Sep 21, 2008 Sep 23, 2008 Monday September 22, 2008
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Worst Analyst on Apple Lowers Price Target
On Monday, Morgan Stanley analyst Katie Huberty lowered her price target on Apple from $192 to $179 citing general weakness in the "global macro-economic environment."She also lowered price targets on other computer hardware makers including: Dell (DELL), EMC (EMC), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), IBM (IBM), Adtran (ADTN), Airvana (AIRV), Alcatel-Lucent (ALU), Cisco Systems (CSCO) and several others.
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Mac OS Ken: 09.23.2008
Piper Ups Apple Target, Morgan Cuts Apple and Nine Others / CNBC: Apple a Victim of a Craptacular Market / Macworld UK: AT&T 3G Network Not Prepared for iPhone 3G Popularity / MacFixIt: iTunes 8 Distortion Problem (and Likely Fixes) / Chicago Tribune: Running Wonât âShake to Shuffleâ New nano / New Bond Theme Hits iTunes Worldwide (Except U.S. and Canada) / Vodafone Australia Launches Music Subscriptions for Mobiles and PCs / CRN: SanDiskâs New(ish) Music Plan (and Why It Will Fail) / Silicon Alley Insider: A Profile in App Store Success
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Lexar offers high-speed memory card
Posted by Dennis SellersLexar Media hsa extended its Kodak-branded memory card offering with the introduction of the 16GB Kodak Secure Digital High-Capacity (SDHC) High-Speed Card.
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UDR launches iPhone compatible web site
Posted by Dennis SellersUDR has launched a new web site that can efficiently deliver information about UDR's apartment homes to iPhone and iPod touch users. The UDR iPhone/iPod touch compatible web site is unique in that it provides instructional information toselect Apple mobile devices onhow web pages should be displayed and ensures that...
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Google's Android Platform Faces Five Tough Obstacles
Daniel Eran Dilger Google new Android mobile platform has been received by some members of the tech media with such glowing adoration that one might get the impression that Android is destined to waltz into the smartphone business just as surely as Bill Gates’ robotic dance killed off the Seinfeld ads. Here’s five aspects of Android [...]
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Therese Poletti's Tech Tales: Pandora radio fights unjust royalty hikes
Pandora, a private company that has created the most popular Internet-based radio service in the U.S., has a lot of zealous fans. In fact, they are a bit like the fanatics who love Apple Inc. and its well-designed products.
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PC Mall Gov, 'T.H.E. Journal' announce essay contest for middle, high school students
Posted by Dennis SellersPC Mall Gov, a subsidiary of PC Mall, has announced an essay contest for middle and high school students across the country. With the start of a new school year, and the environment at the forefront of global discussions, PC Mall Gov has created an opportunity for students to examine...
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Report: Amazon to have iTunes-like app for Android
It appears Amazon will have a music and video store application for Google's mobile operating system, according to the blog VentureBeat.
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Wil Shipley on the App Store: ‘Let the Market Decide’
Wil Shipley has a very good proposal for how Apple should be handling the App Store: The App Store needs to think of itself as two different parts - it already implements these parts, but the people who run the store need to understand that these two parts are fundamentally separate. […] Everyone can get into the warehouse. Only the select few can get into the storefront. ★
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Canon introduces two new imageCLASS color laser multifunction printers
Posted by Dennis SellersCanon has introduced two new color laser multifunction printers: the imageCLASS MF9150c and MF9170c, which are designed for any size office workflow with the availability to choose the optimal speed and value-added features all in a single device, says Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon...
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T-Mobile goes live with G1 website
Filed under: Cellphones It's one thing to appear on a website before being officially outed. It's another to have a web portal designed specifically for a handset. On the eve of its official debut in the Big Apple, T-Mobile has launched the definitive G1 website, complete with a G1 logo, the time and date of tomorrow's press event, a few tabs sure to be chock full of juicy details just as soon as said event closes, and most importantly, a pre-order button (of sorts) in order to sign up for what we can only fathom to be a notification of availability. 10:30AM tomorrow morning -- we'll be there, you'll be there.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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DLO announces cases for new iPods
Posted by Dennis SellersDigital Life Outfitters (DLO) has announced several new cases for the second generation iPod touch and the fourth gen iPod nano. They include the Action Jacket, Jam Jacket and HipCase.
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uTorrent Mac client leaked
As they say, live by the sword, die by the sword. BitTorrent Inc. acquired uTorrent in 2006 and promised a Mac client “soon.” It took a while, but a build of the long-awaited uTorrent Mac is available. On BitTorrent. It’s not an official release, most likely an alpha but it feels pretty solid at first blush. If you [...]
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Amazon music, movie downloads coming to T-Mobile G1?
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video Amazon's always looking for creative new ways to distribute digital media -- and in light of its recently-launched Video On Demand service and the decent head of steam AmazonMP3 has managed to build, it'd probably just love to shoehorn its way onto a high-profile mobile device right about now. VentureBeat is reporting a juicy rumor of a G1 that made an appearance somewhere in San Fran's seedy underbelly over the weekend bearing an Amazon music and video app designed to dole out media for cash, suggesting that Android's first commercial hardware might come out of the gate ready not just to lock horns with the iPhone's WiFi App Store, but also to straight-up beat it by throwing in movie and TV download capability. Then again, no 3G network -- particularly one with as small of a footprint as T-Mobile's -- is mighty enough to effectively do feature-length movie downloads over the aether, so it remains to be seen exactly how this would all play out. Get a good night's sleep this evening, folks, because if everything goes according to plan, we'll have some solid answers in just a few short hours.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Strategy Analytics: Consumer Bluetooth interest is 'robust'
Posted by Dennis Sellers The latest Strategy Analytics report on buyer behavior looks at consumer interest in purchasing both mono and stereo Bluetooth headsets in the US and Western Europe. The study shows that interest in purchasing a stereo Bluetooth headset is up considerably from 2006, while interest in mono Bluetooth headsets has also...
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BeLight Art Text 2 tempts you with over 200 shiny objects
You probably know that I have written a few dozen Photoshop tutorials here at MacMerc.com but I have to acknowledge that some people don't want to have to buy and learn a complex $650 program to make a few buttons for their website. For those people I would recommend BeLight's Art Text 2. Art Text is an application that enables you to design and create high quality textual graphics, headings, logos, icons, web site elements and buttons. It features multi layer support to widen your creative options and make complex graphics a breeze. BeLight just released version 2 which features a Template Gallery with over 200 ready made buttons, headings, icons. It also has 120 new vector icons and over 190 supplied textures. At USD$39.95, it's a pretty inexpensive solution to a lot of your graphics problems. The upgrade to version 2 is free for those who purchased version 1 on or after July 1st, 2008 and costs only USD$19.95 for those who purchased before that.
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X-Rite launches i1 Line
Posted by Dennis SellersX-Rite, which specializes in color management, measurement and communication technologies, has introduced a streamlined i1 portfolio of color management and calibration solutions.
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CloseVU Instant Replay Widget to debut at SPORTELMonaco 2008
Posted by Dennis SellersOn Oct. 20-23 at SPORTELMonaco, CloseVU, a company founded to produce interactive and mobilized sports video content, will showcase CloseVU “Instant Replay widgets,” which lets sports fans log their post-game comments and participate in chats, quizzes and video replays.
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Intego to provide backup software to LaCie
Posted by Dennis SellersIntego has announced a strategic partnership with Lacie to provide backup software that will be bundled with all LaCie drives, starting with the LaCie 4big and LaCie Network Space this month.
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I'm a PC too… touché
Daniel Eran Dilger In its efforts to hijack Apple’s Get a Mac ads and embrace and extend their message to suit itself, Microsoft apparently forgot to actually watch Apple’s clips. User Sigma902 remixed the two for comical effect (well, probably not so funny to Microsoft after it spent $300 million brainstorming it all), but his post [...]
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Adobe introduces Creative Suite 4 family
Posted by Dennis SellersAdobe has announced the Adobe Creative Suite 4 product family, an update of the design and development software for a variety of creative workflows. The family includes Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design editions, Creative Suite 4 Web editions, Creative Suite 4 Production Premium, Creative Suite 4 Master Collection, as well...
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Survey: iPhone will account for about 16 percent of corporate email market in three years
Posted by Dennis SellersBlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIMM) will lose some corporate mobile email market share to rivals in the next three years, but will maintain a huge lead, according to results of a survey released today by research firm J. Gold Associates (as reported by Silicon Valley Insider). However, the iPhone...
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Agenda set for Sept. 24 lafcpug meeting
Posted by Dennis SellersThe next meeting of the Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User group will be Wednesday, Sept. 24, beginning at 6:45 pm at the Gallery Theater in Hollywood, California. The group will welcome Mark Altekruse who will show off the the music making capabilities of baltat Muse 2.0.
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Apple launches iPhone Developer University Program
Posted by Dennis SellersApple has launched the iPhone Developer University Program, a free program designed for higher education institutions looking to introduce curriculum for developing iPhone or iPod touch applications.
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Lights Off
Craig Hockenberry took the source code to Lights Off — a simple, fun iPhone game from Lucas Newman and Adam Betts written against the jailbreak APIs a year ago — got it working under the official iPhone APIs, and has released it as open source. ★
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WindowShade utility adds support for Leopard
Posted by Dennis SellersUnsanity has updated WindowShade X, a tool that lets you “roll up” an open window like a window shade, to version 4.2. The upgrade is ready for Mac OS X 10.5 (“Leopard”). It also drops support for Mac OS X 10.3 (“Panther”).
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Piper: Apple sold 5 million iPhone 3Gs in quarter
The financial analysts at Piper Jaffray are predicting that Apple will have sold 5 million iPhone 3Gs during its fourth fiscal quarter, which ends this week.
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CBS releases EyeMobile.com software for iPhones
Posted by Dennis SellersConsumers equipped with an iPhone now have the ability to be “personal broadcasters” by uploading photos and video to CBS Mobile's EyeMobile web site, reports Broadcasting & Cable. To do so you must download a free software application.
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Intel introduces third gen of vPro computer technologies
Posted by Dennis SellersIntel has introduced its third-generation Intel vPro suite of business desktop computer technologies, which the company claims, among other features, enhances security and reduces the time and cost of maintenance by enabling computers to literally think and act for themselves.
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Flickr Find: iTunes genre icons
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, How-tos, Odds and ends, iTunes, Flickr Find Maybe I'm not paying attention (likely), but Derek B. told us about something in iTunes 8 that I'd never seen before -- you can organize your music in Grid view by genre, and when you do, there are some pretty good-looking icons that show up for each genre. I especially like the Blues and Jazz icons (nice nod to the old Blue Note Records in there), but all of them have a pretty neat vibe, summing up each genre as best they can in a colorful little box.Of course, there will always be more music out there than boxes to put it into, and so Derek B has started up a Flickr group to come up with icons for some of the more obscure genres out there. Replacing the icons is pretty easy to do, and there's even an app that will let you do it with ease -- just find the icon you want, and tie it to your genre. As you can see above, if you don't have an icon for the listed genre, it'll show off your album art (and just like iPhoto, mousing over the picture will let you flip through whatever albums are in there). It's kind of a weird thing to add into iTunes (and it's kind of tough to line them all up -- it's too bad iTunes won't pull down genres for music it recognizes from the iTunes store), but odds are we'll see these icons pop up more later, so getting them all lined up now is probably worth it.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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NoteBook 3.0 for Mac OS X adds class notes, lecture slides, more
Posted by Dennis SellersCircus Ponies Software is shipping Notebook 3.0, an update to the application that helps Mac users get organized. The upgrade brings diagramming and sketching to its electronic notebook pages. The new PDF annotation features let students add class notes and lecture slides directly to their Notebooks, and then mark them...
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Apple rejects another app for duplicating functionality
Filed under: Developer, App StoreApple has rejected another app from the app store because it considers it too similar to one of Apple's own apps, and thus would cause "user confusion." The app is a front-end for Gmail, called MailWrangler, and allows users to check many Gmail accounts at once (unlike MobileSafari or Mail). It offers a similar interface as Gmail's iPhone-optimized web interface, which shows conversation threads in context, and allows for starring conversations. The app developer says it works much like MailPlane on the desktop. Nevertheless, Apple rejected the app because of the similarity, in Apple's view, and also due to other issues related to editing account information. This app's rejection follows that of Podcaster for allegedly similar reasons. As we mentioned in the Talkcast two weeks ago, this could be related to the user backlash from I Am Rich. Whether it's too permissive or too strict, Apple will always have unhappy people when it issues rejections like this. [Via WebMonkey.]Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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LogoVision Wireless/Movidity expands interactive mobile video solutions for iPhones
Posted by Dennis SellersMovidity, a developer of basic codec and mobile streaming technologies, providing specialized mobile user interactive control of transmission, display and content, has expanded its applications for java phones, including the iPhone (and iPod touch), Nokia, Sony Ericcson, and Windows Mobile Microsoft. Samsung and LG java handsets are also supported.
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Poll: Do you use your iPhone/iPod touch to read 'Macsimum News?'
Posted by Dennis SellersIn this week's Macsimum Poll, we're interested to know if you use the iPhone/iPod touch to read Macsimum News? The poll is located on the right hand side of the home page under the Macsimum Opinion.
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You are invited to a free live webcast September 30th
Posted by Dave MertenO'Reilly Media is holding a free live webcast called “The Evangelist's Toolkit: A field guide to bringing social technologies into your organization” on September 30th, and you're invited. This webcast will explore the following:
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Sept. 22 'Macsimum Podcast' now available
Posted by Dennis SellersThe Macsimum Podcast for Sept. 22 is now available here and the RSS feed is here.
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What is The Brick?
Filed under: RumorsThe friendly folks over at Macenstein have a theory about The Brick -- a widely-rumored Apple product that may be debuting mid-October. So far, all we really know is the code name: "The Brick." Many speculate that it refers to the form factor of the product -- whatever it may be -- but Macenstein has a different take: it's the Windows breaker. Get it? Like a real brick with a real window. Apple may have a plan to pull significant market-share away from Microsoft using this product (or series of products). If true, it could be the missing piece of the puzzle that executives hinted about in Apple's Q3 conference call in July. The question, of course, remains: what the heck is it already? A new, low-cost MacBook? An iTablet? Software? Let us know your predictions by leaving us a comment below.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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The indestructible Apple Store?
Apple opened its first brick-and-mortar stores in 2001 and hasn’t looked back since. Philip Michaels considers some of the reasons for Apple’s successful retail expansion.
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The indestructible Apple Store?
Apple opened its first brick-and-mortar stores in 2001 and hasn’t looked back since. Philip Michaels considers some of the reasons for Apple’s successful retail expansion.
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'Take Control of Buying a Mac' new from TidBITS
Posted by Dave MertenMany people will be purchasing a new Macintosh as the holiday season approaches, and although the decision to buy a Mac may be easy, finding informed answers to questions like “What Mac will best meet my needs?”, “Should I buy now or wait a month?”, “How do I move my...
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Analyst roundup: 5m iPhones for Q4, gloomy Christmas ahead
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple FinancialWidely-read Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster is revising his prior estimate for the quarter ending a week from Tuesday, and his outlook is even rosier than before. Instead of 4.1 million iPhone 3Gs, Munster expects Apple will sell 5 million of the handsets. Likewise, he's revising his estimates for Mac sales up by 300,000 units, and iPod sales up by 200,000 units. If he's right, it will mean Apple will have sold 7.4 million iPhones so far this year. That puts Apple well on track to meet its own prediction of selling 10 million handsets for calendar year 2008. On the other hand, we have Morgan Stanley, who cut price targets for nine hardware companies, including Apple. Morgan cited a "fragile consumer," slower overall spending, and a stronger dollar (the last of which impacts sales abroad for U.S. companies). This comes after a weak August for Mac sales, which -- in context -- only means that Apple's numbers didn't grow quite as fast as they did in prior months. They still sold 23 percent more Mac units than August 2007, but that was sharply lower than July 2008's 43 percent increase over July 2007. [Via Fortune, Silicon Alley Insider, and 24/7 Wall St.] Thanks, Robert!Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Mysterious Korean pocket projector spotted, mistaken for cheap webcam
Filed under: Displays, Portable Video It seems like it wouldn't be a Monday without another pocket projector sighting, no matter how fleeting. This specimen was recently spotted in Korea, and while we have no idea who the manufacturer is or what it's called, we do have some specs. This device features 640 x 480 resolution (scalable up to 1280 x 800), 4:3 aspect ratio, manual focus, accepts both NTSC and PAL sources, and projects a maximum of 70 inches. The projector sits on an adjustable tripod and gets up to 40 minutes on a single charge... now all it needs is a name, price, distributor, and release date![Via About Projectors]Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Morgan Cuts Targets on Host of Tech Hardware Stocks
In a sweeping call on tech hardware stocks, Morgan Stanley's Kathryn Huberty and Scott Coleman cut price targets on earnings estimates for a host of hardware and telecom equipment companies to reflect the strengthening of the U.S. dollar and a slowdown in global demand. They cut estimates on 21 companies, reducing 2009 revenue by an aggregate 3.1% and profits by 5.6%. They now see “less than normal seasonal growth” for global PC and handset shipments in both the second half of this year and all of 2009. “For the most part, the Street has not adjusted estimates to reflect a deteriorating global macro environment and the likelihood of less margin expansion,” the Morgan analysts write. “While stocks have rallied significantly over the past few days, this does not alter our view of the economic realities facing tech hardware companies exposed to a fragile consumer, slower commercial, government and enterprise spending, and challenging capital spending at certain telcos, particularly in North America. We also believe some regions of Europe and Asia have shown additional signs of slowing.”
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Association for the blind pleased with new iPod nano
The new 4G iPod nano and iTunes 8 both have more accessibility features than ever before, and the American Federation for the Blind is very happy about it. Read More...
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Article: iPhone Gems: Sports Games - Soccer, Golf, Air Hockey, Tennis + More
As the iPod touch and iPhone evolve into legitimate portable gaming devices, there are signs that certain game developers are beginning to understand the platform's strengths and weaknesses. This week, iPhone Gems looks at 10 new games from various sports genres, including two golf games, four air hockey games, two similarly limited volleyball and tennis titles, a soccer game and an auto racing game. Several are standouts on compelling design,…
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Billings 3: new features for professional time tracking and invoicing
Filed under: Software, ProductivityMarketcircle just released version 3 of Billings last week, greatly expanding the functionality of the time-tracking and invoicing application. One of the major reasons I've chosen Billings in the past for my invoicing is the professional-looking documents it can create for electronic and paper delivery. Billings 3 adds new templates and new features, making it an application which any professional individual who needs to manage estimates, invoices, statements and collections should take a look at. Billings 3 started as a ground-up rework of the program's foundation, focusing on future extensibility, workflow improvements and the user interface. Billings has always had time-tracking and invoicing features, with an easy-to-use timer window, menubar timers and professional invoice templates. This version expands those areas, but it's got a bevy of entirely new features designed to make the lives of self-employed individuals, freelancers and small business owners easier. Read on for an overview of what's new.Continue reading Billings 3: new features for professional time tracking and invoicingRead|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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'Macsimum Recommended Reading' for Sept. 22
Posted by Dennis Sellers“Microsoft's 'I'm a PC' Ads Created On Macs: After dumping its $10 million contract with Jerry Seinfeld after just three ads (only two of which even aired) Microsoft has created new ad copy where regular people and a few celebrities say, 'I'm a PC!' One problem with the campaign's credibility:...
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Lighthead updates Papaya file sharing utility for Mac OS X
Posted by Dennis SellersLighthead Software has updated Papaya—a Mac OS X application that acts as a web server specialized for file sharing, and enables you to share files by simply dragging them to its dock icon—to version 1.2. With the upgrade, files can be transferred both ways using the upload feature, which allows...
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Review: Lumen offers a variety of puzzles for iPhone
Join us as we take a look at Lumen for the iPhone, a unique puzzler from an indie Mac developer, Bridger Maxwell. Despite a few minor critiques, we find the variety of puzzles to be well worth the price.Read More...
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Apple Gazette Daily 351 - Software Developers are earning big with the App Store
podcast sponsor link:Click Here to check out Blogflux Groups! Today's Show: Software Developers are earning big with the App Store 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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SanDisk slotMusic Cards Will Soon Be Known As The Digital Dodo Bird
This morning, SanDisk announced its next foray into the world of digital music. Too bad this digital music idea, like their previous ones, will be going the way of the dodo bird. SanDisk's slotMusic product is a 1GB microSD card loaded with an album. You purchase the card from your local Wal-Mart or Best Buy and then insert the card into any device that will accept the card (such as a mobile phone). All music will be encoded in high-quality MP3 format, free of any sort of DRM. Currently Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG and EMI are on board. So why, exactly, will SanDisk's newest baby go the way of the prehistoric pigeon? First, the format in which the music is being distributed significantly reduces the number of potential buyers. Sure, the fact that the MP3's are DRM free is a great plus, but the fact that the songs are distributed on a microSD card increases the hassle-factor exponentially. The barrier to entry for these sorts of things has got to be as close to zero as possible. Not to mention that sales of physical media are on the way out with CD's seeing an almost 50% decline since 2000. Second, the music selection on launch is dismal at best. Only 29 albums (around 300 songs) will be available compared to that of iTunes' 8 million songs. The slotMusic setup just doesn't scale. If/When they get in to the 100+ album mark, it will be extremely costly to stock that much shelf space. Pricing wise, at $7 to $10 a pop, these will be quite affordable. But from an economics stand point, I can't imagine SanDisk possibly making enough to cover costs after they've paid the music companies, manufacturing costs, and marketing. Plus, who really needs dozens of microSD cards hanging around? I give this 6 months at best before they are discontinued.
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Terminal Tips: Personalize Terminal.app
Filed under: Terminal Tips Tired of the bland, black and white look of Terminal.app (/Application/Utilities)? By tweaking the preferences in Terminal, you can easily change the theme, and look of your Terminal windows. Open Terminal and click Terminal > Preferences (or press command + ,). Clicking on Settings will allow you to see the available themes. Terminal ships with several nice themes including basic, grass, homebrew, novel, ocean, pro, and red sands. In addition to using these, you can create your own by clicking the "+" button at the bottom. You can tweak a theme by clicking the theme and using the options in either the "Text" or "Window" tabs. You can change the font style/size, text color, type of cursor, color of cursor, etc. When you are ready to make the these your default, just click the default button at the bottom of the theme list. Now all of your Terminal windows will load with the settings you specified. Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 and Terminal Tips sections.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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EastWest releases Best service Chris Hein Horns Vol. 1.5 - Solo Instruments
Posted by Dennis SellersEastWest has released the Chris Hein Horns Vol. 1.5 Solo Instruments collection. Based on the NI Kontakt Player 2, the collection delivers a package of four solo instruments—Alto-Sax, Tenor-Sax, Trumpet, Trombone and an additional Trumpet-Section.
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News: iPhone Developer University Program launches in U.S.
Apple has launched its new iPhone Developer University Program, a free program designed for higher education institutions wanting to introduce curriculum for developing iPhone OS applications. According to Apple's website, the program will allow instructors and professors to create a development team of up to 200 students, and will provide a wealth of development resources, tools for testing and debugging, and the ability to share applications…
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Electric Shock Risk Sparks iPhone Charger Recall
Apple has recalled the new ultracompact universal serial bus adapter plug that shipped with millions of iPhone 3G handsets. The plugs, according to the device maker, can snap off so that the blades remain inside an electrical outlet, creating a risk of electric shock. No injuries have been reported, Apple noted, but the company has instituted a new adapter exchange program to get stronger plugs into the hands of its customers. The ultracompact USB adapters are essentially a small white cube with two prongs and a USB port.
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First Look: Equivalence for iPhone
Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touchKeeping with the famous science teacher saying of "every number must have a unit," Equivalence (iTunes link) is the one-stop converter for all things units. Did we say "one-stop?" Why yes we did, because Equivalence can convert between over 260 units in 31 categories. Once of the nice features of Equivalence is the ability for the application to auto update the unit conversions over the air, instead of through the App Store. So, if the developer decides to add a unit, or if a unit were to change, updates could get pushed out to the application. The beauty of this application is when you flip your iPhone into landscape mode. Just like the built-in iPhone calculator, this application adds much more functionality when horizontal, including a calculator that can add units together. Bottom line: This is the best unit converter for the iPhone, hands-down. Be sure to take a look at our gallery of Equivalence screenshots. You can buy Equivalence from the iTunes App Store for $4.99 (US). Gallery: First Looks: Equivalence for iPhoneRead|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Raging Thunder drives onto the iPhone, iPod touch
Posted by Dennis SellersPolarbit, developer of Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart, has released Raging Thunder for the iPhone and iPod touch. It's an arcade style racing game and includes features custom-made for the iPhone, such as real-time multiplayer races, accelerometer and touchscreen control, state-of-the-art 3D graphics and much more.
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‘Nuh-Uh, My Mom Thinks I’m Cool’
Kottke: That’s the problem with Microsoft’s ads. They’re still #1 and the bigger company, but by referencing Apple’s successful ad campaign, they’re acting like Apple is #1. ★
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What Advertising Can’t Fix
Seth Godin on Microsoft’s Apple envy: Microsoft may very well not be broken. The world needs reliable bureaucracies that mollify the needs of corporations and individuals in the center of the market. But if it is broken, advertising isn’t going to fix it. Microsoft’s cultural problem is that they seem utterly dissatisfied with the perception that they are a company that makes boatloads of money selling (a) boring but profitable business software and (b) the lowest common denominator PC operating system, even though that’s exactly what they do. ★
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Xerox introduces new multifunction printers
Posted by Dennis SellersXerox has introduced two new desktop multifunction printers (MFPs) that offer high-end scanning and fax capabilities: the Phaser 3300MFP multifunction printer (shown) and the WorkCentre 4260MFP multifunction printer.
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AP Mobile News Proves Quite Popular
This past week the Associated Press announced that their Mobile News Network received some 16 million page views for the month of August. How does this relate to Apple? 95% of those 16 million page views originated from iPhone and iPod touch users via Mobile Safari and the AP Mobile News Network iPhone/iPod touch app. The Mobile News Network initially launched on May 5 which was (and currently still is) accessible via apnews.com/mobile and then on July 10 they launched their free iPhone/iPod touch app. Currently their application is the 2nd most popular news reader, behind NYTimes, and is the highest rated news reader. Here are a few interesting usage statistics: Heavy usage starts at around 7 a.m. and grows steadily until around 10 p.m. Weekends tend to see the highest traffic The average users views 37 pages per month Currently the Mobile News Network can only be accessed via apnews.com/mobile or the iPhone/iPod touch app, but there is a Blackberry application in the works. What is your favorite method for feeding your news addiction?
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Surprise! "I'm a PC" Ads "Made on a Mac"
read more
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BeLight Software unveils Art Text 2
Posted by Dennis SellersBeLight Software has released Art Text 2, an upgrade to its software for creating headings, web graphics, buttons and logos. The upgrade features a Template Gallery with over 200 ready made buttons, headings, icons.
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Analyst: Apple on track to move 5 million iPhones in Q4
Expect iPhones to be a big part of Apple's fiscal Q4—which ends next week—says analyst Gene Munster. He also bumped estimates on Mac and iPod sales, which will surely make for a stellar quarter for Apple.Read More...
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TUAW Tips: Replace login screen background
Filed under: TUAW TipsAre you tired of the standard background for the login window? Well, if you are running Tiger or Leopard, you can easily change this picture to anything you wish. This is handy for schools or organizations who want a static background showing off their spiffy logo. For Leopard UsersTo change the background, just replace the picture file located here: /System/Library/CoreServices/DefaultDesktop.jpgBe sure to keep the original file in case you want to change it back to the original picture. We suggest changing the original to "DefaultDesktopOriginal.jpg" or something similar.For Tiger UsersTiger users don't have it as easy. You have to replace the picture by editing a login window preference file. Open Terminal and type in the following command, replacing "path_to_picture.jpg" with the actual path to the picture you want as the background:sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow DesktopPicture 'path_to_picture.jpg'Since this is a sudo command, you will be required to authenticate as an administrator before the command will be run. Once you enter the command and logout, you should see the changes. Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's TUAW Tips and Terminal Tips sections.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Powertraveller unleashes the powergorilla and solargorilla for laptops
Posted by Dennis SellersPowertraveller has released two new “beasts”: the powergorilla (shown),a portable charger for laptops and its “mate,” the solargorilla, a solar panel capable of powering a laptop.
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Analyst predicts better-than-expected Mac, iPod sales
Posted by Dennis Sellers Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster upped his Mac and iPod sales estimates for Apple's September quarter this morning, as noted by Silicon Valley Insider. Munster thinks Apple will post US$1.17 of EPS (earnings per share) on US$8.37 billion of sales this quarter, higher than the Street's $1.11 EPS, $8.07 billion...
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Apple Gets Mixed Analyst Reviews
There's some mixed reviews on Apple (AAPL) from the Street Monday morning.Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster upped his fiscal Q4 estimates for the company. He now sees revenue of $8.37 billion, up form $7.9 billion, with EPS of $1.17, up from $1.04. He expects Mac unit sales of 2.8 million, up from 2.5 million; iPods at 11 million, up from 10.8 million; and iPhones at 5 million, up from 4.1 million. Munster maintains his Buy rating and $250 price target on the stock.Shaw Wu, of American Technology Research, Monday morning repeated his Buy rating on the stock, and asserted in a research note that the iPhone power adapter recall announced on Friday is a “minor speedbump and non-event.” He says there is headline risk from the news, but that the news is causing little or no disruption in iPhone shipments. He says AT&T and Apple stores are removing the power adapter and selling the phone without it; he notes that most people charge the phone with a USB cable attached to a PC or Mac.JMP Securities analyst Samuel Wilson wrote in a research note that his checks with 30 retail stores - 20 Apple stores and 10 Best Buys (BBY) - found most sales people steering customers away from the MacBook Pro and toward the less expensive MacBook. “We were repeatedly told that that Pro is designed for the design community, with a high-end video card and large screen, and that we would be better with a MacBook for the cost,” he writes. Meanwhile, Wilson also writes that Apple has canceled memory orders recently with Asian suppliers. He thinks it could indicate that sales have not met forecasted demand. Wilson also notes that growth is slowing in the computer business overall, and that “with much of the world on the brink of or entering a recession, it is just that much more difficult for Apple to put up high growth rates.” Finally, Wilson thinks low-cost small form factor netbooks from competitors on the PC side “could create a real challenge for high-priced Apple products.” Concludes Wilson: “At this point, valuation is not compelling.” He maintains a Market Perform rating on the stock.
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Apple's redesigned power adapters already shipping, sort of
It looks like replacement adapters are already being packaged with new iPhone 3Gs. And, at least one analyst thinks that the recall is a non-issue since Apple is being proactive and no injuries have been reported.Read More...
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Olympus developing new E-System Four Thirds camera
Posted by Dennis SellersOlympus has announced that it's begun development of an interchangeable lens type digital camera based on the “Micro Four Thirds System.” The company says development of the camera will bring dramatic reductions in size and weight to the Olympus E-System, and will comply with the new Micro Four Thirds System...
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Oracle releases Oracle Business Approvals for iPhone
Posted by Dennis SellersOracle has announced Oracle Business Approvals is scheduled to be available for download on Apple App Store in Oracle's second quarter.
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Apple Store Colorado Springs: photos from opening day
Filed under: Retail, Cult of MacApple junkies who live in Colorado Springs, CO used to have to drive about 75 miles north to Denver to visit either the Park Meadows or Aspen Grove Apple Stores. Now they finally have an Apple Store of their own at the Promenade Shops at Briargate, which opened on Saturday, September 20th.Reader Denny noted "Firefighter Memorial Ride happened to be the same day and organized from the parking lot. At first, I thought Apple had a new market in Firefighters and Harley riders." Denny moved to Colorado Springs just three weeks ago from Orlando, FL, where he had his pick of three Apple Stores. Denny's Flickr slide show can be viewed here.TUAW reader Marc mentioned that "Colorado Springs being a smaller market, the turnout wasn't as great as for some other openings -- there were about 40 people in line when I arrived about 8:30 am and another 40 or so filled out the line by the 9:00 am opening time." They may have T-shirts available for a while at that store... Marc's Flickr slide show is here.Thanks to Denny, Marc, and Randy for their coverage of the event.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Version 2.0 of Alltop news aggregation web site unveiled
Posted by Dennis SellersNononina has announced version 2.0 of Alltop.com, its news aggregation web site. The three primary enhancements include the following:
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Apple store launching in Israel from iDigital
Posted by Dennis SellersAn Apple store is launching in Israel, thanks to iDigital, Apple's official distributor in the country. It also offers AppleCare support packages.
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Realmac Software previews LittleSnapper
Posted by Dennis SellersRealmac Software is previewing an upcoming Mac OS X 10.5 application: LittleSnapper. Built to be the “designer's digital scrapbook,” it allows you to take, organize, annotate and share screenshots from your desktop and the web.
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Apple rejects another app for "duplicating functionality"
Yet another app was rejected by Apple for ostensibly duplicating functionality of built-in apps. However, as we've seen before, this is not necessarily the case, frustrating developers even further. Read More...
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Video Sandbox 112: mental wanderlust
Posted by Frank PetrieThis week my brain is all over the map. Not a pretty sight. We touch base on the political race, the green movement, some comedy and some senseless mutterings from yours truly.
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Pentax announces K2000 Digital SLR System, two DA Star lenses, Ring Flash
Posted by Dennis SellersPentax has announced the Pentax K2000 DSLR system designed specifically for consumers who are ready to make the transition from a point-and-shoot digital camera to digital SLR photography. The Pentax K2000 is an entry-level system consisting of the new Pentax K2000 body, the smc Pentax DA L 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL...
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The Google Phone: It's Not Just About Google
I've been watching the sentiments coming out of Google (GOOG) watchers and the Apple (AAPL) Universe on the potential impact of the much ballyhooed Google OS with its maiden launch slated for T-Mobile on an HTC device. Sentiment has been mixed, with some folks saying that this new phone, named the Dream, will be a mediocre first foray with other research organizations saying Android phones will instantly grab 4% of the smartphone market.These Android bulls, namely, Strategy Analytics, claim that the Dream running Android will sell 400,000 phones by the end of 2008. That's a fairly modest target by iPhone standards but its still a healthy chunk.
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News: DLO intros cases for iPod nano 4G, touch 2G
Digital Lifestyle Outfitters has introduced its first cases for the fourth-generation iPod nano and second-generation iPod touch. Available for both the iPod nano 4G and iPod touch 2G, the Action Jacket is a neoprene case with belt clip that can be used alone or with an included armband. The padded neoprene case features a built-in clear screen protector that allows for use of the iPod while in the case, and the removable belt clip offers 360 degrees…
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Apple updates Pro Applications, Final Cut Server, and iPhone Config Utility
Filed under: Apple Professional, Software Update, iPhoneLast Thursday, Apple released three updates that we forgot to touch on.Pro Applications Update 2008-03 (support site link)Pro Applications Update 2008-03 "addresses general performance issues and improves overall stability." More information about the Pro Apps update can be found in the release notes. You can download the installer package here.Final Cut Server Update 1.1.1 (support site link)Apple notes on their support website that FCS Update 1.1.1 addresses "installation issues and general performance issues and improves overall stability." Apple has also posted more information about the update in the release notes.iPhone Configuration Utility 1.0.1 for Mac OS X (support site link)The iPhone Config Utility allows enterprises to maintain a large number of iPhones (including installing and provisioning applications). The utility has been updated to version 1.0.1, and in normal Apple update fashion, they have not included any release notes for this version. You can however, download the installer package by visiting the Apple support site.All of these updates require Mac OS X 10.5.5, which was updated last week. You can download these updates by opening Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) or by visiting the Apple support website links and download the installer packages. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Rumor: RIM to tip BlackBerry hat at Mac with native client
RIM is working on a native BlackBerry Desktop Manager client for Mac OS X, according to an anonymous source. This could become one of the largest business feathers in Apple's hat yet.Read More...
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Apple recalls iPhone 3G power adapters
While it was a slow news weekend for the most part, there is one important thing that all iPhone 3G early adopters need to know about. Apple is recalling millions of iPhone 3G ultra compact power adapters. You can easily tell if yours is in need of being replaced. Take a look at it - if it DOES NOT have a green light on it like the one pictured above, you'll need to visit this website and have Apple mail you a new one. Alternatively you can stop by any Apple Store after October 10th and exchange your current adapter for a new one. The reason for the recall is that “Apple has received reports of detached prongs involving a very small percentage of the adapters sold, but no injuries have been reported.” It's going to be about 3 weeks before Apple begins shipping these replacements, so you may want to be cautious about how you use the current power adapter while you wait for your new one to arrive. I know some of you think “oh that'll never happen to me” and you're probably right - but why take the chance? To order your replacement you will need your iPhone serial number, so if you're at work right now, email yourself a reminder or set an alarm on your iPhone to remind you when you get home.
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Agenda set for lafcpug meeting, September 24
Posted by Dave MertenThe next meeting of the Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group will be Wednesday, September 24, 2008 beginning at 6:45PM at the Gallery Theater in Hollywood California. Join them welcome Mark Altekruse who will show off the the music making capabilities of baltat Muse 2.0.
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Encrypt Mail, Address Book, and iCal data
Like many of you, I keep lots of personal information on my laptop that I would like to keep private in case I lose physical control of the computer (theft, or more likely these days, sudden seizure by the government). There are a few ways to accomplish on-the-fly encryption with OS X, of course, but none of them really fit my needs. FileVault has not been known to be exceptionally reliable (although I've never tried it in Leopard) and is totally unconfigurable. Whole disk encryption is a little overkill for me, so I don't feel like eating the CPU overhead that it entails. On the other end of the spectrum, casual security like an Open Firmware / EFI password, and a strong login password are easily defeated, and only deter those with no interest in your data anyway. What I really want is a way to encrypt just a certain set of private data (like my email in Mail.app, contacts in Address Book, and calendars in iCal), with as little inconvenience as possible. The best ...
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Easily save TextEdit documents via AppleScript
I often dump ideas, questions, and answers in TextEdit files which I later use Spotlight to retrieve. Saving lots of these files manually is a chore, so I created an AppleScript to take care of this. How it works is it takes the first paragraph (a line followed by return) of the document -- typically the title in my writing -- and uses this to name the text file (note some characters like ':' cannot be used in file names), and then saves the text file in your Documents folder. Here's the script: tell application "TextEdit" set documentName to "" set paragraphText to paragraph 1 of document 1 if (count of paragraphs of document 1) = 1 then set documentName to paragraphText else -- get rid of newline character se...
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Monitor Xserve temperature, voltage, power via Munin
Many system administrators are using Munin to monitor and make graphs of many details about their servers. However, there is no official plug-in for Mac OS X Server and Xserve to monitor temperature, power, or voltage. Aqua Ray, however, provides some of them; that page has download links for G4, G5, and Intel Xserves, along with explanations on how to install them on a current version of Munin. [robg adds: These plug-ins appear to be free, but I haven't tested them to see how well they work.]
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Quickly change a far-away date in iPhone's Calendar
I've noticed when creating a new event in the iPhone's Calendar, sometimes it gives me a far far away date (usually if I've been looking at old, or future events), or previous recurrences of an event (two years ago, for example). By default, date is displayed as Weekday-Day-Month, Hour and Minutes. Changing to another month, or worse, another year, is a time-consuming task. One obvious solution is to cancel that event, go to Today, and create a new one, so the date is closer to the desired one. But if you have already typed information about the event, it may be frustrating to re-enter all of it. A simpler way to get the right date quickly is to turn on the All-Day event switch, so the date picker changes to Day, Month, Year. Simply change your date, and turn off the All-Day switch again to enter the hour.
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First Looks: Shure SE102MPA Sound-Isolating Stereo Headset
As a peer-priced alternative to the company's earlier SE110, Shure's new SE102MPA ($120) is a pair of budget-priced earphones that now include the company's "music phone adapter" MPA-3c, enabling iPhone and iPhone 3G users to take calls in the middle of listening to music. The MPA-3c portion features a noise-isolating microphone and a button that lets you either accept a call, end a call, pause music midstream, or change tracks; Shure only includes…
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FmPro Script Diff 1.27 adds Graphical Control Flow feature for FileMaker
Posted by Dennis Sellers.com Solutions has updated FmPro Script Diff to version 1.27. The app's new control flow view includes support for IF/ELSE/END IF/LOOP/END LOOP statements, graphically showing the statements included within each control flow structure.
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News: Mix: MailWrangler, iPhone 3G & data plans, AT&T admits 3G overloading, iStyles nano 4G
iPhone developer Angelo DiNardi has revealed that his iPhone application, MailWrangler, has been rejected by Apple due to duplicated functionality. In a message from Apple, the company said that MailWrangler, which uses the iPhone OS' built-in WebKit view to allow use