News Archive for 08/07/02

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Two Apple stores among top 100 retail landmarks

07/02, 11:55pm

Apple Stores are landmarks

Two of Apple's retail stores have made it from being local sights to internationally must-see retail landmarks, according to a recent report of the world's top retail locations. Retail Week reveals that both the Fifth Avenue Manhattan 'Cube' location and the Regent Street London stores are praise-worthy enough to include them on its list of the top 100 must-visit retail spaces, alongside clothing stores, food retailers, sporting good stores, and other electronics retailers.

Overheating mobile chips to affect Nvidia Q2 earnings

07/02, 11:40pm

Nvidia cuts Q2 earnings

Nvidia says that a heat problem in with one of its mobile chips will hurt its earnings for the second quarter, sending its shares tumbling down almost 25 percent to below $14 in after-hours trading. According to the Wall Street Journal, Nvidia said that the overheating problem -- which appears to be focused on older chips for notebook computers -- caused higher-than-normal failure rates in certain GPU models as well as related chip sets; the company's said that it could see a revenue shortfall of nearly 24 percent in the second quarter (ending July 27th), but also cited problems such as general market conditions, price cuts to match rival AMD, and delayed product ramps. In June, the company debuted its Nvidia GeForce 9M series, which it said was built on a new, multi-core graphics engine that is up to 40 percent faster than its earlier 8M chipsets; the GeForce 9M series chips were set to appear this summer, and while a few manufacturers had already begun shipping designs with the newer GPUs, the company used most of the quarter to push out its older chips.

FireFox 3 sets world record, FireFox 2 patched

07/02, 11:20pm

Firefox 3 record

Mozilla on Tuesday posted Firefox 2.0.0.15, an update to its web browser that resolves several vulnerabilities, ranging from several benign problems, to critical bug fixes related to arbitrary code execution and remote control of a user's system. Among the major fixes are MFSA 2008-21, 2008-24, 2008-25, and 2008-33, which resolve crashes when memory is corrupted, Chrome script loading vulnerabilities, arbitrary code execution in a .loadSubScript() command, as well as crashing and remote code execution.

.Mac Web Bookmark access extended to July 6th [U]

07/02, 10:35pm

dotMac web bookmarks

Apple is extending access to .Mac Web Bookmarks past itsJune 30th end date to July 6th, which will make it impossible for users to access or update bookmarks located on the web portion of the service. Users are still able to synchronize bookmarks for the purpose of keeping consistency between several computers, but will not be able to access those bookmarks through the .Mac website or the .Mac Bookmarks application. Apple's transition from .Mac to Mobile Me – first announced at WWDC 2008 – is expected to be completed this month.

Free Adobe Reader v9 app now available

07/02, 10:35pm

Free Adobe Reader v9 app

Just as PDF became an ISO standard, Adobe on Wednesday quietly released Adobe Reader 9, a new version of its free software for viewing and working with PDF files. Following the release of Acrobat 9 last week, the software includes native support for Adobe Flash, enabling users to include Adobe Flash Player compatible video and application files in PDF documents. The new Reader 9 application also enables users to review and comment on compatible PDFs. In addition, Adobe said that the software is expected to launch up to twice as fast as earlier versions and also includes the ability to unify a wide range of content in PDF Portfolios, which assemble multiple media types into one, compressed PDF file that can be customized with several professional layouts and specific branding.

Carrier subsidies could bolster AAPL earnings

07/02, 8:05pm

40 million iPhones in 2010

Apple is expected to have a large boost to its revenue due to how profit from the iPhone 3G will flow, with some analysts predicting it would sell through between 35 and 40 million units by the end 2010, representing up to $4 billion for the company. CNN Money writes that while customers will pay around $200 less than the previous generation device, Apple still stands to make an extra $100 off each unit, due to larger subsidies with wireless carriers.

Virgin Mobile picks up camera-equipped Arc

07/02, 4:45pm

UTStarcom Arc at Virgin

Virgin Mobile today quietly posted its first phone since its buyout of Helio. The UTStarcom Arc sits slightly above the baseline for most of Virgin's budget lineup and focuses primarily on its inclusion of a VGA camera, Bluetooth, and its two-tone, rounded flip design to stand out from other offerings on the pay-as-you-go carrier.

iPhones to sell in Best Buys, Radio Shacks?

07/02, 4:35pm

iPhone in B. Buy, R. Shack

Apple may yet allow American sales of the iPhone 3G beyond AT&T stores and its own retail outlets, a rumor suggests. BGR cites someone it calls a reliable source, who indicates that Apple has already secured deals to sell the iPhone at Best Buy and Radio Shack locations. The source cannot, however, say whether such sales will begin as soon as July 11th, or if they are only part of a long-term plan.

GEAR4 intros portable USB-powered speaker

07/02, 4:35pm

GEAR4's travel speaker

GEAR4 today announced the release of its newest portable speaker, the USB-powered BlackBox micro. As the smallest speaker in the company's range, the speaker can enhance the audio playback abilities of laptops or MP3 players thanks to an included mini USB-to-USB cable. There are two drivers hidden in the plastic shroud, with one dedicated to high notes, the other an SFX gel base driver for bass reproduction.

Sprint-badged Touch Diamond images leaked

07/02, 4:30pm

Sprint Touch Diamond leaks

The first images showing what appears to be a Sprint-badged and therefore first CDMA version of the iPhone-fighting Touch Diamond from HTC have leaked on the Internet today. While the rumors of a Sprint Diamond date back to April, the phone is expected to be delayed. Little other details are confirmed, except for an unsubstantiated claim that the Diamond will launch ahead of the Touch Pro.

ON24 Virtual Show conference tool for Mac

07/02, 4:25pm

ON24 Virtual Show for Mac

ON24 recently announced support for the Mac and Safari for its ON24 Virtual Show software service, an application designed to provide a virtual conference center for businesses to use as an alternative or compliment to a live exhibition. Through the Virtual Show, users are able to have ON24 custom-design a complete show floor for their projects, or are able to supply their own background images and artwork. Pricing for the ON24 Virtual Show is dependant on the services required.

Nokia intros Loopset for cellphones, hearing aids

07/02, 4:20pm

Nokia intros new Loopset

Nokia on Wednesday announced the release of its latest Wireless Loopset, the HS-67WL, designed to improve cellular phone usability for users with hearing aids. The Loopset is compatible with T-coil-equipped hearing aids or cochlear implants and makes hands-free connections between the hearing aid devices and Bluetooth 2.1-equipped cell phones. Background noise filtering thanks to induction technology improves speech discrimination for clear, distortion-free calls, Nokia says.

PDF gains ISO standard certification

07/02, 4:00pm

PDF gets ISO certification

The PDF format has officially been granted ISO certification, the latter organization has announced. Although its original creator and main proponent, Adobe has handed control of the format over to ISO, which is now in charge of both publishing the specifications for PDF 1.7 and updating and developing later versions. The transfer may be most significant for third-party developers, who will have open access to PDF, making it easier to support in graphic and word processing apps.

MS tests sub-based Office, anti-malware

07/02, 4:00pm

Microsoft Equipt

Microsoft today has announced it would launch Equipt, a new software package that will let it experiment with subscription services. The suite gives users both a copy of Office Home and Student 2007 as well as the company's OneCare anti-malware and backup service; in exchange for an immediate discount on both services, customers will pay $70 per year to keep the full service active. Office is believed to remain active regardless of when the subscription ends.

T-Mobile balks at FCC's AWS data plans

07/02, 3:20pm

T-Mobile Balks at AWS Plan

T-Mobile on Wednesday resisted moves by the US Federal Communications Commission to hasten its moves towards a free wireless broadband. The carrier has requested that the FCC delay an auction for its 2,100MHz Advanced Wireless Spectrum 3 (AWS-3) band by 90 days past its July 9th deadline to allow for a longer comment period and let T-Mobile air its potential problems with any future service; filling the AWS-3 band may create interference that prevents T-Mobile from using space it wants for its 3G service, according to a filing sent to the FCC.

First Look: Microsoft Messenger for Mac

07/02, 3:15pm

Messenger for Mac

Instant messaging can be a great way to communicate with friends and co-workers in real-time. While most Mac users rely on iChat, which comes with every Mac, many PC users rely on Windows Live Messenger (formerly called MSN Messenger). Not only does Live Messenger connect to Yahoo’s messaging network, it’s also the default network for Xbox 360 users. If you want to chat with users on any of the above networks, Microsoft's Messenger for Mac 7.01 might be of interest.

GraphicConverter 6.1.1 adds features

07/02, 2:25pm

GraphicConverter-6.1.1

Lemke Software has released its GraphicConverter 6.1.1 update, adding new features, updating others and providing a number of bug fixes. The new features include decoding of all images with mime attachments, a set label in operator function and a sort by label and/or creation date option in the browser. Graphic Converter 6.1.1 is compatible with Mac OS X 10.4.4 or later and costs $35. There is a trial version available.

Sprint to force all-in plans, drop data-only?

07/02, 2:25pm

Sprint Forcing All In Plan

Sprint may be shifting all its customers who want discounted data to opt into all-in-one plans that in many cases cost more than what they originally had, say reports from subscribers attempting to renew their contracts. The US carrier already requires a $70 monthly Simply Everything plan for the Samsung Instinct to use both its voice and data features but is now reportedly asking owners of Palm Centros and other data-centric phones to accept the same plan when they renew service, in many cases increasing the costs of using the phones regardless of the customer's actual intent.

Samsung readies budget Win Mobile touch phone for US

07/02, 1:35pm

Samsung i740 Leak

A Czech leak today has revealed a Samsung phone in development that will stand as an alternative to the i900 Omnia. The i740 will still have a 640x480 touchscreen with Windows Mobile 6.1 but makes a number of cuts to reduce the cost, including dropping 3G and Wi-Fi access in favor of EDGE, a three-megapixel camera instead of the Omnia's five, and no large amounts of internal storage.

iDEN BlackBerry indentified as 8350?

07/02, 1:20pm

BlackBerry 8350 for iDEN?

The next BlackBerry for Sprint's iDEN push-to-talk network will be a Curve phone, called the 8350, a report claims. Although Sprint announced in February that it would receive a new iDEN BlackBerry, it has otherwise kept quiet on the issue, leaving most information to media leaks and speculation. The new device is expected to help revive Sprint's struggling iDEN network, whose most recent BlackBerry is the outdated 7100i.

European Commission approves Nokia/NAVTEQ deal

07/02, 12:45pm

Nokia/NAVTEQ deal OK'd

The European Commission has approved an acquisition of map maker NAVTEQ, Nokia has announced. With this validation in hand, the company says it has met all regulatory concerns, and plans to complete the buyout within a matter of five days. "NAVTEQ will play a key role in our Internet services strategy," reads a statement from Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo. The acquisition will also likely save the company money on licensing, as it has previously had to pay companies like NAVTEQ for each use of a map on a phone.

Red Giant offers new HD plug-in for After Effects

07/02, 12:20pm

RGS offers Instant HD Adv.

Red Giant Software has launched Instant HD Advanced, its new plug-in for Adobe's After Effects. It offers higher quality than the scaler in After Effects or Red Giant's own Instant HD plug-in, which HD Advanced replaces, thanks to the super-resolution feature in the new plug-in. It also offers built-in deinterlacing and denoising controls that improve the quality of any interlaced material. It is available now for $400 and works with Mac OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5.2 and later. It requires Adobe After Effects CS3 on an Intel Mac with 1GB RAM.

Bunkspeed launches HyperShot 1.5 for 3D rendering

07/02, 12:10pm

HyperShot upgraded to 1.5

Bunkspeed has released HyperShot 1.5, an upgrade to its 3D-rendering visualization software. The new version provides performance enhancements that allow interaction between HyperShot and all major 3D solid and surface modeling products. It also adds more realistic photographs rendered faster from 3D models. The software requires an Intel Mac and is available now for $200 (web version - 800x450 realtime resolution), $1000 (HD version - 1920x1080 realtime resolution) and $3500 (Pro version - unlimited realtime resolution).

Motorola slips out ZN200 media phone

07/02, 11:55am

Motorola ZN200

Motorola late yesterday slipped out a previously unannounced media phone with a local Brazilian launch. Known as the ZN200, the slider is part of an increasing wave of mid-range Motorola media phones with a 2-megapixel camera and basic on-camera photo editing. It also supports mobile uploading through its 3G cellular Internet access and supports stereo Bluetooth for listening to music through wireless earphones.

Jonathan Ive takes home MDA award for iPhone

07/02, 11:50am

Jonathan Ive MDA award

The Mobile Data Association has presented an award to Apple's lead designer, Jonathan Ive, according to an announcement. Ive -- who is technically the senior VP of Industrial Design at the company -- has received a Personal Achievement Award, given in recognition for his design not only of the iPhone hardware but aspects of the touch-based user interface. The combination has "redefined the mobile phone as we know it," the MDA comments.

Linux-based OpenMoko touch phone ships

07/02, 11:05am

OpenMoko Ships Friday

OpenMoko today said that it will start selling the Neo FreeRunner to the US on July 4th, marking its first phone release in the country. The touchscreen device is positioned as an unusual competitor to the iPhone whose strength is in its open access: based on a strictly open-source version of Linux, the device includes just the basic software for calling and SMS but is freely modifiable down to its core functions. Users can write or install apps that extend the phone's features without paying royalties.

Safari #3 in browser share, #2 in security

07/02, 10:45am

Safari share vs. security

Apple's Safari web browser remains in third place in terms of adoption, a new study reveals. According to results from the middle of June, Safari usage accounts for approximately 3.4 percent of the market, at 48 million daily users. Mozilla's Firefox is in second place with 227 million users (16.1 percent), while Microsoft's Internet Explorer is by far dominant, with 1.1 billion users (78.3 percent). The only major browser below Safari is Opera, which has 11 million users, or just 0.8 percent.

Motorola preps RAZR2 V9x with GPS

07/02, 10:35am

Moto RAZR2 V9x Leak

Motorola is developing a new version of the RAZR2 with AT&T's navigation services in mind, says Engadget. Called the RAZR2 V9x, the phone would add the assisted GPS mapping of the Z9 slider to be used with the TeleNav-run AT&T Navigator service. In a unique change, however, the GPS functions would work even through the RAZR2's external screen and supply directions (though not controls) without having to flip open the handset.

SentrySafe offers fire-, water-proof 250GB hard drive

07/02, 10:30am

SentrySafe 250GB HD

SentrySafe has announced a 250GB version of its Fire-Safe Waterproof Hard Drive series. It is encased in a SentrySafe Fire-Safe Waterproof enclosure which protects data from fire and water. The drive is third-party ETL-verified for fire protection for 30 minutes up to 1550 degrees Fahrenheit and ETL-verified waterproof (fully submersible in water for up to 24 hours). The USB 2.0 drive is available now for $400 and works with Mac OS X 10.4.7 and higher.

O2 details iPhone launch; Rogers lists high ECF fee

07/02, 9:25am

O2, Rogers iPhone details

O2 UK stores will begin selling the iPhone 3G at 7AM on July 11th, the company has announced. The timing is even earlier than that of AT&T in the United States, which has announced that its doors will open at 8AM on the 11th, an hour before normal operations. The move is rumored to be necessary due to Apple's mandatory in-store activation policy, which may require several minutes per phone and could result in extended launch line-ups.

iPhone most sought-out smartphone in Japan

07/02, 9:25am

iPhone Sought in Japan

Japanese cellphone users are most eager to have the iPhone 3G over any other smartphone in or coming to the market, according to a new study by iShare. The research group says that 57.9 percent of all those responding to a survey said they most wanted the Apple device, which placed well ahead of others despite the study method allowing multiple answers. Second place belonged to the Japan-made Willcom D4 UMPC and phone crossover at 35.8 percent, while the more conventional Willcom 03 was third at 33.1 percent.

Macessity releases SlimKey V2 display stand

07/02, 9:05am

SLimKey V2 stand released

Macessity on Wednesday announced SlimKey V2, a new display stand with an integrated powered USB 2.0 Hub. Designed to match Apple's Cinema Display, the SlimKey sports an 'Apple centric' powder coated aluminum finish. Macessity says the stand can support up to 35 pounds, has an easily accessible 4-port side access USB 2.0 hub, and a recessed storage space suitable for Apple's new 'slim' keyboard. Shipping with a compact power adaptor and USB 2.0 cable included, the SlimKey V2 is priced at $65 and available to pre-order now.

Microsoft to make joint bid for Yahoo?

07/02, 8:45am

MS Joint Yahoo Bid Rumor

Microsoft is actively exploring bringing other companies into a deal that would dismantle Yahoo as it's known today, says the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper cites anonymous sources aware of discussions who say Microsoft is still interested in buying just Yahoo's search business but has asked both News Corp. and Time Warner about merging what would be left of Yahoo into one of their respective properties, such as MySpace or AOL. A meeting between Microsoft and Yahoo was scheduled for Monday but canceled because Microsoft has so far been unsuccessful in lining up a partner, according to the report.

Apple ordering 50m flash chips for iPhone?

07/02, 7:45am

iPhone Crowds out Samsung

Apple is crowding out other orders for flash memory at Samsung through orders connected to the iPhone, according to reports from some of Samsung's smaller customers. The American company has allegedly ordered 50 million of Samsung's eight gigabit (one gigabyte) chips that are primarily intended for the iPhone 3G and is putting enough pressure on Samsung's supply that the Korean firm is informing smaller firms that their own orders are being reduced to keep Apple in healthy supply.

eMachines revamps desktops for back-to-school

07/02, 7:15am

eMachines July 2008

Gateway's budget label eMachines today served up three new desktops that it says ought to appeal to students heading back to school in two months' time. The W3653 is the most complete system of the group with the company's 17-inch, 1440x900 bundled with the tower; the system also packs a relatively new 1.6GHz Celeron Dual-Core processor, 1GB of memory, and Vista Home Premium stored on a 320GB hard drive. The system sells for $500 at retail shops.

OneTouch Ping: Glucose management in OS X

07/02, 6:40am

OS X Glucose management

Animas Corporation this week announced that it has been granted FDA clearance for the OneTouch Ping, a fully Mac OS X compatible glucose management system. With a full-feature insulin pump that wirelessly communicates with a blood glucose meter, the system is run under OS X by Animas's 'ezManager MAX' software. Enabling users to calculate insulin doses and remotely instruct the pump to administer them, the OneTouch Ping gives patients increased and flexibility in their medication management.

Total Guitar & Bass Gear Bundle unleashed

07/02, 5:50am

Total Guitar Bundle

IK Multimedia has launched the Total Guitar & Bass Gear Bundle, featuring a collection of 5 analog-modeled Amp and FX plug-ins. Aimed at both studio and live use, the package includes Amplitube 2, Ampeg SVX, Amplitube Jimi Hendrix, Amplitube Metal and Amplitube X-GEAR. All plug-ins conform to AU, VST and RTAS standards. The complete bundle translates to over 150 'ultra realistic' gear models, 51 stomp boxes, 26 Preamp models, 11 Power amps, 11 mics, 33 cabinets and 23 rack effects.

Apple, Dell, others sued over tech patents [u]

07/02, 3:45am

Apple, Dell sued in Texas

Apple, along with Acer, Dell and Hewlett-Packard, are faced with a new patent violation suit in the "plaintiff-friendly" Eastern District of Texas, a new report says. The suit is being brought by Saxon Innovations (site under construction), an intellectual property licensing company. Saxon claims that the defendants violated its "Wireless Communications Privacy Method and System" patent, number 5,592,555; patent 5,502,689, relating to a "clock generation capable of shutdown mode;" and patents 5,530,597 and 5,235,635, connected to "processor interrupt masks" and "keypad activity based activation."

Microsoft ships Remote Desktop Client v2.0

07/02, 1:25am

Microsoft Remote Client 2

Microsoft recently unveiled Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2, a major update to its Windows PC VNC connection software, allowing users to access an unlimited number of clients. Microsoft gave RDCC a visual overhaul, offering users a more familiar interface, and also included access to print servers from both Intel and PowerPC-based Macs. Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2 is available from Microsoft's website for no charge.

T-Mobile adds Netherlands iPhone 3G plans

07/02, 1:00am

T-Mobile 3G iPhone plans

T-Mobile clarified its 3G iPhone offerings for the Netherlands, which were previously hinted at on the company's website, offering unlimited data plans starting at €30 (~$50). The plans start at a basic 150 minute/SMS plan, with the next at 300 and 500 minutes/SMS messages, and offer varying discounts on the actual device itself. From lowest tier to highest, the 8GB and 16GB iPhones are priced at €80 (~$130)/€160 (~$250), €1 (~$2)/€80 (~$130), and €1 (~$2)/€20 (~$30), offered under a two-year contract.