02/09, 1:40pm
Apple has been exploring the idea of a 3D iOS interface that reacts to its surroundings, a newly-published patent application reveals. Called Three Dimensional User Interface Effects on a Display by Using Properties of Motion , the document notes that products like the iPhone have the benefit of numerous different sensors, such as accelerometers, compasses, cameras, and GPS receivers. "However, current systems do not take into account the location and position of the device on which the virtual 3D environment is being rendered," Apple writes. The company also mentions "physical and lighting properties of the user's environment" as factors that could be taken into account for presenting "a more interesting and visually appealing" interface.
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02/08, 9:30am
Pop musician Paul McCartney will host a live, streaming concert through iTunes on February 9th at 7PM Pacific time, according to an announcement. The event is being hosted at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, and is meant to promote Kisses on the Bottom , a new McCartney album released on Tuesday. Backing him live will be Tommy LiPuma, as well as Diana Krall and her band, all of which contributed to the record.
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02/06, 1:10pm
Microsoft is at work on several mobile app versions of its Dynamics CRM platform, a preview ( PDF ) reveals. This includes an app for iOS devices, which will require iOS 5, but have access to native iPad and iPhone interfaces. Other apps are planned for Microsoft's own Windows Phone platform, as well as Android and BlackBerry.
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02/03, 4:05pm
Apple has pushed out an update to iBooks Author , the company's recently-launched publishing tool. The sole change in v1.0.1 is a new end-user agreement, clarifying a controversial portion of the document which initially suggested that any material produced with the software could only be sold through the iBookstore if it was sold at all. "If you charge a fee for any book or other work you generate using this software (a 'Work'), you may only sell or distribute such Work through Apple (e.g., through the iBookstore) and such distribution will be subject to a separate agreement with Apple," one part of the previous EULA read.
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02/02, 8:00pm
A flaw in iTunes Match may inadvertently replace "explicit" tracks with "clean" versions for some users, according to reports by Cult of Mac reporters and corroborated by users elsewhere. A later update on 9to5Mac indicates that at least one user has heard back from Internet Software and Services head Eddy Cue's office that acknowledged the issue and said the company is working on on a fix.
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02/01, 3:35pm
The newly-leaked iPod nano images do indeed represent a camera-equipped prototype, but one about two months old, according to MIC Gadget . The site quotes "factory sources," who further describe the camera as using a 1.3 megapixel sensor, but with serious problems when it comes to image quality. In essence the unit produces overexposed images, with blurring and diffraction in bright conditions when the aperture is too small.
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02/01, 11:45am
New photos could signal that Apple is still working on the idea of a modern, camera-equipped iPod nano. Images obtained by Apple.pro show a recent Nano casing design, but with a camera hole situated in the clip. Housing for a camera assembly, notably, fills the space between the hole and the main body of the Nano.
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01/30, 6:35am
U2’s manager Paul McGuinness has voiced his thoughts on the arrival of ad-driven online radio services exemplified by Spotify . While McGuinness was supportive of the concept, and can see it as a viable make-up of the way that music is distributed in the future, he still has serious reservations about it. The main problem, according to McGuiness, is that Spotify and the labels have not been transparent enough about the money generated by the services, and this has resulted in artist mistrust.
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01/26, 10:15pm
Audioengine has continued to build quality audio accessories paired with affordable price tags. Electronista listened to the company's latest digital-to-analog converters (DACs) this week at the Macworld iWorld expo in San Francisco. The devices aim to provide a quality interface between a computer and an audio system, rather than relying in the computer's DAC.
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01/26, 3:25pm
Apple's iAd network may actually be in a position to improve without Steve Jobs as company CEO, according to a Business Insider source described as "familiar with the situation." The person says that Jobs used to make many of the decisions at iAd, and that as he became sicker, it became increasingly difficult for the iAd team to accomplish anything. With Jobs gone, Eddy Cue is said to be free to properly take charge of iAd, and make decisions on issues like pricing and technology that weren't discussed while Jobs was alive.
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01/26, 12:45pm
Adventure developer Telltale Games has released two new titles for Apple platforms. One is the first iOS episode in a new Sam & Max season, Beyond Time and Space. In Episode 1: Ice Station Santa , Sam & Max face off against Santa Claus in a bid to save the world's children. Story and design are by the creator of the Sam & Max comics, Steve Purcell, and the iOS version includes a soundboard plus a "Whack da Ratz" minigame.
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01/24, 4:55pm
Apple has posted blowout results for its fiscal first (calendar fourth) quarter with record iPhone, iPad, and Mac sales. It's holding a conference call to discuss the results and should have both more details as well as possible surprises. Check our live coverage page from 5PM Eastern for details as they arrive.
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01/24, 10:20am
Brother has expanded the number of its printers supporting Apple's AirPrint standard. Now included are a handful of all-in-one color inkjets: the MFC-J280w, MFC-J430w, MFC-J625dw, MFC-J825dw, and MFC-J5910dw. AirPrint allows an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to send content directly to a printer over Wi-Fi, rather than rely on a custom app, a card transfer, or sync with a computer.
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01/23, 1:00pm
Apple has opened up a new iTunes U support section on its website. The content is mostly aimed at educators, for instance guiding people through publishing, the Course Manager, and the Public Site Manager. Both students and faculty have access to forums, and instructions for dealing with settings and common problems.
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01/19, 2:40pm
(Updated with event stream) Apple has released the promotional video played at today's press event in New York City. The clip primarily pushes Apple's new textbook format, and the use of iPads in education. It also complains about the state of modern education, though, suggesting that Apple technology will help spark kids' interest in learning.
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01/19, 1:20pm
(Updated with iTunes Connect info) In tandem with the announcement of iBooks Author , Apple has published a support document illustrating some details. The company notes, for instance, that while books can be published to the iBookstore as free or paid titles, they can also be exported as separate PDF, text, or iBooks files for distribution elsewhere, though only for free. Selling on the iBookstore requires registration , and a copy of iTunes Producer; submitting to iTunes U requires an iTunes U website .
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01/19, 12:10pm
Following its announcements of iBooks 2 and the iTunes U app , Apple has released iTunes 10.5.3 . The update is a relatively minor one, explicitly intended to support the new interactive textbooks made possible by iBooks 2. It may also provide a backend for iTunes U, since the latter app supports buying and downloading online course material.
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01/19, 11:30am
Complementing its introduction of iBooks 2 , Apple has also announced a separate iTunes U app . While superficially resembling iBooks, the title is capable of presenting complete online courses, including syllabi, reading material, media, and interactive content. Teachers can update courses with bulletins, such as new assignments, which trigger notifications for students. When an assignment is done, a student can mark it as complete.
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01/19, 10:55am
(Updated with iBooks Author availability) Presenting at today's education event in New York City, Apple has introduced iBooks 2 , a major update of the company's reading app. A strong emphasis of the app is on textbooks, which can include things like movies, animations, and interactive elements, such as the ability to zoom into cell structures in a biology book. Books now also support elements like indexes, glossaries, review questions, and turning highlights or glossary items into study cards. Titles can be read in a new fullscreen mode, and a Textbooks section has been added to the iBookstore.
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01/18, 2:50pm
Google has introduced an iPhone app for Orkut, one of the company's lesser-known social networks. While virtually invisible in North America and Europe, the network still has about 66 million users worldwide, 80 percent of which are based in India and Brazil. Google currently throws most of its weight behind Google+, which started in late June but already has over 62 million users.
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01/17, 5:55pm
As of today Apple has put a stop to a $100 printer rebate offered alongside new Macs, says 9to5Mac . The information comes from a leaked internal support document. The memo does note, though, that people still have up to 90 days after their original date of purchase -- the last eligible date being January 16th -- to submit a rebate. "An additional 30 days will be given to correct invalid claims," Apple offers.
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01/17, 3:05pm
Yamaha has announced a series of new music apps for iOS devices. Just released is NoteStar , an iPad-only sheet music title. The app turns pages automatically, accompanied by backing tracks recorded by studio musicians, including lead vocalists. As needed, though, a person can configure the app to play full accompaniment, a metronome, just the keyboard section, a mix of these or none of the above.
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01/17, 9:55am
Updated US sales estimates from the NPD Group hint that Apple sold about 4.9 million Macs worldwide during the December quarter, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. Data is now in for all three months, showing US sales up 12 percent year-over-year. The 4.9 million figure is, however, a lowered forecast on Munster's part -- 300,000 units below a previous target, even if that would still mean global growth of 18 percent.
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01/13, 6:05pm
WOWee has brought its latest gadget to CES, the Pro portable speaker. Electronista stopped by the company's booth to listen to the latest model, which adds a microphone and a Bluetooth radio to the Slim variant that was released approximately one year ago.
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01/13, 3:00pm
(Updated with letter from Apple CEO Tim Cook) Apple has become the first technology corporation to join the Fair Labor Association, according to a statement by the latter group. The organization was started in 1999 by former US President Bill Clinton with the mission of tracking global workplace conditions. Other members in the FLA include the likes of Adidas, Nike, Nestle and Syngenta; Nike became a founding member when news about Asian sweatshops in its supply chain became public, notes Bloomberg .
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01/13, 1:25pm
Apple has released its 2012 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report ( PDF ), providing a brief glimpse into how it treated its supply chain during 2011. The company claims to maintain high standards for suppliers, and in 2011 it is said to have conducted 229 audits, up 80 percent over 2010. In the process it discovered six active and 13 historical instances of underage workers, spread across five factories. Apple blames weak controls on checking age or documentation at the facilities.
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01/12, 3:35pm
A newly-published Apple patent application suggests the concept of a motion-controlled 3D interface for iOS devices, namely the iPhone, notes AppleInsider . Titled Sensor Based Display Environment , the filing claims that implementing 3D polygonal interfaces on a touchscreen device can be difficult, owing to factors like screen size, and the need to both hold a device and change perspectives in the interface.
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01/12, 2:30pm
Samsung has reportedly unveiled a new Galaxy Tab model, the 7.0N. The tablet is a new version of the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab, but does have some modest upgrades, including a forward-facing speaker and the inclusion of Android 3.2 by default. An Android 4.0 update is promised in the future. The tablet's main purpose though is the presence of a 10.1N-style metal frame, a design trait Samsung has been using to deflect Apple legal action in Germany.
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01/12, 12:15pm
The VP of Intel's architecture group, Dave Whalen, says the company has been "talking to everybody" about using its Medfield chips in mobile devices, according to UK paper The Telegraph . "When we took over [development] in April we took a conscious decision to focus on Android ," Whalen elaborates. "Windows, other operating systems -– we recognize that there will be opportunities. It’s not a 'no,' it's just not now. When the time's appropriate we'll look at other OSs."
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01/11, 3:50pm
Shazam has launched a new iOS app, the Shazam Player . Instead of concentrating on music discovery, the Player is meant to enhance listening to an existing library. This includes streaming lyrics, for instance, or sharing listening habits via Facebook or Twitter. Users can also view YouTube videos and concert clips, and keep track of concert dates for favorite artists.
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