Griffin PartyDock offers 4 player gaming fun

Griffin Technology are a long time favourite of mine when it comes to iPod, iPhone and iPad accessories. This time around though they have both surprised me and announced a device that is so exciting it could change the way we think about gaming on our iDevices.

The PartyDock (pictured) is primarily a dock for your iPhone, iPod touch on indeed iPad. It charges the devices (of course), but also outputs the video to your TV and includes a little dock area for four wireless rechargeable controllers. This enables you to sit back and enjoy gaming on the big screen, with three mini-games and one full game included with the device (downloadable via the iTunes App Store). I look forward to review this one.

iPad Shipping time now within 24 hours

Since the iPad was launched we have experienced shortages, followed by waits for shipping from the Apple Store online. Now things have improved, with all models of the iPad now shipping within 24 hours of placing your order. This has been reflected on many of the Apple online stores worldwide, including both the UK & US. Apple have been striving to ramp up production on their successful tablet device and it seems like they have finally caught up and have a plentiful supply.

Geekanoids 10,000 Subscriber Verbatim Giveaway

Geekanoids 10,000 Subscriber Verbatim Giveaway. To celebrate reaching 10,000 subscribers, Verbatim kindly donated a media pack contain blank CD, DVD and BluRay disks. In this video I randomly select one lucky subscriber to receive the media pack.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support. I hope you enjoy watching my video content.


Supplied & Sponsored by: Verbatim Europe

DiRT 3 teaser trailer

DiRT 3 is coming to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PC Games For Windows® LIVE in 2011, boasting more cars, more locations, more routes and more events than any other game in the series.

Blackberry Torch 9800 and OS 6 Launch in NYC

So, RIM are holding a press event as I type this in NYC. I haven't covered much Blackberry new previously, so where better to start than the new Blackberry Torch 9800 that AT&T let slip today. This new slider, come touch phone, come full QWERTY offering will get its official launch today. This will be alongside the Blackberry 6 OS, which sounds as though it has some awesome features. Check back on the Geekanoids website in the near future for a full review soon after UK availability.

The Blackberry Torch 9800 is confirmed to have the following features;

  • 3.2-inch touch screen
  • 480x360 resolution
  • 512 MB flash memory / 512 MB SDRAM
  • 4 GB eMMC + 4 GB media card included
  • Expandable memory – support for microSD card up to 32GB
  • 3G connectivity supported
  • GPS
  • WiFi 802.11b/g/n
  • Tethered modem support
  • 5 Megapixel Camera with flash
  • 640x480 video recording
  • Light & Proximity sensor
  • Touch screen QWERTY keyboard
  • Physical slide out QWERTY keyboard
  • 3.5mm stereo headphone jack
  • BB 6 OS
  • Universal search
  • Unified inbox for Mail, Twitter, Facebook
  • Auto-wrap text when zooming in browser
  • Album art support
  • Sync over WiFi
  • A2DP Bluetooth stereo
  • Proper touchscreen, not SurePress
  • Quad band GSM

The BB 6 OS software has some sweet features;

  • More content available on Homescreen
  • Shortcuts to apps, contacts, browser pages, groups
  • Universal search allows typing on the home screen
  • Improved photo management
  • Geo location in photos
  • Wireless music syncing
  • Social Feeds application aggregates all your social networking activity, with direct link to the native app
  • App World now preloaded and searchable with Universal Search
  • OS 5 apps will work fine on BB OS 6

Geekanoids Q&A Session 27th July 2010

This video is in response to viewer questions on my 22nd July video, submitted either in the video comments or via Twitter. The topics are varied, so check out the video to see if your question was answered. Another video nest week as I work my way through all the questions.

Apple's new iMacs - official press release

I posted a little earlier about Apple's new iMac line-up that the company launched today. What follows is the full details in their official press release.

Apple® today updated its all-in-one iMac® line, widely praised as the world's best desktop computers, with the latest Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors and powerful new graphics. Starting at £999, the new iMac line is the fastest ever with dual-core processor speeds up to 3.6 GHz, quad-core speeds up to 2.93 GHz and discrete graphics including the powerful ATI Radeon HD 5750. The new Magic Trackpad, with a smooth glass and aluminium design, gives iMac users the same intuitive Multi-Touch™ gestures that Mac® notebook customers have come to love and is available separately for £59 inc VAT. 

“We took the world’s best all-in-one and made it even better,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With the latest processors, high-performance graphics and signature aluminium and glass design, customers are going to love the latest iMac.”

Dual-core Intel Core i3 and Core i5, and quad-core Core i5 and Core i7 processors set a new benchmark for iMac performance. The processors feature an integrated memory controller to access the system memory directly, allowing the new iMac to take full advantage of its faster 1333 MHz memory. New discrete ATI Radeon HD processors deliver incredibly smooth, crisp graphics for the most demanding 3D games, creative software and technical applications. iMac displays feature IPS technology to deliver a brilliant image across a wide 178 degree viewing angle. The SD card slot on the iMac now supports the SDXC format to handle the latest high-capacity storage cards. Customers of the 27-inch iMac have the option to order a 256GB solid state drive (SSD) as a primary or secondary drive. The iMac SSD supports up to 215 MB/s data transfer rates for faster startup and application launch times.

Every iMac comes with Apple’s innovative Magic Mouse and customers can also order the new Magic Trackpad as an option. The Magic Trackpad brings the intuitive Multi-Touch gestures of Mac notebook trackpads to the desktop. With its glass surface, the wireless Magic Trackpad enables users to scroll smoothly up and down a page with inertial scrolling, pinch to zoom in and out, rotate an image with their fingertips and swipe three fingers to flip through a collection of web pages or photos. The Magic Trackpad can be configured to support single button or two button commands and supports tap-to-click as well as a physical click. 

Continuing Apple’s commitment to the environment, Apple’s desktop lineup is a leader in green design. The iMac meets stringent Energy Star 5.0 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status.* iMac features LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. iMac uses PVC-free components and cables, contains no brominated flame retardants, uses highly recyclable materials and features material-efficient system and packaging designs. A new Apple Battery Charger provides a convenient and environmentally friendly way to always have a fresh set of batteries for your Magic Trackpad, Magic Mouse and Wireless Keyboard. The Apple Battery Charger is available for £25 inc VAT and comes with six long shelf life rechargeable batteries.

Every Mac also comes with Mac OS® X Snow Leopard®, the world’s most advanced operating system, and iLife®, Apple’s innovative suite of applications for managing photos, making movies and creating and learning to play music. Snow Leopard builds on a decade of OS X innovation and success with hundreds of refinements, core technologies and out of the box support for Microsoft Exchange. iLife features iPhoto®, with breakthrough ways to organise and manage your photos by who appears in them and where they were taken; iMovie® with powerful easy-to-use features such as Precision Editor, video stabilisation and advanced drag and drop; and GarageBand® which offers a whole new way to help you learn to play piano and guitar.

Pricing & Availability
The new iMac line is shipping now and available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com/uk), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers. 

The new 21.5-inch 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3 iMac, for a suggested retail price of £999 inc VAT (£850.21 ex VAT), includes:

  • 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display;
  • 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache;
  • 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
  • ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics with 256MB GDDR3 SDRAM;
  • 500GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
  • slot-load 8x SuperDrive® with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
  • Mini DisplayPort for audio and video output (adapters sold separately);
  • AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
  • iSight® video camera;
  • Gigabit Ethernet;
  • four USB 2.0 ports;
  • one SDXC SD card slot;
  • one FireWire® 800 port;
  • built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
  • Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

Configure-to-order options include up to 8GB of RAM.

The new 21.5-inch 3.2 GHz Intel Core i3 iMac, for a suggested retail price of £1249 inc VAT (£1062.98 ex VAT), includes:

  • 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display;
  • 3.20 GHz Intel Core i3 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache;
  • 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
  • ATI Radeon HD 5670 discrete graphics with 512MB GDDR3;
  • 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
  • slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
  • Mini DisplayPort for audio and video output (adapters sold separately);
  • AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
  • iSight video camera;
  • Gigabit Ethernet;
  • four USB 2.0 ports;
  • one FireWire 800 port;
  • one SDXC SD card slot;
  • built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
  • Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

Configure-to-order options include a faster 3.6 GHz Core i5 processor, 2TB hard drive and up to 8GB of RAM.

The new 27-inch 3.2 GHz Intel Core i3 iMac, for a suggested retail price of £1399 inc VAT (£1190.64 ex VAT), includes:

  • 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display;
  • 3.20 GHz Intel Core i3 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache;
  • 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
  • ATI Radeon HD 5670 discrete graphics with 512MB GDDR3;
  • 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
  • slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
  • Mini DisplayPort for audio and video input and output (adapters sold separately);
  • AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
  • iSight video camera;
  • Gigabit Ethernet;
  • four USB 2.0 ports;
  • one FireWire 800 port;
  • one SDXC SD card slot;
  • built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
  • Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

Configure-to-order options include a 3.6 GHz Core i5 processor, 2TB hard drive, 256GB solid state drive (SSD) and up to 16GB of RAM.

The new 27-inch 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 iMac, for a suggested retail price of £1649 inc VAT (£1403.40 ex VAT), includes:

  • 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display;
  • 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 processor with 8MB shared L3 cache;
  • 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
  • ATI Radeon HD 5750 discrete graphics with 1GB GDDR5;
  • 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
  • slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
  • Mini DisplayPort for audio and video input and output (adapters sold separately);
  • AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
  • iSight video camera;
  • Gigabit Ethernet;
  • four USB 2.0 ports;
  • one FireWire 800 port;
  • one SDXC SD card slot;
  • built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
  • Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

Configure-to-order options include a 2.93 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor, a 2TB hard drive, 256GB solid state drive (SSD) and up to 16GB of RAM.