Apple TV and Mac OS X’s Front Row software share a common history. Their user interfaces, although not identical, represent a “third front” — separate from both Mac OS X’s primary Aqua interface and the iOS interface. I believe this is an instance where two’s company and three’s a crowd. it’s time for Apple to dump the current Apple TV/Front Row software and start over.
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Facebook’s new Places feature brings location-based social networking to its users, which means you can “check in” at the stores, restaurants, clubs, and other places you visit. It also means your friends can see when you’re near by, and it also means you have a whole new set of Facebook privacy settings to check out.
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Today TMO readers are talking about the possibility of a Google Chrome OS tablet, and how that impacts developers that have been focusing on Google’s Android OS.
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The wait times for all models of the iPad have dropped from seven to ten days down to three to five days on Apple’s online store, indicating that Apple may finally be getting ahead of the overwhelming demand for the tablet computer. The wait for an iPad has stayed…
| Read more »Chip maker Intel is shelling out US$7.68 billion to purchase software security company McAfee with plans to build its own hardware and software-based security products. McAfee makes antivirus and security software for the Mac, but is better known for its Windows-based products. What Intel looks to be more interested in, however, is the potential to create antivirus and security products for the mobile device market.
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Facebook has released an update to its iPhone and iPod touch application adding support for its new Places feature and improving iOS4 multitasking support. Introduced by Facebook earlier this week, Places is a new location-based social networking that allows users to register their presence at physical locations in a manner…
| Read more »CNNMoney recently compiled a list of the top 15 Fortune 100 CEOs it sees as overachievers, and Apple‚Äôs own Steve Jobs came out at the top of the list. The list was based on which companies outperformed the S&P 500 in 2009 and which CEOs were paid the least for their efforts ‚Äî making Mr. Jobs an easy pick considering his official annual paycheck from Apple is only a dollar.
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Facebook added a new location tracking feature dubbed Places to its social networking service late on Wednesday. The service lets users tag their current location and see who’s nearby, much like other location-based social network services such as Gowalla and Foursquare.
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Police have shut down a global criminal conspiracy suspected of milking millions of pounds from stolen iPhones through premium phone lines.
| Read more »Video sharing site Vimeo has launched a new embedable HTML5 video player aimed at Apple's iPhone and iPad.
| Read more »Apple‚Äôs iPhone customers were responsible for some 55% of mobile ad hits during July, according to data from independent mobile ad network Millennial Media. The firm said that 55% of the ads ¬†its network delivered to mobile handsets ¬†went to Apple‚Äôs iPhone, while 19% went to Google‚Äôs Android platform.
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Young workers who normally spend their days assembling iPhones and other high-tech gadgets packed a stadium at their massive campus Wednesday, waving pompoms and shouting slogans at a rally to raise morale following a string of suicides at the company's heavily regimented factories.
| Read more »Blizzard Entertainment announced Wednesday the Collector‚Äôs Edition of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the upcoming expansion pack for the massively popular massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMO).¬†
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A number of Nintendo NES game titles have once again returned to the App Store, in apparent violation of Nintendo copyrights. Two titles released this month, 8-Bit Gamepak and 8-Bit Gamepack LITE from Dalian Bale Trade Co., are based upon Nintendo’s Ice Climber and Wild Gunman titles, mentioned…
| Read more »The Incase Snap Case for iPhone 4 is one of the options Apple presented as a free case to iPhone 4 purchasers. I picked it and was very pleasantly surprised by the design and features.
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Need a UPS? The Deal Brothers found the CyberPower Intelligent LCD 1500VA UPS for $149.99. This surge protector ships for Free, and it’s designed for mid to high-end computer systems, and it features dynamic line conditioning and a LCD diagnostic display. 
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Apple has posted a new job listing seeking a full time iTunes Pan-EU Label Relations representative. According to the posting, the job will involve “securing comprehensive and innovative promotions around key releases,” “foster[ing] the relationship with the key account managers at the record labels, making iTunes the most important…
| Read more »XtremeMac announced Wednesday a new charging dock called InCharge Duo that will charge an iPad and an iPhone at the same time. The company also announced a car charger (InCharge Auto) for Apple‚Äôs iOS devices and a wall charging unit (InCharge Home) that will also charge two devices at one time.
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Apple’s applications director is selling his own fart apps on the App Store. Wired reports that Phillip Shoemaker, director of applications technology at Apple, is behind a selection of seven iPhone apps from Gray Noodle, including both a fart app called Animal Farts and a urination simulator called iWiz.…
| Read more »Specific design principles and strategic thinking will be used by Apple‚Äôs competitors in the design of their own tablets. ¬†It may not be what you expect.
