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Saturday, July 31, 2010

Core Support Takes First Bite Out Of Apple's Latest Gadget

Independent

Roaming charges are unlikely to worry Richard Lynch. The 17-year-old put his family's summer holiday to Portugal in some jeopardy yesterday when he decided that he simply couldn't wait that long before getting his hands on the latest 'must have' gadget from Apple.

The iPad Caught Microsoft With Its Pants Down

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet

The problem is that Microsoft has a hard time thinking outside the “Windows” box, and an even harder time building a new OS that has all the functionality that people want.

In my opinion, the "Windows Everywhery" strategy killed every Microsoft product except, perhaps, Windows.

The OpenAppMkt Is Here To Break Down Apple's Walled Garden

Jay Yarow, Business Insider

OpenAppMkt is trying to corral all the HTML5 apps into one place with a clean interface that resembles the App Store. CEO Teck Chia tells us he wants to create an open alternative for developers to submit apps, and hopefully make some money.

Mac Touchpads, Compared: Apple Magic Trackpad Vs. Wacom Bamboo

Scott Stein, CNET

We found the Magic Trackpad to have some limitations despite being beautifully constructed and ergonomically superior to the Bamboo as a touch device. The Bamboo has an incredibly diverse customizable preferences area, and more ways to interact.

First Look: OmniFocus For iPad

Erica Sadun, TUAW

Costing a rather steep $39.99, OmniFocus for iPad brings another professionally priced tool for professionals into the App Store iPad arena.

The Omni Group Releases OmniFocus For iPad

Dan Moren, Macworld

If your life is inundated with tasks that are crying out for management, then you probably have at least a passing familiarity with The Omni Group’s OmniFocus. The task-management program has been available for both the Mac and iPhone for sometime, but on Friday, the company released OmniFocus for iPad.

Reviewed: Apple's iPhone 4 Case Program Cases

Dan Frakes, Macworld

Review: Starcraft II: Wings Of Liberty

Chris Holt, Macworld

My quibbles about limited strategies and the elimination of certain units are minor, comparatively speaking. After playing ten years of games trying to be StarCraft, it’s nice for Blizzard to come back with StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and once again raise the bar on sci-fi real-time strategy. The multiplayer is similar enough to the original to keep the puritans happy, while the single player campaign is a beautiful, complex, replayable, and epic journey into a world that gets more interesting every time I enter it.

Daz Releases Bryce 7 3D Suite

Digital Arts

Where To? Updated For iOS 4

David Dahlquist, Macworld

Where To? uses your iPhone’s GPS function to let you browse nearby services and amenities. While you can already do this to some extent with the Google Maps app, Where To? enhances the experience with a well-designed interface and added features.

Friday, July 30, 2010

How Business Is Putting The iPad To Work

Joel Mathis, Macworld

When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad in January, he pitched it mostly as a consumer device—a relaxation tool people would use to read books, play games, watch video and peruse family photos. But Michael Kanzleiter and his colleagues at Mercedes-Benz Financial saw something else: A better way to sell cars.

What I Learned On My Summer Vacation

Christopher Breen, Macworld

In iPhone, Adult Industry Sees Pocket Porn Market

Joel Schectman, Associated Press

It's a maxim of technology: Invent the newest gadget and the porn industry will find a way to cash in.

So when Apple Inc. launched the iPhone 4 and its FaceTime videoconference feature, it didn't take long for adult-entertainment companies to develop video-sex chat services and start hiring workers through Craigslist.

How's Apple's Walled Garden Look Now?

John Paczkowski, Wall Street Journal

Here’s a timely rebuttal to those who argue the merits of an “open” app store versus one that’s “closed”: Security firm Lookout says that an Android app called Jackeey Wallpaper has been harvesting personal information from the millions of users who downloaded it.

Singapore's 'Over-The-Top' iPhone 4 Launch

Wayne Ma, Wall Street Journal

Apple’s new iPhone 4 went on sale in Singapore Friday, and its debut in this city state may have been more over-the-top than its U.S. debut last month.

The venue, with its almost concert-like atmosphere, was blasting with loud music, colored lights, fog and even a VIP lounge, where waitresses served hors d’oeuvres such as sea scallops with green olive tapenade. At the stroke of midnight, SingTel revealed a giant rotating model of the iPhone on stage, along with a flashy pyrotechnics display.

iPhone 4 Finally On Sale In Nz

Sarah Harvey, The Dominion Post

Kiwis formed lunchtime queues to get their hands on the latest iPhone 4, after a delayed launch being described as a ''nightmare''. The launch was supposed to start this morning, however it was mysteriously put off, sparking frustration and confusion.

Steve Ballmer: 'Apple Sold More iPads Than I'd Like Them To Sell'

AppleInsider

Magic Trackpad Or Tragic Mac Pad? A Review

Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

The ability to perform multitouch gestures on my desktop Mac is welcome. The less precise nature of using a trackpad instead of a mouse is not so fun sometimes—it's tolerable, but annoying.

Apple Job Listing Hints At 'Revolutionary' New Mac OS X 10.7 Feature

AppleInsider

A new corporate job listing from Apple boasts of a "revolutionary" new feature for the foundations of Mac OS X that will "truly amaze everyone."

A Rational Response To A Magic Trackpad Glitch

Jeff Carlson, TidBITS

Review: Apple Magic Trackpad

Dan Frakes, Macworld

It gives you the same clickable, glass surface, with the same Multi-Touch gestures, as those laptop trackpads in a wireless desktop model—with the added bonus of nearly twice the trackpad area. The only real caveat is that if you've got an exceptionally large display, or multiple displays, you may find the Magic Trackpad requires more effort to traverse that screen area than a trackball or mouse.

Mac Gems: Watch Video From Different Online Sources With Miro

Jeffery Battersby, Macworld

Miro is a free HD video and media player that helps you aggregate and download web-based content so that you can watch and listen to it on your Mac. Miro is capable of viewing everything from YouTube videos, video and audio podcasts, to legal bit torrents and TV shows on Hulu.

A Look Inside The Magic Trackpad

Dave Caolo, TUAW

It's so thin and barely there. What could be inside Apple's Magic Trackpad? The folks at iFixit took theirs apart, photographing and describing each component in great detail. Here's what they found.

Five Great iPad Apps For iPhone Photographers

Beau Colburn, Macworld

In April, Apple Ditched Google And Skyhook In Favor Of Its Own Location Databases

MG Siegler, TechCrunch

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Teardown Of Apple's Magic Trackpad Reveals Tightly Packed Thin Design

AppleInsider

Japan Ministry Orders Apple To Explain iPod Overheating

Benjamin Shatil, Reuters

Japan's trade ministry said it has ordered Apple Inc's Japanese unit to explain incidents of overheating in some models of its first generation iPod nano portable music players.

iPad: Apple's Missing Links

Jonny Evans, MacWorld UK

As I use the iPad more I find myself less and less surprised that Apple is selling so many millions of the things. It can do anything, but some things are missing -- here's three missing features, with solutions.

Apple Sues Companies Over Knockoff IPod, IPad Gear

Susan Decker and Adam Satariano, Bloomberg

Apple Inc. sued companies it said are selling unauthorized electronic accessories such as chargers, speakers and cables for the iPod music player, iPhone and iPad tablet computer.

Why Won’t Apple Sell Magazine Subscriptions For The iPad?

Christopher Null, Yahoo!

And that’s what I think is the real issue here: Apple wants to figure out how it can be cost-competitive with offline subscriptions, yet still make money along the way.

Review: Apple's New Magic Trackpad

Daniel Eran Dilger, AppleInsider

Apple Probes Complaints About iOS4 On iPhone 3G

Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, Wall Street Journal

Apple is investigating reports that the latest iPhone operating system causes problems for users of the iPhone 3G, after a series of complaints on Apple support forums and technology blogs. Apple is aware of the reports and is looking into the matter, a spokeswoman told Digits.

Apple Plugs Autofill Vulnerability With Safari 5.0.1

AppleInsider

In addition to activating extensions, Apple's latest update to the Safari Web browser also plugs a potentially dangerous security hole that could allow hackers to obtain a user's personal information.

iPhone Developers Can Now Advertise Their Apps Via IAd

Dan Moren, Macworld

There aren’t a lot of details on the program at present: Apple’s site offers only a contact form for interested parties. The company does say, however, that one of the features of iAd for Developers is the ability for users to download apps from the App Store without leaving the program they’re currently in.

Time Inc.’s iPad Problem Is Trouble For Every Magazine Publisher

Peter Kafka, Wall Street Journal

The Time Inc. insiders I talked to don’t have a clear answer, presumably because they can’t get one from Apple itself. One theory: Apple is concerned about the publisher’s plans for the consumer data it would collect with each subscription. A darker one: Steve Jobs loves the idea of digital magazines and wants to control the market for himself.

Mac Gems: Viewfinder Provides Speedy Flickr Search Results

John Brandon, Macworld

Viewfinder is an indispensible tool for searching Flickr because you can not only see the results in an easy-to-browse window, but you can then download the images or even export them to Keynote as a slideshow.

Control Your Online Albums With iPhoto

Derrick Story, Macworld

iPhoto ‘09 can extend its organizational powers well beyond your desktop into the realm of online albums. From within iPhoto, you can manage your Flickr, Facebook, and MobileMe albums with the same ease that you've enjoyed on your Mac.

Safari Extensions Gallery, Safari 5.0.1 Available

Dave Caolo, TUAW

A Reality Check On Jobs' 3G Network Complaint

Erica Ogg, CNET

City records for the past few years show that applications to build new wireless telecommunication stations (the city's term for cell sites) can take a few months or up to a two years or longer before a final action, such as approval to build a new panel antenna is handed down by city officials.

And this drawn-out process is well-known in the industry. "San Francisco has one of the most complicated, burdensome, arcane processes in the country, without question," said Patrick Ryan, adjunct professor of telecommunications policy at University of Colorado, Boulder.

Thoughts On Designing For iPad

Derek Powazek

There’s no question in my mind that iPads and the oncoming wave of similar devices are going to be around for a good long time. I can’t wait to see how they evolve.

Extension Performance Vastly Improved In Safari 5.0.1

Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

Though there still appear to be a few quirks with some extensions, Apple has definitely addressed the performance issues with this latest update.

Is Apple's Magic Trackpad A Gesture Too Far?

Adam Richardson, CNET

The number of things this trackpad can do is so large Apple actually includes a cheat sheet on the back of the box. It may look sleek and uncluttered, but this Magic Trackpad is a complex device. It does make one rather nostalgic for the simple old days of single-button mice.

Apple's iPhone Case Giveaway Could Cut Into Other Case Suppliers' Sales

Mark Milian and Nathan Olivarez-Giles, Los Angeles Times

With Apple giving away its own cases, analysts say, there will be less demand for those offered by third-party suppliers.

At least two case manufacturers contacted by The Times acknowledged that Apple's giveaway could cut into sales. They declined to comment publicly, saying they did not want to sour their relationships with Apple.

First Look: Apple 27-inch LED Cinema Display

James Galbraith, Macworld

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The New Muscle Inside The New iMac, Mac Pro

Brooke Crothers, CNET

Apple is tapping Intel chips for its desktop lineup in a way it never has before.

The Better Way For Mac Users To Tweet In Safari

Alexis Kayhill, Mac 360

Ostrich is merely a fun Safari extension which brings Twitter functions to the browser window and toolbar.

Making The Switch To Apple? Get The Perfect Setup

Joe Aimonetti, CNET

If you're thinking about taking the dive, this could be your perfect setup.

With A Big Bite Of Apple, Taiwan's Foxconn Is Poised To Control Half Of All Electronics Manufacturing

David Lieberman, USA Today

Foxconn will account for about half of the electronics manufacturing services market next year, up from 44.2% last year.

Apple's Magic Trackpad Is More Than You Think

Jonny Evans, Computerworld

This is about creating a new UI paradigm, based on a more sensory perception of digital reality.

Apple's Magic Trackpad: Mouse Killer Or Pointless Device?

Harry McCracken, Technologizer

I rarely use desktop computers these days, but I like the idea: I’m not exactly anti-mouse, but mice take up a lot of space, have a nasty habit of colliding with papers and other items, and are sometimes hostile to southpaws like me. Which is why I’m at least as likely to use a trackball as a mouse when I am at a desk.

