Apple’s Special Event introduced a wicked demo of an amazing upcoming game: Epic Citadel. Created by the makers of Unreal Tournament,  the demonstration by the developers showed some of the most amazing graphics I’ve seen on a mobile device. It looks stunning on the Retina Display of the iPhone 4.

Here’s the iTunes description:

The Citadel Awaits You!

From the circus bazaar on the outskirts of the castle grounds to the mysterious cathedral at the center of town, Epic Citadel will dazzle you with a visual parade of special effects that recreates a stunning and realistic world only imagined by Epic Games, and powered by the critically acclaimed and award winning Unreal Engine 3.

Are you ready to explore the realm of the Epic Citadel and all the beautiful secrets it holds?

Epic Citadel was created using the same tools and technology used to develop high-end console games, now delivered for iOS devices!

Here are the technical features of the game from the Epic Citadel website:

• Amazing visuals. “Epic Citadel” pushes the envelope for stunning visuals on iOS devices. Through the latest advances in Unreal Engine 3 technology, the application delivers unrivaled graphics and special effects that immerse players in the kingdom’s grounds.
• Bump offset mapping. Also known as parallax mapping or relief mapping, bump offset mapping enhances the visual appearance of stone walls and rocks providing intricate textures.
• Normal mapped architecture. Brings stunning detail to bricks and ground surfaces within the environment.
• Texture blending with painted weight maps. Refines nuances on roads and terrain, making them rich and lifelike.
• Global illumination. Unreal Engine 3’s built-in global illumination system, Unreal Lightmass, provides realistic lighting and shadows with minimal development resources.
• Dynamic specular lighting with texture masks. Helps create authentic cobblestone roads and vivid reflective marble surfaces, while lens flares and light coronas add dramatic emphasis when panning across light sources.
• Real-time reflections and animation. Environment mapping enables real-time reflections on objects such as the statue inside the cathedral. Dynamic movements of trees and banners are made possible through the use of vertex deformation and skeletal animation.

Here’s the clip from the Special Event Demonstration:

The free demo gives you an overview of the Epic Citadel and you can take a look at the incredible detail of the textures in the game.

Click here to download in iTunes!

Free Demo of Epic Citadel Available for iPhone is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

If you woke up late today, you probably missed Apple’s live stream of their Special Event. That’s okay, because the Special Event video is now online. If you don’t have time to watch the hour long video, be sure to read our Apple Special Event Summary.

It was a totally different experience watching today’s Special Event live. It worked quite well on my iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Click here to watch the event or the image below!

If the link above doesn’t work, try this one: http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/1009qpeijrfn/event/index.html

Apple Special Event September 1 Video Now Online is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Today’s live streamed Apple iPod Event was seen by a lot of people, yet the stream held up except for a few choppy bits during the new iTV demo. It was really interesting to hear about the announcements made today, so this post will include “musings” over the updates released today and some info you need to know. Let’s get started!

iOS Updates By The Numbers

• 6.5 billion App Store downloads (Steve made an error and said 6 billion apps hehe)
• 120 million iOS devices shipped
• 230,000 new iOS activations per day
• The exponential growth of App Store downloads are mind boggling.
• It seems like more and more iOS devices are taking over the world. App Developers have more incentive than ever to create that “must have” app.

iOS 4.2 Coming in November for iDevices (iOS 4.1 was just seeded to developers)

• Apple previously mentioned that iOS 4 would be coming to the iPad in the Fall. They weren’t lying, but I expected it to arrive earlier
• Printing from the iPad is finally here
• iOS 4.1 is coming next week with new features: HDR photos, Gamecenter, iTunes Ping
  • I can’t wait to try HDR photography and Gamecenter. This will definitely take a bite out of OpenFeint et al.
  • Bug fixes: Bluetooth, proximity sensor, iPhone 3G.
  • It’s about time these fixes will be addressed, especially iPhone 3G users who have experienced major slowdowns with iOS 4.
  • iTunes Ping–can’t wait to try this too.

New iPod Shuffle with VoiceOver

• New design–buttons are back!
• 2GB for $59CDN; 15 hour battery life
• Colors: silver, blue, green, orange and pink
• I find it hilarious that buttons are back. This is still an amazing price point for people to buy their “first” Apple product.
• This is definitely a “niche” item. It is perfect for those going to the gym or a jog since the thing is so tiny and has a built in clip.

These look tasty!

