The First Google Chrome Logo

The New Google Chrome Logo

So what do you think of the New Logo? Personally I like and don’t like it. However I do feel it is more “logo like” now.

18/09/2010 to 24/09/2010

Hello and welcome to another edition of Tech Bite! We have decided to move the weekly day for the Tech Bite from Fridays to Saturdays as tech news is usually much quieter at weekends and this way you get a full weeks news rather than leaving Friday until the week after!

This Week on Tech Bite:  Napster arrives on iOS, Google Voice and Ringtone creators get App Store Approval, BT offering free fibre upgrade, Seagate releases first 1.5TB 2.5″ portable Hard Drive, editable Google Docs coming to iPad, PS3 gets 3D, Cloud Bite has the MW2 Sniper Mouse unboxing and much more all on Tech Bite this week!

Apple Allows More Apps!

This may come as a bit of a shock to some but Apple has recently loosened it’s strict App Store rules and has now allowed Apps using Google Voice and Ringtone Creators to enter the App Store. The previously banned apps can now be downloaded via the App Store onto supported devices. Apple may have decided to back down on some of it’s rules due to anti-trust investigations which have apparently now been dropped due to the recent changes to the rules.

Also Apple recently removed the ringtone creator feature from it’s latest edition of iTunes (who used it anyway, paying extra for creating a ringtone from a song you already owned,) and now users can create ringtones for just the cost of the app. Ringtone Designer as seen on the left is a great phone!

You can get the App from iTunes it costs just 59p and there is a free version which allows you to create 2 20 second ringtones. You can upgrade to create an unlimited number of ringtones!

BT Offering Free Fibre Upgrade

BT is trying to hold on to it’s customers, and get new ones by offering them a free upgrade to fibre which will give users 40MB Broadband which is a huge leap for anyone currently on the upto 20MB speed. There are multiple packages including 2 with up to 40GB a month usage, which really could be seen as pretty poor considering your on such a fast connection. There are unlimited packages (subject to fair usage policy i.e. 100GB atow) but these are subject to 18 month contract at £27.99 a month.

Napster now on iOS

Napster has gone on a huge journey so far. From been the number 1 illegal file sharing platform to fully licensed music store and now available on iOS. Paying a monthly fee will give you access to a library of 10 million songs.

GoFlex Portable Hard Drive

Worlds first 1.5TB Portable Hard Drive

Seagate have announced the worlds first 1.5TB Portable (2.5″) Hard Drive. The drive features USB 2.0 with the ability to upgrade to USB 3, FireWire 800 or eSATA. You can also get the drive in 320GB, 500GB, 750GB, 1TB and 1.5TB and Red, Black or Silver. Working with both Windows and Mac the drive features Automatic backups with its built in software. Overall it seems a pretty powerful drive!

Google Docs on their way to the iPad!

Google has confirmed “Editable” Google Docs are on their way to the iPad in the next few weeks. For anyone with an iPad who uses Google’s Doc Platform will probably be really happy to hear this news! So with Apple’s Office Suite, iWork, Google Docs, and other Office Suits it’s only Microsoft who are failing to provide Office on the iPad. Why? It’s Microsoft?

PS3 Owners Get 3D

Last week PS3 owners would of noticed a update available or those on Plus would of probably had it installed automatically! Well the latest updated added the ability to playback “Blu-ray 3D Disks”. You need to have a 3D TV though to take advantage of this, along with a a 3D compatible Blu-ray player and then a 3D film. Are you using this feature? Are you going to? Or are you like us and not really bothered?

Unboxing Of MadCatz Sniper Mouse!

Last week Cloud Bite released it’s latest video, the unboxing of the MadCatz MW2 Sniper Mouse! You can check out the article here with the unboxing video, cool eh?

SackBoy!

Little Big Planet Gets Delayed

PS3 gamers will have to brace themselves for this one, Little Big Planet 2 has been delayed until 18th January 2011. Media Molecule, creators of the smash hit have expressed their disappointment.

