iPad 3 with Retina Display Confirmed for 2012

Reports are coming in from several reputable sources saying that the company’s third-generation post-PC device is coming in 2012 equipped with a higher resolution display.

People familiar with Apple’s plans have reportedly said that the company’s iPad 3 will feature a high resolution display at 2048 by 1536 pixels.

This compares to 1024 by 768 in the iPad 1 and iPad 2 and it is said that Apple's suppliers have already shipped sampling units.

These people said Apple is keeping the 9.7-inch form factor and is only increasing the pixel density on the screen of the iPad 3.

According to trade publication Digitimes, Chimei Innolux (CMI) is no longer a provider of LCD panels for Apple, at least as far as the iPad 3 is concerned.

Facing what industry sources called “technological hurdles” the Chinese supplier has been successful with Apple’s demands for the iPad 2, but not with those of the next tablet which, according to these people, is “more demanding” in terms of resolution.

Even though the display maker recently invested NT$800 million to NT$1 billion to improve its manufacturing facilities, the CMI still hasn’t been able to meet Apple’s demands.

Sources in China noted that Chimei Innolux still has a shot at being tapped by Apple to become a regular supplier of iPad 3 panels, but only if it can improve the quality of the hardware.

Trying not to cast a bad light onto CMI, the sources added that even Apple’s regular suppliers, including LG Display (LGD) and Samsung Electronics, are having a rough time adjusting their manufacturing processes to achieve the 2,048 x 1,536 specification.

Besides the two Korean partners, Japanese supplier Sharp is said to have been selected for suppling iPad 3 panels as well.

Read more »

Windows 8 Pre-Release Will Not Be a Secret, Promises Microsoft

The number of testers with access to pre-release copies of Windows 8 is bound to increase as the development process moves forward and approaches the Beta stage.

Microsoft has confirmed that it will deliver the first deep insight into Windows 8 in mid-September 2011 at its BUILD Windows conference, and the software giant is also expected to share a pre-release Build at least with participants, if not with as many testers as possible. 

Piles of interim Builds of Windows 8 have already been complied, with number of releases even served to early adopters outside of Redmond. 

In addition to such testers, Microsoft employees have also been dogfooding early development milestones of Windows 8, per the software giant’s “eating one’s own dog food” tradition. 

The problem thus far is related to the extremely limited access to pre-release Builds of Windows 8. 

With the BUILD event now sold out and just a few weeks away, the Windows 8 communications strategy is moving into its next phase. Case in point: the new Building Windows 8 Blog and @BuildWindows8 Twitter account. 

But the translucency veil lifting from the Windows 8 project is only a prelude of a shift in the Windows 8 testing strategy, with Microsoft gearing up to broaden the pool of early adopters who will be able to take the next generation of the Windows client out for a spin. 

“Folks asking about getting pre-release bits...we promise it will be easy and not a secret,” the company tweeted via @BuildWindows8 yesterday. 

Windows 8 is believed to still be in Milestone 3 (M3) stage at this point in time, with some recently leaked details and screenshots depicting Build 8064. 

And while Windows 8 pre-release will be easy and not a secret, Microsoft continues to keep mum on just what exactly will happen at BUILD, and whether it will release a pre-Beta or the fully fledged Beta to testers.

Read more »

Fujitsu IS12T Windows Mango Phone Now on Pre-Order, Available on August 25

Officially unveiled last month, the Fujitsu IS12T smartphone is now available for pre-order at Au KDDI store in Biccamera Yurakucho, Tokyo, Japan.

Although the device is expected to be released on the market after September 2011, it appears that the handset manufacturer will be able to deliver the Fujitsu IS12T by the end of August.

According to the latest hearsay, if nothing goes wrong, Fujitsu IS12T should hit shelves around August 25.

Touted as the first smartphone to feature Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.5 Mango operating system, the IS12T was announced in July by the Toshiba Fujitsu joint-venture and KDDI carrier.

In addition, the IS12T is world's first Windows Phone smartphone to be fully protected against water and dust intrusions.

When it comes to hardware, Fujitsu IS12T is an upgraded Windows Phone 7 device, as the smartphone embeds one of the highest quality camera for a smartphone with 13.2 megapixels.

Furthermore, the phone packs 32 GB of internal memory and is powered by a single core Qualcomm MSM-8655 processor clocked at 1GHz.

It has a large 3.7-inch capacitive display with 16 million colors support and features support for both CDMA and GSM connectivity.

Other highlights of the smartphone include: GPS with A-GPS support, six-axis motion sensing, WiFi b/g/n connectivity and Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR support.

Software-wise, Fujitsu IS12T is bundled with Microsoft Office package that allows users to edit, create and read documents, as well as Internet Explorer 9, which is based on the desktop version.

Fujitsu also mentioned that owners of the smartphone will be able to store and share data through Windows Live SkyDrive, a free-of-charge cloud service operated by Microsoft. 

There is no word on the price, but the phone is said to be pretty expensive, though it appears that there is some excitement in Japan for the Fujitsu IS12T.

Read more »

Download iOS 5 Beta 6 And Sn0wbreeze 2.8 For iPhone 4, 3GS, iPod touch, iPad

Apple has posted live the latest BETA version download links for it's upcoming iOS 5 mobile operating-system to developers, IPSW download links for the latest dev-release iOS 5 Beta 6 is meant only for Apple iOS Developers and is restricted to registered Apple developer's only via Apple Developer Site. Apart from the usual bug-fixes The latest beta makes video content in applications and websites automatically AirPlay enabled.

To complement the iOS 5 Beta 6 release by Apple, iH8sn0w released Sn0wbreeze 2.8 allowing jailbreaking on previous Apple iOS 5 Beta 5 release.

iOS 5 Beta 6 And Sn0wbreeze 2.8 Download Links: 

sn0wbreeze.snow

Apple Developer Site

Read more »