Sep 7, 2007 Sep 9, 2007 Saturday September 8, 2007
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★ I’ll Show You ‘Subpar’
Remember Joe Nocera? He’s the New York Times business columnist who argued back in June that Apple was a consumer-unfriendly company because the iPhone’s battery wasn’t replaceable. Today, in a column titled “The Case of the Subpar Smartphone”, he wrote about his Palm Treo, which, uh, he utterly despises because it’s buggy, crashy, slow, and terrible for web access. (Nocera’s columns are behind the Times Select pay wall, unfortunately.) Practically out of the box, my Treo froze on a regular basis. I could never get my Gmail account to sync with the Treo, and had to use the Web to retrieve e-mail — which required the patience of Job. It had all sorts of weird glitches: sometimes it raced around the menu while I watched helplessly; at other times, it would switch from one application to another for no reason. It would ring randomly. By June, it was shutting down completely two or three times a week, even in the middle of phone calls, and then powering back up again. But apparently it’s a world of nothing but crappy smartphones: It’s hard to make a good smartphone — so hard, in fact, that no one really has it right yet. BlackBerrys are great at e-mail, but the phone is barely adequate and its [sic]1 Internet abilities are not very good at all. The Motorola Q crashes almost as often as the Treo. The Apple iPhone is terrific for music and media, but lousy for e-mail and phoning. I’ll concede that the iPhone email app could be improved; it’s probably the app for which I have the most feature requests. But it seems forced — and contrary to nearly all reviews — to describe the iPhone’s phone features as “lousy”. (Visual voicemail kicks ass.) And, worse, it’s rather conspicuous that Nocera neglects to mention the iPhone’s web browser, which kicks any other mobile device’s ass. There’s a lot to criticize about the iPhone, but overall, it’s leagues better than the Treo or Q, and better than BlackBerrys for everything other than email. iPhones are only good for music and video is the new Macs are only good for graphics and design. Read the whole column and it seems like Nocera would love an iPhone, but that he’s not even willing to consider it. His loss. Weird that The Times copy editors didn’t catch the mismatched plural “BlackBerrys” and singular “its” in the second sentence. ↩
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David Watanabe Finds Hint of iTunes Movie Rentals
Intriguing, to say the least. ★
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Apple.com Redesign Emulates OSÂ Functionality
If you don't know that Apple thinks-through every minute detail of the things they do, you haven't been a fan long enough. Take a long look at the hardware, the software, and the retail stores and your appreciation for the level of thought Apple puts into every thing they do should grow immensely. Then just when you think you've got Apple figured-out there's something right in front of your face that makes you go, “Duh!” The more I peruse the redesigned Apple.com the more eye candy I discover. Of course being the [unofficial] Mac Evangelist that I am, I should know better than to call anything Apple does, 'eye candy' - almost without fail there is function behind the beautiful form in anything that comes out of Cupertino, CA. Apple.com is no exception since its redesign not so long ago. Those of us already rocking OS X may have taken notice (although possibly subconsciously) of the website features that tend to mimic our favorite operating system. But the really ingenius point here is that users who are yet to make The Switch are already being introduced to some of the functionality they'll find in OS X. There may not be anything earth-shattering, but opening up your first Mac and seeing something familiar in an otherwise foreign operating system can be a very welcome feeling. And that's really what Apple's all about, isn't it? The coordinated features between the website and the operating system that I've noticed thus far can be found in the following two screencasts. (Please note, that there's not supposed to be audio, it's just a visual aid.) So here are the screencasts of the features on Apple.com, and the similarities in OS X. But allow me to list the features here anyway: Search - Spotlight functionality is so similar, even the colors match! Product Page and side bars - Hello CoverFlow! Quicktime Trailers - 'Save' your view preferences as in iTunes. Icons & Colors - Even the design elements on the website mimic that of OS X. If you've found other functionality on Apple.com that mimics something in OS X, let us know in the comments. This coordination between Apple's products is nothing new of course. Case in point, the [now] Classic iPod and the previous generation of iMac had a very similar appearance, the new iMac design and the iPhone, Apple Retail Store aluminum interior design and Apple's Pro line of hardware. There are so many parallels between Apple's products and so much more thought than probably any other tech company that it's no surprise that they stand out such as they do. apple, design, functionality, ingenius, website
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The elegance of Safari's Find
The new Find feature introduced in Safari 3 Public Beta delights us with Apple's famous attention to detail. Even its initial appearance onscreen reveals surprises. When you invoke Find in Safari, a banner slides down from above. Other animated user interface elements also slide down from above: sheets hover above but do not disturb the page content, while overlays like Safari's RSS reader replace the window contents entirely. But because Safari's Find is modeless, the find banner pushes the window's contents downwards by the height of the banner, allowing both banner and content to coexist within the window and remain selectable. Straightforward enough in concept, but there's an elegant touch in the implementation. A simpler effort might have pushed the content down by the height of the banner, and slid the banner into the resulting gap, something like this: (more…)
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First Looks: Apple iPod nano Armband (for iPod nano (video))
A much-improved version of Apple's earlier iPod nano Armbands for first- and second-generation iPod nanos, the iPod nano Armband for third-generation video-ready nanos ($29) still comes in gray and uses a perforated soft fabric design. Apple now covers the nano's entire face, however, with two joined-together types of soft plastic: the screen has a clear plastic protector, while the Click Wheel has a translucent matte-finished covering. The rest of…
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Griffin wastes no time with new line of iPod accessories
Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video We can't say we're surprised, but Griffin sure isn't messing around with this iPod accessory business. The company just announced a whole slew of cases for protecting your new iPod touch, classic or nano from the elements and your greasy fingerprints. Of course, no real surprises in the lineup, but we have to admit that "Reflect" case pictured above is a bit of a looker. Griffin should be shipping its new line, which ranges in price from $20 to $35, this October.[Via IGN] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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Growl 1.1 released with better alert management, performance enhancements
Focusing on the task at hand while keeping an eye on everything else just got a lot easier today, thanks to the release of Growl 1.1 for Mac that brings global notification positioning, sound alerts, and much more.Read More...
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First Looks: Noreve Tradition Leather Case for iPhone
Built with two card compartments in its magnetically sealed front flap, Noreve's Tradition Leather Case for iPhone (€43/$59) offers your choice of 15 different colored leathers, three of them in suede as shown here, the rest with a glossy shine. Each Tradition case includes a detachable metal belt clip nub and a plastic belt clip, along with a screwdriver to detach the case's rear protective screw and attach the metal nub. When closed, the case…
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First Looks: Shure SE110 Sound Isolating Earphones
Newly introduced as the least expensive earphone in Shure's SE series, the SE110 ($120) is designed to offer the enhanced comfort of its more recent earphones with an acceptable, affordable level of sound quality. Packaged with the company's newer Comply-style coated foam tips and older rubber tips, the SE110 also includes a starter carrying case with a carabiner hook, a cleaning tool, and a two-piece cable that can be detached for use with the company's…
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Reviewed: HDHomeRun Network PVR
Television's gone digital, and it belongs on your Mac. If you live in the US, you already have access to digital TV via cable or antenna. The new HDHomeRun, together EyeTV will bring beautiful, HD... ....Read more on MacMerc.com
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First Looks: Sena Cases LeatherSkin Case for iPhone
Available in 14 colors, some with flat leather and others with crocodile textures, Sena Cases' LeatherSkin Case for iPhone ($42) provides play-through access to the iPhone's screen and the option of a plastic detachable belt clip on the back. The screen is left fully exposed, with an ear speaker and proximity sensor hole, and additional holes are left for the side controls, bottom speaker, microphone, and Dock Connector, as well as the rear camera.…
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First Looks: Sena Cases UltraSlim Pouch for Apple iPhone
Sold in black, tan, red, or white, Sena Cases' new UltraSlim Pouch for Apple iPhone ($29) is a thin, unreinforced leather sleeve with a hole at the top to insert the iPhone, and vent holes at the bottom to let its speaker and microphone be used while inside. Fine textured Nappa leather gives the sleeve an interesting look; it's not designed to be attached to a belt clip or anything else of the sort....
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First Looks: Creative TravelSound i50 Travel Speaker for iPod shuffle
Perhaps the single best sign that Apple wasn't planning to discontinue the iPod shuffle this year was its recent decision to stock Creative's just-released TravelSound i50 Travel Speaker for iPod shuffle ($60) in its retail stores. TravelSound i50 packs four speaker drivers and a rechargeable battery into its thin, highly portable frame, as well as a top-mounted dock for the second-generation (aluminum) iPod shuffle, a detachable wrist…
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First Looks: PDair Leather Sleeve for Apple iPhone
PDair's Leather Sleeve for Apple iPhone ($28) is a simple leather and soft plastic holder for the iPhone, available in black, brown, red, white, and pink versions. Each comes with a black plastic detachable belt clip, and like the company's Leather Sleeve with Cover, the fit is extremely tight -- we almost had to damage the Leather Sleeve removing it from the iPhone....
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First Looks: PDair Leather Sleeve with Cover for Apple iPhone
Though inexpensively made and too tight for our iPhones, PDair's new Leather Sleeve with Cover for Apple iPhone ($28) offers an almost smart leather case design that covers much of the iPhone's body, plus two screen protectors -- a clear soft plastic integrated one, and a flip-closed front cover. Available in black, brown, red, white, and pink versions, it also includes a black detachable plastic belt clip. We liked the way the Leather Sleeve looked,…
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First Looks: PDair & Wireless Ground Monaco Aluminum Case for Apple iPhone - Flip Type
The same Chinese OEM iPhone case design is being sold under at least two product names, in two versions: PDair's Aluminum Metal Case - Flip Type ($28) and Wireless Ground's Monaco Aluminum Case ($40) are the exact same product, featuring a cheaply padded two-piece interior aluminum shell that includes a detachable plastic belt clip and a lanyard necklace. You can get this case from each company with or without an integrated hard plastic screen protector…
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Polk Audio I-Sonic ES2 features iTunes song tagging
Filed under: Home Entertainment Already, new peripherals are popping up to take advantage of the new features in Apple's updated iPod line-up, with Polk Audio's I-Sonic Entertainment System 2 packing a poor man's equivalent of the Starbucks song purchase feature over in-store WiFi. When songs are playing over the built-in HD Radio, users can press a tag button, which creates a custom playlist on docked iPods, allowing songs to be purchased later when at a computer. The ES2 also features XM Connect & Play capability, a CD/DVD drive for audio playback, an alarm clock mode, and 360-degree sound, whatever the hell that is. The ES2 hits next month for $499. Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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Pre-Order iPod Touch From Amazon
The 16 GB iPod Touch is already the top item in Amazon’s electronics best-seller list. Order yours (or any other new iPod) through this link and make me rich. Free shipping. ★
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iTunes 7.4.1 Ringtones Re-Rename Workaround Discovered
Clear instructions from Ryan Block on how to get free iPhone ringtones using iTunes 7.4.1. ★
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Starbucks on your iPod and other locale-based services
Last week's iPod refresh and controversial iPhone price reduction obscured one of Apple's more interesting announcements: Starbucks Music. You walk into a Starbucks, hear a song you like, pull out your iPod touch to visit the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store (iTWFS), and there on the bottom-left of the screen, you see a Starbucks icon, ready to tell you about the song you're hearing right now. Locale-based services like this benefit users and businesses alike. In this case, you get to learn more about and possibly buy songs you like, and Starbucks gets to sell them to you, via iTunes. And because you don't see the Starbucks icon until you actually visit the iTWFS, the resulting experience is restricted to the marketplace—you don't see the icon when you're listening to your own music, for instance. Technically speaking, locale-based services require careful coordination between the various players. Regarding the iTunes-Starbucks service, a server within participating Starbucks probably broadcasts its service via Apple's Bonjour, which the iPod looks for once you enter the iTWFS. The software support for the Starbucks presence within the iTWFS probably ships on the iPod. But imagine this approach extended to other locale-based services. You're in the airport and wondering which carousel your luggage is headed for, so you pull out your iPod, touch Airport, and ah, Carousel 3. Or special dishes in a restaurant. Or sales in a store. Some of these can be done as a Web page as well, but the experience of seeing the service is far more compelling and useful. The Starbucks experience is probably built right into the iPod, but there's no reason other locale-based experiences couldn't be downloaded on-demand. They could be coordinated within a section devoted to them, perhaps accessed via a Services icon. And GPS in later models will only make these services more useful. You're in a museum and standing in front of a painting, wondering about the artist. Locale-based services like these are now a reality. Expect Apple to announce more of them.
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iPod: TV Out Support
Apple KnowledgeBase article on TV Out support for various iPods. Confusing as hell, in my opinion, given all the various combinations of cables and docks. And why isn’t the iPod Touch listed? ★
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Growl 1.1. released
Filed under: Productivity, Freeware, Open SourceGrowl is one of my favorite Mac utilities. It adds a system-wide notification system to your System Preferences that other applications can plug into for displaying messages. The version 1.1 update adds a "global positioning system" which apparently keeps notifications from overlaping as well as a close button to notifications (on mouseover), a sound option and various bug fixes.Growl remains a free download.[via Daring Fireball]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iTunes 7.4.1 ringtones re-rename workaround discovered
Filed under: Cellphones So last night iTunes 7.4.1 came out which, among other things, blocked off the custom ringtone renaming method, which allowed users to add their own ringtones to their iPhone without buying them on iTunes. Well, as posters in our own comments have already discovered, it's back, and here's how to do it:First, follow the steps of the original method Create your ringtone, save it as an AAC file. Rename the m4a extension to m4r. Double-click to play in iTunes. Now, if you're upgraded to 7.4.1 Go back and re-rename that m4r file back to m4a. That's it. Plug in your iPhone and that ringtone will be added to your syncable ringtones list -- and it won't pop up the error from before. Play your ringtones constantly for the next 10 hours until 7.4.2 comes out. [Thanks, Engadget commenters! More here.] Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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Google Reader problems
Filed under: TUAW BusinessSeveral readers have let us know that our feed isn't updating in Google Reader. Our team of crack web ninjas is looking into this and I have faith that a solution will be found shortly. Until that time I suggest Google Reader users visit TUAW.com and repeatedly hit Command-R.Thanks to everyone who let us know.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Mémoires: simple journaling
Filed under: Software, Beta BeatMémoires is a modest piece of software with modest ambitions, but this simple journaling software brings off those aims with style and aplomb. It's basically a diary program with a calendar that helps you keep track of the entries. In many ways this approach is more or less the opposite of the excellent Journler, whose developer seems to take a kind of "kitchen sink" attitude toward features. Nonetheless, if all you want is a simple and stylish program to keep a journal this might be just what you need.Mémoires is in beta and available for download from Coding Robots.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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HD Radios to allow tagging for later iTunes purchase
Filed under: iPod Family, iTSiLounge has an interesting story on upcoming HD Radios from Polk and JBL which will feature an iTunes tagging feature. Basically these radios receive the new HD Radio digital audio broadcasts that are starting to be rolled out around the country (and world). Each will have a tag button that you can press while listening to the radio and it will record the title, artist, etc. of the playing track. You can then plug your iPod into the built-in dock and it will transfer the data over; when you next sync the iPod to your Mac it will transfer the tracks to a "Tagged" playlist in iTunes. You can then preview and/or purchase these tracks as normal from the iTunes Store. Of course it would be rather cooler to have something like this built-in to an iPod with an HD Radio receiver, but I think it's a neat idea nonetheless. The first device to support iTunes tagging will be the Polk I-Sonic Entertainment System 2 (right) available in October for $499.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple's iPhone Price Cut is Smart Marketing
Some key points about Apple's (AAPL) iPhone price cut:
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Apple Appeases Pre-Price Cut iPhone Customers With $100 Credit
So, are we all still sure that Apple (AAPL) is operating on a long-established plan here? Wednesday, as you know, the company announced that it is cutting the price of the 8 GB iPhone to $399 from $599; it is also killing the relatively unpopular 4 GB version. Among other things, the price cut just over two months after the phone’s debut made a lot of early customers angry, and triggered outrage on the Web, where the move was interpreted as a big “screw you� to the Apple loyalists who bought the phone as soon as they could.
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iPhone Price Drop Is A Bad Sign
Apple's (APPL) price cut on the iPhone means the phone is not selling the way they had hoped.
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Apple's iPhone Price Cut: An Unfair Blow to Shareholders
Only Steve Jobs and the decision makers at Apple (AAPL) know the real reasons behind doing away with the 4 Gb version of the iPhone and slashing the high end version by $200.
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New iPods, Selloff Create Buy Opportunity in Apple
The consumer electronics world held its collective breath Wednesday as Steve Jobs took the stage to show off Apple's (AAPL) new line of iPods
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Apple's iPhone Credit: A Reminder The Company's Human
With its offer of a $100 store credit to existing iPhone customers, Apple (AAPL) didn't waste time realizing and admitting its mistake in cutting the price of the iPhone so soon after its roll out.
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Apple Cuts iPhone Price by $200, Introduces 'Best iPod Ever'; Shares Fall 5%
Apple Inc. introduced its revamped iPod lineup to the public along with some additional surprises on Wednesday.
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Apple's iPhone Price Cut Was the Right Move
Entertaining note from Apple's (AAPL) Steve Jobs to iPhone buyers on the price cut issue.
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Jim Cramer's Wall Street Confidential Picks, 8/5/07
Recap of Jim Cramer’s comments on Wall Street Confidential,Wednesday September 5. Click on a stock ticker for more analysis:
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Apple's New Offerings and Price Drop Induce Buyer's Remorse
I've got to hand it to Apple (AAPL), cool factor, aside: Apple's product offerings are getting more confusing, not less.
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Mixed Emotions on Apple's Announcements
Several firms comment on Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) after the company announced a steep price cut on the iPhone, just two months after launch
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iPod Update
Between the office move and the markets lately, I didn't get a chance to address the new iPods/iPhone. Let's do that now. Back in January, I noted why I did not think the iPhone would cannibalize the iPod: Apple (AAPL) would migrate the touchscreen downstream to the smaller and non iPhone "pods."
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Notes From Apple's Special Event
Here's a quick summary of yesterday's announcement-filled Apple (AAPL) special event in San Francisco:
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Putting Apple Headphones Through The Wash: Another Great Customer Experience
You want to know what happens when you accidentally leave your iPhone headphones in your pants pocket and wash them? Well, for about a week they still work just fine. Then after about a week you start noticing some static in the left headphone. Now this was totally my fault. I'm sure iPhone headphones aren't meant to go through the the whole wash/dry cycle.
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Apple Tumbles On iPhone Price Cut; Analysts Leaving Estimates In Place
Apple (AAPL) shares Thursday morning extended Wednesday’s skid, as the Street tries to figure out what to make of the company’s stunning $200 price cut on the 8 GB iPhone.
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Motorola vs. Apple: Instant Pricing Obsolescence in the Cell Phone Business
Some useful price-cutting context via the NY Times on Apple's (AAPL) unexpected $200 iPhone price cut Wednesday:
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iPhone Revenue Hit Worsens: Apple Gives Prior Purchasers $100 Credit
After announcing a $200 price cut to its iPhone, Apple announced that it will issue a $100 credit to customers who have already purchased iPhones, probably resulting in a further revenue hit.
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RBC Thinks Positive On iPhone Price Drop In Long Term
Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) decision Wednesday to reduce the price on the 8 gigabyte iPhone from $599 to $399 only 68 days after launch, could upset early iPhone purchasers, but in the long term RBC Capital analyst Mike Abramsky figures the decision should prove positive.
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Are Stocks with a High Price-to-Book Ratio Worth Buying?
Are stocks with high price-to-book ratio (P/B) such as Boeing (BA) and Apple (AAPL) worth buying?
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Investors Baffled by iPhone Price Drop
An 8-gigabyte iPhone will now sell for $399, $200 less than the price consumers paid just three months ago when the iPhone launched on June 29, and $100 less than what a 4-gigabyte version of the phone cost at the time.
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Leaked German T-Mobile 3G iPhone ad?
Filed under: Rumors, iPhoneOkay I'll be the first to admit this is pure rumor, but the French Mac site MacBidouille has posted (translation) what appears to be a leaked T-Mobile (Germany) advertisement for a new 3G iPhone to be released on November 12. The specs include HSDPA/UTMS 3G data (up to 3.6 MBmit/s) plus 16GB of storage for €499 (~$684). I have to admit that this smells right to me. It would help explain the US price drop and we already know that T-Mobile will be the German carrier. Furthermore, a 2.5G EDGE phone just wouldn't cut it in Europe. On the other hand, it misidentifies the iPhone as an "iPod," but since Steve Jobs himself occasionally makes the same mistake it wouldn't be that surprising on an early draft. If this is true, the question is: will a 3G iPhone hit the US before Christmas?[via electronista]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iPods being liquidated at Costco
Apparently today Costco has various iPods at insanely low prices while they try to liquidate their stock of them. Here are the supposed deals available: 2GB Nano: $49.97 4GB Pink Nano: $99.97 4GB Silver Nano: $99.97 8GB Black $149.97 30GB White/Black: Unsure 80GB Black/White iPod: $229.97 Head over to your local Costco and see if there are any still available. I can't imagine they'll stay around very long at these prices. Props to my lovely wife for spotting this one. costco, ipod
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iTunes Store slip-up reveals future rental movie options?
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video Movie rentals could be coming to the iTunes Store, if an apparent slip-up by Apple is any indication. Mac developer David Watanabe uploaded a screenshot depicting an iTunes problem reporting system which has options for requesting a refund due to non-delivery of rental movies. The other options for reporting issues with the as yet unannounced -- but rumored -- rental movie options on the iTunes Store include accidental purchase, poor content quality, duplicate purchase, wrong version, bad metadata, and "other." The same possible complaints are available for every other content type on iTunes. We verified that these options are still viewable on a US iTunes Store account: see for yourself by viewing your account purchase history, clicking report problem, and then clicking on an individual purchase. [Thanks, Josh]Continue reading iTunes Store slip-up reveals future rental movie options? Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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Apple releases iTunes 7.4.1
Shortly after releasing iTunes 7.4 a short two days ago, Apple released iTunes 7.4.1 (2) today. The release notes for 7.4.1 look exactly like those for version 7.4: With iTunes 7.4, sync your favorite music and more with the new iPod nano (third generation), iPod classic, and iPod touch, plus create custom ringtones exclusively for iPhone [...]
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How to spend $20 million
Treating different customers differently is important. Customers actually like it if you do it right. People in coach don't mind the folks in first class getting more service, because they'd like to be there one day. (Or because they like the fact that the people paying too much for a fancy seat are subsidizing their flight). People at nightclubs like watching celebrities being whisked to the front of the line, because it reinforces their belief that they're at a special place. The trouble kicks in when you treat different people differently but it's random, or unfair or unpredictable. When Steve Jobs gave a $200 discount to the late adopters of the iPhone, the early adopters were incensed. They were being treated differently, but in the wrong way. My guess is that his $100 store credit and personal note helped a great deal, but it also cost about $20 million in profit. If Apple had thought it through, he could have offered any of the following (and done it during the presentation he did of the new products): Free exclusive ringtones, commissioned from Bob Dylan and U2, only available to the people who already had a phone. (This is my favorite because it announces to your friends--every time the phone rings--that you got in early). Free pass to get to the head of the line next time a new hot product comes out. Ability to buy a specially colored iPod, or an iPod with limited edition music that no one else can buy. The key is to not give price protection to early buyers (that's unsustainable as a business model) but to make them feel more exclusive, not less. As for being capricious, consider this photo from the US Open. The Open doesn't allow spectators to bring in backpacks of any size--IF the straps are padded. They don't announce this rule, and they enforce is somewhat randomly. If it were really a security issue, they'd have to enforce it completely. If it's just a silly policy that someone dreamed up one day, it's sure to annoy people. Because it's irrational. Because it's not enforced in a way that makes sense. So yes, treat different customers differently. The more the better, actually. But do it consistently and in a way that your customers respect and understand.
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Hands-on with Savant's $35000 ROSIE Coffee Table
Filed under: Home Entertainment Savant's ROSIE Coffee Table seemed like it would be a mighty fine addition to any geek's den, and after seeing one in person, our hunch has been substantiated. The table was on display and constantly surrounded by onlookers today at CEDIA, but we managed to squeeze through the crowd and snag a few pics of the device in action. We'll be the first to say that the resolution on the screen could certainly be improved, and the touch response seemed quirky as well, but the table in Denver will reportedly be tweaked a bit more before being loosed on the public. Speaking of which, we were able to step aside with a Savant employee in order to learn a bit more about this forthcoming unit, so here's the skinny...Apparently, nailing down a spill-proof top is the final (major) hurdle standing in the way of a release, and the company hopes to have this bad boy ready for shipment by October / November. Moreover, the system within will indeed be based around OS X, play nice with other ROSIE equipment, and will purportedly tout an Intel processor, 500GB of internal storage, 2GB - 4GB of RAM, and no user-accessible optical drive. Lastly, we were informed that the ROSIE Coffee Table will ring up at a staggering $35,000 MSRP, so it's fairly safe to say that only the affluent will be seriously considering this one for their own domicile.Gallery: Hands-on with Savant's ROSIE Coffee Table Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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Flickr Find: evidence of iTunes Store movie rentals?
Filed under: iTS, Rumors, Flickr FindMac developer David Watanabe posts a very interesting picture to Flickr. Apparently the result of some kind of error in iTunes, the drop-down menu on the iTunes Store "Report a Problem" page disclosed some very revealing strings. They all seem to fall into the "RentalMovie" category (separate from the "Movie" Category that follows it) and include things like"DidNotReceive" and "WrongVersion." I find the "DidNotReceive" one kind of confusing; that would seem more appropriate for something like Netflix or Blockbuster than a download service. In any case, this should definitely add fuel to the iTunes Store movie rental rumors.[via Digg]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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MenuMinder: quick reminders in your menubar
Filed under: Software, ProductivityMenuMinder is a simple piece of software that does one thing, but does it reasonably well. It sits in your menubar and allows you to enter quick reminders to yourself. The reminders pop up whenever you like (though in an unfortunate brushed metal interface, right). You can also set them to be emailed or sent to your phone via SMS. While you can obviously set events in iCal or even use Quicksilver for quick reminders, MenuMinder is extremely quick and straightforward. If, like me, you're often writing little reminder notes to yourself this might be just the ticket.MenuMinder is $10 and a demo is available.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Belkin wastes no time and releases new iPod cases
Within a day of Apple releasing their new line of iPods, Belkin has announced the release of 3 new iPod cases/armbands to fit the new styles. The new cases start at around $20 and aren't really anything industry revolutionizing. Though the new iPod classic armband they are releasing does include a nifty little “cable capsule” to give you a convenient place to store your headphones. All their new cases/armbands are expected to be released in early October 2007. If you're just aching to get your hands on some accessories for your new iPods, check out Belkin's line of products that are already compatible with the new iPods. armband, belkin, case, ipod
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iRing: Automator application for creating ringtones
Filed under: Freeware, iPhoneWe posted yesterday on the MacRumors tutorial on creating ringtones from your own music by changing the file extension. Well the guys over at applegazette have put together iRing a simple Automator application that, well, automates the process. Pretty much all it does is take the AAC file, change the extension, and put it into iTunes. Apparently iTunes has to be closed for it to work properly, but if you don't want to go through the rigamarole by hand, this might be handy.iRing is a free download from applegazette.Update: Alas, events have overtaken this post (which was written the night before). The iTunes 7.4.1 update breaks the very vulnerability this uses. It's against our policy to remove posts, but we should note that this will only work with iTunes 7.4.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple iPod touch: Where's My Mail?
At first, Apple's (AAPL) new iPod touch seemed like the perfect solution to the iPhone/AT&T (T) dilemma. The day after Steve Jobs unveiled it (for shipment later this month) the rush of pre-orders pushed it to the top of Amazon's best-seller list, were it was briefly the No. 1 selling electronics item. A lot of people, it seems, like the idea of a pocket-size multi-touch Wi-Fi-enabled Web browser and music/video-player that doesn't come with all that iPhone baggage -- in particular, AT&T's wireless network and two-year contract. With the touch, you could keep your current cellphone -- and whatever wireless network works best for you -- and use the new device for your entertainment, your news, your mail... Uh oh. Your mail. There's the rub. A mail client is not one of the applications Apple chose to put on the iPod touch. Why not? There's no technical barrier. There's a very nice mail app on the iPhone that could be easily ported over to the new guy. After all, the two share the same user interface and operating system, and there's plenty of room for it in the touch's 8 and 16 GB Flash memories. And there's no question it would be popular. In a survey on 9to5Mac, right, mail was the No. 1 application readers wanted to see added to the device, ahead of iChat and Google Maps. We put the question to Apple, and got this response from spokesperson Natalie Kerris:"no juicy explanation, we just feel it's the right feature set for that product."Which is to say the obvious: there is no mail program on the touch because Apple doesn't want the device to cannibalize sales of the iPhone. They want to keep the iPhone, a communications product, separate in the consumer's mind from the iPod touch, a music and entertainment device. You might think this creates a perfect opportunity for outside developers to write a mail client, but that's tricky. It's hard enough to write applications for the iPhone and the touch without a proper software developers kit. But programmers also run the risk that Apple could at any time release their own mail client -- either as a free software update or as a pay-for-download stand-alone application -- putting the programmers out of business overnight. That's the kind of game Microsoft used to play in the PC software application market. And that's the kind of trouble a company gets into when it manipulates feature sets to suit its needs rather than its customers'.
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3G iPod nano review roundup
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video Well, that was fast -- just two days after Steve pulled one out of his pocket, reviews of the newest iPod nano are filtering in, and they seem to be overwhelmingly positive. Everyone seems to be digging the fatty's battery life, price, and diminutive size, but the overall proportions dictated by the 2-inch screen drew some complaints. That screen also received praise for its clarity and sharpness, but watching video on such a small device seems to invite some awkward neck angles -- shocking, we know. Overall, however, it looks like Apple's got another hit on its hands -- fatty pride, y'all.Read - PC WorldRead - CNETRead - ZDNet AustraliaRead - iLounge Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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Log On, Plug In: Five Favorite Podcast Picks
Before I list my current top five podcasts and urge you to give this new medium a try, I probably should define what a podcast is. A podcast is a free, prerecorded audio program that automatically and regularly shows up on your computer after you subscribe to it online. You can then listen to the program at your computer or transfer it to a portable, digital audio player such as the ubiquitous iPod. This explanation is still necessary because the most recent survey by the Pew Internet & America Life Project found only 12 percent of Internet users had ever downloaded a podcast episode.
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TV out locked in new iPod classic and nano
Filed under: iPod Family, VideoThis is rather disappointing. According to iLounge, Apple has re-designed the TV out functionality of the new iPod classics and nanos so that they no longer work with older third-party TV out cables and docks. Apparently, the new classics and nanos require an Apple authentication chip in the dock/cable to unlock the TV out setting and these chips are only available to official third-party suppliers. At this point only official Apple products and a few select third-party offerings will unlock the TV out setting. The AV cables for the new iPods will reportedly sell for $49 when released.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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The iPod touch's Significance
I’ve been reading a bunch of statements from various analysts/pundits about the significance of the iPod touch with a combination of amusement and puzzlement. Some of the puzzlement comes from the statements directly and some indirectly. For example, here’s one of many quotes from an article over on PlaylistMag.com: “It’s the Web in your pocket,” said Ezra Gottheil, an analyst at Technology Business Research. “For $300, you get a mobile Web browser with touch-screen input.”. Uh, so what are the dozens of devices from Palm, Nokia (770 or 800), and bunch of Windows Mobile WiFi enabled PDAs? They vary in price. But, a bunch are in the $200 to 400 range. And, they’ve been around for years. So, what is the real difference? The real difference is the capability of the Safari browser (so I’m told since I haven’t tried it for more than a few seconds). Most of the mobile browsers that have been used for the past few years are basically toy browsers that require specially formatted web pages to avoid scrolling continuously just to read some text. The exception in the non-iPhone/iPod touch world is the Operamini browser currently in beta release. Here’s another quote: In fact, Gottheil said that the iPod touch’s selling potential is actually increased precisely because it is decoupled from a two-year phone contract with AT&T, something required with the iPhone. This is an interesting observation because the exact opposite is going on in the non-Apple phone-PDA world. The phone-less PDA type devices like the Palm OS based Palm boxes and Windows Mobile based Pocket PCs were the norm for years. Then, the Palm Treo (original Palm OS version) and Microsoft Windows Mobile touch-screen (Pocket PC Phone Edition — AKA Professional Edition) and non-touch screen (Smartphone AKA Standard Edition) took over leaving manufacturers like Dell to completely abandon the phone-less Pocket PCs (their great Axim line with WiFi and Bluetooth but no phone radio). I’m really hoping that the iPod touch redefines and reinvigorates the phone-less PDA market the same way the original iPod redefined the PDA market. And, yes, I didn’t get an iPhone because I didn’t want to switch to AT&T Wireless and be locked into their contract. Here’s a third quote from the article: Ken Dulaney, an analyst at Gartner, said in an e-mail interview that having both an iPod touch plus a cell phone would be a “great set for many of us to use.” But he discounted the iPod as a business tool that IT shops would support. Unfortunately and unhappily, I agree with this statement. But, that is only because IT shops don’t seem to support mobile devices of any type including Microsoft’s Windows Mobile which is actually designed for integration with Enterprise infrastructure. A fourth quote: “A usable portable Web browser will appeal to both personal and business users, and Web sites and applications oriented to the mobile browser will proliferate,” Gottheil and Byrne wrote in a TBR statement on the iPod touch Wednesday. Hack, hack, cough, cough. There’s a couple of weird things about this general idea. I noticed that a number of iPhone specific pages from major sites like Digg and Facebook appeared. But, this puzzled me since the big deal about iPhone’s (and touch’s) Safari browser is that you don’t need specially formatted pages. That said, there are a lot (though not enough) pretty well done pages formatted for WAP and other mobile browsers already. If the iPhone and iPod touch take off, we may see more. But, umm, I though they didn’t need it :-) But, putting aside my hopefully not too snarky comments above, I think the general sentiment coming from the experts is right. I’ve long lamented the loss of choices of non-phone Windows Mobile products. I hate having to tie a Pocket PC purchase to phone service contracts or pay a premium for an unlocked phone. I think the iPhone’s impact, large as it is, will be dwarfed by the iPod touch which allows anyone to buy it without a phone contract. I also think that lines of people should be outside of Apple’s campus in Cupertino with placard demanding an SDK so we can see apps developed for it without resorting to hacks. My pre-order for the iPod touch went out the day it was announced and I’m eagerly awaiting its arrival in a couple of weeks. And, in a effort not to monopolize the MacDevCenter blog with my iPod touch mutterings, I’ll mutter away on my personal blog which currently focuses on Windows Mobile (and will still focus on that since I enjoy using that platform). If anyone wants to talk touch, drop me a line at editor(AT-SIGN)mobileviews.com. Perhaps we can set up a TalkCast at TalkShoe with other new iPod touch owners.
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RouteBuddy 1.4 adds support for new devices and new data formats
Filed under: SoftwareThough a bit pricey, RouteBuddy is most likely the best Mac GPS mapping solutions. The newest 1.4 update adds support for a new range of Garmin nüvi and zÅ«mo models as well as Tom Tom units. In addition, the new version allows importing and exporting data from Google Earth and Garmin's CSV format, which means you can manage Point of Interest (POI) data sets with RouteBuddy.The update is a free for registered users; for everyone else it's $99.50 (plus additional fees for maps) and a demo is available.[via MacMinute]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Nepal Airlines sacrifices two goats to fix a 757
Filed under: TransportationWe've definitely done some crazy things to fix our gear -- we swear our Sawtooth Power Mac G4 actually ran faster after we dumped a can of Diet Coke into it -- but we've never gone as Nepal Airlines recently did. Faced with intractable mechanical problems on one of the fleet's two 757 jets, authorities at the state-run airline apparently sacrificed two goats to the Hindu god Akash Bhairab (pictured in the airline's logo, to the right) in front of the plane, which promptly took the skies again problem-free. That's pretty much all the information anyone has, but Nepal Airlines has confirmed that "the snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights." We're not going to comment on anyone's religious beliefs here, but that had to have been the weirdest pilots' announcement of all time. Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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iToner 1.0.1 restores compatibility with iTunes 7.4.1
Filed under: Software, iPhoneAs we reported earlier, the iTunes 7.4/7.4.1 update broke a number of officially unsupported third-party extensions. Among these was the recently released iToner ringtone utility from Ambrosia. The new update restores the custom ringtone functionality as well as adding file-dragging from iTunes and improved playlist support. So if you were worried about the long-term prospects of iToner, Ambrosia quick response should ease your mind.iToner is $15 and a demo is available.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Is Apple the new Microsoft?
Filed under: Analysis / OpinionSo claimeth Mike Elgan of Computerworld in his article on PC World: "It's Official: Apple is the New Microsoft." Well, I'm certainly glad that is settled! On to the iPhone news... Wait a moment, on what grounds does Mike base his comparison? I'll break down the points and test their coherence.Mike's first assertion is a familiar one: the iPod + iTunes ecosystem is the worst kind of monopoly, where you must use iTunes with an iPod. He says, "Not fair, you might say. Any hardware device that syncs data with a PC as part of its core functionality has software to facilitate that syncing. True enough. But operating systems have browsers as part of core functionality, too. Doesn't Mac OS X come with Safari? Doesn't the iPhone?"First of all, his argument is akin to saying ATI has a monopoly because you have to install drivers to make their video cards work. Secondly, his parallel to browsers is nonsensical. What does a browser, a completely different app unwed to any external hardware device, have to do with iTunes or an iPod? I'm not really smart enough to tell which logical fallacy this is, but I know BS when I smell it. Buy CD's, they don't come from the iTunes Store.Moving on to his one-line critique of iTunes: "ITunes is the slowest, clunkiest, most nonintuitive application on my system. But I need it because I love my iPods." iTunes is clunky and unintuitive, huh? Ever try SonicStage? PC World even called IE 6 one of the worst products ever. Of course, MMC plug-ins are models of intuitive design. Let's move on, shall we?Continue reading Is Apple the new Microsoft?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Fun and Games: Full Software List
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Safari's RSS Puzzle
OK, geek boys and girls, pop quiz: How do you use Safari’s built-in RSS reader as a feed aggregator? Go ahead, take a minute to figure it out. Take 5. Whatever you need. I’ve got time. In January 2003 I predicted that major browsers would have RSS capabilities built in within a year. Turns out I was off by about 18 months. So here we are in late 2007. Despite Apple’s innovations in bringing RSS to the browser, the Safari RSS experience still isn’t fully baked. In fact, it’s totally anemic. Of the people you know who use Safari rather than Firefox, how many also use its built-in feed reader rather than a standalone aggregator? None? Me neither. It’s not because Safari’s RSS reader isn’t pretty. It’s a nice way to digest the site you’re currently looking at quickly. But as we all know, that’s missing the point. RSS only becomes a time saver when you can harvest dozens or hundreds of sites at a time, skimming for interesting headlines, drilling down where the meat looks tasty. The power of RSS is not just in a cleaner way to parse a page, but in aggregation (though it is nice to ditch the clutter of a single page at times). OK, so how do you do RSS aggregation in Safari? Should be easily figure-out-able. First off, clicking the blue RSS badge in a URL field does not subscribe you to a feed - it just lets you view it (how many people want to view a single site’s feed?). Once you’re viewing a feed, you need to bookmark that. Hold up right there. Clicking an RSS badge should throw a dialog: “Subscribe to this feed?” That change alone would result in far more uptake for Safari’s RSS reader. When you do save an RSS bookmark, it gets filed along with your other bookmarks, not grouped with other RSS entries (philosophical question: Is an RSS bookmark the same as, or categorically different from a regular bookmark?). So now that you’ve bookmarked a feed or two, how do you view them together, so that they become more useful than a bunch of bookmarks to simplified white pages? Safari’s bookmarks manager will intelligently locate all your intermingled bookmark feeds and show them in a list, but without showing story summaries or offering any kind of grouping functionality (the new folder icon is grayed out in this view). This is a promising start - maybe you can see aggregated bookmarks with story summaries as fly-outs from the Bookmarks menu? Nope - this “All RSS Feeds” collection is only available in the bookmark manager itself - you can’t make it appear in the Bookmarks menu. And why do you have to Manage Bookmarks when you want to read your feeds? Why is there no “Feeds” item on the View or Window or Bookmarks menus? The only way to truly aggregate RSS feeds in Safari (that I can see) is to bookmark them together in a single folder, which must live in your Bookmarks Bar folder. Once that’s in place, click on that folder in the Bookmarks Bar and select “View All RSS Articles” from the bottom of the menu. Wow. Why is this so difficult? Safari isn’t Final Cut Pro. You shouldn’t need to turn to the documentation to figure out how to view a simple aggregation of feeds. What’s that? The documentation doesn’t even mention that it’s possible? Silly me. I gave Apple the benefit of the doubt when RSS capabilities first appeared, but continued using NetNewsWire, thinking I’d return later when the feature matured. But now it’s been a couple of years, and I finally got around to installing the Safari 3 beta. Love the new in-page search, love the resizable text fields, love the speed. But the RSS reader? Unchanged, as far as I can tell. What’s going on here? An RSS reader will be built into Leopard’s Mail.app, which could change the game a bit. Let’s hope it runs with the ball, though that leads to philosophical question #2: Are RSS feeds better suited to live in the browser, or your mail reader? Apple - Whatever you do with RSS in Leopard, please turn up the voltage on the de-confusifizer. RSS is important technology, and consumers aren’t going to get excited about it until you simultaneously show them its power and make it simple. Isn’t that what you do best?
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iTunes 7.4.1 Is Out, Changes Free Ringtone Workaround
So that “change the file extension to ‘.m4r’ and get free ringtones” trick? Broken in iTunes 7.4.1, which seemingly has no other discernable changes. But — and this is just weird — Joe Maller reports that if you change the file extensions back to “.m4a”, the trick works again. Let’s just say I’m back to thinking there’s a solid market for iToner ahead. ★
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Why Apple isn't the new Microsoft
While Apple's clout may be growing, Dan Frakes thinks that calling the company the new Microsoft doesn't make much sense.
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iTunes 7.4.1 already released -- free ringtone workaround is NOT ok
Filed under: Cellphones Just thought we'd let the droves of paranoid upgraders know in on a small bit of good bad news. Yes, Apple did already release a new version of iTunes tonight, 7.4.1, and we tested to see if said update "fixes" the ringtone-renaming hack (if you really want to call it a hack) that lets users supply their own ringtones sans Apple's $0.99 fee. Breathe not so easy: it may be legal (probably), but the hack did not continue to work just fine for us. More below. Update: So yes, our previous ringtones carried over and we were able to add new renamed ringtones to iTunes -- but our readers are right in that 7.4.1 DOES block the renamed ringtone workaround moving forward. Our initial syncs went unblocked, but only until we tried to add new ringtone files. Once you actually attempt to sync new renamed ringtone files, well, then you're in for a heap o' pain (see above). [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!