Apple's 9.9.09 Event: Live Updates

Steve Jobs is back in action!

The man, the myth, the legend has announced:

-Video Nano will come in a variety of colors: pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, silver, black. 8GB $159 and 16GB for $179, both will be available today.

-iPod Shuffle's voice over commands will be available in Nano. iPod gets a video camera! iPod Nano gets camera, microphone and speaker built into every unit.

-The iPod Shuffle will now come in more colors. Pink, green, and blue in addition to the silver and black. It's also now $59 for 2Gb and $79 for 4GB. There's also a special edition in stainless steel for $99.

-Now onto the iPod Classic. Now it will be 160GB for $249, which is up from 120GB.

-OpenGL ES 2.0 is also on the iPod Touch now, so games are faster--except for the $199 version, which will not have that.

-Apple competing with DS and PSP as a "better" gaming handheld. Over 21,000 entertainment and gaming Apps. Assassin's Creed II coming, Madden '10 available today.

-As of today, the iPod Touch is $199 for 8GB. You can also get 32GB for $299 and 64GB for $399 now, all new price cuts.

-iPhone OS 3.01: The update will fix some bugs, and will be available today

-iTunes 9: Much easier to manage. Introduces Home Sharing. Can use Twitter and Facebook to share info about songs you like. Introduces iTunes LP, which brings back the fun of buying a CD. Album artwork, lyrics, etc. much easier to view. Available today.

Thanks to CNET's Erica Ogg for the play-by-play

Apple drops iPod prices, new iPod will be announced

Today, Apple is scheduled to announce a line of new iPods (or some mysterious announcements) starting today at 1pm EST. In the meantime, it seems the company is preparing for the new stock by cutting prices on existing models. Currently, here are the new prices:

iTouch:
8GB = $189
16GB = $249
32GB = $279

Nano:
16GB $149
8GB $129

Rumor is that the new iPods will include camera and microphone support. Additionally, rumors of The Beatles finally coming to iTunes have been swirling. Check back later today for a full report!

Mac OSX Snow Leopard will arrive this Friday

The new Snow Leopard operating system will be available for Mac this Friday, Apple stated today. The company will be offering the upgrade for just $29 for a single user or $49 for a family. The OS has a ton of features and improvements, many of which we discussed previously.

Reasons why you'll want Apple's new Snow Leopard OS

Although some might consider it more of a refinement over Leopard, Apple promises to bring the goods with their latest OS, Snow Leopard. As of now, the OS has a street date of early September, giving Mac users just a few weeks to decide whether they'll be upgrading. So what's new with Snow, and is it worth the relatively low $29 to upgrade?

Much of the changes will be noticed with the performance of your machine. Snow's install time will be 45 percent quicker than Leopard. Additionally, you'll notice much faster boot and shut down times, which to me is reason enough to upgrade. Once booted up, connecting to a wireless network and using the Time Machine back up functions will both be much faster as well.

Application wise, Snow brings with it Quicktime X. X will include features previously exclusive to the pay version, now for free. One of those features is video editing! You can even record audio and video using X.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 users will be happy to know the application received improved supported with Snow, integrating Mail, iCal and Address Book. Outlook users will be able to view their calendar, mail and other features through their personal computers as well.

So is it worth it? We think so. Paying 30 bucks for hardware enhancements is always worth it in my mind. While some of you many not care about the application improvements, your better off staying in the Snow.

Thanks, CNET's Erica Ogg

Sims 3 expansion pack "World Adventures" announced

"World Adventures," The Sims 3's first expansion pack, has been announced. EA plans to launch the expansion pack the week of November 16th. Here's the official EA press release below:

[“We’re thrilled with the global success of The Sims 3 over these last few months and are looking forward to expanding on the gameplay experience with one of the most robust expansion packs to The Sims yet,” said Scott Evans, General Manager of The Sims at EA. “Players will be able to take their Sims on the adventure of a lifetime and explore lands outside of Sunset Valley and Riverview, pursue thrilling new life destinies in locations around the world inspired by famous destinations, and immerse themselves in the open-ended gameplay where they’ll discover new cities in China, France and Egypt and share new stories.”

Players can take their Sims on new journeys to famous real-world inspired destinations around the globe for the first time ever and seek out new adventures. While exploring the landmarks of an exotic city, there is no telling what the Sims will find. From mastering martial arts in Shang Simla, China, discovering rich culture and famous landmarks on a romantic getaway to Champs Les Sims, France or exploring the depths of ancient tombs in Al Simhara, Egypt, players can take their Sims on a journey that will change their Sims’ lives. Players can accept challenges to search for secret treasures, learn new skills and chase down new personal opportunities, meet new Sims with unique personalities, share their culture and bring them home, discover new styles on their travels, and share everything they encounter on their adventures with the world through personal photographs, movies, and stories. Additionally, players will receive 1,000 SimPoints to be used online in The Sims 3 Store*** for the PC/MAC versions of the game. Exclusive online content, available only for the expansion pack at launch, will be revealed soon.

The Sims 3 World Adventures will also be available for feature phones, the iPhone™ and iPod touch® in early 2010 from EA Mobile™. These versions will have customized mobile gameplay features which will be revealed in the coming months. For information on carrier availability and pricing for all EA Mobile games, please visit www.eamobile.com.]

Apple still Blu-Ray-less, except Final Cut Studio

Blu-Ray is quickly becoming more accepted by general audiences as a true competitor for DVD. No it won't overturn the service anytime soon, but people are starting to take notice of the graphical advancements the format presents.

Despite being a leader in technical innovation, Apple still isn't jumping on the Blu-Ray bandwagon. However, it has been announced that Apple will allow Blu-Ray disc burning for projects created in the latest Final Cut Studio. Definitely a step in the right direction, but still not enough. How can people feel safe purchasing a wide Blu-Ray collection if they can't even use them on their computers or laptops?

Even Wal-Mart is advertising Blu-Ray players, despite their ads strictly going after that soccer mom demographic. You know, the ones who wear mom jeans and rent Disney Blu-Rays for their kids. Regardless, we need Blu-Ray players to become standard in a larger percentage of the PC and Mac marketplace, or else HD saturation might be a ways away.

Rumored Apple Tablet to debut next year?

Now I know what you are thinking. This is probably the 14th time this rumored Apple tablet has been talked about. But really this time, insiders have leaked some info that the tab might hit stores early next year. As early as January to be exact.

It would serve as like a MacBook sized iTouch, giving you all the functionality of a MacBook with the interface of an iTouch in one portable unit of badassery. Only time will tell if the tablet will become as successful as every other Apple product over the past decade, but if there's any hesitation, they can feel free to send me one to try out... please.

CNet

Where's Waldo? He's on your Wii!

Forget the rebirth of Ghostbusters. Where's Waldo is coming back to consoles with his newest adventure, Where's Waldo? The Fantastic Journey. The game will land on Wii, DS, Mac and PC. The game will release this September consisting of the beloved premise of...well, where's Waldo. Check out the boxart below:
Joystiq