Aug 4, 2008 Aug 6, 2008 Tuesday August 5, 2008
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Wireless: Give People What They Want
I hope some Canadian wireless executives—whether they be inside the big three incumbants, or the new owners of wireless spectrum—read this New York Times story, which looks at how U.S. wireless carriers are starting to open up their mobile networks. In Canada, the wireless industry continues to nickel and dime, and generally confuse its customers, whether they do it with baffling data plans for the iPhone (disclosure: Rogers owns this website) or by charging people for incoming text messages. It's that attitude, more than just high prices, that stifles the adoption of wireless data in this country, and limits innovation in an industry going beserk everywhere else in the world.
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I Am Rich
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Mac OS Ken: 08.06.2008
If it is Monday, it is Tim Borquin. If it is Tuesday, it is Tim Bajarin. If it is Wednesday, it is Nicholas Raba. If it is Thursday, it is Syd Mead. If it is Friday, it is Woz.
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Qik launches on Installer.app
Filed under: Video, Internet, iPhoneA while back, Qik announced that they would be creating a video broadcast client for the iPhone. When they first announced it, Qik was only available in a limited beta to jailbroken phones. However, Qik has announced that all jailbroken 1.1.4 iPhones will be able to get the client through Installer.app. Since Apple hasn't yet allowed streaming video using the iPhone's camera, jailbreaking is the only way to use Qik.Qik, as you may already know, is a way to broadcast live, streaming video from a mobile device. While they are not offering an App Store version of their client, you can download it via Installer.app by adding "http://qik.com/iphone1" to your sources list. If you are using iPhone 2.0 software, you might be able to downgrade to 1.1.4, however, the risks outweigh any advantages you might get.There seems to be a growing field of jailbreak applications as Apple continues to disallow some SDK-built apps. Even though we have the official SDK, there are still too many limitations for some apps and their users.[via TechCrunch]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Music service Rhapsody's not afraid to take on iPod
Rhapsody still believes online subscription music has a real shot.
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Nate Piekos updates his classic Digital Strip font. It's free as always.
Blambot's free for for August is a remastered classic: Nate Piekos' Digital Strip 2. The new version has been re-hand-lettered for a more organic look and better readability. The original Digital Strip font is still available also. Both are available in Regular, Italic and Bold and both are absolutely free. I love to recommend Blambot fonts. A lot of care and skill goes into making each one and if you read any online comics, I'm sure you've seen a few Blambot fonts. Be sure to check out their full catalog; both free and their inexpensive pay fonts.
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'I Am Rich' makes author exactly that, does little else
Filed under: App Store Got a cool grand to burn? Before you think about buying the brand-new app I Am Rich, there are a few charities I'd hope you consider. But if you truly have that kind of money to spend, you can buy an app that touts itself as "a work of art with no hidden function at all." I Am Rich sells for $999.99 in the App Store. It also features a "secret mantra" that "may help you to to [sic] stay rich, healthy and successful." Uh huh. I've got a mantra for you: "Smile and be nice to people." There. That one's free. Hey, you can't blame the author, Armin Heinrich, because just a few sales would set him up quite nicely. What you can blame, however, is the asinine App Store vetting process, which let this dollop of poop into the system. What rocket surgeon thought this would be better than eWallet or ListPro? I fear John Gruber's prediction that the App Store wouldn't become the next VersionTracker or MacUpdate is proving exceptionally false. It's not only that I don't want to buy I Am Rich, it's that I don't accidentally want to buy it. It's ridiculously easy to buy apps for your device, and getting this one by accident would certainly ruin my day. Plus, I don't have the minimum system requirement of three popped collars to run the app. The Iconfactory's Craig Hockenberry notes, though, that he's willing to spend 99 cents on an app with graphics identical to I Am Rich, but only featuring the mantra "I'm not stupid." Judging from the App Store's app admission track record, though, that one should get approved in no time. Thanks, Mark, Oliver, Rubbinz, Sherman, William, and Gruber for the tip!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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â iPhone, iCal, and CalDAV
One of my chief complaints about the way iPhone calendar syncing works with MobileMe and iCal is that it’s all-or-nothing — when you turn on MobileMe calendar syncing on your iPhone, all your local iCal calendars appear on your iPhone. I wanted a way to have some calendars appear only on my Mac, for reminders I don’t want to see on my iPhone — something you can easily do when syncing calendars to your iPhone via iTunes instead of MobileMe. Because MobileMe doesn’t sync subscription calendars, I tried using Google Calendar to workaround this. The idea was that I’d put these “I don’t want the alarm to appear on my iPhone” events in my Google Calendar account, then subscribe to that calendar in iCal using the ICS feed. It didn’t work, because the alarms for the events don’t appear in the ICS feeds that Google Calendar produces. What I’ve since discovered is that a week ago, Google enabled CalDAV support for Google Calendar, and it works pretty well with iCal on Mac OS X Leopard. (CalDAV is an industry standard for client-server calendar sharing over WebDAV.) As per Google’s instructions, you connect iCal to Google Calendar using the Account panel in iCal’s preferences. Once you’ve done so, your primary calendar in your Google account appears in a new section in the iCal source list: In the above screenshot, “Google” is the name I gave the account in iCal’s Accounts panel. “Mac Reminders” is the name of the primary calendar in my Google account. Unlike with ICS calendar subscriptions, which are read-only, iCal offers full read-write support for CalDAV calendars. You can create, edit, and delete events in Google Calendar entirely through iCal. But, like with ICS subscriptions, CalDAV calendars do not and cannot sync to MobileMe, and therefore don’t appear on your iPhone. In fact, CalDAV calendars can’t sync to the iPhone in any way. With ICS subscriptions, you can get them on your iPhone by syncing through iTunes instead of MobileMe. With CalDAV, there’s no support on the iPhone at all. This is actually quite odd, because Apple has been a leading proponent of the CalDAV standard. iCal Server — the calendaring component in Mac OS X Server — is built around CalDAV. And since Apple uses Mac OS X Server, the company’s enterprise calendars use CalDAV, which means neither Apple’s own calendars nor those of Mac OS X Server customers can sync to the iPhone. Awkward. So my guess is that this is simply a feature Apple hasn’t gotten to yet, and that CalDAV support will eventually make it to the iPhone. But in the meantime, you can take advantage of the situation, if, like me, you wish to create calendars in iCal that don’t sync with MobileMe.1 This raises the question of what to do if you use Google Calendar, and do want your Google Calendar account to sync with your iPhone. The answer is BusySync, the fantastic $25 shared calendar utility from BusyMac. With BusyMac, you can subscribe to your Google Calendar account in a way that makes it appear in iCal as a normal (local) calendar. ↩
