IBLOG SPACE

Have you heard the news? Apple’s new iPad is launching on March 16, and the company and a few game developers think it might be the next big thing in video games. They claim that the device’s Retina Display and quad-core graphics, courtesy of the A5X processor, will be enough to make every console gamer jealous. Yep, you heard that right. Apple has decided that the time has come to finally take on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with its iPad, and it hopes those competitors are scared, scared, scared. But I have some news for Apple. I’m one of those people that some think, will be able to say good-bye to theXbox 360 or PlayStation 3 and use the iPad as a gaming device. They believe that with this new initiative, Apple and its developer partners can target both the casual gamer that wants the basic fun you traditionally get from tablets, plus all of us hard-core players who want something much different, and sell them on that experience. There isn’t a chance that I would even consider re

Apple’s new iPad doesn’t arrive in stores for a week, but the queues are already starting to form outside the company’s flagship stores. SlashGear stumbled across Ali and Zohaib kicking off the line at Apple’s Regent Street store in London today, the first lonely iPad fanatics desperate to get their hands on the Retina Display toting tablet. Of course, lines outside Apple stores in advance of high-profile products going on sale aren’t unusual, and in fact neither Ali nor Zohaib are new to this. Based on previous experience queuing they came prepared: folding chairs, plenty of warm clothes for the London weather, and a suitably fanatical love of iOS gadgets.

In a new update to the social location sharing service Foursquare, the platform is now showing the operating hours of local businesses and restaurants to users. But since it’s Foursquare, it doesn’t want to just provide a bland list of business hours. It also includes hours where special deals, like Happy Hour, are in effect. In other words, it’s now kind of like Foursquare plus Yelp. Foursquare, of course, is gaining a lot of traction and popularity. It has some competition but for the most part Foursquare is its own animal. The problem is that it faces competition from things like Scoutmob and Groupon in terms of local deals, and from Facebook and Twitter when it comes to actual social interaction. Foursquare is trying to find its specific voice in this world of a million social startups. The other problem is that people may find something on Foursquare and then look up the location on Yelp, or some other third party. Foursquare wants to be the only service you use, so the addition o

Fighting fans the world over are getting really excited about Street Fighter X Tekken, a game that, for the first time, merges two of the greatest fighting game franchises of all time and puts them into one solitary experience. That experience will be coming to the major consoles, as well as the PlayStation Vita, with some alterations. Namely that the Vita version of the game will support hardware-exclusive motion controls. And, of course, the Vita version will also support touch-screen functionality, making it a wholly unique experience from its console counterparts. Reportedly, the portable edition of the fighting game bonanza is still in development. Street Fighter X Tekken has, as you might imagine, sparked all sorts of fanboy drama. Among the issues that has arisen is the fact that for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, players will need to pay to unlock “downloadable” characters even though they’re actually already included on the disc. The premium downloads, reportedly,

Green Dot, a leader in prepaid debit cards, has acquired Loopt to increase its presence in the mobile sector, a move that symbolizes just how strong the link between banking and mobile has become. Neither company has given an indication of exactly what the new partnership will focus on, but Green Dot says it is necessary to keep up-to-date in the mobile space given all the changes that are underway. Loopt offers an entire portfolio of mobile patents, ranging from location-based messaging services to mobile marketing techniques that will bolster Green Dot’s reputation as a viable alternative to traditional credit cards and bank accounts. The company believes it will be able to market to entire new customer segment, and will also be able to better retain its existing customers. Green Dot currently caters almost exclusively to people who are unable to get their own bank account, but by pushing high-tech mobile initiatives, company CEO Steve Streit thinks he could appeal to customers who a

Google’s ambitious project to enter the competitive pay TV market has just passed the first of its many hurdles it must overcome. The search giant was granted approval from the Missouri Public Service Commission to build a new network and infrastructure in Kansas City. The company plans to offer service in both Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas. The Kansas authorities are still in the process of going over the request. It is in that area that Google began deploying a fiber optic network, and it’s the only area that anyone at Google is even talking about when it comes to pay TV right now. Assumedly Google would want to expand if things initially work out there. But there is still a long process before anyone will be calling their cable company and saying they want to disconnect their service so they can switch to Google. To delve much further into discussions about this now would be an exercise in speculation. Clearly, though, if there’s a company on this planet that has pro

Poor AOL. Once the only major player in the online market, it’s now just a shell of what it used to be, and the company is expected to axe another sweeping group of employees, including executives. Sadly, it’s not much of a surprise, as the company is struggling to find a new voice in the 21st century. This time it’s targeting those who work on its communications platforms. That means people who help with the development and management of AOL e-mail, webmail, and instant messaging are at risk of losing their jobs. According to media reports, the number of employees who will be cut is 40. It’s part of the company’s continuing transition to move away from what it was known for 15 years ago and grow into something brand new and relevant. It’s funny to think that at one point, AOL was so powerful that it actually acquired Time Warner. Just think about that for a moment. Now, having any connection to AOL is almost seen as a stigma. And employees certainly don’t have perfect job security. In

Beginning tomorrow, March 10, Pokefans will be able to catch the latest entry in the ever expanding collection of pocket monsters. The legendary Pokemon Reshiram and Zekrom will be available as a Wi-Fi download event until April 8. Anyone with a copy of Pokemon Black or Pokemon White will be able to take advantage of the offer. The release of the two new Pokemon is in honor of the upcoming games Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2, the first entries ever in the long-running RPG series that are direct sequels of their predecessors. Historically, Nintendo essentially hit the reboot button for every new Pokemon title, letting users play through a brand new story every time. To grab the latest exclusive Pokemon, users will need to go into their game and select the Mystery Event option from the main menu. Reshiram and Zekrom are available from the Wi-Fi Connection event choice, meaning anyone with access to a wireless network can download them. In the old days, special Pokemon were only dis

In a tablet market that’s flooded with similar offerings comes Sony and their Tablet P. With a unique clamshell design they can call their own that we’ve never seen from an Android this is truly a one-of-a-kind tablet. Is it worth the money or just an interesting wannabe Nintendo DS? We first heard about it back last year but now that it’s available from AT&T lets dive into the full SlashGear review and see what we think. To jump right in I’ll start by saying the Sony Tablet P is available today, right now from AT&T for $399 and a 2-year contract, or for $549 contract free. With dual screens, cores, and cameras it makes for one interesting device to say the least. Is the Tablet P practical though? That is the question. Check out our hands-on first, then enjoy the rest of the review. Hardware The hardware is extremely unique to say the least. With two 5.5″ 1024 x 480 screens, the NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor at 1 GHz, 1GB of RAM, 2GB of storage (SD card) and dual cameras i

Isis has a booth on display at the SXSW show in Austin, Texas this week. Austin is one of the platform’s pilot cities, and will be able to start accepting Isis payments in the summer. The Isis team, which is made up of a joint venture between Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, released a new video to show how the service will work once it goes live. If you’re familiar with Google Wallet, the steps will seem pretty familiar. Provided you’re in an Isis-compatible store, you can load up your Isis app, click on the linked credit card or other payment type you want to use, get and redeem merchant-specific loyalty offers immediately, and tap your phone to pay. It’s essentially a carbon copy of Google Wallet. The major difference, of course, is that Google Wallet is supported by one carrier – Sprint. Isis is the brainchild of the other three major carriers, meaning support is much more widespread. One thing that does set Isis apart is an activity feed for each user, turning the platform into mo

Apple today announced that it will be shutting down its iWork.com document sharing service on July 31. The service was first launched in 2009 as Apple’s version of Google Docs but it has remained in beta ever since. It’s fate was sealed, however, when Apple launched the iCloud last year. If you’re currently using iWork and would like to retain all your documents stored on the service, you’d better retrieve them before July 31. After that date, you will no longer be able to access any documents from the iWork.com site or view them on the web. Apple has provided the full instructions on how to do so here. Although the iWork service never got nearly as popular as the iCloud, some business users feel that many features in the service are still lacking in the iCloud, such as the ability to automatically sync files created on Macs, collaborate on documents, and share presentations directly via the browser. However, those features shouldn’t be missing for long. Apple’s upcoming Mac OS X Mount

The next big thing in robot cleaners have arrived, and it comes from Neato Robotics, a group known for their ability to create strange and wonderful devices galore. This device is an automatic vacuum cleaner made specifically for pet owners as well as allergy sufferers. This robot has a bristled brush to pick up pet hair, dander, and fibers across any floor type you have to throw at it. This newest model has increased airflow and suction over past models, three times the fine dust that the company’s standard model was able to pick up in fact, all of this due to its updated filter. To see what the previous model looks like, have a peek at our own Chris Davies’ full review of the Neato XV-15 Robot Vacuum. This newest version comes in at least one fabulously fashionable color combination, Misty White with purple highlights, and is made to be your ticket to “that neat, ‘just cleaned’ look” on surfaces throughout your home. As Warren Flick, CEO of Neato Robotics, Inc. notes, “Our customers

Nokia’s Lumia 900 Windows Phone was originally rumored to hit AT&T in mid-March, but now the launch of the handset has reportedly been pushed back to April 22. The device will still be heading to AT&T with 4G LTE connectivity for just $99.99 with a new two-year service agreement. The delay is believed to be related to the carrier’s technical testing approval process. The Nokia Lumia 900 features a 4.3-inch 800 x 400 AMOLED touchscreen in a gorgeous polycarbonate unibody housing along with a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash. It runs on a 1.4GHz single-core processor, 512MB of RAM, and 16GB of onboard storage. Previous reports suggested that the Nokia Lumia 900 would arrive March 18, but also indicated that the lack of technical approval by the carrier meant the date was still open to slide. But even if it had been approved, next week would be horrible timing given Apple’s new iPad launch on March 1

Nokia’s Lumia 900 Windows Phone was originally rumored to hit AT&T in mid-March, but now the launch of the handset has reportedly been pushed back to April 22. The device will still be heading to AT&T with 4G LTE connectivity for just $99.99 with a new two-year service agreement. The delay is believed to be related to the carrier’s technical testing approval process. The Nokia Lumia 900 features a 4.3-inch 800 x 400 AMOLED touchscreen in a gorgeous polycarbonate unibody housing along with a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash. It runs on a 1.4GHz single-core processor, 512MB of RAM, and 16GB of onboard storage. Previous reports suggested that the Nokia Lumia 900 would arrive March 18, but also indicated that the lack of technical approval by the carrier meant the date was still open to slide. But even if it had been approved, next week would be horrible timing given Apple’s new iPad launch on March 1

Are you excited about the new Apple TV? Are you planning to buy one the minute you can get your hands on it? Are you drooling at the thought of hooking it up to your television? No? Me neither. As an Apple TV owner, I’m more than a little disappointed with the new version of Apple’s set-top box. After reports of dwindling stock cropped up, I figured Apple was planning a major improvement to the Apple TV. I expected everything from App Store integration to gaming. And yet, all I got was a device that looks the same, comes with the same price tag, and now supports 1080p. So, perhaps the question is, why did Apple even launch the new Apple TV? Yes, yes, I know that the company’s fans will say that Apple was forced to launch a new model with a better processor to handle the higher-quality video. I’ll also acknowledge that the new software design is a welcome addition. But that could have been added to my Apple TV. And the 1080p video? Well, I’m not too sure I care. There’s nothing worse to

The delivery date for new iPad pre-orders in the US have now slipped to Monday, March 19. If you were hoping to be among the first to get your hands on the device, you’ll now have to brave the long lines outside Apple stores on Friday, March 16, or try your luck with RadioShack’s pre-order queue. Take a quick glance at the Apple online store and you’ll see that the delivery date for all models are set back to March 19. Although it’s only a 3-day delay, it may just be enough to get more people to camp out next Friday. But unless you were truly hoping to spend that first weekend with the new iPad, the slight delay isn’t too bad compared to the 2 to 3 weeks that UK customers now have to wait. And there’s plenty worth lining up for with the new iPad that boasts a Retina display, 4G LTE connectivity, improved camera, faster graphics, and uncompromised battery life. For more details on all the new improvements, make sure to check out our hands-on with the device as well as our coverage of it

Just this past week we got our hands on the Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE, a perfectly excellent tablet from Samsung carried by Verizon and reviewed and full by us. This week we’ve got our hands on the official Full Size Keyboard Dock, as it were, and it’s looking to be the perfect companion for this already pretty nice little device. What we’re going to look at here in this relatively brief review is build quality, speed of connection, and expansion abilities – spoiler: it does pretty good in all these categories. Build Quality This device looks and feels every bit as high quality as a Samsung smartphone. It’s not made with a lot of aluminum as the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is, so it doesn’t match up perfectly as far as materials go, but it feels right nonetheless. This is a keyboard dock I plan on using until I’ve got to send the Galaxy Tab 7.7 review unit back, I guarantee you that. Popout Ease in Use You open the box, you place your Galaxy Tab 7.7 in the dock, and… oh that’s it. Really that’s all you ne

A Fisker Karma luxury hybrid, purchased brand-new for testing by Consumer Reports, embarrassingly broke down this week before official testing even began. Consumer Reports paid over $100,000 for the vehicle and was perplexed that it stopped working just a few days into the check-in process. Consumer Reports said that they had owned the Fiskar Karma for only a few days with less than 200 miles on the odometer. It was during a speedometer calibration run on their test track, when an error message appeared and the car would only shift into Park or Neutral. After letting the car rest and attempting to restart, the same error message reappeared. The testers let the car sit again and went through the process a couple of times before calling the dealer to get the Karma towed. “We buy about 80 cars a year,” says Consumer Reports tester Tom Mutchler, “and this is the first time in memory that we have had a car that is undriveable before it has finished our check-in process.” Fisker has released

A Fisker Karma luxury hybrid, purchased brand-new for testing by Consumer Reports, embarrassingly broke down this week before official testing even began. Consumer Reports paid over $100,000 for the vehicle and was perplexed that it stopped working just a few days into the check-in process. Consumer Reports said that they had owned the Fiskar Karma for only a few days with less than 200 miles on the odometer. It was during a speedometer calibration run on their test track, when an error message appeared and the car would only shift into Park or Neutral. After letting the car rest and attempting to restart, the same error message reappeared. The testers let the car sit again and went through the process a couple of times before calling the dealer to get the Karma towed. “We buy about 80 cars a year,” says Consumer Reports tester Tom Mutchler, “and this is the first time in memory that we have had a car that is undriveable before it has finished our check-in process.” Fisker has released

For the first time in the short history between the sinking of the luxury ocean liner Titanic and now, the wreck site has been completely mapped out using sonar imaging. This feat was accomplished with a series of underwater robots sent to document the wreck starting back in 2010, and the results will be seen by the whole world soon thanks to the History Channel. A documentary is currently in the works surrounding the new findings and renewed sense of understanding this project offers and will be released mid-April. The robots sent to the icy depths around two full years ago took more than 100,000 photos of the site. These photos were then stitched together by an expedition team with sonar imaging, this map then constructed into the most detail-oriented amalgamation of the ship yet produced. One example of a finding made by this particular project already is the idea that the entire stern of the ship rotated several times on its way down to the bottom of the sea rather than shooting st

VEVO, a music video site co-owned by Sony Music and Universal Music, launched a revamped website today along with new iOS and Android apps, all with greater social elements through integration with Facebook. The redesigned VEVO site features a larger player and continuous playback of videos based on personalized playlists sourced from a user’s iTunes library and Facebook activity. The new VEVO now requires users to login through Facebook, suggesting that the service is shifting away from the YouTube platform to what some believe to be an eventual acquisition by Facebook. However, this is only speculation right now. The service uses your Facebook friends and activities to automatically populate playlists of suggested music videos. This Facebook integration is also seen in the updated iPhone and Android VEVO apps with the update coming soon to the iPad. The app will match your friends’ Facebook music likes and saved playlists. On the iPhone, you’ll be able to also match music videos with

This year is the second year that the hacking community for iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches has been so large that they needed a convention of their own to hold them all – Jailbreak Con 2012. The first version of this event was called MyGreatFest and took place in London – this year’s event is completely rebranded and will be popping up all the way over in San Francisco, California here in the USA. This event will contain not only keynote speakers and round-table discussions with developers from all walks of iOS life, it’ll have vendors and media representation too – the real deal! It’s Craig Fox, founder and CEO of JailbreakCon, who will be presenting this event in full effect. Tickets for this event are on sale now and just like last year, events will be streamed and uploaded to YouTube both as they happen and after the fact. If you are able to attend, you’ll be heading to the southern tip of the city to the San Francisco Conference Center, the event starting on September 29th, 2012

There’s been a seemingly rather large rift in the hacker world this week with former head of the Anonymous-associated team LulsSec is now being accused of “snitching” to the FBI on his comrades. A handful of LulzSec-associated individuals have been arrested in the past week, and the most recent bit of news has been in regards to the safety of Sabu, the supposed informant. A document outlining the extent of Sabu’s cooperating with the Federal government was signed on the 15th of August and made public just recently, and today we’re finding that it does include several lines promising witness protection to the former hacker should he need it once his deeds were done. In addition to this witness protection clause in the agreement to keep “family and certain loved ones” safe and “relocated under a new identity” if need be, today’s findings include additional charges filed against Sabu by the government in the first place. The first place being the full list of charges leveled against Sabu