Nintendo 3DS features 3D widescreen and movement sensors

NICE: The 3DS does not require users to wear special glasses as the 3D effect can be seen with the naked eye.

LOS ANGELES: Right at the end of Nintendo's presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime cheekily dismissed home 3D by saying, "There's nothing to watch or play yet on big screen 3D, and those glasses are not cheap."

Laying down the gauntlet to Sony, who are keen to push 3D TV and 3D gaming on the PlayStation3, Reggie went on to confidently proclaim "No one said (3D) would be easy. No one but Nintendo!" before Japanese company president Satoru Iwata took to the stage.

Like the DS, Iwata explained, the 3DS has two screens, but the top screen is a 3.5in 3D widescreen instead of the usual square display seen on previous models.

Users will not need to wear special glasses as the 3D effect can be seen with the naked eye. There is a slider on the 3DS's side that can be used to regulate how strong the effect is.

Like the Wii's controllers, the 3DS has motion sensors built into it, so it can tell which direction it is being moved in. Players can tilt and move the handheld in order to get a better view of objects on the 3D screen.

It also has a slide-pad controller, a little like a circular touchpad, and two cameras on the outside of its clamshell design.

This enables users to take photos that will then be displayed on screen in 3D. 3D films were touched on, indicating that preliminary deals have been done with Walt Disney, Warner Bros, and Dreamworks Studios at least for trailers if not full-length features.

As for games, Mr Iwata promised "ample game content the first day on the market." Kid Icarus and Nintendogs + Cats were mentioned during the presentation itself, with others alluded to or saved for a later announcement.

Iwata, Miyamoto and Fils-Aime were shown in a promotional video with characters and accessories from Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong. A special E3 edition of "Iwata Asks" later mentioned Starfox, Animal Crossing and Pilotwings for the device.

Astonishingly, the Nintendo 3DS was assigned neither a release date nor a price point by the end of the conference, though there are plans for price-cuts for the DS line.

Though Nintendo has scheduled the hardware for release sometime before March 31, 2011, it's much more likely to see the light of day by November or December 2010, at least in Japan if not in the United States and Europe as well.

Nintendo 3DS features 3D widescreen and movement sensors

NICE: The 3DS does not require users to wear special glasses as the 3D effect can be seen with the naked eye.

LOS ANGELES: Right at the end of Nintendo's presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime cheekily dismissed home 3D by saying, "There's nothing to watch or play yet on big screen 3D, and those glasses are not cheap."

Laying down the gauntlet to Sony, who are keen to push 3D TV and 3D gaming on the PlayStation3, Reggie went on to confidently proclaim "No one said (3D) would be easy. No one but Nintendo!" before Japanese company president Satoru Iwata took to the stage.

Like the DS, Iwata explained, the 3DS has two screens, but the top screen is a 3.5in 3D widescreen instead of the usual square display seen on previous models.

Users will not need to wear special glasses as the 3D effect can be seen with the naked eye. There is a slider on the 3DS's side that can be used to regulate how strong the effect is.

Like the Wii's controllers, the 3DS has motion sensors built into it, so it can tell which direction it is being moved in. Players can tilt and move the handheld in order to get a better view of objects on the 3D screen.

It also has a slide-pad controller, a little like a circular touchpad, and two cameras on the outside of its clamshell design.

This enables users to take photos that will then be displayed on screen in 3D. 3D films were touched on, indicating that preliminary deals have been done with Walt Disney, Warner Bros, and Dreamworks Studios at least for trailers if not full-length features.

As for games, Mr Iwata promised "ample game content the first day on the market." Kid Icarus and Nintendogs + Cats were mentioned during the presentation itself, with others alluded to or saved for a later announcement.

Iwata, Miyamoto and Fils-Aime were shown in a promotional video with characters and accessories from Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong. A special E3 edition of "Iwata Asks" later mentioned Starfox, Animal Crossing and Pilotwings for the device.

