Jun 7, 2009 Jun 9, 2009 Monday June 8, 2009
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Mac OS Ken: 06.09.2009
Apologies all around. Today's show is moved to tomorrow. Listen in to find out why.
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TUAW at E3: Guitar Rock Tour 2 and DJ Mix Tour
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Odds and ends, iPhone, App Store, iPod touchWhile we really liked Gameloft's Castle of Magic at E3, these two music games in their lineup didn't impress nearly as much. Guitar Rock Tour 2 is a sequel to Guitar Rock Tour, and as you can tell from the picture at right, it's more or less a Guitar Hero knock-off: hit the notes as they pass the line at the bottom, and you'll hear whatever song you choose to play. At this point, gameplay on all of these games is more or less the same, so song selection makes the difference, and that's where Guitar Rock Tour 2 falls short: the game contains only four original tracks, and fifteen covers. While they do lay claim to tracks by Judas Priest, Panic at the Disco, Wolfmother, Placebo and Twisted Sister, Tapulous pretty much has the market covered in terms of getting great music playable on the iPhone, and we didn't see anything during our hands on that would attract us away from Tap Tap Revenge and its various forms.DJ Mix Tour is the other music game they showed us -- this one had a club feel and had you pressing notes on a turntable rather than guitar frets. There were some interesting choices in that game -- we saw some covers of Britney Spears club mixes, as well as Lady Gaga and Darude's famous Sandstorm tune, so if you're a die-hard techno fan, there might be some new tunes in there for you among the sixteen total songs. But again, Tap Tap Revenge is so polished after all their updates, and already has such a great selection of tunes that it's hard to recommend Gameloft's versions.Both will be available for $5.99 in the App Store sometime this month.TUAWTUAW at E3: Guitar Rock Tour 2 and DJ Mix Tour originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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June ‘09 issue of ‘Macsimum MacOSG Newsletter’ released
Posted by Dennis SellersNoise Industries, developer of visual effects tools for the post-production and broadcast markets, has updated FxFactory to version 2.0.7, adding three new plug-ins and enhanced rendering technology for all blurs and glows, delivering tremendous speed and image quality for effects workflow.
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YouTube sensation is now an iPhone app
Posted by Dennis SellersappsNminded have teamed up with Eric Herman to bring his YouTube video, Elephant Song, to the Apple Apple Store for US$0.95.
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app4Mac updates Jump, Presto for Mac OS X
Posted by Dennis Sellersapp4Mac has released Jump 1.1. and Presto 1.1, updates of two Mac OS X utilities. Jump allows you quick access to your applications, documents and folders.
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The dying goodwill toward AT&T
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, WWDC, iPhoneCongratulations! When Apple releases iPhone OS 3.0 next week, we'll finally be gaining the following features ...Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)! ... unless you're on AT&T.Tethering! ... unless you're on AT&TA brand new 16GB iPhone 3G S for only $199 with a two-year contract! ... unless you're on AT&T and already own an iPhone 3G.AT&T has long been the subject of grumbling from the community of US iPhone users who want to use their phones legitimately. Ever since the original release back in 2007, it feels like AT&T has been trying to play catch-up when it comes to service and tower availability. But, the release of the iPhone 3G S might be the straw that breaks the camel's back. I can walk down to my local AT&T store and pick up a cheap handset for less than $100 that will have MMS. AT&T knew this day was coming. The company may wail and gnash its teeth, complaining that it aren't ready for this, but it should be, especially since Boy Genius Report tells us that all AT&T needs to do is manually remove the opt-out code!It was even apparent during the keynote yesterday that Apple sounds pretty disgusted with how far behind AT&T is dragging them. Notice the absence of any AT&T personnel on stage. Had AT&T been on the ball to begin with, it most likely would have taken center stage -- boasting about all the improvements that would garner shiny new services for iPhone users and more money for the corporate coffers. But it didn't, and the tension coming from Apple during the moments when MMS and Tethering were announced was pretty tangible. Apple had all of these features that people have been begging for ready to go, and now Cupertino is forced to wait for AT&T to finish twiddling its thumbs and do what it should have done two years ago. I wouldn't even be surprised if AT&T somehow found a way to block copy/paste!A small footnote on Apple's iPhone page indicates that MMS support from AT&T will be coming later this summer. Another note on the 3.0 software pages says that tethering isn't available in the U.S. and some other countries, although Engadget cites AT&T sources who say it's coming -- there just isn't anything to announce yet.Then there comes iPhone pricing. Those expecting a repeat of last summer's offer to replace their current iPhones with the latest model on the cheap are being sorely disappointed. You can read full details on that kerfuffle thanks to one of the recent additions to our team, Michael Jones. However, our commenters do have a point with that one -- those who bought the first generation iPhone paid the full price right off the bat, but later buyers were able to get the iPhone 3G at a subsidized price. Like with any other subsidized phone with any other carrier, you'll have to pay a pretty hefty price for the privilege to upgrade before you're eligible. For me, that'll be in October 2010. By then, the iPhone 3G s4π will most likely be out. Still, people aren't happy with this one either.The ramifications for AT&T will come when it sits down at the negotiation table with Apple to extend its current gig as exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the United States. Apple won't forget that AT&T didn't have key features in place when they needed to be there. If Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, or any other carrier can convince Apple that they would be ahead of the game while AT&T lags (and, believe me, it wouldn't be that hard of an argument to make), Apple will take its toys and go elsewhere. And loyal iPhone users would follow. I know I would.TUAWThe dying goodwill toward AT&T originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Safari 4 fast, but only minor tweaks from beta
If you used the Safari 4 beta, you knew what everybody else has now realized: Safari is now a serious browser for serious Windows users, and its position on Macs has been bolstered.
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iPhone OS 3.0 gold release in pictures
It won't be available en masse until the 17th of the month, but the gold build of iPhone OS 3.0 is now available to developers -- a promising sign that apps taking advantage of a wide variety of 3.0's new features (push notifications, in-app payments, and the like) will be available by the time it's released to the general public. We've been toying around with the latest cut here and have noticed a few small changes from beta 5; nothing groundbreaking, but notable nonetheless. Most importantly, iTunes is now offering movie, TV and music video downloads directly from the phone, which has caused the bottom navigation bar to be rearranged a bit. We also noticed that the App Store's nav bar was rearranged a bit to accommodate a "More" button where you'll find Top 25 and Redeem links. The Store screen in Settings now shows a nicely-formatted account information screen -- nice, we suppose -- but unfortunately, MMS configurability is still missing, so it's unclear whether AT&T will need to push an update once it flips the switch. Dive into the gallery for a closer look. Filed under: Cellphones, HandheldsiPhone OS 3.0 gold release in pictures originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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MacOSG: The Apple Store causes Safari 4 to crash
Posted by Dave MertenMany people, including myself, are having problems access the online Apple Store with the new Safari 4 final release. The browser will attempt to access the site and then just disappear There are quite a fews posts at Apple Discussions on the subject.
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Symbian looks to seduce iPhone devs with free Nokia 5800s, world destroying robo-duckie
Sure, we feign a lack of bias, but deep down in our hearts we only have one love: Symbian Foundation's robo-duckie mascot. Unfortunately for Symbian, it's going to take all the charm it can muster to win over the iPhone App Store's crop of cash-flush developers. Symbian was apparently at WWDC today, doing its best to woo, with all-day festivities involving coffee, food, a "hackathon," prizes, and free Nokia 5800 handsets for attendees. We're expecting Ovi Store to fill in with some solid €1.00 beer drinking simulators and Zippo lighter apps any second now.Filed under: Cellphones, HandheldsSymbian looks to seduce iPhone devs with free Nokia 5800s, world destroying robo-duckie originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Run From Hell for the iPhone dashes to version 1.5.3
Posted by Dennis SellersVisionaire Design has released an update (version 1.5.3), an US$0.99 game for the iPhone and iPod touch. It's available at the Apple App Store.
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New Apple iPhone 3G S shows promise with speed, battery life
On the surface anyway, Apple is giving the smartphone faithful many features they've been clamoring for. The new iPhone 3G S ...
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Apple updates MacBook Air
Filed under: WWDC, MacBook Air It's one of the most overlooked product refreshes of the day, but the MacBook Air still deserves some credit. Not only did the Air get a drastic price drop (specifically with the SSD model), but it also gained a few specs. The base MacBook Air now starts at $1499US with a 1.86 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, 120GB SATA drive (runs at 4200 rpm), and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card. The second model, which adds a 2.13 Ghz Core 2 Duo processor and 128GB SSD drive will only run you $1799US. That's a huge difference considering the last SSD model cost $2499 -- a difference of $700!It is also worth noting that the MBAir now comes with a USB Ethernet Adapter in the box. You can also choose a keyboard format in either: English, Western Spanish, French, or Japanese. If you have been wanting a MacBook Air, but let the price hold you back, then there's no reason for you to complain any longer. You can see all of the specs on the new MacBook Air models by visiting either the product page or the Apple online store.TUAWApple updates MacBook Air originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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NEC announces two new 24-inch desktop displays
Posted by Dennis SellersNEC Solutions of America has announced the new MultiSync LCD2490WUXi and LCD2490W2-BK-SV with NEC's SpectraViewII Color Calibration Solution. These two high-performance desktop displays are designed for graphic arts, desktop publishing, photography, medical imaging and other professional applications.
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Apple WWDC 2009: the good, the bad, and the ugly
Sure, Apple didn't really shock anyone with the announcement of the iPhone 3G S this morning at WWDC, but there was no shortage of news at the Moscone Center -- we also got new MacBooks, final Snow Leopard details, and a release date for iPhone OS 3.0. On the other hand, it wasn't all good news either: AT&T's iPhone upgrade pricing and service levels leave a lot to be desired, and Apple's unfortunate penchant for sealed-in batteries has finally hit the 15-inch MacBook Pro. Apple's posted its stream of the keynote if you want to relive things in real-time, but here's a quick rewind in case you missed anything:The good Current iPhone owners will get iPhone OS 3.0 for free, although some features like video recording and voice control are limited to the iPhone 3G S. It's not perfect, but we don't really complain about free. Snow Leopard upgrades will cost just $29, instead of the usual $129. The original 8GB iPhone 3G is now only $99 for new AT&T subscribers. That's definitely going to make some waves in the smartphone market. We'd have loved to see some external design improvements and maybe some more surprising features that weren't rumored, but overall the iPhone 3G S is definitely in the "good" column -- it's a solid set of improvements to an already very good platform. MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (including the new 13-inch Pro) specs have increased while prices have come down, and glory be, FireWire is back on everything but the Air. The bad As usual, iPod touch owners are going to get dinged $9.95 for the iPhone OS 3.0 upgrade. Hey Apple -- maybe switch these guys over to subscription accounting as well? Let's face it, "iPhone 3G S" is a pretty clunky name. Sure, it's nice that the MacBook Pros now have an SD card slot, but losing ExpressCard hurts. And why not a multicard reader? Pro DSLRs still use CF. The ugly Sure, new customers and qualified upgraders are getting some sweet pricing on iPhone hardware, but AT&T's basically flipping existing customers the bird -- they'll have to pay anywhere from $399 to a whopping $699 to get an iPhone 3G S. You'd think they'd have looked at how many people went from a first-gen iPhone to a 3G and realized those same people would want a 3G S, but apparently not. On top of that insult, AT&T isn't supporting all of iPhone OS 3.0's features out the gate: MMS is coming "later this summer," and tethering has been promised but there's no timeline and no pricing information. Thanks, AT&T. Sure, it's grand that the 15-inch MacBook Pro's battery now lasts for up to seven hours on a charge and won't lose capacity for five years, but a non-swappable battery on a workhorse professional machine just doesn't cut it for us. So all in all we'd say that the good outweighs the bad, although AT&T really disappointed here. Of course, that's just scratching the surface -- check out the rest of our coverage after the break and let us know what you think!Continue reading Apple WWDC 2009: the good, the bad, and the uglyFiled under: Cellphones, LaptopsApple WWDC 2009: the good, the bad, and the ugly originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple Posts WWDC 09 Keynote Video
Today's keynote was long, really long. In fact our MacBooks were on one minute of battery life when it ended. Whew!Anywho, in order to get the full effect of today's event, check out the video posted by Apple. We've decided that Scott Forstall should always dress like a mad scientist.
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WWDC '09 keynote stream now available via QuickTime
Filed under: Apple Corporate With all the news floating around today about the new iPhone 3G S, and the updates on the release dates of iPhone 3.0 or Snow Leopard, you might feel deprived if you didn't get to make it out to this year's WWDC. Don't fret. You can now watch the keynote stream on the Apple website and see all of the announcements from the event. Click here to go to the stream page. You can view all of our coverage from this week on the TUAW WWDC page.TUAWWWDC '09 keynote stream now available via QuickTime originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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WWDC: Yap releasing iPhone SDK
Posted by Dennis SellersYap, developer of a speech-to-text hosted platform for communications service providers, has announced the availability of its Software Development Kit (SDK) for the speech-enablement of iPhone applications at this week's Apple Worldwide Developer Conference.
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AT&T Speaks on Tethering, iPhone 3G S Preorders, Upgrades
Chris Foresman: In all, it seems folks are mostly disappointed with the mixed news regarding AT&T’s handling of service and pricing for the iPhone. This is an understatement. Contempt for AT&T is topic number one here at WWDC. ★
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The New iPhone Breaks Ground — and News
From Our Colleague, Brian Stelter, at Media Decoder: The iPhone 3G S Apple may have just taken another groundbreaking step in the age of citizen journalism. In its introduction of the next-generation iPhone on Monday, Apple demonstrated a new video recording function that will turn millions of the company's phones into video cameras. Perhaps most important, [...]
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White MacBook last MacBook standing
Apple wasn't totally clear about this earlier, but it turns out all the unibody MacBook models are now MacBook Pros -- the only remaining "MacBook" is the white plastic number. That's definitely a big change from Cupertino's usual rigidly-maintained product matrix -- we'd say that the lower-end Pros with GeForce 9400M integrated graphics definitely blur the line between consumer and professional machines. Still, it's not hard to tell one from the other on the outside, at least: MacBooks are plastic and MacBook Pros are aluminum. We all straight?Filed under: LaptopsWhite MacBook last MacBook standing originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Can Apple beat the too-expensive rap?
At WWDC Monday, Apple revealed new pricing that showed it's being realistic about the economy and competition.
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Apple unveils Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server, cuts price in half
Filed under: Enterprise, Software, Education, WWDC, Mac OS X Server, Snow Leopard If you have Mac servers in your business, you weren't left out of the Snow Leopard fun during the keynote earlier today. Apple also announced that Mac OS X Server 10.6, A.K.A. Snow Leopard Server, will be shipping in September. Like Snow Leopard, the server version of the OS provides 64-bit support, and many of the Apple applications have been updated to take advantage of that. For example, SMB file server performance is 2.3x faster than Leopard Server, and AFP file server performance is now 1.3x faster. New features include: iCal Server 2 -- This upgrade to Leopard's iCal Server now provides push notification, wireless accessibility to your calendar from any iPhone, a new web-based calendaring interface, and updates to CalDAV that now allow you to invite colleagues to meetings via email. Podcast Producer 2 -- Podcast Producer, which was added to the server mix in Leopard, is now improved with Podcast Composer. This new feature lets you create your own workflows for automating completion and publishing of podcasts. There's also a new Setup Assistant in Server Admin that can set up Podcast Producer 2 in a manner of minutes, even if you're setting up a cluster of servers. Wiki Server 2 -- Workgroups wishing to collaborate now have a little bit more to love from Wiki Server. The only real new feature is iPhone support; users can securely log into confidential wikis and content, and even review content and comments from the iPhone. Mobile Access Server -- The piece that I'm probably the most excited about as an Xserve admin is Mobile Access Server. This new feature is like a custom VPN for Mac and iPhone users. As long as they're set up in the server's directory service, users can get secure, encrypted access to the server and network with very little hassle. Mail Server -- The engine running Mail Server has been totally redesigned for much faster service, and now provides push email, vacation messages and server-side rules, and improvements to mail server clustering. Web Server -- The biggest change to Web Server is that it can now do HTTP live video streaming. Performance is about 1.3x faster than Leopard Server's web services as well. Client Management -- Organizations that are deploying many iPhones will love the new client management piece of Snow Leopard Server. It has an iPhone configuration utility for creating profiles that can be emailed to corporate users, thus setting up secure services in a few seconds. Administrators can now also use NetRestore to rebuild Macs over networks, based on either a custom build disk image or a standard OS X install disk. Best of all, Snow Leopard Server will cost $499 for unlimited users (a sharp reduction from Leopard Server's price of $999 unlimited, $499 for 10 users) and should be shipping at the same time OS X 10.6 is available to the rest of us. I'd just be happy if Apple has finally fixed a lot of the issues with backing up network users to Mac OS X Server using Time Machine. TUAWApple unveils Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server, cuts price in half originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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'The MUG Event Calendar': special guests and home-made demos
Posted by Dennis SellersThe busiest month on the MUG Event Calendar features special guest presenters as well as a wide variety of home-made demos.
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MacNotables #919: Dennis Sellers Wraps Up the WWDC Announcements
Dennis Sellers takes a few minutes off from updating Macsimum News with WWDC information to discuss the the announcements of the new iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3.0 software, Mac OS X 10. Snow Leopard, a newly revamped MacBook Pro line and more. The discussion includes a review of why AT&T may have been the bad guy in the announcements and why Steve Jobs' absence may have been a good thing. Links: Chuck Joiner on Twitter Dennis Sellers on Twitter WWDC: Apple announces the iPhone 3G S—and a $99 iPhone by Dennis Sellers on Macsimum News ‘MacTech’ launches ‘Shame on You, AT&T’ poll by Dennis Sellers on Macsimum News WWDC: Apple introduces Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard by Dennis Sellers on Macsimum News WWDC: Apple uncages Snow Leopard, which is due in September by Dennis Sellers on Macsimum News WWDC: Apple overhauls laptop line-up, introduces 13-inch MacBook Pro by Dennis Sellers on Macsimum News Sonnet FireWire 400 to 800 Adapter
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Apple Releases Safari 4
Today, Apple stripped the beta tag from, and released, Safari 4 into the wild. Safari 4, which has been in beta since February, offers a host of features and enhancements to Apple's self-proclaimed “World's Fastest Browser.” Safari 4 features an updated user interface, and numerous under-the-hood enhancements, all of which contribute to a great new browser, built with the user in mind. If you've been using Safari 3, this is a fantastic update you'll definitely want to install immediately. If you've been using the Safari 4 beta for the last few months, some changes have been made, and stability has improved. No matter what browser you currently use, Safari 4 is a gorgeous app that puts the content up front and gets out of your way while you surf. Safari 4 Top Sites Top Sites Top Sites is one of the more notable features, where you can view up to 24 of your most visited sites, via a slick 3D wall of page previews, in one window — making it much easier to get to the sites you visit most. If you prefer to use Top Sites as your start page, which you can do in the General tab in your Safari preferences, you can “pin” specific pages so they're always available, no matter how often you visit them. You do this simply by hitting the Edit button at the bottom of the Top Sites page and clicking the little pin icon in the corner of each page thumbnail. Search Searching in Safari has seen a few feature updates. You can use the new Search bar, which auto-completes terms, offers suggestions, and displays a list of recent searches for you. Pretty standard stuff. But here's the cool part. Lets say you want to search for a site you've been to in the past, but can't remember where it was. Simply visit your Top Sites page and use the Search box at the bottom. Safari will search through your history and display thumbnail previews of the search results via Cover Flow in the browser window — making it much easier to find what you're looking for. The Cover Flow feature also works with your Bookmarks. Shortcuts Apple has added a few options to the Customize Toolbar preferences. You can now add buttons for Top Sites, Bookmarks Bar, Site Information, Email Page, and more. To make room for these buttons, Apple has removed the Stop/Reload button and made it part of the URL bar, as seen below. Safari 4 buttons For those who were using Safari 4 beta and didn't care for the Tabs-On-Top feature, you'll feel all warm and fuzzy when you find the Tab bar has been moved back to it's Safari 3 location below the toolbar. While browsers have had the ability to reduce or enlarge text for a long time, Safari 4 goes one step further by allowing you to zoom an entire page in and out, keeping the content and overall look of the site the way it was intended. Of course, you can also zoom the text only, and support for external style sheets is available, so you can choose your fonts, sizes and colors for all Web sites. A few other nifty features of Safari 4 include inline-viewing of PDFs without cumbersome plugins, the ability to “clip” a Web page to create a Dashboard Widget of the page, the ability to save images directly into your iPhoto library, and Mail the contents of a page (in its full HTML glory) with the click of a button. Safari 4 Under the Hood The new JavaScript engine (Nitro) in Safari 4, which boasts speeds four times faster than Firefox 3, four-and-a-half times faster than Safari 3, and eight times faster than Internet Explorer 8, was noticeably improved over previous Safari versions — especially when loading JavaScript-heavy pages such as my iGoogle page. Page rendering speeds have also been improved by up to three times, according to Apple's statements. Not having any scientific data to back-up my claim, I'll say that it is fast. Very fast. Considering Safari 4 will run as a 64-bit app under Snow Leopard when it's released in September, Safari with its Nitro JavaScript engine will be speeding along at a pace that will leave other browsers envious. Safari 4 also boasts support for HTML 5, for the use of offline technologies, and some pretty cool CSS 3 effects such as animations, fonts and media effects. It's also the only browser I know of that supports ICC color profiles out of the box, so images appear in the browser as they were intended to. Of particular interest to Web site designers and developers is the ability to invoke Safari 4's Web Inspector to get a closer look at the underpinnings of a Web site. You can view the CSS and HTML code, script and database information, as well as beautiful graphs displaying site statistics, such as image size. As you can see in the screenshot below, somebody really needs to optimize the MacBook Pro image! Safari 4 Web Inspector Firefox, with it's plethora of extensions available, has been my browser of choice for a long time. But Safari does offer one thing that Firefox just can't seem to catch hold-of in Mac OS X — speed! Safari 4 just blows the doors off even Firefox 3.5 beta. And it does offer some customization capability via InputManagers (not supported by Apple, by the way). Overall, if you can live without dozens of extensions for Firefox, Safari is by far the best browser for the Mac. Safari 4 is available now as a free download for Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later and requires that you install Security Update 2009-002. You can download Safari 4 from Apple's Web site.
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Find My iPhone and iDisk Support Make MobileMe More Attractive
When June 17 comes around, iPhone customers will definitely want to upgrade to the latest iPhone 3.0 software to take advantage of huge improvements with Apple's oft-discussed MobileMe service. iPhone 3.0, Where Are You? If you are like me, losing things (it happens to all of us) is unfortunately common. While I haven't lost my iPhone yet, I've had it happen to many friends. With the 3.0 software, Apple has introduced a new feature called Find My iPhone which will allow MobileMe customers to login to me.com via any Internet-enabled computer and remotely locate their phone via the iPhone's built-in GPS (or through cell phone triangulation on the original iPhone). Additionally, users can now remotely display a message on their iPhone with the intention of alerting whoever may find their treasured mobile device. In case the screen isn't attention-getting enough, users also have the ability to play a sound which will override the iPhone's silent setting to make it easier to find a lost or misplaced phone. Sometimes, however, bad things happen and you may not be able to retrieve your iPhone. In this case, Apple provides a solution that will allow a user to remotely wipe everything on their device, preventing the nefarious person who has acquired your iPhone from being able to do any real damage. In one click on the MobileMe website, all of your personal information, including addresses, phone numbers, photos, email and more, are deleted from your iPhone. If you eventually find your iPhone after you've wiped it, simply plugging it back into your Mac or PC will allow it to restore from its latest iPhone backup. iDisk Now On iPhone In other news, Apple announced that iDisk support will be coming soon to the iPhone. A free application will be available on the App Store that will allow you to browse content from your iDisk. You can also share content from your iDisk to friends and family via email, all from your phone. Since the iPhone features built in support for a variety of formats, including Microsoft Office and iWork documents, you can browse these as well. Editing these documents, however, is not supported at this time. Public iDisk folders are also supported, both in allowing you to browse other public folders as well as other users uploading content to your own public folder, which you can then browse from your phone. These features are iPhone 3.0 OS and MobileMe dependent. Find My iPhone & Remote Wipe will be available on June 17 and iDisk support will be available at a later, unannounced, date.
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Turn by turn navigation coming with TomTom for iPhone
Filed under: Accessories, WWDC, iPhoneIt's been a gap in the functionality of the GPS-enabled iPhone 3G for months, and one that was promised for the 3.0 software update (even though third parties have been trying to get it working for a while now): turn-by-turn navigation. Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel has been conclusively demonstrated not to be an oncoming train; it's the faint guiding glow from TomTom for iPhone, the first announced TBT navigation package for the 3.0 software (X-Road is already in the store for 2.1 devices).There's no cost information yet (Engadget speculates 'pricey' so as not to cannibalize TomTom's hardware business), and the launch date is only noted as after the June 17th 3.0 software availability, but it certainly looks cool: a software app combined with a custom bracket & charging cable, hands-free calling and 'enhanced GPS performance' included. For iPhone owners who don't yet have in-car GPS, this could be a fantastic offering, if the price is right.Video of the TomTom solution in the second half of the post. I already own a TomTom ONE, and just ponied up the $79 for a year of map updates... probably should have waited.Continue reading Turn by turn navigation coming with TomTom for iPhoneTUAWTurn by turn navigation coming with TomTom for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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WWDC Announcements: Smule’s Ge Wang and Twitterers Respond
We had a chance to talk to Dr. Ge Wang of Smule, makers of iPhone apps Ocarina and Leaf Trombone: World Stage. He, and some of our Twitter followers, share their thoughts about the new hardware and software announcements. With our Twitter followers, we asked for their reaction and it was definitely a mixed bag. Our question: What are your reactions to the new hardware announcements? What are the game changers? mattbdunn: ipod touch still $400 for 32Gb when u can pay $300 for a 32Gb 3GS iphone! Where's the 64Gb touch? No one will b buying those odaynasser: they flopped big time KevYocha: as an ATT customer lack of tethering and MMS is unforgivable. The update seems great for anyone else. My 3G is new too :( vicener: Frankly I was a bit disappointed with the iPhone 3Gs, but I am looking forward to OSX Snow Leopard and iPhone OS 3.0 bonxtivalis: Zzzzz… ryan_doughty: New hardware is fine, For me it will be the prices and tariffs on O2 UK that could make or break this as my next phone. freddytaul: new iphone and MB pros def stole the show. great new options and prices on the MBP's. my ibook might be headed out. mmccl267: pretty lame that AT&T doesn't support tethering. Any hope that they will change that? andreaguiar: machine hardware = excellent news + $. new iphone is nice but I think it could have used a bit more new features (3mp only?) askbal: I am surprised no Video in the firmware upgrade for 3G. Probably just for a feature differentiation with new 3GS? mike20: apathy and none, in that order, lol! #wwdc cmdotkom: I am really liking the sound of the new MacBook Pro line. I need a computer for work and will look into it as an option. decti: still no 13″ mb with 1440 resolution == sucks And my favorite: aaroncflores: @theappleblog will the Dev Team have jail break ready by the 17th? What do you think about today's announcements?
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MacBook Pros: A Look At an Upgraded Family
Apple pulled a flanking maneuver on us today, catching us by surprise. While there were some rumblings about the unibody 13” MacBook possibly being brought into the “Pro” family, there were no rumors for WWDC about changes to the MacBook or Pro line in general beyond perhaps the usual speed bumps. Instead, we got some major updates to the MacBook Pro line, and lower prices. Let’s take a look… The 13” MacBook Pro I already considered the unibody 13” kind of a MacBook Pro Lite, so in my view it’s fitting they’ve officially added it to the family. Some of you who claim it can’t be a “Pro” without FireWire, well then it's a Pro. Let’s just get right to the additions today: Processor speed bumps. From 2.0 to 2.26 on the entry model, 2.4GHz to 2.53 on the high-end. FireWire 800. There you go! Probably the single biggest complaint about the MacBook just got silenced. SD Card Slot. I’ve wanted one of these for a while. Easier to use on the road; no cable needed. Improved battery. A whopping 7 hours battery life; and the battery itself should last nearly five years. When they did this for the 17” MacBook Pro I mentioned that I’d love them to bring this technology to the rest of their line, I’m glad they did so. Better screen. It’s hard to quantify this, but I believe it’s the same screen they use in the MacBook Air, which is a visibly better screen than the first unibody 13” MacBooks. Base Memory on the entry remains 2GB, but increases to 4GB on the high-end (maximum memory for both increases from 4GB to 8GB). Hard Drive configurable maximum is now 500GB. Backlit keyboard for all models (previously just at the high-end). And all of this for $100 less than yesterday; $1,199 entry, $1,499 high-end. These are tremendous upgrades for the “little” MacBook. I have an original high-end unibody 13” and am jealous. I’d especially love the battery, SD slot, and of course the “free” 4GB RAM upgrade all for $100 less than I spent. The better screen, faster processor, and FireWire are just icing on that cake. The MacBook Pro 15” This model shares many updates with its little brother: Speed bumps from two models at 2.4GHz and 2.66GHz, to three models at 2.53, 2.66, and 2.8GHz. Improved battery with the same characteristics as above. Same SD slot as above. Base memory of 4GB on all models (maximum of 8GB). Unlike the 13” model, where all they did was add features, the 15” models got some trimming: These models no longer have the Express Card slot. The new low-end model lacks the discrete NVIDIA 9600M graphics With the low-end model priced at $1,699, the upshot is that the price of entry for a 15” MacBook Pro is now $300 less than yesterday. And, though it lacks the discrete graphics and Express Card slot, it gains the SD card slot, greatly improved battery, and a faster processor. This is basically a 15″ version of the high-end 13″ MacBook Pro for only $200 more. The $1,999 price that used to be the entry point for 15” is now a beautiful “middle” machine lacking only an Express Card slot from yesterday’s model, but gaining the SD slot, battery, etc. At $300 over the entry 15”, you get a faster processor, discrete graphics, and a bigger hard drive. This thing is comparable to what Apple sold for $2,499 yesterday! Finally, the high-end 15” is another $300 over the middle model. Still no Express Card, but you get a faster processor and a 500GB hard drive in addition to the SD slot, great battery, and discrete graphics. Note that the high-end 15″ costs $300 less than yesterday, and is a better machine. It's amazing what you get in a 15” MacBook Pro today compared to yesterday. Unless you require the Express Card slot, these are superior machines, at significantly lower prices, than before. The MacBook Pro 17” This model is the newest of the bunch, and as such needed the least upgrading. It already had the great battery, for instance. In addition, the 17” model retains the Express Card slot instead of getting an SD slot. Still, you get a bigger hard drive (500GB up from 320GB) and save $300 since it now starts at $2,499. Summary The 13” models are truly MacBook Pros, with more and better features, lower prices, and they lost nothing in the process. They are fantastic machines. The 15” models are excellent values, shedding only the Express Card slot (and discrete graphics at the low-end) but gaining an SD slot, the better battery, and other things in the process. The three new price points make the larger 15” screen more affordable than ever. The 17” is primarily unchanged, but getting a larger hard disk while saving $300 in the process is a pretty sweet deal.
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Video: iPhone 3G S gets a guided tour
Sure, you think you've learned all there is to know about Apple's new iPhone 3G S, but have you had its every feature explained and demonstrated for you by an unrealistically calm, factory-fresh ApplePerson over the course of 14 minutes in one of the company's trademark guided tours? Trust us, it's like taking a bubble bath in technology. Hit the read link for video.Filed under: Cellphones, HandheldsVideo: iPhone 3G S gets a guided tour originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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MacBUS June meeting to be annual member picnic
Posted by Dennis SellersThe next meeting of The Macintosh Business Users Society of Greater Philadelphia (MacBUS) will be held on Tuesday, June 5, at 6:45 pm.
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What Would a Free iPhone Do for Sales?
If you ignore the $30 a month data charge, a free iPhone is inevitable in a year, analysts say. It's Apple's way of undermining Palm and other rivals.
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Look Out Stanza, Scroll Motion Bringing 1M+ Books, Magazines to iPhone
Print media isn't dead, it's just slowly becoming digital media. Which I guess would make it dying. But it's good news for those of us who actually like using our iPhones as e-readers. And it's good news for Scroll Motion, a company responsible for bringing lots of best-sellers to the iPhone platform via its Iceberg Reader titles. Those titles, until now, have each been published as standalone apps, much to the consternation of me, and others who have to wade through the tangled mess that is the app store to locate the few gems. With the advent of iPhone OS 3.0, it will begin offering its titles via one, centralized app (something which, I should point out, Stanza was able to do just fine before 3.0) thanks to in-app purchasing. And though they already have about 500 titles on offer, they have bigger plans for the 3.0 Iceberg Reader software. 2,000 times bigger, give or take. During its part at the WWDC keynote today, Scroll Motion revealed its upcoming Iceberg Reader app, which will take advantage of Apple's new in-app purchasing to offer subscriptions to more than 50 major magazines, and, eventually, over a million books. That's a lot of books. During the demo, the one they used to show how purchasing works was priced at $9.99, which is on par with many of its current stand alone offerings. It is more expensive, however, than the average book I buy via the Stanza app, though you're actually going through an external content provider for those transactions, whereas with Iceberg you'll be able to just use your iTunes account. Scroll Motion also showed off plans to offer text books for sale for students, and then proceeded to show how it might use copy/paste to plagiarize their betters. Or maybe use properly cited quotes, depending on their moral bent. I'm not sure I'll switch to Iceberg just because it enables in-app purchasing, especially if prices still favor Stanza, but the sheer volume of content it seems to be bringing to the platform definitely excites me as a reader. I want choices, and I want them in one place, easily accessible without a lot of switching stores and digging around as is currently the case with Stanza. Hopefully Amazon follows suit with its newly acquired property and answers Scroll Motion with as much content, and maybe more subscription offers. It could easily leverage its Kindle relationship to make that happen. Unfortunately, it will never give over purchasing control to Apple, so buying in-app will probably stay the exclusive province of independent operators like Scroll Motion.
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WWDC Live: First reactions from attendees post-keynote
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Video, WWDC It's the first of what should be many videos coming to you straight from San Francisco: Two Apple developers, three opinions! At least that's the way it seemed coming out of the keynote this afternoon at WWDC. We caught up with several attendees and asked them for their thoughts. One of our favorites: "All I wanted was voice dialing, I've wanted it for the last two years... and then they do it, and it's just so much better than you expect it to be."iPhone-friendly m4v file is here.TUAWWWDC Live: First reactions from attendees post-keynote originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Snow Leopard: An Even Better Leopard
In between new notebooks and fawning over the iPhone, Bertrand Serlet got up on stage to talk about Snow Leopard, the next release of Mac OS X. Apple took a few digs at Microsoft for stumbling with Windows Vista and trying to play catch up with Windows 7. The picture that our friends in Cupertino are trying to paint is that Leopard has been a huge success and that Snow Leopard will be even better. After listening to the keynote, I find that I have to agree. I am over the moon about the changes coming to the Mac OS. Revisions Apple is justifiably proud of Mac OS X and the excellent combination of power and usability in Leopard. Mr. Serlet was quick to point out that in this release, Apple is hoping to build on their success with Leopard and add refinements that will make it even better. There are so many refinements that I will not attempt to list them all here, but will instead refer you to Apple's page about the refinements in Snow Leopard (be sure to click on the “even more refinements” link at the bottom of the page to get even more details). Of all these improvements, I am most excited about three of them: Finder, Speed, and Disk Eject. The new Finder is completely rewritten as a Cocoa native application, built with 64-bit code and Grand Central Dispatch support. This should make the Finder more responsive because it will execute tasks faster and also be able to take advantage of the multi-processing prowess of Grand Central Dispatch to offload background tasks efficiently to idle processors. Apple says that some operations like icon preview refreshes are up to 1.7x faster. This new Finder is going to breath new life into your computer by making it more responsive. There are other speed improvements all over Snow Leopard. Time Machine backups are faster. Waking up from sleep, shutting down, and joining a wireless network are all faster. Even installing Mac OS X is faster with Snow Leopard. Just like Maverick and Goose, I feel the need… the need for speed. And Snow Leopard delivers. And lastly, I am thrilled about the more reliable disk ejection in Snow Leopard. 10.6 will reduce the frequency with which the OS will prevent you from ejecting a disk, and more importantly, it will tell you which application is causing the OS to keep the disk mounted. It's a small thing, but I cannot tell you how many times I have had to reboot rather than figure out what is holding on to my external hard drive. New Technologies Snow Leopard is fully 64-bit, along with a number of the included applications. Moving from 32-bits to 64 means that the addressable memory space is increased to almost 16 billion GB of RAM. This ungodly number means that you do not have to worry about software limiting the amount of RAM that can be used. In the short term, we still have to live with the hardware limits of Macintosh computers, but these will improve over time (as the new MacBook Pro's demonstrate with an increase to 8GB RAM). 64-bit goodness also means that some instructions will actually get processed faster on the 64-bit CPU's that all Macs are built on. More interesting than the RAM limits of incremental performance gains, the new 64-bit memory allocation routines in Snow Leopard are also more secure and less prone to injection attacks. Grand Central Dispatch (mentioned above as being supported in the new Finder) is a game-changing technology that works to efficiently distribute computing tasks among all available processors. For the last few years, increases in CPU clock speeds have been downplayed compared to increasing the number of cores available on a single chip. Every Mac now has at least two cores, and some Mac Pros have 16. In the next year or so clock speeds will continue to hang in the 2.2 to 3.0GHz region, but the standard number of cores should increase to four and Mac Pros may go beyond 16. GCD is a software layer that developers can take advantage of in their applications to help schedule tasks across all these cores. If Snow Leopard can do this better than Windows 7, and developers choose to utilize the technology, then this could open a serious performance gap between the Mac platform and PC's running the exact same hardware. OpenCL is another new technology meant to better harness the raw hardware power that is already in your Mac. Today's video cards or Graphics Processing Units (GPU's) are capable of performing calculations for 3D graphics and modeling at an amazing pace. OpenCL is an attempt to let developers harness that power for use in other applications beyond drawing thousands of polygons on screen with fancy textures. Again, if developers take advantage of OpenCL, then Mac applications may run noticeably faster on Snow Leopard than on the same hardware running Leopard or Windows. Exchange Support The third piece of today's announcement is the inclusion of Exchange support directly in Mac applications like Mail, iCal, and Address Book. Apple licensed the Exchange technology for the iPhone which helped that device make inroads into corporate IT environments. Now that same technology is being baked in to Mac OS X so that Mac users can integrate more easily with their corporate infrastructure. Setup was demonstrated to be quick and easy using auto-discovery of Exchange services and applications were then immediately aware of your accounts and resources on Exchange. You can continue to drag-and-drop people onto iCal calendars to make appointments and so on. Many people will appreciate that you can blend your personal and business information in one interface by seeing both personal calendars and Exchange calendars or personal contacts in Address Book alongside the Global Address List from Exchange. In my opinion, the new Exchange support is going to do more for bringing the Mac OS into the workplace than Intel processors, Active Directory integration, virtualization, and the iPhone have accomplished in the last several years. Pricing & Availability Snow Leopard will be available in September for $129. Special pricing is available to current Leopard users who can buy the new release for the very modest price of $29 for a single user or $49 for a family pack. If you buy a new Mac with Leopard today, you will be eligible for the Snow Leopard Up-To-Date program which is only $9.95. With this sort of pricing, I don't see any reason not to upgrade to Snow Leopard. I'll be waiting in line myself.
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iPhone 3G owners and AT&T upgrade woes
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple, iPhoneWith the introduction of the new iPhone 3G S at WWDC, existing AT&T customers who wish to upgrade to the new model are quickly finding out that they are not eligible for the pricing announced today.If you were among the first 10 million customers to pick up the original iPhone, and you have not upgraded to the 3G, chances are your AT&T account lists your iPhone as eligible for an upgrade. But for many users, this is sadly not the case. Several readers have written in, letting us know that AT&T is not offering upgrade pricing for existing iPhone 3G owners, and is asking $599 for the new 16GB 3G S, or $699 for the 32GB model. Others have things a little easier, with AT&T offering $399 or $499 upgrade pricing. Now that's definitely not the rosy picture that was painted on the slide at WWDC this morning, is it?So what can you do if you want to upgrade? Well, you might have a few options. For starters, the typical contract cancellation fee is $175. So, depending on your plan, you may be able to save some money by just canceling the contract, then purchasing the iPhone as a new contract. Keep in mind, by doing this, you'll probably need to wait 90 days or so to sign-up with AT&T (in your name anyway) and you'll lose your existing phone number.You might also want to consider adding a new iPhone as an additional line to your account. If you don't have a spouse or family member to share your existing iPhone 3G with, the additional monthly fees for the new iPhone 3G S probably won't end up saving you any money (in fact, you can pretty much guarantee it won't), but if you want a new iPhone and have a person you can share your existing iPhone 3G with, this might be an option.Upgrade screen for an AT&T customer just a couple of months shy of the 18-month threshold.Finally, you can always resort to the old standby method: subsidize the cost by selling your existing phone. Since the hardware changes are fairly minimal with the new model, it's a safe bet that the 3G will still be in good demand, at least for a little while. Chances are pretty good that you can recoup some, if not all, of the cost of the new phone by selling your old 3G after you have upgraded. This is particularly true for 3G phones that have been jailbroken or unlocked. Even though the 8GB iPhone 3G will be selling for $99, users who want to use a phone without a contract or potentially with another carrier are foaming at the mouth for the iPhone.Keep in mind that these are just suggestions, and may or may not work for everyone in all cases. If all else fails, talk to someone at AT&T. You might just get lucky and find someone who is able to help you out. If you want to wait out your existing contract, it appears that AT&T will approve you for upgrade pricing 18 months into your contract. So if you got an iPhone 3G last June, you can look at upgrading to the iPhone 3G S at the end of December.Will you be upgrading your iPhone 3G to a 3G S, despite the steep price, or will you wait until you are eligible to upgrade? Let us know in the comments!TUAWiPhone 3G owners and AT&T upgrade woes originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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iPhone 3G S - A Guided Tour of Magic
Apple loves it's guided tours. This time, Nelson will be sharing with you all the magic of iPhone 3G S. It's 13 minutes, 45 seconds of longing for next Friday.
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AT&T: we'll offer tethering on the iPhone
It's been known since day one that iPhone OS 3.0 would support data tethering, and Apple took the opportunity at WWDC today to drive the point home by saying that it'd be launching the service with 22 carrier partners in 44 countries. Of course, it's easy to have assumed that AT&T wouldn't be one of those partners, but we've been told today by a company spokesman that it will be offering tethering on the device -- it just doesn't have any announcements to make at this time. Whether that means availability will be delayed (perhaps until the 7.2Mbps upgrade is built out) or they're just trying to hammer out pricing, we don't know, but it's a promising sign.Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, WirelessAT&T: we'll offer tethering on the iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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iPhone Software 3.0: Outrage climbs over missing AT&T support for new iPhone features
To give Apple and AT&T a quick eading on customer dissatisfaction, MacTech, a Mac developer magazine and online resource, on Monday started up a poll on the topic named: Shame on you AT&T. It went live during the keynote!
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Why is AT&T delaying rollout of iPhone tethering, MMS?
AT&T won't offer data tethering and MMS services when Apple launches its upgraded operating system for the iPhone, but the U.S. carrier says it will add it this summer.
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MobileMe: Even it gets some updates
Filed under: WWDC, Internet Tools, iPhone, MobileMeComing about six weeks too late for Steve Sande, the new Find my iPhone feature demoed at WWDC will enable you to locate your iPhone on a map by logging into me.com. Sadly, I doubt that feature will help those of us who accidentally knock their phones behind the bed or get stuck between the couch cushions, but at least you'll know if it's in the house. Edit: I forgot, you can hear it beep, even if it's set to silent. However, how loud it beeps remains to be seen ...You can also use the Find My iPhone feature to do two things: First, you can send a message to your phone that will display on the screen, even when it's locked, alerting to the Good Samaritan who has found it that you'll be on the way to get it. However, if someone with more nefarious intentions in mind gets ahold of it, you can do a remote wipe of the phone, thus returning it to factory settings.Not mentioned during the keynote are these little gems: The ability to access your iDisk from the iPhone: A feature that should have been on the iPhone for version 2.0, you can upload a file to your iDisk and immediately access it on your phone. The iDisk app will be free through the App Store. File sharing via iPhone: Likewise, that nifty little iDisk app will enable you to share a file with someone else by tapping on the "Share" button in the application, and it'll shoot an e-mail link to your recipients. You can also tweak the settings to set passwords and the number of days a file is available. You can also use it to access other MobileMe's Public folders. Mail search: If you've got a message on MobileMe but not on the iPhone itself, the improved search capabilities of iPhone OS 3.0 will allow you to search MobileMe for messages in addition to the e-mails that are on your iPhone as well. TUAWMobileMe: Even it gets some updates originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple unveils new, faster iPhone 3GS
Apple announced a new version of its popular iPhone on Monday, upping the pressure in the fast-growing market for smart phone devices.
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New MacBook Air Lighter On the Wallet
Despite an incremental speed increase, the biggest update to the MacBook Air at WWDC was the price. The low-end model is now $1,599, down $300, while the high-end model with a solid-state drive now sells for $1,799, a jaw-dropping $700 price drop. Available in two models, the low-end version now features a 1.86 GHz Intel Core Duo, formerly 1.6 GHz, along with a 120 GB hard drive. The high-end now runs at 2.13 GHz, but more importantly has a 128GB solid-state drive. This is a huge improvement over the low-end model, not in capacity but speed. The problem with the 120GB mechanical hard drive is that it spins at 4200 RPM, resulting in a noticeable performance bottleneck. While the MacBook Air 128GB SSD is no Intel X-25M SSD, it's still a big leap up from the mechanical hard drive. Apple is clearly addressing a major flaw with the MacBook Air by lowering the price on the SSD model. Unfortunately, that's the only flaw being addressed. Both models still have only 2GB of RAM, RAM that is soldered to the motherboard and cannot be upgraded. This seems especially curious when one considers that even the 13″ MacBook “Pro” has a high-end model with 4GB of RAM. Another deficiency, at least when compared with the MacBook Pros, is that the battery life on the MacBook Air remains at around 5 hours, the same as it was when the MacBook Air was introduced in January 2008. Another flaw, or absence of update, concerns the mouse button. The MacBook Air still has one, unlike the MacBook Pros. Why? While the price drop is welcome, this MacBook Air is looking a lot like an interim update. Those who need the lightest, thinnest MacBook right now might want to consider it, but a true upgrade will probably come early next year. Look for more RAM, better battery life, and possibly a fast SSD drive then.
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Apple’s List of Snow Leopard Enhancements and Refinements
Good overview of what’s new. To call out just one change, note that Snow Leopard now defaults to the same display gamma as Windows — 2.2 instead of 1.8. ★
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Poll: iPhone 3G S or the Pre?
Alright folks, we knew you were all waiting to see Apple's hand before you made the big Pre / iPhone decision, and now you know -- so what's it going to be? Hardware keyboard and true multitasking or video recording and voice control? Sprint or AT&T? The Clash or The Sex Pistols? Let us know!View PollFiled under: CellphonesPoll: iPhone 3G S or the Pre? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple Releases Safari 4
Filed under: WWDC, Internet Tools, Software Update, Apple One of the early announcements in this morning's keynote was that Safari 4 is now out of beta! You can download Safari 4 for yourself (Mac or Windows) from Apple's site. Apple is touting Safari 4 as the fastest web browser around, besting IE 8, Firefox and Chrome in speed tests.As with the Safari 4 betas, Safari 4 passes Acid 3 tests with a 100/100 -- the first (and only cross-platform) browser to achieve this level of standards compliance.The big news for users of the Safari 4 betas is that the tab orientation has been changed. In the beta, tabs were on the top of the application window, now they are below the URL field, just like in previous versions of Safari. I'm a fan! I also like the snazzy updates to the "loading" notification and the RSS indicator.Safari 4 has way too many features for me to list, so I'll just point you to Apple's page that details everything. The HTML 5 media and offline support, CSS 3 web fonts and CSS animations are some of my favorites. Safari 4 is FAST, thanks to the new JavaScript engine. It also integrates with both your Mac or with Windows, and the new Cover Flow History View for viewing your web history, or Top Sites for seeing what sites you visit most are totally, totally slick.Download Safari 4 here and then come back and tell us what you think! Remember, any third-party InputManagers like Saft will need to be updated if you want to use them with Safari 4. TUAWApple Releases Safari 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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The Mac Night Owl: 'after the WWDC'
Posted by Dennis SellersOn today's commentary, Gene “Mac Night Owl” Steinberg looks at what happens after the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference.
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iPhone VS. iPhone - The Eternal Battle! - Poll
Well, another keynote has come and gone. The internet is ablaze with iPhone, Snow Leopard, and MacBook Pro news. Now that you've had a few hours to check your bank account and 401k, what are your plans for next week?read more
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Snow Leopard more feature-laden than expected
Apple gave us a ship date and a few more details about Mac OS X 10.6. Rob Griffiths takes a look at the previously-unknown features of Snow Leopard.
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My 30-Second “Interview” With Jonathan Ive
No, I'm not kidding. This actually happened. I had a 30-second “interview” with Jonathan Ive. On the way out of the Moscone Center this morning, as streams of people are leaving to get some fresh air and digest all of the announcements from the WWDC 2009 keynote address, I see a familiar face walking towards me. It's Jonathan Ive. I can't believe it. This guy is design royalty. But I'm from Los Angeles: We're not afraid to approach the rich and famous in my city. Heck, I produce theater with lots of famous actors and comedians, so I often have to work with known personalities. This was a rare opportunity and certainly not a time for sudden shyness, so I approached the master designer and introduced myself. The following is an exact transcript of what transpired. Me: Jonathan…? Jonathan: [Turns, sees I'm no one he knows] Yes…? Me: David Koff. Nice to meet you. Jonathan: Thank you. Me: May I snap a photo with you? [Beat. He pauses, looks around, unsure of what to say, clearly uncomfortable.] Me: It's not a big deal. If you'd rather not, it's quite OK. Jonathan: Well, there are others here who are also deserving of a photo but I can't accommodate them as well, so…how about we just shake hands? Me: That would be lovely. I'm a great fan of your work. Jonathan: Thank you, that's very kind. Me: You're welcome. Keep up the good work. Jonathan: [Looking at me like I'm insane] I'll do that. Thank you. [He walks off. I wait a moment. I follow, calling after him, running and waving my arms wildly as if in a Seth Rogan romantic comedy...] Me: Godspeed, Jonathan! I love you! Have my babies…! OK, well maybe that's not how I ended the conversation, but everything before that was accurate. Ive is a notoriously private and quiet individual, which is why I was surprised to even see him out and about with the crowd — and which is why I was surprised he even stopped to turn and speak with me. But that's your dutiful David Koff, folks. Always willing to find the hard-to-get interviews…even when the interviewee doesn't know he was scheduled to meet me in the first place.
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Snow Leopard is out of the bag
Filed under: OS, Software Update, Apple, Snow Leopard For the ultra low price of $29 (for existing Leopard users), Apple gave a deeper look into the upcoming Snow Leopard release -- slated for some time in September."We've built on the success of Leopard and created an even better experience for our users from installation to shutdown," said Bertrand Serlet, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "Apple engineers have made hundreds of improvements so with Snow Leopard your system is going to feel faster, more responsive and even more reliable than before."Here's the highlights of the Snow Leopard releaseContinue reading Snow Leopard is out of the bagTUAWSnow Leopard is out of the bag originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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QuickTime X leaps forward in Snow Leopard
Filed under: Multimedia, Software, Video, Software Update, Snow LeopardSeems like only yesterday that QuickTime was at version 7. Oh wait, that was yesterday. Among the many announcements surrounding Snow Leopard we saw a little more of QuickTime X, Apple's next-generation version of the venerable media player/technology/doohickey. While the interface has been totally overhauled, the changes are more than skin deep.QuickTime X is a significant update. For consumers, there won't be a Pro version. Any version will allow simple editing, video/audio capture, and allow you to "publish your media to MobileMe or YouTube -- without worrying about codec formats or resolutions." We're not sure if you'll be able to save as a QuickTime movie or source file as before, but the removal of some previous limits will make QuickTime the snappy iMovie substitute it could be. Plus, QuickTime X will allow you to use any web server to stream live video over HTTP. Can't wait to see what people do with that.In addition to the visible changes, QuickTime X looks like a fundamental rewrite of the application and its underpinnings. Support for Core Audio, Core Video and Core Animation could mean some really interesting things for the future of media playback (not that we weren't promised as much a few years ago, of course). All of this comes wrapped up in Snow Leopard, and takes full advantage of the speed-tuning tech therein.Continue reading QuickTime X leaps forward in Snow LeopardTUAWQuickTime X leaps forward in Snow Leopard originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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New iPhone Pricing and Availability
Available today, the iPhone 3G can be purchased on the cheap for just $99. The new iPhone 3G S is available for pre-order via the online Apple Store in four varieties: 16GB in black or white for $199 and 32GB in black or white for $299. Apple has promised that if you pre-order today, it will be shipped directly to you and you will receive it on June 19. This is the first iPhone model to be available via the online Apple Store web site for pre-order. If you choose to pre-order your iPhone, you can select your rate plan options via Apple's web site, or log in and see your existing rate plan if you are a current iPhone user. Existing iPhone customers should expect an $18 activation fee and $18 upgrade fee. Then, users can choose to have their iPhone available for pickup at a local Apple Store or shipped directly to their door. Though I purchased my iPhone 3G on launch day last year, according to AT&T's records, I will have to wait until early December before I can qualify to upgrade to this iPhone at the advertised rate of $299 for the 32GB. This is different from last year, when Apple and AT&T allowed original iPhone owners to upgrade immediately without requiring owners to pay the higher price. Even though AT&T calls this an “early upgrade,” if you fall within this category, expect the 16GB iPhone to cost $399 and the 32GB iPhone to cost $499.
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MarketWatch First Take: Apple's iPhone price cut spells trouble for rivals
The news out of Apple Inc.’s developer conference was what most investors had been expecting, even though some of the faithful had been hoping for even the briefest glimpse of chief executive Steve Jobs.
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iPhone 3G vs. iPhone 3G S: the tale of the tape
The very first thing we want to know about this newfangled iPhone 3G S is exactly what we're getting for our extra Benjamin (or two, depending on the model you spring for). We don't have all the answers just yet -- Apple's being coy about processor specs on the 3G S, for example -- but here's what we do know so far. Basics iPhone 3G iPhone 3G S Price $99 8GB ($299 for ineligible upgraders) $199 16GB, $299 32GB ($399 and $499 for ineligible upgraders) Processor 412MHz ARM 11 Unknown, "on average up to twice as fast" Graphics capability OpenGL ES 2.0 OpenGL ES 2.0 Camera 2.0 megapixel fixed focus 3.0 megapixel autofocus with macro mode and auto white balance Video recording None 30fps VGA with on-device editing capability Voice control None Dialing, music control Wireless technologies 3.6Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR 7.2Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR Water- and oil-resistant finish No Yes Integrated magnetic compass No Yes Included headphones Standard Inline remote for music control Battery life Up to 5 hours talk time / data on 3G, 10 hours on 2GUp to 6 hours data on WiFiUp to 24 hours audioUp to 7 hours video Up to 5 hours talk time / data on 3G, 12 hours on 2GUp to 9 hours data on WiFiUp to 30 hours audioUp to 10 hours video Dimensions 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3mm 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3mm Weight 133 grams / 4.69 oz. 135 grams / 4.76 oz. Filed under: Cellphones, HandheldsiPhone 3G vs. iPhone 3G S: the tale of the tape originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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iPhone OS 3.0: Some Things You Knew, and Some You Didn’t
A lot of this will not be news to those of you who've either experienced the iPhone OS 3.0 beta first-hand, or who've read about it here on TheAppleBlog or elsewhere, but the official announcement of what features will be coming via the final release version of 3.0 (dropping June 17) came today via the WWDC keynote address, so here's a quick recap and breakdown, in case you've forgotten or have been hiding your head in the sand. We'll also look at the 3G S-only features that are coming with the new handset, which Apple is also releasing next week (June 19). Cut/Copy/Paste It's here, it's universal, it should work in all apps since it's built right into the iPhone's Cocoa Touch controls. This is big news for a lot of people who've been waiting for this ever since the release of the original iPhone two years ago, but BlackBerry users are probably snickering at all of us right now. All I know is, thank goodness I can finally text message complicated URLs instead of telling people what keyword to Google and what number link to click on in the results. Shake to Undo Maybe it's the lack of a physical keyboard, but I'm always doing the wrong thing with my iPhone and iPod touch. There used to be no easy way to retrace my steps, but now all it takes is a little wrist action to set things right again. Command + Z is the way of the world, and I predict its presence in iPhone 3.0 will be much appreciated. Now, there's the little matter of Redo. I humbly propose Spin to Redo. Or blow into the iPhone mic. Both would be very stupid-looking. Landscape Everywhere Portraits are nice, but sprawling landscapes are sometimes more pleasing to the eye. With 3.0, Apple has enabled landscape mode for all of its official apps, which is great for heavy Mail and Notes users. Maybe this will act as a cue to Twitter app devs? MMS Available (Selectively) Your iPhone is no longer preventing you from having MMS capabilities, though your service provider might. Twenty-nine of Apple's telco partners will have full MMS support available for iPhone users when OS 3.0 goes live in a week, but some will be left out in the cold, including AT&T users, until a later (summer, in AT&T's case) date. Here in Canada, we may be slaves to terrible three-year contracts, but at least we'll have MMS — for a price. Spotlight Search your whole phone, not just parts of it. That means music, contacts, email, notes, the works. As someone who's been using the beta since its release, I can say for sure that this is a great feature. Especially if you're an app glutton or have a large address book/iTunes library. Just swipe right or double tap from the home screen to access it. iTunes: Movie/TV Show/Audiobook/iTunes U Direct Downloads Buy, download, and view all iTunes video content directly on your device, using Wi-Fi or 3G. Not only that, if you like to read with your ears, audiobooks are now also available directly from the iPhone, as is iTunes U content for those students out there. One step closer to cutting the cord. Now where's that Bluetooth syncing? Tethering (Also Selective) Twenty-seven carriers are backing tethering via the iPhone, including Rogers in my homeland. Guess who's not? I'll give you a hint: It rhymes with “Haiti and Tea.” Not exactly clear on whether that situation is temporary or not. HTML 5, HTTP Streaming A/V, Autofill, Javascript Improvements Safari is getting a whole whack of improvements which should make the iPhone mobile browsing experience much smoother. HTML 5.0 standards support, 3X faster Javascript rendering, intelligent HTTP audio and video streaming that picks bitrate and data quality based on your connection speed, and autofill for forms and logins are all included in the 3.0 update. Over 30 Languages Supported Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, Korean and Thai are among the new languages supported in 3.0, extending the iPhone's international appeal. Parental Controls Just as suspected, you'll be able to control iPhone content via a settings pane and age group ratings. Good for parents who are spoiling their kids with iPhones, but don't want to go so far as to let them ogle bikini babes. Find My Phone A “30 Rock” clip featuring Tina Fey as Liz Lemon having lost her iPhone was used to demo the new Find My Phone feature, which has been an option in the beta, but didn't actually do anything until now. It allows you to track the location of your phone via MobileMe's web interface, and even send it a message with a phone number for a kind stranger to call if they're feeling benevolent and want to return your device. Remote Wipe If you're worried that the person who finds your lost phone might not be so benevolent, you can always initiate a remote wipe, which will erase all your data permanently. Nice security feature. In-App Media Library Access Get at your iTunes library from within games and other apps. The demo used Gameloft's Asphalt 5, which now allows you to access your music and playlists via your in-game car's radio. Pretty cool, and something a lot of games will probably end up taking advantage of. Much cheaper than licensing music for use. Device Access Hardware peripherals can now access iPhone software via the dock connector so that third-party companies can develop apps to accompany their iPhone and iPod touch accessories. The tech demo today involved a nifty science experiment, and guitars. Lots of cool stuff possible here, though I predict a lot of buggy stuff coming to market first. Tom Tom showed off a GPS augmentation dock that could be pretty neat with its turn-by-turn software. Push Notification Text, audio, and icon badging are all supported as forms of push notification in iPhone OS 3.0. Apple didn't kid around with the tech demo for this at WWDC, which featured a medical app that can update a doctor in real time of a patient's status. It rightly awed the crowd. In-App Purchasing Let the flood of DLC begin. Level packs, magazine subscriptions, book purchases, cute hats for your in-game avatars, anything you can imagine will be made available by someone. Can't wait for fart noise add-on packs. 3-Megapixel Autofocus Still/Video Camera (3GS Only) At least in the controlled environment of the keynote presentation, the new camera looks loads better than the existing 3G's. Lots of neat “tap to focus” options, better saturation/exposure control, and video capture. Videos can also be instantly edited on the device, as many predicted. The implementation of video functions looks very slick. There is also developer API access to the still and video camera. Voice Control (3G S Only) I'm not entirely sure why this is limited to the 3G S, since the iPhone 3G has a mic and software, so it should be able to handle a little voice recognition. I guess it looks cool, though, especially with universal iPod commands (”Play my playlist” and “Play songs like this” to activate Genius) and audio track information just like the iPod Shuffle. Nike+ Support (3G S Only) It was supposed to happen, and it did. Not very surprising, but a nice addition. Definitely ups my interest. Battery Life Improvements (3G S Only) Nine hours on Wi-Fi, 30 hours audio playback, 10 hours video, 12 hours 2G talk, and five hours 3G. Again, Apple estimates, so likely exaggerated, but should beat the existing iPhone pretty handily. On a more muscular device, too. Digital Compass (3G S Only) Just as speculated, the magnetometer made it in. It allows Google Maps to know your orientation, among other things. Developer API access is also included. It's a long list, it's a good list, it's an incomplete list. iPhone OS 3.0 brings 100+ new features, many of which won't be immediately apparent. These are the ones that will likely matter to you on a day-to-day basis, and that's why they're here. If there's anything I've missed, feel free to comment below.
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Apple posts iPhone 3G S videos
Filed under: WWDC, iPhone Apple has posted two new videos on its main page. A iPhone Guided Tour introduces the iPhone 3G S model with all its new features. You'll see how to shoot a video and edit it on your iPhone, make calls and play songs using voice commands, the 3.0 Spotlight feature in action and of course that cool new compass. You can also view the iPhone advertisement that was shown to the keynote participants today. Pointing your browser to the Ads Gallery page. The spy-influenced ad is presented on the front page of the gallery.TUAWApple posts iPhone 3G S videos originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Safari Escapes from Beta
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iPhone 3G S: Built for speed
Filed under: Hardware, WWDC, iPhone It's no big surprise, and John Gruber even got the name right. Apple announced the new iPhone 3G S today, featuring faster processor speed, built-in video capture and editing, voice dialing and voice command, built-in compass, and of course it will be running iPhone 3.0. There's a much better camera in the iPhone 3G S as well. Here are the details:Price (new): 16GB -- US$199, 32GB -- US$299Capacity: 16GB or 32GBCase color: Black or WhiteDimensions: 4.5 inches x 2.4 inches x 0.48 inches (115.5 mm x 62.1 mm x 12.3 mm), 4.8 oz. (135 gms)Camera / Video: 3 megapixels Autofocus Tap to focus Video recording, VGA up to 30 fps with audio Photo and video geotagging iPhone and third-party application integration Cellular and Wireless: UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR Location: Assisted GPS Digital compass Wi-Fi Cellular Power and Battery Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter Talk Time: 3G - Up to 5 hours, 2G - Up to 12 hours Standby time: Up to 300 hours Internet use: Up to 5 hours on 3G, Up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi Video playback: Up to 10 hours Audio playback: Up to 30 hours More pricing information and details will be posted shortly here on TUAW.TUAWiPhone 3G S: Built for speed originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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New iPhone 3G S Commercial
It's only been a few hours, and already someone has posted the new iPhone commercial to YouTube. Check it out. read more
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News: Remaining 16GB iPhone 3G units selling for $149
AT&T is offering its remaining stock of 16GB iPhone 3G units for $149 with a two-year agreement, according to the Boy Genius Report. Citing an AT&T insider, the report speculates that since Apple is only offering the 8GB model via its website, 16GB units may be available on a “while supplies last” basis. Apple didn't mention the 16GB model during today's Keynote Address, suggesting that these discounted units are not…
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Re-defining "Pro": The 13" MacBook Pro
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Macbook Pro, MacBookOnce again, Gruber called it (aside, I wish I had his sources); the naming distinctions between the unibody 13" MacBook and the 15" MacBook Pro are now gone: say hello to the 13" MacBook Pro. Complete with a lower price (starts at $1199 and goes to $1499 in stock configurations), and more features (SD card slot, FireWire 800, 7-hour battery), the 13" MacBook Pro will likely continue to be Apple's best selling laptop.This is an interesting reversal of branding. When the unibody MacBooks were released last fall, it appeared nearly identical to its the larger, "Pro" labeled companion. The two big differences (aside from screen size) were the video card configurations (integrated for the MacBook, as opposed to integrated and discrete in the MBP) and the lack of a FireWire on the "amateur." edition. Many of us speculated that the removal of FireWire was done primarily to distinguish between the two lines and try to move consumers up to a pricier model. There was a lively debate in the posts about FireWire's exodus from the unibody MacBook about what constitutes a "pro" machine from something that shares the same design but is smaller in size. Without rehashing the whole debate, it pretty much mirrored those "my dad is richer than your dad" fights that always seemed to break out at high school parties in my district. In my experience, when arguments essentially become "you're only a pro if the label says so," the real-world distinction is gone.Continue reading Re-defining "Pro": The 13" MacBook ProTUAWRe-defining "Pro": The 13" MacBook Pro originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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WWDC: FastMac offers 'Not So PC' t-shirts
Posted by Dennis SellersFastMac responds to Microsoft's “Laptop Hunters” & “I'm a PC” campaign with a “Not So PC” T-shirt campaign of their own.
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AT&T: Tethering and MMS Coming to the iPhone
AT&T says it will support all the new features of Apple's new iPhone.
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News: WWDC Keynote heightens iPhone 3.0 accessory concerns
During a presentation focused on re-highlighting iPhone OS 3.0 features that had previously been demonstrated at an Apple SDK event, Dock Connector accessory failures twice interrupted an extended look at OS 3.0 development efforts to date. Following smooth and occasionally impressive presentations by Gameloft, Airstrip, ScrollMotion, Tom Tom, and Ngmoco, an educational company called Pasco demonstrated what was to be a science teaching application…
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iPhone 3G S -- Do You Have Reservations?
One of the big annoyances during the launch of the iPhone 3G was that buyers could not order it online, and instead had to go to a physical AT&T or Apple store to get one. read more
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Apple Goes After the Business User: Watch out Palm, RIM, and Microsoft
There was a lot of ground to cover in the keynote presentation at Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference Monday morning - and I'll be chiming in on more from the event later. But here's a quick observation about the potential rise of Macs and iPhones as business devices. Over the weekend, fellow ZDNet blogger Zack Whittaker chimed in with a post titled: Why enterprise networks run Windows, not the Mac. Then, Monday morning, fellow blogger Andrew Nusca offered his take on how Palm (PALM), as a business device, is going after the Blackberry, not the iPhone. Sorry, guys, it looks like Apple (AAPL) is trying to deflate your arguments.
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iPhone 3.0 Brings Tethering to 20+ Carriers…Except AT&T
As someone who has played with the betas of the iPhone 3.0 OS, I was excited to see the availability of tethering that would allow me to share the Internet connection between my iPhone and my Mac. With 3.0 around the corner, the feature is coming, but not in the United States. Wired or Wireless? Tethering works via Bluetooth for wireless connectivity or via your dock connector and USB cable (which also conveniently charges your iPhone at the same time). Once you pair your devices and turn the feature on, there's no more setup. Plus, you can still send and receive data and make phone calls on your device while it is tethered! Tethering is not a feature specific to the new iPhone 3G S and will run on both Macs and PCs. Extra Fees Apple is working with different carriers independently to work out plans for tethering options. At the moment, Apple has announced over 20 carriers that will support tethering, including bharti, Telefonica, Tim, Hutchinson Telecom, 'yes' Optus, Orange, TeliaSonera, true move, maxis, Rogers, SFR, O2, SingTel, T-Mobile, Turkcell, Glove, Vodafone, VimpelCom, Luxgsm, Chunghwa Telecom, Telkomsel and Telenor. Most carriers will be announcing specific pricing for this feature that is unique to them. Across the pond, O2 in the UK is offering a package based on the amount of data used with options at 3GB for 14.68 pounds ($23.45) per month and 10GB for 29.36 pounds per month. No Love for the U.S.? AT&T, mysteriously absent from the aforementioned list, is not allowing tethering on its 3G network in the United States. While tethering disappeared from recent betas, the underground community brought support back through jailbreaking. It's reasonable to assume that, while AT&T has not announced pricing or plans for tethering, it will still be possible to tether in the United States either via jailbreaking or via a future deal announced by Apple and AT&T.
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Video: iPhone 3G S looks the same but it's not, really
We know what you're thinking, and so does Apple: the iPhone 3G S look just like the existing iPhone 3G. True, on the outside. The glory's in the higher performing guts (that will remain a mystery until teardown and possibly beyond). We're still not 100 percent clear what features will be 3G S only (we're sorting that out now), but video recording seems to be one of 'em even though jailbreakers have been recording video on iPhones for ages. Must be a quality thing. See Apple's first iPhone 3G S ad after the break.Continue reading Video: iPhone 3G S looks the same but it's not, reallyFiled under: CellphonesVideo: iPhone 3G S looks the same but it's not, really originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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AT&T Reaffirms Wireless Margin, $99 iPhone Availability
Hot on the heels of Apple's (AAPL) announcement of a new iPhone, its wireless partner, AT&T (T), re-affirmed its outlook for Ebitda margin as a percentage of sales this year “in the low 40% range.” The company also said that the repriced $99 iPhone 3G will be available at AT&T stores starting 5pm Eastern time tonight, and that pre-orders are being taken for the iPhone 3GS starting today. AT&T noted that its cost of acquisition for the iPhone 3G S, and for the repriced 3G, will be “very similar to costs associated with the original iPhone 3G.
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iPhone 3.0 Update Launches June 17
The iPhone 3.0 software update will be released on June 17; all iPhone customers will be able to download it for free. Both generations of iPod touch owners will be able to get it for $9.95. iPhone developers can download the golden master version today.read more
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'Macsimum Recommended Reading' for June 8
Posted by Dennis Sellers“Apple's CEO Conundrum: Tim Cook has run Apple well in Steve Jobs' absence, keeping alive the question of whether and how soon he might be named CEO”— BusinessWeek
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IPhone Picks Up Speed with 3G S
No Steve Jobs, but a brand new iPhone took the stage during the Worldwide Developer's Conference in San Francisco.
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iPhone 3G S: A Breakdown of What’s New
First, it’s great news that the “old” iPhone 3G 8GB model now sells for $99, effective today. It's a great device that will get even better on June 17, when the new iPhone OS 3.0 arrives free of charge. This is an incredible smartphone, and Apple just dropped the price floor in a manner that RIM, LG, Nikon, Palm, and others will eventually have to respond to. However, this article is going to focus on the new iPhone 3G S hardware vs. the older hardware. It will not focus on the features of the new iPhone OS, since most of those come to the older models when they upgrade anyway. As is common with Apple, the hardware has been significantly improved while the price points remain the same. Let’s look into the details about just what Apple added to the iPhone line today. I’ll start with the stuff that has been long-rumored, and we all more or less expected: RAM increased from 128MB to 256MB. This is nice, as many apps were memory-constrained. Should be less crashing now. More storage. Base model is 16GB; next up is 32G. Better camera. Includes 3.0 MP, auto-focus, and auto-macro. Actually, it has new camera hardware and software to go with it. I find auto-macro a pleasant surprise. Taking pictures of things close up can be interesting. Auto-focus lets you tap an area, and it will focus and adjust white balance automatically. Nice. Same form factor as before. You can keep your old 3G case. Price in the U.S. remains $199 and $299 (with a two-year AT&T contract). A faster processor was also rumored, and I bet is in place. However, Apple does not advertise processor speed on the Tech Specs for the iPhone, so a breakdown on the new device, or an Apple representative confirmation, will be required for us to know that for sure. In traditional Apple fashion, the company sprung other upgrades on us as well. Most of these had also been rumored, though with less certainty. The new iPhones include: Video recording. This is part of the new camera. It captures 30fps VGA video with autofocus and auto white balance. The video shows up in the library with your photos. Just one tap and you can share via email, MMS, YouTube and MobileMe. Voice control. This can be used for dialing numbers, or playing tunes in various ways (e.g., “play more songs by Radiohead”), or even asking it what it’s playing now (similar to what other iPods can do). Built-in compass. This works with Maps so that you can tap to have it orient the map the direction you’re facing. Accessibility settings. Various abilities such as reading text to you, color inversion, and even piping audio to different ears for people hard of hearing. Nike+ support built in. Allows you to use the Nike+ sensor in your shoes. Hardware encryption. A security feature aimed at businesses. Internet tethering. Share the phone's high-speed connection on your laptop. Set it and forget it. “Just works” over USB or Bluetooth. This requires carrier support, and AT&T so far does not allow it. The fact that it's built into the iPhone is going to put some pressure on carriers to allow this. Improved battery life. Now get 9 hours on Wi-Fi, 10 watching video, 30 of audio playback, 12 of 2G talk, and 5 of 3G talk. These are about 15 percent to 20 percent higher than before. Locate my iPhone. This is for MobileMe users only. It allows you to find the iPhone when you’ve left it someplace. It shows a map with its location, sounds an alarm on the device (even if the phone is in silent mode), and displays a message for whomever finds it. And, if you fear the worst, you can use MobileMe to wipe the data contents off the device. And all of these features have APIs that developers can tap into, so who knows what other cool things these features will bring? You get all these features, including double the storage space for the same prices as before. Such a deal. I have an 8GB original iPhone, and you can bet I’m getting the 32GB model as soon as possible.
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Monday's Closing Update
Jun 8, 2009 -- -NYSE down 14 (0.2%) to 6,068.56. -DJIA up 0.2 (0.00%) to 8,763.
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Tech Stocks: Google, Apple, Yahoo lead techs lower
Technology stocks lose ground, dipping on losses from bellwethers, including Apple, Yahoo and Google.
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Apple unveils iPhone 3GS
Apple today unveiled a faster iPhone and dropped the price of the existing model to $99.
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Can the Pre Save Palm?
Just two years after selling a 25% stake to private equity firm Elevation Partners for US$325-million, Palm Inc. (PALM) may finally have a product that could bring it the much-needed attention its flagship Treo used to. Some are calling the Pre smartphone Palm's own iPhone killer after the new phone sold out at some locations its first weekend, but Apple Inc. is unveiling a new version of its ultra-popular device Monday at its worldwide developers conference in San Francisco.
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Apple Releases Updated 15″ MacBook Pro
Starting off the WWDC announcements of the day was the immediate availability and updating of the 15″ MacBook Pro. With a faster processor, new connectivity, and greater storage, this update will be minor for most people. Something Lost, Something Gained In an interesting move, Apple is dropping support for the ExpressCard on this model and instead, replacing it with a built-in SD card slot. ExpressCard was very popular for many travelers, giving flexibility for 3G adapters, additional FireWire ports and other connectivity options. While seeing it leave the 15″ model may be a bummer for some, the inclusion of an SD slot could open up new opportunities for better third-party add-ons. It remains to be seen what the real reason for this move is. (Why SD versus CompactFlash or another competing format?) I have yet to be able to find out if this SD slot supports newer SDHC cards. More Storage & Battery Life The new 15″ MacBook Pro supports larger hard drives, including up to 500GB 7200RPM drives. Additionally, the newer models come standard with 4GB of RAM with support for 8GB (like the 17″ model). Also, a new built-in battery similar to the 17″ MacBook Pro, offers seven hours of battery life. This trend may eventually make its way to the new 13″ MacBook Pro at some point as well, considering Apple generally likes to reduce the burden of consumers changing batteries (from a simplicity standpoint). Processors & Displays The new models come with processor speeds ranging from 2.53GHz (and 3MB L2 cache) up to 3.06Ghz (and 6MB L2 cache). The new LED-backlit displays offer a 60 percent greater color gamut than the previous models for a richer color experience. More Attractive Pricing Perhaps the biggest attractive feature of these new MacBook Pros is more economical pricing. The new MacBook Pro is available today and starts at $1,699, $300 less than before.
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News: AT&T: iPhone 3G S Plan: $30/month, tethering + MMS absent
In conjunction with Apple, AT&T today announced details of its rate plans for the iPhone 3G S, which will continue to offer “unlimited data” access but without any promises of support for tethering or multi-media messaging (MMS). The iPhone 3G S rate plan will cost $30 per month, with speed performance varying by area—an Apple press release notes that higher-speed 7.2Mb/s HSDPA will be offered “where available”…
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13″ MacBook Makes It to the Big Leagues, Turns “Pro”
Apple announced a slew of hardware updates today, including a number of upgrades to its notebook lineup. For me, the most notable among these was the upwards shift of the 13-inch aluminum MacBook into the MacBook Pro category, alongside the 15- and 17-inch models, both of which also got their own feature and hardware improvements. The white, plastic polycarbonate MacBook is looking mighty lonely down at the low end of the scale. Alongside the name change, the 13-inch MacBook Pro (I'm glad I no longer have to specify “unibody” or anything else to distinguish it from the regular white MacBook anymore) gets an SD card slot, up to 8GB (if you're partial to a $1,000 upgrade) of memory, a max hard drive size of 500GB (or 256GB SSD), and a backlit keyboard, standard. Also, making a triumphant return, is FireWire thanks to an FW800 port, as is standard for the Pro line of computers. All this at a new entry-level price point of $1,199, which comes standard with a 2.26GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 160GB HDD. Another higher-priced option with a 2.53GHz processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 250GB HDD goes for $1,499. The price drop, combined with the spec upgrade, makes this one of Apple's most appealing machines to those of us who are cost-conscious Mac addicts. Add in the inclusion of the same battery tech that was first introduced in the 17-inch MacBook Pro, with a reported battery life of seven hours (likely exaggerated), and I'm sold. If you're an education customer, you get another $100 off, bringing the total price of the laptop to $1,099 before taxes. Someone's going shopping later today, and I'll let you in on a little secret: It's me. I'd wait for Snow Leopard to come out in September, but with $29 upgrade pricing, and a $49 family pack (I have three Macs), there's not really any cause to wait. One might argue that not enough has changed with this upgrade to justify slapping the “Pro” moniker onto the end of the name, but honestly, the company cut the price along with the title rather than raising it, so I'm not complaining. I seriously believe that this is the best value proposition in Apple's lineup as it stands, especially given that it's still relatively easy to upgrade RAM and hard disk (compared with the Mac mini) on your own — much cheaper than it would cost to do so with Apple-installed components.
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Numbers game: 75M Mac OS X users, 1M SDK downloads, 50,000 apps
Filed under: WWDCAs with most keynote presentations, Apple released a lot of numbers about just how many people are adopting the Mac and iPhone platforms. First, over the last three years, the active Mac OS X installed base has grown from 25 million users to 75 million users. This is great news for the platform and for the entire Mac ecosystem. Also, over 5,200 developers from 54 countries around the world are attending WWDC. Over a million people have downloaded the free iPhone SDK, and created 50,000 applications for Apple iPhones and iPod touch devices. Speaking of which, over 40 million iPhones and iPod touches have been sold to date. In April, Apple announced that those users had downloaded a cumulative total of one billion applications.TUAWNumbers game: 75M Mac OS X users, 1M SDK downloads, 50,000 apps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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iPhone 3G S Out June 19 in $199 and $299 Models
Apple has boosted the speed, battery, camera, and other hardware specs to introduce the iPhone 3G S. The new model will release on June 19 in the U.S. and many other countries in 16GB and 32GB configurations.U.S. pricing will be $199 and $299 for new and "qualifying" AT&T customers with a new two-year contract. (Apple didn't specify what this means for old iPhone owners.) The iPhone 3G will continue to be sold in an 8GB configuration at a $99 price point.read more
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Apple refreshes iPhones, MacBooks, and OS X at WWDC
It unveils a faster version of the iPhone, as well as faster notebooks. It also showed off the upcoming Snow Leopard software, iPhone OS 3.0, and more.
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News: AT&T: 3G Upgraders pay $200 more for iPhone 3G S
AT&T has announced that the upgrade prices for iPhone 3G S will be $399 (16GB) or $499 (32GB) for customers who are still under contract after purchasing the prior-generation iPhone 3G, a $200 premium over the “standard” iPhone 3G S prices of $199 and $299. Using a pricing configurator found on Apple's BuyiPhone.Apple.com web site, users can find out their individual upgrade prices based on the remaining length of their AT&T…
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‘Loyalty through decency’
Tim Leberecht, frog design's VP of marketing and communications, riffs on my post about moving past selling advertising as scarcity and about decency as the new ad (my emphasis): Equity is the accumulation, the repeated occurrence, of actions, interactions, and transactions that add value. The best way, then, to build brand equity is to repeatedly and consistently add value through all your interactions with customers. Advertising doesn't add value; branded content does (information). Promotions don't add value; branded entertainment does (entertainment). When you brand something, you don't just market scarcity and advertise your products and services, you market your ability to add value that is relevant. The web, and the social web in particular, reconciles artificial scarcity with relevance, and that's why more and more branding dollars are moving online. It is the ideal forum for creating an abundance of scarce moments, thousands of small great ideas instead of one great big one. These small great ideas come to live in brief moments of attachment with customers that are personalized and truly relevant for them. “Advertising is failure,” says Jeff Jarvis, and he thinks “media only get in the way of customer relationships.” And indeed, how will you make more friends at a party? Showing up with a big banner around your neck that says “I am a great friend” or engaging in a handful of conversations with strangers, listening to their stories and detecting affinities whilst accomplishing a sense of privacy that gradually becomes intimate? Right. In the end, that's what we should be doing as marketers to build real, sustainable brand equity - creating publicity through intimacy, loyalty through decency.
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MacBook Air gets a lot thinner--in price
The Apple MacBook Air reaches a new low in price.
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Apple's new iPhone 3G S sports new camera, video
Autofocus, tap-to-focus, and macro features join VGA video on Apple's upcoming iPhone 3G S, due to start shipping next week.
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Presented By:
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'MacTech' launches 'Shame on You, AT&T' poll
Posted by Dennis SellersMacTech Magazine—a monthly magazine focused on the Macintosh at the technical level—has launched a “Shame On You, AT&T Poll”.
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Macsimum Poll: will you purchase a new MacBook Pro now—or wait for Snow Leopard in September?
Posted by Dennis SellersApple has updated its entire MacBook Pro line-up; buy one and you can get Snow Leopard in September for about 10 bucks. So in this week's Macsimum Poll, we're asking if you plan to buy a new MacBook Pro now—or if you'll wait to buy a new Mac until after...
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News: iPhone OS 3.0: June 17, with Find My iPhone, video downloads
In addition to the previously disclosed features of iPhone OS 3.0, Apple today announced that the software—officially launching June 17 worldwide—will now include two new features that were previously rumored: Find My iPhone and direct-to-device video downloads. Find My iPhone relies upon a subscription to Apple's MobileMe service to let users automatically create sound and text alerts on their lost devices, helping them to either…
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Pogue on the Latest From Apple's Big Show
Lots of little things out of Apple's big industryshow-and-tell today. Here's what it all means for consumers.
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State of the iPhone: 40 Million Sold, 50,000 Apps
By MG Siegler Apple (AAPL) has just announced yet another milestone for its popular App Store: 50,000 applications are now available in the store. The announcement was made at the WWDC event in San Francisco, alongside the news that Apple has sold some 40 million iPhones and iPod touches.
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News: iPhone 3G 8GB price drops to $99
In an effort to increase the affordability of the iPhone family, Apple has announced that the black 8GB iPhone 3G has dropped in price to $99, following the introduction of the more powerful iPhone 3G S model today. It is unknown whether any changes have been made to the $99 iPhone 3G model as it has fallen in price; Apple occasionally makes undisclosed tweaks to its devices or their pack-ins coincident with price drops. We will update this story…
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WWDC: Apple announces the iPhone 3G S—and a $99 iPhone
Posted by Dennis SellersToday at the Worldwide Apple Developer Conference, Apple introduced the new iPhone 3G S, which the company says is “the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet.” It's also purportedly up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G—with longer battery life, a 3-megapixel autofocus camera, video recording and hands-free voice control.
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Video download comes to iPhone and Touch
Apple announces that the mobile iTunes store used on the iPhone and iPod Touch will soon be able to download purchased and rented video content.
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Expect Price Swings During Apple's Confab
by Bryan McCormickApple (AAPL) should really be the dictionary definition of emotion in trading. One major aspect of how the stock trades distinctly from others can be seen in its behavior around high-profile public events such as its World Wide Developer Conference today and its 1 p.m. ET keynote address.
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News: Apple: iPhone 3GS on June 19, 16GB $199, 32GB $299
Apple today officially announced the iPhone 3GS, the sequel to the iPhone 3G, with a June 19 initial release date. The added “S” stands for “speed,” a reference to the device's faster processing when used with iPhone OS 3.0. Available in four models—16GB white or black ($199 each), and 32GB white or black ($299 each)—the iPhone 3GS preserves much of the look and feel of the iPhone 3G, adding the following…
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News: iLounge's Keynote Play-by-Play. 500 pictures posted here
The iPhone 3GS has been announced, and we have all the details and pictures for you. See our Flickr collection of over 500 images here, and the transcript by clicking on the title of this story! ...
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Live blog: WWDC 2009 keynote
CNET's live coverage of the opening keynote address at the Worldwide Developers Conference, during which Apple's Phil Schiller announces the iPhone 3G S.
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OWC announces DDR2 800MHz memory updates for May white MacBook
Posted by Dennis SellersOther World Computing (OWC) has announced DDR2 800MHz memory upgrades up to 4GB for Apple's new May 2009 white 13-inch MacBook. Available are:
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WWDC: Envivo announces iLiveTV for iPhone OS 3.0
Posted by Dennis SellersEnvivio has announced iLiveTV, a mobile video encoding and distribution solution for evaluating, developing and deploying Live and On Demand TV video services for the iPhone. It takes advantage of the new iPhone OS 3.0 mobile video format.
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WWDC: Apple says more than 40 million iPhones, iPod touches have been sold
Posted by Dennis SellersDuring the keynote address at the 2009 Worldwide Apple Developer Conference, Apple execs said that the company has sold more than 40 million iPhones and iPod touch devices. That's about three million more than the 37 million it said it sold through the end of March.
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iPhone 3G S announced: $199 16GB, $299 32GB, June 19
As endlessly predicted, Apple's unveiled a new iPhone today at WWDC, the iPhone 3G S -- the "s" stands for speed. Although it looks almost exactly like the 3G, it's much, much faster -- some tasks are almost four times faster. Data speeds are upped to 7.2Mbps HSDPA, and the camera is now a 3 megapixel unit with tap-to-autofocus and auto white balance -- and just as expected, it now supports 30fps VGA video recording with editing features. You're also getting a built-in compass, Nike+ support, and a new battery that offers 5 hours of 3G talk time and 9 hours of WiFi internet use. There are some surprises, too -- holding down the home button now enables a new voice control interface that lets you do everything from make calls to control iTunes. Pricing is set at $199 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB when it goes on sale June 18th Stateside and in 80 more countries in August -- and the current 3G will remain on sale for $99, effective immediately.Gallery: Apple shows iPhone 3GS at WWDCFiled under: CellphonesiPhone 3G S announced: $199 16GB, $299 32GB, June 19 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple's iPhone 3G falls to $99 on contract
No interest in the iPhone 3G S? How's about an iPhone 3G for $99 on contract? That's exactly what was just announced at WWDC 2009, and yes, this new price is effective today.Filed under: CellphonesApple's iPhone 3G falls to $99 on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Last day to register for free 'iPhone Forensics' O'Reilly webcast
Posted by Dave MertenIn this webcast, Jonathan Zdziarski, author of iPhone Forensics, will guide you through an overview of his latest technique to recover the live user disk from an iPhone. Jonathan will demonstrate how his existing technique, documented in the book, can be improved to transfer a disk image across USB in...
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Snow Leopard Ships in September for $29
Rawr!Apple previewed some of the features of Snow Leopard at the WWDC keynote. The operating system update is still being pitched as an under-the-hood refinement to Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard); those users will be able to upgrade to Snow Leopard for $29 when it ships in September.read more
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Apple: Next Mac OS X unlocks chip power
Snow Leopard features tech called Grand Central Dispatch to better tap into multicore chip power. Also: OpenCL for doing calculations on a graphics chip.
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Apple announces Safari 4, QuickTime 10
At WWDC, Apple's Bertrand Serlet comes out with guns blazing not just in support of Snow Leopard, but for Safari and QuickTime, too.
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WWDC: Apple introduces Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard
Posted by Dennis SellersToday at the Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple unveiled a Developer Preview of Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard. It's a full 64-bit UNIX server operating system based on open standards that is up to twice as fast as its predecessor, according to Bertrand Serlet, Apple's senior vice president of Software...
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Abvent expands Artlantis Media collection
Posted by Dennis SellersThe Abvent Group, editor and publisher of Artlantis software, has released four new media CDs, which can be used to enhance interior scenes, product designs, and technical illustrations. These latest additions bring to 27 the total number of Artlantis Media CDs available.
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REI launches Bike Your Drive iPhone app
Posted by Dennis SellersREI is launching the Bike Your Drive mobile iPhone app, a free interactive tool that helps cyclists track, view, and share their bicycling experiences. It's available through the Apple iPhone app store or by going here.
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MacBook Air Price Chopped
As a footnote to the WWDC MacBook Pro revamp, Phil Schiller also announced a major price cut on the MacBook Air. You can now get configurations with 1.86GHz processor, 2GB RAM, and 120GB drive for $1,499; and the 2.13GHz model with 128GB drive and 2GB RAM costs $1,799.What will you do with the $700 you save on Apple's luxury laptop?
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WWDC: Apple uncages Snow Leopard, which is due in September
Posted by Dennis SellersDuring the Worldwide Developer Conference keynote, Apple today unveiled Mac OS X Snow Leopard, which, according to Bertrand Serlet, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, has hundreds of refinements, new core technologies, out of the box support for Microsoft Exchange and new accessibility features. Snow Leopard will ship as...
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WWDC 2009 Keynote meta-liveblog
Filed under: WWDC, DeveloperClick through to our liveblog! http://www.tuaw.com/2009/06/08/wwdc-2009-keynote-meta-liveblog/Continue reading WWDC 2009 Keynote meta-liveblogTUAWWWDC 2009 Keynote meta-liveblog originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Updated Mac laptops unveiled at WWDC 2009
Filed under: Macbook Pro, MacBookFor those of you avoiding the whole WWDC live-blogging sensation that's going on throughout the web, here's a little tidbit of information you may not yet know about. Apple announced the immediate availability of a largely-refreshed, MacBook line. New models include a refreshed 15" MacBook Pro, a new (actually refreshed) 13" MacBook Pro, and an updated MacBook Air.If you'll recall the 17" MacBook Pro has a fairly handsome battery that is built-in, recharges 1,000 times and lasts for 7 hours. That same battery can now be found in the 15" MacBook Pro and the 13" MacBook Pro. Apparently Apple really has a beef against user-replaceable batteries. But if they don't require recharging every 3 1/2 hours or die completely in 2 years, this may not be a bad thing.The 15" and 13" MacBook Pros now feature an SD card slot to be replacing the ExpressCard slot of yore. Personally, I have never found a use for the ExpressCard slot but I imagine those with mobile data packages will be less than stunned. For the Firewire crowd there's some good news, the 13" MacBook Pro now has FireWire (again) so we can all put our pitchforks down.The 15" MacBook Pro now starts at $1,699US featuring the 2.53GHZ Core 2 Duo and GeForce 9400 graphics only. Step-up models priced at $1,999 and $2,299 feature the 9400M and 9600M GT combo. $1,699US: 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 250GB HDD $1,999US: 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT graphics, 320GB $2,299US: 2.80GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT graphics, 500GB HDD The 13" MacBook Pro is essentially a re-badged unibody MacBook but now featuring an SD card slot, Firewire, and the 7-hour battery hotness The new 13" MBP can be had with hard drives up to 500GB in capacity and RAM sizes up to 8GB. It didn't take long for the aluminum 13-incher to best its white sibling. $1,199US: 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 160GB HDD $1,499US: 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 250GB HDD The MacBook Air has also received a little love in terms of specs increase and price decrease: $1,499US: 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 120GB HDD $1,799US: 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 128GB SSD TUAWUpdated Mac laptops unveiled at WWDC 2009 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple to release $29 10.6 Snow Leopard Upgrade in September
Filed under: WWDC, Snow Leopard Today, Apple announced today a ship date and upgrade pricing for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. 10.6 will debut this September as an upgrade for Mac OS X Leopard users for just $29. "We've built on the success of Leopard and created an even better experience for our users from installation to shutdown," said Bertrand Serlet, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering in an Apple Press Release. "Apple engineers have made hundreds of improvements so with Snow Leopard your system is going to feel faster, more responsive and even more reliable than before. Snow Leopard features include built-in Microsoft Exchange support along with a slicker install process, faster applications, and 64-bit versions of standard applications that boost overall performance. Apple brags that "[u]sers will notice a more responsive Finder; Mail that loads messages 85 percent faster and conducts searches up to 90 percent faster; Time Machine with up to 50 percent faster initial backup; a Dock with Expose integration; a 64-bit version of Safari 4 that boosts the performance of the Nitro JavaScript engine by up to 50 percent and is resistant to crashes caused by plug-ins." In addition to the $29 single user upgrade, a family pack upgrade will cost $49. Tiger users will pay $169 for a 10.6/iLife box set or $229 for a family pack. All users who purchased or will purchase a new qualifying Mac between 8 June 2009 and 26 December 2009 will receive a free upgrade package and pay $9.95 for shipping and handling. You must request your up-to-date upgrade within 90 days of your original purchase. Snow Leopard requires a minimum of 1GB RAM and runs on Intel-based Macintoshes. Full system requirements are hosted at Apple's tech specs pageTUAWApple to release $29 10.6 Snow Leopard Upgrade in September originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple Revamps Entire MacBook Pro Line
At this morning's WWDC, Apple has introduced a fully redesigned MacBook Pro line at 17-, 15-, and 13-inch screen sizes. All of the laptops use Apple's touted unibody aluminum design, all include a non-removable battery, and all ship today.read more
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Phil Schiller keynote live from WWDC 2009
We're in -- read on after the break for live updates! The keynote is scheduled to begin at these times:07:00AM - Hawaii 10:00AM - Pacific 11:00AM - Mountain 12:00PM - Central 01:00PM - Eastern 06:00PM - London 07:00PM - Paris 02:00AM - Tokyo (June 9th)Continue reading Phil Schiller keynote live from WWDC 2009Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, LaptopsPhil Schiller keynote live from WWDC 2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple shows iPhone OS 3.0 at WWDC, hits devices June 17th
Apple's showing off iPhone OS 3.0 at WWDC, and while we've seen most of it, there were naturally going to be a few surprises: Users will now be able to rent and purchase movies from the phone, along with audiobooks. MMS will be available from 29 carriers at launch, with AT&T lagging behind into the summer. Tethering over Bluetooth and USB for Macs and PCs is also enabled, with 22 carriers announcing support, but AT&T wasn't mentioned among them -- we're not holding our breath. New and improved Safari does JavaScript 3X faster, and supports QuickTime X-style HTTP streaming of audio and video. There's also AutoFill for forms, and improved HTML 5 support including audio and video tags. Find My iPhone tracks down your phone using MobileMe from any browser. It locates the phone on a map, and also allows you to remote wipe the device, or even play a sound on the phone for locating it around the house -- even when it's on vibrate. New dev features have been detailed at length, but they're still around. Features include in-app purchases (but only for apps that were paid to start out with), Bluetooth and dock connector communication with other devices, including other iPhones. Embedded Google Maps in third party apps, including turn by turn apps. Push notifications of text alerts, number badges and sound alerts. The new OS will be pushed to devices on June 17th, and iPod touch users get to pay $9.95 for the privilege. Developers get to play with the gold master today.Filed under: Cellphones, HandheldsApple shows iPhone OS 3.0 at WWDC, hits devices June 17th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Line 6 and Planet Waves brings guitar and amp control to iPhone
Apple's closing out the new application talk today at WWDC with a demo from Line 6 and Planet Waves, who have joined the Cupertino-based company in order to give your iPhone the ability to control your guitar and amplifier. Sadly, the wireless communication between the Line 6 Variax guitar and the iPhone on stage had some issues, though the folks assured us we could see more later on at Line 6's website. If this thing manages to function, it will also let you re-tune your six-string and change models on the fly. No word on price or availability just yet, but we'll let you know if either of those factoids appear.Gallery: Line 6 and Planet Waves brings guitar and amp control to iPhoneContinue reading Line 6 and Planet Waves brings guitar and amp control to iPhone Filed under: Cellphones, Portable AudioLine 6 and Planet Waves brings guitar and amp control to iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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WWDC: Apple overhauls laptop line-up, introduces 13-inch MacBook Pro
Posted by Dennis SellersDuring the Worldwide Developer Conference keynote, Apple updated the aluminum unibody MacBook Pro line to include 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch models featuring Apple's built-in battery for what the company says is up to 40 percent longer battery life. The built-in battery made its debut in January at the Macworld Conference...
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ScrollMotion's Iceberg in-app bookstore announced for iPhone, ready to take on the Kindle?
Over at WWDC (you may have heard about that event, right?), Apple's just announced ScrollMotion's Iceberg in-app bookstore for the iPhone. It's going to host more than 500 bestsellers, 50 major magazines and about 170 daily papers, with a total of over a million books at launch. Sounds like Apple's ready to take on the big boys at Amazon (who, at this writing, has about 250,000 books in its Kindle store)! More details as we get them. Filed under: CellphonesScrollMotion's Iceberg in-app bookstore announced for iPhone, ready to take on the Kindle? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple bashes Windows 7, talks Snow Leopard
Updated 10:50 a.m. PDT: Added pricing information. SAN FRANCISCO--While Microsoft is trying to position Windows 7 as an exciting new version of the operating system, Apple on Monday tried to characterize it as the same old Windows. In a keynote speech at the Worldwide Developer Conference here, Apple'...
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WWDC: Apple releases Safari 4
Posted by Dennis SellersToday at the Worldwide Developer Conference Apple released Safari 4, which it describes as the world's fastest and most innovative web browser. Available for Mac and Windows systems, it sports the Nitro engine that purportedly runs JavaScript up to 4.5 times faster than Safari 3.
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Apple partners with TomTom to bring "real" navigation to iPhone
This one sure took awhile to go from rumor to real, but at long last, authentic TomTom navigation has arrived on the iPhone. 'Course, we would've personally preferred the Garmin touch, but at this point, we can't really find it in our hearts to kvetch. The app shown at WWDC today was surprisingly slick, and while the robot voice didn't exactly get our juices flowing, the currently unpriced TomTom car kit is definitely a boon for those looking to avoid standalone PNDs. Apple has informed us that the application will surface "this summer," though it didn't mention a price; in other words, we can't imagine this being cheap. You think TomTom wants a $19 app undercutting its $300 navigation systems? Doubtful.Gallery: Apple partners with TomTom to bring "real" navigation to iPhone Filed under: CellphonesApple partners with TomTom to bring "real" navigation to iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple announces "Find My iPhone" phone-locating service
We've already had a pretty good idea about what's in store for iPhone OS 3.0, but Apple naturally still had a few tricks up its sleeve, and one of the most impressive is the new "Find My iPhone" service to help you locate your lost phone. While complete details are still a bit light, the service will apparently let you login into your MobileMe account and instantly show your iPhone on a map, and even send a message to the phone and force it to play a sound whether it's in silent mode or not. As if that wasn't enough, you can also use the Remote Wipe feature to erase all the data on the iPhone from afar and restore it to the factory settings. We guess the electric shock will have to wait for for iPhone 4.0. Filed under: CellphonesApple announces "Find My iPhone" phone-locating service originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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iPhone 3G demo units are going, going....
Filed under: Retail, iPhoneClayton Morris noted on his blog Sunday that iPhone 3G demo units have been removed from display at his local Apple store. While it is not uncommon to see one or two displays missing for various reasons, Clayton noted that there were at least nine units missing from the main iPhone display tables. Couple this with reports from some Apple stores that they have additional staff scheduled for the next couple of weeks (starting today), and you have some pretty good signs that the new iPhone model might just be available today.[via AppleInsider]TUAWiPhone 3G demo units are going, going.... originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple shipping Snow Leopard in September, $29 upgrade
After showing off Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" at last year's WWDC, Apple is finally ready to ship it out the door this coming September, for a quite reasonable upgrade fee of $29 for Leopard users (as opposed to the regular $129 for larger refreshes). Folks who buy a Leopard machine between now and December can get the upgrade for $10 in shipping. While the added feature list is relatively slim, and there are few surprises between what was confirmed last year and the various leaks from developer previews, Apple's still giving users and developers some fun new tech to play with -- particularly the GPU-exploiting OpenCL, and the Grand Central Dispatch tech for developers to ease application optimization for multi-core processors. Pretty nerdy stuff, but if it makes our Dashboard Sudoku Widgets run faster, we can hardly complain. Other updates to the OS Apple is trotting out at WWDC: Apple rewrote the Finder, while keeping it mostly the same on the surface, for a bunch of "little benefits." Tweaks include faster Quick Look previews and Spotlight searches. There's built-in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 support in the OS, including Mail, Calendar and Address Book syncing. QuickTime X has a new "modern foundation," HTTP streaming and a whole new look. Users can record and trim video, and upload to sharing sites like MobileMe and YouTube. Snow Leopard has half the footprint of Leopard, amounting to 6GB in savings and 45% faster installs. New trackpads can handle handwriting recognition now, and there's new text selection "AI." There's also support for wireless Braille accessories (pictured). Safari 4 is available for Windows, Leopard and Tiger, but Snow Leopard adds "Crash Resistance," which keeps browser and tabs intact even if a plugin crashes -- user just refreshes the page. 64-bit version does JavaScript 50% faster. All core apps are 64-bit, and performance improvements abound. Mail boasts 85% faster message loads and 90% faster loads, while Time Machine has a 50% faster initial backup time. Gallery: Apple demos Snow Leopard at WWDCGallery: Snow Leopard press shotsFiled under: Desktops, LaptopsApple shipping Snow Leopard in September, $29 upgrade originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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WWDC 09: the announcements (Updated 10x)
Following is a wrap-up of the announcements at WWDC 2009 in San Francisco today. iPhone 3GS: “The S stands for speed.” Launching Messages: 2.1x faster Load SimCity: 2.4x faster Viewing an Excel attachment: 3.6x faster Load NYTimes.com: 2.9x faster Averages 2x speed increase — some things are even faster OpenGL ES 2.0 support 7.2Mbps HSDPA 3 megapixel camera Auto-focus, auto-white balance, auto-exposure, tap-to-focus Better [...]
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Safari 4 released today, offering 'unparalled speed'
Among the torrent of news is the announcement that Safari 4 ships today, boasting "unparalleled speed," especially when compared to IE8 (this is Apple talking, not us). Included in the new browser is a full history search, featuring a cover flow view of the user's browsing history (as well as a full spotlight search). And it looks like they've thought a lot about the browser when building the new OS -- In Snow Leopard, when a plug-in crashes, the browser remains intact, meaning you can just reload the page, not the browser itself. Available today (as in, right now) for Leopard, Tiger, and -- of course -- Windows.Update: It looks like the final version of Safari 4 is now available for download. Continue reading Safari 4 released today, offering 'unparalled speed'Filed under: Desktops, LaptopsSafari 4 released today, offering 'unparalled speed' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple digs into Microsoft at WWDC
Apple may have plenty of announcements of its own to make at this year's WWDC, but it looks like it just couldn't help itself from taking a few jabs at Microsoft as well. Doing the honors was Bertrand Serlet, who took the stage by saying "what a sharp contrast with Vista our OS is," and only got rolling from there, pointing out "what a big hole Microsoft has dug," and adding that "they're trying to get out of it with Windows 7." Of course, Serlet didn't have many good things to say about Windows 7 either, which he says has "even more complexity" than Vista because it's just based on the "same old tech as Vista." Filed under: Desktops, LaptopsApple digs into Microsoft at WWDC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple announces new MacBook family at WWDC
Apple just let loose a new 15-inch MacBook Pro at WWDC 2009, with what appears to be the same built-in, non-removable battery as in the current unibody 17-incher. Phil asserts that the cell will last the average user around five years (1,000 recharges), and could last around seven hours under ideal conditions. There's also an SD card reader rather than an ExpressCard slot. Oh, and Apple just dropped the starting tag to $1,699. Starting at $1,699 (down from $1,999 in prior lineups) Up to 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo CPU Up to 8GB of RAM Up to 500GB HDD (or 256GB SSD) Three standard configurations: $1699 (2.53GHZ, 4GB RAM), $1999 (2.66GHz, 4GB RAM 320GB HD), $2299 (2.8GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HD) Shipping today Not enough for you? There's also a refreshed unibody MacBook, with the same built-in battery promising seven hours of life. This machine also gets the SD card slot, a FireWire 800 port, up to 8GB of RAM, upwards of 500GB of storage and a backlit keyboard as standard. Nice!Developing...Continue reading Apple announces new MacBook family at WWDCFiled under: LaptopsApple announces new MacBook family at WWDC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple's WWDC: Grading 6 Potential Announcements
So it's Christmas time in tech land Monday as Apple (AAPL) launches WWDC here in San Francsico. Here are a couple of potentials and their impact using a grading scale of A-F.1. The most interesting surprise to me out of the conference would be an almost immediate launch of the next generation of iPhone. Immediate meaning within one or two weeks (some have speculated as soon asTuesday). It would be a relatively humorous surprise given Palm's (PALM) launch date last Friday as well as its "engineered" shortage in an effort to increase hype around the Pre. If Apple launched a new device before Sprint (S) was able to replenish that shortage it would have an unpleasant impact on the Pre sales numbers, particularly if they come out with a new device that is more revolutionary thanThe grade here would be a A- to B+ assuming no breakthrough in the device itself. But if they had anything like a 16:9 screen, an OLED screen or some other breakthrough feature that would grab a lot of buzz from competitors.
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Counting down to WWDC: The store, as they say, is down
Filed under: Retail, WWDC As the sands flow through the hourglass, so appears the yellow sticky. If you doubted that we would see some sort of new product today, well, time to get with the program. C'mon back at 1pm ET for all the latest updates from the keynote. TUAWCounting down to WWDC: The store, as they say, is down originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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WWDC 2009 coverage and where to find it
Sadly, I’m not sitting the auditorium at Moscone West today. But fear not, there are plenty of people covering the event via 3G from the audience. The following are liveblogging Phil Schiller’s keynote address today at WWDC 2009. If you have other liveblog sources, post them in the TalkBack. CNET gdgt Electronista Engadget MacRumorsLive Many iPhone software and hardware updates are expected [...]
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LaCie Classic Bridge lets you create your own media player
Posted by Dennis SellersLaCie has announced a way to add media player functionality to existing storage devices. The US$99 LaCinema Classic Bridge enables users to leverage the investments already made on internal and external storage solutions, and turn them into dynamic multimedia devices.
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Counting down to WWDC: Last-minute rumors
Filed under: Rumors, Software, WWDC, Apple, iPhoneWe're down to the wire -- less than 90 minutes before the WWDC Keynote ramps up, and the rumor mill has wound down to a murmur after a week of wild speculation. Want to read about how the new iPhone will singlehandedly boost your love life, bring you millions of dollars and boast a video camera, Swiss Army knife, automatic can opener and turn into a mini TARDIS? Sadly, those rumors have yet to appear. Except maybe the video camera.Daring Fireball's John Gruber has been the focus of most of the very last-minute guessing with his thoughts of today: The iPhone 3G ... oh, sorry, iPhone 3GS: It'll be faster, twice the current amount of RAM, video camera, more storage ... those aren't new rumors. But, Gruber says that he's heard that the phone will also receive a name upgrade to the iPhone 3GS. The other nice piece of speculation is that the iPhone 3GS will also have a 15-20% longer battery life over the current model. Cheaper phones for the masses: A $99 version of the iPhone that will not have as many features as its more expensive siblings, though it could just be the existing 3G iPhone at a lower price after the new models are introduced. This isn't exactly that new of a rumor considering that The Financial Times had this one over the weekend. Snow Leopard pricing: Gruber believes we could see Snow Leopard priced as low as $19 considering it doesn't have any major features ... unless Apple manages to pull out something today. Playing with Marble: Of course, that new $129-cost "feature" could be that Snow Leopard will feature a reimaging of the OS's visual appearance. However, it's more likely that a move to "Marble" is slated for OS 10.7. The Holy Grail ... er Mac tablet: It's real, but not today. To prepare your rumor checklist, check out our other posts rounding up rumors, speculation and just plain ole guessing from over the weekend.TUAWCounting down to WWDC: Last-minute rumors originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Apple's online store goes down for WWDC
In proper fashion, Apple's online retail store is down on the day of the big event (Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference). Commence the rumor mongering.
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News: Apple Store offline before WWDC 2009 Keynote
In traditional fashion, Apple has temporarily taken its online Store offline for the duration of its Keynote event, a step which almost invariably sees the addition of new products to the digital storefront. Apple's online Store typically relaunches immediately following the event with new items highlighted prominently on its main page, as well as on other pages of the Apple.com web site. ...
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The Apple Store is Down
The Apple Store is down! The iPhone SDK is not sold there, which means SOMETHING is releasing today, whether it is a new iPod sock or a new iPhone. Stay tuned for coverage of the WWDC Keynote, both on the twitter stream (@maclife) and on the site here.
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News: iLounge's WWDC 2009 Photostream Now Available
Photos direct from the WWDC 2009 Keynote are now appearing on iLounge's Flickr photostream, and will continue to appear during the keynote. Initial banners spotted on site reference the Grand Central multi-core processor technology found in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, and the new APIs found in iPhone OS 3.0. We'll have plenty more to say and show you over the course of the next few hours! ...
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TUAW at E3: Castle of Magic hands-on
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Odds and ends, Other Events, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch Gameloft was kind enough to show us their whole upcoming stable of iPhone and iPod touch titles at E3 last week, and the most impressive game we saw in their "party bus," parked outside the Los Angeles Convention Center, was Castle of Magic. It's a 2D platformer with colorful and great-looking 3D graphics in which you play a young wizard trying to get a girl back. So it's pretty well-tread ground, especially as platformers go (so named because you spend the game jumping from platform to platform), but it's one of the first straightforward examples of the genre on the iPhone.The game's controlled with a virtual d-pad right on the screen, as well as two ability buttons that change depending on whatever powerups you have at the time. And powerups are found throughout the game world -- there are five themed overworlds to choose from (space, water, ice, forest, etc.), and three levels each within those worlds, and while the kid can pick up some abilities any time (a magical beam to shoot enemies with is a pretty common one), each world also has its own ability (you can be a spaceman in space, Robin Hood in the forest level, a swordfish while swimming, and so on). The game's graphics are immensely charming, and given that, like most platformers, there's plenty of doohickeys to collect, there's a good amount of replayability here as well.Continue reading TUAW at E3: Castle of Magic hands-onTUAWTUAW at E3: Castle of Magic hands-on originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink|Email this|Comments
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SONiVOX announces SoundStage virtual instrument
Posted by Dennis SellersSONiVOX, a virtual instrument manufacturer, has released its latest virtual plug-in instrument, SoundStage. It's designed to provide a comprehensive standard palette of instruments for composers, home studio enthusiasts, songwriters, educators, live musicians, or anyone looking to expand their instrumental palette.
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WWDC 2009 Live Coverage Now!
Please tune in to our live coverage of WWDC 2009 Keynote where we'll have photos and text updates throughout the entire event! You can tune in via live.theappleblog.com or @theappleblog.
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WWDC 2009 LIVE Discussion!
WWDC 2009 LIVE Discussion
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Palm moves 50,000 Pre smartphones in opening weekend
We've yet to see Palm or Sprint confirm these numbers, but a quote from JPMorgan found in a Wall Street Journal roundup this morning asserts that "sales [of the Pre] in the first two days probably exceeded 50,000." The report continues by mentioning that said figure was "aligned with expectations, but probably fell short of the 146,000 reported first-gen iPhone sales" during its opening weekend due to "capacity constraints in manufacturing." By and large, most analysts are deeming the Pre launch a success, though it's hard to say whether the suits at Palm and Sprint agree or disagree. No matter how you slice it, 50,000 units in a single weekend ain't nothing to scoff at, but we'd say next weekend's sales could be even more telling. You know, if anything goes down today at 1:00PM ET.[Via ZDNet]Filed under: CellphonesPalm moves 50,000 Pre smartphones in opening weekend originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Sirius XM's Long-Awaited Apple App: Is Today the Day?
By Brandon MatthewsAs the stage is set for Apple's (AAPL) World Wide Developers Conference ((WWDC)) Monday, investors in Sirius XM (SIRI) are ripe in anticipation, and for good reason. There have been a number of clues leading into the conference that suggest the long anticipated iPhone/iPod application will be unveiled in tandem with news coming from the conference. The excitement is not without good cause. Sirius XM management has stated on more than one occasion that the company would be introducing its application in the second quarter. There have been many circumstantial developments as well.
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Join TUAW at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET for our WWDC keynote meta-liveblog
Filed under: iPod Family, Software, WWDC, Blogging, Apple, iPhone, LiveblogJune 8, 2009.Today's a day filled with incredible anticipation for Apple fans. The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference opens with a keynote by Apple Senior VP of Product Marketing Phil Schiller, who is widely expected to announce the availability of the 3rd generation of iPhone firmware and hardware, provide a release date for Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6), and hopefully throw in a few surprises in the meantime.While TUAW has no "assets on the ground" inside the keynote (Brett Terpstra will be outside for developer interviews immediately afterward), our team is preparing for full meta-liveblogging of the event. Join us for this event beginning at about 10 AM Pacific Time / 1 PM Eastern Time / 5 PM GMT as TUAW bloggers Steve Sande, Megan Lavey, and Erica Sadun provide you with nonstop coverage of the keynote. You can also follow our event-specific Twitter feed for updates throughout the week at http://twitter.com/tuaw_wwdc.TUAWJoin TUAW at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET for our WWDC keynote meta-liveblog originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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New Software, New iPhone, New Steve? Liveblogging the Apple Extravaganza
Up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.
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iWebTemplate releases new theme collection for iWeb
Posted by Dennis SellersiWebTemplate has introduced new iWeb themes to be used with Apple's web site building application, iWeb. It's a part of iLife.
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Windows 7 not likely to jolt PC market
Microsoft's top Windows business executive said on Monday that although he is excited about Windows 7, he doubts its release will lead to a significant spike in PC sales. Veghte(Credit: Microsoft) "History would tell us that generally as you ship a Windows release into the market ... the bump ...
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Will Cheaper iPhone Derail Palm's Pre, Dent RIM?
Expectations of a cheaper iPhone emerging this week finds analysts of mixed opinion on whether Apple, (NASDAQ: AAPL), Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) or Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) will gain the upper hand in the next round of smartphone wars. Some believe that despite all the attention generated by Apple, RIM remains in a strong position.
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Don't forget, Engadget is live at WWDC today!
Just a reminder to all you fine, fine folks out on the Interverse -- we're going to be live and direct from Apple's WWDC keynote in just a few hours. You should tune in, we hear there may be some kind of new phone announced.Plant yourselves at this page (feel free to bookmark). Here's what time you'll want to do said planting:07:00AM - Hawaii 10:00AM - Pacific 11:00AM - Mountain 12:00PM - Central 01:00PM - Eastern 06:00PM - London 07:00PM - Paris 02:00AM - Tokyo (June 9th)Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, LaptopsDon't forget, Engadget is live at WWDC today! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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Heckler Design announces OneLessStand for Mac Pro
Posted by Dennis SellersHeckler Design has rounded out their OneLessOffice suite of products. Now joining OneLessDesk, the minimal computer desk, is OneLessStand (shown) for US$319 and OneLessFile for $199. Both new products are available for pre-order starting now at the Heckler Design web site.
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Mutihoming with one Ethernet interface
Like many small businesses we have taken advantage of the 'free' DSL services offered as part of an existing mobile phone contract. In this case we use Orange for mobile service (we're based in the UK) and they offer 2 Mbit internet with a wireless router for no extra if you have at least one pay monthly account. I thought that it would be a useful addition to our network for testing and backup, especially as it is from a different ISP and delivered over a physically separate landline from our business internet.The wireless router arrived yesterday and the DSL activation happened on time so that the line came up first time when I plugged the line into the router. I'd heard a few horror stories about Orange's support for Macs so I was pleasantly surprised when I popped the install CD into my MacBook and it came with full OSX installation instructions. 5 minutes later I was surfing on the internet via my shiny new Orange broadband.Now that we had two internet accesses ...
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Create iPhoto album with all events for a given person
Sometimes I want to send pictures of a given iPhoto event to a friend who has some pictures within that event. Easy enough. But what I really want to do is make an album of all pictures from every event that a particular person was at, even if they weren't in all the pictures. There is no option to create Smart Playlists for events that contain the person (I've sent a feature request to Apple for this ability).Today I stumbled upon the solution. If you open up that person in Faces, select all the pictures, and then go to Events ... magically all the events that had pictures selected are now selected. Make a new album and drag the events into it. All pictures from the events are now in that album. Note that you may have to drag-and-wait for iPhoto to catch up, since it has to calculate the thousands of pictures that you are dragging.
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Reduce CPU workload while cloning boot drive
Before cloning your boot drive to another drive ... add that other drive to Spotlight's Privacy list. That saves a lot of CPU cycles during cloning.In hindsight, this seems obvious, but it wasn't at the time.
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Outside WWDC 2009
WWDC 2009 starts early in San Francisco, as in the day before. First in line this year is Clay, who arrived at 5:30 p.m., June 7. Behind him were hundreds more, all waiting for the keynote at 10:00 a.m. today. By 5:30 a.m., the line for the keynote stretched a block up 3rd Street, which is relatively short compared with a line for Macworld Expo, but considering WWDC has around 5,000 attendees, it's impressive. I estimated the line to be about 500 by 6:00 a.m. The crowd was mostly male and decidedly not-tanned, with black a popular color for dress. The first woman I found in line was part of a group of students from China who had endured a 13-hour flight before they even queued up. They looked forward to learning more about Leopard, as were many of those waiting, but there were also many iPhone developers. “I want tools that work,” said Clay, referring to the iPhone SDK. When I pressed him on the quality of the iPhone SDK, he agreed that developer tools on other platforms were inferior to Apple's, but that Apple's could be better. While developers were focused on tools, there was still a lot of excitement regarding hardware. Everyone was looking forward to a new iPhone, but a few were hopeful that new Pro machines would be introduced. Only a couple of hardcore zealots thought a tablet was in the making. We'll know soon. Stay focused on TAB coverage of the keynote at 10:00 a.m.
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First Looks: ThinkFlood RedEye Wi-Fi to Infrared Bridge for iPod + iPhone
RedEye ($149) is one of the first actually available accessories capable of combining an App Store application and a Dock Connector accessory to expand the capabilities of an iPod touch or iPhone. The concept: RedEye has both Wi-Fi and Infrared capabilities, and lets you use your iPhone or iPod touch to connect via Wi-Fi and control Infrared devices such as a television, receiver, and DVD player found in the same room with a RedEye unit. Initially,…
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Sandbox 131: Bee's Elbows
Posted by Dennis SellersAin't no such thing. WWDC is here and rumors abound. Will Phil Schiller drop his pants, will Jonathan Ives get his URL and will Steve make a surprise appearance and introduce a new Cuisinart? No. None of this will happen either.
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First Looks: Radtech Bezel Blaster
Bezel Blaster ($8) is the latest polishing tool from Radtech, the maker of Ice Creme polishing kits for iPods. Unlike the company's earlier liquid-dependent solutions, Bezel Blaster promises to use a special "quick and easy" tool to remove scratches and abrasions from the chrome front bezels of iPhones, as well as the backs of polished metal iPods -- not on plastics, nor on anodized aluminum surfaces like the bodies of second/fourth-generation…
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First Looks: JAYS v-JAYS Heavy Duty Bass Headphones
As the latest offering from Sweden's JAYS, the v-JAYS headphones (£60/$94) are similar to its earlier c-JAYS in styling, featuring an old-fashioned plastic expandable headband with foam-padded on-ear speakers and clean, modern styling. This model features 40mm drivers and only two sets of foam ear pads, an integrated 24-inch cord, and an included 27.5-inch extension cord. They're described by the company as possessing strong bass in a lightweight,…
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Macsimum review: Mercury Elite-AL Pro is fast, reliable external hard drive
Posted by Dennis SellersBy Issac Stolzenbach Did you invest in a new camera and now you tremble each time you take a shot, fearing you'll lose more hard drive space? Do you find yourself with less and less room for Photoshop to use as a scratch disk? Do you just need a dependable...
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Presented By:
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McDonald's warns of impact from exchange rates
McDonald’s Corp. says global same-store sales rose 5.1% in May, but total sales fell slightly as the fast-food giant’s overseas operations grappled with fluctuating currency-exchange rates.
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Headed to WWDC
Daniel Eran Dilger Say hi if you’re at WWDC this week. I’ll be there this morning, but couldn’t manage to get a ticket this year. If you find yourself with an extra pass burning holes in your pocket, let me just say it’s my birthday this week. Otherwise, I may be left to restrict myself to [...]
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TuneUp: An iTunes Librarian, Archivist and Concierge
Gabriel Adiv is a music lover. Like many music lovers who manage their digital music in iTunes, he once bemoaned how labor-intensive that could be. Unlike many music lovers, though, he decided to do something about it. Adiv, with his sidekick Raza Zaidi, founded San Francisco-based TuneUp Media in 2007, and a year later, their company introduced an iTunes plug-in by the same name. The plug-in cleans up an iTunes library -- adding missing information to songs, importing cover art, making recommendations, and more.
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The Tech Night Owl: 'high def TV experience hits another bump in the road'
Posted by Dennis SellersOn today's Tech Night commentary, Gene “Mac Night Owl” Steinberg says that the high definition TV experience has hit another bump in the road.
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MotoCzysz E1pc electric superbike packs iPhone in the dash
We've certainly seen Apple's iPhone act as an integral part of a vehicle before, but we've yet to see one front and center on a motorbike. Hailed as the planet's first "digital superbike," the MotoCzysz E1pc packs some pretty sick technology from end-to-end. Aside from being a zero-emissions, all-electric motorcycle, it reportedly relies on Apple's darling for its instrumentation. Sadly, details about what exactly the iPhone handles are few and far between, but hopefully we'll hear more after its upcoming run in the TTXGP on June 12th. Two more looks after the break.[Via Hell For Leather]Continue reading MotoCzysz E1pc electric superbike packs iPhone in the dashFiled under: TransportationMotoCzysz E1pc electric superbike packs iPhone in the dash originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments
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The Real Problem of an Apple Without Steve Jobs
Speculation (fueled by the WSJ) is that Steve Jobs will return Monday, and that he'll announce the iPhone 3.0. All Apple (AAPL) will say is that marketing SVP Phil Schiller is doing the keynote at this week's WWDC, and that Jobs will be back at the end of the month.The WSJ article includes a health update:
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10 Option Ideas on Extremely Bullish Stocks
In this article are some buy/write option ideas on some of the best rated stocks (according to Investor's Business Daily ((IBD)). To see more about the criteria used in rating these stocks click here. I have outlined ways to play these stocks using the buy/write option strategy. For more on this strategy visit my blog.The list below is ranked in order from the lowest IBD score to the highest IBD score which is indicated after the ticker symbol. All of these stocks are rated A+ and have a greater than 95 composite rating. I chose the highest possible option strike price with a greater than 40% chance (risk neutral probability) of expiring in the money for the July option expiration (all data as of pre-market June 8, 2009).
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Photo filters galore for your iPhone pix
Filed under: iPhone, App Store, App ReviewCameraBag [App Store link] joins the club of iPhone apps that offers filters for your photos to change the style or color balance of what you have snapped. The app sells for US$2.99.This app offers filters that mimic old film emulsions of the past, as well as offering fish eye views and infrared simulation.Here's the complete list:Helga - A square-format toy camera with washed-out highlights and old-school vignetting.1974 - This is your father's camera. Faded, tinted, and hip.Magazine - Emulates effects used in fashion magazinesLolo - Shoot from the hip and take life as it comes with vibrant, colorful shots.Cinema - Dramatic, moody, wide-screen stills from the movie of your life.1962 - Dynamic black and whites from the photojournalists of a bygone era.Mono - Smooth gradation from black to white.Infrared - Simulation of the popular landscape photography technique.Fisheye - Popular fish eye lens effect - try it in combination with other filters.Instant-emulates the old Polaroid lookOriginal - The unaltered image.Some of the filters are subtle. Some are pretty dramatic. I didn't find any of them to be horrible. The app gets good reviews from users, except due to some legal issues from Polaroid, the borders of the images were changed and don't really look like the old Polaroid prints, so users are unhappy with the new filter. The developer is working that out, and is referring users to the US$0.99 version of the app, CameraBag Lite retro, [App Store] which still has the older filter. The app was stable in my use, and allows you to email the finished images, or save them to your camera roll. The developer is also working on a desktop version of the app for both the Mac and PC. There are lots of apps offered that do similar effects. Ultimately, you need to choose the one that best fits your needs. I think the CameraBag filters do a nice job, and are easy to use. They are certainly worth a look.Here are filters I applied on a landscape photo, along with the original for comparison:Gallery: CameraBag filter examplesTUAWPhoto filters galore for your iPhone pix originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments