Sep 2, 2008 Sep 4, 2008 Wednesday September 3, 2008
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NetNewsWire updated to version 3.1.7
Posted by Dennis SellersRanchero Software has updated NetNewsWire to version 3.1.7. The upgrade fixes a startup crash and compatibility with some proxies, adds a “do javascript” command, updates the French localization, and removes the microformats feature.
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NetSketch 1.2 for iPhone, iPod touch sports performance improvements
Posted by Dennis SellersGotow.net has released NetSketch 1.2, an update of the software that brings collaborative drawing to the iPhone and iPod touch. It costs US$7.99 and is available at. Version 1.2 is a free update for registered users and sports performance improvements.
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Steinberg updates Cubase, Cubase Studio
Posted by Dennis SellersSteinberg has released an update to its Cubase 4 and Cubase Studio 4 music production systems. The 4.5 versions are available now as a download for all registered Cubase 4 and Cubase Studio 4 customers.
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'Welcome to Macintosh' to screen at the Naperville Independent Film Festival
Posted by Dennis SellersWelcome to Macintosh has been selected to present at the 2008 Naperville Independent Film Festival in Naperville, Illinois. The festival runs Sept. 24-27 with Welcome to Macintosh screening Thursday, Sept. 25, 12:15pm. This comes on the heels of a Sept. 5 screening in Berlin for the Globians Documentary Film Festival.
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WSJ reviews HTC Touch Diamond: "can't disguise WinMo's flaws"
Filed under: CellphonesIt was only a matter of time before the WSJ (Katherine Boehret, in this case) got their hands around Sprint's still-not-official Touch Diamond, and we can't say that the conclusion she drew is at all shocking. As Mossberg and his partners so often do, Katherine mentions Apple's darling just as much as the topic of the review itself, and while she seemed impressed with the hardware, it was the software that suffered the brunt of her attacks. She proclaimed that "despite its handsome TouchFLO 3D software and animated icons, the device failed to disguise the frustrating interface of Windows Mobile often enough for [her] taste." Beyond that, she also found room to gripe about the "cramped" keyboard, which she felt was "next to impossible" to use with just her fingertips. On the plus side, she did give the browser a decent amount of praise, but if you were looking for support from this critic before picking up the forthcoming handset, you'll be sorely disappointed.[Via phonescoop]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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STM Bags rolls out Rogue Roller
Posted by Dennis SellersSTM Bags has released the Rogue Roller ($159), a “wheelie bag” for your laptop and other items suchas a change of clothes and paperwork. And it's purportedly small enough to fit in the overheard compartments of most planes.
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Alta Vida announces Babelingo 1.2 for iPhone, iPod touch
Posted by Dennis SellersAlta Vida has updated Babelingo, the language translation utility for the iPhone and iPod touch, to version 1.2. Version 1.2 includes professionally translated phrases in the Czech and Hindi languages.
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Macvide updates Audio Recorder
Posted by Dennis SellersMacvide has updated Audio Recorder, its audio capturing conversion utility for Mac OS X (10.4 and higher) to version 1.9. It's a maintenance update.
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Compare Folders removes .Mac/MobileMe support
Posted by Dennis SellersiNexus has updated Compare Folders, Mac OS X software for sorting folder contents, to version 3.2. This update removes .Mac/MobileMe support, but also improves exclusions in the engine and polishes more of the user interface.
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Mitsubishi introduces new projectors for home theaters
Posted by Dennis SellersMitsubishi has announced its Diamond Series of projectors designed for the finest high-definition home theater environments. The Diamond Series of projectors includes Mitsubishi's new flagship home theater projector, the HC7000U, and the HC6500U, both premiering at the CEDIA Expo.
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Shrapnel Games updates Dominions 3
Posted by Dennis SellersShrapnel Games has announced the release of a new patch for Dominions 3: The Awakening, Illwinter Game Design's third installment in the turn-based fantasy war game series, reports Inside Mac Games.
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Star Trigon game available at Apple App Store
Posted by Dennis SellersNamoc's Star Trigon game for the iPhone and iPod touch is available for US$4.99 at the Apple App Store.
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Switzerland Apple Stores near completion
Filed under: Retail, RumorsThe Apple retail machine continues to move, this time across Switzerland, as three stores are nearly ready. ifoAppleStore reports that the store in Zurich's Glattzentrum shopping mall should be in business any time now, and they've posted some tantalizing spy shots. A second store is scheduled to open in Zurich on Bahnhofstrasse by year's end. Job postings for these locations began to appear on Apple's job board as early as last February.Finally, a third store on Rue de Rive (Geneva) is scheduled to open later this month.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Eurogamer reveals EVE Online expansion details
Posted by Dennis SellersEurogamer revealed details about the next expansion for EVE Online, reports Inside Mac Games. The upcoming addition to the sci-fi MMO will focus on science, industry, and research aspects of the game, increasing non-combat related content for EVE, the article adds.
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Straight Out of Compton
John Siracusa: It’s not that any particular feature of Chrome is so wonderful, or even that the sum of those features puts Safari back on its heels in the browser wars. It’s the idea that someone other than Apple has taken such clear leadership in this area. Google Chrome makes Safari’s user interface look conservative; it makes Apple look timid. ★
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Spore Origins comes to iPhone, iPod touch
Posted by Dennis SellersEA's iPod version of Spore Origins is available at the Apple App Store for US$4.99. It's a mobile spin-off of the Spores game.
