Crave

This is the last time we let Wilson choose the show title. Good news--The 404 Wikipedia page is BACK! Edit away, but please don't redirect the page. Today we talk about a fake bus stop in Germany, a "green" iPhone app, the iPhone 4G prototype, the "World of Warcraft" movie, and Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince of Persia.

The Iron Chef of Persia.

(Credit: Kotaku)

That's right folks, our Wikipedia page is back up, and we're praying it's permanent this time! Big ups to our buddy Darth Paxton for helping us out, so go ahead and edit it all you like (we can't edit it ourselves) with inside jokes, characters, guests, etc., but please don't edit the redirections, those need to stay in place. Whoo! We're notable!!!

Also, do not attempt to adjust your monitor, the photo to the left is indeed our first look at Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince of Persia. With those two swords in his hands and that red sash around his waist, he looks more like a chef at a Chinese restaurant than the video game hero.

Speaking of bad video game movies, we're afraid to see what Sam Raimi has in store for the "World of Warcraft" movie adaptation, although it'd be pretty funny to just have a half an hour of peons mining and chopping wood.

A quick disclaimer: there are two stories in today's rundown that some might deem offensive, but although they're both a little dark, the beauty of The 404 is being able to find a lighthearted (and sometimes tasteless) joke in everything! For example, here's a funny story about a fake bus stop in a clinic that's designed to keep its Alzheimer's patients from escaping. Sounds awful, right? I agree--maybe all the money they spent on building this "net" could have been used to pay more nurses and doctors to determine the reason why the patients are trying desperately to escape in the first place!

Anyway, that's the first story. You'll have to listen to the full episode, which also includes news about an eBay auction for an original Sony PlayStation signed by Michael Jackson and a very "green friendly" iPhone app

EPISODE 387

Sprint customers in Vegas might be claiming "Jackpot!" right now, as they will be among the first in the U.S. to experience Sprint's 4G network starting this August. Sprint claims the 4G speeds are three to five times faster than 3G, with a peak downlink speed of more than 10Mbps and an average of 3 to 6Mbps. Sprint's 4G services are running on Clearwire's WiMax network, which is no surprise considering Sprint's 51 percent stake in the WiMax company.

Sprint first started its 4G rollout in Baltimore in September 2008, then it released a 3G/4G USB modem in December to take advantage of the faster speeds. Other cities slated to have 4G installed are Atlanta and Portland in August, and Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Honolulu, Philadelphia, and Seattle by the end of the year.

Now that the iPhone 3G S is officially behind us, let me be the first--or at least one of the first--to announce the countdown to the next new iPhone. If history is any indication, it should show up right around this time next year.

Interestingly, even though the 3G S is technically Apple's third-generation iPhone, some tech pundits were expecting the iPhone 3G S to be called the iPhone 4G. But you could also argue that the iPhone 3G S is more like the iPhone 3.5G, which doesn't have the greatest ring.

There's also a chance that in between the iPhone 3G S and iPhone 4G (or whatever it's called), we might see a totally new branch of iPhone, something akin to an iPhone Mini or Lite.

I'm not sure Apple needs to answer to the smaller form factor of the Palm Pre, but there are some people out there who think the iPhone's just a tad too big. And there are some people who want a physical keyboard, but don't count on Apple slipping in a slide-out keyboard anytime soon.

Gizmodo and other blogs posted this concept art for the iPhone 4G before Apple announced the 3G S.

(Credit: Rodolphe Desmare)

All that said, I do think next year's iPhone will feature a new design that also includes a new screen. Some mock-ups floating around have suggested the aluminum unibody design of the new MacBooks. That's possible, but so are a host of other innovative industrial designs.

The point is, the next go-round, it's probably not enough to just stick with upgraded internal components. Some significant cosmetic changes will be required to differentiate the generations and more easily entice upgrades by existing iPod owners. And I'm not talking matte vs. shiny finish.

Ultimately, however, it's what's inside that counts and consumers are always wanting faster, more powerful smartphones with more memory that somehow manage to be more energy-efficient and offer better battery life. There's already talk of the next iPhone having a dual-core processor and better graphics chips that can deliver higher video resolutions and better still images when taking pictures (read Brooke Crothers' story on new ARM chips here).

The question is whether Apple can continue to increase battery life at the same time. In fact, one big reason a lot of people are interested in upgrading from the 3G to the 3G S is because of the improved battery life.

Beyond the hardware, there are still features concerns to address (everybody has their wishlist) and more importantly, carrier and pricing plan issues. Someday, some other carrier, perhaps Verizon, which is preparing to build out a 4G network, will get the iPhone. And someone, maybe Apple, will declare that iPhone the iPhone 4G. Or maybe it'll just be the 3G V. All I know is that come this time next year, we'll most likely be seeing a new iPhone. And it will be here before you know it.

Comments? Aside from a carrier choice, what are looking for in a true 4G iPhone?

AT&T announced Wednesday plans to double the speed of its wireless broadband network by 2011. The move to HSPA technology, and eventually LTE networks, will begin later this year.

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson outlined the carrier's plans at the D: All Things Digital conference in Carlsbad, Calif. "We are going to go ahead and deploy some rather aggressive wireless broadband," Stephenson said.

HSPA, which stand for High Speed Packet Access, is the next evolution in the carrier's 3G wireless broadband network. Though it promises peak data speeds of 7.2Mbps, slower speeds will be more likely in real-world use. AT&T's current UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) network tops out at 3.6Mpbs.

The nation's second largest carrier also announced that the move to HSPA will allow it to begin testing its LTE technology for an initial deployment in 2011. LTE (Long-Term Evolution), which Verizon has also adopted, is a 4G technology that promises peak download speeds of at least 50Mbps.

The upgrade to HSPA is one of a series of initiatives that AT&T unveiled this week. The carrier also plans to expand coverage of the GSM 850 band, deploy 2,100 new cell sites across the country, and add 20 new 3G markets for a total of 370. What's more, the carrier promised to increase Wi-Fi coverage so that smartphone and laptop cards will be able to switch seamlessly between Wi-Fi and the cellular network.

Sprint Nextel announced Wednesday that it will start selling dual-mode 3G/4G wireless broadband modems for laptops starting Sunday.

Sprint 3G/4G USB Modem U300

(Credit: Sprint Nextel)

The new device allows users to access both Sprint's 3G cellular data network and the new 4G WiMax wireless network the company is building as part of the new Clearwire venture.

The modem known as the Sprint 3G/4G USB Modem U300 will use the new 4G Clearwire network with download speeds between 2 Mbps and 4Mbps where that network is available. And when users are out of range of the 4G wireless network, they will automatically be able to access Sprint's 3G network, which offers average downloads of between 600 Kbps and 1.4 Mbps, according to Sprint.

Sprint launched the 4G WiMax network called Xohm in Baltimore in October, just months before it officially merged its WiMax network with Clearwire's network. The service will be launched in other markets across the country throughout 2009.

At the Baltimore launch, Sprint's CEO Dan Hesse promised a wireless data device that would allow users to access both networks for better coverage.

"It will take a while for the new (4G) network to be built ubiquitously," Hesse said during the Baltimore press event. "And we will have new multimode devices that will use 4G where it's available, and when it's not, it will downshift to 3G to provide that ubiquitous data coverage."

The new wireless modem connects via a standard USB port and costs $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and with a two-year subscription to the wireless data service. The wireless modem will be available through Sprint's direct business sales force and at most Baltimore-area Sprint stores and select Baltimore-area retailers, the company said. Starting in January, the device will also be available in Baltimore-area Best Buy stores.

The new wireless modem from Sprint will likely be a better deal for most consumers because the service, which costs $79.99 per month, offers the best coverage at the best price.

If you read the title of this weeks Gadgettes and have to ask yourself "what is fashion week?" then you are obligated to listen.

EPISODE 106

Tech-Chic--Vivienne Tam Runway NP Notebook
Sheala: Kill this notebook, or at least any this color. It burns the eyes!

The Stiletto is a laptop stand with style

In cell phone land, is purple the new red?

Spark Lamp a bright idea for energy watchers

Full review: Apple iPod Nano 4G

ConceptFascination hints at future of Mercedes E-Class

La Yin beautiful USB stick

Click to see the Crave iPod Nano 4G photo gallery.

(Credit: CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)

If yesterday's First Look wasn't enough for you, then head on over to CNET's full review of the Apple iPod Nano 4G.

Wondering if the Nano's rounded screen twists your videos like a funhouse mirror? Has Steve Jobs finally boosted the iPod's audio quality? Is it true that Apple embedded a robot voice in the Nano that will read you menu and song information? All answers will be revealed.

If reading's not your thing, we've also posted a dandy Nano 4G slide show, and you can always take another look at my hands-on video from yesterday's Let's Rock! event.

The Apple iPod Nano 4G comes in nine colors, but I, of course, chose the dullest one.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)

When I first glimpsed the leaked photos of Apple's skinny, rounded-screen redesign of the iPod Nano, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. It seemed so unlike Apple to revisit the older designs of its first- and second-generation Nano, and the wing-shaped form seemed a bit odd. Holding the Nano 4G in my hand, however, I'm starting to think that last year's squarish design was just an awkward, forgettable phase in the Nano's development. This year, Apple has set the Nano back on track with the thinnest, lightest design yet, and features that are hard to ignore.

Offered in a wide range of colors (nine total) for both the 8GB ($149) and 16GB ($199) capacities, the latest iPod Nano strikes a great balance of price and features. The iPod Nano 4G uses the same high-resolution 2-inch screen found on last year's model, only now the included screen uses a portrait orientation covered with rounded glass. Video playback requires you to turn the iPod Nano 4G on its side, much like the Flash-based Microsoft Zune MP3 players. Unlike the Zune, however, Apple has included an accelerometer within the 4G Nano that reorients the display based on how the player is held, making it easier to view photos or switch the player into Apple's Cover Flow music mode. The accelerometer also enables a new "shake-to-shuffle" feature that will automatically shuffle music playback when the player is deliberately shaken (a casual shake won't trigger the feature). The shake-to-shuffle feature can be switched off under settings and the button-hold switch at the top of the player will disengage it, as well.

Accelerometers are neat, but the big new feature rolled into the iPod Nano (as well as the new iPod Touch, iPod Classic, and iTunes 8), is a new intelligent playlist feature dubbed "Genius." Using the Genius feature, you can take a single song from your collection and create an instant playlist of 25 songs that share similar musical characteristics. Of course, the performance of the Genius function is proportional to the size of your available music collection--so mileage may vary. It is a novel new feature, however, and it'll be fun to test over time.

Other smaller features on the 4G Nano include the option to create voice recordings using an optional set of headphones that include an inline microphone (much like the headphones included with the Apple iPhone), and increased accessibility features for vision-impaired users (font size adjustment and the ability for menus and media information to be read aloud from a built-in synthetic voice). Previous Nano features such as music, photo, podcast, and video playback are unchanged, and extras like games, alarms, calendars, contacts, stopwatch, and notes are all still there.

The only bummer so far regarding the new iPod Nano is that despite the similarities of screen size and features, Apple is not offering an upgrade path for iPod Nano 3G users to get their hands on features such as on-device Genius playlist creation or increased accessibility features. Otherwise, sound quality seems to be about on a par with previous iPods, and battery life ratings of 24 hours for music and 4 hours are nearly identical to last year's specs, which promised 24 hours of audio and 5 hours of video.

I'll be writing up my full review as soon as possible with more iPod Nano 4G details to share. Stay tuned.

Click here for full coverage of Apple's "Let's Rock" event.