Skype’s official iPhone client is in the App Store tomorrow, but with a feature list like this… should I really be that excited? At least BlackBerry users will have to wait until May to be disappointed.

The Skype app will include free Skype-to-Skype calls, SkypeOut support, a new interface, and instant messaging. The only feature that is kinda exciting is the support for 2G iPod Touches with external mics.

The real let down isn’t necessarily the Skype app, I suppose, but the App Store ban on voice over IP over 3G. Skype has to be used over a wireless network… =( Also, Gizmodo points out that, “You can’t even top up your SkypeOut account or purchase other services like voicemail, which, by the way, can’t be accessed from the app.”

I don’t wish Skype any ill-will, I’d just much rather them wait till Apple lifts the “Voice-out-IP-over-3G” ban and come out with an all singning, all dancing app that really shows off what a great service Skype is, rather than a half-baked app that is redundant with other third party apps. For instance, Fring has been doing all the things the NEW Skype app does and multiprotocol (including AIM) IMing for over a year. It’s about time two things happen:

1) Apple needs to hurry out their 3.0 firmware (which includes some apps being able to run in the background, maybe lifting the VOIP/SIP over 3G ban)

2) Skype needs to take a hint from Gizmo Project. I have their app on my Nokia N73. Basically, when you make a call, they call you and connect your call. VOILA! Problem solved. VOIP anywhere.

Skype told CNET that their app will have better voice quality (and probably lower latency), but aside from that was unable to offer many significant advantages over other apps. In my opinion, Skype should have just bought FRING and rebranded it. [via Gizmodo via CNET and NYT —Images from CNET]

Apple, Iphone, Iphone Apps Apple, Gadgets, Iphone, iphone apple apps, skype

OnLive delivers the hottest games from top publishers for instant, high-performance play on TV, PC or Mac over broadband…

Claimed to be in “stealth development” for years, OnLive works by using a server farm to do all work of your current console and then send it over broadband to your house. I’m pretty sure that means that even my single player games will lag now…

When it was first announced, my initial reaction was “Wow, that’s amazing” followed immediately by “But I don’t want to give up that much control over my games.”. And I don’t. I don’t want to rely on so many X factors to access and enjoy my games. I don’t want to rely on the OnLive service functioning, as well as the internet service to deliver it. What if I wanted to travel somewhere that doesn’t have internet? I could take my console. With OnLive I’d be completely cut off.

I don’t want to not “own” the game I’m paying for. I know more and more things are going digital these days, but there’s still a lot of comfort in owning a physical copy of something you paid for. You know it’s there when you need it. I imagine it’s the same reason people purchase the Ctrl+Alt+Del collection books even though all of the comics are available for free online. Sometimes you want tangible stuff that you know can’t disappear with an internet outage or a corrupt hard drive. [Tim at Ctrl+Alt+Del]

As for me and my house, we are keeping our beloved Xbox 360 and Wii for now, but in the future, who knows!

OnLive is currently recruiting for their Beta test. Interested in helping? Me too! More to come.

Gaming, News, TV Gaming, internet, Playstation, Windows, xbox 360

New details for Capcom’s Lost Planet 2 have surfaced revealing the story’s change of focus and a combined team power bar. According to a first-look article in the latest OXM, the game no longer includes a core character instead players create and fully customize their own solider for the ice cold war zone. Teams are comprised of four characters — with four player co-op — that each sport their own health bar (aka thermal energy reserves) but teams also share a combined power meter. The “Team Military Power Bar” reacts to team actions, depleting when a downed member of your squad respawns for example.

If you played the first Lost Planet (I’m sure you’ll remember… (I threw my controller quite a few times trying to beat expert mode), then Lost Planet 2 is shaping up to be everything you loved from the first one, plus a whole lot more. Lost Planet 2 going to be more team based with many different strategies and new various weapons, new melee moves (described as, “a little like the chainsaw in Gears of War”) and VS units (Lost Planet’s mech-like suits) at their disposal… not to mention more bitingly cold landscapes. Capcom just has a way of taking a proven game genre like the third person shooter, and giving it an arcade feel and I love it.

