Apple iPad 3 renamed as 'New iPad'?

Here at Mini Gamers, we sometimes like to look at new handheld gadgets, as well as all the latest video game technology, so after our current PS Vita fest, we felt it was the ideal time to take a look at the new Apple iPad 3, which has now been  officially named 'New iPad'.

So, what has the iPad's newest member got to offer us (apart from a slightly mundane  product name)? We have done our best to find out. Firstly, the specifications for the New ipad are as follows:

The processor is an Apple A5X ARM-based unit, which has been designed with quad-core graphics but is still a dual-core based unit, which Apple claims is very fast. The New iPad also has a retina display, which allows you to view apps and photos with wonderful clarity.

As with previous models, there is the trusty  fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, to help safeguard against any mucky fingerprints when using the touchscreen,  as well as support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously, making it the perfect tool for business people.

You can now record full HD videos on the iPad 3 with an iSight camera . The rear camera is set at 5 megapixels and has a 5-element lens plus auto face-detection, an automatic focus lock and image stabilisation for video. Once again there's tap-to-focus included as well.

 A new Dictation app is now included within iOS 5.1 on the new iPad. Instead of typing, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard, then give the iPad your instructions and then simply tap  the 'DONE' tab, and iPad converts your words into text. You can use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web, which means a lot less use of the touchscreen.

Apple has also announced iPhoto for the iPad, which offers some pretty nifty professional photo editing tools. Furthermore, iMovie can now deal with full HD video. iOS 5.1 and iTunes 10.6 are available today as free software updates.  

There will be separate US models for both the AT&T and Verizon networks. Both CDMA and GSM iPads can now easily roam internationally.

The new iPad delivers the same battery life as the iPad - that's 10 hours - with around 9 hours if you're using LITE (North America only).  Furthermore, all models feature Bluetooth 4.0.

It certainly sounds impressive! There is no way of knowing exactly how successful New iPad will be in the tablet and smartphone market, however, especially as Apple has taken the unusual step of still manufactering  the Apple iPad 2, allbeit at a lower price than the third-generation model, which will put the iPads in competition with one another, but is guaranteed to earn Apple a tidy profit in the bargain.

The iPad 2 price reduction means that the older model is expected to retail at around around £329 in the UK, and the price changes are expected to take effect from the 16th of March 2012, when the New iPad is finally released to the general public.

So, have you pre-ordered your New iPad yet? Let us know what you think of it. Mini Gamers welcomes your comments.

What Ever Happened To... Last King of Africa?

As gamers, we should be used to changing release dates and game delays by now, but occasionally one stumbles across a game which never actually makes it onto the shelves at all. This is the case with the imaginative Action-Adventure RPG title called Last King of Africa.

The game, which was adapted from the PC title Paradise by a company called White Bird Productions and then developed by Focus Home Interactive, was first announced in June 2008.

Last King of Africa tells the story of a mysterious young woman who has lost her memory after a plane crash and who had been sent to the palace of a fictional African dictator known as King Rodon to recover and eventually join his harem of wives. The young woman must explore the palace and discover clues about the King and his servants - Only then will she find out the truth about her own true identity.

The DS version of the game was originally hailed as a graphics masterpiece, with beautiful 3D characters and fully-animated cutscenes designed by Belgian comic artist and writer, Benoît Sokal. However, dispite heavy marketing and the promises of an October/November 2008 release date, the game failed to reach official release in the UK or America.

Two years on, the game has managed to find its way into certain online retail spots such as Amazon MarketPlace, despite the fact that most mainstream retailers either claim that the game is still a pre-order item, or simply refuse to acknowledge the game's existence in their product lists.

Now, a new version of  Last King of Africa has been adapted for the Apple iPod, iPhone and iPad by a company called BulkyPix, but no further word has been given about the Nintendo DS version.  

It is a mystery why a game with so much promise was seemingly abandoned. Perhaps the truth of what happened lies in this statement from the White Birds Productions website:

"The company always has four to six projects in progress, of which certain see the light of day while others are abandoned..." [White Birds Productions] 

However, the idea of Last King of Africa being an abandoned project just doesn't hold true when you consider that the game is actually available in small quantities online. Maybe what really happened to this game will always be a mystery.

Nevertheless, for those DS owners who are interested in knowing what could have been, the Last King Of Africa trailer provides clear evidence of the type of breath-taking visuals and innovative storyline that the game's producers had originally planned, and may give iPod, iPhone and iPad users an idea of the type of game that they can expect:

LAST KING OF AFRICA DEBUT DS TRAILER 2008

The mobile version of this game was announced last month. Apple iPod, iPhone and iPad users can download the Last King Of Africa App from the iTunes store. Click here to go to the store now.