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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

How High Can I Crank My iPod's Volume?

Dan Fletcher, Time Tweet

Finding A Needle In The App-Stack

Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle

While there are literally tens of thousands of apps from which to choose, finding the good stuff can be daunting. There's a lot of junk in the App Store, and finding gems is akin to panning for gold. You'll spend a lot of time dipping into the river, and will seldom come up with anything shiny. Tweet

Apple's 'Big Brother' Sequel

Maggie Shiels, BBC

For 1984 take two, a Silicon Valley start-up called doubleTwist is sending Apple a very pointed message. Tweet

Surprise! iPhone Users Love Their Phones, Hate Their Network

Colin Gibbs, GigaOm

AT&T scored lowest in customer-satisfaction ratings, and 50 percent of iPhone users said they’d like to switch service providers. But few iPhone owners seem willing to sacrifice the device to make that move. Tweet

How Microsoft Office 10 Will Be Locked Out Of My Toolbag

Robert Scoble, Scobleizer

es. Three years ago I used to carry my laptop everywhere. Now? I only carry my iPhone. It’s amazing how much work I can get done with it. Tweet

New iPod's Awesomeness An Ethical Dilemma For Us All

Dennis Sweeney, Student Life

The only question you need to ask yourself, then—and this is the gist of the review—is whether life with 1.28 ounces of metal that’s cooler than you is a life you want to lead. Tweet

Apple Genius Bar: iPhones Dropping 30 Percent Of Calls Is Just Plain Normal In New York

Matt Buchanan, Gizmodo

The Genius told Manoj that's actually excellent compared to most people in the New York area, where a 30 percent dropped call rate is the average. Tweet

Customers Sue AT&T, Apple Over iPhone Glitch

Steve Alexander, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Kyle Irving, who said he'd given up another cell phone with MMS capability to buy the new iPhone, said AT&T sales representatives assured him the MMS service would work in July, when in fact it was available only in other countries and wasn't turned on in the United States until Friday. Tweet

Dropbox Launches iPhone App For File Sync, Sharing

MacNN

Dropbox has released an application for the iPhone and iPod touch that allows users to access or manage content from their Dropbox accounts. Tweet

Akamai's New Network Aims For iPhone HDTV

Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service

Akamai Technologies is extending its content delivery network to the Apple iPhone as it introduces the Akamai HD Network, a system for streaming high-definition live and on-demand video to a variety of devices. Tweet

Why Apple Can't Sell Business Laptops

Brian Caulfield, Forbes

If you want to know why, compare and contrast Dell's latest laptop, the Latitude Z, with the MacBook Air. Tweet

See Selection Info In iTunes 9

Rob Griffiths, Macworld Tweet

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

REALbasic 2009 Release 4 Adds Report Editor

MacNN Tweet

Freeverse Sound Studio 3

MacNN

Aside from a few minor quirks, such as the extra step of downloading the LAME framework and a Tap for BPM button that requires you to click it repeatedly in time with the music if you want to measure its beats per minute (BPM), Sound Studio works exactly as advertised. The intuitive interface lets you pick it up almost immediately; mixing beats, matching tracks, and speeding them up to chipmunk speed. Tweet

Editing (Or Not) iTunes Genres

Christopher Breen, Macworld

While you can’t edit the list of genres included with iTunes, you can clean up the custom genre entries that find their way to iTunes—either because you entered them or you acquired music that had custom genre tags applied to it. There are a couple of ways to go about this. Tweet

Retrievable iPhone Numbers Mean Potential Privacy Issues

Dan Moren, Macworld

I talked to developers who said that while Apple’s iPhone software development kit doesn’t provide a built-in way to access the device’s phone number, the information can still be indirectly retrieved with relatively little trouble. Tweet

C4 Notes: Pizza And Pie Shakes

Jason Snell, Macworld

The C4 indie Mac developer conference in Chicago is decidedly different. Different in that it’s the brainchild not of some conference and expo company, but of one guy — developer Jonathan “Wolf” Rentzsch. Different in that it’s in Chicago. Different in that it’s steadfastly a small event, happening over a weekend and with a relatively small capacity that makes it awfully hard to get into. Tweet

EyeTV App For iPhone Handles Live TV, Recordings

MacNN

Elgato has released an EyeTV app for the iPhone, which serves as an extension to the company's desktop software. Users can watch both live and recorded TV, though due to bandwidth and carrier restrictions, live TV can only be streamed over Wi-Fi. Tweet

Review: Bento 3 Database Software

Jeffery Battersby, Macworld

Bento remains the premiere database application for the SOHO and home user. The addition of iPhoto integration, database security, database sharing with up to five users, and and a multitude of new templates and themes make Bento a far more versatile database with more options for the small office and small business owner. But it also omits some very obvious and basic tools, like label printing and the option to put fields exactly where you want them on a form, that may leave many potential users out in the cold. Tweet

Apple Warns Of Near-term iMac, Mac Mini Constraints

AppleInsider

Apple this week began informing its direct sales channels that several of its desktop-based Mac offerings have entered a period of constraint, further hinting that Mac hardware updates are on the horizon. Tweet

What If Halo Had Launched On A Mac?

Mathew Braga, Globe And Mail

After all, the days of Halo are now but a footnote in Macintosh history, but perhaps it is the casual gamer that will ultimately determine the platform's fate. Tweet

Product News: BusyMac Ships BusyCal 1.0

Jeff Gamet, The Mac Observer

BusyMac announced the immediate availability of BusyCal 1.0 on Tuesday. BusyCal is a calendar application that shares calendars on local networks or over the Internet, and synchronizes with Google Calendar. Tweet

Five Zune HD Features Apple Should Steal

Matt Rosoff, CNET News

Apple's still riding high with the iPod, particularly the Touch, but the Zune HD is clearly moving ahead in terms of innovation. Now if Microsoft can open the Marketplace to third-party apps and fix the browser, Apple might have reason to worry. Tweet

CNN's New iPhone App Puts Rivals To Shame

Daniel Ionescu, PC World

On Tuesday morning, CNN introduced an iPhone app that puts to shame similar products. Featuring live newscasts, video-on-demand, and a familiar iPhone interface, the CNN iPhone app also takes a step ahead of other news apps by charging $2 for the download. Tweet

Filemaker's Bento 3 Announced, Available Immediately

Megan Lavey, TUAW

Filemaker has announced the release of Bento 3, the next version of its database program for the Mac, available for purchase immediately. The upgrade comes just a couple weeks shy of a year from the debut of Bento 2. Tweet

Another Amazing Web Ad From Apple

Thomas Fitzgerald Tweet

Vodafone Joins Orange In Offering Apple's iPhone

Macworld UK

A day after Orange announced it would be selling Apple's iPhone before Christmas, rival mobile phone operator Vodafone announced a similar statement today only missing out on the important end of year shopping period. Tweet

Scareware Sellers Poison 'iPhone MMS' Search Results

Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Criminals have poisoned major search engines for terms related to the new MMS capability of Apple’s iPhone, and are using the results to steer users to fake Windows security software downloads, a researcher said today. Tweet

Mac OS X Mistakes And Malfeatures

Richard M. Stallman, Free Software Foundation

I have said in speeches that Apple could forcibly impose software changes in Mac OS X, just as Microsoft can with Windows. I heard this in the Mac community, but there is no published information that confirms it, and I now believe that I was misinformed. There is no evidence that Apple has installed software changes without the user's permission.

We have no way to verify that there is no backdoor in Mac OS X that could install changes without permission, but that is no basis to claim there is one. I apologize for repeating a criticism of Mac OS which I cannot substantiate and must presume is false. Tweet

10 Ways Consumers, Companies Can Prepare For iPhone Ubiquity

Don Reisinger, eWeek

There is a good chance that the iPhone won't be trapped on AT&T's network much longer in the United States. So, as we all get ready for that release, both consumers and companies should start preparing now for the day when more than one carrier offers Apple’s iPhone. Tweet

iPhone Accessories Can Now Trigger App Download Prompt

Rosa Golijan, Gizmodo Tweet

Review: Make Any Drive An Internet Drive With Seagate’s FreeAgent DockStar (Verdict: Great, With One Big Catch)

Eli Milchman, Cult of Mac Tweet

Djay 3 Update Adds New User Interface, Improvements

MacNN

The app allows users to control the interface using finger gestures, enabling them to apply effects, scratch tracks or crossfade between the two virtual tables. Version 3.5 offers a redesigned user interface, new automatic tempo and beat detection, along with an auto-cut scratching function that syncs with the songs beat and rhythm. Tweet

Apple's New Educational Pricing Not A Clear Win For Schools

Ronald O Carlson, Mac.Blorge

Although certainly more “convenient” in terms of keeping a school or school system licensed with a single renewal date, it’s hard to see any increase in value. Tweet

PDFpen 4.5 Adds New OCR Engine, Enhancements

MacNN

SmileOnMyMac has released an upgrade to its PDF editing tool with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, PDFpen 4.5. Tweet

Three Ways To Save Some Cash And Repair Or Upgrade Your iPod

Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

Just because your iPod is broken in some way doesn't mean you have to buy a new one—there are ways to fix some basic problems on your own at home with little more than replacement parts and a steely resolve. Tweet

Apple Rehires A Developer Of Its Newton Tablet

Brad Stone, New York Times

If you were gearing up to launch a tablet computer — and these days, who isn’t? — who would you hire to market it? One obvious candidate would be Michael Tchao, one of the original developers of Apple’s groundbreaking but failed Newton personal digital assistant. Tweet

iPod Nano Delivers Static In Radio Interface And Features

Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS

For Apple to add any feature, it needs to be best in class, and a rethought-out way to carry out a process we've become so used to, we forget how much time we waste. Radio storage and tuning needs another trip to the whiteboard at Apple.

I just want to say that competitors had almost a decade to create a killer radio-listening device (that happens to play MP3s too) to gain ahead of Apple, and none had. Tweet

Apple: Sony, Nintendo Can Panic Now

Brian Caulfield, Forbes

Many of the App Store's 2 billion downloads are free. That's scary. Tweet

Is Mac Security Software Necessary?

Thomas Claburn , InformationWeek

Plenty of vulnerabilities affect online applications across multiple platforms, like recent Adobe Flash and Reader flaws, and both Mac and Windows users may fall victim to social engineering attacks. Security on the Mac can be managed by diligent individuals without special software, but anyone responsible for Macs in the workplace might see value in taking additional steps. Tweet

Free iTunes!

Farhad Manjoo, Slate Magazine

I am not claiming that Palm has the legal right to hack into Apple's software, nor am I calling on any authorities to compel Apple to let Palm in; if the cat-and-mouse game turns into a courtroom brawl, it's very likely that Apple would win the fight. Instead, I'm calling on Apple to stand down. Even better: It should create a legal pathway for Palm and every other company to sync with iTunes.

And must support everything that the iTunes app throws at the devices, including Genius, bookmarking, listened count, smart playlists, and any other new stuff in future versions of iTunes? Tweet

Monday, September 28, 2009

Home Sharing Is iPod Touch’s Killer App For Families

Peter Cohen, The Loop

iTunes 9 and Home Sharing is what can make the iPod touch the one gaming system that no family can live without, one whose value is considerably better than anything Sony or Nintendo offer. Tweet

iPod Classic 2.0.3 Firmware Adds Support For Genius Mixes

MacNN

Apple has released a firmware update, v2.0.3, for the latest 160GB iPod classic. The update adds support for Genius Mixes, the iTunes feature that automatically creates playlists. Tweet

Apple Releases iWork '09 9.0.3, Updates iWork.com

Eric Slivka, MacRumors Tweet

Latest Version Of StuffIt Deluxe Incorporates Cloud Computing

Dan Miller, Macworld

Among other new features, StuffIt Deluxe 2010 supports the new “cloud-based” StuffIt Connect service, which lets you share large files with other users more easily. Tweet

Apple Revises Educational Licensing Agreements

MacNN

Apple has made major alterations to its educational licensing program, ones which could potentially raise the cost of Macs for schools. The company is said to be abandoning a previous volume licensing scheme, which allowed institutions to buy Mac OS X at costs of $39 to $59 per copy, depending the amount of licenses ordered. Instead, schools must now pay for annual license renewals. Tweet

VLC 1.0.2 Includes 64-bit Mac Port And Security Fixes

TJ Luoma, TUAW Tweet

Van Gogh Museum Offers iPhone Users App On Dutch Artist's Life

Marcel van de Hoef, Bloomberg Tweet

Who Wins From An Orange iPhone?

Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC

But here's the key question yet to be answered by either Apple or Orange this morning: what is going to happen to tariffs? Tweet

App Store Hits 2 Billion Downloads

MacNN

Apple this morning said that App Store downloads had reached the two billion mark. The news follows just 158 days after the company said it had reached one billion downloads and now has over 85,000 apps with over 125,000 registered developers. It proves that the rate of downloads "continues to accelerate," according to Apple chief Steve Jobs. Tweet

Eight Amazing Image Capture Tricks

Derrick Story, Macworld

Image Capture is one of OS X’s best kept secrets. This photo-savvy program, which lives in your Applications folder, may not have iPhoto’s beautiful interface, nor its vast feature set. But it does a great job of grabbing a quick shot and performing complex actions without having to first add the images to iPhoto’s library. And in Snow Leopard, Apple completely overhauled Image Capture to make it even more useful. Tweet

Unicom To Sell Apple iPhones In China From Oct

Kirby Chien, Reuters

China Unicom, the country's No. 2 mobile carrier, will begin to sell Apple Inc's iPhone in China for a retail price of 5,000 yuan ($732.50), as it leans on the phone to launch its 3G service.

The high price tag may force buyers of the popular handsets to sign up for subsidised packages carrying lower handset prices but also longer-term contract commitments, as competition heats up in China's recently reformed telecoms sector. Tweet

Snow Leopard Server Provides Powerful Feature Updates

Cameron Sturdevant, eWeek

Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard deserves a top spot on IT managers' evaluation list for system updates in creative departments where Macs predominate. Snow Leopard Server could be considered for general enterprise deployment, but its built-in creative and communications functions make the operating system best suited for use where high-value content is produced. Of note are the updates to the Podcast Producer, Wiki and Mobile Access components. Tweet

Apple Rumors: The Early Years

Harry McCracken, Technologizer

Apple has been a powerful engine for the rumor mill for as long as there’s been an Apple and tech journalists to cover it. And Google Books’ recent addition of the entire run of InfoWorld provides us with the opportunity to revisit the first golden age of Apple rumors–which, uncoincidentally, ended when Steve Jobs was forced out of the company he cofounded in mid-1985. Tweet

"I Fell In Love At The Apple Store" Is Destined To Become A Fanboy Classic

Gizmodo Tweet

Adobe Lightroom, Camera Raw Bug Hits PowerPC Users

Nick Spence, Macworld UK

Adobe has highlighted a bug discovered in the latest Photoshop Lightroom and Camera Raw updates that may hit Mac PowerPC users. Tweet

Orange Announces UK iPhone Deal

BBC

Orange has reached an agreement to sell Apple's popular iPhone in the UK. The deal ends an exclusive arrangement between UK network operate O2 and the Californian phone maker, which has been in place since 2007. Tweet

How Pizza Hut, Gap And Co. Wound Up In Apple App Ads

Emily Bryson York, Advertising Age

If you want your branded app to be included in Apple's next iPhone commercial, the first rule is not to ask. The second rule? Make the app really useful to consumers. Tweet

Apple Is Just As Sneaky As Microsoft, Dumping Software On Your Computer

Zoli Erdos, CloudAve

An update is an update. To software already installed on my computer by choice. My choice, not some manufacturer’s. Anything else is unethical intrusion. Tweet

Apple Rejects “iSinglePayer” App For Being “Politically Charged”

Devin Coldewey, MobileCrunch Tweet

Microsoft's Grinning Robots Or The Brotherhood Of The Mac. Which Is Worse?

Charlie Brooker, Guardian

I admit it: I'm a bigot. A hopeless bigot at that: I know my particular prejudice is absurd, but I just can't control it. It's Apple. I don't like Apple products. And the better-designed and more ubiquitous they become, the more I dislike them. I blame the customers. Awful people. Awful. Stop showing me your iPhone. Stop stroking your Macbook. Stop telling me to get one. Tweet

Ed Bott Gets All Picky On Apple

Steven Hodson, Shooting At Bubbles Tweet

iPods May Have To Carry Health Warnings

David Charter, The Times

Portable music players may have to carry health warnings under proposals from the European Commission.

Apple, which makes the iPod, and other manufacturers will be asked either to display labels advising users of the damaging long-term effects of loud music on their hearing or to devise a system of on-screen alerts triggered by the prolonged use of headphones at high noise levels. Tweet

Apple Up To Its Old Tricks, Pushing Unwanted Software Onto PCs

Ed Bott, ZDNet

Apple is completely out of step with generally accepted norms for delivering updates and new software to users with proper consent. Tweet

How The iPod Became A Tool Of War

Ian Sample, Guardian

Motivational music has been used by the military for centuries, but in modern wars, soldiers are taking along their own playlists. Tweet

Sunday, September 27, 2009

More On Clicking And Dragging To Select In Apple's Mac OS X Applications

Betalogue

The bottom line here, as far as I am concerned, is that the inconsistencies simply don’t make sense. Even if there is some hidden philosophical or logical justification for them, for Mac users in real-life computing, it’s hard to imagine that this justification matters at all, and the end result is that users are faced with something that feels inconsistent and unpredictable and is impossible to get used to. Tweet

Busted! Did O2 And BT Try To Mug iPhone Users?

Basheera Khan, Telegraph

Victory! The 0870 application I blogged about in June, which was available in the Google Android marketplace but conspicuously absent from the iTunes App Store, has finally received the green light. If you’re an iPhone user you can download it today, free of charge. And it only took 429 days to be approved, too. Tweet

Mozilla Coders Are Misguided Over App Store Criticisms

Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

Apple's choices in how it manages the App Store and what kinds of functions it may restrict has certain benefits and disadvantages, and there's no question that that there have been missteps as Apple—at the bleeding edge of the smartphone revolution—figures out the best way to handle the flood of app submissions and balancing the demands of developers, users, and mobile carriers. Though Palm has embraced the technology of the open web for development, and made overtures about being more "open" than the competition, that doesn't mean Palm's platform is inherently better or will be immune to some of the same problems that Apple has faced. Tweet

C4 Notes: Is AppleScript Dead?

Jason Snell, Macworld

I’m not convinced that Rentzsch’s suggestion that we bury AppleScript and replace it with JSTalk is a good idea, but I do think the conversation is worth having. Scripting might not be a feature used by most users, but I know that my Mac life would be much less productive if I didn’t have access to the slew of scripts I use every day. Tweet

Saturday, September 26, 2009

As Complaints Roll In About Problems With iPhone MMS, AT&T Says Activation Went Smoothly

Matt Hamblen, Computerworld

AT&T activated Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) on Apple Inc's iPhone 3G and 3GS phones starting mid-day Friday nationwide, with some early users reporting transmission problems on AT&T's Facebook page. Tweet

Apple Falls Victim To 'feature Creep' With New iPod Nano

Glenn Fleishman, Seattle Times

There's nothing wrong with this revision to the iPod nano, but there's not much that feels right about it, either. Apple seems to have skipped a beat in this refresh. Tweet

Life With Snow Leopard: One Month Later

Mark Crump, The Apple Blog Tweet

Disposable iPhone Apps

Tom Foremski, ZDNet

With more than 60,000 applications on the iPhone platform many industry pundits have proclaimed it a big hit. But is it a hit if very few of those developers are making money? Tweet

Use The Hit List To Get Things Done With Mac

Vincent Danen, TechRepublic Tweet

Will FCC Pry iPhone Loose From AT&T?

John Cox, Network World

If you're wondering whether FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski finally will pry the iPhone from AT&T's cold dead hands and release it into the wild, you're not alone. Tweet

Apple Scores Some Points With Environmental Groups, But Not All

Peter Burrows, BusinessWeek

Bottom line is that Apple took a big step today to get out of the environmental community’s doghouse, but it’s not there ye Tweet

Appiphilia: A Chase To Legitimize iPhone Photography

Michelle Maltais, Los Angeles Times

Does having a 2- or 3-megapixel camera on your cellphone make you an artist or a photographer? Chase Jarvis would argue it does. Tweet

Comparing Two Early iPhone GPS Navigation Apps

Adam C. Engst, TidBITS

Overall, although both apps would clearly do the job in the end, neither gave me the confidence to drive in the Boston metropolitan area - I continually wimped out and retreated to the Garmin nuvi 255W, which has never let me down in a major way. Tweet

MMS Arrives: What It Means For You

Philip Michaels, Macworld

AT&T now supports Multimedia Messaging Service—here’s how it works. Tweet

iPhone GPS App Market Heating Up

Jason Snell, Macworld

The iPhone GPS app market unleashed by the release of the iPhone 3.0 software update is getting more interesting by the day, with several developers in an arms race to add new features to their initial offerings. Tweet

Control The Behavior Of The Green Button In iTunes 9.0.1

Rob Griffiths, Macworld Tweet

Friday, September 25, 2009

Mobile Devices: Changing Screen Orientation While Walking

Lukas Mathis, Ignore The Code

In earlier versions, Apple temporarily turned off screen orientation changes when the iPhone detected that it was moving. With the most recent updates, Apple has removed or toned down this feature. Tweet

Apple's Shadow Hangs Over Game Console Makers

Hiroko Tabuchi, New York Times

As video game giants like Sony and Microsoft touted their new gizmos at the Tokyo Game Show this week, industry executives had more than the coming holiday sales season on their minds.

Apple’s recent foray into video games — with the iPhone, the iPod Touch and its ever-expanding online App Store — is causing as much hand-wringing among old industry players as the global economic slump, which threatens to take the steam out of year-end shopping for the second consecutive year. Tweet

Cleaning An iTunes Library

Christopher Breen, Macworld Tweet

Star Defender 4

Ted Bade, Inside Mac Games

All in all Star Defender 4 is a terrific action game. It is fun to play, offers great action, graphics, and audio. It is challenging, but not so much that one immediately gives up. This is the best shooter I have played in a long while. You won’t go wrong if you buy this game. Tweet

Where Are All The Free Mac Utilities And Applications?

Mac 360 Tweet

Quicktime X: Still Looks Like Beta On Some Apsects

Hardmac.com Tweet

5 Apps For The Radio Lover

Sang Tang, TUAW Tweet

Checkout 3 Adds Re-designed Product Manager, Improvements

MacNN Tweet

Carbon Copy Cloner 3.3 Preserves HFS+ Compression Data

MacNN Tweet

Oops, Roddenberry Didn't Own The First Mac Plus After All

ChannelWeb

An Apple Macintosh computer owned by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry that's up for auction next month wasn't the first-ever Mac Plus, as those selling the computer originally said Thursday. Tweet

Apple: Yes, It Makes Money On The App Store

Eric Savitz, Barron's Tweet

Apple Logic Studio Review

Len Sasso, Digital Content Producer

A must-have upgrade to Apple's DAW and performance software bundle. Tweet

Apple Launches Major Green Effort

Peter Burrows, BusinessWeek

It's being more forthcoming with environmental data—and working to change the terms of the debate. Tweet

Apple Now Investigating SuperDrive Issues

Doug McLean, TidBITS

The slew of symptoms, suggested causes, and solutions that are reported in the forums make it difficult to draw any firm conclusion regarding these issues, save for the fact that what seems to be an unusually high number of SuperDrives are indeed failing. Tweet

Apple's Motion To Include Snow Leopard In Psystar Case Denied

AppleInsider

After Apple allegedly changed its mind on whether to include Snow Leopard in an ongoing suit with Psystar, a U.S. District Court judge has denied the Mac maker's request. Tweet

TomTom Clarifies: £99.99 Hardware, Application Sold Separately

AppleInsider

Correcting an Apple online store listing from earlier Thursday, TomTom U.K. announced that the iPhone car kit accessory will have a retail price of £99.99 but will not include the TomTom application. Tweet

NewsGator Updates NetNewsWire For Mac And iPhone

Dan Moren, Macworld

In addition to the new Google Reader syncing features, the final version of NetNewsWire 3.2 fixes a number of bugs and adds other features, such as support for Web service Instapaper and the ability to easily create Twitter search feeds. Tweet

The Case For Entourage On Snow Leopard

John C. Welch, Macworld

Mac OS X 10.6 covers basic Exchange well, but Entourage EWS is the clear winner. Tweet

Thursday, September 24, 2009

The Real Genius Of The Genius Bar

Rob Griffiths, Macworld

So while the Genius Bar serves an important function for customers (and a popular one—it was swamped the whole time I was there) by providing them direct contact with Apple, it also serves as an incredible sales engine for Apple’s retail arm. Tweet

Associate Files To Applications Using Services In Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths, Macworld Tweet

Review: Poser 8

Dan Ablan, Macworld

3D character app for hobbyists, artists, and graphics professionals gets an overhaul. Tweet

10.6 Falsely Reports 'service Battery?' ... I Think Not

Josh Carr, TUAW Tweet

Metadata Madness

John Siracusa, Ars Technica

Concept, representation, policy. These are three separate things. Conflating them leads to misplaced anger, unreasonable demands, and unhelpful recommendations. Tweet

TomTom Car Kit For iPhone Appears In Apple's European Online Stores

MacRumors

TomTom's much-anticipated iPhone GPS car kit has appeared on a number of European Apple online stores, including the UK store. Scheduled to ship in 2-3 weeks, the kit is priced at £99.95 (US$164.10) in the UK and 99.95 Euro (US$147.90) in other European countries, which includes the TomTom iPhone application. Tweet

NetNewsWire iPhone App Adds Google Reader Sync, Twitter

MacNN

NewsGator has released NetNewsWire 2.0, the latest version of its mobile RSS reader for the iPhone or iPod touch. The update adds several new features including Google Reader sync, with support for transferring starred items. The app also integrates Twitter and Instapaper services for sharing content or saving items for later reading. Tweet

How Not To Use UTIs

Peter Hosey, Domain Of The Bored

Uniform Type Identifiers are a replacement for type codes (and MIME media types, and filename extensions), not for creator codes. There is no replacement for creator codes. Tweet

Bare Bones TextWrangler 3

MacNN

TextWrangler 3 may be a free application but don’t let that fool you, this is a serious text editing tool. It’s earned its place in my toolbox and should be in yours too. Tweet

Apple's Focus On Innovation, Quality Showing Long-term Value

Dennis Sellers, Macsimum News Tweet

David Pogue And The Whole Conflict Of Interest BS.

Tom Reestman, The Small Wave

In my opinion, what it boils down to is not whether there’s a reason one may want to lie (i.e., be “unbiased”), but whether one actually does so. Tweet

The iPhone In Korea: Is SK Telecom Blowing It?

Tim Beyers , The Motley Fool

I find it curious that SK Telecom is taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the iPhone. Certainly there's no reason for the carrier to act rashly, but its customers are also well-known data consumers. Tweet

Apple Prepares For First Microsoft Store By Updating Its Own

Neil Hughes, Apple Insider

In what could be viewed as a preemptive strike, Apple has closed its store in Mission Viejo, Calif., for renovations -- the same store that will be located near one of Microsoft's first retail outlets. Tweet

Apple Bids To Avoid Court Date With Eminem

Bobbie Johnson, Guardian

Last minute talks are taking place between lawyers for Apple and Eminem as the iPod maker attempts to avert a costly and potentially embarrassing court battle with the rap star. Tweet

Apple Investors Should Focus On The Core

Martin Peers, Wall Street Journal

There may be lots of reasons to buy Apple stock right now. But Wednesday's accounting-rule change shouldn't be one of them.

As Wall Street analysts line up to revise their estimates for Apple's future earnings, investors should be very clear that these upward revisions are a matter of perception, not reality. Apple isn't taking in any more cash as a result of the rule change. Tweet

Why Did Apple Approve Spotify?

Michael Masnick, TechDirt

I would bet that the folks at Apple are pretty damn sure that they can outlast and out-innovate Spotify. Spotify hasn't shown much ability to make money, and while it has become a press darling as a music app, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Apple's quietly been working on its own version of a Spotify-like offering built directly into iTunes. Tweet

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

AT&T Details Friday Morning iPhone MMS Update

MacNN

The carrier will enable the service via a carrier settings update that will be available to download from iTunes. The update will go live sometime late morning, Pacific Time. Tweet

FASB OKs Change Allowing Companies To Speed Up Some Revenues

Dow Jones

Accounting rulemakers approved a change Wednesday that will give a boost to technology companies and other firms by allowing them to recognize some revenues faster.

