Apple News and Rumors

Filed under: Miscellaneous — Buddy Toups @ 10:16 am

News Feeds with the latest rumors and news related to Apple Computer, Inc.

Headlines from Mac Rumors

‘Official’ MMS May Arrive for iPhone
MacWorld Sweden caught the attention of iPhone users when they reported that Swedish carrier Telia is planning on bringing Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) to their iPhone users. MMS is a feature that has been long requested by iPhone users and wo…
Nehalem EP (Xeon) Processors ‘Ridiculously fast’
TechRadar.com reports on some preliminary benchmarks on Intel’s upcoming Nehalem EP chips which they say will be sold as the Xeon X5560 CPUs in the 1st quarter of 2009. Apple has traditionally used the Xeon processors for the Mac Pro line.
…
iPhone Vulnerability, Fix Coming on November 21st in Firmware 2.2?
German publication Spiegel.de reports an newly announced iPhone vulnerability that can force a (potentially expensive) phone call to be made simply by visiting a webpage in Safari. The vulnerability was to be announced in ComputerBild on Monday bu…
IBM to Acquire Transitive
Earlier this week, IBM announced its plans to buy Transitive, a small cross-platform virtualization company.

MacRumors readers will remember the company for providing the technology behind Rosetta, Apple’s PowerPC emulator for Mac OS…
Apple Releases Apple TV 2.3 Software Update
Apple has released a new update for the Apple TV tonight. Apple TV owners can download the new updates by accessing the “Update Software” menu option in their Apple TV’s settings.

Apple lists the new features and fixes found in 2.3:<...
Apple Negotiating More DRM-Free Music for iTunes
CNet confirms some earlier rumors that Apple is in ongoing negotiations with the major music studios to offer more DRM (copy protection) free music in iTunes. Earlier rumors had suggested that Sony BMG had already agreed but CNet was unable to confi…
OpenCL Specification Completed in Record Time for Snow Leopard
Macworld reports from the SuperComputing 08 conference which is taking place in Austin, Texas this week. The Khronos group was present to celebrate the launch of the upcoming OpenCL specification which Apple is planning to implement in Mac OS X 10….
Apple Waiting on Quad-Core Desktop CPUs for January?
DigiTimes reports that Apple is amongst the vendors who are awaiting the release of three new low-power desktop CPUs due in January from Intel.
Intel will launch the Core 2 Quad Q8200s (2.33GHz/4MB L2), Core 2 Quad Q9400s (2.66GHz/6MB…
Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6) Due in 1st Quarter of 2009?
Apple’s Director of Engineering of Unix Technologies Jordan Hubbard spoke at LISA ‘08 last week. LISA (or Large Installation System Administration Conference) is a technical conference targeted at engineers and system administrators. This year’s c…

Headlines from Apple/Macintosh on Yahoo

Verizon Wireless bets on Storm for holiday season
(Reuters)

Reuters - Verizon Wireless is betting on the new BlackBerry Storm for the all-important holiday season, hoping the highly anticipated smartphone can compete against the iPhone offered by rival wireless provider AT&T Inc.
Review: New BlackBerrys cool but can’t beat iPhone
(AP)

AP - With the recent releases of three new BlackBerrys across three different wireless providers, Research In Motion Ltd. has fired back at Apple Inc. in the Great Smart Phone Skirmish of 2008.
Verizon finally has its answer to the iPhone
(CNET)

CNET - Verizon Wireless may have found its iPhone killer.
`Fake Steve Jobs’ stops blogging as the ‘Real Dan’
(AP)

AP - It was bad enough when Dan Lyons stopped sharing his musings about the technology scene in a hilarious satire of what Apple Inc. founder Steve Jobs would be like as a blogger.
After iPhone, consumers seek handsome gadgets
(Reuters)

Reuters - Fed up with ugly routers and clunky hard drives, a growing number of consumers are looking for well-designed gadgets that complement decor instead of cluttering desktops and clashing with furniture.
Japan’s DoCoMo eyes ‘Google phone’ launch next year
(AFP)

AFP - Japan’s top carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. aims to launch next year a cellphone developed with Internet search giant Google, an official said Wednesday, a move that could counter Apple’s iconic iPhone.
iPhone sex: Google application baffled by British accents
(AFP)

AFP - A new voice-recognition search tool for the iPhone has problems understanding British accents, leading to some bizarre answers to spoken queries, a newspaper report and users said Wednesday.
Google’s Voice-Search App for iPhone Needs Refining
(NewsFactor)

NewsFactor - The much-anticipated Google voice-search application for Apple’s iPhone, which was trumpeted to be available for download on Friday, has arrived on Apple’s App Store a bit later than expected. A reviewer says the application is okay, but needs some fine-tuning.
Hands On: Google’s Voice Search App for iPhone
(PC Magazine)

PC Magazine - Google’s Mobile App with Voice Search was pushed several days to hammer out some last minute kinks, but most problems seemed to have been smoothed out when AppScout took it for a test drive Tuesday.

Headlines from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Flickr Find: Close, but not quite
Filed under: Humor, Flickr Find

For your evening amusement (and nothing more), Flickr user elbewerk has found a creative way to try and convince people that, no, he’s not actually using a PC.

Persuasive? Perhaps not. But at least it’s marginally more honest about being a PC compared to, say, an MSI Wind.

[Via Digg.]

TUAW Flickr Find: Close, but not quite originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This just in: Santa Claus has his own iPhone app
Filed under: Humor, Software, iPhone, Holidays, App Store, iPod touch

Santa Claus has decided that he’d like all good little boys and girls to check in on what he’s doing at the North Pole, so he’s set up a special webcam network at his workshops. The webcams can only be viewed through a special iPhone app called SantaLive 2008. Starting on Thanksgiving Day and for 30 days after, you can get a daily update on your iPhone or iPod touch as Santa trains his elves to make toys, feeds Rudolph and the other reindeer, and prepares for worldwide toy deliveries during the evening of December 24th - 25th.

On Christmas Eve, he’ll be providing a special report. Santa’s cyber-helpers warn that the Christmas Eve report might take a while to download.

In an exclusive interview, Santa told TUAW that he’s not much of an iPhone developer, so he had to outsource this work to The Casual Game Network to set up the webcams and make the system work. Since he has to pay these subcontractors, he’s charging US$1.99 for SantaLive 2008 (click opens iTunes) through November 30th, after which time he’s going to charge $2 more.

We’ll be talking to the Easter Bunny’s press manager soon to see if he’s going to follow up with his own app.

Update: Comments suggest that the developer of SantaLive may have offered a cash bounty for five-star reviews on the App Store. While the Amazon bounty page is now offline, we have to say that if this was an actual strategy for harvesting positive feedback… well, someone’s getting a lump of coal in his stocking.

TUAW This just in: Santa Claus has his own iPhone app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Snaptell Explorer retrives product listings from the iPhone’s camera
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Cool tools, Odds and ends, Freeware, iPhone

Oh man — finally, we’re getting an app that fulfills the promise of the iPhone. Ever since we knew the iPhone would have a camera and an internet connection, we’ve been waiting for SnapTell Explorer, and now it’s here and free. Download and install it on the iPhone, and then snap a picture of any book, CD, movie, or videogame, and bingo, you’ve got links to listings for it (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Wikipedia, Google, etc.) around the Internet. I have no idea how it works (some type of picture comparison script hooked up to a database, surely, though it’s amazing that it works that well with just the iPhone’s camera), but that’s fine, because it makes it all the more indistinguishable from magic.

The main drawback is that it takes a bit to search their database — while wifi or 3G are much faster (obviously), Edge will have you waiting a few minutes for a find. And at this point, all they have are links to pages — it would be nice to see a price comparison right away and/or a quick rating (to see instantly what people think of a movie if you happen to be standing in a video store making your choice). Finally, it would be nice to see this extended to all sorts of items — I tried scanning a few groceries that I might be price shopping, but for now it’s just books, movies, and music.

But otherwise, it’s awesome — even in low light/bad light situations, as long as you can get a recognizable picture of the case, it works. This is exactly the kind of thing the iPhone is made for, very cool to finally see it in action.

[via Waxy]
TUAW Snaptell Explorer retrives product listings from the iPhone’s camera originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 101: Protect your device with a passcode
Filed under: iPhone, iPhone 101, iPod touch

Are you worried that your iPhone or its data might get stolen? If you are, then this post is for you! Let’s take a look at the iPhone’s security options, starting in Settings > General > Passcode Lock.

If this is your first time visiting the Passcode Lock settings, then you will be prompted to create a 4-digit passcode — this can be anything, just make it memorable. Once you’ve entered and confirmed your passcode, you will see a couple options. The first two buttons let you turn the passcode lock off, or change your passcode.

The next option, called “Require Passcode,” allows you to set the interval between which your iPhone will require you to enter your passcode. For instance, if you set this interval for 5 minutes and you “sleep” your iPhone, you will be able to wake it and start using it again (without entering your passcode) for up-to five minutes after you put it to sleep. After the 5-minute time period has passed, your iPhone will require the passcode upon waking.

You also have the ability to turn SMS Preview on/off. By showing the SMS preview, the sender’s name (or number) and a few lines of the message will be displayed. If you have this option turned off, you will only see the generic “1 New Text Message” on the wake screen.

For more protection, enable the “Erase Data” option. This erases all data from the device if someone tries to enter the wrong passcode more than 10 times.

With the passcode lock turned on, you have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your device, and data is safe. When you wake your iPhone by sliding a finger to unlock it, you will be presented with a number pad to enter your 4-digit code on. Upon successfully entering your code, the home screen will be displayed. Note that this works for the iPod touch as well.

Gallery: iPhone 101: Protect your device with a passcode

Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW’s iPhone 101 section today!
TUAW iPhone 101: Protect your device with a passcode originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mac 101: Make any text speak to you
Filed under: Mac 101

Have you ever wished your Mac could read a long text document to you? Well, with the speech service, you can easily have your Mac read as much or as little text as you want.

While in Safari, TextEdit, Pages, and other applications; select the text you want to be read, then click the application name in the menu bar. Go to Services > Speech > Start Speaking Text. Your Mac will then use the default voice to read the text. It will continue reading until it reaches the end of the selected text, or you can select Services > Speech > Stop Speaking to end it immediately.

You can change the default voice by opening System Preferences (Apple menu > System Preferences) and going to Speech > Text to Speech. Once there, select a voice from the drop-down “System Voice” menu.

Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW’s Mac 101 section!
TUAW Mac 101: Make any text speak to you originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iconfactory debuts Frenzic for iPhone
Filed under: Gaming, iPhone

Iconfactory and ARTIS Software have released Frenzic for iPhone, a fast-paced puzzle game that matches the piece and color combination skills of Bejeweled with a series of pie-shaped game boards.

The game is an ideal timewaster — my favorite kind of game — perfect for waiting in line or on the subway.

Frenzic starts off easy enough: you’re presented with a colored pie slice, and you must move it from the center of the game board to one of six other pies. Simply complete each pie with six pieces of any color, though matching colors wins extra points and bonuses. A video showing how the game is played is available here.

As you progress, the time you have available to park the current pie slice decreases. Gameplay gets challenging when you are given a piece for a position you already have six of: then you lose a life.

Continue reading Iconfactory debuts Frenzic for iPhone

TUAW Iconfactory debuts Frenzic for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Look: FlightTrack real-time flight tracker
Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, First Look

Have you ever had one of those “damn, I wish I had waited a couple of weeks” moments? They usually happen when you buy an iPhone app you’re not really thrilled about, but it’s the only one of its type. About two weeks later, you’re slapping your forehead when the app you really wanted ships.

It happened to me this month. When I travel, I like to make sure my flights are on time, so I like to use FlightView’s Flight Tracker. About two weeks ago I purchased another flight status app, and I’ve been underwhelmed with it ever since.

Now Mac and iPhone Developer Ben Kazez has created FlightTrack, a real-time flight tracker for iPhone and iPod touch. The US$4.99 FlightTrack app (click opens iTunes) uses the same great FlightView data and maps, so it looks and works a lot like the online tracker.

Not only do you get the cool real-time location of each flight, but weather is overlaid on the maps (see screenshot at right). You can track multiple flights, look at details, and search by a number of criteria.

Thanks, Ben. Now I have to spend another $4.99 to replace that other app I’m using….
TUAW First Look: FlightTrack real-time flight tracker originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Creator of Flick Fishing interviewed
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Odds and ends, Freeware, iPhone

Freeverse’s Flick Fishing, which we took a look at last week, has shot to the top of the charts in the App Store, and OSX Reality sent us a note about an interview with the game’s designer, Aaron Fothergill. His brother Adam put together the graphics and sound, and Aaron did the actual coding and design. Aaron says it’s a tough racket putting iPhone games together — you’ve got to balance quality (especially production values, something that we could probably use way more of on the App Store) with time and cost. Since iPhone games sell cheap, it’s not an easy job making sure you don’t go overboard investing way more than you’ll get back on return. But of course, if you put in too little time and charge too much, users will call you out for selling high-priced junk.

He also talks about Mac gaming in general, and immersion on the iPhone specifically — casual games are doing well on the App Store, and some developers are saying that you just can’t make an extremely immersive game on a platform where people are constantly being called, texting, and on the move. I have to agree with Aaron — it’s not that you can’t be immersive, it’s that you have to do it the right way. There’s nothing wrong with short bursts of gameplay, but you have to realize from the beginning that that’s what your users will be doing.

And finally, he gives out some information about a Flick Fishing update that’s incoming: the recently released 1.1 patch consisted of bug fixes, but the upcoming 1.2 update will add some new features, maybe even 8 player networked play.
TUAW Creator of Flick Fishing interviewed originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW Review: Geocaching iPhone app
Filed under: Software, Reviews, iPhone, App Store

I first mentioned this app at the end of September when word leaked out that GroundSpeak, the keepers of the Geocaching.com Web site, was working on an iPhone app.

If you’re not familiar with the hobby/sport/addiction that is geocaching, the concept is very simple — people go out and hide caches in the great outdoors, use a GPS receiver to find the coordinates of the hide, then post the cache on the Geocaching.com Web site. Cachers go to the Web site, search for caches that are near their present location, and then use their GPS receivers to find the approximate location of the cache. Once they’re done bushwhacking and find the cache, they sign the logbook, take and place trade items, and then log the find on the Web site.

A week after I acquired my iPhone 3G, I wrote a post talking about how to use the built-in GPS receiver and Mobile Safari to “do” geocaching. While the method works well, I was waiting and hoping for a much better way to geocache with the iPhone 3G. With the recent release of Geocaching for iPhone, it’s time to see if that better way is finally here. Read on for more details!
Continue reading TUAW Review: Geocaching iPhone app

TUAW TUAW Review: Geocaching iPhone app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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