Jan 9, 2010 Jan 11, 2010 Sunday January 10, 2010
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Maccast 2010.01.10
A podcast about all things Macintosh. For Mac geeks, by Mac geeks. Show 289. Apple acquires mobile ad company for $275 million. iPhone a touch more accurate than others. Latest Mac tablet rumors. Latest iPhone 4G rumors. New concept Apple Store in Palo Alto. Has Apple finally won over Greenpeace? Small Bonjour update. iTunes 30 second previews get webified. Mac OS X 10.6.3 update goes into wider testing. Time Machine backup isn't all that? Magic Mouse Update. Can't buy OS X for Non-Intel Macs. More info in Get Info… Explaining the different "types" of memory in OS X. Your $0.99 addiction may be costing you big. Quick Quickview Tip Special thanks to our sponsors: Circus Ponies NoteBook - The Easy Way to Get Organized on the Mac. Try it FREE for 30 Days. Faronics Deep Freeze New music, Dare To Dream by Adam Ilami EOL: Jobs the Front (cover) Man (via TUAW) Shownotes in: HTML or OPML Subscribe to the Podcast Feed or Get the MP3 or Enhanced AAC
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Five must-have iPhone apps for your next Disney trip
If you've got kids and your planning a trip to Disney World don't forget to pack these four must-have Disney apps.
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Microsoft frets Google's Nexus One will suffer Zune's failure
Prince McLean, AppleInsider Microsoft announced to the press that Google will face a series of Zune-like problems with its Nexus One as it tries to balance its Android platform. Microsoft frets Google’s Nexus One will suffer Zune’s failure . Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Microsoft’s Robbie Bach, president of the company’s Entertainment & Devices Division, [...]
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Fandango testing paperless tickets app
Movie site Fandango is developing a ticketless iPhone app that will display a scannable bar code on-screen.
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Dear Apple: What we want to see for iPhone 4.0, part 1
Filed under: Features, iPhoneA week ago we asked you, the TUAW reader, to help us tell Apple what you want in the next iPhone: the OS, the apps, the hardware. Within two hours, I had over two hundred emails in my inbox. Within four days, the email total topped 1,100. As I was shifting and sorting through all your suggestions, one thing became clear: you love the iPhone, but you want to see it better, more intuitive, and more versatile - and you know how the iPhone can accomplish those goals. This is the first of a series of letters to Apple on your behalf, telling the gang in Cupertino what would make their wonder-phone even more wondrous. This letter strictly focuses on the iPhone OS in general - the home screen, navigation, and settings. Future letters will deal with hardware and applications. There were so many suggestions, I needed to whittle them down. To do that, I tabulated how many times a feature request was made. If more than 50% of you mentioned it, it made it into the letter. If you guys want to see the others (most were one-offs or had less that 15% of you requesting it), perhaps I'll add an extra letter onto the series at the end of its run. Remember, if you made suggestions about any of Apple's built-in apps (Mail, Maps, Stocks, Calendar, etc) or hardware, you won't see those here, but in an upcoming letter dealing specifically with those areas. I hope Apple is listening, because the readers of TUAW have spoken, and this is what they have to say: Dear Apple, While it's clear the iPhone is the best smartphone on the market right now, you have a lot of competition creeping up. We want to help you blow them out of the water with the iPhone OS 4.0. Here are our suggestions: 1. The lock screen needs to change. 90% of us want a new lock screen. We think the current screen that only shows the date and time, and only the most recent missed call or SMS, is not particularly helpful. If you get a text message, then a calendar alert, and then a push notification, the only one you see is the push notification message. Being able to swipe through them or have a table list would be far more useful. But even then, we still have to enter our four-digit unlock code to see if we've received any new emails. From the new lock screen we want to see all the calls we've missed and the number of new emails and texts we have. We want to see which apps have sent us push notifications, and what appointments are coming up. We want a brief overview of all the new data we've received to be presented to us before we have to enter our unlock code. Let's extend the features of that new lock screen to ... 2. A new home screen. The iPhone is the smartest phone on the market. Make is smarter. Introduce a location-aware home screen. Over 90% of us also want a new home screen - and we want it location aware. Let's say we live in London, but travel to continental Europe many times a month. We'd love to turn on our iPhones in the country we just landed in and see the local weather, currency, transit maps, and news displayed right on our home screens. Not only would it save us time and money, it would save something just as valuable to an iPhone owner - battery life. If all these things were displayed on the home screen the first time you turn on your phone, you wouldn't have to open five different applications to get what you want. Imagine a 'Genius Location' feature as well: the iPhone would show you (through an app like Yelp - or a new Apple-branded app) what restaurants or businesses are around based on your 'likes' in your home town. We know you were granted a 'Transitional Data Sets' patent for a location-based home screen back in February 2008 - let's hope this sees the light of day in iPhone OS 4.0. 3. That new home screen? Let us access it by vertically swiping. Imagine this: no matter what home screen page you're on, if you swipe up you are presented with a 'feeds screen' that works much like an RSS page. This feeds screen could be set based on in-app preferences so we could fully customize it. Ours might show our latest Facebook posts, last five emails received, our To Do notes, our Mint.com balance, missed calls, text messages, and upcoming iCal events. The guys at teehan+lax have a pretty cool mock-up of this feeds screen, but the killer feature would be how you could access it from any app page - by vertically swiping. 4. Overhaul app navigation. 85% of us think it takes too long to swipe through all our pages of apps. Even though iTunes 9 made a step in the right direction by allowing the user to organize apps and home screen pages visually, there has got to be a better way. Swiping through ten screens to get to the last apps page is tedious. Wouldn't it be cool if you could press the home button and see all the home pages on one screen? The guys at Ocean Observations think so. Check out this concept video of what this feature would look like (their 'Cover Flow Multitasking' concept is quite cool as well). Don't want to do it their way? Give us stacks, give us folders, give us App Store-like category views. Just give us something that makes it easier to get around our deluge of apps. 5. 85% of us want multitasking and 3rd party background apps (but not at the cost of battery life). There's not much more to say on this matter, but Palm does it, and if you can find a way around their battery drain, we want it! 6. Almost 80% of us want Flash, even if it's a bad idea. No, not camera flash (we do, but that's for the next letter). We want Adobe's Flash Player, though Flash on the Mac is a giant performance and stability headache. Get your heads together with Adobe and make it happen (and fix the Mac version while you're about it, please). 7. We love that you introduced landscape mode across virtually all apps in iPhone OS 3.0, but 70% of us want the ability to selectively turn it off. Give us a setting to switch off the automatic "turn to landscape mode" when the device is turning. Why? When we lay in bed on our side we can't read our mail. The app is always turning and that's really annoying. A system-wide 'ignore orientation' switch would be a good start; app-by-app options would be better. 8. When we leave an app, we want it to remember where we were. If we click on a link in an app that takes us to Safari or if we switch apps to copy/paste, 70% of us want the app to remember where we were in it when we come back to it. Some apps do this, some don't. Make this an OS-level feature so they all do it. 9. 65% of us want the ability to remove Apple-branded apps. That Stocks app? Cute, but the Yahoo! Finance [iTunes] app is so much better. We don't need both on our phones. 10. 60% of us want a universal "documents" folder. We want one location, accessible to all apps, to store documents on the iPhone. Whether we need to send that PDF via IM through Nimbuzz or via email through the built-in Mail app, it's no problem. Either one can do it because the docs are all stored in one place, accessible to all apps. (We realize this breaks the sandboxing model that prevents one app from blowing away data belonging to another one, but we have every confidence you can make it work.) 11. Better Support for Codecs and Add-ons. It's not just Flash, you know. WMV and AVI still rule on lots of sites. Let us see them (60%). 12. The iPhone is a hard drive with a screen, so.... Give us Disk mode in the OS. 50% of us want to use our iPhone as an external USB/Wi-Fi hard drive. FYI, Apple, this is just the start. We've got so many more thoughts to share with you about the next iPhone's hardware and apps. So get ready, and thanks for listening. You'll soon be hearing from us again. Sincerely, The loyal readers and iPhone owners of TUAW. TUAW Readers: The next letter will be published one week from today on Sunday 1/17. We'll be telling Apple what we want from the next iPhone's hardware. Want a different enclosure? Camera flash? RFID? OLED? Email me at tuawiphone [at] me dot com (by mid-day, Friday, January 15th at the latest)! A big thanks to the 1100+ of you who contributed to this article. iPhone homepage sketch by reader 'Fab.' TUAWDear Apple: What we want to see for iPhone 4.0, part 1 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments iPhone - ITunes - AppStore - Apple - Yelp
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ION iTYPE: Finally a keyboard for your iPhone
Before we look forward to the Apple tablet, hands down a device we'd all want, consider the ION iTYPE. Before we even think of selling our iPod touch to raise enough seed money for the tablet, we may want to invigorate ourselves by getting this attachment that puts forth a real keyboard that is tangent with Apple's sleek design philosophy. Travelers have craved for non-jailbreak ways to use a keyboard with the iPhone / iPod touch so now ION has presented a hardware-based solution that allows you to dock your iPhone into a keyboard. Announced at CES '10, we wonder why only now? Actually, why only in the second quarter of 2010? The ION iType is also a dock charger. Other reports: TUAW iClarified Mashable
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Manually schedule Software Update 'the OS X way' with launchd
Filed under: Software Update, Terminal TipsIn response to a Macworld article, TidBits' Chris Pepper elaborated on ways to run Software Update, Apple's means of delivering updates and patches, on your own schedule. Beginning with the fact that Software Update schedules its next update based on the time it's currently being run, setting the time for the next update is as easy as running it manually at the time you want it to be scheduled for in the future. Later, Pepper delves into the command line method of updating, using the softwareupdate tool (which we've talked about on TUAW, too) to run it from Terminal. Taking that a step further, it's suggested that you run the command from cron, a UNIX command for scheduling tasks, to automate the command-line updates. However, while it still works fine and is perfectly capable of the task, cron has technically been deprecated in OS X since Tiger. I thought I'd mention the newfangled "Mac OS X way" of handling scheduled tasks, and demonstrate a little of its flexibility. Launchd is Apple's replacement for several UNIX ways of doing things, including init, rc.d scripts and cron. It provides a uniform, XML configuration method and -- in many cases -- is more secure than the replaced methods. Launchd can trigger applications and scripts at boot time, at intervals or even when a file or the contents of a folder change. It can also make sure a daemon or an application keeps running, with the ability to respawn and throttle it. If that's just a bunch of nerd-speak to you, don't worry, this isn't going to be an overly technical post. You can read more specifics about launchd on Apple's developer site, if you want more geeky goodness. Launchd configuration files, like much of OS X, are XML files. Each process has one, and they can exist just about anywhere. A tool called launchctl is used to add and remove them from launchd. While these files are technically human-readable, they're not the most fun to create and edit. In the interest of keeping this as non-technical as possible, I'm going to use a very handy utility called Lingon. The latest version (2.1.1) can be found at Sourceforge. It's no longer under active development, but it's working fine in Leopard and Snow Leopard. Grab a copy, put it in either your Applications folder or into Applications/Utilities, and launch it. You'll see all of your existing daemons and agents in Lingon's sidbar. Unless you know exactly what you're doing, you'll generally only want to edit/add scripts in the "My Agents" section to avoid breaking anything at the system level. Create a new script using the plus button in the upper left, and name it something unique in section 1 of the edit area; I prefix my launchd scripts with my own name, e.g. com.brettterpstra.awesomescript, but anything will work. Section 2 is where our command goes. In this case, we're running the softwareupdate command, and we want it to automatically download any available updates in the background. We'll use /usr/sbin/softwareupdate --download --all in that field. Section 3 gives us the various options for running the command. In Lingon's interface they're pretty self-explanatory, so I won't go through each one. We'll just use "At a specific date:," "Every Day," and whatever time works best for you (and your bandwidth allowances). Make sure the enabled checkbox in the upper right is checked, hit the save button at the top, and you've got your own Software Update scheduler. Change the time at will, or use one of the other options to control how often it runs. If you enable this, you'll probably want to disable the automatic checking in Software Updates panel in System Preferences. There are other possibilities, too. For example, if you wanted to be notified as soon as possible about available updates, you could write a script that ran softwareupdate with the "-l" option (to list available updates without downloading them), parse the output and have it send you an email or a direct message if it found any updates. Run it about every 15 minutes and you could be among the first to know about an update! You can also use the launchd manager (launchctl), or Lingon to disable background processes that other programs have added, but that you don't want running. Whether you're a UNIX user still hanging on to cron, or are just a regular user who wants something besides iCal for scheduling scripts and launching applications, this will hopefully get you started with the 'new' OS X way of doing it.TUAWManually schedule Software Update 'the OS X way' with launchd originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments Mac OS X - Apple - Software Update - Mac OS X Snow Leopard - Operating system
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13 Coolest Things We Saw at CES
The past few days have been a blast, and as first timers at CES we were truly impressed by all the emerging technologies that will surely make waves in the months to come. After roaming around all 3.2 million square feet of the Las Vegas Convention Center, we came back with a pretty good idea of gadgets we can’t wait to see hit the mainstream market--or to spend our money on. Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most interesting displays of televisions, remotes, touch screens, and just-for-fun gadgets we saw at CES.iPod Charging KeychainsOur office is cursed by the fact that some wire-eating monster has secretly consumed every iPhone or iPod connector cord we’ve ever had. You can imagine our delight when we discovered that companies like Scosche and Miplug have developed a portable way to keep the iPod connector cable grouped with our car keys, so we’re never left stranded with a dead iPhone or iPod ever again. eBooksIt looks like the Kindle and the Nook have plenty of competition in store for them for the upcoming Year of the eBook. CES even had its own eBook area, with about a dozen companies competing for the international market. Bigger companies like Samsung and Sony also had their own eBooks on display, but our favorite one by far was the Que proReader.Flying ThingsThere were plenty of gadgets taking flight at this year's Show. We were especially delighted by the Parrot Drone, which we discovered you can control with an iPhone, and an unlicensed flying X-wing wannabe Parrot Zikmu ‘in Color’ by Philippe StarckThese colorful stereo speakers deliver a massive, crisp sound and fashionably adorn any Scandinavian-styled household that doesn’t want a regular old iPod dock clashing with the aesthetics. The speakers work with iPods and iPhones and support wireless streaming via WiFi and Bluetooth. You'll be able to purchase these speakers in a few months for around $1,600. Artsy iPhone CasesSpeck has teamed up with the ARTSPROJEKT Global Creative Network to enable up-and-coming independent artists to use iPhone cases as their canvas. The first three designs are limited edition and only 250 cases of each design will be sold worldwide. Iomega iConnect Wireless Data Station This sleek black box may look like a regular USB hub, but it actually transforms your portable hard drives and flash drives into network storage. Use the data station in conjunction with a media streamer--your Xbox, Playstation 3, or even your Mac--to stream video to your television. Available soon at retailers everywhere.Samsung Touch Remote Control This gadget looks like the elongated evil twin of the iPhone, but it’s really just Samsung’s new remote for the super thin 9000 Series LED television. The touch screen remote control offers a twin view feature with WiFi capabilities, so you can watch your favorite show even if you’re not in the same room as your television. This is especially useful for those times you have to, say, take the pot roast out of the oven, or use the bathroom.Tablets, Tablets, Everywhere!Yes, even as we’re only a few weeks away from discovering the truth behind the Apple tablet, CES seemed overrun by tablet fever. Companies like Lenovo had a hybrid tablet to show off, complete with attachable keyboard, while Nvidia unveiled the Foxconn tablet powered by its Tegra 2 processor. Android OS Because it's open source, Android is becoming a household name. We saw many unnamed, unmarked products claiming to run the Android OS, and we figure this is only an indication of what the future has in store for Google’s mobile operating system.Thin TVs It seems that televisions have been on a crazy crash diet, because this year’s CES flaunted some of the thinnest full-size HDTV televisions we’ve ever seen in our lives, including some at the Samsung booth that were as thin as the width of a pencil.Gibson Dark Fire Described as the “world’s most powerful guitar,” this electronically charged musical instrument is surely equipped to pretty much replace your entire family of guitars. Even better, the software for the guitar is totally compatible with Mac OS X. Poloroid is Making a Comeback Maybe Lady Gaga has something to do with it, but Poloroid has decided to resuscitate its instant film cameras. No word on whether or not they’ll be manufacturing the instant film cartridges. SinbadEveryone’s favorite 90’s celebrity superstar and faithful Apple fan made an appearance at this year’s CES. Unfortunately, we were unable to ask him if he’s planning on attending Mac World in February, but we’re really hoping he does.
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Talkcast 10 pm tonight: Looking ahead to Macworld Expo
Filed under: TUAW Business, Podcasts Talkcast time again! We'll review the week's news, consider the latest tablet tidbits, and then look back at CES and ahead to Macworld Expo. 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 free Gizmo or X-Lite SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk with you then! Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/macinate/ / CC BY 2.0 TUAWTalkcast 10 pm tonight: Looking ahead to Macworld Expo originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read|Permalink|Email this|Comments TalkShoe - Facebook - Apple - Voice over Internet Protocol - TUAW
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Engadget Podcast 179: CES 2010 Final Goodbye - 01.10.2010
Goodnight CES! You were cool and had a lot of great technologies this year. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: See You Again [Maximum FX Crushed + Screwed Mode] Hear the podcast 04:12 - Inbrics M1 is the thinnest Android slider we've seen, probably everything we ever wanted04:29 - LG GW990 hands-on video06:50 - 3D @ CES14:25 - RED Scarlet and Bomb EVF surprise hands-on!20:05 - Lenovo Skylight hands-on and impressions (video)20:20 - Intel22:00 - E-ink22:55 - Chances of Netflix on Nintendo 'excellent,' says Netflix CEO23:05 - Andy Rubin on multitouch in Android: 'I personally don't like two-handed operations'23:17 - Boxee24:10 - Pixel Qi: The e-Reader story of CES 201033:35 - The Android Army is Rising34:05 - Synaptics Fuse concept hands-on 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 179: CES 2010 Final Goodbye - 01.10.2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | |Email this|Comments
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This is It Blu-ray release debuts movieIQ Sync, brings more Michael Jackson info to your iPhone or PC
Unfortunately, the most telling element of this Blu-ray news is that it didn't merit a mention during Sony's CES keynote, but a new BD-Live feature will be included on This is It. movieIQ Sync updates the original by allowing users to pull up additional movie info on a PC or iPhone synchronized with the movie -- we're guessing the recently released FBI files won't be included -- without it popping up on the television. The other new feature is the ability to create & share customized playlists of the songs featured in the flick. We've been waiting for an event that would change both the reality and perception of internet connected features on Blu-ray -- and there's still some hope -- but this probably isn't it.This is It Blu-ray release debuts movieIQ Sync, brings more Michael Jackson info to your iPhone or PC originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | BigPictureBigSound, GamerLive.tv |Email this|Comments
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News: Special CES Giveaway: iLounge Limited Edition Cases + More