Astonishingly, the Nintendo 3DS was assigned neither a release date nor a price point by the end of the conference, though there are plans for price-cuts for the DS line.

Though Nintendo has scheduled the hardware for release sometime before March 31, 2011, it's much more likely to see the light of day by November or December 2010, at least in Japan if not in the United States and Europe as well.

Nintendo 3DS features 3D widescreen and movement sensors

NICE: The 3DS does not require users to wear special glasses as the 3D effect can be seen with the naked eye.

LOS ANGELES: Right at the end of Nintendo's presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime cheekily dismissed home 3D by saying, "There's nothing to watch or play yet on big screen 3D, and those glasses are not cheap."

Laying down the gauntlet to Sony, who are keen to push 3D TV and 3D gaming on the PlayStation3, Reggie went on to confidently proclaim "No one said (3D) would be easy. No one but Nintendo!" before Japanese company president Satoru Iwata took to the stage.

Like the DS, Iwata explained, the 3DS has two screens, but the top screen is a 3.5in 3D widescreen instead of the usual square display seen on previous models.

Users will not need to wear special glasses as the 3D effect can be seen with the naked eye. There is a slider on the 3DS's side that can be used to regulate how strong the effect is.

Like the Wii's controllers, the 3DS has motion sensors built into it, so it can tell which direction it is being moved in. Players can tilt and move the handheld in order to get a better view of objects on the 3D screen.

It also has a slide-pad controller, a little like a circular touchpad, and two cameras on the outside of its clamshell design.

This enables users to take photos that will then be displayed on screen in 3D. 3D films were touched on, indicating that preliminary deals have been done with Walt Disney, Warner Bros, and Dreamworks Studios at least for trailers if not full-length features.

As for games, Mr Iwata promised "ample game content the first day on the market." Kid Icarus and Nintendogs + Cats were mentioned during the presentation itself, with others alluded to or saved for a later announcement.

Iwata, Miyamoto and Fils-Aime were shown in a promotional video with characters and accessories from Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong. A special E3 edition of "Iwata Asks" later mentioned Starfox, Animal Crossing and Pilotwings for the device.

Astonishingly, the Nintendo 3DS was assigned neither a release date nor a price point by the end of the conference, though there are plans for price-cuts for the DS line.

Though Nintendo has scheduled the hardware for release sometime before March 31, 2011, it's much more likely to see the light of day by November or December 2010, at least in Japan if not in the United States and Europe as well.

IT security hole exposes iPad users' e-mail addresses

BREAK IN: AT&T Inc has acknowledged a security weakness that exposed the e-mail addresses of apparently more than 100,000 iPad users in the United States. - AP

SAN FRANCISCO: AT&T Inc has acknowledged a security weak spot that exposed the e-mail addresses of apparently more than 100,000 users of the Apple iPad in the United States.

The breach could make those people vulnerable to precision-targeted hacking attacks.

The vulnerability, which AT&T said it has fixed, affected only iPad users who signed up for AT&T's "3G" wireless Internet service.

It involved an insecure way that AT&T's website would prompt iPad users when they tried to log into their AT&T accounts.

The hacker group that claims to have discovered the weakness - the group calls itself Goatse Security - said it was able to trick AT&T's site into coughing up more than 114,000 e-mail addresses, including those apparently of famous media personalities and important government officials. - AP

IT security hole exposes iPad users' e-mail addresses

BREAK IN: AT&T Inc has acknowledged a security weakness that exposed the e-mail addresses of apparently more than 100,000 iPad users in the United States. - AP

SAN FRANCISCO: AT&T Inc has acknowledged a security weak spot that exposed the e-mail addresses of apparently more than 100,000 users of the Apple iPad in the United States.

The breach could make those people vulnerable to precision-targeted hacking attacks.

The vulnerability, which AT&T said it has fixed, affected only iPad users who signed up for AT&T's "3G" wireless Internet service.

It involved an insecure way that AT&T's website would prompt iPad users when they tried to log into their AT&T accounts.

