Is now the time to buy a Playstation 3?

by Mike Smith

When Sony announced the Playstation 3 in 2006 at the wallet-busting prices of $499 and $599, even serious, dedicated gamers blanched. The new console was expensive enough to put many consumers off entirely, and despite a cut here and there, it’s remained firmly in the "overpriced" camp for many once-eager Sony fans.

But that was then.

Now, the PS3 has been put on a diet, earning a slim, trim new figure and a much healthier price tag of $299. The appropriately-named PS3 Slim launches on September 1, and if you’ve been waiting for the right time to take the Playstation plunge, this could be your big chance. So, is it worth it?

In a word, yes. In more words, read on.

We’re impressed with the PS3 Slim. It's significantly lighter (nearly 4 pounds), thinner (about 33% less hefty), and greener (34% less power consumption) -- not to mention much easier to sneak into your overcrowded entertainment center --than its monolithic forbear. With a solid 120 GB hard drive, it packs ample space for most gamers and retains all the online features, Blu-Ray movie playback, and media center functionality that made the original so tempting.

Did we say all the features? Actually, there’s one major omission: some older PS3 models are 'backwards compatible' and will play PS2 games games, but the Slim won’t. According to Sony brass, that feature is gone for good. Bah.

Still, do you really have Playstation 2 games you actually still want to play? What’s that? You have two hundred of them? Better hold on to your PS2, assuming it still works. Of course, the Slim will play any and all PS3 games on the market.

One of the other major changes is the new matte finish, which gives the unit a less "professional" appearance than the old shiny version but at the benefit of fewer fingerprint and dust marks. Really just a toss-up there.

And what about future price drops? They’re a certainty, but will they happen this year? No, and barring serious shifts in the landscape, we doubt we’ll see major cuts next year, either. Sure, you could wait until it’s under $100, as it probably will be in five years or so, but who knows what technological video game insanity could happen between now and then? Shortly after a significant price cut is as good a time to buy as any.

So, we think the 120 GB Slim’s price will be with us for the time being. But could we see yet another PS3 model hit shelves any time soon? Actually, yes, we very well could: FCC filings indicate a good probability that a 250 GB Slim is in the works. But it’ll likely carry a premium price, and with the 120 GB Slim already packing a decent amount of storage, we doubt a larger one will be a good value for most consumers -- unless Sony can muster a tempting bundle deal.

One last thing to consider, of course, is the competition. Microsoft wasn't going to let Sony have all the fun, so they went ahead and dropped the price of their Elite model to $299 -- exactly the same as the PS3 Slim. That's certainly tempting, but keep in mind that when it comes to features, the PS3 still looks like the better deal. Check it out for yourself.

But really no matter how you slice it, if you’ve been sitting on the fence over a PS3 purchase, now’s a great time to dive in. The combination of competitive pricing and smarter design makes it tough to pass up.

Of course, you're going to need some games...

CHECK OUT THE PS3 GAMES GUIDE FOR A LIST OF POPULAR PS3 GAMES...

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Exploding iPhones: Panic, or chill?

Tue Aug 25, 2009 3:21PM EDT

Reports are coming in from France, the Netherlands, and the UK of iPhones and iPod Touches—just a few so far, mind you—blowing up in people's faces, and the European Commission has launched an investigation into the matter. So, is your iPhone a ticking time bomb? Before you freak out, read on.

So, what's going on?
There have been a handful of reported incidents of iPhones and iPod Touches exploding, causing minor injuries in some cases (mainly due to flying glass shards from the iPhone display).

You're kidding! How many iPhones have blown up so far?
Like I said, only a few cases have been reported, mostly in Europe. The latest "exploding iPhone" case comes from France, with the AFP reporting that a 26-year-old supermarket watchman from Villevieille suffered an eye injury after his iPhone screen exploded and shattered. Among the other recent reports: a French teenager was "slightly" injured by flying glass shards from an exploding iPhone, an iPod Touch in the UK "overheated and jumped into the air" after being dropped, and an iPhone in the Netherlands caught fire and melted the passenger seat of a car.

