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July 31, 2008

Five iTunes 7.7.1 Bug Fixes Detailed

by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS

Some trawling through Apple's discussion forums yeilded actual information.

Levelator 1.4

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

This free tool, optimized for speech, makes a noble effort to crrect uneven volume levels.

Why Cut-And-Paste Is Difficult On The iPhone

by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu

This post by John Gruber illustrates why it is not easy to do cut-and-paste on the iPhone: all the obvious gestures are already being taken and already have meaning in the iPhone touch interface.

Rumors indicate that the iPhone wil have cut-and-paste soon. I sure hope Apple didn't compromise too much.

Comal ISD Teachers Enjoying Mac Experience

by Jason Gordon, Hill Country Times

"I've always heard wonderful things about Macs, and I can't wait to use all of the available applications with my students."

MacBooks Are A Writer's Tool - Don't Mess With The Keyboard

by John Martellaro, Mac Observer

Apple Releases iTunes 7.7.1 Update

by Arnold Kim, MacRumors.com

"iTunes 7.7.1 includes fixes to improve stability and performance."

A Tags-Eye View Of Apple's Changing Technology Focus

by David Morgenstern, ZDNet.com

Posted in the Ci Sense company blog is widget that presents a tag cloud view of Apple's trademarks from the past 10 years.

MobileMe Email Complaints Continue

by MacNN

Despite Apple's pronouncement that all is well with MobileMe, user complaints continue on the company's support forums.

OS X Users Vulnerable - Apple Still Don't Get Security

by Bart Busschots, International Mac Podcast

Apple's pathetic patching record means that I'd go so far as to cal it professional negligence to deploy OS X Server in a corporate environment.

New Life For Old Macs

by James Dempsey, Macworld

What do you do with that old G4 or G5 Mac?

A Few Tricks, Apps For Disabling Lengthy iPhone Backups

by David Chartier, Ars Technica

Thankfully there are a few simple workarounds, but as usual, they have a catch.

Bascially, no backups anymore.

Secure Your DNS Since Apple Hasn't

by Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS

Proceed at your own risk! This process worked for me, but it may not for you. You likely want to have a full backup in place.

Apple Warns Resellers Of Mac And iPod Drought, Says Load Up Now

by Kasper Jade, AppleInsider

Apple in recent days issued an advisement bulletin to some of its channel partners hinting at a manufacturing ramp down of iPods and certain Mac notebook models, which will result in limited supplies of those products int he coming weeks.

iPhone 3G Owners Reporting Mysterious Cracks

by MacNN

The damage appears to consist mostly of hairline fractures, typically around the volume and vibrate controls, but also in some cases around corners, speakers or the headphone jack.

July 30, 2008

SoundSource 2.0

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

This simple utility adds a menu-bar item that lists all available Input, Ouput, and System audio options.

Apple's Cult Of Secrecy Begins To Bug Its Developers

by Charles Arthur, The Guardian

Consider that there's an estimate 1,000+ aps on the iPhone App Store - of which about 100 are reckoned to be even worth the disk space. How is Apple going to improve the ratio? Not via an NDA.

Apple Finishes Restoring MobileMe Mail

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Apple has completed the process of restoring mail service to MobileMe customers that found themselves without email over the past week or so.

How To Configure And Deploy The iPhone 3G For Business, Part 1

by Ryan Faas, Computerworld

Here I offer advice on how best to activate, configure and deploy the iPhone.

Apple Should Take Its Retail Act On The Road

by Philip Michaels, Macworld

Airports offer a nice opportunity to Apple to open a new front for its retail efforts.

CampTune Shuffles Space Between Mac, Windows Partitions

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

CampTune helps Mac users with Intel-based systems running Boot Camp to redistribute free space between their Mac and Windows partitions.

Forget The E-mail Woes - MobileMe Simply Too Pricey For What It Does

by David Zeiler, Baltimore Sun

Adding a few more apps would go a long way toward fulfilling th epromise of a fee-based Apple-run online service.

Apple Admits New MobileMe Problem

by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

This, That, And The iTunes Store

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

Random thought son recent iTunes Store happenings.

Five Lightroom 2 Features That Should Excite You

by Rick LePage, Macworld

July 29, 2008

Red Marble Games Releases Democracy 2 Game

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Democracy 2 puts you in the role of the elected head of a country. You must implement policies and resolve your nation's problems, all to improve your nation's standing in the world without disenfranchising the voters that put you in a position of power.

SonicMood 4.8

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

Playing a combination of moody synthesized instruments and digitized nature sounds, the highly configurable SonicMood generates the kind of relaxing audio ambience that will soothe even the most restless insomniacs.

Adobe Releases Photoshop Lightroom 2

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Among the changes made in the new version of Lightroom is the ability to visually organize images across multiple hard drives.

Steve Jobs Walks Into The Rap

by Jim Goldman, CNBC

Calling New York Times columnist Joe Nocera with an "off the record" health update was a big mistake, completely unnecessary, and serves only to fan the flames.

The Promise Of Apple Storage

by Drew Robb, Enterprise IT Planet.com

A few weeks ago, Apple decided that it was no longer cost effective to continue to manufacture its own storage hardware. Instead, it has opted for an OEM agreement with storage vendor Promise Technology.

Anti-DRM Protest At Apple Stores; Verizon On iPhone 3G's Impact

by Aidan Malley, AppleInsider

The Free Software Foundation is asking supporters to book a Genius Bar appointment at an Apple retail store on Friday or Saturday and ask the technicians questions about the company's broader corporate policy regarding iPhone 3G and its software under the belief that any copy-protected hardware or software is "defective."

The Seal On Apple's iPhone SDK Is Leaking, Even Within Apple

by Tom Yager, InfoWorld

Apple tolerates discussion among iPhone developers as long as they know it's wrong.

Apple Updates Apeture

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

According to Apple, the Aperture 2.1.1 "update supports general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and addresses a number of other minor issues."

iPhone NDA: Doing More Harm Than Good

by Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

The NDA has become a source of frustration for the growing development community.

Troubleshooting MobileMe Calendar Syncing

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

July 28, 2008

iPhone, App Store Problems Causing More Than Just Headaches

by David Chartier, Ars Technica

Review: ClamXav 1.1

by Scott McNulty, Macworld

ClamXav 1.1 is an able antivirus program that will keep your Mac protected, though it doesn't offer all the features that more-expensive programs do. Free is hard to beat, though, and while ClamXav might be slower than other programs, and might slow down your Mac a bit, it's just as accurate.

Narrator 2.0.2

by Dan Miller, Macworld

Paste your text into it, assign the program's "characters" to their lines, and then hear your text come to life.

Lost In The Clouds

by Rich Parr, MIT Technology Review

MobileMe is facing problems endemic to cloud computing.

Could iTunes User Suffer The Same Fate As Yahoo Music Users If iTunes Were To Fail?

by Leslie Poston, Mac.Blorge.com

In the end there is no grat solution on the consumer side to the potential problems with DRM when the issuing company goes belly up.

July 27, 2008

The Apple Retail Experience

by Geek Nirvana

Stephen Fry, Apple And The BBC

by Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC

Oh dear, have we been failing to give enough coverage to Apple? Those of you who are frequent visitors to this blog will be aware that every time we do write about Mr Jobs' company, war breaks out between the Macaholics and the rest. The Apple fans accuse us of being insufficiently respectful of the wondrous gifts emanating from the shrine at Cupertino, the non-believers stifle a yawn and complaint hat we give this minor business far more attention than it deserves.

See Also: Dork Talk, by Stephen Fry, The Guardian. The BBC's technology site is so afraid of looking as though it "favours" Apple in some way that it has been failing to file legitimate stories for fear of the anti-Apple community, because, believe it or not, there are people out there who think the launch of yet another Nokia or WinMob Apple-a-like should be given equal prominence.

Apple Stores Now Open At 8 A.M. To Handle iPhone 3G Demand

by Aidan Malley, AppleInsider

All of Apple's US retail outlets are now in a permanent launch mode and will open as much as two hours earlier each day to accomodate the unprecendented demand for the new iPhone. Also, at least some locations are now giving customers rainchecks for the day's iPhone 3G stock.

July 26, 2008

Apple Staarting To Restore MobileMe Email Access, Some Email Lost

by Arnold Kim, MacRumors.com

Apple admits that while the majority of email messages will be fully restored, approximately 10% of messages received between 5.00 a.m. PDT on July 16th and 10.20 a.m. PDT on July 17th have been lost.

Open Tech: Apple Can't Stop Us From Making Mac Clones

by Brian X. Chen, Wired

An official from Open Tech has said the company is confident it can sell its Mac clones and avoid a lawsuit from Apple. He wasn't so confident that he was willing to let us publish his full name, though.

Apple's Culture Of Secrecy

by Joe Nocera, New York Times

On Thursday afternoon, several hours after I'd gotten my final "Steve's health is a private matter" — and much to my amazement — Mr. Jobs called me. "This is Steve Jobs," he began. "You think I'm an arrogant [expletive] who thinks he's above the law, and I think you're a slime bucket who gets most of his facts wrong."

Big Shiny Apple

by Roberto ROcha, Montreal Gazette

Everyone's MacHappy in Montreal as the Apple flagship opens on Ste. Catherine St.

V.C. Advice To Entrepreneurs: It's Not All About The iPhone

by Claire Cain Miller, New York Times

Venture capitalists told mobile entrepreneurs to broaden their focus and build applications for all phones.

But make sure you have a presence in the iPhone.

Are Things Going Rotten At Apple?

by John Ridley, NPR

Better if they could get back to the days when their end-to-end experience really worked end-to-end.

Cannot handle demand? A good problem to have, but a problem nevertheless. What's more worrying to me is the inability of MobileMe to perform, given that there is no evidence really of major influx of demand over the last month.

Teaching Audio Engineering While On The Road With Ozzy

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

"There are two prerequisites to becoming a great audio engineer," said Greg Price. "First, you have to play an instrument and second, you have to use a Mac."

Prepping Web Images With iWatermark

by Neale Monks, TidBITS

It does everything an impage prep program needs to do with minimal fuss. Simply as a resizing and reformatting tool it would earn its keep; that it adds watermarks as well is icing on the cake.

Copy & Paste References Spotted In Existing iPhone Frameworks

by AppleInsider

One developer has stumbled upon references to copy and paste in the frameworks of Apple's first beta of iPhone Software 2.1.

Review: NetNewsWire For iPhone And iPod Touch

by Dan Frakes, Macworld

July 25, 2008

Bugs & Fixes: Dealing With iPhone App Bugs And Crashes

by Ted Landau, Macworld

Here's a primer on how to navigate your way out of app trouble.

Peeking Inside The iPhone

by Sramana Mitra, Forbes

Apple has the entire semiconductor industry wrapped around its little finger.

MetaX 2.4.5

by Jonathan Seff, Macworld

It's an invaluable tool if you plan to put your DVD collection on your Apple TV.

Apple Fails To Patch Critical Exploited DNS Flaw

by Rich Mogull, TidBITS

Apple has not yet provided a patch, unlike dozens of other companies that make or distribute operating systems or DNS server software.

Making The Transition From PC To Mac

by Craig dos Santos, A Search For (My) Life

I've been a Windows user my entire life, and some old habits die hard.

Time To Spend Spend Spend

by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu

When your OS stinks, you go buy a new OS. (And perhaps a CEO or two.)

When your online strategy stinks, do you go buy Google?

(Is MobileMe such core to Apple's strategy that they have to build it themselves?)

Introducing The Anti-iPhone

by Wayne MacPhail, Rabble

I mean, God love open source folks. Their hearts are int he right place but, man, a lot of open source software is the worst looking, unusable junk I've ever seen this side of a Microsoft WIndows ME hack-a-thon.

I'm more or less convinced that UI design is not compatible with wisdom-of-the-crowd. Just like you typically don't see good movies directed or written by a committee.

Apple's MobileMe: The Medium Is The Mess

by Rob Pegoraro, Washington Post

What's both sad and, perhaps, ultimately encouraging is that Apple and its users have been through this before.

