Aug 31, 2008 Sep 2, 2008 Monday September 1, 2008
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Mac OS X, iPhone, Safari's market share up for August
Posted by Dennis SellersMac OS X rose to 7.86 percent for August in the latest market share survey from Net Applications. That's up from 7.76 in July but slightly under the record high 7.94 percent reported for June.
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Busy Labor Day for Apple rumors
Filed under: iPod Family, Rumors, iPhoneWhile the TUAW team was enjoying our holiday grilling (important safety tip: be sure to clean out the grease trap on your grill at the end of the season, so you don't have an incendiary problem... and also, it's true that baking soda really works well on grease fires) our sister scribes at Engadget were pumping out a few posts on some percolating iPhone & iPod items, mostly from the Berlin IFA trade show. The scorecard: The first wild sighting of a case for the rumored "skinny iPod nano" was picked up by Engadget Spanish and translated for English-speaking audiences. The Hama case even has a full gallery of photos over at ES. It's beginning to look like Kevin Rose (no relation!) may have been right about this one. The kitchen is rocking with the new "made for iPhone refrigerator" from Slovenian manufacturer Gorenje. That's the unit in the picture on the right. Aside from music and video playback, the iFridge features an iPhone-optimized web portal that lets you control your WiFi enabled appliances, Jetsons-style. I'm simultaneously amused, appalled, and seriously jonesing for a new refrigerator. One rumor post that, while it still may pan out, is awaiting some evidentiary support: this Best Buy circular leak that purports to show a new iPod touch model. We all want a new touch, but in this case the circular turns out to be over a month old. Good thing I can still save that $300 and put it towards the iFridgeRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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New iPod touch casually leaked in Best Buy weekly ad?
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video First comes smoke, then comes flames a-blazin'. Shortly after hearing that Apple was gearing up to unveil a new iPod nano (at the very least) on September 9th, in flies a curious Best Buy ad that could be evidence of a tweaked iPod touch. According to our tipster, the image in the ad and the image on Best Buy's website are ever-so-slightly different, and while we'd typically pass this off as the result of a fading ink cartridge, we've been expecting new touches for months now. Just a few days left until we figure out what's really going on here.[Thanks, Samm]Update: As a few folks pointed out, it seems the image is a touch on the ancient side. Still, we know new iPod touches are coming in our hearts -- we can just feel it.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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New iDevKit.com website for developers
Posted by Dave MertenFor all iPhone & iPod Touch Devs out there, go check out iDevKit.com. They have tons of code samples for iPhone & iPod Touch.
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'iPhone Life' magazine launches September 9th
Posted by Dave MertenOn September 9, iPhone Life will be available by subscription or in local stores. The magazine features content that cover all aspects of the iPhone, from news, how-to's, reviews and more.
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Google creating its own browser based on WebKit
Filed under: Internet Tools Google is developing a new web browser built from the ground up and based on WebKit, the same rendering engine that Safari uses. The browser, called Chrome, is open-source software built with security, compatibility and speed in mind. Each tab in the browser will be its own separate running process. For example, if JavaScript hangs in one tab, the other tabs will remain unaffected. The approach is similar to the way Mac OS X isolates applications in their own private areas to prevent one crash from taking down the whole system. Google picked an interesting way of announcing the project: They commissioned illustrator Scott McCloud to draw a 38-page comic book about the project, and distribute it under a Creative Commons license. The result is a very readable, fascinating way to learn about the new browser. For web developers, Chrome will include strong Gears integration, and a JavaScript virtual machine that generates super-fast machine code out of JavaScript instructions. For end users, it will include a new start page that lists the last several pages and search terms you've used. It also includes a private browsing mode. Google is planning on formally launching the project on Wednesday, but the Chrome website isn't visible to the public yet. It's unclear at this point if Chrome will be available for Mac (although the WebKit underpinnings suggest that it will be). They haven't mentioned a date yet, either, as to when the software will be available in beta. [Via Macworld]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Belkin JoyPod plans sneak out
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Hardware, Apple, iPhone, App Store, SDK I guessed that we'd see a more official iPhone controller sooner or later, but I didn't think it'd be this much sooner -- Touch Arcade has unearthed this photo of a Belkin-branded game controller/case for the iPhone and iPod touch called the JoyPod. Looks pretty slick, though as Engadget points out, the ratios don't really work out -- odds are that the final product will have to be a little longer to fit the iPhone in there.Very interesting, though -- now I'm curious to see if Apple really will support stuff like this. Supporting a third-party controller would seem to go against His Jobsness' suggestion that a multitouch screen could be used for anything (even typing on an awkward non-tactile keyboard), but clearly there's a demand, from consumers if not from devs themselves, to move game controls off the screen and onto buttons you can feel while pressing. How else will you be able to "exprimir al maximo tu iPhone o iPod touch"?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Free 'Macintosh Money Newsletter' shows Mac owners how to make cash
Posted by Dave MertenMacInfopreneur Millard Grubb has begun a email newsletter that teaches Macintosh owners how to make more money with their Mac. “I started with the Mac SE 30 years ago making flyers and promotional pieces for my entertainment business, so, from almost Day One, I was able to make some cash...
