Apr 10, 2008 Apr 12, 2008 Friday April 11, 2008
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The irony of the Windows-powered billboard
Posted by Dennis SellersYou've got to feel sorry for the folks at the MacAuthority, an Apple reseller in middle Tennessee, with their brief billboard problem. Look below…
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Bernstein Research analyst relatively optimistic about Appel's second fiscal quarter
Posted by Dennis Sellers Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi thinks Apple's second fiscal quarter numbers will come in a bit ahead of the consensus, and is forecasting US$6.99 billion and $1.12, reports Seeking Alpha.
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1Password: same great taste, new price
Filed under: Software, Cool toolsPassword concierge and form-filler extraordinaire 1Password was upped to version 2.5.12 today with more features, changes and fixes than we could possibly list. Of course, current bleeding-edge users probably noticed that 2.6 Beta 6 also came out today with its own improvements and fixes, including the missing Fluid extension from Beta 5. Did we mention it supports Fluid these days? Version 2.5.12 packs Safari 3.1 support, iPhone bookmarklet changes, better Firefox support and a plethora of fixes. While the price of this TUAW favorite has gone up a whole $5, so has the functionality. The current update is free for license holders, newcomers get it for $34.95. To each their own, but I personally consider this one worth every penny.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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JPMorgan: MacBook Sales Up, PC Sales Down
Filed under: Apple Financial, MacBook, MacBook AirAccording to a recent posting on Phillip Elmer-DeWitt's Apple 2.0 column over at CNN, JPMorgan analyst Mark Moskowitz has issued a "cautiously optimistic" report on Apple based primarily on "stronger-than-expected" MacBook sales" for the quarter ending in March. According to Moskowitz, computer sales usually fall-off after Christmas, but Apple has actually had a sales increase -- albeit a small one at only 0.2%. However, that increase is still better than sales for other PC's, which according to the report, fell 9% in the same quarter. In spite of the sales increase, there still may be other issues that have an effect on Apple's bottom line this year. According to Moskowicz, there may be some difficulty for Apple if the company is not able to deliver a 3G iPhone by Summer. "As long as there is nothing to suggest that a summer launch of the 3G phone is not a possibility, we would expect investors to look past any near-term disappointment in iPhones," said Moskowitz in his report. The report doesn't specify which MacBook model is responsible for the slight increase in sales for Apple. But with the MacBook Air having just been released during the last quarter, perhaps it deserves the credit?Apple will release its quarterly earnings report on April 23rd.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple snags HP's Charnas to serve as head of corporate law
If you're a successful computer and consumer electronics maker, where do you find a great head of corporate law? Why, HP's deputy general counsel ought to do.Read More...
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Nike+ coming to iPhone and iPod touch
Filed under: Hardware, iPod Family, Apple, iPhone Multiple sources are repeating Stuff.tv's report that Apple is planning to bring the Nike+ system to the iPhone and iPod touch. Nike+ is of course a special kit, originally made for iPod nano, that will record the distance and length of a walk or run -- you stick the little sensor in your shoe, and it works as a timer and pedometer to record personal workout stats.Stuff also reports that in addition to bringing along the sensor system, the new Nike+ system may also be able to take advantage of the iPhone's and touch's wifi by sending stats from the sensor directly to Nike's online database,where a new "Coach" system will help you schedule runs and activities.Sounds pretty amazing. Of course, this is only the beginning of the kind of "life management" software that we'll see coming out of the SDK. Stuff suggests that your iPhone will help you know when go to out and for how long, but of course we know that by the time June comes around it'll be able to do a lot more than that.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Accessing the Bible on an iPhone/iPod touch (video)
Posted by Dave MertenRecently, I came across a convenient way to access the Bible on an iPhone or iPod touch. It's an iPhone/iPod touch Web app called TouchBible from Christian Revolution. It has an easy-to-navigate GUI with multiple functions, and also include many language translations.
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Rumor Mill: What you should be saving up for
Howdy. It’s Jake, Jason’s evil, rumor-mongering twin. It’s Friday, which means that it’s time for a peek at the current raft of Apple rumors: iPhone 3G – This one is getting more persistant, so it’s probably getting closer to being real. The latest word is that the 3G iPhone will be launched at WWDC with AMOLED (active [...]
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iPhone Headphone Adapter Roundup
Dan Frakes surveys the field of adaptors that let you use headphones with standard-size jacks with an iPhone. ★
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Friday afternoon Apple links, pre-Tax Day edition
This Friday's Apple links include a new FTP client for the Mac, discussion about iPod games, a way to upload time-lapse videos to Flickr, a look at international gray market iPhones, a new podcast, a follow-up to John Mayer's iTunes problem, and some more praise for the iPhone.Read More...
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News: Vestalife Ladybug Giveaway still going, enter today
If you haven't yet entered our Vestalife Ladybug Giveaway, there's still time to do so. In the contest, iLounge and Vestalife are giving away four Vestalife Ladybug Speaker Systems to lucky iLounge readers. To enter, visit the official giveaway page, and fill out and submit the simple form provided. The contest runs until April 25, 2008 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time and only one entry is allowed per person; official rules can be found on the…
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ExpanDrive gets AppleScript support
Filed under: Software, Cool toolsVersion 1.1 of ExpanDrive, the utility we reported on earlier that gives you SSH/SFTP server access that's transparent to the OS, hit the streets today. In addition to features like "Reconnect at Login" and several interface/usability tweaks, it now supports AppleScript. The AppleScript library is simple, providing identity elements for each drive, and 2 commands: connect and eject. Nothing earth-shattering, but it's even better at workflow integration and automation now. A little code, and... tell application "ExpanDrive"repeat with aDrive in drivesconnect aDrivedisplay dialog "Connected: " & server of aDriveend repeatend tell Set it up with ThisService and you've got hotkey mountable/unmountable servers! If you haven't checked it out yet, grab the free demo ($29 to purchase).Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple Gazette Daily 246 - Nike +, Software updates and more
podcast sponsor link:http://www.audiblepodcast.com/applegazette Click the link above to get your free audio book from Audible, and help support Apple Gazette at the same time! Today's Show: Nike +, Software updates and more 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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Backstage: The Microsoft Store, in Slides
People are reporting a rumor that Microsoft wants its own retail Apple-style stores as if it might actually happen. We doubt it, but since it's a slow Friday, we thought we'd take a stab at how the internal Microsoft executive presentation might go. There probably should be a snack bar in there, too. It could happen. ...
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You Never Write, You Never Call
If you use Microsoft's Windows or Apple's OS X and for some reason an application crashes, you know the drill. A dialog box opens automatically ready to report what just happened back to Redmond or Cupertino. It is an opt-in procedure so you can decide not to send the report, which is what I tend to do the third or fourth time the same crash happens. For an Apple or a Microsoft this capability of seeing, immediately and automatically, what went wrong is invaluable for planning that next service pack or security update. Alas, this kind of diagnostic capability hasn't been available to those developers who don't also happen to own the operating system as Apple and Microsoft do. But that fact is changing and now there is a way for many third-party developers to put this same capability into their applications. PreEmptive Solutions is a software tools company from Ohio that is best known for its DashO and Dotfuscator products, which are used to obfuscate and to some extent optimize bytecodes for Java and .NET applications, respectively. These interpreted programming environments, where a lot of corporate development is done today, are especially vulnerable because the program code is exposed and can easily be copied or messed with. Obfuscation makes such code theft harder to accomplish by changing the appearance of the code, though not its operation. It's hard to track program logic when every variable -- no matter what the actual value -- is called "a" for example. PreEmptive has added to its latest version of Dotfuscator what it calls "Runtime Intelligence" -- that ability to send data or to call for help when there is trouble with an obfuscated application. But wait, there's more! Application failure is only one of many possible triggering events for Runtime Intelligence. It can be triggered by a crash but also by a user exit: why did you choose to close the application? This makes it faster and more reliable to gather data from beta releases and make product improvements, for example. Now it is possible to evaluate what users do and don't use in a beta product, where they stopped working, what features were ignored, etc. Why put a lot of effort into a feature that users apparently don't even care about? The triggering and reporting code is added after the application, itself, is completely finished. It has to be or it couldn't continue to operate after the target application has crashed or closed. Adding this code, since it happens as part of obfuscation and optimization, not only doesn't make the application bigger, it usually makes the application code smaller and therefore faster to load and run. While end-users may not have even heard of Dotfuscator, this doesn't mean it isn't already running in some version on their PCs. As part of Microsoft's .NET framework (though not from Microsoft, interestingly), Dotfuscator or the hooks to run it are in every Windows machine that has currently installed at least one .NET application. So for Windows users, this capability is probably already sitting on their desks. This would be a good point to say that I have no personal financial interest in PreEmptive Solutions. I just like their products. What about privacy? What about my data? Doesn't this Runtime Intelligence stuff make me vulnerable to everything from identity theft to mind control by Bill Gates? Probably not. In most cases it is opt-in, so you can decide not to participate. What generally counts to software companies is statistical significance, so if you opt out of reporting a beta problem chances are enough other people will have stayed in to report all the big bugs. Also Runtime Intelligence is primarily offered as a service by PreEmptive, so the data first goes to them, where it is aggregated and any identity information removed. Corporate users can choose to gather data to their own servers, but since they are also probably reading your e-mail, that horse has already left the barn. Remember there is no specific freedom of speech or even right to privacy in corporate life. Let me repeat that in case it came as a surprise: there is no freedom of speech or even right to privacy in corporate life. One area where this new capability will find wide use is in the sale of software, itself. The software business has changed dramatically in the last decade and most applications are today sold or delivered online and the sales cycle generally begins with a potential customer downloading a demo version. It is in the interest of the software company to convert as many of those demos as possible into paid versions and Runtime Intelligence can help that happen. Evaluation copies are, for most software companies, a black hole. At best the company can hope to learn through activation of the program that it has been used to at least some extent, but that's it. An otherwise very motivated customer could miss the opportunity to buy simply through distraction or a mistake in using the program. Runtime Intelligence, in contrast, can report back to a CRM system when and how an evaluation version has been used. But even more importantly, it will often show exactly when and where the customer STOPPED using the demo, which could indicate a bug or part of the application that could use improvement. The result is more data, more information, and ultimately more sales. I think Runtime Intelligence will become an important part of building applications in future. A very different approach to the same kind of problem was presented this week by Google with its Google App Engine. In this instance, of course, the applications run entirely in the Google computing cloud so there is not much to download or even to, frankly, administer. But if your Python coding is good enough it is easy to see how you could emulate many of the Runtime Intelligence functions I've just covered from Dotfuscator. This is very seductive for developers. Let Google sweat the hard stuff, baring the brunt of scaling your app to galaxy class. But like Amazon's EC2, which competes in a similar space, Google's App Engine is a work very much in progress. Dave Winer calls Python "the new BASIC" and I suppose he's right, especially in its BASIC-like choice to abandon thirty years of C, C++, Java, and C# technology for a different path. But there will always be new languages and new approaches to computing. What I think we have here that's truly new with Google's App Engine is a company with deep pockets willing to spend some real money to push its own cloud agenda combined with some new technology that is, because of the nature of the service, entirely hidden from us. Simply put, Google has made some enormous technical breakthroughs using the new multi-core processors. New platforms that use massive numbers of cores and even more massive numbers of program threads per core have led to performance increases in Google's plant that make it possible to roll out services like the Google App Engine. This is an instance not so much of brute force but of brute elegance. But if you are Google what do you do? Do you share these new ideas with your competitors? Not if you can help it. You EMBODY them in new services where the cogs and gears are hidden. It's strategic for Google and important enough that they'll do whatever it takes to make the platform attractive to us while also doing whatever it takes to keep us from knowing how it really works.
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Microsoft's Windows Is a Glacier That Won't Melt Fast
Boy, this Windows collapsing under its own weight argument has some legs. A few points about this Gartner presentation two days ago, which has raised quite a ruckus on Techmeme. The analysts argued Wednesday morning that Windows was collapsing under its own weight because the code is too bulky. Microsoft (MSFT) has to support all of these legacy applications. The fix was to become more modular, which is something Microsoft has already acknowledged. Vista has its problems, but as Mary Jo Foley adds: Reports of Windows'' demise are greatly exaggerated.
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Lightroom 1.4.1 and Camera raw 4.4.1 released
Filed under: Multimedia, Software, Odds and ends, LeopardAdobe has dropped updates for both Lightroom and Camera Raw. According to the Lightroom team's blog, the updates include all the changes of the previous releases, but also correct a few issues. Lightroom 1.4.1 will keep the EXIF time date field of images from being incorrectly modified, and has fixes for Olympus JPEG files and also DNG conversion. And the Camera Raw plugin update also fixes the EXIF problem as well as the Olympus JPEG features.But that's more than you wanted to know, right? All you really need to know is that you can grab the update either on Adobe's site, or by hitting "Check for updates" under the Help menu for the Lightroom update and using the Adobe Update Manager for the Raw plugin update. Happy updating![Via Ars]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iPhone/iTouch users may get Nike+ functionality... one day
Runners who are tired of being tied to the iPod nano in order to use their Nike+iPod Sport Kits, rejoice. Apple and Nike reportedly plan to extend the functionality into the iPhone and iPod touch, but other findings in the latest iPhone firmware indicate that it won't be coming when iPhone 2.0 lands in June.Read More...
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Ditching Custom Dictionary Entries
You must unlearn what you have learned.
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Are iPod ads now part of pop culture?
As I mentioned before, I'm presently in LA and will be driving back up to San Francisco this weekend before going home on Monday. (sorry family) It made me think of the 5 hour drive and how many billboards I've seen so far in California of iPod ads. Apple's marketing for iPods has been remarkably consistent. A single figure, in silhouette against a vibrant background with those iconic white headphones easily recognizable (more so, than say the model of iPod the figure is using.) In the talks I've given around the world, I've shared Flickr and other photographs taken by fans of Apple's outdoor advertising. I'm amazed how many photographs people take of the ads used in Shanghai to London to Berlin to Boston and how they are identical. For more than 3 years now, Apple has stuck with this campaign and has - in effect - created an emotional response in the viewer on par with say the Coke or Starbucks logo. You see those iPod ads, and if you are a customer, you take some small sense of ownership knowing you are one of those hip, energetic individuals in that billboard. That shadow is you.
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Wacom Cintiq 12WX
You got your LCD in my graphics tablet!
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Adobe updates Flash Player to fix major security hole
This week, Adobe released Flash Player 9.0.124.0, which fixes a security hole related to cross-domain content.Read More...
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Broker Sees Leaner Profits for Apple in Q2
Shares of Apple traded lower on Friday after Bernstein Research questioned whether a weakening U.S. consumer may make it difficult for the company to beat rising expectations for its second-quarter results. "As it has done for 11 consecutive quarters, we expect Apple's reported revenues and earnings to beat its own guidance," it said, though it said that "revenue upside could be more limited this quarter." Apple is looking for earnings of 94 cents a share with revenue of $6.8 billion; Bernstein sees earnings of $1.12 a share and revenue of $6.99 billion.
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★ How Much Money Does Apple Get From Google?
Om Malik wonders just how much money Apple gets from Google for search engine referrals from Safari. When I reported last June that Apple’s revenue from Google was around $25 million per year, that number came from, as they say, a source with knowledge of the situation. But it’s not hard to see how that number is easily possible given the Mozilla Foundations’s financial disclosures. Here’s one way to form a rough estimate. The Mozilla Foundation had revenue of $53 million in 2005 and $67 million in 2006. At that same rate of growth, they’d have $85 million in revenue for 2007. Let’s be conservative, though, and estimate 2007 revenue at $75 million. 85 percent of the Mozilla Foundation’s revenue in 2006 came from Google; let’s assume that remained the same. That’s about $64 million in revenue from Google last year. Here’s a Wikipedia page with a bunch of different (and, alas, differing) estimates of web browser usage share. Net Applications claims Firefox has 17 percent usage share, Safari a little under 6. If that’s accurate, Safari has one-third the usage share of Firefox, and, presumably, sends at least a corresponding number of search referrals to Google. (Perhaps more, since Firefox’s search field is configurable to use other search engines, and Safari’s is hard-wired to use only Google.) That works out to around $21 million a year. Other sources, such as TheCounter.com, pin Safari’s usage share at about 20 percent of Firefox’s, which would put Apple’s revenue from Google at around $13 million for 2007. One might also presume — as I do — that Apple has better negotiators than the Mozilla Foundation,1 and that Google pays Apple more per referral than they do Mozilla. (E.g., Apple may well argue that Safari users, as a whole, are demographically more appealing than Firefox users.) Where by “better” I mean “Steve Jobs”. ↩
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Yahoo Scrambles, Scrabble Scraps, Chertoff Coaxes
Unwilling to believe that resistance to a Microsoft takeover is futile, Yahoo is throwing a lot of strategies at the wall to see what sticks. Its latest effort is a trial advertising partnership with Google -- a two-week test of its AdSense service. Yahoo plans to run Google ads alongside up to 3 percent of the search results generated on Yahoo Web properties in the U.S. Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith immediately protested that a Yahoo and Google tie-up would create a competitive imbalance, and he reportedly said so with a straight face.
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Getting Ready for Apple's Q2 Earnings
Time to get ready: Apple (AAPL) reports earnings for its fiscal second quarter ended March on April 23 and the Street has started fiddling with its numbers. The consensus is for $6.95 billion in revenue and EPS of $1.06 a share. Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi this morning says the numbers are likely to come in a bit of above the consensus; he sees $6.99 billion and $1.12. He says gross margin should expand to 35%, beating the company guidance of 32%, on favorable NAND and DRAM pricing, some new high-margin products like the MacBook Air and the 32 GB iPod Touch, increased iPhone carrier payments, and no significant price cuts aside from the iPod Shuffle.
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Nike+ on the iPhone, 500,000 songs on your iPod, and Nehalem in 2009
Today's headline roundup has news of new Apple products, better storage technology, easily upgradeable graphics for your laptop, and more.
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Popular Science blows out the Sarcos XOS exoskeleton
Filed under: Robots, Wearables We were sold on (and slightly terrified of) the Sarcos XOS exoskeleton from the moment we first saw it show off its superhuman capabilities on video late last year, but if you just can't get enough of it you'll definitely want to hit up the ever-dependable Popular Science, which has now totally blown things out with the full story behind the suit, complete with some great new pics of it. As if that wasn't enough, the piece also includes some tidbits about some of Sarcos' future plans, including word that the Army plans to begin field-testing the XOS by 2009, and that the company intends to kick off a new research program this summer tasked with developing a new generator that'll be capable of powering the suit for "hours at a time." Of course, there's plenty more in the six-page feature that we're unable to sum up here, so be sure to hit up the link below for the full story. Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
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XpertMart releases new retail enterprise management software for Mac

Posted by Dennis SellersXpertMart has released a new version of its retail enterprise management software for Mac with an expanded suite of features to help retailers optimize sales across multiple channels and locations.

The new version of XpertMart's POS & Inventory Control software allows users to run a chain of retail stores, manage wholesale...
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Life Record EMR beefs up iPhone support
Posted by Dennis SellersLife Record has released Life Record EMR 4.0. The upgrade of the electronic medical record (EMR) software sports features such as SMS-Touch integration with the iPhone for instant access to medical records via SMS messaging for the iPhone.
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Mac software updates for April 11
Posted by Dennis SellersAdobe has released updates to the Photoshop Lightroom and Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in to correct for issues found in Lightroom 1.4 and Camera Raw 4.4.
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'Macsimum Recommended Reading' for April 11
Posted by Dennis Sellers“Nike+ coming to iPhone and iPod Touch”—Stufftv
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sand clump 002 update
Posted by Frank PetrieThis week's Sandclumps features an unaired Bud Lite commercial.
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Mac version of Skobos TV viewing app available
Posted by Dennis SellersThe private software developer company Skobos, has released a Mac version of Skobos. It's Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs.
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UK exam rooms could be equipped with CCTV cameras
Filed under: Digital CamerasQuite honestly, we can't imagine anyone finding this the least bit surprising -- after all, aren't CCTV cameras and the UK an inseparable pair by now? Nevertheless, the Examination Officers' Association across the pond is currently mulling the idea of installing surveillance equipment in exam halls in order to keep an eye on test-taking cheaters. Apparently students are turning to their mobiles more and more (no way!) to plug any holes in their memory, and while the project hasn't been set in stone just yet, it seems to be headed in that direction. Ah, whatever happened to those old fashioned cram sessions?[Thanks, Tomek] Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
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HP corporate lawyer joins Apple
Posted by Dennis SellersThe top corporate lawyer at Hewlett-Packard has joined Apple, reports The Recorder. Charles Charnas, deputy general counsel at HP, is the first big hire by Apple's new general counsel, Daniel Cooperman, the article adds.
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Arizona school district to purchase Apple carts
Posted by Dennis SellersThe Bullhead City (Arizona) Elementary School District governing board approved an agreement with Apple during a meeting on Thursday to purchase 30-unit computer carts on a three-year lease-purchase plan at about US$200,000 per year, reports Tri-State Online.


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FarFinder is new Finder file access tool for Mac OS X
Posted by Dennis SellersFlying Mac has released FarFinder 1.0 , a Mac OS X app that lets you access the files on your Mac from “anywhere” by using a web browser and a version of this URL: findme.flyingmac.com/joebloggs
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Wondershare releases DVD copy for Mac OS X
Posted by Dennis SellersWondershare, a developer of video, digital imaging and DVD authoring software, has released DVD Copy for Mac, an US$29 application for copying DVD and removing DVD protections on Mac OS X.
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First Looks: blueLounge The Sanctuary
Conceptualized as an uncluttered, house-friendly charging station for multiple electronic devices, blueLounge's The Sanctuary ($130) consists of a white plastic tray with a rubber base and a plastic charging console packed with 11 different cabled connectors and two ports. After connecting the included power supply to one of the ports -- the other is a standard USB port that works with anything from an extra iPod/iPhone cable to another USB device…
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Nike+ coming to iPhone and iPod Touch
Stuff.tv is reporting, due to a tip from Nike, that the Nike+ Sport Kit will be extending to the iPhone and iPod touch in the very near future, possibly including wi-fi connectivity to make it possible to update your training on the fly. In particular, the new wi-fi feature could be suited for use with the Nike+ Coach, a new feature of the Nike+ website, which launched this week. It simulates the experience of having a personal trainer schedule your training runs based around the Nike+'s programs.
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Software could trip up Nokia's iPhone rival, analysts say
Details of Nokia Corp.’s upcoming riposte to Apple Inc.’s iPhone are beginning to emerge, but analysts cautioned that while the touch-screen gadget is bound to look snazzy, its operating system could disappoint.
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MacHeist bundle is back, shipping retail box soon
MacHeist is back, and the gang is looking to go brick-and-mortar retail. Check out the bundle list inside.Read More...
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Apple issues updates for Pro Applications, Macbook Air
Late yesterday Apple released updates to it Pro video applications. The update improves reliability for the applications and is recommended for all users of Final Cut Studio, Logic Studio, Final Cut Server, and Shake. It includes an update for Final Cut Pro and Compressor, which address specific customer, installation, and compatibility issues. Apple also issued an update for the Macbook Air. It's a simple Bluetooth EFI update, and there are no actual support notes to explain what it does, but if you have a Macbook Air, you might want to take note.
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10.5: Sleep all displays via keyboard shortcut
This hint is mainly useful for iMacs (I have just gotten a new one recently, thanks to this amazing website), where you cannot turn the brightness down to zero to turn off the screen as you can on Apple laptops, or to simply turn off an external monitor. I don't know if it's documented, but hitting Shift-Control-Eject (the keyboard key at top right) will turn off your screen (which is very different from putting the computer to sleep, and is very useful in my opinion). This provides a fast way to sleep the displays without using the hot corner provided by Apple in Leopard (in the Spaces & Expos?? System Preferences panel -- isn't that logical?). Also, there is a little program called Sleep Display that can do this for you, and it is useful because you can associate it with programs such as Remote Buddy to put your scr...
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Quickly grab a still frame from an iChat video chat
I just discovered this serendipitously: during a video chat in iChat, you can Command-click and drag the image in the video window to get a still frame that you can then drag anywhere else as an image. I noticed this on Tiger's iChat, but I'm pretty sure it should work on Leopard's version as well. [robg adds: It does indeed work in 10.5, too. Note that Command-Option-S will create a still image from the video window; it's the shortcut for Video -> Take Snapshot. This will create an actual picture file, whereas the drag method creates a "picture clipping" if you drag it to the desktop. The advantage of the drag method is that you can drag the image directly into another application without having a file created in the Finder.]
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Improve iPhone/touch location mapping database
The 'Find Me' location feature in Google Maps on the iPhone and iPod touch is great, but if you are in an area with wireless access points that have yet to be mapped by Skyhook (the company that provides the location-acces point data for Apple), your shown location will rely upon cellphone tower position alone and so be far less accurate. Recently, Jazzdogg on the Australian MacTalk forum contacted Skyhook with regard to manually submitting the longitude/latitude of his own access point to improve the location feature. In response, Skyhook created a form that allows anyone to do exactly that. Whether to improve the accuracy of your iPhone's pseudo-GPS when at work or home, or to map out access points about town, you can now supplement Skyhook's database manually without having to wait for Skyhook to map your community...
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Enable Help Viewer's debug mode
While trying to debug a problem with Help Viewer (it's hanging with the spinning gear icon whenever I use the search field), I stumbled across this page, which includes a ton of information on debugging Help Viewer. Buried in the details is this tidbit on enabling Help Viewer's debug mode. Quit Help Viewer, then open Terminal and type: defaults write com.apple.helpviewer HelpViewerDebugging -bool YES Now when you launch Help Viewer, it will write a ton of output that you can view with Console (in /Applications ?? Utilities). With any luck, the information you see there may help you sort out the problem (either directly, or by running more accurate web searches). When you're done, turn off the debugging tool, unless you want your console logs filled with output. To disable logging, quit Help Viewer, then repeat the above command but change YES to NO. Unfortunately, ...
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Fix path to home folder after external drive mount failure
In Leopard, if you've changed your home path from your Mac's internal hard disk to an external hard disk, as in this hint, and maybe you turned off your drive or maybe it unmounted for no specific reason, you'll see that it isn't sufficient to turn it back on to see all your preferences back to normal. Why? As an example, let's assume you had moved your home folder here: /Volumes/HD300GB/users/yourname. When Leopard realizes the drive is missing, it automatically creates a folder named /Volumes/HD300GB (in this example). Then when you logout/login or restart your Mac, Leopard will remount your original drive with a different name; in this example /Volumes/HD300GB 1. Consequence: You'll not have access to your home directory and your desktop, preferences, etc. will be (falsely) lost. Here's how to fix it: Login as a different user (with admin rights) ...
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An easy way to run multiple instances of any program
I've seen a few tips on different sites explaining how to run two copies of certain applications. Most of these involve creating a second copy of the Application bundle, which can be impractical if it contains too many resources, and is a hassle in any case. Here's an easier way that I don't think anyone has posted here: Just run the application that you'd like to launch a second time from Terminal, using the open command with the --new (-n) flag. This will force an additional instance to be opened regardless of how many are already running. For example, if I wanted to run another copy of Mail, I'd do it this way: open -n /Applications/Mail.app Remember that you can drag an icon to the Terminal window and it will insert its path, making this even simpler! [robg adds: We've run a couple of hints on running multiple copies of the same application. ...
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Under The Radar News - Friday
Same old, same old. Lehman (LEH) is using its new-found welcome at the Fed's discount window to play some of the same games that brought on the credit crisis. In recent weeks, it created a $2.8B vehicle named Freedom, into which it dumped risky LBO debt. It then turned to the Fed and used Freedom (apropos) as collateral against a short-term cash loan, effectively flipping high-risk debt into cash it could use to finance its day-to-day business. Equally shocking its that $2.26B of the securities were rated investment-grade by S&P. "For investment banks to go back to the ratings firms and say, 'Here's a new structure for you to rate investment grade' -- that's shocking to me," one debt strategist said. Sources say the move was a test to see just how far the Fed would go. Wall Street insiders called the move "brilliant" and said others would follow suit. It seems the discount window ain't so stigmatized after all. Bear investor says fooled by execs. Billionaire H. Roger Wang is suing Bear Stearns (BSC) for allegedly duping him and his wife into buying shares before the March 16th collapse, and illegally liquidating their account after Wang and his wife refused to send in unpaid balances. Wang paid $6.56M for 150,000 shares at prices between $71.96 and $33.44, which were liquidated for $947,000. He claims that on March 11, he was told by a Bear executive the firm was "financially sound, that its stock value should be at least $85 per share, and that now was a great time to invest in the stock." He argues Bear "concealed highly relevant information about Bear Stearns, including specifically its extremely poor and disastrous financial condition."
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Adobe releases Lightroom 1.4.1 and Camera Raw 4.4.1
Following some glitches with the Lightroom 1.4 and Camera Raw 4.4 updates, Adobe has released new versions of the updates, minus the glitches seen in the original release.Read More...
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iPhone beta presages A2DP, GPS
Greek technology site iPhone Hellas has been combing the text strings in the recent beta of Apple’s iPhone 2.0 firmware. As we’ve seen in the past, the text strings refer to unannounced iPhone features and also mention extra steps included to prevent unlocking. Strings were found containing “A2DP” and “HeadphoneBT” implying stereo Bluetooth and possibly a [...]
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Software Update: Pro Applications and MBA Bluetooth Firmware
If you have Final Cut Studio and/or a MacBook Air, then has Apple got a software update for you!Read More...
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Beta Beat: Aperture2Gmail 0.8
Filed under: Software, FreewareIf you love Aperture (or iPhoto) like we do, then you know that there are some nice plug-ins that allow you to export pictures to differing photo sites (i.e. Flickr, etc.). However, if you use Gmail's web based e-mail service, then you are out of luck ... until now! Aperture2Gmail (or iPhoto2Gmail) allows you to export your photos in a new e-mail directly to Gmail. You can also resize on-the-fly, just like you can in Mail.app. So, no more exporting from Aperture or iPhoto and uploading to Gmail one by one. Aperture2Gmail and iPhoto2Gmail is available from the developer's website as donationware.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Blockbuster vs. AppleTV
I use Blockbuster Online, and I love it. Apple TV and downloadable rentals that I can transfer to my iPod sounds even better than getting DVDs in the mail, but I don't own one. The Blockbuster subscription plan works well for me and is cheaper than the $229 required for the Apple TV. I have been using Blockbuster online for over 2 years and rented over 200 movies. If that seems like a lot, I am counting TV show DVDs in that count as movies as well, and we have a few minor addictions. I have spent about $300. That is about as much as an original Apple TV (and does not include the rented movies). If I did the same for the next two years (assuming Apple does not create a subscription model), my cost would be at least $800. But this article isn't about the cost of an Apple TV. Nor is it about the added benefits of DVDs over digital downloads that Bob talked about a couple weeks ago (and take the time to watch the alternate ending of “I Am Legend” if you haven't, it is amazing). (more…)
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News: Nike+ coming to iPhone, iPod touch
Nike plans to expand its Nike+ program to include the iPhone and iPod touch, according to a new report. Stuff.tv, visiting Nike's headquarters in Oregon, said a Nike+ spokesperson confirmed the expansion, adding that it could also make use of the devices' Wi-Fi capabilities (and possibly the iPhone's upcoming 3G connection) to allow users to update their training log on the fly, without the need for docking with a computer. This…
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Mac Bloggers Fantasize Over Fresh MacBooks, Bicker Over Apple TV Resolution
In Mac- and Apple-focused activity this week, bloggers and commenters have been beating up on allegations of premature iPods deaths as well as speculating on the next generation of redesigned MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Also in the air is a mysterious MacBook firmware update and the supposed upcoming downfall of Apple TV. In an article appearing in the UK's The Independent, writer James Daley kicked up a storm of criticism by suggesting that Apple's software updates intentionally beat up and eventually knock out older iPods at about the time they reach two years old.
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Mac OS Ken: 04.11.2008
JP Morgan Raises Apple Estimates But Maintains Neutral Rating / Needham and Co Rates RIM a Hold Thanks to iPhone 2.0 / Needham and Co Rates Palm Under-Perform Thanks to iPhone 2.0 (and Palm) / BusinessWeek: Apple Positioning Itself to Challenge Microsoft / iPhone Australia Rumor Written Off by Apple Authorized Resellers / European Parliament Lets File Sharers Stay Connected / Jupiter Research Outline Troubles for Wireless Music / iProng Magazine: Former Bush-man Gavin Rossdale on Going Solo / Get your Free audiobook download at http://audiblepodcast.com/macosken
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Movie Gadget Friday: Johnny Mnemonic
Filed under: Misc. GadgetsAriel Waldman contributes Movie Gadget Friday, where she highlights the lovable and lame gadgets from the world of cinema.For the last installment of Movie Gadget Friday, we featured a two-part series review of 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Make Contact, in honor of the late great Arthur C. Clarke. This week we fast forward a few more years to 2021 in the "cyberpunk" world of Johnny Mnemonic. The gadgets are as hilariously lame as the lines, which likely led this 1995 film to its mixed reviews, and Keanu to his later role as Neo. From fax machines to Zip Disk-like passports, we can only hope the future of technology doesn't look this grim. Wet-wired brain implant and memory doublerShoved into the back of his skull and wet-wired to his brain, Johnny comes equipped with a shockingly small 80GB chunk of memory capable of smugging data between international borders. An input for a standard headphone jack is located at the back of his head and serves as the only port for uploads -- which are pretty painful. New data can be accepted from seemingly any source connecting to the input, however, MiniDiscs appear to be smugglers' preference thanks to their easy ability to be burned once an upload is complete. (This is key when expecting a mob with machine guns to show up at any minute.) Thankfully, individually-wrapped memory doublers can help boost implant storage capacity for double the data smuggling -- we hope it uses lossless compression. Unfortunately, instead of receiving an error for exceeding capacity, anyone with an overloaded brain implant risks certain death within a couple days by the resulting synaptic seepage. More after the break. Sino-logic 16 with Sogo-7 Data Gloves If you're suffering from web withdrawal symptoms and need the internet in a pinch, you can hack yourself a computer with just a few gadgets that are sure to be lying around in any abandoned warehouse. With a Sino-Logic 16, Sogo-7 data gloves, GPL stealth module, Burdine intelligent translator, and some Thompson eye-phones (hey, Apple can't win every lawsuit), you too can build yourself a virtual reality platform. The Sino-Logic 16 integrates multiple devices and tasks into creating a purely GUI experience devoid of any use for WIMPs (or a mouse and keyboard for that matter). The interface responds to the seemingly over-the-top gestural movements by the user's interaction with the Sogo-7 data gloves. The system interacts with the user as well, politely sending out electrical shocks for entering in incorrect access codes. Video Phone On your TV, desktop, Bible, or in the backseat of a cab, video phones are on just about every street corner (but oddly not in every pocket). Operated by AT&T (who else?), these full-color screens transmit uninterrupted live video phone calls. While the service is solid, the lack in quality and features definitely leaves much to be desired. The amount of graininess varies from screen to screen but the basic numeric keypad remains the same. Left with no QWERTY keyboard and only a TV remote control to dial long distance, we'd rather have our hands on a Video-Phone-B-Gone. Ariel Waldman is a social media insights consultant based in San Francisco. Her blog can be found at http://arielwaldman.com. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple Gazette Dashboard Widget now available
If you've always wanted Apple Gazette on your Dashboard in widget form - want no more! You can click here and download the new Apple Gazette widget.
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Art Lebedev taking wares to brick and mortar
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets Be still, our hearts! Judging by a post (penned in Russian) over at the studio's Livejournal, we could be seeing a number of Art Lebedev retail outlets popping up over the next year and change. From what we can glean, (more) B&M locations could surface in a plethora of Russian cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, etc.) along with one in New York (!). Granted, we get the impression that the "stores" may resemble holes-in-the-wall within other establishments (rather than dedicated structures), but we 'spose only time will tell. Camp out for the next edition of the Optimus Maximus right here in the Big Apple? Why, of course.[Thanks, Dmitriy] Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments