Dec 19, 2009 Dec 21, 2009 Sunday December 20, 2009
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Tabulators update for Mac OS X adds option to change the size of chord names
Posted by Dennis SellersTellini has updated Tabulatures, a Mac OS X editor for PowerTab tablatures, to version 1.2.1. The new version adds an option to change the size of chord names.
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Maine mulling cancer warning labels on cellphones, manufacturers mulling warning label on Maine
The debate on whether mobile phones are slowly turning us into a world of ailment-riddled weaklings rages on in the scientific community, but at least one state may be ready to step up the ominous, non-actionable warnings anyway. A representative in Maine has apparently persuaded her colleagues to let her bring up a proposal during January's session of the state legislature that would require warnings on devices about the alleged link between RF emissions and brain cancer, strongly advising users to keep the devices away from their heads and bodies. At best, this seems premature, and at worst, it runs a risk of breeding a nation of 24 / 7 Bluetooth headset users -- but the politician responsible for the movement seems to have it figured out: she holds her own phone away from her head while using it and turns it off unless she's expecting a call. Could someone in her district please let us know what kind of archaic voice-only device she's using?Maine mulling cancer warning labels on cellphones, manufacturers mulling warning label on Maine originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Yahoo | Email this | Comments
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TUAW Talkcast live tonight at 10pm Eastern
Filed under: Humor, Software, Odds and ends, TUAW Business, Holidays Sunday night means it's time for our world famous talkcast, and tonight's going to be a good one. I'll be hosting the last pre-Christmas show, so I'm sure we'll fit in some last minute gift discussion, and we'll chat about the most popular posts of the past week, including Operation Chokehold, AT&T's thoughts on it, and the aftermath, our favorite free Mac apps of the year, and why iPhone users are delusional. And of course we'll have a nice panel of TUAWers on board -- I'm told Joachim Bean, Kent Pribbernow, and Steve Sande should be on the line to chat live. It starts at 10pm Eastern / 7pm Pacific this evening right over on Talkshoe -- it's just the thing you need to have a nice enjoyable night of Apple news discussion right before the holiday season takes over later this week. See you tonight! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (take advantange of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *-8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the TalkShoe 'ShoePhone' VoIP client or with the free Gizmo (now a Google product) or X-Lite SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk with you soon! TUAWTUAW Talkcast live tonight at 10pm Eastern originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Apple - IPhone - TalkShoe - TUAW - Google
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More than one way to stream Bluetooth
Filed under: Accessories, Tips and tricks, Bluetooth, iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic, Music Want an easy way to use the Bluetooth in your iPhone/iPod touch to stream music to your traditional stereo? The new Belkin Bluetooth Music Receiver, announced this week, should do the job nicely. It's a little dongle that connects to your stereo either through a 3.5mm headphone jack or, using RCA cables, to the AUX inputs in the back of your system. It will remember half a dozen Bluetooth devices and let you stream music up to 33 feet away at a cost of $49.99 US. Honestly, I didn't see the big deal, since I've been doing this for quite a long time using the now discontinued Griffin BlueTrip. The BlueTrip was made to stream Bluetooth audio from an iPod to a stereo using a dongle that plugs into the 30 pin connector adding BlueTooth to iPods that didn't have it built in. But what if you have an iPhone rather than an iPod? We've got you covered there, too -- read on. [via Engaget] Although the Griffin site clearly states that the BlueTrip will not work with any other devices than iPods, it's a lie. Both it and the little Belkin piece will work with any Bluetooth 2.0 enabled device. What Griffin doesn't tell you is that if you throw away the iPod dongle and pair your iPhone/iPod touch using the code: 0000, it'll work like a champ. I have two of these at home, originally bought to work with an iPod Classic, and made this discovery after buying an iPhone using the scientific method of just screwing around. Here's the best part; I just bought another BlueTrip for $19.47 US including shipping on eBay. There are a lot of them for sale over there and bidding starts at under $10 US. I found some auctions with no bids, and a day later I won the auction as the only bidder. As far as I can tell, the only differences between the two units are that the BlueTrip is larger, adds an optical connection, needs to be plugged into an A/C outlet and I don't know how many devices the BlueTrip remembers. Currently the Belkin Bluetooth Music Receiver is out of stock while the BlueTrips are plentiful. Just don't tell Griffin I told you about it.TUAWMore than one way to stream Bluetooth originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments iPhone - iPod Classic - IPod Touch - Apple - Bluetooth
