OMG/JK: Attack Of The Anthropomorphized Smartphones!

It's finally happened. MG's love for all things Apple has manifested itself in physical form, and he now wears an iPhone to work every day. The doctors say we should try to make him feel like this is normal, so I've taken to donning a matching Android handset. Clashes are frequent ?�the hallway leading to TC HQ literally isn't big enough for both of us, and the rest of the team is tasked with making sure we don't push each other's buttons.

Or maybe it's just time for a special Halloween edition of OMG/JK. Click through this post to watch the video.

This week's topics include the forthcoming Verizon iPhone, which seems to finally be more than just an Apple fanboy's pipe dream. And who could forget the infamous white iPhone ?�the chink in Apple's armor that keeps reminding the public that Steve Jobs is not quite omnipotent. We also discuss the company formerly known as UberCab, which is facing a new foe: the City of San Francisco.

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Apple offers unlocked, carrier-free iPhone in Germany

Now that iPhone 4 sales in Germany have passed from the exclusive realm of T-Mobile to O2 and Vodafone as well, AppleInsider reports that customers there can also opt for a carrier-free version of the superphone. Apple has previously offered unlocked iPhones in some other countries, including France where the option is required by law. However, this is the first time that Germans have been able to order the iPhone from the Apple store there and pop in whatever SIM card they want.

Unlocked and contract-free phones are common in Europe, and SIM cards with prepaid voice and data buckets are readily available. People that travel overseas on a regular basis often buy unlocked GSM phones and local SIM cards to avoid extortionate roaming rates. Of course, avoiding a carrier commitment doesn't come cheap. An 8GB 3GS will run about US$715 in the German Apple online store or at any of the four brick and mortar outlets in Germany. Fourth generation models will cost $866 or $1,017 for the 16 and 32GB versions respectively.Apple offers unlocked, carrier-free iPhone in Germany originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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WordPress Theme Releases for 10/25

My Engine is a simple orange, grey, and white theme with an engine background. Prototype is a specialized parent theme with multiple nav menus, several widget areas, and per-post layouts, allowing anyone from designers to users to quickly creates beautiful sites. Travelofe is a very clean and sleek travel theme. Tweet

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New Website, Take II

I had a great conversation this morning with Jeb from smallbox. (That’s right, I madonna’ed him.� If you don’t know who Jeb is, where have you been?)� Nevermind the fact that I accidentally ordered a double-shot, and I can’t hold my hands still right now, I’m pretty sure that what he said to me would [...]Corporate Blogging for Dummies is now available on Amazon and in book stores. Check out our new site, Corporate Blogging Tips, to find out what events that we'll be speaking at. Got an event? Let us know that as well - we're looking forward to going on tour later this year.Don't forget to follow @corpblogging on Twitter or become a Fan on Facebook!

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Digg Mimics Twitter With Streaming API

In an attempt to revitalize their business and reverse their decline in fortunes, Digg has announced that their API (or Application Programming Interface for you non-geeks) will now enable developers to receive information in near real time. Today we’re releasing a new API feature which we hope will ease the process of using Digg’s data, [...]

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Top 30 Android Apps Of All Time

With the ubiquitous media coverage surrounding the iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) app market, it's important to remember that Android also is making huge headway. More than 100,000 apps are now available in the Android Market. Within the last six months, Android devices have reigned supreme, comprising 32 percent of all new smartphone purchases. There is finally a larger selection of models being manufactured and more carriers offering them. When the first Android device launched, I predicted that the OS would surpass iPhone in the coming years. While this looks to be true, those of us involved in the app industry are concerned with something more specific: Who will have the most active app marketplace?

Currently, iOS is still the definitive winner. There is not enough app interest on the Android consumer front to warrant a mass exodus just yet. I have a pretty simple metric for determining the potential of an app market: Is PopCap involved? If the answer is no, then the market is still too green. While PopCap has yet to enter the Android space, they have noted plans to port some of their game titles in the coming months. This supports the notion that Android has big potential, but it's still too early.

Nevertheless, Android does have serious potential, and there are some fantastic apps already available! Without further ado, here are my top all-time picks for the Android platform, broken down by top free apps, top paid apps, and top games

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WordPress Plugin Releases for 10/19

New plugins CleanCodeNZ Exclude Pages Plugin hides pages from navigation or other purposes using custom fields. CleanCodeNZ Favorite Posts Plugin uses Google Analytics API to get the stats of favorite posts of your WordPress blogs and list them in a table. Custom Metadata Manager provides an easy way to add custom fields to your object

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The return of jailbreakme.com!

jailbreakme.com is back!
Thanks to some serious work by @comex, you can now jailbreak your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad right from MobileSafari ? no PC or Mac needed!
Just visit http://jailbreakme.com on your device.
For those needing a carrier unlock, use the existing ultrasn0w in Cydia on your iPhone3G or iPhone3GS.� After a short testing period, we?ll push out the iPhone4 version.
Note: The earlier MMS and Facetime issues have been fixed. �If you already ran the version with those problems, launch Cydia and accept its offer to update.

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Social Media Goes Well Beyond Marketing

We had a fantastic interview with Jay Baer on Friday. His experience in working with large companies and seeing the cultural shift that social media has brought is very insightful. I’m looking forward to picking up a copy of his new book, The Now Revolution, and hope you enjoy the interview! Click through to the [...]Corporate Blogging for Dummies is now available on Amazon and in book stores. Check out our new site, Corporate Blogging Tips, to find out what events that we'll be speaking at. Got an event? Let us know that as well - we're looking forward to going on tour later this year.Don't forget to follow @corpblogging on Twitter or become a Fan on Facebook!

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Twitter?s Rival Identi.ca Drops Ad Bard, Chooses Google?

It looks like Identi.ca (which is developed by the same folks who created Status.net) has decided to sever its relationship with AdBard in search for greener pastures and greater revenues. Apparently the companies switch upset some of their users, as Identi.ca is currently (as of this post) using AdSense, although the company explains the reason [...]

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Regenerate Thumbnails Plugin

This plugin will save your life! If your are using, Neutica, Neutica+ or really any theme that uses custom thumbnail image sizes, this plugin will be ESSENTIAL to you. It deletes your old thumbnails, and generates new ones based on your settings. This way you can easily switch to a new theme and upgrade your [...]

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Facebook Acquires Drop.io, Nabs Sam Lessin

Social sharing site Drop.io has just posted the breaking news of its acquisition by Facebook on its company blog:
"Today, we?re proud to announce that we?ve struck a deal with Facebook.��What this means is that Facebook has bought most of�drop.io?s technology and assets, and Sam Lessin is moving to Facebook.

In the coming weeks, we?ll be winding down the�drop.io service. As of this week, people will no longer be able to create new free drops, but you?ll be able to download content from existing drops until Dec. 15. Paid user accounts will still be available through Dec. 15 and paid users will be able to continue using the service normally.��After Dec. 15, paid accounts will be discontinued as well."

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WordPress Theme Releases for 10/17

Blogum is a simple, grid based WordPress theme, designed in a modern and minimalist style. Clear Line is a clear and very lightweight theme. Codium is simple and minimalist, but fully customizable: change the background color, incorporate a background image, and add automatic post thumbnails on the homepage. DocOut Historical is a child theme of

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WordPress For Nokia Live Upon Ovi Store

Continuing their quest for mobile domination, Automattic (the company behind WordPress) has announced that Nokia lovers can now download the official WordPress app from the Ovi store. Headsup to all our new WordPress for Nokia users: The app is now available on the Ovi store[.] [...] Please note however, that the app is not yet [...]

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Flickr Courts Google

Once heralded by some as being the “YouTube of images,” Flickr has been struggling to regain its former glory in the wake of�fierce�competition from numerous social rivals (many of them matching Flickr’s premium features with free ones). In an attempt to increase its appeal to the masses, it looks like Yahoo!’s photo social network is [...]

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A word of notice

As the lead developer of cocos2d and with the aim of avoiding any misunderstanding or the creation of false expectations �I, Ricardo Quesada, would like to clarify that I am not�associated or related in any way whatsoever with Steffen Itterheim (AKA�gaminghorror) or his site. I never asked for his endorsement and I don’t want it.�Whatever [...]

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Mac 101: In Mail.app, reply with selected text

More Mac 101, tips and tricks for the novice Mac user.

