Ed Sutherland - page 79

With hackers feasting on the iPhone, Apple appears to be looking for a new sheriff. The Cupertino, Calif. company is advertising for an “iPhone Security Manager” passionate about understanding security exploits. The move may be aimed at the latest round of jailbreak software released on the Internet.

Appearing Oct. 16 on Apple’s Web site, the ad seeks “a very technical and hands-on leader, someone with a passion for understanding security exploits and coming up with innovative methods to create secure platforms.” The chief goal for the new security chief: to “set the roadmap for the iPhone OS platform security.”

AT&T and Apple may be preparing a pre-Christmas launch of a $99 8GB iPhone 3G in response to the Droid, according to unconfirmed rumors. “One source said this was AT&T’s way of combating the DROID madness,” wrote BGR, citing two unnamed sources.

The report comes as Verizon launches its family of Droid Android-based cell phones meant to compete with the iPhone from AT&T. The recently-announced Droid Eris will cost $99 and use Android 1.5 rather than Android 2.0, the latest version of Google’s handset operating system.

Apple today opened the first of a series of stores planned for Paris. The first, located near the famous Louvre art museum, coincided with the release of the Musee du Louvre iPhone app showcasing among other exhibits, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

The Paris store, first reported in 2008, includes a 7,700-square foot two-story layout with diamond-shaped windows.

Today’s deals include MacBook Pro laptops with 15-inch screen and 1.83 GHz processor starting at $779.99. Next, buy an iPhone accessory at the PC Micro Store and get a free Lux iPhone leather holster. Finally, the Apple Store is offering its 30-inch Cinema HD widescreen LCD displays.

For details on these and other bargains (such as new price drops at the App Store on iPhone or iPod touch apps), check out the CoM “Daily Deals” page after the jump.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was named “CEO of the Decade” by Fortune Magazine. The magazine calls the 2000s “the decade of Steve.”

Despite surviving a very public death watch, being tossed out of his own company in the 1980s and what Fortune calls “his own often unpleasant demeanor,” Jobs “has transformed American business.”

Apple’s come-back under Jobs spans 2000, when the company was worth $5 billion through today’s $170 billion valuation, edging out even the mega-bucks of Internet giant Google. In August, Apple reported having $31.1 billion in cash, a record for a technology company. Over that period, the Cupertino, Calif. company has become involved in music, videos and cell phones.

The Droid provides Verizon Wireless a ‘more credible alternative’ to Apple’s iPhone, according to Walt Mossberg, a technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal.

“Like the iPhone, the Droid is really a powerful handheld computer that happens to make phone calls,” Mossberg wrote at All Things Digital. After testing a review version of the Droid, the Wall Street Journal writer told readers the Motorola-made device using Google’s Android 2.0 software has some advantage, as well as disadvantages to the iPhone.

We’ve reached mid-week and to celebrate, we lead off our top trio of deals with an offer on 15-inch MacBook Pros for $1,594 and a 27-inch 2.66 GHz iMac with AppleCare for $2,198. To mark Apple’s 100,000 available apps, we also feature the latest list of App Store freebies.

For details on these and other items (such as an 85 percent-off deal on iPhone accessories), check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.

The App Store, not even two years old, has crossed the 100,000 mark for apps available to iPhone and iPod touch owners, Apple announced Wednesday. The milestone comes less than two months after the Cupertino, Calif. company said users downloaded more than 2 billion apps.

In September, the App Store reached 85,000 available applications.

Whether funky or fashionable, protective or passe; made of titanium or cardboard, most iPhone cases are predictable. IvySkins Tuesday introduced an interesting twist on the ho-hum case: integrated energy. The SmartCase ($79.99) claim to fame is an integrated an interchangeable battery that supposedly will extend your iPhone 3G or 3GS’ battery by 200 percent.

The key is the case will signal your iPhone to first feed off the SmartCase’s battery, then your handset’s. The device includes a five-LED indicator, built-in power charger and a USB cable. The case itself is made of a polycarbonate and a polysilicon coating protection.

If you’re looking for something a bit more basic, iaPeel has a print-and-peel alternative for $21. You use the included designer software to create your own ‘skin,’ print it out on any inkjet printer and then apply it to a generic case.

[Via IvySkin and Gadget Lab]

We start out with a number of deals on MacBooks and MacBook Pro laptops. The deals are flying off the shelves at the Apple Store, with a 13-inch MacBook for $899. A similar MacBook from PC Connection is selling for $925. A 17-inch MacBook Pro with AppleCare is offered for $2,348. Also on tap are a number of deals for iPhone and iPod accessories, along with various cases. Finally, we round out the top trio with a number of software deals, including price cuts from the App Store and other bargains.

For details on these and other items, check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page for the complete information right after the jump.

China Unicom executives said Tuesday the carrier has added one million subscribers since Oct. 30, but only 5,000 of those are for iPhones. The numbers from Unicom Chairman Chang Xiaobing are far less than the 500,000 iPhones Apple had expected to initially sell. The disappointing figures are prompting many to question whether pricing is to blame.

Although Hong Kong’s China Unicom Ltd. President Lu Yimin said the 6,999 yuan ($1,025) price was not too high for the iPhone 3GS, so-called gray market versions cost around $800 locally. The disparity may serve as “an interesting exercise in how to sell an inferior product at a higher price,” Duncan Clark, a Beijing consultant, told Bloomberg.

Not every touchscreen device is alike – or liked, according to new survey findings. Although 54 percent of Western European cell phone users think touchscreens are a nice idea, the number of touchscreen owners who say they’ll buy another slips below that 50-50 mark to 47 percent.

Apple iPhone owners are among the device owners most likely say they’ll buy another touchscreen device, announced research firm Canalys. HTC touchscreen owners were also highly satisfied. Least likely to purchase another touchscreen device: Sony Ericsson, with just 27 percent of owners reporting they’re next cell phone will use a touchscreen inteface.

Orange UK Tuesday promised to review its terms of service that could effectively ban iPhone users from conducting anything but telephone calls. The uproar comes a day after British iPhone owners complained the carrier had placed a 750MB limit on its “unlimited” data plan.

In the latest turn of events, a BBC correspondent pointed to language in Orange UK’s Terms and Conditions which said its 3G network is “not to be used for other activities (eg using your handset as a modem, non-Orange Internet based streaming services, voice or video over the Internet, instant messaging, peer-to-peer file sharing, non-Orange Internet based video).”

Apple is reportedly talking with TV executives about delivering content via iTunes for $30 per month. The arrangement could start as early as 2010 and Disney may be the first studio to accept the offer.

According to MediaMemo’s Peter Kafka, TV heads are “intrigued” but no programmer has made a firm commitment. The plan would bypass Apple TV for iTunes, which the Cupertino, Calif. company claims has 65 million accounts.

Has streaming songs to your car’s FM radio become passe? Looking to go beyond in-car GPS for your iPhone? Sirius XM Radio Monday introduced the XM SkyDock, a hardware and software combo delivering satellite radio to your auto’s iPhone or iPod touch (1st and 2nd generation).

Along with listening to XM programming, you’ll be able to charge your iPhone or iPod. Subscribers can also tag songs they enjoy, purchasing them via the iTunes Store.

We start November with a mix of gadget deals, ranging from hardware to software. First up is a FM transmitter and car charger for the iPhone 3G and Apple iPods. The $4.44 transmitter uses most FM frequencies while the 12-volt car charger works with most iPods that have a dock connector. Meanwhile, if an ordinary Etch-A-Sketch just doesn’t cut it bling-wise, how about an iPhone app that lets you doodle with gold? For the latest iPhone and iPod touch apps that’ll cost you zip, be sure to read the new App Store freebies.

For details on these and other bargains (such as the Gym pack for MP3 players), check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.

If you want to sync your iPhone with a Windows 7 PC using Intel’s latest chipset, you may have to cool your heels while Apple and Microsoft investigate.

When iPhone owners attempt to sync their handsets using iTunes 9 for Windows and Intel’s P55 chipset, they only receive a cryptic “error 0xE8000065” message indicating an “iPhone-connection failure notification,” according to The Register. Although iPhone users have been complaining for six weeks on Apple’s discussion boards, the Cupertino, Calif. company has been mum, the report claims.

A 70 percent increase in capital spending could signal Apple is preparing to chart a new course with some products. The Cupertino, Calif. company told federal regulators it will spend $1.9 billion in capital expenditures during fiscal 2010 – a jump from the $1.1 billion spend in 2009.

In its 10K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple mentioned some of the money would go toward ‘product tooling and manufacturing process equipment,’ a sign the company may be “reversing course to actually build certain products/components in-house,” Caris & Company analyst Robert Cihra told investors Monday.

Apple appears to have frozen-out fans tired of waiting for an official Cupertino netbook, dropping support for Intel’s Atom processor from the latest build of Snow Leopard 10.6.2, according to reports. The move may signal Apple is clearing the way for its own netbook in tablet form.

For some time, Apple has dismissed the growth of small, low-powered notebook computers, refusing to join the army of computer makers producing so-called ‘netbooks.’ Apple COO Tim Cook described netbooks having “cramped keyboards, junky hardware, very small screens, bad software” and were not worthy of the Mac brand. In response to the lack of an official Apple entry, Mac fans have created hackintoshes able to run Mac OS X on netbooks using Intel’s Atom processor. Although 10.6.2 is currently only in the hands of developers, if the Atom omission is retained, the lack of support could either force OS X-based netbooks to vanish or restrict the hacked hardware to remain frozen at 10.6.1.

Our top trio of Mac deals span the range of hardware, software and accessories. We start out with more deals on MacBook Pro laptops, beginning at $780 for a 1.83GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro laptop. We move on to a number of price reductions from Apple’s App Store for iPhone and iPod touch users. We round out the top gadgets with ever-popular discounts for iPhone cases – this time 90% off.

As always, for details on these deals or other bargains (such as Philips universal remote control with iPod dock), check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.

Apple TV owners may soon have access to the latest iTunes Store content. Multiple reports suggest an Apple update includes support for iTunes LP and iTunes Extras. The reports are based on changes in the iTunes terms and conditions, stating: “iTunes LP and iTunes Extras Products are usable only on computers with iTunes 9 or higher and Apple TV with software version 3.0 or higher.”

For some time, Apple has viewed Apple TV as a ‘hobby,’ causing some enthusiasts to turn to open-source software Boxee for additional features. In September, Apple unveiled iTunes LP as a way for digital albums to include photos, video and other material previously available within physical CDs. iTunes Extras attempts to do for digital movies what iTunes LP does for digital LPs – delivering content for digital purchases once available only through physical DVDs.

The updated terms may lend credence to previous reports the software used for both iTunes LP and iTunes Extras is tailored for Apple TV. Others expect Apple to upgrade the Apple TV hardware to support both iTunes TV subscriptions, as well as adding DVR-like ability to the device.

Apple TV’s software was last upgraded in June. The 2.4 upgrade included support for Apple’s new remote and searching photos on Flickr. In September, Apple quietly eliminated the 40GB unit while dropping the price of a 160GB unit to $229 from $329.

[Via AppleInsider, MacRumors]

It’s no fun being a game console competing with Apple. That seems to be the lesson gaming giant Nintendo is learning as the iPod touch and iPhone become increasingly popular game platforms. Nintendo announced its last quarterly profits fell 52 percent, a $702 million drop from 133 billion yen to 64 billion yen.

Although the Japanese company did not specifically mention the iPhone or iPod touch, the company’s handheld DS platform “faces increasing competition from Apple Inc’s iPhone, which has become a popular platform for handheld games,” according to Reuters.

Apple engineers have reportedly become frequent visitors to China – and plan even more over upcoming holidays. The report, based on unnamed sources, is just the latest rumor the Cupertino, Calif. company is planning to unveil a Tablet Mac.

“A source tells us a system integration engineer friend of his at Apple has been ramping up his travels back and forth between China lately, broadcasting word of his travels over the Internet,”,” according to Business Insider. One of Apple’s best-known China-based hardware makers, Foxconn supposedly has marching orders to produce 300,000 tablet devices (which the NYTs calls ‘Slate’) each month.

Marware, maker of iPod and iPhone accessories, Wednesday introduced a sports grip for Apple’s update iPod nano. The $19.99 sports grip provides a slip-free silicone surface which also protects the device’s sides, top and back. The grip provides easy access to various ports.

We reach mid-week with a mix of new 27-inch iMacs sporting Intel’s 2.66GHz Core i5 chips with 3 years of AppleCare for $2,198. Also on-tap: MacBook Pro laptops starting at $800 and the gorgeous 30-inch Apple Cinema Widescreen LCD displays for $1,299. Rounding out the top three deals are two deep discounts on iPhone and iPod cases.

For details on these and more bargains (such as App store freebies including the ever-helpful B.S. Meter), check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.