AR Drone Getting Augmented Reality iOS Game “A.R. Pursuit” by End of Month. #ios #ardrone #arpursuit

iOS users and AR Drone owners have a new toy coming to them by the end of the month — a new augmented reality game that uses the AR Drone’s onboard camera and a little high tech magic to transform the very concept of what we consider a “game”. While AR is nothing new, the way in which it is employed in “A.R. Pursuit” is nothing short of awesome. Using the AR Drone’s onboard cameras, you and another player navigate the air around you battling it out with augmented machine guns and missiles — one person the chaser, and the other the chasee.

At only $2.99, the app is a must buy for anyone already owning an AR Drone. But if you’re still not convinced, hop inside and give the press release and video a try…

Sprint Boasts That They Are the Only “True” 4G Network in N.A. #wimax

The “4G” wars currently going on in the U.S. are quite a sad tale indeed. Right now, the two big next-gen technologies are WiMax and LTE. In regards to T-Mobile’s claims that they are the “nation’s largest 4G network” — that’s crap plain and simple. Anyone who believes HSPA+ is a 4G technology needs to have their head examined. How they get away with false advertising as misleading as that is beyond me. It’s nothing more than a slightly tweaked UMTS Technology.

Moving on, AT&T and Verizon have chosen LTE as their next-gen network while Sprint has maintained their affinity for Clearwire’s WiMax solution. Both are decently faster than your typical HSDPA/HSUPA network, but both are a far, far from being “true 4G”. And anyone who argues against that point really doesn’t have a case. Instead, look forward to WiMax 2 and LTE-advanced for real 4G speeds that aren’t merely a small upgrade over current speeds.

The Official definition and specs that classify a network as “4G”:

An IMT-Advanced cellular system must have target peak data rates of up to approximately 100 Mbit/s for high mobility such as mobile access and up to approximately 1 Gbit/s for low mobility such as nomadic/local wireless access, according to the ITU requirements.

Put simply, 100Mbps up or down is required. 1st-gen LTE and WiMax don’t come anywhere close. So sorry, Sprint. While you correctly point out that your competitors upcoming highspeed networks aren’t true 4G, you fail to point out that yours isn’t either. That is all.

Apple Abandons Plans to Support Integrated SIM Cards in iPhones. iPads Still a Go. #apple #iphone

From our earlier article where we talked about the not so friendly nature of integrated SIM cards comes new information that Apple’s conquest into the matter is over. Not surprisingly, The Telegraph is reporting that Apple received a pretty extreme amount of pressure from European carriers regarding Apple’s integrated SIM cards and their venture to cut out carriers entirely. As we mentioned in our previous article linked above, integrated SIM cards take away some of the freedoms from end users in being able to easily swap SIM cards between carriers and services. Also take into account that such things are considerably more mainstream in Europe.

On the flip side however, it’s a shame to see Apple back down to pressure for something that is inevitable — carriers and service providers in general will turn into dumb pipes. Data is data. Breaking it into voice, SMS/MMS, actual data for web usage and apps, and other services is based off of old business practices and policies. Though with European carriers threatening to not subsidize products with integrated SIM cards, I can see Apple’s reluctance and backing down.

Although Apple appears to have lost the current battle on the subsidized smartphone front, they will continue on with integrated SIM cards for future iPads. Such a model makes a little more sense seeing as how iPads aren’t subsidized to begin with, and therefore no pressure for Apple to appease carriers to open their wallets.

Facebook vs. Gmail Fight Continues: No More Gmail Contacts Import Within Facebook. #facebook #gmail

I’m pretty sure I’ve lost count now on how many times either Facebook or Google have lobbied the preverbal ball back into the other sides’ cout in regards to friends and contact information. But at least one thing is for certain, neither side is ready to let up. The latest development in the high school drama between the two tech giants involves the Google account import option disappearing from Facebook’s website. Furthermore, if you set up a new Facebook account, you still are presented with the option to use Gmail to important contacts. But try to actually import anything and you get a nasty error saying that all of your Gmail contacts who use Facebook already have been imported.

It’s sad for unaware Gmail users who want to reach out to old/new friends and can’t easily find them. To non-techie users, it’s not Google’s fault for wanting to siphon Facebook data. It’s Facebook for failing to provide a service. And seeing as how a large percentage of Facebook’s user base isn’t the most technologically advanced, they’ll focus the blame on Facebook. Not exactly the tactic I think they’re aiming for.

Your turn Google.

Windows Phone 7 Coming to VZW by End of Year? #wp7

So far, AT&T and T-Mobile are the only Windows Phone 7 launch partners in the U.S. Those on a non-GSM carrier have been left to wonder when Microsoft is going to grace their CDMA carrier of choice with some new Windows Phone 7 love. Thankfully, we don’t have long to wait — this according to an @windowsphone tweet which states we should see Microsoft’s latest and greatest by “holiday 2010″.

Since the tweet pictured above, @WindowsPhone has updated their status with “Verizon is a valued partner and we look forward to seeing Windows Phone 7 devices in their stores in 2011″. That’s quite a bit different than a “holiday 2010″ message. On top of that, the original tweet hasn’t been removed yet adding to the speculation.

With only a month or so between now and “holiday”, the truth should make itself known relatively soon. I know quite a few CDMA users longing for some WP7 love. Hopefully the tweets highlight a sooner rather than later approach.

Review: XtremeMac iPhone 4 Case. #xtrememac

You know, since I picked up an iPhone 4 back in early September, I’ve amassed quite the collection of iPhone 4 cases. And yet I still jump for joy like a giddy school girl when I get a new one in the mail. And that’s precisely what happened last week. Except it was one but four cases that I received. Today we’re going to look at one of those cases, the XtremeMac MicroShield Accent. It’s a pretty nice case if I do say so myself. But I’m sure you want to know a little more. Jump on in for the full rundown…

Possible Dual-GPU Nvidia GTX 595 Spied? #nvidia

Nvidia isn’t a stranger to dual-GPU cards. Some of the more recent ones include the GTX 295 and 9800 GX2 which in their own right, were quite powerful as well as thirsty for power. With the GF100 release, it looked like dual-GPU solutions from Nvidia weren’t going to be possible due to the architectures extreme heat outputs and power consumption being the limiting factors. However, the newer GF104 and GF110 architecture refreshes have ratcheted down power consumption and heat considerably, once again making a dual-GPU/single PCB layout a possibility.

According to TechPowerUP, a Chinese news source has images of a claimed Nvidia GTX 595 — a true dual GPU/single PCB graphics card. Some interesting things worth pointing out include the 3x-DVI connectors which mean 3D Surround will be possible. Currently, Nvidia has yet to find a way to make 3+ monitor setups possible from a single card. Though considering this is really two cards in one, it should be a shoe in regardless.

Memory comes in at 3GB (1.5GB per card) and power is delivered via two 8-pin connectors. Finally, the reported GTX 595 will be dual-SLI capable.

Overall it looks mighty interesting. What do you think: $699 sound about right?