The Gadget 411 – Gadget Reviews & Tech News

According to All Things Digital Apple plans on announcing their Iphone 5 on  October 4th 2011.  Sources also say that Apples new CEO Tim Cook will be the main presenter at the event.  Though things may change at any time this is the latest information about Apples new product release.

A week ago case maker  Case Mate pre-leaked the cases that they made for apples new device ( See Below for Pics) which where later removed from the site.

Alot of rumors are circling around about the new device some say the iPhone 5 will be an A5 dual-core processor, similar to the one used in the iPad 2. It will also be equipped with an 8 mega-pixel camera, wireless charging and iOS 5, which features iCloud portable storage capabilities. Also some say that Sprint may be an exclusive carrier or it may be open to GSM and CDMA for worldwide usage.

We can only wait and see.  Say Tuned to The Gadget 411 for more information !

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MountMe, a company dedicated to bringing one of a kind mounting accessories and solutions to iPad users, is pleased to announce the availability of Freedom™ for pre-order, the only all-in-one carrying and mounting device on the market. Freedom is a sleek protective case for iPad that easily transforms into a highly adaptable and practical mounting device. This visible but unobtrusive all-in-one universal mounting solution is a must have accessory for the kitchen, lounge, bedroom, study, garage, car, airplane, boat and more. Freedom comes in a variety of colors including blue, turquoise, white, purple, metallic grey, red, pink and black. Pre-order now at www.mount-me.com and receive a 10% discount (one color) on the purchase of one Freedom or a 25% discount on the purchase of two different colored units, plus free shipping in the continental U.S. for a limited time only.

With this universally adaptable mounting solution, the iPad can be easily transformed into a great in-car or on-the-go entertainment system, a wall clock, home automation controller and more. The possibilities and uses are endless. It can be mounted and viewed virtually anywhere including:

• Home

• Work

• Professional Offices

• Classrooms

• Doctor’s Offices

• Hotel Lobbies

• Car Seats

• Head Rests

• Airplane seats

• Walls

• Mirrors

• Windows

• Refrigerators

• Kitchen Cabinets

• Car Visors

• Car and Boat Dashboards

“We are happy to offer this special discount to early adopters who wish to pre-order their Freedom unit now, can be one of the first to start using our all-in-one solution for the iPad that provides freedom of viewing practically anywhere without cumbersome attachments and multiple docking/mounting options,” says Brien Spina, Founder of MountMe.

Freedom features and functions include:

• Heavy Duty Mobile Mounting Strap – Allows you to securely mount your tablet to a headrest, car visor, your leg, and any other object you can wrap a strap around

• Four Suction Cups – Suction cups effortlessly attach to the small bracket portion of the Freedom Mount, and allow a secure mounting option for hard surfaces such as glass, mirrors or a refrigerator

• Screws – Provide for permanent mounting options on a wall or other solid object

• Panning & Tilting Capabilities – The ability to pan 360 degrees and tilt 90 degrees provides unlimited mounting and user capabilities

• Built-in Kickstand – The unique patented design bracket acts as a kickstand for your favorite photo album or by simply reversing the bracket with a turn of the wrist; it will put the tablet into an ideal typing position

• Quick Release On/Off Bracket – MountMe has developed a quick release on/off bracket that allows you to freely and effortlessly remove the tablet from its mounting position to a mobile position while providing the user with a heavy duty attractive protective carrying case

• Special Gripping Surface – The carrying case has been strategically designed to allow for a comfortable gripping surface on any of the four sides that will conform to the palm of your hand which makes such activities as gaming even better

• Symmetrical Flat Back Eliminates Wobbling – MountMe has also solved the wobbling that occurs when an iPad is placed on a flat surface by creating a symmetrical flat back portion of the carrying case creating a perfect user experience

Protect and mount your iPad with a case that makes it accessible and secure anywhere. For more information about MountMe Freedom and other productions visit www.mount-me.com

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Its Official !  After multiple rumors about what was going to be included Apple finally announced there iPad 2 today. (Press Release Below)

It features a 1GHz dual-core A5 chip and, finally, cameras, both front and rear!

