The newly released update is named “MobileMe Gallery 1.1.1” & since they are all well aware of the high resolution Retina display, the iPhone4 can now display stunning images through the MobileMe service. Furthermore, you can get the high resolution version of all those pics that your friends shared with you (on condition that, they enabled the Hi-Res option before uploading & taking them)

As of now, the iPad hasn’t been given any updates recently. Maybe in a couple of weeks; something different for the iPad community will be released with the MobileMe exclusivity tag on it. The iPadders will always extend a warm welcome to some features of MobileMe that will let them cling to;

* Friend’s Galleries
* Offline Viewing
* Downloading
* Wi-Fi Usability

Other iPhone and iPad applications still have to receive updates. Down the list, we have Texas Hold’em and Remote: a lot of people are awaiting upgrades for them.

The features of the latest upgrade are as follows:

Need for Speed – Yes, the app lets you search for mail messages even in the event you are offline. This effectively means that you don’t require net connection every time to go through your elderly mails. Optimized view for images and file attachments providing faster browsing experience.
Organize – You can basically organize your messages using the full search, folders, clever folders, messages from the specified contacts.
View and Enjoy – You have the ability to view rich text and videos in full screen or you can also preview them from your inbox without even entering in to the message.
Interface – This is by far the best mail app from any provider in terms of the consistency of interface. Yes, you would not feel the difference when you are operating the app with the iPhone, it looks the same as your desktop version. The only difference is the screen size!
This Yahoo product is currently available as opt-in beta, but in the future there will be forced update to all users, says Yahoo. Moreover this app is available in 28 languages and 200 countries. While the earlier app did not support for this plenty of languages, this is something regional users will welcome.

The new Calendar includes redesigned views for day, week, & month, & a new list view showing your events. As it did with MobileMe Mail, Apple has also improved performance of the Calendar application.
Sharing calendars has also become simpler on MobileMe. Users can share a calendar with other MobileMe members & permit them to make changes to the shared calendars & then get notified when changes are made.
Event invitations can be sent by entering any e-mail address in to an event. That person will get an invitation & can reply by clicking the link. The event auto-updates with a list of your RSVPs.
Of coursework, Apple made MobileMe Calendar compatible with all of its devices, so it can be viewed & edited on a Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch, & iPad. Because MobileMe makes use of the CalDAV standard, calendars can be edited in Microsoft Outlook on a PC with the MobileMe Control Panel for Windows installed.
MobileMe Calendar beta requires iOS 4 on the iPhone or iPod Touch, iOS 3.2 on the iPad, Mac OS X Snow Leopard version 10.6.4, & MobileMe Control Panel version 1.6 on Windows.
MobileMe Calendar beta is designed to work with Safari 5, Firefox 3.6, & Net Explorer 8. You can request an invitation to the MobileMe Calendar beta on Apple’s Web-site.

PlayStation.Blog explains exactly what PSP owners can expect from today’s launch, and reveals plans to add more content on a regular basis:

You’ll now have access to an initial selection of over 80 DC titles that can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store including Batman: Hush, Green Lantern: Rebirth, Fables: Legends in Exile and Planetary: All Over the World and Other Stories. In addition to these launch titles, users will get exclusive DC Comics content such as Superman/Batman, Resistance, Free Realms and God of War. Lastly, we’ve also released a free 10 page story today of Superman 700, as well as free downloads of Bayou, Fringe, Mirror’s Edge, and Resistance. We will keep adding to the collection you can already enjoy today anywhere you are… over 1600 classic and new comics.

The official press release from DC Universe also explains the similar distribution deal with comiXology:

The comiXology program will launch with over 100 issues, from DC Comics, Vertigo and WildStorm, including the first issue of All Star Superman. Beginning with launch, one issue of Neil Gaiman’s critically acclaimed Sandman will be available digitally exclusively through comiXology each week and over 100 additional issues from the company’s diverse imprints will be made available through the comiXology program each month.

comiXology’s digital comic offerings will be available through the DC Comics app (iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch), in addition to DC Comics-branded storefronts accessible via the Comics by comiXology app and the website Comics.comiXology.com. Later this year, distribution capabilities will also be added to the official DC Comics website.

The distribution deal with comiXology also includes a unique Retailer Affiliate Program, “…which will collect a portion of digital revenues to be invested back to and on behalf of comic book retailers in a variety of initiatives.”

The Justice League: Generation Lost mini-series will also be available through both programs, with issues released digitally on the same day the print-versions hit store shelves. Select issues of comics series such as Bayou and Batman: Black and White will be available for free.

A free 10-page preview of the 700th issue of Superman is also on tap to promote the new programs, featuring Eddie Barrow’s new “Grounded” storyline that takes a look at “how Superman sees America, and how America sees Superman.” That’s super, man.

The 90% data compression witnessed by Opera Mini browser seems to be pocket friendly and it slashes down the roaming charges. Right now Opera Mini is for free in certain loactions and you can access at iTunes.

Opera Mini browser sounds distinct from Safari, FireFox and others by its Data Compression ability and Proxy Browser. Opera Mini browser boasts direct links to Facebook, Twitter and it is equipped with customized Zoom and works well on Multitouch to some extent.

The Google Mobile App for the Apple iPad is basically the same as the iPhone, Google say they are working hard to develop it further so that it adheres more to the iPads’ unique features. The current version of Google Mobile App for the Apple iPad  is tailored to fit the iPad’s screen with Google’s MyLocation and Search By Voice working correctly. Web based Apps like Gmail have also been fine tuned for the iPad and these can be accessed from the Apps Tab.

Search for “Google Mobile App” in the App Store or just visit http://itunes.com/app/googlemobileapp.

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Hardware:
On the top of the device, there’s a standard headphone jack and a tiny mike hole. The speaker on the bottom edge next the USB out is considerably more powerful than the one on the iPhone, and is plenty adequate for watching movies and music videos — we watched Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” video and the Bob Dylan 1966 “World Tour (The Home Movies)” and had no problem hearing dialogue or lyrics, and it wasn’t even turned up all the way.

That said, you’ll get much more satisfaction out of connecting the device to external speakers via a standard audio cable, or, even better, to a pair of wireless speakers via Bluetooth. We weren’t able to connect via the iPad’s cable to the USB input in the Suzuki Kizashi’s audio system, which meant we couldn’t control the iPad through the car’s dashboard, but we were able to pair it via Bluetooth in about a minute using the exact same process as on an iPhone. Sound quality through the car’s Rockford Fosgate speakers was excellent — the only downside was having to use the iPad to skip tracks or pause, but that was actually almost easier considering the iPad touchscreen’s huge screen and easily navigable touchscreen interface.

Buying music and video:
The iTunes store on the iPad is a delightful new addition to Apple’s music and video marketplace, and is a cross between the extensive boxes and scrolling boxes you’ll find on desktop iTunes, and the minimal listings on the iPhone. You get about 20 different thumbnails to choose from on any page you happen to be on. You can choose home pages by Genre, Featured, Top Charts, and Genius as well as sample any song before you buy it. As with other iterations of the iTunes store, you can also just enter a band, album, or song name into the search field and find an album. The Music Video store is just as unsatisfying a browse as on regular iTunes — there are a few “Hot Music Video” selections to choose from on the home page, but you’re on your own with just searching by name for anything else.

Playing music and videos:
The iPod function is a partially reduced version of desktop iTunes — side-by-side album thumbnails of albums that flip open when you touch them, or lists with smaller thumbnails in artist or song view. Oddly, there’s no Cover Flow option in the iPod player, which would be nice considering how beautiful the album art looks on the iPad’s 9.7-inch screen (gorgeous album art automatically fills the screen when you’re playing an album).

Music videos also look stunning on the iPad’s big screen, and holding the thing in your hand or lap while watching a clip is actually a more satisfying experience than watching it on your computer, if only because you aren’t distracted by a keyboard or someone texting you in the middle of it (remember, the iPad can’t multitask). Scrolling through your music video collection is much easier with big thumbnails at your disposal on a bigger touchscreen, too.

What we don’t like: The music player control buttons are relatively small and relegated to the top of the screen. It would be nice to have some oversized buttons, partly just for the fun of it, and partly for safety if you’re, say, driving your car.

Also, since the iPad doesn’t support Flash, the software that powers most of the streaming video on the Web, it can’t play any videos from Veoh, AOL Music, MTV, etc. The good news is that Veoh, at least, is working on a compatible app for streaming its music on the iPad. For now, you’ll have to get your free music video streaming on from YouTube, which looks pretty good on the iPod (we watched Vampire Weekend’s “Cousins” and it was as crispy as on the smaller iPod screen).

Reading iBooks:
The iPad’s built-in e-reader is miles ahead of the Kindle thanks to its fast page finger sweep page turning and color capability — perfect if you’re looking at vintage photos of Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones 1969 tour in Ethan Russell and Gerard Van der Leun’s memoir Let It Bleed. But the touchscreen gets distractingly smudgy with fingerprints that are all too noticeable when you’re reading outside, in the sun (not a problem with the more dull black-and-white e-ink of the Kindle and other e-readers of its ilk).

The selection of books on the iBooks store is mostly of the bio and history variety and light on the picture-book variety. Photographs look stunningly crisp and clear, so we can’t wait for some coffee table titles like Mark Seliger’s The Music Book or anything by Anton Corbijn to make it onto the store.

The download on the iPad’s music apps:
At launch, there were only about 100 dedicated iPad music apps available in the iPad App Store, but that number is sure to grow in the coming days, weeks, and months.

Right now, most of what you’ll find is of the whimsical “Cat Piano” variety, as well as a whole boatload of other music making options (several instrument simulators, including “Pianist Pro,” “GrooveMaker,” “Accordion HD” and “DrumPad HD”). These are “HD” upgrades of existing iPhone apps — mainly what you’re getting is a much larger version of the existing app without any loss in graphic quality or responsiveness, something that comes in handy when you’re playing a tune, mixing a track, or spinning your tunes on a virtual DJ deck.

In effect, though, this larger screen view along with the touchscreen capability brings these apps — in conjunction with the iPad — close to the bona fide instrument realm. “Baby Decks DJ,” a blown-up version of “Baby Scratch,” lets you have infinitely better control of a pair of virtual turntables for scratching. Current launch apps like the Korg “iELECTRIBE,” a virtual touch-sensitive version of the Korg’s renowned ELECTRIBE-R analog beatbox, complete with all the same effect knobs, oscillator buttons, and samples, is a good example of where iPad music creation apps are headed in terms of verisimilitude with the meat-world inspiration. We’re also looking forward to seeing more of the music-meets-graphics-apps like Brain Eno’s “Trope” and “Air.” For now, we spent a few hours swiping our fingers all across the screen with “RJ Voyager for iPad” (a visual music doodling adventure by RJD2) and “I-Am-T-Pain” creator Smule’s “Magic Piano” (a surreal and innovative keyboard improv app that lets you listen to other players tickling the virtual ivories in real-time “pianoroulette”).

Surprisingly, there aren’t yet many iPad-optimized music playing or Internet radio apps. Of course, you can use any existing iPhone app on the iPad, but it will show up in reduced iPhone size in the center of your iPad screen (you can enlarge it on your screen, but then it gets annoyingly grainy). Pandora’s iPad app is similar to the iPad’s iPod functionality — control buttons at the top, but with the nifty addition of album covers for each song on a particular radio station scrolling across the top. Other iPad-specific-music-entertainment apps we didn’t get a chance to try out in full are Shazam, WunderRadio, NPR, Soundhound, and Musiic. Expect a more details roundup of iPad’s better music apps in the coming weeks.

One thing we don’t like about the iPad app store: the price of the apps are as a rule more expensive than on the iPhone. While some apps like Shazam and Pandora are free, most of the quality music making apps start at $9.99 and go up to as much as $24.99. Unless they’re free, the cheapest apps are about $2.99.

Bottom line:
The iPad just launched two days ago. Like the iPhone at launch, it needs some time to grow into its own, but you can see the big, responsive touchscreen’s potential, particularly with virtual-instrument/music-making apps, and we expect much of the innovation to come out of this space. Imagine Yamaha’s Tenori-on transported to the iPad screen, for example. We’re thinking entirely new instrument on this thing.

So, is the iPad better than the iPod or iPhone? In some ways, yes, but it’s no replacement. If you have the money, the iPad is a fun upscale toy and conversation starter. That said, its full potential won’t be realized for a year or two, at least. For now, it’s not an essential buy by any means, but keep watching this space, because there’s definitely a tablet in your future.

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Apple had five percent of the revenue from U.S. video game software sales in 2009. While 5 percent doesn’t sound like much, its a 500 percent jump when compared to the one percent the Cupertino, Calif. company held in 2008.

Such a jump in a relatively short period of time was deemed “significant” by Flurry Analytics, which released the figures. The numbers were even more stark when compared to the overall U.S. video game software industry, which slipped to $9.9 billion in 2009 versus $11 billion in 2008.

Peter Farango, Flurry’s vice president of marketing, said console games lost ground to portable devices, including the iPhone. But the good news for Apple doesn’t stop there.

If you exclude the big-three gaming consoles: the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360, games sold in 2009 via iPhone’s App Store grew to 19 percent of the U.S. portable gaming market, up from 5 percent in 2008.

The rise of the iPhone and iPod touch in gaming meant the market share owned by Sony’s PSP line was cut in half, while Nintendo’s top-dog status fell from 75 percent down to 70 percent, according to Flurry. In late 2009, Nintendo announced corporate profits fell 52 percent, or a $702 million loss. Some reports suggested the increased competition by the iPhone and iPod touch was a factor in the lower profits.

Nintendo isn’t standing still amid this new threat. Earlier this week it introduced a 3D version of its popular Nintendo DS platform reportedly to be called Nintendo DS3.

Apple is also making more blatant efforts to capture the gaming sector. In 2009, Apple released new version of the iPod touch with beefier graphics capabilities. In November 2009, the Cupertino, Calif. company began a search for an AAA game developer. A month later began seeking a video game artist for the company’s iPhone Gaming Group.

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Robovie mR2 is a 30-centimeter-tall humanoid robot developed at Japan’s ATR Robotics and Communication Laboratories. It speaks Japanese (in a kind of creepy-cute voice) and can communicate info from an iPod Touch that you insert in its stomach.

According to ATR, it is not only possible to control Robovie mR2 by touching the screen of the iPod Touch, but also via Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) or Bluetooth.

Think of it as a modern-day Teddy Ruxpin. Instead of cassette tapes, this robot can speak what’s on your iPod. Considering the ubiquity of Apple handheld devices, there is a potential market for these kind of products.

And while iPod products tend to be used by teens and adults, there are some interesting scenarios for eBooks and learning games to make this robot enjoyable for gadget lovers and kids alike.

Robovie is a research platform created at ATR’s Intelligent Robotics and Communications Laboratories in order to develop communication functionality such as voice dialog and skin sensing in robots.

Review
Alice in Wonderland finds a much older Alice held in captive in a world where she once visited ten years ago. She has no memory of her last visit and now she must try to find a way home without losing her head to the Red Queen’s soldiers. Alice isn’t alone in this venture. Here she finds help from her old friends, the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the March Hare and the Mad Hatter. Each one of these characters possesses special powers that Alice will need to help her solve the puzzles. The White Rabbit stops time, the Cheshire Cat can make objects disappear, the March Hare can move things and last but not least, the Mad Hatter can transform objects from one world to another.

The game has two worlds, Wonderland and a mirrored image of Wonderland. Mirrors, some which you must repair first, allows you to bounce between both worlds. There you will find a slew of obstacles to get in your way, and at times it is your only means of escaping death. Alice in Wonderland has many interesting puzzles. There are times where you must try to solve a riddle, manipulate objects to get across from one end of the screen to the other, find objects and so forth.

As you work your way through Wonderland, you’ll find bonus objects which give out clues to your past adventure there. You’ll also get to unlock wallpapers and other items related to the movie.

Alice in Wonderland’s controls are quite simple. You are given a pair of left and right arrows to move Alice along the game, with an up arrow to make her jump. Pinching and spreading motions will zoom in and out of the game screen for a better view of what lies ahead. To use your friend’s powers, just touch Alice and a pop up with all your unlocked characters will appear for your to choose from and do the same to turn back into Alice once again.

Graphics are absolutely stunning. It is obvious that Disney took their time and effort into making Alice in Wonderland the beautiful and polished puzzler that it is. The game’s soundtrack is also well suited to the theme with its captivating and engaging melodies.

Recommendation
Alice in Wonderland for iPhone and iPod Touch comes highly recommended to everyone. Packed with superb graphics, great soundtrack and challenging puzzles, this game will definitely keep you coming back for more. Alice in Wonderland is available now at the iTunes App Store for $4.99. If you’d like a taste of the game, there’s also a free version, search “Alice in Wonderland Lite” in app store.

More games for ipod .

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster studied NPD Group data and found that Apple Mac and iPod sales are on the rise. According to the NPD Group data on US retail sales, Apple saw increased in sales after poor performance in 2009.

For nearly 16 months Apple has seen no rise in the sale of iPod units, but the NPD data shows that sales rose seven per cent in the past two months. According to the data, nine to ten million iPods were sold in March.

Mac unit sales are also increasing. NPD data shows that in January there was a 36 per cent rise in sales, and in February there was a 43 per cent rise in sales – an average 39 per cent rise. According to Munster, this means sales are between 2.8 million and 2.9 million for the full quarter of the year.

The increase in sales is likely to be down tot he fact that last year’s sales were affected by the global recession. The rise of the previous two months looks good for Apple none the less. Piper Jaffray has high expectations for 2010 and has called 2010 the “Year of the Mac”.

While the sales have increased, the average selling prices for both product lines have declined. The Mac’s actual selling price is ten per cent down, against the seven per cent drop Munster had previously expected. ASPs for iPods were slightly up by three per cent, however this is still below Munster’s prediction of a 15 per cent increase.