News Archive for 08/09/08

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Ohio, Australia getting new Apple Stores

09/08, 11:45pm

Fifth Ohio Apple store

While still shy of its anticipated 242 retail locations, Apple will open a fifth Ohio store on Saturday, while Melbourne will see the third Australian store. In Ohio, the Crocker Park location will open its doors at 10am, bringing a nearly two year long construction to an end, according to ifoAppleStore. Little was known about the location until it recently was adorned with typical Apple Store architecture. For months at a time, the former construction site saw little to no activity.

AT&T moves to Yahoo search for phones, iPhone exempt

09/08, 10:45pm

ATT moves to Yahoo search

AT&T announced it will be using Yahoo oneSearch as the default search engine on the majority of its cell phones, excluding the iPhone, according to InformationWeek. With the rapid growth of mobile internet, both search engine giants have been working to lock into exclusive contracts with wireless companies. Google holds a strong position with 61 percent of the mobile browser share compared to Yahoo's 18 percent.

iMarkMySpot creates geo-tags using iPhone GPS

09/08, 10:15pm

iPhone geo-tag support

iCloseBy.com has released iMarkMySpot, a geo-tagging iPhone app that marks location information for tagging photos taken with a digital camera. The app uses the GPS functions of the iPhone to record precise location data, and can email the information in GPX format, for quick combination with photos once they are uploaded to a computer. The time stamps from the geo-tags can be merged with the digital camera's time stamps (using third party photo management software), allowing the proper geocodes to be tagged to the images.

CurbTalker arrives for Mac, tracks, transfers calls

09/08, 9:30pm

CurbTalker tracks calls

Parliant Corporation launched CurbTalker, a Mac-based audio listing-service for real estate brokers. The software answers calls from potential buyers, transferring the calls to a realtor's cell phone or taking messages. Using different phone number extensions for each listing's various ads, CurbTalker can track which ads deliver the most leads. It creates per-property and full brokerage reports from the gathered data.

eWallet 6.1.2 adds full sync with PC

09/08, 9:15pm

eWallet upgrade with sync

Ilium Software has released the latest version of its secure information management software, eWallet 6.1.2 for iPhone. Users can now synchronize their data between a mobile device and PC using WiFi. Personal information including bank accounts, passwords, PIN numbers, calling cards, etc., is organized and saved for future reference. For added protection, data is stored using 256-bit AES encryption.

Spring Cleaning 10 adds photo, movie finders, more

09/08, 8:50pm

Spring Cleaning updated

Smith Micro Software has launched Spring Cleaning 10.0 for the Mac, with faster performance and over 50 tools for cutting file clutter and managing content. Spring Cleaning uses a one-window interface to track a Mac's contents, aiding users in organizing and archiving files and scripting common tasks.

Apple Geniuses are happier, paid more than Geek Squad

09/08, 8:10pm

Mac Geniuses vs Geek Squad

Apple Mac Geniuses are paid more and show slightly higher job satisfaction than Best Buy's Geek Squad Agents, according to a Glassdoor blog. The report compared information submitted by actual employees from both computer support groups. The dress code is vastly different between them, with Geniuses dressed casually in jeans, Apple t-shirts, and sneakers compared with the Squad's monochrome outfit including shiny shoes and a clip on tie.

Drive-in allows licensed ripping of DVDs

09/08, 7:45pm

Drive in app stores DVDs

Telestream has unveiled a new Mac application, Drive-in, that allows images of DVDs to be stored on a computer. The movies can be played from the computer hard drive, retaining all of the original special features and menus. Users can browse or search through titles, actor names, movie descriptions, and cover art. Depending on personal preference for the user interface, Drive-in can be played through Apple's DVD Player or Front Row.

XChange announces Xtags, DataFormXT for Quark 8

09/08, 6:45pm

Quark 8's new extensions

XChange International has launched two XTensions for QuarkXPress 8, Xtags and DATAformXT. Both are now available for QuarkXPress 8 and also as plug-ins to Adobe InDesign.

DMG Architect v1.5 adds AppleScript support, more

09/08, 6:20pm

DMG Architect scriptable

Sourcebits has released DMG Architect 1.5, upgrading the DMG package making software with AppleScript support. AppleScript in DMG Architect allows the software to automate production of DMG packages. The v1.5 update also adds grid functionality for precise control over objects within the DMG container and new templates and bugfixes.

Pinnacle brings HDTV to computers with USB tuners

09/08, 6:00pm

Pinnacle USB HDTV tuners

Pinnacle Systems on Monday introduced its PCTV HD mini Stick and Pinnacle TV for Mac HD mini Stick which act as HDTV tuners for PCs and Macs, respectively. Pinnacle claims its USB-powered products are the smallest on the market to offer high reception sensitivity thanks to their integrated signal booster technology. Each includes a remote control and telescopic TV antenna that picks up digital over-the-air TV (ATSC) and unencrypted digital cable TV (ClearQAM) for SDTV and HDTV signals with maximum resolutions of 1080i.

Report: 2nd half '08 PC unit growth slow

09/08, 5:40pm

2nd half 08 PC unit growth

Several market indicators suggest the market growth for PCs is slowing down for the second half of this year, according to a UBS Equity Research Report. Several companies have been lowering their third quarter forecasts for unit growth. Compal, original design manufacturer for companies including Dell and HP, has reduced its expectations five percent due to slowing US and Europe sales.

Dual-core Atom set to launch in T7-HSG home server?

09/08, 5:40pm

Dual-core Atom shipping?

The dual-core Atom CPU from Intel will make its debut in a special edition of system builder Tranquil PC's T7 Home Server, the T7-HSG, easily identifiable by its blue body. Another product from the company, a media center PC, will also use the 1.6GHz Z330 chip, though detailed specs, prices and release information on this system was not revealed. The 64-bit CPU will be paired with a Gigabit LAN port in both the T7-HSG and the media center PC.

MS confirms Zune Wi-Fi buying, new hardware [U]

09/08, 5:15pm

MS Confirmes New Zunes

(Updated with official shots, details) Microsoft today confirmed the recently leaked third-generation Zune details that appeared over the weekend as well as filling in new details of its own. The new hardware will be the first from Microsoft to support over-the-air downloads to the Zune, allows tagging songs on FM radio to buy them later, and supports dynamic, themed Channels that can be updated equally wirelessly.

T-Mobile to offer Android G1 in UK this November?

09/08, 4:50pm

T-Mobile set to launch G1

The much-anticipated open source Google operating system for cellphones that is thus far known as Android will make its debut in the UK as early as November, says a Sunday report. Set for battle with Apple’s highly successful iPhone, the OS will operate the T-Mobile G1 handset, offered exclusively by T-Mobile in the UK. Stateside, the phone is expected to hit the market during a similar time period.

ION launches cases for iPhone 3G, MacBook Air

09/08, 4:50pm

iPhone, MacBook Air cases

ION has announced two new cases, the CarbonFiber Leather Shell for iPhone 3G and the Iridium-Air Shell for the MacBook Air. The iPhone case combines the strength and lightness of carbon fiber with a leather exterior. It is claimed to provide around-the-body protection while leaving ports exposed, and is now shipping in black, white or gray colors, costing $80.

T-Mobile USA announces take-over of SunCom markets

09/08, 4:50pm

T-Mobile replaces SunCom

Wireless network provider T-Mobile announced on Monday it will launch its stores and provide service in the markets formerly occupied by SunCom, as well as effectively taking over SunCom‘s client base. These markets include North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Puerto Rico as well as the US Virgin Islands. T-Mobile’s acquisition of SunCom Wireless, first announced in September of 2007, was completed in February of 2008 for a sum of $2.4 billion in cash and assumed debt.

Sony intros three sound systems with built-in HDDs

09/08, 4:30pm

Sony intros mini systems

Sony on Monday announced it will soon begin shipping three new mini sound systems, two of which are network capable and all of which feature built-in drives. The NAS-M500HD and NAS-M700HD sport 160GB hard drives and a 4.3-inch LCD display, while the CMT-E300HD has an 80GB drive and makes do with an 8-color monochrome LCD screen. In addition, the two NAS systems will connect to users’ existing home networks via their Ethernet jacks. All will be capable of ripping music CDs and storing the contents on their built-in drives, though the NAS drives can do it at 16x speeds versus just 4x for the CMT-E300HD.

Studiometry 6.0 optimizes, expands features

09/08, 4:30pm

Studiometry 6.0 ships

Oranged Software has published Studiometry 6.0, the latest version of its client and project management software. Version 6 adds features such as a new SQL database for storing program data, multi-project GANTT charts, and debt/credit modes. Along with this the company has gone back and optimized old features: the software now launches faster, and all changes are saved instantly. Filesizes have meanwhile been reduced, and the software also closes faster than in previous versions.

Rhino for Mac a year off, StreamCAD ships Mac beta

09/08, 4:10pm

Architosh CAD reports

Rhino – a 3D CAD development tool – for Mac sits at least a year away and a new CAD application, StreamCAD is now available as a beta for Mac users. Architosh reports that Robert McNeel of Robert McNeel & Associates has given a time frame of over a year on Rhino for Mac project, saying "It is a huge project. It will be at least a year away before we have a released version." McNeel said progress on the project was good. A Mac beta is available for users who need to work with Rhino now.

iLovePhotos utilizes facial detection to sort photos

09/08, 4:00pm

iLovePhotos reaches beta

Blue Lava has announced a new photo organizing app that relies on facial recognition technology. As users import pictures, iLovePhotos automatically detects the faces of the individuals in each picture; this allows users to then filter their library to show only photos of specific people. As users tag subjects, the app also begins to pull information from Address Book, relying on this to set up automatic sharing feeds. Photos can thus be set to upload automatically, and trigger e-mail notices with links.

Resellers forced to remove Apple keywords from ads

09/08, 3:50pm

Google AdWord restrictions

Australian Apple resellers are fearing that online sales leads are going to begin to vanish as Apple-related advertisements from Google's AdWords service have disappeared. According to reports, Apple is working to strengthen its own retail presence in Australia and in turn clamping down on other companies utilizing its trademarks.

Sept. 9th event could hold 'wildcards'

09/08, 3:35pm

Wildcards on Sept. 9th?

Some unexpected factors could play into tomorrow's scheduled iPod event, argues Piper Jaffray. The research firm suggests for instance that it is unclear if Apple CEO Steve Jobs will be presenting, even though he usually does so; such speculation is based on ongoing rumors of ill health, originally sparked by a gaunt appearance at June's WWDC meeting. Piper says it is "confident" that Jobs will appear, however, in a move that could reassure nervous investors.

Sony to update Reader next month?

09/08, 3:35pm

Sony Reader Update Teaser

Sony today dropped hints of a significant update to its Reader e-book device through an invite sent to CNET and other technology news outlets. The teaser is unspecific on details but alludes to a "new chapter" in digital reading and makes the current Reader the centerpiece of the accompanying image. The announcement would come in the evening of October 2nd and so suggests more than just a straightforward feature addition.

Spore for iPhone appears after brief delay

09/08, 3:20pm

Spore iPhone goes live

After a brief delay from the iTunes App Store, Spore is now available. EA Mobile had been hoping the iPhone version of its life simulation game would be available Sunday at the iTunes App Store, but was unfortunately delayed. Developer Mike Bagano told MacNN last week that he was confident the launch would happen on time -- but it appeared slightly late, arriving Monday afternoon.

HP one-ups Dell, others with 24h battery

09/08, 2:55pm

HP 24h Battery Claim

HP today heated up competition against Dell by announcing a special trim level of the EliteBook 6930p that it believes sets a new record in battery life. Through new firmware and graphics drivers, an Ultra Capacity battery pack, an LED-backlit display and Intel's just-launched 80GB SSD, the 14-inch notebook can last for as much as 24 hours on one charge. The figure if accurate would beat Dell's claimed 19-hour record and would be enough to last an entire Newark-to-Singapore flight with extra power left.

Sony ships VAIO dock with USB video

09/08, 2:20pm

Sony VAIO USB Dock Station

Sony uncharacteristically chose Monday to slip word that it has started shipping the VAIO USB Docking Station, the company's first notebook dock with USB video support. The brick-shaped adapter borrows DisplayLink's technology to give certain VAIO notebooks support for an external DVI or VGA display up to 1600x1200 without using a second cable just for video or for those who already have a second display.

Windows Home Server to get Time Machine UI?

09/08, 2:00pm

Windows Home Server

Microsoft's next Windows Home Server may share some design cues from Mac OS X, a job posting by the company reveals. The firm is searching for a software engineer that would design a "slick" user interface for the networked media storage hub, with examples of the intended changes coming from other software. The device will ideally have a visual restore tool similar to Mac OS X Leopard's Time Machine; it should also integrate tightly with Microsoft's own Windows Media Center and Live Mesh interfaces.

BdPricer trackes prices for shoppers via iPhone

09/08, 1:30pm

iPhone price-tracking app

Bad Dog Apps has launched BdPricer for the iPhone and iPod touch. The shopping companion app tracks item prices live or with data from saved searches, and uses a directory of 15 major product categories containing over 3,000 items. The app is intended for checking prices before shopping, or alternately negotiating a better deal; listings also contain features and reviews, plus the option to buy goods online.

Musinaut intros editable MXP4 audio format

09/08, 1:20pm

Musinaut MXP4 audio format

Paris-based Musinaut on Monday introduced its MXP4 (Multiplied Experience Platform in 4D) product suite which is made up of the MXP4Creator and MXP4Player. The former is designed to allow artists to add to, edit or transform their original tracks to enhance them, while the latter is made to let listeners enjoy these new creations. The new MXP4 file is a single download, and contains the original song and variations the user created, called skins, that can include acoustic or dub versions of a track, or other information including lyrics, album release dates as well as a commentary.

QNAP announces QGet utility for Mac, Turbo NAS

09/08, 1:05pm

Download Station enhanced

QNAP has announced its QGet Utillity for Mac users. QGet offers enhancements to QNAP's Turbo NAS Download Station; the Download Station supports BitTorrent, FTP and HTTP downloading, and QGet allows Mac users to access and remotely manage tasks on QNAP NAS servers, over LAN connections or the Internet. QGet for Mac 1.0.0 works with Mac OS X 10.4 and above, and requires the QNAP Pro Turbo NAS TS-509.

Second OLPC sale scheduled for November 17th

09/08, 12:55pm

OLPC Give 1 Get 1 program

A second run of the One Laptop Per Child project's Give 1 Get 1 program will begin on November 17th, writes Laptop Magazine. The founder of OLPC, Nicholas Negroponte, has announced that beginning on that date, shoppers at Amazon.com will be able to pick up an XO notebook of their own for $399, with a second system being sent to one of the poor countries it was designed for. The first 100,000 to 150,000 people to buy an XO will get theirs immediately, claims Negroponte.

ASUS intros touch phone with "glide" UI

09/08, 12:15pm

ASUS intros smartphone

ASUS on Friday announced it will soon release its first handset, the P552w smartphone, or what the company calls a PDA phone. While closely resembling the HTC Touch with a pseudo-3D touchscreen user interface that also looks very close to HTC’s TouchFLO -- nicknamed "Glide" by ASUS -- the ASUS smartphone features a faster 624MHz processor versus the HTC’s 201MHz CPU. ASUS also equipped its phone with 3.5G HSDPA data access, a GPS receiver that works with Google Maps in some countries outside of North America, and an 802.11b/g Wi-Fi module.

DiscCloud turns PCs into virtualization servers

09/08, 12:10pm

DiscCloud for Leopard

DiscCloud has announced the release of its namesake Virtual Appliance app, a virtualization platform for Mac clients. The software runs through VMware, and allows PCs to function as desktop servers for Leopard clients. The client speciifically runs as a virtual machine on VMware Server and ESX-class products, allowing it to support numerous PC variants.

Intel ships, prices first solid-state drives

09/08, 11:45am

Intel Ships SSDs

Intel has quietly begun shipping its first company-designed solid-state drives. The Mainstream SSDs are aimed at more affordable notebooks and ultraportables and trade some of the data write speed of the Extreme drives in exchange for a lower cost. The final versions of the Mainstream drives write at a still-fast 70MB per second comparable to desktop hard drives but read at a far faster 250MB per second with just 85 microseconds of latency; Intel claims this speeds up an outfitted computer's loading speed by as much as nine times in boot times as well as some general use.

Apple, AT&T attacked in third lawsuit over iPhone 3G

09/08, 11:35am

Third iPhone 3G lawsuit

A third lawsuit has been filed over problems with the iPhone 3G, documents indicate. Eulardi Tanseco has named both Apple and AT&T as defendants in a case brought to the US District Court for New Jersey, charging each of the corporations with violating the state's consumer anti-fraud law, as well as other protections relating to warranty and breach of contract. Apple "wrongfully and unfairly deceived its customers," according to Tanseco's filings, "by advertising and selling the alleged newer and improved iPhone 3G with the express and implied promise that this consumer product was a reliable and efficient mobile phone."

Nokia iPhone rival due Oct 8 with Comes With Music?

09/08, 11:10am

Nokia Tube Oct 8 Rumor

Nokia's first touchscreen phone, the 5800 XpressMusic, could be due in exactly one month, according to a purported leak from a source to JAMP. The apparently UK-based insider claims that the mid-range device will ship to the island country on October 8th and may be joined by additional launches in other countries as well; the source doesn't name any carrier exclusives.

Apple gives credit to originator of media players

09/08, 10:30am

Original iPod creator?

Apple has finally given credit to a British man whose work was the inspiration behind the iPod, claims the Daily Mail. Kane Kramer, 52, is said to have created the technology that powers the digital music player nearly 30 years ago, but not received any royalties. Kramer original designed a device he called the IXI in 1979; though it would only have been capable of storing 3.5 minutes of music on a chip, Kramer was hopeful that capacity would improve over time.

AT&T trails Verizon, others in call quality ranks

09/08, 10:25am

ATT Trails in Call Q Ranks

AT&T has come in last or near-last for call quality in virtually all of the US, according to JD Power's second wave of 2008 call quality rankings. The carrier placed last in four out of six regions and was never able to produce better than a three-out-of-five rating in the results, which measure the number of dropped or failed calls as well as the quality of calls themselves and the responsiveness of the text and voicemail systems. Verizon led the results with the top spot in three of the areas and was followed by Alltel with two wins; both Sprint and US Cellular tied for third with one lead each.

'Let's Rock' banner on display at Yerba Buena Center

09/08, 9:55am

"Let's Rock" banner

Photos of the banner for Apple's upcoming event on September 9th have surfaced. The building-sized banner sports a green background, and a dancing silhouette that has become common to iPod advertising. One detail noticed by iPhone Savior is the iPod in the figure's hand, which is similar in shape to a second-generation Nano, supporting fourth-generation rumors laid out by Kevin Rose, as well as a photo obtained by MacNN.

iPhone, other touch phones aid Q2 smartphone sales

09/08, 9:30am

iPhone aids Q2 smartphones

Some 32.2 million smartphones were sold worldwide in the second quarter of 2008, says the Gartner research group. While this was a 15.7 percent increase over the same quarter a year ago, the poor surrounding economy is said to be hurting the ability to buy such expensive products, whether new or as a replacement. The market was in fact buoyed substantially by the release of Apple's iPhone 3G, along with a slate of other touchscreen devices, all of which should help restore normal growth in Q3. Smartphones continue to account for about 11 percent of total phone sales.

Sony chases Apple with Walkman add-on licenses

09/08, 9:20am

Sony Designed for Walkman

Sony on Monday reversed another one of its longstanding blocks against third-party support with news of a Designed for Walkman program. Similar to Made for iPod, the program finally allows third parties to develop and sell accessories for Walkman players based on Sony's proprietary WM-PORT connector; similar to the program for Apple's Dock Connector, it allows speaker docks and other add-ons that put out audio and video as well as charge the player.

Plastic Logic unveils magazine-like e-book reader

09/08, 8:30am

Plastic Logic e-book

Plastic Logic this morning launched an e-book reader it hopes will tackle the Amazon Kindle and other high-profile readers. The device is one of the few to have a letter-sized, 8.5- by 11-inch display but uses the company's unique plastic screen backing to generate a much thinner and sturdier design than most readers, which need a toughened shell to protect a glass back. This produces a device with the shape of a magazine or small newspaper but the changeability of an e-ink device.

Real preps 'legal' DVD ripping app

09/08, 7:45am

RealDVD

Real early on Monday introduced a potentially controversial app that could affect the legality of media transcoding. RealDVD would be one of the first DVD ripping programs from a major developer but claims to dodge the legal setbacks that have shut down earlier apps: the software preserves Macrovision's CSS encryption and limits sending copies to a maximum of five authorized PCs. The solution would let notebook owners or a whole home play a DVD movie from anywhere, Real claims.