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iTunes U breaks 100 million downloads
Filed under: iTS, EducationApple's iTunes U has broken the 100 million download mark. iTunes U is a part of the iTunes Store featuring free lectures, language lessons, audiobooks, and more from over 175 higher education organizations including Princeton University, UCLA, Harvard University, MIT, NYU Medical School, Oxford, Cambridge, Georgetown, DePaul, Duke, and Yale University. According to Apple, one of the most popular universities on iTunes U has been Open University (iTunes link), the UK-based educational organization dedicated to distance learning whose programs include Arts and Humanities, Business and Management, Childhood and Youth, Health and Social Care, Law, Psychology, and Science. OU says they have around 150,000 undergraduate and more than 30,000 postgraduate students. In related news, if you've never watched Steve Jobs' Standford University commencement speech give it a download [iTunes link]. It's emotional, it's raw, and it's when he revealed to the world he had cancer. You can also read the text of his speech here.TUAWiTunes U breaks 100 million downloads originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Steve Job - iTunes Store - Apple - Open University - Yale University
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Count The Beats: Toyo from Amidio, Touch DJ and Noise.io
Filed under: Interviews, TUAW Interview, Developer, iPhone, Music Matt's back with another Count The Beats interview (full of insightful thought-provoking content), waiting for you to devour and digest. Happy holidays! We got together with Toyo from Amidio, the creators of the mighty Noise.io Pro [iTunes Link] synth app (and other cool music apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch), to get the inside scoop on their newest app, Touch DJ [iTunes Link], the rewards of playing eastern wind instruments, some down-to-earth points on developing for the iPhone / iPod touch platform, as well as Amidio's thoughts on the future of mobile music creation. Go on, check it out, but before you do, why not whet your appetite with this sneak peek video in the second half of the post, showing Touch DJ in action at Pacha in New York City. P.S. You may recall that a while back we featured Sonorasourus, another great DJ'ing app, and we said we'd let you know when it went live on the App Store. It's now up there; check it out here [iTunes Link]. TUAW: Lets start at the root of it all. Tell us about you, the musician/music lover? Where did "music" all began for you? TOYO FROM AMIDIO: I am mainly a producer, but I DJ as well, and I always aspire for new technologies (my latest rig includes a Numark NS7 controller). I have had a passion for music since early childhood. However, I haven't got any academic music education, instead, I walked the hard way of learning everything myself. I adore musical instruments, especially the oriental ones. I have a nice collection of eastern drums, flutes and a giant didgeridoo that, occasionally, I let myself play a little. As for my music, for the last several years I've been collecting sonic material and recording pieces for my first album, but I think it will take another year before I consider it done. I also love the idea of making music on the go, with mobile devices (and the iPhone is the best option currently available). If anyone's interested, on our YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/AmidioInc) there are several tracks, like "Future is Now" or "1 year of Music Revolution" that have been created entirely on the iPhone, using Amidio's music apps, which can share audio data and export it for sequencing. TUAW: How did you get into the crazy world of app development for the iPhone? TFA: Amidio was founded by a collaboration of gadget and music enthusiasts in 2005. Our first projects included custom robots, limited-quantity gadgets and VST synths. In March 2008, I received my first iPhone (1G) as a gift. At first I was quite sceptical about the device, but then I realized the potential of the platform and decided to roll in with the iPhone Developer Program. Being a pure geek by nature, I thought I really have to make a synthesizer for this thing. It took us about 7 months to create Noise.io Pro. Some of us, at that time, had full-time day jobs, so we had to work nights to complete the app. We released Noise.io Pro at the end of October 2008 and we were the first company to introduce an app of such quality and complexity. Noise.io Pro is still unrivaled in terms of sound quality, features and sales volumes. TUAW: You mention Noise.IO (of which we are big FANS!), are there plans for any further developments on this app? Anything intriguing down the line? TFA: Yes indeed, we're planning to release Noise.2 (working title), heavily expanded, MIDI-enabled, polyphonic synth with