“…we’ve taken the hard decision to delay the worldwide release of LittleBigPlanet 2, originally slated for later this year to January 2011″

They didn’t provide many details, but it seems the game isn’t quite ready for gamers and the team “couldn’t let you all get together until we knew we were giving you the best experience imaginable”

HP Slate Video Shows All

A HP Slate has either been leaked or really well faked as it appears to feature in a video by YouTuber x313xkillax he gives an overview of the slate which seems ok but a little sluggish especially when scrolling in Internet Explorer you can check out the video here.

So that’s it, what a week your round up is complete!

4/09/2010 to 10/09/2010

A new feature for Cloud Bite is the Weekly Tech Bite. The idea of the “Tech Bite” is to round up the previous week of Tech News in small Bites to give you the interesting news in small bites so you can keep updated with the Tech World! Now there is a lot of news that can happen within a week so the news bites here scratches the surface of news thrown at us. However we will always select news on the following grounds. Firstly if the News relates to Cloud Bite articles it will be featured. If it relates to possible future articles it will be featured and finally if the news is seen as a major event, announcement or discovery it will be featured. If we miss something you think should be added put it in the comments and we will add it!

So here are your Cloud Bite’s of the week…

Windows Phone 7 – A Revolution is coming!

On the 6th of September Microsoft released a ad that claimed the Revolution is coming.

We are hoping this is somewhat true. Hopefully Microsoft will give Apple and Android some competition as we all know competition drives companies forward to do better. Lately though there has been suggestions there is no Copy and Paste features in the Windows Phone 7,  which if true, is surely a major fail on WP 7 behalf especially when Apple was so heavily critiqued for lacking this feature?

Apple Master Designers? Maybe. Master Photoshopers? No.

On the 6th September Apple it was spotted that Apple had made several blunders in regards to their New iPod Touch Photos.  Some clearly showed iPhone features on the iPod Touch Screens.

Photos were quickly captured by Engadget before Apple had chance to remove them.

PS3 3.42 Stops Hack

Sony Released a update for the PS3 (version 3.4.2) on the 7th September which patched the exploit used to hack the device. The update is mandatory for PS3 owners if you wish to continue to use PSN or the PS Store. The Update is likely to prevent any one from “Jailbreaking” their PS3 to run “Homebrew” Applications.

Internet Explorer 9 gets a ACID3 Rating of 95/100

It looks like Microsoft are finally getting IE to use web standards. Even though IE7 should of sorted this as webdesigners continue to have problems with websites for those viewing in Internet Explorer, it seems Microsoft have made an effort to conform to standards. 95/100 is still a fail but is a huge leap forward from the reported 20/100 that IE 8 Scored. ACID 3 is a test any user can run in their browser that tests if a browser can perform web standards tests correctly. Chrome and Safari already score 100/100 Firefox 3.6 however fails at 94/100 so is IE now a better browser than Firefox? Intenet Explorer 9 is still only in Platform Preview and will be released for a Public Beta on 15th of September!

iPhone 4.1 is Live

Anyone wishing to “FaceTime” with a iPod touch device from their iPhone will need to use iPhone 4.1. Along with this Apple introduces “Games Centre” a hub where users can matchmake and share achievements. The update will cause any jailbroken phone to loose it’s jailbreak however the Dev team are hard at work and within days found a exploit to jailbreak the device, which should be released soon!

Google Instant Search

Google has been hard at work again and has now released instant search. How it works is every letter you enter into the search box Google immediately starts searching! It is pretty cool and must be hammering the Google servers. Watch the video below to find out more!

Apple Un-restrict Developers

Only a few months ago Apple changed it’s guidelines to prevent 3rd Party tools creating Apps for the iPhone. For those with Macs who were happy to use the iPhone SDK that was no problem. However for those who didn’t have Macs or didn’t wish to use Apple’s tools it was annoying that they changed their terms. Well it seems that Apple have gone back on what they said and now opened up again. So off you go, get developing!

Round Up Complete

So that is the Weekly round up of news. Don’t worry if anything major happens we won’t wait until next week to tell you! Be sure to follow the Editor on Twitter @MarksBlog or @CloudBite for the latest updates!

Check out the YouTube Video below to see exactly how it works…

This is another great little tool for a bit of fun on the web be sure to check it out!

