Nov 19, 2007 Nov 21, 2007 Tuesday November 20, 2007
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iTunes: Free Tuesday
Filed under: iTS, Features, DealsOnce again, TUAW is pleased to present you with a selection of free songs and videos from around the world. Many of these iTMS items won't be free for long, so grab your copies before the week is up. And don't forget: If you want to buy these on your iPhone or iPod touch, make sure to sign into your account in iTunes before you sync.Continue reading iTunes: Free TuesdayRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Reports Of Possible 3G iPhone Surface Yet Again, Slated For May 2008
A report coming our way from the Spanish newspaper El Pais claims that a 3G iPhone will arrive on Telefonica sometime in May 2008. The source, SevenClick cites information coming from Telefonica management when asked about a possible 3G…
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¡Hola Mexico! New Apple Online Store
Filed under: RetailFinally! After years of waiting, Mexico has its own online Apple Store. The new online store promises a better values for Mexican shoppers, who no longer have to shop at the US store. And, as part of the grand opening, you can win a MacBook each day and an iPod nano each hour--assuming that I, a non-Spanish speaker, have interpreted this page correctly.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Target tests electronics 'recycling' program
The retailer has been offering discounted pre-owned TVs, video players, game consoles, and iPods on its Web site since last month.
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Target tests electronics 'recycling' program
Way down at the bottom of the electronics section on Target.com is something you'd miss if you weren't looking for it: a tab called "Pre-owned Electronics." Target is selling this pre-owned 80GB iPod Video for $200, down from the $319 it would charge for a new one....
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Will You Upgrade Your iPhone to 3G?
If the rumors are true, Apple will be rolling out a 3G version of the iPhone next spring. If a 3G version comes out next year will you upgrade your iPhone to a 3G one or will you wait awhile? For me, if a software upgrade comes out…
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Purple Violets released exclusively on iTunes
Filed under: iTS, Video, iTunes Ed Burns' film, Purple Violets, has become the first full-length feature movie ever to premiere via digital distribution on iTunes. As we reported before, he was unable to find a good theatrical offer, and instead chose to make history by bringing it straight to iTunes. Variety wasn't thrilled with it, and our sister site Cinematical thought it was OK, but neither of them saw it on the iPhone's small screen, did they?Of course, you can find out for yourself-- Purple Violets is available right now in iTunes for $12.99. At that price, I might (ironically?) wait for rental, but then again, huddling around an iPhone and sharing earbuds in a nice Italian restaurant would make a pretty cheap date.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iPhones leading Wall Street Journal's gift list
After noting that flat panel TV sellers are trying to convince consumers to upgrade their TVs this holiday season, The Wall Street Journal started a poll of what's on consumer gift lists. The poll allows readers to choose one of the following:Flat panel TViPhoneCompact cameraSLR cameraBlackberryZuneDS LiteGPS navigatorSurprisingly, especially given that this was all started by an article on flat panel TVs, iPhones are currently taking the #1 spot with 52% of votes, with Blackberries ranking a distant second spot with 19% of votes. And even more surprising, Zunes are tied for third with GPS navigators, each with 8% of the vote so far.It will be interesting to see if that proportion changes overnight, but at present, iPhone interest for the holidays seems to be much higher than I would have expected. Technorati Tags: Apple, Flat Panels, iPhone
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The elephant-sized ad in the room
Filed under: Announcements Those of you not blocking Flash may have noticed the ginormous Apple ad adjacent to the content column. Yeah, a little about that. So a couple of days ago our ad sales team let us know they were going to be running a pretty big experimental placement on the site, which is up just today and tomorrow. (We know what some of you are thinking, and we want to remind everyone that the Engadget editorial team does not sell ads nor have any influence on ad deals. In the biz we call it the separation of church and state (advertising and editorial), and it's essential in maintaining editorial integrity.)We hear that the experimental ad might be causing some issues, though, specifically audio problems, browser crashes, or might be especially taxing on some people's computers. We've been informed that the appropriate ad people have been dispatched and are trying to fix the issue for everyone. But we know that doesn't help you in the here and now, so if you're having problems with the ads you might try turning off Flash. (For your convenience we've posted a few ways to do that after the break.) In the mean time feel free to vent in comments -- we're totally here for you.Continue reading The elephant-sized ad in the room Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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10.5: Switch Spaces with just the mouse
Apple has given us several easy ways to switch spaces in Leopard. I'm using an even easier method that only requires my mouse. I hardly ever use the horizontal scroll feature of my mouse -- left-and-right scrolling doesn't come up often enough for me to really need it. So I've mapped left scrolling the mouse wheel to the keystroke Control-Left Arrow, and right scrolling the mouse wheel to the Control-Right Arrow. Now just a quick left or right flick of my mouse wheel switches me between my spaces.If you don't have a mouse with horizontal scrolling, you could program the scroll wheel button to F8 to bring up the Spaces view and then just mouse to the space you need. Either way gives you a easy method that doesn't require moving your hand off the mouse.
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10.5: Smart copy/paste from Safari to Mail
It seems that OS X 10.5 has some really smart copy/paste going on between Safari and Mail. Today I copied the track listing from an album page in Amazon which had a ton of code around it to download the tracks, play previews etc...When I pasted it in to mail, I expected to just get the text, which I would need to strip stuff out to look readable. Much to my surprise, the whole table from the web page pasted in with full functionality in Mail, and even gave me a Dashboard-like X in a circle in the upper left corner of the paste area to make it easy for me to delete.When my brother received my message, he was able to preview the tracks in the preview pane of the message. He also informed me that some "" Flash code that was pasted into a message he received actually displayed the remote flash application -- I still need to look into that...[robg adds: I...
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10.5: Enable two-finger clicking on some PowerBooks
With Leopard, Apple has given PowerBook users the ability to secondary (right) click with two fingers on the track pad! In Tiger, this was only possible on MacBook/MacBook Pros.In the Keyboard & Mouse System Preferences panel, go to Trackpad and enable "Tap trackpad using two fingers for secondary click." Thank you Apple for adding this functionality which previously was only available by buying new hardware! I have only tested this on a G4 Powerbook 15" 1.67Ghz -- I don't know if it appears when loading Leopard on other PowerBooks.
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Alternative 'dot' navigation on the iPhone
There are two places I can think of that use "dots" to denote unseen pages or screens on the iPhone: in the Weather widget and in Safari's "pages" mode. In the Weather widget, you can use horizontal area of the screen where the dots are as an alternative navigation method. While you 'swipe' the panels to move them out of the way, you can swipe the opposite direction in the dots area, swiping 'to' the direction you want to go. Alternately, you can also just tap to the left or right of the dots to move the weather panels in that direction.I thought that same method might remain consistent in Safari, but it does not. However, in trying to get it to work, I did discover that instead of swiping from one page to another in Safari, tapping on the edge of the screen where you see the edges of other web pages will also allow you to move from one page to another.
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10.5: Fix the echo -n problem in 10.5
After much frustration, it seems that I have found a bug in 10.5. When doing unix scripting, it's useful to be able to do something like the following:#!/bin/shecho -n "Insert Name: "read NAMEecho "Hello ${NAME}!"However, when using /bin/sh as the shell, echo -n no longer works. This is pretty much the most basic of basics in the unix world, and it just irks me that it's giving me grief. You can, of course, fix it by changing your shell to bash instead of sh, ala:#!/bin/bashUnfortunately, that only affects you. If there are other scripts you are running that you don't want to modify yourself, then you need to do something more drastic. Because OS X uses bash for both /bin/sh and /bin/bash, it seems reasonable that they should be the same. It turns out that they aren't:$...
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10.5: One way to back up locally-synced .Mac iDisks
For .mac users, the iDisk is fantastic for keeping a folder synchronized between multiple computers. One can turn on local syncing of the iDisk to have hard drive speed access to this folder shared between multiple machines, which is great. I do almost all my document editing on the iDisk and it is the same everywhere I go. For those who do a lot of document editing, doing some form of version control would be great. Time Machine is perfect for this, as subversion is kind of overkill for documents and small projects.However, there is a problem with using Time Machine on the iDisk in Leopard: the iDisk in Leopard is not locally synchronized on a file to file basis. The local copy exists as a .sparsebundle file in ~/Library/FileSync. This is done so that the local copy only occupies the same amount of space as the files you currently have in your iDisk. Tiger on the other hand woul...
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Telecom Carriers Wrangle Over iPhone Lock
Dark clouds are gathering over Apple's iPhone in Germany. Monday marked the start of a legal tussle over Apple's contracting arrangement with cellular carriers -- in this case T-Mobile's German arm -- that, if not resolved, could put a damper on iPhones sales in Europe. Apple's popular smartphone and media player is currently available under a 24-month contract with T-Mobile. UK-based Vodafone contends that provisions of the agreement fly in the face of German telecommunications law.
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iPhone with 3G in May Rumor
Spanish technology company claims to have the 411 on 3G iPhones.
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Will Purple Violet mark the decline of movie theaters?
Edward Burns' latest film, Purple Violets, wont be coming to a theater near you, but you wont have to go far to see it. The movie is available to anyone with $13 and an account at iTunes. It is the first time a feautre film has premiered at the Apple medi
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Will Purple Violet mark the decline of movie theaters?
Edward Burns' latest film, Purple Violets, won't be coming to a theater near you, but you won't have to go far to see it. The movie is available to anyone with $13 and an account at iTunes. It is the first time a feature film has premiered at the Apple media store. Burns first landed on the scene in Hollywood with his highly successful 1995 film The Brothers McMullen. He wrote, directed, produced and starred while managing to spend less than $30,000 putting together the vehicle that would pave the way for his role acting in Saving Private Ryan. ...
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Delicious Library 2 will track your media and your tools
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Cool tools, Developer Scott Stevenson has taken another look at a program I am pretty much drooling over at this point-- Delicious Library 2. Earlier, he walked us through the overview of all the items in your library, and this time, he goes a little more in depth on what the app can tell you about each item that you own.First off, everything is Quicklook-capable and can be viewed in CoverFlow, which is awesome. You can thumb through your books just with a few keystrokes. You can share your library via .Mac and Bonjour, which means while using Wi-Fi at Barnes and Noble, you can actually get book recommendations from anyone else on the network with you.Finally, Scott reveals a strange but interesting new feature. Apparently, in its pre-release incarnation, you can also track tools. That's right-- the screenshot above is not Photoshopped (not by us, at least). Scott even suggests there might be other possessions to track, but we'll have to wait for the official release to see just what the Delicious team have cooked up.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Does the Dell PC XPS One top Apple’s iMac?
Some PC reviewers say that Dell's new XPS One all-in-one "tops the iMac." Are they blind?
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Security Bug back for Leopard Mail
The shell script security exploit exposed and then fixed in Tiger Mail has been reintroduced into Leopard Mail. The loophole allows a sender to disguise an executable file (say, a shell script) as an image or some other harmless file. When clicked on, the executable file runs. Don't remember? See the Hawk Wings post at the time (Feb, 2006). Now, it's back. You can test for yourself. The Heise Security web site offers to send you a test email. Give them an email address and after a confirmation, the email arrives: CLick on the “jpg” to open it, and it runs a shell script, listing your current directory and exiting harmelessly: Last time, the news prompted a range of responses, some of them rather hysterical. One writer even claimed that it made Mail.app too dangerous to use. I am happy to follow John Gruber's lead (again). As he said last time: “It boils down to this: you can’t safely double-click files from untrusted sources, and you never could. This is no different today on Mac OS X 10.4 than it was a decade ago on Mac OS 8 and 9.â€? Puzzling that it's back, yes. But dangerous? No more than usual. [Via The Register ] apple, apple mail, bug, exploit, leopard mail, security, shell script, tiger mail, mail.app Related: RCMail: Remotely control your Mac by email Security flaw with scripts in Mail.app Good news for Leopard Mail lozenge loathers Remotely control your Mac via AppleScript Scripts to automate the Mail.app Envelope speed trick Apple, Apple Mail Bugs
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Hands-on with miShare
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Storage Today we got an exclusive look at that miShare unit we spotted last week, and it seems to do exactly what it says on the box. If you missed it, the miShare is a little Linux-based device with a pair of iPod docking ports that can shuttle files from one iPod to another. We got to see it in action with a pair of nanos, and the operation was pretty painless -- if a little sluggish, they're claiming about 500K a second, at the low end of the USB 2.0 spectrum. The process involves plugging your iPods in and pushing the center button once they're both mounted. You can select on the miShare whether you want pictures movies or music, and the device will automatically transfer the last played or viewed item of that type. If you hold the button down for a second it'll instead transfer the iPod's On-the-Go playlist. You'll probably have a bit more trouble getting the files you've received onto your computer (hint: you'll want to enable manual library management) but instructions are included to make it as painless as possible. The miShare itself is battery powered, and can be charged with an included AC adapter. You should be able to pre-order the unit within a week, and shipments are set to begin next month. The device has been designed and marketed from start to finish by a pair of guys that'd love to hear your suggestions, so be sure to sound off in the comments.Gallery: Hands-on with miShare Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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Vodafone takes T-Mobile's iPhone contract to task
A German court has granted a preliminary injunction against T-Mobile over its exclusive iPhone contract. The company plans to oppose the injunction, however, and says that its marketing with the iPhone is just fine.Read More...
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Apple Gazette Daily 155 - Purple Violets in iTunes, Vodaphone vs. T-Mobile and more
Edward Burns debuts his new film in iTunes, and Vodaphone is taking on T-Mobile over the iPhone in Germany You can subscribe via iTunes, or by RSS feed, or… you can listen to the episode right here: In addition to that, you can also download the Apple Gazette Daily Widget and listen to every episode of the show right on your Dashboard. Click Here to download.
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Carmack fighting with Jobs about gaming on the Mac
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Odds and endsDespite what Jobs told us at WWDC earlier this year, Apple isn't as committed to gaming as they'd want us to think. GamedailyBIZ has an interview up with id software's John Carmack (makers of Quake and the new Rage, set to premiere simultaneously on Mac and PC), and he says that he and Jobs have had arguments about gaming on the Mac, including a "...fairly heated argument" at WWDC.Carmack says he would love to develop on the Mac-- and who wouldn't-- but that the problem is that Apple just doesn't care. Carmack mentions the iPhone as a platform he'd love to see some great games on as well, but points to the iPod as a place where Apple failed gaming-- they made developers work on an emulator, and there were many "horrible decisions."As Carmack says, you can't exactly fault Apple for their choices. From a business perspective, they are going gangbusters. But with Jobs' feelings on this coming to light, we must look past specific developers, and Apple themselves-- why are Jobs and his company so opposed to solid game development on their platform?[Via IMG]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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First Looks: iHome iH9 Dual Alarm Clock Radio
Suggested by iHome to be the true successor to the extremely popular, well-known iH5, the new iH9 Dual Alarm Clock Radio ($99) is arguably the company's most significant update yet. Like the many other versions of iH5 that have appeared over the past two years, iH9 only modestly tweaks the same wide all-in-one cabinet design of its predecessors, but for the first time replaces the front screen with a high-contrast white on black display, rather than…
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First Looks: Tunewear Tuneshell for iPod nano 3rd Generation
Tunewear's Tuneshell for iPod nano 3rd Generation ($20) is a hard plastic alternative to the company's past, popular series of rubber Icewear cases, featuring a two-piece snap-together clear body and an easily detached lanyard necklace. Tuneshell provides full access to the new nano's bottom surface while protecting the rest of the iPod, save for its Click Wheel, which is entirely exposed. Interestingly, the front half of the case snaps inside of…
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First Looks: I-nique Eco-nique Climate Positive Napa Leather Cases for iPod touch and iPod nano
Both sold for £19, the new Eco-nique Climate Positive Napa Leather Cases for iPod touch and iPod nano are soft-leather flip cases with magnetic-sealed front flaps that open to reveal the iPods inside. As we've mentioned in many prior reviews, we're not fans of flip-closed cases for video-ready iPods, and even less so for touchscreen-dependant devices such as the iPhone and iPod touch, but Eco-nique's pitch is that its cases are made in a "Climate…
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First Looks: Prima Cases Premium Leather Lateral iPhone Case
Using the same sunglasses-case-style "hipcase" design that we've seen from almost a dozen other companies, the Prima Cases Premium Leather Lateral iPhone Case ($33) distinguishes itself positively through its use of a nicer grade of Italian leather than most of its competitors, and negatively through a looser fit that suggests the case wasn't properly measured for the iPhone's body size or headphone port placement. The simple enclosure features a…
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First Looks: Prima Cases Select Premium Leather Flip Style Case for iPhone
Sold for $43, this generically-designed PDA-style flip case for the iPhone is unique only in its use of materials. Its glossy red Italian leather exterior -- also available in black or distressed slate gray -- is augmented by a black velvet lining, four interior card pockets, and a smooth, flat belt clip-less back. The black version is also sold with a detachable belt clip. While we really dislike flip-style cases, the leather on this one looks sharper…
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Zinio Debuts iPhone Compatible Magazines Online, Free Top Sellers
Zinio, the leading Application for reading digital magazines, recently debuted their iPhone compatible portal for reading online issues all of which are free but limited to their top sellers. Zinio’s iPhone portal is best used on Wi-Fi but even then,…
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Fuzzmeasure Pro 3 leverages Leopard for audio measurement
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Audio, Software, Leopard, DeveloperReader Sebastiaan sends word that Fuzzmeasure Pro 3 is out (and that he designed the icon for it-- very nice). Released on the three-year anniversary of the first version's release, the update has a host of new features, including integration with Leopard's Core Audio, the sweet audio graphs that the app is known for, and even Quicklook and Safari plugins. It's been used to set up concert systems for "...Linkin Park and other big name bands around the world." Cool!As you may have guessed from reading "Core Audio" and "Quicklook", Fuzzmeasure Pro 3 is Leopard-only (and loving it). You can download it (and eventually buy it for $150US) over on SuperMegaUltraGroovy's website.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Reversal hits tech stocks; Google, RIM, Apple still up
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) – Tech stocks reversed course Tuesday afternoon as the market began to sell off on the release of the Fed minutes, despite early gains that were driven by strong results from Hewlett-Packard Co.
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First Looks: Fabrix Cases for iPod nano 3G, iPod touch, and iPhone
Developed by Singapore-based Fabrix, this new series of $20 Cases for iPod nano 3G, iPod touch, and iPhone are very simple sleeves consisting of patterned exterior and solid soft interior fabrics. The company makes each case to fit the size of your iPod or iPhone, charging the same price for any design. Thirty-five different fabric options are available, and custom-sized versions are available for a $2 premium to fit non-iPod/iPhone devices....…
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First Looks: Vaja i-Volution Grip with Hook for iPod nano 3G
We weren't terribly fond of this design for the iPhone or iPod touch, but now it has re-emerged for the third-generation iPod nano: the i-Volution Grip with Hook for iPod nano 3G ($55+) is a simple semi-hard shell wrapped in leather that you select from a list of 40 colors. A dangling lobster claw-style hook is found at the bottom. Customization is available in the form of text that can be lightly engraved in the case's back at an additional cost…
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Trash Talk
We know that deleting the trash contents is permanent!
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First Looks: Altec Lansing Orbit-MP3 iM207 Portable Audio System
Not specifically made for the iPod but potentially of interest to some budget-conscious users, Altec Lansing's new Orbit-MP3 ($40) looks like a small black and silver bowl with a metal speaker grille covering the entire top. Also known as the iM207, the Orbit-MP3 has a single speaker inside and claims to project a 360-degree sound field, running for up to 24 hours on three AAA batteries. A device-agnostic (and iPhone-friendly) headphone cable wraps…
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First Looks: Altec Lansing UHS306 SnugFit Earphones with Microphone
Described as the company's "travel/airplane" earphone in the Upgrader series, Altec Lansing's new UHS306 SnugFit Earphones with Microphone ($90) offer a more conventional shape and design than the less expensive UHS301 while preserving the same general features. You get a pair of microphone and call button-equipped earphones with silicone tips, fabric cables, in-line volume and mute controls, and an iPhone-ready headphone port plug, as well as…
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T-Mobile's iPhone service plans in question
Filed under: Apple, iPhoneApple's European iPhone hopes may have suffered a set-back after Vodafone Germany won an injunction "...prohibiting sales of the iPhone in Germany" according to CNN / DowJones. However, the issue doesn't concern the exclusivity of the deal between Apple and T-Mobile. in this case, it's about the choice of service plans available to iPhone customers.According to a spokesperson for Vodafone Germany "[we are not] generally opposed to T-Mobile's exclusivity contract with Apple, but want to have these new sales practices examined....The restraining order doesn't aim at a total sales stop". It's worth noting that this is a solely German injunction: Vodafone have confirmed with us that this is purely due to local legislation and we won't be seeing a similar action elsewhere with other Vodafone territories such as the U.K.Whilst the injunction has been granted, T-Mobile does now have 2 weeks to appeal, meaning it's unlikely that sales will stop before the appeal is exhausted.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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First Looks: Altec Lansing UHS301 SnugFit Earbuds with Microphone
Nearly identical to the earlier UHP301, Altec Lansing's new UHS301 SnugFit Earbuds ($50) adds an iPhone-friendly in-line microphone and call answer/end button to a pair of gel-tipped earbuds. Four total sets of large but differently-sized blue rubber tips are included to help you get a snug fit inside your ears. Primarily gunmetal and gray in color, UHS301 continues to have fabric cords and a separate but still in-line volume control, as well…
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First Looks: Altec Lansing UHS307 AirFit Earclips-S with Microphone
Based heavily upon its earlier model UHP307, Altec Lansing's UHS307 AirFit Earclips-S ($40) is a pair of over-the-ear clip headphones with rubber tips, now featuring an integrated microphone compatible with the iPhone. They sell for the same price as the microphone-less UHP307, include a 2.5mm adapter for users of smaller ported cell phones, and feature a call answer/end button as well. Fabric cords and a separate but still in-line volume control…
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News: Apple posts new iTunes commercial
Apple has posted its latest iPod + iTunes commercial. The new ad features Mary J. Blige performing the song “Work That” from her upcoming album Growing Pains. The ad follows the artistic style of previous iPod ads, featuring a slight silhouette effect in front of a brightly colored, shimmering background. The ad is available for viewing now on Apple's iTunes page, under the “Featured on iTunes” heading. ...
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German iPhone Woes, Black Friday Apple Store and Firefox 3
Apple wants you to shop online this Friday, while Google eyes Skype.
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First Looks: iSkin Cerulean F1+TX Wireless Headset and Transmitter
Now bundled in a way that makes sense for most iPod users, iSkin's Cerulean F1 Wireless Headset and TX Transmitter ($190) package uses Bluetooth 2.0 -- and support for a number of standards, such as AVRCP and A2DP -- to enable you to listen to the audio from a connected iPod, as well as pairing the headset with a Bluetooth-ready computer for monaural or stereo listening. An integrated microphone is compatible with both computer voice chats and cell…
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[Sponsor] Evolve Wireless Sound System by Griffin Technology
It’s the no-wires freedom your iPod has been waiting for. Find out why one reviewer praises Evolve as “the first wireless speaker system that delivers a truly cable-free experience.” Wireless, rechargeable speakers play up to 150’ from the Base Unit. Works great as a stand-alone audio platform or as a part of your home entertainment system. Takes about three minutes to unpack, plug in and play. Cut the cord. It’s time to Evolve.
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First Looks: Otter Products OtterBox for iPhone Defender Series
Designed to offer a bump, scratch, and drop-protective case option rather than a waterproof one, OtterBox's still impressive new outdoors-ready OtterBox for iPhone Defender Series ($50) comes in all-black or yellow/black versions, promising protection for all surfaces of the iPhone and only one, truly minor limitation: no access to the silent switch. Bundled with a swiveling belt clip that can be attached to provide impact protection for the iPhone's…
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First Looks: iASUS Concepts Mobile Amp
We aren't big believers in the value of adding external amplifiers to iPods -- a concept that is at best suited to the needs of a limited crowd of users -- but iASUS Concepts has released the Mobile Amp ($59), a small and relatively stylish little alternative with a glossy black finish and machined aluminum volume knob. Like other such devices, the pitch here is that you plug this in to the headphone port of your iPod, turn your iPod down to a lower…
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Fix the Tone in JPEGs with Adobe Camera Raw
This is not a blue kitty.
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First Looks: DLO Shell, HybridShell and MetalShell for nano
Three new $20 "Shell" series cases from DLO for the third-generation iPod nano have appeared, each with a feature that distinguishes it from the others. The standard Shell is a completely clear two-piece hard plastic case for the nano, which covers everything but the device's Click Wheel and bottom surface. It's designed to let you see the nano's face color and back with minimal interference. By comparison, MetalShell preserves Shell's back, but replaces…
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First Looks: DLO VideoShell for iPod classic
As an alternative to the company's UrbanShell, DLO's new VideoShell for iPod classic ($20) preserves the same functionality -- a rear kickstand that props the iPod classic up for video viewing -- while using a thicker, clear hard plastic shell to cover the classic's body. Designed to fit either the thin 80GB classic or the larger 160GB version, the case is made for the bigger iPod and uses a sizer to accommodate the smaller model. The Click Wheel…
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First Looks: DLO VideoShell for iPod touch
Yesterday, we thought we'd seen the best iPod touch case yet; today, DLO has another contender. Different from the same-named product for iPod classic but possessing the same impressive front shell found in DLO's HybridShell, the new VideoShell for iPod touch ($20) is a two-piece clear plastic enclosure with a clear film protector for the iPod touch's face. What's new here is a slide-out rear kickstand that is designed to let you turn iPod touch on…
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Color Decoder 1.0
Interesting new app from Stray Cat Technology: Color Decoder, which runs exclusively on Mac OS 10.5 Leopard, identifies colors and areas of color on the computer’s screen. Though primarily intended for those lacking normal color vision, Color Decoder can help anyone analyze color usage on charts, maps, radar and other images. ★
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Frenzic For Your iPhone
I haven’t played a game on my iPhone in a while, so stumbling into a game called Frenzic interested me. The iPhone web-version of Frenzic has been published at http://frenzic.com/iphone/. Frenzic is described as a fast paced…
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Apple teases us over Black Friday discounts, again
Apple will once again be holding its "one-day shopping event" this Friday, also known as Black Friday. We don't know what the discounts will be yet, but Apple has offered decent ones in the past off the purchase of Macs and iPods. Read More...
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T-Mobile Germany forced to allow iPhone on Rival Carriers
A German court has given T-Mobile Germany until close of business on Wed. to make the iPhone available for rival carriers, after Vodaphone took the cell phone carrier to court, filing an injunction. T-Mobile is standing firm, however, and right now, they have said in a statement that they will “oppose the preliminary injunction filed by Vodafone” So what does this mean to iPhone owners in Germany? Well, probably not much right this second, but if Vodaphone ultimately wins in court, the iPhone could be forced to either be non-exclusive in Germany - or get the hell out. Vodaphone has no plans to go to court in other markets at this time.
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Cellphones Get Cheaper, So People Pay More
The average spent on a cellphone in the United States was $82.81 in the third quarter, up from $58.95 a year ago. The extra money is buying features like built in MP3 players and smartphone capabilities.
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Keepin' it real fake, part XCVI: the true nano fatty
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video We suppose this is exactly what happened the first time Ive fired up Photoshop to mock up the third-gen iPod nano -- or what happens when KIRFers spend a little too much time watching pandas at the zoo. Plays the usual goofy MTV format on its 2.4-inch screen, as well as MP3 and WMA, but honestly, you wouldn't be caught dead with this thing, would you?[Via PMP Today] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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Briefly: AT&T Allows Users To Ride Themselves Of EDGE Plan, Resort To Wi-Fi Only Connectivity
What was once required when you signed up for the iPhone, you can now remove. AT&T is allowing you to disable your EDGE plan. What is not known is whether or not you’ll rack up massive data charges. Via: TUAW
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News: Proporta announces new cases for iPod touch
Proporta has introduced three new cases for the iPod touch. The Alu-Leather Case for iPod touch features the Proporta Aluminum “Screen Saverâ€? System which uses a sheet of rigid, lightweight aircraft grade aluminum to line the case, a secure magnetic clasp closure, and contrast overstitching. It sells for $46. The Silicone Case for iPod touch features a removable lanyard and a thin profile, and offers access all ports and controls. It sells for…
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999 Monkeys Short
The Macalope, in an aside in the midst of dismantling an insipid “Apple might be forced to license Mac OS X” column by David Berlind: The writings of Robert Scoble are like a thousand monkeys typing, short about 999 monkeys. ★
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BusinessWeek: ‘Kindle is the iPod of Books’
Aaron Pressman: But the digerati don’t get it and don’t like it and that creates a compelling investment opportunity to buy Amazon shares now. The stock market doesn’t appreciate this game changer. Kindle will be the iPod of books — you read it here first. I say the difference is that the iPod allowed you to easily play the music you already owned, and that you could (and can to this day) buy music to play on iPods in an open format. ★
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The Kindle book reader: What were Amazon's marketers thinking?
Technology marketers, repeat after me: Ugly products, awkward user experiences, and restricted content don't sell consumer electronics gadgets. One more time; I'm not sure it got through the first time.Now that we're all on the same page, can someone explain to me how Amazon’s Kindle Reader ever got released to the market when it has all three of the characteristics above that kill consumer gadgets?That was the mantra that was running through my head as I sat through Amazon's Kindle video. Strangely, the video spent maybe 20 seconds on the concept of reading a book electronically, and then proceeded to dive into all the wonderful features built into the device, like shopping at the Kindle store, pulling data over the cellular network, and looking up words in the dictionary. When a video advertising a e-book reader skips over the device's primary benefit, it's not a mark of marketing prowess.But the Kindle is even worse than its marketing video because its:Hardware design screams "Blackberry" instead of book. Books are about visually presenting long-form text and pictures. But the Kindle can only display about a paragraph of text at a time on its relatively small screen compared to other products in this category such as the Sony Reader. If this is an machine designed for reading, why is so much device real-estate dedicated to a keyboard, which is not used for ordinary reading? And the person who added a thumbwheel as a pointing device for Web pages needs to get off their Blackberry and into the real world -- even RIM figured out that they needed horizontal scrolling with the Blackberry Pearl. The strange choices made in the hardware design suggest that it was designed to be a wireless Amazon shopping device that happens to read books rather than the other way around.Unclear purpose hobbles its software. Since book reading software doesn't put a heavy strain on most software engineers (let's see -- we need forward page, previous page, table of contents....), you'd think Amazon would focus Kindle's software on providing access to the widest possible array of book content. But instead, Kindle software focuses on providing access only to a limited number of Amazon-blessed formats. Ironically, the Kindle won't even read many eBooks that Amazon already sells online because they are in PDF format, which the Kindle can't read. And eBooks that other Web sites sell will clearly be non-starters for this device. And worse, Amazon burdened the software with a lot of irrelevant functions such as Web browsing and email fetching that add cost and complexity while diluting the device's market position.Content restrictions pose future problems. Amazon has wrapped its content in digital rights management software that prohibits normal "first-sale" book usage like loaning, resale, and viewing on other devices. And what will happen when Sprint decides to upgrade the Whispernet (really garden-variety cellular EVDO) to a higher-performing network, just as AT&T did with its old TDMA network? Because there's no computer involved, Kindle owners will then be reduced to moving around Amazon-proprietary files via SD memory cards -- assuming they can still get these Amazon-proprietary books from from anyone -- or relegating their $400 device to paper-weight status.Price doesn't add up. The Kindle reader costs about the same as 20 hard-cover books from Amazon -- more than a year's worth of reading for most US adults -- but comes without any bundled content. And Amazon has snuck in some clever little fees into its service. Examples include a $0.99 to $1.99 monthly subscription fee for blogs, a $0.10 per attachment format conversion fee for emailed documents, and $9.99 to $14.99 monthly subscription fees for newspapers. The result: suddenly a low-cost hobby of reading books and magazines costs as much as an iPhone with an unlimited data subscription -- yet without the ability to make calls, get email, or play movies.Amazon's Kindle is a great example of technology being pushed at consumers without a clear idea of its market or value. In some other market -- perhaps in enterprise software -- an ugly product with an awkward user interface and restricted content might succeed. But with the broad and unforgiving consumer market, it doesn't have a chance. The only surprise here is that Amazon thinks that it does.Full disclosure: the author has no position in Amazon, but does have a long position in Apple Inc. at the time of writing. This blog also is an Amazon Associate, so we do receive a small commission on any purchases you might make through following Amazon links on this page.Technorati Tags: Amazon, Apple, eBooks, eReader, Kindle, Marketing, problem solving
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Report: Apple Not Tracking iPhone User Info
Following a report that Apple's iPhone may be using unique identifier codes to track user activity, some clever iPhone users in Germany started tracking the data that their handhelds were transmitting. However, it looks like Apple is receiving generic application identifiers, not user-specific information. The concern over the possibility that Apple may be tracking individual iPhone user activity began when code in the Weather and Stock applications appeared to show that Apple was collecting the unit's IMEI identification number when a stock quote or weather update was requested.
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Kindle?
I'm not getting Kindle in both senses of the verb — not buying and not understanding, both as a device and as a model. I was approached to add BuzzMachine to the blog available for sale on the device but didn't pursue it because I don't see the sense in selling this blog when it's available on the web for free. Oh, I'd love to think that I could sell it — nothing against money; though I'm often accused of it, I'm not arguing that content should be free but that it just is. But if this content is available here for free, why would and should someone buy it on a different device? Why shouldn't that device just bring me the internet? The iPhone does. Of course, that's because the business model is different: Amazon created a device through which it could sell content; it is charging for the content instead of the access. But I have to believe that the Kindle will feel imprisoned when I want to get other content that I know is out there on the web. And I wonder about the economics of paying for all that access if people don't buy enough content. The alternative to that is to sell a subscription to content but who wants another monthly bill? I do prefer the a la carte nature of iTunes over subscription movie services. If the Kindle enabled me to pay for access so I could get the entire web, would I get it? I doubt it, because it appears to be a limited device. The iPhone is more powerful. It gives me the ability to both buy content and see the world of content. It's a connected computer. Am I going to lug around a device just to read books and a limited set of blog and newspaper content without the ability to fully interact with it? No. I've said often that I don't believe re-creating an old media form electronically is the salvation of that form. The salvation of the content within that form is to take advantage of the new opportunities afforded by electronics and connectivity. I haven't touched a Kindle yet, so I don't know what it adds but those additions would be more valuable to me than its homage to the size and feel of the book. (Disclosure: I own Amazon stock.)
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Amazon Vies for Piece of Apple's Digital Content Pie
With the introduction of its Kindle ebook reader, music and video services, Amazon’s (AMZN) Jeff Bezos is stepping further into the magic kingdom of Steve Jobs’ Apple (AAPL). In fact, Bezos and Jobs seem to be on a collision course.
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Macworld Expo code for Ars readers
Were you planning to come and check out the madness at Macworld '08? If so, you can get cheap floor passes using a code we scored for Ars readers!Read More...
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Apple is getting ready for “Black Friday�
Apple is gearing up for Black Friday both online and off. On the web they have launched their own “Holiday Buyer's Guide” which you can find here, and they have also sent out an email with the above image in it, letting subscribers know that their will be special sales at Apple Stores this Friday - what kind of sales? Who knows…but I'm sure we'll hear something soon.
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Easy file uploading with Safari 3
I don't know if you could do this in previous versions of Mac OS X, but it certainly works in Leopard (10.5) with Safari 3. If you're on a site that has a File Upload or Choose File button -- one that opens up a file browser to select a file -- you can simply drag a file from the Finder to the side of the button, and it will automatically be used as if you had navigated to it with the file browser and selected it. This can save quite a lot of time if you have your files on your Desktop or the Finder window open in front of you. [robg adds: This works in Safari 3 in 10.4, too. Note that this is not the old 'drag to open nav window' trick; just drag to the general area of the button, basically.]
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10.5: Use Quick Look to view multi-sheet Excel files
If you have an Excel document with multiple sheets, Quick Look will let you view all of them. A bar at the bottom of the window, but inside the "QuickLook" area, shows the name of each sheet. It isn't immediately apparent, because the QuickLook arrows don't show up to let you flip through the sheets; look just above that area, however, to see the sheet selection bar, from which you can choose a sheet with a mouse click.
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10.5: Move the iCal editor pop-up window
Leopard's iCal replaces the event editor palette and drawer with a pop-up window that points to the event being edited. The problem with this is that it occludes other events that you may need to see. If you need to see these entries, simply click on an area in the pop-up that doesn't contain a widget, and drag the window out of the way. This feature wasn't immediately obvious me because I assumed that the pop-up was "pinned" to the event. Not so. [robg adds: See the new poll to express your opinion on the new vs. old iCal interface.]
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10.5: Keep hard drive icons anywhere on the desktop
I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere. While not really a hit, it is a cool new addition to Leopard. If you move a hard drive icon to a specific location on the desktop -- even on a second screen -- the Finder will leave it there, even after a reboot! This is something that has bugged me forever, and now it's been fixed.
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10.5: A fix for hidden Unix files showing in file system root
Have you just reinstalled Mac OS X Leopard? Are you one of the unlucky ones that now has visible Unix files in your root file system? I sure did, and after digging around a little, it seems to be a bug in the Mac OS X installer -- but it only happens when you install a clean copy of Leopard (not updating). The question however, is how to get rid of them.. Obviously, deleting the folders is NOT an option. Here's how you hide them: Insert your Leopard DVD Choose Open Apple Install Discs in Pacifist Choose the Leopard DVD Find and Extract the following two files to a directory of your choice: Resources » OSInstall.mpkg » OSInstall.pkg » Scripts for hidden_MacOS9 Resources » OSInstall.mpkg » OSInstall.pkg » Scripts » Tools » SetHidden Open Terminal and c ...
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Use unlabeled features on the small Apple keyboard
I've discovered that with Apple's small Bluetooth keyboard the fn key can give added functionality -- even though these functions are not shown on the keyboard. For example, fn-Left Arrow is Home, fn-Right Arrow is End, fn-Up Arrow is Page Up, fn-Down Arrow is Page Down, and fn-Delete is Forward Delete. [robg adds: On the queue site, a commenter points out that the small Bluetooth keyboard is essentially a laptop keyboard, and that all the keys shown on the laptop seem to work on the small keyboard, even if not mapped.]
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10.5: Place an icon on an NTFS drive in Leopard
This process was covered for Tiger in this hint, but things have changed in Leopard; it's now a bit easier: Paste your icon (in the Get Info window) onto a USB thumb drive formatted as FAT32. The name of the drive doesn't matter. Launch Windows through Boot Camp, Parallels Desktop, or VMware Fusion. Open the thumb drive in Windows. Select Folder Options… from the Tools menu, and set it to show invisible files. Copy the two files .VolumeIcon.icns and ._[cr]File, where [cr] is a carriage return, to the NTFS drive. That's it! The icon will appear nicely in Leopard.
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How to set up an old Mac with AirPort Extreme
My iMac G4 800 MHz Flatpanel does not have an original (and now practically unobtainable) AirPort card. Even if you find one for 100 euro or more, and it turtns out not to be a scam, you still only have 802.11b, not g, wireless. That is a problem! Here's the fix. I purchased a Belkin Wireless G Gaming adapter (F5D7330). The adapter is hooked up to the UTP ethernet port and it draws power from a USB cable (of which it has two, but one is enough). So you do not need the power adapter, and there are no net cables involved. This has allowed me to connect to my AirPort Express router. It feels great making an 802.11g connection with a machine that is deemed not AirPort Extreme Ready. Of course, I want to secure my network. I can set up my Base Station using the AirPort Assistant, but how do I setup the adapter correspondingly? AirPort software only works with the original unobtainable Air...
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New poll posted about the 10.5 iCal interface
I posted a new poll about the new style of event editing in 10.5's iCal -- Apple has banished the drawer, and replaced it with a pop-up window. Personally, I hate this change: before, you could easily browse a ton of events (and their details) with a glance at the sidebar as you used the arrow keys to move from event to event. Now I have to use Command-I and Escape to open and close windows as I move around.But perhaps it's just me; what do you think of the new interface? Vote and comment as you will!
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Feeling lucky? Firefox 3 beta 1 now downloadable
Filed under: Software, Open Source, Beta BeatRunning beta versions of your primary browser is a little like converting your car to run on cooking oil biodiesel. It's probably going to work OK, but be prepared for a few surprises along the journey. If you're ready for the social, swing by the Mozillaplex and download your copy of Firefox 3.0 beta 1, but note the warning: "We do not recommend that anyone other than developers and testers download the Firefox 3 Beta 1 milestone release." Gotcha.The beta DMG clocks in at 17 MB and new features/improvements include (quoting): Improved security features such as: better presentation of website identity and security, malware protection, stricter SSL error pages, anti-virus integration in the download manager, and version checking for insecure plugins. Improved ease of use through: better password management, easier add-on installation, new download manager with resumable downloading, full page zoom, animated tab strip, and better integration with Windows Vista and Mac OS X. Richer personalization through: one-click bookmarking, smart search bookmark folders, direct typing in location bar searches your history and bookmarks for URLs and page titles, ability to register web applications as protocol handlers, and better customization of download actions for file types. Improved platform features such as: new graphics and font rendering architecture, major changes to the HTML rendering engine to provide better CSS, float-, and table layout support, native web page form controls, colour profile management, and offline application support. Performance improvements such as: better data reliability for user profiles, architectural improvements to speed up page rendering, over 300 memory leak fixes, and a new XPCOM cycle collector to reduce entire classes of leaks. Check out the release notes for more details. Note that Techcrunch's Duncan Riley is not impressed with FF3's memory usage profile (thanks Nik).via TruemorsRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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News: iSkin rolls out iSkin for iPod touch
iSkin has introduced its new iSkin for iPod touch. The iSkin touch is made from high-grade silicone, and features smooth lines, textured surfaces, integrated port plugs that keep dust and dirt from entering its docking and earphone ports when not in use, included touch-friendly screen film, and a removable belt clip. The iSkin touch comes in a variety of two-tone designs, including NightHawk (espresso+black), Diablo (red+black), Oxygen (black+clear),…
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Media sidebar item in Leopard's Open dialogs: easier access to your stuff
Leopard allows for much easier access to your music, pictures, and movies when sharing or uploading to websites. The only problem is, most users might not ever notice the new feature.Read More...
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Text Message Our Troops With Your iPhone for Thanksgiving
The Department of Defense has worked out a Thanksgiving text messaging program with all the major U.S. cell carriers. This plan, in conjunction with cell providers like AT&T, the network all legal iPhone users are on in the United States, allows people the…
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YouTube Find: ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ by Alex Leopard
So what do you do when you have too much time on your hands, are big Depeche Mode fan, and want to play with Apple's new “Alex” voice feature in Leopard? You make this…
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Princesshay (UK) Retail Store to open this weekend
Filed under: Retail, AppleApple's push to open more retail stores outside the US continues, with our Cupertino friends announcing the opening of the thirteenth UK retail store in Exeter's Princesshay Centre for this coming Saturday (24th November).As with every store opening, there's commemorative t-shirts available to the first 1,000 folks through the door, and a 'Digital Lifestyle Collection' up for grabs in the raffle, which includes a Black MacBook and Silver iPod nano. If there's any TUAW operatives visiting Princesshay this weekend, do send us stories and photos - and let's hope you score a t-shirt!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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What if Microsoft had designed Gmail?
Google Blogoscoped asks the question : what if Microsoft, not Google, had created Gmail? What would be the differences in that web mail client for users today? What if we apply some of the same design rules that brought us Hotmail, for instance? The answer is entertaining. Here is a teaser, but as the post unfolds the mock-up screenshots get better and better: Head on over and have a look for yourself. gmail, google, humour, interface design, windows live, microsoft Related: Windows Live Mail: Hotmail revamped Office 12's tutti-frutti interface design Microsoft to launch a GDrive competitor Yahoo!, Gmail, Microsoft email chiefs sit down to dinner Is Google the new .Mac? Email in general, Not Apple Mail
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News: 'Purple Violets' premieres on iTunes
Purple Violets, a new contemporary comedy-drama written, directed, and produced by independent filmmaker Ed Burns, was released exclusively through iTunes this morning, becoming the first feature film to make its premiere through the service. The award-winning film stars Selma Blair, Debra Messing, Patrick Wilson, and Burns. “We’re thrilled Ed Burns chose to premiere ‘Purple Violets’ exclusively on the iTunes Store,â€? said Eddy Cue, Apple’s…
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News: H2O Audio intros iV6 waterproof case for iPod classic
H2O Audio has introduced its iV6 Waterproof Case for the iPod classic. The iV6 features the patented Commander Scroll Wheel that allows full function of the iPod Click Wheel up to 10 feet underwater or while wearing gloves, as well as the LatchTight locking system, a SealTight connector for waterproof headphones, and a clear view of the iPod's screen while in the case. The H2O Audio iV6 Waterproof Case for iPod classic is available for pre-order…