Exciting chatter recently added to the constantly updating rumor mill of the Apple world has suggested that the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 could be released as early as September of 2011. Usually leaked rumors that guess at when exciting new technology will be market ready come accompanied with images of the item under discussion, or at least something slightly more solid than what sparked this gamble at when Apple lovers can get a peek at the latest and greatest from their beloved technology empire.

In lieu of any hard evidence, it is safe to wonder at just what has the tech world in a buzz. The rumor was apparently sparked by increases in Apple’s financial activity with overseas investors that mimic past financial spikes that have occurred ahead of new releases in the past.

The same analysts have theorized that Apple will be premiering not just the latest version of the iPhone in the potential upcoming release, but will also be going in a new direction and hitting a price point with the pre-paid iPhone 4S, designed to appeal to markets previously ignored by the generally high price ranges that Apple is known for. Most individuals who have commented on this rumor online are entirely skeptical of a timed dual released, citing the impracticality of producing enough of both models in tandem as well as the issue of overwhelming the market and cannibalizing sales that would hurt the bottom line sales of the iPhone 5.

With the recent move by Google to turn YouTube into a competition for television, most experts believe that this will cause the site to lose its charm, ever since it has turned into a social platform for more and more users.

And as soon as Google completes a series of changes that it has to make, in order to get YouTube competition-ready against the broadcast and cable television channels and networks. Ever since Wall Street reported Google’s major overhaul of YouTube on April 7, it has become abundantly clear that one of the things that Google will address is to entice its users to stay longer on YouTube in order to attract advertisers.

And in the effort to move towards this new ‘model’, Google will infuse a lot of money and in the first of a series of changes, it will revamp the Home page of YouTube to highlight sets of channels revolving around sports and art.

Professional programming will be a feature when it comes to these channels that will run into several hours while content that is already available on this site will also be converted into programming as well.

And with the earlier stating that Google is willing to spend at least $ 100 million to get this low-cost content done for specifically for the Web, there is no doubt a whole lot of video bloggers, citizen journalist among several others will miss using YouTube, although it is understandable that Google is looking for quality content in order to selling more ads.

Google chrome is undoubtedly the fastest internet browser ever created. With all its features, the application dominated the competition when it comes to web browsers, dethroning Firefox and other competitors like Opera, Safari and Internet Explorer. With Chrome’s approximately 2 years in existence, it has released a lot of versions, with its latest at version 8. One of the notable features of Google Chrome 8 is its menu button where all of the features are compressed in one drop down menu.

All other browsers have current versions and their software is modified in terms of extensions, speed, support system and stability. In addition, they have also included some features like the bookmark manager and bookmark sync. On the other hand, the developers of Chrome have added a PDF reader, as well as certain modifications which address some security issues and bugs. Aside from these, the new version of Chrome has an improved interface, and it is compatible with almost every computers and operating systems. Because of this, a lot of internet enthusiasts have been impressed, and they have made Google Chrome one of the most downloaded browsers today.

Some of the features that make Google Chrome better than other browsers include a fast setup which allows you to install the program for in a few minutes. It also has a PDF reader and flash support which gives you the convenience of not having to download any extensions which usually creates hassles. Finally, the simplicity of the interface wherein everything you need can be found in one button.

In the past couple of years, Google Chrome has dominated internet browsing. Being branded as the fastest developed browsing software to date, it has become widely used and it has increased their market growth since it was released two years ago.

Because of the continuing efforts of the developers of Google Chrome, they have developed several versions of their browser over time. In fact, in a span of two years, they have come up with 8 versions of their web browser, with a continuing increase in speed, ease of use and internet safety.

Recently, they have launched the 8^th version of the Chrome, and as always, Google has never let their users down with its improved features and additional extensions.

One of the basic things that you will expect from Google Chrome version 8 is ease of installation, which is featured even in their earlier versions. Another new feature of the Chrome is the built in extension of the PDF reader. It can be noted that in other browsers, you still need to install this application and most of the time it creates a lot of hassle because of failures to install the same. Thanks to the new Chrome, it is already installed in the program.

Finally, it also has extensions which are highly useable. The new Google Chrome has a feature (which is also present in previous versions) that allows a user to surf a site without being seen in the history. In addition, every time a new tab is opened, it will preview the most visited sites which can be accessed with a click of a button.

Microsoft has been seemingly out of the loop these days and seem like they have been letting technology pass them by. Have they really? By introducing “KINECT” to the gaming world on the 4th of November, they are introducing technology that they have been quietly acquiring for some time. 

Gesture recognition technology in a nutshell, is a camera or series of cameras mounted so that the computer, to which it is connected, can track your movements and gestures and interface those with the software. In other words, what you do is what you see being done on the screen. This is used, for now, as a video game interface, transferring your movements to the character you have created in the game. No wires to clutter the entertainment center and no controllers to hold on to, or let go of. This gets you off the couch for a heightened experience. 

The technology is cutting edge and the hardware, software and peripherals are still in development. With the application of this technology so far-reaching and diverse, Microsoft has seen fit to quietly acquire some of the more advanced players in the research and manufacturing of the hardware. In 2009, Microsoft acquired 3DV Systems, and the latest acquisition, Canesta, a Silicon Valley firm that has been working on the chipsets that handle the image sensors that allow cameras to see in 3 dimensions. If you were looking for the next generation of video games, it’s here.

Cooliris will forever be known for its funky imaging product which turns a whole bunch of photos into an interactive 3D wall. Its great success has been that it works on a variety of platforms and devices. Now the company is coming out with a product which it thinks will be revolutionary in a different field – Text.

The new app from Cooliris is called Discover and is scheduled to hit the App Store next week. Discover takes users through a very different way of experiencing Wikipedia. The app turns Wikipedia pages into very user friendly and visually pleasing pages that look more like the pages of a book. The conversion doesn’t just take the content from Wikipedia and slap a background on to it to make it look like a book. Instead, it actually takes the content, rearranges it to look better visually, expands the text to a readable size and then slaps a background to it.

Users can flip through the pages, scale up photos, etc. Changing orientation also affects how the information is shown. Once again orientation changes don’t simply mean showing the same thing in another way. Extra content is either loaded or removed depending on which orientation you are on. The app looks to be a winner with these excellent features and is sure to be a hit because it is free. Cooliris expects to make money serving up advertisements as Apple has finally agreed to let this method of revenue earning into the iOS world.

If you have an Internet connection at home, you are most likely aware of how to protect your identity, information as well as your computer from viruses, and scammers on the web. It’s a rule of thumb to update your antivirus software on a regular basis, and never input personal or sensitive information (such as credit card numbers and CVVs) online, and to know when you are being tricked into downloading a virus or suspicious program on to your system.

Your antivirus software won’t tell you everything and this is why at the end of the day, despite covering all the basics, you still cannot be sure about surfing the Web and not getting into trouble. Here is a tip to avoid common internet attacks that even the experts don’t mention. These may be a tad inconvenient, but a little paranoia goes a long way, the good way, in protecting you from bad Internet invaders.Never ever allow scripting, especially on websites that you feel aren’t secure.

The best way to really avoid this is to stay away from JavaScript, a program which allows your web browser to be more user-friendly, but it also makes your browser more susceptible to tricks. One of the latest scams include fake Facebook pages that pretend to give away gift cards if you post a code into your address bar. Doing so will then subject you to unwanted spam, phishing page lead-ins or even surveys which pre-dispose your PC to viruses.

It had to happen at some point. After all, Apple can never go for long without some controversy. The latest issue is the big security hole in the iPad 3G that was exploited a few days ago.

The flaw in the iPad, nicknamed ‘iLeak’, was exploited by a web security group that exploited weaknesses in the AT&T network. The group was able to access over 100,000 iPads which were on AT&T’s 3G network. The information that was extracted was the user’s email address and the ICC-ID which authenticates the user and grants access to the network. Doesn’t sound like a big deal? Think spam, think lots of spam. Now think about the early birds who jumped at the thought of getting an iPad 3G and not an iPad Wi-Fi. People like Diane Sawyer of ABC News, Janet Robinson – CEO of New York Times and Rahm Emanuel, and yes, the guy who just happens to be the White House Chief of Staff.

The incident is embarrassing to both AT&T as well as Apple. Both have a lot to lose from it and in that aspect, AT&T has quickly plugged up their side of the hole. So far there has been no comment from Apple and no news on whether they are releasing an update to the OS.

The iPad 3G was released on the overwhelming success of the iPad Wi-Fi. This issue could definitely impact the sales of any future iPad3Gs. It also doesn’t do much for the reputation of AT&T which is already berated for its poor connectivity issues.

Intel announced their latest revamp to the Classmate PC. In essence it is a tablet PC which looks like a Netbook, but it is quite formidable if you look closer. It features an Atom N450 processor, a 160 GB hard drive, Wi-Fi, GPS and allows OEM’s to include 3G or WiMax connectivity. It is also EnergyStar 5.0 compliant and is touted as having an eight and a half hour battery life. But the real kicker is the 1366×768 touch screen.

The screen responds to touch and to a stylus. It can also be rotated so that it lies flat on the keyboard, essentially turning it into a tablet PC. Orientation of the screen is automatically handled by an accelerometer. Intel has also made a smart decision by putting the webcam and microphone on a pivot mount, which allows users to capture themselves or the background.

The PC is quite rugged in design and is made of thick plastic so that young users need not be extra careful when using it. The rubberized surface provides users with an excellent grip. The cooling vents have been placed thoughtfully and the stylus has a neat recess that it can go to as well as having a place to be tethered to. The screen also features some buttons around it, which enables certain quick tasks when it is used in the tablet PC mode.

All in all, Intel seems to have done a good job in thinking things through and providing features that appeal to the target market. Look for it to hit the market soon!

Losing a phone is traumatic enough for most people, but if you happen to work for Apple and the phone you lost was a prototype iPhone 4G, then you probably will have a heart attack. Gray Powell recently went to German beer garden to celebrate his 27th birthday and promptly lost his iPhone 4G. The person who found it apparently tried to locate the owner and upon failing to do so sold it to the gadget blog known as Gizmodo.

According to Briam Lam, the editorial director, the iPhone 4G was soon remotely shut down by Apple. This led to the interesting question of what type of control Apple has in store for us with the 4G or even now with the devices we have. After the news broke, Apple sent a letter to Gizmodo asking them to return the device. The website complied after making a few observations.

The prototype has a camera with a bigger lens at the back and includes a flash as well. A front facing camera was also present which hinted at video conferencing capabilities. An extra microphone was also spotted at the top of the device and this will probably be used for noise cancelling purposes.
Although the device looked more “boxy” than the 3GS, it is widely acknowledged that this may not be the final design. There are also several conspiracy theories going on about the find, including one that suggests that this was a plant by Apple to generate interest in the upcoming product.