OK, so only iPhones and iPod Touches, eh? What about other iPods?
They've been known to explode as well, with a recently uncovered safety report detailing at least 15 cases of fires in the U.S. blamed on overheating or sparking iPods.

What's so dangerous about iPhones and iPods?
According to Ars Technica, the majority of cases are traced to the iPhone's built-in lithium-ion battery, a type of rechargeable battery that powers everything from iPhones to laptops. So, are lithium-ion batteries inherently dangerous? Not necessarily, explains HowStuffWorks, although they can overheat, spark, and burst into flame "under the right circumstances"; just ask anyone who lived though the great laptop battery recall of 2006.

Whoa. What do the authorities say?
As the New York Times reports, the European Commission is investigating the latest cases of exploding iPhones and iPod Touches, as is the French government. Meanwhile, federal safety officials in the U.S. say there's no need for an iPod recall based on the small number of reported incidents.

What does Apple have to say for itself?
Not much, so far, with a spokesperson telling Reuters (via the NYT): "We are aware of these reports and we are waiting to receive the iPhones from the customers. Until we have the full details, we don't have anything further to add."

OK, so ... panic, or chill?
Chill. Batteries in gadgets, including the iPhone and iPod touch, always have the (very small) potential to explode, but look at the numbers: for iPods, only 15 documented cases in the U.S. after hundreds of millions of iPods sold, while just a handful (as in five or so) of iPhones/iPod Touches have reportedly exploded out of an install base of about 40 million.

Of course, that's not to say that government safety officials and Apple shouldn't stop, take notice, and do everything they can to eliminate the danger altogether. However, based on the figures, you've got a much better chance of being struck by lightening—or dying in a plane crash, drowning, or even perishing in burning pajamas, for that matter—than having your iPhone or iPod catch fire.

That's a relief. Still, any safety tips?
Sure: If your iPhone or iPod gets way too hot (more than the usual heat from playing a game or downloading a video file), turn it off immediately and take it to an Apple service center.

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Apple Screws Up Again, Censors iPhone Dictionary App

Nick Mediati, PC World Aug 6, 2009 12:45 am

ust when you thought the iPhone App Store approval process couldn't possibly become more of a debacle, it did. John Gruber of Daring Fireball details the story of Ninjawords, an iPhone dictionary that Apple censored.

You read that right: Apple refused to sell Ninjawords unless the developer removed certain words from the dictionary.

John Gruber describes Ninjawords as "a terrific app — pretty much exactly what I’ve always wanted in an iPhone dictionary," but that, "Ninjawords for iPhone suffers one humiliating flaw: it omits all the words deemed “objectionable” by Apple’s App Store reviewers, despite the fact that Ninjawords carries a 17+ rating." Gruber goes into more detail about the Ninjawords saga, like the fact that it took two months for Apple to finally approve the app for sale.

What's wrong with this picture? What isn't? Okay, I can fully understand Apple for wanting to limit porn on the App Store. And I'm not against Apple reviewing apps in general; after all, the iPhone would make an inviting malware target.

But a dictionary?

As Gruber notes, schoolkids everywhere have access to the dictionary. And, of course, Mac OS X includes a dictionary app that you can use to look up any word you want.

I can think of many people who are offended by farts, porn, and baby-shaking. I can't think of a single person—not one—who is even the slightest bit offended by the dictionary.

Last year, Mac developer Wil Shipley said the following on his blog:

"I think Apple needs to have a clearly-documented policy for approving submissions to the iPhone App Store, and it should be:
• Publish all software submitted to Apple, as long as the software isn't actively harmful to users, illegal, and does not violate Apple's agreements with cell phone vendors.
• Period."

I couldn't agree more. Apple's role as gatekeeper should be to keep apps that could keep malicious or illegal software off the app store. Apple's role should not be deciding what's offensive. Leave that up to iPhone owners and parents.

If you've been reading this blog long enough, of course, you already know all about jailbreaking your iPhone, thus getting around Apple's restrictions.

So congratulations, Apple. Your App Store approval process has just gone from inconsistent to inane to absolutely ridiculous. You may think you're doing us all a favor, but all you've managed to do is shoot yourself in the foot.

Follow our geeky musings on Twitter @geektech.

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Apple's Mysterious iProd Gets an Upgrade

Ian Paul Aug 5, 2009 10:12 pm

More Apple gadget wonder has hit the Web with further interest sparked in the mysterious new device called the iProd.

Reference to the new gadget was first discovered in the deep, dark bowels of iPhone OS 3.0 in March. The iProd reference is found in the operating system's USB configuration property list, and in the latest version of iPhone OS 3.1 the iProd version number has been switched from model 0,1 to 1,1. This model change is noteworthy since it suggests the product has undergone a change significant enough to warrant a new model number. It also indicates the iProd is under active development at Apple, observes Ars Technica. The new iProd version also has a new product ID number, 4762.

iPod camera?

So what is 4762? With so many Apple super devices floating out there in the imagination-osphere the choices are endless. Is this the Apple tablet, perhaps an iPod with a camera, or maybe even the iPhone Nano? Whatever it is, Ars Technica suggests the device recently gained high-speed networking capability, since the iProd's ConfigurationDescriptor has changed from "standardMuxPTP" under the 0,1 model to "standardMuxPTPEthernet" with 1,1.

The reference to high-speed Internet capability suggests the iProd could be the Apple tablet, but iPhone models also have the iProd's Ethernet designation so it's p

Apple tablet?

ossible the new device could simply be a more advanced iPod. In 2008, the U.K. Times newspaper ran a story reporting that Apple was working on a digital personal trainer called the iProd -- so named because the device would prod you to finish your exercise routine if you began slacking off before hitting your workout target.

iProd is not the only mystery device, either. The USB property list still contains i something called iFPGA. References to this device were also discovered in March at the same time as the iProd.

iPod camera?

We have even fewer clues what the iFPGA could be. Some speculate that FPGA could mean field-programmable gate array, which typically refers to a computer chip that can be configured by the end user. FPGA capability is not usually associated with everyday consumer devices, so it's hard to know what this device could be used for. It's also not certain that FPGA actually stands for field-programmable gate array in this context.

The biggest hope among tech watchers is that the iProd is connected to the oft-rumored Apple tablet. Current rumors peg the new device as a touch-based device with a 10-inch screen that may have 3G capability and impressive video quality. The latest rumors on that suggest Apple could announce the Apple tablet as early as next month.

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Is Apple's iPod Dying -- And Does Apple Care?

Todd R. Weiss Aug 5, 2009 11:31 pm

The beloved and oft-copied iPod MP3 music player has been a huge part of Apple's bread and butter success since the first edition launched in 2001, but iPod sales revenues are apparently dropping and being eclipsed by revenues for Macs and iPhones.

So does that mean that the iPod is dead? Could it be? Will the iPod go the way of Pontiacs, Edsels, and steam locomotives?

Maybe not, but its importance at Apple could be shifting, according to a blog post by CNNMoney.com about a new market analysis conducted by stock market day trader Andy Zaky.

According to the study, iPod sales revenues have dropped from their longtime Number 1 spot in the company to Number 3, behind Macintosh computers and iPhones. Zaky said that's a good thing for Apple because it shows that it can still be successful even as its core products change their revenue shares and jostle for sales leadership within. The telling evidence, according to the report, is that iPod revenue share at Apple fell to 18 percent in the last quarter, compared to almost 56 percent back in 2006

"Many Apple critics have argued that Apple would essentially fall off the earth because at some point in time the iPod's growth would collapse," Zaky told CNNMoney.com. "The second part is true. The iPod growth rate has in fact fallen off a cliff as Apple posted its first yearly drop in iPod sales ever in Q3. However, Apple is still firing on all cylinders thanks to the explosive growth of the iPhone.

The question is, so what's this all mean for iPod-loving consumers who every few years line up outside stores to buy the latest generation of iPods with all their new features and innovations?

Well, f

Photograph: Marc Simon

or years I have thought that the iPod would always be on the top of the MP3 player heap, and I don't see that changing, even as its revenue rankings within Apple change.

Yes, we've seen improvements in MP3 players from competitors like Microsoft's upcoming Zune HD, which is moving to a new, brighter and thinner OLED display with a 16:9 aspect ratio and is getting a new built-in, high-definition radio receiver -- features that are not yet included in iPods. The playing field for portable music players is definitely changing.

But I wouldn't count the iPod out just yet. Here are my top three reasons why its changing revenue picture inside Apple doesn't mean that iPods will soon face their demise:

1. Let's face it -- iPod lovers are iPod lovers for far deeper reasons than just the devices themselves. It goes to the core of the iPod, its grace, its simplicity, its deep features and its stellar performance. People have been buying them despite their relatively steep price tags, despite their short warranties and despite their often short-lived batteries (that are not easily replaceable by consumers). None of the competition has yet fully matched the inherent beauty and performance of iPods.
2. Consumers have been trained that if you want the best, buy the best. That's how Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, Jaguar, and others sell their cars. That's how Apple has sold its products. Apple doesn't lower prices to bring in sales -- its quality products and reputation does that for them. OK, there's also the almost insane devotion from buyers, but that's a good thing for any company. Do you think Volkswagen would have ever been an early success in the U.S. market if millions of Americans hadn't fallen head over heels in love with those funny-looking, charming original Beetles? Different is good.
3. Microsoft and other competitors don't have the same easy-to-use and feature-packed online music stores and won't anytime soon be able to garner the incredibly important "cool factor" that envelopes the iPod and its user base. And what's even more important, Apple is usually the leader in introducing the next cool features and innovations found in portable music players. And that's perhaps the biggest part of its iPod success that I don't believe will be soon be eclipsed by its competitors.

(Todd R. Weiss is a freelance technology journalist who formerly wrote for Computerworld.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TechManTalking

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As Apple Rots, iPhone Users Revolt

David Coursey | Wednesday, August 05, 2009 6:32 AM PDT


Users are turning against the iPhone. Call it the summer of our discontent, but these hot, sticky months are proving an excellent time to not buy a smartphone. Apple and AT&T have only themselves to blame.

Now, we must wait for the two companies to learn their lessons and, just maybe, for a new iPhone carrier to emerge. If you are thinking about upgrading to a 3GS and can stand to wait, you might find a more attractive option in a few months, especially if the iPhone's downhill slide continues.

What is upsetting iPhone users?

App Store -- Do I really need to keep making the case that having Apple as the only vendor of iPhone apps is bad for customers? The rejection of Google Voice, potentially a killer app for smartphones, should prove that Apple doesn't care about its customers.

The App Store approval process seems capricious and arbitrary. Spend time and money to develop an application only to have it denied for reasons nobody can quite articulate in advance. Developers would flee the App Store given a chance. They should have that option.

Yes, that would mean porn for the iPhone, but besides that I am no longer sure what Apple's ironhanded control of iPhone apps is getting me as a consumer. I appreciate if there are apps that Apple doesn't want to sell, but should Apple be the sole arbiter and supplier? Certainly not.

The Apple monopolies must go.

Multitasking -- I did not expect multitasking to become a big deal so soon, but Google Latitude makes an excellent case for it. The iPhone OS is capable of multitasking, but Apple limits it to a few applications, such as the music player. Multitasking needs to be available to non-Apple other applications, too. It is available on iPhone competitors.