Apple Inc. is expected to be one of the major beneficiaries of the change, since it would dramatically change how the company reports revenues from its iPhone. Tweet

Stitchtastic 1.0 Converts Images To Cross-stitch Patterns

MacNN Tweet

Find My (Wife's) iPhone

Adam C. Engst, TidBITS

Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of privacy. But there are times and places when you very much want certain other people to know exactly where you are, without you having to do anything. Tweet

Apple, Rapper Eminem May Face Trial Over Music Downloads

Reuters

Apple Inc and rapper Eminem may be headed for trial on Thursday if they are unable to resolve a lawsuit over whether the singer's songs could be used on the popular iTunes service. Tweet

Building The Mac Office - 2009 Edition

BMighty.com Tweet

Snow Leopard Changes The Rules About Opening Files

Rob Griffiths, Macworld

Not being able to get to the creating application by double-clicking on a document is a change that has a direct and measurable impact on many users’ daily routines, including mine. The last thing I want to do with my already-limited time is use the Finder’s contextual menu to “tag” every file I create to be opened with the creating application. Sadly, that’s just what Snow Leopard has forced me to do. Tweet

AT&T-iPhone Calling Woes On Redial

Elinor Mills, CNET News

Judging from the response I received from the "AT&T takes the phone out of iPhone" story published on Tuesday, I definitely struck a nerve with a lot of iPhone users, not just in San Francisco but around the country. The overwhelming majority of them reported similar problems of frequent and consistent dropped calls and garbled conversations, and even delays with voice messages and voice mail being inaccessible. Tweet

Growing Up The iPod Way

Andrei Codrescu, NPR

The treadmill and the iPod are for my generation what the hammer and the sickle were for the early Bolsheviks — articles of faith. I've been running my miles and listening to my music for a year, and if I could write while in motion I'd have a memoir by now. Tweet

South Korea To Allow iPhone Entry

Evan Ramstad and Jaeyeon Woo, Wall Street Journal

South Korea's communications regulator decided Wednesday to allow the sale of Apple Inc.'s iPhone, amending a technical ban that had blocked the product, a spokesman said.

The Korea Communications Commission made an exception in a rule that requires cellphones sold in the country to use domestic technology for location-based services. Tweet

iTunes 9.0.1 Bows To Mini Player Complaints

Stephen Withers, ITWire

iTunes 9.0.1 reverses the operation of zoom (once again shows the mini player) and option-zoom (toggles the window size in iTunes 9 style). Tweet

Accounting Rules Shouldn't Change To Benefit Apple, Other High Tech Companies

Joe Wilcox, Betanews

The Financial Accounting Standards Board will make a grave mistake if it gives into Apple and other high-tech companies demanding a change to subscription accounting rules. Tweet

Apple Updates Logic Pro, Logic Express

Philip Michaels, Macworld

In addition to updating its iTunes software for listening to music, Apple on Tuesday released maintenance updates for two programs used to create songs. Both Logic Pro and Logic Express saw updates aimed at improving stability while adding fixes and enhancements. Tweet

First Look: Adobe Photoshop Elements 8

Rick LePage, Macworld

New look, content-aware scaling lead the charge in update. Tweet

"I Am Not A Reporter!" NYT's David Pogue Declares, Responding Angrily To Recent Criticism

The NYTPicker

Clearly stung by recent attacks over conflicts of interest, the NYT's technology columnist David Pogue used a podcast interview Sunday to respond to his critics, his editors and even his counterparts at the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, declaring defiantly at one point: "I am not a reporter!"

The interviewer, technology writer Leo LaPorte, was sharply questioning Pogue's positive writing about Apple -- and, in particular, a much-criticized upbeat interview with Apple chairman Steven Jobs that was published as a news story -- when Pogue grew defensive. Tweet

Palm Smacked Down In USB Dispute With Apple

Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek

Well now the USB-IF has ruled, and according to a letter to I’ve seen today, this tactic hasn’t worked out so well for Palm. Tweet

New Nano Not Banned By Health Club Chain

Eric Savitz, Barron's

The company isn’t making any new policies for the Nano. They don’t want them used in locker rooms. And they don’t want you shooting video anywhere else in the clubs. But if you want to use the new Nano to listen to music while working out, no problem there Tweet

I Would Love To Know Where Is Apple TV Going

Massive Mileage Tweet

8 Rules Users Should Insist On For Quality iPhone Apps

Tom Yager, InfoWorld

As an iPhone user, I don't want Apple to back off its standards. Where money is involved, I not only want Apple's strict App Store standards to stay in place, I want to raise the bar by demanding guidelines that reflect the pivotal role that a mobile device, which is inseparable from its applications, plays in modern life and work. Tweet

4 Easy Ways To Write A Novel On Your New Mac

Natalia Nowak, Mac 360

I’m ready to be a novelist. I have a Mac, a bunch of writing tools, and a stack of 3x5 cards loaded with ideas. What’s next? Besides the nitty gritty of writing. For the moment, I’m on a detour looking for the insanely greatest writing tool for Mac users. Tweet

Apple iPhone OS 3.1 Brings New Glitches Along With Slick Features

Michelle Maisto, eWeek

Discussion boards are filling up with complaints about issues such as the iPhone suddenly freezing or shutting down, poor battery life, weird error messages, sluggish performance and podcasts being listed in random order. Tweet

Yes, US iPhone Apps Are Legal For Business Use

David Coursey, PC World

Published reports that iPhone applications are not licensed for business use appear to be untrue, at least for customers of Apple's U.S. App Store. Tweet

Apple Battles Entrepeneur Over ‘Pod’ Trademark

Brian X. Chen, Wired

We assure ourselves that words will never hurt us, but they can cost a lot of time and money when it comes to trademark battles. Take the story of Daniel Kokin, who is continuing to fight Apple over a three-letter word: Pod. Tweet

Gold Rush! Big Money Seen For iPhone, Smartphone App Developers

Matt Hamblen, Computerworld

A gold rush for developers who build applications for the iPhone and other smartphones is in the works, with U.S. revenues from smartphone apps expected to increase by a factor of more than 10 through 2013, to $4.2 billion. That estimate, from Yankee Group Research Inc. in Boston, was calculated using the following factors: growth in smartphone unit sales, which Yankee Group expects to quadruple between now and 2013; an expected increase in the number of smartphone applications, and a projected jump in the average price of a single app from $1.95 today to $2.37. Yankee Group expects the number of smartphones sold to grow from 40 million in 2009 to 160 million in 2013. Tweet

Macworld Expo 2010 To Feature Pogue, Laporte Presentations

Jeff Gamet, The Mac Observer

David Pogue, technology pundit and New York Times columnist, will be kicking off Macworld Expo 2010 with a keynote presentation called "Late Night with David Pogue." Popular tech host Leo Laporte is also taking over as the new host for the expo's annual Macworld Live! onsite talkshow event. Tweet

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Inside Snow Leopard's UTI: Apple Fixes The Creator Code

AppleInsider

Snow Leopard's abandonment of Creator Code metadata, used to open a file with its creating application, has some users are worried that Apple has killed off a core Mac-centric feature. Instead, Apple has invented a superior alternative for the old Creator Code in order to support a variety of new features. Here's why, and what the new Uniform Type Identifiers offer. Tweet

iTunes 9.0.1 Now In Software Update

Michael Rose, TUAW

Fire up your Software Updates, gang: the new version of iTunes is here -- with bug fixes and tweaks to help those who were suffering from iTunes 9 issues. Tweet

GarageBand Finally Gets Some Attention, More Lessons Added

Jeff Smykil, Ars Technica

Apple has come out with three new lessons in the GarageBand Lesson Store. Eight months later the library remains small. Is Apple missing the boat? Tweet

Google Releases Picasa 3.5

Heather Kelly, Macworld

The most notable addition in this release is an enhanced version of Picasa's people-tagging feature, previously only available in Picasa Web Albums. Other improvements include Google Maps integration for faster and easier geotagging, a smarter keyword-tagging interface, and more importing options. Tweet

Push Gmail Now Available On iPhone

Dan Moren, Macworld Tweet

Blasted Keeps Your Recent Stuff Close At Hand

Giles Turnbull, Cult of Mac

Blasted is a Menu Bar app that quietly tracks what you’ve been working on – all the files you’ve created, opened, or modified recently – and makes them available when you need them via an unobtrusive icon. Tweet

The Five Most Important Mac Laptops

Benj Edwards, Macworld

On the anniversary of the first Mac portable, we name the five most significant models. Tweet

Concentrate Helps You Focus On Tasks

Dan Frakes, Macworld

With all the distractions your Mac and its network connection can provide, it can be tough to get anything accomplished. A while back, I reviewed Think, a free utility for focusing on a particular program. But I rarely work in a single piece of software; rather, I usually focus on tasks that involve multiple applications. Roobasoft’s Concentrate is a bit like Think for tasks. Tweet

AppDelete 3.0 Features Ability To Remove Widgets, Plugins

MacNN

The latest version can additionally uninstall widgets, preference panes, plugins, and screensavers. Tweet

Yet Another Way To Move App Windows To Spaces

Rob Griffiths, Macworld

Instead of using these hard-to-reach keys, try pressing Command-Tab after you start dragging a window. Tweet

Remote Mac Support Made Even Easier With Mac HelpMate 3.0

Steven Sande, TUAW Tweet

AT&T Takes The Phone Out Of iPhone

Elinor Mills, CNET News}

I wondered why, a year later, the service still seemed unreliable. I called AT&T (on my reliable landline at work) to find out. Tweet

Apple Can't Save Saudi Billionaire

AME Info

The problem is that for all its recent gains, Apple's stock has yet to recover losses suffered since 2008. As of June 30 of this year, Apple was down 19% year-over-year. Tweet

iFinance 3 Personal Finance Software

Jeffery Battersby, Macworld

iFinance 3.0.9 is a beautifully designed personal finance application that helps you budget your money and manage stocks, income, and expenses. Unfortunately, it lacks some very basic and necessary features, making it a questionable choice over other, more full-featured applications. Tweet

Apple Releases Three New iPhone Ads: 'Dine', ' Nature', And 'Pass'

Eric Slivka, Mac Rumors Tweet

2001: An Apple Odyssey

Joe Wilcox, Beta News

It's not uncommon for bloggers and journalists to get hung up on the present. For Apple, there's big noise about soaring stock price, even considering economic recession, and increasing demand for iPhone. But the past defines the present. For Apple, products or services launched in a single calendar year -- and the consistent execution that followed -- define current successes, including iPhone.

I contend that next to 1984, when Apple launched Macintosh, 2001 was the most important year in the company's history. Tweet

Apple's Brand Moving Up The Ranks

Jim Dalrymple, CNET News Tweet

Transforming IT With iPhone

Apple

Global consulting firm Logica is no stranger to technological transformation. As a leader in IT and business services throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas, the firm creates functional, integrated business systems and applications for clients such as E.ON, Ford and NATO. So it’s only logical that Logica has embraced iPhone as a mobile essential for its own operations as well as a platform for increased client productivity via custom iPhone apps. Tweet

Airship Ventures. Taking iPhone to new heights.

Apple

When Jim Dexter suits up to fly Eureka, one of the three Zeppelin airships in the world, he tucks iPhone into his pocket. It’s his go-to device for flight planning, weather reports, and keeping in touch with the ground crew. “It’s a huge leap in technology,” he says. Tweet

Apple's Damage Control Can't Polish The Tarnished App Store Brand

Christian Zibreg, Geek.com

Apple has put in motion the damage control plan plotted to create an illusion that the company is addressing App Store criticism. Its mostly cosmetic moves also conceal the fact that the most important piece of the puzzle - the review process policy - is still hidden from the public. Tweet

Microsoft Poaching Apple Store Managers And Sales Staff

Jim Dalrymple, The Loop

People that have spoken to The Loop on condition of anonymity confirm that Microsoft has contacted a number of Apple’s retail store managers to work in their stores. In addition to “significant raises,” the managers have also been offered moving expenses in some cases. Tweet

Monday, September 21, 2009

Apple Makes Lame Attempt At Placating App Store Developers

Jeff Smykil, Ars Technica

Apple has launched an online a resource center for registered iPhone developers. The only problem is that it gives them nothing new—except more frustration, that is. Tweet

5 Sub-$100 Apps For When IPhoto Isn't Quite Enough

Charles W. Moore, Low End Mac Tweet

Blowing Past Comcast's Bandwidth Cap

Glenn Fleishman, Macworld

In all the heady excitement of backing up all my computers over the Internet after writing my comprehensive review of online backup services for Macworld, I forgot one tiny but massively important fact: some Internet service providers limit the amount of data you can transfer every month. Including mine. Tweet

Easily Adding E-mail Addresses

Christopher Breen, Macworld Tweet

Pangea: In-App Sales From Enigmo Often Less Than 25 Daily

Jon Jordan, Pocket Gamer.Biz

And this from a million-selling game. Tweet

The Seven Most Underused Mail Features

Joe Kissell, Macworld

If you’re anything like me, you fall into certain habits when using programs such as Apple Mail—you get used to using the same small set of core features all the time and tend to overlook capabilities that are less obvious, though no less useful. Based on my own experience and my observations of several other Mail users, I’ve compiled a list of seven truly helpful features that often go unnoticed (applicable to both Leopard and Snow Leopard versions of Mail). Tweet

5 Things That Drive iPhone Users Crazy

Tom Kaneshige, CIO.com

Apple's iPhone is supposed to be the most user-friendly smartphone on the planet, but bad application design choices tick off iPhone newbies and experts. Tweet

Service Impresses Apple Shoppers

Jonathan Overstreet, Augusta Chronicle

A new Apple Store is open at Augusta Mall, and it's already generating excitement. Tweet

Moving Your iTunes Library The Right Way

Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet

In the process of moving my iTunes library from my internal SSD to the OptiBay hard drive that I installed last week and I was reminded that moving your iTunes library isn’t a trivial task. Tweet

Global CIO: Apple's Next Billion-Dollar Idea: The Enterprise Mobility iCloud

Bob Evans, InformationWeek Tweet

How To Save The PC: A Petition To Microsoft And Apple

Jason Hiner, ZDNet Tweet

Apple Inquires With Users About iPhone OS 3.1 Battery Life

AppleInsider

With various reports of poor iPhone battery life following the 3.1 OS update, Apple has reportedly begun asking users about its experiences and usage habits in an attempt to address the issue. Tweet

Using Smart Playlists With Nested Conditionals In iTunes 9

Kirk McElhearn, Macworld

Among the many features added to iTunes 9 () is a tweak to the way you can create smart playlists. Using this new feature, you can create nested conditional smart playlists; smart playlists that contain multiple sets of rules, as opposed to simply multiple rules. Tweet

Curio For Mac OS X Updated To Version 6

MacTech Tweet

Why Apple Is Unstoppable

Tim Bajarin, PC Magazine

Apple is perhaps the most influential company in the personal computer and CE market. And this is driving its competitors crazy. Tweet

7 Myths About iPhone Exchange Policies

Galen Gruman, InfoWorld

I've been called everything from stupid to a Microsoft fanboy in recent days for an opinion article criticizing Apple's handling of a bug fix in the iPhone OS. While there's legitimate argument over how damaging Apple's decisions were, many e-mails, comments, and blog posts show how few users really understand the issues around access policies when connecting to corporate servers. And many bloggers are telling users that there's a simple fix to this issue. There isn't. For many enterprises that allowed or were planning to allow iPhone access to their networks, Apple's handling of this situation is, in some measure, a betrayal. Tweet

Is Genius For The App Store A Joke? (iPhone OS 3.1)

Pete Mortensen, Cult of Mac

I have Tweetie, so it recommends other Twitter clients. I have Mint, so it recommends other money-management software. I have Kayak, so it recommends other plane ticket programs.

