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- Report: Steve Jobs was 'furious' over Microsoft's acquisition of Bungie
Apple hasn't shown a lot of initiative on the gaming side of things (this past "Back to the Mac" event was the first time the company even mentioned Steam coming to the Mac, something even Valve has admitted is a huge deal), but apparently Steve Jobs still has somewhat of a competitive streak.
Former Microsoft exec Ed Fries (who I just talked with last weekend at BlizzCon, strangely enough) has told Develop the story of developer Bungie being bought by Microsoft, which was the event that turned Bungie from a high profile Mac developer into a studio that made Halo games specifically for Microsoft's then-new Xbox console. Fries says that a very frustrated Steve Jobs placed a call to Steve Ballmer, furious that Microsoft had nabbed Bungie, and Ballmer then asked Fries to call Jobs back to "calm him down about the whole thing."
Fries did, and the talk eventually spawned an initiative on Microsoft's side to get some of their PC games ported over to the Mac. But as gamers know, Apple's desktop platforms have never been very gamer-friendly, and developers still say that even with the switch to Intel, Apple still has a little ways to go to make the platform a solid choice for gamers.
I'd say the real catalyst in all of this is the iPod touch, more than anything else. Apple's App Store was a real breakthrough in terms of letting developers release and profit off of their software, and the iPod touch specifically has been a real boon for gaming (which, you could argue, has helped drive the recent resurgence in Mac gaming, including the Steam for Mac release and a few other high profile developers embracing the platform). We'll have to see if that happens with the Mac App Store as well -- most of the issues with developers right now have to do with technical issues rather than a lack of distribution channels, but having an easy way to release and update software on the Mac certainly won't hurt.
[via Ars Technica]Report: Steve Jobs was 'furious' over Microsoft's acquisition of Bungie originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Workers allegedly poisoned while making iPhones
Several Chinese laborers are reporting serious illness after being exposed to a toxic chemical while assembling iPhones. According to reports, the workers inhaled vapors of a chemical called n-hexane while working in a poorly-ventilated room.
An ABC News foreign correspondent gained access to the Number Five People's Hospital in Suzhou, where the workers are being treated, to speak with them. They said that n-hexane was being used to glue and polish Apple logos on Apple iPhones that "...they assumed were not fakes." The workers, some of whom have been hospitalized for half a year, state that they became dizzy and eventually were unable to walk. Most report continued pain in their legs.
in a similar story, manufacturer Wintek recently halted the use of n-hexane after workers became ill. Wintek makes touch screens for many Apple products. Affected Wintek employees also report chronic leg pain following otherwise successful n-hexane treatment.
Wikipedia describes n-hexane as a hydrocarbon that is often "...used in the formulation of glues for shoes, leather products, and roofing. They are also used to extract cooking oils from seeds, for cleansing and degreasing all sorts of items, and in textile manufacturing."
It's interesting to note that the Chinese manufacturer is not mentioned in the story. It's well known that Foxconn workers assemble Apple iPhones, and that they have endured their own sets of hardships.
To the best of our knowledge, it's unknown if this is about a Foxconn factory, a third-party factory sub-contracted by Foxconn to help meet the incredible demand, a counterfeit plant, etc. We'll follow this story and keep you updated.Workers allegedly poisoned while making iPhones originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Garmin may have an iPhone app store offering
It's been couple of rocky years for Garmin. They offered a GPS phone to compete with the iPhone, but it didn't sell well. It was a good navigator, but not a very compelling phone. Then Garmin tied up with ASUS to bring an Android and Windows Mobile version of the phone to market. That pretty much cratered too, and now it looks like the Garmin and ASUS partnership will dissolve in January.
Now there are reports that Garmin will pursue the app business, and that may include an iPhone version. It's probably what Garmin should have aimed for at the start. With Garmin out of the cellphone business the way is clear to develop apps for the new Windows Phone 7, iOS devices, and the Android phones.
The company won't disclose sales figures for the phones sold under the ASUS partnership, but it's a likely bet Garmin will be joining Navigon, TomTom, Magellan and others in the app store.
In the past Garmin has developed and sold products for Mac desktops and laptops, but support has been very spotty.
[via the Kansas City Star]
Garmin may have an iPhone app store offering originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Macworld posts MacBook Air benchmark results
When the new MacBook Airs were introduced, many were shocked to see a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor in the standard 11-inch model and a 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo processor in the standard 13-inch model. Isn't that a step backward? The previous generation had either a 1.83GHz or a 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo processor standard.
The folks at Macworld ran some formal benchmark tests on both the 11.6-inch and the 13-inch Airs, comparing them to their predecessors and even a 13-inch MacBook Pro. The results may surprise you. To begin, the Speedmark 6.5 score doubled when comparing the 13-inch 1.86GHz MacBook Air and the 2009 13-inch 1.86GHz MacBook Air (Speedmark is Macworld's benchmark test suite). Most of the gains were made over drive-based tests, as the new Air's flash storage was able to show off a bit. Duplicating a 1GB file on the new Air took 13 seconds; compare that to 69 seconds on the model from 2009. Likewise, compressing a 2GB folder was 21% faster on the new Air.
Other benefits include graphics improvements, despite the new Air's integrated subsystem. The nVidia GeForce 320M in the current Air produced over 3 times as many frames per second while running Call of Duty 4 when compared to the nVidia GeForce 9400M that's in the 2009 MacBook Air.
Processor-intensive tasks were also better on the current Air and the 13-inch model even out performed a 13-inch MacBook Pro when it came to drive-related tasks. Specifically, both models of the Air were faster in the file-duplication tests and compression tests.
There's much more of course, and we recommend you read the full report. In short, flash storage is a huge benefit, the battery life is improved and the current line of processors needn't make us cringe so severely.
Macworld posts MacBook Air benchmark results originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - iPhone-shaped soap smells like sausageSure, an iPhone-shaped soap bar is fun as it is, but surely there's something else that can be added to make it even more enjoyable, no? Etsy user twoeggplants decided to answer that question with a resounding yes, and is selling an iPhone-shaped bar of soap that just happens to smell like grilled meats while you use it. I kind of wish my actual iPhone smelled like grilled sausage -- I wouldn't want the grease on it, but the scent would be fine to have around.
Apparently the scent can be customized, so if you'd rather have a more traditional soap smell (like, oh I don't know, something which smells like apples), you can go with that. It's also out of stock at the moment, which is usually what happens when something cool on Etsy gets discovered by a few blogs. But just the idea of a sausage-smelling iPhone soap is pretty fun anyway.iPhone-shaped soap smells like sausage originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Game Boy decals for your iPhone 4
Looking to amaze and impress your gaming friends with a new decal for your iPhone 4? Well then feast your eyes on the Game Boy Color sticker for your iPhone!
The vinyl adhesive decal affixes to the back of your iPhone to give that retro-gaming look to your iDevice. The same seller makes the skin in other colors, as well as a classic Nintendo console controller. Each sells for US$6, and it's not exactly clear whether or not they're easily removed once the novelty has worn off. I guess you could always just stick it on a case.
Alright, maybe it won't so much amaze or impress. But old-school gamers will find them just nostalgic enough to prompt a purchase.
[via DVICE]Game Boy decals for your iPhone 4 originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - DOS emulator for iOS released, runs Windows 3.0
Update: We're getting reports that it's been pulled, not unexpectedly so. We'll have to see if the devs want to fight to try and keep it up. It's certainly possible to release an emulator app on the App Store, but Apple's touchy about the subject, to say the least.This seems like the kind of thing that Apple wouldn't want on the App Store (and indeed, it may soon disappear when they figure it out), but then again, after the relaxing of the rules, maybe they're OK with this one. Touch Arcade has discovered iDOS on the App Store -- it's a DOSbox-based disk operating system emulator that runs on iOS. And it apparently does everything that DOS does, including, as you can see in the picture, running Windows 3.0 complete with the Solitaire game.
The app is a 99 cent universal app for iPhone and iPad, and unfortunately, it's not user friendly at all -- if you don't remember your old DOS commands, the app's not set up to make things easy for you. The app also includes what the description calls "freeware/abandonware" like Ms. Pac Man PC, and DigDug, but you can upload other games and files through iTunes.
Honestly, this is awesome, but it seems a little too open for Apple's tastes. I can't see how it would ever hurt the iOS device (you're running everything from within the app, and Apple could simply assume that you own any copies of software that you install on there), but this is one app that may have snuck through the gates. At any rate, iDOS is now available on the App Store -- if it disappears later on, we'll let you know.DOS emulator for iOS released, runs Windows 3.0 originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - JooJoo tablet to make another run at iPad with Android power
Despite landing with a distinct thud earlier this year, the JooJoo tablet from Fusion Garage is set to make a second run at the iPad in 2011. Instead of the underdeveloped Flash-based software that "powered" the first JooJoo, Fusion Garage has decided to go the Android route for its sequel.
In addition to the software change, the JooJoo2 is expected to transition to an all-new hardware platform as well. The original JooJoo was based on the same Intel Atom processors that power most netbooks. Android can run on this architecture, but it's really optimized for the ARM architecture that powers most cell phones and, of course, the iPad. The JooJoo2 will probably shrink from its current 12-inch size to something in the 7 to 10-inch range. Fusion Garage hopes to launch the JooJoo2 in early 2011, which will probably be right around the time that the iPad 2 appears.JooJoo tablet to make another run at iPad with Android power originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - How to guard yourself and your Mac from Firesheep and Wi-Fi snooping
The prevalence of free/cheap and open Wi-Fi networks in coffee shops, airports, offices and hotels is a great boon to the traveling Mac or iPad user; it makes connectivity and remote work much easier than it used to be.
Unfortunately, since most of those networks don't employ WEP or WPA passwords to secure the connection between device and hotspot, every byte and packet that's transmitted back and forth is visible to all the computers on the wireless LAN, all the time. While certain sites and services use full-time browser encryption (the ones that have URLs beginning with https:// and that show a lock in the browser status bar), many only encrypt the login session to hide your username and password from prying eyes. This, as it turns out, is the digital equivalent of locking the door but leaving the windows wide open.
Firesheep is a Firefox extension which makes it trivially easy to impersonate someone to the websites they log in to while on the same open Wi-Fi network. It kicks in when you login to a website (usually in a secure fashion, via HTTPS) and then the site redirects you to a non-secured page after login. Most sites that operate this way will save your login information in a browser cookie, which can be 'sniffed' by a nogoodnik on the same network segment; that's what Firesheep does automatically. With the cookie in hand, it's simple to present it to the remote site and proceed to do bad things with the logged-in account. Bad things could range from sending fake Twitter or Facebook messages all the way up to, potentially, buying things on ecommerce sites.
That process is known as "HTTP session hijacking" (informally, "sidejacking") and has been a known problem for several years, but many sites have not changed to protect their users. Firesheep has made this process of sidejacking very easy, and a reported 104,000+ people have downloaded it. It is important to realize that the security problem exists for users of all browsers. Firesheep is available only for Firefox, but that's just the exploit side; it will gladly harvest cookies from Safari, Chrome, IE or anything else. Unfortunately, you've got to assume that any unencrypted site you go to while on an open Wi-Fi network is susceptible to compromise by this attack.
Read on for some suggested ways to combat this security challenge.
Photo by adactio | flickr cc
Continue reading How to guard yourself and your Mac from Firesheep and Wi-Fi snooping
How to guard yourself and your Mac from Firesheep and Wi-Fi snooping originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Bloom County's Banana Jr 6000 lives on as a fantastic case mod
If you're too young to remember it, the Banana Jr 6000 was a thing of beauty that appeared in the comic strip Bloom County, which used to run in these things we called newspapers. (You can find out more about newspapers on Wikipedia and by asking your older relatives.) To this day, Bloom County still cracks me up, and I can quote you more of those strips word for word than is probably healthy.
Anyway, Bloom County featured a character/computer called the Banana Jr 6000. I loved him so. He made his grand debut just about the time that I got interested in the machines made by another fruit-named computer company. He was a clever little television worshipper who taught me that Dan Rather was a god, tequila hallucinations are to be avoided, and poor translations are hilarious. Eventually he strolled off into the sunset, and I always wondered how things went for him after that.
At one point he was threatened with having his memory chips put into programmable toaster ovens, but thankfully that never came to pass. Instead, John from the RetroMacCast took his love of Bloom County and some free time and built his own Banana Jr 6000. It is a glorious thing to behold.
He posted a few progress shots on his Ning blog, and getting to see it take shape is fun to watch. Get a good look at the gallery for the finished product and see if that last photo doesn't remind you of something.
This is the sort of case mod that I love most. It's done with such care and attention to detail. It helps that it includes something I love (like that Millennium Falcon/Mac mini case mod from back in the day), but really, anyone who puts this sort of time and effort in deserves all the accolades they can get.
I adore this case mod, and I love even more that it can actually be used with current software since there's a mini inside. I give this one four Basselopes.
Thanks to exiledsurfer for the tip!
Bloom County's Banana Jr 6000 lives on as a fantastic case mod originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Rumors: Apple to buy Sony?
Over the past decade, Apple has accumulated an enormous bankroll of over $51 billion, spending only a tiny fraction of it on acquisitions. If the current (wild and wacky) speculation around purchasing Sony holds up, that would change.
At one point on Tuesday, Sony's stock was up almost 3 percent as the rumor spread among the traders on the Tokyo exchange. Sony's market capitalization is currently less than $34 billion, making a cash buyout a possibility.
While Apple has mostly gone from strength to strength over the past 10 years, expanding into new markets like music players and phones, Sony has struggled to gain market traction with its newer products.
However, despite having the money in the bank to do such a deal, buying Sony is likely to be a mistake for Apple. Huge mergers like this rarely work out well, and the differences in the corporate cultures between the two companies could cause some serious indigestion. The Japanese government is also likely to offer some serious resistance to having one of its corporate jewels swallowed up.
Rather than buying Sony whole, it might make more sense for Apple to just buy part of the company, such as its film/music library or the TV business. On the other hand, Apple might just want to look elsewhere to get something that it doesn't compete with, like Disney or Facebook.[hat tip to MacRumors]
Rumors: Apple to buy Sony? originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - White iPhone shows up in Apple Store app
As reported earlier today, Apple has updated the App Store app, and with that update seems to come indication that the much coveted white iPhone 4 may be making its way to stores soon.
If you open the App Store app and navigate to the "Stores" area, then attempt to make a product reservation for an iPhone, you may note that there are black AND white versions listed. Unfortunately, if one attempts to reserve one of the white versions of the iPhone, you'll get the notice pictured. Attempting to reserve a black iPhone appears to work, though.
Still, this is promising indication that things may be changing soon, if you're one who has been holding out for one of these.White iPhone shows up in Apple Store app originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Departing Microsoft software architect warns of post-PC world
After announcing last week that he would be stepping down as Microsoft's chief software architect, Ray Ozzie has posted an essay where he warns that the end is near for the Redmond company's way of doing business. Despite all of the businesses that Microsoft has gotten into over the past two decades, only two account for the bulk of the company's enormous profits: Windows and Office.
According to Ozzie, these platforms are getting too complex to build and use. This is likely to spur both to move toward simpler, more appliance-like systems, such as mobile phones and tablets. While Ozzie praises the progress that Microsoft has made with online services like Live, Office 365, SharePoint and others, he warns that many opportunities have been squandered, especially in mobile.
Ozzie highlights the success of other companies in agile innovation in a rapidly changing marketplace. While Apple, Facebook, and Google are never mentioned by name, those are clearly the examples that Ozzie thinks Microsoft should be following.
[via Electronista]Departing Microsoft software architect warns of post-PC world originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Official Apple Store app updated
Just as the rumors suggested, Apple updated the official Apple Store app to include support for customer check-ins, reservations and other location-based services.
You can use the app to reserve products to pickup at Apple retail stores, check into stores upon arrival to alert employees to your appointment and add reservation appointments to iCal (note that iOS 4 is required for check-in and iCal support). You'll also be able to add engraving and gift wrapping options when making purchases from the store.
Version 1.1 is available now and requires the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad running iOS 3.0 or later.
[Via Mac Stories]Official Apple Store app updated originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Analyst: Flash memory makes MacBook Air more profitable than bigger laptopsWe already know the MacBook Air is thinner than most laptops, but it turns out that the stack of money it makes Apple isn't. An analyst named Brian Marshall of Gleacher & Co. says that the flash memory in the MacBook Air is one of the big places that Apple makes its money on the machine, reportedly costing Apple just $80. According to Marshall, this means the profit margin on the Air is between 28 and 37 percent; that's almost 10 percent higher than Apple's traditional MacBook lines.
According to Andrew Rassweiler of iSuppli, also quoted in the story, Apple is now one of the world's biggest (if not the biggest) consumers of hardware flash memory, and its deals on memory are so good that the more memory in a device it makes, the better profit it will eventually see. Which, of course, is why the latest MacBook Air is so big on flash memory.
Of course, Marshall's analysis doesn't take into consideration marketing or advertising costs, and Apple certainly has a sizeable advertising budget going into its devices. But when you consider pure hardware costs, Apple's positioned its "satellite laptop" to be a very strong product indeed.Analyst: Flash memory makes MacBook Air more profitable than bigger laptops originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - TUAW's Daily App: Monster FeedMonster Feed is a colorful little tower defense title for the iPad, and it's a little more action-based than most TD titles. A lot of your interaction with the oncoming hordes is actually interactive, as you have not only towers to build and grow but also spells and even summonable minions fighting with you and at your side. Monsters have a few new tricks, too -- rather than just blindly following the paths, some will require you to tap on them or otherwise keep them back as you play. There are a few good ideas in the mix, and especially if you're a fan of the growing tower defense genre, this one seems like a must-see.
The iPad app is on sale right now for US $1.99, which is 50 percent off of the usual price. If you don't want to jump right in, you can try a lite version for free. And while the app isn't on the iPhone yet, we're told that it will be soon. If you want to try tower defense with a little bit more actual interaction, give Monster Feed a look.TUAW's Daily App: Monster Feed originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple now offering iPad engraving
If you've ever wished you could put a personalized message on the back of an iPad like you can with an iPod, you're in luck: Apple has unveiled free engraving for the iPad just in time for the holiday season. Free, as in $0: for no additional cost, you can add a laser-engraved message onto a new iPad's aluminum backside.
Engraving increases the shipping time by a small amount, but there's an even bigger potential pitfall. If Apple follows the same policy for iPads as it has for iPods, you may not be able to return an engraved iPad. Apple's sales and refund policy specifically states, "Personalized iPods (e.g., engraved or customized in any way) may not be returned for refund or exchange under any circumstances unless such product is Dead on Arrival." The policy hasn't yet been updated for the iPad, but it won't surprise us at all if the same policy holds true for Apple's far more expensive tablet. Having a personalized engraving on your iPad could also reduce its value if you want to sell it later; having something like "Merry Christmas honeybuns" printed on the back of a secondhand iPad doesn't go over well with most potential buyers.
In other words: iPad engraving is a great idea, but the buyer should definitely beware.
[via Mac Rumors]
Apple now offering iPad engraving originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - iOS 4.1 security bug: bypass passcode entry and access Phone, Photos apps
If you've got a passcode entry set on your iPhone, you might think it could block nefarious or mischievous people from accessing any part of your iPhone. Not so. We've been made aware of a security flaw in iOS 4.1 that allows users to bypass the passcode entry screen and gain direct access to the iPhone's Phone app. It's not just hype either: this is easier to pull off than the Konami code.
How it works: when the passcode entry screen comes up, tap "Emergency Call." Input any number you like, then tap "Call" and click the iPhone's sleep switch in quick succession (to get this to work, I had to perform the two actions almost simultaneously). If you've done the "trick" properly, you should now have full access to the iPhone's Phone app, including contacts, keypad, and calling history. What's more: tapping "Share Contact" and the camera icon will give you access to the Photos app. That's the extent of your access -- hitting the home button doesn't do anything at all -- but it's bad enough.
According to Daring Fireball's John Gruber, this bug isn't reproducible on the latest iOS 4.2 beta, so it's possible Apple was already aware of the security bug and has fixed it in 4.2. Until 4.2 is released, the best thing you can do is take our own Dave Caolo's advice: physical access is total access, so the first and most vital step to making sure people can't access your sensitive information is making sure they can't access your iPhone at all.
iOS 4.1 security bug: bypass passcode entry and access Phone, Photos apps originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 01:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Windows Phone 7 Connector Beta available for download by Mac users
Are you a Mac user who is excited about Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 devices? Or a Mac user who is being forced against your will to put away your iPhone and use the company-supplied Windows Phone 7 phone (and forgive me if that one sounds redundant)?
Well, you're in luck. As promised, Microsoft has issued a beta version of Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac. This software allows you to sync certain selected content with not only "WinPho7" devices, but Microsoft Zune media players as well.
The download is available here -- according to the notes you'll be able to "Sync music, photos, videos and podcasts from your existing iTunes and iPhoto libraries to your Windows Phone 7." Rock on, WinPho fans!
[via Mac Rumors]
Windows Phone 7 Connector Beta available for download by Mac users originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Is your new Apple TV skipping frames?
Apple's new $99 Apple TV may be getting a lot more fans than its predecessor, but early reports from a number of users are indicating that the streaming video on the device sometimes skips frames.
As reported on 9to5Mac and relayed by several of our readers from personal experience, the issue may not be apparent to everyone, but it can be annoying enough to those who know what to look for that they'd like to use the device for target practice.
An Emmy-nominated editor who sent 9to5 an email about the issue noted that the motion stops for a frame, then it skips the next frame to catch up. The problem is most apparent where there is motion in a scene, and it didn't occur with the same video sources on the old Apple TV.
The issue is receiving a fair number of discussion forum entries on the Apple Support site, so there is hope that a future update to the firmware on the new Apple TV will be forthcoming to resolve the problem.
Have you experienced this issue? We'd like to know. Leave a comment below telling us about your experiences with the new Apple TV.
Is your new Apple TV skipping frames? originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Free PBS iPad app allows streaming of the network's content
Like a few commercial television networks before it, PBS has launched an iPad app designed to stream the network's content to your iPad on demand. PBS for iPad is available for free right now on the App Store, and it has full streams of lots of classic shows. There's some new content as well -- Circus is a show that's been created just for the iPad app itself. But there's also some Masterpiece Theater and Julia Child in there, as well as other well-known standbys of the
government run anddonation-supported broadcasting network.
The app also has schedule information about what's on TV, as well as a DVR-style feature that will let you resume shows when you pause them while watching. There's no iPhone or iPod touch version yet, but a (slightly different) version will arrive on those devices later this year.
Looks like a great app, and you can't argue with the price of getting all that content on the iPad completely for free. At the risk of sounding like a pledge drive, we'll say that if you enjoy the app here in the US, maybe look into giving your local affiliate a nice donation in return.Free PBS iPad app allows streaming of the network's content originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Rumor: Apple retail app to offer "check-ins," connect employees and customers
MacStories has heard an interesting rumor: that Apple's recent work in location-based networking and "check-in" software will be used inside of Apple's retail stores, specifically to provide better service from employees there. Not a lot is known yet (and MacStories doesn't reveal the source of the info, though presumably it comes from someone who works in or with Apple retail), but the rumor says that Apple would provide an app that's specifically designed to help coordinate the experience of visiting an Apple Store. A customer could check in and set up appointments directly from the app, get push notifications, and even see photos of employees assigned to help them. Employees could also use the app to track customers in the store and receive information about what they were there for.
It all sounds very interesting -- we know for a fact that Apple employees went through some training just recently for the upcoming holiday season, so this app could have been one of the topics discussed. Something like this would definitely streamline things at the Apple Store, and move from the very ad hoc way of splitting up customers and employees to a more directed kind of connection. We'll have to see what Apple reveals as we move closer to this year's holiday sales season.Rumor: Apple retail app to offer "check-ins," connect employees and customers originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Scrivener 2.0 public preview now available
Barely a week before NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) begins, the public preview of Scrivener 2.0 is out. This version is sans the project templates that will be available when the full version hits next week. In addition to the 2.0 preview, a beta version of the new Windows client is also available. We've been looking forward to the release of Scrivener 2.0 and will be putting the public preview through its paces in the next few days.
The public preview version of Scrivener is free to use until December 7. Any NaNoWriMo participants who achieve their goal of 50,000 words will qualify for a 50 percent discount off of the full version of Scrivener 2.0. Those who do not make the quota can get 20 percent off by using the discount code NANOWRIMO during purchase.
Scrivener 2.0 is US$45 for a regular license and $38.25 for an academic license. A registered owner of Scrivener 1 will be able to update for $25. Those who bought Scrivener on or since August 1, 2010 will be entitled to a free update.
Scrivener 2.0 requires OS X 10.4 or higher and remains a Universal application, but there is some extra functionality with Snow Leopard. The full version is expected to be released a week from today.Scrivener 2.0 public preview now available originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - What will the iPhone 5 be made of?
The iPhone 4 has had its share of design-related issues. First, the external stainless steel wraparound antenna caused reception hiccups that resulted in the famous "antennagate" Apple event.
Now that a much larger number of the phones are in the wild, there was a brief to-do about the relative likelihood of the iPhone 4's glass back scratching or breaking when the device is slipped into a slider case. Gdgt's Ryan Block later noted that Apple is preemptively working this issue from the engineering side, but that didn't stop the Macalope from chastising his eagerness to declare a new -gate scandal involving the phone's reliability.
What could Apple possibly do with future iPhones to prevent similar hardware issues -- widely prevalent or once-in-a-blue-mood as they may be -- from cropping up once the devices are out of the corral?
Blogger Raymond Wong at SyFy's Dvice site gave this question some thought in a post this morning, and he makes some suggestions about what materials the next and succeeding generations of iPhone might be made of. First, he thinks there could be a move back to plastic, since the material was used in the first three generations of iPhones, is transparent to cell phone signals, and is much more resilient to impacts.Next, he thinks that aluminum is "off the table for good," considering that it is opaque to cell phone signals and can be scratched, but he thinks there is a good chance that the materials made by Liquidmetal Technologies could be used. They remain scratch-free much longer than aluminum or steel, and could be used in an external antenna like that on the iPhone 4.
Wong thinks that titanium and carbon fiber are also out of the question due to cost. Carbon fiber is extremely light, but can crack under shock, while titanium is strong and light, but tremendously expensive.
What do you think the next generation of iPhones will be made of? At TUAW, we're still waiting for the new models made from unicorn tears and rainbows, but we'd like to hear your ideas in the comments.What will the iPhone 5 be made of? originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - A complete movie guide on your iPhone
In my last post I wrote about Movie Vault, so I'm going to loosely stay with the subject and suggest that you take a look at the recently updated Leonard Maltin Movie Guide. We looked at the original version many months ago, and I think the app is better now.
For US $2.99, you get the complete set of Maltin reviews, and since the app is Internet connected, you get new reviews as they appear.
Here are the things I like: The app is quite fast, and when you start typing a title or a name, it auto-completes. There are trailers for newer films out there. Names of actors and directors become hotlinks that you can click on and perform a search on those names. There is very nice integration to Netflix. You can put a movie in your instant or DVD queue, or you can even move that film to the top of the list. There are also rental links to iTunes, and you can share reviews from this app via email. The app has welcome links to IMDB (for really in-depth info) and Amazon (if you want to purchase a film on disk).
Continue reading A complete movie guide on your iPhone
A complete movie guide on your iPhone originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Model suing Apple over pics in iPhone app
A 19-year-old Long Island yoga instructor and model is suing Apple and developer Samba Studios over racy photos of her that are featured in an iPhone app called eXtreme Cam Girls. The app, which has apparently been removed from the App Store, features self-portraits of Rebecca Battino in a scanty swimsuit that she took when she was 16 years old. She's not quite sure how the photos ended up in the app when they were being stored in the iPhoto library on her Mac.
According to the scoop in the New York Post, Battino isn't embarrassed by the photos; she's just upset that she has never been paid for the use of her image in the app. In the copyright infringement lawsuit, Battino is asking for $1 million in damages from Apple and Samba Studios.
Samba Studios has a number of other sexually-oriented apps in the App Store, including eXtreme Sex Positions and Lesbian Kama Sutra Sex Positions.
[via MacObserver]Model suing Apple over pics in iPhone app originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple joins Facebook, Google, others to combat Paul Allen's charges
Back in August, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen formally sued 11 tech companies, including Apple, over the use of technologies for which he holds the patents. Now, Apple has joined Google, Facebook, Yahoo! and others in opposing the suit.
Google initially filed a motion to dismiss the claims on October 18th, stating that Allen's company, Interval Research (which ceased operation in 2000), had failed to explain exactly how Google had supposedly violated its patents. Additionally, Google claims that Interval is lumping all 11 defendants together without demonstrating any "coordinated action."
Apple joined Google and others on October 21st with its own filing, stating, "Interval has sued eleven major corporations and made the same bald assertions that each defendant infringes 197 claims in four patents. As the U.S. Supreme Court noted in Twombly, it is in this type of situation in which courts should use their 'power to insist upon some specificity in pleading before allowing a potentially massive factual controversy to proceed."
In other words, spill the goods or move on.
Allen's suit identifies four specific patents, including one that determines how websites suggest products based upon customers' recent searches, and another that lets users reading a news story quickly find related stores.
We'll have more on this story as it develops.Apple joins Facebook, Google, others to combat Paul Allen's charges originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Sex Offender Tracker for iPhone keeps you in the know
The Sex Offender Tracker App (US$1.99) for the iPhone isn't the first such app on the App Store (Offender Locator and Sex Offenders Search are two others), but it is the first to use augmented reality. As an added bonus, it has Antoine Dodson's approval.
The app uses your GPS location and a national database to identify registered sex offenders in your area. The information is presented as an overlay on top of video of your location. Users can specify search criteria and opt for a list view if the augmented presentation is less than ideal.
It's notable that BeenVerified, the company behind the app, is donating 5 percent of purchase proceeds to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network or RAINN. The app is compatible with iPhone 4 or 3GS and iOS 3.1 or later.
To see Dodson's ad, click the link below.
Continue reading Sex Offender Tracker for iPhone keeps you in the know
Sex Offender Tracker for iPhone keeps you in the know originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Pixelmator setting up shop in the Mac App Store
Pixelmator is a favorite Mac application around TUAW. The US$59 image editor is used by many of our bloggers to fix or manipulate the pictures you see here on the site.
We were thrilled to see that the Pixelmator team announced on their blog that they'll be selling their application in the upcoming Mac App Store. The team says that they're happy that they'll be able to focus on continuing to make Pixelmator the top Mac image editor instead of spending time on figuring out ways to get the word out about their app or manage a web store to sell the product.
They're also lovin' the fact that they no longer have to work on developing and keeping up update and licensing systems, digital rights management, and similar time-consuming -- but necessary -- back-end systems. Now they can simply focus on Pixelmator and leave the rest to Apple.
It's good to see that the Pixelmator Team is supportive of the Mac App Store, and we wish them continued success as they move into their new "home."
Pixelmator setting up shop in the Mac App Store originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Hollywood's love affair with the iPad
The New York Times reports that the iPad is catching on in Hollywood, attracting actors, writers, producers and other personalities looking to alter their workflow or even get in a few rounds of Angry Birds between takes.
The Times begins by describing a meeting between director JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof and producer Bob Orci (among others) about the upcoming Star Trek movie. As the group talked, Orci used is his iPad to flip through potential location photos, stills from the first movie and a picture of an actress under consideration. He told the Times, "When you're carrying a little TV around, you bring the power of imagery to places that you don't normally have it."
Scenes like this are becoming increasingly common. The Times notes that former American Idol judge Paula Abdul has used an iPad to show off her new music video, while actress Julie Benz enjoys Angry Birds during downtime. "It's perfect for the long hours here," she said.
Apple is also enjoying a good amount of product placement lately, which the company claims it doesn't pay for. A recent episode of NBC's The Office had a character use his iPad to find the time, and ABC's Modern Family devoted an entire episode around the tablet in March.. In fact, the Nielsen Company reports that Apple products have appeared about 2,438 times on television programs through September of this year. All of that adds up to buzz and free advertisement for Apple.
Hollywood's love affair with the iPad originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - VLC 1.1.0 now available for all iOS devices
VLC, the free versatile video player beloved across the world and multiple operating systems, has been updated and is now available for the iPod touch and iPhone. The iPad app was released about a month ago but it is now a universal binary which runs on the iPhone 4, 3GS and "recent iPod touches."
Videos can be added to your iOS device through iTunes. While VLC won't play every video format, it plays a lot of them without requiring specific encoding for the iOS device you are on.
The update also makes it possible to delete files within the application, meaning that you no longer have to use iTunes. The release notes also say that the decoding will be faster and more extensions are recognized.
Grab it for free from the App Store.
VLC 1.1.0 now available for all iOS devices originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Report: Apple's inventory woes fixed for holiday shoppers
A number of analysts are expecting inventory shortages to restrict holiday gadget sales. However, Forbes reports that Apple will be able to avoid the pinch.
Jason Busch, the founder and Managing Director of advisory firm Azul Partner, expects Apple to keep holiday shoppers happy for three main reasons.
Busch says that firstly, Apple has "superior" forecast accuracy than its competitors. Keeping a close eye on where their inventory is at all times, Apple is able to control the particulars accurately, although they don't always get it right. For example, when a new iteration of a product is released -- like the new MacBook Air -- stock of the previous version will dry up in the weeks leading to that release, demonstrating Apple's precision in inventory management.
Secondly, Busch says Apple is "at the top of the [inventory management] food chain" because of its sheer weight in the consumer electronics market. "Apple controls so much volume that it has greater influence over its suppliers, at multiple levels," says Busch.
Finally, Apple can build strong lead times for its most popular products. For instance, the iPad was released in April allowing for strong supply chains to be established well before the expected holiday demand. Gartner supply chain analyst Mickey North Rizza affirms this by saying, "Because Apple brought out the iPad in April, they have had time to ramp things up. Apple's efforts to build a supply chain for each product will continue to create a distinct advantage in the marketplace."
With iPhone 4 and iPad supply shortages having been recently resolved, Apple smoothed the kinks in its related supply chain. Either way, if you're looking to buy a loved one some Apple gear during this festive period, we'd recommend starting early, just to be on the safe side.
[via MacDailyNews]Report: Apple's inventory woes fixed for holiday shoppers originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Rumor: Verizon Wireless on a pre-iPhone hiring spree
As 2010 comes to a close, Verizon Wireless is rumored to be on a hiring spree prior to carrying the iPhone. CNET reports that the company is hiring "hundreds" of call center personnel, who will be trained to handle support calls for "personal computers and portable devices like MP3 players and smartphones."
Of course, Apple, the iPhone and Verizon are never mentioned in this story, and any connection is based upon supposition. Customer service call center staffing companies Teleperformance and Ryla are said to be recruiting on behalf of a "major wireless cell phone service retailer." Both companies have prior experience supporting Verizon and Teleperformance has worked with Apple.
Rumors of a Verizon iPhone have persisted for years. Last April, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg, told Apple outright that Verizon wants to carry the iPhone on its network, and the Wall Street Journal suggested that it could happen just a few weeks ago.
[Via MacDailyNews]
Rumor: Verizon Wireless on a pre-iPhone hiring spree originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Ortustech launches 4.8-inch 1080p display
When Apple introduced the fourth generation iPhone last June, Steve Jobs made a lot of hay about the 326 pixel-per-inch density of its 960 x 640 Retina display. To date, that's the highest pixel density found on any portable device, but it may not be for long.
Casio and Toppan have a joint venture called Ortustech that has just announced a 4.8-inch diagonal display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080. For the mathematically challenged among us, that works out to a massive 458 ppi density, meaning that no human (at least) is likely to be complaining about being able to see individual pixels.
The first applications for the new display are likely to be monitors for HDTV cameras and other equipment, with phones and game machines coming later. The current 4.8-inch size is definitely at the large end of the scale for a phone, so we may see a slightly smaller 720p variant of this technology in our pockets first.
[Source: New Launches via Electronista]Ortustech launches 4.8-inch 1080p display originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Iconfactory gives a sneak peek at Twitterrific 4
Iconfactory has given a sneak peek at its upcoming Twitterrific version 4 for the Mac. There's no information yet on pricing or release date, but it will require Snow Leopard "...because of some new features."
The announcement includes a screenshot but not much more. In fact, if you look carefully you can see that the screenshot shows a DM from @twitterrific saying "Make sure you don't show them everything in the screenshot, it's always nice to have some surprises!" What a tease.
The announcement also reminds us that the 'Factory has been hard at work on other apps, like Pickin' Time and the recently released Take Five, not to mention the iPhone and iPad versions of Twitterrific.
If you missed last night's Talkcast, Ged Maheux was our guest, and shared some of his initial thoughts about the Mac App Store. You can listen or download to the episode here.
Twitterrific was my first Twitter app and I still love it on the iPad, but the Mac version...well, the Mac version has gotten a bit long in the tooth. I can't wait to see what gets done in version 4. Code faster, guys!
Iconfactory gives a sneak peek at Twitterrific 4 originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - TechRestore takes some of the gloss off of new MacBook Air with matte screen option
While there is generally no arguing with the aesthetic qualities of products that come from Apple, that beauty does sometimes come at the expense of functionality. A case in point is the unfortunate trend to glossy screens on Apple's portable computing devices. If all you do is gaze at your MacBook in a darkened space to watch movies, the shiny black screens look great. If on the other hand, like us, you need to actually get work done in a diverse range of environments, a matte screen that doesn't constantly display your own mug is preferred.
While Apple offers optional matte screen on the larger 15 and 17-inch MacBook Pro, no such option is available on the new 11 and 13-inch Air models. Thankfully, the talented folks at TechRestore have come to the rescue with a retrofit. For US$249, TechRestore will replace the mirror on your slim new MacBook Air with a matte display that otherwise matches the specifications of the original. The display replacement service will be available soon, and TechRestore promises a 24-hour turnaround once they receive your machine.Continue reading TechRestore takes some of the gloss off of new MacBook Air with matte screen option
TechRestore takes some of the gloss off of new MacBook Air with matte screen option originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Download, play, and convert most video formats with Miro
Apple's built-in QuickTime video player is fine if all you ever want to watch are files in the limited number of formats that it supports. However, if you need to playback files that are encoded in Xvid, DivX, WebM, or even the dreaded FLV, you'll need something with a bit more capability. VLC is one choice that works great for playback of all of these various formats, but the Miro player has just been bumped to version 3.5, and it offers a number of capabilities that VLC can't match.
In addition to being a multi-format video player, Miro is also a BitTorrent client that can subscribe to video feeds, automatically download new episodes, and add them to your library. Miro lets you organize your video content, create playlists, and automatically delete shows that have been watched.
There is even a built-in conversion tool that can export to MP3, MP4, Ogg Theora, or Ogg Vorbis, with presets to support both Apple and Android devices and the Sony PSP. Miro is open source and comes in OS X, Windows, and Linux versions.
[via Download Squad]Download, play, and convert most video formats with Miro originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - TUAW's Daily App: TiptopTiptop is a game that came out back in April of this year. It's a take on the Lemmings genre (which asks you to guide little characters through a map to an exit), and it uses line drawing to create paths for the characters, leading them around obstacles or across gaps. The style of the game is nuts, with lots of silly abstract flourishes and jokes, and the action can get frantic at times.
The game is now a universal app, and the graphics have been updated as well. Both versions are free to download, though the app is really just a trial version, with only four levels to play. The rest of the game can be unlocked with a US$0.99 in-app purchase, so if you like the free content and want to get the whole thing, it won't cost you any more than a buck.TUAW's Daily App: Tiptop originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple may double the size of its North Carolina data center
We still don't know what it's for, and it hasn't even officially opened yet, but multiple sources are claiming that Apple is already planning on doubling the size of its North Carolina data center. A local realtor informed Data Center Knowledge that "site work is being performed," which seems to confirm rumors from the Charlotte Business Journal and All Things Digital from last week.
Much speculation has surrounded Apple's intentions for the site since construction began in 2009. The most popular theory so far has been that Apple is planning on launching a streaming music service for iTunes, but with some music industry figures reluctant to even allow Apple to extend the length of its song previews, a subscription-based iTunes may still be far down the road. The data center should be opening soon (at least its first stage, by the sounds of things), so in theory, we should know what it's for fairly soon, too.
[via MacRumors]
Apple may double the size of its North Carolina data center originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - iPad's orientation lock to mute switch change will be permanentWhen iOS 4.2 gets rolled out to iPad users sometime in the coming weeks, the button on the side that, until now, has prevented the screen from swapping between portrait and landscape will become a mute switch, just like it is on the iPhone. However, since this is clearly a software-managed control rather than being hard-wired, some users were hoping that this might be configurable somewhere in the settings.
Unfortunately, Steve Jobs has made it clear to a 9to5Mac reader via email that no such user configurability will be a part of iOS 4.2. The decision has been made, and that's that... or at least it is until some handy hacker finds a way to modify the iPad firmware after 4.2 gets jailbroken. Theoretically, someone could also create an app to provide that capability, but it too would have to be exclusive to jailbroken iPads -- Apple doesn't allow modification of hardware controls, as the developers of Camera+ learned recently.iPad's orientation lock to mute switch change will be permanent originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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