Lost Planet 2 is currently planned for the Xbox 360 but my PS3 is still holding out… but I think it’ll be a cold day (hehe) before it sees any Lost Planet action…

[via Joystiq via CVG]

Gaming, News capcom, Gaming, Xbox, xbox 360

“Just got to woooooork… sitting in my chair now!” A more accurate cartoon about Twitter has never been made (and never will be again)… and the Fail Whale eating people is genius! LOL

Bizarre, Funny Bizarre, cartoon, Funny, internet, twitter, video

Yep, it’s true. Canon has crammed the $1500 50D’s sensor and 5D-Mark-II-like 1080p video capture into an $899 entry-level Rebel. Gizmodo ran it through its paces for a few hours, but here is a brief summary.

Canon is using nearly the exact sensor from the 50D—a 15.1 megapixel CMOS with sensitivities up to ISO 12,800 at its top-end H2 boost setting, and nearly the same HD video capture from the 5D Mark II (1080p video is captured at 20fps, while the 5D Mark II’s shoots at 30fps). Gizmodo says the 720p video at 30fps looks great and is nearly identical to the 5D Mark II, and believe it or not, the video capture mode have actually been improved compared to the 5D Mark II.

As the specs go, it’s almost a pure hybrid of the 50D and 5D Mark II, two cameras that are definitely more pro than pro-sumer, and positioned at the top of the Rebel line (above the XS and XSi).

Some Specs (read ‘em and drool):

• H.264 video capture @ 1080p/20fps and 720p/30fps with mono sound
• ISO from 100 up to 3200, with high-speed ISO settings – H1: 6400 and H2: 12800
• DIGIC 4 processor
• Nine-point autofocusing
• 3.4fps burst shooting for 170 JPEGs or 9 RAW files
• The 50D’s lens peripheral illumination correction
• Three-inch, 920,000-dot LCD (same as the 5D Mark II’s)
• Built-in sensor dust removal system
• Live view
• Canon’s “Creative Auto” mode for light exposure tweaks on full-auto
• Saves to SD/SDHC cards (class 6 or higher recommended)
• $899 with kit lens, $799 body only, available early May

Canon Rebel T1i:
$899 MSRP with kit EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens
$799 MSRP body only <--- Amazon
Nikon D90: $1,149 (street) with kit lens, $889 (street) body only
Canon 50D: $1,389 (street) with kit lens, $1,199 (street) body only

Check out the extremely in depth review at Gizmodo [via Gizmodo]

Gadgets, News, Tech 1080P, 50D, camera, Canon, EOS, gadget, review, T1i, Tech

Close on the heels of rumors from the Commercial Times on Monday and Dow Jones Newswires on Tuesday, Reuters reports on a source close to touchscreen manufacturer Wintek saying that the company has received orders from Apple for 10-inch touchscreens expected to be delivered in the third quarter of 2009.

Taiwan touchscreen specialist Wintek already makes small screens for Apple iPhones, and has received orders for the larger ones that are roughly the same size as those used in mini PCs, said the source close to the Taiwan firm. He asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

He added that he did not know what the final product would be, or who would make it.

It is unclear whether this is one of the same sources quoted by the Commercial Times and/or Dow Jones Newswires, but Reuters‘ claim that the source provided the information “on Wednesday”, after the previous reports had been issued, suggests that this is either a fresh repetition of the information by a previous source or a new source entirely. [via Macrumors]

Apple, Rumor Apple, mac, Tech

It’s new, it’s tiny, it’s the NEW 3rd gen iPod shuffle and it was released on March 11th on the sly!

• 4GB or 1,000 Songs
• They come in Silver or black
• Controls have been moved to the headphones
• “VoiceOver” Text to speech artist and track names and battery life in 14 languages
• 10 hours of playback

Pick either a silver or a black shuffle up at Amazon for $79 and FREE shipping!