If you're in the vicinity of the iLounge Pavilion at CES today, stop by the iLounge booth early: we have a very limited number of iLounge Limited Edition Cases to give away to readers who ask for them. The cases are custom-branded and custom-colored Speck CandyShells—winners of our 2009 Accessory of the Year Award for their excellent, protective design—and we have some other goodies to give away, too. Find the iLounge booth at #3810…
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In Case You Missed It: Jan. 3 - Jan. 9
And like that, we're off. It's a new year, a new decade, and a new crop of articles from the talented, attractive, and eminently wonderful staff of Mac|Life. Go on, have a look. You know you want to.Features:- CES: Attack of the eReaders! - Of course, last week was the week of the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and there was as much tech to geek out on as there were industry honchos to make you swoon or choke. Turns out, everyone's got Amazon in their sites with eReaders galore for the new decade.- CES: Invasion of the Tablets & Slates! - Not content with taking a whack at Amazon, the other Big A was under assault at this year's CES as everyone and their grandma rushed out their version of the tablet. Curiously enough, hot on the heels of it being revealed that Apple had trademarked the name iSlate, everyone and, of course, their grandma followed suit with their range of "slates." What's that they say again about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery?Reviews:- Shirt Pocket SuperDuper! - Sometimes making a backup of what you've saved can be a tricky process. Like TimeMachine, Shirt Pocket SuperDuper! helps take the sting out of what can frustrate even Mac pros and it does it with style. It's kinda rocking and we liked it a lot.- Targus Bluetooth Comfort Laser Mouse & Compact Optical Mouse - Does anyone really think Apple's mice are great? We haven't yet met the person who raves about them, which means substitutes are a necessity. Targus comes through with a decent wireless option and they've even made a wee tiny one for those of you on the go.- Rogue Planet - Fun for the most part, this turn-based-strategy game from Gameloft boasts awesome graphics, but some wordy dialogue scenes that bog down the action. Packed with options, the game is mostly a win and for $4.99 what are you complaining about?How-Tos:- Create a Slideshow to Go - One of the best aspects of Apple software is how easy it is to do complicated tasks. iPhoto '09 gives you the ability to make slideshows on the quick, burn them to DVD or CD, or even just export them to iTunes and synch it up to your iPod. Plus, it's a snap to make an uploadable version for Facebook or Flickr. There's a reason people say once you go Apple, you don't go back.News:We did mention this was CES week, right? Intel's rocking some new mobile processors that should be appearing in the next generation of on-the-go computing....They also managed to give a little demonstration of their Core i5 for the next generation of MacBooks...Boxee continues to tackle the space carved out by Apple TV and they're making viewing your shows on your biggest screen a snap....FloTV's and Morphie are trying something similar, but this time it's for your mobile devices...Your App Shop, a totally legit App Store alternative for those of us who don't want to risk bricking our iPhones by jailbreaking them....For those of you who want to totally tweak out an alarm clock on the iPhone, iHope has you covered with enough tweaks and personalizations to make any nerd sigh.In tablet/ereader/slate news, at CES Microsoft and HP decided they'd better get into the "slate" game and subsequently busted out their versions, for those of you who are satisfied with inferior to Apple products...an iPhone developer thinks hard about the upcoming tablet and gives a few of his best educated guesses...a former marketer for Apple decides to give you a behind the scenes glimpse at how some of your favorite tablet rumors might just be controlled misinformation from Cupertino...and in news you already knew, some random dude says the tablet OS will have a good bit of new sexy to it. Duh, dude, duh....and some say the Apple tablet will be a Verizon joint. We'll see about that, controlled leakers....and lastly the day of Apple's big announcement gets bumped back one to January 27th. We've waited this long; what's one day between friends?Filling out the miscellaneous category, Greenpeace did an about face and now loves Apple above all computer manufacturers...AT&T finally starts to upgrade their 3G network, only about a year too late and you still won't see any major speed improvements...the Facebook app gets push notifications in case you weren't on it enough hours out of your day...Google's Nexus One drops at the tradeshows; see what you think about the latest Android phone...and CNBC takes a look at those app thingies and wonders, what's it all about.
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Aircell to start in-flight video download service later this year
Aircell may have skipped out on having a presence at CES this year, but that doesn't mean that nothing is going on in the wide, wacky world of in-flight internet. The company confirmed to us via email that it's planning a new video download service for 2010, a little something that'll go by the name Gogo Video. PC World was able to sit down with Eric Lemond, director of product management for the company, and they found that the service will be a lot like the iTunes Video Store in function. Users will be able to tap into their onboard WiFi in order to suck down TV shows and film rentals, which will be available for viewing up to 24 hours from the time of purchase. The files themselves will remain on the laptop (as in, this isn't just a streaming service), and while the exact launch date has yet to be nailed down, we are told that it will only be available for Windows laptops initially. Prices should range from $2 to $4 based on the programming, though we're still waiting to hear what kind content partners will be signing on. Fret not, jetsetters -- the unfriendly skies are about to get a bit more bearable.Aircell to start in-flight video download service later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | PC World |Email this|Comments
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Jelfin ball-shaped mouse hand-on
Some wanted to call the Jelfin ball-shaped mouse a crapgadget, but that was until they wrapped their hands around the spherical mouse. We aren't saying the Jelfin is the best mouse in the world or that it makes you forget about your mouse-woes -- that's if you've even ever had them -- but the gel covered ball is comfortable. At first it was a bit odd to navigate our MacBook Pro 13's desktop with a ball in hand, but we got the hang of it. But while we like the feel of the buttons, which are differentated with raised gel lines, they don't have enough give and we had to press too hard to double click. We also aren't thrilled that its got a long white USB cord, either. Chances are you'll be better suited by a Logitech for real productivity, but we did enjoy using a ball as a mouse more than we ever could have imagined. Gallery: Jelfin mouse hands-onJelfin ball-shaped mouse hand-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | |Email this|Comments
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Monsoon adds streaming, sideloading sweetness to new Volcano placeshifting box
Blazing a different path from Sling or even its own HAVA line, Monsoon's Volcano is not just an HD placeshifting device -- it can play back video from attached storage devices, NAS or PCs, plus internet video from YouTube or CinemaNow. Existing remote DVR and streaming features are joined by sideloading, as it can deliver compressed recordings to compatible mobiles (Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, Symbian, Windows Mobile) over 3G for later offline viewing. Other additions include an OS X client, MPEG-4 support plus plans for downloadable apps like Boxee and an open SDK for developers. Pricing is set at $199 with 4GB of flash memory included or $299 with 250GB HDD. Check out a video of our quick demo of the client running on a Motorola DROID and a press release with all the other details after the break. Gallery: Monsoon VolcanoContinue reading Monsoon adds streaming, sideloading sweetness to new Volcano placeshifting boxMonsoon adds streaming, sideloading sweetness to new Volcano placeshifting box originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | |Email this|Comments
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Disney's KeyChest is not DRM
There's a lot going on at CES, and one of those things was a presentation by Disney explaining its KeyChest concept. We attended and was surprised to learn that KeyChest has almost nothing to do with DRM. We were rolling our eyes when we heard Disney proclaim that KeyChest was complementary to DECE, but now that we understand what KeyChest is, we agree. The easiest way to explain it is with an example and the most obvious to us is iTunes and Comcast. Both companies offer video on demand and use their own DRM to prevent copying. If both participated in KeyChest -- this isn't studio based -- and we bought a movie on iTunes, the next time we hit up Comcast VOD we'd be able to watch the same movie without paying again. The genius of the idea is how simple it is, basically the participantes report your purchases to the KeyChest and query it to see what else you bought. It is a simple transaction, but Disney didn't tell us what strings were attached to join up, but did say that the the product wasn't meant to be profitable, but of course would not operate at a loss either. The other obvious thing mentioned was that Disney realizes that the entire system is useless if it doesn't reach critical mass.Disney's KeyChest is not DRM originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 07:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | |Email this|Comments
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Stuart Hughes goes low-end with $160k Nokia Supreme
Stuart Hughes aficionados take note. The luxury bedazzler is now back with an entry-level alternative to its $3.2 million iPhone 3GS Supreme. Of course, the new Nokia Supreme will still set you back a suitably ridiculous 99,995 (or $160k), which will get you a Nokia 8800 encrusted with 12.5 cts of pink diamonds, some handmade veneers made from 83 grams of platinum, a navigation button topped off with a single 3 ct diamond, and the usual granite box to store it in. Only three have been made, but it looks like today's your lucky day -- it's still in stock. Stuart Hughes goes low-end with $160k Nokia Supreme originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 06:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.PermalinkUnwired View | Stuart Hughes |Email this|Comments
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Is the Mobile Market Freezing Along with the Weather?
