Top 5 Buying Tips: Best Acoustic Guitars

If you are in the market for a new acoustic guitar, chances are that you are going to want one of the best acoustic guitars within your budget. The real problem is that with so many guitars available and guitar reviews to read, it can be hard to determine just which make and model is right for you. Below you will find five criteria to consider, ensuring you get one of the absolute best instrument that suits you.

1. Price Range

One rarely has unlimited resources when it comes to purchasing a new acoustic guitar. In fact, most people have to stick to a fairly strict budget. That said, you should never settle for one of the cheap acoustic guitars simply because you don't have the money available right now. Even if you have to save up for a few months, it is definitely in your best interest to purchase the one of the highest quality, best instrument that you can afford.

2. Personal Attributes

Believe it or not, physical consideration such as your size (body size, arm length, hand size, finger length), age and gender really do come into play when you are considering purchasing a new acoustic guitar. For example, larger players and those with longer fingers may be able to manage a full-sized dreadnought model, whereas younger players and those with shorter fingers may need to look at parlor sized models or ¾ sized guitars so that they are not overwhelmed by the size of their instrument.

3. Playing Style

Individual players may prefer one musical playing style over another for a variety of reasons. You should be aware of your own playing style to be sure to select one of the best acoustic guitars appropriate for your particular preference.

4. Musical Venues

For those guitarists who regularly play in public, you need to be familiar with the kinds of venues that you play in and how the sound of your guitar projects in these places before you choose your new guitar. If you are playing only for yourself or a small number of friends, this particular criterion may not be as important as for those playing in public.

5. Playing Experience

A guitarist's ability to judge the quality of a guitar tends to increase as their skills improve. If you are a beginning guitarist, you are probably not as concerned about the subtleties of your guitar as you will be after you gain some experience and expertise. This can make a difference in the quality of guitar that you seek to purchase.

Conclusion

With so many choices available it may be hard to narrow your choice down to just one guitar. But if you take these five criteria into consideration, your chances of selecting one of the best acoustic guitars in your price range will improve considerably.

Source EzineArticles

Tuning A Guitar

The guitarist walks out onto stage in the darkness. The roadee silently hands him his axe. The roadee has just finished tuning the guitar prior to handing it to the star. This is the norm for most any professional guitarist. The guitar is perfectly in tune for the very first note played live for the audience. This is very important because the worst possible thing that could happen is a bad first note.

Let's have a look into how the guitar itself is tuned. There are two main ways a guitar can be tuned. The first method is "by ear", and the second method is by using a digital tuner. The first method involves matching the pitch of each string to a reference pitch that is heard by the ear of whoever is tuning the instrument. The second method, which is much more accurate but not always possible is done by plugging the guitar into a digital offboard tuning device that reads the pitch of the string electronically, and displays the result as a meter on a digital screen. there is a third "tuning method" that can be used, but we cannot call it an official method because there is no guarantee that the strings are in the proper key after completing it. It is called relative tuning, where the strings pitches are matched to each other starting with the first two, and so on.

Tuning By Ear

This method is done by hearing a reference of the correct pitch using a computer online guitar tuner, or another method of sound output like a keyboard, or another in-tune guitar. The way to tune each string is by plucking it, then comparing the sound from the guitar to the sound of the output device that is playing the reference pitch. It is not perfect though because it is only as good as your ability to hear the difference in sound.

Digital tuners

Using a digital tuner is much easier, and much more accurate than doing it by ear. It requires that you have a guitar which can be plugged into it using a 1/4 inch patch cable. Some digital devices also have a built-in microphone that can "hear" sounds of acoustic instruments that do not have the option to plug in. Tuning the guitar is simply done by plucking each string, looking at the reading on the screen of the device, and changing the pitch according to the reading. the string is perfect once the needle or light is centered in the tuner.

Relative

This method can be used in certain instances when the actual pitch of the guitar does not matter. If it is being played alone without any other instruments, and there is no option to use the other two methods you can use it to at least make the guitar sound good when being played. It is done by playing the low E string on the fifth fret, and testing that note against the open position of the second string. Then, the second string is played on the fifth fret, and tested against the sound of the third string. Then, the third string the same way. At the fourth string, there is a slight change because of the way a guitar is made to sound. You must play the fourth fret of this string and test it against the open note of the fifth string. finally, play the fifth fret of the fifth string and measure it against the last string. This method if done correctly, and by someone who can hear the pitches pretty well, should put the strings in tune with each other so the guitar as a whole sounds good.


