For starters, the iPhone 4S will come pre-loaded with the hundreds of new software improvements in the already announced iOS5 and free iCloud storage.  It sports a speedy dual-core A5 CPU, which runs about 2x as fast as the old A4 in the current-gen iPhone 4, as well as 7x faster graphics. From what I can tell, these are the same specs you’ll find on the iPad 2, but in a pocket-sized device. Of course, it still has the same sharp 960×640 Retina display found in the iPhone 4. But it offers other under-the-hood improvements including increased battery life (up to 8 hours talk time), improved call quality and antenna redesign, and data download speeds of up to 14.4Mbps on HSDPA connections. Apple claims this is just as fast as most “4G” phones, but I think it truly depends on the quality of your carrier. Speaking of carriers, the iPhone 4S is a single worldwide handset, supporting both CDMA and GSM networks, and will be released on AT&T, Verizon, and… drumroll please… Sprint when it hits stores later this month.

Perhaps the biggest improvement in the iPhone 4S over the iPhone 4 is the rear camera. As Apple is taking aim at upending the point-and-shoot camera market, they upgraded the built-in camera to 8 megapixels (from 5mp.) But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The new camera supports true 1080p HD video (at 30fps), and even has real-time image stabilization and temporal noise reduction for improving video quality. In addition, the camera incorporates a new, wider f/2.4 lens, an improved sensor with better light sensitivity and faster startup time. You’ll be able to start shooting your first image after 1.1 second, and subsequent images can be shot in 0.5 seconds. The camera also incorporates face detection and automatic white balance. If you care to see just how impressive the photos are from the iPhone 4S, be sure to check out Apple’s image gallery, which offers full resolution sample downloads.

Last, but not least, the iPhone 4S is the first phone to incorporate Siri – Apple’s “intelligent assistant”. This app lets you ask your iPhone questions and to perform tasks verbally, and Siri takes care of them. For instance, you can ask Siri “How is the weather today in Chicago?,” “Read me my new notifications,” or “Remind me to call mom on her birthday” and it’ll take care of the rest. Siri can also provide restaurant recommendations, and do instant searches of Wikipedia and Wolfram Alpha simply by asking it a question. One of the coolest features of Siri is the voice-to-text dictation. Just speak at your normal pace, and Siri can transcribe it into text without a keyboard. Day one, Siri will ship with English, French and German support, but will eventually offer more languages. While I thought Siri might be available for all iOS devices with the release of iOS5, it’s an iPhone 4S-only feature for now. Perhaps we’ll see it on the iPad 2 at some point because it has the same chipset and performance.

Check out the iPhone 4S in action in Apple’s official launch video below:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Pricing for the iPhone 4S is as follows: 16GB $199, 32GB $299, 64GB $399 – with a 2 year phone contract – and it’ll be available in both black and white versions just like the iPhone 4 used to (other than the new 64GB model, of course.)  Apple will start taking pre-orders on October 7th, and the iPhone 4S will ship on October 14th. Full specs for the iPhone 4S can be found here. For those of you wondering when iOS5 will be available for your existing iOS devices, I’d keep an eye out on iTunes sometime late next week.

Sony announced today that the PS Vita would be hitting Japan on December 17. That means that Japanese gamers might get the handheld from Santa after all. Sony has also stated that they will have 26 titles on the shelves for launch. The device will also get the mobile 3G connectivity for some models from NTT DoCoMo in Japan. The console uses pre-paid service where you get a specific amount of hours to connect.

The cool part is that it appears you have all the time you need to use those hours so if you don’t play an online game for a month or so and go back your time will still be there. The console is going to have 20 hours of connectivity for the equivalent of $13 (USD) and 100 hours will cost the equivalent of $65.

At this point, the rest of the world will have to wait until 2012 to play with the PS Vita, though.

[via VentureBeat]

As predicted, the new iPad 2 will feature a svelte new body design (which looks a whole lot like the pics I shared last night), with tapered edges that not only make it thinner, but less likely to slip out of your hands. The new case measures 8.8mm thick compared to 13.4mm on the original. To put that in perspective, it’s thinner than an iPhone 4. It also weighs 1.33 pounds, about 15% less than the original. In addition, the iPad 2 will ship in either black or white bezel designs – which is more than we can say for the iPhone 4

The iPad 2 will also feature both front and rear-facing cameras, with the front camera having a VGA resolution, and the rear camera offering 720p video recording. Of course, the front-facing camera will take full advantage of FaceTime, so you can video conference between iPads, iPhones and Macs. Also included is a portable version of Photo Booth, complete with all the silly, unnecessary effects from the desktop version.

Under the hood, the new iPad 2 gets a serious hardware boost, jumping to a new dual-core A5 CPU,which runs at up to twice the speed of the original A4 CPU, and offers up to nine-fold graphical speed improvements. All these improvements should speed up what is already a pretty fast device in the first-gen version. Amazingly, with those improvements, battery life is expected to be the same as the current iPad. It’s not clear if RAM has been increased from 256MB though. Video resolution has not changed, with the same LED backlit 1024×768 IPS 9.7-inch display just like the original.

Another hardware improvement is the HDMI video out capability, which will require a $39 adapter that plugs into the 30-pin dock port, providing simultaneous USB and HDMI connectivity so you can charge up while watching video on the big screen. This output will work with all apps, supports screen rotation, and resolution up to 1080p. The iPad 2 will ship with iOS 4.3, which features speed-ups in Safari, iTunes home sharing, tweaks to AirPlay, and – thank god – the ability to decide if your iPad switch is for rotation lock or muting the device.

Apple also revealed a new cover for the iPad called the Smart Cover. Instead of being a full case that obscures the beautiful design of the device, the Smart Cover attaches magnetically to the front of the iPad 2, and the iPad 2 automagically turns on when you open it and goes to sleep when you close it. Plus, it’s got a microfiber lining to keep your screen less fingerprinty.

The Smart Cover has an ingenious folded design that lets you turn it into a stand for your iPad 2 as well. My only concern is using something with magnets means you need to keep it away from other devices in your backpack with hard drives, or credit cards unless you want to erase them. The Smart Cover will ship in a wide variety of colors and in both polyurethane and leather construction. Smart Cover prices range from $39 to $69.

The iPad 2 will ship in six configurations: WiFi Only 16GB ($499 USD), 32GB ($599), 64GB ($699), and WiFi+ 3G 16GB ($629), 32GB ($729), 64GB ($829). It looks like the Verizon and AT&T 3G versions do not share the same hardware at this point, so be sure to buy the correct one if you want one. If you like what you see, you won’t have to wait long to get one. The iPad 2 go on sale in the U.S. on March 11th, and to much of the rest of world on March 25th. You can pre-order over at the Apple Store starting on March 11th. Full specs can be found here.

While I’m not yet convinced that the improvements will be enough to make me upgrade from my current iPad, buyers who were on the fence about buying one will definitely find more to love about an already great device in the iPad 2.

Seriously though, nothing generates buzz like a T-shirt shooting robot. Building the robot was also a great learning experience to the already talented members of Team 254. Shockwave can fire three shirts per second, while its movement speed is 12ft per second. Each of the SCUBA tanks when filled at 100psi is good for 200 shots.

Check out Team 254′s website for more info, pics as well as videos. If you want to rent Shockwave for your event, email Team president Derrick Dominic. And ask him what other ammunition can the robot use, will you?

[via Hack-a-Day]

A Tweet was posted by a Japanese product designer that pegs the launch date for the 3DS as November 20, which would be perfect timing for gangbuster sales for the busy holiday season. I can’t read Japanese, but the translation reportedly says “On November 20th, the 11 goods I designed for use with the 3DS will go on sale simultaneously. Those of you buying the 3DS, please buy them while you’re at it! This will be officially announced on the homepage eventually, lol. Best regards.”

That Tweet was later replaced with one a bit more vague that read, “OIRA is designed to place 20 11 11 3DS product will be released simultaneously for the product.” We can only assume that was in response to the Nintendo ninjas storming the designers abode and forcing him to change the post. I bet this guy has designed his last Nintendo product, assuming this isn’t all a hoax.

Given the fact that Nintendo has said they will provide a final release date for the 3DS at the end of September, we won’t have to wait long to find out the truth.

[via Nintendo 3DS Blog]

Kip has put together this handy tutorial video on how to build your own t-shirt launcher from common parts you can get at any hardware or plumbing store. Once assembled, all you’ll need is a bicycle pump to put enough air in there to get the t-shirt flying through the air.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The video itself doesn’t show you everything you need, but if you head over to KipKay’s website you can get all the details. A PDF with full instructions can be found here.

The new handheld looks sort of like a DSi, but features a widescreen 3.5″ 3D display at the top which requires no glasses to see the its 3D effect. In addition to the classic touchscreen interface, control is provided through an analog “slide” control, which is located above the D-Pad, and the 3DS also includes a motion sensor and gyroscopic controls. There’s also a special “3D depth” slider, which lets you adjust the 3D effect to your personal taste (and eyeballs).

The system will also be backwards-compatible with games from the DSi. They also revealed that the 3DS would feature a significantly improved graphics chipset, capable of cranking out graphics that look almost as good or better than a Wii from what we can tell. Check out the example screen from the launch title Kid Icarus Uprising for an example of what to expect:

Nintendo also surprised us today, showing off a dual-lens camera on the back of the 3DS, allowing you to shoot your own 3D images, although it’s not clear if it supports video, or just still images.

Nintendo also revealed the 3DS will support playback of Hollywood blockbusters in 3D on the handheld’s glasses-free display. In addition, the 3DS will be able to communicate wirelessly, even when asleep, allowing game downloads, and even persistent universes which continue to update when you’re not playing.

Word from launch developers is that the 3D effect on the 3DS is nothing short of spectacular, with objects literally flying off the screen without need for any glasses.

Nintendo’s initial first-party titles for the 3DS include Kid Icarus Uprising, Mario Kart, nintendogs + cats, PilotWings Resort, Animal Crossing, StarFox 64, Steel Diver and Paper Mario.

There’s no word yet on pricing or a release date for the 3DS, but as soon as we know, we’ll be sure to let you know.

UPDATE: here are the first official glamour shots of the Nintendo 3DS, in shiny red and blue variants:

[Photo Credit: Engadget]

The New Xbox 360 features a smaller case then previous models (it was actually hiding inside an original Xbox 360 case before its reveal today). The new model has a sleek black case, with angular lines more reminiscent of the original Xbox than the 360.

Under the hood, the cooling system has been improved, providing “whisper-quiet” operation. In addition, the hard drive has been amped up to 250GB, and there’s built in 802.11n Wi-Fi (thank god!).

Best of all, the new console will sell for $299 (USD), the same price as the old Elite. Microsoft plans on shipping the New Xbox 360 to retailers starting today (6/14/2010) in North America, so you should be able to pick one up to enjoy this weekend.

Engadget also got their hands on this quick stats sheet in case you’re into those sort of things:

UPDATE: Pre-orders are now open on Amazon (under the old $299 “Elite” SKU).

[via The Awesomer]

According to this screenshot, some of the games we can look forward to getting all fingerprinty over on April 3rd include: Flight Control HD, Labyrinth 2 HD, and Sparkle HD and Cro-Mag Rally. Apps like Pianist Pro promise a serious multitouch keyboard playing experience, and OmniGraphSketcher is probably going to be pretty slick on that big 9.7-inch screen.

From what I can tell these screens from the new iPad app store probably came from the iPad developer’s kit, but I’m not 100% certain of their origin. Of course, since these screenshots are preliminary, there are bound to be changes and new apps coming online between now and launch day.

[via 9 to 5 Mac via TUAW]

The new PS3 Slim console sports a compact new form-factor, and a lower price to go with it. Priced at $299.99 (USD), €299, and ¥29,980, the PS3 Slim is $100 bucks cheaper than the previous model.

The PS3 Slim will ship with a spacious 120GB hard drive, and is 32% smaller than the previous models. As an added bonus, it consumes 34% less power too. And while the box shot below was leaked a long time ago, it looks like it was the real deal:

I’m none to thrilled with the cheaper looking case design, but if that’s what it takes to get the size and price down to size, I suppose it’s worth it. And I won’t miss the fingerprints.

In addition, Sony also announced the impending release of the their new v3.0 firmware for all PlayStation 3 models. Here’s a sneak preview of what’s new in the 3.0 firmware for those of you who care:

No word yet on a release date for the v3.0 firmware, but Sony says that it should be released “soon”.

You can now pre-order the PS3 Slim over on Amazon for $299.99 (USD).

[image credits: PlayStation Blog and GameSpot]

The DSi is actually the third generation of the juggernaut DS, which has already undergone a transformation from a thick unit to a thinner, lighter model with a brighter screen and more battery power. The DSi adds a camera, SD card slot, increased RAM, and an application store similar to Nintendo’s WiiWare and Virtual Console, but at the cost of the handheld’s GBA slot.

In the U.S., the newly-dated DSi will retail for $169.99, which is less than the $179.99 that was previously predicted, in comparison to the DS Lite, which sells for $129.99. At launch, units will be available in black and blue. If you were looking for the white model, you’re out of luck, at least for now–while it will likely be released later, for now, the white DSi has not been announced for the U.S.

[via Tiny Cartridge]

For starters, there will be an 80GB hard drive model, similar to the original Zune models, but packing a larger 3.2-inch QVGA screen, and a slimmer case design. As revealed earlier, smaller 4GB and 8GB flash-based models are also on the way to go head-to-head with the iPod Nano. All three new models will hit stores in mid-November, with the 4GB retailing for $149, the 8GB for $199 and the 80GB for just $249.

Additional details which have surfaced include automatic sync-over-WiFi capability (Apple, are you listening?), and a DRM-free music store (surprise!) As an added bonus to Zune early adopters, the original model (now known as the “Zune 30″) will get a firmware update to match the features of the newer models.

[Official Microsoft Press Release]

[Zune-Online via Gizmodo]

The initial 21 channels are available immediately if you’re signed up for the HD package and have the SD version of the channel in your current programming plan. Here’s the list of what’s live today:

1. A&E (Channel 265)
2. Animal Planet (Channel 282)
3. Big Ten Network (Channel 220)
4. CNN (Channel 202)
5. The Discovery Channel (Channel 278)
6. The History Channel (Channel 269)
7. The Movie Channel East (Channel 544)
8. NFL Network (Channel 212)
9. Showtime West (Channel 540)
10. Showtime too (Channel 538)
11. The Smithsonian Channel (Channel 267)
12. The Science Channel (Channel 284)
13. Starz Comedy (Channel 519)
14. Starz East (Channel 522)
15. Starz West (Channel 540)
16. Starz Edge (Channel 520)
17. Starz Kids and Family (Channel 518)
18. TBS (Channel 247)
19. TLC (Channel 280)
20. Versus / The Golf Channel (Channel 604)
21. The Weather Channel (Channel 362)

To get all the new channels, you’ll need to have an MPEG-4 compatible receiver (such as the H20 or HR20-700 DVR), as well as a 5-LNB dish and the free B-band converters that DirecTV should have told you about by now. If you don’t have this hardware, no worries. You should be able to get them from DirecTV for cheap (if not free with a little negotiation).

If you’re like me, you probably have a custom channel list set up on your receiver. If that’s the case you’ll need to go in and edit your list to add the new channels. Otherwise, you won’t see them. Also, they have the exact same numbers as their standard def counterparts, so you might want to remove the SD ones from your channel list to reduce confusion.

In addition to these 21 HD channels, tons of additional channels are expected to roll out over the next couple of months.

[via Engadget HD]

The game will absolutely, positively make its planned release date of September 25th, just a little less than a month from now. And that timing couldn’t be better, since I probably will have extracted all the fun that I can out of my current fave game, Bioshock by then. See you on Xbox Live on the 25th!

[Order Halo 3 from Amazon]

After a brief, uneventful visit to my local AT&T store (on the Northwest side of Chicago,) I managed to score one of the last couple of 8GB iPhones in stock. They only had about 35 or 40 total phones in stock, and it seems as if about 75% were 8GB models, and the other 25% were the 4GB.

As you can imagine, I’ll be playing with my new gadget for a bit tonight, and I’ll post plenty more about my experience with the purchase and the phone in the coming days.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The kiosks feature a giant interactive version of the iPhone which shows off the user interface magnified for all to see. It’s not clear to me if the display will feature a multi-touch display like the actual iPhone has, but it’s still pretty cool.

[UPDATE: MacRumors has posted additional pictures of a large iPhone window display that is different from these in-store kiosks, looking like an actual giant iPhone. Sweet!]

They successfully deployed 965 model rockets at the same instant, smashing the previous record of just under 400 rockets. Check out this video of the launch:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Congratulations to Cub Scout Pack 990 and Boy Scout Troop 990 for pulling off this amazing feat!

[via Engadget, photos via fauxtoe]

The project proposes a 300-meter, helium filled banana floated skywards, to hover over the Lone Star state. Artist Cesar Saez claims to have raised tens of thousands of dollars towards his goal of $1 million that will be needed to launch his work, entitled Geostationary Banana Over Texas.

Why, you may ask, would you spend taxpayer dollars to launch a giant fruit into space? According to the artist, “Texas is as symbolic as the banana… The banana has a lot of symbolism: phallic, humour, and political, too.” If that’s his only criteria, why not launch a giant penis into space?

[via TechDigest]

Sony’s UK advertising agency, TWBA, told the publication that their advertising campaign would begin in late March. In addition, a senior retail source was quoted as saying “It’s safe to assume that the PS3 launch will be towards the end of the month. My money is on the 23rd.” Sony hasn’t announced an official launch date yet, but given the recent glut of consoles in the U.S., I wouldn’t doubt that Sony can keep up with U.K. demand now.

The post simply reads:

“Gizmodo Knows: iPhone Will Be Announced On Monday – I guarantee it. It isn’t what I expected at all. And I’ve already said too much.”

Brian and the guys over at Gizmodo are usually quite reliable, so I doubt he’d be posting such a statement unless he had some strong inside information on the subject. Stay tuned and we’ll let you know as soon as we hear anything more.