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The Future of the Instapaper iPhone App
Marco Arment, developer of the terrific Instapaper iPhone app (and the Instapaper web site): I compiled a feature list for what I want in Instapaper.app 2.0, and it’s huge. It’s easily 6 months of work. I can’t do this and anything else — it has to just be this. I can only devote a few hours per week to Instapaper as it is. But if I can pull off the product I want for 2.0, I’ll really have something amazing. Instapaper (and, now, the new $10 Instapaper Pro) is one of my very favorite iPhone apps. In a nut, you set up a free account (super quick setup!), then use a bookmarklet in MobileSafari (or any desktop browser) to flag web pages you wish to read later. The Instapaper iPhone app stores local versions of these web pages, so you can read them (a) offline; and (b) in a text-only iPhone-optimized format. If you like to read and haven’t at least tried the free version of Instapaper, you’re missing out. ★
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Line Rider coming to iPhone
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, iPhoneI thought Line Rider kind of "jumped" the shark (so to speak) when they sold out to McDonald's, but apparently the little sandbox physics game is still kicking around. InXile, the company that makes it, is working on a version for the iPhone. There was a version available for jailbreakers, but apparently the company put the kibosh on it when they found out.Not much else to say about this -- Line Rider is currently available for free online, and if you like it there, you'll probably like it on the iPhone, too. Personally, it's more fun to watch than to play -- whenever I try to make a run, my little guy always dies on the first curve. But maybe with a little more iPhone-based practice, I can finally get him to do that loop-de-loop I've been wanting.[via Touch Arcade]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Efiko releases ToneFXs for iPhone
Posted by Dennis SellersEfiko has released ToneFXs, an iPhone app that lets you shuffle your ringtones, customer your text message tone, calendar alert and more.
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First-Gen iPhones rise steadily in price
Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhone This Business Week article describes the rising demand for first generation iPhones. "Shelf prices" (using eBay values of virtual shelves) for the 16GB iPhone are currently at about $600, and $500 for 8GB models. In other words, the $250 AT&T refurb specials from March are now worth roughly double what you paid for them. From easy-unlocking to contract-free usage to eco-consumerism, consumers are looking for those original units and paying premium prices to get them. A majority of phones are heading outside the US for resale while growing demand at home keeps resale prices high.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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OmniOutliner adds support for Leopard's Quick Look feature
Posted by Dennis SellersThe Omni Group has updated OmniOutliner, its outlining app for Mac OS X, to version 3.7. The upgrade adds support for Mac OS X 10.5's Quick Look feature and support for the OmniFocus protocol.
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Sharp debuts all new line of boomboxes at CEDIA
Filed under: Home Entertainment Shortly after Sony pumped out a funky fresh new boombox of its own, along comes Sharp with a stable of its own. The outfit has just unveiled the CD-DK890N and CD-DK891N sound systems, both of which feature iPod compatibility (via an integrated dock), 250-watts of amplification, AM / FM tuners, a five-disc CD changer and X Bass for a little extra bottom end. It's also introducing the 600-watt CD-G14000, the much more minuscule CD-MPX880 and the XL-DK257N / XL-DK227N micro-audio systems. The whole lot is available now with prices ranging from $139.99 o $329.99, and yep, the full release is after the jump.Continue reading Sharp debuts all new line of boomboxes at CEDIAPermalink | Email this | Comments
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TUAW Tips: Open .docx files with Office 2004
Filed under: Software, TUAW TipsIf you haven't yet upgraded to Microsoft Office 2008, you're probably intimately familiar with the problem of receiving Office 2008 .docx (Word 2008) files; they're not natively supported by Office 2004. If you have updated that older version of Office to 11.5.0 and installed the Open XML File Format Converter for Mac, you'll be able to open .docx files in Word 2004.Both the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.5.0 Update Package and the Open XML File Format Converter for Mac are available for free. Another way that you can resolve the .docx dilemma is to use Zamzar's online file converter (see screenshot below) to downgrade the .docx file to the .doc format. Choose the .docx file, select the file format (.doc) that you wish to convert the file to, enter your email address so that Zamzar can send the converted file to you, and then click the Convert button. You'll receive the converted file shortly. This tip comes to you via Jenny Cortina over at The Apple Blog.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Dejal Simon for Mac OS X updated to version 2.4.2
Posted by Dennis SellersDejal Systems has released Dejal Simon 2.4.2, an update of the site monitoring tool for Mac OS X. It checks web pages, FTP and DNS servers, local or remote ports or volumes, and other services for changes or failures, and notifies you via e-mail, sound, speech, Twitter, HTML reports, and...
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Republican/Democratic National Conventions offered by iTunes
Love 'em or hate 'em, the Democratic and Republican National Conventions are available on iTunes in audio and video form, and all for free. You can cherry pick your favorite speakers, too.Read More...
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AT&T: East coast iPhone data issues solved
Filed under: Hardware, iPhoneEarlier today, many iPhone owners on the east coast (including yours truly) were experiencing data problems with AT&T. Specifically, my data transfer all but disappeared, including web and email, over EDGE. The weird part was that my iPhone was reporting a strong signal. It seems I wasn't alone.Electornista is reporting that the issue affected users from New York to Missouri, Massachusetts and North Carolina. AT&T responded and, as of this writing, it's been worked out. A representative said, "There was a routing issue affecting some wireless data use in the Northeast region ... technicians determined the cause and restored service at 11:56AM EDT."So, flip on your iPhones, east coast-dwellers. We're back in business.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iTunes 8 coming at next week's Apple event?
A new version of iTunes could accompany new iPods next week and give lazy mixtape creators a way to put together playlists from their libraries.
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Sept. 3 'Macsimum Podcast' now available
Posted by Dennis SellersThe Macsimum Podcast for Sept. 3 is now available here and the RSS feed is here.
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More lawsuits for Apple over 3G data speeds
Filed under: Apple Corporate, iPhoneIn an oddly prescient lawsuit filed yesterday, a San Diego man claims that Apple and AT&T knowingly oversold the iPhone 3G, and overloaded the network, causing slow data throughput. We may never know if this morning's outage was in any way related to the claims the man, William J. Gillis, makes in his filing. He is seeking class-action status for the suit. It follows a similar one filed in Alabama which questioned claims that 3G data speeds are twice as fast, as Apple advertised. Gillis, a local "corporate entertainer" and "world renowned Master Magician" (according to his website), says the iPhone's packaging does not warn buyers that its performance may not meet customers' expectations. That SUV won't actually drive straight up a cliff face, you know. Newsflash: Every mobile provider oversells the capacity of its network. Witness attending a convention or during a disaster: it's hard to make a call, because everything's jammed with people trying to make calls. It's the cornerstone of the mobile phone industry, and it's probably not going away because of this lawsuit. Just add this one to the growing pile of work to do for Apple's corporate lawyers. [Via AppleInsider]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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September 9th Predictions
Filed under: Other Events, One More ThingWith the September 9th "Let's Rock" event confirmed at Yerba Buena, TUAW readers seem confident that we're about to see a new iPod debut. 70% of you agreed on that point. Rumors point to a revamped nano, with a longer silhouette. This new shape makes the nano easier to hold onto without dropping, especially when running.. An updated Nike kit appears likely. Nike support is long overdue for the iPod touch and, especially, the iPhone 3G with its built-in GPS system. Rumors suggest that the update will include more biometric logging and feedback for the stats-obsessed athlete in you. Since Nike makes their money from the shoe sales, I doubt that the kit will rely entirely on iPod-based sensors though. Any update needs to retain Nike's sales interests. Maybe we'll see heart rate monitoring as well as pace feedback. If rumors hold true, Apple may also respond to Nokia's "Come With Music" promotion by introducing iTunes Unlimited. "Comes with Music" offers unlimited access to a large library of music -- plus you get to keep any music you download after the year is done. I suspect that you're limited to the music that fits onto the device at any one time, otherwise -- woo! -- people will be downloading music for 365 days straight. The iTunes Unlimited rumor refers to a standard subscription model, like the Microsoft/Zune deal. Full access to the iTunes library (except for stuff that you *really* want like Album-only extras) plus you can buy tracks to keep. We were tipped about this possibility several weeks back. The thought still appeals to me and others who prefer to sample lots of music rather than to commit to specific albums. The September event seems like the perfect time and place to add a new revenue-generated opportunity to iTunes. What says "Merry Christmas" better than a brand new iPod nano that comes pre-loaded with, pretty much, every song in the iTunes library? By offering a 15-month initial trial (yes, I'm pulling this out of nowhere), Apple could get customers hooked on re-loading subscriptions around Christmas each year, a time when people are feeling especially generous towards their families. Of course, they could also push: "Send your kids to school with iPods so they don't have to call home from jail when the RIAA gets them for pirating." iPod as "get out of jail free card" could appeal strongly to parents. A music subscription package could be that mystery "low-profit" feature that Apple hinted at at the last quarter financial projections. Apple might not make a lot of profit off each subscription but it could really sell a lot more new iPods. The iPod touch has been out for a year and could use refreshing. July 11th came and went without any touch updates. This event may bring some nice features like enhanced onboard memory and maybe built-in speakers and microphones. I'd certainly love to see the touch pick up more iPhone premium features as it deserves respect in and of itself as a great platform. (ilounge just posted some specs). Rumor has it that we're about to see at least part of the next stage of the iPhone firmware story. Firmware 2.1 should drop (current firmware is 2.0.2) offering greater stability but without some of the features that Apple discussed this summer, namely push notification. Push notification is Apple's way of providing a work-around for its no-background-processes policy. Developers put any continuous processes on their own servers. This provides a way to create live data feeds, rather than taxing the iPhone's limited resources. This works great for Mail, less great for IM, and pretty badly for any data that originates on the iPhone (such as your current location). It's reminiscent of that "sweet solution" of the iPhone's original webapp-only policy: well intended but misses the point. Along with any updated firmware, iTunes 7.8 8.0 (thanks readers) may appear as well, possibly to support any new rental/subscription features. Of course, I'd really love to see (but have near zero expectations of actually getting) the iPod Air. I've never quite given up hope that Apple would recognize how brilliant its touch platform could be when enlarged and transformed into a tablet device. Lecturers shouldn't have to stare into an audience of Apple logos on the backs of computer screens instead of meeting student's eyes. An iPod Air could merge the wins of the MacBook Air and iPod touch into a really portable yet seriously usable platform that puts computing back onto the table and away from erecting barriers between people. So what are your predictions? What do you think that Let's Rock will introduce on Tuesday? Let us know in the comments. Thanks, Øivind KjellnøRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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'Macsimum Recommended Reading' for Sept. 3
Posted by Dennis Sellers“Number of students with Apple computers rises to 40 percent: This year 60 percent of the first-year class brought Apple computers to school, bringing the school total to 40 percent Apple and 60 percent computers with Windows based operating system, a Library and Technology Services staff member said.”—The Justice
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Google Chrome brought to you in part by a Camino dev
Google's new Chrome browser is actually being led by the developer of the Mac's own native Firefox alternative, Camino. The developer has spoken about what his involvement in both projects means, but the inevitable may still be, well, inevitable.Read More...
