The Media Guru

Jun 30, 2008

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Spain conserved their unbeaten run in the Euro 2008 to clinch their 2nd major trophy, after a long 44-year wait. Yep, the last time Spain won the Euro was in 1964!!! But they did manage to reach the 1984 finals, only to be beaten by Michel Platini's France. Ironically, it was Michel Platini himself who handed the Henri Delaunay Trophy to Spain captain Iker Casillas.

The match promised to be explosive & it did indeed manage to live up to our expectations, although there was only a single goal.

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The match started with Germany fighting to gain control of the game. But within 15 min, it was Spain who were gaining the upperhand. & they came close to score twice! Lehmann saved an own-goal with his fingertips & then Torres jumped higher than the tall German defenders to head the ball on the woodwork!

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Spain kept up the pressure & they were finally rewarded at the 33rd min. On a quick pass from Xavi, Torres overtook defender Philipp Lahm to crucially lob the ball over the incoming Lehmann. Score 1-0 for Spain.

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The game's tempo drastically changed as Germany started fighting back & they continued to do so in the second half. Germany didn't get many shots, but Spain wasted many chances to kill the game, specially through Marcos Senna. Spain held on till the end of normal time to achieve a historic win over 3-time champion Germany. Finally a final that didn't go to penalties!

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Spain deserved the win as they displayed the perfect example of total football & it would have been a shame if Spain would have beaten on the ultimate stage. Bad luck for German captain Michael Ballack who went into the Champions League Final, the 02 World Cup Final & Euro 08 Final, & lose all of them...

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Viva España!

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Jun 28, 2008

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The semifinals didn't produce any shockers, but we witnessed two great matches!

Germany vs Turkey

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That was an incredibly tight match, with Turkey having the most possession & looking the most threatening. After hitting the wood at the 12th min, it was unsurprisingly Turkey who opened the score at the 22nd min with Boral. But Germany responded back immediately with Schweinsteiger intelligently flicking the ball in between the posts. Turkey kept up the pressure until the second half resumed. & at the 74th min, Germany struck gold. On a disastrous sortie, very like in the Portugal match, Turkey goalkeeper Rustu completely missed the ball & allowed Klose a free header. However, Turkey are not any team - they are the comeback kings! & hence 4 mins before the end of the match, Turkey equalised, thanks to Senturk. But you can't write off Germany either, & unfortunately for Turkey, they used their own tactic against them. At the end of normal time, defender Philipp Lahm powered up on the left flank & with a one-two with Hitzlsperger, scored the winning goal. Germany's efficiency has paid off over Turkey's persistence - in the whole match Germany had only 3 shots on goal & they scored all 3 of them.

Russia vs Spain

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After beating Holland, everyone thought Russia would be a fierce opponent to tame. But none of this happened as Russia played just like they did during their first match. Playmaker Andrei Arshavin was anonymous during the full 90 mins. While the first half was uneventful, Spain upped the tempo & scored within 5 min into the 2nd half. Iniesta provided a pin-point pass for Xavi to drill in. The game was killed at the 74th min, when Fabregas lobbed the ball to Guiza, who wrong-footed Akinfeev to score. & finally David Silva hammered in another nail into Russia's coffin, with yet another pass from Fabregas.

The Final
Germany vs Spain

An epic final between two footballing superpowers. Spain is the only team to go unbeaten in this tournament & they are highly motivated to win their 2nd trophy. Yep, the only final Spain won was the Euro 64, 44 years ago. Although, they've lost Euro top scorer David Villa, they still have Torres & the excellent Fabregas to supply him. Slight advantage to Spain. But don't write off the Germans! Their efficiency in front of the posts is lethal & they are ready exploit any defensive error. Led by inspirational captain Michael Ballack & playmaker Schweinstaiger, it will be difficult to stop them... Get ready for an explosive final!!

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Jun 25, 2008

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Who'd had thought about it? Even the most experienced of football pundits couldn't have come up with such predictions...

Match 1 - Portugal vs Germany

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In spite of having had an under-par form throughout the group stages, Germany have successfully risen to the Portugal challenge. While Chelsea's new manager Felipe Scolari had before the match complained of the low height of his players, it was only poor defending that allowed the Germans to score easily on set pieces. The first goal, at the 22nd minute was a trademark Holland counter-attack, with Schweinsteiger scoring from close range. 4 mins later, Klose was allowed to freely head in a Schweinsteiger free kick as the Portugal defence remained motionless. Portugal fought back a goal with Nuno Gomes on the 41st min.
The second half resumed with a massive blunder from Ricardo. From another Schweinsteiger free kick, the defence was nowhere as expected & Ricardo was caught in no-man's land as he tried to make a jump for the cross. Unfortunately, he was beaten to the ball by Michael Ballack, who headed in the empty net. Portugal were losing 3-1. & they managed to pull one back on the 87th min with , but it was a little too late - there would be no last-minute equaliser. Germany was qualified.

 

Match 2 - Croatia vs Turkey

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What a match! Although, throughout the whole 90 mins, both teams got numerous opportunities to score, they failed to do so. & finally on the last minute of extra-time, 119th min, Turkey goalkeeper Rustu made a dash for the ball, but the Croatia player managed to avoid him & deliver the cross in the six yard box, with Rustu scrambling back to the posts. Alas, the cross was met by Ivan Klasnic who headed in the golden goal, sending the stadium into ecstasy. Croatia's efforts have finally paid off & surely there would be no turning back now - they were already in the semi-final.
But as they say, a match is never over until the referee blows his whistle. & 30s later, as the whole crowd were whistling for the end of the match... Rustu desperately kicked the ball into Croatia's penalty box, where it was caught by Semih Senturk, who did a quick turnaround & fired the ball straight in the corner of the goalposts. Completely unbelievable. Turkey have managed to equalise in the last seconds of extra-time!
The match was to be decided by a penalty shoot-out. The Croatia players never recovered from that shock goal & missed 3 of their penalties. Turkey didn't fail & thus they won 3-1.

 

Match 3 - Netherlands vs Russia

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Everyone was expecting Russia to receive a thrashing from ultra-attacking Holland. But Gus Hiddink had other plans... The master tactician managed to stiffle Holland's freestyle play by gaining the upper hand in the middle & blocking Holland's passes. & forcing Holland to defend though the tireless Andrei Arshavin. It was only an in-form Van Der Sar that prevented Russia from scoring.
However, in the 2nd half, with an inspirational play from Arshavin, Holland were struck dumb by a goal from Pavluchenko! Holland fought back & finally on the 86th min Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored the equaliser for Holland, giving them hope of a "Turkish" comeback. But instead of tiring themselves out, the Russian team attacked with more vigour & in what seemed to be an impossible position, Arshavin managed to cross the ball right into the net & Torbinsky had just to nudge the ball in. Russia were leading 2-1!!!
& 4 mins later, the same Arshavin drove the ball in between the legs of Van Der Sar to give Russia a well deserved win & becoming the tournament's revelation - Euro 2008's best player!
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovitch has already made it his priority to bring 27-year-old Andrei Arshavin to Stanford Bridge.

 

Match 4 - Spain vs Italy

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What was supposed to be an explosive match turned out to be a dull 0-0 draw, to be decided on penalties. Both teams had few chances throughout the normal time & it was up to the goalkeepers to prove themselves. Spain captain Iker Casillas saved 2 penalties & Cesc Fabregas scored the winner to send Spain into the semis. & Spain's 4-2 win against Italy was a first after 88 years.

 

Semifinals
Germany vs Turkey
Russia vs Spain
(live MBC 3 – 22h 45)
Well, no one could have predicted such a scenario. Except of Spain, all teams who were unbeaten, all teams who rested their players are out. Germany have regained their playing skills & have a more realist attitude. Turkey have had an incredible chance, but will they stage another comeback against Germany with only 14 fit players? Russia are a reborned team with playmaker Andrei Arshavin, but Spain have already beaten them 4-1. Will Russia be able to beat the only unbeaten team? Are we going to witness history being made? Turkey vs Russia, anyone? ;)

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Jun 19, 2008

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The group matches are over... now only 8 teams remain out of 16. Only One will rule them all & win the Euro...

