Apple's iPad Refresh: 5 Features It Needs Now - eWeek

Apple's next-generation iPad will add a front-facing camera and the ability to operate on both GSM- and CDMA-based networks, according to new reports circulating online.

Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair wrote in a recent research note that the new iPad "is thinner than the existing model and is essentially made from one piece of metal with no pins needed," according to AllThingsD. Meanwhile, a Nov. 19 report in Taiwan-based Digitimes postulates that the second-generation iPad is "expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2011."  

Apple currently holds around 95.5 percent of the worldwide tablet market, according to research firm Strategy Analytics, but faces a rising tide of competition from the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Research In Motion's PlayBook. Whether the newest reports about the iPad turn out to be true (if the rumors surrounding the first iPad proved anything, it's that any "news" preceding Apple's actual unveiling should be taken with a dump truck worth of salt), Apple may do well to consider integrating the following features into its next-generation tablet?if only to blunt the impact of rival devices poised to flood the marketplace:

Dual Cameras

The first iPad lacked camera modules, a detail its competitors immediately seized upon to differentiate their own upcoming products. With other tablet PCs emphasizing their video-conferencing ability (along with Apple itself, via FaceTime for the iPhone 4 and latest-generation iPod Touch), Steve Jobs and company will almost certainly feel compelled to give the next-generation iPad front- and rear-facing cameras of its very own.

Thinner and Lighter

Apple digs thin and light: the newest MacBook Air, for instance, along with the ever-slimmer iPhone and iPods. The trend is thoroughly baked into Apple's design language, and its engineers are likely examining how to winnow the form factor without sacrificing its performance or the quality of the materials. To do so, Apple may have to develop a new manufacturing process, which Jobs will doubtlessly "tout" as magical at whatever future unveiling event.

Multiple USB Ports

Soon after the first iPad's release, some users complained about the lack of USB slots. Again, Apple's competitors incorporated that feature into their own tablets as a differentiator. While Apple may publicly tout the simplicity and ease of porting documents via the iPad's 3G and/or WiFi connection, it could also consider incorporating a pair of USB ports.

Retina Display

Apple has promoted the ultra-sharp Retina Display as a vital feature of the iPhone 4 and latest-generation iPod Touch. Retina Display features pixels some 78 micrometers wide, or 326 per inch, in order to make images and text look continuous. If Apple's engineers can figure out a working method, the Retina Display could very well find its way into the next version of the iPad?or if not into this version, a subsequent one.

Three-Axis Gyroscope Sensor

If Apple integrates a three-axis gyroscope sensor into the next-generation iPad?similar to the one already present in the iPhone 4?it could increase the device's appeal to developers and consumers as an apps and gaming platform.

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Black Ops Features You Might Not Know - Just Push Start

Here’s a bunch of new features in Call of Duty: Black Ops that many players will not have heard about. They range from things about equipment to perks and all make me personally look forward to Black Ops even more. So lets kick of this list of features!

Re-Use Equipment

Like in Modern Warfare 2 players will only get one claymore to use but in Black Ops players will have the ability to pick up their own claymores. This will work in the same way that players can pick up camera spikes, motion detectors and jammers. It is currently unknown whether players will also be able to pick up C4 but as it seems most of the equipment can be it would be a safe bet too.

Mistakes Were Made

Rather than just saying that a player has committed suicide Black Ops has the rather different approach and say Mistakes Were Made next to the player in the killfeed. Ways to get this range from the normal falling to running through a mine field on the multiplayer map Jungle.

Zooming Scopes

Black Ops hosts a scope which players can actually zoom in and it seemed that it was possible to zoom in 4 times, allowing for some rather long range sniper action. The name of the scope is currently unknown but the game is just around the corner so we will find out very soon.

Invisible Walls

Unfortunately these make their unwanted return in Call of Duty: Black Ops; while it isn’t yet proven how many will be inside the maps, at the edge of all the maps there are a number of entrances for the Attack Dogs. This means a big gap in a fence that looks possible to crawl through has an invisible wall stopping players. While I can see why they have added these I hope they haven’t plastered them all over the maps stopping players getting on the top of buildings when it seems possible.

Depth To Maps

On most if not all levels there is something going on around the map or even on the map in the case of launch. Like with launch where the rocket goes up other maps also include moving sections from a moving belt over a crusher to a train outside of the map. This is a feature which helps add depth to the maps which hasn’t really been seen as much in Call of Duty as other shooter titles.

How To Unlock Pro Perks

On Call of Duty: Black Ops regular perks will be brought using the Cod Point system but the Pro version of each will still be only available by completing challenges for that perk and that is also where it differs from Modern Warfare 2. Instead of just one challenge players will now have to complete three separate challenges to unlock the Pro version of a perk. For example to unlock Marathon Pro players will have to run 26 miles using marathon, get 10 first bloods kills and capture 15 flags in Capture The Flag mode. Clearly this is a way of making them slightly more specialised for the players that use them and could possibly make them slightly harder for players to get.

Well hopefully you are now even more clued up on Call of Duty Black Ops and it will make you even more pumped for the launch on November 9th.

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6 Features Apple MacBooks Should Steal From the iPhone - PC Magazine

The iPhone 4 and iPad are no doubt the darlings of Apple's revered product line, dominating media coverage in the past year. As such, both offered unique features that helped them stand out in crowded markets, and in certain cases, redefine their category. Now, as Apple's Back to the Mac event approaches, we've made a list of some of these features that we hope Apple will apply to its latest Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops.

1. Retina Display. The iPhone 4's "Retina Display" is touted as having 4 times as many pixels as its predecessor, and the higher contrast ratio makes anything multimedia pop. Basically, the iPhone 4 ships with a higher resolution on the same screen. Since Apple was able to do it with the iPhone, why not offer a "Retina Display," or a higher screen resolution, with the Apple Macbook and Macbook Pro.

2. Embedded 3G. There are two versions of the Apple iPad: one with Wi-Fi only, the other with a built-in 3G modem. Doing this for a device that's practically a PC should set the precedent for Apple's upcoming laptops, no? Apple should offer embedded 3G in all of its laptops

3. HD Camera Sensor. The iPhone 4 and the latest iPod Touch both come with camera sensors that can shoot video in 720p HD. It's almost laughable that users are watching their glorious high-definition clips on a 3.5-inch screen. If Apple can put these HD sensors in over a billion handhelds, it seems like a MacBook Webcam should be given the same capability to shoot video. HD content, furthermore, can be appreciated on a bigger a screen, or streamed over to an HDTV, via the DisplayPort.

4. Touch Screen. The touch screen is an integral part of the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Though unlikely, Apple could offer a multitouch feature for its laptop displays. It has become increasingly common in Windows-based laptops: The Dell Studio 17 (Multitouch), HP Mini 5103, and numerous convertible tablets offer multitouch displays.

5. FaceTime. The iPhone 4 and iPod Touch offer a software feature called FaceTime, which allows users to video chat using a W-iFi connection. Thing is, both parties must have compatible iPhones or iPod touch devices in order to take advantage of this feature. The rumor is already out that FaceTime is coming to Mac OS 10 or the next version of iLife. This is a no-brainer: It's a simple software installation that will allow users who don't own an iPhone 4, but own a Mac laptop, to communicate with others in the Mac community, through video. This move would also make an application like Skype less relevant on the Mac platform.

6. Mac OS App Store. The App store, finally, is the key that unlocks the success of the iPhone 4 and iPad. It's the reason why Apple's competitors have had little success in the slate tablet market. It seems improbable, almost pointless, to have an App store for the Mac when software for this environment is readily available on a disc and online. But there are several reasons why it would make sense to have a Mac OS App store: People are just familiar with the concept of downloading apps, because there's more variety; it's easier than driving to an Apple store to buy software; and it's less expensive in many cases.

It's the same reason why Intel is developing its own app store for devices that run on a full-blown version of Windows 7. The question isn't why; it's why not? Sure, developers will have to develop apps for yet another platform, tweaked so that they can run and look great on screens as large as 30 inches. It's a chance for Apple to gain market share in areas such as gaming, since gaming software is already scarce on the Mac side. The iPhone 4 and the iPad, contrarily, are touted as the ultimate mobile gaming platforms, so why not give developers an environment where they have an incentive to create.

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Microsoft, Facebook Introduce New Social Search Features - eWeek

Microsoft and Facebook are partnering on a set of new social-search features accessible via Bing. The features will also activate for Web results on Facebook, which are powered by Bing.

One new feature, Liked Results, displays the Websites and links ?liked? by a Facebook user?s friends. If you search in Bing for ?Halo: Reach,? for example, your friends? Facebook profile images will appear next to certain results. ?So, you can lean on friends to figure out the best Websites for your search,? reads an Oct. 13 note on The Facebook Blog.  

The other new feature, Facebook Profile Search, factors into searches for specific people. In response to a search request for a particular name?e.g., ?John Smith??Bing will now leverage a user?s Facebook connections to deliver more relevant results. ?Those with whom you have mutual friends will now show up first,? reads The Facebook Blog note. ?Bing is also making more prominent the ability to add these people as friends on Facebook directly from Bing.?

The tighter partnership between Facebook and Bing is unsurprising, given Microsoft?s $240 million investment for a 1.6 percent stake in the social network. During an Oct. 13 presentation, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared onstage with Microsoft executives to talk through the background and details of the deeper search integration. 

?We?re hard-wired so that information about people is the most interesting information we track in the world,? Zuckerberg told the audience.

Microsoft likely hopes that the new layer of Facebook data will help Bing in its continuing battle against Google, which recently added real-time search results in a bid to streamline its service. Analytics firms give Bing around 27-30 percent of the U.S. search-engine market, once Bing?s powering of Yahoo?s backend search is taken into account, while Google occupies between 65-71 percent. 

?We think it?s time for a real, robust, persistent social signal,? Satya Nadella, senior vice president of Microsoft?s Online Services Division, wrote in an Oct. 13 posting on the Bing Community blog. ?Facebook has led a transformation of the Internet already. It has reached and passed 500 million members, and the amount of content created inside Facebook each day is staggering.?

The new social-search features are scheduled to roll out in the U.S. over the next few weeks.

?What?s most exciting to us at Bing is the evolution of this new signal, based on something more than just pattern recognition or keyword matching,? Nadella wrote in that blog posting. ?This new signal will allow us to do a better and more comprehensive job predicting what resources and content are most relevant to you because, in addition to all the other signals we use, other people you trust have found them interesting.?

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Facebook Keeps Privacy Features Comin' - Mediapost.com

In its latest effort to ease privacy concerns, Facebook on Tuesday unveiled additional security features, including the ability to request a one-time password for use on public computers. "The feature ... allows you to text 'otp' to 32665 from a mobile phone associated with your account to get a password to use on a public computer, such as at a library or Internet café," reports the Los Angeles Times.

"The measure helps protect people from keylogging programs or malware." Another new feature lets users see all the active sessions on their account, as well as log out remotely. The top social network also plans to routinely ask users to update their account information, such as their phone number and the security question that helps prove one's identity. Kudos to Facebook for continuing to pursue a more secure environment for users, but that last endeavor sounds more like a ploy to keep members' personal information up to date -- important to advertisers willing to pay a premium for reliable demographic data.

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