News - page 2182

SUV owners not only drive like jerks, but now instead of just taking up three parking spaces and cutting you off, they may be out for your iPad.

A pair of iPads were snatched from their owners in a Seattle neighborhood, both of the crooks used SUVs as getaway cars.

One happy hour customer at Julia’s had a decidedly unhappy few minutes when another patron grabbed his iPad and ran out. The manager gave chase but was left in the dust when the crook jumped into a dark blue SUV. The iPad snatcher was described as a “a white male in his 20s, with dark hair and wearing a t-shirt.”

Not too far away that same day, another man had his reading interrupted when a thief ran into Philadelphia Fevre sandwich shop and took his iPad. This iPad grabber is said to drive off in a white SUV.

Here’s hoping the thieves get nailed for a typical SUV driving habits and get nailed for the thefts.

From Vienna comes news of one of the most striking homes (and Mac home offices) I’ve ever seen. Designed by architects Najjar & Najjar, the owner of Villa F is an IT entrepreneur and aficionado of Macs and Lamborghinis.  He wanted a living space that reflected his passions.  The futuristic result is something which wouldn’t be out of place on the Starship Enterprise.

There is a vast open space that connects the entrepreneur’s working space with a lounge area, a bar and a kitchen.  Almost everything inside the Villa F is digitally controlled.  There are Plasma TVs, a huge aquarium with computer generated graphics, LED lighting and sound systems that respond at a click of the mouse. [Born Rich]

Linux fiends have a new operating system to hate in the OS wars, according to web traffic firm Net Application: iOS overtook Linux as the third biggest browsing browsing platform in uly of this year.

According to Net Applications’ data, iOS represented 1.06 percent of all web traffic in July, compared to the 0.93 percent share of Linux. Google’s Android operating system, which technically bests iOS’ numbers when it comes to installs, is only 0.18 oercent.

It gets worse. In July, iOS encompassed 1.13% of all web traffic, while Linux shrank even more to 0.85% and Google’s Android shot up to 0.20%.

iOS is now the third most popular web browsing platform in the world, behind only Windows and OS X. And it doesn’t have far to go before it knocks out Snow Leopard, which accounts for just 2.59 percent of all web traffic. Wow.

[via Apple Insider]

The full import of the announcement didn’t exactly sink in at the time, but when Steve Jobs announced last Wednesday that AirTunes was becoming AirPlay, he was really announcing that media-streaming on Apple devices was getting a lot more open. Not only would AirTunes be extended to hardware beyond AirPort Expresses, making every AirPlay-compatible peripheral capable of sucking up tunes across the room, and not only was he opening AirTunes to an expanded gamut of media types including video and photos, but he was also opening the door for iOS devices to stream media directly to other devices, with no iTunes intermediary required.

I have to admit that as someone with three AirPort Expresses, I’m embarrassed that I didn’t realize immediately how cool this was. Thankfully, third-party accessory makers were quicker on the uptake than I was, and iHome has already announced their first AirPlay compatible wireless speaker system. Scant details so far (except for a rechargeable battery) and obviously — since this is just a speaker — it’s humble beginnings. But just you wait. An AirPlay compatible television is coming, mark my words.

[via TUAW]

Loathe — absolutely loathe — the new iTunes 10 look? The grayscale sidebar icons? The hypocritically wonky horizontal windows controls? That ghastly new CD-less icon? ^*Damien Erambert has put together a handy new package which allows you to roll back iTunes 10’s more egregious changes back to a more palatable iTunes-9-style aesthetic bliss. Not that that looked all that great either, you understand.

* – Okay, this download won’t change the icon… but it’s easy enough to do.

Look, we’re four generations in. If you still crave a physical hardware keyboard on your iPhone, you’re basically barking up the wrong tree: hey, look over there, there’s RIM, a succulent hydrant for you to whiz upon. Apple’s just never going to be there for you.

That said, there’s scarcely an itch the constabulary of third-party accessory makers won’t scratch for you, given enough dosh. So here, have this Mini Key case for the iPhone 4, complete with sliding, backlit QWERTY. It adds significant bulk, no batter life, and will cost you $60 when it’s released at the end of the year. You’re welcome.

Over the weekend, AdAge managed to get their hands on some data showing how much big companies spend on Google Adwords.

Google’s none too happy about the breach, saying: “We’re now looking into the possibility that someone improperly disclosed confidential information about our clients, and [we] will take all appropriate action.”

But Apple can’t be happy about the leak either, particularly since it highlighted the fact that Apple spends a million dollars a month on Google Adwords adverising… despite the fact that they have a competing network called iAds.

Of course, a million bucks a month is just a drop in Apple’s coffers, and Apple can’t trust iAds alone to promote their own products successfully yet, given its limited rollout to iOS devices. Still, Apple ultimately intends to go head-to-head with Google Adwords for the mobile space… a blip in the headlines saying they are giving money to their rival has to be annoying, no matter how inconsequential the amount.

[via 9to5Mac]

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q0jVRwHy00&feature=player_embedded#!

If you’re an iPhone 3G owner wondering if iOS 4.1 is going to save your device from the slow mercury hell of a sluggish post-3.1.3 device, good news. The fine lads and lasses over at Lifehacker find the last point iteration a marked improvement upon its predecessor, and to prove it, posted this chipper, chiptune-backed side-by-side comparison.

All I can say is, “Wow.” iOS 4.0 was that slow for 3G owners? How did Apple even let that update get out the door?

Like the iPhone before it, the iPod Touch is now a a haptic handset for the teledildonically inclined.

It appears that a new hardware feature in the iPod Touch is a small, whirring engine capable of delivering a vibrating alert when a FaceTime call is incoming to your pocket.

Pretty neat. It is, of course, unknown whether or not there will be an API call allowing app store developers to trigger the vibrating functionality at will. Here’s hoping: putting aside any reference to possible pelvic-grinding perversions, rumble functionality would be a very welcome addition to the iPod Touch for gaming alone.

[via Mac Rumors

When we posted on Friday that iTunes 10 had killed off old Automator workflows, it had all the hallmarks of a bug… and as it turns out, a but it is.

As it turns out, the problem is caused because Automator detects iTunes 10 as being a lower version number than iTunes 9, because Automator apparently sorts version numbers alphabetically instead of numerically.

As it turns out, the fix isn’t entirely onerous: simply open up the info.plist inside the packages of your non-functioning workflows and manually change the version number. If you absolutely can’t live without your iTunes Automator workflows until Apple managed to issue a Software Update, here’s your stop gap solution.

Just like the crazy photo-warping effects on Apple’s own Photo Booth app that comes standard on every Mac, Real-Time Distorter can create some freaky cool images — but on an iDevice.

My nephew and I have been playing around with the app this weekend, and we’ve managed to squeeze way more fun than I’d thought from the buck I plunked down. Only four or five of the 11 effects are real winners, but that’s more than enough to play around with; not all the results end up being funny, but even the ones that lack wackiness can be interesting. Added bonus: The app can make video clips. Hopefully developer MacPhun will add Facebook and Twitter sharing in a future update.

Well, our insightful new columnist Mike Elgan certainly nailed it: mere hours after he received his new touchscreen iPod nano, Flickr user Kei Ogikubo has already added a watchstrap and turned the nano into an iWatch. Crap. I was skeptical before, but now I want one.

Got Ping? Wish you’d not bothered?

You might be over the moon about Apple’s baby social network, but on the off chance that you’re not, here’s a quick’n’simple guide to de-Pingifying your iTunes. It’s not difficult.

I suspect I’m like a lot of iPhone owners: when out and about, I tend to keep my phone in the pocket of my jeans.

But iPhones are fragile, as I discovered when I dropped my 3G on the concrete floor of a warehouse. It survived, amazingly, with just a small crack in the rear case. But the iPhone 4’s rear case is glass and I’m sure would have shattered on such an impact.

So wrapping it in some sort of case is a good idea. But I wanted one that wasn’t so bulky that it would prevent me keeping the phone in my pocket.

When Apple announced the free cases program for iPhone 4 owners, I took a careful look at the cases on offer and plumped for the Speck PixelSkin HD. I’m very glad that I did.

Well it didn’t take long after his Apple gig ended for Justin Long to switch to the Dark Side. Known for his portrayal of “Mac” along with John Hodgman as “PC” in Apple’s very popular “Get a Mac” ad campaign, Long is seen using (of all things) a Dell laptop in a promo shot for his new film Going the Distance.  We presume he’s calling his old pal PC for tech support in this photo.

First a jailbroken iPhone, now using a PC.  Justin, Justin, how did things get so bad so fast?

[via Macworld]

Following Wednesday’s release of iTunes 10, many users have mixed views and opinions on a lot of the changes that have come with it, particularly to its appearance. One notable change was the update of the application’s icon; after many years, the familiar music note over a CD has been updated to the simplistic, blue glowing icon above. Whilst some users have welcomed the modern design, others have criticised its appearance.

Wired reports that one user, Joshua Kopac, dislikes the icon so much, that he decided to email Steve Jobs with his opinion on the change.

Steve,
Enjoyed the presentation today. But…this new iTunes logo really sucks. You’re taking 10+ years of instant product recognition and replacing it with an unknown. Let’s both cross our fingers on this…

A short and sweet reply from Jobs’ email account simply read:

We disagree.
Sent from my iPhone

Wired claim that they’ve reviewed Kopac’s email for authenticity and believe it to be true. If it is indeed genuine, it’s nice to see that despite Apple’s disagreement with this disgruntled user, they still took the time to reply, albeit very briefly.

Other appearance changes in iTunes 10 include the 3 round buttons to close & resize the window rotate from a horizontal to a vertical orientation, and grayscale icons in the left sidebar as opposed to colored ones.

On Tuesday this week an Apple spokesperson made claims that the upcoming release of iOS 4.1 will not fix the proximity sensor problems that are being blamed on software bugs, relocation of the proximity sensor due to the addition of the front facing camera, or greasy ear canals. This problem has been widely reported and there are numerous claims from iPhone 4 users that the problem exists. I’ve encountered the problem myself on my original iPhone 4 and its replacement.

On Wednesday this week at an Apple Special Event Steve Jobs told us that the release of iOS 4.1 will resolve the proximity sensor issue, but now one iPhone 4 user, Ryan Bell, is also claiming that iOS 4.1 does not resolve the issue. He presents two YouTube videos that demonstrate why he thinks that the problem isn’t resolved.

Why does Apple dominate all aspects of the digital music market — hardware, software and content deals? For example, more than two-thirds of every media player sold in the world is an Apple product.

That’s amazing when you consider the company’s reputation as one that doesn’t listen to customers. Come to think of it, Google Search, Facebook and Twitter are all dominant products created without customer input.

Is ignoring customers Apple’s secret to success in consumer technology?

Read more on Datamation.

Apple’s mobile platform, iOS, is the third most-popular on the Internet, behind only Windows and Mac OS, one Internet usage research firm announced. The news is just the latest indication of the growing trend toward mobile computing.

While Windows had 91.3 percent of Internet usage, with Mac OS claiming five percent, iOS – which includes the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad – accounted for 1.1 percent of devices accessing the Internet in August, according to Net Applications. The figure put iOS ahead of both Android and Linux.

Talk of iPad shortages may be history if reports of Apple’s new marching orders for suppliers are true. Apple CEO Steve Jobs, after doubling iPads built to 2 million, recently ordered 3 million iPads for the fourth quarter of 2010, according to one analyst.

The figure puts Apple on track to ship 36 million iPads in calendar year 20111, just shy of the 40 million iPads expected to be purchased next year, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty.

First Google launched a rival smart phone, now the Mountain View, Calif. Internet giant reportedly plans to assault Apple’s other revenue pillar – iTunes. The Google Vice President behind Android plans to launch an online music service by Christmas, a vision being warmly received by music executives, according to Reuters.

Music executives, while “grateful” to Apple for raising awareness of digital music, are now described as enthusiastic and hopeful Google can take on iTunes, which sells 70 percent of digital music in the United States.

LaCie’s latest, the MosKeyTo thumb drive — get it? Har. — is a product that manages to pull off the nearly miraculous: it’s not only just 20mm long, or about the same size as the nanoreceiver of some wireless mice, but it’s actually garnered our interest enough to break our oath and yet again hit the keyboard to write something about the most boring species of gadget on earth: the USB storage dongle.

It’s not the specs, which are standard. It’s not the price: 4GB for $17.99, or 8GB for $27.99. It’s not even the drive’s tininess. No, we’re writing about it to call attention to the official product image above, featuring a giant mosquito wildly fornicating with its namesake on the lid of a MacBook Pro.

Congrats on catching our attention, LaCie! Time to give someone in your art department a raise.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bBv1WkMUFs&feature=player_embedded

Valve Software’s transcendent physics and teleportation puzzler Portal already runs sublimely through Steam for Mac… as long as you have a modern MacBook Pro or iMac. But what if Portal wasn’t a modern game, but a classic Macintosh text adventure? This brilliant mock ad re-imagines Portal as a lost game rediscovered through a lost Saturday morning advertisement, complete with an appearance by a badly puppeted GlaDOS. Brilliant… although that green text really looks more at place on an Apple II, don’t you think?

There are a lot of iPod docks on the market, but not a lot of them have docking trays big enough to accommodate the iPad without snapping it in half over your knee first… a tact which has some obvious repercussions on the resulting music’s audio quality.

Phillips’ latest dock changes that with a docking tray wide enough to accommodate the iPad’s chunky width. Called the Fidelio, the dock also features Bluetooth so that your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch doesn’t even need to be plugged in to avail itself of a nicer, room-filling speaker.

The Fidelio is also portable, with a battery that allows you to play music up to five hours per charge. Unfortunately, the Fidelio’s price and release date has yet to be announced.

[via, image Slashgear]

Apple’s fastest Mac is the 12-Core Mac Pro, featuring two 2.93 GHz Xeon processors. Configure it with 25GB of DDR3 ECC SDRAM, and Apple’s fastest Mac will cost you $8,749.00.

Yowza. That’s an extraordinary amount of money. If you don’t mind dropping an extra $300, though, you might be interested in Macintouch’s guide to building not Apple’s fastest Mac, but the world’s fastest Mac yourself.

Yup, according to Macintouch’s tests, their Hackintoshed monstrosity — a total beast of a machine running two 3.33GHz hexacore Westmere processors overclocked to 4.2GHz each and supplemented with 24GB of DDR3 RAM — melted the Mac Pro’s face off.

Of course, there’s a lot of drawbacks to this approach, including compatibility issues and a much louder system than the Mac Pro, as well as a desktop footprint that makes the Pro look compact. But as of right now, it seems that a Hackintosh is the fastest Mac in the world. God help us.

[via Hardmac]