just below its description, click the “Install Now” button.

What I like about Safari Extensions is that I don’t have to restart Safari every time I install one.

Apple iMac with Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 CPUs

Apple is no longer selling the Apple iMac with Intel Core 2 duo processors (in the official Apple store). They’re now offering Apple iMacs with the Intel Core i3 as the entry-level CPU for the Apple iMac 27″ and the default CPU for iMac 21.5″.

All iMacs are bundled with an Apple Magic Mouse. Planning to buy an iMac? You may want to purchase Apple Magic Trackpad as well.

Apple iMac 21.5″ – 3.06 GHz, price starting at $1,199.00 in the Apple Store

• 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3
• 1920×1080 resolution
• 4GB memory (2 x 2GB) (optional 8GB memory – 4 x 2GB)
• 500GB hard drive
• 8x double layer Super Drive
• ATI Radeon HD 4670 with 256 MB

Apple iMac 21.5″ – 3.2 GHz, price starting at $1,499.00 in the Apple Store

• 3.2 GHz Intel Core i3 (optional 3.60 GHz Intel Core i5)
• 1920×1080 resolution
• 4GB memory (2 x 2GB) (optional 8GB memory – 4 x 2GB)
• 1TB hard drive (optional 2TB)
• 8x double layer Super Drive
• ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512 MB

Apple iMac 27″ – 3.2 GHz, price starting at $1,699.00 in the Apple Store

• 3.2 GHz Intel Core i3 (optional 3.60 GHz Intel Core i5)
• 2560×1440 resolution
• 4GB memory (2 x 2GB) (optional 8GB memory – 4 x 2GB or 2x 4GB, optional 16GB memory – 4x4GB)
• 1TB hard drive (optional 2TB, optional 256GB solid state hard drive)
• 8x double layer Super Drive
• ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512 MB (optional ATI Radeon HD 5750 with 1GB)

Apple iMac 27″ – 2.8 GHz, price starting at $1,999.00 in the Apple Store

• 2.8 GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5 (optional 2.93 GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7)
• 2560×1440 resolution
• 4GB memory (2 x 2GB) (optional 8GB memory – 4 x 2GB or 2x 4GB, optional 16GB memory – 4x4GB)
• 1TB hard drive (optional 2TB, optional 256GB solid state hard drive or this plus additional 1TB hard drive or 2TB hard drive)
• 8x double layer Super Drive
• ATI Radeon HD 5750 with 1GB

Apple Magic Trackpad

The Magic Trackpad is just one of Apple’s latest offerings in the Apple Store. Magic Trackpad is a trackpad made for Mac desktop computers. What’s so special about this trackpad is that it uses the same multitouch technology that is being used on MacBook Pro. In addition, it’s 80% larger than the built-in trackpad found on a MacBook Pro.

The Magic Trackpad connects with your Mac desktop via bluetooth technology. Thus, it is important to make sure that your Mac’s bluetooth works. This will work with Mac computers that have Mac OS X v10.6.4. Magic Trackpad is powered by 2 AA batteries.

I’d recommend for you to use rechargeable batteries rather than batteries that are good for a one time use only. This accessory is available in the App Store for $69.