The pricing is the same @  $499 for the lowest model

Apple® today introduced iPad™ 2, the next generation of its magical device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading ebooks and much more. iPad 2 features an entirely new design that is 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, while maintaining the same stunning 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. iPad 2 features Apple’s new dual-core A5 processor for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics and now includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for FaceTime® and Photo Booth®, and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, bringing the innovative FaceTime feature to iPad users for the first time. Though it is thinner, lighter, faster and packed with new features, iPad 2 still delivers up to 10 hours of battery life* that users have come to expect. iPad 2 is available in black or white, features models that run on AT&T’s and Verizon’s 3G networks, and introduces the innovative iPad 2 Smart Cover in a range of vibrant polyurethane and rich leather colors.

“With more than 15 million iPads sold, iPad has defined an entirely new category of mobile devices,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “While others have been scrambling to copy the first generation iPad, we’re launching iPad 2, which moves the bar far ahead of the competition and will likely cause them to go back to the drawing boards yet again.”

With the new front and rear cameras, iPad 2 users can now make FaceTime calls to millions of iPhone® 4, iPod touch® and Mac® users so they can see family and friends anywhere there is Wi-Fi. Photo Booth lets you apply fun visual effects, including eight photo special effects like Squeeze, Twirl and Kaleidoscope, to photos captured by either camera.

iPad 2 comes with iOS 4.3, the latest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, with new features including faster Safari® mobile browsing performance; iTunes® Home Sharing; enhancements to AirPlay®;** the choice to use the iPad side switch to either lock the screen rotation or mute audio; and Personal Hotspot to share an iPhone 4 cellular data connection over Wi-Fi.*** Additional iPad 2 features include a built-in gyro for advanced gaming; HSUPA support for enhanced 3G upload speeds on iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G on AT&T, and HDMI Video Mirroring that lets users mirror their iPad screen on an HDTV using an optional adaptor.

The innovative new iPad 2 Smart Cover provides protection for the iPad screen while maintaining its thin and lightweight profile. Designed with a unique self-aligning magnetic hinge that makes it easy to attach and remove, the new iPad 2 Smart Cover automatically wakes iPad 2 when it’s opened and puts it to sleep when it’s closed, and has a soft microfiber lining to help keep the screen clean. The Smart Cover also folds into a stand for typing or viewing videos and is available in vibrant polyurethane for $39 or rich leather for $69 in a range of colors, including a (PRODUCT) RED one which helps support the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Apple also introduced two new apps: iMovie® and GarageBand® for iPad, both available on the App Store? for just $4.99 each. With iMovie, iPad 2 users can shoot and edit videos right on their iPad and post their movies to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and their MobileMe? gallery; watch them on their iPod®, iPhone or iPad; as well as view them on their HDTV using AirPlay and Apple TV®. GarageBand turns your iPad into a collection of touch instruments and 8-track recording studio, allowing you to perform with onscreen keyboards, guitars, drums and basses using multi-touch gestures–even if you don’t play a musical instrument.

iPad 2 runs almost all of the over 350,000 apps available on the App Store and there are more than 65,000 native iPad apps available from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. The iTunes Store gives iPad users access to the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over 14 million songs, over 50,000 TV episodes and over 10,000 films including over 3,500 in stunning high definition video. The iBooks® app for iPad includes Apple’s iBookstore?, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device.

Pricing & Availability
iPad 2 with Wi-Fi will be available on March 11 for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model, $699 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G compatible with the Verizon network will be available in the US only for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad 2 will be sold in the US through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. iMovie and GarageBand for iPad apps will be available on March 11 for $4.99 each from the App Store on iPad or www.itunes.com/appstore.

iPad 2 will be available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK on March 25; and in many more countries around the world in the coming months. Further international availability and pricing will be announced at a later date.
Major updates from original iPad! Make sure you use Data recovery to back up data from your old iPad to your new one!

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Specifically, iOS 4.3 introduces a capability that Apple calls “multi-touch”. That’s a short way of saying that iPad users will be able to utilize all of their digits when interacting with the iPad’s touch-screen interface.

For instance, users will be able to go directly to the home screen by making a pinching gesture that employs all five fingers.

“This beta release contains a preview of new Multi-Touch gestures for iPad,” Apple said in a note on its developers Web site.

“You can use four or five fingers to pinch to the Home Screen; swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar; and swipe left or right between apps. We are providing this preview before releasing them to the general public to understand how these gestures work with your apps,” Apple said.

With the multi-touch capability in place, Apple plans to eliminate the physical Home button on the next-generation of the iPad, which is expected to be announced within weeks.

Apple released iOS 4.3 to beta testers on Thursday and will make it available for download by the general public once testing is complete. Beyond adding multi-touch to the iPad, it also brings new features that will work on iPhone 4 and the latest version of the iPod touch, as well as iPad.

They include AirPlay support for third-party apps, the introduction of a revamped Facetime icon, and a feature that allows users of GSM equipped devices to set up personal hotspots that act as a base station for other devices. The beta code also reportedly makes reference to a service called “Find My Friends,” raising speculation that Apple plans to add social networking capabilities to its mobile devices.

Source: Information Week

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Apple® today announced that the Mac® App Store? will open for business on Thursday, January 6. By bringing the revolutionary App Store experience to Mac OS® X, the Mac App Store makes discovering, installing and updating Mac apps easier than ever. The Mac App Store will be available in 90 countries at launch and will feature paid and free apps in categories like Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity and Utilities.

“The App Store revolutionized mobile apps,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store by making finding and buying PC apps easy and fun. We can’t wait to get started on January 6.”

The Mac App Store lets you browse new and noteworthy apps, find out what’s hot, view staff favorites, search categories and read customer ratings and reviews. Like on iPhone®, iPod touch® and iPad™, you can purchase, download and install apps in just one click and start using them immediately. Purchased apps can run on all of your personal Macs and updates are delivered directly through the Mac App Store so it’s easy to keep all of your apps up to date. The Mac App Store is available to Mac OS X Snow Leopard® users as a free download through Software Update.

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With The iPhones App store ever expanding I thought I might share with you my top 5 favorite Apps of this month! I will try to do this post every month and keep you up to date on the newest and best apps!!

In 5th place I would say is ‘TouchGrind’

This application defiantly caught my attention because of its fun factor and addictiveness. Whenever I was bored I would simply pick up my Iphone 4 and play it; The essence of the game is to use your index finger and middle finger to created ‘two feat on the board’ Then you simply act like your fingers are your feat as if you was riding a normal skateboard. This application is currently priced at $4.99 or £2.99.

In 4th place would be ‘Cut The Rope’

This application is the type off application you pick up to simply waste time. Because of its low price and it’s fun graphics it is highly appealing and is actionably quite intuitive, making you cut a rope to make it fall into the monster’s mouth, thats it! This application is currently priced at $0.99 or £0.59.

In 3rd place would be ‘Fragger’

This application is Just a fun one. You have to try and ‘blow up’ the enemy soldiers by angling your throw and adjusting your power to hit them, a bit like ‘Worms’ Actionably! This will keep you playing for a long time because of its many difficult and personally frustrating levels. This application is currently priced at $0.99 or £0.59.

In 2nd place it has to be ‘iShoot’

This application is great for the bus or train when your with your mates because of its great multiplayer experience.You drive a tank around a ‘bumpy’ map looking for your opponent. Basically try to kill your mate by selecting various weapons at the start with your in-game money. If you win you earn more in-game money meaning that you can purchase better weapons each time you get a kill! This Application Is Currently price at $0.99 or £0.59 or you can get the free version with limited weapons, maps, tanks etc..

But in 1st place is has to be ‘Madden 11′

You all now what this game is but if any of your don’t its American Football. I shouldn’t have to explain this one much but it is a very good package including a load of great detail into every essence of the game! This application is currently price at $4.99 or £0.59.

Great apps to play on iPhone and iPad as well!

For more of the latest and greatest iPhone apps, features and news, check out the Phones 4U website.

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Apple Tuesday unveiled a completely redesigned Mac® mini, featuring up to twice the graphics performance, a new HDMI port and a new SD card slot, all in an amazingly compact aluminum enclosure. Mac mini is the world’s most energy efficient desktop and starting at $699, is the most affordable way to enjoy Mac OS® X, iLife® or Mac OS X Snow Leopard® Server.

“The sleek, aluminum Mac mini packs great features, versatility and value into an elegant, amazingly compact design,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With twice the graphics performance, HDMI support and industry-leading energy efficiency, customers are going to love the new Mac mini.”

Created with the unibody construction process pioneered by Apple, the new Mac mini features a compact aluminum enclosure just 7.7 inches square and 1.4 inches thin. A new integrated power supply eliminates the need for an external power adapter, reducing overall system volume by 20 percent and keeping cable clutter to a minimum. A removable panel underneath provides quick access for memory expansion. Mac mini is incredibly versatile, effortlessly connecting to existing peripherals such as mice, keyboards and digital displays, while the new HDMI output connects Mac mini to an HDTV and the new SD card slot enables easy transfer of photos and videos from a digital camera.

Inside its sleek, compact enclosure, the new Mac mini includes the fastest integrated graphics processor on the market today. With 48 processing cores, the NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor delivers up to twice the graphics performance of its predecessor, making Mac mini ideal for graphics intensive applications or visually rich games. Mac mini comes standard with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 320GB hard and 2GB of RAM for $699.

With twice the graphics performance, the new Mac mini is still the world’s most energy efficient desktop.* The new Mac mini reduces power consumption by an incredible 25 percent to less than 10W at idle, less than half the power required by competing systems. Mac mini meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status.** The new aluminum enclosure is highly recyclable and Mac mini uses PVC-free components and cables, contains no brominated flame retardants and features material-efficient system and packaging designs.

Mac mini comes with Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the world’s most advanced operating system, and iLife, Apple’s innovative suite of applications for managing photos, making movies and creating and learning to play music. Snow Leopard builds on a decade of OS X innovation and success with hundreds of refinements, new core technologies and out of the box support for Microsoft Exchange. iLife features iPhoto®, to easily organize and manage photos; iMovie® with powerful easy-to-use new features such as Precision Editor, video stabilization and advanced drag and drop; and GarageBand® which introduces a whole new way to help you learn to play piano and guitar.

Mac mini with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server fulfills all the server needs of a workgroup or small business including email, calendar, file serving, Time Machine® backup, Wiki Server, Podcast Producer and more. Mac mini with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server uses less than 11W of power at idle, a fraction of the power consumed in comparison to typical entry-level tower servers.*** Mac mini with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server is faster than before with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, two 500GB hard drives now running at 7200 rpm, 4GB of RAM and supports unlimited clients for $999.

Pricing & Availability
The new Mac mini is shipping today and will be available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

The Mac mini, for a suggested retail price of $699 (US), includes:

• 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB of shared L2 cache;
• 2GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable up to 8GB;
• a slot-load 8X SuperDrive® (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• 320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm;
• NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics;
• AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• Gigabit Ethernet;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• SD card slot;
• one FireWire® 800 port;
• one HDMI port and one Mini DisplayPort;
• HDMI to DVI video adapter;
• combined optical digital audio input/audio line in (minijack); and
• combined optical digital audio output/headphone out (minijack).

Build-to-order options and accessories include up to 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, 500GB hard drive running at 5400 rpm, Apple Remote, Aperture™ 3, Final Cut® Express 4, Logic® Express, iWork® (pre-installed), Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Apple 24 inch LED Cinema Display and the AppleCare® Protection Plan.

The Mac mini with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server, for a suggested retail price of $999 (US), includes:

• 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB of shared L2 cache;
• 4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable up to 8GB;
• two 500GB Serial ATA hard drives running at 7200 rpm;
• NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics;
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• Gigabit Ethernet;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• SD card slot;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• one HDMI port and one Mini DisplayPort;
• HDMI to DVI video adapter;
• combined optical digital audio input/audio line in (minijack); and
• combined optical digital audio output/headphone out (minijack).

Build-to-order options and accessories include up to 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, External SuperDrive, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Apple 24 inch LED Cinema Display and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

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According to many sources AT&T has had many emails stolen from its system by hackers. The security breach only affected the  3g model of the iPad.  The list of people who’s email has been stolen includes some high level executives and military officials. The breach is only supposed to have got emails and emails only.  Is this Apple hint to move to Verizon ? We will just have to wait and see.

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Just days after the launch of the Apple iPad . Apple has sent out an invitation to its press event at Apple Town hall. The event is set to take place April 8th 2010 . At the event apple will show us its 4.0 iPhone Os . Nothing  else is know about the event yet but be sure The Gadget 411 will keep you updated.

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So I got to check out the Apple iPad , and here is my findings.

All the hype of the new iPad ; i think its over-rated.  Don’t get it wrong i liked the iPad , The user interface was excellent and the iPad specific apps were kinda cool.

The only problem with this which i think me and alot people are holding off on is that  they should have included is a front facing camera and multi-tasking , this would have made the iPad much more of a priority on my ” I gotta buy this!” List.

Over grown iPod touch ? No at all!  This has some abilities that the iPod touch doesn’t have. (which we wont get into now)  but its alot more than a overgrown iPod.

Note to Apple: I Will buy this iPad when you give me at-least multi-tasking. There is nothing like having to close out the game you are playing to check and important email . The technology is there why not use it!.

Let me know what you guys think in the comments below. Also Check out the poll.

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