AT&T -- I am not wild about Sprint advertising that I am paying $50-a-month too much because I am using an iPhone instead of a Palm Pre. I am not wild that Apple adds tethering to the iPhone but I don't get to use it. I am not wild that I am still waiting for the ability to attach pictures to SMS messages. I am not wild about slow speeds and dropped calls. Is AT&T listening? Doesn't seem to be and I'm not wild about that, either.

I do not expect that, by Christmas, another smartphone will offer an applications library or music store to match the iPhone. I am not expecting that in 2010, actually.

But, with Google's Android smartphone OS due to appear on up to 20 devices before year-end, new options are appearing. Palm's Pre isn't getting better at the moment, just more attractive by comparison. Especially price comparison, as Sprint helpfully reminds us.

iPhone developers should, right now, start supporting other platforms because it is in their best interest to do so. It appears likely that Android and Palm's WebOS will support better applications than iPhone and building them now will put the heat on Apple to improve its game.

I am not sure what to do about Apple's control of the music business, except to notice it's become a monopoly, which is something that is bad for consumers. If Apple were wise it would offer an API that allows any smartphone to work with iTunes. This will happen eventually, but why not now?

The sense of smug superiority that we iPhone users have enjoyed has worn off. Now, instead of being the ones who've chosen, we're pawns in the games of AT&T and Apple. What used to be mere annoyances have become real pains. And the companies that ought to be our friends are the causes of our frustration.

If there were someplace to jump ship to, iPhone users, instead of upgrading to the 3GS would be changing platforms. Maybe by the holidays such a place will exist or Apple and AT&T will have been forced to change their customer-hostile ways. In the meantime, waiting is the best option.

Industry veteran David Coursey still loves his iPhone, only a lot less than before. He tweets as @techinciter and can be contacted via his Web site.

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Sony's Playstation 2 outselling Playstation 3

by Ben Silverman
July 31 4:38 P.M.

Mired in an overall slump, the once recession-proof video game industry is finally experiencing some adverse effects from the troubled economy.

Just ask Sony. The games giant saw losses pretty much across the board in the year's first quarter, as sales of its flagship Playstation 3 system fell from last year's 1.6 million to only 1.1 million. Its PSP handheld saw a huge drop, too, from 3.7 million to only 1.2 million.

The one bright spot? The nine year-old Playstation 2, which managed to outsell the PS3 by roughly 500,000 units despite being older than some of its fans.

Part of the system's continued success can be attributed to the ailing economy. At only $99, it's a significantly cheaper alternative to the entry-level Xbox 360 ($199) and Nintendo Wii ($250), not to mention the still inordinately pricey Playstation 3 ($399). Adding bang to the buck is the system's massive library of highly-rated, value-priced games, which includes seminal titles from huge franchises like Grand Theft Auto, God of War and Final Fantasy. The PS2 also boasts the ability to play DVDs, which, despite Sony's efforts to promote its hi-def Blu-Ray technology, remains the industry's leading format (though video game sales outperformed both in 2008).

Unfortunately, software sales for all three Sony systems took a serious tumble, with PS3 games suffering a decline from 22.8 million last year to 14.8 million this year. However, the company has also noted that they've managed to reduce the production costs of the console by about 70%. Could consumers soon reap the benefits of those savings in the form of a long-awaited PS3 price cut?

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The iPod Is Dead. Long Live the iPod

by Arik Hesseldahl


Traditional versions of the iconic device are a thing of the past, but future iterations will have a long and vibrant future.

I was recently cleaning out a closet and came across an interesting artifact: my first iPod.

It was nearly eight years ago that I was among the very first people in New York City to carry around the first-generation iPod. About the size of a pack of cigarettes, it was advertised with the tagline "A thousand songs in your pocket." I can even remember the song used in the first TV spot: Take California by The Propellerheads.

Since then, I've upgraded to a 2007 model boasting a 160-gigabyte hard drive that makes holding a mere thousand songs seem quaint. Before long, I will no doubt be waxing nostalgic about this music player as well—one that, at not even half full, holds 5,231 songs, 141 videos, and 228 podcasts.

First Quarterly Drop in iPod Sales

The iPod as many of us have known it is on the wane and giving way to a more feature-rich family of devices that in time will bear little resemblance to the trailblazing digital music players that helped Apple capture 70% of the North American market. Evidence of the iPod's decline came July 21, when Apple disclosed its first quarterly decline in iPods sold. In the three months ended in June, Apple (AAPL) sold 10.2 million iPods, versus 11 million a year earlier.

Anticipation of the drop-off is "one of the original reasons" Apple developed the iPhone and the WiFi-enabled iPod touch, Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said on a July 21 conference call with analysts. Apple is prepared for lower sales of what it calls "pocket products:" the iPod shuffle, nano, and classic.

At the same time, the iPod business "will last for many, many years," Apple believes. The company has good reason to want to extend the life of a product line that's generated $38 billion on sales of 218 million units, catapulting Apple ahead of SanDisk (SNDK), Microsoft (MSFT), Toshiba (6502.T), and others.

Flash Memory Is Cheaper

What will iPod's next generation look like? Most of Apple's energy is going to be devoted to the iPod touch, the most advanced and versatile version of the iPod.

My prediction is that one of the first casualties of Apple's emphasis will be the hard drive-based iPod classic. Flash memory is cheaper, consumes less power, and resists abuse better than hard drives, so future high-capacity iPods will most likely be based on flash.

I'm also betting those high-capacity models will look more like the iPod touch, and less like my iPod classic. If history is any judge, Apple will revise its iPod lineup in September, as it has every year since 2005.

A Mic Would Broaden Appeal

Besides a refresh of the iPod nano (it's been revised every fall since its introduction), you can also expect a more advanced version of the iPod touch. The next touch will come with 64GB of flash memory.

And since it runs virtually all of the same applications that the iPhone does, then it stands to reason that the touch will starting taking on more hardware features to accommodate applications. Aside from music and video, it's now already marketed as a handheld gaming machine, a communications device, and a handheld Web device. In a limited way it can even be used for navigation.

Over time, the touch will do even more. Consider its appeal if Apple were to add a microphone that lets you make calls on Skype (EBAY) or other Internet-calling services, without the need for the awkward headset that's required for such calls now.

You could talk on it as if it were an iPhone, and the mic would put in double duty for simple audio recordings like meetings, lectures, and voice memos.

How About a Camera?

The touch should really have a camera, too. And is there any reason why that camera can't be better than the one in the iPhone? The latest iPhone 3GS sports a 3-megapixel camera sensor, while the latest phones from Nokia (NOK) have an 8-megapixel sensor. Apple could split the difference and give the touch a 5- or 6-megapixel sensor, giving it the ability to take really gorgeous pictures.

And if the touch has a camera, then it should support video. All that added memory leaves plenty of room for clips, and the Wi-Fi connection makes it easy to send them directly to YouTube (GOOG) and other video-sharing sites. And while Apple has resisted adding memory-card slots to its handhelds in the past, now that the Mac has a slot for SD memory cards, is there any reason the iPod touch (and for that matter a future model of the iPhone) can't have a slot for Mini-SD cards for added storage capacity?

While we're wish-listing, why should the iPhone be the only device in Apple's lineup that can help you get from one place to another? Why not add a GPS chipset, and let the iPod touch become a full-fledged personal navigation device? The touch's limited navigation features currently only work when Wi-Fi is present. This is fine when you're in a city, but no help when you're on the road. With excellent personal navigation devices from Garmin (GRMN) and TomTom (TOM2.AS) selling for as low as $120—more than $100 below the entry-level touch—why consider navigation a premium, iPhone-only feature?

However Apple answers that question, what's clear is that traditional versions of the device are a thing of the past—and future iterations will have a long and vibrant future.

Hesseldahl is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com.

Copyrighted, Business Week. All rights reserved.

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