Weather Maps, Moto X Mayhem, Google Mobile, Globall and Awesome Facts…

Weather Maps – (Requires Data Connection)

It’s that time again for another week of Top 5 Apps! The Weather Maps App is great if your living in the UK. Just like the weather on TV the App shows the full map of the UK and shows radar information including rain, cloud, snow. It shows sun too not that we get much of it in the UK The App even shows temperatures and wind information exactly like the forecast you see on the BBC weather website and News.

The App shows you radar information for the next 5 days. Overall this is a great app to see what is going on over the whole of the UK all on one screen. Also the data seems much more precise than the information given on the standard Weather App.

Moto X Mayhem App

Moto X Mayhem is a great game that takes full advantage of the accelerometer. The idea is to get to the end of the course without crashing the motorbike. You touch the right side of the screen for Throttle (gas) and the left to brake. But you need to tilt the iPhone in the direction you want the rider to lean. Going up a hill while leaning back will cause you to fall off or leaning forwards while going down hill will cause the rider to go right over the handle bars! There’s several courses and for 59p its another great coffee break game!

Google Mobile App – (Requires Data Connection)

This next App I have has been out for a while but it’s really useful. Google is taking over the world and it has it’s sights set on Apples iPhone with the latest Google Voice app being banned from the App Store we are lucky this hasn’t! The best part of this app is the search, click a button speak into the microphone for example, “Apple iPhone 3GS” and the Google App will instantly search for these terms and list you the results all within seconds if not milliseconds. If only Apple had integrated this into Safari! The app also links you straight to GMail, calendar, docs, tasks, reader etc so all your Google related apps can be found within one place.

GloBall App – (Requires Data Connection and GPS for Advanced Features)

GloBall is another game which can get very addictive, so be careful! The idea is to tilt the phone to roll the ball and break blocks! Sounds rather simple! However there are enemies who want to eat you up so you need to either avoid them or get a power up in order to squish them! Whats great about this game too is there’s a lite version available. As you know I’m all for apps with lite versions as it allows you to try the game and see if its for you or not! If you like it though definitely upgrade to full for the 59p as you get more levels to play. Another great feature is you can submit your high score to the world and even your location so you can see whether you dominate in your city, country and then the world! Download the lite version and see what you think!

Awesome Facts Apps

My Final App of this Week is a bit a fun. If you want to broaden your mind, and learn some interesting facts then this is the app for you. Interesting, amusing and some odd facts like, ” “Seven Lego sets are sold every second worldwide”, can be found in this app. I will inform you don’t use these “Facts” as 100% true as some may be false, but it’s good to know for a laugh and also many of the facts seem to be based on the US. There are several Awesome Facts on the App Store this is Awesome Facts Free.

So that’s another week of fantastic apps for you to try. If you have any apps you want me to check out Tweet me (@marksblog) , add a comment, e-mail me just get in iTouch! (See what I did there! )

Google Alerts

Google suggests using the system for:

• monitoring a developing news story
• keeping current on a competitor or industry
• getting the latest on a celebrity or event
• keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams

So for example using Google Alerts you could use the search term, Twitter, Select News and you will be updated when Twitter appear in the News. Google Alerts is in BETA, which it will probably be for years to come knowing Google! It’s Definitely worth checking out though!

Google Earth – £0.59

Google Earth – (Requires Data Connection)

It’s the start of another week which means another set of Top 5 Apps! To start this week off, I have selected the Google Earth App. Ok so you are probably thinking well we already have Google Maps with the iPhone so how would Google Earth be any different. Well, it isn’t that much different in all honesty but it does have a couple of nice points. Firstly the Google Earth App allows you to zoom out enough to actually show the Earth which looks sleek. Ok so that wasn’t a great point but i’m saving the best until last… The navigation on the Google Earth Map seems somewhat better than the integrated Google Maps built into the iPhone. You seem to be able to zoom in much quicker and the images render really fast. Also you can spin the earth around with ease. The next positive is the Landscape View. Google Earth lets you use your iPhone in Landscape, something that the Google Maps App is missing. Finally the Google Earth App takes advantage of the Accelerometer and when you tilt the iPhone the map tilts with it which looks really cool! Overall it’s an App you might as well install. If you like looking at Satellite imagery the Google Earth App will be quicker than the Google Maps App too.

Car Mania App

This next app is for gamers who like strategy! Car Mania is another Flight Control, Harbour Master, style game but this time its… Cars! The objective is to guide the cars to the correct buildings without letting them crash! Unlike Flight Control and Harbour Master though you can actually stop the cars by tapping them. But leave them standing still too long and they will get very mad! Also you need to watch out for road works as they pop up now and again and need to be fixed quickly before there is too much congestion. Car Mania is a great little App for a mere 59p you can get some great fun from it and it’s definitely one of those Coffee Break Apps! The Graphics are nothing special but look nice and inviting. There is sadly no Lite version but for 59p you can’t go wrong! Overall I defiantly recommend you add this app to your collection. Any fans of Flight Control and Harbour Master are sure to love this too!

iEmoji App – (Only works iPhone to iPhone)

This next App I have had for a while. Sadly Apple failed to add in emotes for the iPhone (crazy Apple). This App however fixes that, well it does to some extent. iEmoji adds a whole host of emotes that you can send to fellow iPhone Users. Faces, Buildings, Cars, Sports, Plants, Thumbs Up, Clocks, there is lots in the collection. You can send these over SMS or use them in your notes etc. The App unlocks the ability to use them and you use them within your normal Apps by simply clicking the globe icon on the iPhone keyboard. (Full set up instructions come with the App). The only downside though is only other iPhone users can see these if you use them in your SMS, I have a few friends with iPhones so it was ok for me but if you use them when sending to a non iPhone the recipient just sees squares. In order to send non iPhone users emotes just use the standard   : )  : P   as these will be converted on the majority of phones to a emote. Overall it’s an excellent App if you know people with an iPhone as there is lots of emotes otherwise don’t bother!

Flickr Sendr App – (Requires Data Connection)

Next Up is Flickr Sendr. Your out and about, you spot something unbelievable, something you will never get to witness again, something so amazing that your finding it difficult to breathe! What do you do? Get your iPhone out snap away and upload the images to Flickr of course! Flickr is probably has the largest collection in the world of some fantastic and not so fantastic. The iPhone has become the highest used device on Flickr and now there is an easy way to upload you images. Flickr Sendr is a great little App that allows you to choose an existing image or take a new one and with the click on a button upload it directly to your Flickr Account. It does take a few minutes to set up as you need to allow Flickr Sendr to have access to your account via an API key. But once you have done this your ready to go. Take a picture click upload and seconds later it’s on your account. The only problem at the moment and I believe this will be fixed in further updates is that users are reporting landscape images are being cropped and added to Flickr. Not sure why but I’m sure it will be fixed soon.

myConvert App

My Final App of this Week is a useful tool. If you have ever been in a shop as Mum has given you a shopping list… 4 Ounces of flour…. 6 Eggs… We have gone metric for many things now in the UK and have been for some time but there’s bound to be some time you need to actually work out what 4 Ounces is in grams… Well that is what myConvert is for. It Converts everything form Volume to Speed, Temperature, to Weight, Fuel Consumption to Data Download. It can convert anything. You might think, I don’t need this App, but I’m pretty sure one day you will, and that day will probably be the same day you can’t get a connection to the App Store to Download this little gem! Definitely download this, it’s Free! Leave it there on your iPhone / iTouch and one day you will thank me that you did!

So that’s another week of fantastic apps for you to try. If you have any apps you want me to check out Tweet me (@marksblog) , add a comment, e-mail me just get in iTouch! (See what I did there! )

You may have heard of Google Earth, the program developed by Google which allows you to see Satellite images and now Street View images of practically anywhere in the world. The problem with Google Earth is trying to sift through all the dull parts of the world to find the interesting areas. Well there’s a helpful website available that points you in the right direction – ‘Google Sightseeing‘.

Google Sightseeing - Why Bother Seeing The World For Real

Updated daily, Google Sightseeing lists the best sights on Google Earth/Maps, taking you on a tour of the world without leaving your computer. With suggestions from readers of the site, “guides” will take you on a journey of discovery.

I really liked the website when I came across it. With its easy navigation you will be seeing sights you would never of thought existed!  So in your next lunch break head on over to Google Sightseeing and if you come across something which is not listed, submit it to the site. One of my Favorites is Here

Have you come across anything interesting? I’d like to hear from you.