Cult of Mac

Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires is being rocked by a crime wave according to recent reports, including a shootout at an Apple reseller where one alleged thief was killed by police.

The story comes to us from CoM reader Stefano Cavallaro in Argentina who tells us that after a pair of thieves attempted to raid Apple reseller Mac Station, in the city’s chic Palermo neighborhood where expensive iGadgets must have seemed an easy target, a  police officer opened fire to stop them.

“There was a police officer outside the Apple store (when two armed robbers attempted to steal from the store)…The thieves and police started to shoot and one thief was gunned down while the other got away on a motorcycle…The police officer was not shot and did not sustain any injuries.”

A local internet news source confirms the story, saying that the police are still searching for the accomplice. This isn’t the first time an Apple store robbery gone wrong has lead to gunshots — in 2009 an Apple employee was shot during an armed robbery in Virginia — but it may be the first time a person has been killed attempting to steal Apple’s must-have electronic devices.

It was a busy day for police in Argentina’s capital who also had to deal with the shooting of a policeman, a hostage situation and a kidnapping.

Recall last week’s reports of hard-to-find iPhone 4s? Well, both Apple’s handset and tablet may soon be seen in a store near you as production begins to ramp up to meet demand, analysts said Wednesday.

It’s likely Apple will sell 14 million iPhone 4 handsets during the current September quarter, with 15 million more by the end of 2010, according to Rodman and Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar. While its unclear what has allowed production to increase, in the case of the iPad, it appears one of Apple’s suppliers gets the credit.

It just farts. According to Wired, Phillip Shoemaker — the director of applications technology at Apple, and the honcho responsible for maintaining a puritanical standard of quality in the App Store library — has a side job: selling a series of flatulence, evacuation and micturating simulators on the App Store through his company, Gray Noodle.

One such app is called iWiz. “Simulate the experience of urinating for a long time,” the app description reads. “Convince your friends that you’ll never stop.”

OPlayer, from olimsoft, is an iOS application for both iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad, that claims to boost your device’s media capabilities by allowing playback of a huge list of audio and video file formats.

The list of supported formats is pretty impressive, and will save you a great deal of effort if you often find yourself having to convert movies to watch on your device while you’re on the move. A fairly big video file can take a while to convert and it’s not the most exciting of tasks. But with OPlayer conversion isn’t needed – simply transfer your media to your device.

The full list of supported formats includes MP3, WMA, RM, AAC, WMV, AVI, MKV, RMVB, XVID, MP4, MOV, 3GP and MPG.

You can transfer files to your device using the File Sharing feature within iTunes or you can download them using the built-in browser from your computer, from the internet or from an FTP server. It’s also possible to stream media to your device over Wi-Fi and 3G.

The release of OPlayer, and of CineXPlayer last week, in to the App Store certainly suggests that Apple is relaxing some of its restrictions on app approvals, most likely in a bid to discourage users from jailbreaking their devices. Will this open the doors for other third-party media players?

Get OPlayer for your iPhone & iPod Touch from the App Store here, or get the HD version for your iPad here.

We start off with two deals for your iPhone: The iTunes App Store has cut Gameloft’s NFL 2011 for the iPhone and iPod touch to $0.99 – a $4 price drop. Next is another $1 iPhone 4 case – this time from a rubber skin from TPU. We wrap up our spotlight deals with another Expercom iMac bundle – get a 3.2GHz Core i3 iMac with 27-inch screen and 8GB of memory – plus three years of AppleCare for $1,879.

Along the way, we’ll check out more iPhone accessories, Mac software and storage options for your favorite Apple devices. As always, details on these and many other items can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.

According a recent study of US national health data,  your average teen today doesn’t hear as well as their Gen-X counterparts.

Teenagers with hearing loss (and we mean not just ignoring your parents) grew by a third between between 1988-1994 and 2005-2006. Back when Guns n’ Roses were in heavy rotation on teen Walkmans, 15% of 12-19 year-olds suffered some kind of hearing impairment, now that percentage is 19.5%.

But for once, iPods are not found to blame. A team who studied data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and published findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that music may not be the only thing that can be damaging kids ears.

Other salient factors include diet and nutrition and environmental factors such as exposure to toxins. Poverty also plays a role, researchers found that kids in lower-income families without adequate nutrition may have problems in auditory system development.

The iPod has been accused of hearing loss off and on since its 2001 debut. This probably won’t be the first or last time it is implicated in hearing loss or impairment.

Rock on?

Via Time

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bulLBD18uI8&feature=player_embedded

Recently vacated Mac avatar and sloe-eyed hipster hunk Justin Long popped up on Jimmy Kimmel Live the other night, and let’s just say he’s probably glad his “Get A Mac” gig has ended, because otherwise he might have gotten into some serious trouble pulling out that jailbroken iPhone.

But that’s not really the most interesting thing about his appearance. I got to tell you, I love this clip: I’ve always despised Justin Long, but this anecdote is funny enough that I’m seriously starting to think I just hated him because he was beautiful. And a lackluster thespianr, but whatever. Who knew he was so funny?

[via 9to5Mac]

Psst. Wanna cheap iPad without going to Hong Kong? Well, have I got a deal for you — just don’t look too closely. That line probably wouldn’t sell too many fake iPads in China, but knockoffs of Apple’s tablet device have been spotted in that country for as low as $110.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a Beijing market known for selling tourists fakes of well-known brands has turned its attention to the iPad. Labelled “iPads” and carrying the Apple logo, the knock-offs are a Frankenstein Monster-like mix of Cupertino, Calif. design and Google innards.

Not only does the iPhone Spy Stick seem to serve a particularly shady raison d’etre, but it seems ready to kick you squarely between your wallet’s thighs while it does so.

Basically, the iPhone Spy Stick is a dongle that can be plugged into the bottom of any iPhone running iOS 3.x. Once connected, it will begin slurping up all of the private data you not only thought was secure, but might have even deleted, including internet history, contacts, text messages, photos and more.

That functionality isn’t necessarily evil, of course: data recovery can be totally benign. The name of the product, though, hints at more insidious motives, and the price is certainly extortionate: $199. As a commenter over at Gizmodo notes, that’s a lot of money for a “SQLite front-end and a fake iTunes data layer server.” You’ve got to be really suspicious of your spouse’s infidelities to drop bank on this.

Read more at Brickhouse Security

The robber who ripped off a man’s pinky to steal an iPad is now accused of trying to organize a hit on the victim from jail. On June 29, Brandon Smith sent a letter from jail to a crony to wipe out victim Bill Jordan. Here’s what the letter said:

“YOU GET THIS DONE! AND I GO ON ANYTHING I’ll rob a bank if you want me too. Just do this for your boy and I got you for sure. You know how we do it.”

“That’s the address, so handle it A.S.A.P.” He concludes the letter by saying: “I really need this otherwise it’s a wrap!! If you do this, case is dropped. NO WITNESS.”

Jordan’s son says that detectives and Witness Protection agents were at Jordan’s house 20 minutes after the threatening missive was intercepted. Jordan has considered changing his name and moving out of state.

Jordan, 59, had part of his finger amputated after Brandon Smith wrested a just-purchased iPad from him in the parking lot outside Denver’s Cherry Creek Mall store in April. The Apple bag was looped around Jordan’s hand and the thief jerked hard several times to get it off — so hard that flesh came of Jordan’s left pinky. A surgeon later had to amputate part of the damaged little finger on his dominant hand.

There are many questions still unanswered about the case. A big one: if Smith was arrested in part due to parking lot surveillance video, how did he think killing Jordan would resolve his case?

Via Denver Post

Valve’s Source engine games run fantastically on the Mac already, but the performance hasn’t quite been up to the level of what they’ve come to expect under Windows, mostly due to issues inherent to Snow Leopard’s graphic drivers. We posted last month that Valve was working closely with Apple to remedy that issue, and now the fruits of their labors have been released, courtesy of a new Snow Leopard Graphics Update.

Here’s what the 69MB update fixes:

Addresses frame rate issues occurring in Portal and Team Fortress 2 by Valve, on iMac (Late 2009 and Mid 2010), Mac mini (Early 2009 and Mid 2010), Mac Pro (Early 2009), MacBook (Early 2009 and Mid 2010) and MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010) or MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2010) models.

Resolves an issue that could cause Aperture 3, or StarCraft II by Blizzard, to unexpectedly quit or become unresponsive.

Resolves an image corruption issue that may occur when disconnecting and reconnecting external displays while the system is running.

It’s really good to see Apple taking Mac gaming seriously enough to specifically call out new games in their patch notes. Cupertino’s long sent the message that it doesn’t really care about gaming under OS X, but perhaps all that was missing was a passionate advocate like Valve.

Factory workers at Foxconn stepped off the assembly line today and crammed into a stadium for a pep rally to boost morale following 12 worker suicides this year.

AP reports that some 20,000 of these workers at the factory complex where Apple, Dell, Hewlett Packard and Sony produce must-have electronic gadgets for the international market sported fanciful costumes, waved pompoms and shouted pro-company slogans.

The stadium is part of the complex in Shenzen where sleeping quarters, restaurants, hospitals, supermarkets and swimming pools are packed into 2.3 square kilometers (about 0.9 square  miles) and roughly 300,000 workers live.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nupVEJCC97k&feature=player_embedded

As an Apple blogger, I should be utterly aghast at this advertisement from Free Tax USA of an iPad meeting the pointy end of a sniper bullet, but my real gut reaction is just how viscerally satisfying it looks to shoot an iPad in the face. Someone should make a first person shooter of this for the App Store.

[via Crunchgear]

While the iPod is busy powering bar taps, the iPad gets in on the fun at Yelp powering an iPad controlled keg for the office.  During the 2nd annual Hackathon these serious beer-reseachers knew they had to do something equally productive with Apple’s latest iWonder:

At Yelp, we don’t mess around with our beer. To make sure we never run dry or get a bad pint, the geniuses on this team — John B., Gabe H., Alex D., Julien R., and Jeff M. — built the Kegbot. Controlled by an iPad app, you can tell how much beer is being emptied (and at what rate: cough, John), as well as leave a 5 star review for your brew.

Authorization for pouring your favorite brew comes from a swipe of one’s RFID employee ID badge (after hours, we assume).  Of course there’s also a webpage you can check from your desk to see the status of the KegMate.  I wonder if  Yelp paychecks now include a deduction for beer expenses?

Thanks for Geeky Gadgets for the tip.

Might Google do to television what the Internet giant has already done for publishing – linking to video content and bypassing the content creators? That seems to be the fear of some television executives who are voicing objections to an Android-based set-top box.

Although Google wants to combine web data with TV episodes and online video, content owners are “skeptical that Google can provide a business model that would compensate for potentially cannibalizing TV owners’ existing broadcast business,” reports the Wall Street Journal.

HBO’s CEO says it will begin streaming its premium TV content to iPads within a few months. The service, HBO Go, will be extended to mobile devices in a bid to outmaneuver Netflix, which already offers an iPad app.

In a Bloomberg interview, HBO CEO Reed Hastings said within six months, it will extend its current HBO Go service to mobile devices. Currently, subscribers to the premium TV channel can view original programming on their computers. In July, video rental service Netflix began offering a similar iPad app.

This cool iPhone 4 wallpaper — fully optimized for Apple’s groundbreaking Retina Display — gives you a look at the inner circuitry of the iPhone every time you use it.

Mac developer Casey Fleser made it available onflickr for your iPhone decorating endeavors. The circuit wallpaper comes in two flavors: lite, with just the CPU over a circuit board, and rococo with the resistors, caps, traces and stuff.

The plainer version is probably easier on the eyes in the long run, but it’s hard to resist the siren call of all that complex circuitry. Which do you prefer?

Via Redmond Pie

One of those alternatives is a new browser called iLunascape from Lunascape, Inc. and it is available for free (iTunes link) in the iTunes App Store.

This browser takes a new approach to browser user interfaces (UI) on the iPad and I’m wondering why no one else has thought of this yet. The developer’s new specialized UI called the “In Reach Interface” has clustered most common movements and tabs down near the bottom of the iPad display where the user generally holds the device. In addition to this the iPad user experience is the center of attention, but now includes desktop-class tab browsing, easy screen capture and storage, fast and smooth scrolling, simple bookmarking, and iPad rotation controls.

iLunascape may not be for everyone, since not everyone holds their iPad the same way. However, if you are looking to replace Safari this app is a good start with its unique interface and useful desktop like features. Its free and if you care about your browsing experience on the iPad — go get it.

The EyeTV One from Elgato makes pulling Digital TV (DTV) from the air and down to Earth as simple as 1-2-3. Install the included EyeTV software then plug the device into an available USB port on your computer and you will be watching DTV on your Mac in no time at all.

I tested the EyeTV One on my Macbook Pro, iMac, and Mac Mini and it worked fine on all three systems. My ultimate goal was two-fold. First I wanted something that would give me TV on the go and second I wanted something that could bring DTV to my Mac Mini which may ultimately serve as a hub for my entertainment system.

We start out the day with three hardware deals. First up is a bevy of iMacs from the Apple Store, including a 21.5-inch desktop powered by a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo for $1,099. (You might want to hurry, as these units seem to be going fast.) Also in the spotlight: more 16GB iPhone 3GS handsets from AT&T for $99. Finally, give your iPod Bluetooth connectivity with this $20 kit.

Along the way, we’ll check out new iPhone apps, along with cases for the iPhone 4. As usual, details on these and many other items are available at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.

The robber who ripped off a man’s pinky to steal an iPad is now accused of trying to organize a hit on the victim from jail.

Bill Jordan, 59, had part of his finger amputated after Brandon Smith wrested a just-purchased iPad from him in the parking lot outside Denver’s Cherry Creek Mall store in April.  The Apple bag was looped around Jordan’s hand and the thief jerked hard several times to get it off — so hard that flesh came of Jordan’s left pinky. A surgeon later had to amputate part of the damaged little finger on his dominant hand.

Fox 31 reports that the Denver District attorney plans to file new charges against Smith today for trying to arrange the murder of his victim.

Smith reportedly thought his theft case would go away if the victim was ‘eliminated.’ Smith has been in jail for a few months after being charged with theft and assault.

Monday morning’s court appointment was like something out of a movie: Smith’s lawyers showed up ready to discuss a plea agreement only to discover that prosecutors had new charges to file against him.

Details about the alleged plot are scarce but Jordan and his family are reportedly fine.
More as the story develops.

Via KWGN

ThinkMac has just released iKana 2, a tutorial app covering the Japanese Hiragana and Katakana characters.

The reworked app can teach over 740 common words using a repetition learning system. It has a new user interface, combining elements of OS X and iOS in a hybrid that I’m starting to notice elsewhere too.

Cloud Engines is taking pre-orders for a Wireless Extender that adds Wi-Fi connectivity to the Pogoplug. The wireless adapter costs $29 but current Pogoplug users can get it for free.

The Pogoplug is a net-connected device that allows users to roll their own cloud services, like adding terabytes of storage to an iPad.

The Pogoplug Wireless Extender is compatible with all versions of the Pogoplug, including the recently announced Pogoplug Biz. (Pogoplug is also dropping the price of the current Pogoplug from $129 to $99).

Current owners can get a promo code for a free Wireless Adapter by visiting Pogoplug’s Facebook page or its website support page.

Another analyst is reporting Android sales are on fire. Shipments of Android phones will grow by 561 percent in 2010 and take nearly 25 percent of the smartphone market. Additionally, Apple iPhone shipments will overtake RIM smartphones later this year, according to Digitimes Research.

In the second-half of 2010, Apple will have 15.6 percent of the smartphone market, passing RIM’s 15 percent. For the full year, however, the BlackBerry-maker will lead the Cupertino, Calif. company 16.4 percent to 15.2 percent, according to the research firm.

Remember the spat between Apple and Adobe over Steve Jobs’ decision to drop Flash from the iPhone, iPad and other mobile devices made by the Cupertino, Calif. company? The argument was positioned as a fight over who would control the Internet. “We’ve moved on,” Adobe’s CEO now tells interviewers.

Talking with the London Telegraph, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen says his company is sooo over Apple. “We’d rather work with partners who are interested in working with us,” the Adobe chief tells the telegraph.co.uk website.