Aug 6, 2009 Aug 8, 2009 Friday August 7, 2009
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Waze up? Driver-generated maps for the iPhone, iPod touch
Posted by Dennis SellersWaze, a provider of free driver-generated maps and real-time road information, has announced the availability of its mobile app for the iPhone and iPod touch. It's available at the Apple App Store.
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ABI Research: over 300 million DLNA-certified devices to ship in 2012
Posted by Dennis SellersABI ResearchA growing number of digital media devices for home entertainment are receiving DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) certification. According to a new study from ABI Researchnearly 200 million such products shipped in 2008; that number will rise to more than 300 million in 2012, and the growth curve accelerates...
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In-Poculis Mahjong solitaire game for the Mac updated to version 2.7.7
Posted by Dennis SellersIn-Poculis Mahjong, a Mahjong solitaire game for Mac OS X, has been updated to version 2.7.7. The game comes with 120 levels and six themes: Christmas, Halloween, Asian, Easter, Wonderland and Future.
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iHanWel releases iBody 2.0 for the iPhone
Posted by Dennis SellersiHanWel has updated the iBody app for the iPhone to version 2.0. It's updated for iPhone OS 3.0 and is available for $7.99 at the Apple App Store.
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Shake It Out shakes onto the iPhone
Posted by Dennis SellersMotionObj has released Shake It Out, a “decision making” app for the iPhone. It's available for US$4.99 at the Apple App Store and requires iPhone OS 3.0.
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Article: Ask iLounge 8-7-09
This week's Ask iLounge topics: Clean up album artwork in iTunes, Syncing media content and calendar/contact info from different computers, Reorganizing recovered tracks in iTunes, Using multiple iPods and iPhones on one computer
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Macsimum iPhone Video: How to install memory in a Mac Pro (2009)
Posted by Dave MertenToday's Macsimum iPhone video demonstrates how to install memory in a Mac Pro (2009).
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Interest Calculator Pro for the iPhone and iPod touch updated to version 1.0.3
Posted by Dennis SellersPaolo Grifantini has updated Interest Calculator Pro for the iPhone and iPod touch, to version 1.0.3. It's available for US$1.99 at the Apple App Store.
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MacOSG: How to publish a live webcam
Posted by Dave MertenHow would you like to spice up your website by adding a live webcam, or set up a live webcam for security purposes? Basically to get started, all you need is a webcam, some webcam software and a server to serve the live images. If you own a newer MacBook,...
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Mockup Sales Figures For The Mac Tablet
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N-Tonic announces photographic scavenger hunt app for the iPhone
Posted by Dennis SellersN-Tonic has released SnaggleFind, a “socialtainment” platform built specifically for the iPhone. It's available for US$1.99 at the Apple App Store.
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Apple to Stream First Live Concert to the iPhone Tonight
Tonight Apple will produce its first-ever live event streamed to the iPhone: a concert by the electronica band Underworld. Apple has apparently kept the event quiet as it doesnât want to overwhelm the AT&T network, but if you have an iPhone you can queue it up yourself at iphone.akamai.com or underworldlive.com. The show starts at 9 p.m. PT and the stream is free. Read the full details over at NewTeeVee â
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Comics by ComiXology
My thanks to ComiXology for sponsoring this week’s DF RSS feed to promote Comics, their new iPhone app. It’s a combination comic book store, reader, and library, all on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You can browse and purchase new comics using the new iPhone OS 3.0 in-app purchasing system. The app itself is just 99 cents, and comes with over 30 free comics. Check out the screencast guided to tour to see how it works. The reading interface is very well-designed, including thoughtful features like the option to auto-rotate the display depending on the orientation of the current panel. Very clever design, and a perfect example of in-app purchasing. â
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The End Is Near! For The UK iPhone Exclusivity Anyway
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TriX Software releases TrailBlazer for the iPhone
Posted by Dennis SellersTriX Software has released TrailBlazer for the iPhone, an app for monitoring your speed, recording and reviewing your path, and sharing your travels. It's available for US$4.99 at the Apple App Store.
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Ice-T repairs a Mac, his way
Filed under: Hardware, Humor, Hacks, Cult of Mac, MacBook, Found Footage I don't think this is anything I would have ever asked to see, personally, but now that it's here, I can't look away. Above, you can click through to see a NSFW (language) video of the star of stage and screen, Ice-T, doing some "repairs" on a broken PowerBook -- the kinds of "repairs" you can only do with a clawhammer. As he says in the video, "if any of you people out there really have a love affair with Macs, this'll be hard to watch." In Apple's defense, that Mac gives him quite a bit of trouble... until he really starts swinging the hammer.Ah, the Internet. Where else can you watch B-list celebrities destroy expensive electronic equipment? Everybody have a great weekend! TUAWIce-T repairs a Mac, his way originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Sennheiser Communications introduces its portable PC 300 gaming headset
Posted by Dennis SellersSennheiser Communications has released the US$169.95 PC 300 G4ME headset. The tiny, portable headset is designed for people who love gaming, chatting, listening to music and watching movies on their laptops and portable media players.
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Quick Pick: Upload Videos to Flickr With Mobile Fotos
I have been using Mobile Fotos since its initial release for uploading photos to Flickr. It is both easy to use and powerful. However, since purchasing the iPhone 3GS, the one feature I have been really excited about is uploading videos to Flickr without using email. Prior to the recent software update, if you wanted to upload videos to Flickr you had to email them to your Flickr specific email address, or email them to your computer and use software or the Flickr website to upload. Adding video recording and uploading functionality makes this the ultimate Flickr app. The iPhone's API allows Mobile Fotos to not only record and upload, but also trim videos exactly like the built-in Photos app. Uploading photos and videos in Mobile Fotos has all of the options one would expect: title, description, tags, privacy controls, and location. Below are two screenshots from the app's thorough upload process. The Settings area is where you set up multiple accounts, Twitter integration, and upload connection settings. Mobile Fotos is definitely worth $2.99 if you share your content with Flickr. If you are not interested in uploading videos to Flickr (maybe you are a Twitter addict, or just looking for something cheaper) then you should check out TwitVid. Sharing a video is done in three steps: sign in to Twitter, record a new video (or select an existing video), and enter text for a Tweet. Your Twitter account is instantly updated and the video is ready to view. Here's an example tweet and the resulting page on TwitVid. It doesn't get easier than that. Innovations. Markets. Profits. We Got An App For That: Mobilize 09 $595 Regular, $395 limited time Learn More »
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Japanese brain training app Comes to English-speaking iPhone/iPod users
Posted by Dennis SellersJapans BB Softservice has released Brain Training Unotan 1.0, an English version of its brain training title for the iPhone and iPod touch. Built around the brain training methodology of Professor Makoto Shichida, Brain Training Unotan provides a series of training exercises designed to help the brain improve and enhance...
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Camtasia screen recording solution for the Mac available Aug. 25
Posted by Dennis SellersTechSmith Corp. has announced that Camtasia for Mac will be available Aug. 25 for download and purchase. It's an app for creating presentations, demonstrations, screencasts, training and marketing videos in HD-quality video to reach audiences online, on Apple portable media devices, and on popular video sharing sites like YouTube.
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Google Voice to be retooled as Web app for iPhone
As it did when its Latitude native application was rejected, Google plans to turn Google Voice into a Web-based app to pass muster with the iPhone App Store.
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Koingo announces Project Canvas 1.0 for Mac OS X
Posted by Dennis SellersKoingo Software has unveiled Project Canvas, a multimedia presentation tool for Mac and Windows system. Sporting a cross-platform compatible file format, its files can contain an unlimited number of cards and buttons.
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A weekend with FireWire
Filed under: How-tos, Troubleshooting, LeopardMy MacBook Pro and I had a bit of a rendezvous this past weekend. She's a 15 inch Core Duo with 2gb ram. Although she'll occasionally get as hot as a toaster oven (leaving red marks on my lap at times) and mooed like a cow when we first met, she's been a consistent workhorse for me. But her hard drive needed a transplant. Sick of her sluggish performance and hard drive clicking noises, I decided that it was time to fix her up. So, I replaced her 320gb hard drive with, surprise, a 320gb hard drive -- this time a Fujitsu model instead of the Toshiba it replaced. Not because I thought the Fujitsu was any better than the Toshiba it'd be replacing, but because it was the least expensive drive I could find. Although the hard drive installation went successful, it wasn't without its fair share of bumps along the road. Hopefully, the bumps I experienced could provide many some guidance on what to do as well as what not to do when upgrading your hard drive.Continue reading A weekend with FireWireTUAWA weekend with FireWire originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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'Macsimum Recommended Reading' for Aug. 7
Posted by Dennis Sellers“Serious Pro Apps: 'mid 2009' MacBook Pro 17'' with 8GB of RAM versus the fastest iMac and Mac Pro running After Effects and Compressor”—Bare Feats
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KT to carry iPhone in Korea
Posted by Dennis SellersThe KT local carrier has officially announced plans to carry the iPhone in Korea, reports Telecoms Korea.
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Microsoft backtracks on free Office Live domains
In a reversal, Microsoft says it will now charge all small businesses an annual domain registration fee, even those companies it had promised free Web site registrations for life. Starting October 1, all customers will have to pay $14.95 a year to renew their custom Web address. Microsoft offers ...
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Apple wins laptop tech-support showdown
Apple topped the Tech Support Showdown conducted by Laptop magazine, which ranks 10 notebook companies in the industry.
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News: Apple pulls paid sex offender locator, leaves free version
Apple has pulled the paid version of ThinAir Wireless' Offender Locator application from the App Store, but left the free version—Offender Locator Lite—in place. Offender Locator used publicly-available databases to help users locate sex offenders in their areas. Trip Wakefield, a ThinAir employee, told Cnet that the app was pulled for unspecified legal reasons, although readers on both Cnet and TechCrunch have suggested that the…
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Put Things Off is an iPhone task manager worth owning
Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, App ReviewI'll admit to being a productivity geek. For me, getting things done is almost as fun as fiddling with my system. After trying every app I could, I've come to a conclusion: Paper is where it's at.There's nothing more flexible and full of potential. You can make arrangements to meet a friend or solve a serious network issue with paper and pen. Most of the apps I used tried to mimic the ease of pen and paper, but none match the flexibility.For me, the iPhone adds another hurdle with the touch keyboard. Here's the bottleneck: I write faster that I type on a full-sized keyboard, and I do both faster than I use the iPhone keyboard. Some iPhone productivity apps require lots of typing, categorizing, tapping and clicking. Tally up the time spent being "productive" with your iPhone and it's not worth it. Just grab a small notebook. It only makes sense that I'd love the app from a man who shares my love of paper. Put Things Off for iPhone and iPod touch is a mobile productivity app that I'm happy to use. The initial window (see gallery below) is nice and sparse. To add a new task, click the arrow and type something brief like "Email Tom Re: website." Select a due date and hit Save. A small "card" appears on the To Do List desktop that you can put in one of four boxes: Inbox (the default), Today (determined by your due date), Put Off and Done. In fact, you might not have to do any clicking at all. The Today box is self-populated, the Inbox is the default and the Done box fills itself as you kill off tasks. Which leaves the Put Off box. In the app's preferences, you have an option to delay tasks for a certain amount of time. I've opted to put things off for 7 days, just in time for my weekly review. Therefore, items without a specific due date show up weekly, just in time for my weekly review. GTD'ers can think of it as a dynamic @readandrevew or @someday/maybe list.What I love about Put Things Off is that it comes very close to mimicking paper and pen. I open a note, jot a task and add a due date. Exactly what I do in my notebook. The Put Off box works wonderfully with my weekly reviews and there's no ballet of clicking, categorizing, tagging and whatnot to accompany every entry.Some will call it "under-featured," but I think it's perfect. Try it out and see if I'm wrong. Put Things Off is available in the App Store now for $2.99US. Gallery: Put Things OffTUAWPut Things Off is an iPhone task manager worth owning originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Lenovo's Android-powered O1 'OPhone' due next month
Good news, kids! It looks like Lenovo's O1 "OPhone" handset is finally ready to hit the shelves over on the Mainland sometime next month. Truth be told, the story arc of this Android-powered 3G (TD-SCDMA) handset has been quite the emotional roller coaster: Some were riveted by the sleek, sexy physical design of the thing, while others were repelled by its intensely KIRFish UI. China Mobile is obviously hoping for big things from the little guy -- and getting it into stores before Unicom gets the iPhone sorted can't hurt. Either way, it looks like someone's just taken a bite out of iOrgane's market share! Filed under: CellphonesLenovo's Android-powered O1 'OPhone' due next month originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Thanks to TheAppleBlog Sponsors!
We'd like to say thanks to this month's sponsor of TheAppleBlog: Mozy: Back up your photos, music, and files with Mozy for as low as $4.34 per month. BackBlaze: Online backup for only $5/month per computer for unlimited storage. FREE Trial for Intel Mac users. Fuze Meeting: Share everything you see with everyone in high definition, anywhere on any device.
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Making It Up as They Go
Buzz Andersen, responding to the aforelinked piece by Daniel Jalkut: My guess would be that Apple had to set up a large organization to do this reviewing very, very quickly and ended up with a bunch of people who can quickly go down a very literal laundry list of things to check, but donât have the time, expertise, or incentive to make nuanced judgements about an appâs suitability. I suspect that almost every complaint people have about the App Store is related to the fact that Apple set it up practically overnight by the standards of a large software project. Theyâre making it up as the go along, and it shows. I think Phil Schiller’s email regarding Ninjawords hints at this too. And I keep thinking about the fact that they’ve built the App Store on a foundation that was originally intended for music and movies. â
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Speaking of Natal, it should be out next year
After taking Natal for a test drive, CNET News' Ina Fried wants to know when the rubber will meet the road. One game maker suggests the answer is late next year.(Credit: CNET News) Now that I have gotten a chance to try out Project Natal, Microsoft's gesture ...
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Article: iPhone 3GS Gems: AirCoaster, Blue Skies 3GS, Rockchinko 3GS Edition, and Surroundead Ep. 2
When Apple released the iPhone 3GS, it made few specific claims about the new device's performance—the new model was roughly 2 times faster than its predecessor, it said, and offered “updated 3D graphics” capabilities that developers could tap into. But what did these vague promises really mean? Clues began to emerge in the form of demonstration videos, including a highly impressive 40-car version of Firemint's Real Racing,…
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The Macsimum Podcast for August 7th
Posted by Frank PetrieToday's Macsimum Podcast: “Mr. Curry on Net Neutrality,” “Achieve Certification on FCP7,” “Fill Out The Doctor's Paperwork BEFORE You Go To The Office'” and “Story 4.”
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Mujik for the iPhone. I'm scratching my head but enjoying it
Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, App Review, MusicEvery so often something hits the App Store that is interesting but difficult to explain. At the same time, it is enjoyable to use, and you tip your hat to the people who thought it up, even if it has no real practical use.Mujik [App Store] is a free (for now) app that allows you to create musical sounds by opening books on a shelf and chasing dust mites across the page.It's a charming app, with interesting graphics, and I was able to create a passable tune. If your taste runs to Mike Oldfield or Brian Eno (who has his own app for creating music on the iPhone) you know the kinds of sounds I am talking about.You do have some control over the instruments, the pitch, and you can balance the ensemble, if that is the word, by turning off any of the 3 channels.The lads who made this app are from an Edinburgh, Scotland software company called Lucky Frame, and are obviously pretty creative in their offbeat way. The founder of the company says he wanted to create software that is "not intimidating and easy to use". This app isn't to be confused with a composition tool, or a sequencer where you get a lot of control. It's something to play with and enjoy.It would be nice if you could save your tunes, but instead they become fleeting memories. A 'save mode' is promised by the developers. Mujik runs on the iPhone and the iPod touch.Thanks to Donnacha for the tip.Here are some screenshots but they are just likely to confuse rather than illuminate. You just have to try it. Gallery: Mujik for iPhoneTUAWMujik for the iPhone. I'm scratching my head but enjoying it originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Engadget Podcast 158 - 08.07.2009
The gang's all here, folks! Yes, it's been a rough couple weeks apart, but Josh, Paul, and Nilay have finally managed to reunite, and Engadget Podcast 158 is the happy result. Join the boys as they take Apple to task for its recent App Store shenanigans and the dismissal of Eric Schmidt from the board of directors, pick apart the Windows 7 upgrade matrix, and then shift into cruising gear for a run to The Shack and some quick thoughts on a trio of new cameras. Yeah, it's good to be back. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: Ruby Soho Hear the podcast 00:02:20 - FCC queries AT&T, Apple on Google Voice iPhone app rejection00:03:10 - Google's Eric Schmidt resigns from Apple board over "conflict of interest"00:12:40 - Phil Schiller says Apple didn't censor a dictionary. 00:35:15 - Official Windows 7 upgrade chart is ridiculous00:45:20 - The Shack! Radio Shack's current bid for relevance00:52:43 - Nikon Coolpix S1000pj projector-cam beams into reality along with friends00:59:28 - Kodak Zi8: Kodak Zi8 impressions: surprising functionality, but it's still a pocket camcorder01:04:38 - Sony Party-show dock: Sony's Party-shot dock snaps incriminating Facebook photos while you drink Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadgetFiled under: PodcastsEngadget Podcast 158 - 08.07.2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Eric Schmidt Not Paid By Apple, Just Took Some Souvenirs
Former Apple Board of Directors member and current Google CEO Eric Schmidt wasn't paid for his time at Cupertino. This despite Apple's habitual practice of offering stock options and a $50,000 retainer to Board members, both of which Schmidt declined during his tenure. Instead, like other board members, Schmidt settled for some awesome Apple gear in exchange for his contribution to the board. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and BusinessWeek, the Google CEO accepted $8,712 worth of goods, though no specific breakdown of what sort of hardware that number actually represents has been reported. We do know that board members are entitled to one of each new Apple product released while they're an active member, and that they receive additional hardware discounts over and above that. Thanks to this sweet deal, Al Gore took home $13,161 and Arthur Levinson $8,923. I'll bet a hefty portion of those numbers actually accounts for Apple's ridiculously over-priced customization options. Apple board members are also allowed up to 30,000 of company stock, with an option to buy up to 10,000 more per year. Schmidt passed up the opportunity, however, choosing instead to buy 10,000 shares on the open market with his own money in 2006. Schmidt also received a mystery “commemorative gift” valued at $7,580. Many other Apple execs received similar gifts, including COO Tim Cook, but details about what exactly was gifted remain unknown. A MacBook Pro with the Apple logo on the lid replaced with an etched likeness of the giftee's face, perhaps? Whatever it was, I'm fairly sure I want one. Turning down the lucrative extras that come along with being a high-ranked tech executive has become Schmidt's M.O., so it's not really surprising to find that he was working at Apple for comped hardware. At Google, he famously only receives a $1 per year salary, and in recent years has been turning down stock option perks from the search giant as well. If nothing else, the FTC's investigation into the close links between Apple and Google should pull back the curtain and provide more revelatory looks into the inner workings of some of Silicon Valley's biggest players. Schmidt recently stepped down from the Apple board amid accusations that the two companies were too closely involved with one another, and involved in a relationship that could potentially be construed as a non-competitive arrangement. Google and Apple still share a common board member, however, as Arthur Levinson, former CEO of Genentech, is still a sitting member of both. Netbooks or Netbooms. Find out at Mobilize 09 New ideas and new contacts. 1 day. Learn More »
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Swine Time squeals onto the iPhone, iPod touch
Posted by Dennis SellersVITO Technologies has released Swine Time, a new game for the iPhone and iPod touch. It's available for US$0.99 at the Apple App Store.
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News: iPhone headed to Korea on KT
Korean network operator KT has confirmed that it plans to offer the iPhone in the country. Kim Yeon-hak, KT's Chief Financial Officer, said during a conference call that the “Apple iPhone will be in our smartphone line-up. [We expect that the] iPhone will help to expand the smartphone market and will contribute to increasing the ARPU” (average revenue per user).” Telecoms Korea reports that Kim declined to offer any more details…
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Apple Tech Support Tops Charts
Computer manufacturers can be notoriously bad when it comes to customer service. Almost as bad as certain not-to-be-named ISPs that reset the phone line while you are talking to their representatives on said phone line. read more
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Gold, diamond-leafed Gaiser PCs might just bring Marie Antoinette back from the grave
Don't get us wrong -- we're all in favor of purposeless, ostentatious, and classless displays of wealth -- but we prefer it to be a little less... tacky? German manufacturer High End PCs have the high end part down pat -- they'll dip your desktop in all manners of gold (up to 24 karat!), cubic zirconia and of course, diamonds. Now, we don't have any specs on these puppies -- though we suspect performance is beside the point. Our only real qualm with the product is that it looks like a Kleenex box from Don Johnson's bathroom in 1986. But, if you have a stack of money hanging around and you just can't be bothered to think of really awesome things to do with it, Gaiser's PCs start from about $8,000 and run up to around $33,000. [Via Oh! Gizmo] Filed under: DesktopsGold, diamond-leafed Gaiser PCs might just bring Marie Antoinette back from the grave originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Microsoft releases XML fix for Mac Office, Open XML converter tool
Microsoft on Thursday released a pair of updates to fix a problem with Open XL documents: Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.2.1 Update and Microsoft Office Open XML File Format Converter 1.1.1. According to Microsoft’s Knowledge Base article of the issue, users of MS Office 2008 for Mac couldn’t open Open XLM documents or templates. [...]
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CAZE introduces a new style of metallic case for the iPhone 3G/3GS
Posted by Dennis SellersCAZE has introduced Silver Tone, a new style of its metallic series for the iPhone 3G/3GS. It features a bright mirrored surface and thin design.
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USB Fever has released an emergency charger for the iPhone, iPod
Posted by Dennis SellersUSB Fever has released the US$24.99 Ultra Slim (Card Type) Emergency Charger for iPhones and iPods.
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Why Ninjawords Drew a Response
Jason Kincaid on Schiller’s public statement regarding Ninjawords: All of that said, I find it totally bizarre that Phil Schiller took the time to write this lengthy explanation without saying anything about the myriad of other problems with the App Store (it is possible that Gruber omitted portions of the letter, though it doesnât sound like it). No mention of the Google Voice fiasco, nothing on the awful support developers have seen from App Store representatives, nothing on the inconsistent and nebulous approval policies. To be clear, the unpublished portions of Schiller’s email were not substantial, and did not touch upon any other topics regarding the App Store. Of course, I’d love to engage Schiller in a similarly detailed discussion of Google Voice. I agree that it’s a far more important topic. However, it’s also far more complex. No one from Apple is going to discuss it on the record. (Note to Phil Schiller: I’d love to be proven wrong.) The Google Voice issue involves Apple’s contentious relationship with AT&T (and, eventually, when Google Voice is available outside the U.S., Apple’s carrier partners around the world), and Apple’s competitive relationship with Google itself. The beauty of the Ninjawords story — what drew me to it like a magnet — is not that it is a particularly important case, but rather that it is particularly simple. The problems are clear, uncomplicated, and, I think, undeniable. â
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MacJournals News: On Phil Schillerâs Credibility
MacJournals: We do not offer an opinion as to whether Schiller is being truthful in the App Store censorship matter. We only point out that his past statements when Apple was under fire mean that he does not get the benefit of our doubt. If Appleâs policy truly is not to censor applications for âincluding references to common swear wordsâ (or ask their developers to do so to gain approval, either explicitly or implicitly), weâll see the results in the App Store, and Schiller will have won back some credibility. His statement was encouraging, but all that matters is whether it results in actual changes to the App Store review process. â
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Virtual Keyboards on iPhone and Android
Must-read comparison of the virtual keyboards on the iPhone and Android HTC Magic, by Lukas Mathis: A virtual keyboard lives and dies by the details. Itâs not that thereâs a single feature which makes the iPhoneâs virtual keyboard better than Androidâs; itâs death by a thousand cuts. A number of small differences end up making a huge difference. (Android does win on one count: its auto-correction feature shows a menu of suggestions, rather than the iPhone’s, which only shows one.) â
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Friday Favorite: Mactracker
Filed under: Hardware, Software, Freeware, Friday FavoriteAnother Friday Favorite, our weekly opportunity to gush over one of our favorite apps.This week's favorite is a must-have reference for all Apple fans. Mactracker has been around for as long as I can remember and is indispensable. It provides exhaustive information on every Apple product, from the latest Xserve to the QuickTake 100. The iTunes-like UI keeps machines in categories like desktops, notebooks, devices, etc. Click any to reveal a chronological listing of hardware, sorted by folder. Finally, select any piece of hardware (or software) to receive a tremendous amount of information. Processor, RAM, release date, benchmarks and on and on. You can even listen to the startup chime where applicable. You can make smart folders and even keep track of the hardware you own. I love the built-in timeline, which lets you browse hardware by year of introduction. Best of all, as new hardware is added, Mactracker is updated.This great piece of freewawre is availabe for the Mac and iPhone/iPod touch [App Store link]. For me, it's indispensable.TUAWFriday Favorite: Mactracker originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Rumor: The Billion Dollar Tablet
Source: Piper Jaffray Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster believes the rumored Apple tablet will be much more than a lifestyle product for the presbyopic generation. Instead, Munster expects as many as two million tablets could be sold in 2010, generating an estimated 1.2 billion in revenue. Via Apple 2.0, Munster's latest research also predicts a 2010 release. “Last week we spoke with an Asian component supplier that has received orders from Apple for a touch-screen device to be fulfilled by late CY09.” While this supports earlier reports, the most recent suggested timeframe is 2009. As for the tablet itself, as the mock-up suggests, Munster apparently believes a giant iPod touch is in the offing. The tablet will be designed for media consumption, web surfing, and text tasks, like simple email. Pricing is expected to be in the $500 to $700 range, considerably less than previous estimates of $800. The tablet will likely have a 3G data plan, possibly subsidized, carriers being AT&T or Verizon. All this makes Munster bullish on the tablet, “While at first glance this may appear to address a niche market, we believe the addressable market is larger than that of the Apple TV, of which Apple sold about 1.2m in its first year.” And this is where we stop the prediction train and get off. That last bit about 1.2 million Apple TVs being sold is, like much of this research note, speculation. Sales numbers for the Apple TV have never been released (not a good sign). The only official commentary on sales came during the first quarter conference call this year when Tim Cook stated that “unit sales were up over three times versus the year-ago quarter.” Three times what has never been established. However, a comparison to the Apple TV is relevant to the tablet as a cautionary tale. Sadly, by refusing to add a DVD player or streaming options from services like Netflix and Hulu, the Apple TV languishes as nothing more than extension of the iTunes Store in the living room. If the Apple tablet turns out to be a giant iPod touch — hopefully better looking that that horrid mock-up — it risks being nothing more than extension of the App Store. That's not as bad as the Apple TV, but the tablet could do better. One rumor we have not heard anything about is whether the tablet will allow a Bluetooth keyboard. If so, an entire category of functionality would be added, from emails of more than a few sentences to papers and reports pages long. In your hand it's a tablet, in a stand it's a word processor. While there could be a risk of cannibalizing MacBook sales, it seems small. Assuming the tablet runs iPhone OS, the current limitations of the operating system would ensure the safety of MacBook sales. The question whether the Apple tablet will truly be an alternative to the netbook or a giant iPod touch will likely be answered soon. One can only hope the reply can be typed. Market research you can use: Keep informed about Cloud Computing and IT Infrastructure. Learn more »
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Dynadel releases BabyGender 3.0 for the iPhone, iPod touch
Posted by Dennis SellersDynadel has released Baby Gender 3.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. It's available for US$0.99 at the Apple App Store.
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Eric Schmidt: Serving on Apple's Board for the Schwag
We already know how much Arthur Levinson stands to lose, should he give up his seat on the Apple (AAPL) board. But, do you know how much Google's (GOOG) Eric Schmidt just lost? Nadda.
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Inventec Rainbow marries traditional good looks with a Tegra heart of gold
Unlike Mobinnova's slightly "edgier" take on the "smartbook," Inventec's new Rainbow device is decidedly more netbook-ey in the looks department. Specs are nothing new, of course, with an NVIDIA Tegra 600 chip, 256MB of RAM, 256MB of flash memory, 10-inch 1024 x 576 screen and Windows CE 6.0 (which has been outfitted with Firefox for the occasion, along with other NVIDIA-prepped apps). We're happy to see an edge to edge keyboard here, and despite the low-end specs, it's still nice to know this little number will be capable of nabbing 3G data (HSPA or EV-DO), GPS and DTV. Rainbow can purportedly handle 6 hours of continuous 720p playback, stream video over 3G for 4 hours, and is rated at a rather silly 240 hours of "standby." We're not exactly sure when the Rainbow is supposed to start shipping, but if none of this is striking your fancy, there's always Rainbow 2, which is supposed to hit in the first half of next year. [Via Engadget Spanish]Filed under: LaptopsInventec Rainbow marries traditional good looks with a Tegra heart of gold originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Article: On Marketing App Store Games and Breaking The Top 100 Obsession
Apart from our desire to see the iPhone and iPod touch succeed and grow in popularity, we normally don't care too much about the marketing of these devices, their accessories, or their software, so long as that marketing is honest. But after recent conversations with third-party iPhone OS game developers, it's obvious to us that the future growth of these devices as gaming platforms is going to depend not just on Apple's future hardware…
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iPhone Undermining Microsoft in Enterprise?
Microsoft best get Windows Mobile 7 to market, and soon, because its delay may be causing the company to lose traction in the enterprise market. In a note to clients Thursday, UBS Securities analyst Maynard Um noted that Apple's (AAPL) iPhone is making some inroads in the enterprise space and they're coming at Microsoft's (MSFT) expense. “We believe Apple is likely gaining some iPhone traction in enterprise with 19 of top 100 Fortune 1000 companies having iPhones deployed,” Um wrote. “However, we do not think this is a displacement of solutions such as BlackBerry but, rather, believe it is likely at the expense of other Microsoft Exchange capable smartphones.”
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What Apple could borrow from Domino's
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, Developer, App StoreThere's a clever post at Gedblog this morning about The App Store and Domino's Pizza Tracker. Specifically, how the Pizza Tracker's functionality could aid the App Store review process.Ged and his coworkers at The Iconfactory have been waiting 12 days (as of this writing) for Apple to approve Ramp Champ, their next iPhone game. As Ged describes in the post, the waiting wouldn't be so bad if they knew what was going on.The Pizza Tracker lets you monitor your pizza's progress online, dispensing updates on who's assembling it, when it went into the oven, when it went out for delivery and even the name of the person who's about to ring your doorbell. With that in mind, Ged suggests an "App Tracker" that describes where apps stand in the review process. Additionally, such a thing could aid the reviewers themselves, as they could monitor what part of the process hindered an app's release.As we heard yesterday from Phil Schiller, Apple is aware of the App Store's issues and working to solve them. This is a new business model that still has a few kinks. It's suggestions like this that will improve things. It's nice to know that Apple is listening.TUAWWhat Apple could borrow from Domino's originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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How-To: Getting More From Mail With HTML Signatures
As any person who frequently uses email will tell you, email signatures are very important as they usually provide more information than just a standard name and email address from the sender. You can spice up an email signature since Mail offers support for HTML signatures. If you are fairly comfortable with getting your feet wet with HTML & CSS, they are a snap to create. Read on for how you can make one! A Note on iPhone Support This how-to is written specifically for Appleâs Mail in OS X. Also, these signatures will display on an iPhone, but currently there is no method (aside from jailbreaking) to support these signatures on outgoing emails originating from an iPhone. Depending on the amount of content in your email signature, you may need to further tweak the CSS to get something that looks the way you want it to. For those who have already jailbroken their phone, look forward to an upcoming article on how to accomplish these signatures on your iPhone. Let's Get Started Here is a quick example of what we will be creating. For this how-to, you will need Mail, Safari and some type of HTML editor; my preference is Coda. Our email signature is simply an HTML page with some CSS styling. The code for mine is included below. #sig a:link{color: #690;} #sig a:visited{color: #690;} #sig a:hover{color: #690;}
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Aether ham radio logging app for Mac OS X adds automatic calculation of beam heading, more
Posted by Dennis SellersOpen Reel Software has updated Aether, its ham radio logging application for Mac OS X, to version 1.1. The upgrade adds automatic calculation of beam heading and distance to contacted stations and more.
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Apple stock to hit US$335 by 2012?
Posted by Dennis Sellers Analyst Jon Markman of MSN Money thinks Apple's stock price will hit US$335 by 2012. For one thing, he thinks the rumored “iPad/iTablet” could be a “blockbuster” product.
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Google CEO served on Apple's board essentially for free
Posted by Dennis Sellers Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who resigned from Apple's Board of Directors this week, served on the board essentially without pay, though he did accept US$8,700 of Apple gear and a $7,500 “commemorative gift,” according to a BusinessWeek report.
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MagicHour for the iPhone, iPod touch updated to version 1.4.5
Posted by Dennis SellersVela Design Group has updated MagicHour, the world clock for the iPhone and iPod touch, to version 1.4.5. It's available for US$3.99 at the Apple App Store. Existing MagicHour (and VelaClock) iPhone app users may upgrade for free.
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Remote Buddy gets updated AJAX Remote
Posted by Dennis SellersIospirit has updated Remote Buddy, Mac OS X software for controlling Macs remotely, to version 1.1.4. The upgrade features a major update to the app's built-in AJAX Remote, a web 2.0 application enabling iPhone and iPod touch users to control their Mac over their local Wi-Fi network.
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News: iLounge's weekly iPodweek newsletter coming soon
iPodweek, iLounge's weekly newsletter recapping the last seven days in iPod, iPhone, iTunes and Apple TV news, articles, reviews, and more, will be sent out later today. In addition to rounding up the week's top stories, iPodweek also features giveaways and accessory discount offers from various companies. If you haven't yet signed up to receive iPodweek, there's still time to register and receive this week's edition…
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JNSoftware updates Dialectic telephony tool for the Mac
Posted by Dennis SellersJNSoftware has updated Dialectic, a telephony tool for the Mac, to version 1.4.2. The upgrade adds a Copy submenu to the Call Log contextual menu to copy the call log entry data to the clipboard.
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News: iPhone OS 3.0 bug leads to invisible photos
A new bug found in iPhone OS 3.0 has led some users to take pictures that were rendered invisible on the device. According to a lengthy Apple Discussions thread, the bug appears to pertain only to photos with the name IMG_10000 or higher, as the built-in Photos application refuses to acknoledge their presence or show them in the Camera Roll. Users are reporting, however, that the pictures are indeed still on the device, and can still be imported to…
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SOS Helper released for the iPhone
Posted by Dennis SellersSOS Helper is a new app for the iPhone that offers accurate location-aware information for emergency and non-emergency situations. It's available for US$ at the Apple App Store.
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The Apple on your thigh
Filed under: Accessories, Odds and ends, iPhone, iPod touchEvery market has its share of "interesting" products in their respective ecosystems. For instance, the hair loss treatment market spawned "hair in a can." In the apparel market, there's the Snuggie fleece. And for those who like to dust with their feet, there's the Dust Mop Slippers. In the iPhone ecosystem of accessories, behold ThiPhone. You read it right. That's not a misspelling of "The iPhone." Rather, the "Thi" in ThiPhone is actually pronounced like "thigh," as in your leg's thigh. As implied in its name, the device straps your iPhone to your thigh for your viewing pleasure. According to ThiPhone's inventor, the product is intended for several audiences, including: commuters, frequent flyers, truckers, physically disabled, kids in the back seat, and students. Let's not stop there. I'd like to throw in some other possible usage scenarios: You and your significant other are cuddling in bed, and want to watch that latest movie on your iPhone. ThiPhone to the rescue. It's multitouch on a whole new level. You're on a canoeing trip with dad that, well, you didn't really want to go on. ThiPhone to the rescue again. While dad is rowing away, you'll be in the back watching your favorite episodes of entourage. And rowing, of course. Who said waiting in line at Disneyland had to be boring? You could strap ThiPhone around your neck so that you could entertain those behind you. All kidding aside, coming up ideas and going to market with products takes a lot of hard work, so props to the folk at ThiPhone. Let's help them out even more by brainstorming and coming up with even more ways that they could market the product! TUAWThe Apple on your thigh originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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MotionObj Talks SimplyTweet, iPhone Dev & the Broken Approval Process
With the introduction of Push Notification Services, I envisaged a world of iPhone apps that would deliver countless valuable updates as they occurred. Of course, thatâs precisely what hasnât happened. Few of the apps available in the App Store actually make use of PNS, and those that do are of dubious value. (For example, Ambiance pushes notification of new sounds added to its library. Useful? No, not particularly.) I also imagined weâd have Push notifications in our Twitter clients by now (Atebits, Iâm looking at you!) because knowing what my fellow geeks are doing right now on the other side of the world is crucially important to me. I know you understand. One Twitter app thatâs leading the way with PNS is SimplyTweet 2.0. Itâs Yet Another Twitter Client, sure, but it has an impressive feature set and its developer, Hwee-Boon Yar, sat down to answer some questions about the app, including telling me what itâs like developing for the iPhone as well as sharing his experiences of being on the receiving end of Appleâs broken application approval process. Hwee-Boon, 31, lives in sunny Singapore where he owns and runs MotionObj, a company dedicated to iPhone software development. I wanted to know why he created Yet Another Twitter Client. âI had used the iPhone for about a year and when the App Store was announced I thought, why not give it a try? I already had a Twitter account for some time but there werenât any Twitter clients that met my needs -â in fact, I think there were only about three Twitter apps back then. I already knew Smalltalk and C, and the toolset and languages for developing iPhone applications is based heavily on those language. So I thought a Twitter client would be an easy way to learn the tools and to build a business on, especially since I preferred not to work for anyone else. That was the start of the App Store Gold Rush period, and I was very naive.â There has been an explosion in Twitter clients in the last year. Isnât the market too saturated to bring anything meaningful to the table? âWhen I started, there was only a few Twitter clients, but I could see the numbers growing. I joked that Twitter apps are the new flashlights in the App Store. But Twitter clients are one of those wonderful applications that can be treated in many different ways. Some applications do very well with a clean user interface and basic functionality, some applications strive to have tons of functionality. Occasionally one will appear that tries to do something innovative. My aim is to keep SimplyTweetâs interface simple and usable but at the same time add and enhance features, such as conversation threading, push notifications, themes and photo searching.â Bringing together the various APIs and having them all play nicely together must have been taxing; you presumably had to combine Twitterâs API, the iPhone SDK/Frameworks and interoperability with Appleâs PNS Servers. In the words of Marge Simpson, this sounds like a hassle coupled with a burden. âThe iPhone application itself makes use of Appleâs iPhone SDK, and there are occasional bugs in there, quirks that have to be worked around. Some of the functionality used in Appleâs built-in applications [in the iPhone OS] are not made available to developers. For example, I spent a day building the trash can animation effect similar to how the trash can button in Mail animates when you delete an email â- all because that element is not made available to developers for use in their own apps. But these problems are not uncommon to most platforms. Interfacing with Twitter can pose problems. Sometimes they make a change that requires the code in the SimplyTweet application to be updated. Hereâs where the real problem is. Twitter is kind enough to give sufficient lead time for developers to make changes, usually around five days. This works when you have full publishing control over your application. Unfortunately, with the App Store, even if you make a change and immediately submit the new update, there is no guarantee it will be approved within five days. I have waited weeks, sometimes only to have an update rejected; [I] worked out a fix, then had it rejected again. Each re-submission puts you at the back of the queue again.” So while day-to-day iPhone software development is built on rock-solid foundations, the complaints weâve been hearing about Appleâs approval process are valid? Is the process really broken? âIn short, itâs a mess. Approvals are unpredictable and payment is hard to track. Plus we canât charge for upgrades, but for many software developers, upgrades are a major source of income.â Including SimplyTweet? âSimplyTweet has been relatively unknown for a long time, but it has actually undergone more than eight upgrades. All of those were free. But making updates can often take a lot of time and currently, there is no way a developer can make money from them. Add to this the hits-based nature of the App Store and you find developers are not so keen to do upgrades. The App Store apps are relatively cheap compared to whatâs available on other mobile platforms, which is great for iPhone customers, but it doesnât foster a healthy developer ecosystem.â Hwee-Boon thinks that this low-cost, short-run revenue model will cause the quality of applications to drop and ultimately hurt both developers and users. Itâs hard to disagree. Weâve all seen apps repackaged with âProâ suffixes to justify charging customers afresh for what is, essentially, an upgrade to an existing app. (I invite you to add your own examples of such Apps in the comments.) So why continue to develop for the iPhone when the outcome remains so bleak? âDespite major issues with the App store, the iPhone is still the best mobile platform at the moment. Only at the moment.â Netbooks or Netbooms. Find out at Mobilize 09 New ideas and new contacts. 1 day. Learn More »
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iPhone Dominates Cell Industry Profits In First-Half of 2009?
 It has been two years (and counting) since the first iPhone was released on June 29, 2007, but that first device sent a shockwave through the cell phone industry that is still recovering from the aftermath. Who would have guessed that this tiny little device would get so much credit, and sales... take a look at the sales. read more
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Sell Off Ahead? 25 Ways to Profit and Protect from a Stock Market Correction
People keep calling me a bear, but I'm just being conservative. Given the rally we've had, I think it's a great time to take profits. I was selling a lot of covered calls for the August expiration Thursday, as we approached market close. I'm getting conservative because I think we're due for a pull back on the major indices. Reason 1: The recent activity in the Volatility Index [VIX] is telling me a short-term sell off may be near (click chart to enlarge).
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Best Mac Drag-n-Drop apps
 The Mac is the ultimate mousing platform, after all, it was one of the first consumer systems to incorporate the mouse. This would explain all the great drag-n-drop shortcut apps for OS X. TechRadar has complied a list of the "5 best drag-n-drop file transfer apps for OS X," and we'd have to agree with them. read more
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North of Northeast: What is 'the Net'?
Posted by Gerry CurryI've been giving this a lot of thought lately. Government talks in Ottawa, London, Washington and many other parts of the world are trying to come to grips with the concept of “Net neutrality,” but what worries me is that those holding these talks really don't “get it.” They don't...
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Analyst: Apple tablet would be worth US$1.2 billion
Posted by Dennis Sellers Don't get excited by the headline. US$1.2 billion isn't the price tag of the rumored iPad/iTablet, but what one analyst thinks it's worth to Apple. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster thinks that's it value to the company, based on his estimates of , according to sales of two million units...
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10.5: Create an updated OS X install on a to-be-sold Mac
When reselling or gifting a pre-owned Mac, it's convenient to ship it without any accounts, but with all updates and legally-included packages. This is actually quite simple to do. This process uses a number of well-known techniques, which are listed in the order that they are executed. Boot the Mac's original or retail Leopard Install DVD (Hold the 'C' key during startup). When selecting the drive during the OS X install, click the Options button and set it to 'Erase and Install' for a clean install.Once the initial install is complete, reboot again to the Install Disk. After selecting the default language, immediately choose Reset Password from the Utilities menu. Set the password for the System Administrator (root) user and click the Save button. Quit out of Password Reset, and quit again out of the Installer to restart the Mac. Hold Command-S during restart to enter Single User Mode. Enter the following to turn off the Welcome sequence:$ /sbin/fsck -fy$...
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10.5: Screen share with multiple Macs behind one NAT
After searching for a way to change the port that Apple Remote Desktop connects over (so I could use Screen Sharing to reach two machines behind the same NAT router), I found that in Screen Sharing, you can specify a port for a connection, just like you can do in Chicken of the VNC. So, to manage multiple computers:Port forward a different port to your second, third, etc. machines. That is, port forward external port 5901 to internal port 5900.Open the ScreenSharing app, in /System » Library » CoreServices.Enter your Domain Name and Port: mydomain.com:5901, for instance, for the second port.That's it -- off you go to the specified machine on the described port. I did have issues with Keychain remembering which username and password to use if you have different accounts on each box. I found that setting up domain aliases for...
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Motorola's r765IS now available at Sprint, perfect for making Navy SEALs swoon with envy
You can take your frilly iPhones and pretty Pres and shove 'em, because Motorola's latest and, perhaps, beefiest handset is finally available at Sprint stores. The r765IS, announced back in April, is Mil Spec 810F rated, so no worries about dropping it -- even into a bucket of salt water -- and that IS on the end means "intrinsically safe," so dial away even if you should happen to be standing in a room full of explosive gas, as we've been known to do from time to time. It also supports rather less exciting Nextel Direct Connect, NextMail to send voicemail as e-mail attachments, GPS navigation, and a variety of emergency calling modes for cutting through the bla bla bla. It's a little less slinky looking than some other Motorola handsets we've seen lately, but we'd clip one to our belts before heading to our next waypoint/coffee shop -- if only we had the requisite funding. A price of just under $2,000 ensures this will only be found in the mitts of the most well equipped mercenaries. [Thanks, Brian]Filed under: CellphonesMotorola's r765IS now available at Sprint, perfect for making Navy SEALs swoon with envy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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The Tech Night Owl looks at the Ya-Bing deal, security issues, more
Posted by Dennis SellersOn the new Tech Night Owl broadcast, Gene “Mac Night Owl” Gene Steinberg and guests look at the Ya-Bing deal, security issues and more.
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The Mac Night Owl: 'is the tech media afraid of Microsoft?'
Posted by Dennis SellersOn today's commentary, Gene “Mac Night Owl” Steinberg asks, “Is the tech media afraid of Microsoft?”âš
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Take Our Short Survey for a Chance to Win $50 for the iTunes Store
TheAppleBlog wants to know more about you. Take our quick survey about your home tech habits and be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to the iTunes store.
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Five...no, Six useful Mac apps from Thoughtful Tree
Filed under: OS, Software, Odds and ends, Freeware, iTunes, LeopardTUAW receives a lot of app submissions for review, both for Mac and iPhone. But it's unusual when a developer sends us individual press releases for a relatively large number of apps. Steven Degutis is the brain behind a company called Thoughtful Tree. In his words, "I'm an indie Mac developer who writes apps that make my job easier and smoother, and then if I think they're useful enough, I share them with everyone via my company Thoughtful Tree Software. That's just how I roll." Continue reading Five...no, Six useful Mac apps from Thoughtful TreeTUAWFive...no, Six useful Mac apps from Thoughtful Tree originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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News: New software gives devs wireless iPhone Simulator control
Vimov has introduced iSimulate, a new iPhone app and Xcode library bundle that lets iPhone developers wirelessly control their applications and games from an actual iPhone or iPod touch unit. In addition to sending multi-touch events, accelerometer data, and GPS location to the iPhone Simulator, iSimulate also allows developers to test across different versions of the iPhone OS without needing several devices, each provisioned with a different OS…
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Patch for Microsoft Office 2008 XML issues now available
Filed under: Enterprise, Productivity, Software UpdateAs promised, Microsoft has released a patch (dubbed version 12.2.1) to address issues that some Microsoft Office 2008 users have had with opening XML-based documents. When attempting to open a document in Microsoft Office 2008, some users have been presented with an error message that resembles the following: "Microsoft Excel cannot open the file. You may have to download the latest updates for Office for Mac. Do you want to visit the Microsoft Web site for more information?" For those who held off on the Service Pack 2 update, guess what? Surprise! Service Pack 2 is required to install the patch. Unlike many Mac apps, where update checks are found in an app's namesake menu, in Microsoft Office 2008 it's in the "help" menu. So, click on "help," and "check for updates" and you're all set. Well, you're all set if you already had Service Pack 2 installed. You're only halfway there if you didn't have it installed. If this is the case, simply do this again. And there you go. Opening XML on Microsoft Office 2008 is no longer XM-hell. (You can also download the patch from the Mactopia web site.)TUAWPatch for Microsoft Office 2008 XML issues now available originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Macsimum Migration Kit: GIS software for the Mac, part II
Posted by Dennis SellersFor those new to the column, Macsimum Migration Kits round up Mac compatible products for specific industries such as dentistry, real estate, etc. This week we continue our three-part look at GIS (geographic information system) software for the Mac. Part one can be found here.
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What do you want to see on the next iMac rev?
Posted by Dennis SellersI'm still hoping for an iMac refresh this fall. I've given up hopes for a 30-inch display and a built-in TV tuner. So what can we expect, assuming Apple does indeed update its most popular desktop?
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Schmidt or No Schmidt, Apple's Board Doesn't Steer the Ship
I find this whole Eric Schmidt-is-a-Google-spy thing terribly amusing, and not because the Fake Steve Jobs is still doing his thing with joyful aplomb. No, the whole situation is funny because Apple's board of directors doesn't direct Apple. Seriously, in the history of corporate boards of directors, can anyone think of a board that is less needed than Apple's? At least, it's not needed when CEO Steve Jobs is at the helm, and it might not even be needed when he's out of the office.
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It's Not a 'Cloud', It's a 'Brain'
I've often contemplated how the external engineering of men so closely resembles man himself. A drive into the city and the metaphor is fully visible. In a car (or a cell) containing an implement of information (yourself), traveling through a tunnel—a vein, we get the sense that the city encloses us… or how about a city's sewer system, water plants, air conditioning and heating ducts (its intestines, kidneys, lungs?). What is truly fascinating, however, is the stage of the evolution we've now come upon—there was the microchip, yes, then the internet to connect it all, but now we shall soon cede our intelligence over to a higher entity, created mainly unconsciously by us. Often called the cloud—but truly it's a brain in the making and no one company will be making decisions for this brain—yet collectively the companies on the forefront of consciousness computing may just might.I would like to discuss here some corporations who are the primary builders of this brain. Who are they? What is their contribution? And also raise the question: are we ceding too much power over to these corporations? I believe these questions are dire and need to be answered right here and right now. The rapid pace of change for this evolving cerebral entity far exceeds what anyone could have envisioned over the course of the past fifteen years and I believe we are at a tipping point--where the questions regarding these certain companies far exceed the implications of a monopoly; rather, the direction of our species depends on our reaction to their juggernaut growth and how quickly we adapt and understand what exactly is happening.
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Mac OS Ken: 08.07.2009
Apple Ex-Employee Files Class Action Suit Over Unpaid Overtime / LaptopMag.com: Apple Scores an -A- in Customer Support / Microsoft Mac BU Fixes Open XML Bug in English Version of Office for Mac / Apple Patents Customer Abuse Detection System / Nvidia Takes 119 Million-dollars Charge for Faulty GPUs (Still Likes the Future) / Gemeloft Releases NFL 2010 for iPhone and iPod Touch / Apple Drops App Developer and Its 943 Apps from App Store / A Week of Ninjawords and Censorship
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Mplayit iPhone Arcade launches on Facebook
Posted by Dennis SellersMplayit, a provider of online mobile game discovery and social merchandising solutions, has launched theMplayit iPhone Arcade on Facebook. Building on Mplayit's award-winning Mobile Arcade service, Facebook users can now discover and preview iPhone and iPod touch applications, post news feeds, bookmark their favorites and share them, as well as...
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Garmin-Asus nuvifone finally coming to America in Q4 (or so they say)
With Garmin-Asus' nüvifone G60 already on sale in Asia, it makes sense to hear that said smartphone will soon make its way over to North American soil. Of course, it also made sense to think that this thing would be launching on AT&T about forever and a day ago, so we're not holding our collective breath just yet. At any rate, Garmin recently made abundantly clear on a quarter-end conference call that the GPS-infused handset is in the final testing stages with an undisclosed amount of US carriers, and if all goes well, it'll hit the streets in Q4. What's crazy is that every last specification remains unchanged from when it was announced back in January of 2008; meanwhile, Apple has shipped two new iterations of its iPhone, Android has blown up significantly and even Motorola and Palm have seemingly resurrected themselves from the grave. Knowing all that, will anyone even bother to show up to snag one in "just a few months?"Filed under: Cellphones, GPSGarmin-Asus nuvifone finally coming to America in Q4 (or so they say) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 04:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iSimulate brings iPhone apps to the big screen
Filed under: Gaming, Software, Developer, iPhone, App Store, SDKApple's iPhone simulator built into Xcode is nice, but it doesn't completely replicate the actual feel of playing with an iPhone (not to mention that things like multitouch and accelerometer info can't be tested on screen). Enter iSimulate, a new app from a company called vimov. In conjunction with a program on your Mac, it allows you to take the input (including multitouch and accelerometer) of an iPhone, and wirelessly connect it to an app running on your monitor. The effect, as you can see above, is basically an iPhone controlling a big-screen app.Which has all sorts of possibilities. Developers can use it to both test and show off their apps, which is nice. But perhaps more importantly, (assuming it works smoothly -- we haven't tested it yet) it will let people use apps on their big screen monitors. Playing on the iPhone's screen is fun and all, but wouldn't it be nicer to play on two big screens at the same time?The app might not quite be ready for that use quite yet -- not only is the app for your Mac called an "SDK" (which definitely means it's meant for developers, not gamers), but the price might be prohibitive as well. They launched it at $2, and the price is going up exponentially (it's now $8) until it arrives at its final price of $32. But this is definitely a great idea. And it if happens to be popular even at that price (for consumers and developers), we wouldn't be surprised to see Apple finally "get it" in terms of bringing some of the App Store's offerings to their own big screen.TUAWiSimulate brings iPhone apps to the big screen originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Keep Your Word for Mac OS X adds new study mode, new exercise mode, more
Posted by Dennis SellersBambooapps has updated Keep Your Word , a vocabulary and flashcard cataloger and trainer for Mac OS X 10.5 (“Leopard”), to version 1.6. The upgrade adds a new study mode, new exercise mode, new grouping and classification options ona more flexible layout.
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ABI Research: managed wireless security services market to top $1 billion in 2014
Posted by Dennis SellersAccording to ABI Research, the market for managed wireless security services will more than triple in size over the next five years, experiencing a robust, recession-resistant compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27 percent for the years 2008-2014, and exceeding US$1 billion at the end of that period.
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Exclusive: Getting up close and personal with Natal
Project Natal is both great gaming and a great workout, as CNET News' Ina Fried experienced firsthand when she got to try out the technology last week.(Credit: CNET News) REDMOND, Wash.--One of the reasons that Microsoft got such buzz for Project Natal is because it is so ...
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AniGif creates, emails and tweets animated photos on the iPhone
Posted by Dennis SellersReaddle has released AniGif 1.0, an iPhone application that lets people create animated images from their photos and send 'em anywhere in the world. It's available for US$1.99 at the Apple App Store.