visual media

After the first official Apple Shop opened inside FNAC Barra da Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro, the 2nd Shop will open inside FNAC on Avenida Paulista in Sao Paulo. I went there today and there is an area of about 40m2 paneled off in black with white apple logos and large “coming soon” right in the main section of the computer department. I tried to take a picture but the place was full of dark suited store security and I did not want to risk discussions, plus most sales people did not seem to have anything to do but stare me down.

This is really good news as the Apple Shops are official store in stores run and staffed directly by Apple. FNAC sales people have very poor, basic and many times wrong information about Apple products. More news as I get it.

I just confirmed today that the iTunes store Brazil is up and running with items related to apps and downloads for iPhone and iPod touch. Nothing yet for iPods in general. Going through an iPod registration today with a lady friend I found out that local addresses and payment methods are accepted through the iTunes Store. In my view we are not too far of seeing a full fledged Brazil iTunes store, specially since the Portugal store is running and from there it is a minor step. I am also thinking it will have to go hand in hand with the iPhone release that has no date announced as of now. Rumors point to August/September for the launch with Claro and at least one other operator.

Sony Style is now represented with a 2 level flag ship store measuring over 700m2 in the super luxurious new shopping center Cidade Jardim in Sao Paulo’s Morumbi district. This is the first Sony Style store in Brazil.

Sony hopes to increase sales in the country by over 30%. Cash purchases are rewarded with 10% discount, with 5-15% discounts being common for full payments in most stores around town. Here is the address:

Sony Style Store - Shopping Cidade Jardim

phone (11) 2145-7150 / (11) 2145-7151

http://www.sonystyle.com.br/store/
Av. Magalhães de Castro, 12.000
Morumbi, Sao Paulo SP

Good move Sony, I will be heading there to check out the toys!

Apple introduces an iPhone G3 dock.

This one looks even nicer than the previous model. It leaves the front entirely free and gives more support from the back.

With the iPhone 3G Dock, you get easy access to a USB port for syncing or charging and an audio line out port for connecting to powered speakers. You can even conduct speakerphone calls with your iPhone 3G in its dock.

Here are some ways you can use the iPhone 3G Dock:

Connect the dock to your computer with the USB cable that came with your iPhone 3G, then place your iPhone 3G in the dock to sync and charge the battery. No more reaching behind the computer to plug it in.

Connect the dock to an electrical outlet using an Apple USB Power Adapter (included with your iPhone 3G), then place your iPhone 3G in the dock to charge the battery.

Connect the dock to a stereo or speakers using an AV cable or a stereo audio cable to play music from iPhone 3G.

Place your iPhone 3G in the dock and enjoy clear audio during speaker phone calls thanks to special audio porting.

What’s in the Box

iPhone 3G Dock

Important note: The iPhone 3G Dock is not compatible with the original iPhone.

Apple has opened up the AppStore section of the iTunes Store to Brazilian users. It is now possible to choose “Brazil” on the pulldown menu at the bottom of the iTunes Store Home Page and it will take you directly to the US store’s Applications for iPhone section. No portuguese translation yet, but considering the iPhone will also launch in Portugal this would be a minor step.

Nothing new has come forward about the iphone 3G launch in Brasil other than the fact that way over 100000 people have signed up to be notified on the website at Claro.com.br who will bring the phone to local stores. It is also known that the phone is currently being examined and liberated (homologated) by Anatel for use in Brazil and to make sure it complies with GSM rules. This should be a technical detail since it has been announced allover the world.

More details and news as I get them.

“Europe’s chief aerospace company EADS Astrium unveiled a full-scale mockup of a three-seat vehicle, designed to enter the Earth orbit and eventually support lunar missions. The proposal serves as an insurance policy for the European space program, in case an ongoing effort to reach an agreement with Russia on the cooperative development of the next-generation spacecraft does not materialize.”

Source Article: Read more.

This week all the iPod touch models have dropped several hundred reais. The 8GB model was down adjusted from R$1499 to R$1099. In my opinion this is happening to avoid having the touch at a higher or the same price point than the upcoming brazilian iPhone. I am guessing that an 8GB iPhone should be sold for R$1499 if there is no contract. I am also hoping that WITH a contract it could come down half that. Expectation is building!

The japanese proposal for a Campinas > Sao Paulo > Rio de Janeiro bullet train will be presented today. Numbers show the train would do the entire trajectory in 104 minutes and the Sao Paulo > Rio connection in 80 minutes. In order to achieve these velocities the tracks must be within 0.4% perfectly straight from down to uphill sections in order to not jump off the tracks.

The japanese proposal is an informal presentation and is modelled after the Shinkansen and should ferry 3000 passengers per hour along the route, connecting the airports of Campinas: Viracopos, Sao Paulo: Guarulhos and Rio de Janeiro: Galeao.

French and german companies are also in the running for the construction of the high speed train that has already been approved and is waiting for financial and envornmental impact studies before serious proposals will be considered.

According to a report by Associate Press the Vatican’s chief astronomer gives green light to catholics all over the world to believe in Aliens and God at the same time. Preparation work being done? AP Link.

According to rumors from macprime.ch the iPhone is going to be available in 3 “colors”:

Silver, black and white.

(I am looking forward to getting one in black.) NICE!

A list of new providers and countries so far, if you follow the news and rumor sites:

singtel: Singapore, India, Australia, Philipines

Swisscom: Switzerland

America Movil/Claro: Brazil, Argentina, Latin America, Carribean, Mexico etc:

Brazil - claro

uruguay - claro

argentina- claro

peru- claro

ecuador - porta

paraguay - claro

chile - claro

columbia - concel gsm

central america

nicaragua - claro

honduras -claro

el salvador - claro

guatemala - claro

mexico - telcel

jamaica - claro

domica republica - claro

puerto rico - claro

Vodafone: Germany, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey

Rogers: Canada

T-Mobile: Austria

Telenor: Norway

Telia: Sweden, Denmark

DoCoMo: Japan

Spain: Telefonica Movistar

Orange: Belgium, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, Jordan in the Middle East, and the company’s “Africa markets,”

Unclear

Middle East, Africa, China (China Mobile?), Russia

Current Markets

Orange: France

At&T: USA

O2: UK, Ireland

“Apple job entries for Carrier Certification Engineers in lead and general roles, as well as a third for a Field Test Engineer, also indicate that any of the future employees will be asked to help approve the touchscreen handsets for more than one provider.

The South American country has so far only been given iPhone support from America Movil’s local division, Claro, but could potentially be served by carriers such as Brasil Telecom, Oi, Vivo, or Telecom Italia’s Brazilian operation, TIM Celular. TIM is already poised to offer the iPhone in its native Italy, but hasn’t announced any foreign agreements.”

By AppleInsider.

Mexican held cellphone operator “Claro” anounced today that they will be distributing Apple’s iPhone in Latin America and including in Brazil. This was directly confirmed by Claro. A specific date was not mentioned in a note released by the company, but just that it is arriving in 2008.

On a side note: A new law requires brazilian operators to unlock phones for free and to make them work with any GSM chip from any other company and including pre-paid chips that are making up over 80 percent of the local market.

I am guessing the iPhone will arrive here at the same time as in other worldwide markets. Claro has already implemented the 3G system since the beginning of the year and is apparently ready for a 3G iPhone model.

I am first in line to get one!

G1 Article Link (portuguese).

Supervised, planned and staff trained under direct Apple control, the first “Apple Shop” of south america opened last week inside the FNAC electronics department store at Barra Shopping Center in Rio de Janeiro. Offering 80 m2 of shopping area to mac and ipod fans, the shop offers also training, workshops and plenty of hardware to get your hands on all the products.

Planned are eight more Apple Shops until the end of 2008, among them three in Sao Paulo and then following up the second half of the year with Shops in Campinas, Curitiba, Brasilia, and Porto Alegre. The Apple Shop is open monday to saturday from 10 am to 10pm and sundays and holidays from 3 to 9pm.

Terra Article Link.

It looks like the planned bullet train connecting Campinas, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro is becoming a reality. President Lula announced today that planning will go into the next phase possibly in october of 2008 and companies will be asked to submit proposals for the US$ 9 Billion project. Currently viability studies are being prepared that should be presented by end of april. The completion of the project is supposed to be in 5 years from the start of construction. This train should greatly improve business travel and tourism between Rio and Sao Paulo and might sway business travellers to switch from the airplane to the railway.

It will also connect both capitals to Campinas that has south americas largest freight airport. The viracopos airport in Campinas is also being expanded and is being promoted as Sao Paulo’s future passenger airport. With the high speed train it should be possible to get to Viracopos faster than to Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos airport by car. Aside from that there are plans for a new airport in Sao Paulo as well as a high speed metro directly from downtown to Guarulhos as well. At the moment the only public transportation to Sao Paulo’s International airport is by Airport Express Bus.