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KT, the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in South Korea, saw more than 120,000 pre-orders for the iPhone 4 on the first day of sales. According to a Korea Times report, KT’s ordering system was jammed early in the day, leaving customers unable to order for roughly two hours.…
| Read more »Google is apparently planning on launching its own tablet device, but instead of relying on its already popular Andriod OS, this tablet will run Chrome OS. The rumor mill pegs Google‚Äôs tablet launch date as November 26, which also happens to be ‚ÄúBlack Friday,‚Äù the busiest shopping day in the U.S.
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It's the most wonderful time of the year...
| Read more »XtremeMac has unveiled its new line of charging accessories for the Apple iPad. The InCharge Duo is a dual charging dock/stand that can simultaneously charge an iPad and/or any combination of iPod and iPhone models. It features a removable adapter that serves as a stand for the iPad, included‚Ķ
| Read more »TMO columnist and well known author Ted Landau joined Chuck Joiner on the MacNotables podcast to talk about his experiences with jailbreaking iOS devices, filesharing with your iPhone or iPad, and Apple‚Äôs big cash horde.
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Federal authorities have decided against filing criminal charges in an investigation into allegations that a Pennsylvania school district used the built-in cameras on Mac laptops to spy on students at home. Federal prosecutors along with the FBI said they weren’t able to prove that Lower Merion School District employees acted criminally.
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SmileOnMyMac, well known for popular Mac applications like TextExpander and PDFpen, is rebranding itself as Smile now that it develops apps for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, too.
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Today TMO readers are talking about the iPhone 3GS and why Apple’s inventory seems to be so limited.
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Apple has released a new iPad television ad, the second for the company’s tablet device. The new app-focused spot shows the iPad being used mostly in front of a white background, while showing a variety of different apps. The spot starts with the…
| Read more »Booq has rolled out its new Boa Push messenger bag for the Apple iPad. The low-profile, messenger-style bag is made from Twylon and Nappa leather, and features a dedicated iPad compartment lined with non-scratch fabrics, an iPhone-sized exterior pocket, credit card slots, charging cable pockets, a backside pocket for‚Ķ
| Read more »HBO‚Äôs planned streaming service, HBO Go, will be coming to Apple‚Äôs iPad, but don‚Äôt expect to see the network‚Äôs library on Instant Netflix any time soon.
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Justin Long with his Jailbroken iPhone!
| Read more »Yahoo! has been busy updating its Web mail interfaces with HTML5 for mobile devices like the iPhone and Android-based phones, and now Apple‚Äôs iPad, too.
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Apple unveiled a new iPad commercial Tuesday evening that shows off the multimedia tablet’s versatility and ends by calling the device “magical.”
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What I came up with is a series of hardware checks that anyone can perform right after taking an iPhone 4 out of the box and syncing it for the first time. The following procedure is basic enough for almost any user to follow. Plus, it should catch any glaring hardware defects in an iPhone 4 right away.
| Read more »Apple have taken legal action against one of their own managers for allegedly taking kickbacks from Asian supply and manufacturing companies who bribed him approximately $1 million to pass them confidential information about Apple technologies and products.
| Read more »Apple updated the iTunes Store‚Äôs Terms and Conditions for the U.S. Tuesday. Users that newly logged into the iTunes Store or App Store received the new T&C starting Tuesday afternoon. According to a note in the new T&C, the company condensed the verbiage for the document that users must agree to to enter the iTunes Store, and updated the the App Store Product usage rules.
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Apple released a patch for Mac OS X 10.6.4 called “Snow Leopard Graphics Update.” The update addresses an issue with two popular games, Starcraft II and Team Fortress 2, as well as an issue that can cause Aperture 3 to crash.
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Economic Daily News, another Taiwan-based newspaper, is reporting that Apple will be releasing a 7” iPad, adding to reports of such a device that began in earnest with Taiwan daily DigiTimes earlier this month. ECD reported Tuesday that Apple was prepping a smaller version of the iPad for release as early as the end of 2010.
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It was cached e-mail that tipped off Apple about a kickback scheme the company accused one of its managers of engaging in, according to court documents covered by IDG News. Apple found files cached on a company-supplied laptop that was issued to Paul Shen Devine, the manager so accused, and those files included very detailed information on how the scheme was worked.
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Apple has been awarded two new U.S. patents related to the iOS’s slide to unlock screen and on-screen keyboard. The patents, each entitled “Animated graphical user interfaces for a display screen or portion thereof,” relate solely to the user interface elements’ ornamental design and not to the actual…
| Read more »Poker Copilot, the only poker heads up display (HUD) for the Mac, has been updated to version 2.5.8. The new version adds the ability to stipulate your starting bankroll amount, and improves its handling of problem hand histories. It also includes a few bug fixes.
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Speaking at a recent investors conference, Asustek Computer CEO Jerry Shen said that the company’s sales of netbook computers fell short of expectations in the second quarter, mainly due to competition from the Apple iPad. DigiTimes reports that Shen also said the company has lowered its targets shipments for…
| Read more »If you‚Äôve thought about an Apple TV, here‚Äôs a way a refurbished Apple TV with 160GB drive for $189, and it ships for free.
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South Korea-based Cresyn Co., a supplier of earphones for the iPod, has said that former Apple global supply manager Paul Shin Devine was paid for what was thought to be consulting work. “It was our understanding the contract was with Apple since we knew he was an Apple employee,”…
| Read more »Avici Software has created an iPad app that gives you all the attributes of a whiteboard plus the ability to email the contents of your work.
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The RIAA is proposing that Congress force handheld electronics makers to include FM radio recievers in their products as part of a plan to give consumers more choices when listening to music. The proposal would require all cell phones sold in the U.S., including the iPhone, include a built-in FM radio regardless of whether or not manufacturers or consumers were interested in having them in their portable electronic devices.
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Barnes & Noble has released an iPhone version of its Nook e-reader software introduced for the iPad earlier this year. The Nook e-reader apps feature access to over a million titles from Barnes & Noble’s eBookstore, multiple font types and sizes, customizable background and text colors and brightness controls. Nook…
| Read more »Eltima Software announced the immediate availability of Flash Optimizer 2.4 on Tuesday. The update for the Flash code optimization utility added support for Flash CS5.
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Four members of the U.S. House of Representatives are openly speaking out against the proposed guidelines Google and Verizon recently unveiled to regulate Internet neutrality. The Congress members see the proposal as bad for consumers, and a move away from the open flow of data over the Internet.
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China Unicom has reached an agreement with Apple to sell the iPad and iPhone 4 in China, according to a new report. Citing a source within China Unicom, Caixin reports that the company has finalized a deal with Apple that will make it the sole distributor of the iPad…
| Read more »Apple is in the process of revamping its online support discussion forums with new features such as user-customizable home pages, custom views, and new user profiles. The discussion forums are being renamed to Apple Support Communities adding a bit of a social networking feel.
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Today TMO readers are talking about gaming consoles and the impact Apple’s iPad could have on that market.
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Boomwave has debuted its new line of cases for the iPhone 4. The lineup includes several colors of the leather/ABS play-through and flip-style Kruz cases, featuring open access to all ports, controls, and camera, an included screen protector, squeegee, and cleaning cloth, and…
| Read more »Several popular albums from the music legends Pink Floyd are about to disappear from online services such as the iTunes Store and Amazon MP3 since EMI and the band failed to reach a new distribution contract. The current agreement expired at the end of June, leaving EMI without the authority to distribute Pink Floyd‚Äôs works electronically or on CD.
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An overheating iPod led to the full halt of a Japanese commuter train Friday morning. Reuters reports that a spokesman for Tokyu Corp said the train was halted for eight minutes approximately ten miles from the center of Tokyo while investigators tried to identify the cause of the smell.…
| Read more »Apple and China Unicom have apparently struch a deal to bring the iPad with 3G wireless data support into China. Unnamed sources at China Unicom claimed the deal is wrapped up, although there isn‚Äôt any word on when customers can expect to see the 3G iPad on store shelves.
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Pegatron Corp., parent company of Kaedar Electronics, suspended the division’s senior manager following criminal accusations that an Apple employee was involved in a scheme to accept money in exchange for confidential company information about the iPhone and iPod. Payments were made to the Apple employee’s own company as early as 2007.
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NCSoft and Paragon Studios released Going Rogue on Monday, the newest expansion for the City of Heroes and City of Villains massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Announced in 2009, Going Rogue introduces a massive alteration to the alignment system of the game, one that allows players to redeem their Villains and let their Heroes go rogue
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Pegatron Corp., the parent company of Apple supplier Kaedar Electronics Co., admitted to The Wall Street Journal that it had paid “brokerage commissions” to a third-party company in exchange for some business dealings with Apple, but denied knowing if those companies were tied to an indicted Apple manager accused of accepting bribes from Kaedar Electronics and five other companies.
