New iPods set for launch
Apple looks set to unleash its new range of iPods on the world next week at a specially-arranged worldwide event.
The technology giant is well known for seeking to create industry buzz ahead of new launches and appears to have done exactly that with its forthcoming secretive 'Let's Rock' event. More ...
Accounting on the go: Quickbooks for iPhone and Blackberry
Quickbooks, one of the leading accounting packages for small businesses, has just released web interfaces for Blackberry and iPhone. The iPhone version, seen to the left, sports a very slick UI and allows easy, at-a-glance access to all of your financial information, entered into Quickbooks Online.
At first glance, the web app provides a simplistic view of things. Features included are looking at who owes you, who you owe, vendors, employees, and bank accounts. Despite the initially simplistic look, as you drill down, you uncover a whole new level of detail.
Even though this seems to be a killer app for referring to your More ...
Top 5 iPod features you'll never see
All signs point to a, and while I'm as interested in the rumors and blurry "leaked" photos as the next fanboy, I'm also preparing myself for disappointment. Deep down, I know there are iPod features that will never see the light of day. Sure, Apple always trots out a few iPod-related surprises like iTunes movie rentals and Cover Flow, but I've all but given up on the following innovations.More ...
Kevin Rose foretells iPod Nano redesign
Expectations are running high that Apple next month will bring out new iPod models.
Certainly, September has a solid track record as the month that Apple favors for its iPod launches. And as my colleague Tom Krazit pointed out the other day, drawing on a report on AppleInsider, some inventory management changes at retailer Target lend credence to the notion of old iPods giving More ...
Microsoft to ratchet IE8 security another notch in Beta 2
Sometime in August, Microsoft plans to release Beta 2 of Internet Explorer 8. Yesterday, I spoke with Austin Wilson, Director of Windows Client Product Management at Microsoft, about some of the security-related changes due in this milestone, and got a preview of the changes announced today.
The most noticeable change is the SmartScreen Filter, which replaces the Phishing Filter found in IE7. More ...
Apple hints at lower prices as iPod, notebook refresh on tap
Amid all the chatter about Apple's fiscal third quarter results, which were strong, most concerns about the future revolve around two words: Gross margins. The big takeaway for technology buyers: Those lower margins hint at cheaper iPods and notebooks in the not-to-distant future.
Following Apple's typical strong quarter with a side of conservative guidance (Techmeme), CFO Peter Oppenheimer and COO Tim Cook noted that gross margins would be 31.5 percent for the September quarter and about 30 percent in fiscal 2009. More ...
Apple fails BlackBerry test
Like one million other eager beavers around the globe, I have now been playing with Apple's new third-generation iPhone for a week – much to the chagrin of my four 20-something children who all believe it would fit better in their technology-adept hands.
When my review unit arrived I set out to discover whether the 3G iPhone deserved all the hype that greeted its launch last Friday from the perspective of a business user as well as a typical consumer.
I can report that it is definitely one of the best smartphones built to date. But while it is good, it is not quite perfect and still lacks some features that business users may consider essential. More ...
Australia: Hands on with iPhone 3G
Few devices have ever been hyped to the extent of the iPhone. And the extra year and a bit of waiting between when it debuted in the U.S. and when you can officially buy it in Australia have made the hype storm all the more intense. It's hard to believe any device can live up to such expectation. So does it?
Yes. And, also, no. More ...
3G iPhone gears for 22-country launch
SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc will start selling its new iPhone at 8 am nationwide on July 11 and plans to activate US customer accounts with AT&T Inc within 15 minutes.
The iPhone 3G, which works on faster third-generation wireless networks, will go on sale in 21 other countries on July 11, including Australia, Italy and Japan. Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs wants the iPhone to become Apple's third major business, alongside the Macintosh computer and iPod media player. More ...
Apple stores taking shipment of iPhone 3G demo units?
With the iPhone 3G launch so close we can almost taste it, Apple's retail stores are putting on their Sunday best and bringing out the iPhone 3G advertising-guns. Similar to what we saw last year, Apple stores are erecting larger-than-life iPhone 3G displays to give customers a chance to explore the iPhone 3G's feature-set. And, a leaked memo indicates that Apple stores will be taking shipments of iPhone 3G demo units starting July 8. More ...
Apple's Video of iPhone 3G Shows Its Marketing Prowess
The marketing prowess of Apple Inc. is legendary, a reputation that was bolstered again Tuesday by a slick 30-minute online video that offers a guided tour of the iPhone 3G coming July 11.
The video is much longer than a previous video that appeared for the first-generation iPhone a year ago, but features the same narrator, Bob Borchers. Borchers is not a professional actor, as many have thought, but is the senior director of the Apple iPhone product line. More ...
More answers for iPhone 3G questions
So outrageously popular were yesterday's answers to many of those popular questions prospective iPhone 3G buyers are clamoring about, that we've decided to provide you with a second installment, this one covering a few questions that an AT&T spokesperson graciously took the time to answer, just for us (and, by extension, you). More ...