Apple Brings Inertial Scrolling, Three-finger Drag To Some MacBooks

AppleInsider

Apple on Tuesday issued an update to a number of recent notebooks -- including the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air -- bringing inertial scrolling and three-finger drag gesture support to some trackpads.

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Over "Overheating" iPads

Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

Three iPad users claim that because the iPad will shut itself off after remaining in direct sunlight for long enough, it fails to meet the promises Apple made about using the iPad as an e-book reader. The group has filed a federal class-action lawsuit in the Northern California district to "redress and end this pattern of unlawful conduct."

Counterpoint: Intel And Apple Clash By No Means Inevitable

Peter Bright, Ars Technica

Apple's already partnering with its competitor, Samsung, because that's the partnership that offers the most value to Apple. If Intel became the one with most to offer, Apple would jump ship immediately.

Starcraft II: Wings Of Liberty Lands On The Mac

Chris Holt, Macworld

On Tuesday, Blizzard Entertainment released StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty to stores worldwide. The highly anticipated real-time strategy game has been teased and previewed for months—if not years—but it’s now available for both the Mac and Windows platforms.

First Impressions Of Apple's Refreshed Desktop Lineup

David Morgenstern, ZDNet

The benefit for users is that their programs will run as fast as they can on the new hardware. In addition, programmers don’t have to do any extra work to get performance gains from more cores and their application will run at its best with older (or newer) machines that have fewer cores.

Mac Gems: PreMinder Calendar Works With Growl Alerts

Lynn La, Macworld

First Look: Apple Magic Trackpad

Dan Frakes, Macworld

My favorite Magic Trackpad design feature? While the Magic Trackpad may not appear to support physical “clicking,” it indeed does: The two nubby, rubber feet on the bottom, along the front edge, actually have buttons built into them. When you press down on the trackpad surface, the feet “click,” giving you the same tactile sensation as you get with Apple’s current MacBook trackpads. Very clever, and a welcome Apple touch—no pun intended—for those who hate touch-tapping.

Apple Imac Summer 2010 (Intel Core I3 3.06Ghz, 21.5 In)

Rich Brown, CNET

Apple has elected to keep its iMac firmly grounded as a productivity device. You'll find few home entertainment conveniences in Apple's new iMac, and you can find larger screens in other all-in-ones for less. Few will offer performance like this iMac, though, and none looks as pretty, which makes it easy to recommend for general-purpose computing and for the design conscious.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Apple Introduces New 27-inch LED Cinema Display

Marco Tabini, Macworld

Apple Introduces The Magic Trackpad

Dave Caolo, TUAW

Today, Apple released the Magic Trackpad, calling it "...a multi-touch Bluetooth trackpad meant to work with your desktop computer." It certainly resembles an oversized MacBook Pro trackpad (in fact, it's 80% larger) perched atop the same battery case that's on Apple's Bluetooth keyboards. In fact, it sits at the same height and angle as the keyboard, so you can move back and forth easily.

Apple's Unveils New Mac Pro Desktop With Up To 12 Processing Cores

AppleInsider

The new Mac Pro desktops feature the latest quad-core and 6-core Intel Xeon processors, all-new ATI graphics and the option for up to four 512GB solid state drives (SSD). The processors run at speeds up to 3.33GHz and use a single die design so they can share up to 12MB L3 cache, improving efficiency while increasing processing speeds.

iMac Line Refreshed By Apple

Erica Sadun, TUAW

The new systems offer Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors (no more Core 2 Duo!) with improved graphics and new Magic Trackpad support.

Hong Kong, Singapore Carriers To Offer iPhone 4 Friday

Lorraine Luk and Sam Holmes, Dow Jones

Apple’s Official Response To Dmca Jailbreak Exemption: It Voids Your Warranty

Leander Kahney, Cult Of Mac

Has Apple Leveled The iPhone Playing Field? Maybe

Harry McCracken, Technologizer

The new Skype is a happy sign that Apple is willing to approve extremely competitive applications from very large companies. Given Apple’s erratic approval patterns in the past, though, it’s not enough to make clear the era of rejecting programs for encroaching on its turf is over.

1Password Gets Cloud Syncing

David Dahlquist, Macworld

Agile Web Solutions has brought a much-requested feature to its 1Password password management utility: cloud synchronization. Users of 1Password for Mac and 1Password Pro for iOS can now synchronize their passwords with their Macs, iPhones, and Windows PCs securely via Dropbox.

Jailbreaking Officially Granted DMCA Exemption

Dan Moren, Macworld

The U.S. Librarian of Congress ruled on Monday that consumers who circumvent digital protections on smartphones to install unapproved applications—a practice often colloquially known as “jailbreaking”—for noninfringing reasons should be exempted from prosecution under the anti-circumvention section of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Things Touch For iPhone Gets Alarms, Multitasking

David Chartier, Macworld

Things 1.6 for iPhone is the big iOS 4 and iPhone 4 update—you can look forward to Local Notifications for task alarms, multitasking that allows you to switch between apps without losing your place, TextExpander support, and a “major code overhaul” to the task entry process to make it more responsive and squash a bunch of bugs.

Mac Gems: Get Faster Search Results On Your Mac With DataLore

Stuart Gripman, Macworld

DataLore may stir in you a newfound respect for the Spotlight. The stock interface to Spotlight’s index of your hard drive is very simple, but not particularly flexible. DataLore aims to improve the speed and relevance of your search results by permitting you to be very specific about which folders are searched and which are ignored.

iPhone 4 Hitting 17 More Countries On Friday

Lance Whitney, CNET

Web Ad Network: IOS 4 On Half Of iPhones

Lance Whitney, CNET

Though only a month old, Apple's new iOS 4 has found its way onto 50 percent of a sample 9 million iPhones tracked by ad network Chitika, according to stats released Monday.

There Will Be Blood: Why Apple And Intel Are Destined To Clash

Jon Stokes, Ars Technica

Given how much engineering effort the company has focused on its iOS-based products—to the point where most of the CPUs in Mac hardware have fallen a full generation behind—it's hard to imagine that Jobs isn't feeling similarly betrayed by yet another Apple partner's full-court press into the smartphone market. I'm talking, of course, about Intel, which just hired former Apple and Palm VP Mike Bell to head up its smartphone efforts, and which is rumored to be contemplating a purchase of key baseband chipmaker Infineon. Intel is jumping into the smartphone market with both feet, and the company's goal isn't just to create a direct iPhone competitor—no, Intel wants to empower a whole ecosystem of iPhone competitors based on x86.

Monday, July 26, 2010

What Goes Into Making A Hit iPhone Game?

Josh Lowensohn, CNET

In order to get an idea of what it takes to bring a game to market, CNET talked to a handful of successful developers, as well as with a company that helps people without the technical know-how to build a title connect with developers who can.

Review: MemoryMiner 2.1.1

Nathan Alderman, Macworld

Last month’s vacation photos can too easily become this month’s blur of forgotten details. MemoryMiner 2.1.1 turns photo albums into narratives, tagging people and locations to preserve the stories of your life. While its interface needs refinement, the program largely fulfills its big ambitions.

Review: Layers For iPad

Tim Mercer, Macworld

Limited Imac Retail Inventory Precedes Anticipated Update

AppleInsider

Review: iPad's Point Becomes Clear

Stacey Hunt, ONE News

The thing that sold me is the books. I had always been against reading books on a screen of any sort but having seen them on an iPad, I've changed my mind.

Pad Try: Are iPad-Formatted Music Releases A New Frontier Or A Distraction?

Phillip Mlynar, SF Weekly

Do Kiwis Go Crazy For Ipads?

Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Fortune

YouTube videos -- some wild, some less so -- document iPad's launch in 9 countries Friday.

Fanboyism And Brand Loyalty

You Are Not So Smart

Realize you have your irrational reasons, and so do they, and nothing will be gained by your proselytizing.

Mimicking Apple An Imperative For PC Makers

Brooke Crothers, CNET

Wintel has its place in PCs and servers. But the iPad is breaking old molds and spurring the PC companies to do the same.

40 Cool Ilife Features You Probably Don't Use

Steve Paris and Ben Harvell, TechRadar

The iLife suite is designed to make life as easy as possible by apparently limiting the number of options available to you. But just because you're constrained doesn't mean it has to be Apple's way or the iWay.

What many basic and intermediate users don't realise is that all of these programs have a lot of hidden features within them, designed to offer more advanced users some powerful tools and useful shortcuts that they can use to improve their workflow.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Might Ryu Murakami's Switch To The iPad Signal The Beginning Of The End For Traditional Publishers?

Robert McCrum, The Guardian

Japanese author Ryu Murakami is the first big name to strike a deal with Apple. More will inevitably follow.

Snell: Will iTunes Replace Your Local Comics Store?

Macworld

The comics industry seems convinced (or at least quite hopeful) that the coming digital comic revolution, in which devices such as the iPad eliminate the need for reading printed media, will end up driving readers into comic-book stores in search for the good stuff—on paper.

Apple Releases iBooks 1.1.2 Update

Michael Grothaus, TUAW

Today's 1.1.2 update only lists one fix: "Addresses a minor issue when updating iBooks."

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Apple 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo Mac Mini Review

Susie Ochs, Mac Life

Who's Afraid Of Steve Jobs?

Devin Leonard, BusinessWeek

Smuggled iPads Poised To Flood China From Hong Kong

Mark Lee, Blomberg

As Apple begins selling the iPad in Hong Kong today and the iPhone 4 next week, the former British colony will be an important source of supplies of Apple products feeding the so-called gray market in China, said Flora Wu, a handset analyst at BDA China Ltd.

Samsung's Dilemma: How To Attack Its Customer (Apple)

Seth Weintraub, Fortune

Samsung makes a fortune building the parts for the iPhone. How do they compete with the iPhone at the same time?

A, As In Apple

Stephen Williams, New York Times

Laptop magazine has published its periodic survey of the good, the bad and the ugly, measuring the experiences of owners seeking help. The winner, with straight A’s, is, again, Apple.

Beware Bluetooth Keyboards With IOS Devices

Chris Pepper, TidBITS

Unfortunately, a subtle and non-obvious interaction between Bluetooth keyboards and all compatible versions of the iOS can cause results that range from irritating to destructive. The short version: make sure you turn off your Bluetooth keyboard before packing it for a trip. You may even want to pop its batteries out.

Dragon Dictation Now Supports Twitter, Facebook

Serenity Caldwell, Macworld

Attempting to bring us one step closer to a typeless future, Nuance Communications on Friday released version 2.0 of its popular Dragon Dictation app for the iPhone and iPad, adding the ability to send dictated messages to social networking services.

Friday, July 23, 2010

The Varieties Of Religious Experience: How Apple Stays Divine

Alexis Madrigal, The Atlantic

After last week's press conference quelled questions about the company's practices and this week's iPhone sales report, Jobs not only seems like a hero again, but he reinforced the resurrection myth too.

Apple Officially Launches iPhone 4 Case Program Via App Store

AppleInsider

As promised, Apple on Friday launched its iPhone 4 Case Program, granting free cases to customers who buy a phone through Sept. 30, and refunding those who already bought a protective "bumper" through an iPhone application.

Apple Delays White iPhone 4 Again, Won't Arrive Until Later This Year

AppleInsider

Apple on Friday announced that it still has had difficulty in manufacturing the white version of its iPhone 4, and the product will not be available until "later this year."

Cheers And Jeers For Apple At Ipad's Second Asia Launch

AFP

Eager iPad fans in Singapore, Hong Kong and New Zealand braved long queues and discomfort to get their hands on the coveted Apple device as its second wave of Asia-Pacific launches began Friday.

Review: Inspiration 9

Stuart Gripman, Macworld

Visual thinkers, particularly from age 10 through 18, will want Inspiration in their academic toolbox. Even if you’re not a student, should Inspiration 9 pique your interest, download the 30-day demo and give it a try. You’ll know within a few hours if it’s right for you.

iPad's Hong Kong Release: Stores Sell Out In Minutes

Hiufu Wong, CNNGo

LG Display Unable To Fill All iPad Orders

Jung-Ah Lee, Wall Street Journal

The chief executive of LG Display Co. said the company isn't currently able to supply all of the flat-panel orders it receives from Apple Inc. for its iPad tablet computer.