innovative interface (more simplified, than the original Noise.io, though). No ETA is available at present though. TUAW: Your newest app, Touch DJ, has just hit the App Store shelves. Tell us about Touch DJ, its inception and what Amidio has done to make it stand above the rest? TFA: The idea of Touch DJ occurred to me when I was abroad. My friends took me into some night club which had really bad music playing. I was checking email on my iPhone to kill time and suddenly thought, "if only I could connect this iPhone to the sound system and play a live good-sounding set right from the device... but wait... that's genius!" At that moment, there weren't any real DJ apps in the App Store, so it was a kind of challenge to create the first one. And I'm so glad we succeeded! Creating Touch DJ was full of obstacles. At first, nothing worked! At many times I thought what I wanted to achieve was a technical impossibility. Our first goal was to give the user the full DJ experience, without forcing him/her to buy external equipment (adapters etc). That's why we thought of "visual mixing", which is something very unique. This technology implies the graphic display of the track waveforms next to each other. The low-bass (kick) parts are detected and rendered in a different color compared to the rest of the sonic frequencies, making beatmatching as easy as adjusting the tracks' position and pitch, so that the kick parts become visually matched. However, as an alternative for the users who really need to pre-listen to the tracks, Touch DJ also offers a second "Split" mode of mixing which requires the usage of a special L/R splitting adapter. We tried to make the app useful to everyone, for example, professionals can use it as a "sketchpad" for structuring new mixes/ideas while on the road, and have it as a replacement rig in case the main rig suddenly goes down. Meanwhile, currently mixing with Touch DJ resembles mixing with vinyl a lot, and that's why we think Touch DJ can offer a unique experience for beginners, who've never touched decks before. We have just started with Touch DJ. The community wants us to introduce auto BPM detection and auto-mixing functions, and we're working on it right now! Other updates will include sorting tracks into crates, a powerful track search system, recording mixes and even possibly streaming mixes live. We'll see what comes next! TUAW: Recently there's been a bit more gripe than usual from developers complaining about the way the App Store is run, and in particular, the time it takes for new apps to get approved. Being a pretty big app developer, what's your take on the app approval process, and the way the store is run in general? TFA: When talking about the App Store, we cannot forget about the tremendous amount of apps and updates that are submitted each day. Of course, as in any complicated system, there are certain flaws, sometimes minor, sometimes major, but Apple is apparently putting a lot of effort into improving the App Store -- both for developers and for users. I think you have seen the latest redesign of the individual app pages in the App Store; for us it resulted in 20% more sales immediately. So things are definitely changing for the better. A more transparent review process would be nice as well as better communication with the review team. Also, it is not quite evident why the developers cannot issue more than 50 promocodes for each app version, and why those are limited to US accounts only -- this is not too convenient from the PR point of view. TUAW: Obviously you see a market for the creation of music on mobile platforms, particularly the iPhone. We often wonder (or, kill time day-dreaming in the office) if the iPhone will ever become, as the Mac has, that 'standard' piece of equipment in the studio, or at a live show? Being a music app developer, where do you see things going in the future? TFA: Over the last few years we've definitely seen some changes in the way music creation happens, . For example, the latest Korg Microsampler has a built-in stand which is clearly designated for the iPhone or iPod touch. Modern sound production systems allow bizarre sonic experiments, but you need a good sound source for decent results, and it absolutely doesn't have to be an $4000 synth. This is where the iPhone comes to stage with its multitouch screen and dozens of music apps. And you can design some of your sounds on the go too! I have already heard some of Noise.io's factory patches in some house tracks, and this is definitely a good sign. Our friend Jordan Rudess is a well-known user of the iPhone on stage. As for now, the iPhone, of course, cannot replace all the studio gear, and it's not supposed to. What it is, however, is a cool and promising gadget that can make some wonderful sounds!! However, we need to see some hardware and OS changes for the iPhone to become a real professional tool, but I hope they will follow. TUAWCount The Beats: Toyo from Amidio, Touch DJ and Noise.io originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments iPhone - App Store - iPod Touch - New York City - IPod Classic
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Dozen Daily Deals for December 20, 2009
Filed under: Deals'Tis the season shop until your brains melt (or skip it all entirely, depending on your interpretation of the term holiday). In that spirit, for the next few weeks we'll be rounding up a dozen daily deals courtesy our friends at DealNews.com. Each afternoon tune in to TUAW for this handy summary. Keep in mind that while our posts will live on, the deals won't. Each is lovingly generated by the deal-bot every day, so get 'em while they're hot. Enjoy! Sony Style: [46" - 47" LCD TVs] Refurbished Sony BRAVIA S 46" 1080p LCD HDTV for $550 + free shipping Logitech: [Computer Speakers] Logitech X-240 2.1-Channel Speaker System with iPod Dock for $22 + $7 s&h Staples: [iPod Accessories] iHome Rotating Alarm Clock for iPod and iPod touch for $50 + free shipping, padding Buy.com: [Camera Accessories] Made2Go Safe Keeper Portable Device Case for $3 + free shipping BuyDig: [46" - 47" LCD TVs] LG 47" 1080p Widescreen LCD HDTV for $745 + free shipping Staples: [Networkable Hard Drive (NAS)] Seagate BlackArmor 110 1TB NAS for $160 + free shipping Buy.com: [Tablets] Genius G-Pen 4x6" Graphics Tablet for $29 + free shipping Dell Home: [22-Inch LCD] Dell S2209W 22" 1080p Widescreen LCD Display for $139 + free 2-day shipping dealsclick: [iPod Accessories] Belkin Power Adapter, Headphone Splitter, & FM Transmitter for iPod / iPhone for $30 + $5 s&h Best Buy: [23-Inch LCD] Acer 23" 1080p Widescreen LCD Display with HDMI for $140 + $10 s&h TigerDirect: [802.11n Wireless] Refurbished Netgear 802.11n Wireless 4-Port Router for $25 + $8 s&h BuyDig: [40" - 42" LCD TVs] LG 42" 240Hz 1080p Widescreen LCD HDTV for $899 + free shipping TUAWDozen Daily Deals for December 20, 2009 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments IPhone - IpodTouch - iPod - Apple - TUAW
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FanGuide self-guided architectural tours for iPhone
Filed under: Multimedia, Software, App Store, App ReviewFans of great architecture love to take guided or self-guided tours to learn more about the buildings or homes designed by classic architects like Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Louis Sullivan. Guided tours are usually somewhat expensive and subject to the knowledge and whims of the tour guide, while self-guided tours can force architecture buffs to juggle books, maps, and MP3 players while searching for the details of a particular architect or style. These frustrations were the impetus behind the creation of the FanGuide Tour & Audio Companion iPhone apps by Prairie Design Group. I recently had an opportunity to test the Chicago Loop Architecture Guide [US$2.99, iTunes Link], and wish that this app had been available a few years back when I was visiting the Windy City. Featuring an elegant and easy-navigated user interface, the Chicago Loop Architecture Guide provides six tours, each with anywhere from 5 to 9 stops. The tours range in length from 30 minutes to a full hour, and stops for food, coffee, or photography can stretch out the time. Tapping on a globe icon during a tour provides a Google map view of a stop, overlaid with a photo of the building and arrows that point you to the previous or next stop. You don't need a cellular connection to use the app; there are also self-contained offline maps that are more than sufficient to provide you with location information.Fans of great architecture love to take guided or self-guided tours to learn more about the buildings or homes designed by classic architects like Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Louis Sullivan. Guided tours are usually somewhat expensive and subject to the knowledge and whims of the tour guide, while self-guided tours can force architecture buffs to juggle books, maps, and MP3 players while searching for the details of a particular architect or style. These frustrations were the impetus behind the creation of the FanGuide Tour & Audio Companion iPhone apps by Prairie Design Group. I recently had an opportunity to test the Chicago Loop Architecture Guide [US$2.99, iTunes Link], and wish that this app had been available a few years back when I was visiting the Windy City. Featuring an elegant and easy-navigated user interface, the Chicago Loop Architecture Guide provides six tours, each with anywhere from 5 to 9 stops. The tours range in length from 30 minutes to a full hour, and stops for food, coffee, or photography can stretch out the time. Tapping on a globe icon during a tour provides a Google map view of a stop, overlaid with a photo of the building and arrows that point you to the previous or next stop. You don't need a cellular connection to use the app; there are also self-contained offline maps that are more than sufficient to provide you with location information.TUAWFanGuide self-guided architectural tours for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments IPhone - App Store - Apple - Google - Frank Lloyd Wright
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Best Sign Yet That AT&T’s Days as Exclusive iPhone Carrier Are Numbered
iPhone call reliability has become a punchline. ★
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The Engadget Show tapes today... snow be damned!
Can't wait for another Engadget Show to roll around? Well you're in luck, friend. It's happening today. The last show of the decade will be dedicated to just that: the decade. We're going to be talking about the most important gadgets of the past 10 years -- both good and bad -- and we'll be joined by the perfect guest. Peter Rojas, the founder of both Gizmodo and Engadget (and now gdgt!) will take the stage with Josh, Paul, and Nilay to discuss what has been arguably the most important 10 years in gadgetry. We'll also have a few surprises, as well as some giveaways including an Xbox 360, so don't miss it -- you'll be sorry if you do! The show takes place at the Tishman Auditorium at Parsons The New School for Design. As you may already know, we film live in front of an audience once a month -- but if you can't make it, don't worry. We're bringing the video back home to Engadget (and as a free download here, in the iTunes Store, or the Zune Marketplace) for your viewing pleasure. The beautiful venue (which you can see in a photo after the break) is located at 66 W. 12th Street between 5th and 6th Aves. Seating is limited and tickets will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis -- which means if you want to join us in the audience for the show, you'll have to arrive early and be prepared for a little wait. Update: As you guys may have noticed, New York and the surrounding areas got hit with a little bit of snow last night. Never fear, because we're still doing the show, but we're going to make it easier for everyone to come out and enjoy it. If you want to see the taping today, don't worry about showing up at 2PM or standing in line -- if you come anytime before 4:30PM you will definitely get a seat! We don't want anyone standing around in the snow, and it's likely that not everyone who was going to come will be able to make it, so we should be able to accommodate everyone that does show up. Here are the facts you need to know about the show: The show is graciously sponsored by Sprint, and hosted by Parsons The New School for Design The total show length will be around an hour Music will be provided by Bubblyfish, and visuals by Chris Jordan! Here is what you need to know if you want to be part of the audience: There is no admission fee -- tickets are completely free The event is all ages The venue seats just over 450 people Parsons students are welcomed, and we encourage them to come! Tickets will be available for pickup at the Tishman Auditorium at 2PM on the 20th, and we're strongly encouraging people to get their tickets and not stand in line -- if you have a ticket, you'll have a seat! You'll need to hold onto your ticket stub to be eligible for the giveaways You cannot pick up tickets for other people -- if you want your friend to get a ticket, bring your friend! The show begins at 5PM, and doors will open at 4:30PM If you're a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget.com, and we'll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget.com.Continue reading The Engadget Show tapes today... snow be damned!The Engadget Show tapes today... snow be damned! originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
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SNL: Google phone to challenge iPhone by "making calls"
Filed under: Humor, iPhone Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update' with Seth Meyers joined the fray of people who were sick of AT&T's poor network reception: "It was reported this week that Google would soon launch its own cellphone as a challenge to the iPhone. Also a challenge to the iPhone? Making phone calls." While Saturday Night Live hasn't been funny for years (IMHO), and the joke was rather feeble, this is further cause for embarrassment from Apple and AT&T and just additional fodder for Verizon's case as to why they should have the iPhone. [via Engadget] TUAWSNL: Google phone to challenge iPhone by "making calls" originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments iPhone - AT&T - Google - Verizon - Apple
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Apple's iPod Nano Likely to Build Product Loyalty
The conventional wisdom is that the iPod is on its way out. Unit sales in Apple's (AAPL) 4th quarter were down 8% YoY, and the Fall iPod refresh was disappointing. One could easily conclude that Apple has given up on the product line and was milking it until its end of life. This is certainly evident at both ends of the product family. The classic iPod — hard-disk based — is a tiny niche that is going away. The Shuffle is already about as small as it's going to get, and there are limits as to how many people want a player that offers no control over what you hear.
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Exclusive: Klipsch introduces iPhone-friendly Image X10i and black / white S4i earbuds
We recently had the opportunity to tour Klipsch's headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, and while we're currently working up a walk-through showing off gobs of behind the scenes footage from the design lab and quality assurance facilities, we gathered two particularly juicy tidbits that simply couldn't wait. The outfit informed us that since the Image S4i earbuds have been such a success, it will soon be adding its three-button iPhone microphone / remote to the top-of-the-line Image X10, and as you may expect, the resulting product will go by the name Image X10i. They'll officially debut in the same gold and black motif at CES, and they should ship to consumers in early 2010 for $349 (while the original X10 falls to $299). The other discovery was that the hot-selling S4i earbuds (which we tested out a few months ago) will soon be shipping in a fresh color scheme (black and white, as seen above) and with the same metal tin that the S4 currently ships with. This is actually the first third-party headphone set with an integrated Made for iPhone remote / microphone that Cupertino has agreed to sell in white, and we can safely say that this two-tone look will probably have the Apple zealots drooling. Everything else about the $99 set remains the same as the standard S4i (including the cable material, electronics and price), and while we couldn't confirm, we'd say that chances are high for future color options to sneak out in the S4 / S4i range. Check out the new wares in the gallery below. Gallery: Exclusive: Klipsch introduces iPhone-friendly Image X10i and black / white S4i earbudsExclusive: Klipsch introduces iPhone-friendly Image X10i and black / white S4i earbuds originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 07:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
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Potential Smartphone Buyers Choosing Blackberrys Despite iPhone, Droid Hype
As Research in Motion (RIMM) rallies in the wake of strong quarterly results, it is worth noting the prevalence of Blackberry devices on this list from comScore: looks like 51 percent of potential smartphone purchasers surveyed plan to buy a Blackberry device in the next three months. This compares with 20% for Apple's (AAPL) iPhones, 17 percent for Google (GOOG) Android-based devices and a puny 3 percent for Palm (PALM) devices. This helps to explain why RIM's results impressed, while Palm's disappointed. The focus of the comScore report is how Android is shaking up the smartphone market. “Although Android's share of the smartphone market is relatively small, it has quickly doubled in the past year to 3.5 percent in October 2009. Understanding the mobile media behavior of Android users highlights why operators and media companies might embrace the platform and fuel its growth.”
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In search of customer intimacy
Many brands want deep and long-lasting relationships with their customers.Social media makes these interactions even more likely, because it encourages customers to speak up and to connect.The fallacy is believing that whining equals intimacy. It doesn't. Whining and complaining is easy and natural, but it's not a foundation for a long term relationship.Instead, the goal should be to get your customers to share their dreams, not their peeves.
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Memo to AT&T: Help Me to Help You
This summer I wrote about AOL (AOL) and how widespread service failure can actually be a bullish signal for a company, if the company responds correctly. This week, AT&T (T) Mobility Chief Executive Ralph de la Vega disclosed that AT&T was considering "incentives" to encourage customers, especially data-guzzling iPhone (AAPL) users, to reduce the amount of wireless bandwidth they consume. To which, Dan Lyons, in the persona of Fake Steve Jobs, responded in a typically humorous and profanity-laden post: