As part of the launch Nokia flew me to New York City to help spread the word. However, most of today’s events have remained a mystery. What is clear is the event is going to be huge. I’ve already received a pair of monster headphones and the expectation is more goodies are to come. There is a VIP party at 5:30 where I expect to meet some of the architects behind the lumia line. I will also be attending an after-party at around ten this evening.

Updates will slowly trickle in on this blog post but check out my twitter feed or the NokiaNYC hashtag for live updates. Nokia has also set up a FB page for the event.

Pictures

*****Updates*****
The event was amazing. We began our journey at five as we went to the VIP party at the Renaissance Hotel. Apparently the invite leaked online prior to the event so getting in was hectic to say the least. However our group was on the list. Going upstairs to the lounge I was overwhelmed by just how executive it was. There we guards keeping people without the appropriate credentials out, Hors d’œuvre, free drinks, and the lovely Lumia girls.

As the clock struck seven our group made its way back outside to see the special launch performance. Right before the big unveil we were handed Lumia 900‘s. But not regular Lumia’s, rather Lumia’s signed by Nicki Minaj! (I was fortunate enough to get the only cyan version in the group) And with that the curtains were pulled back and the live performance was underway.

After walking through the crowd Nicki came on stage and performed a few songs including “Starships” and “Super Bass”. She then introduced her DJ and announced everyone in the audience would be apart of a new “Starships” remix music video. The CGI was amazing, taking over countless billboards to create a fully immersive environment.

The rest of the evening was filled with excellent food and drink, new friends, and Lumia goodness. I would like to thank Nokia Connects, Riccardo and David for hosting such an amazing event. Moreover, I just want to say how wonderful it was to meet all of the other bloggers on the trip. I look forward to seeing you all again.

The Crew
Camille
Justin
Lenny
Michael
Arjan
Antonio
Mike
Noni

Let’s preface this argument by saying I love concerts. The music, the people, the intensity — concerts are wonderful. I’ve been to a few that assign seats but I can safely say standing room is the most exciting. If you decide to go I suggest you splurge a couple bucks and upgrade to floor tickets.

There are two opening acts before Mac comes on stage. And quite frankly I wasn’t impressed. The Come Up went on first followed by The Cool Kids. I have to admit that there were some pretty impressive dance moves going on by The Cool Kids. However, neither group really interested me. Perhaps there were still audio issues being resolved but I found it hard to understand their lyrics and get into their flow. But hey, an opening act goes on first for a reason.

In terms of the music selection Mac performs a wide variety. With songs from older mixtapes through Blue Slide Park there is something for everyone. Please note that he does perform a couple tracks from the new macadelic mixtape. I highly suggest you download that and listen a couple times before attending. Knowing the lyrics at any concert makes it that much better. (I’ve included the full setlist bellow)

The production quality on this tour is pretty high, no pun intended. The lighting is spot on with a large video board opening a couple songs with unique visuals. The floating mushrooms really set the stage for a pretty lucid concert. The theme of the show clearly paralleles the ideals behind the Macadelic mixtape.

Overall I came away very impressed by the show. If your region/school is hosting the tour in the next month and a half I recommend you go. The environment is great and Mac really puts his soul into his performances.

Macadelic Tour Setlist:
English Lane
Party On 5th Ave
Don’t Mind If I Do
Loitering
My Team
Knock, Knock
Loud
Thoughts From A Balcony
1 Threw 8
Ignorant
All Around The World
Best Day Ever
Of The Soul
Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza
The Spins
Angels
Nikes On My Feet
Diamonds & Gold
Lucky Ass Bitch
Frick Park Market
Missed Calls
Smile Back
Fuck Em All
Donald Trump

The iPad sports an astonishing 2048 pixels by 1536 pixels. Technically this display doesn’t pack pixels as densely as the iPhone 4 display does. However, with over three million pixels on this display you will be hard pressed to notice. No tablet maker has ever attempted to create a display with such a high resolution. Packing pixels close together can actually create issues with color reproduction. However, Apple has revamped the process and this issue is mitigated.

Put simply, the iPad’s retina display is amazing. I have never seen a crisper picture on a computer monitor let alone a mobile device. Text is dark, tight, and sharp while images are saturated, bright, and gorgeous. 1080p video looks great on the retina display as well. Interestingly, the retina display actually has a million more pixels than 1080p video so content is actually up-scaled to fit on the display.

The big question is: can the retina display be a killer feature? A single feature that causes customers to make the purchase. I say it is. But don’t take my word for it, head over to your local Apple store and see for yourself. But be warned, once you see it your current displays will appear blurry. This is normal: your retina’s have been fried.

iPad
	Retina Display 2048x1536 (264ppi)
		40% better color saturation
		A5X processor (Quad core graphics)
			2x faster than tegra 3
	5MP backside illuminated sensor (5 element lens, IR filter) iPhone 4s set-up
		auto-exposure, auto-focus
		1080p recording
		software stabilization built in
	Voice Dictation (use voice to enter data in text fields)
		Most Siri like you are gonna get at this time
	4G LTE
		73mbps LTE (21Mbps HSPA+)
		VZW, AT&T, Rogers, Rell, and Telus are LTE partners
		Different LTE bands, different devices for each carrier -- 3G roaming worldwide
		Personal hotspot if carrier supported
	10 hours battery life, 9 hours on 4G LTE
	9.4mm thin, weighs 1.4 lbs
	$499, 599, 699 for 16, 32, 64 (add $130 for 4G models)
	March 16th launch in US, canada, uk, france, germany, japan
	Pre-order today
	First party apps updated -- stocks, iWork suite, garage band, iMovie (new editing controls as well)
	iPhoto for iPad
		multitouch editing, gestures, image effects
		easy sharing through flickr, Twitter, and others
		$4.99, available today
	$100 price drop on iPad 2 -- $399 and $529 for 16GB model
Apple TV
		Streamlined user interface
		1080p video
                iTunes in the cloud now supports 1080p movies now and iTunes playlists
		Recommends movies based on one's you have seen
		$99, ships next week, order later today

I will have more detailed information on the new iPad in the near future.

There is some strong evidence to support these claims. To begin, current Apple TV hardware was originally unveiled in September 2010. That is 18 months ago. Moreover, supply of the current Apple TV continues to be constrained. AppleInsider reports:

For three consecutive weeks, the Cupertino-based company has failed to make good on its promissory to restock indirect channel partners with fresh inventory of the existing $99 Apple TV product, say people familiar with matter.

Instead, partners and channel members have seen Apple push back deliveries each consecutive week by one additional week — a practice that almost always foreshadows a formal discontinuation of a product ahead of new models.

In short, it makes a lot of sense for Apple to announce an updated Apple TV in the near future. But what can you expect from an updated model? Let’s find out.

First of all, the current Apple TV is limited to 720p content. The year is 2012, users expect 1080p content on their HDTV’s. To support this higher resolution it appears Apple will update the processor in the Apple TV. Currently being powered by the A4 chip, the same processor found in the original iPad and iPhone 4, the new Apple TV will be outfitted with an updated dual-core A5 chip. Rumors suggest that Apple has modified the orignal A5, found in the iPhone 4s and iPad 2, to better fit the Apple TV.

In addition, I believe this third generation Apple TV is the perfect time for Apple to support third party applications. The current Apple TV actually runs a modified version of iOS. If you jailbreak this software there are several useful applications to install. With a faster processor, perhaps more ram, and 1080p output the stage is set for Apple to officially unleash apps on the television. Currently, Apple supplies apps for netflix, MLB.tv, YouTube, and more. However, third party applications would allow limitless expansion for the platform. Apple has dominated the mobile landscape with iOS particularly because of the immense selection of applications. The Apple TV can experience similar growth with third party apps.

Apple is known for their user interfaces, especially with touch dating back to the orignal iPhone in 2007. The new Apple TV is expected to ship with Bluetooth 4.0 so a new, low powered remote would make sense. However, I expect Apple will further integrate their other iOS products into the Apple TV. Users should be able to fully control their TV’s with their touch-screens from their couch. Also, Apple TV apps should allow primary content to be played on the television screen while secondary content, such as behind the scenes footage or character information, is displayed on an iPad or iPhone. Also, your iOS device can be used as a game controller to steer, shoot, or display other information pertaining to the game you are playing on your TV. And hey, if your iOS device supports Siri why won’t Apple allow you to control your Apple TV with Siri as well? Sounds like a solid feature to me.

Overall, I expect these features will make it into the Apple TV. Whether that is the updated set-top box coming in the near future or the actual Apple Television set slated for late 2012, Apple has the ecosystem at its disposable to truly redefine the smart tv market.

Later in the week I will be recapping the highlights of the show. Although some companies, presumably Samsung, are keeping their most prized devices secret for special media events later in the year MWC is traditionally a hot bed of innovation. I expect the cornerstones of this years mobile industry will be or have been unveiled at this conference.