Aurora Feint iPhone App Delisted For Lousy Security Practices

by Gizmodo

According to their forums, if you opt-in to the community feature, Aurora Feint looks through your contact list, sends in unencrypted to their servers, and matches you up with your friends who are currently playing right now.

Virginia Tech Building Supercomputer Out Of 324 Mac Pros

by Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

Virginia Tech's Center for High-End Computing System is building a new cluster, this time using 324 Mac Pro towers, that will have a theoretical computing capacity of 29 teraflops.

Apple's MobileMess

by David Pogue, New York Times

The real problem is how Apple is responding. For a company that's so brilliant at marketing, it seems to have absolutely no clue about crisis management.

iPhone Developers Have A Way To Run (Small) Beta Programs

by Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

The ad hor method allows any developer to authorize up to 100 iPhones to run an application without going through the App Store.

Steve Jobs Gassing Up The Gulfstream Again

by Peter Kafka, Silicon Alley Insider

Perhaps he's been jetting off to China and/or Russia, where Apple still doesn't have iPhne deals with carriers.

Neil Young Takes On The iPod

by Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune

In the iPod age, music sound quality has been dumbed down to "Fisher-Price toy" levels, rock star and tech enthuisast Neil Young said Wednesday.

Review: OmniFocus For iPhone

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

If you seek a powerful (though sometimes challenging) mobile applcation for creating action items and orgnizing them within contexts and project—and one that also acts as an extension of an even more powerful desktop application—OmniFocus for the iPhone can clearly help you get that done.

Not So Fast, 3G

by Dan Moren, Macworld

We wanted to look a little further into the matter and find out if the iPhone 3G really twice is as fast as its predecessor.

Review: Final Cut Server 1.1

by Mike Curtis, Macworld

Advanced asset management and workflow software for video content creators.

Jumsoft Releases Personal Finance Tool, Money 3

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

July 24, 2008

Why iPhone 2.0 Won't Yet Rule The Roost In The Enterprise

by Galen Gruman, InfoWorld

The 13 key omissions Apple must fix before it can really compete with BlackBerry and Treo.

iPod Touch Update Coming Soon?

by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu

Why is the Apple store still selling iPod touch without the 2.0 software and the App Store goodness? Could it be a new iPod touch — or a brand new replacement — is coming soon, so Apple doesn't bother to update the Apple Store with new iPod Touches?

Steve Jobs' Diets Secrets

by Brian Caulfield, Forbes

While Apple employees eat healthy, Jobs takes it to an extreme, one employee says, eating dark green vegetables such as broccli and asparagus, grilled or steamed.

MobileMe's E-Mail Outage Costs Apple A Customer

by David Zeiler, Baltimore Sun

Apple gets points for acknowledging the issues and trying to make it right, but that will do little to placate people who just want the service to work as promised.

Apple Appoints Hong Kong Agency

by Dedric Lam, Shanghaiist

Hong Kong based agency Eight Partnership has just been appointed to handle Apple's creative marketing in Asia.

The Trouble With Software People

by Paul Rako, EDN

When you think about it, almost every major development in the last decade has been the result of overcoming the problems that software managers cause.

As the saying goes, make it simple, but no simplier than what is needed.

Review: MobileMe 1.1

by Jeff Carlson, Macworld

Overhauled .Mac service gets pushy—and that's a good thing.

Apple's Blind Side

by Matt Haughey, A Whole Lotta Nothing

This is one of the few times I have to say Windows has it right (and has had right for many years) — it is extremly easy to find a way to bump the entire OS to larger more legible fonts with just a couple clicks, but I'm not seeing it anywhere on a Mac running Leopard.

Why We Still Need The iPhone App Black Market

by Gizmodo

The most innovative, game-changing apps might not ever make it to your squeaky clean iPhone.

First iPhone App Cracked? Super Monkey Ball For All?

by MacNN

A group of hackers say they have cracked Apple's close Fairplay DRM on Sega's Super Monkey Ball for iPhone.

Apple's MobileMe Is Far Too Flawed To Be Reliable

by Walter S. Mossberg, AllThingsD

If Apple does get MobileMe working smoothly, it could be a terrific service. But it's way too ragged now.

The Mac Switch

by J. Shirley

I found myself getting more done and in less time.

The Apple Imprint On Open Source Continues

by Matt Asay, CNET News.com

I'm increasingly of the mind that open-source developers appreciate the excellence of Apple's products.

Apple Tells Us Everything Without Saying Anything

by Jim Goldman, CNBC

The simple truth is this: Apple knows that it must disclose Jobs' health status if it is somehow material to the company. By not disclosing his health issues, and calling them a private matter, Apple is tacitly telling all of us that whatever is ailing Jobs is not seroius enough to be material to the company.

Why Apple And China Are Simply Incompatible

by Mike Elgan, Datamation

Apple succeeds because customers love the products and the brand. But in China, brands mean little to most potential customers, and hardware even less. Chinese consumers prize value above all.

On the other hand, status, and the toys that come with status, does mean something in China, I believe.

Stop The iPod Touch's Constant Beeping

by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS

Apparently, the new version of Mail feels the need to beep every time a new message comes in, and that's a problem given that MobileMe's "push" option for email means that new messages are being received constantly. Maddening!

Get An iPhone In 3 Days From AT&T

by Lonnie Lazar, Cult Of Mac

AT&T has authorized stores in its Northern California region to begin taking iPhone pre-sale orders with a promise of 72hr availability, according to the manager of one of the region's busiest stores.

Researcher Warns Of Unpatched iPhone Bugs

by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Security vulnerabilities in the iPhone's e-mail application and Safari web browser can be used by phishers to dupe users into visiting malicious sites or by spammers to flood the phone's inbox with junk mail, a researcher warned Wednesday.

The Mac Keeps Driving Apple

by Philip Michaels, Macworld

What still stands out about Apple's third-quarter performance—for me, at any rate—is just how well the company's Mac business did.

Apple Launches "What Is 3G" International Commercial

by MacNN

The new iPhone 3G commercials feature similiar aspects, but are stylized differently depending on the country in which they are aired.

The Case Of THe Massive iDisk Archive

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

July 23, 2008

What's Behind Apple's MobileMe Meltdown

by Alexander Wolfe, InformationWeek

Apple should have staged the conversion from .mac to .me. It not only make technical sense, but it fits in with the Apple ethos.

Review: Acrobat 9 Pro

by Pariah S. Burke, Macworld

Narrowly focused update features moderate enhancements.

Scribbles 1.2.1

by Heather Kelly, Macworld

Sometimes you just need to doodle, to be creative and make a little art without the complications of Illustrator or the mess of Crayolas.

A Shopping Trip To The App Store For Your iPhone

by Walter S. Mossberg and Katherine Boehret, Wall Street Journal

There are way too many interesting apps to review here, but these are some we liked.

Talk Of Chief's Health Weighs On Apple's Share Price

by John Markoff, New York Times

In recent weeks, Mr Jobs has reassured several people that he is doing well and that four years after a successful operation to treat a rare form of pancreatic cancer, he is cancer free.

People who are close to Mr. Jobs say that he had a surgical procedure this year to address a problem that was contributing to a loss of weight. These people declined to be identified because Mr. Jobs had not authorized them to speak about his health.

Staying Power: The Case For Two Resilient Tech Stocks

by James B. Stewart, Wall Street Journal

Attention, bargain hunters: Two technology darlings are on sale at steep summer discounts, Apple and Google.

Sometimes The Customer Is Wrong

by Timothy Lee, TechDirt

Refusing to serve iced espressos may be a good business strategy.

As Guy Kawasaki once wrote, if Apple had listened to its customers, the Macintosh will simply be a faster MS-DOS machine.

More About Deleting Features

by Brent Smmons, Inessential.com

The problem is 100 times worse when it comes to deleting features.

Apple Step Up China Retail Push

by Loretta Chao, Wall Street Journal

Apple's approach seems to be working, with sales growing apace even as the company on Saturday opened its first full-service Apple store in China, in Beijing. Over the past two years, more Apple reseller have begun popping up in China's sprawling computer malls.

After A Four Hour Wait, I Got An iPhone

by Etan Horowitz, Orlando Sentinel

Don't believe the Apple availability page.

On Keyboards

by Tim Bray, ongoing

There's a design flaw in Apple's current lineup of Mac keyboards; easily fixed though.

The Real Issue About Steve's Health

by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek

Idle, speculative and uninformed talk is feeding fear uncertainty and doubt, that is not worth serious consideration. Even so, given what's publicly known about Jobs' medical hidostry, questions about the condition of his health are certainly fair to ask, and the ones who should be doing the asking are Apple's outside directors.

Open Tech Offers A Different Twist On The Apple Clone

by Jeff SMykil, Ars Technica

While the company will preinstall Ubuntu 8.0.4 or Windows XP, the computer the company claims to be Apple-compatible won't actually be able to do so with Mac OS X.

Why Q3FY08 iPhone Revenues Won't Be Up Very Much

by MacJournals

Isn't accounting fun?

Apple Device Security: Big Temptation To Dumb-Down

by Merlin Mann, 43 Folders

Is four digits (or a trivial password) enough to protect your irreplaceable private data? Are you willing to assume that risk? It's unbelievable that the question even needs to be asked.

Apple Updates iLife Apps

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Traveling WIth The iPhone 3G

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

The addition of GPS made the iPhone much more effective for traveling and MobileMe is a godsend.

Microsoft Offers First Hints At Anti-Apple Marketing Blitz For Vista

by Slash Lane, AppleInsider

Microsoft this week offered a window into the first phase of a mega million dollar advertising campaign designed to clear up 'misconception' about the quality of its Windows Vista operationg system exacerbated by in-your-face marketing efforts on the part of longtime rival Apple.

If You Don't Like AAPL's "Steve's Health Is A Private Matter" Statement, Then Sell

by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet.com

The bottom line is that if you're an Apple investor and you don't like the "Steve's health is a private matter" statement made by CFO Peter Oppenheimer then there's only one thing you should do - sell your Apple stock and invest in a company that you trust more.

Third Quarter Earnings: The Analysts Speak

by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek

The main concern will be the warning over gross margin in Apple's fourth fiscal quarter ending in September and into fiscal 2009.

Securing Your iPhone 2.0

by Glenn Fleishman, Macworld

Software update offers dramatic security improvements, though gaps remain.

Finale 2009 Music Notation Software Ships

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

New in Finale 2009 is streamlined workflow interface that makes it easier to create and enter music, move and edit what you've written.

Now That We Have The App Store...

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

... isn't it about time that Apple put those iLife "Shop For" commands to good use?

Stop Telling Me What I Already Know

by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu

On Windows, MobileMe will always pop up a dialog telling it cannot do any sync whenever I do not have internet access. Which is a real irritation, if you ask me.

Copy-And-Paste: Now More Than Ever

by Dan Moren, Macworld

With the addition of the App Store and third-party applications, the problem of how to move data around the phone has increased exponentially.

Default Folder Update Improves Word 2008 Compatibility

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Among the changes specific to Word are a fix for Spotlight keyword saving so that it works in Word 2008 Save As dialogs. The update also fixed a problem that caused Default Folder X to not include folders in its Recent Folders list when saving in Microsoft Word 2008.

July 22, 2008

Developer Installer Solution Ships

by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

Excel Software has introduced its developer-focused ClickInstall 1.0 software for Mac OS X.

Review: IPNetSentryX 1.6.5

by Joe Kissell, Macworld

Although IPNetSentryX is a sort of jack of all trades when it comes to firewall software, its most salient distinguishing characteristic is that it uses adaptive rather than fixed rules.

Apple Shines On Minneapolis Firm's iPhone App

by Emma L. Carew, Star Tribune

After Apple opened its online application store, DoApp's "myLite Color Strobe and Flashlight" program quickly broke into the store's top 10 free downloads.

Plopp 1.2.5

by Roman Loyola, Macworld

Impara's Plopp is a drawing tool for kids that not only makes 3-D easy, but it makes it fun, too.

Apple Pushes MobileMe Surprise To XP, Vista Via iTunes Update

by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Apple Inc. installed a control panel applet for its MobileMe online sync and storage service on Windows XP and Windows Vista systems when they were updated to iTunes 7.7 - the second time this year that it's bundled new software with an update for an existing program.

MobileMe Competition

by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu

I wish Microsoft's Live Mesh can offer some real competition to Appel's MobileMe.

I am not hopeful, but I do wish. Even Google right now does not offer such a comprehensive package of convenience.

In Age Of iPhone, Computers Walk The Plank

by Allan Hoffman, The Star-Ledger

Apple's latest iPhone signals a new era, with a shift in the center of the computing world away from the full-fledged computer and onto the hand-held device.

Investors Eye Health Of Apple's Steve Jobs

by Dhanya Skariachan, Reuters

Apple Hints At A 'Product Transition' And A New Product Soon?

by Arnold Kim, MacRumors.com

In the conference call, Apple executives repeated referred to a "product transition" that may affect Q4 revenue numbers.

If I have to bet, I'd say new notebooks, with many of the MacBook Air features migrating to the MacBook Pro and MacBook lines.

Apple Earnings Call - Steve Jobs' Health Is Private, No Plans To Leave Apple

by Leander Kahney, Cult Of Mac

"Jobs has no plans to leave Apple. Steve's health is a private matter."

Free VirtualBox For Mac Now A Virtual Contender

by Alan Zisman, Low End Mac

VirtualBox for Mac has grown up; while it lacks every feature available in its commercial virtualizer competitors, it offers good performance, networking, and USB support.

Some MobileMe Customers Without E-mail For 4 Days

by David Zeiler, Baltimore Sun

Apple gets points for acknowledging the issues and trying to make it right, but that will do little to placate people who just want the service to work as promised.

Mobile Safari Speed Improvements "More Than A Feeling"

by Jeff Smykil, Ars Technica

Apple Reports Record Third Quarter Results

by Macworld UK

Apple shipped 2,496,000 Macs during the quarter, representing 41 per cent unit growth and 43 per cent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter. The company sold 11,011,000 iPods during the quarter, representing 12 per cent unit growth and seven per cent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter.

Apple: iPhone Coming To 20 More Countries Aug 22

by Philip Michaels, Macworld

Even as it struggles to meet demand in existing markets, Apple plans to introduce the iPhone 3G to new countries next month. The company said that the latest iPhone would go on sale in 20 additional countries by August 22.

KavaTunes Takes iTunes Online

by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

Access your music using a web browser.

You Control Update Improves Leopard iCal Support

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

You Software updated its custom menu creation utility, You Control. The new version provides support for iCal calendars served via a CalDAV server.

July 21, 2008

Review: Internet Cleanup 5.0

by Joe Kissell, Macworld

Internet utility suite produces mixed results.

Converting From PC To Mac

by Dan Kaufman, The Age

I began setting it up, moving all my documents, music and photos over from my PC using a flash drive, before the horrible realisation dawned; Apple Mail doesn't import Outlook email files.

Apple May Say iPod, Mac Boosted Profit; iPhone Sales Deferred

by Connie Guglielmo, Bloomberg

Apple decided not to include last quarter's iPhone sales in its report because older models sold during the period lacked updated software.

Ten Free Mac OS X Programs That Make The PC To Mac Switch A Breeze

by Ultimate Technology Base

Having recently made the switch to a Mac myself, I've put together a list of the top ten free Mac OS X programs that made switching from a PC to a Mac a breeze.

iPhone 3G Availability Plummets

by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Apple Inc.'s iPhone 3G supply dropped dramatically over the weekend, as the company's own inventory tool showed fewer than 9% of its stores had any phones to sell on Sunday.

iPhone 2.0 Performance Issues: Contacts

by Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet.com

Apple's buggy Contacts application has effectively hobbled an integral feature of the iPhone and it's also brought down Mail and SMS with it.

Remembering When Hell Once Froze Over

by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu

If I remember my history correctly, Apple's iPod used to support MusicMatch software on Windows. Pretty soon, it was dropped when iTunes for Windows was unveiled.

So.... guess how long Apple's MobileMe will support Internet Explorer? Notice that Safari is already on Windows...

My Son, The Blogger: An M.D. Trades Medicine For Apple Rumor

by Brian Stelter, New York Times

For eight years, Arnold Kim has been trading gossip, rumor and facts about Apple, the notoriously secretive computer company, on his web site, MacRumors.com.

It had been a hobby — albeit a time-consuming one — while Dr. Kim earned his medical degree.

AppleTV: Not Mainstream, But Then Again Neither Are DVRs (Yet)

by Robert Seidman, TV By The Numbers

If Apple announces a DVR in Apple TV it will upset a few people. If it announces Slingbox functionality it also will rub some folks the wrong way. It's too bad that is the way it is, but because it is, it's not easy for Apple and I believe that's why it has played Apple TV down so much.

July 20, 2008

La La La La La I Can't Hear You

by Atomicbird

One of the most useful sources of information for a software developer on any platform is... other developers working on the same platform. The ability to discuss issues with other developers, compare notes, and get questions answered is extremely valuable. But none of that is allowed for iPhone developers.

Motorola Sues Ex-Executive For Going To Apple

by Justin Montgomery, InformationWeek

The suit claims breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets.

If You Work For Apple, We Need Your Help...

by Dave Thomas, PragDave

So, to write a book about the iPhone SDK, you have to download it. In order to download it, you have to accept the agreement. And the agreement says that the download will contain confidential information that you can't pass on to third parties. That makes it hard to publish the book.

iPhone 3G Jailbreaking Tool Goes Live

by Aidan Malley, AppleInsider

The well-known iPhone Dev Team has released one of the first utilities to jailbreak iPhone 3G and let it run unsanctioned apps, albeit one with more than a few catches.

Building On To The iPhone

by Zachary Abrahamson, The Hartford Courant

Two Connecticut software developers are among those looking to take advantage of the App Store, where iPhone users can choose from hundreds of additional features for their phones.

Apple Retail Invades China This Weekend (Photos)

by Sam Oliver, AppleInsider

Microsoft's Windows 95 Architect Is A Happy Mac Convert

by Lonnie Lazar, Cult Of Mac

Software engineer Satoshi Nakajima, the lead architect of Microsoft's Windows 95, picked up a Mac for the first time two years ago. He was so impressed, he says he'll never touch a PC again.

Apple Sends Another MobileMe Apology E-Mail And Extension

by Arnold Kim, MacRumors.com

Apple made one other mistake that it is now apologizing for. Apple had been preauthorizing charges up to 121 GBP to European customers who signed up for a free MobileMe trial.

MobileMe Outages, Maintenance Persist Into 2Nd Week

by MacNN

July 19, 2008

Distant And Remote

by John Gruber, Daring Fireball

Any time you need to type on Apple TV, if you have the Remote app open on your iPhone, the keyboard will appear and you can just type on your iPhone instead.

AT&T Mistakenly Announces Free Wi-Fi For iPhone Users... Again

by Marguerite Reardon, CNET News.com

Review: Apple Blows Its Chance With MobileMe

by Edward F. Moltzen, ChannelWeb

MobileMe is not what you'd expect from Steve Jobs' Apple. The company simply overpromised and underdelivered.

Free Software Foundation Vs iPhone

by Rafe Colburn, rc3.org

I think it was easier for Apple to reduce its packaging and do a better job of recycing old parts than it will be for them to give up some of the controls they're exercisig over the iPhone platform.

Firefox Update Fixes Mac Security Issue

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Firefox 3.0.1 corrects a Mac OS X-specific issue invoving malformed GIF files.

July 18, 2008

Apple In No Rush To Bring iPhone To Russia, China

by Maria Kiselyova and Sophie Taylor, Reuters

For now, Apple has given tacit consent to the informal supply chain by adding Russian and Chinese language options.

Why Does Open Source Need A Villain?

by Dana Blankenhorn, ZDNet.com

Don't make Steve Jobs out to be more than he is. Stop worrying about what he's going to do to open source.

Make him worry about what open source is going to do to him.

However, Apple is not in the businesses where open source is of any significant threat. Except maybe Safari. But Safari is given away free; it is to support the real business of MobileMe.

Apple's Beijing Retail Store Opens

by CCTV.com

Consumers in Beijing will soon be able to access Apple products directly from the company itself.

Apple Needs To Slay Its iPhone Dragons

by Charles Arthur, The Guardian

Bottom line, Apple's iPhone still have a lot of room for improvement, especially if you are looking at it as a computer that does phone functions.

MobileMe And iWeb Woes Continue

by Charles Jade, Ars Technica

"If you are a .Mac user and are trying to publish iWeb content via this MobileMe(ss), you can forget about it for now. It doesn't work. Period."

iPhone 3G GPS - Is It Too Small In The Antenna Department To Be Any Good?

by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet.com

Apple Seen Ordering 20% More MacBooks

by Electronista

Invoice 3 Adds Smart Coloring

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Aimed at small business users who need to create invoices to bill clients for products and services, Invoice lets you create colored invoices, keep track of payments, use drag and drop to create and arrange invoices, maintain currency conversions, save selected invoices as PDFs, create recurring invoices, manage smart folders and smart counters and more.

21 Great Technologies That Failed

by Jeremy A. Kaplan and Sascha Segan, PC Magazine

We took a look back over the years at some of the greatest flops to come out of both Microsoft and Apple, technology that failed not because it was lacking in brilliance but often because it was simply ahead of its time.

Apple's Earnings Dance

by Brian Caulfield, Forbes

Write On One Computer, Deploy Everywhere

by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu

No, I don't believe in cross-platform GUI code. Never seen one that is good enough.

But, wouldn't it be great if I can start using my Macintosh to write Windows application? MFC, WTL, ATL, .Net and plain Win32. Pretty please?

(Yes, I've actually used Visual C++ for Macintosh. If you don't know what this is, you should be thankful. Worse than Bob.)

Designing A UI To Do Cut And Paste Is Easy?

by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu

If you think that designing the UI for iPhone to do cut and paste is easy, just take a look at the mess which is Adobe Acrobat Reader.

10 Reasons To Switch From PC To Mac

by Technospeedia

Mac is ready to use out of the box.

The MobileMe Disaster Continues: Now It's Not 'Exchange For THe Rest Of Us' Anymore

by Paul Thurrott, SuperSite For Windows

Apple has a history of over-promising and under-delivering and they get a total pass on this with the press.

Has Apple Lost Its Mojo?

by Mike Elgan, Internet News

The handful of recent stumbles by Cupertino is just a temporary rough patch, right?

Apple Fails BlackBerry Test

by Paul Taylor, Financial Times

The two most glaring problems from a business perspective are the lack of a physical Qwerty keybaord and, as most other commentators have noted, rather disappointing battery life.

Demographics Is Destiny

by Fraser Speirs

If you haven't got it already, it's time to move your head to this place: iPhone OS is Apple's mainstream platform for 2012 and beyond. It's a bold prediction, but the numbers seem fairly clear.

Hands Off iPhone Talking In My Car

by Rick Fay, TidBITS

iPhone 3G Shortage To Last Two To Four Weeks, Analyst Says

by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Customers looking for an iPhone 3G may have to wait up to a month for Apple to boost its orders with suppliers and refill the pipeline, a Wall Street analyst said Thursday.

RiftVault Security Software Reaches 1.0

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

RiffVault secures credit card numbers, documents and other data using 256-bit AES encryption combined with SHA-256 hashing.

July 17, 2008

Apple Shows Off First China Store, Divulges Retail Plans

by Steven Schwankert, IDG News Service

"This is the first of many stores we will open in China," said Ron Johnson, Apple's senior vice president of retail. He later added that Apple will open stores "in Beijing, in Shanghai and beyond."

iPhone Aps: When 2.0 Means 1.0

by Jason Snell, Macworld

Apple may have updated the iPhone. But the App Store is brand new — and it shows.

Apple's Novelty Shop

by Brian Caulfield, Forbes

Play around with Apple's App store and one thing is clear: So far it's mostly about playing around.

Dooza 1.1

by Dan Miller, Macworld

There are plenty of painting and drawing programs for Mac kids, but plasq's Doozla is one of the best I've seen.

The Loopt Debacle

by Justine Ezarik, Tasty Blog Snack

Plugging Into A Little Good Will

by Frank Bruni, New York Times

"We'll just bring the charger cord," Gary said, "and plug the phone in the restaurants we visit." "Right," I said, "I'm sure they're going to let us do that."

Apple's New App Store For iPhone Stuff Is Addictive

by Edward C. Baig, USA Today

The App Store turns the iPhone into an important new computing platform.

Apple Climbs Into Third Place In U.S. PC Market

by Mark Hachman, PC Magazine

Apple again cracked the top three in U.S. PC sales for the third quarter, according to surveys released Wednesday by both Gartner and IDC.

In Sync To Pierce The Cloud

by David Pogue, New York Times

Localisations Are A Hassle

by Sven-S. Prost, Quarter Life Crisis

Once you automate more of your UI work, you reduce the number of eyes seeing it before being shipped. As a consequence bad UI experiences will increase as users get to use an absolutely virgin UI.

3 iPhone Media Apps (That Feel A Little Like Magic)

by Merlin Mann, 43 Folders

Today I want to point you to three applicatins that make me feel like I'm a music fan of the very-near-future — where personalized data flies through the air, phones play rock music bassed on your personal preferences, and everybody listens to Silkworm on moving sidewalks and in tricked-out rocket cars.

Minireview: Scrabble For iPhone/iPod Touch

by Jeff Smykil, Ars Technica

If you love Scrabble, then it is easily worth the $9.99 price tag. If you are only a casual Scrabble fan, you may want to wait until the WiFi multiplayer version comes out.

AirRadar Detects Wi-Fi Networks

by Dan Moren, MacUser

AirRadar lets you scan the area for Wi-Fi access points and provides you with details on their signal strength, whether or not the network is secured, and will even identify the strongest network for you.

Where To Eat? Ask Your iPhone

by Frank Bruni, New York Times

On Saturday night, the day after the iPhone 3G came out, I recruited a friend who had purchased one to join me in an experiment. For more than four hours we hopped around the city, asking Urbanspoon to suggest somewhere good to eat.

The New Apple Walled Garden

by Nik Cubrilovic, Tech Crunch

The problem with Apple is that the blind demand is driven by a distorted reality, so those same developers who poured thousands of hours into the BSD kernel now turn around and purchase an iPhone running that code, but it is now tied up in DRM, licenses and restrictions placed there by others.

Two Steps Forward And One Big Step Backing Up

by Rob Griffiths, Macworld

This is the cause of my syncing angst—that little progress bar—which is part of a fun game I like to call the "iPhone Backup Lottery."

How To Save Time By Typing Less

by Kirk McElhearn, Macworld

Tricks to make you a keyboard efficency expert.

iPhone 2.0 Adds Support For Embedded YouTube

by Dan Moren, Macworld

You tap on an embedded YouTube video, and it launches the iPhone's YouTube application and plays said video.

Review: Best Sudoku Apps For iPhone And iPod Touch

by Dan Frakes, Macworld

I tested every iPhone Sudoku app and picked out those worthy of your iPhone's screen. (It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it.)

Apple Apologizes For MobileMe Launch, Extends Subscriptions

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Apple spokesman, Bill Evans, told Macworld: "We want to apologize to our loyal customers and express our appreciation for their patience by giving all current subscribers an automatic 30-day extension to their MobileMe subscription free of charge."

July 16, 2008

Apple's MobileMe: Mobile Life Without Exchange

by Tom Yager, InfoWorld

iPhone will have to earn its reputation as an enterprise device by mating with Exchange Server as seamlessly as my BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices do. But iPhones also has to satisfy th eneeds of one, two, or five users. MobileMe puts Apple on an ambitious path toward that goal.

Apple Won't Crumble

by Tony Poulos, TelecomTV

Apple Botches iPhone Patching, Says Researcher

by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Apple took more than three months to patch an iPhone vulnerability, even though it had technical details of the bug and had crafted a fix for Mac OS X, the reseacher who reported the flaw said Tuesday.

Firefox Makes An Impression With Mac Users

by John O'Brien, Courier Mail

One of Firefox's advantages over Safari is its thriving ecosystem of plug-ins.

Is The iPhone 3G Bad For Mac?

by Casey Chan, The iPhone Blog

There was a 'Mac-line' for people who weren't interested in the iPhone 3G but wanted to buy a Mac, play Frisbee with the MacBook Air, get free WiFi, or just do whatever you do at the Apple store. That line was at lesat a 30 minute wait—to just get into the store!

I'm pretty sure everything will be back to 'normal' real soon now. And I'm betting that there are people in the Mac-line who are just interested in taking a look at the iPhone, and not buying either a phone or a computer.

Exchange And iPhone... A Complete Mess!

by David Ciccone, Mobility Today

Apple completely failed here and they should be embarrassed to tell their enterprise customers this is a full featured email device.

Apple's iPhone Configuration Utility Disappoints

by Andrew Garcia, eWeek

Apple's first-generation configuration tools for back-end management and policy controls are woefully under-featured when compared to modern mobile device management platforms.

App Store "Line Cutting" Issue Quietly Fixed

by David Dehlquist, MacUser

Take that, cheaters!

Apple Quietly Releases iPod Touch 1.1.5 Update

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

If you own an iPod touch that hasn't been updated to version 2.0 and would like the update, just plug your iPod touch into your Mac and decline the 2.0 update.

Copy And Paste

by John Gruber, Daring Fireball

Writing the code to implement a system-wide clipboard isn't the hard part — the hard part is coming up with the right UI design for it.

There are at least two criteria in evaluating which feature to add in a newer software release: how important or critical the feature is, and how easy or difficult to implement. I am guessing that the fact that copy-and-paste is not a critical cannot-function-without-it will-be-killed-by-Blackberry feature, plus the general difficulty in getting a right UI are why it got pushed down the to-do list.

iPhone 3G Unlocked With SIM Card Adapter

by Gizmodo

Apple iPhone 3G (8GB/16GB)

by Jeremy Horwitz, iLounge

Minireview: MLB @ Bat For iPhone/iPod Touch

by Jeff Smykil, Ars Technica

The bottom line is that this application is very well done. It performs well, the stability is about as good as you can ask for on this platform at this time, and the UI is a pleasure to use.

Xcode 3.1 Brings Security, Performance, And UI Improvements

by Erik Kennedy, Ars Technica

The final release adds support for SDKs for additional platforms (read: iPhone/iPod touch), gcc 4.2 and llvm-gcc-4.2 as alternate compilers, an integrated property-list editor, user-interface improvements to a variety of tools, and a number of performance improvements and bug fixes.

iPhone 3G: Sold Out In 21 States

by Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Fortune

Review: iPhone 2.0 Software Update

by Dan Moren, Macworld

The iPhone 2.0 software is full of the kind of refinements that you'd expect from a second-generation Apple product.

Is The iPod Touch 2.0 Update Worth $10?

by Christopher Breen, Macworld

Yes. Yes, it is.

Apple Cancels Plans For UK iTunes Price Cuts

by Lexton Snol, Macworld UK

Apple has scrapped plans to cut its UK iTunes prices, despite promising to do so at the start of the year.

Apple Files Suit Against Mac Cloners

by MacNN

Apple has begun legal proceedings against Psystar, documents confirm.

See Also: Apple Suit: Psystar's Mac Clones Must Be Recalled, by Ina Fried. Apple's list of grievances against Mac clone maker Psystar spans 16 pages, but, in the end, its argument boils down to the one expected. Psystar, Apple says, had no right to do what it did, and should be stopped and forced to pay.

Apple's MobileMe Problem Child

by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

Problems remain with MobileMe, with users signing to test the service claiming to have been charged full price; plus last-minute feature removals and more.

See Also: Apple Delays iDisk File Sharing, MobileMe Issues Continue, by Chris Foresman, Ars Technica.

July 15, 2008

Headline RSS Newsreader Debuts

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

iPhone "Silent" Switch Is Ignored By Many Applications

by Mark Jaquith

Many applications, including Apple-made applications, simply ignore this switch and will gladly send their noises to the external speaker, angering everyone on the plane, or waking your sleeping wife (this one actually happened to me). The only safe way to silence the iPhone is to enable the "silent" switch and plug in some headphones.

As the writer observed, Apple has to allow applications — such as alarm clocks — to ignore the silent switch. But, please don't abuse this, app authors, please?

The Kubler-Ross Of iPhone

by Jason Perlow, ZDNet.com

The Second Coming: Ars Goes In-Depth With The iPhone 3G

by Jacqui Cheng, David Chartier and Clint Ecker, Ars Technica

It's great as a consumer device, but with enterprise users' expectations having been raised this time around, we feel it still has quite a ways to go.

The Elephant In The Living Room

by John Siracusa, Macworld

Apple could succeed where TiVo has failed. In addition to its technology and design prowess, Apple has shown that it's willing and able to take on the powers that be.

Comic Boom Lets Kids Write Their Own Comics

by MacNN

Comic Boom includes unlimited drawing placement, allowing kids to quickly design four-panel comic strips to post on blogs, websites or saved sas PDF or JPG files.

iPhone's Location-Aware Apps

by Brady Forrest, O'Reilly Radar

Bugging

by Craig Hockenberry, Furbo.org

The tools that developers use to analyze and debug [iPhone software] problems are sorely missing at this point in time.

Apple Sends The Wrong Signal To iPhone Customers

by Philip Michaels, Macworld

Apple should certainly be proud of the fact that it sold a million iPhone 3Gs in the device's first weekend—but how about a word or two of appreciation for the patience of the folks who endured a tremendous amount of inconvenience to enable Apple to hit that mark? And while we're at it, maybe Apple could also reassure its customers that it will look into what went wrong on Friday so that it will minimize the chances of repeating those mistakes at future product launches.

Big Media Strikes Again With iPhone

by John C. Dvorak, PC Magazine

A few opinion makers, hand-selected by Apple to get phones in advance with the expectation of a glowing review, and the editors think this is just peachy? And they wonder why blogs are so popular. Perhaps it's because you ca get a less-corrupted opinion.

Bugs Abound In iPhone 2.0 Operating System, Apps

by Brian X. Chen, Wired

Instead of happily tapping their touch screens, many iPhone users are using their fingers to point accusingly at Apple - and the developers of iPhone applications.

New iPhone Applications Are Buggy But Have Great Promise

by Saul Hansell, New York Times

One behind-the-scenes aspect of the phone that I think shows some level of thoughtful design is that applications can very easily link to other aspects of the phone.

Crank Down MobileMe's 15 Minute Sync Time

by Dan Moren, MacUser

It appears that you can teweak that setting if you don't mind venturing into the dark realms of .plist editing.

iPhone App Market: A Look Into One Niche

by Jeff Smykill, Ars Technica

There is one application that I am looking forward to: an eBook reader. Unfortunately, creating one may be a lot harder than it seems.

Apple Explains Missing iPhone Features

by Sascha Segan, ExtremeTech

Why isn't there cut and paste? Apple has a priority list of featuers, and they got as far as they could down that list with this model, Apple product head Greg Joswiak said.

The Best Free App Store Games (So Far)

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

There are some really cool games you can download that won't cost you a penny.

Apple: 10 Million Apps, 1 Million iPhone 3Gs

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Apple indicates that more than 800 native applications are now available for download from the App Store, with more than 200 available for free.

July 14, 2008

Apple Sells 1 Million iPhone 3Gs In First Weekend

by AppleInsider

Despite widespread activation problems, Apple said Monday that it sold its one millionth iPhone 3G on Sunday, just three days after the new handset launched worldwide on Friday, July 11.

Review: RapidWeaver 4.0

by Tim Haddock, Macworld

RapidWeaver 4.0 strikes just the right balance between customizability and ease of use. If you find iWeb limiting, Dreamweaver intimidating, and hand coding impossible, give RapidWeaver a try.

Apple Has No Excuse For iPhone/MobileMe Disaster

by David Zeiler, Baltimore Sun

This would be a humiliation for any large company, but it's worse for Apple, which has built its public image on a foundation of superior design and customer service.

TopXNotes 1.3

by Philip Michaels, Macworld

Can The New iPhone Revolutionize Radio?

by Larry Magld, CBS News

If this does catch on, it could be incredibly disruptive to both the terrestiral and the relatively new satellite radio industries. With the internet, stations no longer neeed transmitters, satellites or hard-to-get-FCC licenses to broadcast to mobile listeners.

It's like podcasts, but live.

Last.fm For iPhone Launches, Rocks.

by Pete Mortensen, Cult Of Mac

With Pandora and AOL Radio, it has officially made the iPhone superior in every way to a satellite radio — unless you care about Howard Stern.

Hypenotized By Apple

by Michael Mace, Mobile Opportunity

Apple's PR miasma is also starting to twist the thinking of people in the tech industry who ought to know better.

Apple May Have Sold 425,000 New iPhones After Debut

by Connie Guglielmo, Bloomberg

Apple Inc. may have sold as many as 425,000 of its new iPhones in the first three days after the handset made its debut, in line with projections even after a technical breakdown seemed poised to stall sales.

Review: iPhone 3G

by Jason Snell, Macworld

Did Woz Cut The Line For His iPhone 3G?

by Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet.com

Woz claims that he was invited to the front of the line and didn't cut.

Review: Tipulator For iPhone

by Dan Moren, Macworld

Tipulator's user interface is pleasant and friendly, and while it works well enough, for such a simple process, it sometimes seems like overkill.

Lord Of The Rings

by Simon Tsang, Sydney Morning Herald

In many respects, the biggest difference between the iPhone 3G and its competitors won't be the device itself but two new online services Apple is launching called App Store and MobileMe.

iPhone 3G: On The Line In Seattle

by Jeff Carlson, TidBITS

It wasn't a party, but it wasn't a slog, either.

Tip: Updating iPhone To 5A347 Reduces Yellow Tinge

by Clint Ecker, Ars Technica

3G iPhone's Mediocre Battery Life Still Beats Rivals

by Yardena Arar, PC World

The battery life on Apple's new 3G iPhone isn't great, but it beats that of other 3G smartphones we've seen.

The New iPhone Still Has A Battery Problem

by Joe Nocera, International Herald Tribune

For heavy cellphone users - and who isn't these days? - the battery is going to need a charge by lunchtime. Good luck with that.

Year Of Call Waiting Comes To An End With iPhone

by Colleen Cason, Ventura County Star

Watchers of the tech scene have predicted the demographic for this new version of the iPhone would skew older. Older and wiser, they had been burned by Betamax and Quadraphonic sound.

Developers Furious Over App Store "Line Cutting"

by Macenstein

It seems several different companies have renamed their iPhone games to begin with either a space, a quotation mark, or some other symbol so that they appear first in the list of 197 games on the iPhone portal to the App Store.

MobileMe Settling In, But Users Still Unhappy

by Stephen Withers, iTWire

The situation regarding .Mac's Groups and HomePage features is still unclear.

Walkthrough: Exhcange ActiveSync On Your iPhone 2.0

by Rene Ritchie, The iPhone Blog

It's just that simple... which is really the point.

Extending Battery Life On The iPhone 3G

by Mitch Wagner, InformationWeek

Most of tips boil down to turning off features you're not using. Turn off 3G, location services, push e-mail, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth if you're not using them. Adjust brightness. Minimize use of third-party applications like games that prevent the screen from dimming or shutting off, and applications that use location services.

iPhone 3G: The First 48 Hours

by Melissa J. Perenson, PC World

I've become accustomed to being frustrated—an experience I'm not used to associating with Apple. Of course, much of the frustration emanates as much from the inadequacy of the AT&T network as it does from the iPhone's issues.

MobileMe's Push Services Detailed, No Mac To MobileMe 'Push'

by Arnold Kim, MacRumors.com

In order to use the advanced Push capabilities of MobileMe from your Mac, you need to enable "Automatic" synchronization by selecting it in the MobileMe control panel.

Two Days After 3G Launch, Crowds Persist

by Philip Michaels, Macworld

We're getting anecdotal reports that Apple Stores still have lines of would-be iPhone shoppers over the weekend (though nothing like the block-long queues you would have seen on Friday).

July 13, 2008

Steve Wozniak Out Of Line At iPhone Store?

by Greg Sandoval, CNET News.com

According to Doug and Patrice Broussard, Woz actually never waited in line at all. The couple said the Apple co-founder lounged on some of the mall's nearby sofas for about four hours and them ambled up to the front of the queue when the store opened at 8 a.m. and simply cut in line. No discussion.

Review: Mondo Solitaire For The iPhone

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

I can't help but feel that it might benefit from a bit more polish and refinement.

Web Sites Adapt To iPhone

by John Markoff, International Herald Tribune

When Steve Jobs introduced the Apple iPhone 18 months ago, he contended that viewing the web on it was comparable to browsing on a desktop personal computer.

As it turns out, Jobs may well have understated the quality of the iPhone web experience. Visiting web sites that have been redesigned for the iPhone is often a quicker and more pleasing experience than it is on those increasingly cinema-style desktop displays.

20 Cool iPhone Apps

by BRad Reed, Network World

Apple Stores Have iPhones; AT&T Is Mostly Sold Out

by Connie Guglielmo, Bloomberg

Almost all of Apple Inc.'s stores in the U.S. reported they will have the iPhone 3G to sell, a day after thousands lined up to buy the handset and emptied most of AT&T Inc.'s inventory.

After Slow Start, My iPod Touch Is A Happy 2.0 Camper

by Louis Gray

European Retailers Sell Out At iPhone 3G Launch

by Prince McLean, AppleInsider

Apple Releases MobileMe 1.1 For Leopard

by Jeff Gamet, Mac Observer

Try For A Taste Of iPhone's Success

by Duncan Stewart, Financial Post

In the short term, I think the single best way for Canadian investors to make a bet on the iPhone's success is to buy ROgers.

'Worth The Wait'

by John Boudreau, San Jose Mercury News

For many iPhone fans, the 3G launch is not just a sale but a happening.

Zen Pinball: Rollercoaster

by Spanner Spencer, Pocket Gamer

Review: The iPhone 3G Was Worth The Wait

by Ryan Faas, Computerworld

The iPhone 3G packs quite a punch, both in its design and in the 3G and GPS capabilities. Combined with the new features available to all iPhone owners, it is a generational leap forward that raises the bar for what a mobile device can be.

Mac OS X Update For MobileMe 1.1

by Mat Lu, The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Confessions Of A Guy Who Stood In Line 7 Hours To Buy An iPhone

by Mitch Wagner, InformationWeek

I used to wonder what kind of person stood in line for the better part of the day to buy a product when it first became available. Now I don't have to wonder — I am the one.

Apple Says Yellow-Tinted iPhone 3G Screen Deliberate

by Aidan Malley, AppleInsider

Careful With That iPhone, Or You Might End Up In Kazakhstan

by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

Some data that gets lost when you drag photos from iPhoto into the Finder.

Review: Exposure For iPhone

by Kelly Turner, Macworld

Connected Flow's Exposure puts the world of Flickr, Yahoo's popular photo-sharing service, at your fingertips with an intuitive interface that makes it easy to not just show off your own photos, but also to explore the latest snapshots from your friends and the larger Flickr community.

July 12, 2008

Police Step In As London Apple Store Closes Early

by Lexton Snol, Macworld UK

Flanked by police officers Apple staff effectively closed the London Apple Store today in the middle of the afternoon.

UK iPhone 3G Launch - Now Things Get Even Worse

by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

Activation nightmares plague iPhone owners, new and old.

Review: Wingnuts Moto Racer For iPhone

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Apple Releases Flood Of New Games For iPhone And iPhone 3G

by Victor Godinez, Dallas Morning News

Well, I guess Apple does care about games.

iPhone, Third-Party Applications And Settings.app

by Lukas Mathis, Ignore The Code

The current situation is confusing, as it is never clear where a particular application's settings can be found.

I don't have an iPhone to play with, but it seems that developers should (re)design their applications to suit the iPhone's HIG and capabilities.

It's Worth The Hell

by Robert Scoble, Scobleizer

It's worth the hell. Apple and AT&T will do just fine after fixing all the bugs that caused today's debacle.

Activating Your iPhone 3G: What You Need To Know

by Jonathan Seff, Macworld

iPhone: Not So Easy Or Painless

by Duncan Martell, Reuters

Engadget's Sloppy Journalism On The New Phone

by Dan Gillmor, Center For Citizen Media

iPhone 2.0 Includes Critical Security Fixes

by Robert McMillan, IDG News Service

Apple disclosed Friday that the iPhone 2.0 software, which can be downloaded by users of the previous-generation iPhone, fixes some bugs in the browser and networking software in that earlier device. Some of the browser bugs are serious and could give attackers a way to sneak malicious software onto the iPhone.

Review: Remote For iPhone And iPod Touch

by Dan Frakes, Macworld

Remote works well with iTunes, but it's a godsend for Apple TV—especially if, like me, you've got a massive music collection.

Microsoft Ahead Of Apple, Ubuntu In OS Update Reliability

by Stephen Shankland, CNET News.com

iPod Touch Software 2.0 - Well Worth Upgrading

by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet.com

Overall, a worthwhile upgrade. Still, having to pay for an update that contains security updates sucks a bit.

Apple should really change the iPod touch's accounting, so that customers can get new software free.

How The "Apple Tax" Boosts Prices On iPod & iPhone Accessories

by Joel Johnson, Popular Mechanics

The advent of the "auth chip" made it impossible for any third-party company to produce iPod-compatible gadgets without dealing first with Apple—the only company selling the chip.

A Day In The Line: QUeuing Up For The iPhone 3G Launch

by Danny Dumas, Wired

Lining up in front of the San Francisco Apple store during the wee hours on Friday morning, Wired.com correspondents talked to a litany of fascinating iPhone fans, geeky tech-heads and even some cynics.

Apple Releases iPhone And iPod Touch Software 2.0

by AppleInsider

The Real Price Difference Between The Old And New iPhone

by David Pogue, New York Times

"For reasonable interest rates, the new plan is cheaper."

iPhone Launch-O-Mess-O-Rama

by The Macalope, CNET News.com

Review: Super Monkey Ball For iPhone

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Super Monkey Ball is all about the racing, the core component of hte game's GameCube predecessor. But the mini-games and multiplayer games that make the GameCube game fun when you're having a party are all absent—something for Sega to work on for the next installation, for sure.

Review: Tap Tap Revenge For iPhone

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

It only makes sense that one of the most popular games to be developed for "jailbroken" iPhones would see life anew as an official App Store release.

Original iPhones Come Back To Life As iPod Touches

by Dan Moren, Macworld

Review: Engimo For The iPhone

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

3-D puzzle game gets multi-touch controls.

I See You, iPhone Remote

by Jason Snell, Macworld

I keep seeing these little iPhone names pop up in my iTunes, then disappear back into oblivion. Over and over.

July 11, 2008

Meet Canada's First iPhone Buyer

by Oliver Moore and Matt Trevisan, Reporton Business

Christian Meagher yawned as he did his fifth interview of the morning. Minutes away from being the first person to buy the new iPhone in Canada, he'd been up all night and was having trouble staying excited.

Canada's iPhone Addicts Finally Get Their Fix

by Linda Nguyen, Hollie Shaw and Brendan Kennedy, Finance Post/Ottawa Citizen/Edmonton Journal

iPhone 3G Review

by Ryan Block, Engadget

There are always things that could be improved, features to be added, fixes that should be applied — but from first to second gen, from year one to year two, Apple has proven itself a relentless upstart in the mobiile space, and is showing no signs of slowing down.

iPhone 2.0 Software Review: Forget 3G, It's Code That Counts

by Gizmodo

The iPhone Haters

by Brian Braiker, Newsweek

For a small, disparate group of passionate technophiles, Steve Jobs & Co. can do no right.

Minireview: Bejeweled 2 For iPhone

by Charles Jade, Ars Technica

The game of Bejeweled is fun to play and the iPhone is probably the best mobile platform made for it to date, and yet Bejeweled 2 is not nearly as good as it could have been.

Apple Statement On MobileMe Transition Delay

by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

The service was expected to be fully operational by now, but things have clearly not been going according to plan. And Apple has now confessed to problems.

Apple Extends iTunes To New Countries

by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

However, if you've hungry for music and media you won't find this in the new iTunes Stores - they're App Stores designed to support the iPhone 3G.

We started asking whether iTunes is suitable name when Apple added movies and TV shows. Now, we essentially have iTunes Stores that do not even sell music, movies or TV shows. Still iTunes Stores, eh?

London Launch Of iPhone 3G Marred By Software Problems

by Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service

Software problems marred the launch of the iPhone 3G at Apple's flagship store in London, where customers had difficulty activating their new phones.

TinyCal 1.3

by Dan Frakes, Macworld

Pandora For iPhone Shows The Device Will Be More Like A Mac, Less Like An iPod

by Pete Mortensen, Cult Of Mac

The fact that Apple has made room for someone else to deliver media to the iPhone really announces to the world that it is a platform for other companies to make money.

11Th Hour Settlement In iPhone Dispute

by Matt Hartley, Globe And Mail

After striking an eleventh-hour deal with Apple on Wednesday night, the president and founder of Tornoto-based Comwave Telecom Inc. is pleased with the way his legal odyssey with the computer maker has ended.

Asia Customers First In Line For Next-Generation Apple iPhone

by AFP

Apple fans across Asia lined for hours to get their hands on the new iPhone Friday, looking to be the first to own a gadget the company hopes will be as big a worldwide smash as the iPod.

For the purpose of this article, Australia and New Zealand are also part of Asia.

The App Store, Day One

by John Gruber, Daring Fireball

On the iPhone's App Store app, at the bottom of the details page for every app is a downloads count. Given that the only way to downoad a non-free app is to buy it, it more or less puts sales figures out in the open.

Why I Won't Spend Money On The App Store

by Don Reisinger, CNET News.com

It's just that I think there will be so many great free apps in the store that I won't even need to worry about paying for software.

Battle Of The iPhone Apps: MySpace Vs Facebook

by Paul Glazowski, Mashable

More Consumers Make The Switch To Macs

by Beth Snyder Bulik, Advertising Age

Blog after blog chronicles the move from Windows to Mac operating systems.

3G iPhone: The Business Perspective

by Natasha Lomas, CNET News.com

The iPhone—and its app store—has bags of potential as a business tool—so in the not too distant future it will undoubtedly be disrupting a fair amount of workplaces, and work practices.

iPhone OS 2.0 Unlocked

by Gizmodo

Crowds Greet iPhone With Enthusiasm At Japan Sales Launch

by AFP

Japan's Apple fans traded sleep and comfort for the thrill of being the first to buy the iPhone, with many camping out days before the launch.

The iPhone Naysayers, One Year Later

by Jake Widman, The Industry Standard

Remember the iPhond naysayers? The experts, observers and competitors who said Apple's mobile phone wsa too expensive, overhyped, or otherwise lacking? Well, the Industry Standard went back to seven of the critics — including John C. Dvorak, Dan Gillmor, and Steve Ballmer — and asked them what they think now that the iPhone has proven itself a hit with consumers and turned the mobile world upside-down.

Apple Users Angry Over MobileMe Outage

by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Apple's revamped online service, MobileMe, remained unavailable to users throughout much of the day Thursday, prompting some angry complaints on the company's support forums.

iPhone Gaming: A Lack Of Controls?

by Craig Grannell, Cult Of Mac

My concern is that the genius of Apple's lack of physical controls for most applicatoins might be its undoing in the games world.

500 iPhone Apps, But Why These?

by Jeff Smykil, Ars Technica

We have talked to several developers, some with several apps that didn't make the cut and have made some guesses as to what Apple's process was.

Apple Remote: Remote Control Done Right!

by Bbum's Weblog-O-Mat

Having bi-directional, fully stateful, communication between the remote and the media playback device is a gigantic game changer.

Crossword Puzzles Come To The iPhone

by Joanathan Seff, Macworld

EA Announces iPhone Game Lineup

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

The first three native EA Mobile iPhone games from EA are Scrabble, Sudoku and Tetris.

Three New iPhone Calculators

by Jason Snell, Macworld

Here on the first day of the App Store's existence, what do we find? Three alternatives to Apple's built-in calculator.

Race Motorcycles With Wingnuts Moto Racer

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Freeverse Software's debut game on the iPHone is a challenging 3D vehicle racing game called Wingnuts Moto Racer.

Twitterrific Adds iPhone Version

by Jason Snell, Macworld

Twitterrific displays tweets from your contacts and lets you send tweets.

Exposure Brings Flickr To Your iPHone

by Dan Moren, Macworld

The most fascinating feature of Exposure by far is using the iPhone's built in location service to browse pictures that were taken near your current location.

Use Jott To Record Your Thoughts

by Rob Griffiths, Macworld

Sketches Lets You Draw All Over Your iPhone

by Dan Moren, Macworld

LateNiteSoft's Sketches lets you draw all over your iPhone, including on pictures that you import from your iPhone's photo albums or camera.

Circulator Tracks Your Swaps

by Jason Snell, Macworld

Circulator lets you track of what stuff of what stuff you've borrowed and what you've lent, including the day the loan started and the due date of the item in question.

Ambrosia Announces Three New App Store Games

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Ambrosia Software, long-time Macintosh utility and application developer, announced Thursday that it has launched three iPhone games with the introduction of the App Store. Ambrosia's kicking off its iPhone application releases with Aki Mahjong, mondo Solitaire and Mr. Sudoku.

Mobile Game Maker Jirbo Makes Big iPhone Play

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Remote Lets You Control iTunes From iPhone, iPod Touch

by Dan Moren, Macworld

Among the first programs available in Apple's newly launched App Store is a free application called Remote, developed by Apple itself. Remote lets you control your iTunes library or an Apple TV all from your iPhone or iPod touch.

Taking Screen Shots With iPhone 2.0

by Jason Snell, Macworld

If you've ever seen something interesting on your iPhone's screen and wanted to capture it—or, more practically, you're someone who writes about the iPhone and has lamented its inability to take screen shots—you'll be happy about a small feature in the iPhone 2.0 software.

A Heads-Up On Purchasing Things In The App Store

by Rob Griffiths, Macworld

When you click Buy in the App Store, you buy immediately.

July 10, 2008

Apple's Latest Opens A Developers' Playground

by John Markoff and Laura M. Holson, New York Times

Wem Apple opens its online App Store for iPhone software on Thursday, Steven P. Jobs will be making an attempt to dominate the next generation of computing as it moves toward internet-connected mobile devices.

A First Look At The App Store

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Here's a first look at the new service and how it works.

Apple Releases iPhone Configuration Utility For Corporate Environments

by Dan Moren, Macworld

Apple TV 2.1 Software Supports Remote App, MobileMe

by Jason Snell, Macworld

New Zealand Kicks Off iPhone 3G Launch

by Philip Michaels, Macworld

Mobile Me Opens For Business (And Pleasure)

by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

iTunes 7.7 Released, Free iPhone Remote Via App Store

by iPodNN

The new version is designed to sync music, video, and more with iPhone 3G as well as download applications from the iTunes Store exclusively designed for iPhone and iPod touch with software version 2.0 or later.

PopChar X 4

by Philip Michaels, Macworld

If you spend a lot of your work day dealing with text, having a tool that helps you quickly insert special characters can be a real productivity booster.

Apple To Open Beijing Store On July 19

by Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service

Apple will open a retail store in Beijing on July 19, stepping up its presence in China three weeks before the start of the Summer Olympic Games.

Criminal Probe Of Apple Options Is Ended

by Justin Scheck and Nick Wingfeld, Wall Street Journal

The Justice Department has ended its criminal investigation of backdated stock options at Apple Inc., deciding not to bring charges against the company or several current and former executives it had been probing for two years, people familiar with the case said.

App Store For iPhone Already A Hit With Developers

by Jefferson Graham, USA Today

With 500 programs launching internationally Thursday night, "This is the biggest launch of my career," says Jobs.

Rogers Bows To Demands, Cuts iPhone Data Plan Cost

by CTV.ca

Rogers Wireless has slashed the cost of using an iPhone in Canada following an outcry of customer complaints over the price of its data packages.

Greenpeace Pans iPhone 3G "Not Green," Like First

by MacNN

Greenpeace is again calling Apple out on its enviromental practices, citing that the iPhone 3G uses the same toxic building materials that it found in its breakdown of the original device.

Fake Steve Jobs Calling It A Day

by Tom Krazit, CNET News.com

Dan Lyons, the former Forbes writer and soon-to-be Newsweek writer, announced Wednesday in a rambling post that he's shutting down the tech industry phenomenon known as The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs.

PowerTunes Organizes Multiple iTunes Libraries

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

PowerTunes lets you create multiple iTunes libraries, organize your music among multiple music folders, share music and libraries between multiple users on a single machine and more.

Home Sweet Home For Mac OS X

by MacNN

Home Sweet Home allows gamers to act as home designers.

July 9, 2008

Rumour Control - Apple Versus Rogers

by Kris Abel, CTV

Enjoy the crazy rumours for their entertainment valu, but please don't be so quick to take them seriously.

Fifth Avenue Closing On 10Th; App Store Up Early?

by MacNN

Apple's flagship American store, the Fifth Avenue location in New York City, will temporarily close on July 10th, Apple has announced.

The Day My MacBook Died

by Joel Evans, Geek.com

That was it. No commotion, no negotiation, just calm, cool, and confident. I felt reassured that my MacBook would come back soon and now I wait for its arrival. What I really do find most amazing is how I honestly felt like the Apple employees were just as upset as I was that my MacBook wasn't working.

Name Mangler 2.0

by Dan Frakes, Macworld

If you've got a bunch of files that need renaming, Many Tricks' Name Nalger 2.0 is my favorite tool to use.

AT&T Lays Down The Law For Apple

by Tom Yager, InfoWorld

For better or worse, carriers run the wireless game, and nothing can move faster than they want it to.

Mac Vs. Windows Laptops

by James A. Martin, PC World

Don't buy into the old argument that Mac laptops are categorically mre expensive than Windows machines. Sometimes that's true—but they're often on par with, or cost less than, their closest Windows laptop equivalents.

iPhone Line Forms In Japan At Softbank Flagship Store

by MacNN

Refresh Your Mac

by Logan Kugler, PC Magazine

This simpel process will revitalize your Mac, bringing back the zippy performance it displayed on day one.

Apple Expects 15-Minute Setup Process For New iPhone

by Connie Guglielmo, Bloomberg

Apple Inc. will start selling its new iPHone at 8 a.m. nationwide on July 11 and plans to activate U.S. customer accounts with AT&T Inc. within 15 minutes.

Newer, Faster, Cheaper iPhone 3G

by Walter S. Mossberg, AllThingsD

If you've been waiting to buy an iPhone until it dropped in price, or ran on faster cell networks, you might want to take the plunge, if you can live with the higher service costs and the weaker battery life.

For iPhone, The 'New' Is Relative

by David Pogue, New York Times

It's not so much better that it turns all those original iPhones into has-beens. Indeed, the really big deal is the iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store, neither of which requires buying a new iPhone.

Apple's New iPhone 3G: Still Not Perfect, But Really Close

by Edward C. Baig, USA Today

It's cheaper, faster and a lot friendlier for business. Apple's blockbuster smartphone already had nifty features such as visual voicemail, a splendid built-in video iPod and the best mobile web browser I've ever used. With GPS newly added to the mix, this handheld marvel has no equal among consumer-oriented smartphones.

Live From Abbey Road: Recording History

by Jonny Evans, Apple

What's key is that Live From Abbey Road's relatively small seven-person core production unit can manage to film, edit, colour correct and export the entire show using one set of tools.

Only U.S. Apple Retail Stores Getting iPhone 3G

by Tom Krazit, CNET News.com

If you want an iPhone 3G outside of the U.S., you won't find one at the Apple store.

Apple Just Gave Out My Apple ID Password Because Someone Asked

by Marko Karppinen, MK&C

Apple May Have Shipped 2.5 Million Macs In Spring Thanks To Vista

by Aidan Malley, AppleInsider

The poor reception of Windows Vista, along with a strong Mac OS X, will help Apple continue to ship Macs at three times the industry average by the end of spring, according to BMO Capital Markets.

Freeverse Releasing More Than A Dozen iPhone Games

by MacNN

No iPhones For Canadian Apple Stores?

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

REALbasic 2008 Release 3 Ships

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

O2: Apple To Blame For iPhone 3G Ordering Woes

by MacNN

"We have been working continously with [Apple] to get as much stock for the UK as possible," says O2 sales director Steve Shurrock. "Unfotunately, they have only been able to supply a small proportion of the number of phones we asked for, because they are launching simultaneously in 22 countries."

July 8, 2008

Apple Expo 2007 Dates Announced For September

by Jeff Smykil, Ars Technica

This year's Apple Expo is once again being held across the pond in Paris at the Porte de Versailles. While Apple will no longer be attending, big names like Microsoft, Epson, Nike, Mini, and Kensington will be.

Conference organisers have to be ready for two potential changes: Apple will withdraw from all trade shows, and Apple may well organize its own trade show. (It already does WWDC successfully.)

Japan To Get 3G iPhone From 7 AM On Friday

by Martyn Williams, Macworld

On Friday the iPhone will go on sale in more than 70 countries (sic). New Zealand is likely to see the first launch followed by Australia an then Japan.

No, the majority of the 70 countries will not have iPhone this week.

Browser Security: IE Vs Safari Vs Firefox

by Kenneth van Wyk, Datamation

Although Safari has been losing pretty pathetically in my other categories here, its integration with OS X is a work of genius.

MobileMe Steals Live Mesh Thunder

by Tim Anderson, The Register

MobileMe is a lesser thing in concept, but if it works as promised, it will deliver more value sooner for individuals.

Keep Track Of Your Stuff The Easy Way

by Bob LeVitus, Houston Chronicle

When you consider all the time you'll save, and all the items you won't be losing, Delicious Library 2 is a bargain.

Id Software CEO Speaks On Apple And Gaming

by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

Hollenshead explains he's seeing Apple make a much bigger investment in the gaming sector, and observes the appearance of developers from Electronic Arts and Id Software at WWDC 2007.

Secrets Of The Mac Trackpad, From iBook To MacBook Air

by Ryan Faas, Computerworld

While almost anyone who has ever used a laptop knows the basics of using a trackpad as a pointing device, not everyone knows about all the features that Apple has added to its trackpads over the years.

Pimp My Code, Part 15: The Greatest Bug Of All

by Wil Shipley, Call Me Fishmeal

It's a bug we should have caught. We should have spent the time to get the images in the 10,000 item file. I messed up.

Software is written by human. Humans get tired. Humans become discouraged. They aren't perfect beings. As developers, we want to pretend this isn't so, that our software springs from our head whole and immaculate like the goddess Athena. Customers don't want to hear us admit that we fail.

Apple-Rogers Falling Out: A Story Too Good To Be True?

by Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Fortune

MobileMe Launching On July 9Th Between 6PM-12AM PT

by Arnold Kim, MacRumors.com

Apple has announced the launch date and time for their MobileMe service.

Under The Hood: The iPhone's Gaming Mettle

by Touch Arcade

What gear gives the iPhone its game?

Frenzied Demand For Apple's New 3G iPhone

by Richard Wray, The Guardian

Demand for the new 3G version of the iPhone has outstripped supply, and O2, Apple's exclusive UK mobile phone partner, says it has run out of stock for customers wanting to pre-order the device before it goes on general release on Friday.

Apple Stores To Open At 8.00 AM Friday For iPhone 3G Launch

by AppleInsider

US-based Apple retail stores will join those of AT&T by opening at 8.00 a.m. local time on Friday, July 11th, to usher in the new iPhone 3G, the company said Monday.

Woe, Canada

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Don't let the suits fool you, they are trying to rob me blind.

The Tyranny Of "Free"

by Dan Moren, MacUser

This is economics at its most basic. Seriously. It doesn't get any more basic than this.

Butterflies Are Free, So Why Aren't iPhone Apps?

by The Macalope, CNET News.com

The Macalope keeps hearing from so-claled analysts how the future will be ruled by ad-based software services that everyone will love because they'll be "free!" (with ads!). Personally, he thinks you can keep your Buy n Large future. He's happy to pay for a better user experience.

Somewhere, in a retirement home, a young Bill Gates is smiling.

Six Of The Best: Mac OS X Menu Extras

by Craig Grannell, Cult Of Mac

We present our favorites from the slew of apps vying for a place in your menu bar.

Media Catalog 4.0 Adds Quick Look Support To Indexing App

by James Wickboldt, Macworld

Developer Robert Kuilman updated Media Catalog Monday, adding drag support and Quick Look features to the media indexing application.

Committee Calls For More Content For Elderly, Children In Chinese TV Shows

by Channel NewsAsia

The Advisory Committee for Chinese Programmes wants to see more content for the elderly and children, and fewer commericalised variety shows and dramas capitalising on inappropriate themes.

Sequence Ships For Mac OS X

by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

App4mac has introduced Sequence for Mac OS X, a tool with which to capture and save an image or a movie of your screen to your computer.

Europa Universalis: Rome Game Ships For Mac

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

A turn-based strategy game, Europa Universalis: Rome puts players in the role of the leader of a Mediterranean civilization during the era from the first Punic War through to the start of the true Roman empire.

Add-On Brings Inline PDFs To Firefox 3

by MacNN

Google Code project owner 'Colesbury' has released FIrefox Mac Plugin. Based on the PDFKit in Cocoa, the open-source Mac-PDF plugin allows users to view full .PDF documents within the browser itself.

July 7, 2008

Apple's Not So Secret Army

by Brian Caulfield, Forbes

Faced with a crush of media interst in the run-up to the new iPhone's launch July 11, some developers are talking to reporters, but they're begging off discussing specifics. Touchy topics span the technical details of their applications to the feedback they received from Apple.

INQ Hack Goes Mac

by Dean Pullen, The Inquirer

I like the no-fuss OS, the bells and whistles, and the ability to work for longer than ten minutes without my disk rotating at maximum velocity for an eternity.

Segway Top Designer Moves To Apple

by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

Apple And Adobe Bully Small Busiensses Over Name Rights

by Daniweb

These companies fail to understand there is a bright line between a trademark violation and using the trademark in a legitimate fashion to promote a business that's a natural off-shoot of the brand.

Service And The Fifty Percent Rule

by Ross Mayfield

It is curiously obvious that complex products not only need after-market support, but giving it equal treatment increases profit through customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Apple MacBook: Change Is In The Air

by Brooke Crothers, CNET News.com

The Air shouldn't change too much. With a simple performance upgrade, it would be an even more remarkable computer.

The Disruptive Potential Of GPS On The iPhone 3G

by Charles Jade, Ars Technica

GPS makers will no doubt be coming to the same realization that those selling MP3 players are now experiencing, and that PDA makers have already been forced to deal with. Convergence is a bitch.

iPhone To Be Costliest In India On Lack Of Subsidy

by Rajesh S Kurup, Business Standard

The much-awaited 3G iPhone is likely to cost a fortune in India, unlike in global markets, with Indian service providers unlikely to subsidise the gadget, like AT&T in the US and O2 in Germany.

At this point, this is just speculation or rumor. However, what is interesting is that the speculated unsubsidised price of the iPhone is "at least double the amount of that in the US", while AT&T's price is thrice the subsidised price. (And yes, I noticed the qualifier "at least".)

The iPhone And TiVo - The Digerati Is Out Of Touch

by Adam Turner, iTWire

100MB per month is about right for the entry level plans. If you're just checking your email, dipping into Google Maps and doing a little web surfing such as reading blogs on the train, then 100MB per month should meet your needs.

Apple Opens Nation's Largest Store At WEM

by Rosemary Westwood, Edmonton Journal

Hoots, hollers, high-fives and a lineup hundreds of people long sounds like Commonwealth Stadium on game day. But that was the scene outside Edmonton's new Apple Store at 10 a.m. Saturday as the tech giant opened its sixth and largest Canadian outlet to anxious fans.

PhotoTiles 1.0 Tiling Software Released

by MacNN

Limit Point Software has released PhotoTiles 1.0, an application used to create a single image of a tiled group of cells that can be images of other visuals.

July 6, 2008

Apple's iPhone Could Find Asia Tough To Crack

by AFP

With the phone already in circulation, the novelty factor will be less, which could emphasise the importance of pricing for the new model. And that could prove to be an obstacle.

From Windows To Mac: Three Biggest Tips For Switchers

by The Blog From Another Dimension

Having helped several people make the switch from Windows to Macs, I have seen pretty clearly some common problems people have when making the switch. Walt Mossberg wrote a short article on this, and his observations are pretty spot-on, albeit abbreviated and limited. I just figured I'd do my own long-winded version.

No Going Back When You're Hooked On Mac

by Jo Stanley, Sunday Herald Sun

Apple do a fantastic job at making things look really pretty, spacially efficient and usable for idiots like me.

If You're Open To Growth, You Tend To Grow

by Janet Rae-Dupree, New York Times

At the beginning of each interview, Scott Forsall, senior vice president of Apple in charge of iPhone software, warned the recruit he couldn't reveal details of the project he was working on. But he promised the opportunity "to make mistakes and struggle, but eventually we may do something that we'll remember the rest of our lives."

July 5, 2008

Who Would Wait A Week In Line For An iPhone 3G?

by Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Fortune

The WhoFarm, that's who, a newly formed publicity-seeking environemntal grop with a mission: to persuade the 44th president of the U.S. — whoever that turns out to be — to transform the White House's 17-acre lawn into an organic farm.

Just How Fast Do You Want Your Computer To Be?

by Charles Arthur, Mail & Guardian

For most people, we've already reached the point where you don't need any extra processing power.

I don't agree. The reason that there are no real killer-app that demanded more CPU is that there is a fundamental change in Moore's Law. Instead of faster CPU, which application can easily take advantage of, we are looking at more CPU cores instead, which is difficult to take advantage of. Just ask Microsoft.

Where The iPhone Failed

by Stephen Wildstrom, BusinessWeek

This may end up being a big step back for consumer freedom of choice.

Early iPhone Adopter On Fence About New One

by Glenn Fleishman, Seattle Times

None of this has yet triggered my early-adopter credit-card-disgorging reflex.

Apple's Long-Term Strategy Paying Off

by Stickybuffalo.com

If other companies start following suit, Apple will finally have broken out of its tiny market share ghetto, and Windows will dwindle.

Apple Lands Largest Corporate Client In Europe

by MacNN

Geerman newspaper publisher Axel Springer is migrating to the Mac platform and says it will replace all of its PCs with both Mac notebooks and desktops over the next five years, becoming Apple's second largest corporate client.

My Mac Problem: Too Many And Too ALike

by Matt Asay, CNET News.com

Here in the Asay home we have a growing problem: Each year we add a Mac to the fold, making it increasingly more difficult to tell them apart.

It's Already Begun: iPhon 3G Line Starting In New York City

by Aidan Malley, AppleInsider

Although it's not the first release and ample supply is expected, a queue has reportedly begun outside of Apple's Fifth Avenue retail store to buy iPhone 3G a ful week before its release.

July 4, 2008

Review: SOHO Organizer 7.0.2

by Tom Negrino, Macworld

SOHO Organizer allows for easy sharing of contacts, calendars, and notes in small groups, with good synchronization of that data to mobiled devices. Its contact and celandar features are far superior to Address Book and iCal, while remaining easy to learn and use.

Review: iCal 3.0.3

by William Porter, Macworld

It's a bit weak in the task-management department, but even business users may now find that iCal can manage everybody's calendars easily, effectively, and economically.

Espy 1.0

by Roman Loyola, Macworld

I'm one of those people who can't remember names, but I do remember faces. That's why I like GoGoalSoft's Espy, an address book that uses an iPhoto-inspired interface for sifting through your contacts.

I'll be frank: I cannot reember names, nor can I remember faces.

Dear Steve Jobs

by Bettina Wohlgemuth

I was wondering whether you have ever considered inventing an "Apple Family of the Year" award. I am asking because my family — being my hubby-to-be, our unborn baby (due at the beginning of September) and me - would perfectly qualify for it.

Jobs 2.0

by Brian Caulfield, Forbes

Pity whoever has to follow Steve Jobs at Apple.

Decision Central

by John Sheesley, TechRepublic

Can you really declare independence if you wanted to? I'm not so sure.

Counterpoint: "Hello", Don't Change The Design

by Leigh McMullen, Cult Of Mac

The point: A classic is a classic.

Early Photos Of Beijing Apple Store Emerge

by MacNN

The store is inside a commercial complex called The Village, also home to companies like Nike and Zara.

Will Higher Data Plan Costs Hurt iPhone 3G Sales?

by Roman Loyola and Christopher Breen, Macworld

Gain Quick Access To Log Files In 10.5

by Rob Griffiths, Macworld

Console is a front-end for all the various log files created by both OS X itself and the programs you use with the system.

Apple Slashes $500 From MB Air SSD Price

by Electronista

Apple on Friday has quietly cut the price on the MacBook Air's solid-state drive by $500, bringing the price of the pre-built 1.8GHz model with the 64GB flash drive to $2,598 from its previous $3,098.

July 3, 2008

DJ Your Independence Day Party With Your Mac

by Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet.com

There are several ways to use your Mac to create a nice party atmosphere, here are some of the options.

Sync Your iTunes Libraries

by Joe Kissell, Macworld

iTunes can easily share its content over your local network. Bt if you want a complete copy of your media library on more than on emac, you'll need to synchronize some files. However, merely copying, say, a folder full of AAC files from one Mac to another is not enough.

10 Things We Love About Apple

by Chris Smith, T3

The design, the flair, the innovation, the iPod... need we go on?

10 Things We Hate About Apple

by Duncan Bell, T3

The polo-necks, the smuggery, the price, Bono, Apple TV... Need we go on?

Twitterrific 3.1

by Dan Moren, Macworld

In ordr to truly experience Twitter to the fullest, you really need to be using an external client, like the Iconfactory's truly excellent Twitterrific 3.1.

Deveopers Satisfied With Apple's Enterprise Work

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Overall, Mac developers seem pleased with Apple's position on the enterprise market. While a little more promotion might be nice, focusing on growing the business seems to be in everyone's best interest.

Ultrathin Laptop Showdown

by David Haskin, Reseller News

Although the other laptops also had their strengths, the bottom line is a clear win in usability and user perception for the MacBook Air.

Why OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Should Leave PowerPC In The Cold

by Seamus Byrne, APC

If Snow Leopard is all about a bedrock for the future of computing, why do so many people still call for their legacy hardware to be supported?

Hello: Macs Are About To Get Interesting Again

by Pete Mortensen, Cult Of Mac

The public is ready for Apple to really tear it up with a killer line of new computers. Incredible new hardware and emerging standards will push the limits of what we thought Macs could do.

Apple On iPhone Plan Pricing: What's So Complicated?

by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek

So Apple called today, a little annoyed with my portrayal yesterday of AT&T's iPhone pricing.

How To Launch An iPhone: A Tale Of Two Videos

by Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Fortune

What would AT&T's video — or for that matter, the July 11 launch — look like if they had been produced by the folks who designed the Apple Store?

Some General Tips For Switch To Mac From Windows

by Walter S. Mossberg, AllThingsD

Here's a quick tip sheet explaining a few of the most common differences in the daily use of Windows XP, from which most people would be switching, and Apple's Mac OS X Leopard, which switchers would be adopting.

iPod Commercials Are The New Ad Outlet For Music Artists

by Kayla Faigoust, Tiger Weekly

As the art form formally known as the music video dies on the shelves of MTV executives, one last music outlet exists in the form of Apple's iPod commercials.

Google Talk Coming To The iPhone. Death Of The Text Message Approaching?

by MG Siegler, The Industry Standard

Google has unveiled a web-based version of its Google Talk instant messanging client specifically built for the iPhone. Quite simply: It's amazing — but it has limitations.

The iPhone's Cross-Border Price Clash

by Simon Avery and Matt Hartley, Globe And Mail

The summer launch of the iPhone in Canada was supposed to be a time for Rogers Wireless Communications Inc. to celebrate. Instead, the company with exclusive rights to the hottest new tech gadget finds itself on the defensive, stung by public criticism over pricing.

Apple iPhone Four Months Behind OS X In Patches

by Brian Krebs, Washington Post

It might surprise iPhone users to learn that the latest security update available for the iPhone dates back to February, and that a number of serious security vulnerabilities that Apple long ago patched in OS X remain unaddressed in the most recent version of the iPhone.

Apple To .Mac Subscribers: Sync Bookmarks By Sunday

by Philip Michaels, Macworld

.Mac subscribers who want to keep any bookmarks they've saved through the online service should sync those bookmarks with their Mac by July 6, Apple said Wednesday.

And remember to send that one last iCard, too. :-)

Acer, Apple, Dell, And HP Sued For Patent Infringement

by Thomas Claburn, InformationWeek

Adobe Releases Reader 9

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Acrobat 9 features native support for Adobe Flash, so PDF documents can now contain Flash video and other multimedia content.

GraphicConverter 6.1.1 Adds New Features

by MacNN

The new features include decoding of all images with mime attachments, a set label in operator function and a sort by label and/or creation date option in the browser.

Cocktail Utility Updated For Mac OS X 10.5.4

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Cocktail puts a graphical user itnerface on many of Mac OS X's advanced Unix functions that are otherwise accessible only by using the Terminal application and a command line interface. It combines maintenance tools and interface tweaks broken out into five basic categories.

July 2, 2008

AT&T Says Original iPhones Can Be Inactivated And Used As WiFi iPods

by Slash Lane, AppleInsider

Original iPhone owners who prefer not to give away their old iPhones after upgrading to an iPhone 3G can instead keep their devices and use them as WiFi-enabled iPods, AT&T has confirmed.

CaliBrate 1.1

by Dan Frakes, Macworld

It's easy to edit a single event in iCal, but what if you want to modify multiple events?

Carriers Cheerfully Take Heat On iPhone Pricing

by Matthew Trevisan and Matt Hartley, Globe And Mail

For all the consumer griping over pricing plans for Apple Inc.'s new iPhones, the exclusivity contracts the big telecom carriers have signed with the computer giant to distribute the coveted touchscreen devices are paying off as planned.

Is SproutCore Worth The Flash And Java iPhone Snub?

by Tim Anderson, The Register

Beware The Coming Of The Mac

by Richard Adhikari, Internet News

IT staff are not prepared to deal with Apple Macs, either from a management or a security perspective, as the overwhelming majority of desktops in the enterprise are Microsoft Windows boxes.

Current iPhones Keep Cheaper Plan On Reactivation

by Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS

AT&T gave me an answer this afternoon: The current 2G iPhone plans will continue to be available for people who want to start up new service plans with someone's old phone.

Apple, Execs Sued For Fraud From Backdating Scandal

by MacNN

A lawsuit was brought against several key Apple executives on Friday, accusing CEO Steve Jobs and several others of fraud, in relation to the stock option backdating scandal in recent years.

How Apple Is Blurring The Line Between Marketing And Service

by Pete Blackshaw, RCR Wireless News

Service is marketing. As marketers struggle to "engage" consumers, service may well be the easiest ad msot gratifying starting point — and one with high sales conversion potential.

MacBook Air Too Light For Its Own Good?

by Barry Collins, PC Pro

Admittedly, there's a fairly limited set of circumstances where it becomes a problem. But if Jonathan Ive could find it within himself to design an optional dead-weight attachment for the MacBook Air, I and the rest of the Sussex-bound commuters would be forever in his debt.

Why Instinctiv Avoided The iPhone SDK

by Matt Rosoff, CNET News.com

I'm pretty skeptical about ANdroid's chances of changing the world. When buying a phone, are consumers really looking for a large choice of applications? No. They're looking for a cool phone that does a few things ver well, and a service provider that offers reasonable service int he widest possible range.

What's The iPhone 3G Worth?

by Laura M. Holson, New York Times

Are iPods About To Get Cheaper?

by New Zealand Herald

To me, it would appear Apple would be very sensible to reduce the price of the iPod touch. Quite dramatically. If so, this should ripple on to effect the price of the small-screen iPod nano and the virtually control-free and screenless, ciip-on iPod shuffle.

Or, Apple can add new features to the iPods. Smallness (as in physical dimensions) and largeness (as in storage space) are two such features.

How To Hand-Down Your Old iPhone After Upgrading To iPhone 3G

by AppleInsider

AT&T iPhone Pricing: The Good, The Bad And The Complicated

by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek

It all makes my head spin: Why not offer a single, unlimited voice and data plan? And why, oh why aren't text messages included with data?

Apple Posts iPhone 3G Guided Tour, "What's New" Highlights

by Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

The video covers everything from its "simple, sculpted design" to App Store and more.

Microsoft Releases Remote Desktop Client 2 For Mac

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Remote Desktop Connection 2 includes muliple session support, allowing users to connect to multiple computers at the same time.

iPhone 3G Questions, Answered

by Dan Moren, Macworld

Besides releasing rate plan details, AT&T has also posted answers to some of the lingering queries that new and existing AT&T customers might have about snagging themselves an iPhone 3G.

ResizeMe Batch Image And Photo Editor Debuts

by Peter Cohen, Macworld

July 1, 2008

AT&T To Offer iPhone Without Contract For $400 More

by Crayton Harrison, Bloomberg

Customers can buy the new handset, which uses speedier third-generation technology, for $599 if they don't want to commit to using AT&T's network, the Dallas-based company said today in a statement.

AT&T iPhone 3G Price Details

by Jeff Longo, MacRumors.com

AT&T has announced detailed pricing information for its iPhone 3G plans.

Getting Ready To Support Mac On The Corporate Network

by Tricia Liebert, TechRepublic

Changes 1.0

by Dan Frakes, Macworld

If you've got two folders that you want to have the same contents, or if you're just trying to figure out which of two folders has the latest versions of your files—Skorpiostech's Changes 1.0.4 can help.

No 'Apple Effect' Seen For NAND Market

by Mark LaPedus, EE Times

What happened to the "Apple effect" that is supposed to ignite the worldwide NAND flash-memory market?

17-Inch MacBook Pro Is A Thing To Behold

by Bob LeVitus, Houston Chronicle

It's the fastest, most powerful and most capable notebook I've tested.

SproutCore: Apple's Path To iLife Online?

by Seamus Byrne, APC

By bringing Cocoa development into the land of pure Javascript, SproutCore has the long-term potential to give Apple the power to deploy core desktop applications to users on any platform while avoiding the proprietary traps associated with Adobe Flash or Microsoft Silverlight.

OS X Leopard For Physicists

by An American Physics Student In England

The iPhone's Love/Hate Relationship With Hackers

by Dave Jewell, The Register

I foresee an increasingly fractured marketplace developing around the iPhone. In one camp you will have tons of games available from App Store and in the other, tons of very clever utilities and productivity enhancements from the rest of us.

A World Ruled By Apple

by John Carroll, ZDNet.com

Software is still the great leveler. There's just a lot more agreement regarding common terms of software discourse, thus making it less necessary for any one company to provide all the terms itself.

7 Weeks Later: Life Without MS Office

by Leigh McMullen, Cult Of Mac

The big surprise is that I also can't live without iWork.

Safari 3.1.2 Fixes Critical Security Flaws

by MacNN

Apple on Monday released Safari 3.1.2 for Mac OS X 10.4.11, which fixes an issue that could lead to arbitrary code execution and patched another flaw that was previously corrected in the Mac version.

Inside The OS X 10.5.4 Update

by Rob Griffiths, Macworld

Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.5.4

by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Apple on Monday released Mac OS X 10.5.4 fixing several issues with iCal, AirPort, Safari, and Spaces & Expose.

By Heng-Cheong Leong

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