Feb 7, 2010 Monday February 8, 2010
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zoomMediaPlus' zoomIt is the iPhone's long overdue SD card reader
Sorry if we're the sort of folks to look a gift SD card reader in the mouth, but while we're oh-so-happy that Apple finally opened up application-enabled hardware development in iPhone OS 3.0, we really wish an accessory like this had been available for the iPhone right from the start. The new zoomIt SD card reader from zoomMediaPlus adds a bit of external, swappable memory to the iPhone and iPod touch at long last, giving you the ability to store your iPhone's pictures on the card, or pull stuff off it onto your handset using the free zoomIt app. Interestingly, this is coming to light just a couple weeks after we saw Apple's own similar solution for getting cameras into the iPad mix -- the SD and USB-adapting iPad Camera Connection Kit, which will be a mere $30. There's no word if Apple's adapter will work with the iPhone (we doubt it) or if the zoomIt will work with the iPad (perhaps), but the $60 pricetag on the zoomIt is a bit of a turn off. Also, it won't be shipping until April (though you can pre-order now for a $10 discount), so Apple may very well make up our minds for us by the time March rolls around.zoomMediaPlus' zoomIt is the iPhone's long overdue SD card reader originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink iLounge | zoomIt | Email this | Comments
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Top 5 Blue-Chip Tech Companies for Investors
What's interesting about this stock market correction is that technology earnings have been rising while the stock prices of large technology companies have decreased. This is an opportunity.Technology spending is starting to bounce back, and there is evidence that capital-spending budgets are loosening up a bit. Given that 2010 is off to a good earnings start for technology companies, I think there's a high probability that companies continue to increase tech spending.
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Microsoft still beats Apple in cash and investments, for now
Filed under: Apple Financial, Apple Back during the earnings call a few weeks ago, it was mentioned that Apple has a jaw-dropping almost $40 billion just sitting around in cash. In the chat, we started talking about other companies that might have that much money in the hopper -- Google came up, but I don't think we were able to guess another one. But it turns out Apple isn't even the most flush company out there, and the name of the first might surprise you: According to this chart on Silicon Alley Insider, Microsoft is currently sitting on just slightly more money than even Apple, with Google and Intel coming close behind; although Apple briefly pulled ahead of MS at the end of 2008, the Redmond Revenue Racers had more cash through most of '09 than Apple did. Well how 'bout that. Of course, the current curves are not so favorable to Microsoft (after the Win7 update push slows down a bit) so it may not be long before Apple's pile grows even bigger. We can probably look for some significant acquisitions from all of these companies very soon -- with the rest of the economy down and lots of interesting ideas looking to sell, odds are we'll see some of this money spent on worthy purchases. [via Cult of Mac]TUAWMicrosoft still beats Apple in cash and investments, for now originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Apple - Microsoft - Google - Cult of Mac - Unofficial Apple Weblog
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News: Hard Candy debuts line of cases for iPad
Hard Candy Cases has unveiled its new lineup of cases for the Apple iPad tablet. The line includes the Hard Case, a rigid EVA-foam case with specially fitted bumpers to keep the iPad in place, a soft interior lining, and a zippered closure. It sells for $45. A variant of the Hard Case, Hard Candy's Bubble Sleeve offers similar protection, but adds a raised, bubbled outer surface for added shock protection, and sells for $45. The Smooth Skin…
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Analyst: Apple to be 'nimble' on iPad pricing, athletic on pommel horse
Apple's $499 starting iPad price tag is already lower than many people -- and a few competitors -- expected, but apparently Steve and company have left themselves a little wiggle room: Credit Suisse analyst Bill Shope says that Apple told him it'll remain "nimble" when it comes to iPad pricing, suggesting that the price could drop if sales don't meet targets. That's not a hugely surprising thing to say, considering Apple's trying to be the first to achieve real success with a 'tweener device and strong pressure from netbooks, laptops, and smartphones threatens to collapse the space entirely, but a lot of people are taking it to mean some kind of drop is a done deal -- particularly since Apple cut the price of the first-gen iPhone by $200 just a few months after it launched and saw already-solid sales triple. We're honestly not so sure, though: Apple always tells investors that it's confident in how its products are priced but responsive to market changes, and it's not like a smaller price cut boosted the Apple TV into hit product territory. We'll see what happens after the iPad actually goes on sale -- we doubt we'll see any changes for another few months at least.Analyst: Apple to be 'nimble' on iPad pricing, athletic on pommel horse originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink All Things Digital | Wall Street Journal | Email this | Comments
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Label Interactive to release GameTable, a virtual board, games card app for the iPad
Posted by Dennis SellersLabel Interactive plans to release GameTable, which it says is the world's first virtual game table application for the Apple iPad. GameTable provides all of the pieces necessary for iPad owners to play such games as Checkers, Chess, Backgammon, Poker, Solitaire and more.
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Has Apple Found a Base?
As shown in the chart below, Apple (AAPL) has bounced a bit over the past two days. This bounce occurred right after the stock hit the bottom of its trading range channel that it has been in for a few months now.If the stock can take out its highs from last Wednesday, it clears the way for a move back to the top of its range.
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Purported pics of next-gen iPhone front face surface
Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, iPhoneiResQ, the iPhone/iPod repair site, has posted pics of what they claim is the front faceplate of the next-gen iPhone. Two things about this piece of hardware are particularly interesting. First, the part is approximately 1/4 of an inch taller than the iPhone 3GS, indicative of a slightly taller form factor for the next-gen iPhone. Second, there's a small, reflective strip directly above the hole for the phone speaker. iResQ believes this is likely to be the new location for the iPhone's proximity sensor rather than an indication of any new hardware; however, moving the proximity sensor to a new location and increasing the overall length of the device could still point to a front-facing camera or other new hardware on the next-gen iPhone. It's worth mentioning the possibility that these "iPhone" parts aren't legitimate. iResQ hasn't revealed its source for the part, and purported iPhone bezels leaked in 2009 turned out to be parts for a completely different device. The backside of the supposed next-gen iPhone's face is missing quite a few parts present on the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, which either means the part iResQ received was incomplete, the next-gen iPhone has had its internal hardware shifted around, or the part is fake. So case manufacturers, don't throw out your old blueprints just yet. Unfortunately, it's likely we won't find out whether these are legit or not until June/July of this year; despite rumors of an iPhone update in April, the most likely date for the next-gen iPhone's release is early summer. [Via MacRumors]TUAWPurported pics of next-gen iPhone front face surface originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments iPhone - Apple - iPhone 3G - Handhelds - Smartphones
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Wisair-based wireless display adapters head to Macs
PC users have been able to take advantage of a range of Wisair-based wireless display adapters for quite a while now, and it looks like Mac users will soon be able to use them to cut a few cords as well. The first such device is a Mac-ready version of InFocus' wireless display adapter, which is designed specifically for use with InFocus' own DisplayLink-enabled projectors and should be available by the end of March. That looks to just be the beginning, however, as Wisair itself has also announced that no less than four other OEM vendors will be offering some Mac-ready, Wisair-based adapters of their own next month -- all of which, coincidentally, will be making their official debut at MacWorld 2010 this week.Wisair-based wireless display adapters head to Macs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Wisair, InFocus | Email this | Comments
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The iPad Could Mean Big Trouble for AT&Tâs Network, FCC Warns
People are excited about the arrival of the iPad (or at least, some people are), but the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is a little more apprehensive about what the device could mean for AT&T's wireless 3G network. In an official FCC blog posting at Broadband.gov, Director of Scenario Planning Phil Bellaria and Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Deputy Chief John Liebovitz expressed that concern. Bellaria and Liebovitz didn't specifically mention AT&T by name, but it seems fairly obvious who they're talking about in the FCC blog post last week, especially given that the iPad so far only has one official carrier in the U.S.: ï»żWith the iPad pointing to even greater demand for mobile broadband on the horizon, we must ensure that network congestion doesn't choke off a service that consumers clearly find so appealing, or frustrate mobile broadband's ability to keep us competitive in the global broadband economy. The blog post also recalls a time not too long ago when AOL's unlimited internet usage plan caused connection and service problems, and how that time mirrors our own: The congestion problem circa 1996-97 revealed an intense latent demand for Internet access. Similarly, wireless network congestion today reveals intense demand for wireless broadband. Widespread use of smartphones, 3G-enabled netbooks, and now, perhaps, the iPad and its competitors demonstrate that wireless broadband will be a hugely important part of the broadband ecosystem as we move ahead. Finally, Bellaria and Liebovitz leave off with the conclusion that AT&T and other mobile broadband providers must expand their spectrum offerings to ensure that a similar congestion problem doesn't happen again. No doubt, AT&T is taking steps to galvanize its network (which it knows is in trouble already) against the demand increase it has to have anticipated as a result of the iPad's introduction, but will it be enough? This problem is one that affects the fundamentals of mobile communication in this case, unlike before with AOL's home internet access issues. Even though it doesn't make as much sense from a profitability perspective, AT&T has to make every effort not only to anticipate demand, but to over-prepare for the iPad's release. If there's one lesson the telecom should've learned from its ongoing iPhone usage problems, it's that half-measures will only continue to exhaust the patience of its subscribers. I realize that a just-in-time approach to bandwidth probably makes more financial sense, but surprise everyone by taking a slightly longer view, AT&T. Presumably the next-gen iPhone will be available on your network, too, as an exclusive or otherwise, so factor that into the estimates of what you'll need to provide for the iPad's launch. Stay just one step ahead of the game instead of two steps behind and maybe you can go some of the way towards improving your terrible reputation. Related GigaOM Pro Research: How AT&T Will Deal with iPad Data Traffic
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Tell Us What You'd Like to See at the Macworld Expo!
Hey, everyone! It's that time of year again! Time for Robbie, Flo, and the rest of the staff at Mac|Life to troll the halls of the Moscone Center and bring you the absolute best, and most thorough, Macworld coverage of all time! This year, Macworld has changed its game because of Apple's absence, but that doesn't mean there won't be a ton of booths to see and companies to talk to. So, tell us Mac|Life faithful, what would you like to see us cover at Macworld this year? Who would you like to see us talk to? What gadgets would you like to see us play with? Leave a comment below or take our poll!
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Dev team releases PwnageTool 3.1.5 to jailbreak iPhone 3.1.3 firmware
Filed under: Hardware, iTunes, Apple, iPhone, SDK, Jailbreak/pwnage Jailbreakers ahoy! Yesterday brought the release of the Dev Team's pwnage tool for jailbreaking and unlocking iPhones equipped with the new 3.1.3 firmware. As usual, though, there are a few catches: first, if you don't need to update to 3.1.3, the dev team says you shouldn't bother anyway -- it doesn't do much that the old versions of the firmware doesn't, so if you don't need to upgrade, just leave your jailbreak as is. 3G and 3GS users especially should be leery of this one, since if a mistake is made, there's a chance you could upgrade your firmware and then not be able to unlock it again. They also have all sorts of other warnings and exceptions on their blog post. As they say, don't download and run those files without seriously thinking about what you're doing with your iPhone. If, after all of that thinking, you decide it is time to crack open your iPhone with the 3.1.3 firmware, the jailbreak will put together a custom 3.1.3 IPSW for you to restore back on to your iPhone -- here's a quick how-to to start with. Good luck, and be careful out there! [via Engadget]TUAWDev team releases PwnageTool 3.1.5 to jailbreak iPhone 3.1.3 firmware originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments iPhone - Apple - iPhone Dev Team - Jailbreak - Pwnagetool
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Intel unveils Itanium 9300 processor
Posted by Dennis Sellers Intel has introduce the Itanium processor 9300 series, previously codenamed “Tukwila,” which purportedly delivers more than double the performance of its predecessor, boosts scalability and adds reliability features to the Itanium platform.
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News: MrSun tracks the sun's position
Amber Digital has released MrSun, a free app for iPhone and iPod touch users to determine the location of the sun at any given time, date or place. Using a slider control, users select the time of day and are shown the direction of the sun and angle over the horizon both numerically and visually. The application can also use the iPhone 3GS compass to display the direction of the sun relative to the user's current position. Users can get information…
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News: Apple already considering iPad price reductions?
Apple executives, speaking in a meeting with Credit Suisse analysts, have suggested that the company is already considering price reductions for its yet-to-be-released iPad tablet should early sales of the device fail to live up to internal expectations. Citing Credit Suisse analyst Bill Shope, the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple wants the iPad to be the best device in several usage cases, including consuming media and browsing the Internet.…
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Could iPad prices drop the way the iPhone did after launch?
Filed under: Hardware, RetailLooks like they might. That's the opinion of a note out last night from Credit Suisse quoting meetings with Apple executives. The Wall Street Journal this morning quotes Senior Analyst Bill Shope as saying "While it remains to be seen how much traction the iPad gets initially, management noted that it will remain nimble (pricing could change if the company is not attracting as many customers as anticipated)." This is a similar situation to the original iPhone launch in 2007, where the original price quickly dropped US $200 from the original $599 retail. Agitated early adopters got a $100 Apple store credit from Apple. Apple will be watching sales of the device carefully in the early days, and the company appears to have enough margin built into the iPad to take some hits if it is slow moving. On the other hand, if the iPad blows the doors off Apple stores in sales, don't expect any discounts soon.TUAWCould iPad prices drop the way the iPhone did after launch? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments iPhone - Apple - Wall Street Journal - Credit Suisse - Unofficial Apple Weblog
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InFocus announces wireless projector
Posted by Dennis SellersInFocus Corp. has announced an enhancement to its wireless solution that eliminates the need to have wired connections between laptops and select InFocus projectors, with support for Mac OS and audio.
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News: Gamevil debuts ink-styled historic action RPG
GAMEVIL has announced the release of VANQUISH: The Oath of Brothers, a new action RPG presented with a unique ink and wash painted graphic style. Based on the historical novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” the game's storyline follows the adventures of the hero Guan Yu as he journeys to reunite with his sworn brother, battling the generals of Cao Cao and their armies along the way. The game combines action and RPG elements, allowing…
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Recording Video on Your Mac: iSight to iMovie to Email
My young son loves to talk with my mother over iChat, but we're about to move to another time zone that will make scheduling their virtual face time a lot tougher. Can we use our iMac's iSight to record video messages and send them back and forth instead?Sure! No need to keep Junior up past his bedtime to chat with Grandma on a school night. Instead they can each record videos for each other that can be watched at their leisure. Open iMovie, and click the camera button on the left side of the toolbar--it says Open Camera Import Window when you hover over it. (Or you can select File > Import From Camera or press Command-I.)As long as you have iSight and you donât have another camera connected to your Mac, iMovie will launch a window called Import From: Built-In iSight. Youâll see a preview of yourself--sit up straight, click the Capture button, name your new Event, and click the Capture button again. Now just chat away to Grandma, and click the Stop button when youâre done. You can record multiple clips, or just click the Done button to go back to the main iMovie window.iMovie can capture video from your built-in iSight.Your clips appear in the Event Library at the bottom of the screen. Click inside one of your clips, press Command-A to select the whole clip, and drag it up to the Project pane (top left). You can do more editing if you want, adding titles, transitions, and other effects (see Appleâs excellent iMovie tutorials by choosing Help > Video Tutorials). Or you can leave your project as is.Either way, when youâre ready to export your clip, choose Share > iTunes, and select the Mobile size to get a video small enough to email. Click Publish, save your movie to your Desktop, and then attach it to an email that youâre sending to Grandma. Alternatively, you can post it to a MobileMe Gallery or even to YouTube from right within iMovie, but email is the most private option.
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News: Loopt adds location-based offers and discounts
Loopt announced today that it has partnered with Mobile Spinach to integrate location-based advertising into its social networking service. The new feature provides Loopt users with access to offers, coupons and discounts from local neighbourhood retailers. Users are informed about nearby offers based on their current location and directions and contact details for the retailers. Offers can be redeemed directly from the phone or can be sent via SMS…
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App Store craziness: banning the word 'Android'
Apple has apparently forbidden a developer from using the word "Android" in his app's description. Apple should allows its developers to tout their app's awards in the Android Developer Challenge and not give it a second thought.
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Hutchison offers discounted iPad in Austria
Filed under: Hardware, iPhoneHutchison Austria is following in the wake of the iPhone and is offering a subsidized iPad to users willing to commit to a 2-year data contract, Engadget reports. When you sign up for a €29.90, 5GB monthly contract, you'll get a €333 markdown on the iPad -- which may or may not be all that much since we still don't know how much an iPad is going to cost overseas. Instead of built-in 3G service, a Huawei i-Mo 3G modem will be provided. It's not a bad idea, and we're likely to see more carriers jump on this particular bandwagon as the iPad gets closer to release. What I would love to see from carriers is a way to extend existing service for iPhone customers to those who want an iPad plus iPhone. AT&T already gets close to $100 a month from me for basic cell service, plus iPhone data and a text messaging plan. I wouldn't mind paying an additional $5-10 a month for my iPhone contract to cover an iPad as well. The thought of having to pay another $15 or $30 a month for extra 3G service to an iPad, on top of the charges already being paid for an iPhone, leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and if the decision is made to have an iPad join my family, I'm most likely sticking with Wi-Fi only.TUAWHutchison offers discounted iPad in Austria originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments iPhone - Apple - Handhelds - Smartphones - TUAW
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Suitable Systems releases SeisMac 3.0 for the Mac
Posted by Dennis SellersSuitable Systems has released a new version of its SeisMac application, a free, software-only tool that turns your Mac laptop into a three-axis seismograph.
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Logitech Squeezebox Radio
Great design is often about subtracting unneeded elements. Logitech has taken the opposite approach, building up the Squeezebox Radio from a bucket of buttons and features like a child trying to attach every last Mr. Potatohead part. As we navigated clunky menus and pecked at the various controls, we were disappointed with many aspects of this music streamer. But after we got it going, the Squeezebox Radio did a good job of booming out an unlimited supply of tunes and talk in spite of its misfires. The Squeezebox Radio streams music from your local Mac or from online sources. After installing server software on your Mac, youâll be able to access local libraries--as long as your Mac is running. Doh! Fortunately, Squeezebox Radioâs built-in speaker bellows out sounds, and the compact shape works well when placed on a bedside table or toted anywhere within reach of Wi-Fi or Ethernet. At press time, it required AC power from the wall, but Logitech is preparing an optional $50 battery pack that the company says will last about 10 hours. Expect it to ship soon after you read this.Access your music library (or online streams) anywhere there's network connection.A large knob is the Squeezeboxâs primary control, scrolling through crisp menus on the bright 2.4-inch LCD to play and queue music. We only occasionally touched the 16 other buttons, six of which we programmed to immediately play favorite streaming stations or local tunes via our network. While those buttons can get in the way, a deeper interface issue causes more problems: The Squeezebox Radio can only connect to one music library at a time. While you can set the Squeezebox Radio to stream files from several different computers, you have to pick a single source, and it wasnât long before we started wishing it could pool music from different systems simultaneously.All of the preset buttons are also tied to individual music libraries. So instead of always playing the same source, a preset activates different functions depending on the library youâve selected. It feels clunky and quickly gets confusing if you have multiple Macs. Even internet music responds to the presets like this because the Squeezebox treats all online sources as a single library. So one preset button could launch an online source in one situation, while in another it could do nothing. Sure, you could program the buttons to do the same thing in different libraries, but itâs a tedious workaround.At least the Squeezebox Radio sounded good in our tests when playing tunes over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. It supports many audio formats, including MP3, AAC, WMA, Apple Lossless, and WAV. The audio from the three-inch woofer and 3/4-inch tweeter matched our expectations for a good clock radio with clear sound at moderate volumes. It gets distorted when cranked high and thins out when played at lower volumes, but in most situations, the Squeezebox Radio belted out danceable beats and clear conversations from all of our sources.A few extras make the Squeezebox Radio more adaptable in a way that definitely impressed us. In bedroom installations, its alarms won us over, streaming our favorite stations or playing back local files in the morning. A headphone jack also lets you listen privately, and a mini-jack audio input directly plays from any source. While many of the add-on applications, such as a Queen-only station, get old pretty fast, compatibility with Pandora, Slacker, Rhapsody, Napster, and other free and paid streaming sources created practically endless variety. The Squeezebox Radio can even sync with other Squeezebox devices, playing the same song in several rooms at once.
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Hard Candy Cases announces iPad cases
Posted by Dennis SellersHard Candy Cases, a recent entrant into the Apple accessory market, has announced a new line of cases designed for the iPad. The distinctive line of cases will debut in March, timed to the iPad sales launch.
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'MacVoices' continues down the 'Road to Macworld'—and using your Mac for work
Posted by Dennis SellersMacVoices continues the “Road to Macworld 2010” series.
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Turn your old Macs into clocks, lamps and more
Filed under: Cult of Mac, Odds and endsWe've written about the recycled Mac clocks that pixelthis on Etsy has created before, but this one is definitely worth a mention. This particular piece combines an old iBook G4 with an Apple mouse to create a time piece that's complete with a working pendulum. Current pieces include a clock made from a recycled iMac G4 motherboard. Looking for other handcrafted Apple goods for your sweetheart this Valentine's Day? How about a cap honoring Apple of a bygone era? Or an Alfred Hitchock decal for your MacBook? Or if you want a custom-made laptop case, here's one made out of denim. If you need a new lamp for your desk, try one made from an old G4 iMac. If your special someone really desires jewelry, you can always get some Apple cufflinks or earrings. [Via The Daily What]TUAWTurn your old Macs into clocks, lamps and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Apple - Macintosh - Cult of Mac - G4 iMac - IMac
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âThe Gadget Disappearsâ
Love this line from the New York Times’s David Carr on the Charlie Rose show, regarding the iPad: One thing you have to understand about this gadget is that the gadget disappears pretty quickly. You’re looking into pure software. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Carr is a business reporter, not a tech reporter. He sees the forest, not the trees. But this is really astute. I’ve been using a Nexus One Android phone for the last few weeks, and Carr’s quote summarizes the fundamental difference between Android and iPhone OS. On the iPhone, once you’re in an app, everything happens on-screen, with touch. Everything. You go outside the screen to the home button to leave the app or the sleep button to turn off the device. On Android, many things happens on screen with touch, but many other things don’t, and you’re often leaving the screen for the hardware Back, Menu, and Home buttons, and text selection and editing requires the use of the fiddly trackball. An Android gadget never disappears. â
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Security software maker Vitamin D exits beta
The software, created by three former Palm executives, lets people use an ordinary Web cam as a security system.
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iPad Prices Could Possibly Change Depending On Consumer Reception
According to an analyst from Credit Suisse, Apple is planning on staying "nimble" on its pricing of the iPad, especially if it doesn't fare well with consumers on its release.The analyst note out of Credit Suisse came out Sunday after they recounted meetings with Apple executives. The Apple officials that met with analyst Bill Shope also supposedly downplayed the potential for a bit of overkill of other Apple product lines.The note read:"Apple wants the iPad to be the best device for a few key use cases. For instance, the company believes it could eventually be seen as superior to both handheld and notebook devices for browsing the Internet, using the App Store, and consuming mobile media (video, photos, and e-books). Nevertheless, in other areas, notebooks, the iPhone, or an iPod may be more appropriate. This clear segmentation of capabilities suggests that cannibalization may be less of a concern than most currently believe."Shope also continued that despite Apple's pricing of the iPad, Apple seemed to indicate that they would proceed with price cuts if device demand didn't coincide with Apple's expectations. "While it remains to be seen how much traction the iPad gets initially, management noted that it will remain nimble (pricing could change if the company is not attracting as many customers as anticipated)."Apple shares are down about 7% on the year. Since the iPad was released, the company's shares are down about 5.5%.via The Wall Street JournalImage courtesy of Public Radio
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Article: iPhone Gems: Drag Racer, GT Racing: Motor Academy, Parcel Panic + Riddim Ribbon: BEP
Welcome to this week's first gaming edition of iPhone Gems. Today's theme is “racing,” with four recent racing games of different types all competing for your dollars and attention. We've issued ratings to three of them, but are holding off on rating the fourth due to its considerable depth, which we're still exploring, and plan to discuss more fully in a separate review in the next couple of days. For now, our…
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HTC Hero-controlled Mindstorms bot hints at Android uprising
Using a cellphone to control a robot -- or a pretty sweet helicopter -- isn't exactly a new idea, but there's something about the combination of Android and Lego Mindstorms that promises to break the possibilities wide open. Swedish tech company Enea Linköping is one of the first we've seen to directly link an Android app to the Mindstorms brain over Bluetooth -- they're using an HTC Hero to control two simple rover bots. Unfortunately, since Android 1.5 doesn't support the Bluetooth serial profile, there's a hack involved: the phone actually sends out commands over WiFi,which are passed through a WiFi-Bluetooth tunneling app on laptop before hitting the bots. That means there's a little lag involved, but now that Android 2.1 has serial Bluetooth support we're hoping things get a little more streamlined in the future. Video after the break.Continue reading HTC Hero-controlled Mindstorms bot hints at Android uprisingHTC Hero-controlled Mindstorms bot hints at Android uprising originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Recombu | Enea | Email this | Comments
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Macworld Expo Tips: 12 iPhone Apps for Traveling to San Francisco
The time for Macworld Expo 2010 is upon us and the handiest tool you'll bring to San Francisco with you is, of course, your iPhone. What apps should you install on your phone to enhance your Macworld experience? iMacworld (Free) The iMacworld is a handy guide for navigating the show floor and planning your day. iMacworld, featuring maps and a show directory, was just recently updated for 2010, so jump onboard. Traveling to San Francisco Gate Guru (99 cents) For those who don't travel often, favorite airport amenities frequently change and may be difficult to find. You've got 30 minutes between flights and can't play “Where's Waldo” to find your favorite coffee dispensary. Did Peet's moved to gate 12 from gate 18? Gate Guru can help. Additionally, the app has a review function so if you aren't sure where to eat, let the wisdom of crowds guide you. The interface is a bit clunky as you can't search by airport, only by terminal within the airport, but otherwise it is handy and accurate. TripIt (Free) Traveling requires corralling an endless stream of alpha-numeric confirmation codes and repeating the same information over and over again to family and friends. Setup a TripIt account and email TripIt your confirmations, and they'll automatically put it all into an itinerary complete with additional hotel information and links that you can share with others. When the front desks says they have no record of your reservation, pull up your TripIt app and you'll have all the data handy. FlightTrack Pro ($9.99) Flight delays are a fact of life and getting accurate information is sometimes a challenge. Like many other apps, FlightTrack Pro will track flights for you. What's special about this app is that it will also give you handy access to the airline's phone number and provide push notifications. An indispensable feature is its ability to find alternate flights that match your planned itinerary should your flight be cancelled, as well as integrated access with TripIt. Getting Around in San Francisco iCommuteSF ($3.99) iCommute is similar to MuniApp and iBART, except that it also covers the AC Transit system which serves the East Bay. Utilizing Nextbus information, it offers real time and predictive information as to when the bus or train will arrive. It might be the best “jack of all trades” for general getting around, but the interface was a bit more cluttered the MuniApp's UI. Still, with the more complete data, if you had to pick a single app, iCommute is probably the one. MuniApp ($2.99) MuniApp focuses on San Francisco's citywide bus and light rail network. It also includes BART info for the stations in SF, making it a good all-around solution if you plan to do heavy traveling within the city limits of San Francisco. The app will predict when the next bus will arrive, and has a good interface for sorting out the sometime confusing amount of bus routes in the city. HopStop (Free) HopStop allows you to enter a start and end location (or it will use your GPS as the starting point) and will build a route, mixing rail, bus and walking, taking into account the time of day. It is free and accurate, although the quality of the maps is poor. Similar to a GPS, it gets you from point A to B, though locals might disagree on the route it picks. Exploring San Francisco Yelp (Free) Yelp is not San Francisco-specific, but of all the apps for finding what is cool in the neighborhood from where you are standing, Yelp stands above. There's no better app for finding hidden restaurant gems and seeing what the locals think, and with the “VR camera mode” you can hold the phone in front of you and actually see places to eat and shop in real time as you move around. Don't leave home without this app! NFT San Francisco ($4.99) “Not For Tourists” promises to show you the cool local places that tourists like you would never stumble upon on your own. That's their line, but in reality, this is another generic guidebook to San Francisco with a hipster edge, and while not bad, it certainly isn't that much better than other similar apps. It has a good selection of bars and restaurants, but you need to search specific categories. Lonely Planet Travel Guide (Free) This app automatically includes their SF guide and allows in app purchases for other destinations. Unfortunately, the app is slow to load and is a whopping 65MB in size. This is the most comprehensive guide out and contains the entire printed volume in a location-aware e-book format. Lonely Planet includes the depth of detail on the city's culture and sights that other guides fail to include. Since the SF content is free, it is definitely worth the “price,” just remember to load it in advance due to the size. And just for the fun of it, two bonus apps.  These aren't necessary, but sure are fun for people with special interests. Fido Factor (Free) FidoFactor helps you find all things dog friendly in SF and includes dog pictures at each location. It's Yelp for dog lovers. As a dog owner, I appreciate businesses that are dog friendly and like to patronize them. By reviewing or adding locations, money is donated to the SF SPCA. Nice! SF Beer Week (Free) Technology is my first passion, but being a beer nerd is a close second. By moving Macworld to February, Macworld coincides with SF Beer Week. This app isn't location or date aware and is pretty much just an easy way view the static schedule for the Beer Week, but finding what beer related activities are going on while in SF is priceless. Mmm, beer!
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Enhance Technology announces new Mini-SAS desktop storage linesâš
Posted by Dennis SellersEnhance Technology has released the new EnhanceBOX E400 MS and E800 MS desktop storage series. It's a storage system designed for SMBs, media library, desktop publishing, A/V post production and other high performance computing environments.
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Before You Place Your Bets on Retrevo
Keep in mind that back in August, Retrevo released survey results showing that Apple’s MacBooks were getting killed by netbooks in the back-to-school market. That didn’t exactly pan out. â
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Retrevo: iPad Doubters
Retrevo, which bills itself as “the ultimate electronics marketplace”, has been getting a lot of attention in recent months for its consumer surveys on Apple products, including this one from Friday: As we like to say, itâs the apps that sell smartphones like the iPhone and it could very well be those same apps that motivate buyers to run down to the Apple Store and get in line to buy a shiny new iPad. Whether this device becomes a big hit is anyoneâs guess but based on this study it sure looks doubtful. So let’s mark them down as bearish on the iPad. Let’s also keep in mind that Retrevo is the same outfit who, just three weeks ago, released survey results showing that the most important features in an (at the time, hypothetical) Apple tablet were “long battery life”, “3G”, and “an e-book store with big selection” — and that the main thing people did not want was a required monthly data plan. Oh, and the price needed to be under $700. Sounds like something familiar. â
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Apple to stay 'nimble' on iPad pricing
Posted by Dennis SellersApple intends to stay “nimble” on pricing of the iPad, possibly lowering prices if the newly unveiled tablet device fails to gain traction among consumers, Apple management told Credit Suisse analyst Bill Shope (as reported by the Wall Street Journal).
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Canon unveils new PowerShot digital cameras, new Rebel DSLR
Posted by Dennis SellersCanon USA has announced the addition of four new PowerShot Digital cameras: the PowerShot SX210 IS, PowerShot SD3500 IS, PowerShot SD1400 IS and PowerShot SD1300 IS.
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MonkeyBread Software releases Extract Movie Soundtrack 2.0
Posted by Dennis SellersMonkeybread Software releases Extract Movie Soundtrack 2.0, a Mac OS X 10.4 (or later) utility to extract the sound track of a movie file.
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News: Chinese maker of iPad clone vows to sue Apple
Shenzhen Great Long Brother Industrial Co., which produces the P88, a Windows-based, multi-touch tablet computer, is vowing to sue Apple for patent infringement as soon as the company launches the iPad in China. Claiming that the P88, which was announced last October, is “identical” to the iPad, Wu Xiaolong, president of Shenzhen Great Long Brother Industrial Co., said, “I was very angry and flabbergasted when I saw the news of the…
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The application is the new the operating system
Apple has changed the way we think about operating systems, by helping us to forget the operating system entirely.
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Why Not to Buy a Mac (Now)
The simple if unsatisfying answer to the question of when to buy a new Mac is when you need one. Thereâs nothing a Mac bought a year ago canât do today, and nothing a Mac bought today wonât be able to do a year from now, just not as well. Thatâs the problem for those seeking to maximize the value of their next purchase. If one believes the hype from none other than Steve Jobs himself, Macs are going to âtake Apple to the next levelâ in 2010, and who doesnât want to level up with Steve? But even without the hype, there are three–well, really, two good reasons and one forlorn hope–to wait a while before purchasing your next Mac. While Steve Jobs just pronounced Apple a âmobilityâ company at the iPad event, itâs actually been one for awhile. More than two out of three Macs sold are laptops, and if you are in that majority you should definitely wait for Arrandale. Thatâs the mobile CPU from Intel launched at CES under the Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 variants. Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost technologies for improved parallelization and increased speed on demand have resulted in double-digit performance increases without a decrease in battery life. Regarding performance, the desktop Core i5 and Core i7 can already be found in the high-end iMac, which admittedly are quad-core versus dual-core for the mobile versions. Nonetheless, Macworld found the that the â2.66GHz Core i5 iMac is the fastest standard configuration Mac weâve ever tested,â and can be as fast as Xeon-based Mac Pros. This is the kind of upgrade worth waiting for, and the wait shouldnât be long. The MacBook Pros and the MacBook Air were last updated in June, meaning they are due for an update even without significant new technology. Keep in mind the MacBook, last updated in October, may continue to use a Core 2 Duo for market segmentation purposes. Since the iPad is set for launch in late March, and companies like HP are already selling Arrandale laptops, expect an update within weeks, possibly even sooner. Thereâs something else HP is selling, the Envy 15 laptop with USB 3, and thatâs the second reason not to buy a Mac right now. USB 3 has transfer rates of up to 4.8Gbps, though real world rates wonât be nearly that high, but then USB 2 doesnât reach its theoretical maximum of 480Mbps, either. We can expect that USB 3 will be multiple times as fast as USB 2, which is the kind of benefit instantly recognizable to anyone downloading images from a camera or backing up to a USB drive. While there are very few USB 3 devices available today, that will change quickly this year. As to when to expect USB 3 Macs, a recent rumor in DigiTimes suggested Genesys Logic is sampling device controllers for Apple now, a claim which the company denied. Whether thereâs truth in the rumor or the denial, Apple is undoubtedly working on USB 3 for Macs. The new bus could conceivably be part of the next round of updates in the spring, but if not then expect USB 3 Macs in the fall. Something not to expect this spring, and that is suspect this year, would be Macs with Blu-ray. Just last month, it was attributed to Steve Jobs that Blu-ray is still a âmess,â and that Apple is waiting until Blu-ray sales âtake off.â According to market researcher In-Stat, that could be about 2013, if by âtake offâ one means exceeding sales of DVD players. Unfortunately, the predicted adoption rate for Blu-ray in PCs is even worse. Metrics firm iSuppli projects that by 2013 only 16 percent of PCs will come with Blu-ray drives. If, like me, you are waiting for a Mac mini with Blu-ray, you probably wonât be buying this year. However, for those who plan on keeping their next Mac for one to three years, a Mac mini with Core i5 and USB 3 can likely be had this year. The same can be said for every other Mac, too. While 2010 may or may not take Macs to the “next level,” both Intel's new Core processors and USB 3 are significant upgrades. That's why if you need a Mac today, buy one, but if not, tomorrow is definitely worth the wait.
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Apple continues to lead in customer service quality in tech support
Posted by Dennis Sellers Apple continues to lead Dell and HP in customer satisfaction with phone-based technical support, but HP made marked improvements since 2008, according to the latest study conducted by Vocal Laboratories (Vocalabs).
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Northern Kentucky University launches 'iPhone academy'
Posted by Dennis SellersNorthern Kentucky University has launched the Mobile and Web Academy. Most of the students involved in the academy are College of Informatics majors.
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In-Stat: iPad energizes $4 billion tablet semiconductor market by 2014
Posted by Dennis SellersThe debut of the iPad promises significant opportunities well beyond just Apple, according to InStat. The iPad promises to energize the emerging tablet computer segment, creating a potential semiconductor opportunity of over US$4.1 billion in 2014, according to the research group.
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Alleged Core i7 MacBook Pro Benchmarked
A sharp-eyed MacRumors forum member spotted what is either a hoax or the highly inappropriate use of a next-generation MacBook Pro this weekend. Processor and memory benchmarks for a computer identified as “MacBookPro6,1″ were posted at Geekbench, but that model identifier does not currently exist in the MacBook Pro lineup, nor does a MacBook Pro sporting Intel's brand new Core i7 CPU. While Apple's secretive nature and tight security would suggest these benchmarks are a fabrication, the benchmarks could also be the latest circumstantial evidence supporting an imminent MacBook Pro update. Intel introduced the new Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs for laptops at CES on Jan. 7, which was followed by announcements of new laptops from companies like Dell and HP. A few days later a leaked memo of an internal incentive program aimed at Intel employees was revealed, one that offered a Core i5 MacBook Pro as a prize. While Intel admitted the incentive program was real, the company asserted the reference to the Core i5 was a typo. That bring us to the Geekbench results, which appear to be typo-free. The specs for the Core i7 are correct, and the results are in keeping with expected performance gains, about 20 percent, over Core 2 Duo MacBook Pros at the same clock speed. While the most current shipping version of 10.6.2 is build 10C540, 10C3067 conforms to a non-shipping build. The new model identifier has also been noted in recent builds of 10.6.2 as well. It's unfortunate that Geekbench doesn't report GPUs. While the integrated GPU for the Core i5 and i7 is significantly faster than that of the Core 2 Duo, significantly faster junk is sill junk. Specs including a 9800 series GPU from Nvidia would make a good hoax into a great one. However, true benchmarks or hoax, the launch of the new Core family of CPUs from Intel a month ago and counting is the real pressure on Apple to update the MacBook Pro lineup, that and the launch of the iPad in March. For the MacBook Pros, the update window is closing, and that means the odds of the familiar yellow sticky note at the Apple Store are increasing every day. If you are considering buying a new MacBook Pro, seriously consider waiting just a little longer.
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Use some Mail rules on an as-needed basis via the keyboard
If you've ever explored the possible actions offered by Mail's rules, you've probably wished that you could apply some of them to any message on command. For example, you might want to move the selected messages to one mailbox or another at the press of a hotkey, or to replicate Eudora's labels by changing the text color of messages in their mailboxes (Mail's GUI only allows changing their background color, which I dislike as much as OS X's Finder labels). The problem is that Mail's rules are intended to run automatically on incoming or outgoing emails, so such "manual" rules cannot easily coexist with automatic rules. The good news is that it's very easy to work around that conflict using AppleScript and Keyboard Maestro. The trick is to group the "manual" rules at the top of the list, end each of them with with 'Stop evaluating rules,' and to keep them disabled so they won't interfere with automatic rules. To ru...
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Use normal and private browsing at the same time in Firefox
I had always thought that Chrome's method of private browsing, which allows you to intermingle private and normal browsing in separate windows/tabs, was better than Safari or Firefox, which are an all-or-nothing proposition. Now Firefox, at least, can emulate Chrome's behavior. With the Firefox add-on Private Browsing Window, the user can have private and normal browsing windows simultaneously. This can be used for things other than simply secure browsing, too. You could, for instance, log into two Gmail accounts simultaneously, or test a web app using two different accounts in one browser.
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Create RSS feeds for Google searches (with Google!)
This isn't really Mac-specific, but it's very useful. There are a lot of reasons people like/want to create RSS feeds for Google searches (e.g. for their name, so they see when something new comes up). However, most of the ways out there for making feeds are very unreliable, available for Windows only, quickly out-of-date, and/or cumbersome. So here's a foolproof way using Google's own services. This is very simple -- in fact, it involves using Google Alerts. All you have to do is create a new alert for the search you wish to create a feed for, then edit it. Click the Deliver To pop-up and select Feed instead of Email. This gives you an RSS feed that can be either directly added to Google Reader, or viewed in any RSS reader you wish to use. [robg adds: This works; just make sure you save and verify the alert first, then you can edit it to turn it into an RSS feed.]
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Use trackpad/mouse gestures in Xcode
Xcode now has gesture support to quickly switch between files. For instance, you can switch between the .h and .m file with a three-finger upward swipe. A three-finger side-to-side swipe puts you back or forward in the file history.
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News: Bluetooth Helper improves iPhone AVRCP support
Eventual Innovations has released an application that aims to improve upon the limited AVRCP capabilities in the iPhone and iPod touch. Apple first introduced support for stereo A2DP Bluetooth accessories in iPhone OS 3.0, however AVRCP remote control capabilities over Bluetooth were limited to only starting and pausing playback. Bluetooth Helper is a third-party application that provides additional playback controls including next track, previous…
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News: zoomIt brings SD card access to iPhone, iPod touch
ZoomMediaPlus has announced its new zoomIt application-enabled accessory for the iPhone and iPod touch. Working in conjunction with the company's free zoomIt app, the Works With iPhone- and Made For iPod-certified Dock-connecting accessory enables users to access a variety of content stored on any SD card mounted in the zoomIt's SD card slot. Features include support for all iPhone OS 3.0 file types, including photos, videos, music, and…
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iPads and Children
As some of you know, I have a baby on the way. In fact, the wife was due yesterday, but that didn't happen. What you probably don't know is that I'm also an intense car guy who is buying a crew cab truck in the next few months, and outfitting it with enough technology to run my business on the road. In that plan, I imagined having a baby seat in the back with monitors in the headrest, so that Kevin Jr (no really, that's his name) can watch Barney while we drive across the country. Of course, that was the plan before January 27th, because now I think that I'll just get an iPad for KJ and call it good. With the iPad, he can watch his favorite shows, play games or even learn how to write, all from the comfort of the backseat. Sure, it's a fragile thing, but in a year or two, the first gen iPad would be perfect for a developing child. Plus it's portable, so he can take his fun with him wherever he goes. This idea was cemented a little bit more after meeting with a buddy of mine this past weekend. He's got two kids of his own, and up until recently, had a GMC Denali with a similar setup to what I was envisioning. Turns out the truck was stolen twice in one year, and each time they stripped it down, taking out the headrest monitors and stereo. Now imagine if he had an iPad for each child, or even just one mounted in the middle. When he parked his truck, he could just take the iPad with him, and maybe the thieves would want to go to the next truck. Is it an expensive toy for a kid? Sure, but by the time I get one for the kid, he'll have a first-gen model, while I'm working on a third-gen, and I'm sure he'll be fine with an OG iPad. It's recycling at it's finest. It may be a bit pricey, but I think we're going to be seeing more of this in the future.
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Online video market continues its ascent
Posted by Dennis SellerscomScore, which measures the digital world, has released December 2009 data from the comScore Video Metrix service, showing that nearly 178 million U.S. Internet users watched online video during the month.
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News: AT&T releases NBC Olympics App
AT&T has released the official NBC Olympics app, providing iPhone and iPod touch users with NBC's coverage of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games right on their devices. NBC Olympics on AT&T provides live, real-time updates on every event complete with video highlights, news stories, schedules, results and medal counts. Users can configure push notifications for their favorite events, view a TV schedule for NBC Olympics' on-air…
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News: Hutchison Austria to offer iPad + 3G modem deal
Hutchison Austria has announced plans to sell the Apple iPad for a discounted amount in a bundle with an i-Mo wireless Wi-Fi router. According to TamsIJungle, Berthold Thoma, CEO of Hutchison Austria, said the iPad would be offered at a discount of âŹ333 (roughly $455) when purchased with a two-year contract for 5GB of data at âŹ30 a month. Thoma said that since the first iPads sold in the country wouldn't include 3G radios, the company was…
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All Signs Point to Higher E-Book Prices by iPad Launch Date
With âbig fiveâ publisher Macmillan and e-tailer Amazon putting the wraps on their new deal over the weekend, the wheels are being set in motion for the $9.99 e-book to meet an untimely demise by the time the iPad arrives late next month.AppleInsider has a report today on the publishing shake-up which began only a day after Apple finally unveiled the fabled iPad tablet. Publisher Macmillan met with Amazon in an effort to switch their pricing to a more standard agency model similar to what Apple uses for the App Store. Amazon not only resisted, they pulled all of the publishers books from their store that weekend in retaliation.Amazon finally conceded defeat on the matter a week ago and agreed to pay Macmillan higher prices for their e-books, and the final deal was sealed over the weekend. With Apple nipping at Amazonâs heels with the iPad, the stage is now set for big changes this year in the fledgling e-book market, according to The Wall Street Journal.âBy agreeing to accept a new pricing model, Amazon has publicly acknowledged the sudden emergence of a rival that may not only threaten its highly popular Kindle franchise, but also its total domination of e-books,â the report claims. Macmillanâs higher-priced e-books arenât expected to come until late March, coinciding with the release of Appleâs new iPad.Apple CEO Steve Jobs touted the companyâs new partnership with the big five publishers, which includes Macmillan as well as Penguin, Simon & Schuster and two others that have now come forward to challenge Amazonâs e-book reign, Hachette and HarperCollins.Itâs now expected that when the iPad hits stores in late March, e-book pricing for new hardcover bestsellers will fall between $12.99 and $14.99 through the deviceâs iBookstore. Previously, Amazon took a loss on such titles in an effort to push the KIndle, paying publishers up to $15 per new release while they sold them to customers for only $9.99. Needless to say, Apple is not in the business of giving away its content at a loss, so Amazon has no choice now but to switch gears and follow suit.The most interesting aspect of the new agency model is that the publishers will ultimately get less money per e-book than they were with Amazon, although the assumption is that the iPad will gain them a lot of new customers where they can make up that short-term loss with volume in the long-term. Itâs going to be an interesting year for the e-book market, at any rate...
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iPods and the Car
Way back in November, I did a post about iPods and Your Car, where I discussed some of the options out there for iPod integration into your car or truck. At that point, I figured I had seen the end of iPod integration into the vehicle. Then today, I saw something on TV which made me think about it a little bit differently. Chop Cut Rebuild is a show on the Speed Network, where they take a few different cars and build them from projects into full show vehicles over the course of a season. Today I watched one of the final episodes on their '40 Mercury build, where they finished up the build and installed the stereo. I can't find the full episode online, but if you check out this clip (particularly at the 0:58 mark) you'll see the stereo they installed. Most cars use a head unit; something that has a CD player, FM stereo, navigation, or even a DVD player. In this car, there was an iPod Touch. That's it. Technically, this blew me away. I started thinking about how a traditional head unit works, how it gets power, turns on amplifiers and gets sound to the speakers. There are usually separate channels for the front and rear speakers, and sometimes an output for the subwoofers. Using an iPod meant that you wouldn't get a traditional surround sound with front and rear channels, but you would get stereo from side to side, even if you used a headset adapter. The only thing you'd have to wire would be a way to turn on the amplifier, but you could do that with a relay from the ignition. This concept is going to be huge among classic car and truck owners. That's because most older cars can't fit modern stereos, so they require some cutting to the factory dashboard. That's a big no-no among hardcore enthusiasts, so most of them install the stereo in the glove box or in a custom box under the dash. By doing this with an iPod touch, they don't have to do any cutting, and have something small and portable that can come with them anywhere they go, adding to the security of it all. What do they give up making this trade? Well, there's no FM radio, but there is navigation (if you use an iPhone, anyways), a video player, plus thousands of music selections on hand without carrying CDs. And technically, you could get satellite radio if you have a constant wi-fi connection, which although unlikely, might be an option if you're parked for long periods of time. I think we may be seeing more of these installs in the future. It's not the perfect option, but for the builder who wants a simple and clean stereo without any fuss, this is an easy way to do it.
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Retailer Survey Says iPad Not So Hot After All
(Image courtesy of Retrevo)A survey of 1,000 customers both before and after Appleâs iPad announcement seem to indicate that the device is going to have an uphill battle latching onto interested customers.E-tailer Retrevo is reporting the results of its customer survey, and the bottom line is, those polled appear to have already lost interest in the iPad in the days since the Jan. 27 media event where it was announced.From Jan. 16 to Jan. 20th, 26 percent of customers surveyed by Retrevo said they had heard about the tablet computer but werenât interested in buying one. Following the iPad announcement in San Francisco, that number doubled to 52 percent, which seems to indicate that the insane hype prior to the event didnât quite pan out for Apple.The number of consumers who think they donât need an iPad increased from 49 percent before to 61 percent after the announcement, while a full 59 percent said they donât want to pay extra for 3G service -- which means it was probably a wise move on Appleâs part to offer a Wi-Fi only model in the first place.Tucked away in Retrevoâs findings is a good indication that Apple probably doesnât have much to worry about ultimately: Just three percent of people surveyed before the announcement said they were definitely going to buy an iPad, and that number tripled to nine percent following the media event.Of course, had Retrevo surveyed potential original iPhone buyers in the six months between announcement and availability back in 2007, they probably would have gotten similar results. Itâs hard to get too excited about something that you canât actually buy yet -- so weâll see how things shake out for Apple come late March.
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TUAW Giveaway: iCamcorder for iPhone EDGE, 2G, 3G
Filed under: iPhone, App StoreIf you don't have an iPhone 3GS, there are now apps available to enable video recording capabilities on the older phones. One of those apps, Drahtwerk's iCamcorder [US$0.99, iTunes Link], has a ton of features that might make 3GS owners jealous. Some of those features include: Quad-cam, mirror, pop-art, old movie,color-flip and four more special effects Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube sharing of recorded videos Adjustable recording frame rate Bonjour sharing for downloading videos from your iPhone Drahtwerk wanted to give away some promo codes for this app, and now 20 lucky TUAW readers are going to walk away with a free copy of iCamcorder. Here's how to enter: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older. To enter, leave a comment telling us what you'd like to record with iCamcorder. The comment must be left before Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. Twenty winners will be selected in a random drawing. Prize: One promo code for a copy of iCamcorder (Value: US$0.99) Click Here for complete Official Rules. Good luck, TUAW-ites!TUAWTUAW Giveaway: iCamcorder for iPhone EDGE, 2G, 3G originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments iPhone - App Store - Facebook - Apple - YouTube
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Two Take Control ebooks explain Mac OS X screen sharing
Posted by Dennis SellersWith screen sharing, Mac users can control the mouse and keyboard of one computer while sitting at another computer across the room or on the other side of the world.
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Jailbreak Your iPhone OS 3.1.3 With New Pwnage Tool
Straight on the heels of last weekâs iPhone OS 3.1.3 update from Apple, The iPhone Dev Team hackers have released an updated Pwnage Tool to jailbreak the new release. But, there are a few catches.According to 9to5 Mac, the Justice League of iPhone hackers -- you know, the collective known as The iPhone Dev Team -- have made available Pwnage Tool 3.1.5, which adds the ability to jailbreak the latest iPhone OS 3.1.3. But unlike previous versions, the Dev Team is actually encouraging most users not to update this time.âiPhone 3G and 3GS unlockers should always be very wary to update their firmware,â the Dev Team blog warns. âThis is no exception. If you make a mistake along the way you may find yourself updating to official 3.1.3 in which case you will lose your unlock, possibly forever.âThe reason for the warning is that iPhone OS 3.1.3 is such a minor update, with an improvement in the reporting of battery use percentage on the iPhone 3GS being touted as the biggest ânew feature.â The problem is that Apple is now signing all firmware updates via iTunes, and shortly after iPhone OS 3.1.3 was made available, Cupertino began denying users the ability to install OS 3.1.2 on their devices.If youâve previously jailbroken your device and opened the Cydia program, you have a bit less to fear about the ability to go backwards, thanks to the appâs ability to grab âSHSH hashesâ from your iPhone, which get around Appleâs draconian signing of the firmware.âiPhone 3GS users (regardless of unlock) should stay away from this and all 3.1.3 jailbreak tools unless you know you have your âSHSH hashesâ backed up via Cydia,â the team writes. âThatâs because if you make a mistake you may find yourself stuck at official 3.1.3 with no way to jailbreak or come back down to 3.1.2 to jailbreak.âIf you really truly feel that you need to update, this version creates a custom 3.1.3 IPSW for you to restore to on your iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS with early bootrom, iPod touch 1G, and iPod touch 2G with early bootrom. If you donât know if you have an early bootrom or not, please avoid updating until you learn more.âSounds to us like itâs not worth the trouble -- for now there arenât any App Store apps requiring OS 3.1.3, so if you enjoy the extra capabilities of your jailbroken device, weâd stay at OS 3.1.2 for now. The more adventurous among you can hit up the Dev Team blog and download Pwnage Tool 3.1.5 absolutely free⊠but donât say we didnât warn you, mâkay?(Image courtesy of 9to5Mac.com)
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Flash vs. HTML5: Tech's Political Third Rail
About a year ago, I wrote a post about Apple's "blind spot" for Flash. I took more heat for that post than anything else I've written other than political posts. It opened my eyes to the fact that Flash vs HTML5 is one of the most politically heated topics in the tech business. The third rail, as it were. The choice of what technology web developers use to produce rich browser based applications is a big deal with a lot of important ramifications for companies, investors, and most importantly users. Jeremy Allaire, creator of ColdFusion and Brightcove, addresses this issue on TechCrunch.
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iPad in the family: What it'll take
Filed under: Hardware When Steve Jobs announced the iPad, I thought it was neat, but I didn't see how it would really fit into my life. What could it do for me that my iPhone or MacBook Pro couldn't? It seemed like that gap Steve Jobs said the iPad filled was targeted at a group of people I didn't belong to. So I asked the TUAW readers if you'd be getting one. Then I began talking to my family about the iPad and discovered some surprising things: the very people I thought would never buy one plan to, and the people I thought would jump at it are holding off. So here's a rundown of four very different people in my family and if/why they will be getting an iPad: Person: My mother. 62. Queen of the Luddites. Computer proficiency: Absolutely none. Will she be getting the iPad? Yep. The 16GB 3G model. Why? My mom has never owned a computer. She doesn't have an internet connection. She couldn't explain to you what Facebook is. And she refers to my iPhone as "that information device." Given all this, I was quite surprised when she said she'll be getting one right away. But then it made perfect sense. My mom hates computers because the icons are so small and the various program UI's are relatively confusing (remember, she's a 62 year old woman who still clings to her VHS tapes). My mom never saw the value in getting a computer and subscribing to a $30 monthly internet service when computers were always hard for her to use (she never really understood the mouse moves the cursor on the screen thing) and the only thing she would really use the computer for would be email. For her the iPad is perfect. It's not small like the iPhone, so she can see everything on the screen without squinting. Because my mom is a light internet user (think email and Skype), the $15 pay-as-you-go 250MB 3G price plan is perfect for her - especially since she can cancel at any time. She doesn't have to sign a $30 a month contract and has no modem to worry about dying on her. But, the real appeal about the iPad is there is no mouse for her to fuddle with or cursor to follow. With the iPad, when she wants to check on her email, she simply touches the screen. My mom has poor sight but the iPad is both large enough and features a simple enough UI that she can touch to email with ease. Best of all, when she isn't checking her email, the iPad will double as a digital picture frame. My mom loves her photos and has recently gotten a digital camera. But with no computer, she's had to take the camera card to Walgreen's to get the pictures printed. Now with the iPad and the camera connection kit she can bypass a computer entirely and view her photos as never before. Person: My brother. 34. Public school teacher. Computer proficiency: Intermediate. Will he be getting the iPad? Not yet. Why? My brother won't be getting an iPad until it offers him something he doesn't already have in his iMac. What would that something be? An iComicbook store. My brother has collected comics since he was a kid - back when they were 75 cents an issue. Today they run about $3.99 each - a price many think is just too high. He's had to cut back on the amount of comics he reads because of their high cover price. But what if he could buy a digital issue for 99 cents each? That would be enough for him to get the iPad. And it just might happen. Jon Fortt over at Fortune wrote an article that made a lot of sense about why he believes comics will come to the iPad. His thesis? Steve Jobs is the largest Disney shareholder. In August Disney bought Marvel Comics. Disney is extremely concerned about turning a young, tech savvy, male audience back to their brands. The marriage of Disney and Marvel might just produce a subsection of the iBookstore in the very near future called the iComicstore. If Marvel signs on, you can bet DC Comics will follow suit. Once this happens, my brother will buy an iPad, as I'm sure legions of comics fans would. Person: Me. 32. Tech blogger and writer. Computer proficiency: Expert. Will I be getting the iPad? Not yet. Why? No, not because they didn't put a front facing camera on it as planned. Really people, do you really want the person you're vid chatting with to be staring up at your nose hair? I think the iPad's pretty cool, but I see it more as a content/leisure device - and right now the content is lacking. Sure, the iBooks app is nice, but I'll have to see if reading a book on an iPad is an enjoyable as reading a paperback or as easy on the eyes as reading on an E-ink reader. There is one thing that would make me buy an iPad right away. It's another subsection of the iBookstore that I envision: the iMagazine store. I've written about this before, but I'll repeat my talking points here: I like magazines, but like my brother, I find the newsstand cover prices are a bit too high when I only want to read one interesting article that's caught my eye. If I could buy that single issue on an iPad for 99 cents, it would be a done deal. Add bookmarking, highlighting, and a built-in dictionary panel like the one in Mac OS X and I would be in heaven. As with comics, the expensive cover price is a result of the costs of printing, shipping, and distribution. If magazine and comic publishers switched to the digital iPad distribution format, they could easily cut the cover prices while still maintaining profits (due to no printing or shipping costs, and cheaper distribution costs through Apple). Magazine publishers may actually be able to make a healthier profit if they introduce pay-per-click dynamic ads in the issues. This would especially benefit digital comic books because many fans go back and read their favorite issues again and again (thus they would be seeing new ads each time). Person: My sister. 30. Occupational Therapist. Computer proficiency: Intermediate. Will she be getting the iPad? What's that? Why? Please, I'm still trying to get her on a Mac or even just an iPod. IMHO, Apple will implement an iMagazine and iComicbook store sooner rather than later and that's when my brother and I will jump on the iPad bandwagon. In the meantime, I'll have to live with the fact that my mom will have the latest and greatest tech gadget on the planet while I curl up with a good book and a copy of Men's Health.TUAWiPad in the family: What it'll take originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Apple - Steve Jobs - iPhone - IMac - Mac OS X
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