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- Apple Backs Wi-Fi Direct, Indicates Better Peer-to-Peer On the Way
Move over Bluetooth, there’s a new direct device connectivity technology out there, and it’s on track for a mid-2010 production rollout. The tech in question is Wi-Fi Direct (previously known as “Wi-Fi peer-to-peer”), and Apple is now one of its main proponents, along with other heavy hitters like Microsoft, Intel and Sony.
With legacy device support, improved speed, and easier connectivity than Bluetooth but with a lot of the same functions and usages, Wi-Fi Direct is expected to be in ‘direct’ competition with the older device-t0-device tech when it does eventually see the light of day. With those companies backing it, Bluetooth may be looking at a competition it can’t hope to win.
The only downside of the new standard, when compared to Bluetooth, is that power consumption would be considerably higher using it. According to sources familiar with the technology, Wi-Fi Direct power demands would be “on par” with the requirements of current Wi-Fi tech. It’s hard to find solid numbers quantifying the difference between the two, but sources agree that Bluetooth’s power requirements are best described as “low,” while Wi-Fi is in the “high” range.
But what exactly does Wi-Fi Direct do, and how? Perhaps Wi-Fi Alliance Executive Director Edgar Figueroa, as quoted by AppleInsider, can help clarify things:
Wi-Fi Direct represents a leap forward for our industry. Wi-Fi users worldwide will benefit from a single-technology solution to transfer content and share applications quickly and easily among devices, even when a Wi-Fi access point isn’t available. The impact is that Wi-Fi will become even more pervasive and useful for consumers and across the enterprise.
Essentially then, it sounds like a Wi-Fi connection between two devices without the need for an intermediary router or bridge. If so, my only concern would be frequency chatter. If your mouse, keyboard, iPhone, and network are all working on Wi-Fi connections, won’t the interference cause lag time, slowdowns, etc.? Without more detail or a practical demonstration of the tech in action, it’s impossible to tell at this point.
The idea that your iPhone could theoretically connect with your Mac for the purposes of using apps like Remote, or for transferring files, without having to be on the same network controlled by a router is very interesting. At home, this kind of thing is never an issue, since all my devices, both portable and otherwise, are plugged into the Wi-Fi network at all times. But when I’m working from the road, it can be annoying to accomplish, and often involves elaborate network connection sharing over Wi-Fi from my Macbook to accomplish.
As Q4 begins, online video is now mainstream. Read the, "Connected Consumer Q3 Wrap-up."
Переслать - Update for iMovie '09 Brings Support for New Nanos, Industry Standard
Home movie makers, start your Software Updater, for Apple has released an update to iMovie '09. The latest version, 8.0.5, brings the usual improvements in compatibility and fixes for "minor issues," but the real story here is the introduction of a brand new video format called 'iFrame.'
iFrame (not to be confused with the troublesome iFrame HTML tag) is a video standard based on Apple's hugely successful H.264 Video and AAC Audio codecs. Just as we've come to expect from those codecs, iFrame offers reasonably high quality audio and video with low file sizes. Smaller files are ideal for those of us who make home movies with digital camcorders, keeping to the absolute minimum the time it takes to import video from a camcorder into iMovie.
The smaller sizes are not surprising, considering iFrame records video at a resolution of 960×540 (at 30fps). While a little higher resolution than SVGA, it's still shy of HD's lowest standard offering, (1280×720). Apple released a support document on its website briefly describing iFrame:
The iFrame Video format is designed by Apple to speed up importing and editing by keeping the content in its native recorded format while editing. Based on industry standard technologies such as H.264 and AAC audio, iFrame produces small file sizes and simplifies the process of working with Video recorded with your camera.
For your Mac, smaller files can potentially mean less time spent crunching numbers during an edit. That's assuming, of course, you're tweaking a short video of your pet cat falling off the couch, not cutting an epic feature of Lucasfilm proportions. (If you are, you won't be using iMovie to do it.) There's no word yet from Apple on whether it plans to add iFrame compatibility into its pro-level Final Cut software, though it’s probably only a matter of time; after all, Final Cut supports just about every other format, one more can’t hurt.
Cameras with native support for iFrame offer faster imports into iMovie because the files they create will not require the usual (often lengthy) conversion that takes place when importing other formats.
iFrame already has some native hardware support in the form of the latest iPod Nano, which uses iFrame as its default format. In addition, earlier this week Sanyo announced the availability of two dual cameras (digital cameras which capture both still images and full speed video)…the snappily named VPC-HD2000ABK and the VPC-FH1ABK. Both provide full iFrame support in addition to the more typical MPEG-4, H.264 video formats.
It's easy to imagine next year's iPhone upgrade including native support for iFrame. The iPhone 3GS records video in the .mov file format, managing a measly 640×480 (VGA) resolution. Nevertheless, shortly after its launch the iPhone 3GS quickly became one of the most popular portable devices used for capturing and uploading video to YouTube. If that trend continues, I'll welcome iFrame for the improved quality it brings to video sharing networks.
For casual movie making, iFrame should be very well received. I wonder whether competitors in a similar space will take it seriously?
Переслать - AT&T Using the iPhone as a Prospective Employee Search Tool
There’s already a few apps for getting a job on the iPhone, but today sees the release of the first one dedicated entirely to one employer. AT&T is taking advantage of the device it remains the sole distributor of in the U.S. to help in its ongoing search for quality staff.
The AT&T Jobs App (iTunes link) is the first app of its kind, one designed by a company to promote only its specific job listings. Job seekers will find updated info on openings, career-related events, and even company information, so you can take it with you to the interview and do a little last minute cramming while you’re waiting to see HR staff.
Scott Smith, AT&T’s Vice President of Staffing, had this to say about the app and the reasoning behind its creation to mobile site Mobiletor.com:
The AT&T Jobs App combines greater accessibility with up-to-date information on career advancement at AT&T on one of the world's most popular devices. This app provides a mobile and interactive way for applicants to network and identify employment opportunities, while expanding the reach of our AT&T career portal to even more people.
You can also use the app to suggest jobs to qualified people in your network of friends and family, thanks to a job post sharing feature, or forward it to your email address so you can give more detailed attention at home on your primary computer.
Finding jobs is as simple as performing a fully customizable search, or by browsing the available positions via categories like broadband, retail, and wireless. You can also search using criteria like geographic area and qualifications required, which should expedite the process of finding a suitable listing somewhat.
If you’re interested in doing something in person, you can browse a list of all the events AT&T is holding or participating in relating to job seeking. Many are college-based job fairs, but there are also info sessions and teleconferences listed. Finally, the Media section provides potential employees with plenty of information about the company and the industry so that they can study up.
It may not be perfectly executed (job listings load in an in-app web view, for example, instead of as properly integrated components of the app), you can’t apply to any job directly from your device (though would you want to?), and there’s no feature to take advantage of your phone’s location services to find jobs or events in your immediate area.
Still, it’s a step in the right direction for major employers, and others would do well to follow AT&T’s example. If you want to reach as wide an audience as possible, which should theoretically net you the best job candidates, what better way to do so than to offer iPhone accessibility, which most people probably have on them even when there isn’t a computer in reach.
Переслать - Apple Takes Aggressive Next Step in the Ongoing Jailbreak Dance
It can’t really do anything about the iPhone hardware that’s already on the market, aside from trying to block jailbreaking via software methods again and again, but Apple has made hardware changes to the latest shipments of iPhone 3GS devices that should ensure they can’t be unlocked, at least for the time being.
The newest devices hitting the market have an updated boot ROM that blocks the exploit typically used in jailbreaking the 3GS, known as the 24kpwn exploit. iPhone Dev-Team member MuscleNerd confirmed that the block does indeed mean that for now, a standard jailbreak on these devices is out of the question.
The 24kpwn exploit was originally discovered early on in the production life of the iPhone 3GS, thanks to connections between the iPhone Developer community and iPhone unlockers. George Hotz (also known as geohot), building on the iPhone Dev Team’s work, published a way to jailbreak the 3GS a few weeks after the exploit was revealed.
Apparently, this is the first time ever that Apple has changed the boot ROM on a production device. Previously, Apple has waited until it released brand new devices to do this, like when the 3GS was originally introduced. Presumably, there is a not insignificant cost associated with making that kind of change mid-production.
In all likelihood, it’s only a matter of time before another exploit is discovered and taken advantage of in order to jailbreak the newer 3GS phones, too, but for now, Apple has dealt a significant blow to the Dev-Team and those who’d rather not rest comfortably under the yoke of Apple and friends. Of course, if you haven’t bought your device within the last week, you should have no problem using the recently released jailbreaking tools for the most recent iPhone OS release, 3.1.2.
Apple’s main problem with jailbreaking, in all likelihood, is the fact that it leads to significantly high rates of piracy on the company’s devices. According to MacRumors, of the nearly four million jailbroken iPhones estimated to be in existence, a full 38 percent of those are using at least one pirated app. Additionally, of iPhone apps that have been successfully cracked and distributed, a full third of the installations are of pirated copies.
So, to Apple’s mind, jailbreaking is depriving it of a nice chunk of its revenue on some of the most popular apps available in the App Store. Even if the boot ROM update only effectively blocks jailbreaking for a month or two, it should have a positive effect in Apple’s income stream for that period.
Переслать - Lots of Nearly Live TV Now Available Free to UK iPhone Users
TV on the iPhone isn’t anything new, but a new web site makes it much easier, more direct, and less expensive for iPhone users in the UK. Just by visiting the site and logging into the new beta web app from TV Catchup, you can access 11 slightly delayed British TV channels, streamed directly to your iPhone.
As long as you live somewhere within the UK, pointing your iPhone’s Safari browser at the TV Catchup optimized site will allow you access to Britain’s five main networks, including BBC 1 and 2, ITV and Channel 4, as well as six additional channels, including BBC 3 and 4 Music.
Attempting to access the site from outside of the UK results in a dialog informing you that you aren’t authorized to play back the content in question, which comes as no surprise given the general attitude of major U.S. TV networks when it comes to international access.
If you are in the UK, you get streams from each channel delayed only about 20 seconds behind the live TV feed. You can also watch in either landscape or portrait mode (using your phone’s built-in Quicktime player) and pause any footage.
Keen readers will observe that the BBC is already available to all on the iPhone via its own iPlayer web application (also limited to UK residents). That app provides on-demand access to many BBC programs, like TV.com does for various CBS shows in the U.S.
Apps like Slingplayer and Orb can also potentially bring live TV to the iPhone, but require expensive hardware and software additions to your existing setup, or at least an iPhone app if you already have everything else. TV Catchup only requires that you have an iPhone and a network connection, which can be either Wi-Fi or 3G.
No word on whether TV Catchup will eventually try to expand its service to include international audiences, or international stations, but I sure hope someone out there is watching and thinks this is a good idea. True, AT&T would likely try to block something like this because of the network load or because it can’t control access via subscriptions, but if it’s a similar web-based application from someone like Hulu, there’s little it can do to stop it.
Asian cell phone users have been enjoying TV on their mobile devices for years, thanks to 1seg TV antennas. It’s about time we started catching up. I suspect the last barrier will be stubborn networks. Don’t worry guys, you can still advertise to us on a mobile platform.
Переслать - Rumor Has It: Apple Developing Radio App for iPhone and iPod touch
The ZuneHD has it. The latest iPod Nano has it. Even a chunky digital watch I owned when I was seven years old had it. I'm talking FM Radio, and the latest rumors tell us Apple is working on its very own native Radio.app for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
9to5Mac reports that the new app will be allowed to run in the background, and may be incorporated into the existing iPod software on the device. It will apparently feature the exact same functionality as the radio app on the iPod Nano, (such as Live Pause) with at least one notable additional capability — smart linking between songs played via the radio application and their home in the iTunes Mobile store. From the report:
For instance, if you like a song you are listening to on the radio (and that station supports tagging and you are in the US), you will be able to push a button and see the song (and all of the information around it) in the iTunes Mobile store. With another click, you’ll be able to make a purchase.
9to5Mac's Seth Weintraub says that it is this smart linking that is creating problems for the developers, since not all radio stations in America support the crucial tagging technology upon which this feature depends.
I'd add at this point that on the global stage, radio broadcaster's support for digital tagging is likely just as patchy. With this in mind, and if this rumor is true, Apple is faced with the problem of providing end users with an inconsistent and unpredictable experience on its ‘premium’ iPod models. If Apple truly is developing this software, mindful of its aim to ensure "It Just Works," will it include a feature that is guaranteed not to? The implementation of song tagging on the iPod Nano is somewhat circuitous; if a song played on the radio is tagged, the user can mark that song for future review (and possibly purchase) the next time they sync the Nano to iTunes. While this might be acceptable on a Nano, I’d suggest it would be a less-than-satisfactory event on the iPhone, where users expect a more seamless and functionally rich experience.
Feature-set-aside, should this software make an appearance in the near future, the good news is that iPhone owners need not worry about meeting hardware specs. Weintraub assures us that existing iPhone and iPod Touch models have long supported FM radio, though to date, it's a feature that has seen only limited use communicating with peripherals, such as the various Nike+ products.
I always think of radio as something of an outmoded media, today mostly useful during National Emergencies and, of course, the day our robot slaves rise against us. Feature phones have offered FM radio since forever, but I can tell you without hesitation it's not something I ever used. No one I know (both Geeks and Normals) ever used the radio on their phones, either. So I wonder, is that indicative of most people today, or am I (and my friends) in some sort of strange, anti-radio minority? Would you use this app?
Переслать - Apple Promises iTunes LPs for All
Just days after the head of an independent label claimed Apple was charging as much as $10,000 in production fees associated with the new media format, Apple has denied that there are any production charges at all. Even better, the iTunes LP format will soon be available to all content creators.
Introduced at the Apple Music Event last month, the attempt to create an interactive album for the digital age has thus far generated more controversy than content. As of today, there are currently 13 iTunes LPs available, which is why the claims of exorbitant production costs and exclusion of independent labels seemed curious, but not necessarily out of character, for a controlling company like Apple.
However, Electricpig reports that Apple is "releasing the open specs for iTunes LP soon, allowing both major and indie labels to create their own. There is no production fee charged by Apple." While some will think this clears Apple, keep in mind that “no production fee” does not necessarily mean Apple was not charging content creators money, or acting as a gatekeeper for the major record labels. This is Apple, after all.
Such policies do contrast with the technology itself, though, which is based on WebKit, the open-source browser engine. In fact, iTunesLP.net already allows for anyone to create iTunesLPs without Apple or the iTunes Store. Still, the success of iTunes LP will require both, and it’s welcoming news to see the company affirming its commitment to iTunes LPs for all.
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