"Apple is ordering more and more displays but it isn't something we can be able to respond quickly," chief executive Kwon Young-soo said Thursday. "I am not sure whether we can be able to meet orders from other companies for similar products, but we will be able to supply the displays without fail...by the second quarter of next year."

The 25 Best Tech Companies To Work For

Adam Fusfeld, Business Insider

Frustration As iPad Global Rollout Takes In New Zealand

AFP

The third phase of Apple's global rollout of the much-hyped iPad was launched in New Zealand Friday with fans of the brand expressing frustration at the extreme secrecy surrounding the release.

Apple's refusal to announce in advance where its multimedia tablet would be sold in New Zealand meant only the most fanatical of buyers was prepared to queue.

Apple Now Refunding Bumpers Purchased Online

Alexander Vaughn, App Advice

Users Report Bluetooth Connectivity, Quality Issues With IOS 4

AppleInsider

Apple Warns Of Short-term iMac Shortages Ahead Of New Models - Sources

AppleInsider

Apple late this month began advising its direct and indirect sales channels of near-term shortages of its popular all-in-one desktops, as the company prepares draw down inventories ahead of introducing new models in the coming weeks.

In particular, a person familiar with the matter says the Mac maker is informing some of its distributors not to expect any further stock of the entry level 21.5-inch, 3.06GHz iMac, implying that production of that model has ceased.

Error-free Burning In OS X 10.6

Whitson Gordon, Macworld

Apple Seeks Growth Beyond Consumers

Ian Sherr, Wall Street Journal

The consumer electronics giant responsible for the iPhone is seeking to hire engineers in as many as a dozen U.S. retail stores to put together Apple-based computer systems for small businesses, according to recent job postings on Apple's website. The employees would implement computer systems for clients and are expected to be proficient in networking hardware and server platforms.

The new positions mark the latest development in Apple's evolving strategy, which has historically focused on the consumer market and niche businesses, like design and media firms. Now, Apple wants to leverage its popular iPhone and iPad devices, using their appeal as a selling point for more expensive products, including its line of Macintosh computers and servers.

New Apple VP To Address Product Quality

Victor Agreda, Jr., TUAW

Apple Releases Update For Snow Leopard Server

Philip Michaels, Macworld

According to Apple’s release notes, Thursday’s update improves the performance and reliability of looking up invitees in LDAP directory as well as the reliability of vacation notices. Several fixes target the Software Update Service to make updates appear more reliably in Server Admin and improve syncing with the Apple Software Update server. The update also contains improvements for OS X Server’s Wiki Service and improves the reliability of VPN connections. Apple also touts security improvements with the latest Snow Leopard Server update.

How Often Does Your Phone Drop Calls?

Farhad Manjoo, Slate Magazine

As far as I can tell, none of the leading phone makers publishes information about the number of calls its devices drop during actual use. This is not for lack of data, either.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Foxconn To Hike Prices To Cover China Pay Increase

Associated Press

Foxconn Technology Group, which makes iPhones and other gadgets for global technology companies, plans to charge them more to partly cover wage increases at its mammoth manufacturing compound in southern China.

The extent of price hikes will differ according to products, C.L. Huang, vice president of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., parent firm of Foxconn, said at a news conference Wednesday night. She did not name the clients.

Think Apple Is Big Now? You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

Tom Kaneshige, CIO

I Know Who Your Name, Where You Work, And Live (Safari v4 & v5)

Jeremiah Grossman

All a malicious website would have to do to surreptitiously extract Address Book card data from Safari is dynamically create form text fields with the aforementioned names, probably invisibly, and then simulate A-Z keystroke events using JavaScript. When data is populated, that is AutoFill’ed, it can be accessed and sent to the attacker.

As shown in the proof-of-concept code (graciously hosted by Robert "RSnake" Hansen), the entire process takes mere seconds and represents a major breach in online privacy.

Womans Request For iPhone Repair Denied Because Of Last Name

Adam Kirk, WOKV

A woman from Orange Park said she can't get her phone fixed, because Apple's automated software doesn't like her last name. Sandy Burdick told our news partner Channel 4 the Apple website would not let her set an appointment to have her phone fixed, because of her last name.

Analyst: Apple Shifts Chip Balance Of Power

Brooke Crothers, CNET

Apple is set to become the world's second largest semiconductor buyer in 2011, another sign of the shift in the balance of power in the chip world.

Track Time, Tasks, And Projects On Your Mac—Easy

Mac 360

Apple And AT&T: Why Monopolies Make People Mad

BJ Gallagher, Huffington Post

These may seem like small problems to Steve Jobs, but they feel like big problems to customers who are trapped by the monopoly established by Apple and AT&T.

The iPad Clearly Cannibalized Mac Sales Last Quarter — Except The Opposite

MG Siegler, TechCrunch

For now, it appears that the iPad may help Apple sell a bunch of its own trucks.

AT&T Defensively Publishes Private Dropped Call Data

Daniel Eran Dilger, AppleInsider

Apple The New World Leader In Software Insecurity

Peter Bright, Ars Technica

Apple has displaced Oracle as the company with the most security vulnerabilities in its software, according to security company Secunia. Over the first half of 2010, Apple had more reported flaws than any other vendor. Microsoft retains its third-place spot.

Skype For iPhone Gets IOS4 Background Multitasking In Version 2.1

Steven Sande, TUAW

Remotely Control A Mac Via The Web

Glenn Fleishman, Macworld

Network and computer firewalls, router configurations, network topology, and other factors can make all remotely accessing a computer inside a private network a nightmare. The Web services LogMeIn and GoToMyPC both sidestep those obstacles by connecting remote machines through central servers. As long as both computers can reach out to those servers, a remote connection can be made.

Vendor Inaction Leads Researcher To Disclose Safari, IE Flaw

Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

If you use the autocomplete features in Safari, certain versions of IE, Firefox, or Chrome, you could be making yourself vulnerable to identity theft and other attacks, according to one security researcher scheduled to speak at the Black Hat conference next week.

A Few More Details On Apple's MacPaint Donation

Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek

Mac Gems: FlyGesture Takes Advantage Of Mouse Or Trackpad

Jeffery Battersby, Macworld

While FlyGesture is easy to use, mastering more than a handful of gestures can prove daunting, especially since it’s possible to create complex gestures. But as a utility for launching applications or performing repetitive tasks on the “fly,” FlyGesture is a sure bet.

Apple Among 36 Companies Targeted In E-mail Spam Patent Suit

AppleInsider

A new lawsuit filed this week has accused Apple, Google and numerous others of patent infringement, alleging that the companies are improperly profiting from spam filtering technology created by InNova.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Review: Contribute CS5

Tom Negrino, Macworld

Apple's Pricing Shows Another Sign Of Heavy Competition

MarketWatch

Apple Inc. may have reported blow-out numbers for its third fiscal quarter on Tuesday, but the company gave an interesting indication of the heavy competition it is facing in the mobile-device category.

A Prettier Way To Browse The Social Web

Claire Cain Miller, New York Times

Flipboard, a start-up that is unveiling its iPad app on Wednesday, builds a personalized magazine full of updates, photos and articles shared by a reader’s friends or by people they choose to follow on Twitter and Facebook. Soon it plans to incorporate material from other sources, such as Flickr, Foursquare, Yelp and perhaps e-mail messages and attachments.

The Future Of The Mac Is The iPad

Hadley Stern, Apple Matters

It Took Serious Hounding To Get Apple To Show “Black Lab”

John Paczkowski, Wall Street Journal

Of course, this is precisely what Apple wants me to say. And based on Apple’s unusually frank and detailed elaborations, it rings true. Smartphone antenna design requires compromises.

The trouble is, the public doesn’t expect compromises from Apple.

Wow. Wired Report Shows Apple Knowingly Engaged In False iPhone Advertising

Tom Foremski, ZDNet

This is a story about Apple heroically standing up to AT&T yet the result is an iPhone that can’t deliver on the services advertised by Apple.

Flashlight App Secretly Lets You Enable iPhone Tethering

Lex Friedman, Macworld

The only question now is when Apple will pull Handy Light from the store, and perhaps whether Steve Jobs will send some heavies to the developer’s house to deliver a knuckle sandwich.

Apple’s Billion Dollar Data Center Will Be Done This Year. iTunes In The Cloud, Anyone?

MG Siegler, TechCrunch

I mean, just look at this thing. I find it hard to believe that it’s for MobileMe.

Apple App Store's Security Track Record Unblemished After Two Years

Kenneth van Wyk, Computerworld

Apple's App Store contains over 225,000 applications for the iPhone, the iPod Touch and now the iPad, which have been downloaded over 5 billion times. To date, we've had zero virus or worm incidents in the wild. I say that's a pretty darned successful run so far.

Apple Denies Creating Artificial Product Shortages For Hype

AppleInsider

Speaking to analysts and members of the press following the release of the company's quarterly earnings report, chief operating officer Tim Cook said Apple does not intentionally build a small number of units to generate hype. Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray prompted the discussion when he asked Cook why Apple is always running out of products after a launch.

Apple: "international Numbers Are Absolutely Killer"

AppleInsider

Apple's chief operations officer Tim Cook said Apple's "international numbers are absolutely killer," citing particularly strong growth in Asia, Europe and Japan. Cook noted 144% growth in China and near double growth in Hong Kong sales.

Apple Sees Record Revenue On Mac, iPad, iPhone Sales

Philip Michaels, Macworld

Record Mac sales and a strong debut for the iPad helped Apple generate $15.7 billion in sales and a profit of $3.25 billion during the company’s fiscal third quarter. Apple’s sales figures, revealed as part of the company’s third-quarter earnings announcement Tuesday, mark a quarterly record.

Apple sold 3.47 million Macs during the three-month period ended June 26, 2010—another quarterly record for the company that topped the previous high sales mark by 100,000 units. Mac sales increased 33 percent over the 2.6 million units Apple sold in the third quarter of 2009. Oppenheimer noted that Apple’s 33-percent sales growth topped the 22-percent growth rate market research firm IDC projects for the overall computer market.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Apple Releases iBooks 1.1.1

Michael Grothaus, TUAW

Apple Chief Should Consider Korean Customers

Jung Sun-mi, The Chosun Ilbo

FileMaker Unveils FileMaker Go App For iPhone, iPad

Philip Michaels, Macworld

On Tuesday, FileMaker will roll out two mobile versions of its database application for iPhone and iPad users. And while you won’t be able to create databases on those devices with FileMaker Go, you will be able to work remotely with FileMaker Pro databases on your mobile device, viewing, editing, and searching information from wherever you are.

Get Your Feet Wet With Automator

MacTalk

Automator is one of Mac OS X’s unsung heroes. Allowing you to automate an impressive list of functions – both those built into Mac OS and those added in by third party developers – it’s a visual way of creating script-like custom operations without the need for any programming knowledge or experience. Most go on unaware of its existence in their Applications folder for the longest time, but there are many good reasons to get to know the little guy.

Steve Jobs Sparks Non-Denial Denials

Lee Gomes, Forbes

It may not have been the most gracious thing for Apple to have said, but so far, it hasn't been contradicted.

Apple Donates MacPaint Source Code To Computer History Museum

Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek

One of the earliest bits of software that made the original Macintosh computer so interesting to use and unusual for its time was a drawing program called MacPaint.

Released in 1984 with the Mac, it is fondly remembered not only by those who used it, but also by computer scientists for numerous first-of-a-kind innovations. Those who spend a lot of time using Adobe Photoshop constantly use such features as the lasso tool for selecting non-rectangular shapes, and the paint bucket for filling closed areas with a pattern, and later, color. Both first appeared in MacPaint. The program was unique at the time for its ability to create graphics that could then be used in other applications.

Review: Pixelmator 1.6

Michael N. Roach, Digital Appel Juice

High Ground Maneuver

Scott Adams, Dilbert.com Blog

If Jobs had not changed the context from the iPhone 4 in particular to all smartphones in general, I could make you a hilarious comic strip about a product so poorly made that it won't work if it comes in contact with a human hand. But as soon as the context is changed to "all smartphones have problems," the humor opportunity is gone. Nothing kills humor like a general and boring truth.

Apple Shares Fall; Rivals Respond On "Antennagate"

Gabriel Madway, Reuters

Apple Inc's attempt to smooth over a controversy surrounding its iPhone 4 failed to impress investors, as the computer maker's shares stumbled on a day when technology stocks rose.

Fallout From The iPhone 4 Press Conference

Nick Bilton, New York Times

Apple Responds To Query About Privacy Policy Changes

Erica Ogg, CNET

Apple reiterated in a letter published Monday that it does not share location information with outside parties without a customer's permission. If customers agree to use location-based applications, like Foursquare or Twitter or iAds, location information is collected by Apple in a way that does not identify the user.

iTunes 9.2.1 Arrives In Software Update -- Many Fixes, New Features

Steven Sande, TUAW

According to the update, the new version disables older versions of incompatible third-party plugins, addresses minor issues, with dragging and dropping items, addresses a performance issue when doing a first sync to some devices, addresses an issue upgrading to iOS 4 on an iPhone or iPod touch with encrypted backups, and fixes some stability and performance issues.

Is The Mac Facing A 'Walled Garden' Future?

Charles Moore, Low End Mac

Mysterious New Bluetooth Apple Product Given FCC Approval

AppleInsider

An unnamed new Bluetooth-equipped Apple product, first submitted to the Federal Communications Commission for review last October, was granted regulatory approval this week.

On page 45 of the FCC documents, the device is referred to as a "Bluetooth Trackpad" created by Apple.

White iPhones Delayed By Paint Issues

Victor Agreda, Jr., TUAW

Remote Access: OS X's Built-in Tools

Glenn Fleishman, Macworld

Paired with Back to My Mac, though, Screen Sharing becomes much more powerful—as long as the machines you want to connect with are all under you or your family’s personal control. That’s because Back to My Mac requires a MobileMe account, and each computer you want to use must be logged into the same account.

Apple Shipping iPad To Nine More Countries On July 23

Dan Moren, Macworld

Bad Connection: Inside The iPhone Network Meltdown

Fred Vogelstein, Wired

Almost as soon as the first iPhone was introduced in 2007, the carrier realized it might run short of bandwidth. Within just a few months, the first wave of iPhone customers was already sucking down about 15 times more data than the average smartphone customer and 50 percent more than AT&T had itself projected.

Surviving Success

Daniel Jalkut, Red Sweater Blog

Now that Apple is on top again, Jobs seems to be losing that knack for inspiring fans. He’s turning into a sore winner.

Monday, July 19, 2010

iPhone 3G And 3GS Battery Test: iOS 3 Vs. iOS 4

James Galbraith, Macworld

Post-Mortem: No Hair Shirt For Steve Jobs

David Carr, New York Times

If you can’t attack the message, attack the messenger. That’s a maxim of modern public relations, one that’s on display every day in Washington, on cable TV and, last Friday, on stage in Cupertino. But, with its long history and reputation for efficacy, Consumer Reports is the opposite of a juicy target.

Apple’s Biggest Asset Is Not The iPhone 4

Sam Potter, Kipp Report

The crisis press conference was no different to the usual Jobs show; the same tried and tested performance, the same pro-Apple audience. But in watching its execution I realized something; it doesn’t matter what I think of Steve’s presentation style, because I am neither the target audience nor the majority. Ultimately, Jobs’ presentation skills play precisely and perfectly to his audience, time and again, and they always succeed, and that is what makes him a great orator.

Despite Attention To iPhones And iPads, Apple's Desktops And Laptops Still Going Strong

John Boudreau, San Jose Mercury News

Apple Finally Buries Its Original Spirit And Moves On

Warner Crocker, Gotta Be Mobile

The telling point will be if journalists and bloggers who get granted access bring up the “antennagate” issue when they probe features of the next big thing Apple unveils. I’m betting that they don’t, as memories are short things. Apple is too.

Antennagate: If You Can’t Fix It, Feature It!

Jean-Louis Gassée, Monday Note

With the advantage of hindsight, an obvious question arises: Why didn’t anyone in Jobs’ entourage—or on Apple’s Board of Directors—take Steve aside to reason with him, to remind him of a few customer relations tenets?

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Inside Apple’s Actual Distortion Field: Giant Chambers, Fake Heads, And Black Cloaks

MG Siegler, TechCrunch

If Apple really wanted to silence critics, they have a place to do so. I’ve now seen it with my own eyes.

Jobs Rekindles Rumors After Verizon iPhone Comment

AfterDawn

Here's Your Free Case, Jerk

Farhad Manjoo, Slate Magazine

Still, if you want to be a total jerk about it and keep insisting there's a problem with your magical iPhone, Jobs has an offer for you. "OK, great, let's give everybody a case," he said. Happy now, whiners?

Thoughts On The iPhone 4 Press Conference

Matt Drance, Apple Outsider

I found that the presentation’s tone overshadowed its content.

RIM, Nokia Respond To Apple's "Antennagate" Press Conference

AppleInsider

Research in Motion and Nokia issued official statements Friday decrying Apple's use of their handsets to demonstrate signal loss in their press conference addressing the iPhone 4 antenna problem.

Mac Gems: GuestReel Turns Your Mac Into A Fun Video Kiosk

John Brandon, Macworld

GuestReel runs in kiosk mode where anyone at the party or event can walk up to the Mac, type in their name, city, and a text message. Then, they can record a video greeting using either your Mac’s built-in iSight camera or a video camera connected over FireWire.

My iPhone 4 Antenna-gap Fix

Marco Arment

It’s the tape trick, but with an excellent substitute for the tape: invisibleSHIELD film.

Why Apple Doesn’t Deserve Your Trust

Raw Meat

In many ways, I think the issue here is not the crime but the coverup. In the grand scheme, the antenna issue is not such a big deal. It hasn’t affected many users, it can apparently be resolved with a simple piece of plastic. But from the beginning, Apple’s response has been denial, misdirection, and outright deception.

iChatr – iPhone 4 Chatroulette App Gets Pulled

Alexander Vaughn, App Advice

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Inside Apple's Once-secret Wireless Lab

Jason Snell, Macworld

After Friday morning’s Apple press conference about the iPhone 4 and its antenna issues, Apple executives took a small group of journalists (11 all told, including myself) on a tour of the company’s wireless-testing facilities. We were, the executives said, the first outsiders allowed into the area, a spot off-limits to most Apple employees. Even our escorts from Apple’s PR department said they hadn’t been in there before.

iPhone 4 Antenna: Unanswered Questions, Unearned Trust

John Siracusa, Ars Technica

Apple would have earned a lot more trust if it'd been more forthcoming about what I consider to be the obvious questions about the iPhone 4's use of an external antenna. Apple did point out the "easy target" created by the black line between antennas, but didn't go a step further and talk frankly about any possible trade-offs of the antenna design itself.

Bugs & Fixes: Two iTunes Tips

Ted Landau, Macworld

iPhone 4 Press Conference – The Post-Game Wrapup

Andy Ihnatko's Celestial Waste of Bandwidth (BETA)

Apple To Provide Free Cases To iPhone 4 Owners

Mel Martin, TUAW

Consumer Reports believes Apple's offer of free cases is a good first step. However, Apple has indicated that this is not a long-term solution, it has guaranteed the offer only through September 30th, and has not extended it unequivocally to customers who bought cases from third-party vendors. We look forward to a long-term fix from Apple.

Apple Posts iPhone 4 Antenna Comparisons, Test Lab Overview

Nicholas Levin, Macworld

Apple Takes On Antenna Issues

Lex Friedman, Macworld

On the whole, Apple successfully addressed criticisms leveled at it by press and reviewers, reassured customers of its great affection for them, and offered a problem-solving case to anyone who wants one, free of charge. If you can forget about Steve Jobs's infamous "don't hold it that way" e-mail, and if you can move past the bizarre "the signal bars are wrong" faux-solution, the company finally managed to come up with a response that addressed the controversy pretty well.

Lost iPhone Warrant Withdrawn, Gizmodo Agrees To Cooperate In Investigation

Mike Schramm, TUAW

Jobs Calls Bloomberg Story 'Total Bull,' Says NYT 'Making Things Up'

AppleInsider

Antennagate

David Weiss

I think the real reason for the free bumper concession was Apple's legal department.

Loosening The iPhone Death Grip

David Pogue, New York Times

Predictably, Mr. Jobs’s gesture did nothing to satisfy the most vocal Apple bashers, who insist that the 3 million iPhone 4’s sold so far should be recalled. (But to what end? There’s no hardware fix to put in place.)

Most reasonable people, however, will agree that this is a decent good-faith gesture on Apple’s part.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Apple Offers Free Case As iPhone 4 Fix

Megan Lavey, TUAW

Steve Jobs just announced today that the company will issue a free case to every iPhone 4 customer. If you've already purchased a bumper case for your iPhone 4, you are entitled to a refund.

You can apply for the free case through Apple's web site starting later this week. The company plans to source cases from third parties due to a shortage in bumper cases, so iPhone 4 customers will have a choice of a few different cases.

Apple Admits iPhone 4 Drops More Calls Than iPhone 3GS

AppleInsider

Apple on Friday shared a summary of dropped call data it received from wireless partner AT&T, which revealed that the iPhone 4 experiences more dropped calls than the iPhone 3GS, but at a rate less than one call per 100.

Apple `Working Our Butts Off' To Solve iPhone Problem, Jobs Says

Connie Guglielmo, Bloomberg

Chief executive officer Steve Jobs says the company learned of iPhone 4’s reception glitch complaints 22 days ago and is “working our butts off” to figure out the problem, which he called “Antennagate.”

iPhone 4 Proximity Sensor Bug To Get A Fix Soon

Alexander Vaughn, App Advice

Good news for all of you who have been having issues with the iPhone 4 new proximity sensor. Steve Jobs just announced today at the special iPhone 4 event that a fix is coming up and it should clear the problem once and for all.

Foxconn Denies Receiving Apple Labor Cost Subsidy, Says Report

DigiTimes

MobileMe E-mail: Junk Filter Can’t Be Turned Off

Kirk McElhearn, Kirkville

If you use a MobileMe account and access your mail via POP, you should check regularly to see what’s been blocked.

iPhone Owners Report IOS 4.0.1 Installation Errors

Erica Ogg, CNET

iPhone owners attempting to install the latest software update from Apple Thursday afternoon say that the process repeatedly fails. The reports cropped up on Apple's own support forums.

Could Apple's iPhone 4 Be Cursed?

David Sarno and Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times

In China, where the iPhone is manufactured, four is considered to be bad luck. That's largely because the word for four is nearly identical to the word for death. Many buildings in Hong Kong do not have a fourth floor, and people try to avoid phone numbers and license plates with "4" in them.

Device manufacturers such as Canon Inc. and Nokia Corp., wary of the digit's ominous significance, have been known to skip from 3 to 5 when assigning model numbers to their products. Apple, though, seemed uncowed by the superstition.

Apple Knew Of iPhone Antenna Risks

Yukari Iwatani Kane and Niraj Sheth, Wall Street Journal

On Thursday, Bloomberg News reported that Mr. Caballero had raised concerns about the antenna to Mr. Jobs. In response to the article, an Apple spokesman said, "We challenge Bloomberg BusinessWeek to produce anything beyond rumors to back this up. It's simply not true." A spokesman for Bloomberg News said it stands by its story.

Audible Releases iPhone App

David Dahlquist, Macworld

Audible includes the basic features one would expect out of an audiobook app, like chapter navigation, bookmarking, and listening and viewing controls, as well as some high end features that should please audiobook enthusiasts—including the ability to transfer books from your Audible library to your iPhone or iPad over Wi-Fi, and a button-free mode that lets you control audio playback using gestures.

Apple Releases iOS 4.0.1 With New iPhone Signal Formula

David Chartier, Macworld

iOS 4.0.1 “improves the formula to determine how many bars of signal strength to display.” According to a letter Apple published earlier this month, the company has been using a “totally wrong” formula for calculating signal strength.

Save Space In Safari With Hotkeys

Whitson Gordon, Macworld

The iPhone 4 Redux: Analyzing Apple's iOS 4.0.1 Signal Fix & Antenna Issue

Brian Klug & Anand Lal Shimpi, AnandTech

While the software update obviously does not and cannot address the design of the antenna itself - or make the drop from holding the phone any less - it does change the way the issue is perceived among users. The result is that most iPhone users will see fewer bars disappear when they hold the iPhone 4 in a bare hand. The side effect is that the iPhone now displays fewer bars in most places, and users that haven’t been reporting signal in dBm will time see the - perhaps a bit shocking - reality of locations previously denoted as having excellent signal.

