One of the biggest let downs for Apple fan boys world wide was the lack of SDK with the original release of the iPhone. Apple are trying to make things right with the official announcement of the upcoming SDK and version 2.0 of the iPhone firmware. Doesn’t it sound to good to be true?
Ok, instead of writing about the people who are already announced programs for the iPhone and Touch (Salesforce and Will Wright’s Spore), or the new additions that Apple are adding to the new firmware (Exchange support for the corporate user), lets think of ways Apple will turn this against the user.
Apple have this fantastic way of making people pay for everything. If you didn’t know, Apple were the people who started removing the power adapter from the iPods, that caused most other companies to adopt the habit. Now they are releasing a SDK, but you will have to buy new software through the iTunes store. Not just a video, sound and game distribution platform any more.
That isn’t all either. To publish an application you have to pay Apple a fee of $US99, and 30% of sales. It means that if you were planning to make open source software with the SDK, you better think again.
What other evils are Apple planning with this software package? Other then the licensing of ActiveSync for the corporate world (which is utter crap), they have hinted about unlocked phones losing access to the store. This will also include any hacked devices, that are quite happily enjoying free software addons already.
Apple have taken the ability to modify a potentially great device, taking away the ability for consumers to crack it open and change the way the device is used, and turned it into a money making machine for large companies to overcharge people for software that should have come standard with the device in the first place. You will be able to enjoy your Apple induced prison around June of this year.

For more info, click over to DailyTech.

I am starting to really like what Samsung are doing with the P2. I am more excited by what they will add to upcoming firmware, then I am by upcoming devices. The latest update V3.15, adds a few games, FM radio to MP3 recording, new repeat functions, playback speed control and Emoture 1.5. If that is just an update, imagine what you will get in the next full release!

For more info, click over to Engadget.

That is right, the Samsung P2 has got even better, with a new firmware upgrade. The firmware is named BlueWave 2 and adds Touch Games (PowWow, Bubble Smile, and Jigsaw Puzzle), FM Radio recording support, repeat A-B (something to do with repeat), Play Speed Control (make everyone sound like chipmunks on speed), File Deletion support (it didn’t come with it originally?) and EmoTure 1.5 (nothing to do with hating life and being hated by your father). If there is something missing don’t worry,  because there is still BlueWave 3 on the roadmap, and it will surely be extra awesomer.

For more info, click over to AnythingButiPod.

If you own a Nikon D80 and haven’t done a firmware upgrade yet, it is time to do it. Though it isn’t life changing for most, it does add support for the new USB Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) and fixes a effects of noise reduction processing performed at shutter speeds of 1 - 8s with shutter speed set to “bulb”, when ON is selected for Long Exp. Did I mention it is now “Certified for Windows Vista”? Will it is.

For more info, click over to Crave.  For the firmware go here for Windows, or here for Mac.

It didn’t take to long to break open Apple’s 1.1.3 firmware, but seems that hackers already have. Jailbreak is now doable on your 1.1.3 iPod Touch or iPhone, with one problem. They haven’t released the info on how to do it. Apparently it is too complicated and they are working on making it easier for the average user. Expect it pretty soon, considering what the Jailbreak team have already accomplished.

For more info, jump over to PMPToday.

MacWorld was great this year for iPhone lovers, who have now been shown an up and coming version 1.1.3 firmware for the device. Apple also showed off a 16GB iPhone, which is a much nicer size then the current 8GB (where is the 32GB?).
Unfortunately if you are a iPod Touch owner, Apple have decided to screw you with a $20 fee for some add-on software. For your $US20 you get Mail, Weather, Stocks, Notes, and Maps. Nice but those apps already come for free with your iPhone for free. Who would have thought that the $US400 you spent on your device wasn’t enough to justify some little applications.
In the case of both devices, you can expect hackers to take them apart and bring them back together with those features and more. For that it will cost you nothing (except maybe a bricked device).

It’s apparently for real people and it will guarantee break you old hacks and give you didley squat. Gizmodo have said “the update breaks unlocks and third-party apps, patching previous vulnerabilities at the same time.” If it is anything to go by, it seems it is the end of the world… at least for people with unlocked iPhones (unless they don’t upgrade and/or wait 10mins for someone to hack it after it is officially released).

For more info, click over to the Gizmodo Blog.

Who wants to be able to stream internet radio, schedule television recordings and use OPML RSS feeds (whatever that is) from your PSP? Firmware 3.80 brings that to the table as well as other things. Updated features include streaming Internet Radio player, video scene search, RSS support for OPML and pictures, 1Seg tuners can use an EPG to schedule Japanese mobile television recordings (only on the Slim) and PlayStation Spot now available at BB Mobile Point (Japan only). Is it enough for most people, especially anyone outside of Japan to warrant losing your custom firmware? Probably now sorry.

For more info, click over to the Engadget Blog.

It seems that Nintendo may be getting in trouble with the MP3 playback feature on the Wii. In the upcoming update to the Photo Channel, Nintendo will take away MP3 playback and replaced with it with AAC playback. Apparently there is a licensing fee to off the playback of MP3 files, and that fee is more then the AAC codec. Its funny that Microsoft and Sony are about to add a great amount of useful features to their consoles as Nintendo is taking away.

For more info, click over to the Engadget Blog.

Come December the 2nd and the Xbox 360 will be able to do what both the Wii and PS3 have been able to do for months. The 360 will get a dashboard update that will allow it to download and play Xbox 1 games. The games currently announced are Fable, Indigo Prophecy, Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex, Burnout 3, and Halo: Combat Evolved.
The advantage that Microsoft has is that the Xbox 1 is a lot newer console when compared to the PS1 games you can get for the PS3 and the N64 and older you can get for the Wii. That also touches another problem though. The Xbox 1 had a DVD drive, so games were relatively large compared to the older generation consoles. This means you been have very fast internet and the Elite model (for the 120GB storage) or you may be up the creek. I guess in the end the deal breaker will be the price it costs to to buy the games.

For more info, click over to the Joystiq Blog.