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Move over, OLPC -- the $12 Apple II-based PC is coming
Filed under: Desktops Alright, so it won't be a laptop, adorable, or have a cheeky Linux-based OS that's eventually replaced by Windows, but unlike the OLPC or the too-good-to-be-true $10 laptop, the $12 PC currently being developed at MIT will probably hit its price target. The project, being spearheaded by Derek Lomas and Jesse Austin-Breneman, is centered around cheap Apple II-based machines currently on sale in India and other developing nations that plug into televisions, and the goal is to update the systems with more memory, web access through cellphone tethering and actual storage. Considering we've already seen Apple IIs updated with Bluetooth and USB, and the less-powerful Commodore 64 can be used at LAN parties, we'd say all that stands between this project and reality is manpower -- any Apple II hackers out there ready to help?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iUseThis: iPhone app popularity ratings
Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone, App Store iUseThis.com's new iPhone app ratings pages let you browse for software based on other user's recommendations. It's basically a Digg for iPhone apps. It offers new releases, new apps, top apps and reviews. Just started, the site is building up steam and users. When last I checked, it still had fewer than 200 apps listed. But given the growth of the iPhone application space, this site shows early promise should it manage to attract a large enough user base. Pop on by and see whether it suits your needs. [Via Chockenberry]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Take a Survey, Win an iPhone. Yeah, it's That Simple
Maybe you just don't have the expendable cash to blow on a new iPhone 3G. Maybe you're waiting for some of back-to-school sale. Whatever your reason, forget it right now. Because we're giving away one free iPhone 3G to a lucky survey taker. read more
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iPhone 2.0.1 software update can brick your iPhone
Posted by Dave MertenDisable Airplane mode before installing the new iPhone 2.0.1 software update. Having Airplane mode turned on can result in a non-functional phone when the update is applied. You may receive the error message: “Information for activation cannot be obtained from the iPhone.”
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I Am Rich: Proof that Apple doesnât do any quality control with the App Store
What more can I say, the fact that this application is live in the App Store proves Apple couldn't possibly do more than have a drone sitting in a cubicle hitting “Approve” on new apps for the App Store. I present to you I Am Rich. I think the big problem here is that Apple has touted the fact that they will only let “quality” applications in to reduce the possibility of the App Store getting overrun with crap. If this isn't crap, I don't know what is.
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Apple to release new iPhone/iPod touch dock?
Filed under: Accessories, iPod Family, iPhone Electronista reports on a patent filing for an iPhone/iPod touch dock that could allow you to both charge and play video in landscape mode, simultaneously. The patent was filed on September 5, 2007 -- near the time of the iPod touch debut. The so-called "dock" looks more like the tiny holder that ships with the iPod touch, with the exception of a dock connector plugged in.Apple does, however, file patents that it might not ever use -- as do most other companies. What do you think? Could this be a new dock design, or is it the patent for the included iPod touch stand?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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First Looks: iFrogz Luxe Case for iPhone 3G
Similar to a case we saw earlier this year for the original iPhone, iFrogz' new Luxe Case for iPhone 3G ($15) features a soft touch rubber-coated, hard plastic body, here in a classy combination of wine red or rich blue and black. Each case comes with a clear film screen protector....
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First Looks: iFrogz Treadz Case for iPhone 3G
Based upon earlier cases for the iPhone and other iPods, iFrogz' Treadz Case for iPhone 3G ($15) is a black rubber case that's designed to look like a tread of a car tire, complete with rear traction grooves. A clear film screen protector is included in the package....
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Podcast #50: Leaked nano News, iPhone 3G Production and MobileMe
Apple comes clean about MobileMe to its employees, new nanos are on the horizon and iPhone 3Gs will cover the earth soon. A honky-tonk victim is chosen for our weekly, "Keep or Delete." Each week we download and review the free iTunes song of the week and decide whether we're going to keep or delete the file. This week's artist: read more
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Consumer Reports pans Safari's lack of phishing protection
Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, Security Consumer Reports, in its annual internet security survey, recommended that Mac users avoid Safari because of its lack of phishing protection. Instead, they recommend users install Firefox 3 or Opera 9.5 as their default browsers, since both will warn users before displaying the contents of sites known to be source of scams and personal information theft. Jeff Fox, technology editor at Consumer Reports, noted that "e-mail is the weak vector on the Mac," meaning that most successful phishing attacks on Mac users arrive via email. "Windows users are used to being paranoid about not clicking [links in phishing emails]," he said. "Mac users aren't, even though they say, 'Antivirus software, who needs it?'" As we've mentioned before, 1Password does a great job of adding phishing protection to Safari. Also, always be extra-wary of clicking links in emails from people you don't know. [Via Computerworld.]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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How sound is Consumer Reportsâ Safari advice?