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Apple Gazette Daily 339 - Slow news day + headlines report
podcast sponsor link:Click Here to check out Blogflux Groups! Today's Show: Slow news day + headlines repor 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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Stress less with Meditation Timer for the iPhone
Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone, App Store Taking time out of busy day just to meditate for a few minutes is a beautiful thing -- if you can stay focused long enough.The folks at Lingon i Korg Software Creations have come up with a way to help -- Meditation Timer [iTunes link] for the iPhone and iPod touch. This cool little app does more than just bong an alarm when meditation time is up. Any old app can do that. This timer gives you a choice between two soothing screen color schemes -- purple and white, or green and white -- and two different alarm settings. Just like the iPhone and touch's native alarm, you set the hours, minutes, and seconds by scrolling through the onscreen dials to the select the length of time you want to meditate (it defaults to 10 minutes). You'll be alerted when time's up by a gentle chime called "Spinning Bowl." You can also set the alarm to vibrate (iPhone only), or turn it off entirely. If you need a reminder to start winding down to get ready for your next round of meditation, set the Preparation Timer to count down the minutes until your next session. Meditation Timer is free to the first 5,000 customers. After that, the app will be priced at 99 cents. Ohhhmmmm....DownloadThisNow......Ohhhhmmmm....Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Simon Says, Google Chrome
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Article: iPhone Gems: Big-Named Games with Middling Ratings
Seven new iPhone and iPod touch games representing a variety of different genres have been reviewed this week, and rather than reprinting all of the reviews here, iPhone Gems will highlight the key points you need to know about each title. Calling most of these titles “gems” might be a stretch, as virtually all are in the low B to C range in rating, but Ian Marsh's free game Hanoi is definitely worth checking out if you're…
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DVCreators cook up DVKitchen app
Posted by Dennis SellersDVcreators has released DVKitchen, a Mac OS X application for publishing video on the Internet. It features batch video encoding, integrated uploading and remote FTP server management, HTML code generation, and still frame export, along with media publishing functions.
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Let's Rock Event, iPod Only?
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Review: Ian Marsh Hanoi and Hanoi Plus
The concept is simple: there's a stack of coins on a flat surface, and you need to transfer the stack piece by piece from the left to the right side of the screen, one coin at a time. There are only three positions to place the coins in, left, center, and right, and with every success you have in achieving the transfer, the background changes and more coins are added to the stack. That's it, however, every additional set of coins makes…
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Apple unlikely to unveil iTunes subscription service Tuesday
Although such a service as been rumored for some time, Apple still only has licenses with the major labels to offer digital downloads, sources said.
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Mac 101: Switching apps within Exposé
Filed under: Mac 101By now, everyone knows about the awesome power/productivity achieved by using Exposé. Well, here is one time saver that Apple built in which you might not have known about. After you invoke Exposé by using either the Exposé key, F9, or F10, pressing the tab key will cycle through your open application's windows. Keep pressing the tab key until you reach the application that you are looking for. If you want to return to the previous application while Exposé is still activated, just press shift + tab. Then, you can select a window in the application by using the left/right arrow keys.Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 and TUAW Tips sections.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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JNSoftware updates Dialectic Mac telephone tool
Posted by Dennis SellersJNSoftware has released Dialectic 1.2, an update of the US$25 telephony tool for the Mac. Version 1.2 is a free update for registered users.
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AOL targets ads to the iPhone
The Internet media company says an update to its Platform-A advertising system will enable it to serve as many as 75 million ads to the Apple smartphones every month.
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Rumored iPod nano/touch dimensions start making the rounds
Dimensions for the new iPod nano and iPod touch have begun circulating around the 'Net today, lending further evidence to previous redesign rumors. Read More...
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Macessity releases LapTuk monitor stand
Posted by Dennis SellersMacessity has released the LapTuk, an US$39.99 monitor stand that lets you tuck your laptop away underneath your external monitor when you're not on the road.
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Review: Field System/Route24 Newtonica
Not surprisingly, this is handled by touching the globe and spinning it around, which is the only real command you need to know; however, a pinch gesture can zoom the ball out further to give you a little extra warning before the gems fall. You can't zoom in any more than the screenshots here show to be possible, and probably shouldn't, as the only clues you have about where they gems will fall are colored shadows on the ball's surface.…
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TUAW Faceoff: Nike + iPod versus iPhone 3G Challengers
Filed under: Accessories, iPod Family, Odds and ends, iPhone, TUAW Faceoff, App Store Dedicated runners, bikers, hikers, and walkers like to keep track of their efforts, dutifully logging miles (or kilometers), time, weather conditions, elevation gain or loss. That's why there was a lot of excitement after the Nike + iPod Sport Kit was announced in 2006, since the same device you were using to listen to music could be used to tell you just how far and fast you ran.Unfortunately, many competitive runners quickly realized that the accuracy of the Nike + iPod Sport Kit wasn't all that great. TidBITS Publisher and marathoner Adam Engst wrote a post last year in which he pointed out how inaccurate the Sport Kit is, even when carefully calibrated. Adam thought that the Sport Kit had some possibilities for fitness runners, but not for those who need accurate measurements of distance and time.When the iPhone 3G arrived this summer, I wondered how it would work as an exercise tracking tool. After all, the device has GPS built in and should be able to accurately measure distances, time, and even elevation. I looked at Trailguru RunKeeper The Running GyPSy iTrail To see how these apps and the Nike + iPod Sport Kit compete, read on.Continue reading TUAW Faceoff: Nike + iPod versus iPhone 3G ChallengersPermalink | Email this | Comments
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AT&T fixes wireless data issue
iPhone and other AT&T smartphone users should be able to surf the Web on their phones now that a routing problem has been fixed, according to a Reuters story.
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BlueHaze launches multi-platform community for concert fans
Posted by Dennis SellersBlueHaze has launched of its multi-platform community for concert fans on the iPhone and Facebook. The company will be demonstrating at the TechCrunch50 DemoPit on Monday, Sept. 8 at the San Francisco Design Center Concourse.
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Handicapping Apple’s September 9 event (updated)
Now that it’s official that Apple will be holding a special “Let’s Rock” media event in San Francisco on Tuesday let’s take a look under the curtain to see what announcements may be in store from Cupertino. It’s pretty apparent that new iPods are in the offing, mostly because the invitation clearly shows and iPod display [...]
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Review: Solus Games Funky Punch
The controls in Funky Punch are so streamlined as to be primitive—the stuff of early genre entries such as Konami's Yie Ar Kung Fu rather than virtually anything subsequently released. You have an on-screen joypad, a block button, an attack button, and a jump button, which can be used in combination to make your character pound an on-screen opponent with hands, feet, and special attacks. Unlike the Street Fighter titles, which made fireballs,…
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Adobe CS4 announcement expected Sept. 23
Filed under: Software, Graphic DesignJust when you thought you just bought (or just finished paying for) Adobe Creative Suite 3, get ready to take out another mortgage for Adobe CS4, which will be publicly unveiled on September 23. AppleInsider conjectures the software will drop in October. Adobe will be delivering several webcasts that day to showcase the new software to the public. You can register here to participate in the webcasts. Improvements to Photoshop and Flash are expected to headline the event. Adobe did not release any details about how the software will be bundled, nor any pricing information. Full versions of Adobe CS3 can cost as much as $2,500 for new users, and $160 for those who want to upgrade. Adobe released preview editions of Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Soundbooth in late May. [Via MacFreaks and cnet.]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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ProteMac Meter is new network traffic logger for Mac OS X
Posted by Dennis SellersProteMac has released ProteMac Meter 1.0, a network activity monitor and network traffic logger utility for Mac OS X. It costs US$29.95 for a single-user license.
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Terminal Tips: Force email to be plain text
Filed under: Terminal TipsThere are some people that like the sleekness of HTML email, then there are those that appreciate the simplicity of plain text email (no images or styled text, thanks very much). If you use Mail.app and want it to force all incoming email to display as plain text, then open Terminal (Applications > Utilities) and type in the following command: defaults write com.apple.mail PreferPlainText -bool TRUENow when you receive an email, Mail.app will only show you the plain text of the message. To reverse this command, just replace "TRUE" with "FALSE." Like this tip? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 and Terminal Tips sections for more.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Savant to exhibit iPod docking station at CEDIA 2008
Posted by Dennis SellersSavant Systems has announced that it will show its in-wall iPod and iPhone docking station at CEDIA 2008. The ROSIE Media Dock allows a compatible iPod or iPhone to interface with a SAVANT multiroom A/V system.
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Review: Rocking Pocket Games Blue Skies Air Force Academy
The good news: the accelerometer controls, assuming that you're willing to position yourself on the correct angle to use them, work extremely well. Rotating the copter, flying it backwards or forwards, and landing are extremely straightforward and actually sort of fun. Firing air-based weapons such as missiles requires a press on one side of the screen, bombs a press on the other, and neither distracts you from the targets you're trying…
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Adobe set to announce CS4 later this month
Yesterday it was announced that Adobe will be announcing (gotta love announcements announcing announcements) Creative Suite 4 on September 23rd. Adobe will be holding a special little event online showing all of the upcoming features of CS4 (which is rumored to be released as early as this Fall). For those hip to trying out beta products, you can already checkout CS4 versions of Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and Soundbooth. Though, be warned, downloading and installing these could cause some conflicts should you need to re-install any CS3 software (I know it gave me some issues). The current version of Creative Suite (CS3) was released on April 20, 2007.
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Is Fake Steve returning, real Steve ill?
Filed under: Rumors, Steve JobsFirst the good news. Dan Lyons, the man behind Fake Steve Jobs, has suggested that his fictional alter-ego may be ready for a return. Earlier in the summer, Dan left his job at Forbes for Newsweek, and stopped writing as Fake Steve in the process.However, this week he starts that Newsweek job, and told Mac Soda that Fake Steve is to be a part of that. Which is great, as Fake Steve is very insightful and funny.Now the bad news. In the same interview, Dan says that Steve Jobs is ill. Speculation over Steve's health has been a topic of discussion this summer, while Apple has been quiet and respectful of Steve's privacy. We expect to see Steve during next week's press event. We hope he's doing well.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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ShoZu announces new edition of iPhone app
Posted by Dennis SellersShoZu Ltd. has announced a new edition of its free social media aggregator for iPhone and iPod touch, available immediately on the Apple App Store. This enhanced version further simplifies photo uploading, blogging and other mobile interaction with more than 50 Web 2.0 sites such as Facebook, Flickr, Google Blogger,...
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iPod Touch and Nano blueprints revealed?
iLounge has uncovered possible blueprints for the next-generation Apple iPod Touch and iPod Nano.
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Apple, AT&T sued again over iPhone 3G
A new lawsuit claims that Apple and AT&T knew that the iPhone 3G was going to encounter reception issues but failed to warn consumers of the problem.
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AT&T's wireless data network goes down temporarily
Posted by Dennis SellersAT&T Inc.'s wireless data network was down Wednesday morning in parts of the eastern U.S., according to user reports and the company. AT&T spokesman Michael Coe said access was restored just before noon Eastern time, but he could not describe the extent of the outage, reports the Associated Press.
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New iPod nano and iPod touch dimensions revealed?
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video So, iLounge has a hot tip on dimensions for the hotly-rumored, upcoming iPod nano and iPod touch refreshes. The diagrams appear to the type of thing provided to case manufacturers so they launch their player-hugging wares on day one, but could just as easily be faked, so we'll take 'em with a grain of salt. Of note, the new fourth-gen iPod nano has supposedly slimmed down to a mere 6.08mm thick, compared to the 2nd gen's 6.5mm, while the second-gen iPod touch got all curvy on us like big brother 3G, and similarly adds thickness: 8.4mm thick, instead of 8mm on the original. More exciting than the design tweak is the addition of volume control buttons to the side of the iPod touch, though the headphone port has stuck to the base of the device. Hopefully we'll know more soon, the mock-suspense is just killing us.Update: A couple have people have pointed out that XSKN has also made a nano 4G case to these dimensions. Hooray for them!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Developers discuss future plans
Filed under: iPod Family, Software, iPhone, App StoreTwo popular Mac developers have taken the time to blog the future of their applications. First, Marco Arment has written about his plans for Instapaper for iPhone and iPod touch. If you haven't tried Instapaper yet, you're missing out. Basically, the desktop version is simply a web bookmarklet that lets you collect weblinks on a single page.Have you found an article you'd like to read when you have some free time? Click the bookmarklet and it's added to your Instapaper page.The iPod touch/iPhone version syncs with your links collection so you've got them on-the-go. It works wonderfully, and there's both a free version [link] and paid pro version [link] in the App Store.In his blog post, Marco writes "...I compiled a feature list for what I want in Instapaper.app 2.0, and it's huge. It's easily 6 months of work ... But if I can pull off the product I want for 2.0, I'll really have something amazing."Meahwhile, Brent Simmons has written about NetNewsWire, the popuar RSS reader. All four of them. "I'm working on four apps. But they're all NetNewsWire," he says. Specifically, version 1.0.9 is almost ready for the App Store [here's the current version] while 3.1.7 is under development for the Mac. At the same time, Brent is working on versions 3.2 and 4.0 for future release.Good luck, guys! We appreciate the dedication and love your applications. Keep up the good work.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Spore Origins Released For iPod
All of the gaming love seems to have been directed at iPhone and iPod touch users for the past few months so it's only fair that “regular” iPod owners get a piece of the pie. Tricky Software has released Spore Origins. It's currently only available for iPod nano (3rd generation), iPod classic and iPod (5th generation). Using a simple single-finger control (via the click-wheel), you can navigate around 18 levels in six different worlds. The same premiss of the full Spore game applies here in that as you complete levels, you can evolve your creature to be stronger and faster. The game is available in the iTunes store for $4.99. Tricky Software is working on getting Spore Origins developed for iPhone/iPod touch and hopes to have it available in the coming weeks (no word yet on pricing). The full Spore game is scheduled to be released in a matter of days on September 7th. If you give Spore Origins a go, let us know!
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AOL’s Platform-A debuts iPhone ad optimization solution
Posted by Dennis SellersAOL has launched a solution for targeting advertising to iPhone users. Offered through Third Screen Media, Platform-A's mobile ad-serving platform and network, the solution detects and delivers optimized ads on iPhones browsing the web. Platform-A is AOL's digital advertising business.
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Man sues Apple, AT&T over 'flawed' iPhone 3G services
Posted by Dennis SellersAnother day, another lawsuit. A San Diego-based lawsuit filed late last week alleges that Apple and AT&T have knowingly oversold iPhone 3G, promising fast speeds “only to see a glut of customers bog down the network with devices that themselves are flawed,” reports AppleInsider.
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Phone Data Outage hits North East: You're not alone
Filed under: iPod Family, iPhoneHaving trouble this morning accessing data through your local cellular network? You're not alone. As several dozen (very appreciated!) TUAW tipsters have let us know, AT&T data seems to be down around the DC metropolitan area and areas North. If you're affected by this outage, drop us a note in the comments and let us know where you are. Update: Associated Press confirms that the AT&T wireless data network is down in parts of the eastern US. Affected areas include Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Illinois (not part of the east last time I checked) and Missouri (ditto).Voice service remains unaffected but Web surfing and email are not functional. Surprisingly (not!) most outage reports came from iPhone users, once again proving that the iPhone is the first smart phone that really gets used as an Internet device (versus as an Email-specific device).Rumors say that AT&T has been hard pressed keeping up with the iPhone demand on the data network -- because with an iPhone it's really easy to get online and surf effectively.Update 2: TUAW Reader Tim writes that he was given a credit for the outage this morning. If you're seriously put out by the lack of data service, it may be worth a call to AT&T. You may not get the same $25 credit Tim got but you may be prorated for the downtime.Update 3 South New Jersey seems to be affected as well.Data still out for you? Share your location herePermalink | Email this | Comments
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Native Instruments launches the Guitar Rig Hero video contest
Posted by Dennis SellersNative Instruments just launched Guitar Rig Hero, a four-week worldwide video contest that challenges musicians to demonstrate their skills and creativity in combination with the Guitar Rig Hero software. Hosted on a dedicated YouTube channel, the competition features prizes worth over US$10,000, and is co-hosted by a jury of international...
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Another iPhone 3G lawsuit surfaces
MacNN is reporting that another lawsuit has been filed over the performance of the iPhone 3G. William Gillis is suing both Apple and AT&T because he claims the companies have “recklessly oversold the iPhone 3G, knowing that neither the device nor AT&T's 3G network can support fast access for the current influx of users.” He notes in his complaint that speeds are not up to advertised levels, and in areas that should support 3G people are being kicked down to EDGE speeds. Gillis is looking to make the suit a class action case. The claim seeks restitution and punitive damages, and an injunction against false 3G marketing claims used by Apple and AT&T. I doubt we'll be seeing much of this one.
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Five enterprise apps for the iPhone
Among the throngs of iPhone tools available, five major enterprise vendors have emerged with mobile versions of their existing software products.
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Back to School: Writing tools, part II
Filed under: Software, Features, Cool tools, EducationTUAW's going Back to School! We'll be bringing you tips and reviews for students, parents and teachers right up until the bell rings. Continuing the Back-to-School "sub-mini-series" on writing tools, this second post covers some great tools for compiling all of your thoughts, ideas and research into cohesive, structured documents. If you've never explored this category of applications, you might be surprised what the available options can do to improve your writing efficiency and lower the general anxiety involved with writing 10-page reports or lengthy creative writing assignments. I'll highlight a few cool ways to get those notes and floating thoughts from your notepad and your brain onto papers with large A's on them. Read on ...Continue reading Back to School: Writing tools, part IIRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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WideAsleep announces Fairway 1.0 for iPhone, iPod touch
Posted by Dennis SellersWideAsleep has released Fairway 1.0, a “virtual caddie” utility for the iPhone and iPod touch. It's available for US$9.99 at the Apple App Store.
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Politicos Endorse Mac in 2008
It looks like the Presidential election isn't the only thing heating up. The PC / Mac wars are back in the spotlight again, but in this case, it looks like Mac is winning. Sorry PC!  Sighted at the Republican National Conventions this week was support for Apple's venerable Mac line of laptops and desktops. Voters displayed banners showing their love for everyone's favorite computer - Mac. Â
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iPresentee releases new Keynote Animations 2.0
Posted by Dennis SellersiPresentee has released Keynote Animations 2.0 to be used with Apple's Keynote presentation software. The new release retains 50 animations from the previous release and adds 30 new animations for Keynote.
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AT&T "looking into" 3G/EDGE outage in northeast US
If you're an iPhone—or really any device—user on AT&T's network in the northeast US, you may have noticed that AT&T's data networks have been down for a while now. AT&T is aware of the problem and is looking into it, but that doesn't make things easier for you.Read More...
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Create Digital Music rounds up iTouch / iPhone music apps
Filed under: Audio, iPod Family, Multimedia, Software, iPhone The lovely and talented Peter Kirn over at Create Digital Music has posted a round up of music apps for the iPod / iTouch platform. The list includes tools for using your iPhone as a MIDI/OSC controller, making random weird digital art, visualizing your music and, er, listening to Snow Patrol's next album, amongst other apps. Peter's a thoughtful critic and his evaluations are pretty detailed and thorough.If you're an aspiring iPhone musician / DJ/ sound designer, this is definitely a good place to start finding useful apps.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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The Princess Bride Game
Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. read more
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Video Gogh 3 lets you define own brushes, adds new visual effects opportunities
Posted by Dennis SellersRE:Vision Effects has released version 3 of Video Gogh, which turns your videos into moving paintings, using RE:Vision Effects optical flow technology to move brush strokes without stuttering artifacts.
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MySQL Conference & Expo opens call for participation
Posted by Dennis SellersO'Reilly Media has opened the Call for Participation for the 2009 MySQL Conference & Expo, scheduled for April 20-23, in Santa Clara, California.
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News: iPod nano 4G, touch 2G dimensions revealed?
Confirming details first reported by iLounge in July, apparent dimensional drawings for both the fourth-generation iPod nano and second-generation iPod touch have appeared, suggesting that the devices will have familiar measurements but with interesting new shapes and features. Images of the supposed new iPod nano show a device that measures 90.75mm tall by 38.75mm wide by 6.08mm deep, compared to the second-generation nano's measurements of…
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Down for everyone or just you? AT&T experiencing a major data outage on the East Coast.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless Ruh-roh. AT&T's wireless data service seems to be down in a major way, at least on the eastern half of the country. We're seeing problems with both Edge and 3G from places such as Boston, New York and St. Louis. It's primarily iPhone users pinging us on this, and in AT&T's forums, but we're guessing it's not just limited to them. How is it looking for you?[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Update: We've just spoken to AT&T and they've told us they're "aware of the reports." We'll keep our ear to the ground and update as soon as we have more.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Recordare adds MusicXML 2.0 support to Dolet 4 for Sibelius plug-in
Posted by Dennis SellersRecordare LLC has released version 4 of its Dolet plug-in for the Sibelius 5 music notation program. Recordare's Dolet plug-ins serve as “universal translators” between music notation programs. The Dolet 4 for Sibelius plug-in saves MusicXML 2.0 files from Sibelius. This lets Sibelius users share files with users of other...
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Free AppleJack repair utility now works with Leopard
If you've ever needed to repair your Mac and couldn't find a startup CD, the open source command line AppleJack utility can help. The application recently got an upgrade to version 1.5, which includes LeopardRead More...
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A fix for disappearing to dos and calendars in iCal
Recently, iCal started acting strangely with screen artifacts, non-responsive behavior, and unexpected quits (I would think that Leopard would start expecting them after a couple dozen times!). I could change views from the menu, but not from any of the buttons. Deleting the iCal preference files brought only temporary satisfaction. iCal would then open fine, but at some point, the calendars and to dos would suddenly disappear from sight. (I found this would happen when I would open the to do list.) Hiding the to do list would make the calendars visible again, but I still could not work in them. After some testing (checking one calendar at a time and opening the to do list to see if it would freeze), I narrowed down the problem to a corrupted to do in one of the calendars. This is how I fixed it: Quit iCal. Delete the following preference file: ~/Library » Preferences » com.apple.iCal.plist Open iCal. With the to do list hidden, export...
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Fix QuickTime audio for AVI movies from digital cameras
After I recently reinstalled my OS, Flip4Mac, and Perian, I noticed that my sound didn't work for movies from my digital camera in iPhoto. A bit of googling found that this appeared to be a more common issue starting with Quicktime 7.5. I likely had this same problem before my hard drive died, but I wasn't watching lots of old camera movies. When playing the camera video and looking at the information window (Command-I), I noticed that my Sony CyberShot camera video was listed as "Motion JPEG OpenDML," but listed no audio track. Through trial and error, I started removing each QuickTime component file (one by one) in these directories: The top-level /Library/QuickTime folder My user's Library/QuickTime folder The system's own /System/Library/QuickTime folder When I removed the QuickTimeImporter.component file found in the system's QuickTime folder, my sound returned! The date on this component is from May 2008, so I suspect this is a ...
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An unexpected fix for odd iPhone troubles
Recently my nearly one-year-old iPhone kept telling me that an accessory was not compatible with the iPhone, even though I had not plugged in an accessory. A few days later, I could not put my iPhone into silence mode. After getting ready to send it in for repair, I discovered it was simply compacted debris, collected from being carried in my pocket, in the bottom port that was making the iPhone think it was plugged into something. A blast of canned air did the trick, and my iPhone is now as good as new again.
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Video Flashback: 07 Music Event - Introduction to the iPod Touch
In just a few days Apple is going to introduce us to the 2nd generation iPod Touch. Out of curiosity, I decided to head over to YouTube to look at last year's event to see how the iPod Touch was introduced (since I had mostly forgotten). After watching it - its clear why I forgot - there isn't much new showcased in this video. For those of us that write about Apple everyday, we'd been slammed with the iPhone OS and how it worked for months and months before this announcement. By that time, we even had them in our pockets. So spending 20 minutes showing us features we already knew how to use was just a little boring. The biggest announcements for the iPod Touch then were great battery life, and world wide shipping. The price was pretty good too compared to the iPhone at the time. So what will the 2nd gen model bring us? Will it be more of the same? Or have they been holding out on some iPhone OS features to give the iPod Touch presentation a little more pizzaz? I don' t know - but luckily, we don't have long to wait.
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'Donnie Brasco' is iTunes Movie Rental of the Week
Posted by Dennis SellersDonnie Brasco is the 99 cent “Movie Rental of the Week” at the iTunes Store. It's a 1997 crime drama directed by Mike Newell and starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp.
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'MacNotables' looks ahead to Sept. 9 'Let's Rock' Apple event
Posted by Dennis SellersThe latest edition of MacNotables, a podcast that serves as home to Mac personalities who will comment on the latest news and opinions in the Mac community, is available.
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The Mac Night Owl: 'Apple holds special event on Night Owl's birthday'
Posted by Dennis SellersOn today's commentary, Gene “Mac Night Owl” Steinberg notes that Apple is holding a special event on the his birthday.