While the advent of mobile casino gaming is fairly recent, with the first mobile casino games popping up around 2003 or so, the roots of mobile casino gaming go deep into the history of gambling. Here is some background information about the build up to the current mobile casino revolution.

The Early Years: Floating Games

In the early days of the 20th century (when gambling was mostly illegal), those who wanted to participate in games like craps, blackjack or roulette had to do it on the sly. This resulted in “floating casinos,” games that were never in the same place twice. Equipment was set up in a back alley or a private home, with information about the game spread by word of mouth. It was mobile, but not easily so.

Mobile Casinos: Online Gambling Leads the Way

In the late 20th century, online gambling arrived, and it was the closest thing anyone had seen to mobile casino technology in a long time. If you had a laptop computer, you could get casino action anywhere that you could maintain an Internet connection and power. Wireless technology and long battery life made this easier, but it wasn’t quite what people think of when they think of mobile casinos.

Mobile Casinos: True Mobile Gaming Arrives

Finally, in the middle of the first decade of the 21st century, mobile technology and gaming technology met to form the first mobile casinos. Players could now download a casino right to their mobile device, so that they could take the casino anywhere they could take their phone, making it quite literally a mobile casino. Many of the companies who first jumped into the online casino game when it appeared now jumped into the mobile game, both software developers and service providers.

Over the few years since mobile casinos first arrived, their technology has been advancing rapidly. Graphics, sound and the range of devices that support mobile casino software have already improved dramatically and should continue to do so as the years go on. More mobile casino applications are showing up every month, just as online betting sites (such as casino, sportsbetting and poker sites) cropped up when Internet gambling first made the scene. Mobile gambling is here to stay.

Apple has just introduced its brand new iPhone 4 at the WWDC 2010 event in San Francisco, CA, with CEO Steve Jobs telling the open-eared crowd “Now, stop me if you’ve already seen this” and adding “This is one of the most beautiful designs you’ve ever seen.” But we’ve already seen it before, due to recent unpleasant leaks, and all that left is for Cupertino to finally make things official.

Basically, the new iPhone 4 is firmly constructed from a stainless steel band, used for structural support and works as dual-antenna, while both front and back are coated with real glass cover. The screen is sized at 3.5-inch, with 960 x 640 points of high resolution (x4 more) and 1:800 contrast ratio – Apple calls it “Retina Display” for its super-sharp display, boasting 326 pixels per inch. The good news is that Apple has apparently added that strong A4 processor it first planted inside the iPad, into the new iPhone. Despite its 9.3mm thick, Apple has somehow managed to stuff up the iPhone 4 with a pretty impressive battery which can literally deliver 7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of WiFi browsing, 10 hours of video, 40 hours of music, and up to 300 hours of standby – did we say impressive already? Connectivity wise, you get a 802.11n WiFi, paired with Bluetooth and equipped with GPS capabilities.

Beyond that, one of the things that is talked about a great deal  is the FaceTime video calls feature that Apple has finally tossed into the four-gen iPhone, with future plans to make it an open industry standard. In general, there are two different cameras onboard – the rear one, is at 5 megapixel with a backside illuminated sensor, x5 digital zoom, and a LED flash, featuring 720p HD video recording at 30FPS (Portrait or landscape), while the second is a front facing camera that lets you conduct smooth video calls through your iPhone – the suspense – it can only be made over wifi networks at the moment. At that note we should mention Apple’s new iMovie app that gives any iPhone user the opportunity to edit his/her video content without the need to leave your mobile device in favor of your desktop platform. iMovie is said to be available at the App Store right away for a small $4.99 price tag.

As expected, the new phone is going to run on Apple’s latest OS4 (AKA: iPhone OS 4) that includes all the good stuff we’ve already written about, such as folders, multi-tasking, iBook, iAds and more.

Other than that, the iPhone 4 also houses a microSD slot and a a three-axis gyroscope.

The new iPhone will be available in June 24th, both in white and black flavors, running for $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB), with Pre-orders start a week from tomorrow in 5 countries: US, France, Germany, UK, Japan, and 18 more following in July. The 3GS, on the other hand, will now be $99 only. PR and videos after the break.

[Apple]

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The iPhone OS 4.0 event we’ve all been anxiously awaiting, just ended with Apple delivering some striking news to the world. But before getting to those shocking news we just heard, here’s some other details that might be worth considering: As of today Apple sold about 450,000 iPads throughout the States (along 50M iPhone devices), while users have downloaded about 600,000 books and over 3.5 million apps, thus far. The iPhone OS 4 which suppose to get official release this summer, is said to provide more than 1500 new APIs for developers, who can now actually download the fourth SDK Beta package from the iPhone Dev Center, and start shaping their magical crafts.

Moving the focus point over the main buffet, it’s all about the multitasking (Finally!). Yes, you’ve heard that right folks, Apple’s OS 4 is said to include multitasking (…and I’ll repeat myself again: ‘multitasking’). Of course it will work if you have an iPhone 3GS in your bag. Earlier devices, according to Jobs, amongst you’ll find “The iPhone 3G and iPod touch 2nd generation will run “many things”, but they will not get multitasking”.  In that note, Apple says it’d actually provide seven multitasking services including: background audio streaming like Pandora playing music all day long without the need to be stopped, Voice over IP apps like Skype taking calls even when you browse, background GPS and location apps, push and local notifications, task completion like Flickr image uploaded i background, and last but not least, fast app switching – all to be safely activated without the worry of battery draining.

Next in line is the new form of Folders, which aims to organize, and make sense out of the dispersed field of applications. With iPhone OS 4, users are said to be able to drag and drop apps onto one another to create folders, that from now on can hold up to 2160 apps instead of 180 apps you used to see over 11 pages.

Cupertino is also pushing forward today the Unified Inbox function, which gathers multiple email accounts (like MobileMe, Yahoo, Gmail, etc) into one single box, and thus eliminates the need to jump from one window to another. Apple has also enabled in this session the possibility of getting third-party email attachments straight into your phones – Yay, attachments are on!

iBooks gets to the iPhone OS 4 as well, with Apple taking advantage of recent iPad e-book galore.

Gaming Center. Another big news, especially for the gamer geeks between us. With Apple, building a social iPhone gaming network, which basically allows you to challenge your friends, compare achievements, leaderboards, match making  and more. In other words, it’s like the Xbox Live, but for the iPhones.

iAds. Suddenly everything that starts with the letter “i” is an Apple related product, eh? But seriously now, it was Steve Jobs who was quoted saying that free apps “Developers need to find a way to start making their money”… so far so good, but how? Apparently, Apple will sell interactive in-apps mobile ads, that everyone can create, not only ad agencies but also iPhone app developers that will split revenues with Apple (60/40) in exchange for selling and hosting their ads. Apple is said to use HTML 5 format to create those ads – interesting!

More coming up  features to include: Home screen wallpaper installation, Bluetooth keyboard support, 5x digital zoom, Spell check like in iPads, Playlist creation, Map overlays, Video playback and capture, and more.

So this is it guys, it’s huge and in some parts very surprising. A short multi-tasking OS 4 hands-on video is just after the break and you can also watch the full iPhone OS 4 keynote event on video on Apple’s website right here.

Update: Full PR announcement after the break.

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At last… The new iPad is here, it’s HERE! Steve Jobs calls it ‘magical’; Apple fans report they’re excited, the detractors between us claim it’s just a big iPod player, another wireless digital frame, a toy, a brick, a fancy tray, expensive mirror, babies’ surfboard or electronic sun cover – stop it, STOP IT!

Lets face it guys, If you’re a gamer, not a fake but a REAL gamer, the kind that can seat like 48 hours in front of the tele and burn those long and curvy high speed race tracks all the way to the victory, or feel that you’re the only true mighty fighter on earth that can easily save his planet while busting those mudda fucka ugly aliens that invaded from out of space a few hours ago – if you’re that guy/gal – then you should know. A strong and portable gaming machine, with built in accelerometer that can act as a steering wheel, a shooting gun or anything else that would literally lead your way to the top, in this case the iPad, can definitely be the ultimate machine.

And for portable gaming machine like that, one need games – fun, exciting, sports, or board, shooting or arcade it really doesn’t matter, as long as you can play FOREVE! Check out some of the free games on Apple App Store, available to download right away. But hurry up, because some of them are free for limited time only. Check them out, after the break.

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Now it’s official, the tablet everyone’s been waiting for is due out on April 3rd with Apple to start taking non-3G iPad pre-orders a week from now, on March 12th. The official announcement, which was fully added after the break, states that slate fanboys from countries like Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK will get the option to shell out their cash and buy one (3G or non-3G model) at the same exact US date of release, in the first week of the fourth month, with prices starting at $499 for a 16GB WiFi enabled iPad, and up to $829 if you’re out for the 64GB with WiFi and 3G flavors. Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs says: “We’re excited for customers to get their hands on this magical and revolutionary product and connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before”, and we say “Bring it on baby!”

Update1: It’s here! Apple’s latest and greatest tablet, AKA iPad, is now available for pre-order. Shipping date is due to April 3, as mentioned, and customers will be limited up to 2 devices each. Happy raid!

Update2: First stock of Apple’s iPad devices is SOLD OUT! and it’s not that we’re surprised, but just in case you wanted to get one and missed the train, then April 12th, a little over a week, is your next chance to jump to your close station.

Update3: Don’t color us surprise here fellows, we weren’t falling out of our chairs when first heard the iSuppli team, who thoroughly broke down the 16GB iPad components into pieces, decisively claiming a grand total of $259.60 net worth – almost half the price charged by Apple in stores (which stands at $499). Now, it wouldn’t be fair to go and look at things this way, without including R&D plus overhead expenses, would it? In any case, we still think that people should know exactly what they’re paying for, either it’s a $95 screen, or $26.80 for the 1GHz A4 processor.

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Mobile gaming is still in primeval stages – that’s unquestionable – but the foreseeable future is likely to be promising. In a rapidly growing market with over 20,000 iPhone and iPod Touch games available on Apple’s App Store, it’s not that hard guessing this is just a matter of time until portable games will start dominating our very own smartphones while overpowering desktop platforms. Especially now, when Cupertino teams up with more developing companies and Redmond that finally joins the party with Windows Phone 7 Series which suppose to integrate Xbox Live architecture in Microsoft’s coming machines. Still, it would probably take some time until substantial changes will eventually become real  – a year or two in our humble opinion. Anyway, ’till then, if you already play games on iPhones or iPod touch players, but  feel short in cash to start funding all those neat apps that show up in big numbers, every day and after, here’s a list of twenty one games, free of charge, for you to download. Please feel free to add your favorite “cost-nothing” apps, down in the commenting section.

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[tweetmeme]

It’s been a wild day with big news and one single product – The iPad. Yes guys, Apple’s tablet is officially out, no more rumors, no speculations, no overpriced ($999) guesses or foolish mockups, this time it’s for real, and it would cost only $499 (16GB), $599 (32GB) or $699 (64GB), courtesy of Cupertino. As is, it looks very sexy, only 0.5-inches thin and 1.5 pounds of weight. Display is almost ten inches wide, and to be more accurate, 9.7-inches. Screen resolution is basically like every usual netbook, 1024X768, but the screen itself, as you may have guessed, supports a capacitive multitouch usability, the kind you’d find in an iPhone. It has 802.11n wifi, Bluetooth, and in some models even a 3G cellular connectivity, that will run in AT&T and around the world for a monthly fee og either $14.99 (250MB data) or $29.99 (unlimited package). Steve jobs says they are all UNLOCKED and that the processor inside is powered by Apple’s custom designed A4 chipset (which is speculated to be an Arm Cortex 9 processor). Battery wise, Stevo claims a 10 hours of work and almost a month in standby mode, while UI is basically similar to the iPhone, only revamped to support browsing, emails, photos, video (including Youtube), music, games and ebooks on a larger scale.

Yes, Apple thinks that netbooks are slow and made of low quality, and that’s why they came up with a tablet, which frankly is an hybrid creation of the company’s iPhone and Mac in one single device. Naturally, it comes with a built-in accelerometer, the kind that lets you play top-notch shooting and high speed racing games, joystick free, and GPS system if you were asking, is also part of the deal, so navigation, satellite images and street view topography are now available on the go. Like any light and sophisticated machine, you can send emails, engage your contacts, surf the net and sync music with iTunes – and this is the time to mention it has a USB connector for that mission and other collaborative tasks you can think of. But the iPad, is not just for internet and multimedia consuming, it’s also for book reading, like Yahoo’s Kindle, only with colors. But that’s not all, because Apple like Apple developed an iBook app this purpose, and to make things profitable, there is an online store – just for books – starting today! So there you have it, an all-in-one media device with music, videos, almost 150k optional apps, personal office manager, ebook reader and almost endless usage possibilities. On the down side, it doesn’t have a camera inside and we haven’t seen any HDMI output to pump your vids. The bezel is too wide, there’s no flash supported and last but not least, no multitasking – NO MULTITASKING. Instead you can work on sheets, tables and charts, through iWork, that was tweaked by Apple’s teams to fit the iPad. Want it? this ain’t come free – $9.99.

Update1: There are also some optional accessories to buy, like a standalone dock or one that comes with a keyboard, a camera connection kit, or an iPad case. Checkout the Apple store for more on that.

Update2: The iPad supports wide range of codecs including H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats.

Update3: Here are the overall prices:

• 16GB with WiFi: $499
• 32GB with WiFi: $599
• 64GB with WiFi: $699
• 16GB with WiFi & 3G: $629
• 32GB with WiFi & 3G: $729
• 64GB with WiFi & 3G: $829

Update4: Apple have partnered with five major publishers, including Penguin, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, MacMillan and Hachett Book Group, to bring into your iPad color or B/W  content.

Update5: Apple PR announcement plus images plus video added after the break.

[Apple]

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It’s here! Microsoft officially rolls out its highly rated Zune HD media player, and boy this thing looks good. Yes, we know, most details are pretty much known at this point, but still deserve a round of applause, aren’t they? And just in case you missed the buzz, those fancy shcmancy specs we get, include a beautiful 3.3-inch Gorilla glass 480 x 272 OLED capacitive 16:9 aspect-ratio touchscreen, which hides underneath a built-in HD Radio receiver, seating along with a wireless WiFi antenna connection and a fine batch of accelerometer sensors for landscape use. Excited? We are, but that’s not all, since Redmond has wisely tossed in Nvidia’s mighty Tegra processor, which is technically constructed from eight different sub processors inside, that flawlessly handle their tasks at a time. Now that’s a real beast, isn’t it? OH Yeah. Storage wise, you get to choose between 16GB or 32GB flash capacities that fairly priced at $219.99 and $289.99, respectively.

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Remember Cowon’s S9 PMP that was first introduced at IFA 2008 in Berlin? Turns out it will make a debut in Korea on December 16th in 4GB / 8GB / 16GB versions, for 219,000 won ($150), 259,000 won ($178), or 309,000 won ($213), respectively. Truth to tell, we were skeptical about this one, specially after discernible delays in the European launch and due to the lack of information concerning a US release. However, Cowon has proved it can live up to its promis and according to yesterday’s official announcement, the Korean company will deliver the goods, despite some “problems in production”. In other words, we are expected to see the S9 player landing on western shelves, somewhere around the beginning of 2009.

In any case, this stylish curvy 3.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen player boasts some impressive specs, including a strong Dual Core processor, an FM tuner, T-DMB tuner, A2DP Bluetooth 2.0 connection, a TV output and even a G-Sensor accelerometer (probably for future games). Furthermore, it supports MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, WAV audio formats and MPEG-4 SP, WMV9 SP, H.264 BP video formats, while the battery provides up to 55hrs of audio playback or 11hrs of video playback.

Additionally, first GUI screen shots imply for a wide range of usability, and  plenty of touchscreen features that Cowon plans to bring into the S9, as some of them resemble the iPod touch and some carry their own identity. Stay tuned for more to come.

Update1: checkout the new video and full specs after the break.

Update2: UK release is scheduled to December 15th. Price wise, the Cowon S9 will be priced at £169 ($252) for the 8GB and £199 ($297) for the 16GB.

Update3: forget the delays, Cowon has officially announced that the S9 US release will go live on December 19th, priced at $199.99 (8GB) / $239.99 (16GB). You will be able to find it at Amazon.com, eBay.com, Newegg.com, B&H, and ZipZoomFly.com.

Update4: Cowon has already issued the first S9 firmware update, fixing some bugs and UI corrections.

Update5: You can get over 250 flash games for your S9, in 3 packs, compressed in RAR. Just open the files and copy to the flash library -  Game Pack 1 ; Game Pack 2 ; Game Pack 3

Update6: April 16, Cowon releases a 32GB version in South Korea, to be available for ?379,000 ($287). Still no word about a US release for this one.

Update7: May 3rd – Cowon’s 32GB S9 PMP finally arrives Stateside and can be found at Amazon.com for $299.99, either in Black or Titanium flavors.

Update8: As if any of you had any doubts about the possibility that someone out there will eventually open up this sleeky device and start playing with the inner parts, think twice, as the guys at Anything But iPod recently introduced in their Cowon forum some neat images of the S9 cracked open and dissected into small parts, offering a rich look of the touchscreen PMP from the inside. Hit the link for more pictures of the disassembled unit.

[via AnythingButiPod]

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As you probably know, Apple has launched its new App Store with over 500 applications for your iphone and ipod touch devices, some are free some are priced. We’ve already posted a preliminary list of cool applications to download and i guess you’d like to see some new available games, so here’s a quick look at some of them, just hit the jump for more:

Aqua Forest

Fantastic game that uses both touchscreen and accelerometer capabilities to play with realistic water via ‘OctaveEngine’, a new generation physics simulation software that controls the five categories, including Tilting, Touch, Drawing, Warm and Cold in 50 different puzzles (reminds “Physics”).

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While new games are about to be released for the iphone and iPod Touch devices within the near future, the iControlPad project might be a nice playable alternative to handle the controls instead of the clumsy touchscreen solution. It is actually a gamepad device that your jailbroken iphone  can slide into (without any special modifications)  in order to improve your gaming experience and make it more accessible. Release date is set to mid July for only $30, so if you plan buying some of the new titles and turn your handset into a PSP-alike device, just follow up the updates to come.

[icontrolpad via gmp3]

Originally written on June 22nd:

John McCain is a war hero, no doubt, but if you have seen his latest campaign ad, you might have had a deja-vu feeling. The reason for that is the commercial’s background music, originally created for EA’s Medal Of Honor:European Assault by Christopher Lennertz, an Obama supporter, who wasn’t pleased to see his videogame composition, used in McCain’s campaign, without any granted authorization. Still, Lennertz made it very clear that there was just a mix-up over rights, and nothing illegal took place. To read Lennertz official statement on the McCain ad, hit the jump.

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[via kotaku]

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PlayStation3 “Metal Gear Solid 4 Package” is heading Stateside on June 12th, bundled with a limited edition gunmetal grey PS3 console, Metal Gear video game and a DualShock 3 controller. Mind you, this 80GB PS3 box is claimed to be a “VERY, VERY Limited Edition”, so if you plan getting one, prepare your tents to stand in the queue for long days. Regretfully, there are no details on price or places you can buy this baby.

[via kotaku]

It seems Nintendo DS Lite is getting many refreshing designs lately, some of them are official, some are not. This time it is a street artist, named Shepard Fairey, who decided to bring his favorite presidential candidate onto his DS Lite surface, by sticking Barack Obama’s artwork portrait on the case, showing off his future vote. To customize his Nintendo DS, Fairey used a 4×6 sticker, ordered from Sticker Robot, and For some reason, this new design looks original and genuine to fit in Obama’s campaign – Yes We Can.

[via pocketgamer]

Although it may seems hard to play this shooter game with your fingers, tapping on the multi-touch screen, we like the idea and the intention of bringing 3D games to the iPhone or the iPod Touch. Counter Strike is just the beginning, yes it’s buggy, hard to control and barely playable, but I’m sure it will be improved with the next versions. The installation is a bit complicated for tech fogies, so just check out the following video. If you insist trying it, read the instructions after the break.

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[via gmp3]

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As mentioned before, the expectation for the new GTA IV, turns me into an impatient critter, and the following possible PS3 map images, leaked just few hours ago, only increase the intolerance. The pictures include the next Liberty City itself, descriptions of various scene locations, the subway map and more. All in all, I fairly can say these images resemble to New York City one after the other, and although there is no official authenticity confirmation, I’m surely convinced they are real and not just a mockup.

[via kotaku]

More pictures after the break.

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The upcoming PS3 firmware update, will bring some substantial improvements to the game console. According to Sony, version 2.20, which is just days from launch, will feature Blu-ray spec 2.0 and BD-Live capabilities that include online downloading of video content, ringtones and interactive movies or audio. In addition, you will be able to copy to your PSP photos and music playlists via USB connection. The update will also add movies bookmarking function, so you can return back to the exact point and resume play from where you left off. Furthermore, “Audio Output Device” function will enable the PSP console to serve as a remote control for music played through the PS3. Check the full details after the break.

Update: users will be able to copy Blu-Ray movies directly from the PS3 to the PSP.

Update 2: update one turns to be untrue.

[via gizmodo]

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Remember the days you were all playing LEGO, building cars, castles and ships? Turns out you can do the same things on your iPod Touch or your iPhone device, as a new application, named LEGO Touch, was just released in a demo mode. The new app.  allows you to construct your own models with a collection of virtual bricks. Once you’ve finished your creation, activate the model and enjoy. As mentioned, this is just a prototype version but we hope to play it live ASAP. Check the video after the break.

[via gmp3]

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Portable gaming is one of the hot trends, as companies are constantly looking for ideas to combine game devices with media players. Meanwhile, you can enjoy some SNES emulator games on the Cowon Q5W mega PMP, by installing the emulation app. and gaming with a PS1 joypad controller, plugged into the USB connection. The following video demonstrates Super Mario Kart and Donkey Kong Country running smoothly on the Cowon’s 5-inch display, providing fun and playable hours on the go.

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[via engadget]

We’re kind of expecting Nvidia to blow away with some new striking cards after AMD-ATI had released the ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphic card. Although nothing is official yet, Albatron was kind enough to present the new GeForce 9800 GX2 at CeBIT 2008, so you can get a glimpse without the specs, price or availability, but don’t hold your breath to long, as we hear the launch date is somewhere later this month.

[via engadget]