Group A

Turkey

Dramatic finish to an extraordinary match between Czech Republic & Turkey. The Czech seem to have already qualified with a 2-0 lead, but they couldn't have imagined what would happen next. Lax defending & a massive blunder from Petr Cech allowed Turkey to make a sensational comeback by scoring 3 goals in 12 mins. Turkey have thus beaten the Czechs on the post, gaining their qualification for the quarter-finals.
In the other game, a team B Portugal failed to score during the numerous opportunities they created & they were beaten 2-0 by hosts Switzerland, who end their tournament on a victory.

Group B

Germany

Croatia rotated their squad, but they still managed to beat a strong Polish side, thus making them Euro 08's hot outsider team.
Germany struggled to overcome the tournament's weakest team, Austria, but captain Michael Ballack led the way by scoring the only goal on a powerful free-kick.

Group C

Pirlo

France are out!!! World Cup finalists France leave the tournament without a single victory! After the humiliating defeat against Holland, France were beaten 2-0 by a vastly superior Italian side. The truth was that luck wasn't on the French side. They lost playmaker Franck Ribéry, just 9 mins into the game, who was crippled by a hamstring injury. He was replaced by Samir Nasri, who was himself taken off 15 mins later as Eric Abidal was sent off for a tackle on Luca Toni in the penalty box. Being the last defender & because the foul came from behind, the red card was inevitable. Pirlo coolly scored the spot kick & 10-man France were being led 0-1. In a controversial decision, Raymond Domenech sent in central defender Boumsong in place of midfielder Nasri, leaving France devoid of a playmaker... Unfortunately, France couldn't do much, except sustain the multiple assaults of the Italians. In the 2nd half, De Rossi's free-kick was deflected by the unlucky Thierry Henry, wrongfooting Coupet & allowing Italy to confirm its superiority. Only the most diehard of fans could believe in a comeback.. The tournament was already over for France!
Romania could have killed the previous game, if they had showed more enthusiasm towards securing the 2nd place. Instead of attacking a reshuffled Holland team, they preferred to wait & were thus beaten 2-0 by strikes from Huntelaar & Van Persie.

Group D

Russia

In this group, Russia humiliated Sweden 2-0 with an excellent display of attacking football from its young side. & it's the first time in history that Russia have gone in the quarter-final stage of a competition.
Spain, after their extravagant debut match, had to wait for the 88th minute to score the 2-1 winner over Greece. Greece, for their part, are the first defending champion to go home without a single point.

Portugal vs Germany
Croatia vs Turkey
Netherlands vs Russia
Spain vs Italy

The first & the last match is no doubt the most entertaining, but there can be only one master of the Ring winner.
I still believe that my 2 most favourite teams will meet in the final: Portugal vs Netherlands!

P.s. The first quarter-final has just started as I'm posting this...

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11 million downloads!!!
Firefox 3 is available for download since Tue 17 June at around 5:00pm GMT (9:00pm Mauritius & 9:00am US) & the world has witnessed a new Guiness World Record being made: the most number of downloads in a day – 8.3 million! Download Day was supposed to be on Tue 17 June but it was mostly on Wed 18 June.


3M+ people had already pledged to download it! & (only) around 400 Mauritians as well... But on Download Day the number of downloads has literally exploded: 11M (& still counting)
& 1351 Mauritians have downloaded it! (yay!)
You can check the Mozilla counter here & the record count on SpreadFirefox.com
Average was 5500 downloads/min! But it had peaked at 12,000/min! xD


Well, it turned out more people have downloaded it than even Mozilla had expected! They had put the bar at 5M. The Mozilla servers were constantly overloaded. You couldn't load the site, but the download mirrors were working. Mozilla had obviously made no provision for so many people to connect at the same time. Hence the start time of the world record was pushed back by a few hours to 11.16am/pm.


It's only around midday yesterday (i.e. midnight in the US) that I could finally access the new Firefox site (great site btw) & I made my download count towards the record. :P
Actually I had already downloaded Firefox 3 when it was being uploaded on the Mozilla servers, a few hours before the flood gates were open... ;)

If you haven't already downloaded Firefox 3, download it now!
Here are the direct links:
Windows XP & Vista
Linux
OS X
The setup file is 7.15MB, so dial-up users can't have any complaints...


& here's my download certificate. Go & get yours here!

So what's new in Firefox 3?
There has been loads of improvements built into Firefox 3, but chiefly it has better memory management, less CPU usage & it's faster (in loading pages & starting up).
You can check the whole list of improvements on Wiki, but I'll concentrate on the best features.

The Location Bar

Dubbed the AwesomeBar, the location bar is just... awesome! It's an instant search bar than scans through your bookmarks & history to find the webpage you need. But instead of focusing just on the url, the AwesomeBar looks also for the title of the page, using multiple keywords. & it analyses your recent searches & clicks to present your most accessed content first. & of course, Firefox 3's extensive use of favicons makes it easier to find what you are looking for.

Library

Firefox 3 features a revamped history/bookmarks manager that is stored as a database, which means faster access & search. Firefox has introduced bookmark tagging & smart folders so that you can easily organise your favourites.

Password Manager

Firefox 3 no longer pop-ups a Remember Password dialog box. Instead it's just a pop-up bar that doesn't intrude you anymore while you are logging in. This prevents you to save the wrong password, coz it stays there after you have logged in. ;)

Different Themes for Xp, Vista, OS X & Linux

Yes, Firefox is a chameleon. Changes its skin according to the OS you are using.
Unfortunately, each installation has its own theme & you can't handpick which theme you want. :(
But until the skinners decide to make an installable Strata/Tango/Firelight theme, here's a simple solution. Check down below... More info about the themes here.

New Download Manager

The default download manager has had a change of look with a pause button & a redownload feature.

No need to monitor your downloads anymore - a download notification appears on the status bar.

Better CSS Support & Faster Javascript

Firefox's new Gecko engine loads javascript faster & scores a decent 71/100 on the Acid3 Test. I haven't seen a major difference in the page rendering either. Yes, Safari is the fastest browser, loads pages & javascript fastest & passes the Acid3 Test 100/100 with the latest nightly builds of Webkit (Eddy has posted about how to install the nightly build). But Firefox 3 isn't far behind...

Acid3 Test Results:
Safari (with latest Webkit): 100/100
Opera 9.5: 83/100
Firefox 3: 71/100
Firefox 2: 51/100
Opera 9.27: 46/100
Internet Explorer 7: 12/100 (LOL!)

Sunspider Benchmark Results:
Safari (with latest Webkit): 5127.6ms
Firefox 3 Final: 5671.8ms
Firefox 3 RC1: 5944.2ms
Firefox 3 RC2: 6102.4ms
Opera 9.5: 8776.8ms
Opera 9.27: 29434.0ms
Firefox 2: 54267.8ms
Internet Explorer 7: 127445.8ms (∞)

Btw Opera 9.5 has been released this week, & it features loads of improvements. I'll be posting about that soon. ;)
You might want to check Lifehacker’s Web Browser Speed Testing.

Conclusion
Firefox 3 is a major improvement over Firefox 2, with a revamped UI, better memory management, faster page loading & some ground-breaking features. Yet, Safari is still the fastest & Opera 9.5 has much more features... But why Firefox is the world's best browser comes down to one thing: Add-ons!

So once again, let me remind you not to forget to download to Firefox 3: firefox.com/download
Or get it with Google Toolbar.

Tips & tricks with Firefox 3

- Using Strata/Firelight/Tango OS theme
- Go to the installation folder of Firefox, usually C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox & open the Chrome folder.
- In the Chrome folder, there's a file named "class.jar" This is the theme skin archive of Firefox 3. Make a backup of it (i.e. copy it elsewhere)
- & replace the class.jar with the following class.jar
- XP Strata theme
- Aero Strata theme
- Mac OS X Firelight theme
- Linux Tango theme
You'll need to rename the above to class.jar
& when you start Firefox 3, you'll get the modified theme.
Note: The XP & Aero theme works perfectly on Windows. But the OS X theme & linux theme have some bugs. The drop-down menus are totally transparent & since the linux theme uses default Linux icons, the icons are not available. Anyone proficient with CSS should be able to tweak out the transparent background problem & make a custom icon set for the Linux theme.

Update:
No need to play with jars, just download these themes!
- XP Strata Theme
- Vista Strata Aero Theme & another one.
- Mac OS X Theme & the Proto theme.
But since the theme is still experimental, you have to log in…
- Username: bugged@dueprocess.neomailbox.com
- Password: bugmenot

- Firefox Explorer?
Try this: “file:///c:/”

- Robots Easter Egg

Type "about:robots" in the location bar & you'll get the above Easter Egg. & if you click on the Try Again dialog box, it'll disappear.

- about:config

The advanced configuration settings ask you to swear that you are up to no good. LOL

- Ctrl+Select
You can now select multiple lines of text just like in Word!

- APNG
Firefox 3 supports animated png!! Click here to watch the spinning Firefox logo. APNG only works on Firefox 3 & Opera 9.5. To create APNGs you need this Firefox 3 add-on. More about APNG here.

- Firefox Personas

Firefox personas is a skin add-on that allows you to change Firefox's header & footer appearance instantly. Download the add-on here & then update it to be able to use a custom background! Check this guide on how to make backgrounds.

P.S. Firefox 3.1 will be released soon, with a new Ctrl+Tab visual tab switcher. More info here.
Btw Firefox 4 will be released late 2009 & will feature the new Mozilla 2 platform. xD

More Reviews:
Field Guide to Firefox 3
Firefox 3 – What’s New, What’s Hot and What’s Not
Mozilla Links - Firefox 3 Review
Lifehacker - Top 10 Firefox 3 Features
Lifehacker - Power Users Guide to Firefox 3
Firefox Features
Firefox Tips
GeekScribes - Firefox 3 Final Review

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Jun 15, 2008

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The second round of matches has had as many twists as any blockbuster film!

Group A

Portugal

Lead by an in-form Ronaldo, Portugal have overcome the Czech hurdle with 3-1 win. Cristiano Ronaldo contributed directly to the 1st & 3rd goals with decisive passes & scored the 2nd goal. Switzerland, on the other hand, were kicked out of their own competition by Turkey. Time now for Portugal to finish off the hosts tonight & then get ready to watch a dramatic match between Czech Republic & Turkey. Both have the same goal difference & a draw match will send them directly to a penalty shootout (hope it happens).

Group B

Red_Card

Shock defeat for Germany as they are beaten 2-1 by a vastly superior Croatia team. In one of the rare matches I've been able to watch on the MBC, Croatia clearly outplayed Germany & the goal margin would have been much greater if it weren't for Jens Lehmann. Germany fought back with Podolsky but Croatia held on, with Schweinsteiger's frustration earning him a late red card.

In the other match, Austria got a dramatic equalizes against Poland with an injury-time penalty to ensure that they at least earn a point in their Euro campaign.

Group C

Holland

France suffer biggest ever defeat in Euro history as they were humiliated 4-1 by a brilliant Netherlands side. Unlike with the match with Romania, France played better but they lacked the final touch to make the goals or when they did, they met Van Der Sar in front of them. & no comments about the Tournament's super-favourites - just outstanding... Their 2nd goal was the perfect example of what you can call a blitzkrieg counterattack. The 3rd goal was made from an impossible angle by Arjen Robben. & the final goal was a long-range stunner from Scheijder.

Italy will need to thank their goalkeeper for a late-match penalty save that prevented them from being kicked out of the Euro by a strong Romania team. With another draw, Romania has the chance to qualify even if defeated by Netherlands, in case of a draw between France & Italy. As for the two Blues, whoever wins will have to rely on a Romania defeat for qualification.

Group D

David_Villa

With a last-minute goal from David Villa, Spain have qualified for the quarter-finals against a strong Sweden side that looked settled for a draw. Both teams played well, but with their main attacker Zlatan Ibrahimovic out, the Swedes were lacklustre in the 2nd half. & as any great finisher David Villa came to the rescue with a clinical finish, making him Euro top scorer with 4 goals.

Reigning Euro Champions Greece are out of the competition with a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Russia.

 

So far in the competition, only 4 teams have managed to qualify for the quarter-finals with two wins in two matches: favourites Portugal, Holland & Spain & outsider Croatia. We are now poised for a thrilling end to the group phase & then the explosive quarter-finals with a certain Portugal vs Germany... ;)

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Jun 14, 2008


Top Gear Series 11 is coming to your homes in UK on the 22nd of June & for the rest of us, the next day (for the rip)! Check out the trailers!

Top Gear Series 11 Trailers – Classic Top Gear with the biscuit battle!





Top Gear Sunday 22 June
8:00pm - 9:00pm
BBC2

The very latest Top Gear news and views from the usual team. Jeremy, Richard and James apply their minds to the question of what the British police should drive. At the moment Bobbies are forced to drive around in diesel hatchbacks, gingerly shuffling the steering wheel and letting criminals get away rather than risk scuffing their wheel trims. So, armed with no more than 1000 pounds each, the Top Gear boys set out to buy a bargain priced police cruiser that can take part in a dramatic chase without fear of costing the tax payer a packet if it gets broken. Meanwhile, James introduces a new member of the Top Gear team and steps aside so they can immediately make their mark on the show with a remarkable feat of daring. And as if that wasn't enough, Jeremy tears up the Top Gear track in the new Ferrari 430 Scuderia, the car that aims to put some passion back into the Italian supercar maker's increasingly nerdy and computerised stable. Plus, there's a break from the norm as the Reasonably Priced Car welcomes a pair of stars in the contrasting shapes of the Friday Night Project's Alan Carr and Justin Lee Collins. All this, and some sound advice about how to deal with rising petrol prices. Top Gear is longer, stronger, faster, better and probably a bit more on fire than ever before.


Ok, let’s get on with the nasty spoilers

The Top Gear Alfa Romeo Challenge…
Find event pics here & here & here & here!


Andy Wilman reports about the new series in Alfas, the Germans and 186mph & the forthcoming foreign editions.

Top Gear Magazine’s Preview of Series 11 – (WARNING!!! LOADS OF SPOILERS!)







[Source - More Top Gear photos here!!]

Countdown to Top Gear Series 11...

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Jun 12, 2008


Yay! Remember, I did inform you about it! So here it is...
Update 19.12.2008: iPhone 3G at last in Mauritius - & it sucks!


iPhone 3G will be available on the 11th July in the above 22 countries.


& "coming soon" in the above countries, bringing it to a total of 70 countries...


Including Mauritius. :D


Here's the Mauritius page on the Apple iPhone site. Contains a standard description of iPhone 3G features.


& a link to Orange.mu! No surprise, iPhone 3G will be an Orange exclusivity in Mauritius, hence network-locked to Orange. I don't know how exactly Orange will market it, but just be cautious of any unlimited phone plans. Locked price should be affordable, but will it be available unlocked? Best choice would be to buy it subsidised (abroad?) & then jailbreak/unlock it without subscribing to the network. :)


The most blogged about, most hyped & the most expected product was unveiled this Monday (11pm in Mauritius/11am in the US) by his Steveness. LOL


As expected, the iPhone, in its 2nd iteration, has its fair share of oomph & huhs... But it still managed to live up to its expectations.

The Specs:
Dimensions
- Height: 115.5 mm
- Width: 62.1 mm
- Depth: 12.3 mm
- Weight: 133 grams

Cellular and wireless
- UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
- GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
- Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
- Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
- Assisted GPS

Display
- 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
- 480-by-320-pixel resolution at 163 ppi
- Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Camera
- 2.0 megapixels Camera located on back of iPhone.
- Photo geotagging
- iPhone and third-party application integration

Sensors
- Accelerometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor

Power
- Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery0
- Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter
- Talk time: Up to 5 hours on 3G/Up to 10 hours on 2G
- Standby time: Up to 300 hours
- Internet use: Up to 5 hours on 3G/Up to 6 hours on Wi-Fi
- Video playback: Up to 7 hours
- Audio playback: Up to 24 hours
Check the Full Specs on Apple


It was high time the iPhone got a 3G connection & with tri-band UMTS, it's a truly worldwide phone. & if you want a faster connection, Apple have managed to add on HSPDA - & with the on-board WiFi b/g chip, that should be more than enough to keep you online 24/24.


Apple says that its Safari browser is faster than the N95 on 3G connections. LOL
Both Safari & Nokia Browser use Webkit - there shouldn't be any big difference (unless Apple is using the latest superfast Webkit).


The iPhone 3G has A-GPS (finally!). A much-demanded feature, you can now use it with the built-in Google Maps. Alas for Mauritian users, I doubt they would enjoy the same interactive maps as US users.


The new 3G iPhone has kept the same look, except that it now has a glossy, more curved back - available in white & black for 16GB & only black for 8GB. It's a slight disappointment that Apple couldn't fit in the 32GB of the Touch in the iPhone...


The final version of the iPhone SDK opens up OS X mobile to the thousands of app developers waiting to fill in the lack of features. Except that Apple is still keeping a tight leash on what's being installed (& cashing on it) via its App Store. But no worry, there'll always be a parallel universe of hacked & open-source apps ready to enrich your iPhone experience!



Quite a lot of apps were demonstrated - including games making use of the iPhone's 3D capabilities & accelerometer.


Medical apps (huh?)




Ebay, Typepad & some other tidy apps...


With the 8GB model at $199 (Rs 5600) & the 16GB model at $299 (Rs 8400), the subsidised prices are highly affordable - but beware of the network plans! Apple are selling the iPhone at minimum profits, but they expect to cash on lucrative network deals & the App Store. iPhones can only be purchased if activated in-store in the US & UK. No hint of how it'll be sold internationally.


There are a few glitches as well. There's no front camera for video-conferencing & the back camera is still 2MP. No video recording either. No support for MMS has been mentioned. No built-in IM messenger as well. Where's the copy-paste feature? Battery is still not removable but battery life is still decent.




But the biggest disappointment is Apple's decision not to allow background processes & hence multi-tasking. Steve Jobs demonstrated how awful (but incredibly powerful) Windows Mobile's Task Manager is & how Apple has invented a new way of receiving IM messages. Unfortunately, Apple Push Notification is quite complicated & extremely limited in application. How many app makers will setup an external server to ping your iPhone?
Mac OS X mobile fails terribly as an OS because it lacks multi-tasking. I can use multiple apps & background processes on my 4-year-old S60 7610. Apple should learn something from Nokia...


The .mac Apple scam has been rebranded into Mobile Me - a bundle of online storage, web apps (photos, calendar, etc) & cross-platform syncing suite - all for $99. I wonder how many fanboys will fall for that...


Overall, the iPhone 3G is a great product with standard specs. Although the OS isn't that great, Apple can still improve a lot on it, the iPhone Update via iTunes being highly flexible. Nothing compares to the multi-touch UI...
Well, I pity all iPhone gen-1 early adopters who've paid a very high price for crap hardware - that includes quite a few Mauritians! LOL :D
With a highly competitive subsidised price, iPhone 3G is a smartphone i'd gladly recommend to everyone. The really innovative UI makes up for everything else.

So where's Nokia?
Rest-assured, the World Number 1 handset maker isn't sleeping. As a proof here are spyshots of the N79, N85 & the Tube (5800 XpressMedia).


The N79 is radical departure from Nokia's new Nseries design. Looks more like the successor of the N82.





The N85 seems like a non-DVB-H version of the N96. Notice the dual LED flashes & the protected camera lens instead of the stand.


The Tube (5800 XpressMedia) looks like almost every other touchscreen device... including one that has been mentioned in this post… ;)

PS. The Orange network was lately being upgraded - that's why many users couldn't make calls, send msgs & check their account at different times of the day. & why is it being upgraded? As you've already guessed, Orange is readying its 3G network for the iPhone! But will they launch Hsdpa, like Emtel? We'll know it very soon... :)

Photo Credits Engadget & Apple.
Btw there’s a new Apple iPhone Software Gallery
- http://www.apple.com/iphone/gallery/software/

Battle of the ultimates: iPhone 3G v/s Nokia N95 8GB!!!

Microsoft Surface on N95 - Here you are!

Avinash has also blogged about the iPhone - iPhone 3G will be available in Mauritius.
L'express article: L’entrée officielle de l’iPhone sur le marché local pour bientôt

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