Feb 28, 2008 Mar 1, 2008 Friday February 29, 2008
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Secrets 1.0b13
Open source System Prefs pane by Quicksilver author “Alcor” that gives you a GUI for tweaking secret preferences, both for software that ships with Mac OS X and for third-party apps, with the information about the secret prefs coming from a publicly accessible database. (Via Chris Messina.) ★
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Apple Store Midsummer Place, Milton Keynes - your reports
Filed under: Retail, AppleApple opened a new retail store at Midsummer Place, Milton Keynes this weekend (that's in the UK, Buckinghamshire to be precise). As usual, we asked any TUAW operatives who may have attended to share their reports and/or pictures. So, did you go, and if you did, how was it? Let us know in the comments. Here's hoping you scored a T-shirt or even the Opening Day Contest's grand prize.If you haven't gone down to the store yet, when you do get there, show us a little love and set the in-store machines to TUAW for their Safari homepage! Apple Store employees love that.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple "actively courting" Sony for slot-loading Blu-ray drives?
Filed under: Laptops, StorageWe know, we're getting tired of Apple Blu-ray rumors as well -- they're right up there with refreshed Cinema Displays in terms of rumor persistence -- but until Steve and the gang actually shove a drive into a machine we're stuck with them. The latest says that Apple is actively pressing Sony for slot-loading BD-R drives but quality control issues are gumming up the plan. Reportedly, this latest ho-hum MacBook Pro refresh was to feature BD-R drives, but all Sony could muster up were Blu-ray / DVD±RW drives, which Apple refused. That seems a little odd, frankly -- now that the format war is over and the competition's already shipping mid-range laptops with slot-load BD-R drives, you'd think Apple would want to cash in that Blu-ray Disc Association membership card with whoever can supply the drives. As always, we'll see when we see -- it's gotta happen sometime, right?[Image courtesy of dadako.com] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Bad news: Apple to tighltly control release of SDK applications
A recent iLounge report suggests that Apple may be planning a much more restrictive policy for its 3rd-party application distribution system than what was previously anticipated. iLounge reported that the iPhone SDK launch will be accompanied by a variety of restrictions on what kinds of…
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How would you change Apple's Penryn-based MacBook Pro?
Filed under: Features, Laptops While everyone and their second cousin third removed had something to say about Apple's ultra-sexy, ultra-hamstrung MacBook Air, we've a sneaking suspicion that folks previously eager about this week's MacBook Pro updates will be equally vocal. For whatever reason, Cupertino faithful had February 26th pegged on their calender, and while the addition of a Penryn or two was nearly a given, the dreamers in the crowd had much higher hopes for that fateful Tuesday. Nevertheless, the time came and went, and the re-opening of the online Apple store brought a whole heap of disappointment to many. Sure, folks still (somehow) enamored with the aging MBP design were thrilled to have access to a more potent, less scalding iteration of their favorite machine, but honestly, we're still using the GeForce 8600M GT? Really, Apple? Needless to say, this refresh likely did little to satisfy your desire for a revamped MacBook Pro, but we're interested in finding out exactly what it is you really wanted. An option for an SSD? What about a built-in Blu-ray drive? Would integrated HDMI make things more appealing? Or is a top-down case redesign the only thing stopping you from abusing your credit card in the name of Steve Jobs? Go on, we know you folks are chock full of good ideas, so let's hear 'em, shall we? Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Developing Rails Applications on Mac OS X Leopard
First in a three-part ADC series on Rails. ★
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Zibri releases ZiPhone 2.5, 1.1.4 jailbreak now possible
iPhone jailbreaking superstar Zibri has just released the latest version of his popular iPhone jailbreaking software. Prior to this release, ZiPhone (for 1.1.4) was only available to “early donators and sponsors.� Zibri suggests that if you restore to 1.1.4 (don’t update) before jailbreaking, everything should work smoothly. We’ve used ZiPhone…
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Office 2008's first update is for updating the updater
Filed under: SoftwareEven though the Mac BU is targeting March 11 as the ship date for the first official update to Office 2008 (12.0.1), there's groundwork to be laid and preparations to be made. It's in that spirit of watchful readiness that we note the appearance this afternoon of Microsoft's AutoUpdate 2.1.1 updater, available through... well, through Microsoft AutoUpdate 2.1.0, part of the base Office 2008 install. After that, you know, it's turtles all the way down.Other than the criticality of the update and that it's 2.0 MB in size, we don't know much else, but it's safe to say that this updater updater is a prerequisite for the real updater coming soon. As an Entourage 2008 user who is suffering consistent crashes each time the main window is closed and auto-reopens, I'll count myself among those eager for some fixes as rapidly as possible.Thanks KyleRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Leopard Dock Changes…
Bring the black triangle back to the dock.
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Latest Free and Open Source Mac Software
Todd Ogasawara has continued to publish his Mac FFOSS (Freeware/Free and Open Source Software) column on O’Reilly’s Mac Center. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s new (and cheap) in the Mac universe, you might want to hop over there for a peek.
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Jailbreak your iPhone using iTunes?
It’s not quite clear whether or not this method actually has been tested and proven to be working, but we’ll present it anyway. A YouTube user has posted a teaser video showcasing a new jailbreak method- that uses iTunes! From what we’ve seen in the video, the process seems exceedingly…
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Wintel Vista conspiracy screws customers: Another win for Apple
The latest PC market scandal — that Microsoft, Intel and some PC makers knew that the "Vista Capable" logo certification program was a lie and that some chipsets for popular machines couldn't support the new Aero interface stuff, must be music in the executive suites down in Cupertino. The story provides more evidence to PC users that there's a good reason to join the switcher movement to the Mac.
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Will iPhone Developers Need Apple's Blessings?
A report says that Apple will require all independent applications for the iPhone to be loaded through its iTunes software. That gives Apple both a cut of software sales, and the ability to prevent applications from challenging its business and those of its carrier partners.
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Prediction is: 3G iPhones Due Mid-Year With Infineon Chip
I have been hearing about the elusive 3G iPhone for a while now, and I yawn and move on to other things. I do a double take now, because there seems to be sufficient evidence that the 3G iPhone is due this year; mid-year. …
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The high price of iPhones in Ireland
The iPhone will cost someone around $1,800 U.S. in Ireland when it goes on sale later this month when all fees are added, but execs in the software industry already like the touch pad.
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The high price of iPhones in Ireland
DUBLIN, Ireland--Some of the papers are calling it the 1,200 euro phone. Apple will bring its iPhone to Ireland on March 14, but the price the company will charge for the phone--particularly when the monthly service contact is added in--is raising eyebrows. The 8GB iPhone sells for 399 euros (...
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Mac OS X login password can be physically recovered from RAM
Login password remains in RAM long after it's typed in, where attackers with physical access to the system may be able to obtain it.Read More...
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New: iClipboard 1.1
The ultimate clipboard manager
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Should Apple Have Waited to Announce the iPhone SDK?
When Apple announced last year that am iPhone SDK was indeed on its way, it got iPhone users and developers excited anticipating the February delivery date. But now that the SDK has been delayed and February is on its way out the door, I wonder whether Apple would have been…
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New: F10 Launch Studio 1.5.1
The premier launch management suite for Macintosh.
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Trism matches the iPhone's accelerometer with puzzle gameplay
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, iTunes, Apple, iPhoneOne more reason why we can't wait for the iPhone SDK to drop. GameSetWatch has a short interview up with developer Steve D of Demiforce about his new iPhone game, Trism. It's a Bejeweled-like gem matching puzzle game, but the twist is that after getting matched, the gems fall in the direction that the iPhone's accelerometer tells them to fall. It's wild stuff, and you can see it clearly in the video above.He's playing the game on a jailbroken iPhone, but it's still a work in progress, so the game isn't available to the public yet. Depending on the terms of the iPhone SDK, he's looking at porting it over to that and releasing it via whatever distribution system Apple comes up with. And he cooked this thing up in about ten days (he wanted to rush it to show it off at GDC last week), so if Apple is able to include smaller developers like Steve in their SDK setup, we'll see some terrific software come off the line in no time at all.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Updated: iScrapbook 1.6.0
Design and print beautiful scrapbooks in minutes.
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Cydia: Bringing Debian APT to the iPhone
Incredible Mobile OS X project from Jay Freeman: a port of Debian’s APT with a complete, working BSD and GNU Unix userspace tool set. And a brand new GUI app to manage it, Cydia. And, unlike Installer, the whole thing is open source. Gerd Kamp points out that Freeman also ported PyObjC to Mobile OS X, allowing native iPhone apps to be written in Python. My vaguely informed hunch is that the official SDK from Apple won’t even support that. ★
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New: SOHO Labels 3.6.0
The fastest way to print labels (including CD/DVD labels), envelopes, and letterhead
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New: SOHO Business Cards 2.5.1
Design and print stunning business cards in minutes.
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Backstage: Time Capsule vs. Apple + G-Tech devices, in photos
We typically don't cover things like hard drives on iLounge, but for Apple's new Time Capsule, we're making a small exception. While we're not going to do a full review or even a standard preview of the $299/500GB, $499/1TB wireless hard drive, since Apple's marketing it as a backup device for computers rather than an iTunes- or Apple TV-ready wired or wireless storage device, some comparison photos seemed like…
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Apple Gazette Daily 218 - Apple COO speaks on iPhone SDK, PayPal warns against using Safari
Apple COO speaks on the iPhone SDK, PayPal warns against using Safari 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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ZiPhone 2.5 released
Filed under: Hacks, iPhoneIf you are looking to jailbreak your iPhone and the most recent iNdependence beta isn't for you, you might be interested in trying out the latest version of ZiPhone. ZiPhone 2.5, which is now available for all users (not just financial donors, who were expected to get the app somewhat sooner than the rest of us) is compatible with the latest iPhone 1.1.4 firmware. Zibri recommends restoring the phone to 1.1.4, not updating, because of potential conflicts within the application cache.The early e-mails we have received from users has been positive, but as always, jailbreak at your own risk.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Video Sandbox 98: Next to penultimate
Posted by Frank PetrieHere we are on the edge the penultimate episode. Actually more like four feet in from the edge, actually. The penultimate episode once removed.
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iPhone SDK Could Limit Developers, Keychain Flaw and Safari Has a Secret
Ireland O2 boss nicknames Apple faithful, iPhone SDK restrictions and Schools out for Dell
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'setteB.IT': comparing minimum prices of the iPhone in UK and Ireland
Posted by Dennis SellersBy Fabio M. Zambelli setteB.IT has published a comparative chart with the minimum prices of the iPhone in UK and Ireland. The iPhone will be available starting March 14 in Ireland by the same carrier with the exclusive agreement in UK, O2.
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News: Mix: iSpeaker, Translation, Jaikoz, iViewr
Homade has introduced its iStereo speaker for iPod (pictured), which is modeled after LEGO building blocks. The iStereo features an integrated iPod dock, two speakers in the unit's top, and volume controls consistent with the block-inspired design. It is powered by three AA batteries, and is available now for $40. [via ShinyShiny] Coolgorilla has launched its Talking iPod Phrase Books podcasts, which offer translation of English text into various…
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Podcast recording with Dan Lyons coming soon
Fake Steve Jobs--the lost tapes
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Engadget tries to fry an egg on Penryn MacBook Pro
Filed under: Hardware, Macbook ProOK, they didn't really try to fry an egg. But for those of us using those first searing-heat MBP's, you'll be happy to know the Penryn MacBook Pro's are a little cooler (temperature-wise anyway). On average, about 10° F cooler, and the fans run slower and quieter. Sorry if this kills any MacGuyver-esque plans of using Penryn laptops as emergency griddles.For a much more detailed analysis of the Penryn advantages, check out the Engadget post, complete with Xbench tests and a flavorful grid with all the analysis.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Article: Ask iLounge 2-29-08
This week's Ask iLounge topics: Finding iPhone Backups, Contact Display on iPhone, Automatic vs manual iPod management, iTunes CD burning restrictions, iTunes movie rental expiry on iPods, Downloading podcasts to iPhone
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Easy 1.1.4 jailbreaking with iNdependence, Ziphone, and... iTunes?
Filed under: Cellphones If you happen to own an iPhone, and you happen to have updated to the 1.1.4 firmware, you can now easily jailbreak, activate, and unlock your phone with a couple of simple solutions. As you may have heard, iNdependence 1.4 beta 5 is out, which will do all sorts of non-Apple approved things to your device from OS X, though if you're looking for the ultimate cross-platform solution, you probably can't do better than the latest version Zibri's all-in-one package, Ziphone 2.5. Both apps make it about a million times easier than this was a few weeks ago, though we've seen video of a new solution -- jailbreaking directly from iTunes -- that could make this process even simpler (though considerably more illegal). Check that out after the break and get a glimpse of your deviant future.[Via TUAW; Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Read - iNdependenceRead - Ziphone's BlogContinue reading Easy 1.1.4 jailbreaking with iNdependence, Ziphone, and... iTunes? Permalink | Email this | Comments
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DXG-110
It's Not Just About the Megapixels
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Real People Reviews: Beta testing chocolate? Sweet, indeed
Posted by Dennis SellersCan Wired co-founder, Louis Rossetto, “do for cacao beans what Starbucks did for coffee”? You may know that I have great love for hi-tech products, digital imaging, design, music and professional audio, but I am also a trained chef from a much, much earlier age in my life and enjoy...
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Time Capsule first impressions
Filed under: Wireless, Storage Okay, so we've got our Time Capsule up and running here -- we'll be back with a full review once our full 516GB backup is completed, but here are some quick first impressions: You can definitely hear the disks spin up and access. It also sounds like there's a fan in there, but there are no obvious vents for one and we can't feel any air coming out, so the drives might just be that loud. The top is getting quite warm during the backup -- we'll see if it cools down once we stop hitting the drive this hard, but if there really isn't a fan we're a little concerned. Hope those server-grade hard drives like being cooked. You can't transfer an existing Time Machine backup to Time Capsule. Sure, it's easy enough to switch back and get at your old data, but it's still a pain -- and now we have a 1TB drive sitting here with months of backups on it that we can't erase and reuse. Time Machine doesn't prioritize network activity on your machine, so it's slamming our network connection right now as it backs up. That's not a huge problem since we're backing up over Ethernet, but we'll see what happens when we try this over WiFi later. We tried to back up a second machine while the first was in progress, and not much happened -- it created the disk image and got to "Preparing..." and then did nothing. We're assuming these can only happen one at a time. The wireless side of things is basically the same as the Airport Extreme, nothing shocking there, although the setup assistant has been substantially revised to make things easier. The setup assistant now asks if you already have a 2.4GHz network and offers to create a 5GHz secondary network, which is interesting. That's about it for now -- there's not much we can try out while this backup is in progress. Anything else you guys want to know? Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Jawbone releases rare “limited� headsets
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Will New Blu-ray Drives Suck Your Laptop Battery Dry?
I’m not sure what’s more appalling; the purported battery drain Blu-ray drives have on laptops, or the photo of the Blu-ray mascot accompanying the article. And what’s with this quip: “If you bought an iPhone and you couldn’t watch a two-hour movie, which you barely can now, that would be a huge problem,” [Yankee Group analyst Josh] Martin continued. A fully-charged iPhone gets way more than two hours of video playback. Walt Mossberg got “just under Apple’s claim of seven hours, enough to watch four average-length movies.” ★
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Report: Apple to retain tight control over iPhone apps
A report out Friday, a week before Apple officially reveals details of its iPhone software development kit, suggests the company is planning to keep a tight grip on iPhone development.
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A little kinetic scrolling with Smart Scroll X
Filed under: Hardware, Software, Video, Odds and endsApple has already stolen the multitouch interface from the iPhone for the MacBook Air and the new MacBooks, but they haven't yet borrowed that other scrolling "feature," known here as "kinetic scrolling." If you'd like to steal it for your own Mac, however, jkOnTheRun has just the thing: a tip about Smart Scroll X, a program that lets you use your mouse to do some kinetic scrolling in any Mac app you want.We've actually posted about Smart Scroll before, but the video is a pretty good demonstration of what's happening here. I'm not quite sure this is something Apple will want to implement in the OS, however -- it feels right enough on the iPhone, but I kind of like that my scroll wheel stops when I tell it to. If you'd rather have the iPhone experience on your usual Mac, however, the app is available as a free trial, or a complete license for $19.[Via Nathan M]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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First Looks: Casio Exilim EX-S10 Digital Camera with iTunes Video Support
Winner of an iLounge 2008 Best of Show award, Casio's new Exilim EX-S10 ($250) is amongst the first pocket-sized digital still cameras to offer direct-to-iTunes video recording in H.264 format. Impressively thin even by the standards of comparably-equipped Canon pocket cameras, the EX-S10 boasts a 3x zoom lens, 2.7" LCD screen and 10.1-Megapixel sensor for still photography, and the ability to record 640x480 videos that can be dropped into iTunes…
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Keynote Pro releases OhM '08 theme
Posted by Dennis SellersKeynotePro has released OhM '08, a theme for Keynote, the presentation component of iWork '08, Apple's US$79 software suite.
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ProPresenter for Mac OS X gets 'live video in' feature
Posted by Dennis SellersRenewed Vision has updated ProPresenter, lyric and video presentation software, to version 3.3. The update adds live video in, a “bail to logo” feature, the ability to assign hot keys to a slide and more.
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TI Developers Gather to Map the Future of Cell Phone Tech
The Apple iPhone, which brought touch screens to the masses, demonstrated how much consumers want better user interfaces. The Texas Instruments Developer Conference, which opened Tuesday at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, demonstrated some amazing possibilities. The annual event also provided a launch pad for new chips from the Dallas-based company and a showcase for innovative TI customers. "I'm more excited today, looking forward at the innovations coming in the next five or 10 years, than I have been in my 25 years with this company," said TI's Mike Hames.
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Stone Design releases update of 2008 Stone Works
Posted by Dennis SellersStone Design has released the 2008.02.29 version of Stone Works productivity suite. Stone Works includes 17 applications, a widget and a screen saver that let you design and publish to print and web, bill for your services, make movies, photo albums, watermark documents, convert fonts, complete image processing, monitor the...
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DropDMG for Mac OS X update fixes some bugs
Posted by Dennis SellersDropDMG 2.8.5—a new version of the tool for creating Mac OS X disk images—is now available. The upgrade fixes a bug where saved Automator workflows didn't use the proper configuration when running on Mac OS X 10.5.2.
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Dynagram updates INposition XTension for QuarkXPress
Posted by Dennis SellersDynagram has released version 7.3 of INposition, its QuarkXPress XTension, which guides Quark fans through the imposition process. This new version offers increased performance and compatibility.
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Objectif Lunem Xpertdoc announce technological agreement
Posted by Dennis SellersObjectif Lune —which makes solutions for variable data printing, workflow solutions and web2print applications—and Xpertdoc, which provides document production and electronic workflow management solutions—have announced a technological agreement with the upcoming launch of a co-branded solution integrating both companies technology, Objectif Lune's PlanetPress Suite and Xpertdoc's Studio.
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Warp for Leopard adds Click-to-Warp option
Posted by Dennis SellersDeveloper Kent Sutherland has updated Warp, a free preference pane for Mac OS X 10.5 (“Leopard”) that allows you to use the mouse to switch between Spaces rather than using the keyboard to version 1.1. The upgrade adds a Click-to-Warp option that displays a live preview of a space when...
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'Pirates of the Caribbean Online' game adds emotes, avatar customization
Posted by Dennis SellersDisney Online's Pirates of the Caribbean Online, an immersive massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) and virtual world inspired by the popular film franchise, has gotten new content. The upgrade adds emotes, allows avatar customization and more.
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Belch offers carbon fiber case for the iPhone
Posted by Dennis SellersA company called Belch has released its iPhone case. The Composite Protection iPhone Case (US$79.99) is, per the company, the only carbon fiber case for the Apple communications device.
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The Talk Show, Episode 16
New episode of the only podcast featuring Dan Benjamin and yours truly; topics include Apple’s latest MacBooks and the genius of Caddyshack. ★
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MacBook Gets Pumped, Microsoft Gets Fined, YouTube Gets Blocked
Apple has been developing a habit of putting out new stuff each Tuesday. Exactly what it comes out with is almost always a surprise, but since the beginning of the year, it's really taken a toll on the nerves of Apple followers who've been anxiously awaiting a refresh of the MacBook Pro. They finally got their wish; Apple has updated the MacBook Pro and the standard MacBook. Both now feature Intel's new Penryn processor, and the Pro model features the same multitouch track pad found on the MacBook Air.
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M.B. Darden on Apple’s Retail Stores
It’s pieces like this one — written by a non-nerd, brand-new Apple customer — that make me think the growth in Mac sales over the past two years are just the beginning of an enormous trend. ★
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Curved iMac concept bends beyond the realm of plausibility
Filed under: Desktops You don't have to venture very far to dig up unofficial concepts for Apple products of all sorts, but this one from designer Nuno Teixeira is certainly more attention grabbing than most, even if it isn't any more realistic. Dubbed the "iMac iView," the main distinguishing feature here is obviously the curved screen, which isn't actually all that far out there, but still a ways from becoming anywhere near commonplace. As if that wasn't enough, the concept also boasts a second screen on the rear (pictured after the break), and webcams on both the front and back, which would finally let you have impersonal conversations with the person sitting right across from you. Hit up the read link below for a couple more pics. Continue reading Curved iMac concept bends beyond the realm of plausibility Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iPod nano + slide viewer = bigger screen
Filed under: Audio, Hardware, iPod Family, Cool tools, Hacks Retro Thing, one of my favorite blogs, points out this clever hack. The iPod nano is great, but that screen is a little small for watching movies. How do you solve that problem? Well, if you have some time, a 35mm slider viewer, and some small speakers you can hack together a solution (as seen in the video).The movie looks pretty good, though this solution does make the iPod just a little less portable. That's the great thing about hacks, though, they don't need to be practical to be awesome. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Time Capsule unboxing pics
Engadget has managed to get a Time Capsule and take some unboxing pics on this, the slowest news day in Apple history (probably not true - but darn close). I love the idea behind the Time Capsule, and maybe one day I'll get one - but I would love to see an even higher end version of one that was similar to the Drobo in the future. Who knows? Maybe that's just around the corner.
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Engadget unboxes a Time Capsule
Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, AppleMy Time Capsule is sitting somewhere in China at the moment, but our friends over at Engadget managed to get their hands on one, and they have even posted some unboxing pictures. They note that the device itself is a little larger than you might think it is based on looking at the pictures on Apple.com. I'm sure they will post more once they put the Time Capsule through the paces.I'll certainly be posting my first impressions once I get my Time Capsule up and running.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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PayPal to Safari users: 'Ditch it'
Popular online payment system PayPal has deemed Safari unsafe for use. Read More...
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iPhone software development to be locked down by Apple?
Filed under: Cellphones It was only a matter of time till the serious iPhone SDK rumors started flying, and with Apple's Town Hall event next Thursday, it's possible some of what we're hearing is right on. If that's the case, prepare to be letdown in a major way. According to iLounge, Apple will be severely restricting access on software for the iPhone and iPod touch, only allowing apps to be downloaded through iTunes, hand-picking which applications will make it to the store, and cutting off developer's access to accessories which interface with the dock connector. Of course, this is just about what we expected from Steve, since he's already lauded Nokia for its S60 verification scheme. Additionally, the report claims that the SDK we see next week will be an incomplete beta, with the full version rolling out in June to coincide with the WWDC. Thinking of any good reasons to keep jailbreaking your phone? Yeah, us too.[Thanks, Omega] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Opening the Time Capsule
Right at the buzzer, Apple shipped us a Time Capsule -- and just like we remembered, it's a bigger than you'd expect. We're about to set it up in our WiFi torture chamber of an apartment building, we'll let you know how it goes -- unboxing in the gallery below. Gallery: Time Capsule unboxing Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Running naked (with hard drives)
Earlier in the week my cohort here at The Apple Core, David Morgenstern, wrote about living a bare drive lifestyle where “professional Mac users often use hard disk mechanisms like floppies.” Count me in that group. I keep a lot of (non-traveling) hard drives in my office, most in silver anti-static bags, and swap them [...]
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Vista price cuts show how much trouble Microsoft is in
Ever since Microsoft released Vista to the masses, most people knew just how bad the operating system was. Instead of offering the kind of functionality already found on Linux or Mac OS X and the stability that we had come to welcome in XP, Vista was nothing more than a beta release on day one, and very few improvements have been made to change that. To make matters worse, most companies and individuals are more than happy to keep XP running, and even Apple has been able to capitalize somewhat on the issues people have had with Microsoft's latest operating system. Obviously realizing that there is some trouble afoot, Microsoft on Thursday announced price cuts on its most expensive versions of Vista and said those discounts will range from 20 percent to 48 percent. Ironically, those discounts are designed to coincide with the release of Vista Service Pack 1, which according to Microsoft, will usher in a slew of security fixes and improvements that should make the Vista experience much better. And while I applaud Microsoft for finally dropping the price on its ill-fated software, the price drop looks more like a PR move than something that will have an impact on consumers and, most importantly, shows just how much trouble this company is in with Windows. ...
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Jailbreak from iTunes
Filed under: iPod Family, Hacks, iPhone Guess what's come out of the pumpkin patch news service this time? A video that shows hackers using iTunes to restore an already-jailbroken and activated 1.1.4. The iPhone software bundle (the ipsw file) has been pre-hacked and updates through iTunes to a fully hacked system. Like other hack previews, this one is not yet ready for prime-time. The developers put this together as a proof-of-concept, but hey'll likely be releasing this method when the actual SDK comes out. Congratulations again to Pumpkin, roxfan, Turbo, wizdaz, bgm, np101137 and the iPhone dev team.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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3G iPhones arriving this summer, say analysts
According to UBS analysts Nicolas Gaudois and Ben Reitzes, 3G iPhones based on an Infineon chip will arrive this summer.Read More...
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Assign one keyboard shortcut to multiple menu items
You may have read the title to this hint and thought "Huh? How can that possibly work? How does the system know which command to run when you type the shortcut? And why would you want to do this?" A bit more explanation is required to see the benefit of this hint: it's for use with menu items whose names change after they've been selected. In this case, I wanted an easier way to toggle the display of smileys off and on in iChat (because iChat replaces =$ with a "dollar sign smiley face," meaning that pasted code often looks quite odd). Disabling smileys is done with View » Messages » Hide Smileys. Easy enough to assign that to Control-S, for example, in the Keyboard Shortcuts tab of the Keyboard & Mouse System Preferences panel. But once you've hidden smileys, that menu item becomes Show Smileys, and the keyboard shortcut vanishes. On a lark, I tried assigning Show Smileys the same Control-S shortcut... ...
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Use Safari 3 textareas to help with form printing
Safari 3 has resizable textareas -- multi-line text input boxes -- on its forms. This can be a big help when completing a form (for example, submitting a long hint!), but can also help with printing those forms. By default, when Safari prints a form, it appears just as it does on screen. This means that any textareas that have more text than will fit in the visible space will show a vertical scrollbar and some of your content will be hidden -- not much help for record keeping. However, printing (including Save as PDF) honors resized textareas, so the trick is to make sure you have resized (using the handle at the bottom right corner) to show all your content before printing. You'll also get better looking output with no scrollbars! I use this technique when submitting information to sites that don't offer a printable version after submission.
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Watch slow motion video on the iPhone and iPod touch
If you want to see something in slow motion -- either on YouTube or your videos in the iPod section of the iPhone -- here is something for you. Make sure your video is paused, then just tap and hold rewind or fast forward, and your video will begin to play in slow motion. [robg adds: I could make this work for the forward direction on my 1.1.3 iPhone, but not backwards. This slow motion feature isn't noted in the iPhone User Guide anywhere that I could find. By the way, Apple updates the iPhone User Guide somewhat regularly; the third revision was released at the end of January. As an interesting aside, it seems Apple optimized this latest version; it's about 4MB, versus 10MB for the first version -- and it's actually longer and has at least as many images as the first one.]
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A shell function to make 'rm' move files to the trash
Command line users: Have you ever wished rm would put stuff in the Trash instead of just deleting it? After accidentally running rm -rf Desktop one day, I decided it was time to stop really deleting stuff when I ran rm. So I wrote is a shell function -- this means that the actual /bin/rm executable works like normal; only when you run rm from Terminal do files get moved to the Trash. This means that programs (and scripts) which delete files won't be affected. So how do you use this? Open Terminal, and edit ~/.bash_profile (this is a script which is run every time you open a Terminal). Run nano ~/.bash_profile from the command prompt if you don't have a preferred editor. Add the following lines at the bottom of the file: function rm () { local path for path in "$@"; do # ignore any arguments if [[ "$path" = -* ]]; then : else local dst=&...
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A script to download and convert multiple YouTube videos
There are many solutions on the web on how to download YouTube videos using bash scripts, e.g. see this one as an example. However, using scripts described in the above link may be a little uncomfortable if you wish to get lots of YouTube clips. So I've modified those scripts a little bit so that the URLs are put into a single file with this structure: url1 name1 url2 name2 ... urlN nameN where urlN and nameN are Nth clip's URL and desired local filename for the saved movie file. YouTube's FLV files are also converted to AVI format via ffmpeg (see this hint and comments on how to get and install it). I prefer AVI to FLV since most players have problems with FLV movies when it comes to scrolling through them. Here is the script: ...
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'Bourne Ultimatum' among new films at iTunes Movie Rentals
Posted by Dennis SellersThe Bourne Ultimatum, Stardust, Balls of Fury, Mr. Woodcock and Hot Rod are among the latest movie rentals at the iTunes Store.
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O2: iPhone is our fastest-selling device
O2 reports that the iPhone is its fastest-selling device, and it's garnering high customer satisfaction marks as well.Read More...
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Tinderbox for Mac OS X beefs up export template write/store feature
Posted by Dennis Sellers Tinderbox, a Mac OS X app for storing and organizing notes, plans, and ideas, has been updated to version 4.2. You can now write and store Tinderbox export templates right inside Tinderbox. The upgrade also boasts small fixes, faster actions and rules, and other improvements.
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Gamepedia adds support for wireless scanners
Posted by Dennis SellersBruji.com has updated Gamepedia, a database application for cataloging computer and video games, to version 4.1.3, which adds support for wireless scanners as well as several other new features.
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GarageSale update fixes eBay shipping glitch
Posted by Dennis Sellersiwascoding has released a new version (4.0.5) of Garage Sale, the US$29.99 eBay auction software for Mac OS. The update (free to registered users) fixes a problem with calculated shipping on eBay motors and also has miscellaneous bug fixes.
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iPhone in Ireland will cost 'Apple freaks'
Posted by Dennis SellersO2 Ireland will introduce the iPhone to Irish users on March 14—but the product won't come cheap. According to the Independent.ie Irish consumers “will have to make a significant financial commitment if they want to own the latest must-have gadget.”
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Upcoming iPhone SDK has Wall Street jazzed about Apple stock
Posted by Dennis SellersShares of Apple rose more than four percent yesterday with the gang at Wall Street apparently jazzed about next weeks' unveiling of the iPhone software development kit. The shares rose US$5.46 to $128.42 in early trade on Nasdaq.
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All Freeverse games and apps 20% off today only
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Odds and ends, DealsFreeverse has sent along the heads up on a sale they're having today only. To celebrate "Leap Day" (yes, we're only having this twenty-four hour period today because it's a Leap Year), they're selling everything they got for an extra 20% off whenever you use the code "leapyear" during checkout.What could you buy? Well, you could grab their 3D Desktop Defense-like game Horde of Orcs for a mere $20, pick up Neon Tango (a flashy Asteroids-like shooter) for the same price, or grab Wingnuts 2, which isn't too bad a bit of pick-up-and-play shooting fun, for $24. You could also grab any of the apps they sell for the sale price, too: they've got Comic Life Deluxe for $24 and the award-winning Lineform for $64 after the discount.Yeah, 20% ain't too huge, but hey it's only Leap Day, and if you've been waiting to grab some of this Freeverse 'ware this makes today the perfect time to do it.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple releases iPhoto 7.1.3
Posted by Dennis SellersApple has posted the iPhoto 7.1.3 Update. It requires Mac OS X 10..4.9 or later and iPhoto 7.1.2.
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News: O2 Ireland CEO speaks about iPhone launch
Following yesterday's announcement that the iPhone will launch on O2 in Ireland on March 14, O2 Ireland CEO Danuta Gray has spoken about the value of the device, given the €1209 cost including the minimum 18-month tariff plan. “You can't compare it with other products,” said Gray in an interview with the Independent. “Comparing it with a standard handset is just not like-for-like. I have music on it, videos on it, DVDs,…
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YouTube Find: iPhone Stopwatch clicks over to 1,000 hours
Is this news? No. Is it mildly interesting…maybe. Have you wondered what would happen when the iPhone stopwatch clicked over past the 1,000 minute mark? Well, this guy had enough free time on his hands to find out…
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News: iLounge launching all-new design tonight
Get ready. Later this evening, iLounge will launch an all-new site design, which will offer improved navigation, functionality, and features, in addition to a slightly new look. Due to the nature of the transition from the old site to the new one, there may be a short period tonight where you will be unable to access the site. Please be patient; It will be worth the wait. For a preview of the new site design, check out page 10 of our 2008 iPod + iPhone…
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Under The Radar News - Friday
Bond insurer bailout hits roadblock. The bailout of troubled bond insurer Ambac (ABK) has hit a significant snag, CNBC's Charlie Gasparino said Friday. On Wednesday ratings agencies said they wanted the banks involved in the rescue to put up more than the proposed $2.5B in order for Ambac to retain its AAA rating. Sources say the consortium will address the issue by backing down from its idea of breaking up Ambac into its risker and less-risky businesses, instead finding a resolution that keeps the two together, which could mean even less than $2.5B is needed. Sources are confident the deal will go through, because the players are acutely aware of the dire consequences a downgrade could have.
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News: iPhone/iPod SDK: Apple to approve, distribute apps, limit add-ons
According to several sources familiar with Apple's iPhone and iPod touch software development kit (SDK) plans, the company will use a March 6 event in Cupertino, California to formally announce a number of potentially controversial limitations on application development and publishing. Our sources spoke on the condition that their comments were not for attribution, independently confirming the following details, and offering differing opinions…
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Does Wall Street Properly Value Google/Apple Brand Loyalty?
The tech-ticker on Yahoo! Finance had an interesting article about Apple zealots posting extremely critical messages in response to an article by Barron's Eric Savitz which highlighted negative comments by Toni Sacconaghi, a Bernstein Research analyst.
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Top 10 iPhone Web Apps
With SDK applications being pushed further and further behind schedule, we thought it would be a good idea to give you a list of the ten best iPhone web applications, just to tide you over. The iPhone’s Safari browser has enabled it to display a wide variety of content in…
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MacNotables #812: More from The MacNotables on the iPhone SDK, the Apple Laptop Ugrades, the iPhone in the Enterprise Market and More
Adam Engst, Ted Landau and Chuck Joiner are back for the second of a two-part discussion featuring more on the iPhone SDK, the iPhone in the enterprise market and how it is getting there. The trio offer provide some perspective on the newest updates to the MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops and the identify the characteristics of a good hardware upgrade, then turn their attention to why Adam finds eBay too time consuming and why Ted disagrees. The show wraps up by becoming “The Antique Road Show with the MacNotables,” including thoughts on why it is so hard to part with an older Mac. Adam Engst Ted Landau Chuck Joiner (more…)
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Mac Bloggers Toast iTunes, Probe Penryn Processors, Sweat iPhone SDK
The long-awaited -- and perhaps overdue -- refresh to the MacBook Pro lineup finally came Tuesday morning, and along with it, a laptop surprise: Apple beefed up its consumer-grade MacBooks too. The announcements set the Apple-focused blog world on fire, with some commenters noting they were just happy to see the MacBook Pro holdouts finally get something they could spring for. As if new laptops weren't enough, Apple became the No. 2 music retailer in the United States. Then on Wednesday, the company sent out invitations to reporters for an iPhone event.
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Mac OS Ken: 02.29.2008
New OS X Password Vulnerability / Corporate Smartphones: BlackBerry Wins Numbers as iPhone Wins Satisfaction / ATRs Wu: Apple Taking iPhone to Enterprise / Goldmans Bailey: Growth Opportunities Remain for Apple / iPhone Makes Apple No. 10 Mobile Maker Worldwide / Apple Shipping Pre-Ordered Time Capsules / PayPal Exec: Safari Not Safe for PayPal / CTA Offers Training for Leopard and Leopard Server / New iPod Touch Ad Debuts on American Idol
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Review: The SoundBar offers good sound in small package
Posted by Dennis SellersThe Altec Lansing SoundBar (US$79.95) is a space saving speaker system that provides an impressive amount of oomph in a black-and-silver form factor that doesn't take up much desktop real estate.
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Apple's "Anywhere" iPhone Has Far From Peaked
Apple's invitations to an event on March 6 to discuss the Apple Software Development Kit for the iPhone generated several Apple inquiries around here, and Apple COO Tim Cook's talk yesterday at the Goldman Sachs event added more fuel to the story. I thought I'd take a break from my usual "Anywhere all the time" writing, and just pass on some of the data and answers I've been providing to reporters: Has the iPhone wave peaked? No; in fact, I would argue that the iPhone phenomenon has just gotten started. The Apple iPhone is truly an Anywhere phone, putting communication, media, and Internet content in the palm of nearly anyone's hand anywhere in the world and on (mostly) any GSM network. Despite the iPhone only being available for sale in four countries, it's being used today in more than 100. This adoption is amazing because no official native third-party apps have been released and the device is a version 1.0 device, Apple's first effort in a market most pundits said it could never succeed in. Imagine what sales will look like when there are official distribution channels in more than four countries, when third party developers can create new iPhone applications, and when Apple has version 2.0 and 3.0 devices in the market.Are iPhone unlockers hurting Apple? I think this idea is way overblown. Apple receives full retail price and full retail profits for every phone it sells, locked or unlocked. The device is profitable by itself, regardless of whether it gets carrier revenue sharing or not. Further, the fact that Apple is doing carrier exclusive deals now doesn't mean it is wedded to that model, a point Tim Cook made in his presentation. So everyone who is claiming Apple is "losing" $1 billion due to unlocked phones is simply noting problems with their own models of Apple's business, not Apple's. Apple of course doesn't acknowledge or report any revenues from carriers associated with the iPhones, so any numbers or losses you hear about those are inferred speculation, not facts.Does Apple need to cut prices on its iPhone? Not in the least. Apple has no intent of chasing Motorola to see who can lose more money on phones in a futile attempt to gain market share. Market share isn't the name of Apple's game; consistent and growing profits are. Apple's brand says to nearly everyone in the world that its products are fashionable, easy-to-use, and a bit exclusive. Apple competing only on price would be like BMW cutting prices on its cars so they can be distributed through Wal-Mart; it would be marketing suicide. In my opinion, Apple's game plan on its Anywhere phone will likely mirror that of iPods. iPods started with one model and then gradually branched out to three or four of them (depending on whether you consider the iPod touch to be an iPod or a low-end iPhone). Even today, the 16 GByte iPod touch sells for the same price as the original iPod introduced in 2001. People should expect there to be both cheaper and more expensive iPhones over time, but that the target price points for the iPhone with touch screens and Internet capabilities will remain what they are today.Is Apple going to make its iPhone goal of 10 million phones by the end of 2008? Yes. Apple doesn't provide goals if it doesn't think it can both make and exceed them. While the economy and consumer spending are throwing up some roadblocks, I see Apple easily exceeding that goal by about 25% by the end of calendar 2008. And in case anyone was confused, that's the benchmark that Steve Jobs set: 10 million phones by the end of 2008, not 10 million phones in the first year of sales or the first fiscal year. The bottom line: as the buzz at the Mobile World Congress proved, Apple changed the mobile phone market worldwide with its first and uncertain effort in a new market. Just as it did with computers, Apple isn't playing a market share game; it's building mind share. And while there only officially successful in a few countries today, imagine what will happen when they are Anywhere. Disclosure: Long AAPL