Yerba Buena Center on March 7: Apple set to unveil iPad3 in an invite-only event

Apple's iPad 3 unveiling is likely looming at its scheduled an invite-only event on March 7 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, which has caused the rumor mill to kick into its highest gear.

Yerba Buena Center on March 7: Apple set to unveil iPad3 in an invite-only event

Yerba Buena Center is the same venue Apple used to uncover the earlier two models of iPad. Apple, has sent the invitation to reporters by e-mail on Tuesday, without disclosing the details of the event, but just said that “we have something you really have to see. And touch.” The invitation also featured a partial picture of a device resembling the iPad.

Although everyone is waiting for something vigorously dubbed as ‘iPad 3’ but it is also rumored that the new model of iPad could be unveiled with another name.

Apple iPad tablet sales doubled in the December quarter to 15.43 million units from a year earlier. The company has sold about 55 million iPads since it introduced the device in 2010.

Although the iPad has managed to dominate the consumer tablet market since its inception, but experts say it will face stiff competition in 2012. The first challenge is likely to come from Microsoft, which aims to give tough time to Apple with Windows 8 on tablets. Windows 8 features an interface optimized for touch input and due at the end of current year.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire, which sells at half the cost of an iPad, has chipped away at the lower end of the tablet market and still promises to repeat it in 2012.

In addition, Google and its own manufacturing partners show no signs of dwindling their joint pursuit to make Android a tablet player, despite the weak performance of many supposed “iPad killers” that hit the marketplace in 2011.

iPad 3: What experts expect from Apple (VIDEO)..??

iPad 3: What experts expect from Apple ..??

The rumors are flowing heavily, claiming stories and details that may or may not be accurate about Apple's next version of the iPad i.e. iPad 3. Users and experts similarly say they expect the battery life will be better with even a slimmer design.

What's coming in the iPad 3? Here's what experts at CNET think.

Android Powered i’mWatch: World's First Smartphone Watch by Blue Sky -- Set to be Showcased at CES in January 2012

Italian company Blue Sky has come up with a unique idea of the world’s first ‘smartphone watch’ dubbed as "i’mWatch". Claimed to be the “first real smartwatch in the world”, the gadget lets users to take phone calls, receive text messages and check Facebook and Twitter feeds on the 1.5-inch touchscreen.

i'mWatch available in seven different colors

Weighing just 70 grams i’mWatch intends in future to facilitate the users to control kitchen appliances from the wrist after downloading the app from Apple-style marketplace for users created by the manufacturers.

Powered by the Android OS, the watch uses Bluetooth to link up to users’ smartphones, transmitting phone calls, messages and notifications to the device. 

i’mWatch: World's First Smartphone Watch

Furthermore, unlike the most of the smartphones, the manufacturers have claimed that the battery life of an i’mWatch can last up to 48 hours.

The basic model of i’mWatch costs EUR 249 (GBP 213) available in seven different colors and the company has also produced a range of luxury ‘Jewel’ versions for a whopping EUR 11,999 (GBP 10,286).

According to Blue Sky directors; the company has already received more than half a million online pre-orders for the device.

The i’mWatch is set to market after being showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January next year.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Video Trailer) -- Releasing in U.S. on Nov. 8

Get ready gamers, the live-action trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (The Vet and the nOOb) just became available on Youtube.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Set to Release on Tuesday (Nov. 08)

The video is part of the climax to the much-heralded (or one might say, over-hyped) U.S. release of the game on Tuesday, Nov. 8 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is offered for pre-order right now for $59.99 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, but don’t forget to look around on online stores to save few more bucks.

Activision, the creator of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, brings new coolness, too, adding a free social network that lets you track your gameplay stats across all platforms, and it works on this new game, Call of Duty: Black Ops from last year and any CoD games coming in the future.

Watch below all-exciting video trailer of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3:

Microsoft OS Windows 8 Will Reduce Boot Time to 8 Seconds -- Watch Live Demo

Its way early to say something about the features of Microsoft’s new edition of Windows i.e. Windows 8; as it is scheduled to be released in 2012 but the latest post on Microsoft’s blog shows a significantly improved boot time in the next iteration of the Windows Operating System.

Microsoft OS Windows 8 Will Reduce Boot Time to 8 Seconds

It sounds really fresh to see that Microsoft is dedicating to minimize long boot times, which is one of the most infuriating aspects of computing for many users.

Very soon just about 8 seconds you will need from the moment the machine is turned on until it’s fully booted, which would really be a huge progress over most machines running earlier versions of Windows today. 

Even with Windows 8 the boot time will differ for different machines depending upon the hardware of the machines. Systems with a lot of RAM and an SSD instead of a HDD will help out extremely. 

Wondering how exactly Microsoft’s engineers did it? Microsoft has provided a very detailed breakdown of this achievement. In short, it’s a hybrid between traditional cold boot and resuming from hibernate. 

Watch video of the live demo below:

Maserati GranCabrio Fendi: Testament to ultra luxury - Set to be unveiled at Frankfurt MotorShow in September 2011

The Maserati GranCabrio Fendi features a high-profile collaboration between two of Italy’s (and the world’s) most recognizable luxury brands, so it’s no surprise that the resulting car is a testament to ultra luxury.

Maserati GranCabrio Fendi: testament to ultra luxury

The Maserati GranCabrio Fendi comes equipped with wood grain trim on the dashboard, doors, and top of the gear lever, as well as a 4.7-liter V8 engine, and an automatic transition. Fendi outlines the seats as well as the center of the factory stock 20-inch alloy wheels the GranCabrio comes equipped with. If that isn’t styling enough, the car comes with limited edition travel luggage in each ride.

The Maserati GranCabrio Fendi is set to make its international debut at the prestigious Frankfurt MotorShow in September 2011.

2011 Geneva Auto Show - Special Fiat 500 With a Touch of Gucci Style Set to Be Launched

Fiat 500 was first produced in the 50s and it pioneered a style revolution when it first came on the road. With the fuel prices touching the skies, the small car has once again become focal point to the future plans of all the major automobile manufacturers. Fiat will attend the 2011 Geneva Auto Show with its new and special 500 by Gucci. This special edition city car has been customised by Gucci Creative Director Giannini and Fiat’s Centro Stile.

The car will have a two-tone black with white interior or white exterior with satin chrome and black interior. The special edition car has numerous special features. The car comes with 195/45 R16 wheels, with rear brake calipers in Gucci green. The car will have a stripe almost everywhere. From the exterior it will continue inside on the seats, on the gear shift, on the key cover and even on the carpets. The seats will be two toned in Frau Leather with Guccissima print.

Gucci is celebrating its 90th anniversary year and is taking this opportunity to create a new modern travel statement. Travelling in style has been at the heart of Gucci as Guccio Gucci had originally started off as a producer of leather trunks, suitcases and handbags. The 500 by Gucci will go on sale online on April 1. The prices start at 17,000 Euros, inclusive of all taxes. The car will be on display at major cities like Paris, London and Tokyo. This could be the beginning of another style revolution.

Catch the video here:

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play to Be Unveiled at MWC - Will Come in UK on O2

It was announced today morning that Sony Ericsson set to launch officially much-awaited Xperia Play smartphone in 2011 Mobile World Congress, scheduled to be held 14-17 February, in Barcelona, Spain. 

Not only the gaming fanatics were excited to hear that news; but the announcement made UK mobile carrier O2 to step forward to announce via Twitter that it will be carrying the Xperia Play on its network. 

O2 didn’t specify any pricing details or release date; as it is expected to be announced in MWC on the release of Xperia Play. 

Exact specification are also unknown and hopefully be exposed at MWC; but according to information leaked through web the Xperia Play would have 4 inch display with 854 x 480 pixels resolution. It will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It will also have a 5 megapixels camera.

Toshiba Tablet Powered by Android 3.0 (Honeycomb): A New Entrant in The Tablet market With Impressive Featues - - Expected to Hit The markets in This Spring

Toshiba have all the plans to jump into the tablet market with its new 10.1-inch multi touchscreen tablet apparently powered by Android 3.0 (aka Honeycomb). 

The Tablet offers a 1280 x 800 720p resolution as well as intelligent light sensors for adjusting the brightness of the screen according to the atmosphere. Android quick-key buttons for home, menu, back and search are located on the front of the device.  

More specific specs of Toshiba Tablet are:

1.      Varied choice of slip-resistant EasyGrip

2.   Two speakers located on the ears of the device with SRS audio enhancements

3.      Dual-core CPU with built-in Nvidia 1080p video processor

4.      Microphone, headphone, mini-USB, USB 2.0, HDMI ports and a SD card slot

5.      Front and rear cameras with 2 megapixel and 5 megapixel respectively

Toshiba tablet full of inspiring features, some of them mentioned above, the device is scheduled to be released this spring as per the official website but without any specific information about date and pricing.

Motorola Xoom Coming to Best Buy on February 17 for $800

Motorola Xoom, possibly the most awaited Android-based tablet, is expected to come on Best Buy on February 17 at $799.99, or nearly as much as a 64GB iPad with 3G.