New iPod Nano with Multitouch

• Newly designed iPod Nano loses the video camera and buttons.
• Looks like a larger iPod Shuffle! No buttons–hold down one finger to get to homescreen. Innovative. Apple hates buttons!
• The two finger screen rotate was pretty cool.
• Prices start at $159CDN for 8GB model; it’s like paying $100 more for a touchscreen, FM radio, and pedometre. New clip is nice.
• The Nano looks like the face of the upcoming iWatch. Touchscreen interface on a such a tiny screen will only go so far.

The smallest multitouch screen ever?

New iPod Touch with Retina Display, HD Recording/FaceTime, A4 Processor

• How many years have have people waited for a camera on the iPod Touch? Finally!
• 720p video recording–BUT only HD stills on the back (960×720 resolution)
• FaceTime over WiFi using the same front VGA camera as the iPhone 4
• Retina Display (huge bonus!)
• A4 processor–same as the iPad/iPhone 4 (another bonus) and 3-axis gyro.
• Game Center: Apple is man handling the handheld gaming market.
• The chrome back remains the same–no iPhone 4 build.
• Price starts at $249CDN for 8GB model.
  • At this pricepoint–why buy an iPhone 4 (use Skype over WiFi!)? The Retina Display, 720p video recording, FaceTime, and A4 upgrades are the real winners here.
  • Being able to FaceTime with iPhone 4 users is really neat.
  • The iPod Touch is creeping into iPhone territory but still lacks a 5mp camera, GPS, phone.

FaceTime, suckas!

iTunes 10 with Ping Social Music Network

• New iTunes 10 that includes a new social media music network–Ping
• Twitter + Facebook = Ping Social Music Network
• Has a Facebook type layout but allows a Twitter-like following mantra
• Follow your favourite artists, check out their pictures, concerts, buy songs, etc
• Ping is powerful because music artists will jump on the bandwagon–quickly. Having 160 million credit card ready users following you will make any artist salivate. Apple continues to take a chunk from other players such as MySpace.
• What I love is the integration into iTunes and best of all, iPhone/iPod Touch.
• DO NOT install iTunes 10 if you want to keep your jailbroken iPhone. Wait for an update from the Dev Team.

We're going to get Social in here!

Apple TV Comes Back from the Dead. Apple “Reinvents” Their Own “Hobby”

• Users wanted a “silent, cool, and small” top box. Apple created one–it’s 1/4 the size of the original Apple TV. Includes a 7 button remote. It’s so sexy–I want one (but I don’t really NEED one. It’s that vicious Apple drug!).
• No more storage–everything is streamed over the air. Netflix streaming!
• Apple is pushing TV/Movie rentals. What about people who like to own their own media? Or people who don’t have internet (gasp!) or televisions (double gasp!) at home?
• New streaming feature, AirPlay, allows iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad/Mac to stream content to Apple TV with a couple taps. Pretty slick.
• $119CDN–this new price point makes this an easy “impulse buy” for many. It’s more than 50% cheaper than before.
• I see these selling like hotcakes at Christmas, as it’s an affordable “tech toy” for husbands, dads, wives, moms, the family, etc.

All in all, one of the highlights of this Apple Event was the ability to watch it via live video streaming. Since I haven’t been around the Apple juice since their earlier live-streaming days, watching today’s event was pretty cool. I tested the live streaming on my Mac, iPad, and iPhone. All worked flawlessly. There were some hiccups but overall the video and audio held up well.

Out of all the announcements, the iPod Touch and revised Apple TV caught my attention. We all predicted that the features on the iPod Touch would catch up to the iPhone 4. The Apple TV’s new streaming capabilities will make sharing content to your TV easier–without the need for cables. If you’re into the whole renting TV/movies thing, you’re also in for another bonus.

Further clarification of iOS 4.1 and 4.2 was also very appealing. HDR photography is going to be a huge feature as the iPhone 4 camera is awesome–but there are still exposure issues in tricky lighting situations.

Here’s a preview of HDR in action from Gizmodo, and the layout from When Will Apple:

…and that’s about it for now. Let me know if I missed anything in the comments!

What did you find most interesting from today’s announcements?

Today’s iPod Event Summary: What You Need to Know is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Today at the annual Apple music event, Apple released the latest iTunes 10. The new iTunes should be available later today on a PC/Mac via Apple Software Update or from Apple’s website.

All New iTunes 10

The new iTunes 10 update brings a new iTunes application icon, a few interface enhancements, and a new social media initiative called “Ping”.