Windows 7 aims to interact with multi-touch
Windows 7 would incorporate new forms of communication and interaction. Industry watchers say Microsoft is hoping that the new operating system can change the way people interact with PCs in the future.
Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday that its next operating system, Windows 7, will come with multi-touch features as an alternative to the standard mouse control. More ...
AT&T Upgrade Pricing for the iPhone 3G
The truth has somewhat been revealed regarding AT&T’s pricing of the upcoming 3G iPhone. According to Gizmodo, ineligble customers won’t be able to benefit from the $199/$299 pricetag that was announced by Apple. Didn’t you kind of figure there was a catch of some sort?
The 3G iPhone pricing of $199/$299 with AT&T will only be for: A) Existing customers who qualify for an upgrade. B) New customers. C) Existing iPhone customers who purchase an new iPhone and extend their contract for 2 years. More ...
Interview with Microsoft's Robbie Bach, part 1, on Zune
Robbie Bach is the president of the multibillion-dollar Entertainment & Devices Group at Microsoft. The group is closing in on a big fiscal year end on June 30. The company has projected that the group will be profitable this year for the first time since its inception in 2005. One of the products that isn’t profitable yet is the Zune media player. A challenger to Apple's iPod, the Zune is so far a quixotic attempt to unseat Apple in making cool music devices that capture the buzz among consumers.More ...
Apple unveiled the 3G iPhone 2
Yesterday Apple unveiled a next-generation iPhone with faster Internet access that will run on advanced wireless networks and it's said that it will sell for as low as $199. Tim Bajarin who is the head of consultancy Creative Strategies said that 'It changes the game for all smart-phone makers,' More ...
Could Apple kill the Nintendo DS? I doubt it
Monday, however, Nintendo will likely face a new and far more dangerous foe: Apple. Steve Jobs’ computer and gizmo maker will likely launch a long-promised feature, dubbed the App Store, which will let outside developers pour software into the iPhone and iPod Touch. And while it’s unlikely that, say, a mobile version of Oracle’s wonky database will make anyone stand up and cheer, we already know putting games on the iPhone is a pretty powerful combination. More ...
iPhone will shake up Canada, analysts say
When Rogers Communications makes the Apple iPhone available in Canada later this year, the telecom firm is likely to offer up a flat-rate unlimited data plan to customers, industry insiders say.
And such a move, they add, will fuel greater interest in wireless services — an area of telecommunications projected to grow rapidly in Canada over the next several years. More ...
FlyTunes: Free Streaming Radio for iPod Touch
Fly Tunes a new streaming radio web app that listen to online radio through your Mobile Safari browser. It will give you access to over 375 channels of music, news and sports radio all from you Touch.More ...
3G BlackBerry delayed to avoid iPhone?
Research in Motion's 3G-capable BlackBerry won't launch at the same time as its 3G iPhone counterpart and may have been intentionally delayed,claim sources speaking to Fortune The handset, now said to be named the BlackBerry 8900 and nicknamed the Meteor, has allegedly had its AT&T release pushed back from June to as far as August. The official explanation is said to revolve around call quality concerns for the smartphone, which is likely to replace the top-end 8800. More ...
iPhone SDK Beta 4 Now Available, Comes with OpenGL ES 3D Graphics Support
The latest iPhone SDK is now available, and unlike last time, it actually comes with an awesome new feature: OpenGL ES support! Now the iPhone simulator can render OpenGL ES that "mirror behavior on the iPhone and iPod Touch." More ...
iPhone gets ActiveSync support for Exchange
As was hinted at some days ago, the Cupertino crew decided that the iPhone was finally ready for prime time in belt clips around the nation. Well, great news friends, Enterprise to Apple means Microsoft Exchange and ActiveSync support. We can expect features like Push mail and Contacts, Global Address List, Cisco IPsec VPN, authentication via certificate, and even remote wipe. More ...
SMobile Systems Develops Mobile Security Solution for Google's Android
SMobile Systems has created the first mobile security solution for devices coming to market using the Android platform, the Google-initiated, Linux-based open source mobile operating system.
On Monday, November 12, the Open Handset Alliance released the Android's software development kit. SMobile's team of security engineers immediately went to work to create a security solution designed specifically for the platform. More ...
Countdown begins for the iPhone's arrival in Britain
Considering Apple sold one million iPhone units in the US within 74 days of its release, it is little wonder that the imminent arrival of the latest must-have product has sparked a consumer frenzy this side of the Atlantic as well.
The phone, which will be launched in Britain on Friday, is expected to sell rapidly with sales of the "breakthrough" handsets predicted to reach 400,000 over Christmas.
More ...
Zune 2 family launched
The next-generation Zune has just been announced, coming at you with a price tag (which we already saw) of $249 for the 80GB hard drive model and $149/$199 for the 4GB and 8GB flash-based models respectively. The new features in all models, which were leaked early, are wireless syncing with your computer automatically when you're in Wi-Fi range—something users have been clamoring for since even before the first Zune—as well as videos in the Zune Marketplace and new music, some of which are DRM-free. The Zune Pad is actually touch sensitive, much like the iPod's Click Wheel More ...
Leaked: Zune 2 Retail Display
Zune Rumors have been heating up to a boil today. Starting late afternoon, I saw something, somewhere that said to look for the Zune 2 tommorow. Then like a wild fire, the rumor popped up everywhere.
Crunchgear made a statement that indicated that they were expecting a Oct 16th release… More ...
Social component to the Zune Social
Microsoft patent outlines software allowing users to subscribe to play lists and update automatically.
History repeats itself with a new Microsoft patent turning up that outlines some possible future technology for the Zune. The patent describes a method of personalizing content on a portable media player -- similar in spirit to how TiVo automatically finds and records programming based on previously recorded shows. More ...
iPhone update thwarts hacks
Apple has released an update for the iPhone which effectively bricks some of the devices that consumers have unlocked over the past months.
Apple had previously warned that the unapproved update, which is intended to allow the phone to operate on networks other than AT&T's, could interfere with the its operations.More ...
Amazon's MP3 store: Better than iTunes
I love the iTunes Music Store. When Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the shop in the spring of 2003, I called it revolutionary, and who can argue that it's been anything but?
Still, iTunes has always seemed like a stopgap measure, something to tolerate until the music industry got its act together. I think of it, now, as a place to buy music that I like, but not a place to get music I love. If you love something you want a permanent copy, and music from iTunes is fundamentally ephemeral: Nearly everything you purchase from the store will never work on any device not made by Apple. More ...
Zune 2 October 16th Launch Confirmed
We have some exciting news on the Zune 2 from our source inside of Microsoft. We can now endorse the image leaked by Gizmodo as a legitimate representation of the Zune 2 players. We have also verified that in addition to the pink, red, and black colors an "Army Jeep Green" color will also be available for the smaller flash Zunes. Although the Zunes in the leaked image appear glossy, they will actually have the same doubleshot surface as the original Zune. The navigation button has been replaced with a new "squircle" shaped button, which is a square with rounded edges. It will not have a separate center button as the original Zune does, but the functionality will be the same. More ...
iPhone goes on sale in U.K. Nov. 9
LONDON: Apple Inc. has taken its million-selling iPhone trans-Atlantic, announcing a November rollout in Britain that could presage a further expansion into Europe.
The iPhone will go on sale in Britain on Nov. 9 through mobile operator O2, marking the first time the combination cell phone-iPod will be available outside the United States.
Consumers will pay 269 pounds (US$536, €386)for the 8-gigabyte model — or about US$139 more than what Apple charges in the United States. The iPhone offered in Britain will have the same technical specifications as the U.S. model, but the price includes the U.K.'s value-added tax. More ...
Apple Locks New iPods to iTunes
Less than two weeks ago Apple revamped its entire iPod lineup along with introducing a new iPod model, the iPod touch. The product line update consisted of new features and designs for Apple’s iPod brand. The update, though, shouldn’t be taken entirely at face value; Apple also managed to sneak in some code that locks the new iPods to only work with iTunes.
Apple has locked out other digital content management software by adding “SHA1 hashes” to the beginning of the iTunesDB file, the database file which keeps track of digital content stored on the iPods. More ...
Unboxing - Apple iPod Touch
An eagle-eyed and (understandably) excited reader let us know that the Apple Store Somerset in Troy, Michigan had a few iPod Touches for sale ahead of the September 28th ship date. A quick call to the store revealed Dan was right, they had 14 in stock but were already sold out.
The store employee said that some retail stores, particularly on the East coast, have been receiving shipments already. He said that though they're mainly designed to be floor models, stores have been selling them to customers as well. He says the rolling shipments are expected to continue until the 28th when all the retail shops will have them in stock. More ...
Apple sells 1 millionth iPhone
Apple sold its 1 millionth iPhone on Sunday, three weeks ahead of when it said it would and less than a week after slashing the price of the iconic device by a third, the company said Monday.
The milestone came 74 days after the company launched the device, its first cell phone. And it came earlier than previously predicted; Apple officials had forecast in July that iPhone sales would hit the 1 million mark by the end of this month. More ...
Meet the new iPod Family
Apple's been a little busy it seems, since the company just announced three all-new iPods, plus a few new colors and price points for existing products. From smallest to largest we have the PRODUCT (RED) iPod shuffle, which is accompanied by some other new colors, the iPod nano on the left up there, the iPod classic in the middle, and the iPod touch on the right
This wannabe profiteer lost money. More ...
Review: Playing the iPhone Marke
NEW YORK — With lines snaking around Apple stores and hype in overdrive, the iPhone seemed like a good investment _ not for keeping but for reselling.
There are, after all, plenty of examples of popular products in short supply attracting huge premiums on sites like eBay and Craigslist. Think Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3, Nintendo Co.'s Wii or Fisher-Price Inc.'s Tickle Me Elmo.
To try out the online market in this overheated atmosphere, I bought an iPhone and listed it on eBay. More ...