The hacker group that claims to have discovered the weakness - the group calls itself Goatse Security - said it was able to trick AT&T's site into coughing up more than 114,000 e-mail addresses, including those apparently of famous media personalities and important government officials. - AP

IT security hole exposes iPad users' e-mail addresses

BREAK IN: AT&T Inc has acknowledged a security weakness that exposed the e-mail addresses of apparently more than 100,000 iPad users in the United States. - AP

SAN FRANCISCO: AT&T Inc has acknowledged a security weak spot that exposed the e-mail addresses of apparently more than 100,000 users of the Apple iPad in the United States.

The breach could make those people vulnerable to precision-targeted hacking attacks.

The vulnerability, which AT&T said it has fixed, affected only iPad users who signed up for AT&T's "3G" wireless Internet service.

It involved an insecure way that AT&T's website would prompt iPad users when they tried to log into their AT&T accounts.

The hacker group that claims to have discovered the weakness - the group calls itself Goatse Security - said it was able to trick AT&T's site into coughing up more than 114,000 e-mail addresses, including those apparently of famous media personalities and important government officials. - AP

Iphone 4 to start Mobile video convergence

Everybody is very exciting when Apple has recently launched their latest machine, Iphone 4 at WorldWide Developer Conference 2010 (WWDC), June 7, 2010. The latest Iphone model is being loaded with owesome features like multitasking (capable to open more than one application at one time) and mostly capability to handle video call or video chat. Not only with video call capability ,  the latest model is powered by Retina Display, the 960 X 640 backlit LCD display boasts a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch, making it the highest-resolution phone screen ever. To achieve this, Apple engineers developed pixels so small — a mere 78 micrometers across — that the human eye can’t distinguish individual pixels. That makes text remarkably sharp and graphics incredibly vivid. IPS technology also provides excellent color and contrast from almost any viewing angle.

The most significant outcome is that Apple is focusing attention on the iPhone 4’s video calling capabilities, apparently making “the dream of video calling a reality”. In typical Cupertino fashion, this conveniently overlooks the fact that video calling has been a reality for a long time. The front end camera with 5 Mega-pixel resolution is capable of shooting 720p30 HD video. Video Call can be made from Iphone to Iphone through WIFI, yet still not capable to deal with skype.

Another important improvements is the A4 processor the iPhone 4 now will shares with the iPad. While Apple was happy to declare the 1GHz clock speed of the iPad, it has been less forthcoming with the iPhone 4, and it’s very possible the chip has been downclocked somewhat to conserve battery life. Either way, the chip itself is a tighter package that uses less power while running faster than the processor in the 3GS, and that’s always a good thing.

Wait the sec. Just heard that Nokia says about their new N920. The new N920 / RX-57 will have OMAP 4440 processor, which means they have capability to support 1080p30 with HDMI 1.3, yet will eat up battery life (hope they can increase battery also). The processor  versions are dual core SMP enabled ARM Cortex A9 processors on a 45-nm die. Both OMAP processors have dedicated graphics cores to off load the encode/decode of various video codecs and APIs like OpenGL, which (IMHO) makes the OMAP processor the best choice for the computing devices in this category. Are they really real? Are all High Definition (HD) for Iphone 4 and/or N920 just for real? Will you experience the same as what you with get with 32″ HD TV? just with small screen and try to make video call, not only local processing is required, but also compression method to transfer video from one the another. Yet pretty much depending on the Link (WIFI or 3G) reliability.

Iphone 4 to start Mobile video convergence

Everybody is very exciting when Apple has recently launched their latest machine, Iphone 4 at WorldWide Developer Conference 2010 (WWDC), June 7, 2010. The latest Iphone model is being loaded with owesome features like multitasking (capable to open more than one application at one time) and mostly capability to handle video call or video chat. Not only with video call capability ,  the latest model is powered by Retina Display, the 960 X 640 backlit LCD display boasts a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch, making it the highest-resolution phone screen ever. To achieve this, Apple engineers developed pixels so small — a mere 78 micrometers across — that the human eye can’t distinguish individual pixels. That makes text remarkably sharp and graphics incredibly vivid. IPS technology also provides excellent color and contrast from almost any viewing angle.