Apart from Xoom’s price higher than expected earlier; few fact are still in the Xoom’s favour, which are:

1.      A dual-core processor

2.      10.1-inch screen

3.      Google Android, 3.0 (or Honeycomb); will be the first tablet available with the latest version of Google’s Android OS

3DS Handheld Console Officially Annlounced by Nintendo - - Offers 3D Gaming Without the Need for Glasses

Nintendo is going to launch officially its upcoming 3DS handheld console today, which offers 3D gaming without the need for glasses, at an event in Amsterdam. 

 

The 3DS' screen uses a special layer that allows each of the user's eyes to see a different set of pixels, producing a stereoscopic effect. Like previous iterations of the DS, it also has a second screen, in 2D with a stylus, and WiFi internet access. 

The 3DS' stereoscopic capability is viewed as a weapon for Nintendo in its battle against gaming on smartphones, which have become more sophisticated since the launch of the highly successful original DS in 2005.

Sony Ericsson Xperia PlayStation Phone - - More Technical Specifications and Video Leaked

Although Sony Ericsson has yet to announce the PlayStation Phone officially, this hasn't stopped a bunch of leaked pictures and videos  and hands-on time from appearing on the Internet more times than once.

The latest team who managed to get hold of a PlayStation Phone somehow, have actually done an early review of the smartphone/games machine to show the world what it's like and how it performs. Although the PlayStation Phone review does show a lot about the device, it's important to remember that early reviews of handsets often reveal a few problems and performance issues that often get ironed out before the official launch.

Technical specs of the device show that it has a 4-inch screen (touchscreen) that has a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels. A 1GHz processor runs inside. It has a 5 megapixel camera on the back that has an LED flash accompanying it. When launched, it is expected that it will run Google Android 2.3.

Check out the videos below to see it in action and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Thermo Mirror from NEC Avio - - Read Your Temperature by Just looking at It

It’s the time of year when it seems like everyone is getting sick. I spent nearly two weeks battling the flu myself not too long ago. One of the annoyances while trying to fight off illness is taking your temperature. You have to deal with a thermometer, which usually means sticking something under your tongue, waiting, then washing it off. After all, you don’t want those old germs going right back in your mouth the next time you check your temperature.

NEC Avio knows how annoying this can be, and are working on a device called the Thermo Mirror. All you need to do is look into the mirror for a moment, and it will give you a reading using infrared thermography. Granted, the last thing you want to do when you’re sick is stare at yourself in the mirror, but I think you’ll live. The downside here is that they’re going to want around $1,200 for the device when it launches later this year.

Nokia X7-00 Smartphone: Specifications and Official Images Revealed - - Set to Be Launched at Mobile World Congress 2011

Justifying our earlier reports and video about the specifications of upcoming Nokia smartphone, X7-00, media has got the official pictures of this smartphone, which is due at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona starting February 14.

Technology blog PocketNow has published the latest images of Nokia X7-00, which they claimed as the official press pictures. According to the details on images, Nokia X7-00 will be available through AT&T network in United States.

The Symbian 3 powered Nokia X7-00 will have a 4.0-inch capacitive touchscreen with Gorilla Glass Technology or ClearBack Technology. The display screen also supports HD pixel resolution. This smartphone also boasts 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash at rear.

It is expected that the Nokia X7-00 will provide four speakers at the foue corners of the front panel, making it an unique multi-media smartphone that provide maximum entertainment to the users. The features and specs of Nokia X7-00 promise an ultimate gaming phone from world leader, Nokia.

Nokia X7-00 specifications (expected):

* 4.0-inch Capacitive touchscreen

* Gorilla Glass Technology
* Symbian 3 OS
* 720MHz processor
* 512MB graphics card
* 450 MB, 256 MB RAM
* Dula Cameras
* 8 MP at rear with LED flash
* HD video recording support
* 2 MP at front
* 3G
* 4 front panel speakers
* Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
* Bluetooth
* 32 GB micro SD support
* Micro USB
* A-GPS support
* Ovi Maps

The much awaited Mobile World Congress will be a stage for Nokia to retain their lost shares in handset market. According to rumor mills, Nokia will launch more than three smartphones, including Nokia N9, at the gadget show. Let's wait for some days to get the 'real' smartphone from Nokia. Just wait for more updates.

LG Pecan: Upcoming Low Cost Android Smartphone - - New Android Gingerbread Smartphone in the Pipeline From LG

LG is planning to recreate the Optimus One magic with another Android smartphone. Korean publication PlusNews is reporting that LG is preparing to launch an Android smartphone named Pecan at Mobile World Congress. The smartphone will cost around $200 and will come with NFC support, but the publication writes Android version as 2.2, which surely is a type as NFC is only supported in Gingerbread.

The specifications are expected to be in line with Optimus One, may be a little bit on the lower side as company is targeting the mass market. Considering the success of LG Optimus One, the strategy might well work. NFC support is surely an added advantage.

Blackberry Storm 3 (aka Blackberry Monaco): Expected to Emerge Soon - - First Blackberry Smartphone to Run RIM’s New QNX Neutrino Based Operating System

It’s been cropping up in leaks since October, but it looks like the Blackberry Storm 3 is finally heading to production as RIM‘s first QNX smartphone.

 The handset, also dubbed the Blackberry Monaco, has apparently been cleared for production, with sources close to project outing it as the first Blackberry smartphone to run RIM’s new QNX Neutrino based OS.

The platform, which recently made its début on the Blackberry PlayBook, is likely to equip smartphones with a revamped interface, Adobe Flash support, true multitasking, lower power consumption and rich multimedia capabilities. Speaking in a recent interview, RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis also revealed that QNX-equipped phones will also feature dual-core processors, and will look like “shrunken down” versions of the upcoming PlayBook.

If previous rumours are to be believed, the Blackberry Storm 3 will also boast a 1GHz processor, 768MB RAM, a 3.7 inch capacitive display and a 5 megapixel camera.

No word on when the Blackberry Storm 3 will be hitting shelves, although RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis recently let slip that QNX phones are unlikely to land anytime soon. We think someone may have been telling porky-pies…

Mysterious HTC Device Without Any Capacitive Button - - Producing Waves Yet Again in The World of Rumours Associated With HTC

After running around the HTC EVO Shift 4G for months, a spanking new rumor has been hovering around once again. Phandroid has been recently tipped off about a mysterious HTC device deficient of any capacitive buttons. It seems to be an ongoing trend with HTC’s phones, to be clad in a rush of rumours and the moment one sheds it another grabs immediately. 

One of their readers managed to tease out images of new HTC devices from the freshly updated HTC Sync. These belonged to three handsets; the first being the already released Thunderbolt while the second was of the long-rumored HTC Merge. However, the third one is of an unidentified HTC handset with a Verizon logo imbibed atop.

The fact that it has no visible capacitive buttons has intrigued several in the mobile web world. Going by the smartphone’s form factor, it is quite difficult to identify which device this is. Apparently, the handset displays the HTC Sense Live Wallpaper. There is a possibility that this is just a symbolic representative of the original device. However, there are no means to affirm the credibility of this image.

Optimus 2X LG-P990: World's First Dual Core Smartphone - - Available at Expansys for £499 from February 21st 2011

We might have a UK release date for the Optimus 2X LG-P990, the world’s first dual core smartphone introduced by LG last month and showcased at the CES.

Powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 2 processor, when the LG Optimus 2X P990 was unveiled in December, LG claimed it was the first ever mobile phone to employ two cores. Since that time we’ve seen competitors, like the Motorola Atrix 4G smartphone, sport the same Tegra 2 CPU, as well as numerous Honeycomb tablets do the same. However, it looks like the Optimus 2X will be the first such Tegra 2 model to hit the market, as Expansys have just put the model up for pre-order on the shop’s website.

Out next month

The LG Optimus 2X is available from the Expansys homepage for £499 SIM-free, with a stated February 21st 2011 release date.

AVDBR1 In-car Blu-ray Player From Audiovox - - Now Enjoy Hi-Fefinition Movies on The Go!

Watching DVDs is one good way for passengers to pass the time in a long car ride. I’ve never really been taken with the idea though. I mean, who really wants to spend a car ride watching video that’s sub-par at best? I mean, if you’re not going to watch movies in hi-def, then you might as well pop in a VHS tape or something. Thankfully the people at Audiovox understand my plight, and have announced the AVDBR1 in-car Blu-ray player.

In all seriousness though, I can’t imagine having the need to put a Blu-ray player in my car. I mean, unless you’re going to put in a screen nice enough (and large enough) to appreciate the extra pixels, what’s the point? If you’ve already ditched the DVD as a format, then I suppose you’ll appreciate this $350 unit when it comes out in the Spring.

Android 2.4 'Ice Cream' on The Way to Capture Smartphones Market in Mid of 2011

Few hints and rumours are hovering around about Google Android version 2.4, otherwise known as Ice Cream.

With Honeycomb (Android 3.0) already available on the Motorola Xoom tablet, and Gingerbread on the edge of becoming mainstream, one can expect Ice Cream to be shoe-horned into the smartphone market as Google tries to tidy up its offering (Honeycomb for tablets, Gingerbread/Ice Cream for smartphones).

It is highly expected that Android 2.4 ‘Ice Cream’ to be available at the end of the first half of 2011 when more powerful dual core smartphones appear on the market.

Like for most other products and services, Google very rarely commits to a date because of the nature of its business but given that Google I/O 2011 is set to take place on the 11th of May 2011 in San Francisco, one can expect an announcement there.