CUPERTINO, Calif., March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple® today introduced the all-new iPod® shuffle, the world’s smallest music player at nearly half of the size of the previous model, and the first music player that talks to you. The revolutionary new VoiceOver feature enables iPod shuffle to speak your song titles, artists and playlist names. The third generation iPod shuffle is significantly smaller than a AA battery, holds up to 1,000 songs and is easier to use with all of the controls conveniently located on the earphone cord. With the press of a button, you can play, pause, adjust volume, switch playlists and hear the name of the song and artist. iPod shuffle features a gorgeous new aluminum design with a built-in stainless steel clip that makes it ultra-wearable.

“Imagine your music player talking to you, telling you your song titles, artists and playlist names,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPod and iPhone™ Product Marketing. “The amazingly small new iPod shuffle takes a revolutionary approach to how you listen to your music by talking to you, also making it the first iPod shuffle with playlists.”

iPod shuffle is based on Apple’s incredibly popular shuffle feature, which randomly selects songs from your music library. And now, when you can’t remember the name of a song or an artist playing, with the press of a button iPod shuffle tells you the name of the song and artist. iPod shuffle can even tell you status information, such as battery life. With the ability to hold up to 1,000 songs and the VoiceOver feature, you can now easily switch between multiple playlists on your iPod shuffle. iPod shuffle can speak 14 languages including English, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

The new iPod shuffle comes in silver or black and features a sleek and ultra-wearable design with a built-in stainless steel clip. iPod shuffle is the smallest music player in the world and is incredibly easy to clip to almost anything and take with you everywhere you go. iPod shuffle features up to 10 hours of battery life.*

Pricing & Availability

The third generation 4GB iPod shuffle is now shipping and comes in silver or black for a suggested price of $79 (US) through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. iPod shuffle comes with the Apple Earphones with Remote and the iPod shuffle USB cable. iPod shuffle requires a Mac® with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS® X v10.4.11 or later and iTunes® 8.1 or later; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista, Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 3) or later and iTunes 8.1.

*Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. Seewww.apple.com/batteries for more information. Song capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; in 256-Kbps AAC format, song capacity is up to 500 songs; actual capacity varies by encoding method and bit rate. [via Apple]

Buy geek and gamer themed T-Shirts and Hats @ SplitReason.com!
 

Apple, Deals, Gadgets, News, Tech Apple, Deals, gadget, itunes

The awesome guys over at ThinkGeek.com sent me some gadgets to support my Stolen iPhone Cause and I’m giving them all away to you guys for being so awesome! =D.

Read more…

Apple, Contest, Gadgets, Hacks and Mods, Iphone, Tech, Xbox Apple, free, gadget, giveaway, thinkgeek

An anonymous tipster hooked us up with some alleged details regarding the rumored Army of Two sequel. Our source is confident that the sequel will be titled Army of Two: The 40th Day, but we won’t know for sure until March 12. Still, there’s plenty of solid evidence piling up. We’ve built our case after the break.

So, here are the highlights of the supposed game info:

Our tipster also provides us with alleged details of the game’s first levels:

Still unconfirmed: How EA plans to execute fist-bumping 2.0. [via Joystick]

Gaming, Rumor, Xbox Army of Two, microsoft, xbox 360

The awesome guys over at ThinkGeek.com sent me some goodies to support my Stolen iPhone Cause and I’m gonna give them away to all you guys for being so awesome and because I love having strange contests.

The Contest: tsteele999 won this time around, check back later this week for item #2!

1. Go to ThinkGeek.com

2. Find something you think is super cool and copy the link.

3. Make a comment on this post with the link, the name of the item, and why you think you item is super cool (I like the Dismember-Me Plush Zombie, because as all of you know, I have a zombie fetish).

4. Sit back and wait to see if you win, I’ll pick the name sometime Sunday evening. Good Luck!

*** For an extra entry (limit 1 per person) Tweet, “Deathcarrot.com is giving away some cool gadgets for free from ThinkGeek.com! http://tw1.us/b4 #DCcontest RT” ***

Apple, Contest, Deals, Gadgets, Iphone, Tech Contest, gadget, giveaway, Iphone, thinkgeek