Aug 12, 2008 Aug 14, 2008 Wednesday August 13, 2008
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My iPhone Told Me to Vote for Obama!
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Yahoo! Inquisitor 3.2 (v57) released
Inquisitor is a Safari add-on that adds Spotlight-like functions to its search field. As you type, Inquisitor offers appropriate websites and help to refine your search. It can even auto-complete your typing as if it somehow knows just what you're after. Inquisitor has been a favorite of Mac users for a while, but this release is a little different; it's first major release since Inquisitor was acquired by Yahoo! It's always a bit of an uneasy change when a company with an axe to grind or, in this case, search results to serve, takes over a product that had previously been without an agenda in favor of a particular search engine. The guys who code Inquisitor say they've been working hard to keep the essence of the project intact as they incorporate Yahoo technology like the new Yahoo! Search BOSS platform. As a result of the new technological resources, this new release should show a marked performance boost and has a "slicked up" visual design as well as support for eight new languages: Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and German. Inquisitor is free.
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Microsoft's Mojave Attempts to Wet Vista's Desert
Daniel Eran Dilger Nearly two years after Windows Vista was finally released, Microsoft has remained unable to shake off its reputation as being slow, incompatible with existing hardware and software, and generally a poor and overpriced product that nobody wants. Microsoft is now trying to reverse Vista's bad reputation by insisting that the software's problems are not technical but rather just the fault of ignorant customers duped in part by Apple's “Get a Mac” campaign. What's Vista's real problems, and will Microsoft's “Mojave Experiment” help solve them? Blame Apple! Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has joined Windows Enthusiast pundits in theorizing that Vista's image problems are primarily the result of Apple's advertisements that regularly poke fun at the problems in Vista. The company has now taken aim at shooting at the messenger with a $300 million ad campaign. In July, Brad Brooks, Microsoft's VP of Windows Vista consumer marketing, addressed the company's business partners at its Worldwide Partner Conference, saying, “We've got a pretty noisy competitor out there. You know it. I know it. It's caused some impact. We're going to start countering it. They tell us it's the iWay or the highway. We think that's a sad message.” Another sad message Brooks had to deliver was that Vista's problems aren't really the fault of Apple. “We broke a lot of things,” Brooks admitted. “We know that, and we know it caused you a lot of pain. It got customers thinking, hey, is Windows Vista a generation we want to get invested in?” Vista: Pay it Forward! Brooks also noted that “Windows Vista is an investment in the long term. When you make the investment into Windows Vista, it's going to pay it forward into the operating system we call Windows 7.” Pay it forward? Is Windows 7 going to be a free upgrade to Windows Vista users, in the same way Apple is expected to offer the next Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard release to existing users of 10.5 Leopard? That's highly unlikely, as Microsoft can't sustain its egregious profits collected through the Windows monopoly by giving away updates for free. Windows Vista raised the price of Windows, putting a new definition on the phrase “pay it forward.” Myths of Snow Leopard 7: Free?! Microsoft Admits Windows Vista Mistakes, Criticizes Apple Ads - InformationWeek Reality Impairment at Microsoft Talking out one's ass appears to be a job requirement for all Microsoft executives, starting at the top. A serious case of reality impairment has resulted in the paradox of the company both admitting that Vista is flawed and “broke a lot of things,” while at the same time maintaining that Vista's reputation is entirely the fault of stupid customers and a comically unflattering portrayal by its competitor. In the “Mojave Experiment,” Microsoft plans to dispel the notion that Windows Vista is problematic and incompatible by publishing a series of videotaped interviews with users who arrived with negative impressions of Vista and left excited about the new operating system. This was achieved by presenting the users with a demonstration of “Mojave,” a new operating system that Microsoft later revealed to be Vista, much to the surprise of the interviewed users who'd heard so many bad things about it. However, the Mojave Experiment is so full of false information and saccharine gloss that it couldn't possibly appeal to anyone smart enough to turn on a PC. Even setting aside the fact that the ad experiment basically seeks to blame users for being dumb, the attempt by Microsoft to paint over Vista's problems is transparent and flawed, for a number of reasons. What's wrong with Mojave. Microsoft can't seem to decide whether it wants to admit that Vista has problems or not, and its waffling back and forth just makes the company look increasingly disingenuous. Is Vista a poorly launched, flawed product that the company is working to fix as quickly as possible, or is it awesome and wildly successful and just the victim of bad press? Microsoft tries to tell both stories at once, which is purely dishonest. In contrast, Apple said from the start last year that its Apple TV product was a “hobby” attempting to break into a difficult market. Critics lambasted it for not immediately taking over the market like the iPod had or iPhone later did. Apple's more recent problems in launching MobileMe were quickly noted by the company along with the intent to address complaints about it rapidly. Microsoft isn't alone in being able to stumble, but its complete lack of candor makes it hard to understand if the company realizes that it even has problems to solve. With Vista, Microsoft has issued a flurry of giddy press releases claiming widespread adoption based on the number of licenses sold and naming it “the fastest selling operating system in Microsoft history,” ignoring the fact that Windows sales are increasing simply because they are tied to PC sales. Microsoft has no competition in the PC operating system market due to its monopoly position, so it could release Windows Wet Toast and still sell it faster than XP and ME and 98 Special Edition and every other version of Windows in the past that was tied to an increasingly younger and smaller hardware market. Vista Sales to Non-Users. Many of Vista's “sales” were free vouchers distributed with PCs sold in the holiday season prior to its launch. Even more than a year and a half later, PC makers continue to put Windows XP on their systems, even those sold with a Vista license, while corporate users almost always remove the default Vista to install an earlier version of Windows. There's also a busy third party industry developing around removing Vista for consumers. In late July APCMag cited Jane Bradburn, a manager for commercial notebook sales at HP, as saying, “From the 30th of June, we have no longer been able to ship a PC with a XP license. However, what we have been able to do with Microsoft is ship PCs with a Vista Business licence but with XP pre-loaded. That is still the majority of business computers we are selling today.” The arrangement is supposed to end by January 2009, but HP is trying to extend the deadline because customers simply don't want Vista installed. EWeek also noted that between April 2007 and May 2008, its survey of business users indicated that Vista climbed from 2% to 5%, but that Windows XP jumped from 74% to 83%, three times the adoption of Vista. That growth came from migration from older versions of Windows. Even in its wildest projections, EWeek says Vista will only reach 28% adoption in businesses by the end of 2010. CNET reported that a Jully 2008 survey by systems management appliance company KASE found that 60% of companies surveyed have no plans to deploy Windows Vista, a ten percent increase in disinterest from late 2007. A full 42% were actively exploring Vista alternatives, and 11% had already made the switch to Mac OS X or Linux. Microsoft is simply lying