Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Apple Introduces the iPad for Only $499
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For the past few months, the rumors swirling around a potential Apple tablet device has been dizzying. But Steve Jobs, Apple founder and CEO, just put all the predictions to rest and revealed Apple's new tablet. The name? iPad. The cost? Way less than everyone thought!
What exactly is an iPad and how does it differ from your laptop or smartphone? Apple is calling the iPad more intimidate than a laptop and more powerful than a smartphone. You can use the iPad to do everything from browse the web, watch movies, listen to music, play games and even read books.
Here's a list of the iPad's features:
- Storage: 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive
- Size: 9.5 x 7.5 inches; 0.5 inch thick
- Weight: 1.5 pounds Wi-Fi model; 1.6 pounds Wi-Fi + 3G model
- Battery: Built-in 25Whr rechargeable lithium-polymer 10 hour battery
- Processor: 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip
- Network: Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology
- 3G: UMTS/HSDPA; GSM/EDGE
- External Monitor: Support for 1024 x 768 with Dock Connector to VGA adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Composite A/V Cable, 576i and 480i with Apple Composite A/V Cable
- Audio: supported formats include AAC (up 320 Kbps), Protected AAC, MP3 (up to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
- Processor: 1GHz Apple A4 high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip
- Input and Output: Dock connector, 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack, Built-in speakers, Microphone, SIM card tray (Wi-Fi + 3G model only)
Let's talk price. $499?! Yep. Apple is being unusually aggressive with price. Most people were predicting that the iPad would cost at least $1,000. Not so my friends. The iPad starts at the extremely attractive $499 for 16GB with just WiFi. There's also a 32GB WiFi only model for $599, and $699 for 64GB. Adding 3G costs a $130 per model, so the most expensive model iPad is the 64GB WiFi + 3G at $829. Not bad at all! Right?
You can't pre-order the iPad just yet. But you can sign up on Apple.com to be notified when they are ready for pre-order. Apple usually has products ready to buy or at least pre-order the day of its announcement. We wonder what happened with the iPad. The wait obviously won't be that long. The WiFi-only model ships in 60 days, and the 3G models in 90.methodshop
Friday, January 22, 2010
@Astro_TJ Writes The 1st Tweet from Space
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It's official, the Internet now spans beyond our puny planet Earth.For the past month, Astronaut TJ Creamer has been working with NASA flight control to get Internet access in the International Space
Station. NASA's IT wizards were finally able to connect the space station to the Internet by giving a laptop in orbit remote access to a desktop computer in Mission Control. It isn't fast, but at least now Astronauts can get occasional access to the Internet... including email and Twitter.
TJ took advantage of his Internet connection yesterday to send the first ever tweet from space.
His tweet read:
"Hello Twitterverse! We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station -- the 1st live tweet from Space! :) More soon, send your ?s"
What's next? Maybe @Astro_TJ will check-in on FourSquare from The International Space Station. We wonder if there's a badge for that yet? :)
methodshop
Labels: internet, social networking, tech news
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Apple wants iPad trademark from Fujitsu
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After years of speculation, it finally looks like we might have a name for the mythical Apple tablet. iSlate? iTablet? Nope... iPad! At least we think. BTW - what a crappy name. Reminds us of that old MADtv skit. We're really hoping for iSlate.
The latest news surrounding the rumored Apple tablet has to deal with the trademark for the name "iPad." Fujitsu is the current owner of the iPad trademark. According to the screen grab above (larger size here), Apple filed requests with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) several times late last year to extend the time given to oppose the trademark with the USPTO. The USPTO granted the request and extended the time to oppose to 2/28/2010 "on behalf of potential opposer Apple Inc."What do you think about the name iPad? Is it too close to iPod? Could it cause confusion with consumers? The Japanese can't pronounce "a" and the Irish already say iPad when trying to say iPod.
The big Apple announcement is next week. Steve Jobs, please don't use the name iPad!
methodshop
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Strange Nerd Uprising Over IKEA's Decision to Change Fonts
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For the past 60 years, the global home products retailer IKEA, has used the same Futura font typeface in all their catalogs and advertising. Futura has been an integral part of the IKEA brand for over half a century. But does anyone really care about a font change? Apparently yes.IKEA's recent decision to switch to a different font called Verdana, has IKEA fanatics and font nerds everwhere fuming.
Twitter is full of annoyed tweets like...
- "Ikea decided to use Verdana for their print work. I hate that font almost as much as I hate Comic Sans."
- "Ikea, stop the Verdana madness!"
- "I can't help but be annoyed over Ikea's choice to use Verdana as their typeface in PRINT."
- "Dear Ikea, I miss your Futura ways."
- "Went to IKEA last night and truely missed Futura. I mean Verdana looks good. But.... Futura just "fit". Nothing stays the same. #ikea"
- "I do believe that Futura is my new favorite typeface! Damn IKEA for abandoning it!"
So why did IKEA make the switch? Verdana is included in both the Mac and Windows operating systems and allows IKEA to use the same font all over the world. Also, it's free... duh!
methodshop
Friday, January 15, 2010
Did Apple Register iSlate.com
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As the Internets buzz with Apple tablet rumors, bloggers everywhere are trying to dig up evidence to finally put these rumors to rest. Afterall, we've all been down this tablet rumor road before... several times.Apple "tablet" rumors usually start with a clever Photoshop mockup or an anonymous quote from an Apple supplier in Taiwan who claims to be producing tablet technology for Apple. But after the latest batch of rumors attached the name iSlate, not MacBook Touch to the rumors. So who owns iSlate.com? We did a little digging in the WHOIS registries. Take a look at the image below to see what we found:
Did Apple quietly register iSlate.com through a third party? It wouldn't be the first time the Cupertino based company discretely grabbed a domain in advance of a new product announcement. Apple frequently uses a consulting firm called Mark Monitor to secure their domains. Mark Monitor's specialty is "enterprise brand protection." Mark Monitor handles domain name registrations and brand protection for many companies, including Apple. Apple.com, iPod.com, iPhone.com and iSlate.com are all registered under Mark Monitor.
The blogosphere has been speculating and following rumors of an Apple tablet for years. Here's a brief headline roundup that goes back to February 2006:
- 2006-02: What is Apple's Big Surprise? A Tablet?
- 2008-07: Rumor: "MacBook Touch" Coming in October 2008
- 2008-10: Apple Plans MacBook Event as $800 Laptop Rumors Clog the Blogosphere
- 2009-07: Rumor: $800 Apple Tablet Due in October
- 2009-07: iTunes Digital Album Covers and MacBook Tablet Rumors
- 2009-08: Apple Tablet Rumors Intensify
- 2010-01: iSlate Rumor Roundup [video]
methodshop
Thursday, January 14, 2010
iSlate Rumor Roundup [video]
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For years, Apple Fanboys having been speculating, dreaming and even praying for a tablet. Rumors of a tablet-shaped-iPod or a "MacBook Touch" have been swirling around the Internet for years. However these rumors always prove to be just that... rumors and no tablet product ever comes to market. But lately, news around an Apple tablet are really looking good. Not only are bloggers and tech sites predicting that Apple will release a tablet computer this month, but also major news organizations like the Wall Street Journal are adding to the tablet rumor frenzy.A recent article on WSJ Online is predicting the following:
- Apple Inc. will unveil a new multimedia tablet device later this month (Jan 2010)
- the new product will come with a 10 to 11-inch touch screen
- the announced product won't ship until March
- estimated price of around $1,000
What will Apple call this new tablet product? If the current rumors are right, it's going to be called an iSlate. For the past couple, any product name attached to an Apple tablet rumor usually attached the name rumors were calling it a "MacBook Touch."
The blogosphere has been speculating and following rumors of an Apple tablet for years. Here's a brief headline roundup that goes back to February 2006:
- 2006-02: What is Apple's Big Surprise? A Tablet?
- 2008-07: Rumor: "MacBook Touch" Coming in October 2008
- 2008-10: Apple Plans MacBook Event as $800 Laptop Rumors Clog the Blogosphere
- 2009-07: Rumor: $800 Apple Tablet Due in October
- 2009-07: iTunes Digital Album Covers and MacBook Tablet Rumors
- 2009-08: Apple Tablet Rumors Intensify
Is the market even ripe for a tablet? Earlier this month eReaders were all the rage at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show. Pair that with the rise of netbooks the past couple years, and the time feels right for tablets to finally make a big splash with consumers.
