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Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock video: first trailer revealed
iPhone 4.0 launch: Coverage starts Monday
Call of Duty: Black Ops – no co-op campaign but possibly zombies
iPhone 4.0 poll: Will you be buying one?
Klipsch Image X10i: audiophile headset for iPhone!
iPhone 4.0: 5 rivals worth waiting for
iPad beware: another Asus Eee Pad incoming?
Dell Streak review: Live Q&A on Monday!
iPad UK one week on: how do you use yours?
Nintendo 3DS launch nears, DSi price slashed

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock video: first trailer revealed

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 09:05 AM PDT

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock has just got official with its first trailer hitting ahead of E3. You'll be strapping on your plastic guitar for what Activision claims is the biggest bundle of tracks ever featured in one Guitar Hero or Rock Band instalment with 90 songs stuffed onto the disc. Read on for the Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock video trailer and the setlist so far…

As we'd heard previously, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock will feature a Quest Mode narrated by Gene Simmons. It'll see you travel from CBGB's in New York to what Activision dubs "the molten lava fields of rock treachery". When you get there you'll have to battle The Beast to win the game (he's the snouty looking chap in the screen cap).

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock will also feature a new Quickplay+ mode. In it, you'll face 13 challenges for each song on the Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock disc as well as all DLC tracks released since Guitar Hero: World Tour. The tasks will include trying to notch up the longest band streak and Power Challenge which Activision promises will lead to "ridiculously high scores".

Here's the first tranche of tracks set for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, take a gander and let us know what other acts you're hoping make the tour and whether you're planning to pick up the game or will go for Rock Band 3 instead:

AFI – “Dancing Through Sunday”
Anthrax – “Indians”
Avenged Sevenfold – “Bat Country”
Black Sabbath – “Children Of The Grave”
Buzzcocks – “What Do I Get?”
Children Of Bodom – “If You Want Peace… Prepare For War”
The Cure – “Fascination Street”
Def Leppard – “Pour Some Sugar On Me (Live)”
Dethklok – “Bloodlines”
Dire Straits – “Money For Nothing”
DragonForce – “Fury of the Storm”
Drowning Pool – “Bodies”
Fall Out Boy – “Dance, Dance”
Foo Fighters – “No Way Back”
Foreigner – “Feels Like The First Time”
The Hives – “Tick Tick Boom”
Jane’s Addiction – “Been Caught Stealing”
Jethro Tull – “Aqualung”
KISS – “Love Gun”
Linkin Park – “Bleed It Out”
Megadeth – “Sudden Death”
Metallica & Ozzy Osbourne – “Paranoid (Live)”
Muse – “Uprising”
My Chemical Romance – “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)”
Night Ranger – ” (You Can Still) Rock In America”
Nine Inch Nails – “Wish”
The Offspring – “Self Esteem”
Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Rammstein – “Waidmanns Heil”
The Rolling Stones – “Stray Cat Blues”
Silversun Pickups – “There’s No Secrets This Year”
Slayer – “Chemical Warfare”
Slipknot – “Psychosocial”
Stone Temple Pilots – “Interstate Love Song”
ZZ Top – “Sharp Dressed Man (Live)”

Out TBC | £TBC | Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

iPhone 4.0 launch: Coverage starts Monday

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 08:17 AM PDT

The gadget world awaits the iPhone 4.0 launch with bated breath, and the money’s on the much leaked mobile finally being made official on Monday. Steve Jobs is set to grace the stage of Apple’s WWDC conference, and if he pulls the revamped iPhone out of his pocket, you’ll be the first to know: we’ll have all the coverage right here from 6pm.

Apple’s WWDC 2010 conference goes down at the Moscone West centre in San Francisco next week, and to kick things off, Apple boss Steve Jobs is hosting the keynote on Monday at 10am Pacific time – that’s 6pm in the UK.

WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) may not sound like the most action packed of events, but it’s where the iPhone 3GS was launched this time last year. Given the staggering amount of leaks of the iPhone 4.0 we’ve seen over the last few months, we’d be very surprised if Jobs didn’t use the setting to unveil the lust worthy smartphone.

iPhone 4.0 revealed: new iPhone specs in full

That’s not all we might see of course: there could be plenty of iPad news, and revelations about iPhone OS 4 on the new iPhone 4 too. Then of course there are all the rumours whirling around a new Mac Mini and a redesigned Apple TV running iPhone OS – perhaps a conference with all the world’s leading iPhone developers present would be the place to launch it?

Whatever happens, check back here at 6pm on Monday for all the iPhone 4.0 and Apple headlines as they break.

Out TBC | £TBC | Apple

Call of Duty: Black Ops – no co-op campaign but possibly zombies

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 08:08 AM PDT

Call of Duty: Black Ops won't come packing a co-op campaign like Call of Duty: World at War so if you were hoping to shoot your way through the story with some friends, you're out of luck. But the developers at Treyarch are promising several dedicated Call of Duty: Black Ops co-op modes and it seems the return of the undead could still be in their plans…

Mark Lamia, Treyarch studio head, confirmed to MTV Multiplayer that just Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops has kicked the idea of a co-op campaign into the long grass. Instead, the main story will remain a strictly solo endeavour. He says co-op will be for "when you want to play competitively…and really chisel and hone your skills."

But the good news is that we'll be getting several co-op modes in Call of Duty: Black Ops. One of the Call of Duty: Black Ops secrets previously revealed by the developers is the existence of multiplayer missions for four.

Lamia says the co-op modes in Call of Duty: Black Ops will be different from the Specs Ops mode in Modern Warfare 2. But the good news for fans of the zombie co-op mode in Call of Duty: World at War is that Lamia stayed conspicuously tight lipped when quizzed about a return for it in Call of Duty: Black Ops. We'll take that as a yes…

We're getting seriously excited after watching the Call of Duty: Black Ops trailer but does the continuing lack of a co-op campaign bother you? Let us know what features you're hoping to find in the Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer modes.

Out November | From £34.99 | Call of Duty: Black Ops

iPhone 4.0 poll: Will you be buying one?

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 07:37 AM PDT

We’ve seen the iPhone 4.0 countless times by now, and we’re all expecting it to be made official on Monday at Steve Jobs’ WWDC keynote. Now we know it’s coming this time, we want to know what you make of it so far. Will you be buying one? Vote in our poll and tell us if you’ll be lining up at launch, iPad style.

It’s pretty clear by now that the iPhone 4.0 will be packing a revamped shell and sharper screen, and a front facing camera for video chat, while a processor similar to the iPad’s is a good bet too. But combined with the multitasking iPhone OS 4, is that enough to make you switch? Will you be buying one straight out of the gate, holding on for reviews and your contract to expire, or shunning it completely?

iPhone 4.0: Your ideal iPhone revealed

Whatever you’re planning on, we’d love to know. Just dish out your two cents on the iPhone 4.0 in the poll below, and scribble in your comments too. We’ll be back will all the results on Monday, just in time for launch!

Out TBC | £TBC | Apple

Klipsch Image X10i: audiophile headset for iPhone!

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 07:36 AM PDT

Need a new pair of iPhone headphones and don't want to skimp on audio quality? Then you might want stick the new Klipsch Image X10i headset in you lugholes: these in-ear headphones feature an in-line mic and remote control compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPod.

The Klipsch X10i is based around the Klipsch X10 audio-only headphones, as you might have guessed, but squirrels away a microphone discreetly in the yoke where the left and right headphone cables split apart. It's a 360 degree design that, Klipsch says, you won't have to hold near your mouth in order to get your voice across. It also boasts echo cancellation to cut out background babble.

Aside from this, the Klipsch X10i features the same oval-shaped eartips and ultra-lightweight design as the X10, and the eartips (five sets of which are included in the box) fit in your ears tightly to keep out external noise.

Each Klipsch X10i earpiece sports a full-range armature micro-speaker with a tuned bass-reflex system. Klipsch reckons it's so good that you shouldn't listen to low quality MP3s on it: the X10i will reveal all those nasty compression flaws.

Out now | £229.95 | Klipsch

iPhone 4.0: 5 rivals worth waiting for

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 07:05 AM PDT

With iPhone 4.0 making its debut on Monday at WWDC, we've scoured the shelves of the rumour mill and peered into the future to hunt down five potential rivals with the power, features and aesthetic appeal to challenge its rumoured specs and sleek new design. Read on for our list of the forthcoming phones that may encourage you to keep your credit card holstered on Monday…

Nokia N8
The Nokia N8 could very well be the most compelling of the iPhone 4.0 rivals. It's got the capacitive touchscreen and multitouch smarts that iPhone fans expect but there's a 12MP camera in there too and the ability to record and edit 720p HD video. The Nokia N8 also has the charms of free Ovi Maps navigation to combat the threat from Google Maps. The big mystery is whether the Symbian ^3 OS will be able to match the features set to flood in with iPhone OS 4.0.

LG LU2300
It may not have an official UK release date yet but the spy shots of the LG LU2300 got the official nod from LG UK and it arrived in Japan last month. It’ll come packing a super-fast Snapdragon processor which is up to a tussle with the Apple A4 chip rumoured to reside within iPhone 4.0 and a 5MP camera which matches the leaked iPhone 4.0 specs. Its other big plus will be the full slide-out QWERTY keyboard which could lure fleet-fingered phone fans away from iPhone 4.0's touchscreen charms.

Blackberry Slider 9800
This is a bit of a wild card entry into our list of future iPhone 4.0 rivals. We know the Blackberry Slider is being prepped by RIM but we're still waiting for official word on it from the email empire. While the recently unveiled Blackberry Pearl 3G plumped for a phone keypad, the Blackberry Slide will go with a sliding QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen combo. It'll also feature the freshly tweaked Blackberry 6 OS which could outgun iPhone OS 4.0 when it comes to hardcore emailing smarts.

LG Panther
The LG Panther, the LG Windows Phone 7 handset we got our hands on recently, looks set to rival iPhone 4.0 for the hearts of business folk. While Windows Phone 7 multitasking has been thrown out for the time being, Bing Maps and fully-fledged Office support plus a sturdy landscape keyboard could help promote the LG Panther as the mobile of choice for document dependent road warriors. We're still waiting on a UK release date but the LG Panther should slink in by the end of the year.

Motorola Shadow
The heavily-rumoured follow up to the Motorola Milestone, the Motorola Shadow will become a major member of the Android army. It won't match the 12MP camera nestled in the Nokia N8 but with an 8MP sensor and larger 4.3in screen its charms could pose a significant threat to iPhone 4.0. We're also told that it'll arrive with the superior skills of Android 2.2 on board, 16GB of expandable internal storage, a speedy Snapdragon chip and HDMI out.

Let us know: do you think you'll end up grabbing iPhone 4.0? Or could one of these handsets win your hand in contractual bliss? Think we're missing an even better upcoming iPhone 4.0 rival? Tell us!

iPad beware: another Asus Eee Pad incoming?

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 07:03 AM PDT

We know all about the 10 and 12-inch Asus Eee Pads launched earlier, but the company has just shown off another iPad rival at Computex, apparently another, differently-styled Eee Pad (yeah, that isn't confusing at all). And it might be on the Menlow platform, rather than the Eee Pad's Atom platform.

The prototype Asus Eee Pad (or possibly "Epad", according to the sign on the Intel booth) boasts a different design to the 12 and 10-inch Asus Eee Pads we saw the other day – it looks a bit nicer, less plasticky and bit more "premium" to our eyes – and looks pretty much like a finished, market-ready product.

The Intel Menlow platform (as apparently featured on the upcoming HP Slate) allows devices to be made very thin, and the sheer skinniness of the prototype may suggest that it's using that, rather than the netbook platform seen on the officially launched Asus Eee Pads we saw earlier.

The Asus Eee Pad prototype is running Windows 7 and sports the usual variety of connections, including USB and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Will it come to market to take on the might of the Apple iPad? Well, given that Asus has already announced a pair of tablets and said nothing official about this, we wouldn't count on it. But you never know…

Out TBC | £TBC | Asus (via UMPC Portal)

Dell Streak review: Live Q&A on Monday!

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 06:42 AM PDT

The Dell Streak may not be the only turbo smartphone that goes on sale this month (A certain iPhone 4 might just be appearing), but it’s certainly the most hyped Android handset since the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. We’re going to be giving it the full review treatment, but before we do, we’ve pencilled in a live Q&A for us to answer all your questions. Get your calendar out: it’s going down on Monday afternoon.

We’ve been following the Dell Streak’s progress from leaked prototype last year to shipping slate on these fair shores, and if you’re as piqued by it as we are, you’ll want to tune in on Monday at 2pm for our Dell Streak live Q&A. We’ll be fielding questions, taking photos and testing out anything you want to know about it for an hour, so if you’re thinking about nabbing one, check back then with your with your wishlist, and we’ll answer each and every single one.

Dell Streak hands on photos galore

We’re off to road test the Dell Streak this weekend, but in the meantime, pop that time in your diary and take a look at all the photos so far. And don’t forget, Apple’s WWDC keynote kicks off just a few hours later, so even if it’s sunny, be sure to stick around by a screen for live coverage.

Out Now | £from free on contract | Dell and O2

iPad UK one week on: how do you use yours?

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 06:03 AM PDT

The iPad UK launch was seven days ago and whether you took to the queues or plumped for a preorder, we're now wondering: how do you use yours? Has the iPad left your laptop playing second fiddle? Are you amassing a vast library of iBooks? Has the tablet even taken over from your telly? Read on to find out what the Electricpig iPad has been up to and share your iPad stories…

In our iPad review: one month on, James shared his experiences from toting the Wi-Fi only Apple tablet long term. He called it "a dream device" and found that it became a nightly ritual to use it to surf the web, read books and watch TV shows.

Without the iPad 3G, he didn't take his iPad out of the house much but it did become the go-to device for listening to music at home and watching video. What it hasn't managed to do yet is replace his Macbook Pro because of the lack of an easy way to add attachments or upload to the web. New features in iPhone OS 4.0 could change that.

How does James's experience tally with your first week with the iPad? Have you invested in the keyboard dock? What other iPad accessories have you snapped up?

Are you putting your iPad to a more unusual use? In the video below, a Japanese surgeon take his iPad in the operating room. Can you top that?

Hit the comments and tell us how you’re using your iPad.

Out now | From £429 | Apple

Nintendo 3DS launch nears, DSi price slashed

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 05:33 AM PDT

The Nintendo 3DS is only a few months away, and it seems that Nintendo have chosen to trim the price of the DSi in preparation. Read on for the deets on how Nintendo's twin-screen handheld just got a lot cheaper…

Earlier this week, Nintendo announced a drop in the Nintendo DSi trade price, and that's now being reflected by online retailers. ShopTo, for instance, have chopped the price from £149.99 to £119.85 (red and metallic blue models), while Amazon.co.uk has dropped it down to a mere £119.99 (for the red model only, oddly – the metallic blue and light blue DSi models are £129.99).

Not only than that, Amazon.co.uk now seems to be selling the supersized Nintendo DSi XL close to the regular DSi's RRP of £149.94.

Nintendo 3DS secrets revealed!

Why the price drop, then? Well, we reckon it could be due to the imminent launch of the Nintendo 3DS, the 3D version of the DS. Nintendo is due to give the Nintendo 3DS its proper launch at the E3 gaming expo, which runs from 15-17 June. We'll be covering the Nintendo E3 keynote live, so keep it here to find out all about the Nintendo 3DS as it's revealed!

We don't know the exact date for the Nintendo 3DS launch yet, but the rumour mill has it pegged for October.

Out now | From £119.99 | Nintendo (via Amazon and ShopTo)