about the level of Vista excitement, and it's gotten too obvious for the company to continue to do so. XP still killing Vista in sales volume: HP 60 percent skipping Vista, so Ballmer looks to Apple | The Open Road The Truth Is… oh Look a Distraction! At the same time, Microsoft notes on its Vista website “we know a few of you were disappointed by your early encounter. Printers didn't work. Games felt sluggish. You told us—loudly at times—that the latest Windows wasn't always living up to your high expectations for a Microsoft product.” That's some brutal honesty for a company with a knack for spinning wild fantasies about fictitious product enthusiasm for a product never actually put to use in many cases. At the same time however, in trying to refute away Vista's real problems, Microsoft uses a variety of tactics that just return to blind fantasyland. Microsoft is a Marketing Company, not a Tech Company. The company plays its Mojave Experiment hand on a new website, incidentally designed using Adobe Flash rather than the company's own Silverlight. Despite the site's oddly designed, usability-impared interface, it's still possible to pull out lots of details from the experiment that say as much about Microsoft's crafty, misleading marketing as they do about its technical problems, underling the simple fact that Microsoft is first and foremost a marketing company that flogs third rate technology products. Mojave took 140 people and asked them to score Windows Vista. The average response was 4.4. After demonstrating Vista SP2 under the name “Mojave,” respondents ranked Vista at 8.5, a stunning improvement. But what were they ranking? Microsoft notes that “many said they would have rated it higher, but wanted more time to use it themselves.” That sounds good at first blush, but it really indicates that the responses were biased by hyped up enthusiasm rather than facts, and that participants realized it, reserving their final judgement until they could actually see more. The “Mojave Experiment” What does Mojave Prove? Mojave tries to represent that Vista's bad reputation is the fault of ignorant consumers who have heard bad things that aren't true about Vista, and have made up their mind without getting the facts. At the same time however, Microsoft also publicly admits that Vista “broke a lot of things” and that specifically, “Printers didn't work. Games felt sluggish.” Did Mojave clear up mistaken notions for participants, or did it just erect smoke and mirrors in a carefully controlled demonstration that skirted around Vista's real problems, including those Microsoft admits? That's a question that answers itself. Mojave didn't send uses home with Vista in a Mojave package and then ask them how well it worked with their existing peripherals and games, or how fast it was in comparison to their existing PC software. This is Not the Droid You're Running Vista On. Instead, Microsoft sat them down in front of a HP Pavillion DV 2000 with 2GB of RAM. That's what HP called its “entertainment powerhouse” laptop, although HP only shipped it with 1GB RAM. Microsoft maxed out the RAM for the purposes of the test, making the laptop a bit more expensive than its usual street price of around $1050. According to Windows enthusiast Joe Wilcox, PC laptops actually cost $700, “half as much” as Apple's laptops. At least that's the Average Selling Price for consumer retail PC laptops according to NPD's Stephen Baker, compared to Apple's $1500 ASP. Wilcox insisted that his spin on NPD's figures couldn't possibly be biased because he wrote his article on a MacBook Air running Leopard. However, his $2,700 laptop did help drive up Apple's stellar ASP for its laptops well above the entry price for Mac Books, discounting his theory that revolved around the assumption that every Mac buyer pays the average price of all the laptops Apple sells. Wilcox and Microsoft are both disingenuously dancing on both ends of the truth. Many consumers are actually buying cheap laptops at Target that can't run Vista ideally, while Microsoft demonstrates its Vista on a considerably better equipped system in the Mojave Experiment to suggest that Vista doesn't have the performance problems that users have heard about from the majority of their peers who bought cheap PCs and are seeing Vista run particularly sluggishly on them. Should You Pay Twice as Much for a Mac? I Did! You Get What You Pay For. The fact that Apple sells more high end laptops to pro users at retail, and that it does not sell anything in the range of the cheap junk being hawked at big box retailers like Wilcox' Target both result in Mac laptops fetching a higher ASP. That fact also means that Mac buyers will be happier with their purchase and have a more favorable impression of Mac OS X because they're running it on a better system. That's all obvious stuff. However, selling people cheap laptops that don't work well, and then demonstrating a fake “new operating system” that appears to work well when running on a faster machine full of RAM is simply a dishonest bait and switch scam. Wilcox does nearly admit that PC makers are already stretching their credibility as they attempt to sell cheap boxes based on price alone, citing Baker as saying, “We aren't seeing any particularly substantive moves down in price on the Windows side, either in desktops or notebooks.” PCs can't get cheaper because they're already unprofitable and consumers are already disgusted with their performance when running the increased overhead of Vista. Wilcox also sets up a tilted comparison between a Dell PC desktop with integrated graphics and an iMac with dedicated graphics and claims a price advantage for Dell, although noting that, while “Dell offers more for less than the iMac,” “that 'more' also means Windows Vista, which won't satisfy some shoppers.” Why Aren't Shoppers Satisfied with Vista? Like Microsoft, Wilcox and his Windows Enthusiast pundit friends can't seem to decide if Vista has any real problems or if it's all just an unfair taint suggested by Apple's Get a Mac ads. However, while Apple has taken shots at Vista's incompatibility with printers and other hardware and its scarce updates that have been few and far between over the last year and a half of its being on the market, Apple also notes in its Get a Mac ads that Macs can run Vista, and can run it faster than PCs. So Apple isn't inventing and publishing false reports on Vista, it's merely advertising its Mac hardware as superior to PCs. The Vista flaws Apple's ads have referenced are flaws Microsoft itself has admitted to its partners, so the Get a Mac umbrage frequently voiced by Windows Enthusiasts is both hypocritical and ridiculous. However, in the Mojave Experiment, Microsoft downplayed those well-known faults by only carefully demonstrating certain features on a high end machine, and without actually exposing Mojave/Vista users to 'a lot of things Vista broke,' 'printers that didn't work', or 'games that felt sluggish.' It Can't Even Print. In response to complaints that Vista doesn't work well with existing PC hardware, Microsoft's Mojave website says that “the Windows Vista Compatibility Center lists compatibility status for over 9,000 products (5,500 devices and 3,500 software programs).” It even notes 2,000 printers, 200 scanners, and 500 cameras specifically. That sounds good until you realize that Apple ships support for over 3,100 printers in Mac OS X Leopard, a product that is targeted primarily toward education and consumers and which is not expected by users to run on any old hardware that might be in use by PC users. Vista is supposed to run on 95% of the world's PCs, and yet it doesn't even match the printer drivers that ship with Leopard, a number which does not include all of the third party drivers available for the Mac. Oh, but there's more. Not only did Microsoft dance around the truth to feed its Mojave Experiment participants a carefully controlled stream of garbage, but it also inadvertently revealed more serious problems related to Vista, which I'll consider in the following article. Did you like this article? Let me know. Comment here, 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 (oh wait, I have to fix that first). It's also cool to submit my articles to Digg, Reddit, or Slashdot where more people will see them. Consider making a small donation supporting this site. Thanks!
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Microsoft Updates Office 2004 and 2008
The Macintosh Business Unit at Microsoft released updates on Tuesday this week for Office 2004 and Office 2008. Like Apple, Microsoft was tight lipped about what was delivered in these new updates. Office 2008 was updated to version 12.1.2 and according to the accompanying information on Microsoft's website, "this update contains several improvements to enhance stability and performance. " read more
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CSS trick mimics sideways-flicking behavior in MobileSafari
Filed under: iPod Family, Tips and tricks, Developer, iPhone Ajaxian has posted a ridiculously simple way to enable web apps to mimic the iPhone's side-to-side flicking behavior using custom CSS supported by MobileSafari. If you're creating a web app specifically for iPhone and iPod touch users, you can get a similar feel to a native application with MobileSafari. MobileSafari includes some CSS 3 support, including advanced DOM selectors and support for animations and transitions. Chances are, other browsers will have limited support for CSS 3 draft standards, and whatever you write probably will only work in MobileSafari and Safari 3 on the desktop. The test application in this movie shows how it tracks finger movements across the screen, and performs actions based on the distance "swiped." Very nifty. [Via Cameron.io.]Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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iTunes movie purchases and rentals go Down Under
iTunes movie rentals and purchases are now available for users living in Australia and New Zealand. There are over 700 movies available to rent or buy through Apple so far, and over 100 in HD.Read More...
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Speakal's iPig speaker system rolls in the mud with your iPod
Filed under: Home Entertainment For those of you (we know, pretty much everyone in existence) who already picked up a set of Pink Pig PC speakers a few years back, you can carry on with your daily routine. For everyone else that owns an iPod, hold it right there. Speakal is delivering the iPod docking iPig, a unique speaker system that packs five total drivers (including a 4-inch subwoofer), adjustable bass controls, 360-degree sound distribution and a very debatable design. You'll also find a 3.5-millimeter auxiliary jack for hooking up every other source, and the bundled remote makes it easy to switch tracks and such from your sofa. The only problem? That $139.99 price tag. Check the full release after the jump.Continue reading Speakal's iPig speaker system rolls in the mud with your iPodPermalink|Email this|Comments
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Eye-Fi and SmugMug team up for geotagging
Filed under: Accessories, Peripherals, WirelessThe Eye-Fi card is an SD card with a difference -- it has Wi-Fi built into it for easy camera-to-internet transfer of photos. It comes in three different flavors; Eye-Fi Home, Eye-Fi Share, and Eye-Fi Explore. The latter card (US$129) includes free Wi-Fi access at Wayport hotspots, unlimited geotagging using Skyhook Wireless (the same service Apple and Google use for location data on pre-3G iPhones and iPod touch handhelds), and an unlimited WebShare service for sharing photos.Eye-Fi and SmugMug (an online photo sharing site) announced a partnership providing a year of geotagging and hotspot access for SmugMug members using an original Eye-Fi Card or the $US99.99 Eye-Fi Share. SmugMug provides standard (US$39.95 annually), power user (US$59.95 annually) and professional ($149.95 annually) accounts, all of which provide ad-free, backed-up, and secure hosting of your photos.Do you use an Eye-Fi card with your digital camera? If you do, what service do you upload your photos to, and do you use the geotagging capability? Leave us a comment.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Rohos Logon Key: Turn any USB device into a login key
Filed under: Software, SecurityWe've covered USB key security systems before, but Rohos Logon Key looks like an interesting new player in the field for two reasons: cost and convenience. Like other USB key systems it allows you to control user logins with a USB key, but unlike other systems you don't have to use a dedicated key -- practically any USB flash drive will work. In fact, since it depends only on the USB device's serial number and doesn't store anything on the device, many other things will work as well, like iPods, memory cards, or dedicated USB keys.As you can see from the video, when you pull the device you can set it to either lock the screen immediately or launch OS X's built-in screensaver with password protection. When you plug it back it, it automatically fills the password for you. It also works at the account login screen. Frankly, I don't really know how secure this solution is, since I don't know how hard it is to spoof a device serial number if you know what you're doing. On the other hand, for basic "step away from your desk for a moment" security it looks like it might be a convenient solution.Rohos Logon Key is $29 from Tesline-Service and a demo is available for download.[via MacNN]Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Daddy, where do Macs go when they die?
Filed under: Odds and ends, Blast From the PastPersonally, I've never thrown away a Mac. I've always had someone to give or sell it to. I suppose it's a testament to the longevity of each unit. The first Mac I owned, a Performa 6400, went to a friend of mine in Albuquerque. It had a good life: I installed a G3 upgrade card in its personality slot when its 603e processor wasn't cutting it anymore. I don't reckon she's using it still, though. After that, I bought a Power Mac G4 with a 17-inch Studio Display (in matching graphite, of course). My aunt and uncle are still using that computer, and it's running just fine for the basic email and web browsing they need. It's probably more than they'll ever need, come to think of it. Then came my iMac G5, which I sold to my previous employer for $500 or so. They sort of ... uh ... downsized after I left, so I'm not sure if it's being used right now. It runs great, though. I installed a new power supply in it a month or two before I sold it. My MacBook and Intel iMac are running great for me right now, though, and I have no idea how they'll spend their retirement after they've done their bit for king and country. Where have your old Macs gone? Schools? Parents? Kids? Share your misty-eyed memories of Macs past in comments.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Steve Bobblehead: Cool and Creepy at the Same Time
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Apple's Market Cap Passes Google's, and Other Cocktail Chat
Some random trivia to use in cocktail conversations tonight: China has now won more medals in the current Olympics that it did in the entire 1988 Olympics -- and than in all games preceding '88 combinedSwimmer Michael Phelps has won more medals than either India or Mexico in those countries' respective cumulative historiesApple's market capitalization today passed Google's
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SignalScope
It’s not the value of the dollar; that graph is charting live audio. read more
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Freeware Find: Karelia iMedia Browser 1.1.1
Filed under: iLife, Multimedia, Software, Odds and ends, Freeware, iWorkIt's easy to get spoiled using Apple's Media Browser, that little tool that pops up in many of the iLife and iWork applications and provides access to photos, music, graphics, and movies. But what about those cases where you want to use Media Browser and the application you're in doesn't support it?Karelia Software, makers of the popular website creation tool Sandvox, has just shipped an update to iMedia Browser. iMedia Browser 1.1.1 works with Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and 10.5 (Leopard). It provides all of the functionality of Media Browser, but for just about any application on your Mac. This update adds international support and new media sources.iMedia Browser now supports the following media (information from Karelia's website): Browse Photos: iPhoto / Aperture / Lightroom library, Pictures folder, and other predefined folders. Browse Music: iTunes library, GarageBand songs, Music folder, etc. Browse Movies: iTunes and iPhoto libraries, Movies folder, etc. Browse Links: Bookmarks from Safari, Camino, OmniWeb, etc. Drag and drop any folder into the source list to add to your library. As the really old song says, "the best things in life are free", and iMedia Browser is no exception. Download it and start enjoying your media in almost every application you use.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Mister Retro releases Permanent Press for Photoshop....give your projects that ''crappy printing'' look on purpose
I have been a fan of Mister Retro's Machine Wash Photoshop Filters for a long while now. Today, the company released a new plug-in called Permanent Press. With this new filter set you can simulate authentic looking rubber stamp, offset and letterpress printing effects with that vintage tactile look that previously could only be achieved by shoddy production work, under maintained machinery and disgruntled pressman. Now you can have the whole shebang for USD$99 and you'll be set to make convincing looking antique comic books, advertising, packaging, matchbooks, etc. Using the filters is simple: experiment! The interfaces for Mister Retro's filters have always been one of the most pleasurable parts of using them. They encourage "play" and maintain the vintage theme that helps you transport yourself as well as your artwork to those olden days you are trying to emulate.
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Play FLAC in iTunes with less mess
Filed under: Audio, Software, iTunesSince switching to the Mac full-time last year, my only remaining complaint has been the abysmal (and finicky) FLAC support in iTunes. FLAC, or Free Lossless Audio Codec, is an open source lossless compression format that offers a nice compromise betweeen storing the uncompressed music file -- which is very large -- and converting the file to a lossy format like MP3 or AAC. Apple has its own lossless format, Apple Lossless, and Apple Lossless is great -- but I have lots and lots of live performances archived in FLAC and haven't wanted to spend the time converting all those files so that I can play everything in iTunes. About 6 months ago, I pretty much gave up and started just ripping CDs in Apple Lossless and using Max to convert favorite albums or performances.Reader Mitchell wrote in and told us about Fluke, which aims to be an easier way to play FLAC files in iTunes. I've used other XiphQT based solutions, but none have worked as well as Fluke. Install Fluke and then open up a FLAC file with it (or drag your FLAC files to the icon) and it automatically runs a script that tricks iTunes into adding a FLAC file to the library. For the most part, tagging and even album art will be converted -- though I did have to add track numbers to some of the files I tested. It isn't as seamless as an actual FLAC player, like Cog, but it is certainly less hassle-free than some of the other script-based solutions I've used in the past.Fluke is free and available for download here.Thanks Mitchell!Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple software updates for Aug. 13
Posted by Dennis SellersMental images has announced that the latest version of their rendering software, mental ray 3.7, is now integrated as part of the recently announced Autodesk Maya 2009 software digital content creation package. The release of Maya 2009 will mark the first availability of mental ray 3.7, which will subsequently be...
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Aug. 13 'Macsimum Podcast' now available
Posted by Dennis SellersThe Macsimum Podcast for Aug. 13 is now available here and the RSS feed is here.
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HSBC could be dumping BlackBerrys for 200,000+ iPhones
An HSBC regional CIO says the company is evaluating the iPhone 3G for deployment to its global staff. This could potentially be the largest single order for the mobile communications device thus far.Read More...
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'Macsimum Recommended Reading' for Aug. 13
Posted by Dennis Sellers“Gasse Says Apple Played Chicken with MobileMe Launch: Former Apple product guru Jean-Louis Gasse pins the responsibility tail on the MobileMe donkey in a long blog post in which he describes the machismo that leads to playing chicken with launches.”—TidBits
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Coraid unveils EtherDrive SR2421 Storage Appliance
Posted by Dennis SellersCoraid has unveiled the EtherDrive SR2421 Storage Appliance, a US$4,995 (without storage) rack-mountable storage system contains a hardware RAID controller and space for 24 Serial ATA (SATA) disks.
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Vertus, Imagenomic to offer software bundles
Posted by Dennis SellersStarting tomorrow (Aug. 14) Vertus and Imagenomic will offer a series of software bundles that will provide photographers and creative professionals with solutions for image extractions and creative enhancements.From Aug. 14 to Sept. 30, Imagenomic's entire plug-in suite, which includes Noiseware Pro, Portraiture, and RealGrain, will be bundled with Vertus'...
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When Apple’s Reach Exceeds Its Grasp
I hate to pick nits in an otherwise insightful article, but I think Jason Snell overemphasizes the importance of Apple’s “size” in this piece. When the iPhone first shipped, developers immediately began clamoring for a system that would allow them to write programs for it. Apple had no doubt been planning for such a system from the earliest days of iPhone development. But the company didn’t unveil it until March 2008. I definitely don’t think being bigger, whether in terms of employee head count or in terms of cash on hand, could have made the iPhone SDK appear significantly sooner. Most companies that are bigger than Apple tend to move slower, not faster. I don’t think the lesson to be learned from July 11 is that Apple needs to get bigger, but rather that they need to ease off slightly on the accelerator. Although when you do compare employee head counts between Microsoft (91,000) and Apple (21,000), it’s essential to note that at least half of Apple’s employees work in its retail stores. (And, also — who am I kidding? — I love to pick nits in otherwise insightful articles.) ★
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First Look: BtBx
Filed under: Software, iPhone Here's BtBx, for the iPhone and iPod touch. I think you pronounce it "beatbox". And it's lovely. There's so much potential for music apps on the iPhone and I'm one of the people who's very keen to try them out. BeatMaker is top of the tree in the App Store right now, but there's a lot about BtBx that appeals to me. The interface is cartoon-like, but I like it that way. It works and it doesn't crash, and those things matter more to me than aesthetics. The controls might be a bit confusing to anyone who's never used a sequencer before, but there's a brief user manual built-in. The app was built by the same team that created Rhythm for the PSP. BtBx is cheap and it's simple, and simple is always good in my opinion. Right now there's no way to import custom samples (but that's on the way), nor can you save your patterns or export them elsewhere -- BtBx's greatest drawback at this time. For many people, that will disqualify it immediately. But: the limitations and drawbacks haven't stopped me playing with it, messing with the patterns to build something interesting, and that's what I like most. The simplicity encourages creativity. BtBx is a $3.99 download from the App Store.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple Gazette Daily 325 - FIRE! Best Buy! iPhone stuff and more!
podcast sponsor link:Click Here to check out Blogflux Groups! Today's Show: FIRE! Best Buy! iPhone stuff 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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Apple’s Market Cap Passes Google’s
Still $100 billion short of the big one, though. ★
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Raon Digital hands out surprisingly high benchmarks for Everun Note
Filed under: Laptops Call to action: strap that skeptic hat on, and strap it down tight. Good to go? Good. Raon Digital's first big wave of marketing hoopla for its forthcoming Everun Note netbook includes a very useful specifications list, a number of press images and a few benchmark screenshots that boast remarkably high figures. The CrystalMark screens are pretty impressive at first glance, though it's hard to say how quickly your battery would drain if it were maxed out in order to achieve such goals. Couple that with the questionable legitimacy of the shots and you've got a perfect reason to wait for an independent hands-on review before falling too hard for this here device. But yeah, we're cautiously optimistic.[Via SlashGear]Read - Everun Note benchmarkRead - Everun Note marketing pack [PDF]Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Back To School: Mac research tools
Filed under: Software, ReviewsTUAW's going Back to School! We'll be bringing you tips and reviews for students, parents and teachers right up until the bell rings in September. Read on for high school & college-level help. At any level of schooling, you eventually have to do a little research. There are probably those who caution against doing any of that research on the web, but if you're aware that faulty (and downright false) information exists and take the extra steps to ensure that what you're citing is verifiable, the net can be a treasure trove of information. Hyperlinks and full-text search of a massive amount of information make the electronic frontier an ideal research tool. But you've heard all of that before, so read on as we look at some research tools specifically for Mac users (and we'll try to stay within a typical student's budget).Continue reading Back To School: Mac research toolsRead|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Switched On: Rethinking the living room PC
Filed under: Laptops, Media PCsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment. Even as Microsoft continues to support broadcasting standards around the world to bolster Media Center's support for broadcast television, the future of noisy, black 17-inch-wide boxes sharing a cramped cabinet with your stereo receiver remains in jeopardy. Indeed, the future of the living room PC may be sitting in your lap.When Microsoft announced the Media Center edition of Windows XP, it was in some ways the desktop counterpart to the Tablet PC mutation. Whereas the Tablet PC was envisioned as a new form factor for notebooks, Media Center held the promise of transforming the desktop into its own new form factor. Indeed, in one of Bil Gates's final CES keynotes promoting innovative PC designs, he didn't mention desktops at all, referring to stationary computers as "entertainment PCs" in an AV component style.But while a few companies continue to sell Media Center PCs explicitly designed for connection to a television -- among them Sony, Alienware, and companies targeting custom installers such as Niveus Media, the form factor hasn't taken off for a variety of reasons. Microsoft, in turn, has focused more on Media Center Extenders such as the Xbox 360 and HP MediaSmart Connect to bring the Media Center experience to the big-screen TV. And despite some technological improvements coming to help the cause, that situation is unlikely to change dramatically.Continue reading Switched On: Rethinking the living room PCPermalink|Email this|Comments
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iPhone 3G issues blamed on Infineon chips
GigaOm posted plausible theory to explain the iPhone 3G connection problems many users have experienced. Reception problems were reported with the iPhone 3G on Monday. Nomura analyst Richard Windsor published a research note yesterday that identified the Infineon iPhone 3G chipset as the probable culprit for the recent 3G issues. Apple has not acknowledged any [...]
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Analyst: iPhones flying off shelves at 95 per store per day
Gene Munster ups his estimate of iPhone sales this quarter to 4.47 million after performing checks at 188 retail locations, but that ignores sales in the additional 21 countries this month or Best Buy stores starting next month. Read More...
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Pageonce releases iOnce 2.0 for iPhone, iPod touch
Posted by Dennis SellersPageonce has released version 2.0 of iOnce, its personal Internet assistant for the iPhone and iPod touch. The new version offers security enhancements. iOnce is a free consumer utility that allows users to access and view all of their personal online accounts from a single mobile service.
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Swedish researcher claims iPhone 3G's sensitivity is poor
Researcher says that a manufacturing problem could be to blame for the iPhone 3G's problems in connecting, and staying connected, to 3G networks.
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Down with this sort of thing
Filed under: iTSLook Dougal, we've done it!Done what, Ted?We're on iTunes, Dougal! In the UK store! Look at all the happy people waving at us! Wave back!What people are you talking about, Ted?The people out there with their Apple Macs. It's not even raining, Ted.Just shut up and wave, Dougal!Are you imagining things again, Ted?What do you mean, Dougal? When have I ever imagined things? I'm very rational, you know.Well there was that time with that money...It was just resting in my account, Dougal, I've told you before...(Addendum, for the mystified: Father Ted was a hugely successful 1990s sitcom, broadcast by the UK's Channel 4, about three mad Catholic priests and their equally insane housekeeper, all living in peaceful chaos on a remote Irish island. If you've never heard of it before, just move on to the next TUAW post and pretend this one never happened. Any further questions will be answered by Father Jack: "That would be an ecumenical matter!")Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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NVIDIA responds to Intel’s Larrabee GPU
Intel’s forthcoming multi-core Larrabee graphics processing unit (GPU) promises a chip “with comparable performance to GPUs on the market at that time.” The upcoming chip has raises the hackles of fierce GPU competitors ATI and NVIDIA. NVIDIA PR sent me an email with “a couple of things to bear in mind” about Larrabee: With current multi-core X86 [...]
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Best Buy Clears a Spot on Its Shelf for iPhone
Big-box retailer Best Buy will begin stocking the iPhone 3G this September, giving the device shelf space both in the Mac section of the store as well as in Best Buy Mobile. Best Buy will sell the phone at the suggested retail price of $199 for the 8 GB model and $299 for the 16 GB model with the start of a new two-year service contract -- the same prices found at AT&T and Apple retail locations. The popular device is a welcome addition to the store's lineup, Best Buy spokesperson Jeff Dudash told MacNewsWorld.
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Article: iPhone Gems: Every Solitaire Game, Reviewed
Only a month has passed since the App Store opened, and thanks to 12 separate developers, there are literally 19 different Solitaire card games to choose from today for the iPhone and iPod touch - you'd have to spend $75 to try them all. So that's what we've done, canvassing the entire collection of titles to help you decide which one or two will be best for you. There's good news for players on a budget: there are some good…
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Woman uses eBay to get back at cheating husband
Posted by Dave MertenA scorned Australia woman is airing her husband's dirty laundry on a global scale by auctioning a picture of his mistress' underwear on eBay, reports Fox News.
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While Intel touts netbooks, SanDisk cites solid-state 'hype'
The up-and-coming solid-state storage format has pride of place in gear like the MacBook Air, but drive makers warn of a looming "trough of disillusionment."
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How many iPhones would fill the Albert Hall? HSBC may find out
Filed under: Enterprise, iPhoneIf you're the CIO for the ANZAC division of a big bank -- I mean, a really big, global bank -- and you happen to let slip to a ZDnet reporter that your company is considering the iPhone as a possible BlackBerry replacement across the board... well, 200,000 iPhones is enough to get everyone's attention, even though this is about as far from an actual commitment to purchase as I am from New Zealand right now (17 time zones or so).ZDnet.com.au is reporting that Brenton Hush, the chief information officer for HSBC in Australia and New Zealand, confirms that the bank is "reviewing iPhones from a HSBC group perspective.... I mean, globally." Even if a decision whether to move off the BlackBerry platform and onto the iPhone for mobile users is months or years away, the fact that the conversation is taking place on a more than cursory level is very good news for Apple's efforts to woo the enterprise with Exchange integration on the phone. Now, about that MobileMe situation...[via Techmeme]Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Mac OS X Tip: Text Field Auto-Completion
This is one of those great tips that I suspect many Mac users don’t know about. The unmodified Esc key works in most contexts, too. ★
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The History of Predictive Text Swearing
Perhaps this explains why the iPhone OS 2.0 now auto-corrects “fucking” to “ducking”. ★
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Is the iPhone a complete computer solution for the 60+ crowd?
I had an interesting conversation with my father yesterday. I was trying to explain to him the idea that I had for an application for the iPhone. It's a simple idea that I thought would be easy for him to understand, and it was just one part of the larger conversation we were having. You see, my father isn't a techie. In fact, he doesn't have an email address, he has never gotten online in his life (to my knowledge, anyway), and I've seen him operate a mouse…which wasn't something he was a natural at. I'm not making fun - I'm just trying to be clear - he's not a computer user. Not in the slightest. He's not even someone that is interested in technology. He's not afraid of it, or against using it - its just not something he cares about. Most of the time when I talk about work and whatever I've been doing during the day he patiently listens, and then informs me that while he doesn't have a clue what I'm talking about - it sounds like everything is going well. Yesterday, however, I could hear the excitement in his voice when I was talking to him about this application. We then moved on to talk about what the iPhone is and how it works, and he became really, genuinely excited about the device. He's coming into town on Thursday, and says that he “can't wait” to see it. I've been to his house many times with my iPhone in my pocket, but it never occurred to me that he'd actually care about it. After that conversation though, the thought dawned on me…the iPhone could be his entire computer. My Dad hates using a keyboard and mouse. It's just not an interface he finds in any way engaging, but the idea of just touching the stuff you want to do is really appealing to him. Since all he would really ever use a computer for is email, and a little light internet surfing, it seems like the iPhone might be an ideal choice for him. It's cheap, he can carry it around in his pocket, and it would cover both his phone and his Internet bills. My only concern would be the size of the text in certain applications…but other than that, I can't really think of a reason this would be a bad option for him as a computer solution. What do you think? Is the iPhone a computer replacement for casual users? Is the design more intuitive for old people who aren't computer users?
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iPhone holds second place in US smartphone market
Posted by Dennis SellersThe Synergy Research Group (SRG)“Q2 2008 Mobile Handset Market Share” report says that Apple's iPhone continues to break records, shipping over a million units in three consecutive quarters, reports Mobile Tech News. Even with second quarter shipments dropping in anticipation of the new iPhone 3G, Apple retained the second place...
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Mac 101: Pressing F5 in a text field
Filed under: Mac 101More Mac 101, TUAW tips for new and returning Mac users. If you're typing in a text field (in Safari, TextEdit, or most any Mac OS X app), you can press F5 while your cursor rests in a particular word to see a list of words that begin with the letters after the last space. Holding down Option and pressing Escape works, too. So, for example, if you type create, you get a list of words including create, created, and creates. If there are a lot of words in the list, it only shows the first 100 results, sorted alphabetically. The results come from Mac OS X's built-in dictionary. This trick is useful for when you have a word on the tip of your tongue, need help with possessive apostrophes, or are stuck on a crossword clue. [Via AppleGroup]Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Best Buy's Break-Even iPhone Deal
Best Buy will soon start selling Apple's iPhone, but one analyst said it may not make any profit on the phones themselves and will have to earn money from accessories.
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HSBC could order 200,000 iPhones
Posted by Dennis SellersGlobal banking giant HSBC is considering ditching the BlackBerry and adopting Apple's iPhone as its standard staff mobile device, a move that could result in an order for some 200,000 iPhones, according to ZDNet Australia.
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Premiere Radio launches 'iTunes Download' program
Posted by Dennis SellersPremiere Radio a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications, announced today the launch of The iTunes Download a three-hour weekend music countdown show hosted by iTunes Director of Music Programming Alex Luke. This weekend, the syndicated radio program will debut on Top 40 radio stations nationwide.
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Top iTunes downloads get their own radio show
Tired of listening to the same Top 40 being played over and over on mainstream radio? Listen to the iTunes top 30 of the week on a new radio show instead! This week's potential headliner: American Idol winner David Archuleta.Read More...
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News: Memorex debuts two clock radios for iPod
Memorex has introduced two new clock radios for iPod, the Mi4014 iWakeUp, and the Mi4019 Alarm Clock Radio for iPod. The iWakeUp Mi4014 offers an integrated iPod dock, and features 2.75-inch speakers, dual alarms with the option of waking to the iPod, radio, or alarm, a backlit LCD display, a digital AM/FM radio, snooze function, battery backup, a line-in jack for connecting other audio sources, and an included remote control. It is available…
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iTunes, other online stores displacing CD sales in UK
According to the MCPS-PRS Alliance, a group that collects performance royalties, royalties from iTunes have been growing quickly and helping to offset a drop in CD sales. Read More...
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Fire burns for three hours at Apple HQ in Cupertino (updated 2x)
According to the AP the Santa Clara County Fire Department was called to Apple’s compound at One Inifinte Loop at about 10 p.m. Tuesday night to respond to a three-alarm fire. Smoke and flames were reportedly coming from under an air conditioning unit that burned for about an hour. The fire burned the roof and [...]
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Best Buy first outsider to get iPhone
Best Buy will begin selling the iPhone on 7 September making them the first independent retailer to sell the device. Currently the iPhone 3G is only sold at Apple and AT&T retail stores. The announcement gives Minneapolis-based Best Buy Co. the rights to sell the iPhone in its 970 full-size stores and 16 smaller Best Buy [...]
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Inside MobileMe: iPhone's Exchange alternative for contacts and calendar
MobileMe's Exchange Server-style push updates for contacts and calendar events on the iPhone is entirely new from the previous .Mac. Here's how MobileMe relates to Exchange, how contacts and calendars work, and what's still missing in Apple's service related to calendar and contact management. Inside MobileMe: Secrets of the Cloud and Mobile Push Inside MobileMe: Mac and PC cloud sync and mobile push Inside MobileMe: Apple's Push vs Exchange, BlackBerry, Google Inside MobileMe: iPhone Mail Inside MobileMe: iPhone's Exchange alternative for contacts and calendar Continues: Inside MobileMe: iPhone's Exchange alternative for contacts and calendar
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Tate Liverpool launches first UK iPhone art exhibition tour
Filed under: Multimedia, iPhoneTate Liverpool, one of the Tate art galleries scattered around the UK (the two main galleries are in London, another is in St Ives) has opened an experimental online exhibition tour for iPhone and iPod Touch owners, which it says is the first of its kind in the country. From now until the end of August, visitors to the Gustav Klimt exhibition will be able to browse the free guide content to their iPhones over the gallery's wifi network, or download it beforehand as a podcast. Spare iPod touches with the content pre-loaded will be available for hire for just $6 (3). According to an article about the experiment in Design Week magazine, the guide has been very popular and upped average visit times from 45 minutes to three hours. If you want to try the tour for yourself without making the trip to Liverpool, you can enjoy it in full on the web. Thanks to Jonathan for the tip. Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple market value exceeds Google's
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple FinancialDigital Daily, part of the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital site, is reporting that Apple's market value is now greater than that of Google. The current market capitalization of Apple is US$159.37 billion, squeaking by Google's market cap of US$157.56 billion. Next in Apple's sights ought to be the old man on the block, IBM. Their current market value is around US$170 billion. It may take a while for Apple to catch up with Microsoft, though -- at the present time MSFT is worth about US$255 billion.What's your take on when Apple will overtake IBM? I'm betting on April 1st, 2009.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Verizon launches Visual Voice Mail
One of the iPhone’s most compelling features has been commoditized by Verizon Wireless. The Basking Ridge, N.J.-based Verizon Wireless announced that they are now offering the once Apple-only Visual Voice Mail feature on their LG Voyager handset (which I reviewed on 12 December 2007) for an additional US$2.99 per month. Neither Apple, nor Sprint charge additional [...]
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Fire burns for over three hours at Apple's Cupertino campus (video)
Posted by Dennis Sellers Firefighters put out a three-alarm blaze that burned for more than three hours at Apple's Cupertino campus late Tuesday night., reports the San Jose Mercury News.
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Analyst expects Apple to sell 4.47 million iPhones in December quarter
Posted by Dennis SellersA cheaper price tag and greater international distribution should help Apple quadruple its September quarter iPhone sales, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said in a note to clients. He thinks Apple should easily sell 4.47 million iPhones this quarter, up nine percent from his previous guess of 4.1 million, and...
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New docking station iPigs out
Posted by Dennis SellersSpeakal has freed the US$139 iPig, an iPod docking station that will have you squealing with delight (sorry, couldn't resist). It has five speakers and a four-inch subwoofer that pump out 25 watts of sound.
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Opacity Express is new screen graphics editor for Leopard
Posted by Dennis SellersLike Thought has released Opacity Express 1.0, an US$39 editor for screen graphics, exclusively for Mac OS X 10.5 (“Leopard”). It's designed to help you create images for icons, applications and the web.
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LocalEats iPhone app offers best restaurants in 50 US cities
Posted by Dennis SellersLocalEats, a new iPhone application from Magellan Press, helpslocals and visitors choose from amongthe 100 best restaurants in the top 50 U.S. cities, and then guide them to their dining destinations. It's available at the Apple App Store for 99 cents.
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KeynoteUser releases Gradient Pack 08 theme set
Posted by Dennis SellersKeynoteUser has released Gradient Pack '08, an US$12.95 “theme pack for lazy people.”
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Study: No 'comfort zone' for mobile device vendors in the future
Posted by Dennis SellersMobile devices are the biggest-selling consumer electronics products in the world, with more than one billion shipping every year. However, the market is in a state of rapid flux. “Three or four years from now, no mobile device vendor—no matter what their market position today—will be in a 'comfort zone',”...
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iPresentee releases new iWeb Themes 2.0
Posted by Dennis SellersiPresentee, a developer of add-ons for Apple's iWork and iLife applications, has released iWeb Themes 2.0 to be used with Apple's web site building application, iWeb.
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Fire at Cupertino campus
Filed under: Apple, Apple HistoryA three-alarm blaze drew 60 firefighters to Apple's Cupertino campus on Tuesday night. Specifically, it was in building Valley Green Six at 20705 Valley Green Drive. San Francisco's ABC 7 television news has some video.Investigators suggested that an air conditioning unit could have been the culprit. Fortunately, all employees escaped unharmed. No word on how much damage was done to the building, although some reports say the smoke damage was substantial.We're very glad that no one was hurt, and hope the damage isn't too bad.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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New Apple certified system administrator (ACSA) certification courses, tests offered
Posted by Dennis SellersStarting this month IT professionals can now get trained and certified as an Apple Certified System Administrator (ACSA) on Mac OS X 10.5 (“Leopard”) through the Certified Training Alliance (CTA), a network of independent Apple Authorized Training Centers (AATCs) in the U.S.
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Fullpower offers MotionX-Dice for iPhone, iPod touch free for 90 days
Posted by Dennis SellersFullpower has announced MotionX-Dice for the iPhone and iPod touch. As an introductory offer, MotionX-Dice will be available free through the Apple App Store for the first 90 days.
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Best Buy Mobile to carry iPhone 3G
Posted by Dennis SellersBest Buyannounced today that it will carry Apple's iPhone 3G at Best Buy Mobile stores nationwide beginning Sept. 7. Best Buy Mobile will sell the iPhone 3G at the suggested retail price of US$199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model. These are, of course, the standard...
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No one hurt during last night's Apple HQ fire (Updated)
A fire broke out late last night at Apple's Cupertino headquarters. Thankfully, no one was injured and damage was mostly smoke-related.Read More...
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New Logitech mouse clips to your notebook
Posted by Dennis SellersLogitech has announced the V550 Nano cordless mouse for notebooks. It features a Clip-and-Go dock that letes you clip the mouse to your laptop and go.
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SoundMeter for iPhone
Filed under: Multimedia, Software, Odds and ends, iPhone, App StoreDo you need to make basic sound level measurements? For example, do you want to prove that your next door neighbor really is playing music loud enough to make your ears bleed?Faber Acoustical is coming to your rescue with their US$19.99 SoundMeter for iPhone. They discovered that both the built-in and headset microphones of the iPhone have a flat enough frequency response to make them useful for measuring sound levels. To quote the technical part of their press release, "SoundMeter measures average sound levels with fast, slow, and impulse time weightings. Peak, maximum, and equivalent sound levels are also available. All sound levels may be measured with Flat, A, or C frequency weighting." Got that?Faber notes that SoundMeter doesn't meet ANSI or IEC standards for precision sound level meters, but it works very well as an inexpensive level meter for hobbyists. They recommend not using the built-in mic on first-generation iPhones (the headset may be used instead), and SoundMeter should be calibrated prior to use.Faber Acoustical also produces two other really impressive iPhone apps, SignalScope and SignalSuite. SoundMeter for iPhone is available in the App Store now (click opens iTunes). [via prMac]Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Cygnett releases hands-free speaker system for Bluetooth-enabled cell phones
Posted by Dennis SellersCygnett has announced the US release of its GrooveTooth Talk hands-free speaker system for Bluetooth-enabled cell phones including the iPhone 3G and the first gen iPhone. The GrooveTooth Talk will allow users to converse while they drive.
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Review: GelaSkins for iPhone 3G
Like a second skin for your iPhone 3G, complete with tattoos to keep the metaphor going, GelaSkins for the iPhone 3G wear well.Read More...
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Stepping out for a bit...
Greetings, Hints readers...Beginning tomorrow (August 14th), I'm once again leaving the site in the capable hands of kirkmc, aka Kirk McElhearn, my fellow Macworld contributor and author of many Mac-related books. He'll be in charge of hints and related activities until Friday, August 22nd, when I return from "an extended period of recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling" (according to Dictionary, that's the definition of "vacation"). Unlike past working vacations on Geek Cruises, this will be a true vacation -- I won't have a reliable (or possibly any) internet connection, and my iPhone's data connection will be shut off so that I don't incur those ghastly AT&T charges for...
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3-alarm fire scorches Apple facility
Firefighters extinguish rooftop blaze Tuesday night at the company's Cupertino campus. Extent of the damage is not yet known.
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Best Buy to Sell iPhones, The Symbiosis Grows
Best Buy (BBY) will start selling Apple's iPhone in its stores and the relationship between the two parties has become quite symbiotic. For Apple (AAPL), Best Buy is a great distribution channel–Apple Stores are typically located in metropolitan areas and consumers may not stumble on an AT&T (T) store. Meanwhile, Apple is just solidifying an existing Mac distribution partnership with Best Buy by adding the iPhone. The iPhone will be sold at Best Buy Mobile, which has been rolled out to its 970 stores. Best Buy sells Macs at 600 stores. But the real story here is from the Best Buy side of the equation. Best Buy is under assault on multiple fronts. Consumer spending is slowing and discounters–Walmart (WMT), Target (TGT) and Costco (COST) are increasingly selling electronics. Best Buy's previous defense against the discounters was to offer in-home services (Geek Squad, home theater installations), but Citi analyst Kate McShane expects Walmart and Target to offer similar services soon.
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Play Free Bird!
Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, iPhone, App StoreNext time you're at a concert and just gotta have an encore, don't pull out a cigarette lighter. Instead, launch iLightr!iLightr is a virtual cigarette lighter for iPhone and iPod touch that is available in the App Store now (click opens iTunes). It's only US$0.99 and is an amazingly good simulation of a lighter. You can choose from several different case designs, light the lighter with either a flick of the wrist or by sliding your finger along the sparker, and the flame sways back and forth as you move the iPhone. The sound effects alone are pretty amazing.iLighter was developed by Ubermind and is localized in English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. The developers do not offer a guarantee that iLighter will cause an 80's hair band to play an encore, nor can iLighter be used to start fires.[via prMac]Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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10.5: A possible fix for Active Directory integration issues
I may have found a culprit in the OS X10.5 Active Directory integration problem (see the comments on this post at AFP548.com for more info on the problem). I noticed that after a 10.5 machine is bound, it mostly freezes up when it's trying to authenticate. I started looking around and noticed interesting things in the /Library/Preferences/edu.mit.Kerberos file. Before being bound, the file looked like this:[libdefaults] dns_fallback = "no"I then bound the machine. It was unusably sluggish, as expected. After binding, the file looked like this: # WARNING This file is automatically created by Active Directory# do not make changes to this file;# autogenerated from : /Active Directory/DOMAIN.DOMAIN.LOCAL# generation_id : 0[libdefaults] dns_fallback = no