According to Reuters, more than 25,000 demonstrators marched the streets in various Eastern European cities. but not only, including Warsaw, Prague, Bucharest, Vilnius, Paris, Brussels and Dublin.

But what is ACTA and what does it do? ACTA is a trade agreement whose purpose is to stop counterfeit goods, generic medicines and copyright infringement, which are all noble intentions if you’re not looking at the fine print. We’re mostly interested in copyright infringement, which is what spawned laws like SOPA and PIPA in the first place, and which could ruin the Internet as we have it today. We, TFTS, have not, do not and will not encourage copyright infringement, but at the same time we can’t support such laws/agreements that would significantly affect our online freedoms.

ACTA indirectly encourages online censorship and surveillance, as Internet Service Providers will have to keep track of one’s actions online, all in the name of stopping any copyright infringements. Building on that, we’d have a scenario similar to SOPA and PIPA, in which the user would be at risk of facing various consequences for the most unexpected events, which is something we wouldn’t want to go through. The video below best explains how an innocent activity like recording a video at a party where a song is playing could get you in trouble after sharing it with your friends online since, after all, you’re not allowed to use the song in any form of content under ACTA. But of course, the consequences of ACTA can be far worse:

In other words, ACTA, at least the way it’s formulated right now, would simply trash some of our most basic freedoms; freedoms which our forefathers, or even our fathers in certain instances, have actively pursued. The same civil rights and liberties should be enforced online and treaties like ACTA should be only signed after the people have been heard. In many instances that’s not the case, and many governments around the world have signed the document without hosting a public debate first. Countries like Germany and the Czech republic have postponed ratifying the ACTA treaty, and hopefully other governments will reconsider their stance on ACTA at least until a better copyright infringement law is devised.

What is your opinion on ACTA?

That, as you may imagine, was one of the Kickstarter records the Double Fine Adventure broke. The other came the next day, when the Double Fine Adventure became the first project to hit $1 million in total pledges during Kickstarter’s two year history. Now, with 29 days left to go before Double Fine can collect its cash and get rolling on the game, total pledges are closing in on $1.7 million, with $1,661,670 pledged at the time of this writing.

Pledges have slowed down a bit since the Double Fine Adventure started making the news, but they’re still coming in at a pretty steady rate. In any case, it doesn’t matter how much is raised now, because Double Fine was only asking for $400,000 to fund the development of both the game and behind-the-scenes documentary that will follow the Double Fine team every step of way as they create this new adventure.

The Kickstarter page for the Double Fine Adventure says that any additional funds raised beyond the needed $400,000 will go to improving the game and documentary, so with more than one million extra dollars to spare, this game had better shine when it’s finally released and the documentary better be 150 hours long (only kidding). Of course, I’m sure many of those who donated wouldn’t mind seeing some of the extra money go to another Double Fine production like Psychonauts 2, but it sounds like Minecraft creator Notch already has the funding for that game taken care of.

This is definitely some exciting news coming out of Double Fine. Presumably the team will get cracking on this game as soon as the Kickstarter campaign comes to a close, so keep it tuned here at TFTS for more information about the Double Fine Adventure!

Well, Guinness World Records did it anyway, posting a “definitive” list of the 50 best video game endings of all time. 13,519 “fans of gaming” voted on a poll held by Guinness for its 2012 World Records: Gamer’s Edition book, and you’re probably going to be surprised with which game came out on top.

Call of Duty: Black Ops snatched the first place spot away from the competition, followed by Halo: Reach at second and The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time at third. Going down the list, we see appearances from three Call of Duty games and three Halo games, along with the very first Super Mario Bros. game, which I don’t think even has an ending outside of finally seeing the princess show up on screen.

As I said above, all of this is subjective (so it’s really pointless to argue anyway), but it seems that most people simply voted for their favorite game out of principle without really considering if it had a halfway-decent ending. Still, there are games that are known for their excellent story ranking on the list, so even if you’re someone who rages at differing opinions frequently, there’ll likely be a game you enjoyed that shows up. Without further ado, here’s are the 50 video games that Guinness World Records says contain the best endings of all time:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops
2. Halo: Reach
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
5. God of War
6. Red Dead Redemption
7. Portal
8. Metal Gear Solid 4
9. Final Fantasy VII
10. Heavy Rain
11. Super Mario Bros.
12. Pokemon Black and White
13. Halo 3
14. Halo: Combat Evolved
15. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
16. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
17. Portal 2
18. Grand Theft Auto IV
19. Mass Effect 2
20. Super Mario Galaxy 2
21. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
22. Kingdom Hearts
23. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
24. Shadow of the Colossus
25. Assassin’s Creed
26. Assassin’s Creed II
27. Metal Gear Solid
28. Sonic the Hedgehog
29. Super Mario Galaxy
30. Mass Effect
31. Kingdom Hearts II
32. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
33. Sonic Adventure 2
34. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
35. BioShock
36. Gears of War 2
37. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
38. Fallout 3
39. inFamous
40. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
41. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
42. Super Metroid
43. Half-Life 2: Episode Two
44. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
45. Call of Duty: World at War
46. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
47. Crysis 2
48. Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
49. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
50. Resident Evil 4

So, what do you think? Do agree with Guinness’s list, or do you think it needs some work? Head down to the comments section and sound off!

Many people were surprised to see the iPod come to life, but Apple soon proved it was right to create such a device coupled with an accessible and affordable digital music store for the masses. Driven by Jobs’ passion for music, the iTunes music store now offers over 20 million tracks, including all the albums from The Beatles, one of the most important additions to the store, and one of Jobs’ last completed music projects.

Therefore, we were not surprised back in December to hear that The Recording Academy will honor Steve Jobs with a Special Merit Grammy Award, The Trustees Award, which was accepted yesterday by Apple’s Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue. Here’s the speech he gave when accepting the award on behalf of Jobs:

On behalf of Steve’s wife, Laurene, his children, and everyone at Apple, I’d like to thank you for honoring Steve with the Trustees Grammy Award. Steve was a visionary, a mentor, and a very close friend. I had the incredible honor of working with him for the last fifteen years.

Accepting this award means so much to me because music meant so much to him. He told us that music shaped his life…it made him who he was. Everyone that knows Steve knows the profound impact that artists like Bob Dylan and The Beatles had on him.

Steve was focused on bringing music to everyone in innovative ways. We talked about it every single day. When he introduced the iPod in 2001, people asked “Why is Apple making a music player?” His answer was simple: “We love music, and it’s always good to do something you love.”

His family and I know that this Grammy would have been very special to him, so I thank you for honoring him today.

The Trustees Award, which honors contributions to the music industry in other areas than performance, was also awarded to Rudy Van Gelder and Dave Bartholomew, a jazz recording engineer and a band leader, respectively. On a different note, counting this special award, this is the second time Apple is honored by The Recording Academy after previously winning The Technical Grammy Award back in 2002.

Inevitably, new mobile devices unveiled at MWC will be immediately compared with available, and future, Apple mobile devices, especially the upcoming iPad 3 which will probably cast a long shadow over the event. While we wait for the third-generation tablet to be unveiled, alongside its main Android rivals which could be announced just a few days before the iPad 3 becomes official, we’re being hit with a plethora of new iPad rumors. One of them says that Apple is in “crunch mode” working on the apps that will be demoed on stage and on the new iPad 3 ads that will surely air during the show and thereafter. The Next Web reports:

Apple’s pre-event weeks are often spent soliciting demonstrations from many app developers and preparing demonstrations of those apps for the live event. Our sources tell us that this selection process is continuing at an increased rate as Apple looks to finalize the lineup for the iPad 3. There is also emphasis on graphics-oriented applications with high-definition assets, which appears to be in line with the new iPad featuring a ‘Retina’ display.

In addition, some apps that Apple is impressed with are being forwarded on to its long-time advertising partner TWBA/Chiat/Day for possible inclusion in the initial iPad 3 commercial spots. This process is entering its final phase as well, with the company on a tight deadline to deliver assets for playback during the presentation and later, television broadcast.

We’ll be thoroughly covering the iPad 3 event, but in the mean time keep us bookmarked for more next-gen iPad news, rumors and reports. As for the iPad 3 rivals, we’d certainly be surprised to see one emerge at MWC 2012, but one can always hope.

Anyone already planning to buy the iPad 3 next month?

Does Radiant Historia sound like a game that you’re interested in buying? Well too bad, because at this point in time, Atlus has only issued one limited print and copies of the game – both new and used – are very difficult to come buy. The copies you do find aren’t going to come cheap either, with some sellers on eBay asking for as much as $99.99 for the Nintendo DS title.

That’s all about to change though, because Atlus has announced that it will be printing another round of Radiant Historia copies. The publisher didn’t say when this re-print is expected to land or how many copies it will make, but it did say that the CD soundtrack won’t be included with this run.

So, if you were worried that the price of your first-print copy was going to drop dramatically once this second run is issued, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that this printing won’t include content your copy came with. In any case, if you’re one of the lucky ones who got their hands on a first-run copy and enjoyed your playthrough, then you should be happy that other people get a chance to play Radiant Historia (because let’s be honest, you aren’t about to sell your copy).

What say you? Will you be buying Radiant Historia once Atlus prints more copies, or did you manage to nab a copy before the initial stock became so rare? Head down to the comments section and let us know!

Apple is obviously targeting Android itself with these patent wars, although the Cupertino-based company has not sued directly Google yet. The legal conflict with Samsung is of particular interest, as both companies are suing each other in 10 countries, with various courts having to decide in over 30 distinct lawsuits. Apple decided to hit Samsung with one more lawsuit in the USA, this time targeting the Galaxy Nexus, Google’s latest Android flagship device.

Apple wants a preliminary injunction against Galaxy Nexus sales in the USA invoking various patent infringements, and unlike in previous attacks in which it target the iPhone- and iPad-inspired design of various Samsung mobile devices, this time it’s all about features, Ice Cream Sandwich features to be more precise:

• US Patent No. 5,946,647 – this patent was filed in 1996 (issued 1999) and covers detecting data, such as a phone number, in an email or web page, creating a link to that data, and initiating an action like calling the phone number when the user selects the link. The data could also include addresses, dates, etc.
• US Patent No. 8,086,604 – this patent claims priority back to 2000 (issued Dec. 2011) and covers searching multiple sources of information (on device and elsewhere) through a single search interface, such as Siri. Apple specifically touts Siri in its injunction request, but also argues that a unified text search is covered by the patent as well.
• US Patent No. 8,046,721 – this patent claims priority back to 2005 (issued Oct. 2011) and covers Apple’s signature slide-to-unlock feature. While Apple already has patent coverage on an image unlock feature, this newest patent is obviously intended to be a bit broader — likely addressing potential workarounds implemented by Google and OEMs over the last couple of years.
• US Patent No. 8,074,172 – this patent was filed in 2007 (issued Dec. 2011) and covers providing word suggestions while the user types on a touchscreen keyboard, where the suggestions can be accepted or rejected by the user.

The first patent quoted above, #5,946,647, has already proven victorious for Apple, as the ITC has recently granted a sales ban against HTC devices based on that particular patent and it will be interesting to see whether the Galaxy Nexus will also be affected. At the same time, HTC did announce that it conceived a workaround to avoid using Apple’s technology and thus continue to sell its smartphones in the region.

From a different point of view, in the Apple vs Samsung and Samsung vs Apple conflicts, Apple has usually been the winner so far, although Samsung scored a few victories of its own, so we’re definitely going to follow closely this new lawsuit that targets such an important Android device.

A leaked ROM Updated Utility (RUU) for the HTC Endeavor, previously known as the Edge or the Supreme, at least according to some reports, reveals various specs and features for the Android handset, which should be confirmed later this month. Here’s what you can expect from this handset:

• 4.7-inch touchscreen display with 720p display
• 1.5GHz Quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor
• 1GB of RAM
• 8-megapixel camera
• 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera
• 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Quad-band HSPA+ support
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense 4.0 on top.

The HTC Endeavor could turn out to be the first smartphone in the world to offer a quad-core processor, provided that no other handset maker announces a NVIDIA Tegra 3 smartphone before HTC does. Moreover, the Endeavor could be the first Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone to sport a custom user interface on top of Android 4.0 – so far only two devices run Ice Cream Sandwich, the Samsung Nexus S and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

The same RUU has also revealed the first Sense 4.0 screenshots, a user interface we’re likely to see on all the upcoming HTC Android 4.0 devices alongside the older smartphones that are going to be upgraded to ICS eventually. HTC’s Sense 4.0 will offer users a bunch of lock screen choices, a new dock look, Beats audio and NFC support and HTC’s regular widgets.

Since the Samsung Galaxy S III is not going to be announced at MWC, the HTC Endeavor, or whatever they end up calling it, could turn out to be the flagship device of the Spanish mobile show, although other Android handset makers are probably going to have a few high-end devices of their own to announce.

We’ve seen the first LTE smartphones and tablets debut last year, most of them, if not all of them, being Android devices. Apple has explained at the time that the then-current state of the LTE chips was not satisfactory for its needs, although the fact that LTE adoption among consumers was very limited when the statement was made is probably another reason that explains why the company seemed never interested to make the iPhone 4S its first LTE device ever.

But things will change this year, as Apple’s next-gen iPad and iPhone are reportedly going to be LTE-ready thanks to a new, slimmer Qualcomm chip that will be employed by both devices. The company has not confirmed such plans yet, but with the iPad 3 media event scheduled to take place in the first week of March, we’ll probably find out more details about Apple’s LTE plans very soon.

In the mean time, today we see the first 4G LTE micro SIM cards from AT&T getting leaked, a move that indirectly implies the upcoming iPad 3 and the sixth-generation iPhone 5/6 will indeed come with LTE support. Furthermore, Apple’s smartphone and tablet are the main devices that use a micro SIM card on AT&T’s network, if not the only ones, so we certainly expect the company to confirm LTE support starting with its 2012 generation of iOS devices in the weeks to come.

In addition to 4G LTE, the iPad 3 and iPhone 5/6 are likely to also offer support for AT&T’s HSPA+ network, also labeled as fake 4G. The iPhone 4S, while lacking an LTE chip, does come with such fake 4G powers, which make AT&T iPhone 4S units the fastest iPhones in the U.S. since neither Verizon nor Sprint offer HSPA+ support.

Anyone excited to buy an LTE-enabled iPhone or iPad?

Now a similar interposer SIM has been devised for the iPhone 4S, the TPSIM Unlock which can apparently unlock iPhone 4S units that come with the following basebands: 1.0.11, 1.0.13 and 1.0.14. In addition to the iPhone 4S, the TPSIM Unlock also works with the iPhone 4S. Here’s a lost of features for the new interposer:

• No requirement for a jailbreak, insert and go!
• *No need to dial 112 (after the first time initialization)
• Supports 3G, EDGE, MMS, Facetime
• Supports iPhone 4S baseband 1.0.11, 1.0.13 and 1.0.14.
• Supports iPhone 4 baseband 1.59.00, 2.10.04, 3.10.01, 4.10.01 but NOT 4.11.08
• No hardware alteration or modification required – will not affect your warranty
• Robust and sturdy steel custom SIM tray
• Unlock works on all world networks.
• Uses high performance original F981 chip for ultra-low voltage operation

The video below shows us that the TPSIM Unlock works, and therefore we’re looking at the world’s first iPhone 4S unlock. Unlike software unlocks coming from the iPhone Dev Team, which are free of charge, the Gevey SIM and TPSIM have to be paid for. The later is not yet available for purchase but it can be pre-ordered for $84.95, quite a hefty price to pay for a device that may not work in the end – after all it’s a brand new unlock method, untested by the masses.

An other option would be purchasing an unlocked handset from Apple, which would let you use any SIM card with the device. Whatever you choose, we’ll remind you that we do not advise you to purchase such gadgets that would enable an unlock, and that we’re showing them only in an informational matter. In case anything goes wrong with such procedures, you’ll be the only person responsible for the whole thing.

This latest trailer is likely the most intense Mass Effect 3 trailer we’ve seen so far. But then, with Mass Effect 3′s release now less than a month away, it almost has to be doesn’t it? BioWare is definitely turning the hype machine up to full capacity with this latest trailer, and it’s totally working (at least as far as I’m concerned).

The trailer is a fast-paced action fest that shows Commander Shepard and various series regulars like Miranda, Kaidan, Jacob, Samara, Liara, and Admiral Anderson team up to fight back against the Reaper invasion of Earth. Naturally, there’s tons of explosions and FemShep herself is a complete badass in the trailer, but would you really have it any other way when we’re talking about the final game in Shepard’s trilogy?

There’s definitely something to be said of FemShep’s role in the Mass Effect series, but longtime fans of the franchise already know this. It seems that many out there prefer playing a female Shepard over a male Shepard, and even though there’s a variety of reasons for that preference, one of them is unquestionably Jennifer Hale’s superb voice acting – hell, if I’m being honest, I think prefer Jennifer Hale’s acting over Mark Meer’s (although Mark Meer is pretty damn good at playing Shepard as well).

So watch the trailer below and then head down to the comments section to tell us what you think of it. Do you prefer a male Shepard over a female Shepard, or is it the other way around?

So, now that you have Skyrim update 1.4 installed on your PS3, there’s a couple of things you should do in order to get the best experience while playing your post-1.4 game. Bethesda’s Nick Breckon took to the company’s official forums to tell players what they need to do in order to enjoy a lag-free experience as quickly as possible:

1. To ensure the fastest jump in performance after applying the patch, be sure to first create a new manual save by entering the save menu and choosing “save game.” You should then restart your PlayStation 3 before continuing to play.

2. If you encounter strange behavior while playing immediately following application of the patch, do not be alarmed – this is a temporary effect of Skyrim scripts correcting themselves after the update. Once this process runs its course, be sure to make a new save and restart your PlayStation 3.

Hopefully this fixes the issue once and for all, but even it does, I can’t see PS3 players being so trusting of Bethesda the next time around. After all, this same problem plagued the PS3 version of Fallout: New Vegas, and players who were hoping that Bethesda fixed this problem ahead of Skyrim’s release were undoubtedly very disappointed to discover the problems remained. After three months of having to deal with game-breaking lag, can you really blame PS3 owners if they decide to wait a while before purchasing Bethesda’s next game?

Are you still experiencing lag issues on PS3 even with update 1.4, or has Bethesda’s patch fixed it? Head down to the comments section and let us know!

Admittedly, the idea of a tablet-based Xbox just seems silly, so it wasn’t long after CES 2012 wrapped that we here at TFTS forgot about those rumors. Well, they’re back again, this time coming from Xbox World Magazine (via NeoGAF), which says that “sources” close to the project claim that the next Xbox will in fact feature a tabletesque controller.

Hearing Xbox World Magazine describe it, it sounds like this Xbox tablet controller will be a lot like the Wii U’s controller. It can function as a remote while watching TV (presumably using you console as a cable box), it can be used as an Internet browser, and even as a portable display if you ever want to take your games with you when you leave the house.

It sounds cool, but we’re not buying it. Reaction to the Wii U’s controller has been mixed so far, and Microsoft’s core audience are those who call themselves “hardcore gamers.” These gamers want a controller with face buttons and twin sticks, and are scarcely interested in gimmicks meant to capitalize on current trends. Perhaps Microsoft can offer a touchscreen controller that actually improves the hardcore gamer experience? Maybe, but it will catch a lot of heat from its Xbox 360 user base for even trying, and if Microsoft wants to stay on top of Sony in the next generation, its best bet is to simply play it safe.

But then, you never really know. Maybe Microsoft will take a chance and deliver a tablet-based console that consumers love. For now, what Microsoft is planning for its next console is for the company to know and for us to find out. That being said, what do you think? Is it really a possibility that Microsoft will ditch traditional controllers with its next console? Put on your speculation hats and jump down to the comments section to share your theories!

Steam was one of the victims of these attacks, and back when it occurred in November, Gabe Newell said that the hacker (or hackers) gained access to a database that included “user names, hashed and salted passwords, game purchases, email addresses, billing addresses and encrypted credit card information.” Today, Newell shared more news about the attack that’s sure to make some Steam users nervous once again. In message to Steam users, Newell said that Valve recently learned that the hacker was able to access a copy of Steam’s transaction history ranging from 2004 to 2008.

A lot of transactions took place between 2004 and 2008, so it goes without saying that a lot of credit card numbers and billing addresses are at risk. Newell said in his message (which you can read in full below) that there’s no evidence that credit card numbers were actually accessed, so at least that’s a little bit of good news.

Still, if you bought something on Steam between 2004 and 2008, it’s probably a good idea to keep a close eye on your bank account and immediately report any transactions you didn’t approve. If we’re to take Newell on his word here, there doesn’t seem to be that much to worry about, but as the old adage goes, “better to be safe than completely broke because you didn’t watch your bank statements.” Read Gabe’s full statement below, and then jump down to the comments section to tell us if you’ve experienced any suspicious charges popping up on your bank statements since Steam was hacked.

Dear Steam Users and Steam Forum Users:

We continue our investigation of last year’s intrusion with the help of outside security experts. In my last note about this, I described how intruders had accessed our Steam database but we found no evidence that the intruders took information from that database. That is still the case.

Recently we learned that it is probable that the intruders obtained a copy of a backup file with information about Steam transactions between 2004 and 2008. This backup file contained user names, email addresses, encrypted billing addresses and encrypted credit card information. It did not include Steam passwords.

We do not have any evidence that the encrypted credit card numbers or billing addresses have been compromised. However as I said in November it’s a good idea to watch your credit card activity and statements. And of course keeping Steam Guard on is a good idea as well.

We are still investigating and working with law enforcement authorities. Some state laws require a more formal notice of this incident so some of you will get that notice, but we wanted to update everyone with this new information now.

Gabe

Blizzard’s claim against Valve – which was filed back in November but only uncovered today by NeoGAF user Drkirby – says that Blizzard essentially has more right to the DOTA name since the original DOTA gained fame as a Warcraft III mod:

By this Opposition, Blizzard seeks to prevent registration by its competitor Valve Corporation (“Valve”) of a trademark, DOTA, that for more than seven years has been used exclusively by Blizzard and its fan community, under license from Blizzard. By virtue of that use, the DOTA mark has become firmly associated in the mind of consumers with Blizzard, including to signify a highly popular scenario or variant of one of Blizzard’s best-selling computer games, Warcraft III.

In contrast to Blizzard, Applicant Valve Corporation (“Valve”) has never used the mark DOTA in connection with any product or service that currently is available to the public. By attempting to register the mark DOTA, Valve seeks to appropriate the more than seven years of goodwill that Blizzard has developed in the mark DOTA and in its Warcraft III computer game and take for itself a name that has come to signify the product of years of time and energy expended by Blizzard and by fans of Warcraft III. Valve has no right to the registration it seek.

It’s definitely a tricky situation. On the one hand, Blizzard wasn’t the one that actually developed the DOTA mod, but rather Warcraft III player Icefrog was, who was later hired by Valve specifically to make a follow-up game. On the other, Blizzard does have a point when it says that the DOTA trademark has become associated with the company in the past 7 years.

According to the court schedule posted on NeoGAF, the case is currently in discovery, and pretrial will continue for the rest of the year. Let’s hope Blizzard and Valve can get this sorted out soon, because we already know that both developers are terrible at getting games out in a timely fashion without a lawsuit to distract them.

What do you think? Who’s in the right here? Head down to the comments section and let us know!

7. Capacitive Touch Screen Gloves

Terrific if you live in a colder climate, one thing you quickly learn in such an environment is that your hands need covered. And that’s not always conducive with touch screens. Better yet, you can get extra schmaltzy and pull the “cold hands / warm heart” gambit. And these are especially good for either front as they’re made with touch screen fibers in the fingers, allowing you to not only wear the gloves, but also interact with the touch screen. Best of all, they’re only $15.99 out at ThinkGeek.

6. Ballistic iPhone 4S Case

If your lady has an iPhone 4S, you know she’s put a lot of cash into it, and a lot of hard work just to get one. What better way to say “I care about the things you care about” than giving her one of the best multi-layer protection setups yet in the Ballistic iPhone 4S case? While the sentiment is certainly there, there’s no denying that a Ballistic case will do a nice job protecting your lady’s iPhone against drops and weather conditions, so it’s worth adding to the shopping list.

5. Kindle Fire

This one works delightfully on several levels. Is she a reader? It handles ebooks smoothly. Does she like mobile computing? This is a light-grade tablet. Or do you just want to get sappy? Tell her she Kindles that Fire in your heart and watch the misty-eye effect kick in. A Kindle Fire’s got just about every possible facet of gift-giving awesome you could want in your Valentine’s Day, so take advantage of the sheer array of possibilities!

4. A MP3 Player Mix Tape

This is a concept that’s steadily coming into vogue, and the perfect example of absolute customization. See, these days, MP3 players aren’t pricey. Some of them even serve double duty as USB sticks. And when you pre-fill them with your songs of choice, easily had at any of a variety of music sites, it only gets better. Couple a good shopping value together with the opportunity to make an emotional impact and that spells a smart move in the making.

3. Membership to your MMO of choice

A video game for Valentine’s Day? The hell you say!  It’s not so outlandish as you might think, as it’s been discovered that ladies like video gaming as much as guys do…okay, maybe not as much, but the numbers are closer than you’d think, and for different reasons. See, for many of the ladies, gaming is an opportunity for a social experience. And an MMO is a great opportunity for gaming to get social. Plus, it’s a game that she doesn’t have to stand around and watch you play–rather, she can play too. And if she’s playing right along side you, that’s a much, much different story.

2. Dave Barry’s A Complete Guide To Guys

Guys, we are not an open book to the ladies. In fact, much of our way of life confuses them about as much as theirs confuses us. And if you’ve ever wanted to make an impression, what better way than to hand over a complete guide to us? And let’s face it, guys, if you’ve read Dave Barry’s book, you know it’s not only funny, but it’s also disturbingly accurate. Everything from a description to our responses to the appearance of other guys in a public restroom to our relative confusion over the concept of relationships in general, Barry provides all the details you could ever want to know. And what better way to say “I love and trust you” than to hand over a primer to our most universal secrets? There’s only one way better that I can think of, and that way is…

1. 3D Chocolate Printer

A 3D printer is an impressive enough gadget by itself. It takes plastic, or resin, or even powdered metal and creates three dimensional representations of objects. With a 3D printer, you can actually create most anything you want, as long as you have the necessary instructions for it. And now, there’s currently research going on–this one might take a while to get to you–into 3D printers that use chocolate. And with that, you’ll be able to custom make anything out of chocolate. Anything. The possibilities stretch out before you, as anything you can think to make a chocolate replica of could be done with something like this.

And so, there you have it; seven great possibilities, both now and in the future, for great gifts for Valentine’s Day. Special thanks to our friends out at ThinkGeek, who dropped us a line on special Valentine’s Day gifts for the geek in your life. And for those who think this list may be a bit skewed, fear not: I consulted actual females in the list’s construction, who found it for the most part worthwhile, but acknowledged that the actual mileage on these gifts will vary.

And of course, for every one I managed to include, there are several others that I missed. So help out your fellow gadget buffs down in the comments section; what hits have you had as far as Valentine’s Day gift giving goes? What gifts have fallen short of the mark? No matter what your experience has been, head on down to the comments section and tell us what you think!

all pics copyright their owners.

The Acer CloudMobile (and if the first thing you thought when you saw that was “Care Bears”, congratulations, you too are a child of the eighties) is set to launch with Android 4.0, otherwise known as Ice Cream Sandwich, though that may not actually come to pass depending on the actual date of launch. It’s set to be the first to support the AcerCloud service (hence the name, CloudMobile), and is also likely to offer up a 4.3 inch HD display, as well as a Dolby speaker plate, textured backing and all in a package measuring just 9.9 mm thick.

Of course, many of the specs on this, like processor capability, connectivity (4G, 3G, wi-fi and so on) and others are as yet unknown, and thus, we’re left to look to the MWC 2012 exhibition to get a full look at this sucker and just what it can do, but word is that it’s already won the iF Product Design Award, which is no mean feat and should suggest some pretty potent characteristics when it finally does make its move on markets.

Acer isn’t exactly a big wheel as far as mobile devices goes, so it’s going to remain to be seen if the specs can back up the award-winning design sufficiently to get Acer into the hearts and minds of people already likely in on one heavily-entrenched product line or another. It’s likely to be released in the second half of 2012.

But what do you guys think here? Would anyone out there pick up a CloudMobile to replace their iPhone 4S? Perhaps your Samsung Galaxy S II? Under what circumstances would you make the switch to Acer? No matter what your stance on this one, we definitely want to hear from you, so hit the comments section below and let’s talk Acer phones!

The current reports coming out of those always-popular “sources familiar with” whatever it is is being discussed at the time say that the MacBook Pro is about to get a serious slimming down, such that it looks more like the MacBook Air. To accomplish this slimming down, they’ll be using things like unibody casings, removing some components like the optical drive, and replacing some others like throwing over the hard drive in favor of much slimmer solid state storage.

They’ll be starting the revamping with the 15 inch model, later stepping up to the 17 inch version once the 15 inch version has had its run completed, and will heavily feature Thunderbolt and Intel’s upcoming line of Ivy Bridge processors, making these look like some pretty standout pieces of hardware indeed.

The change, meanwhile, comes in the face of a rather unlikely business environment, in which the overall market is contracting, but Apple is seeing its sales increase. Plus, while the original MacBook Pro is actually outselling the MacBook Air, the gap between the two product lines has reportedly been on the decline, meaning that the Air is gaining ground while the Pro is just beginning to lose traction.

I have to admit, I like this idea myself; it’s been kind of an odd dichotomy between the two, with the Pro representing the power user segment and the Air looking to win on aesthetics and a lower price, but getting the Pro’s capability in with the Air’s looks might be a real winner. Add to that the fact that the economy hasn’t been slowing Apple down much at all, and you’ve got a pretty good recipe for an exciting laptop race coming up.

But what do you guys think about this one? Do you think that the Pro would sell better if it looked more like the Air? Or do you think that the Pro’s differences made it more appealing, and it should retain those differences? No matter what you think, we always like hearing from you, so hit the comments section below and tell us what you think!

Pacific Crest’s Chet Bartley, according to reports, went into the Kindle Fire’s suppliers and what he came out with was word that Amazon was likely working on a larger version of the popular ereader / tablet, as evidenced by new orders that look like they’re geared in that direction. Of course, you can’t build anything without having the necessary components to do so, but component surveys have been wrong before, so this news should come with the appropriately-sized grain of salt.

Bartley’s report further suggests that, should Amazon actually drop a nine inch Kindle Fire on the market–which it would likely do before summer gets going in earnest–it would bump Kindle Fire sales up from the expected 12.7 million units clear up to 14.9 million, a pretty good hike both objectively and percentage-wise.

The timing of this report is also very interesting, especially as we just got word that Amazon was firing up its “poolside reading” ads again for the Kindle Fire, detailing how much the Kindle Fire can do that the iPad 2 can do, just at a substantially lower cost. And if a new Kindle Fire is in the offing for the not too distant future, it would be a pretty smart move timing wise. Amazon’s already put out the word via its advertising directly comparing the Kindle–and Kindle Fire–to the iPad line, making it clear they mean to compete on price, but also making it clear that the Kindle / Kindle Fire combo is no slouch in the features department. So a new iPad, followed up by a new Kindle Fire, would allow Amazon to carry on with the same strategy, just with different names.

So what do you guys figure here? Another analyst haring down the bunny trail on incomplete information? Or an all too likely battle plan for Amazon in the coming months? No matter what your take on this one, head on down to the comments section and tell us what you think!

Of course, while that sounds really nice just like that there is a catch. That catch — some additional cost. In short, this will allow users to upgrade their phone without having to sign a new multi-year commitment. Anyway, given we mentioned the extra cost lets kick off the details with that. According to what we have seen from the press release announcement;

“customers will only need to initially pay an average added monthly cost of £2.99 – £3.99, dependent on the original JUMP contract chosen.”

Otherwise, for those thinking this is new and crazy and something that is likely to not work or last — rest assured in knowing that Phones 4u have been trialing this for some time now. The trial phase of the JUMP program kicked off back in May 2011 at 100 stores. Needless to say, the trial must have went well because now it will be offered at all of the 586 plus Phones 4u locations. Additionally, those interested will be able to get in the JUMP program online and with telesales.

And lastly, for those who need a full break down to have this make a bit more sense — Phones 4u is offering this as an example;

A customer could take out a standard contract for a non-iPhone device on a £35 a month tariff. Alternatively they could purchase it on JUMP for £37.99 on a 24 month agreement

Today on JUMP £37.99

Split as
Airtime commitment with Orange £15.00
JUMP service agreement 24months £22.99

Move to iPhone 4s after 6 months

Balance outstanding on JUMP
= 18months @ £22.99 £413.82
Trade in value of handset* £175.00
(You can trade in up to 2 more additional handsets to increase your total trade-in value and reduce your remaining balance further)

Balance remaining £238.82

Split over new JUMP contract (per month) £9.95
(No need to pay upfront)

Monthly cost of iPhone 4s on JUMP service agreement £28.49
+ £9.95 over 24months

Total new JUMP cost £38.44

Plus airtime (dependent on airtime package chosen) £20.00

New monthly commitment £58.44

Move to iPhone 4s after 12 months

Balance outstanding on JUMP
= 12months @ £22.99 £275.88
Trade in value of handset* £150.00
(You can trade in up to 2 more additional handsets to increase your total trade-in value and reduce your remaining balance further)

Balance remaining £125.88

Split over new JUMP contract (per month) £5.25
(No need to pay upfront)

Monthly cost of iPhone 4s on JUMP service agreement £28.49
+ £5.25 over 24months

Total new JUMP cost £33.74

Plus airtime (dependent on airtime package chosen) £20.00

New monthly commitment £53.74

Word out of Samsung that preferred anonymity says that the Galaxy S II will net the update to Ice Cream Sandwich starting March 1st, and the Galaxy Note won’t be too far behind, though just how long that will be is as yet unclear. Interestingly, when they say “starting” here, they really mean it, as the rollout will not be available to everyone on the first day, but rather, will be a rolling rollout depending on your carrier and your personal location. In fact, in some locations and with some carriers, the upgrade for the Galaxy Note could reportedly take until sometime in May.

Moreover, current word suggests that the devices won’t get a pure Android 4.0, but rather a version that features Samsung’s TouchWiz systems in play, so that likely accounts for some of the delay.

Being as this is word from anonymous sources within Samsung rather than via Samsung’s proper channels, you’ll likely want to take it with the grain of salt you deem most appropriate, but still, Samsung doubtless doesn’t want to wait any longer than necessary. With the specter of a new iPhone lurking in the background, there’s no doubt that Samsung–along with every other Android phone maker out there–is going to want to get their A-game into play against such significant opposition, so getting Ice Cream Sandwich onto the big names is likely at the top of the list for many.

But what do you guys think here? Figure that the big names in Samsung’s lineup will get their new Android version loaded before Apple launches its new foray? Or do you figure that Apple will roll over some of the Android line before it can get its best to the table? No matter what you think, head on down to the comments section and fill us in!

That being said, these offers all seem simple enough in that they will all require two-year agreements. Otherwise, beginning with the double data offer, the one appears to be rather simple;

“For a limited time, get twice the data for the same low price when you buy a new 4G LTE Smartphone.”

The only fine print we can see in this aspect, the double your data offer only applies to plans that are 2GB or higher. In other words, you can get 4GB of data for $30 or 10GB of data for $50.

In terms of the other Valentine’s Day offer, lets just say that some of these deals seem better than others. For example, one of the nicer ones involves the 16GB Droid RAZR — in black, white or purple. This handset is priced at $199.99, however it comes as BOGO which means if you buy one you will get another for free.

Some of the other deals include discounts on certified pre-owned Galaxy Tab tablets including the 16GB and 32GB 10.1 inch models which are selling for $279.99 and $379.99 respectively. And if you are willing to pick up a (now older) 7-inch Galaxy Tab, that one is available for free as a certified pre-owned device.

That all being said, those interested in picking something up from Verizon this Valentine’s Day can hit the source link at the bottom of this post to check out the complete list of deals.

Apple, at last report, pulled the white MacBook laptop from its shelves back last July, but it was still possible to lay hands on the devices as they sold to the educational market, as well as, sometimes, a refurbished model. But now it’s out of stock most everywhere you look, and at last report, Apple has already told resellers that the MacBook in white has reached that somber occasion of “End of Life”.

Normally the refurbished model of white MacBook sold for $849, and Apple was billing it as a budget alternative for schools (which seems like a bit of a long shot anyway given the equivalent pricing in, say, Windows-based laptops), but it’s reasonably clear why Apple’s pulling the plug on the laptop.

With iBooks 2 and iTunes U now available, it’s likely that Apple wants people getting away from the white MacBook and into the iPad, which would actually be an even more budget alternative than the laptop was, especially if schools buy in bulk to equip all their kids with the devices. It’s a move that makes more than a little sense for Apple in general, and while it may be a bit sad to see the white MacBook go, it’s likely to be replaced by better and more interesting hardware, especially with those two new apps out and running for the education market.

But what do you guys think here? Figure Apple just pulled the white MacBook to make way for iPads backed by their new software geared toward the education market? Or do you figure there’s another reason in play for the removal of the white MacBook? No matter what you think here, we always like hearing from you, so head on down to the comments section and let’s talk white MacBook and end of life!

That being said, the images are crisp and clear and appear to not have come from Mr. Blurrycam. And on that note, we have been treated to front, back and many other views of the handset. We have included a front and back side picture here in this post, but have to give credit to the folks over at phoneArena who got the scoop and have more than a handful of images in total.

Anyway, it appears as if the handset is going to be heading towards Verizon Wireless as a 4G LTE compatible device. And sure, while the handset does not have any branding on itself, there is a look at the 4G LTE logo that is found during the boot process on Verizon devices. Hence the headed towards Verizon comment.

Images aside though, some of the other details include that the handset is running Ice Cream Sandwich. More specifically, it is running Android 4.0.1 with version 4.0 of HTC’s Sense user interface. Some of the other specs include a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 1GB of RAM along with a VGA quality front facing camera and an 8 megapixel rear facing camera.

The handset was also noted as having an AMOLED display. As opposed to an S-LCD. With that, the only little bit left comes as nothing more than pure speculation — based on the look of the handset some have suggested that it could end up coming available as the HTC Incredible 3. Either way though, one thing we can say for sure is that this handset was not included on the list of devices that HTC is planning to upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich this year.

But that being said, there appears to be another voice control app that has come available for iOS devices. More specifically for iOS devices aside from the iPhone 4S. The app is called SpeakToIt Assistant and for lack of a better description, it brings Siri-like functionality to the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

SpeakToIt Assistant is available by way of the iOS App Store and is priced at $1.99. The app requires iOS 4.0 (or higher) for use and is currently sitting at version 0.2. Just one note on the iPad compatibility, while it is supported and will run — it is not a universal app and therefor is a doubled up iPhone version.

According to the iOS App Store listing, here is what you can expect from SpeakToIt Assistant;

“Speaktoit Assistant is a virtual buddy for your iPhone or iPod that uses natural language technology to answer questions, find information, and connect you with various web services, such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Evernote, and many others.”

Otherwise, it was also noted that you will be able to speak in an “everyday language” and perhaps a bit more important — the Assistant will “constantly improve” so that it becomes “smarter every day.”

Those who download the app will be able to set the Assistant as a man or woman (see the screenshots included in this post) and will be able to get information such as maps, news searches, image searches, weather reports, currency conversion and “much” more. And last and perhaps what we feel would be the most useful, the Assistant is able to compose emails and text messages as well as update your status on social sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Anyway, the Acer Aspire One D270 comes as one of the first netbooks with this processor and it looks like pre-orders are beginning to surface here in the US market. Recently listed pre-orders include online retailer Adorama as well as Sears. The netbook is priced at $279.99 with both retailers and as of this point in time — neither have anything as to when this model will begin shipping.

In terms of the specs, the processor clocks in at 1.6GHz and the display is a 10.1 inch WSVGA Acer CrystalBrite LED-backlit display. The Aspire One D270 is running Windows 7 Starter and also packing Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3600, 1GB of RAM and a 320GB 5400 RPM hard drive along with the usual suspects such as Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Ethernet, HDMI, a 5-in-1 memory card reader, microphone, headphone jack, webcam and three USB 2.0 ports.

Additionally, those who make the purchase can expect to find a 6-cell 4400 mAh battery with a promised run time of up to 8 hours. And last in terms of the specs, the Aspire One D270 measures in at 1.01 x 10.17 x 7.28 inches and weighs in at 2.87 pounds.

Bottom line here, this is certainly not going to be a powerhouse machine but at the same time it should be more than sufficient for someone looking to get the basics done — you know email, web surfing, Facebook, Twitter and the like. With that, we will certainly keep an eye on these pre-orders (as well as any others that come available) to see if we can narrow down a shipping date.

Of course, those join the previously available Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G. And just to continue on the 4G LTE compatible device list, these three will soon be joined by the Samsung Galaxy Note. But before we get ahead of ourselves, lets get back to the new devices.

Up first is the LG Optimus LTE smartphone which comes priced as was rumored. The handset arrives with a three-year price of $99.99. And for those looking to knock that commitment time down a little bit, you can expect to shell out $529.99, $579.99 or $629.99 for a two-year, one-year or no term agreement respectively.

In terms of the features, the LG Optimus LTE brings Android 2.3 Gingerbread along with a 4.5 inch (1280 x 720) True HD IPS display, dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 2GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot with an 8GB card included and an 8 megapixel rear facing camera with auto-focus, LED flash and 1080p HD video recording.

Next up, the Ovation MC 679 USB modem which comes by way of Novatel Wireless. This modem features a hinged USB connector along with the MobiLink Connection Manager software. The MC 679 measures in at 88 x 35 x 12 mm and weighs in at just 35 grams with support for Windows (7, Vista or XP), Mac OS X (10.4 or higher) and Linux. The Ovation MC 679 is available for free on a three-year agreement, $49.99 on a two-year agreement, $99.99 on a one-year agreement and $169.99 no term.

And lastly, just to recap the 4G LTE network launch, those in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, Kitchener, Waterloo, Hamilton, Guelph, Belleville, Ottawa, Montreal, Québec City, Halifax and Yellowknife are the lucky ones.

Okay, so you really don’t see through your phone, but the app does take whatever your phone’s camera is seeing and transpose it on your screen, somewhat faded out. The result is a bit stunning, as it does kind of end up looking like you’re looking through glass. Not bad, eh? You can even use other apps while using Transparent Screen, so you could check your email or text messages while walking.

The only problem that reviewers have noted with the app is that the level of “transparency” is already set and there’s no way to change it. For certain apps, you may want to see a bit more of the screen than what’s on the other side of the phone, and plus each user may have their own preference. Hey, sounds like something that could be added in an update or possibly in a paid version of the app.

Realistically, this app may end up being just a toy or something to use to showoff to friends. But, it’s still a pretty neat idea and probably will have to hold us over until we all are using transparent LCD phones.

Check out Transparent Screen at the Android Market here.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a pretty important government agency that monitors, researches and studies the weather and Earth’s oceans. They operate the National Weather Service and should be known by everybody as “the hurricane people” for they work they do in monitoring hurricanes. The news that they’re changing to Apple products comes via a leaked memo written by Joseph Klimavicz, NOAA’s CIO.

The company will be furnishing their workers with new iPhones and iPads, although they’ll continue to support BlackBerry devices until May 12, 2012. There’s no word on when NOAA’s people can expect to get their iPads, but the leaked memo was dated February 3, 2012. The news was broken by LoopInsight.com.

Government agencies have usually continued to favor BlackBerries because of their reliability and rock-solid security when it comes to email. I suspect that NOAA won’t be the last government agency to switch to the iPhone and iPad for its mobile phone needs.

What do you think? Is it cool that the government is giving iPhones to its meteorology, or should it be spending our tax dollars on other things? Tell us what you think in our comments section.

Google’s free cloud-storage service will be called Google Drive according to the report, and seems likely that it will be attached to Google Docs or affiliated with Google Docs, Google’s cloud-based office productivity suite. According to the WSJ, Google Drive will allow people to store files, photos and videos on the internet.

There’s no word on how much storage Google Drive will offer, but with all the bandwidth and server farms that Google has, you have to imagine that it’ll probably be a fair bit. Google will be directly taking on Dropbox, in addition to Apple’s iCloud service and Microsoft’s SkyDrive service. Although the report doesn’t mention it, you have to expect Google Drive will have integration with Android and Chrome OS – allowing people using Android phones, tablets or Chrome netbooks to easily access their files stored on their Google Drive account. This would bring parity on with Apple does with the iPhone and iCloud.

No word on how this will affect Dropbox. The company has been growing by leaps and bounds and was called “one of Silicon Valley’s hottest start-ups” by the WSJ. The company allegedly turned down an acquisition offer from Apple in 2009.

What do you think? Are you excited for Google Drive? Do you think it’ll be better than Dropbox, or are planning to stick with the ‘box? Tell us about it in the comments setion.

The Lumia 900 never officially received a release date, although rumors had pinned the phone as coming out on March 18^th. Usually, you can expect to see a phone up for pre-order a month or so before its scheduled release date, and Microsoft Stores accepting pre-orders somewhat unexpectedly only adds to these rumors. Those who wanted to pre-order the phone had to put down $25 on the phone.

Back at CES, Nokia announced the Lumia 900 as an AT&T exclusive. It’s got some nice hardware, including a 4.3-inch OLED display, 1.4GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 16GB of memory. Recently, a leak from Nokia also showed a white Lumia 900 for international markets, so if you’re outside the United States, you can expect to get your hands on one of these phones too.

No word officially on when we can expect AT&T and Nokia to open up Lumia 900 pre-orders to everybody.

While Office 15 is yet to be available in a public beta – it has just hit the Technical Preview stage – the new collection of productivity apps has been revealed in a video during which Microsoft was demoing Office 15 beta on an ARM-based device running Windows 8. What’s interesting about Windows 8 on ARM is that it will offer support for the desktop version of Office 15 apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. At the same time the company is also working on a native Office 15 version for touchscreen- and ARM-based devices that will run Windows 8. In addition to Office 15, Windows 8 on ARM will offer users a complete desktop mode experience that comes with File Explorer, Internet Explorer 10 desktop and other Windows desktop features. And while the desktop Windows versions so far are not ideal for tablet use, it will certainly be interesting to see how Windows 8 feels like on future tablets. But unlike Microsoft, developers won’t be able to port X86/64 apps to Windows 8 on ARM. Instead they’ll just have to create new apps for future Windows tablets that will support the new Metro UI.

As for Office 15, it’s clear from the video above, and the images in the gallery below that Microsoft is reinventing its productivity suite. Gone is the ribbon menu, or at least it’s very well hidden across the shown apps, which suggests that Microsoft may have something simpler in mind. Whether its Word, Excel or PowerPoint, the company is focusing on content rather than on a cumbersome menu. On the other hand, considering the complexity of Office apps, we’re certainly expecting all the menus, and then some, to be still there despite the minimal layout we see in the images below.

While it’s going to be interesting to see how Microsoft reimagined the Office experience to make our lives easier, we’ll certainly have to patient and keep waiting to actually be able to test it out. Microsoft is expected to release the Windows 8 beta at some point in the following weeks, quite possibly during MWC 2012, and we certainly hope it’s coming with Office 15 on board.

And while we’re at it, when will the iPad and Mac OS X versions of Office 15 be launched?

Technology Business Research Ezra Gottheil has it on good authority that the upcoming 9.7-inch iPad 3 will offer the following set of specs and features:

• Retina Display resolution – 2,048 x 1,536 or double the resolution of the iPad 2
• Faster dual-core system-on-a-chip rather than a quad-core processor – a faster A6 chip
• Siri support

These are expected features for the iPad 3, which have been revealed in various other reports, so far so we’re not surprised to hear one more analyst mention them, especially since analysts don’t always get things right.

Gottheil also expects Apple to keep selling the iPad 2 alongside the new iPad 3 model, with pricing expected to drop to $400 “for an iPad 2 with Wi-Fi only and 16GB of flash-based storage space.” That’s also something we have heard more than once in the recent past, and we wouldn’t be surprised to hear Apple is interested in keeping around a top-selling device after seeing the same thing happen with older iPhones a few months ago.

A cheaper iPad 2 will be a great competitor to entry- to mid-level Android devices, including the Kindle Fire that has been selling very well during the past quarter, but would Apple also need to make a smaller iPad 3 to better compete against smaller tablets? I don’t think that’s the case, but here’s what Gottheil said:

Gottheil went out on a smaller limb for another pair of predictions, saying that he expects Apple to roll out a smaller 7-in. iPad — though not at the upcoming event — and perhaps tout a specially-designed wireless keyboard-case accessory for its tablet.

“I believe that’s always been in the plan” said Gottheil of a small iPad, contradicting past comments by Jobs, who had rejected seven inches as too small for a tablet. “Actually that’s a good form factor for some users, and although they will also charge a premium above other similar-sized tablets, they want to protect that price flank.”

During last year’s iPad 2 announcement event, Apple quickly dismissed existing rumors that a new device will launch at some point in the fall by saying that 2011 was the year of the iPad 2, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the company hinted that 2012 will be the year of the iPad 3, the regular size. Would you buy a 7-inch iPad 3?

While there aren’t that many smartphones sporting NFC support, those that do have it, including the Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus may have a serious problem. Once rooted, the devices can be hacked by people with the right knowledge, to reveal the PIN of Google Wallet, which would give those people access to the stored credit cards.

Since the Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus are among the preferred devices used by Android developers, it’s likely that those units usually get rooted. Naturally there’s no security risk when Google Wallet is not used on the device. There’s no risk when Google Wallet is enabled either as long as the device is not stolen by a third-party specifically interested in getting access to the user’s Google Wallet account.

Google is aware of the issue and it’s trying to fix it, and there is a way to resolve the matter, moving the PIN verification, which Google Wallet requires to grant access to the stored credit cards, to the secure element of the NFC chip in the device. Once that’s done, a simple “brute force attack” would not work anymore. That however is easier said than done as Google will have to relinquish any responsibility for the Google Wallet PIN to the banks:

The next issue was much more significant. Basically, by moving the PIN verification into the SE itself, this might constitute a “change of agency” responsible for keeping the PIN secure. The fear is that Google might no longer be responsible for the security of the PIN, but rather the banks themselves. If this is in fact the case, then the banks may need to follow their own policies and regulations regarding ATM PIN security which obviously, and rightly, receive a great deal of scrutiny.[…]

At present, the decision is in the banks’ hands. They may actually choose to accept the risk imposed by this vulnerability rather than incur the financial and administrative overhead of allowing Google to release a proper fix (and thereby potentially put the banks on the hook for the PIN security).

In the mean time, here’s what Google Wallet users can do to prevent hackers from getting access to their credit cards once the rooted phone would be stolen:

1. Do Not “Root” the Cell Phone – Doing so will be one less step for a thief.
2. Enable Lock Screens – “Face Unlock,” “Pattern,” “PIN” and “Password” all increase physical security to the device. “Slide,” however, does not.
3. Disable USB Debugging – When enabled, the data on mobile devices can be accessed without first passing a lock screen challenge unless Full Disk Encryption is also enabled.
4. Enable Full Disk Encryption – This will prevent even USB Debugging from bypassing the lock screen.
5. Maintain Device Up-To-Date – Ensure the device is current with the latest official software. Unfortunately, users are largely at the behest of their carrier and cell phone manufacturer for this. Using only official software and keeping devices up-to-date is the best way to minimize vulnerabilities and increase security overall.

Has anyone suffered such a Google Wallet attack?

Now the Wall Street Journal has it that Google is working on a home entertainment system whose main feature will be to stream wireless music, quite probably from the company’s Google Music service:

Google’s entertainment device, in development for several years, is expected to be unveiled later this year, people familiar with the matter said.

It’s unclear which retailers would sell the entertainment device, which would stream music from Google’s online music-storage service and pipe it wirelessly to Google-designed speakers or other Web-connected devices in people’s homes, according to these people. In the future, such a device could potentially stream other forms of digital media such as video, one of these people said.

We’re certainly surprised to hear that Google is interested in manufacturing such a product and we can’t but wonder what would motivate the company to develop it. Such a device could be controlled by mobile devices including smartphones and tablets, although it’s not known yet whether they must be Android devices. But there are no details regarding its specs and features and we should be looking at some spectacular characteristics to convince users to buy one. And there’s no indication the device will be based on Android either.

What’s also puzzling is that the device will not stream, at first, movies or TV shows, which is quite a strange decision.  And while Apple is expected to make around 17 billion in the first year alone from its rumored iTV product, the home-audio hardware business is valued at $8 billion per year, so Google won’t make a lot of cash off it, at least not initially.

Not to mention that the music business is largely dominated by Apple as the company has quite an important MP3 market share and a significant iOS customer base, also devices that can download and stream music from iTunes. And chances are that quite a few iPod and iOS device owners already own an iPod and/or iOS device dock that helps them transform the device into a home entertainment system.

So why is Google so interested in creating a Google-branded home entertainment device. Is it part of the company’s future Android@Home Android-based automated home vision? Will you purchase such a music-only entertainment device?

In its latest iPhone 4S ads Apple is still focusing on Siri, the virtual assistant that’s available officially only on the iPhone 4S – although there are various unofficial Siri ports for other iOS devices at this time. After teaching Santa to navigate the globe and deliver his presents using the Siri assistant, Apple stars regular iPhone 4S users in the new ads and shows off its virtual assistant in two brand new commercials entitled “Road Trip” and “Rock God.”

The scripts of the new ads, both embedded below, feature various scenes that could occur in everyday life, with iPhone 4S users – that are still being filmed in most cases from the nose down – asking Siri a variety of questions. Apple shows us the versatility of Siri and its ability to respond to various queries and help users in various instances, whether it’s providing directions, answering questions, finding certain nearby shops, sending messages, setting up reminders, or customizing the user’s experience.

In “Road Trip” Siri assists travelers while in “Rock God” it deals mostly with the main character’s music passion. The main point Apple tries to get across is that Siri is a feature that iPhone 4S users simply have to use to make their mobile life easier. And we certainly shouldn’t be surprised to see Apple promote its Siri virtual assistant, after all we’re certainly going to see it in this year’s iOS devices including the new iPad 3, the iPhone 5/6, the iPod touch 5G and the iTV – although the last two devices are yet to be confirmed.

What about you, iPhone 4S users, are you using Siri on a regular basis?

Remedy has revealed that when the PC port lands, it will be arriving in two forms. The first is a standard edition that comes with the base game as well as the DLC packs The Signal and The Writer, the game’s soundtrack, six postcards, one poster, and seven stickers. So now that we know this, we’re wondering what’s in the collector’s edition if this package is considered the standard edition.

The collector’s edition, predictably, comes with quite a few more bonuses. Players who shell out for the collector’s edition will be getting all of the stuff that’s included with the standard edition, along with audio commentary from Remedy that can be toggled as you play through the game. The collector’s edition also comes with a making-of feature, a documentary on the history of Remedy, a collection of trailers and behind-the-scenes footage, and finally a 144 page book dubbed “The Alan Wake Files,” which features evidence compiled by one of the game’s characters, Clay Steward.

The standard edition and collector’s edition will both be available at retail as two and three disc sets, respectively. If you’d like to forgo the visit to a brick and mortar store, both editions will be available through Steam as well (and presumably Origin, after a period of Steam exclusivity), with the standard edition priced at $30 and the collector’s edition coming in at $35. Any way you slice it, that isn’t a bad deal considering how many extras you get with either edition.

So, which one are you going to buy? Are you going to buy a retail copy or the Steam version? Head down to the comments section and let us know!

In fact, according to AllThingsD, the iPad 3 special media event will take place in the first week of March, although a clear date is not available at this time. Once it becomes official, the iPad 3 should hit stores in the following days or weeks, just like it happened with the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S which were launched right after their official announcements:

Sources say the company has chosen the first week in March to debut the successor to the iPad 2, and will do so at one of its trademark special events. The event will be held in San Francisco, presumably at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Apple’s preferred location for big announcements like these.

No word yet on a street date for the iPad 3 (assuming that’s what it’s called), though my guess is retail availability will follow roughly the same schedule as that of the iPad 2: Available for purchase a week or so after the event.

The publication also notes that Apple will not schedule any “unusual” press event in February, as it was previously rumored. What’s also interesting to note is that Samsung will not hold any press event during MWC 2012, which is quite surprising and significant since it means the South Korean carrier will not announce any new major mobile device, whether smartphone or tablet. With Samsung not ready to announce any new device at MWC, the eyes of the mobile ecosystem will surely be focused on Apple’s upcoming event.

By comparison, last year the iPad 2 was announced on March 2 and sold nine days later, on March 11. And Samsung unveiled one Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 version (10.1v) at MWC 2011 in February, before the iPad 2 announcement, and a second one at CTIA 2011 in March after the iPad 2 launch, with the second device a lot more similar to the second-generation tablet.

I’m not sure you can technically say that this is another delay since Diablo 3 never had a solid release date in the first place, but regardless of what you want to call it, Diablo 3 is now being targeted for a Q2 2012 release. This means Activision and Blizzard are looking to release Diablo 3 sometime after April 1st but before June 30th.

This is simply the latest in a long line of set backs for Diablo 3 fans. First, Blizzard said repeatedly that it was going to try and get Diablo 3 out the door before the sun set on 2011, and then when it became clear that a 2011 release wasn’t going to happen, Blizzard pushed the date back to sometime in “early 2012.” Now we’ve been hit with a second quarter release window, so hopefully Blizzard can get it in our hands before Q3 2012 arrives.

Even though we don’t have an actual date for Diablo 3 yet, Activision-Blizzard CFO Thomas Tippl reiterated during the investor call that at least two Blizzard games will be launching this year. One of those games is definitely Diablo 3, while the other is likely either Heart of the Swarm or the World of Warcraft expansion Mists of Pandaria.

So, if you’re a Diablo fan who simply can’t wait for Diablo 3 to be released, you should probably take this Q2 release window with a grain of salt. Since there’s no solid date to speak of, it’s possible that Blizzard will move the date back once more before launch, so don’t get excited until an actual release date for Diablo 3 has been confirmed.

So no, the Call of Duty series isn’t dying, and it shows no signs of slowing down either. This will likely be considered bad news by the many who lament Call of Duty’s very existence, but it’s great news for Activision. Indeed, if Electronic Arts wants to see the Battlefield franchise kill Call of Duty one day, the folks at DICE are going to have to step their game up.

In other Call of Duty news, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said that Call of Duty Elite now sports 1.5 million Premium subscribers. Considering the service’s rocky launch, 1.5 million paying subscribers is definitely good, and Eric Hirshberg says that the Beachhead studios will be rolling out new features for Call of Duty Elite in the coming months.

He also said that Activision is working on Call of Duty Elite version 2.0, which will coincide with the release of Call of Duty 2012 – yes, Activision confirmed that there will definitely be a new Call of Duty game later this year. Hirshberg was light on the details about this new iteration of Call of Duty Elite, but with this year’s version, Activision appears to be kicking off a trend of releasing a new Elite along with each new Call of Duty game. Since Call of Duty Elite already seems to offer a good value for the subscription cost (as long as you’re playing on Xbox 360), I don’t think too many fans will mind that release model.

What do you think? Have you been enjoying Call of Duty Elite so far? Is it a good idea for Activision to release a new version of Elite with each Call of Duty game? Head down to the comments section to sound off!