The biggest change was the new iTunes Ping social media network which is open to 160 million iTunes users instantly. Ping is a social network for music, like FaceBook and Twitter, where users can follow and be followed and music recommendations can be passed around.

Users can also upload videos and photos all from within iTunes and Ping is further accessible on iPhone and iPod touch.

As usual, if you’re jailbroken or plan to jailbreak, it is best to avoid the iTunes 10 update until further notice.

Apple Releases iTunes 10 is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Alongside the announcement of iOS 4.1 availability next week, Apple today released the GM seed of iOS 4.1 to developers.

The SDK is build 10M2309 and the firmware is build 8B117. There are five distinct downloads, one each for the iPhone 4/3GS/3G and iPod Touch 2G/3G.

This latest build, which comes just under a month since the last build patches problems with the iPhone 4 proximity sensor, Bluetooth issues across iDevices, and performance problems with iPhone 3G.

Additional changes in the GM seed of iOS 4.1 include:

• Game Center makes public debut
• Various bug fixes
• High Range Dynamic Photos
• HD Video uploading via WiFi

Apple Releases iOS 4.1 GM Seed to Developers is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

This morning at Apple’s September music event, the company announced iOS 4.1 for iPhone and iPod touch and also previewed iOS 4.2 for iPad.

iOS 4.1

The first thing that was announced is that all of the bugs have been fixed!

That includes the proximity sensor on the iPhone 4, Bluetooth bugs across the iPod touch and iPhone, and lastly the much talked about iPhone 3G performance issues have been fixed.

HDR

iOS 4.1 is also delivering a new feature called High Dynamic Range Photos (HDR).

HDR is a new camera-based feature where the device camera takes three photos at the same time when taking a photo of something. The three photos taken are a under-exposure, normal, and over-exposure photo.

When these three photos are taken, the three are then combined to make the best quality photo. What this does for photos is increase/reduce shadow or brightness and reveals much more detail in the photos.

HD Video & Game Center

iOS 4.1 is also delivering HD video uploading over WiFi to YouTube for example and also the new Game Center.

Game Center is Apple’s version of Microsoft’s Xbox Live where users can play multiplayer games, challenge friends, compare scores, and be matched against anyone of similar skill in a game.

Availability

iOS 4.1 is available for iPhone and iPod touch as a free download next week.

iOS 4.2

During this morning’s event Apple also provided a sneak peek of iOS 4.2!

iOS 4.2 is available for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad but the real focus is for iPad. Essentially, iOS 4.2 is bringing every single feature of iOS 4.1, such as folders and multitasking, to the iPad that the iPad can support.

Printing

iOS 4.2 is also bringing wireless printing to the iPad in the form of “Print Center”. Just like on a Mac/PC, users can view their print jobs, cancel them, and manage them right from the iPad.

AirPlay

For all three iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, iOS 4.2 is bringing a feature called “AirPlay” which is a renamed AirTunes but can stream photos and videos along with audio to your AppleTV from an iDevice over WiFi.

Availability

iOS 4.2 is available for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad as a free download in November 2010.

[Photo Credit WhenWillApple]

Apple Announces iOS 4.1 For iPhone & iPod touch, iOS 4.2 For iPad is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Today at 10AM PST, Apple will be live streaming their September Music Event. This is a change from the past where Apple had never streamed live events, and the world relied on live blogging to catch the latest announcements.

This time around, the live stream can be watch by all–but there are certain requirements:

• A Mac running OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
• Any iOS device (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) on 3.0 firmware or higher

So that leaves out a HUGE segment–PC users and Mac computers on older versions of OS X. So if you’re at work and don’t have your iPhone handy, and would like to watch the stream on your PC desktop or older Mac, here’s the workaround.

How to Watch Apple’s September Live Event Stream on Your PC (or PowerPC Mac)

First, test you device/computer by visiting this test HTTP sample stream from Apple:

http://devimages.apple.com/iphone/samples/bipbopall.html

1. Download VLC for Mac/Windows

2. Choose the menu option to “Open Source” and insert this URL to test:

http://devimages.apple.com/iphone/samples/bipbop/gear1/prog_index.m3u8

3. If you can see that test stream, just replace it with today’s upcoming live event stream when it’s available.

What do you think will be announced tomorrow? iTV? iPod Touch with camera?

Let me know if this workaround is successful for you!

[MacRumors]

How to Watch Apple’s September Event Live Stream on Your PC is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

When Steve Jobs revealed the iPhone 4 to the world–we had already seen its industrial design thanks to a certain tech blog buying a stolen prototype. From that day onwards, the world again went iPhone-crazy.

In Canada, we’ve always had our iPhone-lust at an all-time high. There are many out there including myself that bought the first iPhone from the USA and brought it back home to jailbreak/activate. Those were the good ol’ days.

Canada’s iPhone 4 launch was unfortunately delayed to the second batch of countries, which Apple announced for the iPhone to arrive on July 30th. We waited in line for the iPhone 4 and it definitely paid off (except for people waiting for Rogers activations!). People are still waiting in line today for the phone a month later!

Review: Using the iPhone 4 for a Month

It’s been a month since I got my hands on the iPhone 4. After using the phone for a month, I’m going to compare it to my old 3GS (which my wife was happy to take off my hands!). I’ll explain my experiences with the phone and in particular the new features and form factor. I am not going to waste your time reviewing the features and write 5000 words for the sake of writing 5000 words. Here we go!

Unboxing the iPhone 4

When I got my iPhone 4, I had the Apple Store activate it for me so I could start playing with it right away. When the employee made that first cut into the plastic wrap, I told them I wanted to unwrap the phone. They happily obliged of course and I unboxed the phone right inside the store.

My first impression of the phone was how much heavier it felt. Although it’s only two grams heavier than the iPhone 3GS (137g vs 135g), the iPhone 4 feels much “meatier” in your hands. The stainless steel band gives the phone a much more industrial feel and look. The iPhone 4 is also thinner than the 3GS (9.3mm vs 12.3mm).

People who hold the iPhone 4 for the first time always comment that it feels “thicker”–this is only because the 3GS body was tapered and rounded on the edges. I still hold up the iPhone 4 and marvel at how thin the body is. It almost reminds me of the “candybar” cellphone days, albeit larger and thinner.

iPhone 4 with the ZAGG invisibleSHIELD

Click here to read our iPhone 4 invisibleSHIELD review!

iPhone 4 with the ZAGG invisibleSHIELD (Back)

The Retina Display–It’s Clearer Than You Think

Now this is what I believe is the best feature of the iPhone 4–the amazing display. Coming from the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4 screen trumps anything I’ve ever seen. The clarity of text is so outstanding that it’s hard to go back to anything else. Because of this, I find myself surfing the web and checking email more on my iPhone 4 now instead of my iPad. Images, video, and text is crystal clear. People always comment “wow, the screen is so clear!” when they check out my iPhone 4. It really is almost like ‘looking at paper’ on your phone.

My iPhone 4 homescreen in all its glory.

5MP HD Camera: Lowlight Images Captured with Ease

When the original iPhone launched people were excited because they would no longer have to carry their iPods with them–it was now built into their phone. With the new 5MP high definition camera on the iPhone 4, people no longer have to carry their point and shoot and HD cameras–the iPhone 4 can be an excellent replacement.

720p high definition videos look amazing–the only problem is trying to hold the iPhone body still during filming. Double tapping the screen in video mode will allow you to shoot in widescreen format. What I loved about filming videos was using the iMovie iPhone app to film movies on the fly. Never before could you put together a mini masterpiece with such ease. iMovie is limited in its features, but there’s enough in there to document your weekend getaway or birthday party.

Here’s a 720p video filmed and edited with iMovie, and uploaded to YouTube via PixelPipe (make sure 720p is selected on your computer):

The front facing VGA camera is good enough for self portraits–but the picture quality is disappointing. I expect Apple to upgrade this in the future.

The LED flash is a nice touch (it took a long time for this one to arrive) and it’s useful when you’re in extreme low light situations that warrant flash. It does the job well and does not overexpose shots. Also, when coupled with a flashlight app, it’s extremely bright at night.

The 5MP camera is also excellent. The new backside illumination sensor has allowed me to capture lowlight images with such ease–not even my point and shoot can keep up! The clarity of images taken with this tiny lens is remarkable. The images below speak for themselves:

The "focus" tap was on the bee.

Out for sushi dinner with my wife. Hitoe Sushi on West 4th.

Taken in extreme low light at the Experience Music Project in Seattle. Shutter fires quickly!

Fun with the now "removed" Camera+ app.

The A4 Chip Hard at Work

The iPhone 4 houses the same in-house designed chip as the iPad. You notice this immediately as switching between applications, and loading of webpages is lightning fast. I did notice that power hungry apps such as iMovie did result in lag at times though. Either way, playing graphic intensive games such as Let’s Golf 2 is a joy as gameplay is buttery smooth.

The iPhone 4 Battery Will Finally Last You a Full Day…Sort Of

One of the biggest weaknesses of the iPhone 3G/3GS was the absolutely abysmal battery life (3G kills your battery). I was barely able to last a full day with moderate usage and always had to carry around some battery packs (such as the Richard Solo 1800). The improved battery life of the iPhone 4 is noticeable immediately. Once I take my iPhone off the charger in the morning, standby barely dents the battery at all. I will most likely see 100% or 99% after an hour or so of standby.

The best part is with moderate web surfing, tweeting, listening to music, snapping pictures, etc.–the iPhone 4 will last you a full day and more. Apple’s decision to move the antennas to the exterior of the phone to make room for a bigger battery was a good one (well, minus the antenna issues experience by some!). This new battery leaves you feeling confident that your phone will last you an entire work day and more.

FaceTime: It’s a Neat Feature But the “Wow” Factor Dies Quickly

To start a video chat on your iPhone 4 with FaceTime is dead easy. One tap is all it takes to call people–and it’s a free voice call if you initiate it via your contacts. When I first tested this feature I was absolutely amazed at how simple it was. However, now that I’m a month in the novelty of this feature has worn off a bit. It’s only useful if you know enough people with iPhone 4s and you’re in an environment that warrants a video call. How often do you use FaceTime? What about FaceTime over 3G?

Other Miscellaneous iPhone Thoughts:

• The free Bumper case is nice and fits will with the full body iPhone 4 invisibleSHIELD; my Griffin FM Car Tuner no longer works as the connector won’t fit!
• My typing accuracy on the iPhone 4 seems to have dropped compared to the 3GS–not sure why (maybe my fingers got fatter?!). Typing lag is non-existent.
• Placing the iPhone 4 flat on a table without a case is not fun. You can rest the iPhone 4 on its side if you’re careful.
• The glass on the front/back still picks up fingerprints really easily.
• The design of the phone has grown on me since I first saw it leaked online.
• Games optimized for the Retina Display look amazing.

Should You Buy the iPhone 4?

• If you own an iPhone or iPhone 3G —> YES. It’s time to upgrade!
• If you own an iPhone 3GS:
  • Option 1: hold off, and buy the “next” iPhone. It’s still a very capable iPhone.
  • Option 2: buy it if you want to spend some money for the latest and greatest.

Overall, I am extremely happy with the iPhone 4. The build quality is excellent, the camera is much improved, and most of all the battery actually lasts a day. Coupled with iOS 4.0, the iPhone 4 rocks with the beautiful Retina Display. Even though the battery has been improved–I still think it could be better.

If the iPhone 4 has been your first iPhone, congratulations for waiting this long, as this fourth generation is definitely the smartphone to beat. Given that people are still waiting in line to get this device (due to massive demand and supply shortages) a month after the launch, that should indicate just how many people want this phone.

How do you like your iPhone 4? Or are you still waiting to get one?!

Apple iPhone 4 Review: One Month Later is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Apple’s annual music event starts tomorrow at 10AM PST in San Francisco where the company is expected to make a series of announcements.

Some of the more popular rumors for product reveals tomorrow includes doubling iTunes music/video content length, a new $99 AppleTV, $0.99 TV show rentals, a new iPod nano and new iPod touch models featuring both a front and back camera that will be FaceTime compatible with iPhone 4.

While many of us would love to be there live in San Francisco to watch the event, Apple will be streaming the event live for everyone! The event will be streamed using Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming.

According to Apple, to view the live stream users must have either a Mac running Safari on Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard, an iPhone or iPod touch® running iOS 3.0 or higher, or an iPad.

The live broadcast will begin at 10AM PST on September 1, 2010 at www.apple.com.

[Apple]

Apple To Live Stream September 1 Event! is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Today SaskTel has announced via Twitter that the wireless carrier will be receiving microSIM cards soon.

A few months ago SaskTel CEO spoke about the new network and indicated that Apple was coming out with a new iPhone, now known as iPhone 4, in June 2010 and further that the iPhone was coming to SaskTel.

So far SaskTel has not announced support for the iPhone, but with SaskTel receiving microSIM cards soon, the iPhone 4 could be on its way.

“MicroSIMs are coming soon but unfortunately I can’t provide a date just yet. We’ll let you know when they’re available”.

If and when SaskTel receives microSIM cards, the wireless carrier could also provide iPhone 4 plans instead of supporting the actual device. Time will tell.

[Twitter]

MicroSIM Cards Coming Soon To SaskTel is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource