smartech

Apple releases a new firmware update for the iPhone and the iPod Touch devices. Version 1.1.4 seems to be a “Bug fixer” and not the big and awaited SDK application. It is hard to spot  substantial changes, and we barely can find any visible modification, but those who had no patient, report no damages, even with a jailbroaken phones. My advice is to skip this one and wait for the “real deal”. If you can’t hold yourself, you can download the 162.1MB file via iTunes 7.6.1.9.

[via engadget]

Tuesday is here and new reports are coming from Cupertino’s direction, as Apple has just updated its online store, coming up with a new MacBook and MacBook Pro lineup, equipped with mighty Penryn CPUs and the famous multi-touch technology, as seen on the new MacBook Air. Other specs include 2.4GHz - 2.6GHz with 200GB or 250GB storage for the pros, and 2.1GHz - 2.4GHz with 120GB - 250GB for the Macbooks. The 17-inch model gets 1,920 x 1,200 pixels with LED backlighting and a powerful NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphic card, up to 512MB GDDR3. The rest seems to resemble to the old models.

Update: Apple says that both MacBook and MacBook Pro Battery life has improved, compared to the old models. Check out the table [via gizmodo] :

[via apple]

If you enjoy playing games on your iPhone or iPod Touch units, this is your moment, as both devices get 2 new 3D interface games, enabling landscape or portrait playing mode. iPac3D and Yeti3D bring old PC games experience to your jailbroken handset, providing hours of playable adventures with built-in virtual keys or by swiveling accelerometers. The iPac3D is a three-dimensional Pac-Man and the Yeti3D is more or less a Doom game. To add them to your devices, just follow the instructions: goto Installer > Sources > Add http://www.marcogiorgini.com/iPhone/plist.xml

Update: You can find more new games in here.

[via gmp3]

Sony has finally learned the new global marketing rules, by deciding to follow the growing trend of third party widgets development for multimedia devices. The company announces, for the first time, a new online platform for all of you, enthusiastic developers, who want to contribute to the Mylo 2 widgets evolvement. Sony plans to give full access to technical data resources, in order to let developers build their own widgets and to expand the Mylo community, worldwide. The company expects to launch the platform around March, but we have already spotted some widgets on Sony’s website.

[Sony via gmp3]

Creative unveils 4 new Plug n Play webcams for your notebooks, with built-in microphones and a sleeky design. The new Live! Cam series includes the Notebook Pro VF0400, Notebook Pro VF0250, Notebook, and the Notebook Ultra models. The one that has captured our eyes was the Live! Cam Notebook Ultra with a true 1.3 megapixel resolution and up to 5 megapixel image capture still. The Live! Cam Notebook Ultra supports a Wide-Angle Precision Lens, smooth full-motion 30fps digital video streams, a Smart Face Tracking function, 240 degrees swivel rotation, a strong PowerGrip to fit your lappy, a special effects add-on, and a hands-free stereo headset in the bundle, to speak with your friends on Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and other compatible messaging services. If you like the new Live! Cam Notebook Ultra, like we do, you can get yours for merely $120.

[via Creative]

Sungjut TangoX wants to play in the popular UMPC game, introducing a model to compete with the famous Asus Eee PC. The new nano UMPC comes with a 7-inch touchscreen - 800×480 and an internal wireless Skype/VOIP phone. It is packed with tons of cool features and houses aplenty of room for storage. Although there is no word on pricing or availability, the nano UMPC seems to offer a great alternative to the Eee. Check out the specs:

• CPU: 1.2GHz VIA CPU C7-M ULV.
• Display: 7″ WVGA touchscreen (800×480).
• Memory: 1GB DDR2.
• Storage Size: 40GB or 80GB.
• Features: Built-in WiFi, a 4 in 1 Card reader, Ethernet Port, USB 2.0(x2), DVI output, integrated Skype/VOIP phone.
• Dimensions: 230×171x29.4mm, 970gm.

[via akihabaranews]

The new Marbella 8800 features a navigation system, combined with a media player unit, in one box. The PMP-navigation device sports a SiRF Star III GPS chip, a built-in 2MP camera, a 4-inch WVGA 65K colors screen (480 x 272), AV-in interface, FM tuner, SD/MMC slot, 32/64MB SDRAM, MP4 movie player, MP3 music player, JPEG reader and an optional DVB-T box, enabling digital TV in the Marbella. Available in Taiwan for an unknown price, the new Marbella 8800 indicates a positive drift, combining nav-pmp abilities in one place, but the lack of storage makes it hard for multimedia functions.

[via navigadget]