• Apple Signs Deals With Sony, EMI and Warner Group Over Cloud Music

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Cloud, News, Rumors 1 Response

    Apple has reached agreements with three major record labels to let users of its new music service access their song collections from handheld devices via the Internet, as reported by Bloomberg tonight:

    The new iTunes offering will let users store content on Apple’s servers and access it using the Web, rather than loading songs into a device’s memory, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been made public. The plans could be previewed as early as Apple’s developers conference, set to begin June 6, the people said.

    Apple has reached licensing accords with Sony music division, EMI Group and Warner Music Group, the people said. Universal Music Group, the largest recording company, is close to a deal. The company also would need to reach agreements with music publishers, which control different rights than the labels.

    Apple’s cloud music service is said to be part of a major MobileMe overhaul which said to be unveiled in WWDC this June.

  • Gears of War 3 Becomes The Fastest Pre-Ordered Game in Xbox 360 History

    // Gradly // blog, Consoles, Featured, Games, Microsoft, News, Wallpaper 1 Response

    Epic Games and Microsoft have achieved a big milestone today as the game Gears of War 3 has become the fastest pre-ordered title in Xbox 360 history and has broken 1 million orders. This comes as a result for statistics released for the public beta which ended on May 15, with an impressive 1.29 million players who participated in the franchise.

    The game also logged some very impressive stats. check out the figures rundown below:

    • 145 different countries participated in the beta
    • 249 years worth of matches played
    • More than 11 million matches completed
    • More than 927 million kills recorded
    • More than 131 million executions performed
    • More than 23 million deaths by chainsaw
    • Nearly 23 BILLION bullets fired
    • 4.9 billion ribbons and 291M medals earned
    • 435K people earned the Beta exclusive Thrashball Cole skin to use in the retail game when it launches in September
    • 234K people earned the Beta exclusive Gold Retro Lancer to use in the retail game when it launches in September

    Cliff Bleszinski, Epic Games’ Design Director commented on the success of the beta:

    “We can’t thank the fans enough. The beta was a fun way to give players an early taste of our game, it also provided us with invaluable feedback to help us refine and polish ‘Gears of War 3’ to ensure it’s truly the culmination of the trilogy we promised to the fans.”

    Gears of War 3 will be releasing September 20, 2011 exclusively for Xbox 360.

  • Apple Thinks Smaller is Always Better. Apple Introduces a Nano SIM Card Design

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

    Reuters reports that Apple has proposed a nano SIM card design smaller than the micro-SIM currently used in the iPhone 4 and iPad, the new design won the backing of French giant carrier Orange. The design allows Apple and other companies adopting the card to design smaller and thinner devices.

    “We were quite happy to see last week that Apple has submitted a new requirement to (European telecoms standards body) ETSI for a smaller SIM form factor — smaller than the one that goes in iPhone 4 and iPad,” said Anne Bouverot, Orange’s head of mobile services.

    “They have done that through the standardisation route, through ETSI, with the sponsorship of some major mobile operators, Orange being one of them,” she told the Paris leg of the Reuters Global Technology Summit.

    With finalization of the standard and technical issues still to be worked out, devices using the smaller SIM card could hit the market next year.

    This is a great news and for Apple smaller and thinner is always better. This comes in bar with rumors speculated that Apple will introduce nano iPhones in the future. However, Don’t expect the new SIM until 2012, at the very earliest

  • iPhone 4S, with 8MP Camera, Production to Begin in August?

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Gadgets, iPhone, News, Rumors No Responses

    Due to the launch of iPhone 4S planned as early as September 2011, Digitimes reports that Apple has lowered its expected shipment volume of iPhone 4 ahead of the September launch for the fifth-generation iPhone – “iPhone 4S.”

    for the second quarter of 2011 from 20 million units, to 17.5-18 million units consisting of 16 million units of the 3G version and 1.5-2 million units of the CDMA version, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers. Bases on global sales of 18.6 million units of iPhone 4 and shipment volumes in the first quarter of 2011, there are an estimated 1.5-2 million units in stock, the sources indicated.

    Production of iPhone 4S will begin in August and the earliest launch may be in September. All the 3G and CDMA chips for iPhone 4S will be supplied by Qualcomm and the rear camera will be upgraded to an 8-megapixel resolution model with OmniVision Technologies and Taiwan-based Largan Precision to supply image sensors and lens kits respectively.