So will Steve Jobs finally grant Apple Fanboys their tablet wish? Guess we'll know soon.
methodshop
Saturday, January 02, 2010
GM Looking at Apple's Tim Cook to Fill CEO Slot
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Is Apple COO, Tim Cook, ready to leave Cupertino for Detroit? According to The Business Insider, Cook is General Motors top candidate to take the CEO role at the struggling car manufacturer. Tim Cook was instrumental in Apple's transformation from a dying computer company to an industry trendsetter during the late '90s. GM is looking for someone to make similar changes in the auto industry and Cook is an obvious choice.But Tim Cook's significance at Apple goes well beyond his COO duties. Cook has been trusted with filling in for Steve Jobs during his absences for cancer surgery in 2004 and a liver transplant in 2009. Last year, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster claimed that Tim Cook may be as crucial as Steve Jobs to the future of Apple.
So will Tim Cook leave Apple? It's hard to say. GM would certainly benefit from Cook's presence, but the loss to Apple would be very difficult to recover from. But don't worry too much Apple Fanboys. Cook has been well taken care of by Jobs. According to Cult of Mac, Cook made $14M last year. Cook has also turned down job offers from both Motorola and Dell the past couple years. His departure from Apple seems unlikely but.... what do you think?
methodshop
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Why it's better to lose your iPhone in the UK vs. the US
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Did you get a gadget gift like an iPhone, Kindle or GPS this holiday season? Make sure you keep your eye on it. Thousands and thousands of gadgets are stolen every year. 12,000 laptops alone are lost or stolen from US airports every week. So what do you do when your precious gadget is stolen? Unfortunately devices like GPS units and Amazon Kindles can't be easily tracked. Special software, like the application Undercover, can help you track your laptop or iPhone, but you have to pay for this software and install it in advance.
So what happens if your phone gets stolen and you haven't already signed up for a software tracking application like Undercover? Unfortunately US residents are kinda screwed. In the United States, all a thief has to do to take over your phone is replace your SIM card. But if you live in the UK, a stolen cell phone becomes useless as soon as it's reported to the authorities. The UK has a national stolen phone database that prevents thieves from activating stolen phones even when the SIM card is swapped out [video].
Let's hope something like the UK system makes its way over the pond soon. In the meantime, keep a close eye on your gadgets kids.
methodshop
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sarcastic Tweet Gets Vodafone Employee Fired
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Do you manage a Twitter account for your company? The next time you get the urge to improvise or to tweet something humorous, you might want to think twice. Your tweet could get you fired. Earlier this month, a Vodaphone employee named Müller Tamás unfortunately found this out the hard way. Tamás worked in Vodaphone's marketing department in Hungry. His job was to update the company's Twitter account and monitor Twitter for relevant trends.
On December 4th, T-Mobile, a major competitor to Vodaphone in Hungry, was experiencing severe network outages. T-Mobile notified their customers of the outage by tweeting the following on the company's @tmobilehungary account:
Here's an English translation of his tweet:
It won't help Tamás pay the bills next month, but users on other social sites like Digg.com are praising him with support and bashing Vodaphone.
Vodaphone has a thing or two to learn about social media. By firing Tamás, Vodaphone just made the situation worse. The slightly sarcastic tweet by Tamás would have mostly gone unnoticed. Perhaps a slap on the wrist would have been more appropiate. But now, Vodaphone has to deal with a PR crisis they made worse by trying to fix it [thenextweb].
methodshop
On December 4th, T-Mobile, a major competitor to Vodaphone in Hungry, was experiencing severe network outages. T-Mobile notified their customers of the outage by tweeting the following on the company's @tmobilehungary account: "Hungary's T-Mobile network partly down, software to blame"The update did little to reassure T-Mobile customers. Instead, it only fueled their anger and Twitter exploded with T-Mobile related complaints. @tmobilehungary then frustratingly tweeted a second time:
"There will be an official statement (released) about the network problem. Please be patient!"Tamás was monitoring the social media reaction to T-Mobile's outage carefully and saw an opportunity to promote Vodaphone. Tamás thought it would be clever to retweet T-Mobile's last message about their network problems and encourage T-Mobile users to switch carriers.
Here's an English translation of his tweet:
“OK, give us a ring! ;) RT @tmobilehungary There will be an official statement about the network problem. Please be patient!”Unfortunately the tweet did not go over well with Vodaphone management. Vodaphone was extremely unhappy with his tweet, and their communications director, János Suba, released the following statement: "The employee’s behavior goes against fair competition and we decided the action called for sacking." Yep, Tamás was fired.
It won't help Tamás pay the bills next month, but users on other social sites like Digg.com are praising him with support and bashing Vodaphone.
"Wow, that really is extreme. People that read it probably found it funny and bought humour to the situation." - LukeZbihlyj
"thats just dumb......how strict are the working conditions there that you cant even send out a tiny humorous joke?" - Withitalready
"Seems like companies want it both ways. They want to be hip to social media but they still want to tightly control the message. Basically, the guy got fired for doing his job." - yellowsnowcone
Vodaphone has a thing or two to learn about social media. By firing Tamás, Vodaphone just made the situation worse. The slightly sarcastic tweet by Tamás would have mostly gone unnoticed. Perhaps a slap on the wrist would have been more appropiate. But now, Vodaphone has to deal with a PR crisis they made worse by trying to fix it [thenextweb].
methodshop
Labels: social networking, tech news
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Ustream Releases iPhone App
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Can't be face to face with your friends and family this holiday season? No problem. Just grab your iPhone and broadcast yourself. Thanks to a new free app called Ustream Broadcaster, iPhone 3GS users can now broadcast live video over both WiFi and AT&T's 3G network."This is the first live broadcaster ever available in the App Store, bringing the ability to broadcast live to anyone," said Dr. Gyula Feher, Ustream's founder on the company's blog. "From birthday parties, kids’ sports games and baby’s first steps to your latest vacation, this app enables anyone with an iPhone to share important moments with family, friends and more."
Ustream has even added a one-touch sharing feature that allows users to not only post videos to YouTube, Facebook but it will even announce your new video to your Twitter followers.
The app not only works on older iPhone 3G models, but it enables a video recording work around. Apple hasn't updated older iPhones with software that would allow them to record video. But in addition to streaming capabilities, Ustream Broadcaster lets iPhone 3G users record video straight to their iPhones.
You can download Ustream Broadcaster from the iTunes App Store here.
methodshop
Monday, December 07, 2009
Apple Acquires Music Streaming Service LaLa
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Looks like Apple did a little Christmas shopping on their own. Over the weekend, news broke that Apple acquired the streaming music service and store Lala. We've been using Lala for awhile now and love it. Do you like to listen to music at work using iTunes? We got sick of trying to sync our music libraries at both home and work. Lala allows you to upload all your music and listen to it anywhere via a web browser. Let's hope Apple's plans on including this feature in a new version of iTunes.
However, in addition to being bale to upload your music to Lala, you can also purchase streaming "web" versions of songs with unlimited listening for $0.10. We didn't purchase many Lala's web songs, but users who did may get upset. According to TechCrunch, "it’s unlikely that the innovative deals negotiated by Lala will survive through the acquisition... If the deals with the music labels go up in smoke, Lala may lose the right to stream those songs. In other words, all the money users have been spending on web songs may go down the drain."
No one is exactly sure what Lala's future is with Apple. Let's hope Apple extends the streaming music deals already in place with Lala and integrates their engineering talent and technology with the end users in mind [GizmosForGeeks and TechCrunch].
methodshop
Monday, November 30, 2009
$400 Pirate "Apple" Laptops
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| 9:55 PM |
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click to zoom in
Don't have a big gift budget this holiday season? Does a $400 Apple MacBook Air with free shipping get you excited? DHgate.com, a Beijing based company has some really cheap "Apple" laptops and other cloned pirate hardware.You might see an Apple logo when you turn these computers on but don't expect to get any warranty repairs from Apple if something goes wrong.
We haven't been brave enough to order one yet. If you order an "Apple" laptop from them please let us know.
methodshop
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Apple Job Offer [pic]
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Fresh off the heels of our story about a Macintosh designer who quit via a screenshot, we have a story about someone getting hired.The photo above is what a job offer packet from Apple looks like. We're not sure who originally posted the image, but congratulations to whoever you are. Good luck at the new job and if you need a clever way to quit, take a look at this: Someone quit today. We found this on his desktop. [Gizmodo via Fake Steve]
methodshop
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Nintendo and Sony Suffer Losses
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Looks like the bad economy is now eating into the traditionally resilient home video game industry. So far this month, both Nintendo and Sony have announced losses.Sales of Nintendo's popular Wii console dropped down 43% during the 2nd and 3rd quarter this year. In an effort to help boost holiday sales, Nintendo has reduced the cost of the Wii from $249 to $199.
Nintendo's rival, Sony, is also feeling the bite of a bad economy. Sony reported a Q2 net loss of $292 million and their overall sales are down by 20%. However, Sony feels that sales of movies and TV shows on their new PSP Go personal WiFi gaming device will help grow revenues from both content and hardware sales.
methodshop
Thursday, October 22, 2009
It works! Ballmer Demos Windows 7 on the TODAY Show [video]
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Fresh off the heels of Apple's new product announcements this week, Microsoft released their new operating system, Windows 7 today.
Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, even stopped by the American morning program, the TODAY Show, to show off the new OS to co-anchor Matt Lauer [video].
Ballmer took on some tough questions from Lauer including:
- Can consumers use the iPhone to satisfy all their computing needs?
- Will Windows 7 get the same lukewarm reaction to Microsoft's previous operating system, Vista?
- Is Ballmer envious of Apple's "cool" image?
methodshop
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Apple Stock Hits New Highs
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Wow! Wall Street was obviously thrilled with Apple's new product announcements. Today Apple stock reached $208, it’s all time high.A lot of people are probably wishing they bought Apple stock earlier this year. So how much would you have made from Apple stock if you bought it for $12 in 1997? Sayam from CultOfMac.com did the math.
"...$1,000 invested in Apple stock in 1997 is worth more than $70,000 now. And $10,000 - the kind of sum that professional investors typically put into company stock — is worth a cool $700,000 — almost enough money to buy a house in posh Palo Alto where Steve Jobs lives."
By the way, Steve Jobs personally owns 5.4 mil shares of AAPL. So how much did he make today? You can do that math yourself.
methodshop
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Apple Store is Down. New Products Being Released Today.
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Have you been to http://store.apple.com/ yet today? It's down. Apple usually only takes their online store down when they're adding new products.So what new stuff will Steve Jobs and Co. have ready for this holiday shopping season? There's a leaked list of new Apple product item numbers swirling around the tech blogs today. It looks like we might see redesigned plastic MacBooks, new powerful iMacs, a 3G SIM card compatible Airport Extreme, Mac mini updates (based on Mac OS X Server), a multi-touch "Magic Mouse", an 84 key keyboard and a multi-touch "trackpad gadget."
Here's the item list:
- MC207LL/A – K84 BEST BTR- USA
- MC238LL/A – MAC MINI 2.26/2×1GB/160/SD/AP/BT-USA
- MC239LL/A- MAC MINI 2.53/2×2GB/320GB/SD/AP/BT-USA
- MC340LL/A – AIRPORT EXTREME (SIM DUALBAND) – USA
- MC343LL/A – TIME CAPSULE 1TB (SIM DUALBAND) -USA
- MC344LL/A – TIME CAPSULE 2TB (SIM DUALBAND) – USA
- MC408LL/A – MAC MINI 2.53/2×2GB/1TB/NO ODD/AP-BT-USA
- MC413LL/A – IMAC 21.5″/3.06/2×2GB/1TB/4670-256MB-USA
- MC434LL/A – APPLE VESA MOUNT ADAPTER
- MC461LL/A – MACBOOK 60W MAGSAFE POWER ADAPTER – USA
methodshop
Monday, October 12, 2009
Oops! Snow Leopard Bug Deletes All Mac OS X User Data
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Haven't upgraded to Mac OS X Snow Leopard yet? Congrats! Your procrastination might have saved your butt. The Apple Support forums are full of users who are reporting that all their user data has disappeared.What's causing the bug? Apparently, all you have to do to accidentally erase all your data is to login into a 'guest' account. When you attempt to log back into your main user account, all your personal data will be gone.
If you are reading this now, and have Apple's latest operating system, OS X Snow Leopard installed, then disable the Guest account ASAP.
methodshop
Monday, September 14, 2009
Steve Jobs: New iPods, iTunes and Liver
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| 12:29 PM |
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Last week, a still kind of recovering Steve Jobs, equipped with a new liver, unveiled new iPods with increased multimedia functionality and a new version of iTunes. iTunes 9: New Features
- Smarter "Genius" Feature: The new and improved iTunes now makes "Genius" recommendations for not just music but apps, movies and TV shows too.
- Improved Syncing and File Transfers: iTunes 9.0 also improves syncing functionality and makes it easier to transfer downloaded media from iTunes to multiple computers.
- iTunes LP: Looks like the project "cocktail" rumors we heard in July we're true. Apple and the 4 major record labels, Sony, Warner Music, EMI and Universal Music, have gotten together to invent a new digital album cover format called iTunes LP. These "digital album covers" include extra media such as photos, lyrics, videos and additional songs not available to users who only purchase singles.
- iTunes Extras: Another feature called iTunes Extras gives iTunes users access to extra content for movie and TV purchases typically only included with DVDs. including documentaries, deleted scenes and interviews.
New iPods
- iPod Touch: 50 percent faster than the older models, smoother game play, cheaper prices, and larger storage. Ability to purchase pre-made ringtones.
- iPod Classic: more storage.
- iPod Shuffle: more storage, available in new colors: black, silver, blue, green, pink and a special edition in polished stainless steel.
- iPod Nano: new colors, a larger screen, FM radio, and a built-in video camera.
methodshop
Thursday, September 03, 2009
AT&T Rolling Out MMS for iPhone Users on September 25th
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It's been a long time coming, but today AT&T announced that MMS will finally be available to American iPhone users starting September 25. MMS messaging was probably the most hyped feature of the new iPhone OS 3.0 when it was released this past June.
AT&T confirmed the September 25th release date today in an e-mail to Wired.com.
AT&T had originally promised that MMS would be ready by "late summer." Technically, September 21st is the last day of summer, so a September 25th release means a broken promise.“We know many of our iPhone customers are eager for an update on our rollout schedule for Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS),” an AT&T spokesman said. “We’ve been working for the past several months to prepare our systems and network to ensure the best possible experience with MMS when it launches – and today we can announce that launch date: September 25 for iPhone 3G and 3GS customers. MMS will be enabled through a software update on that day.”
Several class-action lawsuits have already been filed against Apple and AT&T. Both companies aggressively promoted the not-yet-available MMS features of iPhone OS 3.0 and the iPhone 3GS using advertising on TV, radio, newspapers, direct mailers, and on the Internet. Failing to deliver on their MMS promise is a violation of the Unfair Trade Practices Act in several US states.
AT&T also told Wired that tethering is next. Tethering would allow iPhone owners to connect their computers to the Internet through their phones. But currently AT&T's mobile network doesn't have the bandwidth to support this increased traffic. AT&T still hasn't specified a release date or time line for tethering. AT&T just says that tethering will be offered "in the future."
We won't hold our breath for that one.
methodshop
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
FTC Bans Robocalls
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The era of telemarketing robocalls is over, at least for Americans. As of September 1 (hey, that's today!), the Federal Telecommunication Commission (FTC) is banning all prerecorded "robocalls" unless the telemarketer has written permission from customers opting in to receiving the automated calls. Violators will face penalties of up to $16,000 per call.FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said American consumers have made it "crystal clear that few things annoy them more than the billions of commercial telemarketing robocalls they receive every year."
But don't be too surprised if you still get a robocall every once in a while. There are exceptions. The following types of robocalls will not be banned by the FTC.