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iPhone doubles Web browser share
The July release of the iPhone 3G has meant bumps for device's global Web share, according to figures released Monday.
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Gorenje debuts Made for iPod fridge
Filed under: Household, Portable Audio It may not be ensconced in Swarovski crystals like some of its other fridges, but Gorenje seems to think it has a winner on its hands with its new Made for iPod fridge, which it says will conquer contemporary kitchens just as "iPod has conquered the world." Apparently designed specifically for what Gorenje describes as the "the cult iPod touch," the fridge of course boasts the usual iPod dock, as well as pair of built-in speakers of unspecified kitchen-shaking ability. Gorenje also takes things one step further with its iGorenje web portal, which is, you guessed it, optimized for the iPhone or iPod touch. It'll not only give you the usual recipes and other information, but control over other household appliances that are connected via WiFi, although Gorenje is quick to point out that's still only in a test version. No word on a price or release date just, but given Gorenje's penchant for pricey appliances, you can be sure it won't come cheap.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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O2 UK to offer contract-free iPhone 3G soon
Posted by Dave MertenLive in the UK and want an iPhone without a contract? Well, prepaid phones will be available on September 16th from both O2 itself as well as Apple retail stores and Carphone Warehouse. The bad news is, the phone is going to cost you quite a bit more. The official...
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O2 iPhone paygo plans coming Sept. 16
Filed under: iPhoneIn June, O2 kind of announced that there would be a pay-as-you-go plan for the iPhone, and now they've finally set September 16 as its launch. UK customers can buy an 8GB iPhone for £350, and a 16GB handset for £400. Both plans come with free web browsing for the first year. (After the first year, it's £10 per month for unlimited data.) Pricey. Less pricey than, say, Greece, but still pretty steep. Tariffs will be based on the "Favourite Place" scheme. A £10 - £14 top-up gets you 500 minutes to any UK landline, £15 - £29 gets you 1000 minutes, and £30 or more gets you unlimited minutes. Texts are 10p each. Taking your iPhone abroad could get spendy, though: downloading 1MB of data in any EU country will cost three quid -- six outside Europe. O2 also said they will give customers 10 percent of the value of their top-ups over the last 18 months as call time worth up to £200. [Via iPhonesTalk and Total Telecom.] Thanks Ash and William for the heads-up!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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35 places to download free and legal Mp3s
Posted by Dave MertenBy Lee Mathews I love the RIAA. They make sure the hard working bands that record the music we love can still squeak out a living in the face of an ever-growing number of freeloading downloaders. Without them, how many talentless, lip-synching, manufactured performers would be able to afford homes...
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Apple to deliver "interactive album"
Filed under: iPod Family, iTS, Internet Tools, iPhoneHere's something to look forward to. The band Snow Patrol have announced the pending release of their first "interactive album," A Hundred Million Suns, for iPhone and iPod touch via the iTunes Store. So what's "interactive" about it? According to the band, users will be able to access content like lyrics, additional images and artwork plus video from the iPhone and iPod's touchscreen. The album's project manager called it "...a digital booklet that will take you into the videos and content."Sounds like a fun way for musical artists to take advantage of touch technology. Expect A Hundred Million Suns to be released in October.[Via Steve Rubel]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Google Chrome — Upcoming New Web Browser
Introduced in the form of a comic by Scott McCloud. Based on WebKit, not Gecko. Sounds more like an application runtime than a web browser, though. ★
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Review: Toy Bot Diaries, a platformer/puzzle game for iPhone
Toy Bot Diaries is a puzzle-platformer match made in iPhone heaven. Take a look inside to see our impressions.Read More...
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iPhonexe offers alternative App Store search
Filed under: iTS, Internet Tools, App StoreA few weeks ago, I wrote about the sorry state of global search in iTunes. Basically, the iTunes Store has grown so large that it's difficult to find what you're after. Type something into the search field and you'll see results for albums, podcasts, movies, TV season, apps and more. Stop the insanity!iphonexe is offering a solution for the App Store. They've got 3,000 titles sorted by category. Enter the name of your target application and you're brought to a results page with a summary, version number, screenshots and an App Store (sponsored) link.They've also got a directory of jailbroken apps which works the same way. It's not the solution I'm looking for, but does limit search results to iPhone/iPod touch apps.[Via MacNN]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Interactive albums coming to iTunes
According to a report in Music Week, Snow Patrol's next album will be released in a new interactive format on iTunes, and will include lyrics and exclusive images.
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Monday afternoon Apple links: Labor Day edition
This Labor Day, we have gifted you with a handful of Apple links to keep you entertained while grilling out. Read about Steve Jobs' penchant for handicapped parking spots, iPhone magazines, an interview with Andy Hertzfeld, China Mobile selling the iPhone, the newfound fame of iPhone factory girl, and a new issue tracking app for the Mac called Lighthouse Keeper.Read More...
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MS and Vegas Apple Stores: Your reports
Filed under: Apple Corporate, RetailApple opened two new Apple Stores last weekend -- one in Ridgeland, Mississippi (that state's first store) and another in sunny Las Vegas (Nevada's fourth and the third in Vegas). As usual, we asked any TUAW operatives who may have attended to share their reports and/or pictures. Reader Dave took some nice shots in Mississippi.So, did you go, and more importantly, what did you get? Let us know in the comments. Here's hoping you scored a T-shirt!In related news, there's an interesting map at ifoAppleStore that overlays Apple Store locations with population density in the US. Of course it makes sense to put stores where the most people are, and that's just what Apple has done.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Google planning new Chrome browser based on WebKit
Prince McLean, Apple Insider A Google blogger has published an illustrated document outlining Google Chrome, a new web browser project based on Apple’s WebKit open source rendering engine. The blogger says Google mailed out a description of the new project’s features in the form of a 38-page comic book, illustrated by artist Scott McCloud of Understanding Comics [...]
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TAB Mobile Site Available
I hope all of you are having a glorious un-labor day and doing nothing but reading through all the past 2,100+ articles here on The Apple Blog. What? You're not doing that? That's unfortunate. At any rate, if you aren't doing that, you should definitely check out the new mobile version of The Apple Blog! Just go to m.theappleblog.com on your mobile device and bask in the gloriousness of simplified article browsing. If you have any problems with it, let me know. Enjoy! (more…)
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Forum Activity: September 1, 2008
Unzipping Files Settings to make IP address publicly accessible? My case from Interofficemac.com and power adapter for The Air Touchscreen ideas for Medicfusion EMR? Will SDK run on Mac mini with PowerPC G4?
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TUAW Tip: Create an OS X admin user without a disc
Filed under: OS, Terminal TipsRecently, I had to create a new admin user on an older 500mhz Power Mac G4 running OS 10.3.9. Needless to say, there was no 10.3 install discs to be found. What to do? Follow these simple (but powerful) steps.First, restart the Mac while holding down the Command and "S" keys to start in Single-User Mode. Next, you'll see the UNIX boot sequence in white text on a black field. Don't worry, that's what we expected. At the prompt, type the following commands, hitting "Return" after each. mount -uw / rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone shutdown /h now Please be sure to type these commands exactly as presented here (sans bullets). "rm" is a powerful little command and if the syntax isn't right, you might unintentionally delete something important. Next, your machine will shut down. Turn it back on and you'll see the "Welcome to OS X" video, and be prompted through the process of creating a new admin user.Other users on that machine -- including other admin users -- will remain intact. This is also a good way to change the password on an older admin account without the disc. Simply follow the same steps and, once you've logged in with the new account, change the password on your old account. Then, log in as the old account and delete the new one.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iPhone security: BossPref bypasses phone lock (video)
Posted by Dave MertenIf you have a jailbroken iPhone with BossPref installed, make sure you have your double-tab Home button set NOT to bring up BossPref. If you do, your iPhone can be broken into as demonstrated in the video below.
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Rumor: iPhone gamepad may get Apple's support
The idea of a game controller is not new, but support from Belkin, and by extension Apple, would be big news for casual gaming on the iPhone and iPod touch.Read More...
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3 great uses for your screen shot app
Filed under: Productivity, Tips and tricksWhether you use Leopard's native screen grab tool, or a specially designed app like Skitch, there's more you can use it for than just snapping a shot of your desktop. Here are three of my favorites: No more cut and paste - I often have to replicate several pages of a content management system (CMS) that require me to enter tags in a field one at a time. I used to enter them on the first page, then copy the text, open Text Edit or Stickies, paste the text, then move on to the next page and flip back and forth between screens while re-entering tags on each page. Now I just snap a screenshot of the tags I've entered and use it as a reference on the remaining CMS pages. File those registration receipts - After I've bought an app, I snap a shot of the receipt screen and store it in Evernote. Of course I also keep the copy the vendor emails me, buts it's nice having a backup in case my email client flakes out. Make audio editing easier - While editing podcasts in Audacity, I often need to note the exact time of a clip. While it's easy enough to make a note with pencil and paper (remember those?), a screen grab lets me see at a glance exactly what other settings I was using at the time. What are some of your more unconventional uses for the screen grab tool?Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Most iPhone 3G models now available at all stores
According to Lehman Brothers analyst Ben Reitzes, this past week marked the end of the iPhone 3G drought. Apple Stores pretty much have everything in stock again, meaning that supply seems to have caught up with demand.Read More...
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iPhone market share surges in August
Usage of iPhones doubles from from June to August as the iPhone 3G makes itself heard. Meanwhile, Mac OS X and Safari are flat.Read More...
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Do you suffer from 'appiphilia'?
Filed under: Humor, App Store Do you download applications you don't even use? Do you stay up late, obsessively logging in to iTunes? If so, you may have appiphilia. But don't worry: Appiphilia is treatable with Appien, from the makers of Extensionil and Kaleidoscept. Talk to your doctor about Appien. For some patients, it can reduce the joy associated with buying new applications, meaning less time on the App Store, and more time doing the things that you love: like checking email or using Maps. Only your doctor can diagnose appiphilia. If you spent more than $30 on applications in the last week, there's a good chance Appien can help. Appien isn't for everyone. Side effects include nausea, projectile Zune ownership, and dry mouth. Tell your doctor if backing up your iPhone takes longer than four hours, since this can be a sign of a rare complication that requires immediate medical attention. Talk to your doctor about Appien. Appien. Regain control of your iPhone. [Via The Los Angeles Times.]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iWebTemplate adds 5 New iWeb Themes
Posted by Dave MerteniWebTemplate has added 5 new additional iWeb templates to its increasing collection. iWebTemplate has collaborated with Jumsoft, iPresentee and 11Mystics to bring you one of the internets largest iweb template/theme collections. These templates are available to use in creating websites, blogs, and podcasts complete with photos, movies, and music
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DIY MacBook upgrade
Filed under: Hardware, How-tos, Odds and ends, MacBookYeah, so that black MacBook you bought a couple of years ago with an 80 GB hard drive isn't lookin' so hot now, is it? You know things are bad when you have to delete your pr0n videos to make room for incoming email. You'd like to swap out the hard drive, but your tech skills are sucky. What do you do?Go to Instructables! They're always doing something fun over there, like showing how to install Tiger on a PC. There's also a recent post (surprise!) about how to upgrade your measly MacBook hard drive and preserve your existing data. Afterwards, you'll be doin' the happy dance, too!Advance note to commenters: yeah, we know this isn't exactly rocket science, but for those who might be a little squeamish about actually yanking the hard drive out of their MacBooks, these step-by-step instructions should put their minds at ease.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Macnification
In my ongoing search to finish the process of making my Mac the only object I need to do anything at all - a can opener is in development - I've been on the lookout for a good piece of software to manage microscopy photos. Most microscopes come with software to do this, to be honest, but the big flaw with a lot of that software is that it's either Windows-only, requiring Mac-using scientists to run some kind of virtualization or get a cheap Windows box to run it, or it simply doesn't do all the things you need it to. Enter Macnification, from Orbicule. With a whole host of features that I've been wishing for in current scope apps, and others I hadn't even hoped were possible, Macnification is about to be a complete revolution in the way I work. The most amazing part of Macnification is its support for stacks. In microscopy parlance, a stack is a group of images arranged vertically to either show different focal depths or time phases. A stacked image lets the viewer see the object in as close to 3D as flat photography is going to get. Macnification really highlights this, treating the stacks as if they were physical objects. Z-slices through a stack are cake, with a realtime preview of what the section is going to look like that lets you rotate and angle the slice line to get the ideal cut. Extended focal imaging, or EFI, is also a breeze - a matter of two clicks - and fast, compressing a stack into a single image that features the sharpest parts of each component image. All this image editing is also non-destructive, a huge plus in today's increasingly-suspicious scientific imaging scene, with more and more journals requiring originals for analysis or forbidding image editing outright. Another nifty bit is the ease of creation of time-lapse movies. I have a series of photos of the calcium flare across some neurons, and I'd been looking for a decent way to make this a time-lapse movie for presentations. Macnification did it in about fifteen seconds with only a couple of clicks. Brilliant - and everyone's been asking how I did it. (Now I get to smile enigmatically again and point to my Mac.) I do wish that this would run on anything besides 10.5, though - I've got some older computers in the lab that just are never going to cut it for Leopard. While I know it's a sacrifice for all of the fancy features that require Leopard's strengths, it's still a drag. Macnification is available in a free trial and for purchase starting at around $400 USD.
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Hands-on with Hama's iPod nano 4G case at IFA
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video Our spicy, siesta loving friends over at Engadget Spanish just nabbed a hands-on with Hama's "iPod nano 4G" case on the floor of IFA. The tip came in anonymously about an hour ago and sure enough, there it is, buried in a mountain of iPod accessories and sharing the same smooth arc of the Kevin Rose nano -- as it will from henceforth be known. Hit the read link for all the pics, or check a couple more after the break.Continue reading Hands-on with Hama's iPod nano 4G case at IFARead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple set to release "interactive album applications" for Snow Patrol, others
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video Looks like Apple is continuing to push the envelop of digital music with new interactive albums. The first artist in the cue is Snow Patrol, set to release their latest studio album next month. According to a Polydor production manager, the downloadable, "interactive" application (via AppStore or iTunes? Rumored iTunes 8?) will offer additional content such as artwork, behind-the-scenes images, and lyrics for iPhone and iPod touch owners -- "A digital booklet that will take you into the videos and content." Now who says that digital music can't be profitable?[Via MacWord UK]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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How Big Will iPhone Gaming Be?
This could have as big an effect on video gaming as the Wii did, maybe more. Basically the iPhone (and it's close cousin the iPod Touch) were not designed as gaming machines. They were designed as general purpose pocket devices with an emphasis on telephony and MP3, with a lousy camera and a brilliant gesture user interface. These limitations mean that games development on this platform presents unique challenges which require plenty of innovation in order to create good gaming experiences. However the sheer volume of iPhones being sold and the brilliant business model for developers make this one of the most exciting areas of the games industry.The iPhone 3G sold a million units in its first weekend on sale and three million units in its first month. These figures are only limited by how many Apple (AAPL) can make. App Store, the mechanic for selling non music content, has delivered 60 million programs to customers for $30 million in its first month. 2 million downloads a day. 70% of revenue goes to the developer and 30% to Apple. Steve Jobs is understating the situation when he says: “This thing's going to crest a half a billion, soon. Who knows, maybe it will be a USD 1 billion marketplace at some point in time… I've never seen anything like this in my career for software.”
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Sprint leaks XOHM WiMax service details and devices
Filed under: Wireless A little URL hacking by Engadget fan Leo, has revealed Sprint's new My Xohm site and loads of service information. The site is clearly in a preparatory state with plenty of dead links and Latin dummy-text holding the pre-launch site format together. Nevertheless, there is quite a bit of detail here, some of which, is likely more than just idle filler. For example, based on the current text, we can expect the following at service launch in September: Nokia's N810 WiMAX Edition -- looks like a lock based on the liberal use of its image (above) across the pages. XOHM USB (ZTE's TU25) modem. XOHM Express Card (Samsung's SWC-E100) modem with optional PCMCIA adapter. XOHM Modem (ZyXel's MAX-206M2) Ethernet hub / router with optional 4-hour battery -- unfortunately, XOHM will not offer static IP addresses at this time. The XOHM portal (whatever that is) supports both Windows and OS X. However, the modems listed above and Sprint's XOHM Connection Manager software are PC-only, sorry Mac owners. Unfortunately, we can't find any specific pricing information but the site does tell us that access will be sold by the day or by the month without binding contracts or cancellation fees. It also promises speeds between 2-4Mbps for downloads and 1-3Mbps for uploads. Not sure that's worth the move to Baltimore but it's certainly given us cause to pause at the thought.[Thanks, Leo S.]Read -- General Support FAQRead -- Pricing and SpeedRead -- My XohmRead -- DevicesContinue reading Sprint leaks XOHM WiMax service details and devicesPermalink | Email this | Comments
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iPhones at 7-11? It Could Happen
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Finding the Upside with Broadcom
“Connecting Everything” is a perfect company slogan for a company which has been doing just that. Broadcom (BRCM), a semiconductor company based in Irvine, CA, has had explosive growth recently. Many of its products are regarded as parts of the wireless and multi-face future. Its low-cost, high-speed multi-functioning “system-on-a-chip” semiconductors and the software that combines voice, video, data, and multimedia applications are best-of-breed in the industry. In addition, Broadcom has contracts with other highly regarded computer companies such as Apple (AAPL), Alcatel (ALU), Cisco (CSCO), Dell (DELL), EchoStar (SATS), HP (HPQ), IBM (IBM), LG, Nintendo (NTDOY.PK), Nokia (NOK), Nortel Networks (NT), Pace, Samsung and many others. Although they have a lot of contracts with these big name companies, they also do a lot of business with smaller companies. In 2007, the leading five customers accounted for about 40% of total revenue.
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Toy Bot Diaries
Toy Bot: enemy of wooden planks everywhere. read more
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iPod classic Winner!
The winner of the Comment Contest for the iPod classic sent us a nice letter and sweet pic of his new iPod. The day after winning the most complicated contest ever, my well worn iPod nano bit the dust. What luck, considering that I haven't won anything since that Hershey bar in grade school! Gone are the days of figuring out what to music to bring and what to leave at home. This thing is great! Thanks Mac|Life! -John read more