I say this mostly because of the Apple (AAPL) “iSlate” which is supposed to be announced later this month and shipped in March. (Even if this isn't true it might still have the same market freezing effect.) At this point most of the other platforms have disclosed what they have to offer in the near term. The Google Nexus One is out. A bunch of new eReaders are all out. The Windows version of the tablet computer is out. There is a laundry list of new technology gadgets rolling out of CES as we write that will include many new netbook and laptop options from basically every vendor.
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Expect Apple to Lead Tablet Race Too
The race to be king in the tablet PC market is heating up. Hewlett Packard (HPQ), Dell (DELL), Lenovo (LNVGY.PK), Sony (SNE) and Samsung (SSNLF.PK) have all displayed their tablet PC offerings at the 2010 Consumer Electronics show. Microsoft (MSFT) is expected to release a courier tablet PC within the next few months. All of these companies are competing to be the first to market in the sizzling hot tablet PC market. The game changer however is expected to be Apple's (AAPL) “islate” tablet PC expected to launch in the next few weeks. The tablet PC market is important because it is seen as the next major growth market in computer hardware. Tablet PC's are smaller more portable devices then netbooks. Netbooks are still relatively new devices ad are expected to surpass 14 billion in sales next year. The tablet market is expected to take in over 5 billion dollars in revenue in its first year. That's impressive. Tablet sales could increase profits significantly for many tech firms. Now you can see why tech firms are scrambling to be the first to market with their tablets.
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Pure Oasis, Sensia and Sirocco 550 internet radios hands-on
Pure's WiFi-enabled radios are making their US debut here at CES, and we've gotten to grips with the top trio on offer. The Oasis (pictured above) is a weatherproofed, rubber-rich unit, which can resist splashes of water and go on for between 10 and 15 hours on a single charge. We agree it looks like a durable machine, but -- while it can reach some pretty high volumes -- the sound itself was predictably lacking at the furthest ends of bass and treble. Moving up in the world to the Sensia delivers a snazzier touchscreen interface with built-in Facebook and Twitter integration, but we clashed with some deal-breaking lag while using it. Finally, the top tier Sirocco 550 offers a more conventional styling to go along with a CD player (those still exist?) and an iPod / iPhone dock. Priced at $249, $349 and $449, respectively, these should all find American shelves to sing from by the middle of this year. Gallery: Pure Oasis, Sirocco 550 and Sensia internet radios hands-onPure Oasis, Sensia and Sirocco 550 internet radios hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | |Email this|Comments
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Google's Half-Full Glass of Openness
A number of experts have been remarking that the NexusOne brings Google (GOOG) into more direct competition with Apple (AAPL) and the iPhone, ending a once cozy and complementary relationship between the two firms.Google's mobile strategy continues to get closer to Apple's. Both are peddling mobile platforms, seeking users, operators and third party software providers. While Google's OS is open source — and available via multiple handset manufacturers — it still is a hybrid open/proprietary strategy that competes with Apple's own hybrid strategy.