Messages
Particularly after iMessage hit iOS devices the mac equivalent, iChat, became expendable. But many users want all their conversation history in one place. Messages for mac is that feature. Messages allows users to keep in contact with their friends and family through the same network as iMessage. With just a click you can send unlimited messages to anyone with Messages or anyone on iOS 5. Moreover, sending pictures, videos, and more are just as easy. Now whether you are out and about with your iPhone or browsing the web on your Mac you can stay in contact with your peers. And with end-to-end encryption, your personal data is as safe as ever. (Lion users can check out a free beta of Messages today)

Share Sheets
Mountain lion makes sharing easier than ever before. Built into many OS X 10.8 applications are sharing options to post interesting content to the world. With one click you can share breaking news to your twitter followers, post videos to vimeo, upload photos to flickr, and more. At launch Notes, Reminders, Photo Booth, iPhoto, and Safari will all have integrated sharing functions.

Gatekeeper
Apple’s operating system is known for its security. Rarely do we see widespread malware impacting mac users. However, Apple has taken another preventative measure in the form of gatekeeper. Gatekeeper allows users to choose what applications can be installed on their machines: only applications approved by Apple in the mac app store, only applications from the app store or from verified developers, or any application. Apple is building a barrier between malicious apps and the end user by allowing you to only use approved applications. But unlike iOS, power users still have the option to run wild and install whatever they please.

AirPlay Mirroring
This has to be my favorite feature of Mountain Lion. Users can mirror their desktop wirelessly to their HDTV via Apple TV. Of course Apple TV is an additional purchase but consider the possibilities. Watching movies on the big screen, sharing keynote presentations, displaying photos, teaching–there are infinite use cases for this. And now that mirroring is wireless they all become a lot easier.

Apple has made of point of taking the strongest aspects of iOS and merging them into OS X. Full iCloud integration, a unified notification center, and gamecenter are all additions to OS X I haven’t even mention yet. Apple isn’t breaking new ground with mountain lion but rather is refining an already strong operating system. And hey, launch is still months away. I believe Apple has a trick or two left up its sleeve.

Mountain lion is slated for release summer 2012. Although no firm announcement on pricing was made I suspect this update will be available for the same $29 fee as OS X lion.

Both offensives units are strong for very different reasons. The Giants stretch the field with three extremely capable receivers in Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, and Mario Manningham. Throw in an improved running game and Manning has all the weapons he needs to orchestrate a solid Super Bowl performance. Unlike the 2007 season the Patriots do not stretch the field vertically but rather attack you over the middle with TE’s Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez and WR Wes Welker. Brady is very efficient but if the injury to Gronkowski allows the defense to play single coverage on him the Patriot’s offense will be handicapped.

The key to this game is the New York Giants pass-rush. If they can put pressure on Tom Brady, thereby limiting New England’s time of possession, Manning and the Giants offense will be able to keep the game close. Ultimately I expect the Giants to win this game 31-27.

1. Subscribe to my youtube channel
2. Leave a comment on the giveaway video

That is all you have to do. (For an extra entry use social media to share the giveaway with your friends) The winner will be chosen after Christmas and I expect to ship the the phone before New Years. All entrants will be placed in a word document and I will use random.org to choose the winner.

Please remember this giveaway is for the US only, if you are international I will not be able to ship the phone to you. Sorry friends.

Warm wishes and happy holidays everyone.

Camerabag comes preloaded with a myriad of filters to choose from. From ‘Hipster’ to ‘Italiano’, ‘Magazine’ to ‘Wedding’ you are bound to enjoy the built in styles. What’s even better is the multi-filtering power of Camerabag. Users are able to layer filters creating a nearly limitless array of possibilites. With just a few clicks you can take a simple picture and turn it into a masterpiece.

Although Camerabag is dead simple to use it also has several high-end features as well. Do you need to process a large bundle of pictures? No problem. Simply select an image, make your customizations, and then batch process the entire folder. In addition, have you created the perfect collection of filters and want to use it again? No problem. Simply save it for future use. You can even download custom filters from other users online.

Overall Camerabag is an exceptional application for photo manipulation. For only $19 you can purchase Camerabag 1.5 today with a free upgrade to version 2 (demoed in video) when it is released. Or if you want to try the application before you buy, download the beta build of Camerabag and try out all the features for free. Camerabag is an excellent application saving you time and frustration when editing pictures.

So called heavy users are receiving text message notifications from AT&T informing them of the upcoming data speed penalties.

Your data usage is among the top 5 percent of users. Data speeds for the rest of your current bill cycle may be reduced.

Consumers who are using limited data plans should not worry about being throttled. However it is clear customers do not like data caps nor do they like throttling. Although AT&T is set to report record sales this quarter it seems logical that Sprint’s “truly unlimited” plans could draw extra attention in the wake of AT&T’s throttling.

In honor of this memorable game, Rockstar is relaunching the game ten years later (December 15th, 2011) on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. A full list of supported launch devices is bellow, with more handsets coming in the future. The game will sell for a mere $4.99, but how can you put a price on stealing cars wherever you may be?

I’ve seen some screenshots and it amazes me how much they remind me of the actual game. This isn’t watered down, this is GTA III in all its glory. It is crazy to consider a game that pushed circa-2001 hardware to the extreme can now be played on your mobile device. Who knows what gaming will look like ten years from now.

Supported Devices

Apple iOS Devices: iPad 1 & 2, iPhone 4 & 4S, iPod touch 4th Generation
Android Phones: HTC Rezound, LG Optimus 2x, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon 4G, Samsung Galaxy R, T-Mobile G2x
Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Toshiba Thrive

Officially launched on November 16th, Google Music has remained much of the same. Users can still upload 20,000 songs for free. Moreover the web interface was refined to make it easier to upload, sort, and share. The biggest improvement is the ability to purchase songs directly from Google for a flat rate of $.99. These 320kbps songs are then made instantly available in your cloud and on your android device. It simply works. Google also announced exclusive tracks from a myriad of artists including the Rolling Stones, Coldplay, and Dave Matthews Band among others.

The most interesting part of Google Music is the social aspect. With just a few clicks you can share a full preview of the song or album you purchased with your friends on Google+ or via email. This makes it easier then ever to recommend music to your friends. Google is entering an already crowded market and only by implementing strong social tools can the service succeed.

Alright alright, hold on a second. Nokia does have a pretty aggressive rollout plan over the next two months. WP7-Nokia devices will shortly launch in several strategic countries. However, Nokia smartphones have never been strongly adopted in the US. That is a significant issue. The American market is one of the most important international markets and Nokia is not making it a priority to appease US carriers and consumers.

Granted I can not ignore Nokia’s comment on the United States launch.

Nokia also announced its plans to introduce a portfolio of products into the US in early 2012 and into mainland China in the first half of 2012. In addition to the existing products, which include coverage for WCDMA and HSPA, Nokia also plans LTE and CDMA products to address specific local market requirements.

Clearly Nokia is working hard to gain traction in the United States. However, enough is enough. How many times can Nokia delay rollout in the US. The N9 was an extremely appealing device when it was announced. A couple days later it was confirmed the N9 would never come to the US. This comes when many American journalists were particularly interested in the N9. Nokia had a chance to reclaim some market share and they balked.

Many of the most successful smartphone launches occur in the United States. Look at the iPhone. Apple has always focused on the US market and has consistently recorded blockbuster sales in the US. Why? Regardless of where you fall on the iPhone debate it is clear Apple does an exceptional job marketing their US product launches. The success the iPhone gains in the US trickles down to Apple’s international markets. The hype is built in the US and spreads across the world. Nokia is trying to build hype world-wide and then attack the US market. A strategy they tried with symbian powered smartphones. A strategy that failed.

By the time Nokia launches a WP7 device in the United States several dual-core, LTE android devices will hit the market. Moreover, I wouldn’t be surprised if 4G WP7 devices ship by then as well. In 2012 it could be too late for a newcomer to shake up the market. There is no doubt in my mind that Nokia builds extremely good hardware but the question remains, when will US consumers finally get their hands on that hardware? Whenever it launches, it better be impressive. And whenever it launches there better be several carrier-subsidized choices available.

In an email to all Apple Employees current CEO Tim Cook sadly confirmed the rumors. “Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being.” He said. “Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”

Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft, commented that he is “truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’s death.” He went on to say, “The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.”
Steve stepped down as Apple CEO in August and was immediately appointed chairmen of the Apple board of directors. At that time he said in an open letter, “I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it…and I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.” Mr. Jobs was optimistic about the future and was excited for new opportunities.

Mr. Jobs is credited with shaping the iPod, iPhone and iPad lines. Through his innovation Apple evolved from a struggling computer manufacturer in the 1990s to become the leader of the consumer electronic market. Earlier this year Apple Inc. briefly passed Exxon Mobil as the most valuable company in the United States. Mr. Jobs is widely considered the most influential CEO of his era.

It is truly a sad day in Cupertino and around the world. No one else could have founded a company quite like Apple. Always thinking different, always striving for a higher grade of quality. Job’s influence will be felt for decades as many of our daily luxuries stem from Apple’s unquestioned leader. But we must move one. In the words of Steve himself, “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.

If you would like to write a few words in Steve’s memory, you can email rememberingsteve@apple.com

Rest in Peace Mr. Jobs. You will be missed.

Steve P. Jobs
1955-2011