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The Apple Blog
The Apple Blog, published by and for the day-to-day Apple user, is a prominent source for news, reviews, walkthroughs, and real life application of all Apple products.
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Apple Store Pro Labs - A Walkthrough of What to Expect
While you are waiting for the iPhone to be released this July, why not head out to an Apple Store and learn something? The stores in New York provide for plenty of opportunities to become familiar with a number of applications. Myself, I want to know as much as possible about Final Cut Pro becausemy production company FiniteComedy.com hooked up with ChannelFlip.com to produce an ongoing show for them. Making the jump from iMovie ‘06 to Final Cut is quite a leap. For those who try to make the switch from iMovie ‘08 to Final Cut, good luck. Apple stores can help you make the transition to pro applications.
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United Airlines offers in-flight iPhone and iPod Connectivity
United Airlines is rolling out a new feature for its first-class and business customers. iPhone and iPod users will be able to view their own personalized entertainment when flying internationally.

With my first international flight I traveled to Reykjavik, Iceland. I wish I had the freedom to choose what I wanted. The selections that the airline offered were limited. I’m glad I brought along books to keep me occupied. My last international trip to Stockholm, Sweden I watched the airline choice, Mr. Bean. Although parts of it were entertaining if I could have chosen my entertainment that would not have been on the top of my list.

"Our guests may now watch or listen to what they want, when they want with programming they choose," says Graham Atkinson, United Airlines – executive vice president and Chief Customer Officer. "United will continue to provide services and technology that makes our customers' travel experiences more relaxed and enjoyable."

The first United Airlines flight to offer this feature was flight #936. It left Washington yesterday, June 16, at 5:40 PM and was flying to Zurich. iPod and iPhone users were able to charge their devices through a 30-pin connector at their seats. This enabled them to view their personalized r entertainment on 15.4-inch personal TVs. United Airlines is planning on equipping their entire fleet of international aircrafts with this feature within two years.

“The iPod and iPhone have become essential for millions of travelers around the world,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPod and iPhone Product Marketing. “We think United customers are going to love being able to listen or watch personal music and video content on their iPod or iPhone via the in-flight entertainment system, and we can’t wait for United to roll this out to their fleet.”

United Airlines is the first US air carrier to offer this service. Singapore Airlines has the distinction of being the first airline to allow its passengers to connect their iPods and iPhones to its in flight entertainment system on select business class flights on its Airbus A340-500 aircraft.

I like the fact that United Airlines gives flyers the freedom to choose the music and video they want. It would be even better if United Airlines offered this feature on cross-country flights. Would it make me switch airline carriers to take advantage of this offer? No, I’m happy with the airline I use for international travel.

What about you? Would having the ability to choose your entertainment in-flight influence your decision when it comes to selecting an airline?

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Inexpensive Mac minis
Since you can’t currently find any Mac minis on the Apple Store refurbished site, you might want to check this out. MacMinicolo.net is selling some of the machines that they have been using. They have two models up right now, both 1.83 GHz, Core 2 Duo. Some were purchased in Jan ‘08, and others in November ‘06. They have mostly been used in their climate controlled data center which means that they should be in pretty good shape.

The 2 GB RAM version is $100 less than it would be from Apple, but $175 less if you host it in their data center (and buy a plan with that).

The discount is not huge, but every little bit helps, right? They also mention that they will post them as they are available, so first come, first served.

If you are interested, you can purchase the Minis by contacting macminicolo.net here.

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iPhone Banking

Last year, Bank of America launched its mobile banking service, which as their website name claims, allows you to bank from anywhere. (You can even watch the uber-cheesy videos that explain it if you want.) Last week Bank of America announced that it has hit over 1 million unique, active users, with 4 million account sessions in last month. They have about 100,000 users on peak usage days. Obviously, iPhone, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile devices are used most frequently.

BofA’s website looks good on my iPod Touch, and looks fine on a regular ol’ cell phone. I don’t use Bank of America, so I don’t know how it looks when you are actually inside your account, although I did find out that there is not a branch within 25 miles of my zip code.

I checked out a couple other banks on my Touch, and found that Wells Fargo looked like it could handle mobile banking. Although, it did look like a very mobile version and not very snazzy. Washington Mutual, however, did not fare as well, as it delivered a regular web page that was annoying on my Touch. It didn’t look like a mobile web page either, which translates into annoyingly long load times. BofA wins the battle by looking like a native iPhone app and being easy to use.

I switched to my current bank from Wells Fargo a few years ago because of its superior online banking service. I don’t think I will switch to Bank of America, even though it does have a great system. Do you have a favorite bank to use on your iPhone/iPod Touch?

Official Press Release

[Via Washington Post]

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