- school cancellations
- flight delays
- prescription notifications
- Politicial related messages
- Charity calls
- bank and insurance payment reminders
- survey calls
The robocall ban only leaves one option left for telemarketers: making a live call to someone not on the do-not-call registry. You can eliminate that option by taking yourself off the list here: https://www.donotcall.gov
[image via - How to Stop Annoying Ads And Advertisers]
methodshop
Monday, August 31, 2009
Lighter and Faster - OS X Snow Leopard
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Apple’s new operating system, Snow Leopard, hit stores last Friday. To encourage upgrading, Apple has slapped a super low $30 price tag on the upgrade.
But hold on Apple Fanboys. Snow Leopard isn't a major OS upgrade. Snow Leopard is mainly just a performance boost for Macs equipped with 64-bit Intel processors.So what should you expect to find in Snow Leopard? Here are the 5 most important things you need to know about Mac OS X 10.6:
- Performance Boost
- Lighter - Less OS Bloat
- Third-Party Software Compatibility Issues
- Minor Interface Improvements
- No PowerPC Support
Performance Boost
Snow Leopard was coded to take full advantage of the hardware in 64-bit Intel Macs. So all applications coded for 64-bit processors will be much faster.
Lighter
As operating systems add new features, they get bigger and bigger and take up more of your hard drive. But Snow Leopard is unlike most bloated OS upgrades. Snow Leopard will actually free up some space on year hard drive. We're read reports of users seeing anywhere from 2-7GBs of extra space after installing Snow Leopard.
Third-Party Software Compatibility Issues
One of the biggest drawbacks to Snow Leopard is the incompatibility of some third-party applications. If your livelihood depends on a third-party application, for example a cash register app, then you will want to wait to upgrade until the developer gives Snow Leopard the green light. Snow Leopard is still compatible with 32-bit applications, but Apple admits that some third party software will have issues.
Minor Interface Improvements
Apple made a few minor user interface and software improvements to SNow Leopard. For example, Expose was moved into the Dock, time stamps added to screenshots and QuickTime Player now has the playback controls from iTunes' full screen mode.
No PowerPC Mac Support
Still rocking an older Mac these days? If you own an older PowerPC Mac and have yet to upgrade sine Apple's switched to Intel, then Snow Leopard is not for you. Snow Leopard will only run on an Intel Mac equipped with at least 1GB of memory. You also need 5GB of free hard drive space and a DVD drive.
Final Thoughts
Snow Leopard isn't enough of an OS upgrade to knock your socks off, but the speed improvements alone are well worth the $30 price tag.
methodshop
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Microsoft Poland - Spot the Difference! [pic]
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| 10:35 AM |
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If you've ever played one of those photohunt video games in a bar before, then you'll love this picture. Here are two screen grabs from Microsoft's websites. The American version is on the left. Poland on the right. There's one major difference between the two photos. Do you see it yet?
Yep. The African American guy in the middle was swapped out for a Caucasian with a contorted neck. It's obviously a very sloppy Photoshop job. Not only are the shadows and light sources in the wrong places, but the guy's hand is still black. There are so many thing wrong with this picture. By the way the white laptop on the table isn't even a PC. It's a MacBook with the Apple logo airbrushed out.
UPDATE: Yesterday Microsoft issued a statement appolgizing for superimposing the image. "We apologize and are in the process of pulling down the image," Microsoft spokesperson Lou Gellos said in a statement. "We are looking into the details of this situation."
methodshop
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Toshiba To Make Blue-Ray Players
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| 6:07 AM |
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Toshiba announced this week that they will begin producing Blu-ray DVD players. Toshiba had developed the HD-DVD high-definition DVD format and competed and conceded defeat in a format war with Sony's competing Blu-ray in 2008. Details will be made available later this year, but this move should give some much needed momentum to the Blu-ray format. Blu-ray is losing traction competing against online services like Netflix, which stream movies through the Internet directly to consumers.
You can read Toshiba's official news release here.
methodshop
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Apple Tablet Rumors Intensify
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| 10:33 AM |
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Here we go again. The Internets are buzzing with Apple Tablet and MacBook Touch announcement rumors. Could the rumors finally be true?
According to an article in the Financial Times, Apple's long rumored tablet is reportedly going to be announced as early as September and in stores in time for Christmas.
The Financial Times is quoting people 'close' to the tablet project who say the device would have the same capabilities as an iPod Touch but with a bigger screen. A larger screen could make the rumored device a competitor with the popular Netbook market as well as Amazon's electronic book reader, the Kindle.
Analysts estimate that the gadget would sell between $600 and $1,000. Anything over $500 could make it difficult to compete with the Netbook market. Also, the Apple device must have a keyboard (unlike the iPhone) in order for it to be a viable alternative to similarly priced Netbooks, like the HP Mini.
Will we really see an Apple tablet in time for Christmas? Cross your fingers, but stay skeptical. MethodShop.com has been tracking the Apple tablet rumors since 2006. Here's a time line of our reports:
methodshop
According to an article in the Financial Times, Apple's long rumored tablet is reportedly going to be announced as early as September and in stores in time for Christmas.
The Financial Times is quoting people 'close' to the tablet project who say the device would have the same capabilities as an iPod Touch but with a bigger screen. A larger screen could make the rumored device a competitor with the popular Netbook market as well as Amazon's electronic book reader, the Kindle.
Analysts estimate that the gadget would sell between $600 and $1,000. Anything over $500 could make it difficult to compete with the Netbook market. Also, the Apple device must have a keyboard (unlike the iPhone) in order for it to be a viable alternative to similarly priced Netbooks, like the HP Mini.
Will we really see an Apple tablet in time for Christmas? Cross your fingers, but stay skeptical. MethodShop.com has been tracking the Apple tablet rumors since 2006. Here's a time line of our reports:
- iTunes Digital Album Covers and MacBook Tablet Rumors (July 2009)
http://www.methodshop.com/2009/07/itunes-digital-album-covers.shtml - Rumor: $800 Apple Tablet Due in October (July 2009)
http://www.methodshop.com/2009/07/apple-tablet-rumor.shtml - Apple Plans MacBook Event as $800 Laptop Rumors Clog the Blogosphere (Oct 2008)
http://www.methodshop.com/2008/10/apple-notebook-event.shtml - Rumor: MacBook Touch Coming in October (July 2008)
http://www.methodshop.com/2008/07/macbook-touch.shtml - What's Apple's Big Surprise? A Tablet? (Feb 2006)
http://www.methodshop.com/2006/02/what-is-apples-big-surprise.shtml - Touch Sensitive Apple Patent Pictures (Feb 2006)
http://www.methodshop.com/2006/02/touch-sensitive-ipod-patent-pictures.shtml
methodshop
Thursday, July 30, 2009
iTunes Digital Album Covers and MacBook Tablet Rumors
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| 9:19 AM |
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Apple's digital music store, iTunes, has a problem. iTunes users don't like to buy entire albums. iTunes is great for downloading singles, but there's not much incentive to purchase entire albums.
Sometimes Apple will restrict certain songs, especially longer tracks, to "Album Only" purchases. Apple also often includes music videos and special PDFs of album art with full album purchases. However, these incentives haven't really been a homerun with consumers.
In a effort to promote album sales in the iTunes Store, Apple and the 4 major record labels, Sony, Warner Music, EMI and Universal Music, have gotten together to invent a new digital album cover format. These "digital album covers" would include material such as photos, lyrics, videos and additional songs not available to users who only purchase singles.
The "digital album cover" project is code named "Cocktail," and is rumored to be part of Apple's new product announcement in October. Rumors say the big announcement is a MacBook touch-based tablet that would compete with the extremely popular Netbook market. Keep your fingers crossed.
methodshop
iTunes, has a problem. iTunes users don't like to buy entire albums. iTunes is great for downloading singles, but there's not much incentive to purchase entire albums.Sometimes Apple will restrict certain songs, especially longer tracks, to "Album Only" purchases. Apple also often includes music videos and special PDFs of album art with full album purchases. However, these incentives haven't really been a homerun with consumers.
In a effort to promote album sales in the iTunes Store, Apple and the 4 major record labels, Sony, Warner Music, EMI and Universal Music, have gotten together to invent a new digital album cover format. These "digital album covers" would include material such as photos, lyrics, videos and additional songs not available to users who only purchase singles.
The "digital album cover" project is code named "Cocktail," and is rumored to be part of Apple's new product announcement in October. Rumors say the big announcement is a MacBook touch-based tablet that would compete with the extremely popular Netbook market. Keep your fingers crossed.
methodshop
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