The Red Cross is known throughout the world for their good works in the face of calamities. From tornados to hurricanes to wildfires, earthquakes and tsunamis, the Red Cross is usually the 1st organization to respond and set up shelters and give essential needs to displaced people. The Red Cross is led by volunteers and is a humanitarian organization that steps in when emergencies and disasters happen and present help and relief. In recent years, the Red Cross has widened their work beyond just disaster relief. The Red Cross offers services that really help the needy; communications services and comfort for military members and their families; the collection, processing and distribution of blood; educational programs on preparedness, health and safety; and international relief and development programs.

The Pierce Foundation is a not-for profit organization created by Gordon Brent Pierce in order to contribute to a broad range of humanitarian causes and charitable organizations. The Foundation works to make a lasting difference in the lives it touches through direct financial support and increased awareness of the causes it supports. Through its efforts, the Foundation hopes to encourage individuals to overcome adversity and pursue individual excellence. The people who are helped by the work of the Pierce Foundation may ultimately use their experience to give back to their individual family, community and benefit society as a whole.

Culturally confident
GameCity’s director, Iain Simons, said he was “delighted” by the choice.

His festival is now in its sixth year. Over that time he says he has seen a rise in the average age of gamers, and more women attracted to the activity.

“There is a much broader constituency of people playing games,” he said.

“They have become more normalised, they have been more culturally confident and this prize, and the festival, is very much about exploring that confidence.”

Part of the phenomenon is linked to the rise of smartphones. Today’s handsets helped popularise the kind of sophisticated games that used to be restricted to dedicated mobile games machines, and larger home consoles.

The GameCity festival was created to give the public a chance to meet the talent behind computer games
Advances in computer processors and graphics chips undoubtedly offer developers a bigger palette to choose from. However, Mr Simon does not think the developments make any difference to the designers’ status as artists.

“I think that technology is a real red herring. What technology is driving forward is the ability for games to look more real. To look like what a triple-A blockbuster would look like,” he said.

“I don’t think that is in itself something that makes them art. Otherwise we wouldn’t cry at Bambi. It’s not about photorealism.”

8 GB capacity for about 2,000 songs, 10,000 photos, or 10 hours of video
Up to 40 hours of audio playback or 7 hours of video playback on a single charge
Support for AAC, Protected AAC (iTunes Store) and other audio formats; H.264, MPEG-4,
One-year limited warranty
iPod touch has 8 GB capacity for about 2,000 songs, 10,000 photos, or 10 hours of video.
iPod touch has a 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display with 960-by-640-pixel resolution (326 pixels per inch).
iPod touch has one-year limited warranty.
IPod touch plays up to 40 hours of audio playback or 7 hours of video playback on a single charge.
Motion JPEG video codecs in M4V, MP4, MOV, and AVI formats
iPod touch supports for AAC, Protected AAC (iTunes Store) and other audio formats, H.264, MPEG-4, and Motion JPEG video codecs in M4V, MP4, MOV, and AVI formats.

Having had a chance to spend a little time with a review model gives me a chance to share the experience with you a bit early (before my own arrives). I’ll take you hands-on with the new model, plus I’ll share from my past two years of iPod touch ownership altogether, especially for those who haven’t yet owned (or been owned by) one of these mobile gems.

I’ve also hidden a treasure trove of info on how you can legitimately download tons of quality apps for free. First though, let’s quickly cover what’s new.

+ Faster 1GHz A4 Processor – to keep up with the high demands of multitasking
+ Ultra high resolution “Retina display” – packs a 960 x 640 resolution at 326 pixels per inch
+ 15% larger battery – 3.44 Whr/930 mAh plays 7 hrs of video & 40 hrs of audio
+ Rear-facing camera – supports 960 x 720 sized photos (0.6 megapixels), plus 720p HD videos
+ Front-facing VGA-quality camera – VGA-quality is a resolution of 640 x 480 (0.3 megapixels)
+ 3-Axis Gyroscope – allows for higher precision and more motion gestures
+ Wireless N – Connect faster and go farther than ever, with this WiFi device (requires a router with 802.11n)
+ Built in microphone – but Apple reverted back to using the remote- and mic-less earphones
+ Game Center – Apple’s own social gaming platform
+ Sleep/Power Button – it’s been moved to the right, but not improved beyond that
+ Thinner, lighter than ever
* Note – Memory remains at the same 256MB despite several unconfirmed sources touting 512MB. There’s also no vibrate module.

Unlike last year’s iPod touch update, this one’s a complete overhaul to the entire line. Last year, the new models didn’t change in appearance. On the inside, faster processors and double-memory were added to the 32GB & 64GB models, but the 8GB got left out. Not this time. Buying the new 8GB iPod touch indeed gets you all the new goodies. You’ll also pay thirty bucks more than before, so consider buying the 32GB model instead. You’ll get 400% of the storage capacity for only 23% more coin!

===== Background =====

I’m a mobile app developer who’s created a few apps and games for the iPhone, iPod Touch and now iPad. I was initially drawn to the iPod touch because of the popularity and capabilities of its mobile Web browsing–I was primarily a Web developer at the time and no other device could surf the Web so well. After I got one, I was hooked. I racked up over a hundred bucks in app purchases within the first month, and before long, I found myself learning how do develop native apps for the device.

Indeed, if you have never had an iPod touch before, you’re in for a real treat. Of course, if you have, then you know first hand: it’s is worth its weight in gold–no, in platinum. And now, with the latest generation, it may even be worth its weight rare gem stones! I digress.

===== Out With the Old =====

The iPod touch is frequently called an iPhone without the phone. However, until now there have been several other features also missing in the iPod touch besides the phone: a camera, GPS, magnetometer (compass), and some newer amenities from the iPhone 4: front-facing camera, high resolution “Retina display” as it has been dubbed, and the powerful 1GHz A4 processor–indeed a necessity to keep up with multitasking.

That all changes, now. The 4th gen iPod touch brings with it some new features and amenities, some of which have been anticipated by iPod touch fans and developers alike, including myself, for several generations of the device. From a developer’s perspective, the more hardware features we can get our hands on, the better and more innovative apps we can create, and the more users that can download, use and enjoy them.

===== In With the New =====

The striking new design of the latest iPod touch is definitely a looker. Apple has made it even thinner (and I thought it was already too thin before) complete with a beautiful chrome back. While the super thin design is certainly attractive, I’ve found it slightly difficult to keep it well-gripped in your hands. The usual chrome back looks great too, but it’s scratch-insistent. Yes, it’s incredibly easy to scratch it all up, even after the first few days. For these two reasons, definitely get yourself a silicone skin (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042GVG5G?tag=1pod-20&ie=UTF8) alongside your new touch!

For ages, the feature topping everyone’s wishlist for the iPod touch has been a camera. Check! It handles HD video too–bonus! Granted, its not the 5 megapixel camera that the iPhone 4 sports, but again, the new iPod touch is thinner than ever, making it a miracle that we even got a camera in the first place, let alone two! Yes, Apple went the extra mile so we could make video calls with our iPhone toting friends, via their FaceTime app. Brilliant! So, having not had any camera on the iPod touch before, and now having TWO cameras on it, we can’t really complain can we? Nah.

I’ll have details on the quality both cameras later, but what excites me even moreso is the new much-higher resolution screen–dubbed “Retina display”. You may not think much of it if you haven’t used an iPhone or iPod touch before, nor have an older model nearby to compare it to, but for those that have and/or do, the difference is clear! (pun intended)

Where this really comes in handy is in browsing the Web and reading non-mobile-formatted PDF e-books. Now, I can see things so much clearer at the default zoom level (which shows the full width of a Web page or document). My vision isn’t spectacular by any means, I just don’t mind seeing things smaller on the screen. It allows me to see more content without having to scroll. Indeed, the Retina display was the #1 feature I never knew I wanted (until I saw it in the iPhone 4 that is).