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Paul Shin Devine, a mid level global supply manager at Apple, has pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on fraud and money laundering charges Monday afternoon. Mr. Devine has been accused by Apple of taking bribes and kickback in exchange for leaking advanced product information to Apple’s component suppliers in Asia.
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John and Dave kick off the week with a podcast full of your questions, their answers, combined tips, and valuable stories from the lives of your two favorite geeks! First it’s Dave and John answering questions about dealing with multiple iTunes accounts and best practices for prolonging the life of your MacBook or MacBook Pro battery. Then it’s follow-ups from previous shows, including PowerLine, application switching, AppleCare and more! Don’t miss it — this episode is free today, so download and enjoy!
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Sony has released a new TV advertisement for its PlayStation Portable handheld gaming console that mocks players of iOS games. Holding a device that clearly is meant to resemble an iPhone, a young man—identified as “Josh Rose,” who is said to be “kidding himself”—holds up the device, talking about the…
| Read more »Mind Crew has released Mayan Puzzle, a new puzzle game for the iPhone and iPod touch. A unique variant of a match-three style game, Mayan Puzzle includes four modes: classic, time trial, challenge and marathon to provide different styles of play ranging from an action puzzler to a more classic‚Ķ
| Read more »Bose has introduced a new iPhone, iPod, and iPad-friendly headset, along with two other new headphone models. The MIE2i is a new Apple-friendly in-ear headset, while the MIE2 is a headset for other brands‚Äô mobile devices; both are modeled after the company‚Äôs new‚Ķ
| Read more »Native Instruments announced Monday the release of Traktor Kontrol S4, an integrated hardware and software DJ solution aimed at pro DJs. The package includes a dual turntable control surface along with a dedicated version of Traktor Pro called Traktor Pro S4, as seen in the photo below.
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A chunk of code found within Apple’s iOS 4 suggests the company is preparing to field test next-generation iPhone and iPad units. Boy Genius Report claims that the code, found by one of its Apple sources, queries the device, and automatically activates it should it be an unreleased device,…
| Read more »Asustek Computer CEO Jerry Shen told investors Friday that his company sold fewer netbooks than expected during the company‚Äôs second quarter, and he blamed the success of the iPad for that shortfall. The comments came during a conference with investors in Taipei.
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An addition to ChangeWave’s July survey suggests that nearly one-third of U.S. iPhone 4 users would be likely to switch to Verizon as their service provider should the carrier begin offering the iPhone. 18% of iPhone 4 users said they would be “somewhat likely” to switch, while 13% said…
| Read more »Square Enix has released the iPad version of Chaos Rings, its popular RPG introduced earlier this year for the iPhone and iPod touch. The story in Chaos Rings centers on a tournament where combatants must fight for their lives in the Ark Arena. Players choose a pair of characters and‚Ķ
| Read more »The Deal Brothers found a deal on a refurbished Refurbished 13‚Äù MacBook Pro 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo for $1949, with free shipping and one year of AppleCare.
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South Korean iPhone carrier KT has said it plans to begin to take pre-orders for the iPhone 4 later this week. AFP reports that KT will be accepting pre-orders both online and in its stores beginning Wednesday. “We hope the iPhone 4 will draw a hot response from clients…
| Read more »Apple has hired Benjamin Vigier, a veteran of Near-Field Communications (NFC) development, as its new product manager for mobile commerce. Vigier, who joined Apple in July, according to his LinkedIn page, was most recently product manager for mobile wallet, payment, and NFC at US mobile payments company mFoundry. NFC‚Ķ
| Read more »David Palmerio announced the immediate availability of E-Guitar HD 1.0 for the iPad on Monday. The app teaches users how to play the guitar and includes several lessons that include audio, video, and musical notation.
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Electronics component suppliers that allegedly paid kickbacks to gain business from Apple declined to comment on the allegations when contacted on Monday.
| Read more »A commuter train in Japan was stopped for an emergency check after passengers complained of burning smell that turned out to be an iPod that overheated and burst open.
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Apple is facing some early challenges in getting its iAd mobile advertising network up and running, according to a new report. Citing unnamed ad executives, the Wall Street Journal reports that some ad campaigns are experiencing delays due to Apple’s tight control over the creative process and the agencies’…
| Read more »A FedEx driver in Pleasanton, California, lost several Apple products from his delivery truck last week when he was robbed at gun point by his own co-workers.
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iOS developer Omer Shoor has released an update to his acclaimed photo editing application for the iPad. Photogene for iPad is an intuitive application that provides iPad users with a comprehensive set of photo editing tools, including cropping and straightening, sharpening, color adjustments, red-eye correction, resizing, filters, special effects and…
| Read more »Today TMO readers are discussing the idea of a Verizon-compatible iPhone and why they think that‚Äôs more important for Verizon than Apple.
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South Korea’s KT plans to start accepting pre-orders for Apple’s iPhone 4 on Wednesday for a September launch.
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An Apple manager has been arrested and accused of accepting kickback payments from iPod and iPhone accessory suppliers. The San Jose Mercury News reports that Paul Shin Devine, a global supply manager with Apple, along with Andrew Ang of Singapore, were named in a grand jury indictment for wire…
| Read more »Adobe released Photoshop Express 1.3.1 over the weekend for the iPad. The update addressed an issue where launching Photoshop Express would cause other apps to launch instead when holding the iPad in landscape mode.
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Apple recently hired Benjamin Vigier to as product manager for mobile commerce. Mr. Vigier is an expert in near field communications, and his hiring may be an indicator that Apple is planning on adding RFID or other mobile payment and identification technology to the iPhone.
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Ever wonder why -- after years of secrecy -- camera-ready iPod cases began rolling out? The answer could possibly be Apple supply manager Paul Shin
| Read more »Paul Shin Devine, a mid level global supply manager at Apple, has been arrested on suspicion of supplying confidential information to Asian iPhone and iPod part suppliers in exchange for money. The suppliers were then able to use the information to negotiate better deals with Apple.
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News Corp. has announced plans to launch a national newspaper for mobile devices such as the iPad and iPhone. The L.A. Times reported that the company wants to create a general-interest, digital-only newspaper with “short, snappy” articles designed to appeal to a new generation of news consumers.
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Don’t forget to get your entry in for our Slacker Radio Plus Giveaway. In our Giveaway of the Month for August, iLounge and Slacker are giving away 12 subscriptions to one year of free Slacker Radio Plus. To enter, simply fill out and submit the form on the…
| Read more »This week Free on iTunes focuses on a single new app, Discover - Wikipedia in a Magazine, an app that Vern Seward says blew him away.
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Following news from earlier this week on a hidden volume shutter button feature in the Camera+ app, it appears that Apple may now be cracking down on other iPhone camera applications that have employed similar features. In a post on Tap tap tap’s blog explaining how its Camera+…
| Read more »The Deal Brothers noted that our friends at TechRestore are offering refurbished 4th generation iPod nanos for $59, a killer price.
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This week, John’s technical news debris includes articles on how Star Trek’s property masters may have influenced our culture and the iPad design, some very cool flight apps for the iPad, Mark Papermaster’s departure from Apple, why Apple won’t pay dividends, hidden features of the iPhone, and how Steve Jobs gets away without having a CA license plate on his Mercedez Benz.
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The iPad is emerging as an effective tool for teaching autistic children communication and social skills. SF Weekly has posted lengthy profile of Leo, an autistic child whose mother won an iPad in a raffle and subsequently found herself amazed by her son’s progress with the device. “Before the…
| Read more »This British boy‚Äîwho lives in Corby, Northantshire‚Äîgot his first computer age seven. Three years later he got a Mac and taught himself web design. Four years later‚Äîat age 14, in 2008‚Äîhe started his first company. It was a simple site that some of you may now: Mac Bundle Box. The site was pretty, rooted into Apple's own design guidelines and style.
| Read more »The Genius Micro Traveler 900LS mouse works instantly with any Mac that has a spare USB port.
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Minder Softworks announced the immediate availability of MYStuff 1.4 on Friday. The update for the personal data management application for Mac OS X added support for storing database files on iDisk or Dropbox accounts.
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Guided Ways Technologies has released a major update to its 2Do task management application adding iOS 4 support and several other significant new features. 2Do 2.0 brings iOS 4 multitasking support on capable devices including Fast App Switching and Local Notifications, including updating of the application badge count. Push Notifications…
| Read more »PhoneTransact announced the immediate availability of Credit Card Reader for the iPhone and iPod touch on Friday. The hardware and software combo lets iPhone and iPod touch users accept and process credit card transactions.
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The Mac Observer’s Mac Geek Gab co-host John F. Braun joined the Mac Roundtable crew to talk about Safari extensions, net neutrality, the Magic Trackpad, and high-end Macs.
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Apple's Regent Street outlet in London, England is the currently the busiest Apple Store in the world, according to the company's senior VP of retail, Ron Johnson.
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