Safari, the most popular OS X web browser, lacks anti-phishing tools. So should you dump it in favor of a browser that includes such tools? Consumer Reports thinks so.
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How sound is Consumer Reportsâ Safari advice?
Safari, the most popular OS X web browser, lacks anti-phishing tools. So should you dump it in favor of a browser that includes such tools? Consumer Reports thinks so.
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How sound is Consumer Reportsâ Safari advice?
Safari, the most popular OS X web browser, lacks anti-phishing tools. So should you dump it in favor of a browser that includes such tools? Consumer Reports thinks so.
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Apple II at core of in-the-works computer for Third World residents
Posted by Dennis SellersDerek Lomas, Jesse Austin-Breneman and other designers want to create a computer that Third World residents can buy for about US$12—and they want to build it from an Apple II, according to report at the Boston Herald.
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Softbank lowers price for iPhone services in Japan
Posted by Dennis SellersThe iPhone 3G hasn't even been on sale for a month yet, but Japanese carrier Softbank is already cutting its iPhone subscription rates to as low as „2,990 ($27.71) a month, down from „7,280 ($67.47), reportsSilicon Valley Insider.
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Apple software updates for Aug. 5
Posted by Dennis SellersTroi Automatisering has released Troi URL Plug-in 2.0.3 for FileMaker Pro 9. Troi URL Plug-in can help you fill in forms on the Internet, all from FileMaker Pro. It also retrieves data or images from any HTTP URL. Version 2.0.3 is a maintenance release and fixes some bugs, but also...
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Aug. 5 'Macsimum Podcast' now available
Posted by Dennis SellersThe Macsimum Podcast for Aug. 5 is now available here and the RSS feed is here.
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'Macsimum Recommended Reading' for Aug. 5
Posted by Dennis Sellers“Getting at Apple's core problems: We need more details about the security fixes Apple is releasing, says regular commentator Bill Thompson.”—BBC
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Review: Texas Hold 'Em for iPhone makes pocket poker fun again
The first full poker game for the iPhone had better be good. Ars takes a look at how it stacks up, and was pleasantly surprised. This is definitely a handy poker game to carry around in your pocket. Read More...
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Freeway 5.2 available with new MobileSafari support
Filed under: Software, Internet Tools Softpress Systems has released Freeway 5.2, which includes new tools for building web pages for iPhone and iPod touch. Freeway is WYSIWYG website creation software that features a traditional, page-layout approach and omits the need to write any code (unless, you know, you really want to handcraft your HTML). New in version 5.2 is the ability to create iPhone home screen icons and custom links to iPhone applications like Mail, Phone, Maps, and YouTube. Also, Freeway helps prepare QuickTime videos for playback on iPhone under a variety of network conditions. Additionally, Softpress has published a best practices document for publishing web sites for the iPhone and iPod touch. The "Building websites for the iPhone with Freeway" document can be found on the Softpress website. The update is free for registered users of Freeway 5 or higher. For new users, it's available in two flavors: Freeway 5 Express ($79) and Freeway 5 Pro ($249). The differences between the two versions are available here. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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With MobileMe, Apple Bites Off More Than It Can Chew
When Phil Schiller, Apple's (AAPL) senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing, introduced MobileMe onstage at the WWDC keynote in June, the audience was wowed into believing that the most stylish hardware and software company had transformed itself into a formidable Internet service provider right before its eyes.
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CNET News Daily Podcast: Tech giants head for the clouds
Apple issues a rare mea culpa; Vint Cerf on how to handle the Internet traffic jam; and why Microsoft is imagining a world without Windows.
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Mac 101: Using iChat with AIM Blasts
Filed under: Mac 101 More Mac 101, our ongoing series of tips and tricks for new and returning Mac users. If you're an iChat user with a need for immediate attention, AIM Blasts makes it easy to add social networking groups to iChat. When you want to have a conversation with a group of people, blasts let you IM everyone in your selected group at once, without having to invite them to a special chat room. For example, you might have friend groups, work groups, or, thinking of Scott McNulty, your special D&D buddies. MobileMe users can take advantage of AIM blasts, since all .Mac and MM users are automatically AIM users as well. Just log in to AIM.com as yourname@me.com (or mac.com) -- you'll be able to take advantage of all of AOL's instant-messaging hospitality. You don't set up your blast in iChat. Instead, point your browser at blast.aim.com. There, you'll be able to invite your friends and establish your new group. All joining and messaging is done from inside iChat itself. Blast groups appear in iChat as a separate group in your Buddies list -- scroll down in the buddy list if you have trouble finding your blast groups. It may help to give them names that are distinct from any buddy groups you already have, or perhaps prefix your blast groups with a "B-" to help them stand out. When setting up your blast group, you decide whether all members or only admins (i.e., you) can send messages and/or invitations. Blast recipients have to accept your invite to be part of a blast group, so you may want to give them a heads-up in advance (especially if your blast group's name is obscure or edgy). Just so you know: TUAW and Weblogs, Inc. are part of AOL.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple: Shut down MobileMe immediately
Not long after blogging about Apple’s MobileMe mea culpa ten days ago comes a leaked email memo purportedly authored by Apple CEO Steve Jobs and sent to all hands regarding the MobileMess. A few hours after the Ars Technica piece on the MobileMemo from Jobs, setteB.IT published the full text of the email message sent from [...]
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Animate your iPhone with Flickbook
Filed under: iPhone, App Store No, you aren't seeing double, and yes, there is an eerily similar (and similarly named) iPhone animation app. This one -- Flickbook -- lets you create classic-style animations on your iPhone or iPod touch with a basic, no-frills simple UI. There's a large area of white space for sketching, which is done by drawing a finger across the screen. Create the next image in your sequence by touching an arrow in the bottom right-hand corner.An 'onionskin' hint of the previous image can be seen under the current one, and a slider lets you navigate through your images. Errors are erased with a good shake. Finally, you can select from nine colors. Playing and saving your completed animation is simple, but accurate sketching is not. I found it quite difficult to create consistent images with my finger (I was actually wishing for a stylus, believe it or not), but that could be due to my beefy paws or lack of artistic ability. Still, I'd love to meet the person who drew the gorgeous horse demo on their site.I also wish complete animations could be exported as movie files, but perhaps that will be part of an update. It's decidedly more bare-bones than the $9.99US FlipBook, which allows you to animate on top of your photos and includes the flipbook.tv upload site for sharing your work. Still, it's fun to play with for $4.99US. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Even Apple Learns
In a rare example of Apple's ability to admit a mistake, numerous sites have reported on Steve Jobs' letter to employees about the poor decision to launch MobileMe at the same time as the iPhone 3G. Usually Apple times these things pretty well - but everyone knows how poorly executed this launch was. What I find interesting is the marketing spin on this. Steve blamed MobileMe - which in itself is an admission of failure of the service it replaced (.Mac). And .Mac replaced another failure (anyone remember eWorld?) So in one way Apple protected the iPhone brand while letting his budding MobileMe brand take the hit (and a few employees were shown the door for good measure.) This is good damage control - they have the time to get MobileMe to live up to its potential but they want the sting of the the iPhone launch to fade fast. Since I left Apple in 1999 I've been involved in many Internet software startups and I can tell you that the business of creating and testing web applications is very different from other consumer goods. You MUST include customers in the live testing. Beta testing web applications with real users from GMail to Dimdim is now the norm and Apple failed in trying to keep the product out of user's hands until the last minute. Will be interesting to see if they change their habits now.
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Sony Breaks Up Duet With BMG Buyout
Sony has acquired German media giant Bertelsmann's 50 percent stake in Sony BMG Music for $900 million. Bertelsmann gets another $300 million for its share of the cash on Sony BMG's books. Filings with the SEC show that Sony BMG will buy back part of Bertelsmann's stake for $600 million, with another $600 million coming from Sony Corporation of America. The new company, Sony Music Entertainment Inc., will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corp. of America, a unit of Tokyo-based consumer electronics company Sony.
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Read RoughlyDrafted from iPhone
I've installed wptouch, an iPhone (and iPod touch) optimized template for WordPress from BraveNewCode that makes reading the site a bit more streamlined. You can spin through recent articles, search by keywords, and add your own comments. I removed the Reddit tags as nobody submits articles there anyway, but feel free to promote my stuff as you see fit anyway. Here's what it looks like:
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AT&Tâs iPhone Data Plan Terms and Conditions Forbid Tethering
From AT&T’s iPhone Terms and Conditions: Furthermore, unlimited plans (except for DataConnect and BlackBerry tethered) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device (through use of, including without limitation, connection kits, other phone/PDA-to-computer accessories, Bluetooth or any other wireless technology) to laptops, PCs, or other equipment for any purpose. The question is whether Apple is obligated to enforce this. â
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iPhone 2.0.1 breaking some carrier unlocks
Filed under: CellphonesUh-oh, it look like it's not just the underground unlockers who're having problems with the iPhone 2.0.1 update's revisions to the 3G's baseband -- Vodaphone customers who've paid to have their handsets unlocked are starting to report failures to connect to iTunes followed by the appearance of an "0xE8000001" error code. There are also reports from a handful of other carriers, but Voda's selling Steve's baby in 10 countries, so most of the complaints are from its customers. Other than that, there are some isolated reports of brickage, but we've mostly heard good things about 2.0.1, and our iPhones are definitely feeling a little better -- how about you?[Via TUAW]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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TUAW Tip: Say goodbye to Marker Felt notes
Filed under: iPod Family, How-tos, TUAW Tips, iPhoneMany iPhone users have expressed negative feelings toward the default Marker Felt font used in the Notes application. Personally, I dislike it enough that I used a manual hack on my previously jailbroken phone to get some Helvetica relief, but since I haven't felt the need to jailbreak since the 2.0 upgrade, I've been living with Marker Felt for now. We got a tip today, though, that offers a quasi-solution for those willing to deal with a little extra hassle.A quick Google search reveals that we're not the first to discover this, but we thought it was worth sharing. If you're interested in trying it, go into the International keyboard settings in the General section of your iPhone or iPod touch Settings and select any of the Chinese keyboards in addition to your current keyboard. Now, go into an existing note or create a new one in the Notes application. Switch the keyboard to the Chinese keyboard using the globe icon to the left of the spacebar and enter a single character. Backspace it and switch back to your native keyboard. Presto, the note should be free of Marker Felt. Saving the note will reveal that the title in the list has also undergone the same font change, and future edits will maintain it.Adding new notes will require this little tweak every time, so it's not an all-around solution to the lack of font selection in Notes. If you're really, truly bothered by Marker Felt, however, it's a step in the right direction.Thanks David!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple Gazette Daily 321 - iPhone update, Jobs on MobileMe, and more!
podcast sponsor link:Click Here to check out Blogflux Groups! Today's Show: iPhone update, Jobs on MobileMe, 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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Om Malik on MobileMeâs Infrastructure
Om Malik: One of my sources opined that Apple clearly wasnât too savvy about all the progress made in infrastructure over the past few years. If this insinuation is indeed true, then there is no way Apple can get over its current spate of problems. It needs a crash course in infrastructure and Internet services. Appleâs problem is that it doesnât seem to have recognized the fact that itâs in the business of network-enabled hardware. But the iTunes Store does gangbuster traffic and has terrific track record for uptime. The message I read from yesterday’s reorg that put MobileMe under Eddy Cue (Apple’s VP for iTunes) is that MobileMe could and should be as responsive and reliable as the iTunes Store. â
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TUAW Hands on with FlipBook for iPhone
Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone, App StoreJosh Anon's $9.99 FlipBook [App Store link] offers a well-designed animation building tool. Like other flip book drawing products, it lets you create movement frame by frame. What makes FlipBook stand out from the crowd of iPhone drawing tools is its fine attention to interface details and the addition of the flipbook.tv sharing site for the animations you create. Read on for TUAW's take on this new AppStore offering, and see the gallery below for some screenshots of the delightful interface. Gallery: FlipBookContinue reading TUAW Hands on with FlipBook for iPhoneRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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News: App Store Finds: Frogger, AkiMahjong, Flickbook, Cocktails
An iPhone and iPod touch version of the arcade classic Frogger has been released on the App Store. The $9.99 app, released by Konami Digital Entertainment, is a basic port of the original, with the point of the game to guide five frogs to safety in order to advance to the next level. It also boasts enhanced graphics, and sounds from the original game. Strangely, it is listed as only being compatible with the iPhone, although iLounge editors have been…
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What's new in iPhone 2.0.1 - Notes and Video Report
Daniel Eran Dilger Apple released the first update to iPhone 2.0 yesterday, sending iPhone and iPod touch users scrambling to iTunes in order to get a handle on the much needed fixes in the original iPhone 2.0.0. Here's some notes on what's new along with video segments I did with TalkingHeadTV. What's new? For an idea on what needed to be fixed, you can consult the iPhone 2.0 reports compiled by my mild mannered alter ego mainstream alternative writer Mr. Prince McLean of AppleInsider: Inside iPhone 2.0: the new iPhone 3G Hardware Inside iPhone 2.0: iPhone 3G vs. other smartphones Inside iPhone 2.0: the new iPhone 3G Software Inside iPhone 2.0: iPhone OS vs. other mobile platforms While the new 2.0.1 update doesn't turn the iPhone into a Bluetooth-loving, tether-happy, mobile camcorder that cures herpes (I actually haven't researched its ability to address medical conditions, and I don't have any way to test its efficacy for killing that virus in particular, as I'm currently clean as the proverbial whistle, nudge nudge wink wink know what I mean?), the new update does turn things around for iPhone 2.0, bumping it from from the betaesque bin up toward the lofty perch of stability formerly maintained by the original iPhone 1.x release. It couldn't come a moment too soon, as iPhone 2.0 involved some very aggravatingly long delays and even some all too frequent system-wide restarts that made it feel a bit more akin to the decade long joke that is WinCE/Windows Mobile. Interestingly, the 2.0.1 update release comes on the heels of a report by ZDNet that Apple would âdropâ the update, despite never having announced it publicly (it was only know to exist from the signature left in web logs by Apple and AT&T users browsing the web while testing the new software out). Imagine having the cooshy job of writing for CNET's ZDNet, being able to make stuff up for attention grabbing headlines, and then having the power to change your report and erase your previous headlines from everything apart from the Google cache. Poof! Stronger, Better, Faster. Over the last evening, I was able to doodle around with Aurora Feint, currently my favorite way to blow away idle pastime and my iPhone 3G battery, simultaneously, all without the usual wonkishness, failures on restart, and other problems that were evidently the fault of Apple, not the third party developer. Given that the company cranked out the update within just three weeks, I'll have to say I'm pretty happy. For the record, other smartphones get updates at most annually in good years, and those updates are often not even available to many existing users of the given operating system. But I digress. Here's what's fixed, and what isn't: Contacts: starts up normally now without any unwieldy hesitation. Thanks, but now can you add a prominent search button so I don't have to scroll to the top of the list or target the microscopic magnifying glass above A? I'd also like the ability to create new contact Groups on the phone, and a mechanism for editing the group membership from the group and from an individual contact. I'd also like to be able to address an email with a contact group. Again, these are feature requests, not bug fixes, so perhaps they'll turn up in iPhone 2.1 next month. Phone: More bars are better, so now the iPhone shows more bars. Did it improve reception, or just re-calibrate itself to make things look better? It appears the bars are actually more accurate now. I live on the edge of an AT&T black hole, and I'm now seeing three bars on the the edge of the void, where voice and data are indeed usable. Previously, I'd get a zero bars in the grey area, but still be able to connect. After entering the dead zone, the bars trail off faster, and so appear to provide a better indication of whether a call or SMS will actually work from the given location. While it is extremely difficult to make accurate judgements on signal strength due to the complex nature of radio waves in environments where obstructions and interference may restrict even otherwise decent reception, the iPhone interface has always seemed to trail behind in its indication of signal strength. This is particularly noticeable when entering a known dead zone such as a tunnel, where you know you don't have service but the iPhone continues to suggest that yes perhaps you might, up until you try to use it. This should continually improve as Apple muscles its way into the smartphone market and gains cellular expertise. SMS & Mail: nothing spellbindingly new here, apart from the lack of egregious delays that hampered the experience of iPhone 2.0. Safari: While the OS seems to be much less likely to want to dive bomb into a restart, Safari is back at the top of being the most likely app to unceremoniously quit. Given the complexity of rendering random web pages, that might be expected, but we hope it continues to make progress. One other disappointment is that Apple continues to hide its MobileMe apps from iPhone users in Safari, directing them instead to using Mail, Calendar, and Contacts. What happened to the âreal Internet?â It appears there's some kinks left to work out, but this is particularly a problem with push doesn't work as expected, and you'd like to access the web apps to see where the problem lies. Previously, one could pull up .Mac webmail for troubleshooting; no longer possible under MobileMe. GPS: Noticed that you don't get the accurate blue blip in Maps while indoors? That's not a bug, it's because GPS signals are quite weak. Even with a dedicated GPS unit, you can obscure the signal with your hand. Being inside a wood or metal frame is no match for the faint whisper emitted by the orbiting satellites. The graphic below gives a nice representation of how far the GPS satellites are from the Earth's surface: a LONG ways: 20,200 kilometers or 12,600 miles. That's just over half-way to the geosynchronous orbit of 35,786 km (22,240 miles), meaning that GPS satellites don't hang in a given position in the sky as direct broadcast TV satellites do, but rather continuously circle the earth in a constellation made up of currently 31 satellites, with at least six visible at once from any point on Earth. Of course none of this has much to do with the iPhone 2.0.1 update, I'm just amazed that we can have this technology in our pockets. Internal Updates: International readers on other providers have noted show-stopping upgrade problems due to the fact that the new iPhone 2.0.1 update includes revisions to the iPhone 3G's baseband firmware. Vodaphone customers with unlocked phones have reported an inability to link up with iTunes, along with an â0xE8000001â error. The fact that the new bug fix updates core firmware also means trouble for users who have illicitly unlocked their phones, meaning they'll have to wait to install the update until the unlocking team figures out how to navigate around the new changes. For everyone else, the internal updates indicate that Apple has done more than just diddle with user interface bugs. More testing is needed, but I hope to see some improvements to battery life and signal reception that go beyond just more accurate bars. Do Not Upgrade with Mobile Service Turned Off. And now a warning: don't perform the update while in Airplane mode, or the phone will restart and emerge from its brain transplant all freaked out that it can't find the network. We're not sure why anyone would be in Airplane mode while doing an update, but there's now upwards of 6 million iPhone users, and who knows how many iPod touch users, so the chances of somebody setting up some inexplicably bizarre scenario during an update are sky high. What have you noticed has changed in iPhone 2.0.1? Share your comments below. Also, be sure to check out the segments I did with Talking Head TV: Does iPhone 2.0.1 Fix The Constant Crashes? Jumping Icons, Long Backups: What Did iPhone 2.0.1 Miss? I really like to hear from readers. Comment in the Forum or email me with your ideas. Like reading RoughlyDrafted? Share articles with your friends, link from your blog, and subscribe to my podcast! Submit to Reddit or Slashdot, or consider making a small donation supporting this site. Thanks!
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Steve Jobs on MobileMe: the full e-mail
Steve Jobs sent out an e-mail to Apple employees admitting that the launch of MobileMe was botched and vowed to make things right. Since then, we received so many requests for the text of the e-mail that we decided to make it available for your reading pleasure.Read More...
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Throwing the Baby Out With the Bath Water
Rene Ritchie reviews MagicPad, the $4 iPhone notes app that offers text selection, styled text, and copy/paste, and gives it a rating of 4.5 out of 5. Here’s his list of pros and cons: Pros Working cut, copy, and paste on the iPhone, come on! Rich text styling Did I mention CUT and PASTE Cons No auto-correction for spelling Uses 3rd party email server I bought and have been testing MagicPad for the last few days, and I’d pretty much create the same list of pros and cons. But for a rating, I’d assign it a zero. Without auto-correction, the app is utterly useless. Half the words I type are misspelled, some beyond recognition. It’s an interesting test of how important the iPhone’s auto-correction is in making its on-screen keyboard usable. The answer is “utterly essential”. The text selection UI works pretty well and copy/paste is nice to have, but you still can’t copy/paste between different applications. So you can change the font and text size, but you can’t actually type. â
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Lawsuit: Apple cheats IT workers on overtime pay, other benefits
Posted by Dennis SellersAnother day, another lawsuit. Apple has cheated some of its IT employees by not paying overtime, denying meal benefits, violating California Law and “subjecting workers to indentured servitude,” reports Information Week.
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At last, the iPhone comes to Vermont
Filed under: iPhoneAfter a fourteen-month wait, the iPhone is finally coming to Vermont."But isn't Vermont a part of the US?" you ask. Well yes, but AT&T -- the iPhone's exclusive carrier in the US -- has no wireless coverage in the Green Mountain State, so the iPhone has never officially been made available. Some enterprising Vermonters have set up blogs and even gone underground with their jailbroken iPhones, but that's all about to change.Earlier this week, Vermont's WCAX TV reported that area providers Verizon and Unicel have merged, and AT&T will be awarded overlapping service areas to prevent a wireless monopoly in Vermont.The wait is almost over, Vermonters! Now you can enjoy standing in long lines like the rest of us.Thanks, B. Marriner!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Changewave Research: iPhone, Blackberry both look to be winners in smartphone market
Posted by Dennis SellersA new Changewave survey shows that the iPhone 3G has catapulted Apple into the lead in terms of planned consumer smart phone purchases for the next 90 days. But the firm's Paul Carton says to keep in mind that RIM and its BlackBerry have a gigantic lead in the corporate...
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Analyst: iPhone 3G still short on security for enterprise use
Posted by Dennis SellersThe newest iPhone “does not deliver sufficient security for [running] custom applications” commonly used on handhelds in enterprise settings, Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney wrote in a nine-page research note ( as reported by Computerworld). Users considering adoption of the device should also be aware that iPhone data usage can incur...
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FireWire group adopts standard for networking digital content over coaxial cables using UWB
Posted by Dennis SellersThe 1394 Trade Association of which Apple is a member, has announced the adoption of the first global standard for networking digital content over coaxial cables using Ultra Wideband (UWB) communications. 1394 is better known as FireWire to Mac users.
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AppleScript: Creating To-Dos in iCal
Filed under: Features, How-tos, AppleScript Recently, a friend asked me to create an AppleScript that would allow him to automate To-Dos with a Mail.app mail rule. I immediately rose to the occasion because this was a cool idea: Mail.app could run the script when you get an ebill, for instance, for your car payment. The script would then create an iCal To-Do for "Pay your car payment, now!" The scriptset theSumm to "Pay My Bill Soon!"set dueDate to (current date) + 10 * daysset theUrl to "http://www.paymybillexample.com"set thepriority to 1tell application "iCal" make todo at end of events of (item 1 of every calendar) with properties {summary:theSumm, due date:dueDate, url:theUrl, priority:thepriority}end tell Customizing the scriptTo customize the To-Do's title, fill in the text you want, within the parenthesis on line 1. To Change the due date, change the "10" in line 2 to the number of days until it is due. If you want to change to weeks or months, use the appropriate wordage instead of "days" at the end of line 2. To change the URL, paste a URL in the parenthesis on line 3. By default, the script will set the newly created To-Do to have a priority of 1, however, you can change this to your priority preference.Continue reading to learn how to integrate the To-Dos with a Mail.app mail rule.Continue reading AppleScript: Creating To-Dos in iCalRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iTunes K-12 Section Has Some Growing Up to Do
We love Apple and all things Apple related, we really do. But even we admit that when iTunes U was released over one year ago, it had some fairly dull content. read more
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Researchers developing $12 computer based on Apple IIs
A group of folks from MIT are aiming to create a $12 computer for developing countries using older Apple technology. They hope that the machines will eventually be used in developing countries to help students learn rudimentary computer skills. Read More...
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Apple patent involves device backlighting
Posted by Dennis SellersAn Apple patent (number 7407315) for a method and apparatus for backlighting a device has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. The invention relates generally to the light guide panels and more particularly to an improved light guide panel utilized with display devices. Most obviously, it involves the...
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NetShare Coming Back to App Store?
Nullriver: We’ve finally gotten in contact with Apple. Looks like the lack of communication was due to automated e-mail systems being employed on both ends, which resulted in e-mails being lost in transit. We’re working with Apple to get NetShare back up on the AppStore. â
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Apple holds on to U.S. retail music lead
Between January and June of 2008, more people purchased music through Apple's iTunes Store than from any other online or big-box store, according to NPD Group.
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Report: Apple discloses more vulnerabilities than any other vendor
Posted by Dennis Sellers Yikes. Apple has taken the place of Microsoft for disclosing more vulnerabilities than any other vendor, according to an IBM security report (as reported by Computerworld).
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Report: Mac platform gaining 'significant momentum among corporate users'
Posted by Dennis SellersMac hardware and Mac OS X 10.x operating system software are gaining “significant momentum among corporate users,” according to a new report from the Yankee Group, an independent technology research and consulting firm.
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3G iPhone users experience carrier error with 2.0.1 update
Filed under: iPhoneiPhone and iPod touch software 2.0.1 became available yesterday, and today several iPhone 3G owners are reporting problems. Specifically, users who paid to have their 3G iPhones unlocked by Vodafone are unable to re-connect to the service following the update, and instead receive a "0xE8000001" error message. How helpful. It seems to happen on both Windows and Mac OS X.As you remember, Vodafone is selling the iPhone in 10 countries, and a quick look at Apple's Discussion Boards reveal this problem popping up in Spain, Italy, Sweden and more, which leads us to believe that it's Vodafone's issue.We haven't come across a fix yet, but we'll keep you posted. In the meantime, let us know if you've been able to squash this bug.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Update: Some of our tipsters have had luck restoring the phone to reconnect to Vodafone, but not all.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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App Store find: Food IQ
If you’re obsessive about food (and who isn’t?) whether it be for health, fitness, or just OCD reasons you can now look up information on over 7,500 food items from the grocery store or fast food restaurant with a little application by Obsessive Code called Food IQ. One of its best features is that it’s [...]
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MobileMe Wasn't Ready According to Steve
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UBS offers its iPod/Mac/iPhone forecast
Posted by Dennis SellersIn a note to clients UBS Investment Research forecasts that Apple will release that new products within the next year, including new iPods and new Macs.
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Article: iPhone Gems: Games to Show Off Apple's Devices
We've focused the majority of our iPhone Gems features on roundups of games in specific categories—racing games, mahjong games, sudoku games and the like—but this week, we wanted to take a look at a number of titles that have impressed us in one way or another despite the fact that they're from a hodgepodge of genres. Although we've opted not to rate this batch yet, something about each of these titles is interesting…
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iPhone games: Ars staff favorites
There are a ton of games available for the iPhone now, but which ones are the games that the Ars staff can't live without? Here, we list out the nine games that are getting all the buzz at the Ars Orbiting HQ.Read More...
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iTunes still top leading music reseller in the US
Posted by Dennis Sellers According to the latest MusicWatch consumer surveys from The NPD Group, a market research company, iTunes tops the five leading music retailers in the U.S. for the first half of 2008 (January through June, based on purchases of CDs and a-la-carte digital music downloads).
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Artificial Life announces VBotAttack game for the iPhone
Posted by Dennis SellersArtificial Life says it will be releasing another title of its own branded V-series mobile game: VBotAttack, for the iPhone and iPod touch. Developed exclusively for theses devices, the game will purportedly fully utilize the unique features of the devices, such as the accelerometer, touch-screen, 2D / 3D map landscapes...
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Digital Heaven launches VideoSpace Online with iPhone version
Posted by Dennis SellersDigital Heaven has launched VideoSpace Online, an online version of their disk space calculator widget for Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro editors. By selecting a codec and frame rate then entering the desired duration, VideoSpace calculates how much disk space would be required.
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Mystery Mansion Pinball comes to the iPod
Posted by Dennis SellersGameloft S.A. has released its Mystery Mansion Pinball game for the 5G iPod, iPod classic, and iPod nano (with video). It's available at the iTunes Store for US$4.99.
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Apple patent is for circuit, methods for amplifying signals
Posted by Dennis SellersAn Apple patent (number 7408403) for circuits and method for amplifying signals has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. The invention relates generally to compensation circuitry in electronic circuits and devices and more particularly to a power supply compensation circuit in class D modulators.
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TheFind to launch iPhone mobile shopping app
Posted by Dennis SellersTheFind, a shopping search engine and web destination for discovering lifestyle goods, has introduced TheFind: Where to Shop, an application designed to give consumers the ability to leverage TheFind's shopping search capabilities and comprehensive local store data from anywhere, via the iPhone or iPod touch.
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Apple patent is for data-driven global boundary optimization
Posted by Dennis SellersAn Apple patent (number 7409347) for data-driven global boundary optimization has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. The invention relates generally to text-to-speech synthesis, and in particular relates to concatenative speech synthesis.
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News: Mophie intros Juice Pack for iPhone 3G
Mophie has introduced its new Juice Pack for the iPhone 3G. Like the company's Juice Packs for iPhone and iPod touch, the iPhone 3G version houses a rechargeable lithium polymer battery within a soft touch, non-slip rear case. According to Mophie, the Juice Pack offers an additional 350 hours of standby time, 6 hours of talk time on 3G, 12Â hours of talk time on 2G, 6 hours of Internet use on 3G, 8 hours of video playback, or 28 hours of audio…
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Mac Bundle Box joining the bundle party with 15-app offering
The latest in a series of Mac software bundles is the Mac Bundle Box, which offers 15 application for $50. This bundle offers a few new goodies, but generally follows the same framework as other bundles.Read More...
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Second Australian Apple Store is ready
Filed under: RetailApple certainly took their time in establishing a retail presence in Australia, but now they're set to open a second store, this time in Chatswood.Apple Store Chatswood Chase will open on Satruday, August 9th at 9:00 AM. The store is located at Chatswood Chase Shopping Centre, Victoria Avenue, Chatswood. You can get full travel directions here.As usual, we're asking any TUAW operatives who visit this weekend to send us stories and photos. Good luck, have fun and we're hoping you score a T-shirt!Thanks, Bryce!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Waterfield announces two slipcases for iPhone
There’s are pretty much two camps when it comes to cases for the iPhone: case or no case. You’re either in one or the other. The case camp further divides into several sub-genres, including skins, sleeves, holsters and pouches. Waterfield Designs has released two new slip cases for iPhone, and one in particular has the potential [...]
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Nokia 5800 Tube browser screenshots appear, underwhelm
Filed under: Cellphones Well, we've seen the Nokia 5800 Tube's keyboard, home screen, video player, and uh, Bat-Sonar, so we might as well keep going with these shots of the browser. Kudos to Nokia for delivering something just slightly more impressive this time around than we're used to from S60 Touch, but we're still not feeling the super-90s aesthetic -- check out those icons at the bottom. We're still hoping to be blown away when this thing finally launches, but it's looking less and less likely with each new screenshot.[Thanks, Marie]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Sonos introduces ZonePlayer 120, ZonePlayer 90
Posted by Dennis SellersSonos has introduced two new ZonePlayers to deliver a multi-room music experience: the Sonos ZonePlayer 120 (ZP120) and the Sonos ZonePlayer 90 (ZP90). Both let you add music to any room.
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Apple patents MacBook design, iPod lanyard-type holder, iPhone/iPod touch stand
Posted by Dennis SellersApple has been granted patents for the MacBook design, an iPod lanyard-type holder and an iPhone/iPod touch stand by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
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SoftPress adds iPhone functions with Freeway 5.2 update
Posted by Dennis Sellers
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PandaWare DiskWrangler goes Universal Binary
Posted by Dennis SellersThe Pandaware Company has released DiskWrangler 3.0, a Universal Binary version of its file launcher and browser for Mac OS X. It now runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs.
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The NPD Group: iTunes Continues to Lead U.S. Music Retailers
The only two download stores that matter are iTunes and Amazon. And CD stores are mattering less and less. â
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Likewise Software enables smoother Mac integration in corporate environments
Posted by Dennis SellersLikewise Software says it's made a “breakthrough” that benefits large organizations seeking to integrate Mac computers into their IT infrastructure.
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In letter to employees, Jobs admits MobileMe launch was bungled (updated)
Posted by Dennis Sellers
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Maclove releases cover films, leather skins for iPhone
Posted by Dennis SellersMacLove has released a series of “Face off” color films and exclusive leather skins for the iPhone.
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First Looks: Gameloft S.A. Mystery Mansion Pinball
Pinball games tend not to photograph especially well, but if they're programmed right, they're a lot of fun to play and listen to. Gameloft's new Mystery Mansion Pinball ($5) is a Click Wheel iPod pinball game designed around the theme of a storybook monster mansion, complete with an oversized Frankenstein head with glowing eyes, animated crows picking at the table's corners, a ghostly lane, and electrocuted bumpers. For the most part, the game appears…
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News: Mix: Softbank, MobileMe, Sony BMG, Tap Tap Revenge
Softbank has announced that iPhone users in Japan will now pay less for their service depending on their internet use. The company will begin offering plans as for as little as 2,990 yen (~$28) a month, less than half the cost of the lowest plan available at the device's introduction. Softbank said the new pricing will kick in for all iPhone users next month, and that users wi