Jul 25, 2008 Jul 27, 2008 Saturday July 26, 2008
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Steve Jobs: Honesty Is the Best Policy
This quote from Joe Nocera's piece on Steve Job's health in today's NYT shocked me:"This is Steve Jobs,” he began. “You think I'm an arrogant [expletive] who thinks he's above the law, and I think you're a slime bucket who gets most of his facts wrong."
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2 Ways to Take Screenshots From Your iPhone
Ever wanted to know how to get great screenshots from your iPhone? It's really easy. With the iPhone 2.0 software, you can simply hold down the Home button and press the top (on/off) button. The screen will flash and the screenshot will be saved to your iPhoto library. That's quick and simple, for sure, but to actually use the screenshots you still have to transfer them to your computer. You can also grab screenshots directly from your computer while plugged into your iPhone or iPod Touch. First, you have to download and install the iPhone SDK. Don't worry, it's free. You just have to have the desktop software tools that come with the SDK. Open Xcode and open the Organizer window (from the Window menu). Plug in your iPhone or iPod Touch and in a few seconds, it should appear in the list of devices on the left. The first time you plug in your iPhone or iPod Touch you will be asked if you want to use that device for development. Once you've got your device setup, just click the “Screenshot” tab in the Organizer window and you can capture screenshots from your device. You can capture literally any screenshot, including the lock screensaver, video as it's playing, even as you're holding a button down. It can come in very handy when writing tutorials or taking screenshots of your application or mobile website for use on your marketing materials.
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6 Things That Work Better Than MobileMe
For anyone who has suffered through the fits and starts of on-again-off-again functionality of Mobile Me—which actually has .Mac subscribers missing that now-defunct service.—this list is for you. Maybe a laugh or two now will help you not be so annoyed by the fact that MobileMe is still not working seamlessly, two weeks after it launched. Here are 6 things that work better than MobileMe: read more
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Zune Guy calls Microsoft 'liars,' says Zune situation is 'f***ing bulls**t'
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video You've probably heard by now that the infamous Zune Guy ("Microsoft Zune") was so disappointed with Microsoft that he's elected to have his ink removed in place of something more in line with his shifted priorities. In addition to the reconstructive work he's going to have, ZG claims that Microsoft actually lied to him about his free trip to the Redmond campus, which (as you might imagine) further tarnishes his image of the company. Unfortunately, according to reps from Microsoft we spoke with, the trip was never confirmed -- only discussed -- and ultimately canceled due to the very reasonable fear that it might lead a lot of "hyper-engaged users" to expect a trip of their own (though they did hook our man up with a free Zune and some related swag). What you probably haven't heard (or seen) is his sprawling video rant, in which he accuses the big M of dropping the ball on his favorite PMP before going on a general rage-bender. We've included the video after the break (careful moms, it's full of expletives), as well as link to a zunescene forum where the Zune Guy reveals he's just purchased a new PMP... an iPod.[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]Read - Something else I have been hiding....Read - Bought my new PMP today....Continue reading Zune Guy calls Microsoft 'liars,' says Zune situation is 'f***ing bulls**t'Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Margareta Pagano: If Jobs is a genius, why isn't he talking about Apple's succession?
With Barack Obama in Europe, the really big story gripping the US is the health of Steve Jobs, the genius head of Apple.
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New MobileMe status page details return of e-mail
MobileMe has been plagued by a variety of problems following its launch, including a distinct lack of e-mail service for some people. To keep users informed, Apple has launched a MobileMe status blog at the request of The Steve, which kicked things off by letting users know that e-mail service is being restored.Read More...
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iPhone/iPod touch Texas Hold'em Poker (video demo)
Posted by Dave MertenAre you into the poker craze? Well, now you can play anywhere via your iPhone or iPod touch. The game simulates a Texas Hold 'Em tournament. If you hold your iPhone/iPod touch vertically, you play against 7 opponents per table; if you hold your iPhone horizontally, you play against 9.
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FCC approves Sirius and XM merger
Posted by Dave MertenSirius Satellite Radio Inc's purchase of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. was approved with conditions by U.S. communications regulators on Friday, clearing the way for a deal that will leave just one U.S. satellite radio service.
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Google walks away from 'Digg' deal
Posted by Dave MertenRecently, Google has been in negotiations with Digg to acquire the company in the $200 million range. Apparently though, Google walked away from the deal on Friday.
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Steve Jobs speaks off the record about health to NY Times
Steve Jobs minces few words with The New York Times's Joe Nocera, and he did give up the deets on his health... off the record. But is this information necessary for investors?Read More...
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Apple admits to lost MobileMe messages, bad karma
Filed under: Misc. GadgetsApple's Push-like MobileMe launch has been such a debacle that they're now in damage control mode. As a result, some poor soul has been tasked by Steve Jobs to post status updates "every other day or so." The first update is already revealing: Last Friday, 1% of MobileMe subscribers were affected by a "serious problem" with one of Apple's mail servers Limited web access has been restored to those accounts but full access won't be sorted until next week Of these 1%, Apple admits to losing "approximately 10%" of the messages received between July 16 and July 18 For the rest of you MobileMe subscribers, Apple has added server capacity, tuned the software to scale better, and fixed over 70 bugs to date. So the question is, how's MobileMe working for you?View PollRead|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Two new companies: our computers are Mac friendly, not Mac clones
Posted by Dennis Sellers Two new companies,Open Tech and RSOL PC Services, are preparing to sell Intel-based computers that can run Mac OS X. However, they'll play it safe andwon't sell pre-installed Mac OS X on its machines, calling their machines Mac friendly rather than Mac clones, reports the Palluxo web site.
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'NY Times': Jobs talks about health 'off-the-record'
Posted by Dennis SellersJoe Nocera of The New York Times says he had an off-the-record conversation with the Apple CEO this week regarding his reported health problems and that “while his health problems amounted to a good deal more than a common bug,' they weren't life-threatening and he doesn't have a recurrence of...
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How to Copy & Paste on an iPhone (videos)
Posted by Dave MertenOne of the features most wanted on an iPhone, but Apple has yet to deliver, is Copy & Paste. Below is a video rendition of what it may look and work like on an iPhone.
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Joe Nocera Gets a Call From Steve Jobs
Joe Nocera, in a column about his investigation into the state of Steve Jobs’s health: On Thursday afternoon, several hours after I’d gotten my final “Steve’s health is a private matter” — and much to my amazement — Mr. Jobs called me. “This is Steve Jobs,” he began. “You think I’m an arrogant [expletive] who thinks he’s above the law, and I think you’re a slime bucket who gets most of his facts wrong.” After that rather arresting opening, he went on to say that he would give me some details about his recent health problems, but only if I would agree to keep them off the record. Christ, I love Steve Jobs. ★
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MobileMe Status Weblog
Someone at Apple: Steve Jobs has asked me to write a posting every other day or so to let everyone know what’s happening with MobileMe, and I’m working directly with the MobileMe group to ensure that we keep you really up to date. ★
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FSF launches a denial-of-service attack on Apple's Genius Bars
The Free Software Foundation is making itself irrelevant...again, this time by fighting against Genius Bars everywhere.
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Get iPhone availability updates every 15 minutes
Filed under: Retail, Apple, iPhoneCan't find an iPhone 3G? Well, TopMuffin has created a site that checks Apple's store inventory every 15 minutes. According to the site, Apple updates the inventory throughout the day. TopMuffin's site parses the feed (feed link) and shows iPhone 3G availability by Apple Store. TopMuffin doesn't just post availability info, they also do some statistics to find the percent available. When we checked the page, Apple had 45% availability for 8GB black iPhones, 53% availability for 16GB black iPhones, and 41% availability for 16GB white iPhones. This site does not list availability for AT&T stores, and only lists stores located in the U.S. A disclaimer is posted on the page lets viewers know that the best way to check iPhone availability is to call your local store. You can view the site by clicking the read link.[via Daring Fireball]Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Unlucky 1 percent of MobileMe email users may get relief
Filed under: Bad Apple, .Mac, MobileMeHow big is one percent? If it's a surcharge on your restaurant check, not that much; if it's a point on your mortgage, ow. If it's a chunk of .Mac/MobileMe email account holders who are left hanging for a week without access to their email... well, let's just say that anyone in that select and sorry lot who used a mac.com email address for professional or vital communications is justifiably furious right now.The good news, if you can say that under the circumstances, is that the outage that started July 18 may be coming to a close. Apple has posted a tech note on the ongoing issues, launched a blog to cover the MobileMe introduction challenges, and provided some additional details about what happened. As of 10 pm PDT last night, the one-percenters should be able to log into MobileMe webmail and retrieve messages from the July 18-25 outage window, though none from before the problem started are available yet. Apple also warns affected users NOT to change MobileMe passwords, aliases or storage allocations until the problem is cleared up, so be alert. As the problem was triggered by a "serious issue" on one of Apple's mail servers, some messages got dropped in the bit bucket and will never come back (unless you have them cached in a local client like Mail.app, Entourage, Thunderbird or Outlook). Apple's statement: While the vast majority of your email messages will be fully restored, a small percentage of email messages in the affected accounts have regrettably been lost. This includes approximately 10% of messages received between 5:00 a.m. PDT on July 16 and 10:20 a.m. PDT on July 18. We sincerely apologize for any email messages you may have lost. Apologies are well and good -- but considering the MobileMe terms of service, that's about all you can expect to see, as Apple isn't liable for lost business or damages due to the outage. If there's a lesson in this, maybe it's that mission-critical users should own their own domains and public-facing email addresses, so that they can redirect incoming mail in a crisis. Depending on a single provider for mail (even ones with a reputation for reliability) can bite you.Written by Michael Rose. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Introducing Pandora Radio for your iPhone/iPod touch (video demo)
Posted by Dave MertenPandora Radio is your a free personalized radio now available to stream music on your iPhone. Just start with the name of one of your favorite artists, songs or classical composers and Pandora will create a “station” that plays their music and more music like it.
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Lightening the Load for the iPhone's Wimpy Battery
Question: In your recent review of the new iPhone 3G, you mentioned that it had weaker battery life between charges than the original iPhone, but that you learned various techniques to minimize this problem. Can you elaborate? Answer: The biggest battery drain is the fast, but power-hungry, 3G cellular network, which lessens battery life on all phones. So, when you are able to use WiFi instead for data, you can turn off 3G reception using a setting Apple provides. You will still be able to make and receive voice calls over older networks that won't drain the battery as fast.
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El Tunes gives Linux users iTMS playback capabilities
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable AudioIt has been a solid tick since we've seen a good FairPlay hack, so it's with great pleasure that we pass along El Tunes for Ubuntu 8.04 users everywhere. Tested to work on Hardy Heron using RhythmBox (but assumed to work on any modern Linux Distro with GStreamer and a media player that utilizes GStreamer), said plug-in enables open-source aficionados to play songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store. As for limitations, the current version has no Pause / Seek support and cannot de-authorize a machine for playback, but a future version should hopefully cure those two quirks and add support for purchased video content and audio streaming to an AirTunes device. Give it a shot and let us know how it treats ya.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Movie review: 'X-Files'—I still believe
Posted by Frank PetrieIf you're a fan of The X Files, then Christmas came early this year. If you don't know The X Files, then in for a treat, a multi-layered whodunit.
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Video Sandbox 108: I am
Posted by Frank PetrieWell, after weeks health follies, I have returned. Is that a good thing? You tell me. This week's edition a story about lesbians on The Human Condition. a Japanese cartoon about toilet training and the latest from the folks at JibJab.
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MobileNAS MN4L+is a Mac compatible NAS/DAS solution
Posted by Dennis SellersSans Digital, a brand of high performance storage subsystems, has introduced a compact network attached storage server that could also be used as a direct attached storage via iSCSI support. It supports Mac, Windows and Linux systems.
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Outspring discontinues QuickMail line of products
Posted by Dennis SellersOutspring—makers of email client, server and spam-stopping products—announced that they will be discontinuing the QuickMail email client and server line.