(IMG:http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/1656/12566948re7.jpg)

Well the annual GUI Championships are about to start again for 2008! This year the categories for entry will be; WindowsBlinds Skins, Icon Packages and Animated Wallpapers (aka Dreamscenes). This year the event is sponsored by ATI, WACOM, Stardock, DeviantArt and TechSmith.

If you haven’t already begun to design your entry, now’s the time to start! The event begins October 13th so entries can be sent in after that date. As of now, no final date has been posted up on the GUI Champs website.

Prizes incude a Wacom Cintiq 12WX, Sapphire HD 4850 Video Cards, SnagIt and Camtasia Studio, DeviantArt Subscriptions, Object Desktop Subscriptions, Cash and a whole lot more to come! In total the prizes exceed $10,000 in value!

Here at JoeJoe were proud to sponsor such an event and we really have seen some great Skins over the years and we’d love to see some of you guys win, so get to work and post your work for everyone to see here and then send it off to GUI Champs and see if you can win something for your efforts!


View: GUI Championships 2008 Website - Rules

(IMG:http://www.joejoe.org/forum/style_images/veeto/v2/av-1.png) Hello Members,

After several months of the download section being offline we are more than happy to notify you that it is open again. All files should still be listed and if you are having any trouble downloading file please send the url and description of the error to a senior staff member and it will be dealt with.

Sorry for the inconvenience and please enjoy the downloads.

Rumors have been going around for the last few weeks about an Apple event taking place on October 14th, this coming Tuesday. It is now official: the Stevenote will take place at 10 am PST. The rumors of the event also say that he will unveil a revolutionary new device (aren't all Apple products called revolutionary now?) codenamed "The Brick". What exactly the brick is has been subject to much speculation: some think it will be a Mac Mini replacement shaped like a brick, others think it will be a Windows killer (you break windows with a brick, get it?), others think it will simply be a new manufacturing facility. However, going by the recent report of an $800 Mac lappy being on the price lists sent to major retailers, that looks to be the most likely candidate for "The Brick". Whether it will be a new Macbook, a Netbook, or a Mac tablet, we'll find out Tuesday.

(IMG:http://www.joejoe.org/img/world_link.png) Source: CNet

(IMG:http://www.joejoe.org/storage/Microsoft.png) Like the lead up to the iPhone, many rumours were circulating of such a device, the same with the ‘Zune Phone’, which depending how you look at it, has been confirmed by Steve Ballmer in an interview. However it will not be a standalone device like the iPhone is. It will be simply a software addition to Windows Mobile operating system and phones.

Ballmer said:
“the Zune software will also be ported to and be more important not just with the hardware but on the PC, on Windows Mobile devices, etc”

So instead of a music player on the Windows Mobile phones, a Zune application will take its place. What is interesting is what ‘etc’ may include, personally I hope it includes a jailbroken iPod Touch...just saying.

(IMG:http://www.joejoe.org/img/world_link.png) Source: Engadget

(IMG:http://www.joejoe.org/storage/applegrey.png) Over the weekend, two Apple related news stories hit the web; the first was a letter from Apple to all stores stocking the Apple TV.

The letter contained instructions to remove all displays and literature by the 30th of September at 5PM. What makes this all the more interesting is that the letter notes there is a webcast ‘kick-off’ on the September 30th. Not only that but September 30th is a Tuesday (Remember back at the start of the year, the 50 Tuesdays to go?)and it is the final day of the September quarter. All these observations have led to the rumoured launch of the third Iteration of Apple TV’s.

(IMG:http://www.joejoe.org/img/world_link.png) Source: TUAW


The second important news story is the commitment Apple has made to the State of Massachusetts; it plans to make iTunes 8 and the iPod completely accessible to the blind. It plans to use the VoiceOver technology (in OS X) and implement it into iTunes and its iPod Nano. The Nano already contains an optional spoken interface and the hardware itself contains features such as the shake to shuffle, as well as the new headphones with tactile volume control and in-built microphone. Finally it has said it will donate US$250,000 to the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind.

(IMG:http://www.joejoe.org/img/world_link.png) Source: Gizmodo


Finally many of you have probably heard of the new iPhone software released to developers for testing. Of note the 2.2 release boasts a minor UI change in Safari which now includes the Address Bar and Google Search bar in one flat bar, as shown below: