During bleak economic times, companies need to welcome the faintest rays of sunshine. That appears to be the word from one analyst forecasting lower sales for Apple’s upcoming March quarter.

“We believe this data will be perceived as a neutral or a slight positive given the uncertainty surrounding the Mar-09 quarter,” Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster told clients Tuesday.

Sifting through numbers from NPD and internally, Munster expects -6 percent growth for Mac sales, compared to the second quarter of 2008.

Cell phone maker Samsung Tuesday added its name to the growing list of manufacturers joining the Android bandwagon. The company said it would unveil at least three handsets based on the open-source Google mobile phone platform in 2009.

In a Reuters interview, Samsung’s product strategy chief, Won-Pyo Hong, said ‘at least three’ Android phones would be produced, the first appearing in the later half of this year. Previously, the No. 2 cell phone maker had said its Android phones would appear in the Spring.

Although the company released few details, talk has surrounded Sprint and T-Mobile as the handset’s U.S. carriers.

There are many co-workers who would be wise to read this message before approaching, just wonder if over time, they’d start pretending you hadn’t declared yourself the resident grouch.

Available for $6 on Etsy

Jakob Nielsen is the one of the world’s leading Web usability experts. What that actually means is that people spend a lot of time criticizing him, as he spends a lot of time criticizing them. That’s especially true because his website, Useit.com, is stripped of flashiness to the point of looking a lot like a HyperCard slide deck circa 1992 — but without any visuals.

Nielsen has finally delivered a new verdict on the mobile web (it’s been about nine years), and, to the surprise of no one, he hates it. Regular phones are “horrible,” smart phones are “bad,” and the iPhone is “impoverished.” He also says some fairly common sense things that are none-the-less often ignored, like, design a website that fits the strengths of the device that will view it.

The only really interesting line comes near the end, when he makes reference to Silicon Valley legend Alan Kay’s proclamation that the Mac was “the first computer worth criticizing.”

“Similarly, the iPhone is the first mobile Internet device worth criticizing. It’s a starting point for mobile online-services access, not an endpoint.

Although devices will get better, the big advances must come from websites. Sites (including intranets) must develop specialized designs that optimize the mobile user experience. Today, few sites have mobile versions, and those that do are usually very poorly designed, without knowledge of the special guidelines for mobile usability.”

Well said. And absolutely true.

Via Cennydd

Apple made a huge detail about the non-removable battery it created for the 17″ Unibody MacBook Pro. By going with a sealed design, the company argued, it would be possible to make a much-higher capacity battery. Well, the guys over at iFixit have had their way with one of the new models, and it’s pretty clear the battery isn’t THAT hard to remove. It actually surprises me how much it looks like the interior of my existing MacBook, giant fans excepted.

Definitely check out the full slideshow — it’s good stuff. Anyone picked up a 17-incher yet? What do you think?Check out a couple more shots from iFixit’s meticulous disassembly operation after the jump.

Anyone who went to elementary school in the 1980s can tell you that the world’s best edutainment game of all time is Oregon Trail for Mac or Apple ][, which plotted the westward journey of pioneer families in search of Pacific prosperity and their inevitable deaths of dysentery in snake bite somewhere in Wyoming.

Thankfully, the chance to relive those days on the go will soon be available to iPhone and iPod touch users in the form of a beautiful remake of the original from Gameloft. No announcement of the release date, but IGN has some screenshots, and it’s clear that the new graphics are quite lovely. And who wouldn’t want to play a fair river-fording minigame? There’s a demo at Gameloft’s site, but it looks like the iPhone graphics will be even nicer. Seriously, if you haven’t picked up an iPhone yet, this alone is the reason to do it.

Via Offworld

The long-awaited South Park iPhone app (submitted to Apple last October) has been officially denied AppStore approval, according to Matt Stone, creator of the hit Comedy Central television show, who informed fans in an email to BoignBoing Tueday. “We are sad to say that our [iPhone] app has been rejected. According to Apple, the content was potentially offensive.”

Memo to AppStore Gatekeepers: “Huh?”

The South Park iPhone app was a little something that would have given fans of the show and other users the ability to stream clips, grab wallpapers for the phone, read news, and browse the complete episode index.

A cool feature that would likely have been a big hit with many was the ability to choose character likenesses as “contact images” for the iPhone’s address book. An incoming call from a user’s best friend would display as Kyle or Cartman; the medical marijuana dispensary could be Towelie; Tony Bourdain could be Chef, etc.

This is indeed sad news and further evidence of the persistent inscrutability of Apple’s AppStore approval process, especially in the light of users already being able to purchase entire episodes of the foul-mouthed tv show directly from iTunes.

Via VentureBeat

AT&T announced Monday its next-generation 4G network will be commercially available in 2011. The carrier had previously said the new network would begin trials in 2010.

The 2011 timeframe would put the exclusive iPhone carrier a year behind rival Verizon Wireless, which has said its trials of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network would begin this year.

For AT&T, the shift in timing for introducing LTE differs from previous statements by the carrier suggesting it intended to use its 3G HSPA, or HSPA+, technology until 2012.

(Larger version here.)

Norwegian Mac support company Teknograd likes to have fun with its advertising campaigns, and this latest one is the cleverest idea yet.

In recent years they’ve had a series of ads showing a Mac desktop where the Hard Disk is under attack from a mass of files and folders. But for this year’s campaign, they wanted something new that made use of the default Leopard desktop wallpaper.

The result is these TIE fighters, created by advertising agency TBWA. I asked them how they did it – surely not with real icons on a real desktop? No.

“We have photoshopped this, in almost 400 layers, but each folder is named individually, so it was a hell of a lot work. Martin Holm, the illustrator and art director, just passed out when we asked him how long time it took,” they told me.

Apple’s planned refresh of iPhones is putting increased pressure on flash memory manufacturers managing dwindling inventory, according to one analyst Tuesday.

“Our checks indicate that Apple has started ordering for its iPhone refresh (iPhone and iPhone Nano), stifling the supply chain,” ThinkEquity analyst Vijay Rakesh told clients in a note.

In the case of memory maker Samsung, Apple has allocated its inventory until April, according to Rakesh.

HTC Monday unveiled its Magic handset, the second smartphone powered by Google’s Android software. The phone also is the first Google phone to sport a virtual keyboard, striking closer to home for the Apple iPhone.

Although the model does away with a physical keyboard, the Magic retains its 3.2-inch touchscreen, 3.2 megapixel camera, as well as 3G, Wi-Fi and GPS for access options.

Vodafone will be the first carrier to offer the Magic. The carrier won an exclusive deal in the UK, Germany and Spain and a non-exclusive pact in Italy. France’s SFR will also sell the phone.

Not too surprising that nearly 70-year-old Sir Tom Jones doesn’t “do” technology.
Hey, he’s a sex bomb, not a geek, ok?

Jones has an iPod with trendy music —  Kings Of Leon and The Ting Tings — but someone else has to load up the device  for him.

“I am useless at the internet and I have never owned a computer,”  Jones told tab The Sun. “I have an iPod but I don’t load it up myself.”

“I don’t get any pleasure from that sort of thing. I have never seen a text message – what’s the point? Why not ring someone up?”

In other, unrelated Jones news, the Welsh crooner has finally decided to give up the Grecian formula and show his gray hair. If he ditches the fake tan, I’m in the front row.

Via the  Sun

Two teens were shot after they refused to give up their iPods to a group of boys, some believed as young as 13.

Two brothers, aged 18 and 19,  were hanging out with friends outside a McDonald’s in Neasden, north west London, on Saturday night.  They were surrounded by a group of five boys, who demanded their iPods and cell phones.

Then police say one suspect took out a handgun and fired several shots at the victims from a close range. All five suspects then took off, two on bicycles, one of which is described as a “red BMX-style” bike.

One of the brothers was hit in the stomach, leg, groin and arm and the other was wounded in the chest and stomach, police said. They are both in serious but stable condition.

Two suspects are in custody, police are still searching for the other three.

If police nab them and they are minors, should they be tried as adults as per the Ottawa murder case?

Via the Independent

Designer Tristan Zimmerman has created a unique speaker for your iPhone or iPod that uses no power.

Through passive amplification alone, this unique piece instantly transforms any personal music player + earbuds into a sculptural audio console.

Without the use of external power or batteries, the Phonofone II inventively exploits the virtues of horn acoustics to boost the audio output of standard earphones to up to 55 decibels – or about the max output of typical laptop speakers.

But the Phonophone is only peripherally about sound.

The Phonofone is a clever piece of applied science, a beautiful icon of nostalgia, and an ironic twist on the insular nature of personal listening devices. It is not intended to be used as home stereo system. The device, more a functional work of art than a gadget, is constructed entirely from ceramic, which is not only environmentally low impact, but also inherently rigid and resonant, creating a naturally rich sound ideally suited for the classical, blues and folk music called to mind by its throwback design.

$600 at Charles & Marie.

If you’ve spent any time around wee ones lately,  you know toy manufacturers seem to be challenging each other to see who can devise the most annoying, ear-wormy tinny electronic jingle to fart out whenever your kid interacts with it in some way.

Hail the Combi Bouncer, the killer app for baby bouncers. You can plug in the music from your iPod and a vibration unit driven by the music sends them into cooing cuteness or sleep faster. Sound controls are on the back,  so the baby is not disturbed when you turn down the “Cradle Song.”

It can hold babies up to 25 lbs and comes with a removable collapsible canopy, toy bar with wooden toys and an adjustable hammock-style seat design.

$79.99 USD on Think Geek

Via Softpedia

Here’s an interesting concept for an Apple product by San Francisco artist

Here’s the first touchscreen Mac. Harvey says, “I designed the product from all angles (the back is absent from this page) and set it up on a layout typical to apple.com. Down below there’s also a sloppily thrown together iPhone ][ in a (PRODUCT)RED advert and spliced into Steve Jobs’ hand.”

Check out more of Harvey’s work at deviantART

Ancient Frog is a new kind of puzzle game for the iPhone. The premise is very simple: you have to guide your frog so that he’s in position to eat a tasty fly. But there are only so many places on the lily pad where he can tread, and his legs will only move in certain ways.

Yes, it’s bizarre, but it’s different and it’s challenging after the first few easy levels. Each fly catch is given a par score, just like golf, and you have to think very hard to get your fly caught under par.

This game isn’t just unusual to play, it’s also gorgeous to look at. Like all the best software, Ancient Frog benefits from attention to detail – I particularly like the way the frog’s little toes animate after you’ve moved his foot. Recommended.

Wow, here’s a fantastic hack from the RetroMacCast forum, in which contributor Charles Mangin creates a new body for a Mac mini – using the body of an ancient Apple Disk ][ drive.

Palm continues to be a thorn in Apple’s iPhone as the handset maker announced its touch-screen phone will include Adobe’s new mobile Flash version.

After engaging in saber-rattling over the Pre, the two companies face-off on a nagging problem for the iPhone: lack of a suitable version of Flash. Until recently, smartphone makers were forced to choose either Flash lite or the bulkier Flash version meant for desktop computers. Recently, Adobe said it was still committed to developing a version of its graphics software that met the requirements of Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

As part of its announcement, Palm also said it would join Adobe’s Open Screen Project, an industry-wide initiative.

HyperMegaNet UG, the maker of Germany’s PearPC Mac clone, voiced confidence it would win a copyright infringement case against Apple in European courts.

“We are not afraid of going to court with Apple,” a HyperMegaNet spokesman told Computerworld. The German company said they “are awaiting” contact from Apple’s legal eagles over its PC towers that come with Mac OS X pre-installed.

Germany’s laws invalidate Apple’s end user licensing agreement (EULA), according to the spokesperson, Dirk Bloessi.

Geting creative with a slow news day, NPR convinced classical music expert Miles Hoffman to create an iPod playlist for Honest Abe in honor of President’s Day.

Hoffman’s picks include:

Friedrich von Flotow: “Ach so fromm” from Martha, a love song from an opera that Lincoln liked.

Louis Moreau Gottschalk: The Union, a Fantasy on Patriotic Airs,

Traditional Scottish: “Annie Laurie”

“I Wish I Was in Dixie’s Land” (Bob ‘n’ John Minstrels)

If “Dixie” comes as a surprise, Hoffman says it shouldn’t: “It had already been a popular song before the Civil War and came from a minstrel show.”

Lincoln had been quoted as saying, ‘I have always thought “Dixie” one of the best tunes I have ever heard.’ ”

“After the war,” Hoffman adds, “Lincoln is reported to have said, ‘That tune is now federal property, and it is good to show the rebels that, with us in power, they will be free to hear it again.’ ”

Check out the podcast to hear them all.

Via NPR

Despite the economic downturn, data plans are not among the items consumers can apparently do without, a new study indicates.

The survey found U.S. and European smartphone owners plan to increase their mobile phone data plan usage over the next two years, according to Reuters.

The question was posed in November at the height of the global economic mess.

Casinos in Nevada were warned by gambling regulators to keep an eye out for a card-counting program that runs on the iPhone and iPod Touch that illegally helps players beat the house in blackjack.

Card counting itself is not illegal under Nevada gambling laws, but getting electronic help to count cards is a felony.

In blackjack, card counting techniques help players determine when they are likely to win a hand and adjust their bets accordingly.
Casinos were warned last week by the Nevada Gaming Control Board in a memo (pdf). Nevada learned of the program from gambling regulators in California, where officials at an Indian casino found customers using it and tipped state authorities.

The memo says the app is called Blackjack Card Counting program and describes how it works: “The program calculates the “True Count” and does it significantly more accurately. The card counting program uses a choice
of four (4) card counting strategies. For each strategy the user presses the button that contains the face cards as they are drawn from the deck. Depending on the strategy and on the value of the card the button will
either add or subtract 1 or 2 from the “Running Count.” It can also be used in “stealth mode.”

A quick search of  the iTunes store for “card count,”  showed several card counting apps, it’s not clear which one the casinos were warned about.

It looks like to live the 21 story, you don’t even have to be a card-counting geek…

Image used with Creative Commons license, thanks to nataliehg on flickr.

Via AP