The most significant outcome is that Apple is focusing attention on the iPhone 4’s video calling capabilities, apparently making “the dream of video calling a reality”. In typical Cupertino fashion, this conveniently overlooks the fact that video calling has been a reality for a long time. The front end camera with 5 Mega-pixel resolution is capable of shooting 720p30 HD video. Video Call can be made from Iphone to Iphone through WIFI, yet still not capable to deal with skype.

Another important improvements is the A4 processor the iPhone 4 now will shares with the iPad. While Apple was happy to declare the 1GHz clock speed of the iPad, it has been less forthcoming with the iPhone 4, and it’s very possible the chip has been downclocked somewhat to conserve battery life. Either way, the chip itself is a tighter package that uses less power while running faster than the processor in the 3GS, and that’s always a good thing.

Wait the sec. Just heard that Nokia says about their new N920. The new N920 / RX-57 will have OMAP 4440 processor, which means they have capability to support 1080p30 with HDMI 1.3, yet will eat up battery life (hope they can increase battery also). The processor  versions are dual core SMP enabled ARM Cortex A9 processors on a 45-nm die. Both OMAP processors have dedicated graphics cores to off load the encode/decode of various video codecs and APIs like OpenGL, which (IMHO) makes the OMAP processor the best choice for the computing devices in this category. Are they really real? Are all High Definition (HD) for Iphone 4 and/or N920 just for real? Will you experience the same as what you with get with 32″ HD TV? just with small screen and try to make video call, not only local processing is required, but also compression method to transfer video from one the another. Yet pretty much depending on the Link (WIFI or 3G) reliability.

Iphone 4 to start Mobile video convergence

Everybody is very exciting when Apple has recently launched their latest machine, Iphone 4 at WorldWide Developer Conference 2010 (WWDC), June 7, 2010. The latest Iphone model is being loaded with owesome features like multitasking (capable to open more than one application at one time) and mostly capability to handle video call or video chat. Not only with video call capability ,  the latest model is powered by Retina Display, the 960 X 640 backlit LCD display boasts a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch, making it the highest-resolution phone screen ever. To achieve this, Apple engineers developed pixels so small — a mere 78 micrometers across — that the human eye can’t distinguish individual pixels. That makes text remarkably sharp and graphics incredibly vivid. IPS technology also provides excellent color and contrast from almost any viewing angle.

The most significant outcome is that Apple is focusing attention on the iPhone 4’s video calling capabilities, apparently making “the dream of video calling a reality”. In typical Cupertino fashion, this conveniently overlooks the fact that video calling has been a reality for a long time. The front end camera with 5 Mega-pixel resolution is capable of shooting 720p30 HD video. Video Call can be made from Iphone to Iphone through WIFI, yet still not capable to deal with skype.

Another important improvements is the A4 processor the iPhone 4 now will shares with the iPad. While Apple was happy to declare the 1GHz clock speed of the iPad, it has been less forthcoming with the iPhone 4, and it’s very possible the chip has been downclocked somewhat to conserve battery life. Either way, the chip itself is a tighter package that uses less power while running faster than the processor in the 3GS, and that’s always a good thing.

Wait the sec. Just heard that Nokia says about their new N920. The new N920 / RX-57 will have OMAP 4440 processor, which means they have capability to support 1080p30 with HDMI 1.3, yet will eat up battery life (hope they can increase battery also). The processor  versions are dual core SMP enabled ARM Cortex A9 processors on a 45-nm die. Both OMAP processors have dedicated graphics cores to off load the encode/decode of various video codecs and APIs like OpenGL, which (IMHO) makes the OMAP processor the best choice for the computing devices in this category. Are they really real? Are all High Definition (HD) for Iphone 4 and/or N920 just for real? Will you experience the same as what you with get with 32″ HD TV? just with small screen and try to make video call, not only local processing is required, but also compression method to transfer video from one the another. Yet pretty much depending on the Link (WIFI or 3G) reliability.

Review : iPhone 4 - Dreams Come True !

1. Video Call Over Wifi

People have been dreaming about video calling for decades. iPhone 4 makes it a reality. With the tap of a button, you can wave hello to your kids, share a smile from across the globe, or watch your best friend laugh at your stories — iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi. No other phone makes staying in touch this much fun.

FaceTime works right out of the box — no need to set up a special account or screen name. And using FaceTime is as easy as it gets. Let’s say you want to start a video call with your best friend. Just find her entry in your Contacts and tap the FaceTime button. Or maybe you’re already on a voice call with her and you want to switch to video. Just tap the FaceTime button on the Phone screen. Either way, an invitation pops up on her iPhone 4 screen asking if she wants to join you. When she accepts, the video call begins. It’s all perfectly seamless. And it works in both portrait and landscape modes.

2. Retina Display

Thanks to the Retina display, everything you see and do on iPhone 4 looks amazing. Text in books, web pages, and email is crisp at any size. Images in movies and photos are stunning at almost any angle. That’s because the Retina display’s pixel density is so high, your eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels.

By developing pixels a mere 78 micrometers wide, Apple engineers were able to pack four times the number of pixels into the same 3.5-inch (diagonal) screen found on earlier iPhone models. The resulting pixel density of iPhone 4 — 326 pixels per inch — makes text and graphics look smooth and continuous at any size

Take a closer look
at the Retina display

3. Powerful Multi Tasking

Now you can run your favorite third-party apps — and switch between them instantly — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily.* This smarter approach to multitasking is available only on iPhone.

How it works

Switch between apps quickly.

The multitasking user interface allows you to quickly switch between recently used apps. Just double-click the Home button to reveal your recently used apps. Scroll right to see more apps, then tap one to reopen it. No need to wait for the app to reload.

And pick up right where you left off.

Apps can remember where you left off. So when you return to the app, you can jump right back into playing your game, reading the news, finding a restaurant, or whatever you were doing.

4. HD Video Recording

Because your iPhone goes with you everywhere, you’re always ready to capture every moment. And with iPhone 4, you can do it in stunning high definition. Its advanced backside illumination sensor delivers great-looking video in both bright and low-light settings. And in dark environments, you can brighten the scene with the built-in LED light.

Edit video right on iPhone.

No need to wait until you’re back at your computer to edit video. You can perform basic editing right in the Camera app. Just drag to select start and end points on a filmstrip.

Turn your video clips into a finished movie. With iMovie on iPhone 4.

You’re on vacation, and you want to create a video postcard of everything you did that day and share it with your family. Just use the iMovie app — coming soon to the App Store for just $4.99. Built just for iPhone 4, iMovie lets you combine and edit video clips, polish your movies with dynamic themes and transitions, add music and photos, and share your finished movies with the world.

Source : apple.com

Review : iPhone 4 - Dreams Come True !

1. Video Call Over Wifi

People have been dreaming about video calling for decades. iPhone 4 makes it a reality. With the tap of a button, you can wave hello to your kids, share a smile from across the globe, or watch your best friend laugh at your stories — iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi. No other phone makes staying in touch this much fun.

FaceTime works right out of the box — no need to set up a special account or screen name. And using FaceTime is as easy as it gets. Let’s say you want to start a video call with your best friend. Just find her entry in your Contacts and tap the FaceTime button. Or maybe you’re already on a voice call with her and you want to switch to video. Just tap the FaceTime button on the Phone screen. Either way, an invitation pops up on her iPhone 4 screen asking if she wants to join you. When she accepts, the video call begins. It’s all perfectly seamless. And it works in both portrait and landscape modes.

2. Retina Display

Thanks to the Retina display, everything you see and do on iPhone 4 looks amazing. Text in books, web pages, and email is crisp at any size. Images in movies and photos are stunning at almost any angle. That’s because the Retina display’s pixel density is so high, your eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels.

By developing pixels a mere 78 micrometers wide, Apple engineers were able to pack four times the number of pixels into the same 3.5-inch (diagonal) screen found on earlier iPhone models. The resulting pixel density of iPhone 4 — 326 pixels per inch — makes text and graphics look smooth and continuous at any size

Take a closer look
at the Retina display

3. Powerful Multi Tasking

Now you can run your favorite third-party apps — and switch between them instantly — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily.* This smarter approach to multitasking is available only on iPhone.

How it works

Switch between apps quickly.

The multitasking user interface allows you to quickly switch between recently used apps. Just double-click the Home button to reveal your recently used apps. Scroll right to see more apps, then tap one to reopen it. No need to wait for the app to reload.

And pick up right where you left off.

Apps can remember where you left off. So when you return to the app, you can jump right back into playing your game, reading the news, finding a restaurant, or whatever you were doing.

4. HD Video Recording

Because your iPhone goes with you everywhere, you’re always ready to capture every moment. And with iPhone 4, you can do it in stunning high definition. Its advanced backside illumination sensor delivers great-looking video in both bright and low-light settings. And in dark environments, you can brighten the scene with the built-in LED light.

Edit video right on iPhone.

No need to wait until you’re back at your computer to edit video. You can perform basic editing right in the Camera app. Just drag to select start and end points on a filmstrip.

Turn your video clips into a finished movie. With iMovie on iPhone 4.

You’re on vacation, and you want to create a video postcard of everything you did that day and share it with your family. Just use the iMovie app — coming soon to the App Store for just $4.99. Built just for iPhone 4, iMovie lets you combine and edit video clips, polish your movies with dynamic themes and transitions, add music and photos, and share your finished movies with the world.

Source : apple.com

Review : iPhone 4 - Dreams Come True !

1. Video Call Over Wifi

People have been dreaming about video calling for decades. iPhone 4 makes it a reality. With the tap of a button, you can wave hello to your kids, share a smile from across the globe, or watch your best friend laugh at your stories — iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi. No other phone makes staying in touch this much fun.

FaceTime works right out of the box — no need to set up a special account or screen name. And using FaceTime is as easy as it gets. Let’s say you want to start a video call with your best friend. Just find her entry in your Contacts and tap the FaceTime button. Or maybe you’re already on a voice call with her and you want to switch to video. Just tap the FaceTime button on the Phone screen. Either way, an invitation pops up on her iPhone 4 screen asking if she wants to join you. When she accepts, the video call begins. It’s all perfectly seamless. And it works in both portrait and landscape modes.

2. Retina Display

Thanks to the Retina display, everything you see and do on iPhone 4 looks amazing. Text in books, web pages, and email is crisp at any size. Images in movies and photos are stunning at almost any angle. That’s because the Retina display’s pixel density is so high, your eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels.

By developing pixels a mere 78 micrometers wide, Apple engineers were able to pack four times the number of pixels into the same 3.5-inch (diagonal) screen found on earlier iPhone models. The resulting pixel density of iPhone 4 — 326 pixels per inch — makes text and graphics look smooth and continuous at any size

Take a closer look
at the Retina display

3. Powerful Multi Tasking

Now you can run your favorite third-party apps — and switch between them instantly — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily.* This smarter approach to multitasking is available only on iPhone.

How it works

Switch between apps quickly.

The multitasking user interface allows you to quickly switch between recently used apps. Just double-click the Home button to reveal your recently used apps. Scroll right to see more apps, then tap one to reopen it. No need to wait for the app to reload.

And pick up right where you left off.

Apps can remember where you left off. So when you return to the app, you can jump right back into playing your game, reading the news, finding a restaurant, or whatever you were doing.

4. HD Video Recording

Because your iPhone goes with you everywhere, you’re always ready to capture every moment. And with iPhone 4, you can do it in stunning high definition. Its advanced backside illumination sensor delivers great-looking video in both bright and low-light settings. And in dark environments, you can brighten the scene with the built-in LED light.

Edit video right on iPhone.

No need to wait until you’re back at your computer to edit video. You can perform basic editing right in the Camera app. Just drag to select start and end points on a filmstrip.

Turn your video clips into a finished movie. With iMovie on iPhone 4.

You’re on vacation, and you want to create a video postcard of everything you did that day and share it with your family. Just use the iMovie app — coming soon to the App Store for just $4.99. Built just for iPhone 4, iMovie lets you combine and edit video clips, polish your movies with dynamic themes and transitions, add music and photos, and share your finished movies with the world.

Source : apple.com

iPhone 4 is slimmer, big on features

The new iPhone comes out June 24 and will have a higher-resolution screen, longer battery life and thinner design.

CEO Steve Jobs opened Apple Inc's annual conference for software developers yesterday by demonstrating the iPhone 4, which will cost US$199 or US$299 (RM700 or RM1,000) in the United States, with a two-year cellular service contract, depending on the capacity.

The iPhone 3GS, which made its debut last year, will still be available and for US$99 (RM340) in the States.

Some of the mystery surrounding Apple's latest creation had been punctured in April, when the tech blog Gizmodo bought a lost iPhone prototype for US$5,000 (RM17,000) and posted pictures of the unit.

Apple demanded it back, and authorities have been investigating whether a Gizmodo editor broke any laws.

"Stop me if you've already seen this," Jobs said yesterday as he started his demo.

The iPhone 4 is sleeker and more advanced than the original iPhone that came out in 2007. Like the iPhone 3GS, it comes in black or white, though it has a more angular look.

Its front and back are covered with glass, and it is rimmed with stainless steel that acts as part of the phone's antenna.

It is about three-eighths of an inch thick; the iPhone 3GS is nearly half an inch. It can shoot high-definition video, catching up to some other smartphones.

It has a gyroscope in addition to other sensors, to enable more advanced motion-sensing applications, such as games and mapping services.

The display on the iPhone remains 3.5in (8.9cm) diagonally, but Jobs noted that it can show four times as many pixels - the individual coloured dots that make up an image - as the previous screen. That makes for a sharper appearance.

SLIMMER: A close up of the new iPhone 4 at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. - AP

One of the most noticeable changes is the iPhone's new camera on the front that can be used for videoconferencing, in addition to a 5.0-megapixel camera and a flash on the back.

For now, the videoconferencing function, FaceTime, works only if both parties to the call have an iPhone 4 and are connected over WiFi rather than a cellphone network.

Jobs indicated that FaceTime will eventually work over cellular networks, saying Apple needs to "work a little bit" with wireless providers to make it "ready for the future."

The battery on the new iPhone will allow up to seven hours of talk time - an improvement over five hours on the last model. It can handle up to six hours of web browsing over cellular networks or 10 hours over WiFi.

The new phone will run the latest version of Apple's mobile software, now called iOS4, which Apple unveiled in April to offer such features as the ability to operate more than one program at a time.

Older iPhones and iPod Touch devices will be able to get iOS4 as a free download June 21, though not all features will work on them.

New applications for the device will include a version of the popular game Farmville and one from Netflix (available only in the United States) that lets people watch streaming video where they left off on their TV.

TWO COLOURS: The new Apple iPhone 4 in black and white. - AP

Apple is trying to tighten the links between the iPhone and its iPad tablet, which came out April 3. It is releasing a version of its iBooks e-reading application for the iPhone, which means people could buy an e-book from Apple on either device and read it on either one as well.

Michael Gartenberg, a partner at analyst firm Altimeter Group, said the iPhone upgrade puts pressure on smartphone makers that use Google's Android operating software.

Android, which was first released on a phone in 2008, has been gaining popularity as major phone makers such have Motorola Inc have relied on the software for iPhone rivals such as the Droid.

"I think Apple knows how to teach people about things they don't yet know they want," he said. - AP