Apple just released an update for the iPhone and iPod Touch software, titled “3.1.3.” If you have a jailbroken device, DO NOT UPDATE or you will lose your jailbreak and/or unlock. If you are not jailbroken, go ahead and update as this will not affect your device very much, other than fix a few bugs. Not to long before the update, Apple also released iTunes 9.0.3. It is safe to update your iTunes, so don’t worry about iTunes messing up your jailbreak as long as you stay on 3.1.2 or below.

The 3.1.3 update includes:

• Improved accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS
• Resolves issue where third-party apps would not launch in some instances
• Fixes bug that may cause an app to crash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard

Today, Apple made history. Not really. They finally announced the long-rumored and long-awaited tablet computer at their keynote earlier today (Click here to watch the keynote). A tablet computer is basically a computer that has a touchscreen surface and is not controlled by a mouse. At least that’s what I thought before Apple released their tablet, called the iPad. It’s basically a big iPod Touch, running  modified/enlarged version of the iPod Touch’s OS. I thought tablets were supposed to be running the same OS as the OS of another device, like Mac OSX, except controlled by your fingers. Maybe I was wrong. Read more after the break…

Apple made a completely new Operating system very similar to that of the iPod Touch. It comes with all the standard iPod Touch applications, completely re-designed to fit the iPad. Plus, all the games you currently have on your iPod Touch can be played on your iPad (Note: There are some exceptions). Apple also made their own version of iWork optimized for the iPad, so you can use Numbers, Keynote, and Pages on your iPad (Sold seperately for $9.99 each). Specs of the new iPad include:

• 10 hours of battery life (1 month in standby)
• 9.7-inch diagonal display
• Includes accelerometer, compass, speaker, microphone, bluetooth, and 30-pin dock connector
• 1 GHz Apple A4 custom processor
• Half an inch wide, and weighs 1.5 pounds

All iPads come with a built-in WiFi chip and, for an extra price, you can include a 3G chip to access the internet everywhere. This 3G chip will cost an extra $130 dollars plus a monthly fee. With the iPad, Apple also released a new store: iBookstore. This store lets you download all the books you want optimized for the iPad’s screen, so that you can read them easily on-the-go.

The iPad will be starting at a price of $499 for the 16 GB model. The 32 GB model is $599 and the 64 GB model is $699. Just add $130 to these models and you will get the price of the iPad with the built-in 3G chip.

My thoughts: I really don’t know why Apple did this. Why carry around a huge iPod when you can carry around a small one? I don’t think I would want to replace my iPod Touch for this; there really isn’t that much different. Let me know what you guys think in the comments!

A few days ago, Apple started sending out invitations to some people for an event to be held on January 27, 2010. The theme of this event is, “Come see our latest creation.” Many people think this ‘New creation’ is Apple’s tablet that they have been working on. No one is 100% certain that they will be announcing the tablet, but it is very likely. If you don’t know what a tablet is, it’s basically like any regular computer, but it has a touch-sensitive surface that you can control with your fingers or with a stylus. Some tablets use an on-screen keyboard (like the iPhone) or they have a regular keyboard. We still don’t know for sure what the new tablet will look like, but we are almost certain it will be released at Apple’s next event. I would be very surprised if they do not announce the tablet, but with Apple, anything is possible.

This is just a quick little post telling you guys how you can stay up-to-date with your tech news while I’m slaving over my hours of homework. I can hardly find time to film videos, let alone write a blog post. I am very sorry, guys, but high school is extremely tough right now. I’ll try to make more time to keep this blog fresh with the latest news. Sorry for the inconvenience. Below are some good sites where I get good news from:

The iPhone Blog: http://theiPhoneBlog.com/

iClarified: http://iClarified.com/

Quickpwn: http://Quickpwn.com

I just wanted to make this post wishing you guys a Merry Christmas and a safe break from school. Enjoy your new gifts as well as your family!

-Alex

P.S. – I got a new camera! I think you know what that means…

If you didn’t know, I currently have an app on Cydia titled, “iMinichrispy Mobile.” It’s free and installs in seconds. It basically lets you see my latest blog posts, videos, and twitter updates all in one place. Recently, I have been adding a lot of updates to my app, and you guys might be wondering what each update does. Since, Cydia doesn’t give you the same interface for downloading updates, it can be confusing to tell what the updates do. Here, I just wanted to show you a quick change-log of what I have been adding to my app:

Version 1.2:

• Added activity indicators to show loading progress of websites.
• If you type iminichrispy:// in the safari, my app will open.

Version 1.1.1:

• Fixed in-app emailing bug

Version 1.1:

• Added landscape mode toggle
• Updated Info screen
• Updates splash screen
• New Twitter Page
• Landscape Mode bug fixes
• Other Minor changes

I will continue to keep you guys informed on what’s new in my app. Just click here and scroll to the bottom to see the newset features in my app!

You may have heard  of the Shazam [iTunes Link - FREE] app a while ago when it was released on the app store for the first time. If you are ever listening to a song that you really like and you don’t know the name of it, you can just open Shazam and it will find the song that you’re listening to (Works most of the time, nothing’s perfect).

Not too long ago, Shazam released Shazam Encore [iTunes Link - $4.99]. This update added many new features to the existing app, which you can view in the iTunes link. When they released the Shazam Encore app, they also released (Shazam) RED [iTunes Link - $4.99]. This is basically the exact same thing as Shazam Encore, except that all the blue is red and 20% of the proceeds go to the (RED) Foundation. The (RED) Foundation helps fight HIV and AIDS in Africa, and has helped over 40 million people, which you can find more about here. Shazam has really shown other iPhone application developers how they can influence people’s lives and as well as the power they have as developers. I really hope more developers will follow Shazam’s example and make (RED) apps to fight in the war against HIV and AIDS in Africa.

You might remember back in June at the WWDC 2009 where Gameloft showed a quick preview of their new game, N.O.V.A, that is scheduled to be released this Holiday (You can watch the old video here). They have now released a video showing a little more of the gameplay that users can expect to see in this new game. As you can see (If you actually watched the video shown above) this game looks very similar to Halo. It looks like Master Chief a miliatry soldier is blasting  away some Covenant aliens in a battle we are meant to end  on our iPhones this Holiday Season (I’m not trying to advertise)! Hopefully, Microsoft’s lawyers won’t care too much about the resemblance between N.O.V.A. and the real Halo. They still haven’t released any information regarding the exact release date, but you can follow @NOVA_fps on Twitter to receive updates and news on the official release date of Halo, I mean, N.O.V.A , for iPhone. While your at it, check out the N.O.V.A. website as well.

Google recently announced that they would be making their own OS like Windows 7 or Snow Leaopard. From what I’ve heard, their OS is completely different from what most people are used to. Pretty much all it is is the internet. Yep, that’s right. There’s no need to have a hard drive or any of the other computer components that most operating systems require. All your data is to be stored on the internet, so you’ll never lose it and you can access it from anywhere. The downside is that the only thing ChromeOS will have is Google Chrome. That’s it. Nothing more. The upside is that it boots up in about 4 seconds. YES, 4 SECONDS! They have eliminated most of the boot-up steps that most operating systems use and simplified it to their needs. The result: way faster boot up time.

You may think this is a little pointless if all the OS will have is internet, but Google’s philosophy is that most people mainly use their computers for internet anyway, so that’s pretty much the only thing they’ll have in ChromeOS. Unlike Windows 7 and Snow Leopard, ChromeOS will be 100% free. I will definitely be getting this when it comes out in about a year. Let me know what you guys think.

If you didn’t already know, Verizon Wireless has been attacking AT&T with one ad after another. It all started with “iDon’t” and “There’s a Map For That”. For all you UK users and other non-US residents, Verizon Wireless is a competing cellphone company that recently released the Droid. Since the holiday season is just around the corner, Verizon released 3 more ads pertaining to Christmas, and the iPhone. Note that most of Verizon’s ads have to do with AT&T’s spotty network coverage. Enjoy watching these ads and tell me what you think of them. Personally, I think they’re pretty funny (My favorite is above).

Here’s a list of all the ads and links to where you can watch them:
iDont: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPYM-XTqcec
There’s a map for that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCbYTrYD5y8
Misfit Toys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JgrBtn8XdU
Elves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw9oNBrmv0g
Blue Christmas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRIqIWxhTIQ