Apple's long rumored camera-equipped iPod touch may have a more definite release window, according to a purported source. A contact insists the device is back on track and that it would unusually launch outside of Apple's typical upgrade cycle, releasing in spring 2010. To make that goal, however, Apple would use the same 2-megapixel camera as in the iPod nano, which lacks autofocusing and low-light sensitivity.
The elimination of the iPhone's exclusivity to Orange in France has resulted in "more than double" the sales of the device and dealt a blow to the BlackBerry, according to research notes issued recently. Estimates from Bernstein, Strategy Analytics and others report twice as many iPhones being shipped in the summer quarter as in the spring due specifically to Apple's handset being readily available at Bouygues Telecom as well as SFR. That added exposure is thought to have directly impacted RIM as customers at the new carriers had a new, major alternative to the BlackBerry line.
SubRosaSoft has upgraded its file recovery software, FileSalvage 7. The software recovers deleted files, as well as files lost in an accidental reformat or initialization. It works on multiple file systems, recovering files from Mac OS hard disks, iPods, flash cards, Linux and Windows disks or Boot Camp partitions. The software is also claimed to work with scratched CDs. The interface provides previews of recoverable files, with options to reconstruct file names of many formats such as JPG, MP3 and M4A.
Celmaro has released a new time-tracking application, Minco 1.0. It is designed as a minimalist tracker for time, tasks or earnings, and can fully integrate with iCal. The software runs in the system menu and offers visual representations of time spent on tasks, with options to produce time logs in multiple formats. The earnings capabilities include projecting or displaying the results of a task, day, week, month or year. The new software also has built in tagging options.
Microsoft should once again release its next mainstream version of Windows about three years after the last, a roadmap obtained this week reveals. The schedule has the major revision, tentatively titled "Windows 8," launching in 2012 or about three years after Windows 7. It will purportedly keep in step with a rhythm developed by Microsoft that has Microsoft launching major releases four years apart, as Windows Server 2008 is considered a major release where its R2 upgrade and even Windows 7 are both treated as "release updates."
Herraiz Soto, an independent creative agency, has launched Ommwriter, a new word processor with a "Zen-like meditative focus." The software offers a choice of ambient music themes that play in the background, along with a variety of keyboard audio-feedback themes designed to make typing a pleasant experience. The software works within one window, with drag-over activated menus to the right of the workspace.
AKVIS has introduced a new version of one of its photo effects apps, Sketch 10. The software converts photos into simulated watercolors and pencil drawings. The upgrade provides a new effects tool called Stroke Direction, which offers control over hatch direction and enhances realism. Three new presets have also been added, along with support for Snow Leopard and Windows 7.
In Brief: Mozilla has already released a third beta of the upcoming Firefox 3.6 update, bringing a variety of bug fixes and security enhancements. Eye-Fi has updated its photo uploading utility with Selective Share, a new feature that allows users to selectively share only certain pictures on sites such as Flickr.
A new automatic screening technique Apple is using for the App Store appears to be backfiring, claims developer Rogue Sheep. The screening is believed to be aimed at catching unauthorized APIs, blocked under Apple's submission rules. A number of the apps trapped so far are allegedly ones using Three20, an Objective-C library. Rogue Sheep's Postage has in the past relied on some Three20 code, and so private API calls were removed from the software before submitting a recent update.
Microsoft in a response late Thursday rejected assertions that it has put in a security "backdoor" at the request of the National Security Agency. The denial comes after the NSA's information assurance lead, Richard Schaeffer, told a US Senate terrorism subcommittee that the agency had worked with Microsoft to improve Windows 7's "security guide" and sparked fears that the government had deliberately left a secret window the NSA could use to spy on users.
Aqua Connect and Ashbourne Technology Group have announced a new partnership designed to provide hosted services on the Mac platform. The Aqua Connect Terminal Server previously had been unavailable as a hosted service, however the new offering will allow customers to take advantage of the Mac terminal services without purchasing a dedicated server.
GPS maker TomTom has revealed a new car mount, one designed exclusively for the iPod touch. The accessory reflects a recent update to the company's GPS app, which now includes Touch support. The new kit is little different from its more broadly-compatible iPhone version, mainly being $20 cheaper at a price of $100.
Qualcomm has quietly shown an example receiver that would give the iPhone and iPod touch FLO TV reception. Despite assertions that the company would use iPhone OS 3.0 support for native hardware, the demonstrator mimics the strategy used for the Softbank 1Seg tuner in Japan and pipes video over Wi-Fi. The receiver itself is roughly as large as the iPhone, though it's unclear whether this is due to its prototype nature or to accommodate a larger battery.
YouTube drew controversy with word this week that it has begun limiting the use of its native video API on devices. Reflecting new terms of service, any device that connects to a TV must have a license from YouTube to get fully native video support. The move will ban smaller-scale devices like the Popcorn Hour C-200 from directly accessing YouTube videos, although it will still allow them access using Flash.
Barnes & Noble today signaled that new orders for the Nook reader now won't ship at all in 2009. Those placed today will ship no sooner than January 4th, or more than three weeks after the delay to December 11th. The bookseller hopes to console those missing the Christmas target by giving them a certificate that promises a Nook reader when it ships.
China Unicom has set high targets for iPhone sales in its native country, according to China Daily. One senior executive tells the newspaper that within two to three years, the iPhone is expected to represent 10 percent of all 3G devices in China. The carrier's chairman, Chang Xiaobing, has meanwhile suggested that the product will eventually become the nation's most popular smartphone.
A resident of Roseville, California is auctioning off an original Apple I, according to the Detroit Free Press. The computer was the first put into production by Apple, launching in 1976 in a limited run of 200 units. It was distinctive at the time for being produced and sold by a two-man team -- Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs -- and building in its own terminal circuitry, requiring only a separate keyboard and TV set.
T-Mobile's US branch may land a deal with another carrier to grow its network much more rapidly, a rumor maintained on Friday. Sources for the German paper Handelsblatt claimed that Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile's parent, is in the "early stages" of looking for a partner that would help it build out the network through a cash infusion. The top candidates so far include budget carrier MetroPCS, WiMAX-based Clearwire and even AT&T, any of whom could get a small stake in T-Mobile in return for the investment.
Canto has announced Cumulus 8.1, an upgrade to the company’s digital asset management (DAM) software. The update turns the Cumulus Cross Client into a standalone version of Cumulus, letting users create new catalogs on a local computer, open catalogs served by Cumulus Servers, and update metadata and assets between the two. For comparison purposes, visual representation of two selected assets has been added.
Initial information has surfaced of Intel's sequel to its imminent Pine Trail platform for the Atom processor. Appropriately codenamed Cedar Trail, the 2011 update should be the first built on a 32 nanometer process and will take advantage of this through a new integrated graphics core. The new version will support DirectX 10-level 3D as well as HD video decoding. It should additionally bring dual digital outputs that recognize DisplayPort and HDMI as well as older formats.
A workaround has been developed to restore Atom processor support in Mac OS X 10.6.2, a Russian hacker claims. The technique relies on a custom version of the Mach kernel, which must be installed using Terminal because of the need to gain root access. Once active, the kernel should support so-called hackintosh netbooks, most likely to use Atom chips.
Nokia on Friday said it would cut 330 jobs in its research and development group. The reductions are spread between an office in Oulu, in Nokia's native Finland, as well as in Copenhagen. Nokia isn't specific as to the nature of the layoffs and says only that they're meant to reflect the company's "focused portfolio of future products."
Autodesk will soon launch a Mac version of Smoke, a demonstration at Japan's InterBEE expo confirms. The software is a high-end video production suite, costing approximately $15,000. It is capable not only of conventional editing tasks, but also handling audio, painting, text and various visual effects.
Cloud Engines on Friday introduced the second-generation Pogoplug, along with a variety of new features for storing and sharing multimedia. The hardware features the same plug-and-play capability of the original, but adds several USB ports to allow connection of up to four external hard drives without using a dedicated USB hub.
Gameloft today revealed that it has scaled back development of games for Android phones. The French software house made the move as just a fraction of its sales come from the Google platform: it sells 400 times more iPhone games than Android titles, the company's financial head Alexandre de Rochefort said.
In brief: To help U.S college and graduate students dealing with heavy educational-based costs, Microsoft's MacBU has announced a special deal for the Office 2008 for Mac, dropping the price by over 70 percent. Office 2008 Business Edition provides a series of different applications to help support all areas of education, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Entourage 2008, and Document Connection for Mac with SharePoint support.
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If you shoot hundreds of photos every time you use your camera, you may not be happy with the way iPhoto handles large batches of file ...
design updates: something borrowed, something blue Ever since the iMac G5 debuted over five years ago, Apple has taken to a surpris ...
When a new Mac operating system appears on the scene, so follows a flurry of books to enlighten us on the latest and greatest features ...
