Nintendo 3DS launch to miss holiday shopping season

With sales of its DS and Wii fading, Nintendo is relying on the new 3D model to revive profits and help it fend of renewed competition from Sony Corp (6758.T) and

Microsoft (MSFT.O), whose motion-gaming peripherals will be on the market in time for year-end shoppers to buy.

Nintendo also faces growing competition from smartphones and other devices that can be used to play games.

"Without doubt, it hurts to miss the year-end shopping season," said Kazutaka Oshima, president of Rakuten Investment Management and an avid gamer.

"Game-only consoles are facing an increasingly uphill battle against smartphones like iPhones and other gadgets, since more people are playing games on them. But I think the 3D DS can attract people," he added. "It should be fun to watch Mario run and jump on a 3D screen."

Nintendo's Super Mario game franchise celebrated its 25th anniversary earlier this month.

The new 3DS created buzz when it was revealed at the E3 game show in the United States earlier this year, bolstering expectations that it would be the new hit product Nintendo needs.

Iwata said at the launch event that the new games machine, which can also be used to take 3D photos and view them without special glasses, will cost 25,000 yen ($298) in Japan.

That compares with retail prices of about 12,000 to 16,000 yen for existing DS models.

The pricier model, however, will come too late to prop up this business year's sagging profits.

Nintendo, also blaming a strong yen that has trimmed the value of its overseas earnings, cut its annual operating profit forecast by one-third to 210 billion yen ($2.51 billion). For the six months ending on Sept. 30, the company now expects operating profit of 50 billion yen compared with an earlier estimate for 120 billion yen.

Shares of Nintendo dropped on the announcement of the DS release and ended trading down 3.7 percent at 23,010 yen.

Nintendo did not reveal the price or exact launch date for the 3D DS in the United States. ($1=83.80 Yen). Photograph: www.portfolio.com - (www.reuters.com)
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Blackberry launches Playbook rival to iPad

Mike Lazaridis of Research in Motion outlined some of the PlayBook's key features

The company unveiled its tablet computer to much anticipation at its developer conference, DEVCON, in San Francisco.

This is the first business-centric device in the tablet market.

It is seen as a clever move by Blackberry maker Research In Motion whose smartphone is seen as the phone of choice among this sector.

'Cutting edge'

"This is one of the most exciting times in our history," said Mike Lazaridis, RIM chief executive officer.

"RIM set out to engineer the best professional-grade tablet in the industry with cutting-edge hardware features and one of the world's most robust and flexible operating systems," added Mr Lazaridis.

Mr Lazaridis says it is an "exciting time" for RIM

Analysts have said the Playbook will give RIM an opportunity to dominate in a market it is familiar with and where it enjoys a solid reputation.

"RIM's Blackberry Playbook tablet looks to be a real challenger to Apple's iPad, playing on its business credentials, rather than being just another joy machine',"

Stuart Miles, editor of mobile technology website Pocket-Lint told BBC News.

"Whether RIM can deliver what it promises in the business environment with a selection of new apps on yet another operating system will be the real test though.

Either way, it's clear that the battle of the tablets is now full steam ahead."

QNX software

In the smartphone arena, RIM maintains a comfortable lead with a 39.3% share according to research firm ComScore.

The iPhone's share of the US market was 23.8% and Google's Android was 17% for the quarter ending in July.

The Playbook will have Bluetooth and WiFi.

The Playbook will have a 7-inch screen with front and rear facing cameras to enable video conferencing, an important feature that will appeal to the business market.

The operating system will not use the new Blackberry OS 6 but has instead opted for

QNX software, which was recently acquired by RIM and has extensive expertise in embedded systems for the car.

The new OS is designed specifically for the tablet size computer and will avoid the difficulties that come from adjusting a smartphone OS to the tablet platform.

The Playbook will have Bluetooth and WiFi. It will have no 3G capabilities but will enable 3G data connecting by tethering to a Blackberry smartphone.

'Exciting'

RIM expects to ship the device to corporate customers and developers in October.

It will become commercially available early in 2011.

RIM has yet to set an exact price but says it will fall in the lower range of prices for consumer tablets already in the suddenly congested market.

"It's by far the most exciting thing we've seen from BlackBerry for a while and for once the buzz seems to have been justified," said Kate Solomon of mobile news and views site Recombu.com.

What remains to be seen is whether RIM can keep the price realistic for everyday users - despite all the high quality features, a high price tag will put a lot of people off and convince them that a tablet is a superfluous gadget that they don't really need."

Tablet market

The launch of the Playbook comes as the tablet market becomes an increasingly competitive and crowded field, energised in no small part by the iPad.

Since its April launch, the iPad has dominated the space with research firm iSuppli predicting sales of 12 million by the end of the year.

Another research firm, UBS, put iPad sales at 28 million by 2011.
One contender looking to put a dent in the iPad's lead is HP.

At a nearby conference called TechCrunch Disrupt, Todd Bradley, the company's executive vice president for the personal systems group said tablets are going to be a huge market.

Mr Bradley told attendees that he estimates that in the next few years tablets will be a $40bn market.

Samsung recently introduced its Galaxy tablet as did Dell with the 5 inch Streak.

Other companies waiting in the wings with their versions include Lenovo, Asus, HTC, and Acer as well as Google and Microsoft.

A possible contender for the business customer is likely to come in the form of Cisco's Cius tablet.

Source: www.www.bbc.co.uk
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Apple iPhone 4 in short supply for China launch

China Unicom did not have enough supply of Apple Inc's iPhone 4 during its launch weekend for the phone, according to a Wall Street Journal Story.

Citing the Chinese telecom operator, the story said that China Unicom had received more than 200,000 pre-orders for the phone by early Saturday, when the phone went on sale.

The story said that more than 40,000 iPhone 4 buyers got the device on Saturday. This compares to Unicom's 2009 iPhone launch after which the operator sold 100,000 handsets in about six weeks after its debut of the phone.

Apple declined comment on the numbers cited in the story but spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said that more phones would be available soon. She suggested that customers check back with their local store or online for availability updates.

A China Unicom representative was not immediately available for comment.

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Zuckerberg Gives $100 Million to Newark

The billionaire announced the grant on Friday on the Oprah Winfrey television show. He denied suggestions the timing was aimed at deflecting attention from a movie that depicts the 26-year-old in an unflattering light.

“I’ve had a lot of opportunities in my life, and a lot of that comes from … having gone to really good schools. And I just want to do what I can to make sure that everyone has those same opportunities,” Zuckerberg told Winfrey about his gift to a city once the backdrop for Philip Roth novels but more recently struggling with crime, corruption and decay.

On a conference call for reporters with Newark Mayor Cory Booker and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Zuckerberg said he chose Newark — a city to which he has no tangible connection — after meeting Booker at a conference this summer.

He said he was simply impressed by the mayor’s plans.

The gift brings together two of the Garden State’s rising political stars from opposite sides of the political divide.

Youthful Democrat Booker is a former Rhodes scholar and Yale Law School graduate whose first run for mayor was shown in the Oscar-nominated documentary “Street Fight.”

In less than a year as governor, Republican Christie has earned a reputation as a tough-talking politician who will do whatever it takes to get New Jersey’s fiscal house in order, pushing through his agenda despite a Democrat-controlled legislature.

During Friday’s conference call Christie called Newark “a city in desperate need of transformation.”

Booker told Winfrey, “I think that Newark is going to change the paradigm for urban education.”

As part of the deal, Christie will cede some control of the schools to Booker, including choosing a superintendent. Christie retains the right to take back control.

“He’s investing in the vision that Cory has. I’m investing in Cory’s vision as well. And together Mark and I are going to help Cory make sure we execute and implement that vision to improve the lives of the families in the city of Newark,” Christie told reporters.

Zuckerberg’s donation funds his Startup: Education foundation, which will disburse the cash. He said he hoped to be involved in many more charity efforts in the coming years.

Newark’s 40,000-plus student school system is among the worst in New Jersey — only 40 percent of students are able to read and write by the end of third grade. The state took control of the schools in the mid 1990s but the hoped-for improvement has failed to materialize.

Zuckerberg said the gift will come from the sale of shares of privately held Facebook, the world’s No 1 Internet social network, and distributed to Newark over five years.

Facebook, one of the Web’s fastest growing companies, was valued at $23 billion in June when private equity firm Elevation Partners invested $120 million in the company, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Booker said the deal came with clear benchmarks and told Zuckerberg to halt his donation if Newark falls short.

The grant is the largest yet for Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook in his Harvard dorm room in 2004. The social networking service now boasts more than 500 million members.

Zuckerberg, who reportedly still lives in a modest rental home in Palo Alto, California, and dresses in blue jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, is the 36th richest American with a net worth of $6.9 billion, according to Forbes.

“The Social Network,” a movie about Facebook’s creation, based on a book by Ben Mezrich, opens nationwide on October 1.

The movie depicts Zuckerberg as a socially awkward genius who is at times arrogant and ruthless.

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BlackBerry Tablet

Rumors about a BlackBerry tablets that are being developed by Research In Motion or RIM have been circulating since last few months. The latest information, RIM is rumored to be introduced next week at the event in San Francsisco Blackberry Devcon, USA.

Wall Street Journal is a site that spread the rumor on Tuesday (21/09/2010). Citing a source within RIM who asked not to be named, tablets may use a 7-inch touch screen and may have one or two cameras.

The device can not be connected directly via a cellular network, but have a broadband connection, possible WiFi. However, he could be connected with the BlackBerry as a modem.

The operating system used may not correspond with the BlackBerry. The tablets that was called "Blackpad" using the new operating system developed by QNX Software Systems

Photo: INTOMOBILE.COM
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iPod Touch: Following the trail of iPhone 4

Finally, the new iPod Touch model comes equipped with excellent features of iPhone 4 as predicted so far. Many are calling the iPod Touch as an iPhone without the phone.

It is recognized by CEO Steve Jobs when introduced Apple's latest products in San Francisco on Wednesday (01/09/2010) local time. For Apple, the iPod Touch also has become the main coffers and provide a significant advantage as well as the iPhone. Although without a phone, the iPod Touch could be a new trail that someday would follow the iPhone 4.

"Touch is a product that really means for us. It is the most popular iPod. People call it the iPhone without the phone. It is also the iPhone without a contract subscription. However, it has become a portable game player number 1 in the world," said Steve Jobs enthusiastically.

Steve Jobs claims, sales of the iPod Touch so far exceeded even the total sales of Nintendo's and Sony's portable device. iPod Touch, according to Jobs, controls more than 50 percent market share of portable game player in the world. Because of the popularity, more than 1.5 billion gaming applications and other entertainment content downloaded on the app store from the iPod Touch only so far.


In this fourth-generation iPod Touch, Apple also revised to be classier. "We make it better. It is thinner and prettier," said Steve Jobs.

Like the iPhone 4, iPod Touch using the latest screen Display Retina, thus showing the quality and resolution very sharp and clear images. Quality pixel LCD screen four times normal, with 326 ppi, 24 bit color, and support for LED backlit.

For the first time, A4 processor is also used in the iPod Touch. In addition, the device comes gyroskop 3 axis motion sensor to support a more refined and accurate. At the front, there is a camera for video calls via WiFi service through better FaceTime with other iPod Touch or iPhone 4.

The main camera on the back was able to record HD video and the battery power can run for 40 hours of HD video without interruption. Also the features of iMovie to do editing (trim) video.

It is very special; the latest iPod touch becomes the first product Apple released the latest version of IOS platform 4.1 that was also launched simultaneously. One new feature is the latest on Game Center platform that allows users to share games with other fellow users.

However, their physical appearance is slightly different with the iPhone 4. Rear side is not flat, but curved like the first version of the iPod Touch. There are three variants available each priced at U.S. $ 229 for 8 GB version, 299 dollars for 32 GB, and 399 U.S. dollars for 64 GB.

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Dell Tablet keyboard equipped Showcase in the IDF 2010

Dell Computer Company showcased a tablet PC that has a unique design with a screen that can be played and completed the keyboard at the Intel Developer Forum 2010, Tuesday (14/09/2010). Windows-based 10-inch tablets immediately get a warm welcome from those present at the event IDF 2010.

The interesting thing about the tablet PC is-not like tablet PCs in general, he has a keyboard. How a tablet can have a keyboard? It turned out that these tablets could be opened and the screen can be turned 180 degrees. In front of the screen, it’s located keyboard just like on the notebook.

The tablet is called Inspiron. It is equipped dual-core Atom processor and operating system Windows 7. "Any time we have to work. Tablets are interesting for entertainment, but for some people do not really support the productivity," said Intel's current representatives to demonstrate the product. "However, this one is different," he said as he opened the tablet and show a hidden keyboard.

Interested? The product will be marketed starting this year. So, be patient.
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