I have been playing the guitar for 13 years and know quite a bit about all aspects of guitars. 4 of those years i had professional guitar lessons, and 2 years I was on stage in front of crowds of 500-1000 fans.

Check out my website: howtoplayaguitar.co, an informational website that teaches aspiring guitarists many useful tips, techniques and playing styles among other interesting information on guitar related topics. I have geared the site to teach a beginner the basics, all the way up to professional levels.

Source EzineArticles 

Music to Listen to While Travelling

Whenever packing to go abroad there are certain necessities I go through. Passport, toothbrush, boarding pass are all accounted for, but there is still one thing I have to have when travelling to make the time go by. Music. First it was the Walkman, then the discman and now my faithful iPod. But the music isn't just to stave off boredom, it's a sensory aide to enhance the atmosphere and provides a theme tune to your trip to remember it by.

Whenever I want to relive what it was like to travel to a certain destination, I replay the music I listened to whilst there. The earliest I remember doing this was in 2001 listening to Crowded House and Powderfinger while travelling around Australia. It was quite an apt choice for the location in hindsight.

Driving through the outback up the east coast from Melbourne to Sydney and onto Cairns was the backdrop to this music and will always be engrained in my memory.

This is why it's important to listen to music whenever you can while travelling and has become an integral part of my planning.

I think it's also important to consider the best genre of music for a certain location. When travelling to remote destinations in the countryside it's best to pick some easy-listening tunes, whilst taking a city break would be best suited to something a bit more upbeat and urban.

My friend who has recently visited India made the wise decision to listen to Talvin Singh as he travelled through the rural landscape. This contemporary take on Asian music did nothing else than to enhance his experience and, to my knowledge, he listens to it still.

I remember Damon Albarn saying in an interview on radio that he likes to listen to jazz while walking around the streets of London at night. It's unsurprising that this style of music is well accompanied with the hustle and bustle of the city.

So music can actually provide a heightened sense of the experience for travelling and should be enjoyed whenever possible. But what about travelling on the plane, the train or even driving?

When flying to Egypt, we passed over Greece on a clear evening with the sunset bouncing off the islands. By total accident I was listening Yonderboi, Sinking Slowly, which seemed to fit perfectly with the scenery and mood. A low beat ambient track that seemed to accentuate the graceful gliding of the plane over the sun kissed sea. After this I found similar tracks from Solar Fields, Carbon Based Life Forms and Boards of Canada. If anyone is flying, they should almost certainly have these tracks on their iPod.

Travelling by train or car is a different feeling though and feels more purposeful as you get a sense of speed from the passing scenery. Something a little rockier is required such as Ocean Colour Scene or Kings of Leon, which provide some very good road tripping tunes.

Do next time you're planning a trip, get your playlist together to suit the mood and location and you might find you have just created a fond memory through the medium of song!

Source EzineArticles

Music Is a Way of Life

Mankind has always had a certain type of rhythm in them, since early days of mankind, the way we could hear sounds and sometimes hum to something while doing some work has been miraculous. I don't know where music began but I do know that it will always be there.

Throughout the years music has changed a lot of people's lives and styles of the way they even dress, move, walk and even talk. Look at the 70's and 80's style it came with funk music and the afro came in with the different styles of dressing up. All the disco lights and party themes came in making people highly fashionable. Now people dress in different ways according to the styles of music they listen to, an example is you take for instance a person who listens to the hip hop genre music he/she would wear baggy clothes and sneakers with a straight cap and shades along with jewelry or actually known as "bling bling". A person who listens to reggae would wear the Jamaican flag coloures because that's one of the places where it started form, the coloures red, green and yellow and a little bit of black and sometimes the people would have dreadlocks hair styles to show that they are Rastafarian and they listen to reggae music. And then you get people who listen to dance music they where funky styles etc. There are a lot of other dressing styles and it's all because of the love of music.

I truly believe that if we never had any music life would be depressing, I mean even soccer players would tell you that to be a soccer player you have to have rhythm, example Brazilian soccer players talk about the salsa and samba dance which adds to their football skills and they say "if you can't dance then you can't play football".

Look at the way radio stations play music, they make millions of this talented people who create the music with their performances and shows etc. Musical instruments are used everywhere to make beautiful sounds and bring smiles to little children's faces. Rock music also one of the world's major styles of music and even has people dressing and living that certain style because of the music they listen to.

Music is a way of life, it has power, control, love, rhythms, flow, etc because it can turn a person into violent or very calm and collected. People enjoy parties, without music I believe parties are boring I wouldn't have fun listening to someone talking to me the whole day.

So music plays a very important role in life and it's a way of life itself.

Kevin N Bokweni

Source EzineArticles

The Music Never Stops

We all love music and have all probably wanted to play it for ourselves at one time or another. One of the most popular ways to indulge in music making is to play guitar. It is a fantastic instrument that you can take with you anywhere. You can use it to accompany your singing, or play intricate musical compositions depending, of course, on your ability. It should come as no surprise then that people love to visit a guitar shop in order to get hold of one of these versatile musical instruments.

Even though it is possible to purchase nearly everything online these days, there really is no experience like walking into a guitar shop and seeing what's on offer first hand before deciding on which guitar you want to buy. It is not just the visual aspect of the experience either; you can also take in the sound, smell and feel of each instrument. That is certainly something you couldn't do if you were ordering your guitar online. You also get the benefit of an experienced sales assistant who can advise you on the best guitar to suit your needs. For instance, if you want to play in a heavy rock band there would be absolutely no point in buying an acoustic classical guitar. Once you have decided whether to buy acoustic, electric, and semi-acoustic or even a 12-string guitar, the sales assistant will demonstrate several different instruments so that you can appreciate the different tones and special features available for each one.

Even though different guitars may look the same, they all have different characteristics which affect how they sound or how they play. By the very nature of music, I would say the most important factor to determine the choice of your guitar should be how good it sounds. If you are happy with the tones it produces then nothing else should really matter to you, but as we are governed by human nature I am sure that the look of the guitar will also play a role in whether or not you end up buying it.

Guitars are subject to very precise rules if they are to be in tune and give you the best playing experience possible. Buying your instrument from a guitar shop will give you the benefit of having your guitar set up by experienced professionals. The guitar professionals will make minor adjustments to your guitar to ensure that it will keep strictly in tune and that it is a joy to play.

Zoe Robinson is an enthusiastic writer in the subject matter of music, guitars and guitar accessories. The websites recommended by Zoe Robinson have been thoroughly researched and come highly acclaimed from direct experience. Take a look at a selection of electric guitars today.


Source: EzineArticles

Effective Tips For Buying Great Hiking Shoes

Going through the process of finding the perfect hiking boots for your needs doesn't have to be overwhelming. Whether you're a casual or serious hiker you need the right pair of boots to get you through your hiking trips.

Here are a number of tips to follow when you're deciding on your next pair of shoes for hiking:

1. Do you have a clear idea for how you'll be using these boots? This is an important question to ask yourself. There are boots that serve all types of purposes. You have to keep in mind the weather and the ruggedness and length of the trails you plan to travel. Also, the weight of the gear you'll be carrying is an important factor to consider.

There are four types of footwear from which to choose:

The casual boot. There are casual shoes that include sandals, running or cross trainers. If you're considering sandals, keep in mind that these are good for softer terrains where the weather is dry. A trail runner or cross trainer is very similar to a good pair of running sneakers but with the support a hiker needs for comfort and safety.

Cross hikers or mid-weight hiking boots. These are the classic hiking boots. They are made for trails that are less smooth and for some lighter off trail terrain. They have increased support.

Need heavy duty support? If so, consider off-trail boots. These are made with heavy wear and tear in mind. Their soles are cemented and they offer extra toe cap support.

Mountaineering boots: Mountaineering boots are made for mountain climbing.

2. Consider your skills. There are boots to accommodate all levels of skill. If you're a new hiker, there is a boot that offers strong support for your foot. This is great because it helps keep your feet more stable on the ground. As you gain experience you can shift to a lighter book.

3. Quality is just more important than price in this matter. If you're a serious hiker, you'll need to think about investing in a good quality boot. There are popular brands used throughout the hiking field, but brand is not all that matters either. Check out the stitching of the boot, as well as material connections. Check out the overall sturdiness of the material used throughout the boot as well.

4. Consider which boot will offer the best performance for your skill and needs. The characteristics of a boot will help you determine its performance. What does this mean? Well, for one it means that the weight of the boot matters. Overall, the lighter the boot, the easier it is to hike. Is the boot water resistant? Can it provide the support you need for your feet and ankles? These are all very important questions to ask when you're considering a new pair of hiking boots.

5. A good fit is essential to finding an effective boot. Here are a few pointers on making sure you've got the perfect fit:

Go later in the day to try on hiking boots and be sure you have been walking for at least 15 minutes beforehand.

Make sure to wear the socks you'll be wearing when you're actually hiking.

Avoid pressure points, and make sure you've got a snug fit that surrounds your foot and ankle.

Try on both boots of the pair, lace them up completely, and walk around in them.

Serious hikers know just how important it is to have hiking shoes be the best product and fit for their particular needs. When you have the right pair of boots on your feet, your experience on and off the trail becomes all the more exciting and enjoyable.

Source Articles Ezinearticles

3 Top Places to Explore When Hiking in Canada

If you want to go hiking in a place where you will find just about every stunning natural landscape you can imagine, you should look no further than Canada. Hiking holiday enthusiasts have been heading here for decades to explore the wild, rugged and beautiful terrain, but the problem you might have is deciding where to go. After all, it is a huge country and there is no shortage of options.

Here are a few of the best places in Canada to explore to help you make your decision.

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

This reserve is a huge area, and within it you will find three different regions consisting of the Long Beach Unit, the Broken Group Islands Unit with over 100 islands, and the West Coast Trail Unit - a hiking route almost 50 miles long. Any area is well worth visiting, but the West Coast Trail is one of the most famous routes in Canada. Hiking holiday enthusiasts will traverse cliffs, through forests, along beaches and truly be able to see the country at its finest.

Dinosaur Provincial Park

This park is named as such because of the huge number of fossils that have been found here. But, even aside from the fossils, a trip to this park is like a trip to another world when you visit Canada. Hiking holiday specialists may be able to offer guided walks here, and lead you through incredible land features that have been shaped by the wind, the weather and time.

Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Nova Scotia is one of the most famous wilderness areas of them all; and at over 350 square miles it is a huge expanse of breath-taking scenery to explore. Comprising coastal trails and highland scenery, and taking in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, this is an exceptional area to go hiking. The best feature of all is the Cabot Trail, one of the most well-known hiking trails in Canada, which goes right through the park. If you get a chance to hike this route then you are in for a real treat - and a swathe of photo opportunities unlike any other.

Canada: A Hiker's Paradise

Canada is a true wilderness paradise for anyone who wants to get out into the open and go exploring. Because of all the options available in Canada, hiking holiday fans will have plenty to choose from, but the above may help you to get a better idea of some of the best places to include on an intinerary.

Source: EzineArticles

Walking Holidays in North Cyprus

Are you yearning for a walking adventure with a difference? If you are, North Cyprus might just deliver for you! Enjoy views that will simply take your breath away atop the gorgeous peaks of the Kyrenia Mountains, and along the golden sandy beaches. From organized walks to striking out on your own adventures, you'll find plenty of natural eye candy in this Mediterranean paradise to soothe the soul.

Why walk in North Cyprus?

You may be asking yourself why would I visit North Cyprus to walk when there are other more popular destinations vying for my walking time?

The answer is simple.

You'll be experiencing a walking location that is largely untouched by the hands of mass tourism. And that, my friends, makes this location pretty much unique in Europe.

There are no hoards of walkers getting in the way of your peaceful views here! Instead there's just you, the sky, the sea and the sun - and some simply amazing scenery. It's like frontier country, but so much more inspiring!

Romantic walks

North Cyprus is not just about hiking for miles along mountain ridges and wild landscapes. There is plenty of opportunity to indulge yourself in romantic walks too.

Just imagine watching the sun sink down across the warm Mediterranean Sea while taking a walk with your loved ones along wide open sandy beaches. Perhaps a gentle stroll around Kyrenia Harbour and the old town or a picnic walk out along the mesmerizing Karpaz Peninsula is more your scene? If your imagination can conjure it up, North Cyprus will make it so!

Five Finger Mountains

The Kyrenia Mountains are commonly known as the Five Finger Mountains. They run for 120 km parallel to the coastline. In Spring the mountains explode with the rich colors of sweetly fragranced flowers and grasses. A walk at this time of year fills the eyes with beauty and the nose with delightful warm scents.

Autumn too brings a richness to the landscape, making this one of the most enjoyable times of the year to walk amid the Range's 'fingers'.

Getting around

Exploring North Cyprus' best walks does mean you'll need to travel around a bit by car first (and afterwards!). Whether you fly into Ercan Airport, or transfer north from Larnaca, your best bet for a trouble-free walking holiday is to organize a Car Hire booking for north Cyprus in advance of your trip. That way, you'll have a good choice of vehicles appropriate for the terrain you intend to drive through to reach your walks.

Article written by Seb Jay for http://www.pacific-rentals.com

Hiking Gear - Footwear for the Beginning Hiker

As the organizer for a hiking group I am often ask about footwear by beginning hikers. I believe that the most deciding factors for this question are safety, the terrain, and personal preference.

My suggestion for the first purchase is a good pair of hiking socks. This is a good idea for two reasons. For one, having a good pair of socks, specifically made for hiking, adds to the comfort of your feet for walking on all terrains. The extra padding on a well made sock helps to prevent blisters. They have a wicking quality, or the ability to pull moisture away from your skin due to sweating, stream crossing, and wet outdoor conditions. Another reason for making socks your first purchase is that hiking socks are somewhat thicker than other types of socks and you may need to make allowances for this when purchasing your shoes or boots.

If you are a beginner at hiking you can get by with a good pair of athletic shoes with adequate soles. Once you have decided that hiking is something you find enjoyable there are a few factors you should consider before investing in your footwear. What kind of terrain will you generally be hiking in? If you will be doing most of your hiking in wooded areas with many water crossings and frequent muddy conditions, you might consider a pair of water-proof or water resistant boots. If you will be in a dryer climate with well packed trails a pair of trail runners or hiking shoes might be a better choice. Some people like hiking sandals, personally, I would not recommend these. They leave you vulnerable to scratches, poison ivy, ticks, and other less attractive features in nature.

The final factor in choosing the type of footwear is your personal preference. Some hikers like the ankle support of the hiking boot; others prefer the thicker sole and the lightweight of a hiking shoe or trail runner. Initial cost and durability of the footwear are additional considerations - the boots, which can be costlier, will also be more durable.

Be careful when choosing your footwear that you choose the genuine article made for trekking in the outdoors and not the knockoffs made for fashion. A sturdy boot made for day hiking should have a scree collar around the top of the boot and an attached or partially attached tongue to keep small rocks, sand, and water out of the boots. The top of the boots should have hooks for lacing instead of eyelets so that they may be tightened properly. Look for fiberglass shank reinforcement for the sole and arch support.

Footwear that keep your feet protected and comfortable is necessary for enjoying your hiking experiences. It is an investment that should be made with some care so that you can continue to enjoy your treks in the outdoors.

Hiking and Fishing Gear to Bring for Your High Mountain Lake Fishing Trip

There are plenty of reasons to love high mountain lake fishing: it's quiet because there are no jet-skis, less crowded because fewer people hike into the wilderness, and you're pretty likely to catch a fish, since many states stock their alpine lakes with trout and other fish.

Below, we've gathered a list of items you'll need for an alpine fishing expedition. Some items, such as a strong folding knife, will be used primarily for cleaning fish. Others, like LED flashlights, will come in handy for setting up camp and surviving emergency situations. This list is for day hikers; you'll need to consult backpacking guides for more items to bring on a multi-day fishing tour.

What to Pack: Fishing Gear

1. Lures, to catch fishes' interest. Trout lures are popular on high-mountain fishing trips, since most states stock their lakes with trout species. There are separate trout lures for drop-line and fly-fishing. Typically, alpine fishermen carry small lures, since the higher one goes in altitude, the smaller the fish (and their corresponding lures) will be.

2. A Light Fishing Rod. It's smart to pack a fly rod that can be split into different pieces for travel. A lightweight, easy-to-pack spinning rod is a good choice for those who don't do fly-fishing.

3. An LED Headlamp is helpful for fishing trips because it keeps your hands free to reel in, net, and clean fish. Many dedicated anglers get started before the sun rises, because fish are generally most active at dawn and dusk. And LED headlamp is a necessity in such cases. The ideal fishing LED headlamp will include a dimming capacity, like that of the HL7 Focusing LED Headlamp by COAST. A dimming feature allows you to extend battery life, preserve night vision, and avoid alerting the fish to your presence.

The rest of your fishing gear should be chosen according to your expertise level, and the location where you'll be dropping your line.

What to Bring: Hiking Gear

1. Water - a minimum of two liters per camper.

2. A Map - You'll have an easier time finding your way if your trail map includes elevation information.

3. A cell phone, for emergency situations.

4. Reliable hiking boots, ideally waterproof. Some anglers will also want to bring water shoes or waders.

5. First aid supplies, including cortisone, ibuprofen, bandages, and other fundamental health items.

6. Sunscreen and Bug Spray. Wear a hat; slather on sunscreen every two hours, and keep the insects at bay with repellant.

7. A GPS system and/or a Compass, to help you find your way if you get off track.

8. An LED headlamp and/or LED flashlights, as a safety measure. Should you happen to get stuck in the backcountry, you'll thank your lucky stars that you thought to pack the LED flashlights. From constructing a shelter to capturing the attention of rescue parties, LED lights are invaluable for survival situations.

Those who plan to camp out overnight should consider bringing LED camping lanterns as well. LED camping lanterns bring all the benefits of LED flashlights (extremely bright light, long bulb and battery life, and exceptional energy efficiency), but with the bonus advantage of providing ambient illumination for a whole campsite. To keep your hands free during food preparation and other camp tasks, it's smart to pack an LED headlamp, too.

Apple confirms that pre-order stock of new iPad SOLD OUT

Yesterday we told you that the shipping dates for the new iPad had slipped in both the US and UK to March 19th. Those two countries, and a selection of others, had their ordering dates pushed back from March 16th, as the first allotment of iPads for online shipment were snapped up by eager customers.

Now, Apple has confirmed that its pre-order stock of iPads has sold out, reports USA Today.

“Customer response to the new iPad has been off the charts and the quantity available for pre-order has been purchased,” Apple told the publication in a statement. “Customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date.”

Those dates will doubtless continue to creep outwards as more users order up the new iPad. Apple says that there will definitely be stock to purchase in its retail stores come Friday, but I would expect lines to be long. Apple is also selling the iPad at several retail partners, including Best Buy and Radio Shack, but if you’re looking for an iPad on launch day, your best bet is still Apple.

The company’s stores generally get the largest stock of their launch-day devices and the line can take on something of a carnival atmosphere for Apple enthusiasts. Apple Retail Stores normally open around 8am on launch days as well, so get there early.

So far, the demand for the device is looking to be fairly high, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it set a few records. The first iPad sold 300,000 units on its first day of sales and the iPad 2 sold 500,000 during its first weekend. It will be interesting to see how demand for the new iPad stacks up.

The new iPad is priced at $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, $699 for 64GB. And $629, $729, and $829 for 4G. It will be available on March 16th in the US and is available for pre-order now. It will be available from March 23 for 32 other countries. The iPad 2 will continue to be sold for $399 in a 16GB flavor and $529 for a WiFi + 3G 16GB model.

For more information about Apple’s new iPad, check out our roundup post here.

Source thenextweb

New Blackberry OS 10 Coming Soon

RIM’s first BlackBerry 10-powered device, surfaced online a few weeks ago. It gave a glimpse of hope to resurrect the BlackBerry lineup and also rejuvenate the brand.

Now, a few slides from a “partner” document showcases the upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS in great detail. Overall, solid. So, until RIM officially release the OS and devices in “the later part of 2012″, here’s some good info on what we could expect. It’s known that the BlackBerry 10 OS will have a similar layout to how the PlayBook currently looks/operates, just simply scaled down to work on a smartphone.

According to these images it seems that there’ll be a full set of newly re-designed icons, plus the introduction of “widgets” to the homescreen – just like Android, Windows Phone and other OS’ have. Other notable takeaways from the selection of screenshots shows RIM taking the Universal Inbox to BB 10, a beautiful – very Windows Phone like – dialer and contact info, along with a video chat icon.

What is BlackBerry OS 10 actually trying to achieve?

According to the creator of QNX, Dan Dodge, the new platform promises a single unified platform for the company’s smartphones, tablets, embed devices in cars, as well as enterprise, and cloud services.

Is BlackBerry OS 10 coming to my tablet?

The new OS will eventually replace the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 operating system that is about to roll out to the company’s tablet.

Is BlackBerry OS 10 coming to my smartphone?

As part of the single, unified system that Dan Dodge talks about, it is bringing the same functionality that is offered to PlayBook users to the mobile phone smartphone arena. RIM has said that BlackBerry OS 10 will be released on phones in 2012.

That mid 2012 smartphone launch is rumoured to be the BlackBerry Colt. It, if the rumours are to believed, will feature a 1.2Ghz processor (the same as the BlackBerry Bold 9900) and be a touchscreen only device ditching the QWERTY keyboard all together. The Colt should get dual cameras, though there's no word on either's resolution.

BlackBerry OS 10: OS for all

Following in the footsteps of iOS 5 and Android 4.0, OS 10 will provide a platform that both BlackBerry tablets and smartphones will be able to access and benefit from. Built from the ground up, RIM plans to deliver 'real-time mobile experiences,' and will support BlackBerry cloud services.

BlackBerry OS 10 Open Source

RIM has made the step to allow developers access to around 100 open source libraries which should entice more potential developers and companies into choosing BlackBerry as their platform of choice

BlackBerry OS 10 HTML 5

It's good news for developers that HTML 5 is set to play an important role in OS 10 ensuring apps created work across all devices, promising a seamless experience which should make future phones and tablets genuine 'pick up and play' business devices.

 BlackBerry OS 10 gaming

Research In Motion is hoping that all these tools and power will mean great games, something that devices like the iPad enjoy already. The Native SDK provides access to OpenGL ES 2.0 (for 3D graphics) and Open AL (for multichannel 3D audio), along with gesture input. In short that should give us better looking games than the BlackBerry phones can currently offer.

On a gaming front RIM believes that the PlayBook running BlackBerry OS 10 would be good enough to match the original Xbox, while a second gen PlayBook (not confirmed) would be equivalent to a PS3. Impressive claims.

BlackBerry OS 10: Cascades

BlackBerry fans can expect a massively overhauled user interface experience courtesy of Cascades which in the hands of developers, should deliver richer, more visually stunning environments with the potential for 3D graphics and more sophisticated animations.

BlackBerry OS 10: Super App

It sounds exciting and we sincerely hope it lives up to its super billing, RIM claims Super Apps will bring more deeper intergration between OS 10 apps. So expect always-on Push services and BBM integration.

BlackBerry OS 10: Release date

When will we see the first BlackBerry BBX smartphone or tablet? Well the OS 10 SDK has yet to reach developers, so we might have to wait until late next year before we see a BlackBerry PlayBook 2 or a raft of BlackBerry smartphones packing the exciting new OS.

Are you excited about the sound of BlackBerry OS 10? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

HOT! Four died weapons warehouse exploded

BRAZZAVILLE, Republik Congo -At least four people were killed and dozens others injured when a series of largeexplosions rocked an arms warehouse Brazzaville yesterday.
Emergency situations spread to Kinshasa, across the Congo River that separates theoil-producing former French colony of Congo, Democratic Republic of causing windowsshattered.

Both the ruling and asked the public to remain calm.

Republic of Congo is one of the major oil producing countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

"Many buildings destroyed. There are four people were killed and nearly 60 injured, some seriously," says the chief presidential protocol office here by telephone.

Minister of Defence Republic of the Congo, Charles Zacharie Bowao said the explosioncaused by fire in the arsenal at the base Blinde.

Snowing Al-Aqsa Mosque

BAITULMUQADDIS - Al-Aqsa Mosque and the majority of Israel and the Palestinian territories today covered with snow for the first time in four years.

More heavy snow was reported down in the region of Galilee, northern Israel and the West Bank Hebron area.

Israeli radio stations reported that schools in areas most affected have been closed due to snow and inter-city bus service is canceled.

Thick pile of more than three meters of snow was recorded at the peak of MountHermon in the Golan Heights which Israel controlled snowing since last Wednesday.

This phenomenon is the first place since heavy snow down in this city in winter 2008.

Anxious moments when she want to kill myself

CHANGSHA, China - A 24-year-old girl failed to kill himself from a building after members of the victoriouspolicy to thwart their design to go from level 32 here on Isnin ago.

Hand, foot and thigh girl who wore a long seluar drawn into a hatch at the level of the building was 32 ​​by some members of the polis.

Applicable incidents over the three hours that began after the girl squat over Simencontained on a hatch.

The girl killed herself kerana mahu he does not have a job and a lover when her family members often rebuked .