Jobs has Harsh Words for Google, Adobe

It seems that Steve Jobs has had some fairly harsh criticisms for both Google and Adobe, both of whose products have seen some unfavourable comparisons made with Apple’s own.

Indeed, the issue between Apple and Adobe is a long running one, and it’s only deepened in recent months since Adobe announced that it was willing on putting some work into developing a version of Flash for Apple’s iPhone OS, which runs both the iPhone and iPod Touch, and now the tablet-styled iPad. Indeed, it seems that Apple wasn’t quite as receptive to the idea as Adobe would have likes, so it seems that the project is on hold. Jobs words for Adobe were harshest, with Wired reporting him as having said that,

MSI to Hit Tablet Bandwagon

It seems that announcements of new tablet PCs are still coming in thick and fast, with MSI expected to release its tablet offering in the second half of this year.

It certainly looks nice, though that border is a bit wide...

Indeed, it seems that MSI’s device will be running Google’s Android OS, which is in keeping with Apple’s decision to run with its iPhone OS… so we could well be moving towards a world in which more tablets run mobile operating systems, rather than more resource-hungry desktop OSes. Indeed, Dell’s soon to be released Mini 5 tablet runs Google’s Android too. Still, there are plenty of Windows XP-based tablets out there.

Apple Patents Solar-Powered iPod

Strange as it might seem amid the flurry of tablet-based rumours, there has been some other news leaking out of Apple in bits and pieces, not least the fact that it seems we can expect to see solar powered, gesture controlled iPods someday.

While the upcoming tablet is certainly all the rage (or at least, so it seems if you’re to judge by just about any major media organisation’s output) the fact is that we still don’t know an awful lot about it. Indeed, while it might not seem likely at all, it could well be another Apple TV; that is to say, it might all look great until we actually see the device, at which point everyone essentially said, “Yeah, and?”

BBC to Move Back into Games

It seems that the BBC is to make something of a return to its past glory by putting out games of some of its better known properties, including Doctor Who, Top Gear and In the Night Garden.

Iggle Piggle is, essentially, a blue Orpheus. The blanket is his lyre 😦

Word comes via MCV of the fairly interesting development, which would see the BBC getting back into games in a big way. It’s a curious move, but it won’t involve any massive changes to the BBC, since the company likely won’t be developing or publishing its own games content. Instead, the corporation is actively seeking developers and publishers to handle the development and release of games based on its properties.

Sega to Release Mega Drive Emulator to App Store

Sega has made the slightly strange but undoubtedly popular decision to build an emulator for its Genesis hardware, which most in Ireland would likely have known as the Mega Drive.

Shiny has already released Earthworm Jim for Apple's App Store.

Apple has taken issue with those emulators that have been submitted to its App Store up to now, with most being caught by the infamous App Store Approval Process and those that squeak through taken down shortly afterwards. Of course, those tend to have been unofficial efforts, which makes Sega’s offering for the iPhone and iPod Touch something a little different, moreover, it seems that Sega has essentially established its own precedent, in a way.

Apple Tablet to be Delayed for Six Months?

The bells and whistles of Apple’s tablet launch on 27 January may end up being somewhat muted after rumours began to surface today that the product may well be delayed from going on sale for six months due to concerns over battery life and durability.

We know Steve Jobs will wear black to the launch, but when will the public get their hands on the tablet?

Following a similar pattern to the launch of the iPhone – unveiled in January 2007 but not in the hands of consumers until the following June – the Daily Telegraph are reporting that according to a new note to investors, written by analyst Shaw Wu, from investment bank Kaufman Bros, the actual sale of the device could be delayed due to these “minor issues”.

Android App Steals Bank Details

It seems that a rogue android application, downloadable from the Android Market, has been doing the rounds, gaining access to people’s internet banking.

It may not have aged too well, but the Android is still pretty cute 🙂

According to the security warning from First Tech Credit Union, the app, developed by Droid09, ‘creates a shell of mobile banking apps that tries to gain access to a consumer’s financial information.’ It’s scary stuff, but it seems that users who have downloaded the app could well have had their details harvested, which is dodgy territory indeed.

App Store Hits 3 Billion Downloads

Apple’s App Store for the iPhone and the iPod Touch has today broken three billion downloads, with estimates putting the service at almost 120 downloads per second.

Towards the end of last September, Apple announced that its App Store had managed to pass the two billion mark and was, by all accounts, accelerating. Indeed, the news that the App store has passed three billion downloads comes just 98 days later, indicating a bit of an uptick in the number of downloads being made since then. Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, commented on the figure, saying that,

Apple Tablet to Ship in March

With the vague rumours finally starting to solidify, it seems that Apple is pegged to ship its by-now entirely unsurprising tablet offering, tentatively referred to as iSlate by some, in March.

Word comes from a Wall Street Journal report that describes the device in terms far more concrete and intimate than just about anything else we’ve seen on the Apple device that, until recently, many had been saying would forever be vapourware. The report indicates that we can expect to see the product boast a 10-inch form factor and ship at some stage in March, which is, in the grand scheme of things, quite soon indeed.

ITG Shows Off Windows XP Phone

Chinese tech firm ITG has built a phone based on an AMD “super mobile CPU” boasting a 4.8-inch touch-sensitive display and running a full copy of Microsoft’s Windows XP.

I'm not sure why it's so attractive... but somehow, it is.

With Windows XP still being quite widely used, despite the fact it’s tipping the scales at eight years old now, it seemed inevitable that lower-end machines would be running it for some time. Still, we can’t help but be a little impressed by ITG’s Windows XP phone, which manages to run a full version of Windows XP and boast a relatively impressive battery life around the 7-12 hour mark if it’s actually under use.