iPhone 3G S: ‘S’ Stands For Speed

The next generation iPhone 3G S was announced last week, and I stopped my whole world just to watch the live coverage of its launch, since I’ve been hearing rumors about it for months. If you’re an in-the-know iPhone enthusiast, you probably preordered it the day of the launch and already have one in your hand. For the more patient, conservative folks, the “old” iPhone 3G will not be discontinued and you can now buy an 8GB version for $99.

The S stands for speed. The new iPhone 3G S is twice as fast as the previous model. “iPhone 3G S is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, and we think people will love the incredible new features including autofocus camera, video recording and the freedom of voice control,” says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of WorldWide Product Marketing.

Other features include a longer battery life, a higher quality three-megapixel autofocus camera, video recording and hands-free voice control. A new VoiceOver feature enables visually impaired users to make calls, read e-mails, browse web pages, play music and run apps.

There’s a new universal Zoom function that magnifies the entire screen, and a white-on-black feature that reverses the colors to provide a higher contrast for folks with low vision. One I can probably use is the Mono Audio, which combines left and right audio channels so that they can be heard in both earbuds for those with hearing loss in one ear. And, last but not least, the phone also includes the new iPhone 3.0 software (as you may remember from my March 25 column).

The iPhone OS 3.0 features more than 100 new functions: Cut, Copy, Paste; MMS; Spotlight Search across your iPhone or within Mail, Contacts, Calendar and iPod (similar to a search in OS X); landscape keyboard, expanded parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store; and the ability to capture and send audio recordings with the new Voice Memo app.

Additionally, if you lose your phone, the Find My iPhone feature works with MobileMe so you can locate your lost iPhone on a map, send a message that will appear on the screen, or play a sound to help you find it (even if it’s set to silent). If you can’t find your iPhone, you can erase all data and content with the Remote Wipe feature - quite handy if you don’t want it falling into the wrong hands.

Pricing for the iPhone 3G S is a little complicated - if you “qualify,” it’s $199 for the 16GB and $299 for the 32GB. I didn’t qualify for the special pricing and most iPhone 3Gs won’t either. I was quoted $399/16GB and $499/32GB for the “early upgrade price.” If you want to buy an iPhone 3G S without an AT&T contract, it will cost $599/16GB or $699/32GB ... ouch! Also note you’ll have to pay an additional $30 per month in data charges, and a little more for text messages, depending on your selection - I pay $5/month for 200 text messages a month.

For those of you who just bought an iPhone 3G within the last 30 days, congratulations, you automatically qualify for a free upgrade to the 3G S. If they’re in-stock, you can find these iPhones your nearest Apple Store (or online at www.apple.com) AT&T Store, Best Buy or Walmart. If you’re still deciding whether or not to buy an iPhone ... remember, it’s all about the apps. There are 50,000-plus to choose from - no other smart phone can beat that!

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Sally’s Spa

Thanks to Russ, one of the most organized people I know, I found a great time management game - Sally’s Spa. When I first saw it I laughed at the complete girliness of it, but it’s actually fairly entertaining.

You’re Sally, and you’re running different spas across the world. You refresh your customers with saunas, manicures, massages, hot stones, and facials in an efficient manner. You’re making sure your customers are happy, and you need to make sure you’re making an adequate amount of money to keep your business growing. Use the money for upgrades to help your spa business expand and grow.

Sally’s Spa is fun for all ages and either gender. Find it at the iTunes App Store for 99 cents (full version) or free for Sally’s Spa Lite (similar to Sally’s Spa, but with slightly fewer features).

Sony Showstoppers at E3 2009

Continuing with Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) thoughts from last week, Sony had a basketful of goodies to share with the world. The main highlights were some PlayStation 3 (PS3) exclusives: God of War III, Unchartered 2 and a new concept called MAG (Massive Action Game). On top of that, a new PSP (PSPgo) was announced.

The most anticipated game at E3 this year was the action-adventure, single-player God of War III. This is the final installment to the hugely popular God of War series, and you again play as Kratos, the angry ex-Spartan warrior seeking his revenge against Zeus and the gods of Mt. Olympus. The graphics are spectacular and the action is nonstop. You can now ride some of the mythological creatures to transport you around, and new weapons such as the Cestus allow Kratos to learn new ruthless techniques. The game’s trademark detailed gore and violence are enhanced on the PS3 - definitely not for the keiki. God of War III comes out in March 2010 (Rating: RP for Rating Pending).

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the fresh single-player, action-adventure shooter follow-up to last year’s hit - Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. You are Nathan Drake, a fortune hunter with a shady reputation and an even shadier past who is lured back into the treacherous world of thieves and mercenary treasure-seekers. The game’s backdrop keeps it varied with locations ranging from lush green swamps to dense urban environments to ice and snow of the Himalayas.

The added unrestricted combat allows you to take an aggressive or stealthy approach to combat with traversal gunplay, free-climbing mechanics and variety of enemy types with advanced AI routines. The launch date is slated for late this year (Rating: RP).

MAG is a first-person shooter game that is played exclusively online, and the next evolution in gaming. It lets you experience battles with up to 256 real people across a global battlefield. MAG is able to manage a large amount of players by breaking them into squads of eight. You climb your way up the chain of command to take control of your eight-person squad, then 32-person platoon and ultimately your 128-person army.

The game takes place in a dark future 2025 where food shortages spark riots, currencies plummet, fuel reserves are dwindling and oil-producing nations ration what remains. A MAG beta is available to download, but the official release will be late this year (Rating: RP).

Last but not least, the PSPgo is for those who prefer to not carry around the typical PSP disc-based content. The PSPgo replaced the UMD drive with 16GB of flash memory to download and store a variety of digital entertainment content using the PlayStation Store. It’s a flip-style system that will come in white or black, and features Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and a smaller lightweight design that will fit into your purse or pocket. The regular PSP will continue to be sold alongside the PSPgo, which will retail for $249 starting Nov. 1.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: KHON2 Mobile Local News
Last month KHON became the first Hawaii TV station to release an app for local news. This app takes a combination of KHON’s newscast and website and rolls it into your iPhone/iPod touch. Designed and developed in partnership with DoApp, KHON 2 Mobile Local News makes it easy and convenient to click and scroll through local news and weather. In addition, you can catch national and international news, sports scores, entertainment news and weird news. Click the “Share” button within a story and you can easily share your story via e-mail, text, Twitter or Facebook.

Find the KHON app for free at the iTunes App Store.

Mr. Click Chick Covers E3 2009

I was not able to attend this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2009, so I sent the husband, “Mr. Click Chick,” to be my eyes and ears there.

According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), more than 200 video-game publishers and developers exhibited at this year’s E3. It was well worth the quick hop across the pond to Los Angeles to see all the latest video games that will hit the market soon.

My lucky husband was able to attend Microsoft’s star-studded press conference. Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney were there to promote The Beatles: Rock Band. Tony Hawk was there to show off his new game Tony Hawk Ride (it comes with a cool skateboard controller, too). Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear Solid’s creator, introduced his latest Metal Gear Solid: Lightning Bolt Action, exclusive for the Xbox 360.


Last but not least, Steven Spielberg was there to talk about Project Natal, a revolutionary new way to interact with video games with no controller. “The next step in interactive entertainment is to make the controller disappear,” said Spielberg, visionary director and producer. “With Project Natal, we’ll see games that bring everyone together through technology that actually recognizes us.”

Stay tuned for more on E3 ... As I write this, the show is still going on.

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Hulu Desktop Unveiled
A couple of weeks ago Hulu finally revealed what its Hulu Labs project was all about. This latest development, called Hulu Desktop, adds more color to Hulu’s already popular TV show and movie-streaming site. It’s a “lean-back” viewing experience on your computer that unleashes Hulu’s Flash video capability from your browser and brings it to an application you can install directly on your computer (Windows or Mac). Even better, you can control it with your computer’s remote.

Unveiled shortly after I returned from a couple of months of traveling, Hulu Desktop was absolutely perfect to catch up on all the TV shows I missed while gone. It’s a simple Flash application, seamless, fast and easy to navigate - everything I would expect from Hulu. I enjoy the fact that no browser is needed and I can just sit back and control the interface with my Apple Remote, similar to watching TV. Additionally, you’ll still see commercials, but they’re very minimal compared to actually watching TV.

There are various ways you can find content: regular search (by typing in the show or movie you want), alphabetically, network or studio, Hulu channel or by most popular. I find it easiest to search alphabetically since I know exactly what shows I’m looking for.

Although you don’t need a Hulu account to use it, you do require one if you want to personalize your Hulu Desktop. This includes your queue, subscriptions, viewing history, video playback quality and closed-captioning settings. Download Hulu Desktop for free at www.hulu.com/labs/hulu-desktop.

Portable Wi-Fi With MiFi 2200

If you need to stay connected, as I do, having access to an Internet connection is a No. 1 priority. You can probably find a hotspot in your hotel, the nearest coffee shop or at the airport, but isn’t it more convenient if you can just carry a hotspot with you? The MiFi 2200, just released by Sprint and Verizon Wireless, offers you the ability to carry a hotspot in your purse or pocket.

The two MiFi 2200s are almost identical, but Verizon’s is black and Sprint’s is silver. You might be wondering what makes this so special in comparison to a USB data card or a builtin laptop modem. The most significant difference is that MiFi can be shared with up to five devices simultaneously (including computers and Wi-Fi-enabled toys, i.e. an iPhone or your portable game machine). Having that USB device tethered to your computer (as I’ve been using before this) can sometimes be a pain, especially since you don’t want it to snag on anything as you move around.


“You can hold the MiFi 2200 in the palm of your hand, slip it in your pocket, even place it on a beach towel if you’re lying under the sun, and wireless-ly connect your laptop, MP3 player and gaming device to the Internet all at once,” says Steve Elfman, Sprint president of network, wholesale and product. “Now customers will be able to use one mobile broadband device - the MiFi 2200 - to connect multiple personal devices or multiple users. If I have a Wi-Fi-enabled device, I don’t need to find a Wi-Fi hotspot. The MiFi 2200 creates one for me.”

The MiFi is tiny enough to hide in a shirt pocket, measuring in at 3.5-by-2.3-by-0.4 inches and weighing only 2.05 ounces. Both companies say that, on a single charge, the battery will last about four hours when it’s actively in-use and 40 hours when it’s on standby. But depending on how many devices you have connected to it, your battery probably won’t last you the entire four hours. The good news is that you can use it while it’s charging, too. A complete charge takes about two-and-a-half hours. Other features MiFi offers are advanced security through WPA2-PSK, WEP and SPI Firewall, and GPS capabilities to take advantage of select location and mapping applications, such as obtaining driving or walking directions, or finding the best nearby restaurant.


Both Sprint and Verizon Wireless are offering the MiFi 2200 for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. Sprint is offering a $59.99 per month plan for mobile broadband only, and $149.99 per month for the Simply Everything Plan plus Mobile Broadband (both include up to 5GB per month and 5 cents per megabyte over-age for the MiFi 2200 usage). Visit your nearest Sprint Store or www.sprint.com for more information.

Verizon Wireless’ plans are slightly different at $39.99 for 250MB monthly allowance (and 10 cents per megabyte overage), and $59.99 monthly access for 5GB monthly allowance (and 5 cents per megabyte overage). Check out your nearest Verizon Wireless Communications Store or www.verizonwireless.com.

Either way, the MiFi device is the same, but it’s up to you which plan you’d want to take on.