Other times, it fares even worse, making flat-out irrelevant recommendation. Tweet

Is The iPhone 3G Liquid Sensor A Filthy Liar?

The Consumerist

Here's the $199 question. What does it take to set off the moisture sensor on an iPhone 3G? Immersion in water? Sweat from a vigorous workout? Using the phone on a humid day? The truth is somewhere on that continuum, and many iPhone users claim that their warranties have been unfairly voided when normal use set off the sensors. Tweet

Did Apple Sacrifice iTunes With Latest Apps?

Michael Learmonth, Advertising Age

Through its iTunes Store, Apple dominates digital music sales. But did it just kneecap that business by approving two apps that could make iTunes itself obsolete? Tweet

Rivalry Between Macs And PCs Are Fading As Software Moves Online

Scott Shuey, GulfNews

If there is anything likely to put an end to the Mac-PC rivalry, it is the advent of "cloud computing", a jargon term to describe software that runs over the internet. Tweet

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Advice For Apple: Grow The iPod Touch

Paul Suarez, PC World Tweet

Intel And Apple, Future Rivals?

Brooke Crothers, CNET News

As Intel readies its most potent chip yet for small devices, Apple may already be using competing technology. Tweet

Why Apple Is Betting On HTML 5: A Web History

AppleInsider

Despite making the vast majority of its money from hardware sales, Apple is investing heavily in shaping the future of software. One example of this pertains to HTML 5 and related web standards. Tweet

20+ Mac Apps To Increase Your Productivity

Christina Warren, Mashable

For the Mac addicts and newcomers alike, I’ve compiled twenty of my favorite Mac productivity applications. Tweet

Apple Introduces The App Store Resource Center

Joachim Bean, TUAW

As part of Apple's efforts to make the ins-and-outs of the App Store more clear to everyone, Apple has just Introduced the App Store Resource Center. Apple states this new site is "a single destination where you can find everything from how to prepare for submitting your app to managing your app once it been posted to the App Store." Tweet

Hackintosh PC - Don't Tell Me What To Do, Apple!

Jeffrey Fritz, Examiner.com

Technically, we can turn our business PC into a business Macintosh. Technically we can, but is it legal? Tweet

Using iWork As An Image Editor

Sang Tang, TUAW

As with many Apple products, the UI plays a major role in making for a more pleasurable experience. This ethos is certainly evident across the iWork suite, resulting in a very similar and seamless workflow within all three apps. Tweet

I’m Leading A Double Life: I Primarily Use A Mac, But I Just Bought A Zune HD. (What The Heck?!)

Nicholas Deleon, CrunchGear

All that said, I’m happy (I guess) to report that using a Zune HD even though Mac OS X is my primary operating system really isn’t that difficult. Tweet

Turning Your iPhone Into A Film Projector

Courtney Banks, Wall Street Journal Tweet

Saturday, September 19, 2009

iTunes U: Learning Wherever You Are

Chris Ryan, Salon

From language lessons to audiobooks to lectures and more, iTunes U is a great place for those who love to learn. With the release of iTunes 9, Apple has put an even bigger spotlight on this great content by featuring it prominently inside the application. Tweet

Google Vs. Apple: Who's Telling The Truth?

Erica Ogg, CNET News

Anyone who deals with Apple on a regular basis knows it is a company that gives information on its own terms. But now even the federal government is having problems getting a clear answer regarding Apple's rejection of the Google Voice application for the iPhone. Tweet

Apple Fires Back At Google Over Voice App Rejection Claim

AppleInsider

Hours after Google's letter to the FCC was published in its entirety, Apple has directly responded to the claim that it has formally rejected the Google Voice application from the iPhone App Store. Tweet

Even More Hidden Refinements In Snow Leopard

TidBITS

As we've settled in with Snow Leopard, we've found many tiny improvements. Undoubtedly, even more will be discovered as time goes on, but for now here's another healthy serving of unexpected - but much appreciated - refinements. Tweet

Apple, Other Retailers Target Of Patent Infringement Suit

AppleInsider

A newly filed lawsuit accuses Apple and numerous other online retailers for violating a 14-year-old patent claiming ownership of randomly generated encryption keys for security. Tweet

See Hidden Files In Snow Leopard's Open And Save Dialogs

Rob Griffiths, Macworld

In any Open or Save dialog in Snow Leopard, simply press Shift-Command-Period to display hidden files and folders. This command is a toggle; hidden files will be displayed as you navigate various directories in the Open or Save dialog. Tweet

Bugs & Fixes: Too Many iPhone Notes In Mail?

Ted Landau, Macworld Tweet

Review: GridIron Flow 1.0

Jay J. Nelson, Macworld

GridIron Flow is a groundbreaking application—there has never been anything like it. This visual workflow manager uses a simple interface to show you important information about your projects and keep you organized. Tweet

Friday, September 18, 2009

Google Tells FCC Apple Rejected Its Voice App For iPhone

Fawn Johnson, Dow Jones

Google Inc. has disclosed that earlier this year, Apple Inc. rejected Google's new Google Voice phone service for the popular iPhone's application store.

Google originally kept confidential its response to the FCC's question about the company's discussions with Apple. But Google notified the FCC on Thursday that it was lifting its request for confidential treatment. Tweet

Apple's Network Sharing Features In iTunes 9 Could Be Better

Network World

Home Sharing has more than its share of problems. Tweet

Apple's Attempt To Simplify Ringtones May Muddy The Waters

Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

If you just want a short clip of your favorite song to use as ringtone for your iPhone, Apple's new iPhone ringtones make buying and downloading it to your iPhone a cinch. If you like a little more control over the process, though, you may have to rely on third-party applications. Tweet

It's Okay To Ignore The iPhone

Manton Reece

If you're a Mac developer, my message to you is the same: just because the iPhone is awesome and runs on Objective-C does not mean you are required to build software for it. Maybe your time would be better spent refining old apps or building new ones on the Mac. Maybe... the iPhone doesn't need you, either. Tweet

Not-Just-MP3 Players: Apple And Microsoft Audition For New Roles

Rob Pegoraro, Washington Post

We need to retire the term "MP3 player." Not only do the newest media gadgets from Apple and Microsoft play more music formats than MP3 -- in addition to showing photos and videos -- they also fill some roles once reserved for high-end smartphones. They can even replace an old transistor radio. Tweet

OmniOutliner Professional 3.9.1

Stuart Gripman, Macworld

OmniOutliner Professional 3.9.1 is still the best outlining and list management tool on the market. Omni Group has wisely avoided gratuitous feature creep, focusing instead on keeping current with the Mac OS and judiciously enhancing a solid feature set. Tweet

Apps Trump Tunes At Apple

BusinessWeek

As iPod sales ease, the company is focusing more and more on software—to the dismay of the record labels. Tweet

Snow Leopard's Grand Central, Open CL Boost App By 50%

AppleInsider

A developer reports seeing a 50% jump in real world performance after adding initial support for two new Snow Leopard technologies: Grand Central Dispatch and Open CL. Tweet

How Should Mac Apps Be Distributed?

John Gruber, Daring Fireball

Perhaps Apple should do something like that for .app bundles, where if you launch an app from ~/Downloads/, it would prompt you to install the app, and if you agree, it would move it to the Applications folder and launch it from there.

It made sense back in 1984 when all you have are little tiny floppy disks, but perhaps application files shouldn't be treated the same as your data files in the Finder? Tweet

The Snow Leopard Appreciation Society

Seb Janacek, ZDNet

In many way, it's very anti-Apple but I'd be very happy to dispense with future eye candy if the next iteration of the Mac operating system is as packed with hidden treasures. It's a software release which proves definitively the old aphorism that 'less is more'. Tweet

Apple's iTunes May Be Trying To Do Too Much

Justin Williams, Evansville Courier-Press

There is a time in every piece of software's life where it passes the threshold of adding useful features and instead starts polishing its existing user experience or just starts cramming needless functionality in for the sake of a bullet point on the new features list. With iTunes 9, the latest release of Apple's digital jukebox software, I think it is hovering somewhere in between. Tweet

Notifications: One iPhone Push Alert App To Rule Them All?

Frederic Lardinois, ReadWriteWeb

Notifications combines push notifications for Twitter, email, and any RSS feed into one iPhone app. While we have tested quite a few push notification apps in the past, including some great apps like Boxcar and GPush, none of these offer the flexibility of Notifications. Tweet

Thursday, September 17, 2009

iPhone, The 'Personal' Computer - Future Of The Mobile Web

Mark Sigal, O'Reilly Media Tweet

Apple Storms Hollywood

TNL.net Tweet

iTunes 9 Creating iPod Classic Conflicts

MacNN

Issues primarily revolve around sync, to the extent that a number of people complain they are unable to to sync media at all. Tweet

Organize Your iMovie Video Library

Jeff Carlson, Macworld Tweet

Music Publishers: iTunes Not Paying Fair Share

Greg Sandoval, CNET News

Songwriters, composers, and music publishers are making preparations to one day collect performance fees from Apple and other e-tailers for not just traditional music downloads but for downloads of films and TV shows as well. They contain music after all.

These groups even want compensation for iTunes' 30-second song samples. Tweet

Review: iPod Touch (late 2009)

Jason Snell, Macworld

The iPod touch is a terrific media player and portable computing device that doesn’t require any of the commitments or ongoing costs of the iPhone. The new high-end models add the blazing speed of the iPhone 3GS, making them even better for games. If you’re in the market for a game machine, video player, portable Internet device, and music player all in one—and if you don’t want to pay AT&T every month—you can’t do better than the iPod touch. Tweet

Apple's Fifth Take: Ars Reviews The iPod Nano With Video

Jacqui Cheng, Clint Ecker, Ars Technica

The nano's video camera is not the best pocketable video camera on the market. The nano is, however, a very thin and light portable media player that is capable of taking good-enough SD videos for uploading to YouTube. Like the iPhone 3GS, you're not going to be shooting any award-winning documentaries on it, but when you already carry around an iPod, convenience often wins. When combined with the plethora of other features supported by the nano--music of course, video playback, Nike+, pedometer, Voice memos, and radio capabilities--there are certainly many things to like about this 8GB for $149 (or $179 for 16GB) player. Tweet

Apple's iTunes 9 Makes It Easier To Share, Organize

Walter S. Mossberg, Wall Street Journal

In my tests, performed on multiple Windows PCs and Macs, iTunes 9 worked as advertised, and I found it to be less cluttered, more intelligent and easier to use than the prior version. Tweet

Open Thread: Apple Defies The Laws Of Economics

Om Malik, GigaOM

I wonder if there are other computer makers that can get away with something like that? Are there any other brands that can charge extra for “retro” features? Tweet

IDrive Lite, A Contacts Backup App For iPhone And BlackBerry, Gets Even Better

Robin Wauters, TechCrunch Tweet

Apple's New iPod Nano Is No Small Step Forward

Andy Ihnatko, Chicago Sun-Times

Apple has another winner here. Thank Heavens they haven’t chosen to turn the Nano into a trivial little fashion player, giving a huge reboot each and every season Just Because. No, Apple continues to build upon the Nano’s tremendous equity. And they’re doing it in just the right way: by keeping the size and price where they are, and packing in more value without sacrificing the simplicity that Nano users prefer. If you want a premium but still affordable pocket music player, the Nano is still your go-to choice. Tweet

Lucky iPhone Developer Gets Very Own App Store Hotline

Register

As a worldwide chorus of mobile developers howls over Apple's unwillingness to discuss the ins and outs of the iPhone App Store, Steve Jobs and his minions are providing at least one app seller with its very own support rep. Tweet

A Real Keyboard For The iPhone?

Roy Furchgott, New York Times

The most frequent complaint I hear about the iPhone is its lack of a physical keyboard. Toronto-based Mobile Mechatronics said it has taken care of that by building a Blackberry-style physical keyboard that attaches to an iPhone. Tweet

Apple To Launch iPhone In China's Cut-throat Mobile-phone Market

John Boudreau, San Jose Mercury News

Ren Wanhui is in the market for a sleek smart-phone packed with applications. That should be good news for Apple, which soon will launch the iPhone in the world's largest and hottest mobile-phone market.

The bad news for Apple is that the smart-phone Ren admires is the iPhone look-alike "M8," one of dozens of iPhone imitations and knockoffs already on store shelves in China. Tweet

New iPod Nano Fulfills Its Mission, Mostly

Stephen Williams, New York Times

It’s glossy, it’s slick, the video’s for real, the audio speaker’s not. Tweet

Digging Deep Into Bare Bones With Rich Siegel

Jeff Gamet, The Mac Observer

Bare Bones Software has been involved in the Mac community since 1993, predating Mac OS X, the iMac and Steve Jobs's return to Apple. Looking back at the company's history offers some idea about where it might be headed, but it's easier to figure out what's really happening by going right to the top, so The Mac Observer sat down with company founder Rich Siegel. Tweet

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Improve Snow Leopard's Autocorrection Capabilities

Lewis Butler, TidBITS Tweet

Hidden Dimensions: The Art (And Dangers) Of Selling In iTunes Without Selling

The Mac Observer

Apple is able to use the iTunes 9 app to sell products without actually appearing to sell anything. Because no one likes high pressure, in your face, sales tactics, iTunes services keep the money flowing with the appearance of customer enthusiasm, not offensive sales tactics. But the line is all too easy to cross. Tweet

Review: Frogger For iPhone

Lex Friedman, Macworld

Mixing the classic arcade game with the iPhone’s awesomeness works to perfection, and I’m thrilled that it was ported so well. Tweet

Time To Ditch The Optical Drive, Once And For All

Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet

Once heralded as the second coming of data storage, the sun has finally set on the optical drive as an effective vehicle for data storage and delivery. Tweet

USB Overdrive 3.0 Adds 64-bit Snow Leopard Support

Dan Moren, Macworld

USB Overdrive is a venerable piece of Mac software that lets you use all sort of USB and Bluetooth input devices—mice, keyboards, joysticks, gamepads, etc.—with applications that might not necessarily support them, as well as taking advantage of some of those devices' unsupported features. Tweet

Five Unexpected Uses For The Option Key

Sharon Zardetto, Macworld

The Option key is the unsung hero of the keyboard. Tweet

A Guide To Blocks & Grand Central Dispatch (And The Cocoa API's Making Use Of Them)

Colin Wheeler, Cocoa Samurai Tweet

Your Company? There's An App For That.

Jason Kottke, kottke.org

Few technology and device-making companies probably realize it, but they are in direct competition with Apple (or soon will be). Tweet

iPod Touch Excels In Sound Quality

Matt Rosoff, CNET News

Hearing is subjective--apparently younger listeners are beginning to prefer the "sizzle" of highly compressed MP3s, and one listener's "crisp" is another's "harsh." And I'm an analog fan, with far more records than CDs in my home collection. But to me, the Zune HD sounded pretty good, while the new iPod Touch is the best-sounding MP3 player I've ever heard, comparing favorably with a decent CD player. Tweet

iTunes 9 Zoom Button

Thomas Fitzgerald

For those who took issue with the previous behavior I guess it’s a step in the right direction.

Except that it broke a lot of habit. The lesson to learn here is that, in my humble opinion, you don't deviate from that human-interface guidelines without a good solid reason. Tweet

Screen Saver In Snow Leopard

Dave Winer, Scripting News

There's a plus and minus at the bottom of the list. When you click the plus you can add a folder to the list. Nice little improvement. Used to be there could only be one folder, now you get as many as you like. Tweet

MacSpeech Dictate Debuts New International Version

MacNN

MacSpeech has launched a new international version of its speech recognition software, with new localized multi-language support for France, Italy and Germany. Tweet

The Other iPhone Lie: VPN Policy Support

Galen Gruman, InfoWorld

The iPhone OS 3.1 fixed false reporting about Exchange policy adherence. It turns out that a similar flaw existed for VPN policies, too. Tweet

Gaming On The iPhone Stinks!

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Datamation

So, what’s the problem? Well, it’s that most games require some basic controls, and that most of the time these controls have to be placed on the screen along with the gaming action. Tweet

RIM, Apple Phone 'duopoly' Faces Pressure -Rogers

Wojtek Dabrowski, Reuters

Research In Motion and Apple Inc's "duopoly" in the smartphone market will be pressured by other handset makers eager to capture increased share, the head of Canada's biggest wireless company said Tuesday Tweet

Apple's New Top Lawyer Has Antitrust Experience: He May Need It

Dan Frommer, Business Insider

If Apple's growing power in the mobile industry -- particularly its dominance of the mobile app industry -- continues; if Apple doesn't eventually make the iPhone app platform more open; and if it ticks off the right opponent; it could eventually find itself on the wrong end of an anti-competitive lawsuit. Tweet

Is The Future Of Mac...The iPhone?

Erica Sadun, TUAW

Apple's engineers have learned a lot of important design lessons during the history of OS X. When the iPhone debuted, it gave those engineers the chance to rebuild an OS and an API from the ground up. Those engineers could craft a platform and its libraries that built on the Mac's successes without dragging along its less fortunate design decisions. Tweet

New iPod Nano: Tiny Package, Big Features

Ed Baig, USA Today

Physics, schmysics: That’s what Apple seems to be saying when it comes to the company’s latest iPod Nanos, introduced by Steve Jobs in San Francisco last week. It's impressive what Apple managed to cram into this thing. Tweet

Bing Brings Visual Search To iPhone Apps

Rick Broida, CNET News Tweet

iTransport: Could iPhone apps change the way we travel?

Tom Vanderbilt, Slate Magazine

One of the device's greatest areas of promise is as a transportation tool. Rival smartphones, of course, are equipped with GPS, Internet access, etc., but none corral quite so many of the features that delight transpo geeks (an accelerometer, a compass, etc.) into one device. Tweet

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Collect Windows In Spaces In Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths, Macworld Tweet

Microsoft Slims Down Mac Office Choices With Business Edition

Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

Microsoft has decided to give its Office 2008 selection a makeover by ditching two of its three choices and replacing them with a Business Edition. Now, it's easier to decide what version you need: are you a home or student user, or are you a business user? Tweet

Letterbox Beta Adds Snow Leopard Mail Support

The Mac Observer

Mac OS X 10.6 users that prefer a three column view in Apple's Mail application are in luck now that Letterbox beta 4 is available. Letterbox is a Mail plug-in that lets users switch from Mail's default three pane view to a three column view. Tweet

Another New Chief Counsel At Apple

Peter Burrows, BusinessWeek

In Apple terms, this is a fast turning revolving door. Apple’s executive suite for the most part is marked by remarkable stability. What could cause this exception? Tweet

HP Boosts Mac Integration With New MediaSmart Home Servers

Peter Cohen, Macworld

MediaSmart devices are billed as “all-in-one” home servers that act as a central point for network backups for your home computers. They also act as media servers for any music and video you’d like to share. Included software centralizes the collection of media to keep it in one place. Tweet

iTunes 9

Sven-S. Porst, Quarter Life Crisis

iTunes 9 was released on 9th of September - haha! - and just as many releases before it it brings a few nice new tweaks as well as a big bunch of more iPod, iTMS crap with next to no benefit to the user. Tweet

iTunes 9 Hits The Right Note

John Martellaro, The Mac Observer

It's a balance between a money making enterprise and service to the customer. For now, the principal focus of the app remains on the latter. I hope it remains so. Tweet

Stream Audio From Any Application With Airfoil

Kirk McElhearn, Macworld

The real advantage of Airfoil is its ability to stream from any application to a number of devices, including other computers. Tweet

Review: Camtasia For Mac

Rob Griffiths, Macworld

Techsmith’s Camtasia for Mac is a new entry in the field of screen recording and editing tools available for OS X, but Techsmith isn’t new to the field of screen recording—their Camtasia Studio for Windows is a powerful and widely-used program. Tweet

iTunes 9 Is Cool But Far From Perfect

Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle

If you've been hoping that the next version of iTunes would make managing your music library easier, or be simplified and put on a diet as was Apple's Snow Leopard operating system, you'll likely be disappointed. Tweet

Adobe Posts Lightroom 2.5, Camera Raw 5.5, DNG Converter 5.5

MacNN Tweet

Government Mulls iPhone Approval

Kim Tong-hyung, The Korea Times

Just when the industry thought that iPhone had finally been cleared for the Korean market, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), the country's broadcasting and telecommunications regulator, put another stop, expressing concerns over the handset's capabilities for location-based services. Tweet

Apple Gobbles World's Flash Memory

Rik Myslewski, The Register

The world is running out of flash memory, and it's all Apple's fault. Tweet

Why Apple TV Must Evolve To Avoid Extinction

Brian X. Chen, Wired Tweet

SolidThinking 8.0 Adds Productivity, Rendering Enhancements

MacNN

SolidThinking has launched global updates to its photorealistic rendering and animation software packages, SolidThinking 8.0 and SolidThinking Inspired 8.0. The design programs offer tools for creating manufacturable models, and allow users to render photorealistic 3D product designs. Tweet

AT&T: No Early MMS For iPhones

Leslie Cauley, USA Today

“We can’t comment on what people might be doing” to get MMS in the meantime. Tweet

How Apple Could Make The Newly Cheaper Apple TV Useful

Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

But opening access to more content is far more likely to entice consumers than a big hard drive. Tweet

Microsoft Money For Mac OS X

Kyle Buckley, The Nillabyte Perspective

Most people who switch from Windows to Mac find themselves entering a much simpler and less annoying world of computing. And they can find Mac equivalents for most of the familiar programs they used in Windows and most are better than those found in Windows. There is one glaring exception: financial software. Tweet

iTunes 9 Breaking AirTunes Connections?

Donald Melanson, Engadget Tweet

Monday, September 14, 2009

Penn And Teller Bring Their Magic Act To The iPhone

Tyler Tschida, App Advice Tweet

Apple Posts Series Of Xsan 2.2 Updates

MacNN

Apple is distributing a collection of v2.2 updates for Xsan, its SAN (storage-area network) management software. These include patches for the administrative component, in both Leopard and Snow Leopard varieties. Tweet

Speed Test: iPod Touch (Late 2009)

Dan Frakes, Macworld

So do Apple’s claims hold up? While the results vary from task to task, the new iPod touch—which Apple dubs the “iPod touch (late 2009)”—is noticeably faster across the board. Booting is dramatically faster, as are launching applications and browsing the Web. Tweet

Bugs & Fixes: Snow Leopard Grab Bag

Ted Landau, Macworld Tweet

Apple Missed Security Boat With Snow Leopard, Says Researcher

Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Apple missed a golden opportunity to lock down Snow Leopard when it again failed to fully implement security technology that Microsoft perfected nearly three years ago in Windows Vista, a noted Mac researcher said today. Tweet

Acorn 2 Adds Multi-layer Screenshots, More

Dan Moren, Macworld

Image-editing programs have long had a hard time competing with the 800-pound gorilla known as Photoshop, but Flying Meat has carved out a sweet spot for itself with its lightweight, inexpensive editor Acorn. The recently released Acorn 2 has even more to offer those who don’t need every single little bell, whistle, or kazoo that Photoshop offers. Tweet

Accounting Rule Change In Apple's Favor

Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Fortune

A change in accounting rules for which Apple (AAPL) — among other high-tech companies — lobbied heavily won tentative approval last Thursday. The change could significantly affect both the company's reported earnings and its stock price. Tweet

Apple Clarifies iPhone Anti-phishing Feature

Dan Moren, Macworld Tweet

Severn Software Intros Secrets Data Encryption App

The Mac Observer Tweet

Top Grossing Apps

Lukas Mathis, Ignore The Code

despite of the fact that there seems to be a race to the bottom of the pricing range, having a higher price will often push you above cheaper apps when it comes to a your net income. Tweet

The iPod Nano: The New Family Video Camera

PC Magazine Tweet

Default Folder X 4.3.1 Improves Snow Leopard Support

The Mac Observer Tweet

Five Unexpected Uses For The Spacebar

Sharon Zardetto, Macworld

Ancient Greek and Latin writings had no spaces between words; you just had to be familiar with where words started and stopped in order to read textlikethis. But we should be grateful to the spacebar for more than just its sacred word-separation calling, because it can also perform quite a few tricks in various environments. Tweet

Mobilize: How Apple Is Helping Mobile Developers Make Money

Katie Fehrenbacher, GigaOM

As large players like Apple move into the cell phone market with innovations like the iPhone and its App Store, the revenues that mobile app developers can get from consumers and carriers will only grow, noted a panel of executives from mobile application startups at our Mobile 09 conference in San Francisco on Thursday. That’s because while carriers have traditionally controlled the billing relationship with the customer, Apple has brought its own billing relationship with the customer to the table and has been using it to break the stranglehold that carriers have had on the industry. Tweet

Apple Stirs Muddy Waters With iPod touch Emphasis

Bryan Chaffin, Mac Observer

From my armchair pundit viewpoint, Apple would be better served emphasizing the iPod touch as a gaming device that can run the same apps as the iPhone. This is markedly different from trying to position it separately with the almost certainly-unintended side effect of suggesting there is a separate category of apps for the device. Tweet

Apple Says: Tiger Users could Upgrade To Snow Leopard For £25 - But Mustn't

Charles Arthur, Guardian

"Technically, yes, it would upgrade a Tiger install," said Eyzaguire, sounding a little deflated, "but in the licensing, no." Tweet

Review Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond The Sword

Chris Holt, Macworld

Expansion pack for expansive game makes things more... expansive. Tweet

Apple Drops 40GB Apple TV And Discounts 160GB Model To $229

Arnold Kim, MacRumors Tweet

WebGL Support Begins To Arrive In WebKit

Arnold Kim, MacRumors

WebGL is a standards based initiative which is bring hardware accelerated 3D graphics to web browsers without the need for browser plug-ins. Tweet

iPod Touch Helping Mansfield District Students Learn

Traci Shurley, Star-Telegram

From coloring pictures to putting together puzzles, the 4-year-olds in Mansfield teacher Lisa Watson’s class handle all the things that pre-kindergartners have for years, with one big exception — iPod touches. Tweet

Let Your iPhone Drive You

Jamie Lendino and Sascha Segan, PC Magazine

iPhone OS 3.0 opened the floodgates for driving-directions applications. We choose the best. Tweet

The iPod Nano: The New Family Video Camera

Tim Bajarin, PC Magazine

Over the years, I have seen a lot of changes when it comes to portable video recorders, and every generation gets smaller, lighter, and better. But the nano breaks new ground and, given its aggressive price, it just might become the No. 1 digital video camera for the modern family. Tweet

Apple iTunes 9

Paul Thurrott's SuperSite For Windows

For now, iPod and iPhone owners can enjoy the vastly improved sync capabilities, while all iTunes users can access the new store design and should at least examine the sharing capabilities. The rest of it is about lock-in, mostly, but of course, Apple's most fanatical fans relish corporate micromanagement of their lives, and they'll embrace iTunes 9 blindly like the lemmings they are. But then, there's no choice involved here regardless. And that's true if you're in the fold or not. Tweet

Kids Use iPods In School To Help With Language Skills

Kate Cerve, Hilton Head Island Packet

At most Beaufort County public schools, iPods and other portable music players are banned from classrooms and hallways. But at Hilton Head Island Middle School and others with high numbers of students with limited English skills, teachers use the devices to help students learn to read. Tweet

iPhone Gets .Net App Development

Paul Krill, Infoworld News

Novell on Monday will offer a kit for developers to build Apple iPhone and iPod Touch business applications using Microsoft's .Net Framework instead of the Apple-designated C or Objective-C languages. Tweet

Apple Jack Of All Trades?

Jeffrey Fritz, Examiner.com

Steve Jobs' comment to David Pogue concerning an Apple's eBook reader is interesting and troubling. Tweet

iPhone MMS Working For Many; Two Weeks Early

Jason D. O'Grady, The Apple Core

Despite its statement that MMS would be available to iPhone customers beginning on September 25, AT&T began a gradual rollout of the coveted feature in select markets starting on Friday. Tweet

iPhone's Safari Leads On Sexy Smarts

Daniel Ionescu, PC World

The iPhone is the prettiest smartphone, but is its Safari browser really the benchmark that all other mobile browsers must meet? Tweet

Is Apple Too Powerful?

Michael Mace, Mobile Opportunity

iTunes is no longer just a tool for Apple to defend its iPod sales; it's now a tool to help Apple take over new markets. Tweet

OK, Apple, But How Many Good Games Do You Have?!?

Michael Anderson, Gear Diary

I am hopeful that the iPod Touch continues to progress as a gaming platform and that the App Store continues attracting talented developers. I also hope that no one grabs too tight on to what Phil Schiller said last week, because I believe that we really could end up in a place of the expectation of insulting cheapness. And that would have a devastating impact on the gaming world I know and love today. Tweet

Schools Dump Textbooks For iPods, Laptops

Rachel Martin and Christine Brouwer, ABC News

For generations, school meant books -- lots of books. But not anymore. Around the country, from high school to grad school, textbooks are getting harder to find. Technology has made the library something that can fit into the palm of your hand. Tweet

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Entrepreneur Sees Future - On His iPhone

Kara G. Morrison, Arizona Republic

But with more than 75,000 apps, an explosion from the 500 that debuted 14 months ago, competition is towering, and app millionaires rare. Tweet

The Bookmark App - Audiobooks Finally Done Right

David Winograd, TUAW

The Bookmark app has solved a number of problems I've always suffered while listening to audiobooks on an iPhone. It isn't pefect yet, but what is currently in the app store is the best implementation of digital audiobook listening I've found. Tweet

Apple's iPod Evolution Could Mark End Of Dedicated Devices

Nicholas Kolakowski, eWeek

Apple's Sept. 9 rollout of an iPod Nano equipped with a video camera and a larger screen suggests a larger trend of manufacturers concentrating on multifunctional devices, including tablet PCs. If those devices find a foothold in the enterprise and consumer markets, there is a likelihood that dedicated devices such as e-readers and MP3 players could find themselves endangered species against gadgets that not only display text or play music, but also capture video and allow document editing. Tweet

Apple iTunes, iPod Upgrades A Quiet Burst Of Sound

Andy Ihnatko, Chicago Sun Times Tweet

Apple Flubs iPod Event, Marketing Changing?

Erik Sherman, BNET

Such a market misreading is unusual for the company. Combined with the results of yesterday, and you have to wonder if Apple is having a bad day, or whether shifting markets and conditions are showing that ingrained approaches to business may not work. Tweet

How Come iTunes Sales Haven't Hit A Wall?

Philip Greenspun

How could a product that requires home computer users to be expert sysadmins continue to enjoy expanding sales? Tweet

iPhone And iPod Touch Becoming A Viable Gaming Platform?

William Ham, Onemetal

I can’t help but feel that the mobile phones instant digital distribution, and micro-payment platform are also key elements of is success. Tweet

iPod Touch 3.0 Firmware Now $4.95

John Biggs, CrunchGear Tweet

Ballmer's Guide To iPhone Usage At Microsoft

Nick Wingfield, Wall Street Journal

It’s no secret to anyone at Microsoft that more than a few employees tote around iPhones in their pockets. Some staffers make little effort to hide the Apple device, while others seem to treat the iPhone a bit like a flask of whisky — a secret, irresistible source of shame.

This from a company famous for its 'embrace and extend' strategy. Where would Microsoft be if Bill Gates didn't buy a Macintosh? Tweet

Some Notes On iTunes LP

Jay Robinson

Feature-wise, an iTunes LP is a DRM-free album in high-quality 256kbps AAC format, along with digital extras (visualizer(s), photos, videos and interviews) wrapped in a custom WebKit-powered site. Tweet

Head To Head: iPod Nano Vs. Pocket Camcorders

Tim Moynihan, PC World

In the end, the Nano won’t replace a dedicated pocket camcorder, just as a pocket camcorder won’t replace a full-size video camera. But the Nano has its benefits, namely ultraportability, fun features, and the fact that it’s an iPod. Tweet

New iPod Touch Has 802.11n Chip

Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS

Does that mean that the iPod touch is suddenly much zippier on the network? Not quite. Tweet

Saturday, September 12, 2009

iTunes 9: The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of?

Scott McNulty, Macworld Tweet

The New iPod Nano: More Features, Same Size

David Colker, Los Angeles Times

It's a triumph of engineering and design that has managed to pack new features -- video camera, FM radio, microphone, speaker, dorky pedometer -- into an elegant device that's a pleasure to use. Tweet

What Steve Jobs Actually Said About EBooks

MG Siegler, TechCrunch

Translation: We’re making a tablet, and eBooks will be a part of those. Tweet

iPhone OS 3.1 Enforcing Exchange Device Encryption, Only Supported By iPhone 3GS

Donald Melanson, Engadget Tweet

Cocktail 4.5 (Snow Leopard Edition) For Mac OS X 10.6 Released

Macsimum Tweet

iTunes 9’s New Interface Causing App Sales To Drop?

Tyler Tschida, App Advice

The issue seems to be the new iTunes 9 interface.  iTunes 8 clearly displayed all app categories, such as games, finance, entertainment, and what have you, on the left-hand side of the screen.  iTunes 9, however, hides all of these categories under a tiny arrow within the top navigation bar.  An arrow that doesn’t appear unless hovered over. Tweet

Review: iTunes 9

Dan Frakes, Macworld

Besides being a mandatory upgrade if you need to use any of the new features of the iTunes Store and your iPhone or iPod touch, the latest version of iTunes is a worthy upgrade for new users, those with massive media libraries, and those who want to more-easily share their media between family members. Indeed, Apple’s goal with iTunes 9 seems to have been to make it easier for new users to bring in media and start enjoying it, while providing some of the most-requested features for existing users. And in most respects, iTunes 9 succeeds. Tweet

IEEE Ratifies 802.11n Wi-Fi Standard After 7 Years

MacNN Tweet

iPod Touch Teardown Reveals Empty Space For Camera

Leander Kahney, Cult of Mac

The new iPod Touch has an internal space for a camera, a teardown by iFixit has discovered. And there’s a couple more surprises also. Tweet

Review: Fifth-generation iPod Nano

Christopher Breen, Macworld

The 5G iPod nano is different. A video camera, built-in microphone, and buffered FM radio make this iPod nano a far more functional, flexible, and entertaining iPod than its predecessor. It won’t replace your full-sized camcorder (or even last year’s pocket camcorder). It’s not Tivo for radio nor a field recorder. It’s a compelling upgrade to an already solid and affordable media player. If the iPod you own is starting to look a little limited, this is the iPod to ask for this holiday season. Tweet

Opinion: Open Sourcing Grand Central Dispatch Is Crazy?  Like A Fox

The Mac Observer

It's becoming more and more clear that Apple has developed a world class software development system for the Mac and the iPhone/iPod touch. Developers are taking notice. Tweet

Hands On: iTunes 9 Refinements Cool, But Hard To Find

Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

iTunes 9 ushers in several changes to Apple's media app—some obvious, some far more subtle. We took a look around to see what we could find, and we bring you our impressions of what Apple has done with the latest version. Tweet

MobileMe Adds iPhone, Snow Leopard Features

Dan Moren, Macworld Tweet

iTunes App Store: Does Anyone Even Care About Top Grossing Apps?

Craig Grannell, Cult of Mac

It’s pretty clear this an attempt to appease developers, increasingly annoyed at the rush to 99 cents on the App Store. But here’s the thing: will anyone care? I can’t see too many consumers rushing to see which apps have grossed the most and make buying decisions based on that. ‘Top grossing apps’ also sounds pretty ugly—not really what you’d expect from Apple. Tweet

News: Apple Makes Grand Central Dispatch Open Source

The Mac Observer

Apple opened up its Grand Central Dispatch technology in Snow Leopard to the open source community on Friday. Grand Central is a feature in Mac OS X 10.6 that lets developers more easily take advantage of the horsepower multi-core processors, and Apple's move means the open source community can now roll the technology into other operating systems, too. Tweet

iTunes Gains Automatically Add To iTunes Feature

Aayush Arya, Macworld

One of the often requested features for iTunes has been the ability to set a folder for it to watch, automatically adding any items you drop in that folder to its library. In iTunes 9, Apple has quietly added this feature, although I wouldn’t blame you for not having noticed its existence. In typical Apple fashion, it’s not exactly what people were asking for, but Apple’s interpretation of what they want. Tweet

Coloring With Adobe Kuler

James Dempsey, Macworld

The use of color is generally one of the most important aspects of any design. But not all designers are blessed with the ability to create color combinations that work well together. Most of us know a great color-combo when we see one, but couldn't create one if our lives depended on it. This is where Kuler can help. Tweet

Apple Releases New 'Get A Mac', iPod Touch, And iPod Nano Ads

MacRumors : Mac News and Rumors

Apple this week has launched three new television commercials, including one new "Get a Mac" ad featuring Justin Long and John Hodgman in their usual roles, one highlighting the gaming focus of the iPod touch, and a third showing off the video capabilities of the new iPod nano. Tweet

iTunes And Cocoa

John Gruber, Daring Fireball

Carbon hasn’t been deprecated but Apple clearly considers it legacy technology, and Apple has demonstrated a strong institutional aversion to legacy anything. Tweet

Friday, September 11, 2009

Apple Plugs Loopholes With Security Updates In iPhone OS 3.1

AppleInsider

Through security fixes, Apple's latest update to the iPhone operating system has reportedly disabled unintended "features" that some handset users were able to access with the prior version. Tweet

Bugs & Fixes: iTunes 9 And Safari Mix It Up

Ted Landau, Macworld

After installing iTunes 9, you may find that the updated version refuses to connect to the iTunes Store. Tweet

iPod Nano 5G Is So Good, You’ll Want To Eat It

Leander Kahney, Cult of Mac Tweet

Radio Rejoices As iPod Nano Gets FM Tuner

Andrew Hampp, AdAge.com

Apple's launch this week of its fifth-generation iPod nano, the first iPod to include a video camera, drew heavy chatter from bloggers and tech nerds alike for its affordable attack on the Flip camera. But the unlikeliest benefactor of the new nano? The radio industry, via Apple's first FM tuner, compatible with new 5G nanos. Tweet

Apple Rides Recent Growth In Asia To Earn Top Honors

Cris Prystay, Wall Street Journal

For a company with a tiny market share in Asia, Apple Inc. has an outsized reputation.

Apple held just a 1.6% share of the personal-computer market in Asia in the second quarter of this year, and a 0.6% sliver of the region's mobile-phone market, according to technology market-research firm IDC. Yet Apple skyrocketed to the top of our annual Asia 200 survey this year, and was ranked by readers as the region's most admired multinational company. Last year, Apple ranked seventh. Tweet

Using The New Automatic Import Folder In iTunes 9

Giles Turnbull, Cult Of Mac

iTunes 9 has neat little new feature: it will automatically import any music or videos you throw into a specific folder. Tweet

iPod Touch Comes Into Its Own As A Game Platform

Peter Cohen, Macworld

We’re just scratching the surface, folks. Now the fun begins. Tweet

iPhone 3.1's Anti-Phishing: Not Better Than Nothing?

Dan Moren, Macworld

Security firm Intego reports that the anti-phishing feature—which is supposed to display a warning when you visit a site with less-than-honorable intentions towards your personal information—flat out doesn’t work. Security firm Zscaler agreed with that assessment, noting that it’s been unable to get the warning to trigger. Tweet

iPhone 3.1 Breaking Exchange E-Mail For iPhone 3G Users?

Al Sacco, CIO

Apple’s support forum pages are quickly filling up with reports from frustrated enterprise iPhone users who attempted to sync information via iPhone with Exchange servers after upgrading to iPhone 3.1, but received the following error message. The account requires encryption which is not supported on this iPhone. Tweet

Home Sharing: At Last, iTunes Library Synchronization

Peter Cohen, Macworld

If you’re like me and you have a house full of music lovers, you may be interested in Home Sharing, a new feature of iTunes 9. It lets up to five computers in a single household share movies and music files more easily. Tweet

Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.6.1

Dan Moren, Macworld

Included in the OS X 10.6.1 update are a number of stability and compatibility improvements as well as patches for security issues, among them including the more recent version of the Flash plug-in for Safari. Tweet

Apple Issues Security Updates For Leopard, Tiger

Jonathan Seff, Macworld Tweet

Lessons From A Mac OS Switcher

Michael Gartenberg, SlashGear

The bottom line is that the Mac platform today is not the Mac platform of old and there’s a lot of benefit for going with Apple and relatively little hassle for doing so. Tweet

Box.net Opens Up Collaboration Service To iPhone Apps

Philip Michaels, Macword

Developers will able to integrate Box.net's content management and collaboration platform into their apps. Tweet

Faster AT&T 3G On Its Way, Slowly

Dong Ngo, CNET News.com Tweet

Apple Demonstrates Ignorance Of Mobile Games Market

Matt Peckham, PC World

$5 to $10 games? Great. Easy to learn and simple to play? Terrific. Able to pull them down in minutes, wherever you're at, using your provider's 3G network? Bully for Apple. But that doesn't make games like Guitar Hero: On Tour for the DS--a game that'd be impossible on the iPhone--any less "cool," or its price tag of $30 any more unreasonable. Tweet

Snow Leopard Update Fixes Adobe Flash Issue

Jim Dalrymple, CNET News

Apple on Thursday released a relatively minor update for Mac OS X Snow Leopard that fixes an issue users had with the operating system that downgraded them to an older version of Adobe Systems' Flash Player. Tweet

Why Developers Love Apple's Snow Leopard

Mark Milian, Los Angeles Times

Why is Snow Leopard so important? To quote a sweaty, excited Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, "developers, developers, developers." (We're quoting him out of context, but he makes our point: developers!) Tweet

Not Only Is Snow Leopard Trim, Its Update Cubs Are Tiny

MG Siegler, TechCrunch

The first update to Snow Leopard, OS X 10.6.1 has just been released by Apple. It seems that it’s mostly bug fixes, which is hardly surprising considering that the OS was just released a couple weeks ago. But one odd thing about the update is just how small it is for some users: 9.8 MB, to be exact. Tweet

The iPod Is Dead.

Farhad Manjoo, Slate Magazine

The new Nano signals an inevitable, though still remarkable, transition: The iPod is dead. I don't mean the name won't stick around or that people will stop buying Apple's devices. Rather, the sun is setting on what the iPod once was—a device you bought to play MP3s. Tweet

Apple Rolls Out iMac Graphics, RAID Card Firmware Updates

Philip Michaels, Macworld Tweet

Thursday, September 10, 2009

With The iPhone 3.1 Update Little Things Mean A Lot

Mel Martin, TUAW

This latest iPhone update contains a few little gems that should not be lost in all the excitement over new iPod hardware. Tweet

Steve Jobs Is Going After The Game Market

Dean Takahashi, VentureBeat

The cheapest iPod Touch is now sellng for $199. If Apple had put a camera in that device, it would have made it more expensive. The device already has a price disadvantage; the Sony PSP sells for $199 as well, while the Nintendo DSi sells for $169. Those prices are so close that gamers will have to think hard about what they will buy. If Apple had thrown a video camera into the iPod Touch, it probably couldn’t be as competitive on price. Tweet

Civilization IV: Beyond The Sword

Franklin Pride, Inside Mac Games

Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword adds loads of new content, with new areas of gameplay, entirely reworked universes to play in, random events, and plenty of mods to choose from, it easily delivers enough to make it worth the $35 to anyone who enjoys the series. Tweet

How To Use Text Substitution In Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths, Macworld Tweet

Apple's Music Event, In Holiday Colors

Jason Snell, Macworld

Wednesday’s iPod event was planned with an eye toward holiday sales. Tweet

PerfectTablePlan Pro, Advanced Updates Seating, Planning App

MacNN

Oryx Digital has released new Professional and Advanced Editions of its seating and planning software, PerfectTablePlan. The app offers tools for creating and arranging seating places for special occasions such as weddings or award ceremonies, and includes printable charts and reports. Tweet

iPod Shuffle 2G Is No More

Vladislav Savov, Engadget

Amidst all the excitement about moderate improvements and video cameras, we've also had to say goodbye to an old friend. Having been kept around for six months after the release of its successor, the second gen shuffle has finally succumbed, leaving the newly colorful 3G option all on its lonesome in the minimalist music lover space. Tweet

Apple Approves Real's Rhapsody iPhone App; First Look

Staci D. Kramer, PaidContent.org Tweet

iTunes LPs Should Be Lossless

Chris Jacob, Gizmodo

The iTunes LP is Apple's attempt to recreate the "feel" of buying a physical record in an intangible format. Without lossless audio as a part of the package, though, iTunes LPs are much less than an album. Tweet

How To: Organize Your iPhone Apps With iTunes 9

Jennifer Van Grove, Mashable

Amid all the hype around iTunes 9 was one new instrumental feature for iPhone owners — app management. We were thrilled by the possibilities of finally being able to organize and manage our apps via iTunes, and now we’re even more impressed by the reality. Tweet

Apple Shows Its Music Vision

Stephen Shankland, CNET News Tweet

Will Apple's New iTunes Put You On Cloud Nine?

PC World

Overall, I can't think of a reason not to upgrade to iTunes 9 and iPhone OS 3.1 (unless your phone is jailbroken, in which case you might want to hold off for now). Tweet

These Apps Help Users Of iPhones Find Their Way

Walter S. Mossberg, Wall Street Journal

Now, a number of companies have launched, or will soon launch, iPhone apps that do offer voice-prompted, automated, turn-by-turn navigation. Of course, many other cellphones have long offered such services. But the iPhone’s large screen, decent mono speaker and large selection of car mounting kits make it a tempting navigation device. Tweet

Q&A: Steve Jobs Snipes At Amazon, Praises Ice Cream

David Pogue, New York Times

So what we were focused on is just reducing the price [of th iPod Touch] to $199. We don’t need to add new stuff — we need to get the price down where everyone can afford it. Tweet

Hey, Apple, Why No Video Camera For The iPod Touch?

PC World Tweet

Griffin Intros Headphone Control Adapter For iPod Nano 5G

MacNN Tweet

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Fifteen Questions Prompted By Today’s Apple Event

Harry McCracken, Technologizer Tweet

First Look: iPhone 3.1

Dan Moren, Macworld Tweet

First Look: iTunes 9

MacNN Tweet

Apple Updates QuickTime For Leopard, Tiger Users

Philip Michaels, Macworld

It may not get the attention shown to a new version of iTunes or even an iPhone OS update, but QuickTime also saw a new version rolled out on Wednesday. QuickTime 7.6.4 adds support for the newly released iTunes 9 as well as improved audio device support for Windows Vista users. Tweet

iPod Nano Updates Cement Apple's Midmarket Hold

Matt Rosoff, CNET News.com

Strategically, this makes sense: on stage, Steve Jobs claimed that the Nano has sold more than 100 million units, making it the most popular MP3 player in the world. It occupies the sweet spot in price, between $100 and $200 (the new 8GB version will be $149, while the new 16GB version will cost $179). Tweet

Apple Puts iTunes On Facebook With Free Downloads

AppleInsider

Apple has taken iTunes to the Facebook platform, adding its brand as a "friendable" member of the social networking site and creating a Facebook application that hands out special offers to connected users. Tweet

Fifth-gen iPod Nano Adopts Camera, FM Radio

MacNN

Apple today announced the fifth-generation iPod nano, a radical revision of its compact media player. The device now has a built-in video camera, validating earlier rumors. Owners can record clips and sync them with iTunes, and then optionally upload them to YouTube. Video is rendered in 640x480 resolution at up to 30fps, with 15 real-time processing effects such as motion blur, film grain or a simulated x-ray look. Tweet

Apple Announces iPod Nano With Camera, FM Tuner, Pedometer

AppleInsider

Apple's new iPod nano unveiled Wednesday will allow users to record video, listen to FM radio, and track the number of steps taken by exercisers. Tweet

Apple Unveils 64GB iPod Touch With Faster Processor For $399

AppleInsider

With a huge library of titles, Apple pushed the iPod touch and iPhone as the definitive mobile gaming platform Wednesday as it announced a new 64GB iPod touch priced at $399.

In addition, a 32GB offering will be available for $299, and an 8GB option for $199. Apple executive Phil Schiller noted that the $199 is a "magic price point," so the 8GB option with lower component costs was used to hit that pricing sweet spot. Tweet

The iPod Classic Isn’t Dead Yet

Leander Kahney, Cult of Mac

The iPod Classic has been bumped up to 160GB $249, the same price as the previous 120 GB model. Available today, Apple says. Tweet

Apple Unveils Cleaner iTunes 9 With App Management, LPs, And More

AppleInsider

The latest version of iTunes brings improved syncing and application management, allows easier sharing of content, features a redesigned iTunes Store, and includes enhanced albums in the form of iTunes LPs. Tweet

Steve Jobs Returns To Stage At Annual Apple Music Event

AppleInsider

Jobs earned a standing ovation as he took the stage at the Sept. 9 event, his first official public appearance in nearly a year. Tweet

Apple Announces iPhone 3.1

Dan Moren, Macworld

With over 75,000 apps in the App Store, it can be difficult to find new applications. Apple’s extended its Genius media-recommendation algorithm to iPhone applications. It looks at the apps you already own and makes recommendations based on that information. Tweet

Why Did Microsoft License Exchange ActiveSync To Apple?

Brad Feld, MIT Technology Review

It feels like there is a deep master plan going on here. I just can’t seem to figure it out.

Actually, I thought it made perfect sense for the Exchange project group to do this. The "Windows Everywhere" strategy -- which is at the expense of every Microsoft product except, perhaps, Windows -- is a lousy strategy. Tweet

Does Refurbished MacBook Glut Point To Imminent Refresh?

Macworld UK

While the odd bargain or two can be found on the Refurbished Mac and Refurbished iPod sections of Apple's website, they currently appears to be a glut of discounted MacBooks available. Tweet

Avid Releases Pro Tools Essential Bundles

Jackie Dove, Macworld

Avid Technology today announced three new Pro Tools Essential bundles, hardware-software combinations that target consumers and hobbyists who are interested in musical composition, editing, and production, or who want to create and share music, podcasts, narrations, and other audio content. The packages are: Pro Tools Vocal Studio, Pro Tools Recording Studio, and Pro Tools KeyStudio. Tweet

The Incredible Shrinking iPod Prices Undercut The Zune HD

TechCrunch Tweet

Apple Cuts Most iPod Prices Ahead Of Event

MacNN Tweet

Apple Fans And Investors Geared Up For Company's Annual Music-Themed Event

New York Daily News

Although industry experts are not expecting any game-changing product announcements - iPod updates are more likely - Apple's events are among the most closely watched in all of technology, and there is always the possibility of a curveball. Tweet

A Program That Makes Your Inbox Less Scary

Katherine Boehret, Wall Street Journal

Postbox sorts through your email and detects its contents so you can see Web links, photos, contacts and other items themselves with one button click—whether Microsoft Word (MSFT) documents, PDFs or spreadsheets—without digging through messages. Since its inbox is constantly being indexed, all search queries return near-instant results. Tweet

Can Apple Lose The App Race?

Michael Hickins, BNET Tweet

China Clears iPhone For Network, Puts Picture Online

Owen Fletcher, IDG News Service

The Chinese government has cleared a version of the iPhone to use the country’s mobile networks and posted pictures of the handset online, just as carrier China Unicom prepares to launch the phone. Tweet

Suddenly, The iPod Is A Boring Device

Don Reisinger, InternetNews

While Apple's iPod event Wednesday promises some improvements to the current iPod line, it's doubtful that many users will be paying attention. Tweet

Synology Adds Time Machine, iPhone Support To Disk Station Manager 2.2

The Mac Observer Tweet

Blame The iPhone's 3G Network Woes On You And Me

Matt Hickey, CNET News.com

The problem as I see it isn't AT&T, which is clearly working as fast as it can. I'm putting the blame squarely on the iPhone users themselves. And I'm one of them. Tweet

iPhone C64 Emulator Pulled From App Store For BASIC Loophole

Stuart Dredge , Mobile Entertainment

iPhone's first Commodore 64 emulator has been swiftly pulled from the App Store, after users figured out how to access the app's BASIC programming language. Tweet

Sir Paul Blames Beatles iTunes Delay On EMI

Nick Spence, Macworld UK

Sir Paul McCartney has blamed music giant EMI for the delays which have prevented The Beatles back catalogue appearing legally on download services such as iTunes. Tweet

Lack Of iPhone SMS Character Counter Frustrates Users

MacNN

The handset's messaging interface does not provide any notification when 160 characters have been exceeded in the communication bubble. Tweet

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Flickr Unveils Dedicated iPhone App

MacNN

Yahoo has introduced a dedicated Flickr application for the iPhone, which attempts to promote the media-sharing service and simplify its use. The app can upload both photos and videos from an Apple handheld, with the option of geotagging the former. Tweet

Snow Leopard And Exchange: It Just Works

Michael Scalisi, Macworld

Overall, I think Snow Leopard’s apps deliver the essential Exchange features, and should allow Mac users to feel perfectly at home in a corporate Exchange environment. Tweet

Pixelmator 1.5 Adds Save For Web, Snow Leopard Support

David Chartier, Macworld Tweet

Mac Clone Maker's Lawyer Denies Spilling Apple Secrets

Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Psystar CEO calls Apple's inspection of its Florida office the same as letting 'terrorists visit the Pentagon'. Tweet

How To Fix The App Store

Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek

The Google Voice stalemate highlights the problems in Apple's iPhone app approval process. Here are some ways Apple can make the process smoother. Tweet

Inside Mac OS X Snow Leopard: Malware Protection

AppleInsider

What's new in Snow Leopard is an additional warning when disk images are opened containing known malware installers. However, there is no real malware problem on the Mac, in part because it's hard to write viral code that infects Mac OS X and very easy for Apple to roll out a patch that closes any discovered holes. Tweet

Solve Snow Leopard's Screen Sharing Bug

Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS

After some experimentation, I discovered the bug appears to be in Snow Leopard in the Screen Sharing application that handles connections via Bonjour, Back to My Mac (which uses Bonjour), and directly entered addresses. Tweet

Apple 13 & 15-inch MacBook Pros See Boot Camp Audio Failures

MacNN

Apple's latest MacBook Pro offerings appear to have an ongoing speaker audio-failure issue when running most varieties of Windows in Boot Camp. Tweet

Is Apple Favoring Less Complicated iPhone Apps?

WhereIsMyiPhoneApp.com Tweet

Apple's Snow Leopard Helps Real-life Cats

Mongabay

Apple's release of its new operating system, dubbed "Snow Leopard", is helping raise awareness of the plight of one of the world's most endangered big cats, reports the Snow Leopard Trust, a group working to protect the real-life snow leopard in its mountainous habitat across Central Asia. Tweet

Apple's iPhone Not Profitable For Carriers?

Sarah Perez, ReadWriteWeb Tweet

20 Best New Features In Snow Leopard

Craig Grannell, TechRadar UK

Many of Snow Leopard's changes are under the hood - new architecture that provides a foundation for the Mac going forward.

But while there's no Spotlight, Time Machine or Quick Look equivalent this time round, Snow Leopard still packs in new user-oriented features, big and small. Here are our favourites. Tweet

Monday, September 7, 2009

Apple Offers Sleek Cachet For Clunkers

Brooke Crothers, CNET News.com

Imagine consumers en masse dumping their old PC clunker for a svelte MacBook Air running the sleek, new Snow Leopard operating system. An implausible Orwellian vision but probably not that far removed from Apple's marketing aspirations. Tweet

Review: Online Backup Services

Glenn Fleishman, Macworld

8 Web services that let you back up files and restore them from anywhere. Tweet

iTunes Indeed: The iPhone As Instrument

James Temple, San Francisco Chronicle

Words can only convey so much about the new applications and how they're being used, so we decided to share our favorites among the many videos out there showing iPhone musicians doing what they do. Tweet

MTA Derails iPhone Application

Martin B. Cassidy, Connecticut Post

Apple has yanked a Greenwich Internet developer's iPhone application from its iTunes App Store after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority asked the company to stop distributing the program, which displays Metro-North Railroad and other transit schedule information.

The MTA asked Apple in a letter Aug. 7 to remove the application, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said, complaining that it lacked an approved disclaimer showing the MTA was not responsible for the accuracy of the information. Tweet

Spotify Launches On Apple's iPhone

AFP

Spotify, the Swedish music streaming website, on Monday announced the launch of its software on Apple's iPhone, the best-selling handset that features high speed internet access. Tweet

Snow Leopard Snubs Document Creator Codes

Matt Neuburg, TidBITS

An application in Snow Leopard cannot use a creator code attached to a document to bind that document to itself. Tweet

Computer-support Genius Bar Lives Up To Name

Ced Kurtz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Tweet

Snow Leopard Gives Apple Mac A Business Edge

Daily Telegraph

No, of course you don't use Apple Mac computers. They're for students, desktop publishers, designers and film product placement opportunities. Well, perhaps not so much now, with Apple regularly posting impressive sales results. Tweet

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Apple Approves Commodore 64 Emulator For iPhone

AppleInsider

A previously rejected iPhone title offering emulated play of Commodore 64 titles has been approved after the developer made changes to align it with Apple's SDK. It allows the iPhone to act as a system that was what was once Apple's staunch competitor. Tweet

Texting? No, Just Trying To Read Chapter 6

Randall Stross, New York Times

In our digital age, miniaturization rules. This is a welcome thing — in most cases. Squeezing two billion transistors onto a small chip? All good. Squeezing an enormous printed textbook down to iPhone-size? Not so good. Tweet

He Works For The Times, Too

Clark Hoyt, New York Times

It is no intended knock on Pogue’s integrity — he has panned Apple products and praised those of competitors — to point out that the review put him in the kind of conflict-of-interest situation that The Times regularly calls others to account for: doctors with a financial interest in the drugs they recommend, or a presidential adviser whose clients have a direct interest in certain legislation. In this case, the better Snow Leopard sells, presumably the better Pogue’s “Missing Manual” on how to use it will sell. Tweet

There's No Snow Leopard Here

Alex Blewitt

What 10.6 is is a developer release. It's like a massive-scale beta early-access test of the next version of 10.7. Tweet

Meet The 'iPhone Mom'

Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Twincities.com

Meet today's 'iPhone mom.' She's the woman who has seized on Apple's consumer-friendly smartphone as a means of bringing order to her hectic family life. And she's emerging as a consumer-tech icon. Tweet

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Is Apple Losing Another Board Member?

Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Fortune

According to an SEC Form 4 filed Friday, Bill Campbell, a key Apple board member and a close friend and adviser to Steve Jobs, executed a "non-sale transfer" of 60,000 shares of Apple stock worth more than $7.7 million in late August — including directors options he'd been holding for eight years. Tweet

Why MobileMe Is Worth It

Andy Ihnatko, Macworld

MobileMe isn’t a specific feature or function. It’s a utility, like the water or electricity. Its actual purpose is to maintain a pipeline so that Apple can deliver digital services and feature enhancements to whatever device they’ve sold you. I just wish they’d punch that button more aggressively. Tweet

Please Don’t Put Your iPhone In A Case

Tim Cox, Cult of Mac

A case doesn’t allow me to experience the iPhone. It just means I’m using a bulkier, less attractive iPhone. Tweet

Inside Mac OS X Snow Leopard: Exchange Support

AppleInsider

With iWork and the built in Exchange client support in Snow Leopard, many users will have no need to even consider Microsoft's Mac client offerings. It will be very difficult for Microsoft to convince Mac users that they need Office after those users discover suitable alternatives that cost significantly less. Tweet

AT&T Defends Its iPhone Network Via YouTube Outreach

AppleInsider

AT&T has published a YouTube response to the mounting complaints about its network in order to explain the issues involved and assure subscribers that it is working hard to address the massive new demand related to iPhone use. Tweet

Is Apple Replacing Microsoft As Silicon Valley’s Designated Villain?

Tomio Geron, Wall Street Journal

Two well-known entrepreneurs debated that question in a semi-serious debate Thursday night in Palo Alto, Calif.: Jason Calacanis, the outspoken chief executive of Mahalo Inc., and venture capitalist and former Apple marketing executive Guy Kawasaki, author of a number of marketing books and operator of a popular blog, “How to Change the World.” Tweet

Snow Leopard Apple's Most Compatible Release Ever

Jim Dalrymple, CNET News.com

While not everyone is thrilled with the way Apple handled the release, it turns out that Snow Leopard is Apple's most compatible operating system release ever. According to sources familiar with Snow Leopard's internal testing process, Apple kept an enormous amount of statistics on third-party application compatibility. Tweet

Use New Exposé Features In Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths, Macworld

You can now activate Exposé’s Application Windows mode after pressing Command-Tab. Tweet

AT&T Agrees To First Constantly Connected Third-party iPhone App

AppleInsider

With users' permission, the social networking iPhone application Loopt will report the phone's current location even when the software isn't running, based on a new agreement with AT&T. Tweet

Regarding The Brouhaha Over The Version Of Flash In Snow Leopard

John Gruber, Daring Fireball

I’m not sure how long Apple freezes the components before going GM, but I’m pretty sure it’s more than eight days. Does anyone really think that Apple should have replaced the single-crashiest piece of software in Mac OS X with a new untested version just eight days before going GM? Should Apple have postponed Snow Leopard for another month? Should Apple allow Adobe to set the schedule for Mac OS X updates? Tweet

Friday, September 4, 2009

Snow Leopard's (Partial) Gem Substitutes

Dan Frakes, Macworld

The good news for developers is that Snow Leopard focuses on under-the-hood changes, so it shouldn’t kill off so many third-party products. Still, I’ve come up with a good number of Gems, listed below, whose developers may be feeling a bit nervous these days. Tweet

With Snow Leopard, Apple Changes Few Of Its Spots

Rob Pegoraro, Washington Post

So let those folks install Apple's latest and get to work on a new crop of Mac applications. The rest of us will do better sitting Snow Leopard out, at least until Apple can ship a bug-fix update or two for it. Tweet

Inside Mac OS X Snow Leopard: GPU Optimization

AppleInsider

The move toward greater utilization of available GPU resources, along with Snow Leopard's Grand Central Dispatch architecture which helps makes this easy and transparent for developers to deliver, also makes it possible to Apple to innovate in future hardware, adding new acceleration chips of its own design or simply including better support for the existing GPU resources available from today's vendors. Tweet

Snow Leopard’s New Services

Giles Turnbull, Cult of Mac

At long last, the user has been given total control over Services. We can choose whether or not they are used, we can assign keyboard shortcuts that suit us, and we can create entirely new Services using Automator. Tweet

Why Won’t Apple Do That?

Dr Burt

Steve Jobs understands that rather than worry about how to offer something for every market segment, their overall brand value lies in being able to deliver a quality product at a premium price for the right customer segment. That way the customer can depend on the quality of the brand and of the value of the investment. Tweet

Apple's Sloppy Security Moves

Andy Greenberg, Forbes

As high profile hacks of Apple products have surfaced again and again in recent years, Apple has been taken to task for what some say is an incompetent approach to software security. But the company's latest software slip-up seems to show something more than security incompetency: security apathy. Tweet

Bookishly Appy With The iPhone

Carolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times

Lately people have been asking me with excitement what apps I've got on my iPhone, and I shrug and change the subject. It's a phone, it plays music, it gives me directions, it lets me e-mail from as many accounts as I like, allows me to vet the comments on this blog, check Twitter. ... Do I really want it to do anything else? Tweet

Flip Boom Classic 3 Adds Picture Library, iPod Support

MacNN

The app provides tool for drawing and coloring various pictures, which can then be animated or imported to programs such as QuickTime. Tweet

Apple Releases Java Update For Leopard

The Mac Observer Tweet

Reveal Hidden Menu Bar Icon Functions In Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths, Macworld

Here’s what you’ll see when you hold down the Option key and click on various menu bar icons. Tweet

AT&T To Enable MMS For iPhone 3G And 3GS On Sept. 25

AppleInsider

AT&T confirmed Thursday that multimedia messaging capabilities will come to the iPhone a few days late, on Sept. 25 -- just after the end of summer -- bringing to an end months of waiting and speculation.

The service will be available with a software update on the launch date. The update will arrive for customers as a download from iTunes. The feature will only be available for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS users. Tweet

How To Create A Service In Snow Leopard

Rob Griffiths, Macworld

I’ll walk you through the creation of a simple Service using Automator. Even if you’re not a programmer, and you find the thought of AppleScript scarier than a root canal at the dentist, I promise you’ll have nothing to fear by following this tutorial. Tweet

Resurrecting The MacBook's Number Pad

Christopher Breen, Macworld Tweet

The Macintosh/iPhone Mind Meld

Adam C. Engst, TidBITS

So you have a Mac, and you do have an iPhone (or other Bluetooth-compatible mobile phone - I don't have one of those, so I'm concentrating on the iPhone here). You're sitting at your Mac, working away, and the phone in your pocket rings. You could pull it out, check the caller ID, and decide whether or not your want to answer.

Or, if you had Sustainable Softworks' new Phone Amego application loaded and paired with your iPhone, you'd just glance at a little pop-up window on your Mac to see who was calling and, if you desire, send the call directly to voicemail by closing the window. Tweet

Snow Leopard Needs Flash Patch, Says Adobe

Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service

Mac users may be surprised that versions of Apple's latest operating system, Snow Leopard, also installs an older version of Adobe System's Flash player, potentially putting them at a higher security risk. Tweet

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Can Apple's Snow Leopard Save You Money?

CNET News

The differences were minor, but we were able to estimate that running your MacBook with Snow Leopard installed would use about one dollar's worth less electricity than if you kept the older version of OS X. Tweet

Apple's Snow Leopard Upgrades Mac OS X, Downgrades Flash

AppleInsider

While Snow Leopard makes a number of improvements to Apple's Mac OS X machines, for those who have kept Adobe Flash up to date, installing the new operating system will reportedly downgrade the software. Tweet

Customers Angered As iPhones Overload AT&T

Jenna Wortham, New York Times

Cellphone owners using other carriers may gloat now, but the problems of AT&T and the iPhone portend their future. Other networks could be stressed as well as more sophisticated phones encouraging such intense use become popular, analysts say. Tweet

Apple's Snow Leopard Is Less Secure Than Windows, But Safer

Wired

In short, Mac users are ducking behind a short wall — but as long as the enemy is firing in another direction, they’re not in grave danger. Tweet

Why Tech Standards Are Vital For Apple (And You)

Matt Buchanan, Gizmodo

Shaping standards isn't always for royalty checks or dominance—Apple's position doesn't allow them to be particularly greedy when it comes to determining how you watch stuff or browse the internet broadly. They've actually made things better, at least so far. But, one glance at the iPhone app approval process should give anybody who thinks they're the most gracious tech company second thoughts about that. Tweet

Why Are There No Mac Viruses?

Philip Elmer-DeWitt, CNNMoney.com

There are, as far as we know, no Mac OS X viruses in the wild. To prove that assertion wrong, you only have to name one. Tweet

Psystar Starts Selling Mac Clones With Snow Leopard

Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Mac clone maker Psystar isn't waiting for a federal judge to give it the green light to sell systems with Apple's new Snow Leopard operating system, according to the company's Web site. Tweet

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Indie Movie “Welcome To Macintosh” Makes It To iTunes

Nicole Martinelli, Cult of Mac Tweet

Developers, Be Warned: Apple Has Apparently Trademarked Those Glossy Chat Bubbles

Jason Kincaid, TechCrunch

Which means that Apple is either being remarkably inconsistent in its approval policies (which would be nothing new), or they’re about to launch a crusade to eliminate these glossy bubbles from any application that dares use them. Tweet

Inside Mac OS X Snow Leopard: QuickTime X

Daniel Eran Dilger, AppleInsider

Essentially, Apple has pulled an iMovie 08 here: rather than enhancing features of the current QuickTime 7.x, Apple has replaced it entirely with a new version written from the ground up to create a launching pad for a new generation of media-related development. Tweet

Promising Prospect: Read Right

Dan Frakes, Macworld Tweet

Control Audio Playback In Keynote Presentations

Rob Griffiths, Macworld Tweet

Un-minimize Windows Via Keyboard Command

Christopher Breen, Macworld Tweet

Bare Bones Releases Yojimbo 2.0

Peter Cohen, Macworld

New to the 2.0 release is the new Tag Explorer system, which lets you navigate through the contents of your Yojimbo library by filtering items based on whatever tag you’ve selected. New commands have been employed for adding, removing and setting tags for a specific item. Tweet

China Mobile Acknowledges Continued iPhone Talks

MacNN

China Mobile is indeed still in talks with Apple regarding the iPhone, a spokeswoman for the carrier says. Tweet

Why Was 'Free Memory' An App Store No-no?

Don Reisinger, CNET News.com

To maintain the application's availability on the App Store, Bjango had been told by Apple that it had to remove what was arguably the most compelling feature of version 1.0: Free Memory, which enabled people to clear wired and inactive memory to increase the iPhone's battery life. It also improved the device's performance. Tweet

Two-Line URLs Broken In Snow Leopard's Preview

Adam C. Engst, TidBITS

We assume that the problem is that Preview is attempting to treat text that looks like a URL as a link, but it is unfortunately doing so in such a way that it ignores the actual PDF link box that's on top of the text. Tweet

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Why the iPhone Will Change The Chinese Phone Market

Austin Ramzy, Time

But as the population grows wealthier, China should become a more important part of Apple's sales. Tweet

Apple Snow Leopard Upgrade Provides Productivity Enhancements

Cameron Sturdevant, eWeek

End users may not immediately see the improvements in Mac OS X, but they will quickly notice an increase in productivity--all without significant IT impact. Snow Leopard is an evolutionary step that speeds up common tasks and tightens the fit and finish of the now entirely 64-bit based operating system. The upgrade also adds built-in support for Microsoft Exchange Server, but it's limited to Service Pack 1 Rollup 4. Tweet

Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: The Ars Technica Review

John Siracusa, Ars Technica

Mac OS X 10.6, aka Snow Leopard has landed. This time around, Apple goes light on the glitz in favor of some heavy work under the hood. John Siracusa dives deep into Apple's new OS offering to see what's new, what's still the same, and whether it's worth upgrading. Tweet

Apple's Mistaken Mystique

The Heretech

The Apple myth has enduring power beyond just Apple's consumers and investors. People in other companies try to emulate the Apple example, to whatever extent they can (despite occasional warnings that "you can't innovate the way Apple does"). Tweet

Apple Snow Leopard Security Criticized

Thomas Claburn, InformationWeek

The release on Friday of Apple's Mac OS X 10.6, known as "Snow Leopard," has elicited criticism from security companies, which may have business to lose if Apple's latest operating system reduces interest in third-party security software. Tweet

Apple's PR Machine Needs A Decoder App

Damon Darlin, New York Times

Apple sent out an e-mail message today to certain tech journalists indicating that it was holding an event Sept. 9 in San Francisco. That’s about all the information it gave, because Apple knows that speculation about the event will do all the work for it. Tweet

5 Ways To Listen To Music On The iPhone Without Using iTunes

Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

One of the iPhone's main selling points is its ability to play music. But we don't always want to listen to music from our iTunes libraries, do we? Here are five ways to listen to music on an iPhone without using iTunes. Tweet

Macworld Without Apple: The Show Will Go On

Sam Diaz, ZDNet

No one ever said the show would die - but you kind of have to wonder how long it can make it without the draw of Apple. Still, it appears that the show will go on. Tweet

Apple Releases Mac Mini, SuperDrive Updates

Jonathan Seff, Macworld

Apple says that Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.2 improves compatibility with the latest Apple memory kits on Mac mini computers, although doesn’t specific which Mac mini models it’s intended for. Tweet

Expectations And The Apple Event

Christopher Breen, Macworld

Part of the pleasure of these events is the guesswork that takes place once the invitation has been issued. And because I’m no less immune to this guesswork than the next guy, let’s get to it. Tweet

Mac Clone Maker Sues Apple Over Snow Leopard

Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Mac clone maker Psystar last week sued Apple for a second time, charging that it illegally ties the new Snow Leopard operating system to its hardware. Tweet

Apple Confirms Annual iPod Event For September 9

AppleInsider

Confirming reports that an iPod-centric event would be held on Wednesday, Sept. 9, Apple has made official its annual keynote at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Tweet

Can Facebook Deliver A Second iPhone App Store?

App Advice

What would you do with a Facebook App Store within an App Store? Tweet

Plants Vs. Zombies

Zack Stern, Mac Life Tweet

News: New Mac Ad Jabs At PC Reliability

The Mac Observer

Apple's new Get a Mac ad, Trainer, jabs at Windows reliability issues and lower PC customer satisfaction ratings compared to the Mac. Tweet

By Heng-Cheong Leong

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