Feb 17, 2008 Feb 19, 2008 Monday February 18, 2008
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Apple and the imminent death of HD DVD
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Multimedia, Video, MacBook AirTime is running out for Toshiba and friends; the high definition format wars are almost over. HD DVD hasn't found the footing it needed to earn the support of retailers and studios alike, and it seems that Sony's champion, Blu-Ray, is going to win the day.So what does that mean for Apple users? Several years ago, Apple latched onto Blu-Ray as a format, but aside from an MCE Blu-Ray drive, we still haven't seen HD media used in any of Apple's products. There have been plenty of rumors (aren't there always?), but whether it's because they want to sell HD content in iTunes or for some other reason, a Blu-Ray drive to replace the SuperDrive hasn't happened yet.Which leaves us wondering: now that we've seemingly got a winner, will Apple step up with the Blu gear? Of course, the MacBook Air doesn't even have a drive, and we're sure Apple would love to have content distributed only through iTunes and Apple TV. But surely consumers still have a need for physical media -- will Apple now take advantage of its early-advocacy position on Blu-Ray and update the hardware?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Google Sees Massive iPhone Traffic Over Any Other Handset
Google recently announced that search traffic coming from mobile phones was highest from the iPhone. The iPhone produces 50 times more search traffic than any other mobile handset Google has tracked. This is partially due to Google being set as the default search engine on the iPhone but…
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Opinion: Why Distributing 3rd Party Apps Through iTunes Is A Good Thing
As Apple is set to release their SDK later this February, we’ve pondered what distribution system will be used but the popular census has been iTunes. I wrote an article over at Apple Matters highlighting the advantages and disadvantages…
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Opinion: Why Distributing 3rd Party Apps Through iTunes Is A Good Thing
As Apple is set to release their SDK later this February, we’ve pondered what distribution system will be used but the popular census has been iTunes. I wrote an article over at Apple Matters highlighting the advantages and disadvantages…
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Widget Watch: Time Machine Launcher 1.2
Filed under: Widget WatchThere are two good ways to control Time Machine; you can control it through the Dock and, as of 10.5.2, via the menu bar. Now you can control Time Machine through Dashboard. Time Machine Launcher is a dashboard widget that allows you to force a Time Machine backup, or disable/enable Time Machine on the fly. More control is always good! You can download this widget for free (donations are accepted) from the developers' website.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Rumor retracted: "iPhone 1.1.4" an excuse to stop developing
A Tiny Code developer has apologized for the earlier statement that the company was working with Apple, saying that the 1.1.4 story was just an excuse to stop publishing a repository.Read More...
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I Miss Think Secret Already
Now that Think Secret is gone, let’s enjoy some schadenfreude from April last year, the day after Apple announced that Leopard was behind schedule and wouldn’t ship until October. ★
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News: BBC TV shows added to UK iTunes Store
Content from BBC Worldwide has now appeared on the UK iTunes Store following earlier reports suggesting its imminent arrival. Shows currently available from the store include “Torchwood,” “Life On Mars,” “Little Britain,” “The Catherine Tate Show,” “Spooks,” “Two Pints of Lager & A Packet of Crisps,” and “The Mighty Boosh.” Apple UK's Hot News section also…
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Jackass of the Week: Douglas A. McIntyre
Douglas A. McIntyre’s advice on how Apple could raise its stock price back to $200: The next thing the company needs to do is set the date for a release of the 3G version of the iPhone. Citigroup’s research analyst covering Apple says to look for that announcement in the next two quarters. But, Apple almost certainly already knows the timetable. If the iPhone has an Achilles heel it is that it runs on a slow data network which handicaps users. A 3G version which would run on AT&T’s high-speed network would almost certainly lift iPhone sales and get people who currently own the handset to upgrade. Sure, a 3G-capable iPhone with significantly faster data transfer would be good for sales: when it goes on fucking sale. What exactly does McIntyre think will happen to sales of current iPhones today in the wake of such an announcement? Apple has done really, really well for the past ten years with a general strategy of not talking about products until they’re ready to sell. The pre-announcement of the original iPhone is an obvious exception, but that didn’t eat into the sales of Apple’s own phones because they weren’t selling phones yet. Jiminy. ★
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First Looks: Disney Pirates of the Caribbean: Aegir's Fire
Based loosely on the trilogy of Pirates of Caribbean movies, Disney's new iPod game Pirates of the Caribbean: Aegir's Fire ($5) places you in control of a pirate ship on a series of quests to find treasures, sink enemy ships with cannonballs, and track down the five daughters of Aegir. Wind, the types of power-ups you find for your cannons, and both the speed and strength of your ship will influence your success; you can buy your way into better ships,…
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Profile: Mac users open-minded, liberal, less modest
Posted by Dennis SellersMindset Media, which operates an online ad network, last month released a “Mindset Profile” of Mac users, which the company generated from a recent study conducted using Nielsen's Online panel. Using a sample of 7,500 respondents, the profile says that people who are highly open-minded, or, in Mindset Media parlance,...
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News: Pirates of the Caribbean debuts as iPod Game
Just released as a downloadable game for the iPod classic, third-generation iPod nano, and fifth-generation iPod, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Aegir's Fire ($5) places you in control of a pirate ship on a series of quests to find treasures, sink enemy ships with cannonballs, and track down the five daughters of Aegir. Wind, the types of power-ups you find for your cannons, and both the speed and strength of your ship will influence…
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Nintendo's DS Lite retrofitted into MacBook Air ad
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds It's hard to deny that Apple's MacBook Air advertisement is pretty catchy, and while the DS Lite doesn't exactly pull off the whole envelope exit quite as elegantly as Cupertino's latest lappie, it doesn't do a half bad job representin'. In the spoof waiting for you after the jump, you'll see a black DS Lite retrofitted into the MBA spot, and while the text, lighting and overall smoothness isn't on par with the original, at least the music is spot-on. Click on though to see for yourself.[Via DSFanboy]Continue reading Nintendo's DS Lite retrofitted into MacBook Air ad Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Is this the fist native iPhone SDK app?
Online brokerage firm Thinkorswim may have leaked some insight into its native iPhone investing client- the first of (hopefully) many to be distributed with the iPhone SDK. Okay, so maybe it’s not the most exciting application in the world, but if an investing…
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Photoshop Elements 6: A Good Friend for iPhoto to Have
The arrival last month of Adobe's Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac, list price $90, poses a question: Why would a Mac user want this software, particularly since Apple's $80 iLife offers its own photo program, iPhoto? There are several potential answers. There are people, including those who have switched from PCs to the Mac platform, who would find Photoshop Elements more comfortable. Others are looking for something with more capabilities than iPhoto, but aren't ready for either the cost or learning curve of the full Adobe Photoshop program.
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Guy Kawasaki comments on the MacBook Air, his iMac
Posted by Dennis SellersRecently, Macsimum News interviewed Guy Kawasaki, the original Apple evangelist and a true entrepreneur, about the new Alltop web site (see separate story). We also asked him on his thoughts on the new MacBook Air and his favorite Macs.
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'American Idol' performances available exclusively at the iTunes Store
Posted by Dennis SellersFox Broadcasting Company, Fox Interactive Media, 19 Entertainment, FremantleMedia and Apple have partnered to bring music fans all of the contestant performances from season seven of American Idol, exclusively on the iTunes Store.
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Microsoft comments on the future of HD DVD
Posted by Dennis Sellers With all the discussion of the demise of HD DVD, Microsoft made the following statement about Xbox 360 and the Xbox 360 HD DVD player: “We do not believe the recent reports about HD DVD will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the...
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iTunes UK welcomes BBC shows while rest of world waits
The rumors were true: The BBC rolled out a few TV shows on the iTunes Store UK this afternoon, but only for UK users. Read More...
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Mtron announces a 1.8-inch 128GB SSD
Filed under: StorageWe've already seen a couple 2.5-inch SSDs hit 128GB, but Mtron, our new favorite crazy storage vendor, has just announced plans a 1.8-inch 128GB SSD. That's the same size as the drives in the MacBook Air, Latitude XT, and Lenovo X300 -- and since drive height isn't as closely related to storage capacity for SSDs, look for 1.8-inch SSDs to become the new standard in most new laptops as capacities increase and prices fall. Of course, "prices fall" is the operative phrase here -- Mtron's 1.8-inch 128GB disk will probably set you back some $1600 when it ships in April. Yeah, we'll stick with the platters for now.[Via jkOnTheRun] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Mod An iPhone Box, Into A Camera
You’ve unpacked your iPhone and all you’re left with is a box and the usual junk instruction manuals, what do you do with the rest? Scot Hampton had the same question and took the opportunity to make a pin hole camera, from…
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Tiny-Code Now Directed to iPhone Site
It wasn’t a day after Friday that I noticed Tiny-Code had changed. It is now being directed to the iPhone Dev Center Site. This only fuels the speculations that Apple is working with Tiny-Code…
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Microsoft job posting hints at "totally new Xbox Live experience"
Filed under: Gaming Make no mistake, we've seen curious job postings lead to changes in our favorite gizmos before, and hopefully, a recent ad on Microsoft's website is no different. A listing seeking a Program Manager explicitly states that it's looking for someone to "be involved in the next release of Xbox," and wants that very individual to be "part of the Xbox Live team that's responsible for creating a completely new way for mainstream audiences to enjoy the Xbox and Live." Better still, the description suggests that the team would be "building the games, the console interface and logic, and the server support for a totally new Live experience." Granted, there's nothing more to go on than this at the moment, but we can't help but be a teensy bit excited about the notion of an overhauled Xbox Live.[Via GamesIndustry] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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BBC Worldwide brings TV Shows to UK iTunes Store
Filed under: iTS, Video, AppleRumours have been a-flying here in the UK that the publicly-funded BBC would be bringing its shows to the iTunes Store in some form 'this week'. Citing 'TV Industry Sources', The Register reported that "BBC Worldwide will on Tuesday detail plans to set up shop at Apple's online media mall".It turns out, perusing the iTunes Store this evening, that the BBC Worldwide content has already appeared. Shows initially showing up include Torchwood, Spooks, The Mighty Boosh, Life on Mars, The Catherine Tate Show, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and finally Little Britain. All the episodes cost the regular UK pricing of £1.89 and currently, there's just a selection of series available: Spooks (known in the US as MI:5) is showing just Series 6 currently.At least for now, the shows appear to be UK-only.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Journalists’ votes matter
Media have an Obama problem they're going to have to grapple with now or after the election: They love him. They hate Hillary. And the gap between the two is clearly seen in coverage, which surely is having an impact on the election. This, to me, only gives more weight to the argument that journalists should be disclosing their allegiances and votes. Reporters are not just covering the story. This year, they are part of the story. The ethic of transparency that I have learned online and that journalists apply to everyone they cover should also apply to them. I say that journalists have a responsibility to reveal their own views and votes — even as they endeavor to report apart from them with fairness, completeness, accuracy, and intellectual honesty — and we have a right to judge their success or failure accordingly as we also have a right to judge their roles in the stories they are covering. No, I don't buy for a second that journalists don't have opinions. They're human. To say that they are above opinions is just another means for journalists to separate themselves from the public they serve, to act as if they are different, above us. But journalists couldn't do their jobs if they didn't have opinions, if they didn't have a reason to do this story over that, if they didn't have a goal. Yet this is the fiction some journalists tell when they try to prove they are opinionless by not voting. As far as I'm concerned, that's only evidence that they are trying to delude themselves or us. And this year, the media's role in the Obama wave is an angle of the story that itself warrants reporting. Says Bill Clinton: The political press has avowedly played a role in this election. I've never seen this before. They've been active participants in this election. Don't you want to know the opinions of the political press? Don't you want to be able to judge their reporting accordingly? what makes them think that they can and should hide that from us? * * * Terence Smith wrote a dead-on column about the delta between negative Hillary and positive Obama coverage: The coverage of Hillary during this campaign has been across-the-board critical, especially since she began losing after New Hampshire. . . . And her campaign has taken the tough-love approach with the reporters who cover it, frequently ostracizing those they think are critical or hostile. That kind of aggressive press-relations strategy may sometimes be justified, but it rarely effective. Reporters are supposed to be objective and professional. But they are human. They resent the cold shoulder, even if they understand the campaign’s motivation. The result is coverage that is viscerally harsh: her laugh is often described as a “cackle.â€? Her stump speech is dismissed as dry and tiresomely programmatic. She is accused of projecting a sense of entitlement, as though the presidency should be hers by default, that it is somehow now her turn to be president. When she makes changes in her campaign hierarchy, she is described as “desperate.â€? . . . And on Obama: By contrast, has the coverage of Obama been overly sympathetic? Have reporters romanticized the junior Senator from Illinois? Have they glamorized him and his wife? Did they exaggerate the significance of Ted Kennedy’s endorsement? Have they given him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his meager experience? Of course they have. His rise to front-runner is described as meteoric, his speeches as mesmerizing, his crowds as enraptured, his charisma as boundless. Obama is characterized as the second-coming of JFK, etc. etc. It is all a bit much. On NPR, media watcher David Folkenflik says: Many reporters admit privately that they feel differently about the two candidates. And there's a phrase that's surfaced to described the phenomenon that's afflicted MSNBC's [Chris] Matthews: the Obama swoon. And why should reporters get away with saying that privately? I want a camera in the voting booth with Chris Matthews — he of the too-frequent too-late apologies — to verify the obvious. I want to know how they're voting. But some journalists try to evade that legitimate question by not voting, as if that absolves them of opinions and blame. Len Downie, editor of the Washington Post — and by that evidence, a damned good editor he is — has long argued that by not voting he keeps himself pure: “Yes, I do not vote. . . . I wanted to keep a completely open mind about everything we covered and not make a decision, even in my own mind or the privacy of the voting booth, about who should be president or mayor, for example.” Sorry, but I still don't buy that and I fear that excuse is seeping down to others in his staff. Here is the Post's Chris Cillizza — a fine political correspondent himself — arguing that not voting makes him objective: . . . [O]bjectivity in covering these races means that you stay objective before, during and after the contests. As, or perhaps more, importantly, however, is the obsession among some people to sniff out a reporter's “secret” political leanings. Time and time again, I find people commenting on this blog and elsewhere accusing me of having a pro-Clinton or pro-Obama or pro-McCain or pro-someone else viewpoint. I know in my hearts of hearts that I don't have any of those biased viewpoints, but if I did vote — even in a local or county election — it would add fuel to the fire of those folks who think I am a secret partisan. I have to say I smelled some Obama roses blooming in this from Cillizza on Howie Kurtz' show: KURTZ: Chris Cillizza, you could argue about whether this Kennedy endorsement was a big deal, but what a collective swoon by the media — ask not why this was such a big story. Are they totally buying into Obama as the new JFK? CILLIZZA: Well, you know, I do think, Howie, that in the Democratic Party, people have been waiting for the next JFK. A lot of people thought or maybe believed it was Bill Clinton. And I think Barack Obama is the next obvious heir to that legacy. It’s a powerful story, and I think as much as the media gets accused of bias, in the decade I’ve spent in it, I don’t think it’s bias as much as it is good storylines. And I will be frank — this is a very interesting, fascinating storyline…. If you are looking for the next John F. Kennedy, I believe he is it. After a line like that, there is good reason to ask where his heart is. You can stay away from the voting booth but that doesn't make you into the Tinman. I agree with John Harris, head of Politico, who calls this a tedious argument — “a subset of the most endless and least satisfying debate in the whole profession: Is true objectivity ever possible?” Harris does vote — sometimes. It is admirable that [Politico colleagues] Mike and Jim cleave to a scientific ideal of journalistic detachment, the way a surgeon cannot tolerate even the slightest bacteria on his instruments. Their piety on this subject is especially notable in an era when traditional lines governing journalism (or even who counts as a journalist in the first place) have blurred, and many new arrivals to the business don’t care at all about old notions of neutrality and fair-minded presentation. But Jim is right that I find his obsession a bit silly — and a bit self-deluded. . . . My belief is that being a journalist for an ideologically neutral publication like Politico, or the Washington Post, where I used to work, does not mean having no opinions. It means exercising self-discipline in the public expression of those opinions so as not to give sources and readers cause to question someone’s commitment to fairness. But Harris turns around and says he didn't vote in the primary because he didn't want to declare a party and then have readers make assumptions about where he stands. So he's pulling the same trick: He's trying to hide his opinions. Isn't that a form of deception by omission? Isn't it at least coy? I like his scientific analogy but I'll take it a different way: A scientist surely has desires. A doctor studying cancer naturally wants to cure it; she's against cancer. That doctor has opinions and beliefs, hypotheses to prove or disprove. But intellectual honestly will demand disproving a hypothesis that is wrong even if she believed it to be true. One can have opinions and still be factual, fair, honest, truthful. Indeed, it is easier to judge that scientist's work by knowing what she's looking for. Steve Baker of Business Week goes one step farther: I think it’s impossible for a person who thinks about politics, and cares about it, not to prefer one candidate to another. It’s fine for journalists not to broadcast our political views, but why pretend that we don’t have them? What’s important is to be fair. And if we want to keep our views secret, well that’s why it’s good that voting booths have curtains.. . . I don't think either Harris or Baker goes far enough. I believe that journalists should vote. They are citizens — and some get mad at me when I refer to amateurs as citizen journalists because they demand the label, too. They are human, too — they have opinons. They also have ethics that demand that they try to be — repeating the list of verities — fair, honest, complete, intellectually honest and I believe most hold to that. But now add the ethics of transparency and openness — and trust in the public you serve — and I believe that especially this year, journalists owe it to us to tell us what they're thinking. The only thing worse than an agenda is a hidden agenda.
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Proof of concept: Copy-and-paste on this iPhone
Oh, how we wish this were possible. The video in the link is a user-created mockup of how copy-and-paste should work on the iPhone, using the magnifying loupe and a second-finger tap. There have been so many times where I have been frustrated by the lack of copy-and-paste on the…
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Chris Pirillo's 50 reasons to switch
Filed under: SwitchersIt's a quiet day at TUAW headquarters (located in scenic Ann Arbor, MI) -- Monday is a holiday here in the USA, in honor of Presidents Washington and Lincoln, two leaders in times of dramatic change. Speaking of change, how many signs and wonders do you need to know that there's a major Mac migration afoot? TechTV veteran and vidcaster Chris Pirillo, a Windows expert and advocate of long standing (but a friend to the Mac community nonetheless) recently bought himself a Mac Pro and has let his freak flag fly as an official Mac Switcher. Our fondest congratulations go out to CP on this momentous occasion... combined with legendary gadfly John C. Dvorak's recommendation to buy Macs in the newspaper of record, it's an indication of how far we've come.Chris has posted a well-considered and ample "50 Reasons to Switch" piece over at his blog, where he notes that he's still an Outlook user and still runs Windows (in VMware Fusion or Boot Camp) for some tasks; as far as he's concerned, the OS choice isn't a "religious issue" but rather a recognition of what works, and what works for him is Mac OS X. He ends the post with a gentle dig at the Windows community: "I'd like to challenge any Windows enthusiast to publish 50 Reasons to switch from Mac OS X to Microsoft Windows. ;)" No doubt a few will take him up on that.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple "podmaps" patent reveals GPS-like directions for iPod
What do you get when you mix Google maps, text-to-speech, and RSS? An internet mashup of "podmap" proportions.Read More...
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PacketVideo streams Mobile TV over Wi-FI, to your iPhone
8gb 16gb of movies not good enough for you? Well, how would you like live television on your iPhone, regardless of where you are? PacketVideo may have just the device for you. This gadget decodes over-the-air DVB-H and MediaFLO broadcasts, re-encodes them, and streams them…
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Orange says: sign up for an iPhone contract, get a free iPod touch
Posted by Dennis SellersUK: Orange is offering customers who sign up for an 18-month business tariff a free 8GB iPod touch, reports Macworld UK. Customers who sign up in selected Orange shops to Orange Solo, Orange Venture or Orange Momentum business tariffs (starting from £35 per month) this month will get with a...
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The world’s first iPhone band.
Ok. Wow. Ladies and gentlemen, this is no ordinary band. No, this band performs with… their iPhones and Nintendo DS’s. Using Elektroplankton on the DS, and Pocket Guitar and iAno on the iPhone, this trio manages to pull off some impressive tunes using nothing but the power of touch-screen technology.…
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BBC to put shows on iTunes this week?
Posted by Dennis SellersThe BBC's commercial arm is expected to announce a deal to distribute shows via the iTunes video store this week, according to a report at The Register.
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Digital Picture Show
Frame the photos from your latest gathering without killing a single tree—just use a digital picture frame.
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The pros and cons of iTunes movie rentals
After years of selling movies, iTunes last month added the option of renting them. The service adds a convenient way to watch films on your iPod, iPhone or computer.
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HyperPort now a free download
Posted by Dennis SellersDeveloper Danny Goodman has released HyperPort—originally released in 1990 as a commercial product—as a free download for anyone who wants to try to capture HyperCard stack data before the stacks become inaccessible.
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A Penny for Your Apps -- Open-Source Alternatives
Nope, not even one cent-—these open-source offerings are free for the taking. Check ‘em out and who knows? You might even wind up replacing a big-budget app. Free your mind to free your Mac.
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New York Times Story on Gray Market iPhones in China
David Barboza, reporting from Shanghai: Factories here churn out iPhones that are exported to the United States and Europe. Then thousands of them are smuggled right back into China. […] An iPhone purchased in Shanghai or Beijing typically costs about $555. To unlock the phone and add Chinese language software costs an additional $25. ★
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iPhone and iPod touch to get $100 price drop soon?
Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable VideoThis one's still just a bunch of whispers and coincidences, but we've been hearing that Apple may lower prices on the iPhone and iPod touch in the next few months and drop the 8GB touch. Word is that falling flash prices coupled with the desire to introduce the 3G iPhone at an attractive price point will lead to the 16GB iPhone falling to $399, along with similar touch price drops: 16GB for $299 and 32GB for $399. It's not clear what'll happen to the 8GB iPhone, but everyone seems to agree that the 8GB touch is on the way out -- we actually think a $199 8GB touch would fly off shelves, but that's probably cutting margins razor-thin. We'll see when we see -- and if flash prices are really falling that fast, it'll be interesting to see what happens to iPod nano pricing as well. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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News: Orange offering free iPod touch to UK business customers
Orange has launched a promotion in which it is offering a free 8GB iPod touch to UK customers who sign up for an 18-month business plan. Customers must visit a participating store and sign up for an Orange Solo, Orange Venture or Orange Momentum 18 month business plan at £35/month and above to be eligible for the promotion, which is available while supplies last. “The work/life blur often means doing work in your free time. We want to redress…
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Panel Has No Idea Why iPhone Is So Popular
A group of speakers consisting purely of industry leader at the Mobile World Congress could not agree on why the iPhone was so popular amongst consumers. While we could flat out tell you it’s the interface that makes it so damn attractive, it apparently flew over most of their heads.…
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ModMyiFone Creates GUI Frontend For Zibri’s Jailbreak
Earlier we reported about iJailbreak being able to Jailbreak and unlock iPhones (Mac compatible) running 1.1.2/1.1.3 with Bootloader 4.6 which used Zibree’s utility to do the dirty work. While Zibree had created the ulity and compatible for Windows only, ModMyiFone created another Mac/Windows version of the App with…
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iPhone Raises the Bar at Mobile World Congress
As reports from analysts and others attending the Mobile World Congress trickle in, one theme stands out: the iPhone is on the minds of nearly every company in the mobile phone ecosystem. The title of this article at EE Times really says it all: Users' love affair with iPhone stumps Mobile World panel. That said, some of the panelists had what I thought were important insights on the fact that marketing, not technology, may be one of the factors standing in the way of consumers:
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News: iTunes Store, Apple TV SD rentals both below DVD quality
How much of a difference is there between a video purchased or rented using iTunes, and the standard-definition version rentable on your Apple TV? After a week of comparison downloads, cross-checks, and cracking open an Apple TV, the answer is: “none.” Discussed in detail in our just-published Complete Guide to iTunes Movie Rentals, Part 2, users will see no benefit from using the Apple TV to rent standard-definition movies already available…
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Apple Gazette Daily 210 - BBC in iTunes? 400k illegal iPhone in China? More?
The answer to all of those questions is yes! 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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Sega boss: iPod 'flawless' for games
Posted by Dennis SellersSega has praised the “flawless” distribution network of the iPod, calling the device “the most pervasive cross-demographic piece of consumer electronics today,” according to a report at MCV, a web site that covers home computing and video games. Sega agreed to provide Sonic The Hedgehog as a download via iTunes...
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Flying Meat drops Acorn update beta
Flying Meat readies an impressive update to image editor Acorn; a beta is available for download.Read More...
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Wil Shipley’s MacBook Air Impressions
Wil Shipley on his MacBook Air: I love how the port door on the right opens and closes; it’s a very solid-feeling mechanism, and very natural. Also, I feel like I’m in Star Trek (the new one). ★
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American Idol and iTunes: Exclusive, next-day performances
American Idol fans fear no more: you will now be able to download performances directly from iTunes, and automatically!Read More...
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Article: The Complete Guide to iTunes Movie Rentals, Part 2
Apple's portable video strategy has come a long way since the fifth-generation iPod was released in 2005, supporting only 320 x 240 video content—roughly the equivalent of TV sets sold thirty years earlier. Today, traditional iPod and iPhone models support near-DVD quality content, while the Apple TV almost demands high-definition video. Despite the differences between its various devices, Apple has tried to remain fairly consistent with…
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ZappTek releases iPDA 4.1
Posted by Dave MerteniPDA is the perfect companion to the iPod by serving as a replacement PDA. Your documents may be easily transferred to iPod. Download RSS feeds, weather forecasts and driving directions directly to the iPod. iPDA supports transferring information from Entourage, Gmail, Mail, Address Book and iCal, making it simple to...
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Colorware attacks MacBook Air with crayons, comes out with 35 flavors
Filed under: Laptops It was absolutely inevitable, and now it's arrived: you can get a MacBook Air in any color you choose thanks to those paint huffers over at Colorware. The big draw here is probably going to be the all black version -- for rugby fans and those PowerBook 2400c users out there that never stopped believing -- but not only do you have 34 other color options, you can also customize the laptop part by part with whatever combination of colors you choose. The bad news is that the base cost is $500, plus $50 per customization, so you're going to have to take a long hard look at you child's college fund. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Hacker brings "Safari HD" to Apple TV
After a little bit of hacking your Apple TV, you can now add "browsing pr0n on the living room TV" to your list of past times.Read More...
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YouTube Find: “Welcome to Macintosh� new Apple Documentary trailer
Welcome to Macintosh is a new documentary about Apple - it's actually one of two that appears to be coming out around the same time (the other being 'Macheads') - and the film has just been accepted into the Wisconsin Film Festival…so hopefully we'll get this film on DVD one day. You can see the trailer above, or click here for more information.
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New Intel processors for laptops to bloom this spring
Posted by Dennis Sellers This spring Intel will launch its next-generation Centrino notebook platform (formerly known by the codename Montevina), which will doubtless appear in future MacBook and MacBook Pro models.
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Blizzard plans new global tour of World of Warcraft arena tournament
Posted by Dennis SellersBlizzard Entertainment plans to launch a new type of tournament competition using the Arena system in World of Warcraft, its subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game. The tournaments will take place on special realms that allow competitors to instantly create level-70 characters with epic equipment, placing the focus on tactics...
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Breif: Does Taping The SIM Down Really Help?
Earlier we reported about a method of boosting your iPhone’s cellular signal using a piece of tape to increase contact between the metal pins. IPhone Alley put it to the test and found that the increases were minimal. If any of our readers have…
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Why Distributing 3rd Party Apps through iTunes Is a Good Thing
It's rumored that Apple will charge users for 3rd party applications and distribute them through iTunes. This is the ideal situation for application distribution. We've become accustomed to downloading applications directly on our iPhones using Installer, which was developed by the hacking community. Since then, a plethora of…
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Bains, Louisiana students get MacBooks
Posted by Dennis SellersWest Feliciana Middle School sixth-graders in Bains, Louisiana, are participating in “Turn on to Learning,” an US$5 million initiative to put MacBooks into the hands of more that 3,500 sixth-graders and their teachers across the state, reports Theadvocate.com.
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'NY Times': Smugglers return iPhones to China
Posted by Dennis SellersThousands of iPhones are being produced in and exported from China, and then are smuggled back in to the country and sold to consumers for well above U.S. retail prices, The New York Times reports.
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First Looks: DLO VideoShell for iPod nano (3rd Generation)
The third-generation iPod nano version of DLO's superb iPod touch case VideoShell ($20) features an impressively improved version of the slide-out video kickstand seen on the iPod touch, here properly designed to handle the iPod nano's bottom-mounted headphone port in vertical, rather than horizontal video viewing conditions. Made from clear hard plastic, VideoShell features full screen and body protection except for an open bottom and exposed Click…
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First Looks: DLO Headphone Adapter for iPhone
Identical in functionality to previously released headphone adapters for the iPhone, DLO's new Headphone Adapter for iPhone ($10) provides a way for you to connect pre-iPhone headphone plugs to the device's recessed, thin headphone port. It's 4.5 inches long with a flexible 1.5-inch cable at the center....
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QRecall is new disk-to-disk backup software for Mac OS X
Posted by Dennis SellersDawn to Dusk Software has released QRecall 1.0, disk-to-disk backup software for Mac OS X. Timelines show the history of every file and folder. If you want to see an earlier version of a documentary, just press the rewind button.
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First Looks: DLO Portable Speakers for iPhone
Aggressively priced, DLO's new Portable Speakers for iPhone ($50) are a direct challenger to the low-end Logic3 i-Station Traveller as a "take it anywhere," interference-free speaker system for the notoriously noisy iPhone. Just like the i-Station, DLO's design avoids extra costs by using the iPhone's headphone port for audio-out rather than a Dock Connector, and includes a power supply for times when you'd prefer not to rely on four AAA batteries…
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News: Sega: Sonic on iPod 'fantastic opportunity'
Sega of America boss Simon Jeffrey recently praised Apple for its iPod gaming efforts, as well as for its iTunes payment system. Speaking in an interview with MCV, Jeffrey said, “The iPod is arguably the most pervasive cross-demographic piece of consumer electronics today. There are no age or fashion barriers to iPod adoption, and making Sonic available to tens of millions of iPod owners really is a fantastic opportunity for us.” While keeping…
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Gordon Meyer: One Week with EyeTV Hybrid
Over on the new O’Reilly Mac site, Gordon Meyer posts his thoughts about the EyeTV Hybrid: “The EyeTV Hybrid is very portable; it’s not much bigger than a typical USB “thumb drive.” It’s not as portable if you need an antenna, of course, but you might not need one. I live in the city, and can literally see the broadcast towers on nearby skyscrapers, so I was able to receive 10 digital and 12 analog channels just by plugging the unit into a free USB port.” If you’re thinking about revisiting EyeTV, you might want to take a look at Gordon’s post.
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Apple's software: More or less buggy than before?
Has Apple's software been especially buggy lately, or do the scant release notes and infrequent update releases only make it seem that way? We're not sure, but we want to find out.Read More...
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macosxhints is closed for President's Day...
To make up for the lack of new hints today, you could review all 473 10.5 hints, in case you missed some over the last few months. Or if you're really feeling motivated, you could browse the entire database (11,300+) of hints from oldest to newest, then test and comment on every hint's 10.5 compatibility :).We'll return as usual tomorrow, of course.-rob.
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Video: AGTV - a new HD ‘Apple’ video podcast (preview)
AGTV Preview - applegazette.com from Michael Murphey on Vimeo. I've been working on this little project for a few weeks now, and I'm very eager to get the full series up and running. The show will be available in HD for download in iTunes, as well as standard def for those of you who would like a smaller file size. The Vimeo link will actually take you an HD version of the preview in flash which is much higher quality than the video above. I really want your feedback on this, so feel free to leave comments below or send me an email at michael(at)applegazette(dot)com.
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Apple and Fox team up to offer ‘American Idol’ performances on iTunes
Apple announced today that it has partnered with Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Interactive Media, 19 Entertainment, and FremantleMedia to allow customers to purchase performances from the Top 24 contestants on the hit series 'American Idol'. Music performances will be available for .99 cents a song, and viewers will be able to purchase the full video of Top 12 finalist performances for $1.99, starting March 11. In addition, beginning today, fans can pre-order performances of their favorite contestants from the iTunes Store, which will be automatically downloaded the day after the show airs. “We’ve created a special section on the iTunes Store for ‘Idol’ fans with an incredible array of music and video performances from television’s most popular show,� said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We think ‘American Idol’ viewers are going to love the ability to purchase and download ‘Idol’ performances from iTunes.� Fans can still watch free streaming performances on American Idol.com - which will now have direct links to the iTunes store for those interested in purchasing their favorites.
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Rumor: iPhone 1.1.4 and iPhone SDK imminent?
Filed under: iPod Family, Apple, iPhoneIf you are still waiting around for the iPhone SDK, chances are, you won't be waiting much longer. Steve Jobs said in October 2007 that the SDK would be released in February 2008; which only has about 2 weeks left! According to MacRumors, tiny-code.com, which is an online repository for Installer.app, has leaked a bit of information about iPhone firmware 1.1.4 and the iPhone SDK. According to the Tiny Code website, "Tiny Code no longer produces fixes or applications for firmware 1.1.3. We can't say much, but we are working with Apple and with their SDK for the next firmware release and SDK applications and we shouldn't be missed for long. We will no longer update our Installer.app repo for legality reasons and you should see us soon on iTunes."Since that was posted, the website has been taken down (and strangely enough, now forwards to Apple's iPhone Developer site). Macenstein has a screenshot of the site before it was taken down. The Tiny Code developer commented on the Mac Rumors Forums saying that Apple ordered them to take down the site because they violated their NDA with Apple.[via Mac Rumors]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Kenwood AS-IP300 iPod dock dreams of flight
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio At least that's the only way we can explain the stealth bomber look on this AS-IP300 iPod dock from Kenwood. You can buy a black version to complete the effect, but don't expect to get much out of these 1.9W stereo speakers. The best news is that you're looking at a 95 Euro ($140-ish) pricetag for the unit, which has us rather ambivilant as to if or when this'll be getting a Stateside release. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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MacBook Air Diary-Day 19: Traveling light
I finally did it. After almost 20 days of using the MacBook Air I’m now carrying just the MBA sans accessories. Like Linus with his blanket, I started by carrying the MBA in a padded sleeve case inside my regular bag for the first two weeks. This almost eliminated the the two pound (give or take) [...]
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News: BBC headed to iTunes, Apple TV?
New reports suggest that the BBC may soon offer its content through iTunes, and may also be working on a version of its iPlayer for the Apple TV. Citing a TV industry source, The Register is reporting that BBC Worldwide will soon announce plans to offer its programming on the iTunes Store. The source claims that BBC Worldwide digital media director Simon Danker has contacted third party production partners to let them know about the new distribution…
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Apple: Rumors Keep On Coming, But Numbers Will Surprise
Once again Apple (AAPL) gets hammered in the press. This time by Sandy Berger, FBR analyst, who figures that second quarter 2008 unit sales of iPods and iPhones will be down 60% and those of macBooks will be down 50% from last quarter's results. He arrives at these estimates by gauging Apple's suppliers. He believes the component sales are way down. This story was repeated throughout the web and ultimately appeared in the Business Week edition of February 25, 2008 deflating the spirits of Apple stock holders and helping to crush share price.
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News: 'American Idol' performances coming exclusively to iTunes
Fox, 19 Entertainment, FremantleMedia, and Apple have announced a partnership that will offer “American Idol” fans all of the contestant performances from the show's seventh season on the iTunes Store. The performance offerings will begin with the top 24 semifinalists this week; customers will be able to purchase music performances for 99 cents per song, and full video of the top 12 finalist performances will be available starting…
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The Reluctant iPhone Unlocker
Of the multitudes of people making a buck from gray-market sales of iPhones, Pavel Zaboj may be one of the most reluctant. Zaboj is the founder of a company called "Bladox" that breathed life into the burgeoning market for iPhones that have been reconfigured for compatibility with networks other than those of Apple-sanctioned carriers. However, he says the ups and downs of demand have left him on a "roller coaster" he'd just as soon exit. "Please, no more talk about iPhones!" he says. "I honestly couldn't care less anymore."
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Yahoo's Dilemma: Choosing the Right Partner for Microsoft Face-Off
Last week continued the excitement with Yahoo as it worked to get Microsoft to increase its offer by trying out alternatives but not really finding any good ones. At the huge phone conference in Spain -- where Apple wasn't -- companies from Microsoft to Google announced acquisitions and plans that seem to focus on taking on the iPhone. Finally, we are now within weeks of the first hybrid laptop and desktop PCs, and it is time to chat about those. We'll talk about that and close with my product of the week, which is possibly the next eBay, a site called "iRent2U."
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Apple iPhones exported from China, smuggled back in: N.Y. Times
Thousands of Apple iPhones are being produced in and exported from China, and then are smuggled back in to the country and sold to consumers for well above U.S. retail prices, The New York Times reported.
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Apple collaborating with iPhone hackers for SDK applications?
When Tiny Code announced it would stop supporting its iPhone Repo application, many people thought it was because they had been “taken down� by Apple. However, it now seems that the contrary may be correct. Tiny Code posted the following statement on their website: “Tiny Code no longer…
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Mac OS Ken: 02.18.2008
Report: Coder Slapped for Revealing Work with iPhone SDK / InStat: 400K iPhones on China Mobile Network / DevelopMag: No New Game Device from Apple Anytime Soon / Best Buy Adding More Apple / Free Trail for Aperture 2 / Lennon Graces New iPod Touch Boxes / Apple Applies for Podmap Patnet / Digital Music Scores Big at Super Bowl / Media Execs: Let the People Price New Media?
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PacketVideo brings Mobile TV to any WiFi device
Filed under: Portable Video PacketVideo has a new receiver which can pump mobile TV over good ol' WiFi. PV claims the device will ultimately ship before the year is out in versions supporting over-the-air DVB-H and MediaFLO broadcasting as well as TDtv and WiMAX streaming. Although it's presumably compatible with any WiFi device, they specifically cite support for the the iPhone, N-Series Nokias and HTC devices while demonstrating the device with an iPod touch at Mobile World Congress. The 6.4 x 1.8 x 4-cm block is powered by a lithium-ion battery of unspecified capabilities. Although it's not stated, we assume the received television can be shared with multiple devices over that wireless link -- else why bother with WiFi? [Via Slashphone] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Welcome to Macintosh documentary an official selection in the Wisconsin Film Festival
Welcome to Macintosh - The documentary for the rest of us is an official selection in the The tenth annual Wisconsin Film Festival April 3 - 6, 2008 in Madison, Wisconsin. The Festival schedule will be announced on Thursday March 6th. Events and screening times updates will be posted regularly to the Welcome to Macintosh website. Founded in 1999, the Wisconsin Film Festival is the state's premier film festival, in the heart of Madison, their capital city. This four-day annual festival takes place each spring in ten downtown Madison theaters, all within walking distance. The Festival presents new American independent and world cinema (narrative, documentary, shorts, experimental), restored classics, and the work of Wisconsin filmmakers. Over 150 films and an attendance getting close to 30,000 make this a lively event that's become a major part of our state's cultural calendar. ?Welcome to Macintosh? is a documentary that explores the many ways Apple Computer (now Apple, Inc.) has changed the world. Whether a long time Mac fanatic or new to computers, Welcome to Macintosh takes you from the early days of the Apple-I to the latest and greatest Apple has to offer. Macheads - the movie (trailer)Uploaded by brunogarattoniThis documentary is not to be confused with MacHEADS which is another documentary about fanaticism and unconditional devotion to a Apple.
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The iPhone beats out Microsoft’s and Motorola’s products in 2007 Q4 sales
That’s right- our beloved iPhone has delivered the knock-out punch to Microsoft and Motorla. The next step for Apple is to take over RIM, but this will be a formidable task as they still own 41 percent of the smartphone market. Not only is this good news for Apple, this…
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T-Mobile waives activations fee this President’s day weekend
Not that we condone jailbreaking or unlocking in any way, but if you’d like use your iPhone on the T-Mobile network, this weekend is the time to sign up. This weekend, T-Mobile will be waiving their $35…
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Are you having signal problems with 1.1.3? Try these tips.
Many iPhone users have reported a multitude of signal problems after upgrading to 1.1.3, including poor signal and inconsistent call quality. Moreover, this problem seems to be more prominent for users who have unlocked their iPhones. Jeepers! Fortunately, there are a few tricks you can try to improve your call…
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Why Apple should market its iPhone to China Mobile
First of all, let’s state the facts- there are over 400,000 unlocked iPhones being used in China today. Sure, some of those people might have unlocked their device regardless of its legal availability, but the majority of those users represent an ideal customer group. They have expressed the highest degree…