Iphone tips and tricks: април 2012

недеља, 29. април 2012.

An entirely new use for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch – Desk Fountain

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Amazon profit drops 35 percent on currency, Fire woes

11608updated 05:20 pm EDT, Thu April 26, 2012 Net income down, but net sales up

Amazon on Thursday recorded a significant hit to its profit for the first quarter of 2012. Its net income dropped 35 percent from year-to-year, to $130 million. Net sales were still up 34 percent to almost $13.2 billion, setting a new high.The company blamed a small amount of the profit drop on high foreign exchange rates that hurt both its net sales and operating income, which combined cost Amazon about $60 million.

How much the Kindle Fire impacted the company's performance wasn't apparent. Last fall, it saw profit cut in half in what's believed to have been a voluntary profit hit to build share for the Android tablet. The Kindle Fire may be sold at a loss and would have to make up for the deficit based on content sales.

As in the past, Amazon has declined to say how many Kindle devices it has sold. The firm would only say that the Kindle Fire was still the bestselling product on Amazon. Previously, Amazon had argued that it was a competitive secret, although it's often speculated that the company wants to avoid any disappointment if it ever sees poor sales.

The company did make the further claim that its Kindle app, not iBooks, was the top free book app on the iPad.

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Adobe updates Lightroom 4.1 beta, adds HDR, camera support

11200updated 06:00 pm EDT, Thu April 26, 2012 Release Candidate 2 available on Adobe Labs

Adobe is in the final stages of testing the forthcoming Lightroom 4.1 update, offering Release Candidate 2 on its Adobe Labs website for free download. The self-expiring test release corrects issues reported from the first release candidate and initial 4.1 test release. The company took the opportunity to add further RAW file format support for some additional cameras, new controls to correct color fringing and support for HDR files.Color fringing is an chromatic aberration seen on many cameras where the lens has difficulty focusing all colors to the same convergence point. Software controls such as those added to Lightroom can help minimize the effect. The update as also added support for the Canon EOS 60Da, the Olypus OM-D E-M5, the Sony Alpha NEX-VG20 and Samsung NX1000 cameras.

The program is available for both Mac and Windows. No official release date for the final 4.1 version has been announced. Testers should report any issues to Adobe's feedback forums.

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FTC hires outside lawyer for Google antitrust case

01600updated 06:25 pm EDT, Thu April 26, 2012 FTC hints serious legal action enroute for Google

The Federal Trade Commission in a media briefing said it was hiring an external lawyer for its antitrust investigation into Google. Beth Wilkinson, best known for securing the death penalty for domestic bomber Tim McVeigh, would start as of Monday, the Mercury News said in its account of the meeting. FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz stressed that the agency hadn't decided on whether it would formally accuse Google of being anti-competitive.The hiring would nonetheless be an unusual step and a sign the FTC may be closer to a full investigation.

Officials haven't provided full details, but they're thought to be concerned that Google is using it s majority share of search and web ads to unfairly control the market, such as by prioritizing its own services' results over others or by making it difficult to get information that could be used to bring web ads elsewhere. Android has been its own concern, as the FTC is worried Google might dominate mobile search and otherwise have too much control over services.

Google has always denied that it's anti-competitive, with chairman Eric Schmidt and others saying that visiting competition was "only a click away" due to the nature of the web. Many companies are dependent on getting good search results on Google's index, however.

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субота, 28. април 2012.

Clearwire preps 31 areas for LTE rollout in 2013

21600updated 06:50 pm EDT, Thu April 26, 2012 Clearwire

Clearwire late Thursday gave an indication as to the scope of its initial LTE network launch for mid-2013. A total of 31 market areas would be covered during the launch period. The deployment would include several major cities, among them Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle.The implementation will use TDD-LTE, the format expected to come both to mainland China and to Canadian carriers. CEO Erik Prusch reiterated that the network would be ready for LTE-Advanced, which theoretically peaks at 1Gbps.

More cities would be detailed later, Clearwire said.

Clearwire's network will be important to supplementing Sprint's coverage and could also turn Clearwire into a phone carrier rather than a data-only service through potential support for Voice over LTE (VoLTE). The network hasn't confirmed any such plans.

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Apple iPhone supplier warns of 'challenging' quarter ahead

01600updated 07:00 pm EDT, Thu April 26, 2012 Drop in revenues should be temporary, says CEO

In a possible glimpse into Apple's planning, TriQuint Semiconductor in Oregon (which has supplied chips for several versions of the iPhone) has warned investors that sales some of it older chips will fall at least 19 percent in the current quarter, but that the revenue drop was likely to be only temporary. Although CEO Ralph Quinsey did not specifically name Apple, it is well-known that the iPhone maker is TriQuint's largest single customer, reports The Oregonian.The company manufactures power-amplifier chips used in the motherboard of the iPhone. On the current iPhone 4S, the company's work is seen in the surface-acoustic wave (SAW) filter, and in the PA-duplexer module. TriQuint power amplifiers have also been seen in the iPhone 3GS.

Through its manufacturing partner Foxconn, Apple's iPhone needs account for some 35 percent of TriQuint's annual revenues. A sharp drop in chip orders for the iPhone in the current quarter with an expected resumption of business later in the year would suggest that Apple is planning to use a newer set of TriQuint chips in a future iPhone, or transitioning the entire iPhone line to newer chips. It may also portend the end of the iPhone 3GS, which uses more TriQuint products than newer models.

The change may also reinforce speculation on the timing of the next iPhone, which is thought to be coming in late summer or early fall. A resumption of sales "in the second half of 2012" as Quinsey told investors could mean that a new iPhone model may appear as late in the year as the iPhone 4S did, several months after the "traditional" mid-summer dates that were the norm for the first few generations of iPhone.

Quinsey told investors that the transition to new technologies would result in some job cuts and severance charges in the fiscal second quarter, which ends for the company on June 30th. Jobs at TriQuint's filter factories in Costa Rica and Florida will be affected.

The dropoff in sales will be the steepest seen in at least two years, but "I belive we will return to normal revenue levels and growth in the second half" of 2012, Quimsey said. He added that the company expects second-quarter revenues to be between $170 million and $185 million, down significantly from it's first-quarter revenue of $216.7 million.

Apart from the gloomy outlook for the current quarter, the company reported a $1.9 million profit for its first quarter, which was also down from the year-ago quarter's profit of $12.4 million. Following the report, the company's stock fell 10 percent after having risen nearly eight percent on the strength of Apple's record earnings. The company employs about 2,900 people.

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Brazilian Foxconn plant workers threaten strike

01202updated 08:00 pm EDT, Thu April 26, 2012 Water, food, transportation major issues

Workers at the Foxconn factory in Jundiai, Brazil may go on strike beginning May 3rd if the company does not resolve "severe" issues involving poor-quality food, water shortages and overcrowding of transportation vehicles, according to a statement from the workers' union. Foxconn has been given 10 days to resolve the issues, which came up at a meeting between some 2,500 workers and company officials on Monday, reports local paper Jornal de Jundiai.The plant services several of Foxconn's many electronics clients, but is primarily known for building some of the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 models sold worldwide. A strike would not severely damage Apple but would impact inventory levels on the two products, both of which continue to sell well. Apple recently received permission to sell the locally-produced products in Brazil itself.

The employees, who are organized via the United Steelworkers union of Jundiai and the surrounding region said that water shortages were among the most severe problems in the plant, which is located near a major highway in the region. Without water, workers cannot even make food, and even then the food that is supplied is "very bad," with long lineups to get it. The food is allegedly sent to the factory by registered mail rather than prepared on-site, say workers.

Complaints were also directed at the transportation the company provides to bring in workers. The union says that as the number of employees has grown, the number of buses used to transport them to the factory has not, leading to overcrowding and forcing some workers to travel to the factory on foot.

"We seek to resolve the problem directly with

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Softbank posts profits on iPhone sales, fends off rivals

21600updated 09:35 pm EDT, Thu April 26, 2012 Beats back challenge from KDDI

The iPhone continues to be the key for growth and profits with cellphone carriers in Japan, as third-ranked provider Softbank Corporation posted a 65.4 percent increase in profits for its fiscal year, which ended in March. The company credited growing subscriber numbers and iPhone 4S demand as factors, despite the emergence of rival KDDI Corporation as an alternative provider of iPhones. The company had spent heavily on promotions to avoid having customers change to KDDI.The discounting and promotions had lessened the company's profit in the previous quarter, but was deemed unnecessary to continue as relatively few customers had actively switched. Softbank has since decided to invest promotional money in upgrading its infrastructure and network to make that the compelling reason for customers to choose it.

Overall, the company reported an annual net profit of $3.85 billion, up from $2.3 billion the year before, reports The Wall Street Journal. Annual operating profit was up less dramatically, rising to $8.3 billion from $7.75 billion on revenue of $35.9 billion, up 6.6 percent from the year before. The figure includes $937 million gained from the divestment of Softbank's shares in struggling US search engine Yahoo.

Net profit for the final quarter was $785.5 million, almost 50 percent from last year's final quarter profit of $584.5 million. The company gained 3.54 million subscribers over the year, compared to just 2.12 million for market leader Docomo and 2.11 million for KDDI.

The company credited the rise in subscribers equally with sales of the iPhone 4S in explaining the company's growth, which had "far exceeded" executive predictions made in late 2008 at the beginning of the global financial crisis. More customers using data-intensive iPhones and iPads had provided increased revenue, it said, with typical monthy revenue rising 10 percent year-over-year in 2011.

Softbank plans to increase subscribers by adding a 900MHz band to its mobile network that it says will be more efficient and offer wider coverage. The company's stock has risen almost four percent on the strength of the earnings report.

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Samsung nets record $5.2b profit on smartphone sales

01603updated 10:00 pm EDT, Thu April 26, 2012 Samsung Q1 2012 hits new high, but mum on details

Samsung reported a best-ever first quarter profit equal to $5.2 billion on Thursday. The company singled out strong smartphone shipments as the core factor behind the 81 percent jump, both in established models as well as new "high-end strategic models" like the Galaxy Note. It wouldn't reveal shipments, but did say that shipments were higher in all areas, most of all in the developing world.Unofficial estimates from analysts had Samsung selling 44 million smartphones, nearly half of the 90 million cellphones it had shipped of any kind. The lack of definitive figures made it difficult to compare against its primary rival Apple's 35.1 million iPhones sold during the same quarter.

Other divisions contributed to Samsung's strong sales, including its ability to outgrow the market with healthy sales of LED-backlit TVs in an market that was otherwise shrinking. What drops Samsung faced mostly centered on component businesses like mobile processors and LCD panels, as there was "low seasonal demand" for traditional PC memory and LCDs. There was an exception in demand for "tablet panels," a reference to the new iPad's production more than Samsung's own.

Samsung's overall revenue was strong, equivalent to $40 billion.

The company was optimistic about its ongoing spring. Demand in smartphones, primarily in Korea, Japan, and the US, was expected to go up. PC memory and mobile chips would go up, helped by Samsung's own 32-nanometer production ramp for its Galaxy S III's Exynos 4 Quad processor. The company inadvertently mentioned the Galaxy S III name explicitly during its fiscal results call.

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Economist sees print dead in 25 years, Flipboard as rival

381606updated 10:40 pm EDT, Thu April 26, 2012 Economist forecasts wholesale move to digital

Most print publishing will be gone within the next 25 years, The Economist CEO Andrew Rashbass predicted in a presentation on Thursday. Paper magazines were at new highs, and his publication was hoping to keep demand hihg, but he told paidContent and others at Madrid's Paley Center international council that he was realistic about print going away. He was enthusiastic about tablet reading, which gave the company a possible avenue for a business model after years of uncertainty over a pure web version.It

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Book of Mormon star tipped for Woz role in indie Jobs movie

01202updated 11:00 pm EDT, Thu April 26, 2012 Production hopes to commence next month

While Apple fans debate how well lead actor Ashton Kutcher will (or won't) do portraying Steve Jobs in the upcoming independent bio-pic Jobs, Broadway star Josh Gad from The Book of Mormon is in talks to portray Steve Wozniak, Apple's other co-founder, says The Hollywood Reporter. The movie, which is planning to start shooting next month, will cover a section of Jobs' life from his student days up to the founding of -- and subsequent 1997 return to -- Apple.The film is a modestly-budgeted project ($5 million) and not intended to be a comprehensive look at Jobs' life. The movie is being funded by mortgage industry trade show and publisher Five Star Institute, and will be directed by Joshua Michael Stern (Swing Vote, Neverwas). According to Five Start Institute head Mark Hulme, the movie will cover roughly from 1971 to 2000.

Hulme has said that distribution deals are in the works and that he expects the film to be completed before the year's end. Neither Apple nor the Jobs estate is involved in the production. Gad's most recent film role was in Love and Other Drugs. Sony Pictures is said to also be working on a more comprehensive look at the legendary former Apple CEO, possibly scripted by Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network), but that film is expected to be longer in coming.

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Estimate: Samsung ousts Nokia as world's top cellphone maker

111601updated 11:55 pm EDT, Thu April 26, 2012 This is a sponsored post

Samsung has achieved a milestone in toppling Nokia for the crown of top cellphone maker, Strategy Analytics estimated in a new study. Using unofficial figures for Samsung as well as official data elsewhere, it had Samsung leading with 93.5 million cellphones sold, or 25.4 percent of the entire space. Nokia's rapid decline in smartphones saw it tumble from 108.5 million phones at the start of 2011 to 82.7 million a year later, or 22.5 percent.Apple was big enough to safely secure third place with 35.1 million iPhones delivered in the winter. The gain almost doubled its practical market share to 9.5 percent, nearly ten times the one percent it originally wanted back in 2008.

Samsung has been helped as one of the few large-volume cellphone designers to properly adapt to smartphones. It made a record profit this winter as it managed to steer more users towards high-end phones like the Galaxy Note, even as it catered to the developing world with entry models.

Nokia has been trying a radical turnaround through its switchover to Windows Phone. Its still-young Lumia lineup has yet to take hold, and the company is still feeling the effects of years of earlier management being slow to adapt Symbian to competition with the iPhone and later Android.

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Google X founder Thrun demonstrates Project Glass on TV show

Google X (formerly Labs) founder Sebastian Thrun debuted a real-world use of his latest endeavor Project Glass during an interview on the syndicated Charlie Rose show which aired yesterday, taking a picture of the host and then posting it to Google

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Apple's Ive wins British Visionary award by large margin

41208updated 02:15 am EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Bests WWW inventor Berners-Lee, JK Rowling, more

After being mentioned as on the shortlist last week, Sir Jonathan Ive has now been awarded the British Visionary Innovator award, a competition run by the Intellectual Property office in the UK to promote IP awareness. Ive was up against some very notable competition, including Sir Tim Berners-Lee who invented the World Wide Web; fellow industrial designer and engineer Sir James Dyson, and even Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.Despite an impressive list of nominees that also included James Goodfellow (creator of the automatic teller machine), computer innovator Alan Turing, Sir Richard Branson, Sir Clive Sinclair (inventor of the early ZX80 personal computer), the cast of Monty Python and scientist Sir Ian Wilmut (famous for cloning Dolly the sheep), Ive ran away with the vote. He won with almost half of the votes cast (46.6 percent), with Berners-Lee far behind in second at 18.8 percent.

Ive has collected a number of awards over the past year, from Designer of the Year awards from various UK societies to being knighted by Queen Elizabeth. Ive is credited with a number of forward-looking designs with Apple over the years, beginning with the ill-fated but still well-regarded 20th Anniversary Mac, to the more familiar designs of the iPod, iPhone, iMac (various incarnations), MacBook Air and iPad, among others.

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Sharp to flip to small profit, spends $468m in mobile switch

01600updated 07:50 am EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Sharp switch to mobile to take it profitable

Sharp in reporting its full-year results Friday both outlined a planned return to health and detailed the costs of a shift to mobile technology. It posted a steep loss equivalent to nearly $4.7 billion for its fiscal year, which ended with a $1.4 billion loss for its March quarter, but planned for its current fiscal year to get a slight profit of $248.2 million. Most of that would come from its partial change to mobile, as it expected TV sales to drop 19 percent even as the overall LCD business grew 29 percent.The profits would be somewhat dampened by needed restructuring expenses. Its production of advanced IGZO displays by itself would incur a $468m cost to maintain idle facilities during the switch. Sharp saw itself having a total of almost $1.5 billion in costs, such as writing down unsold stock as it more vertically integrated the large-size LCDs it uses for TVs as well as paid for reorganizing non-Japanese branches.

Along with moving its secondary Kameyama plant more towards smartphones and tablets, Sharp has lately been offloading some of its TV costs, including a partial Foxconn stake in its main factory in Sakai. The swap has reflected tougher competition from TVs in Korea and other countries as well as a TV market that's heavily saturated next to the still rapidly growing cellphone and tablet fields.

Some of the mobile push may be fueled by Apple. Sharp is thought to be a new supplier for iPad LCDs. Its IGZO technology could also be vital for future iPads and iPhones, as it could allow the super-dense resolutions Apple wants while reducing the amount of backlighting, and thus power, needed to get a properly bright display.

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Foxconn workers in Wuhan threaten to jump over wages

31606updated 09:30 am EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Foxconn central China plant sees protest

Foxconn saw a return to protests Friday after about 200 workers in the central China city of Wuhan threatened to jump off a roof in protest over working conditions. The details relayed to Reuters from the Information Centre for Human Rights framed the dispute as one over "workplace adjustments" for newcomers. One concern had been sub-par wages.It had already been resolved after Foxconn's human resource and legal teams, as well as local police, got involved.

What's produced at the Wuhan plant isn't clear. Despite attempts by Reuters to link the story to Apple, most of Apple's production is in Shenzhen, in southern China, as well as in Chengdu, 712 miles away from Wuhan. While Apple's production is diversifying as it needs to scale, Foxconn is also responsible for producing devices for Dell, HP, Microsoft, Nintendo, Nokia, Sony, and others.

The last incidence of a threatened jump over labor conditions was at a plant producing Microsoft's Xbox 360.

Foxconn's latest crisis still underscores ongoing problems with fair conditions. Public scrutiny and pressure from Apple-requested audits has seen it more publicly committed to improving wages and reducing pressure for overtime, but workers have complained that they haven't seen some pre-audit promises of improved wages.

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Travis County questions deal for Apple's Austin expansion

01201updated 09:55 am EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Skepticism about Apple terms, Austin's benefits

An expansion deal between Apple and the city of Austin, Texas is on shaky ground, a report suggests. Dave Porter, the senior VP of economic development at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, tells the Austin-American Statesman that the deal isn't finished, and "remains in peril." Apple is allegedly "frustrated" with some recent developments.The city originally revealed Apple's plans for a new campus in March. Apple is expected to spend $304 million on the facility and hire some 3,600 new workers over the course of 10 years, in exchange for some government incentives. Last week Travis County commissioners approved handouts, pending a vote this week. Before the vote though a number of commissioners and other involved parties spoke out, arguing that the $35-36 million or more Apple was set to receive over 10 to 15 years wouldn't do enough to protect Austin.

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DealNN roundup: 2.2GHz MacBook Pro, drops to $1639

000updated 10:45 am EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Deals on MacBook Pros, iPad cases, and more

Today's deals from DealNN include discounted MacBook Pros, iPad cases, and more. Macmall.com has recently lowered the cost of the 15.4-inch, 2.2GHz MacBook Pro, sporting a quad-core Intel-Core i7 processor, 750GB hard drive, 4GB of RAM, and Mac OS X Lion operating system. Currently featured at DealNN, the MacBook Pro can now be purchased for only $1,639.99 and offers savings of up to $559.Buy.com still has the rooCASE Dual View Leather Folio Case for iPad 2 available for the discounted price of $19.99, which means its dropped 63% off its original list price and has free shipping included. Save up to $300 on one of Tigerdirect.com's featured deal, the LG 50-inch Plasma 3D HDTV with Wi-Fi support and four HDMI inputs, on sale today for only $799.99 and includes free ground delivery. Lastly, stop by Amazon.com and save 26% on the AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac laptops 15-inches and Above, currently available for the low price of $259.07 and ships for free with Super Saver Shipping.

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0TwitterDeliousSlash DotDiggRelated ArticlesDealNN roundup: refurb. 2.2GHz MacBook Pro, now $1679DealNN roundup: refurb. 2.4GHz MacBook Pro, only $1869DealNN roundup: refurb. 2.53GHz MacBook Pro, now $1289DealNN roundup: refurb. 1.7GHz MacBook Air, now $1349DealNN roundup: refurb. 2.66GHz Mac Pro, only $2039Stock of 15-inch MacBook Pros shrinking ahead of refreshAnalyst sees Apple discontinuing 17-inch MacBook ProRecent ArticlesUS iPhone app downloads drop 30 percent in MarchBriefly: LIL KIKR

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Third-generation iPad arrives in nine more countries

01600updated 10:55 am EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 India biggest among new regions

Apple has once again expanded sales of the third-generation iPad. The tablet is now available in another nine countries, the biggest of these being India. Colombia, Estonia, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa, and Thailand are also on the list.Apple has been gradually phasing in more countries since an initial limited launch of the iPad in mid-March. The strategy has allowed the company to focus supplies on core countries, only moving on once production capacity has increased and/or demand has slowed down sufficiently.

By Electronista Staff

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Apps: PopChar X, Dropbox, SpamSieve

Kodak sees losses grow to $366m as reorg, lawsuits continue

01600updated 11:20 am EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Kodak still far from profit

Kodak saw mixed performance on Friday as it fought to get back to profitability. Although it now had a cash balance of $1.4 billion, up from $500 million in a pre-bankruptcy fall 2011, its losses widened from $246 million to $366 million. The deeper impact was pinned on restructuring costs as the company hoped to sell off money-losing divisions.Its revenue dropped 27 percent from a year ago, to $965 million, as it eliminated the camera business that had defined the company for much of its life.

Losses are likely to shrink as the reorganization costs go down. The company's position is still uncertain, as it will have few businesses outside of printers if and when it exits bankruptcy.

Much of Kodak's fate could still ride on lawsuits. A successful exit from bankruptcy would see it face an on-hold Apple lawsuit Kodak has also been suing Apple, Samsung, and HTC in an attempt to restore its financial position through patent disputes. Similar attempts to extract royalties from Apple and RIM failed and might reflect Kodak's legal future.

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iPhone Apps: Currency, Toy Defense, FlightTrack Pro

Forum roundup: Beta testers needed

01600updated 11:30 am EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Current forum topics

Today in the MacNN forums, AvisNocturna is looking for some Beta testers for a new Logo Design App, click here to join in. Rumors that the 17-inch MacBook Pro is going to be discontinued were brought up in this thread started by Forum Regular Negrol earlier this week.Yesterday one Fresh-Faced Recruit started a thread looking for people to provide their iPad user experience as part of a study they are doing, click here to read more. Dedicated MacNNer Eden Aurora started a discussion about why Apple should add a Thunderbolt port to the Mac Pro, read more here. Forum members discuss gaming on a Mac in this thread started by one Fresh-Faced Recruit who was looking for a way to lock vsync on their video card for better game performance.

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Apple refurbs: 11.6-inch MacBook Air now $849

01600updated 11:30 am EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Low prices on refurbished Macs

Today at Apple's online store save on a variety of refurbished Macs. The refurb. 11.6-inch MacBook Air with a 1.6GHz Intel dual-core i5 processor, 2GB of RAM and 64GB of flash storage along with a Thunderbolt port with support for up to 2560 x 1600 resolution, is now $849 after a $150 price drop. A $400 price cut is offered on the 13.3-inch MacBook Air with a 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and 256GB of flash storage, now $1099.For $1019, after a $180 price cut, is the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.4GHz Intel dual-core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. Save $610 on the refurb. 15.4-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive, now only $1189. On the higher end of the pricing scale is the refurb. 17-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.4GHz Intel quad-core i7 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 750GB hard drive, now $2119 after a $380 price cut.

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Mac App Store passes 10,000 available apps

21200updated 11:40 am EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Still incremental next to iOS App Store

The number of titles on the Mac App Store has cracked the 10,000 mark, Mac G

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New lawsuit targets Apple over Smart Cover design

01207updated 12:25 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 May face uphill fight after Apple patent win

A Colorado resident, Jerald Bovino, has filed a new lawsuit against Apple, claiming that the company's Smart Cover infringes a 2005 patent. Bovino owns patent 6,977,809, which describes a "Portable Computer Case." One similarity between the patent concept and the Smart Cover is a series of visible "rib" lines.Bovino's patent dates back well before the release of the Smart Cover, but the new lawsuit may face an uphill battle. Beyond the company's financial clout, Apple just won a design patent on the Smart Cover, giving it extra legal ammunition.

Apple is not the only defendant in the case. Also listed is Target, which is one of the many third-party Smart Cover vendors. In both instances, though, Bovino is asking the parties to pay royalties. If the case isn't dismissed, a more likely outcome is a settlement, as most major technology companies prefer to avoid the time and expense of a trial.

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Apple may have held off Samsung for top smartphone spot

01600updated 12:45 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 IHS iSuppli sees iPhone still on top for now

IHS iSuppli posted an estimate that suggested Apple may have kept its frontrunner position in smartphones in the earliest quarter of 2012. Although Samsung hasn't officially published smartphone shipments, researchers believed that it had shipped 32 million devices, putting it behind Apple's 35.1 million iPhones. If true, the gap would be wider than in the fall, when Samsung's reported 35 million to 36 million was close to Apple's 37 million.Analyst estimates had given Samsung as many as 44 million smartphones, which would have given it an unambiguous lead. The Korean company has at times been unclear about how many phones it has has sold to real customers versus simply shipped into stores.

The study's more concrete information also showed Nokia's fragility. At 12 million smartphones shipped, it was just a million units above RIM's BlackBerry line and risked slipping to fourth place, although both companies have been on the decline for years. LG just edged into the top five, although it too would have seen a drop from five million smartphones in the fall to four million this past winter.

In overall cellphone sales, the breakdown helped reveal potentially better performance for Apple in all cellphones. It was still a distant third to Samsung (92 million) and Nokia (83 million), but it had lost the least of its sales in the post-holiday cooling period. Samsung would have lost 13 percent of its sales in the estimate, where Nokia, LG, and RIM have all lost more than 20 percent.

Whether or not Apple can keep the pace for the spring is uncertain. The next Samsung flagship, increasingly likely to be called the Galaxy S III, could accelerate Samsung's sales. With Apple only just talking about iOS 6 in June, it's unlikely to have a shipping iPhone refresh until the summer or fall.

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Briefly: Elgato Thunderbolt Cable, SCANNER XT launched

01200updated 01:05 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 NI announces new REAKTOR instrument

Elgato has announced the upcoming launch of a new Thunderbolt cable designed specifically for mobile use. The flexible 50cm cable supports the full data transfer speeds of up to 10Gbit/s on both channels, and at the same time can provide power to devices. The Elgato Thunderbolt Cable will be available on May 3 at a cost of $60. Additionally, Elgato will be including a free cable with every Thunderbolt SSD purchased from the online store before May 6.Native Instruments announces new KOMPLETE instrument, SCANNER XT

Native Instruments has introduced a brand new KOMPLETE instrument, SCANNER XT, that combines elements of modern samplers and synthesizers. A synth architecture is included for creating a variety of sounds, while two oscillators scan a sample and can isolate both low and high frequencies. Two interfaces are provided, a simplified view with a preset morpher and four macro controls, while a second view allows access to more detailed parameters for further sonic control. SCANNER XT is available online for $60 and runs in REAKTOR 5, as well as the free REAKTOR 5 PLAYER.

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Apple shuts down Chomp for Android in wake of acquisition

01601updated 01:50 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Website lists only iOS apps

Apple has severed all Android ties in the app discovery service Chomp, GigaOM reports. The Android app has been discontinued; on the Chomp website, "Android" has been removed as a search option, leaving only iPhone and iPad titles. The service lets users sort through apps with more specific criteria than an app store normally allows.Chomp was bought out by Apple in February. The acquisition is believed to be paving the way for improved search at the iOS App Store, which has often been criticized for making it hard to find specific apps. While visitors can browse through charts and categories, and special highlight pages, it can often be difficult to locate an app with a particular function in mind.

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HP Slate 8 render leaks, shows first true Windows 8 tablet

21606updated 01:55 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 HP Slate 8 may be much sleeker, net 10h battery

The first production Windows 8 tablet may have been uncovered early in a presentation believed leaked on Friday. Badged as the Slate 8, the third-generation Windows tablet seen by Neowin in preliminary rendered form would be much sleeker than previous generations. The 10-inch tablet would now be much more competitive in design, at 0.36 inches thick and eight to ten hours of battery, while carrying an aluminum design with a chin for the hardware Start button.Although the choice of processor isn't explicitly mentioned, the use of Windows 8 Professional, along with simply a focus on enterprise customers' software and security, would dictate an Intel or AMD chip. Support would exist for pen input along with the expected multi-touch, and it would have "enterprise level docking" for full-time work as well as an outdoor-friendly screen as an option.

HP has been aiming to return to tablets with Windows 8 and should have its first example out before the end of the year. The render isn't final and could change even if completely accurate, but it lines up both with expectations of an early HP entry and with the naming schemes that came with the Windows Phone 7 launch, where phones like the LG Optimus 7 and Samsung Omnia 7 were named to reflect their OS, not their version history.

The enterprise focus could be a concern for Microsoft as it would show HP once again reluctant to have a Windows tablet oriented to the home. HP's original Slate 500 was held up in January 2010 as Microsoft's preemptive iPad challenger with a home user focus, but the official iPad launch and runaway sales, as well as the opportunity to buy Palm, led HP to relegate the Slate 500 to corporate customers nine months later.

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Samsung denies orchestrating Wake Up anti-Apple campaign

016014updated 02:35 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Identity of Wake Up campaign now a mystery

Samsung on Friday gave a statement denying that it was responsible for the Wake Up campaign 'protesting' at Apple's retail store in Sydney, Australia. The company told SlashGear that it wasn't involved at all with the campaign, which makes no mention of any company or organization's name. The company behind the campaign, marketing agency Tongue, hasn't identified its client.Some have speculated it may be tied to Greenpeace's claims of Apple running a 'dirty cloud' through its choice of power sources for datacenters, but the style would run against Greenpeace's usual methods and desire to both identify its cause and itself.

Samsung may have inadvertently become the victim of its own marketing. By so closely associating its Galaxy phone campaign with attacking iPhone fans personally, Electronista and others had made the connection as the only public example of a company that was targeting Apple directly. This was exacerbated by Samsung staging a pop-up store last year next to the Sydney Apple Store in an attempt to push the Galaxy S II launch.

Electronista regrets the error.

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Celeb Apple iPhone 4S ads vie with Samsung's for popularity

31600updated 03:25 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Ace Metrix says iPhone 4S, Gal Note ads get impact

Apple's new turn towards celebrity iPhone 4S ads is having an effect on viewers, Ace Metrix gauged Friday. The Zooey Deschanel and Samuel L. Jackson TV spots were the most effective ads of the week of April 20, beating out two Samsung Galaxy Note ads. They weren't the most effective ads so far in 2012, as one of Samsung's earliest feature-focused Galaxy Note ads from February just slightly pulled ahead.Either company had five ads in the top ten most effective for the year so far.
The rankings suggest that Samsung's attacks on iPhone users were less less effective than following Apple's path and showing the device actually in use: despite having spent a reported $10 million on its Super Bowl commercial, Samsung only managed to get tenth place for its 90-second ad. All its high-scoring ads talk features.

The celebrity iPhone ads were cast as successful gambles by Apple. Celebrity ads can be "polarizing," but Apple had been careful enough to choose widely alluring actors to reach the most possible viewers.

Whether or not the new wave of ads has an effect isn't yet apparent. TV promo campaigns don't always translate to real sales and sometimes are more useful for keeping the company in the public eye than spurring extra demand.

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US iPhone app downloads drop 30 percent in March

092updated 03:35 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Second straight month of decline

Daily US iPhone app downloads fell 30 percent month-over-month in March, from 6.35 million to 4.45 million, according to mobile marketing firm Fiksu. The company adds that it was the second straight month of decline in the course of tracking, although the January-February transition was much less severe, dipping only from 6.79 million.Fiksu comments that the drop is probably attributable to two trends. The iPhone 4S is no longer a new device, and so many owners may be less concerned with finding new apps. In February, Apple also decided to crack down on third-party marketers using bots to download apps and inflate chart rankings. With fewer if any bots involved, app traffic may now reflect realistic demand.

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LG's IPS4 series monitors get IPS panels for better colors

01601updated 03:40 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 LG intros affordable IPS4 computer monitors

LG on Friday introduced its new IPS4 lineup of monitors. Their displays are focused on budget viewers but still get In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology rather than cheaper Twisted Nematic (TN) panels. This results in better color reproduction, consistency, and quality.The viewing angle from all sides is now 178 degrees, with no color shift at up to this angle. The technology also allowed LG to get rid of the blur during fast action sequences, which LG calls Smooth Color Change. A Dual Smart Solution feature lets users convert to using dual monitors quickly. The window size is automatically divided to show multiple web pages.

LG also said the technology has become more affordable nowadays, though it stopped short of revealing prices. The IPS4 screens ship in Asia this May, with European and North American launches due in following weeks.

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Android engineer: five months a 'reasonable' time for update

01604updated 04:55 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 AOSP vet sees no issue with Android update delays

Google's Android Open Source Project (AOSP) engineer Jean-Baptiste Queru drew flak late Thursday after comments that many have interpreted as giving a pass on slow Android upgrade intervals. He saw Sony's Android 4.0 upgrades having rolled out in a "very reasonable time," five months after 4.0 was available, given the nature of the OS. Sony had even had a head start, since its AOSP code contributions gave it an idea of what to expect for its own upgrades, he said.To Queru, the real obstacles were carriers, whose approval processes meant that Nexus-badged phones or the Motorola Xoom either weren't getting Android 4.0 at all or weren't up to the most recent 4.0.4 version. The engineer and followers would later confirm that it was a direct allusion to Verizon, which has left its own Galaxy Nexus on an older version, although even unlocked HSPA

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Google faces antitrust cases in Argentina, South Korea

01600updated 05:00 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Google subject of new antitrust investigations

Google and its business practices have fallen under the watchful eye of regulators in Argentine and South Korea, Google revealed in a recent SEC filing. The Argentinean Competition Commission and Korea Fair Trade Commission have each opened an investigation into "certain business practices" of the software giant. Argentina is concerned with Google's search and search advertising service and is conducting a preliminary inquiry, with which Google is cooperating.Argentina started investigating Google in November 2010 to gauge if Google's dominant market position has an adverse effect on competition. At question is whether Google took payments in order to have certain sites appear at the top of the search results, a local paper reported over a year ago.

The South Korean inquiry started last year and Google said it's also cooperating with the regulators in this case. Google's Seoul office was raided by the antitrust regulator's staff to determine if the company blocked competitors in the mobile search market, according to reports from September. These came after complaints from NHN and Daum, the country's top two web search companies.

Google has also been the subject of similar investigations in the US and Europe.

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Apple said talking to Epix over Apple TV streaming

01600updated 05:45 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Apple TV hub, TV may get Epix show access

Apple has been discussing a possible deal to get Epix' on-demand movies on its media devices, a pair of tipsters clamed late Friday. The talks were to both support the Apple TV as well as "upcoming devices that stream content," which Reuters took to mean a future TV set. Any progress was early, one of the contacts said.Neither side would confirm or deny the rumor, with Apple calling it "speculation."

A deal wouldn't be unusual for Apple. Despite many seeing Netflix as a competitor to iTunes, Apple included it with the second-generation Apple TV in what's been seen as an attempt to maintain a competitive edge. Epix is normally considered an on-top service that requires traditional TV, but would give Apple a source that could potentially supply streaming movies to some viewers even before they arrive in the iTunes Store or on Blu-ray.

Pure streaming on Epix is an option through Netflix, but also sets a minimum timeframe for when Apple could make the option available. Epix's exclusive with Netflix lasts until the end of September.

Apple has been looking to break the Apple TV out of its often mentioned "hobby" status by making the box a major aspect of its business and might see stronger content deals as part of this. A TV set might have its own, unique challenges, as Apple would likely want to provide complements or even replacements for conventional TV, not just the secondary services that companies like LG and Samsung offer.

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Oracle, Google rest in first phase of Android lawsuit

11600updated 06:40 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Oracle and Google wrap up copyright arguments

Oracle and Google both rested their cases in the first of three trial phases for Oracle's lawsuit against Google over Android. The two sides shied away from the larger revelations and accusations, with Google mostly relying on expert testimony from Duke University's Dr. Owen Astrachan that portrayed the Java programming interfaces as basic fundamentals for programming rather than a copyrightable form. While Google could have reordered the structure of its custom code for Android, using a structure like Sun's and making the actual implementation different helped ease developers into the OS while purportedly having "completely different" code.Oracle disagreed with this view, arguing that the interactions and planned effect were similar. CFO Safra Catz alleged that Google Senior VP Alan Eustace had said in meetings before the lawsuit that Google could have just removed Java from Android. The meetings were characterized as proof that Oracle "never wanted to be in this litigation," although Catz didn't explain why Sun didn't sue in the period before it was bought by Oracle.

Catz also spun Oracle's decision not to release its own official Java phone as a matter of unfair competition, arguing that it was "pretty hard to compete with free."

Judge William Alsup, in wrapping up immediately after the two cases, was careful to tell the jury that accusations of "greed" on either side's part didn't matter in the final decision. The two sides present their closing arguments on Monday, potentially delaying to Tuesday, with a decision on copyright issues possibly coming as soon as the same week.

The initial phase may be critical for Google, as it will help decide whether or not the company tries to persevere in the trial or makes concessions for a settlement. A determination that Android violates Oracle's Java copyrights would guarantee at least some damages, while exoneration could see Google take its chances on the patent and damages phases in the hopes of either being found completely innocent or else pushing Oracle to settle for much less.

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Apple Ireland plant receives visit from prime minister

41202updated 07:00 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Apple plans to add 500 jobs, expand functions

The Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Enda Kenny, has paid a visit to the Apple factory in Cork, Ireland to congratulate the company and its workers on their role in bolstering the economy of the area as well as Europe generally. Ireland has played an increasingly important role for Apple, and the company is planning to expand its presence in Cork with an additional 500 jobs to support its central European office. The plant Kenny visited currently employs 2,800 people.Currently, the Hollyhill campus works primarily on assembling MacBook Pros, but has also been involved with iMac and Mac Pro production over the years (the company has had a presence in Cork since 1980). The expansion and new jobs will require an entirely new, three-story office building for the administrative and supply functions the company will place in Ireland. The country won back the European headquarters primarily by lowering its corporate tax rate compared to the UK -- a factor that had led Apple to move its European offices to Luxembourg for a time.

The corporate tax rate in Ireland is 12.5 percent, exactly half that of the UK. The country is one of several that has struggled to recover from the global economic crisis of 2008, and has attracted several technology companies (including Google, which also claims Ireland as its European headquarters). Currently the Hollyhill facility also handles Apple's distribution, back-office and supply chain operations, but many of those jobs will move to the new headquarters building in Cork over the next 18 months.

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Oracle to bring Java SE7 to Mac users later this year

21200updated 08:00 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Now directly supplying JDK and JavaFX for OS X

Following the disruption caused by an unpatched vulnerability in Mac versions of Java SE 6 that played havoc with the Mac community for several weeks until Apple finally posted the patch, Oracle has announced that it will take the lead in supplying both Java SE 7 and its runtime environment to Mac users who need it. For developers, the Java SE 7 Update 4 and its JDK as well as JavaFX 2.1 are both available now for download, marking Oracle's first direct delivery) for Mac OS X.Oracle has been involved in the OpenJDK project along with Apple, which hosts development of a Mac version of Java SE 7, and will now start up an OpenJFX project as part of its plan to open-source the JavaFX platform. JavaFX is an updated platform for creating client applications that now includes support for playing back MPEG-4 container video and audio files using H.264/AVC video and AAC audio.

The new version of JavaFX also adds enhanced font rendering, additional user interface elements (including application-wide menu bars) and new Webview support for JavaScript to Java calls. In addition to versions for Windows and OS X, a developer preview for Linux is also available.

The Java SE 7 Update 4 is significant for its inclusion of the next-gen garbage collection algorithm, known as Garbage First or G1, which handles garbage collection even for very large applications. The update also continues the merging of the Java Hotspot JVM and JRockit JVM into a combined virtual machine, and adds performance enhancements to Oracle Fusion Middleware.

Though consumer use of Java in consumer web applications has flagged in recent years -- in part due to the widespread problem of unpatched Java implementations and various security flaws -- the platform is still widely used for enterprise and business web apps, vertical market devices and appliances. Oracle claims there are more than nine million Java developers and three billion devices running on the platform, including more than 125 million Java-based TVs.

The company plans to make a consumer version of Java SE 7 Update 4 available as the default version of Java as of May 1st, with the Mac version coming sometime later in the year (system requirements were not announced, but it is expected to work with Macs running Snow Leopard and Lion versions). This Java implementation is not vulnerable to any of the Java-based Flashback attacks or the recently-reported (but patched in 2009) Microsoft Word-based Trojan known as "SubPub" or "LuckyCat" that exploits an (old) Java vulnerability to spread.

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Foxtrot cartoonist thrives using iBooks Author over print

101203updated 09:00 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Each $2 e-book offers 100 Foxtrot comic strips

Syndicated Foxtrot comic strip creator Bill Amend, who two weeks ago took his "first steps into the worlds of e-books and self-publishing," has reported that his "Pad Pack" collection (three volumes of 100 strips each selling for $2 on the App Store) have made in two weeks about 25 percent of what his traditionally-published strip collections make in two years. The artist, who created the books entirely in iBooks Author, called the results "amazing."Amend revealed the statistics in a Twitter post to followers, and said at the time he announced them that he was "really, really happy with how well they turned out," and plans to release additional volumes every few months. The iPad-oriented collections (which are offered at Retina Display resolution) mix black-and-white daily strips with Sunday color ones, and are loose collections not in chronological order but rather samplers across the years with some story lines and some stand-alone strips.

So far, Amend has offered three collections (volumes one, two and 3.14, the "extra geeky" edition), which he calls "mini-books that take maybe 20-30 minutes to read, and aren't bogged down with a ton of outdated references," a problem he said occurs more often in "my older, chronologically-arranged print books." The newspaper strip ran as a daily from 1988 until 2006, and now appears on Sundays only in hundreds of newspapers around the US.

Amend has been one of the few traditional strip cartoonists willing to experiment with digital publishing, and has forged relationships with several of the more notable webcomic cartoonists such as Scott Kurtz from PVP and PAX creators Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik. Amend even did a "crossover" strip filling in for Kurtz in which characters from both comics meet, and has also done guest strips for Penny Arcade.

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Next Sony Xperia smartphones leak, dual-core and quad-core

01600updated 09:00 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Sony Xperia LT29i and LT30i leak, highly specified

More details, including a newly spied photo, have emerged about two forthcoming Sony Xperia smartphones originally listed on the leaked Sony 2012 smartphone roadmap. The LT29i Hayabusa, pictured, will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 and will center on a 4.55-inch HD Reality display. The LT29i will is also expected to be just 7mm thin, yet still pack a high capacity 2200mAh battery.By comparison, the would place it a step above the current Sony flagship reviewed recently by Electronista, the Xperia S. It is powered by a Snapdragon S3 and uses a 4.3-inch HD Reality display. While it has only recently arrived on the market, the new LT29i Hayabusa is expected to arrive as soon as June, which may give potential buyers of the Xperia S pause.

Slated to arrive in October, the Xperia LT30i Mint I, will be Sony

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Ex-Apple exec: iPhone could have had hardware keyboard

01600updated 09:40 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Tony Fadell says three iPhone ideas tested

Apple had considered one of three core ideas for the iPhone, one of which included a hardware keyboard, former Apple executive and now Nest founder Tony Fadell revealed Friday. Speaking in an evening session with The Verge, he mentioned that the all-touch design that eventually shipped first had come after he wanted to try a virtual keyboard before resorting to the hardware option. The key iPod architect had understood the potential of an on-screen keyboard, which has infinite customization and can disappear when not needed, but didn't rule out physical keys at first. During development, there had been three versions, Fadell added. The all-touch design that ultimately shipped was accompanied by another model of an unknown layout as well as a third "iPod

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Google MapsGL gains enhanced 3D buildings

11600updated 10:00 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Uses parallax view for 3D perspective

Google has further enhanced its use of WebGL to now add more 3D perspective to buildings seen on its MapsGL project, an alternative version of Google Maps (which received the improvement in March). The improvements now add a "parallax" view that allows users to pan around buildings and see them from different angles while still in overhead view. The buildings become translucent in order to avoid obscuring roadways or other landmarks while panning, and are most noticeable on taller buildings.The increased use of WebGL techniques will also give users an increased sense of height and make the transition between overhead and street-level views (where available) smoother. WebGL is also used to more seamlessly blend different photos of a place, and to "bend" photos to create more perspective and movement.

The MapsGL version has the added advantage of not requiring any client-side plug-ins to work, meaning that even older machines (with suitable graphics cards) can experience the complex graphic effects reasonably smoothly. WebGL is enabled in recent versions of Chrome and Firefox, and can be turned on in Safari 5.1 and later through the normally-hidden "develop" menu, which can be enabled in Safari's advanced preferences. Those users who have installed Google Earth and it's browser plug-in will see the same enhancements automatically via the plug-in.

The company has set up a number of "photo tours" of famous landmarks (such as the Coliseum in Rome) that users can experience once they have turned on the WebGL ability of their browser. Once detected, Google Maps will use MapsGL as the default, though users can go back to non-GL enhanced views if they desire.

Space Needle in Seattle, new MapsGL look

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SloPro app allows for true 60fps HD shooting on iPhone 4S

191200updated 11:00 pm EDT, Fri April 27, 2012 Can toggle slow-motion live or in editing

A new, free app from the App Store has promised users a long-desired feature for retaining high quality HD even when using slow motion for things like acrobatic stunts. SloPro says it can use the camera in a variety of recent iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch models, but the 60 frames per second recording that is its main selling point remains exclusive to the iPhone 4S for now. A $2 "pro upgrade" allows users to save the raw footage to iTunes for third-party editing.The program, when used on an iPhone 4S, records at 60fps natively and thus users have the option of either switching to slow motion "on the fly" (live while recording) or later on in the simple editing mode (see video, below). The editor makes it easy to pinpoint the start and stop points of the slow-motion segment, as well as trim clips and save them to a variety of social networks.

SloPro avoids the problem encountered by apps that record in HD video at 30fps, which is the slowing down the frame rate below 30fps results in "jerky" slow motion. SloPro offers three settings of slow motion built into the app, the slowest still being above the 29.97fps required for smooth motion in NTSC video. While the program will work as a camera, editor and uploader on non-4S iOS devices, the smooth slow motion function will not be available, as the shooting rate is limited to 30fps.

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Apple-Samsung settlement talks slated for May 21, 22

01601updated 10:00 am EDT, Sat April 28, 2012 Judge schedules Apple and Samsung mediation

The judge mediating settlement talks between Apple and Samsung firmed up details for the proceedings late in the week. Both sides, likely including their CEOs and chief counsels, are expected to meet the mornings of May 21 and 22 in a San Francisco court rather than in the full trials' San Jose venue. The two will additionally have to produce statements by May 9 saying how likely the believe they are to win at trial, although it's unlikely this will produce concessions.How likely either side might be to settle is undetermined. Apple CEO Tim Cook has lately signaled that he prefers to settle when he can, but he has still argued that companies ought to stop copying, implying that legal action might not stop without a promise of changes from Samsung. The Korean company has meanwhile vowed "no compromise" with Apple despite all its lawsuits being countersuits, although whether the statement was sincere or for show isn't known.

Collectively, the companies now have a total of 50 lawsuits spread across 10 countries. The procedures have been considered big gambles on either side, as a refusal to settle could see devices on both sides banned, or potentially stalemates where neither side gets a significant permanent ban against the other's products. It's believed that the sheer scale of Apple's lawsuits was itself meant to press Samsung into settling quickly.

The late Steve Jobs' biography suggested that a settlement might not have even been an option during his era as CEO. He considered Android inherently copied and wanted "thermonuclear war" on the OS to either put an end to the OS or force a fundamental change.

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Wozniak: Windows Phone trumps Android, carries Apple spirit

121605updated 10:45 am EDT, Sat April 28, 2012 Steve Wozniak compliments WP7 and Lumia 900

Habitual smartphone experimenter Steve Wozniak in a podcast (embedded below) gave strong compliments to Windows Phone. Having picked up a Lumia 900 weeks earlier, the Apple co-founder still picked the iPhone as his favorite but argued to aNewDomain that Windows Phone was better than any Android phone. It had the "most beautiful" visual experience of any platform, Wozniak said, and its presentation made him feel like he was "with a friend, not a tool."It was also fast and reliable, he added, although he echoed complaints about the camera.

Following up in the comments, Wozniak suggested half-jokingly that Microsoft had picked up on the spirit of Apple. While he was careful not to imply that Microsoft had copied anything, he wondered if Microsoft hadn't hired an Apple employee to influence the design given its overall emphasis on intuitiveness and design.

"I also surmised that Steve Jobs might have been reincarnated at Microsoft, due to a lot of what I see and feel with this phone making me think of a lot of great Apple things," he added.

In practice, much of the Metro interface in Windows Phone has commonly been attributed to Joe Belfiore, a more than 20-year veteran of Microsoft. The interface was inspired both by its namesake approach to modern urban signs as well as by magazine layouts.

Wozniak is known for wanting to try most mobile platforms and even got a pre-release Galaxy Nexus directly from Google's headquarters in Mountain View. While some have accused him of being 'disloyal' to the company he helped create, he has regularly kept the iPhone as his favorite and expressed appreciation for some features or design tricks that other platforms might do better.

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среда, 25. април 2012.

Cargo-Bot: First iPad Game Made on an iPad

Two Lives Left and Rui Viana have released Cargo-Bot, a puzzle game where the player commands a robot to sort crates. Cargo-Bot presents players with fiendishly clever puzzles and features stunning retina graphics. It is available for free on the App Store.

Cargo-Bot was programmed entirely on iPad using Codea, a touch-based programming app for iPad created by Two Lives

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DropKey allows easy public-key cryptography for documents

0120(2)2updated 05:45 pm EDT, Mon April 23, 2012 Release celebrated with sale, double-license offer

A new utility from WellRedApps aims to make public-key encryption of sensitive documents easy enough that business and other users will routinely do it rather than risk data interception. Called DropKey, the drag-and-drop program uses a 256-bit version of public-key cryptography, which uses a matched-pair standard for encryption and decryption. The program features Address Book integration, and support for multiple files into a single encrypted archive.The public-key system works by having the sender and recipients share public encryption keys. Later, when the sender offers a document that has been encrypted with their own private key (by dragging the document into the menubar DropKey icon), the recipient uses the public key to decrypt without the use of passwords. Users just drag a file or files into the DropKey icon, write in the recipients (which uses Address Book autocompletion), and their mail client opens with a new message and the encrypted document(s), reading for sending.

The public key will continue to work in the future, ensuring that once the relationship of trust has been established, the trusted recipients need do nothing other than drag the encrypted document to their own copy of DropKey, which will decrypt it and offer to save it wherever the recipient would like. The program works with all file types, including images, spreadsheets, text and other files.

In order to promote the initial release of the program, WellRedApps is offering it at $20 (normally $30) for a limited time, and the offer includes a free second license to share with a trusted regular recipient. In addition to being able to encrypt multiple files into a single encrypted archive, DropKey can also encrypt documents so that they can be opened by any number of individual recipients.

The program is available as a demo from the company's website; sales can be handled either directly or via the Mac App Store (customers who buy from the MAS need only send their receipt to support

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Google's Andy Rubin: Java APIs were copyrighted

0160(0)11updated 06:05 pm EDT, Mon April 23, 2012 Rubin hints Google had few choices on Android

Google's mobile VP Andy Rubin gave testimony on Monday in Oracle's lawsuit that Java was likely copyrighted, raising the possibility Google owed royalties for Android. He wouldn't link the copyrighting to Sun, but he agreed with an Oracle attorney that a 2006 e-mail had said the java.lang app programming language (APIs) "were copyrighted," according to CNET's account of the conversation. Rubin did acknowledge a statement earlier that same day that he didn't think Google could go ahead without permission from Sun.However, the executive thought Oracle was overreaching when it interpreted July 2005 comments on starting Android development as a sign it would inevitably run into trouble with using Java in the platform. Rubin had said that a "clean room" version of Java's virtual machine, or one which didn't directly draw on original Java code, was unlikely. In testimony, however, he added that the company hadn't actually decided on whether or not it would go that route or use existing code and talk to Sun about a deal.

While Rubin was clear that he didn't need a license for general programming, the responses come after attempts by Google engineer Tim Lindholm to deny talk about licensing trouble and create a difficult situation for Google. Although the trial for Oracle's lawsuit against Google is divided into three phases, the seemingly damaging statements could see it already facing damages owed to Oracle before the patents and general damages segments are complete.

Oracle has been pressing to have Google face a possible ban that would stop Android until it agreed to whatever terms the court deemed necessary. Google has succeeded in having the penalty reduced from the billions to the tens of millions, but may still face stiff costs to keep Android on the market.

The defending company's argument to date has been that Java's programming languages are free to use for those parts it uses in Android.

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Norton Identity Safe syncs, locks down passwords

1160(1)1updated 06:40 pm EDT, Mon April 23, 2012 Norton opts to compete with 1Password

Norton dipped into a new field for itself Monday with Identity Safe. The app gives Macs, Windows PCs, iOS devices (App Store) and Android (Google Play) a cloud space that stores an encrypted keychain of passwords, similar to AgileBits' 1Password. Going beyond its rival, Norton adds both a unified social sharing shortcut as well as a preemptive anti-phishing system that will check for faked websites in search results, not just when the page loads.The app can additionally auto-fill common information and save notes. On the desktop, the app isn't browser-specific and should work in Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari.

Both the individual apps and the service itself are free. Norton hasn't said how or when it might try for active revenue generation from Identity Safe.

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To-do list Clear hits v1.1, offers user-requested tweaks

01200updated 07:00 pm EDT, Mon April 23, 2012 Clear goes on sale to celebrate new release

Realmac Software has updated its popular to-do iPhone app Clear to version 1.1, adding in several user-requested features such as a better UI for alerts and a "shake to undo" feature. The update also adds support for new themes, some of which are hidden or must be "unlocked" through usage, and the app has now removed the character-count limit and added an option to show the iOS status bar, which was previously always hidden.In addition, version 1.1 adds 25 percent more inspirational quotes that appear when users complete a task list, several new UI elements and has improved readability in low-contrast situations. A full tutorial has been added to the "Tips and Tricks" menu, and the tap-to-create-item item at the bottom of lists has been improved. A number of minor bugs have also been addressed.

In honor of the new release, the program has gone on sale for $1 (half off its normal price) for a limited time. The app has sold over a half-million copies since its initial debut in mid-February. For now, the app remains native for smaller iOS devices only, but the company says an iPad version is in development. Realmac is open to the idea of an Android version but currently has no announced plans for one.

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