Interestingly enough, Apple has indeed changed the heights of bars 1, 2, and 3. They’re taller, and the result is that the relative heights are no longer linear, but rather a tad exponential looking. It’s a mind trick that Apple no doubt hopes will make the signal look better. If the bars are taller, they must denote stronger signal, right?

Apple Tried To Buy Palm Before HP Won The Bidding War -- And RIM Completely Blew The Deal

Dan Frommer, Business Insider

Apple was mostly interested in Palm's huge library of intellectual property and patents (450+ patents on file, another 400+ applications on file). And unlike some other bidders, Apple even seemed committed to funding Palm's operations, perhaps to challenge RIM's dominance in the keyboarded segment of the smartphone industry, our source says.

Great Tech Recalls Of The 20th Century

Dave Winer, Scripting News

Engineers look at their own products differently than users do.

Apps And Docs On iPhone OS

Matt Neuburg, TidBITS

Until Apple makes the whole business of docs and apps more rational and open on the iPhone, it seems that every device and every document will have to be dealt with individually, on a case-by-case basis, with a lot of head-scratching and frustration on the part of the user. Document types are a good idea, obviously, but Apple needs to take the wraps off a little and make this a more pleasant and tractable experience for users and developers alike. Otherwise, while I don't want to say that what Apple has provided is worse than nothing, it's darned close.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Apple Engineer Told Jobs iPhone Antenna Might Cut Calls

Peter Burrows and Connie Guglielmo, Bloomberg

Apple Inc.’s senior antenna expert voiced concern to chief executive officer Steve Jobs in the early design phase of the iPhone 4 that the antenna design could lead to dropped calls, a person familiar with the matter said.

Last year, Ruben Caballero, a senior engineer and antenna expert, informed Apple’s management the device’s design may cause reception problems, said the person, who is not authorized to speak on Apple’s behalf and asked not to be identified. A carrier partner also raised concerns about the antenna before the device’s June 24 release, according to another person familiar with the situation.

Organize E-books In iTunes

Kirk McElhearn, Macworld

With the arrival of iOS 4, the iPad, and iTunes 9.2, iTunes can now manage e-books for syncing to Apple’s iBooks app. iTunes accepts two types of book files: those in ePub format, and PDF files. Organizing e-books in iTunes can be a bit baffling, however. Here’s a look at how you can keep your e-book library spic and span.

ChronoSync, ChronoAgent Updated For Smarter Backups

David Chartier, Macworld

Updates to the developer’s ChronoSync and ChronoAgent bring a handful of new scheduling and networking features to make sure your backup and sync operations get done.

Add Bluetooth To The iPhone 4 List Of Woe

Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet

The iPhone 4 Bluetooth issue is more than just a few anecdotal reports, it appears to be more widespread.

Why Apple—And Not Its Customers—Should Fix The iPhone 4

ConsumerReports.org

We think it's the company's responsibility to provide the fix—at no extra cost to consumers.

Apple Releases iOS 4.1 Beta To Developers

Marco Tabini, Macworld

An update to Apple’s iOS mobile operating system has been released as a beta to registered developers, according to a tweet by Apple evangelist Michael Jurewitz.

Apple Prepping Genius Bar Changes: Focus On Shorter Wait Times, Multitasking, Overnight Repairs

Eric Slivka, AppleInsider

MacRumors has learned that Apple is preparing an overhaul of the functionality of its Genius Bar, with the company positioning the changes as a "giant leap forward" for the Family Room concept that has come to embrace both the Genius Bar itself and roving specialists able to help customers with their mobile device support needs at locations throughout Apple's retail stores.

iPod Touch Battery Life And IOS 4: It’s The ‘Fetch New Data’ Setting

Pierre Igot, Betalogue

I believed that, if you use any other settings for this “Fetch New Data” feature, iOS 4 keeps the iPod touch’s Wi-Fi connection live at all times, even when the iPod appears to be asleep. And that’s what eventually drains your battery in much less time than it used to with previous versions of the operating system.

Yes, The iPhone 4 Is Broken / No, The iPhone 4 Is Not Broken

Nilay Patel, Engadget

We've collected reports from every member of the Engadget staff who's using the phone, as well as reached out to a variety of tech industry colleagues for their experiences. As you'll see, most of our peers seem to be doing perfectly fine with their iPhone 4s, but the people who are having problems are having maddening issues in an inconsistent way.

Apple To Hold Special iPhone 4 Press Conference On Friday

Jim Dalrymple, The Loop

Apple would only say that the press conference would be regarding the iPhone 4. No other information was available when I spoke with them tonight.

Why Apple Bought Poly9 (And What Is Poly9)?

Jeff Bertolucci, PC World

Apple Acquires Online Mapping Company Poly9 - Report

AppleInsider

Apple has purchased a Web-based mapping company from Quebec, Canada, that creates interactive 3D software for use in a browser, according to a new report. French-Canadian news site cyberpresse.ca reported Wednesday that Poly9 has been purchased by Apple, and a majority of the company's employees were moved to California. Poly9's official website is no longer available.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Apple Stock Dips After Consumer Reports Says It 'Can't Recommend' iPhone 4

Frank Michael Russell, San Jose Mercury News

A day after Consumer Reports said it "can't recommend" the new iPhone 4, Apple's stock price fell sharply Tuesday. The Cupertino company's shares dropped as low as $246.43 — before recovering somewhat to finish at $251.80, down $5.49, or 2.1 percent, from the day before.

Apple Has An Ally; Electromagnetic Engineer Says Consumer Reports iPhone 4 Study Flawed

Joe Aimonetti, CNET

Bob Egan, now a technology blogger and Global Head of Research & Chief Analyst at the TowerGroup, claims that the Consumer Reports study that had the popular independent customer advocacy group unable to recommend purchasing iPhone 4 has many inherent flaws and can barely be counted as scientific.

How Standard Is FaceTime On The iPhone? Packet Capture Verification

Messaging News

Total Recall Or Total Bull? Some Perspective On The iPhone 4 Antenna Frenzy

MG Siegler, TechCrunch

The fact of the matter is that a recall is the last option for Apple. For that to happen, people would have to begin returning their devices in massive numbers. All indications are that this is not happening. The device has been out for a few weeks now, and I’ve only heard about a handful of people returning iPhone 4.

iPhone 4 FaceTime Tips

David Morgenstern, ZDNet

FaceTime is the compelling video telephony app for the iPhone 4. And as the millions of units are out in the hands of users, so come the annoyances and the tips. Here are a few about speeding up initiation, working behind a firewall and troubleshooting FaceTime after you’ve ported your number from another carrier.

Apple's Nuking Of iPhone 4 Discussions Is Business As Usual

Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

Longtime Apple product users know that this isn't the first time Apple has deleted discussion threads about controversial topics.

There is rarely (if ever) comment from Apple as to why the discussions are disappearing, leading many to believe that Apple is actively trying to hide the issue. Others believe, however, that the nuked threads are simply ones that violate Apple's TOS, which states that discussions are specifically for community tech support about specific products, and must not include speculations about Apple's decisions.

Apple Policy Would Kick AdMob Off IAds, Hamoui Says

Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service

Google’s AdMob business could not deliver advertising through iAd if Apple began enforcing a policy that restricts the involvement of companies that have their own mobile operating systems, said Omar Hamoui, vice president of mobile ads at Google.

iPhone 4 Antenna Fix Could Impact Apple's Operating Income By 1%

Neil Hughes, AppleInsider

Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray said in a note to investors that investors should "not lose site of the forest for the trees" in the ongoing iPhone 4 antenna controversy. He projected that a potential fix from the Cupertino, Calif., company could impact its operating income by 1 percent.

MacFriendly Releases New Software Bundle With 12 Apps

David Dahlquist, Macworld

As Apple's PR Disaster Grows, Some Say Recall

Dave Caolo, TUAW

A software fix that simply reports how poor the iPhone's connection to AT&T's network won't fix this issue. Apple's got to act. Fast.

Mac Gems: CleanMyMac Gets Rid Of Hard Drive Crud

Jeffery Battersby, Macworld

Growing Attention On iPhone 4 Signal Issues Presents Risk For Apple

Neil Hughes, AppleInsider

Shaw Wu with Kaufman Bros. said in a note to investors Tuesday that iPhone 4 demand is still strong, but growing attention on the iPhone 4 antenna could be a concern for Apple. He said checks with supply chain sources have indicated that Apple is having difficulty keeping up with strong demand for its latest phone.

Yes, Ill Matty You

Farhad Manjoo, Slate Magazine

Autocorrect gets no respect. Every day, you dash off dozens of messages on your mobile phone, and most of the time, you do it wrong—you mistype, misspell, or make some other kind of error that's bound to cause you great embarrassment. In the vast majority of cases, your phone steps in to save the day. Thanks to the genius of autocorrect, you can appear fully literate even when you type "im ar thw store," "thats so fibby," or "yes ill matty you."

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Digging Deeper Into Apple's Time Capsule Failure Figures

Charles Arthur, The Guardian

But the Guardian has also seen the text of an email that was sent to Apple Genius Bars earlier this year, to confirm free work authorisation on dead Time Capsules. And that has a very different range of serial numbers which are eligible for replacement with or without Applecare.

We did ask Apple why it had changed the recommended replacement range between its internal note and its statement yesterday. It had not replied at the time this blog post went live.

Not So Fast: Consumer Reports’ Flawed Study & Thread Whiners

Alexander Vaughn, App Advice

Video: iPhone 4 Custom Ringtone Bug

Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet

Sometimes a custom ringtone will continue playing in a stuttered loop even after I answer the call. The only solution is to hang up on them and call back.

Apple Plans To Open A Retail Store In Hong Kong

Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service

Apple intends to open a retail store in Hong Kong as part of wider expansion plans in China.

In all, Apple plans to open up to 25 stores in China and Hong Kong by the end of 2011, said Jill Tan, an Apple spokeswoman. She did not offer specific dates for when the new Apple stores would open in China or where they would be located, except for Hong Kong.

iPhone 4: Time For A Recall?

Molly Wood, CNET

Apple should recall the iPhone 4 and start disseminating new phones with properly coated antennas--and I'm not talking duct tape or neon-colored rubber bands. A recall would give Apple major goodwill and prove its commitment to the impeccable quality and design principles it's always espoused. Yes, it would be expensive and unprecedented. But wow, would it win back some flagging hearts and minds.

Apple: Selling Ice Cubes To Eskimos

John C. Dvorak, PC Magazine

From the iPod to the iPhone to the iPad, Apple has a nearly perfect track record of re-energizing lackluster product spaces. FaceTime, the company's take on the video phone, is no different.

iPhone 4: Too Slippery By Half

Phil Wainewright, ZDNet

Now it turns out everyone is going to have to put a cover on their iPhone 4. Even a strip of duct tape stuck down the side is suddenly cool, and there are rumors of an electrical fault introduced to selected units to strengthen the rationale for rubber insulation.

So thanks, Steve and the Apple team for your foresight and self-sacrifice in introducing the antenna fault when you realized you’d made the iPhone 4 too slippery.

NTP: Why Its Patent Suit Vs. Apple, Google, Microsoft, HTC Etc Stands A Chance

Larry Dignan, ZDNet

Simply put, NTP now has all the ammo it needs to go after the industry.

IPhone Moms Turn Ideas Into Kid-Friendly Apps

Ellen Lee, San Francisco Chronicle

The iPhone mom has fast become a commanding presence among mobile users. From keeping track of their long to-do lists to practicing math skills with their children, they're using their iPhone to manage their hectic, day-to-day lives.

That's translating into moms like Seman. They have an idea - or two or three - for apps that can help them, from monitoring the baby's latest meal, nap and poopy diaper to a game that entertains their children during a long car ride. A small but growing cohort of about 80 mom - and some dad - developers has even formed an online group, Moms with Apps, where they can share tips and help one another market their apps.

Apple's Arrogance And The iPhone 4 Antenna Debacle

Jeff Bertolucci, PC World

The company is in danger of losing its hard-earned reputation for excellent quality and service. If "bad antenna" is the first thing that pops into a consumer's head when an iPhone 4 ad appears, well, that can't be good for business.

iPhone Antenna Flaw: Apple Remains In Denial

Wayne Rash, eWeek

The problem is that the list of Apple’s excuses goes on and on. It must be software. You must be holding it wrong. It can’t possibly burst into flames. I suspect the next spin attempt will be to suggest that the engineers at Consumer Reports don’t know how to test phones (which is what the comments from the Apple fanbois are already saying). The fact is, however, that Apple screwed up and is loath to admit it.

Apple Deletes Discussion Threads About Consumer Reports And iPhone 4

AppleInsider

Numerous threads pertaining to Consumer Reports' testing of the iPhone 4, which found reception issues, were been removed from Apple's official online forums Monday.

Turns Out That Making An “iPad Killer” Isn’t So Easy After All

Ian Betteridge, Technovia

It’s three months since the launch of the iPad, and the much-heralded “Android iPad killers” are somewhat thin on the ground.

Facetime On iPhone 4: Vanilla Unencrypted STUN And SIP

iConverged

The Legend Of Crystal Valley

Ted Bade, Inside Mac Games

The Legend of Crystal is fun and interesting enough to have kept my attention through the entire game and kept me looking forward to returning. It isn’t a long game, but it is well done and the story is pretty well thought out. Anyone who likes a good fairy tale style adventure game will enjoy playing. Definitely worth a look.

Lab Tests: Why Consumer Reports Can't Recommend The iPhone 4

Mike Gikas, ConsumerReports.org

It's official. Consumer Reports' engineers have just completed testing the iPhone 4, and have confirmed that there is a problem with its reception. When your finger or hand touches a spot on the phone's lower left side—an easy thing, especially for lefties—the signal can significantly degrade enough to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you're in an area with a weak signal. Due to this problem, we can't recommend the iPhone 4.

Automate Daily Chores With AppleScript

Glenn Fleishman, Macworld

Mac Gems: AddressBookSync Ties Facebook Friends To Address Book

Abigail Gripman, Macworld

AddressBookSync uses a clean interface and simple procedures to help coordinate the people in your Mac OS X Address Book with your Facebook friends.

New Mac Mini Features Better Bluetooth Stereo

Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet

The Amazingness Of Instant

Scott Adams, Dilbert.com

The other day I bought an iPad for the house. Yes, I know, when the iPad was first announced, I predicted that few people would want a crippled laptop. Allow me to say I was obviously and totally wrong.

Apple Leads The Pack For Ballooning Bug Count

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet

Being in the lead is not always a good thing. Apple takes number one stop for the most bugs found in all of its products during the first half of 2010, ahead of Oracle, and Microsoft, according to Secunia.

New iPhone 4 Ads Change The Conversation

Chris Matyszczyk, CNET

As technology grasps at ways that it can bring people into some kind of greater proximity, it is hard to resist the notion that FaceTime isn't merely a cool feature, it's the paradigm for all phone conversations in the future.

Skype, Fring Throw Punches Over iPhone Hang Up

Jessica Dolcourt, CNET

Fring and Skype, sometimes-rivals in the VoIP mobile space, are spitting out harsh words in what's turning into an ugly public relations play. In a news release sent to CNET on Monday, Fring accuses Skype of being "afraid of open mobile communication" after Skype brought legal action against Fring, which has traditionally included Skype in its IM and VoIP calling app.

Check Out Those FaceTime Ads: Think Apple Understands The Network Effect?

Henry Blodget, Business Insider

There's no mystery as to what Apple is up to strategically.

Apple's Word Of Mouth Challenge: Will Consumer Reports Hamper iPhone 4's Mojo?

Sam Diaz, ZDNet

It’s one thing for a blogger like me to go on these rants about the shortcomings of the iPhone 4. But when Consumer Reports, which has the power to drive or halt buying decisions with its recommendations, announces that it cannot recommend the iPhone 4 because of the device’s antenna issues, it carries a lot of weight with mainstream consumers.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Take Control Of How Files Open

Sharon Zardetto, Macworld

Review: ProSoft Data Rescue 3

John Brandon, Macworld

Data Rescue 3 is a program that every Mac user should at least know about, if not own outright, for those times when you need to restore important files. It takes some time to use, but works as stated and can relieve you from the final step of hiring a forensics expert.

Apple Promoting iPhone 4 In Four New FaceTime Ads

AppleInsider

Apple's new ads campaign for iPhone 4 have shifted from "there's an app for that," to a message targeting a specific new app: FaceTime.

Apple Recalling Flawed 2008 Time Capsules

Steven Sande, TUAW

Podcasts (In ITunes) Turns 5

Drew Domkus

iPhone Lawsuit Wins Class Action Status

Sam Diaz, CNET

A lawsuit against Apple and AT&T over their exclusivity contract has been granted class action status, meaning it now includes anyone who bought an iPhone between June 29, 2007, and present day and signed up for AT&T service.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Why I Can’t Kick The Apple iPhone Habit

Robert Scoble, Scobleizer

So, why am I more productive on iPhones than on Android?

Apple Is Better By Design, But Does Little For Western Workers

John Naughton, The Guardian

Another Fraudulent Developer Removed From Apple's App Store

AppleInsider

A second case of alleged App Store fraud arose this week, with one developer's travel-related applications seeing strong sales as at least one user claimed their account was hijacked.

iTunes Password Caching

Manton Reece

A reasonable argument could be made that iTunes should either not cache passwords at all, or keep a separate cache for app downloads vs. in-app purchases, or maybe always prompt for a password on in-app purchases.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

The iPad's Threat To PCs

Mark Veverka, Barron's

The bad news for PC makers is that, unlike the iPod, a portable music device that had little bearing on their sales, the iPad can have a big impact on them.

Apple Store Opens In Shanghai, Second Store In China

Wall Street Journal

Shanghai has two Ferrari dealerships, two Ritz-Carlton hotels, 120 Starbucks stores, but it was only as of today that China’s wealthiest city got its first Apple store.

Apple Opens Shanghai Store To Spur Sales In China

Mark Lee, Alfred Cang, Bloomberg

Several hundred people lined up outside a 40-foot cylindrical glass wall that contains the Apple logo at the 1,500-square-meter (16,000-square-foot) store in the Pudong district of Shanghai, China’s financial hub, before it opened at 10 a.m. local time.

Fraudulent Apps Now Appear In Travel Section?

Joe White, App Advice

Be sure to view the App Store with wary eyes today, because it appears that iTunes has been hacked once again.

Apple Sues Resellers Over Power Adapters

Tom Krazit, CNET

Apple has filed a lawsuit against three companies it alleges are selling knockoff power adapters for MacBooks and MacBook Pros, according to court filings.

Google's Schmidt Undaunted By Apple Or Facebook

Alexei Oreskovic and Paul Thomasch, Reuters

On Thursday, Google's Page suggested that Jobs' assessment was "a little bit of rewriting history."

"We had been working on Android a very long time, with the notion of producing phones that are Internet enabled and have good browsers and all that because that did not exist in the marketplace," Page said. "I think that characterization of us entering after is not really reasonable."

Solving The Mystery Of Blank E-mails In An iOS 4 Inbox

Lex Friedman, Macworld

My Trip Through Time Capsule Hell Leads To A Different Backup Approach

David Winograd, TUAW

The take-away from all of this: although it's easy and transparent to use a Time Capsule and Time Machine as a backup strategy, it's only a partial solution. There can still be major problems, and it's not enough to give you the security you need.

BusyCal Not Ready For MobileMe Calendar Beta, Fix Coming

David Chartier, Macworld

Apple is switching its calendar technology to CalDAV, a standard Internet format that makes sharing calendars between multiple users easier (CalDAV is also built into Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Server). Because of this, BusyCal (and possibly other third-party iCal clients and add-ons) will need an update to work properly with the new MobileMe Calendar technology.

2010: The Year Apple Enters A New Golden Age

Bullish Cross

To get an idea of how deeply Apple continues to penetrate the market, Apple will produce 50% more in sales and 71% more in earnings in 2010 than it did last year. If this growth continues into 2011, Apple will surpass Exxon to become the largest corporation in America. Not to mention that it already has more cash than any other company in the United States - $41 billion.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Apple, Google, Microsoft, Others Sued In Email Patents Battle

Silicon Republic

A payment holding company that recently settled a US$600m case against Research in Motion (RIM) is now taking a case against Apple, Google, Microsoft, HTC, LG and Motorola over alleged breach of email-related patents.

Phone Disk Lets Users Share Files Without iTunes

Serenity Caldwell, Macworld

One of the big gripes about iOS’s “File Sharing” feature is that it requires users to go through iTunes each time they wish to add or remove files from a device. If you'd like a more direct route for taking your files on-the-go, Macroplant’s Phone Disk grants access to your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad through everyone's favorite file management utility: the Finder.

Tablet PC Vs iPad On The Road.

A CIO's Musings

While I have the enterprise tools and multitasking OS on my notebook to get my work done, I am hampered on long trips by limited battery life. The iPad is only single tasking and not as connected to the enterprise as Windows 7. It does however deliver its applications hour after hour without a charge. Which tool would you prefer to travel with?

Microsoft Page Curl Patent Could Hurt Apple's iBooks

Electronista

Microsoft has filed for a patent that could create problems for Apple's iBooks and other e-reader apps. The technique for a "virtual page turn" would use the same design as Apple's, where readers can turn the page naturally by touching and dragging from one side of an e-book and curling the page to the other side. It would render the page in 3D and even render the back of a page while in mid-turn.

An In-Depth Look At How People Are Using The iPad

Christina Warren, Mashable

While the ultimate impact that devices like the iPad will have on netbooks has been discussed at length (some analysts predict tablets will outsell netbooks by 2012), the two devices that will really be affected by the iPad, at least according to Resolve’s study, are e-readers and portable gaming devices.

Forbes Attacks Apple On Its Commitment To Blind Users

Jim Dalrymple, The Loop

Surely these people know more about how Apple devices work for the blind than Roger Kay.

Apple's Real 'Death Grip' Is On Its Customers: Rich Jaroslovsky

Rich Jaroslovsky, Bloomberg

My own experience with the iPhone 4 hasn’t been trouble- free.

Apple Rules Elite Laptop List At Best Buy

Brooke Crothers, CNET

Apple MacBooks, more than any other single brand, populate the rankings of the priciest laptops at Best Buy, affirming Apple's reputation as a purveyor of elite computers.

Opening A Big Store In China, Apple Remains A Market Underdog

David Barboza, New York Times

Analysts who follow Apple say that China is a potentially huge opportunity for the company because its market share here is tiny — less than 5 percent in big categories like personal computers, music players and mobile phones. But it has been adding authorized Apple dealers in China — expanding those ranks by about 800 in this year’s first quarter, bringing the total to around 2,000 locations.

“Apple plans a major invasion of China over the next 18 months to two years,” said Charles Wolf, an analyst who follows Apple for Needham & Company and credits its retail stores with significantly bolstering Apple’s brand. “To date, Apple has not been a force in China. But it will be.”

How Dr. Seuss Titles Make It To The App Store

Josh Lowensohn, CNET

Oceanhouse Media had already put out a number of iOS self-help book apps for publisher Hay House, and was able to sway Dr. Seuss Enterprises to take a chance on bringing the series to that platform by using the company's book reading engine as an example of what could be done.

My iTunes Account Was Hacked For $375—By My Own Kids

Kevin C. Tofel, GigaOM

Not only have I learned some better ways to manage iTunes, but this experience also shed light on what kids actually think about virtual goods and currency.

Want Some Video Calling Over 3G? Fring Goes Live For iOS 4

Victor Agreda, Jr., TUAW

iPod Touch Battery Life And IOS 4

Pierre Igot, Betalogue

I will continue to monitor the battery life of my iPod touch now that I have switched to Airplane Mode. If things do not improve, you can be sure that I will write more about this.

Pixelmator 1.6 To Bring New Tools, Massive Performance Gain

David Chartier, Macworld

At the top of the new features list for Pixelmator 1.6 is Layer Groups, sharing images directly to social sites like Flickr, Picasa, and Facebook, and direct import from devices like cameras, scanners, iPhones, and iPads. Also on the list are new transforming tools, a redesigned printing engine, and new Automator actions to trim and watermark images.

Mac Gems: Pester Offers Quick And Easy Reminders

Dan Frakes, Macworld

Tricks For Editing Your iPhone Photos

Ben Long, Macworld

The iPhone's camera is a great tool for taking spontaneous photos for sharing on sites like Facebook or Flickr, or even as actual prints on paper or in photo books. But just like photographs taken with a point-and-shoot, and even a DSLR, these images aren't necessarily their best when you first capture them. A few tweaks in a photo editor can greatly improve your iPhone photos, whether they were taken with a first-generation iPhone's 2-megapixel camera or the iPhone 4's 5-megapixel camera.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Preview: Inside Shanghai's First Apple Store

Edna Zhou, Shanghalist

It's nearly here, Apple fans: Shanghai's first Apple Store is opening this Saturday, July 10! Shanghaiist got a look inside today to see exactly what Apple has in store for its Chinese consumers.

Google Makes The iPhone YouTube App Obsolete

Nick Bilton, New York Times

What’s the difference between the new version of YouTube’s mobile Web site and the Apple-created YouTube application that is installed on every iPhone? The Web site is a lot better. At least that’s the subtext of a video that YouTube released as it announced the overhaul of the mobile site on Wednesday.

iPad In Japanese Busienss

世論 What Japan Thinks

Apple Confirms iPhone 4 Reception Not A Software Problem

Ed Oswald , Technologizer

It’s been like pulling teeth, and it took journalists mailing AppleCare rather than Apple’s notoriously tight-lipped and selectively-responding public relations department, but we have our answer. That iPhone 4 software update will do nothing to fix the reception problems–it is a hardware issue.

Nintendo: No Plans To Develop Games For iPhone/iPad

eChannelNews

Apple’s Best-Case Scenario: The iPad Is The New iPod

Peter Kafka, Wall Street Journal

This one is pretty telling: Barclays’ estimate of how the PC market shakes out if you throw iPads into the mix. Steve Jobs and company aren’t knocking on Hewlett-Packard’s door anytime soon, but they are getting close to Dell’s.

Apple's Culture Needs A Change

Therese Poletti, MarketWatch

Apple's growth from a niche PC maker to a giant in consumer electronics means it now has to deal with expectations from the dreaded status quo, in addition to its die-hard fans.

iPhone Makes Great Snitch For Savvy Cops

Amber Hunt , Detroit Free Press

Got an iPhone in your pocket? Then you might be storing even more personal information than you realize. And some of it could be used against you if you're ever charged with a crime.

iPhone 4 Vs iPhone 3GS Battery Test: Almost 40 Per Cent Better

Flora Graham, CNET

Like most smart phones, the iPhone 4 will still need to be charged every day if you're using it extensively -- but at least it's noticeably better than previous iPhones. And if you turn off some of the good stuff, it can be even better than Apple claims.

Apple Changes Stance On LED Flashlight Apps

Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet

Apple finally relented allowing apps to use it with one proviso: developers must include a disclaimer that continued use of the iPhone’s LED may dramatically decrease battery life. Well, duh.

SoftBank: You Can Have My iPhone Exclusivity Agreement When You Pry It From My Cold, Dead Hands

John Paczkowski , Wall Street Journal

SoftBank gained more than a quarter of a million new subscribers in June–largely because of Apple’s iPhone. The company–the iPhone’s exclusive carrier in Japan–said today that it added a net 229,500 subscribers for the month, far more than the country’s biggest provider, NTT DoCoMo, which reported a gain of 164,000.

Apple's New Shanghai Store Looks Amazing

Business Insider

AT&T Says Slow iPhone 4 Upload Speeds Due To Software Defect

AppleInsider

AT&T on Wednesday made an official statement on an issue causing slow upload speeds for some iPhone 4 users, blaming the problem on a software defect that will soon be fixed.

"AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent jointly identified a software defect -- triggered under certain conditions - that impacted uplink performance for Laptop Connect and smartphone customers using 3G HSUPA-capable wireless devices in markets with Alcatel-Lucent equipment," the company said in a statement.

Deleting A Previous System Folder

Christopher Breen, Macworld

If you’ve run your Mac for a good amount of time—a month or more—and everything seems hunky dory, you’re safe to toss out this Previous System folder.

Apple Store Openings

Dave Caolo, TUAW

Several new Apple Stores either opened or are set to open this weekend. Here's a look at what's going on.

Review: Apple's Aluminum Mac Mini And Mac Mini Server (2010)

Daniel Eran Dilger, AppleInsider

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Apple iPad Sets Path To Productivity, Paperless Office

Rachael King, BusinessWeek

Businesses including beauty salons and restaurants are experimenting with new tasks for Apple's tablet computer.

Apple's iPad Wins Corporate Converts At Wells Fargo, SAP

Rachael King, BusinessWeek

The tablet computer, designed for video and book-reading, is making inroads at companies as varied as SAP and Mercedes-Benz.

Apple Developer Launches HTML5 Coding Start-up

Stephen Shankland, CNET

Charles Jolley, one of the primary creators of the SproutCore programming tools for building rich Web applications, has left Apple and struck off on his own to start a new company based on the technology.

'App Farming' Update: Apple Says Only 400 Accounts Compromised

Michael Rose, TUAW

Apple's New Store In Paris Is Absolutely Gorgeous

Nick Saint, The Business Insider

This weekend, Apple opened up a new retail store in Paris, and it doesn't look anything like your average Apple Store.

iPad Pilots Launching In Higher Ed This Fall

Dennis Carter, eCampus News

Educators say there’s a simple reason they believe the Apple iPad pilot programs coming to colleges and universities this fall will run smoother than previous trials with popular eReaders: the apps.

Mac Sales Still Up, Despite iPad Release

Mike Schramm, TUAW

Even though Apple introduced a tablet earlier this year, Mac sales are still up 35%, showing that the iPad is much more a new category all to itself than a subset of desktop or laptop users. NPD data from the month of May hints that Macs may see 19-23% growth year-over-year this year, which would top Wall Street's estimates.

AT&T Not Throttling iPhone 4 Upload Bandwidth

AppleInsider

AppleInsider has been led to believe that the issues are a result of an unintentional software glitch related to High-Speed Uplink Packet Access in some sections of the country.

Proximity Sensor Woes Caused By Reflective Ear Canal

Aron Trimble, TUAW

Apparently, the re-location of the proximity sensor in iPhone 4 causes the sensor to be more likely to be triggered by light "bouncing around the ear canal."

Apple's iDisk App Updated For IOS 4

Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet

The updated iDisk is a universal app, meaning that the same app can run on both the iPhone and the iPad. The killer feature is multitasking support when running iOS 4, which allows you to quickly switch to another app and back to iDisk. When you re-open the app the last file or directory you were viewing is displayed.

Add PDFs To iTunes For Easy Syncing

Whitson Gordon, Macworld

SyncMate Connects Your Mac's Data To... Everything

Jeff Porten, Macworld

The list of gizmos SyncMate will talk to is staggering: Windows Mobile, Nokia Series 40, and Android via your Google accounts for your cell phones; Macs, Windows (XP and Vista), external USB flash drives, and the Sony PlayStation Portable for your computing needs.

Apple Struggles To Meet iPhone 4 Demand As iPad Availability Improves

AppleInsider

Analyst Shaw Wu said to investors Tuesday that he was shifting iPhone assumptions to later quarters due to the "high likelihood" that screen supply constraints and inventory drawdown will impact shipments over the next two quarters.

Apple Ads To Target Your iTunes History

Rik Myslewski, Register

Apple is using the immense amount of data that it has collected from its 150 million iTunes accounts to help its iAd advertisers target their pitches to users of iOS 4 devices.

Why Apple Hasn't Succeed In China... Yet

Kit Eaton, Fast Company

Apple's business model is working--it's just become the biggest tech-firm in the U.S., and you don't achieve that accolade without doing something very well. And the 25 stores slated for opening in the next year or two in China will create extra visibility for the genuine Apple articles in a market where near-clone illegal knock-offs are extremely common. Lenovo's boss is also probably running scared, as Apple's busy eroding the very markets that Lenovo's business rests on--laptops--with its smartphones and tablet PCs. Jobs may be bad-tempered, but he's also behind some very good products that threaten to unseat Lenovo in the market.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Apple May Face EU Antitrust Probe

Jim Dalrymple, The Loop

Apple iPhone 3G Is 'Most Recycled' Phone

Telegraph

Sell My Mobile, a mobile phone recycling price comparison site, reports that the iPhone 3G, Apple’s second-generation handset, is the most popular phone to be recycled in the UK this month, with owners getting up to £170 in exchange for their unwanted iPhone.

Government Spends Thousands On iPhone Apps

BBC

BBC News has learnt that the Government has spent tens of thousands of pounds developing iPhone applications.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that development costs ranged from £10,000 - £40,000.

Is An iPad A Useful Business Tool?

Alexandra Cain, Business Day

The new Apple iPad is a curious device. While many small business owners are sceptical about its use in a business context and are still trying to understand why they need yet another piece of technology, others are evangelical about its benefits.

Is AT&T Capping iPhone Upload Speeds? Inquiring Minds Want To Know

Erica Sadun, TUAW

So why the sudden change?

Why Suing Apple Hasn’t Worked And Never Will

Electronista

Yes, lawsuits get the attention of the media and they force Apple to respond at some point, but time and again, they fail to deliver any measurable reward for those that are bringing the lawsuit against an organization. And even then, the reward doesn't come for months or years until the court finally has time to make a decision -- by which point the lawsuit could be a non-issue.

Pair Of App Store Studies Show Apple Is The Devs' Choice, For Now

Mike Schramm, TUAW

Transferring An iPhone Restore File

Christopher Breen, Macworld

Monday, July 5, 2010

Four Ways To Speed Up iWeb '09

Adam Berenstain, Macworld

iWeb ’09 lets you create attractive Web sites quickly, but quickly isn’t always fast enough. The following tips will help you save time designing, publishing, and sharing your creations with the world. There’s no time like the present to work faster, so let’s get started.

Lenovo: Apple Is Losing Out In China

Kathrin Hille, Financial Times

Speaking of Apple’s chief executive, Lenovo’s founder and chairman, told the Financial Times: “We are lucky that Steve Jobs has such a bad temper and doesn’t care about China. If Apple were to spend the same effort on the Chinese consumer as we do, we would be in trouble.”

So How Do Steve Jobs' Emails Really Get Written?

Chris Matyszczyk, CNET

Sunday, July 4, 2010

iTunes Accounts Hacking More Widespread Than Initially Thought. The Facts, And What You Should Do.

The Next Web

We’ve received and discovered a number of reports of accounts being hacked and used to make purchases on iTunes.

Parisians Storm Apple's Newest Store

Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Fortune

Set in a restored bank across Rue Halevy from the gilded Palais Garnier -- longtime home of the Opera de Paris -- the store eschews the usual bland Apple retail ambiance in favor of the site's original architectural detail -- the mosaic tile floor, the marble columns, the curving balustrade, the wrought-iron spiral staircases, the long narrow skylight.

FaceTime And Why Apple's Massive Integration Advantage Is Just Beginning

Steve Cheney, TechCrunch

Below the surface of hardware / software, Apple is on the cusp of differentiating on a much deeper level, a result of its strategy to vertically integrate at the component level. The advantages of integrating so deeply are subtle but incredibly powerful.

BGR: Apple Is Wrong, That Steve Jobs Email Exchange Was Real

Jason Kincaid, TechCrunch

Now BGR has posted a followup story maintaining that the email exchange was real, save for that one misattributed message, and they’re basically calling Apple’s PR team liars.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Apple's Hostile Reception

The Economist

Saying sorry is something that does not come easily to Apple, a company known as much for its arrogance as for the brilliance of the electronic gadgets it churns out. But the consumer-electronics giant has just issued what amounts to an apology to buyers of its new iPhone 4, which has been plagued with reception problems. Unfortunately, the excuse that the company has given for the fiasco appears to be as thin as its sleek new smartphone, which has been selling in droves in spite of the adverse publicity.

Apple Ditches The 10% Restocking Fee On iPhone 4 Returns

Alexander Vaughn, App Advice

Now, with the debacle around the new iPhone’s antenna issue and the recent lawsuits, Apple has apparently decided to generalize the policy. The difference isn’t very significant as the return on a 16GB or 32GB would cost respectively just $19.90 or $29.90. On the other hand, it might help with the lawsuits.

Facetime On iPhone 4 Won't Work Says CEO Of 3 UK

Desire Athow, IT Pro Portal

Kevin Russell, the CEO of mobile phone operator 3 UK, has admitted that he's not a great believer when it comes to video conferencing and the use of the iPhone 4's just released FaceTime application.

China Mobile Lobbies Apple For An iPhone

Mike Clendenin, InformationWeek

China Mobile, the country's largest telecom operator, is still holding out hope that it can woo Apple into making a customized version of the iPhone that would work on a network based on homegrown TD-SCDMA technology. However, most observers aren't holding their breath. Apple hasn't even released a CDMA version of the iPhone, though it is likely this will happen.

Adopting Apple Into The Enterprise? You Might Want To Think Again

Paul Mah, FierceCIO

So let's put things into perspective here: There are 1,000 users on the iPhone hooked up to your Exchange Servers, and you now have to explain to your CEO how it's not your incompetence (really!) that you have to temporarily disconnect his iPhone from Exchange so that everyone can continue using it. And having explained this point, tell him that you have no idea when this issue can be remedied. So tell me, is Apple ready for the enterprise?

Mac Gems: MoveAddict 1.51

Dan Frakes, Macworld

MoveAddict adds the capability to cut and paste files and folders in the Finder, along with some nifty features such as folder merging.

Apple Gives One Business Free Bumpers For iPhone 4 Reception Issues

AppleInsider

Though it has not given away protective cases to the masses to alleviate reception issues with the iPhone 4, Apple did attempt to appease one small New York business owner with five free $30 bumpers, AppleInsider has learned.

Apple To Replace False iPhone Reception Reading With Another Clever Exaggeration

Mark Milian, Los Angeles Times

As it turns out, companies really aren't supposed to lie about measurable statistics, like cell strength, but doing a little visual magic on how tall the bars look is probably in bounds. It's somewhat furtive but not outright mendacity.

Apple Admits Error, Some Customers Still Skeptical

Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Apple's explanation today didn't address reports by many users the iPhone 4 dropped calls when they held the iPhone 4. On Apple's support forum, most people were skeptical that the upcoming software fix would really solve the problems they have with their iPhones.

The Aesthetics Of The iPad

Virginia Heffernan, New York Times

Poking Holes In Apple's iPhone 4 Antenna Explanation

Marguerite Reardon, CNET News

But hold on a second. How exactly will this ensure that the new iPhone 4 doesn't drop a call? The answer is that it probably won't.

Voices For Mac Puts More People In Your Head

Jeff Porten, Macworld

Getting tired of Alex? Has your relationship with Victoria waned over the years? Voices for Mac can spruce up your aural interactions with Mac OS X’s text-to-speech feature, with the addition of new voices for your listening pleasure.

iPhone 4's Supposed Signal Woes Aren’t Unique, And May Not Be Serious

Mike Gikas, ConsumerReports.org

Even if the alleged signal loss is real, there's an absence of hard evidence that iPhone 4 reception is problematic compared to past iPhones; indeed, there's evidence of just the opposite.

Let's Try To Make Sense Of The "Death Grip"

David Pogue, New York Times

This one’s going down in the history books—or at least the one called, “Weirdest Consumer Tech Bumbles, 1980-2010.”

How To Share Purchased iBooks

Adam C. Engst, TidBITS

For sharing of titles purchased from the iBookstore within a household, this approach of signing out of one iTunes account, signing in from another, redownloading books, and swapping the accounts back again should meet the needs of most people.

iPhone Signal Strength Set Bars Too High

Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS

Given that the frequent two-to-three bar drop annoyed customers, it's hard to ascribe too much motivation to the marketing explanation.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Apple Says iPhone 4 Algorithm Is To Blame, Not Antenna

Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

Apple has issued an official statement about the iPhone 4 antenna issue, attributing the problem to a mistake in the formula that calculates the number of bars to display. Apple says that a software update will be available "within a few weeks" that will correct the issue, not only for the iPhone 4, but also the 3GS and 3G.

Letter From Apple Regarding iPhone 4

Apple

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong.

Translation From Apple’s Unique Dialect Of PR-Speak To English Of The ‘Letter From Apple Regarding iPhone 4’

John Gruber, Daring Fireball

Don’t fuck this thing up for us. We mean, have you seen the Retina Display?

Review: iStat Menus 3

Alex Jordan, Mactropolis

Some iPhone 4 Cameras Have Yellowing Problem

Heather Kelly, Macworld

The iPhone’s 5-megapixel camera will take crisp daylight and brightly lit indoor photos that show colors accurately, but then have issues correctly capturing images in low light with, or without, the LED flash.

Turning The iPhone Glitch Into Gold

Adam Satariano, BusinessWeek

When complaints surfaced that the antenna wasn't working properly on the iPhone 4, Apple (AAPL) told users to hold the device differently or put it in a protective case. Some owners called the response insensitive. Makers of iPhone accessories, on the other hand, welcomed it.

Hands-on With IMovie For iPhone 4

Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

If you're dead serious about creating the next big Sundance masterpiece, iMovie probably won't be worth the $5 download. For those who just want to stick a basic title, some theme music, and some aesthetically inoffensive transitions into their iPhone movies, however, it's not a bad piece of software.

iPhone's Exchange Woes Aren't Over

Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service

Apple posted the workaround earlier this week. But according to a Microsoft blog post on Thursday, Apple appears to be working on a more complete solution. "Apple has assured us that a fix is being worked on, though they have not commented on a release timeline for the fix," Adam Glick, senior technical product manager at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post Thursday.

Apple Lets Google Sell Targeted Ads

Yukari Iwatani Kane And Amir Efrati, Wall Street Journal

Apple Inc. doesn't appear to have barred Google Inc. and others from selling targeted ads inside iPhone and iPad applications, after implying several weeks ago that it might do so.

Software developers say their new and updated applications are getting approved by Apple, even though the apps are enabled to serve ads by third-party ad networks such as Google's Mobile Adsense and AdMob.

The Apple-AT&T Class Action Suit Should Have Come Years Ago

Sam Diaz, ZDNet

Why did it take so long for an iPhone owner to drag these two companies into court? After all, reception has consistently been bad on the iPhone in some regions for as long as the two have been selling it.

Apple Safari 5

Lawrence Latif, Inquirer

With Safari 5 it's clear that Apple is aiming to improve its browser with largely unseen features. The most obvious feature, Reader, isn't particularly new but where Apple is really pushing the boat out is with its HTML5 support, Safari developer programme, domain name service (DNS) tweaks and support for hardware acceleration.

I4: Broken Glass (Update: Apple Fixed It)

Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet

Apple's iPhone 4: More Than Hype

Mark Milian, Los Angeles Times

With a growing army of competitors, the iPhone is no longer the strange visitor from the future it was three years ago. But it keeps pace with the competition and exceeds in some respects, sporting the full package of an elegantly made, easy-to-use smart phone that still bears a great deal of influence on the rest of the industry.

Why iAd Won’t Meet Steve Jobs’ Expectations

Colin Gibbs, GigaOM

There are far too many established, innovative players for Cupertino to capture nearly half the space by the end of the year.

"Just Avoid Holding It That Way"

Farhad Manjoo, Slate Magazine

If the advantage of having Jobs speak for the company is his ability to rise above PR-speak, the disadvantage is that he sometimes spins the truth to an absurd degree.

Apple's Interactive iAds Begin To Appear In iPhone Apps

AppleInsider

While ads began to appear in some applications, not all of the iAd network has have gone live.

Helping FaceTime Coexist With Your Firewall

Mel Martin, TUAW

Got the FaceTime blues? It could be your router's firewall settings. Apple has posted a support document noting that some routers using firewalls, security software or other restrictive settings will require a settings change.

Test Results: iPhone 4 Battery Life

James Galbraith, Macworld

The results show that the iPhone 4 does indeed last an appreciably longer time.

Multiple Class Action Suits Filed Over iPhone 4 Antenna

Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

Not to be left out, a New Jersey resident and a Massachusetts resident both filed similar independent lawsuits in California.

Why Apple's iPhone 4 Bumper Case Is A Rip-off

Aurich Lawson, Ars Technica

If Apple ever decided to sell the Bumpers in a pack like it used to do with the old iPod socks, it wouldn't be a bad way to switch up your phone colors on a whim. Until then, buyer beware: you need to really want one in order to feel satisfied with the purchase.

HoudahSpot 3.0 Brings File-tagging To Spotlight Search

Marco Tabini, Macworld

Houdah Software has introduced version 3.0 of HoudahSpot, a Spotlight replacement that allows users to perform powerful, complex searches on their filesystems.

Blu-ray Apparently Isn't Coming To Macs

Don Reisinger, CNET News

Apple Calls At Least One Reported Jobs E-mail Fake

Erica Ogg, CNET News

Jobs has been e-mailing an awful lot if all the reports are to be believed, but this is the first time that Apple has called one of the reported correspondences a fake.

It's time for Steve Jobs to use a digital signature. Can he do it on his iPhone and iPad?

Disney Buys Tapulous, Maker Of Game Apps

Jenna Wortham, New York Times

The Walt Disney Company said on Thursday that it had bought Tapulous, a start-up company that makes music-based games for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

With the number of downloads through Apple’s App Store topping five billion, many companies see mobile applications as a promising business. Big companies like IAC/InterActiveCorp, Amazon.com and now Disney have bought start-ups that have track records in the market.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Set Up iOS 4 Folders Wisely

Tom Kaneshige, CIO.com

Apple Gets Slapped With Lawsuit Over iPhone 4 Reception Problems

Ryan Kim, San Francisco Chronicle

Well, the first of what could be many lawsuits has landed on Apple and AT&T's doors because of the iPhone 4's antenna reception problems.

A law firm representing two Maryland resident has filed a class action complaint alleging negligence, breach of warranty, deceptive trade practices, fraud and misrepresentation over the iPhone 4's antenna.

Apple Posts iOS 4 Fix For Exchange Sync Issues

MacNN

Apple has posted a fix for Exchange sync issues with iOS 4. Many users encountered problems attempting to sync with Exchange ActiveSync Mail, Contacts, or Calendars after updating to iOS 4. The issue reportedly caused a complete failure for some users, or an excessively slow sync for others.

iPhone 4 Review

Robert Mohns, MacInTouch

The iPhone 4 has, once again, reinterpreted Steve Jobs's original concept, maintaining a core look and feel, yet changing and improving almost every aspect of the experience. We've described some of the new iPhone's problems, but in practice they are more than balanced by how much it does very well.

So, Where's Apple's iTunes TV?

Dan Frommer, The Business Insider

Even if Internet TV is the long-term future, it's still going to be tricky for Apple to convince cable networks to cheat on cable affiliates like Comcast or Time Warner Cable, which provide the vast majority of their revenue.

Especially now that it has to package together something that is at least two or three times better or more useful than Hulu Plus.

Apple Can't Wish Away iPhone 4 Antenna Woes

Jared Newman, PC World

My feeling is that for many customers, the benefits of iPhone 4's improved signal quality will outweigh the drop in signal strength when holding the phone in a certain way. But to deny that there's any issue at all is disingenuous -- not that candor has ever been Apple's strong suit.

Putting Hard Numbers To The iPhone 4 Antenna Issue

Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

How Long Should Your iPhone Last?

David Carnoy, CNET News

Apple Updates HP, Epson Drivers For Snow Leopard

Marco Tabini, Macworld

Apple has released updated sets of Snow Leopard drivers for Hewlett-Packard and Epson printers and scanners.

Apple Posts Five New Job Listings For Antenna Engineers

AppleInsider

Apple posted five new job listings for antenna engineers June 23, the day before iPhone 4 launched.

Apple Antenna Issue A 'Physics Problem,' Not A Software Problem

Erica Ogg, CNET News

Rolling Back Your iPhone 3G To OS 3.1.3

Christopher Breen, Macworld

And, of course, this is completely unsupported by Apple.

iPhone 4 Availability Check: Good Luck

Jared Newman, PC World

Apple Updates MobileMe Gallery For iPhone 4

David Chartier, Macworld

Apple’s release of MobileMe Gallery 1.1.1, the company’s app for viewing photos on its MobileMe service, brings higher resolution artwork for the iPhone 4’s Retina display. It also allows you to download higher resolution photos (if your friends enable that feature for their galleries) when you’re on a Wi-Fi connection. A handful of bugs were also exorcised in this new version.

By Heng-Cheong Leong

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