• Apple Planning Major Product Launch For 10th Retail Anniversary?

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Featured, News, Rants & Raves, Rumors 1 Response

    Apple Stores in the United States will hold all-hands meetings Sunday, May 22nd. And given the preparations and secrecy, something big seems like it’s about to unveil in celebration of Apple’s ten year retail anniversary.

    Apple’s 10th retail anniversary is actually on Thursday, May 19th, but it seems Apple intends to celebrate it on Sunday, May 22nd instead, however, here is the latest update on the matter comes directly from the guys at BGR, who adds the following:

    • There’s an overnight shift planned for around 10-15 individuals at each Apple Store to work from late Saturday all the way through mid-Sunday.
    • During the overnight shift, it’s going to be required that employees lock cell phones in the main office. They will also have to sign an NDA with Apple.
    • There are a wide variety of roles, we’re told, for the overnight shift. This includes all visuals staff, a manager, a business team member, a few Genius team members, one back-of-house employee, and a few generic Apple specialists.
    • Apple stores have apparently already received hardware to install, and are expecting more hardware to come on Friday or Saturday. All materials that Apple stores have received have been instructed to be under lock and key until after close on Saturday night.
    • Apple employees will be putting up black curtains at all stores so that people walking outside cannot see inside.
    • Employees have had to download gigabytes of data from Apple corporate labeled, “training” in a password-protected zipped folder that won’t accessible to managers or anyone else until Saturday afternoon.
    • Lastly, all Apple retail stores have mandatory meetings on Sunday, May 22nd. Most meeting are scheduled for the morning, but there are evening meetings as well.

    The question is, what is Apple planning? What could May 22nd hold in store for us? A new product? New hardware?

    Update:

    A lot of unconfirmed yet rumors surfaced claiming that Apple is about to give its retail stores a “huge” update – something Apple is referring to as “Apple Store 2.0″ – which involves adding new “Startup Sessions,” interactive iPad signage, new sound systems and even a new Apple Store iOS app with augmented reality capabilities.

  • Microsoft and Nokia to Begin Acquisition Talks Next Week

    // Gradly // Acquisition, blog, Featured, Microsoft, News, Nokia, Rants & Raves, Rumors No Responses

    Nokia is set to begin discussing the possibility of an acquisition by Microsoft, according to industry insider Eldar Murtazin. The blogger, who has a proven track record of disseminating accurate intel, says negotiations will begin next week and the results will not immediately be made public. If the two giants do work out a sale, however, it could close before the end of 2011. It seems that the deal of selling Nokia to Microsoft is now on the table. Exactly one week ago Microsoft has acquired the Internet Telephony Skype for $8.5 Billion. Is Nokia coming the next?!

    Today Eldar Murtazin had this quip on his blog:

    Next week Nokia will start the negotiations about the sale of it’s phone unit to Microsoft. For now the results of the negotiations won’t be public, but the deal might close before the end of 2011. Both companies are in a big hurry.

    If this came from any other source, I probably would have dismissed it. But coming from a guy who broke the news about the first Nokia Windows Phone deal, weeks before it happened. I’m starting to wonder if this is really the beginning of the end of Nokia?

    Nokia PR team stepped in on this issue here in comments and on Twitter with a sort of denial:

    We normally don’t comment on rumours as you know, but we have to say that Eldar’s rumours are obviously getting less accurate with every passing moment.

    Eldar Murtazin went on to say:

    While casting some doubts – it actually does not sound like and outright denial. Something along the lines of “We are not in any negotiations about the sale of the company and do not have any plans to enter into one” – would have sounded more convincing. But I’m not sure if even that would help much at this point.

    All it takes, is a look back about how the original story about Nokia Windows phone deal unfolded, and how surprised people at all levels below the very top were. I bet that in January very few people at Nokia were aware that dropping Symbian and Meego, and going Windows Phone 100% was even an option.

  • Toshiba is Working on 4-inch 367dpi Retina Display For Apple?

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Featured, iPhone, News, Rants & Raves, Rumors, Tech. No Responses

    Toshiba is going to exhibit next-generation displays and technologies at the 2011 Society for Information Display International Symposium, May 17 to 19, 2011. The interesting news is that Toshiba is going to show off a 4″ High density displays for mobile devices. here what they had to say:

    Displays for Mobile Phones and Portable Electronics: The mobile section of the booth will feature high-resolution LTPS displays, up to 367ppi (pixels per inch) resolution density, in sizes ranging from 3.3-inch to 4.0-inch with resolution formats ranging from Wide VGA (480 x 864) to HD (720 x 1280). In addition, these displays will demonstrate advanced technologies such as high-contrast (up to 1,500:1), high-color (up to 92% NTSC), and wide viewing angle (up to H/V 176º/176º). The displays are just a few representative examples of TMD’s broad line of thin and light displays for mobile smartphones and other portable electronic devices.

    A lot of previous rumors speculated a new iPhone with edge-to-edge 4-inch display panels. Back in December a news came from Reuters reporting that Apple & Toshiba said to be working with on future displays which apparently ditching Samsung away:

    Toshiba Corp will spend about 100 billion yen ($1.19 billion) to build a factory for making small LCD panels, mainly to supply to Apple Inc’s iPhones, the Nikkei business daily said.The company’s wholly owned unit, Toshiba Mobile Display Co, will construct the facility in Ishikawa prefecture and the plant will churn out low-temperature polysilicon LCD panels, which allow for high-resolution images, the paper said.Work on the plant will start by early next year, with the production due to begin in the second half of 2011, Nikkei said.Toshiba Mobile Display already makes low-temperature polysilicon LCD panels at a facility in the prefecture and its monthly production capacity of 8.55 million units is projected to more than double with the new factory, the daily said.  Apple will invest in a portion of the investment for the factory, the Nikkei said.

    Are we waiting for a 4-inch iPhone this fall?

  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Details Leaked

    // Gradly // blog, Featured, Games, News, Rants & Raves, Rumors, Trailer No Responses

    The first major details of the upcoming Call of Duty:  Modern Warfare 3 have been outed as part of a major leak. The Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer and Raven-developed game will launch on November 8, 2011, The single player story will kick off moments after the cliffhanger ending of Modern Warfare 2 with the US attempting to repel a surprise Russian attack. You can watch the first teaser video below:

    These leaked details came from Kotaku after they got their hands on information and images relating to the new game. Infinity Ward has said that these massive Modern Warfare 3 leak is only partly accurate. Creative strategist Robert Bowling of Infinity Ward has Tweeted.

    A lot of hype & a lot of leaked info on #MW3, some still accurate, some not. To avoid spoiling the experience, I’d wait for the real reveal.

    It’s said to feature around 15 missions taking in global locations including New York, Paris and London. The site reports: “The single-player campaign will ping-pong players around the world as they take on the multiple throwaway roles as a Russian Federal Protective Services agent, SAS Operative, tank gunner, and AC-130 gunner as well as key characters from previous instalments and new recurring characters.”

    the game will reshape the landscape of the Call of Duty franchise by introducing a number of eclectic settings, deep multiplayer gaming and a story that ties up nearly all loose ends from previous titles, including the final moments of key figures in the series’ history.

    It’ll also introduce new characters “who appear to be destined for future Modern Warfare games”.

    A List of game Locations:

    • Dharmasala, India
    • New York, New York
    • A plane transporting the president of Russia
    • A town in Sierra Leone
    • London, England
    • Mogadishu, Somalia
    • Hamburg, Germany
    • Paris, France
    • Prague, Czech Republic
    • A castle in the Czech mountains
    • Berlin, Germany
    • The Kremlin in Moscow, Russia
    • Dubai, United Arab Emirates
    • Washington. D.C.