I've been using the Mail app in Mac OS X for a good four or five years now. I thought I pretty much knew most of how to use it, but today I've been pleasantly surprised. I've just stumbled across a nifty little feature that I hadn't known about before, and it's going to make a small, but significant improvement to the way I do email in Mail app.

In replying to an email in Mail.app, when you hit the reply button all the text from that email is inserted into the reply message (like all other email clients). However, having just been sifting through a rather complex message & trying to decipher a few key areas, I selected a specific portion of text to copy and insert into the reply message to illustrate and help clarify a few points.

This is a practice I usually follow, but in haste, I selected the text I wanted to copy before I'd created the reply message. When I hit the reply button, I suddenly realized that I had a reply message with only the selected text from the previous mail present.

If you select text in Mail.app and then hit the reply button, Mail.app will automatically insert the selected text into the reply message whilst leaving everything else behind. This is useful if you want to quote a specific piece of text in a reply message, but not make the recipient trawl through the previous conversations to get there (and it saves you cutting and pasting the text, too).

I'm sure this is quite obvious to veteran Mac users, but that's why this is a Mac 101; for new Mac users, and those slightly less proficient with email, it's a little tip to make your email experience that much more pleasant.

Let us know if you have any helpful tips for using Mail.app in the comments below.Mac 101: In Mail.app, reply with selected text originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Fixing what Apple won't

On Wednesday, Apple (finally) released firmware 4.0.2, which patches the very large security holes exploited by @comex in the 2nd incarnation of jailbreakme.com. �The only problem is they outright abandoned iPhone2G and iPod Touch 1G users! �Even though Apple acknowledges in their security update the severity of these holes, they left iPhone2G and ipt1G owners high and dry ? completely vulnerable to truly malicious variants of jailbreakme (these variants aren?t out yet, but they?re sure to come!).
Luckily for Apple, the Jailbreak community isn?t so callous. @saurik has been burning the midnight oil coding a Cydia package that will fix the holes for all devices and all firmware versions (even going back to version 2.x!). �It will be released very soon, after some more testing is done. �(Update: it?s available now?see update #2 below).
�� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � ��
Since the only reason for 4.0.2 was to fix the security holes, and since the upcoming Cydia package will fix them too (and then some!), everybody should sit tight on 4.0.1 (or lower) and install the Cydia package as soon as it?s out. �Jailbreakers can have their cake and eat it too.�
P.S. Dear Apple: you?re welcome!
Update #1: For those who know their way around the bash shell and dpkg, please try out this fix and send any pertinent feedback to @saurik.
Update #2: The fix is installable via Cydia itself now (search for ?PDF Patch?). �To test that it?s working properly, visit jailbreakme.com again. �After you slide to jailbreak, you should no longer see a dialog box pop up (you?ll just see the star background). �That means you?re no longer vulnerable!

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Mac 101: In Mail.app, reply with selected text

More Mac 101, tips and tricks for the novice Mac user.

I've been using the Mail app in Mac OS X for a good four or five years now. I thought I pretty much knew most of how to use it, but today I've been pleasantly surprised. I've just stumbled across a nifty little feature that I hadn't known about before, and it's going to make a small, but significant improvement to the way I do email in Mail app.

In replying to an email in Mail.app, when you hit the reply button all the text from that email is inserted into the reply message (like all other email clients). However, having just been sifting through a rather complex message & trying to decipher a few key areas, I selected a specific portion of text to copy and insert into the reply message to illustrate and help clarify a few points.

This is a practice I usually follow, but in haste, I selected the text I wanted to copy before I'd created the reply message. When I hit the reply button, I suddenly realized that I had a reply message with only the selected text from the previous mail present.

If you select text in Mail.app and then hit the reply button, Mail.app will automatically insert the selected text into the reply message whilst leaving everything else behind. This is useful if you want to quote a specific piece of text in a reply message, but not make the recipient trawl through the previous conversations to get there (and it saves you cutting and pasting the text, too).

I'm sure this is quite obvious to veteran Mac users, but that's why this is a Mac 101; for new Mac users, and those slightly less proficient with email, it's a little tip to make your email experience that much more pleasant.

Let us know if you have any helpful tips for using Mail.app in the comments below.Mac 101: In Mail.app, reply with selected text originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Marketing Tech Blog Radio Feat. Jay Baer

Set your alerts now… Friday, 10/29, at 4PM we’ll be interviewing Jay Baer about his new book, The Now Revolution. Jay is a tequila-loving, hype-free social media strategy consultant, speaker, and author that helps leading companies and PR firms harness the awesome power of the social Web. He’s the founder of Convince & Convert, a [...]Corporate Blogging for Dummies is now available on Amazon and in book stores. Check out our new site, Corporate Blogging Tips, to find out what events that we'll be speaking at. Got an event? Let us know that as well - we're looking forward to going on tour later this year.Don't forget to follow @corpblogging on Twitter or become a Fan on Facebook!

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Embedding Video and Flash in Static FBML with the fb:swf Tag - Troubleshooting

If you can't get your fb:swf FBML tag working on your Facebook Fan Page custom tab, you will most likely find the reason why below. I've answered hundreds of questions from my readers concerning their issues implementing FBML on their tabs, and it always comes down to some common mistakes and/or misunderstandings. NOTE: If you [...]

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WordPress Theme Releases for 10/21

Atom is a new WordPress theme framework. Back My Book is a clean, well designed theme that has the key features every author needs. Fazio is a grey/blue theme which supports almost all of WordPress 3′s new features. Tweet

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Trick or Treat with TUAW: Thought Out Stabile iPad stand

TUAW is giving away a gaggle of ghoulishly good gadgets over the next few days. Be sure to come back every day between now and October 30th for a chance to win. The good part of the giveaways? You don't need to wear a costume to win 'em.
According to the Dictionary app on my Mac, stabile is defined as "a freestanding abstract sculpture or structure, typically of wire or sheet metal, in the style of a mobile but rigid and stationary." Stabile is also the name of a rugged and sturdy iPad stand from Thought Out.
Using what looks similar to the base from an iMac attached to a set of padded metal "fingers," the Stabile is perfect for iPad owners who want a way to hold up their devices without wearing out their arms. I can see where the Stabile would be perfect for kiosk applications running on an iPad.
The Stabile comes in two finishes -- black solid steel (US$59.99) and silver solid steel (US$69.99). These things are incredibly well built, weighing in at almost 4 pounds. The base has a set of non-slip rubber pads on it, so it's hard to accidentally move the Stabile when an iPad installed. The center of gravity is low enough that tipping is out of the question as well.
As part of our Trick or Treat with TUAW promotion, we're giving away a pair of Stabiles to some lucky readers. To enter, just let us know what you'd use your Stabile for -- watching movies on your iPad, running a point-of-sale app on the iPad, whatever... Here are the rules:

Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
To enter, leave a comment telling us how you'll use the Thought Out Stabile stand with your iPad.
The comment must be left before midnight on Sunday, October 31st, 2010, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
You may enter only once.
Two winners will be selected. One will receive a black solid steel Stabile valued at $59.99, while the other winner will get a silver solid steel Stabile value at $69.99.
Click here for complete official rules.

Good luck!Trick or Treat with TUAW: Thought Out Stabile iPad stand originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Get ready for the Mac App Store

Apple announced today that in 90 days the Mac App Store will be ready! The Mac App Store will be similar to the App Store, but instead of distributing iOS applications, it will distribute Mac applications. This is big news for cocos2d users, since cocos2d already supports Mac!! The guidelines and other requirements for the [...]

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Verlet rope

Introduction In this brief article we’ll be taking a look at an efficient way of creating ropes in our cocos2d games that use box2d, starting from a cocos2s+box2d template project. We will be using box2d’s latest addition, the b2RopeJoint to constrict two bodies with a rope joint (a maximum distance joint, one might also call [...]

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WordPress Theme Releases for 10/17

Blogum is a simple, grid based WordPress theme, designed in a modern and minimalist style. Clear Line is a clear and very lightweight theme. Codium is simple and minimalist, but fully customizable: change the background color, incorporate a background image, and add automatic post thumbnails on the homepage. DocOut Historical is a child theme of

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Winning moves

Jailbreakme v2.0 was a great success, and it?s provided a nice leveling point for all jailbreakers and unlockers on all devices at firmware versions less than 4.0.2/3.2.2. �We hope that everybody ever interested in jailbreaks or unlocks was able to join in on the jailbreakme bonanza. �Those of you who had Cydia capture your SHSH blobs, or those of you who captured them locally, will always be able to benefit from the jailbreakme.com v2.0 release. Congratulations!
Now it?s a few weeks later, and Apple has closed the jailbreakme.com hole. �They?re shipping devices with FW 4.0.2/3.2.2, impervious to this particular jailbreak. �So now, people will begin to ask: will there be a jailbreak for devices that shipped with 4.0.2/3.2.2, out of the box?
No, there won?t be. �FW 4.0.2/3.2.2 was *only* released to fix the jailbreakme hole. �With FW 4.1 still in its beta stages, it makes no sense to escalate the ?cat & mouse? with Apple for FW updates that only fix the jailbreak holes. To quote WOPR, ?the only winning move is not to play?.







If the cat & mouse game escalates too quickly, especially during beta FW periods, nobody but Apple benefits. �For this reason, there won?t be a 4.0.2/3.2.2 jailbreak specifically during the period where 4.0.2/3.2.2 is the latest public release. �At best, some future 4.1x FW jailbreak *may* be compatible with 4.0.2/3.2.2 (but don?t count on that).
If any of this is confusing, please ask below in our comments section!
P.S.: For those of you with iPhone3G or iPod Touch 2G(not MC version), it?s true you can always use redsn0w to jailbreak your 4.x devices. � Don?t let that dilute the above message, though :)

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Coming Soon: 900GB Torrent Of (Mostly) Every Geocities Web Site Ever

?[W]ebsites and hosting services should not be ?fads? any more than forests and cities should be fads ? they represent countless hours of writing, of editing, of thinking, of creating. They represent their time, and they represent the thoughts and dreams of people now much older, or gone completely. There?s history here. Real, honest, true history.? And thus did the Archive Team set out to save the entirety of Geocities.

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WordPress Plugin Releases for 10/19

New plugins CleanCodeNZ Exclude Pages Plugin hides pages from navigation or other purposes using custom fields. CleanCodeNZ Favorite Posts Plugin uses Google Analytics API to get the stats of favorite posts of your WordPress blogs and list them in a table. Custom Metadata Manager provides an easy way to add custom fields to your object

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Mac 101: In Mail.app, reply with selected text

More Mac 101, tips and tricks for the novice Mac user.

I've been using the Mail app in Mac OS X for a good four or five years now. I thought I pretty much knew most of how to use it, but today I've been pleasantly surprised. I've just stumbled across a nifty little feature that I hadn't known about before, and it's going to make a small, but significant improvement to the way I do email in Mail app.

In replying to an email in Mail.app, when you hit the reply button all the text from that email is inserted into the reply message (like all other email clients). However, having just been sifting through a rather complex message & trying to decipher a few key areas, I selected a specific portion of text to copy and insert into the reply message to illustrate and help clarify a few points.

This is a practice I usually follow, but in haste, I selected the text I wanted to copy before I'd created the reply message. When I hit the reply button, I suddenly realized that I had a reply message with only the selected text from the previous mail present.

If you select text in Mail.app and then hit the reply button, Mail.app will automatically insert the selected text into the reply message whilst leaving everything else behind. This is useful if you want to quote a specific piece of text in a reply message, but not make the recipient trawl through the previous conversations to get there (and it saves you cutting and pasting the text, too).

I'm sure this is quite obvious to veteran Mac users, but that's why this is a Mac 101; for new Mac users, and those slightly less proficient with email, it's a little tip to make your email experience that much more pleasant.

Let us know if you have any helpful tips for using Mail.app in the comments below.Mac 101: In Mail.app, reply with selected text originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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LINK: The Making of a Successful Entrepreneur ? BusinessWeek

While I’m on the topic of what makes a successful entrepreneur, I bring you a slide show with the results of an interesting study on the subject, though from a different angle. There are two quotes related to finance that I find interesting. First: Entrepreneurs believe financing is important, but many find ways around relying [...]

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What About Privacy? Is Social Media Going Too Far?

Note: While the ContentRobot blog tends to focus primarily on WordPress and blogging topics, Karen takes a moment to weigh in on Facebook’s recent stance on their privacy policy and broader implications of social media.
***
What would the Silent Generation think? According to Wikipedia, the Silent Generation is:
… a term coined in the November 5, 1951 cover story of Time to refer to the generation coming of age at the time, born during the Great Depression and World War II,… Continue Reading

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RealVNC adds "iPod Out" so cars can display iOS device screen data

RealVNC, the company behind the original VNC remote computing protocol, has added iOS to the list of devices that are supported by its VNC Mobile Solution for Automotive. In general, VNC (virtual network computing) allows users to see the display output from another computer over a network. It's commonly used to manage servers that are running without an attached monitor.

While a number of automakers have integrated iPod/iPhone control functionality, many of them have implemented rather clunky user interfaces. VNC Mobile will allow the actual iOS interface, including Cover Flow or even Google Maps, to be displayed directly on the larger in-dash touchscreen in the car. This way, a user could just use the larger display to manage what they are listening to without fumbling with the iPod or iPhone. The new version uses the "iPod Out" feature that Apple has built into the latest versions of iOS to provide this capability. Check out the video in the second half of the post.

Update: The video actually shows the capability of the VNC software to display the output of a smartphone using a Nokia N900. RealVNC is utilizing the newly implemented capabilities in iOs 4.1 to do the same thing.

[Via Macnn]Continue reading RealVNC adds "iPod Out" so cars can display iOS device screen dataRealVNC adds "iPod Out" so cars can display iOS device screen data originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Theme Change #2: Productivity for Entrepreneurs

The focus of The Cranking Widgets Blog will have much more of an entrepreneurial bent going forward. I collect companies and business ideas like many productivity lovers collect pens and notebooks. Entrepreneurship is in every fiber of my being. My record is far from spotless, but if I judge my performance against the statistics I’ve [...]

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Dear Apple: Tear out your optical drives

The only company that can make Apple's products look comparatively ugly is Apple. Take for example the new MacBook Air. Grab one of those babies, put it next to a current MacBook or MacBook Pro, and the bigger notebooks look like monstrosities. Now, I'm sure Apple will start to port many of the improvements of the latest Air -- like the SSD chips and improved screens -- over to the MacBook and MacBook Pro, but I'm hoping that Apple takes the biggest step that it can regarding the MacBook line and tears out the optical drives.

I've owned my 15" MacBook Pro (the last one to have a removable battery) since June 2009. Not once in my seventeen months of ownership have I ever used the optical drive. I've never used it to import music, play a DVD, or burn a CD or DVD. I'm not alone in my realization of having a completely irrelevant piece of hardware on my top of the line laptop either. MG Siegler at our recently acquired sister site, TechCrunch, pretty much noticed the same thing a few weeks ago.

If the MacBook Air really is the sign of the future of Apple's laptops, then the optical drive just has to go. People own laptops because they take them places. Portability is their main attraction. As Apple has shown us, no optical drive equals more portability. I mean, it's not like most users need them, is it? When was the last time you actually were out and about and needed to use your optical drive? Were you in a coffee shop, and the guy next to you needed to give you a Word file, so he burned it to a CD? I didn't think so. There are so many faster, lighter, and more portable ways to transfer data -- like USB drives or DropBox -- that the optical disc is all but pointless for file transfers. Installing software is also a moot point, since most of us download our software or will buy it through the upcoming Mac App Store. As for watching DVDs? A movie plays better and drains less power on your laptop if it resides on your hard drive.Continue reading Dear Apple: Tear out your optical drivesDear Apple: Tear out your optical drives originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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YouTube CEO Chad Hurley Leaving Position To Take Advisory Role

I'm currently in Dublin, Ireland, for a (most excellent) event dubbed Founders, where I was invited to handle a fireside chat / interview with YouTube cofounder and CEO Chad Hurley earlier tonight. We had an interesting conversation about the company, although nothing particularly newsworthy came out of it, except for this little nugget: Hurley is moving to an advisory role at the Google subsidiary and will soon focus most of his attention on other projects.

Hurley casually mentioned this when I asked if he still felt as motivated as he was in early 2005, when he started the company along with fellow ex-PayPal employees Steve Chen and Jawed Karim.

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Autorotation in v0.99.5 templates

In order to be iPad compliant, v0.99.5 will include updated templates that support autorotation. Basically the new templates will have 3 new files: GameConfig.h RootViewController.m (and .h) The�RootViewController.* files contain the code to handle the autorotation. And in GameConfig.h you will be able to configure how to handle the autorotation: No autorotation Autorotation handled by [...]

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Security alert: New Trojan Horse apps said to attack the Mac

Some security mavens have long theorized that as the Mac becomes more popular, we'd start to see malware that would start targeting the platform. Sure enough, this morning's crop of email blasts from PR firms included a few notices of trojans that are affecting Mac users.
First, from SecureMac, comes word of trojan.osx.boonana.a, which comes disguised as a link on social networking sites asking "Is this you in this video?" Clicking the link downloads and runs a Java applet that then installs further applications to modify system files and open the system to password-free access. The other malicious apps report back to command and control servers, as well as hijack user accounts to spread the trojan through email spam.
The SecureMac press release notes that the "Java component of the trojan horse is cross-platform," but it's not clear from their statement that the other components are capable of running under Mac OS X.
Next, Intego reported that a similar Java trojan known as Koobface.A is also being spread through social networking systems such as Facebook and Twitter.

Continue reading Security alert: New Trojan Horse apps said to attack the MacSecurity alert: New Trojan Horse apps said to attack the Mac originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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redsn0wier

We?ve released a beta version of redsn0w for the iPhone3G and iPod Touch 2G at FW 4.1 or 4.0. �It uses the same pwnage2 DFU-mode exploit that we?ve been using since the 2.x days. �It does not include the SHAtter exploit developed by pod2g. �Nothing new is revealed to Apple with this jailbreak.
IF YOU USE THE ULTRASN0W UNLOCK, PLEASE WAIT FOR PWNAGETOOL TO SUPPORT 4.1. �DO NOT USE REDSN0W.��That?s because to use redsn0w at 4.1, you need to already have updated to official 4.1 from Apple. �If you do that, you lose the ultrasn0w unlock (possibly forever).
The Windows version needs further testing, so for now this is available only for Mac OS X x86. �The Windows version will come as soon as the bugs are ironed out.
Note: if you have an ?MC? model of the ipt2g, your 4.1 jailbreak will be tethered?sorry! �(Consider rolling back to a FW supported by jailbreakme.com or spiritjb.com)
===== What devices, platforms, and FW versions are supported? =====
This BETA release supports:
iPhone 3G and iPod touch 2G only (for now)
Mac OS X x86 and Windows only (for now)
4.1 or 4.0 firmware from Apple
�� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �
===== How do I use it? =====
If you?ve already updated your device to 4.1 or 4.0, the next steps are:
Launch the beta redsn0w 0.9.6b1
Select your stock 4.1 or 4.0 ipsw (you?ve already used this to update your device to 4.1 or �4.0)
Select ?Install Cydia? and any of the other options shown above, then click ?Next?. �Use DFU mode to install the jailbreak.
Note: If you choose to ?Enable battery percentage?, you actually toggle that off and on�via Settings->General->Usage.
===== Download links =====
Please do not directly link to these URLs because they?ll be changing according to bandwidth demands.
Mac OSX x86
Windows
Update: Any Windows users seeing ?Waiting for reboot? for too long (more than 20 seconds or so), please try ?shaking? the JB process by unplugging then replugging your USB cable (while letting redsn0w continue to run). �Also, try using a USB port ?closer? to your computer (as opposed to on your monitor or behind another hub). �We?re still tweaking the Windows flow and so any feedback you can provide will help!

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Calm before the Spirit storm

At some point after (don?t ask when!) the iPad 3G is actually in customers? hands, the first ?userland? jailbreak since firmware 1.x will be released by @comex. �It?s called ?Spirit? and was first demonstrated working on an iPad by @MuscleNerd within 24 hours of the iPad?s release on April 3.
Userland jailbreaks are more troublesome for Apple since they expose security weaknesses that exist even for non-jailbroken owners. �As such, Apple is likely to close them soon after they?re made public. One recent example of this is the SMS vulnerability exposed at Blackhat last summer. �Apple released new firmware to close that hole within a day.
The Spirit jailbreak is most useful for newer devices: iPhone 3GS, iPod Touch 3G, and the iPads. �Unfortunately those devices are the same ones that Apple can prevent you from downgrading unless you?ve got a backup of your personalized SHSH blobs. �Unless you?ve backed up your SHSH blobs for vulnerable firmware versions, you?ll lose the ability to use the current Spirit jailbreak if you accidentally upgrade.
Please take the steps now to backup your SHSH blobs. �Use either Firmware Umbrella to create a local copy, or go through saurik?s server. �If you are getting an iPad 3G, it?s safest to backup your blobs using Firmware Umbrella, in case saurik?s server gets bogged down with requests.
Other things about Spirit that are useful to know:
Spirit is an untethered jailbreak.
Spirit works on all devices. �(However, the redsn0w and PwnageTool�flows will continue to work on those devices they?ve always worked on)
Spirit does not include a carrier unlock. �(Please don?t bug @comex�about that)
Spirit requires your device to be activated or hacktivated
Please make sure you have your SHSH blobs backed up! �While @comex has indicated he?s not going to release the very minute the iPad 3G is out, there?s no telling what Apple might do anyway.
Update Friday, Apr 30:
As expected, the iPad 3G is equally vulnerable to @comex?s Spirit JB, as demonstrated below on MuscleNerd?s device soon after it arrived by FedEx on the iPad 3G release day.




Before even running Spirit, however, a backup of that iPad 3G?s blobs was made. �Even though he already had blobs for his iPad Wifi, they can?t be used on the iPad 3G (or any other iPad Wifi or other device for that matter). Blobs are unique per-device, per-firmware.

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Here We Come WordCamp NYC 2010!

The ContentRobot team is headed to The Big Apple this weekend! We super excited to be sponsoring WordCamp NYC and look forward to connecting with all our WP friends.
We be out in full force to meet and educate attendees about what we offer and how we can help both veterans and newbies to get the most out of their WordPress blogs.
While we offer a full range of services with ContentRobot, WeFixWP and BlogOnCloud9, we… Continue Reading

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A word of notice

As the lead developer of cocos2d and with the aim of avoiding any misunderstanding or the creation of false expectations �I, Ricardo Quesada, would like to clarify that I am not�associated or related in any way whatsoever with Steffen Itterheim (AKA�gaminghorror) or his site. I never asked for his endorsement and I don’t want it.�Whatever [...]

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Autorotation in v0.99.5 templates

In order to be iPad compliant, v0.99.5 will include updated templates that support autorotation. Basically the new templates will have 3 new files: GameConfig.h RootViewController.m (and .h) The�RootViewController.* files contain the code to handle the autorotation. And in GameConfig.h you will be able to configure how to handle the autorotation: No autorotation Autorotation handled by [...]

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iPad now available at Verizon, AT&T stores

Today is October 28th, and that means the iPad is now available in Verizon Wireless and AT&T retail locations. The arrangement was announced October 14th. As a refresher, here's how it works.

At Verizon stores, the iPad (all models) is sold bundled with a Verizon MiFi 2200. The access point offers a 1GB allowance in exchange for $20/month with no contract. Bundles start at $US630 for the 16GB iPad plus a MiFi and go up to $730 for the 32G model and $830 for the 64GB model. At AT&T stores, 3G models are sold with not external access device.

As the holiday shopping season officially begins, the iPad is available from seven vendors: Apple, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Best Buy, Micro Center, Target and Walmart. That distribution will get the gadget in front of a lot of potential customers. Here's to a successful shopping season.iPad now available at Verizon, AT&T stores originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Looks Like BoingBoing Got Hacked (NSFW)

Something is definitely up at uber nerd site and "Directory of Wonderful Things" BoingBoing.net. A trip to the front page brings up the charming image above, which seems to be some sort of vulgar message from someone called "the|one" to site editor�Cory Doctorow. The hack also ingeniously�incorporates the "Jesse Slaughter Dun Goofed" viral video.

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Theme Change #1: Redesign

My last post was about doing the easy stuff that you’ve been putting off just because you don’t have all the answers or a grand plan. I decided it was time to eat some more of my own dog food and take a look at my incomplete projects. The shot above is from my active [...]

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What About Privacy? Is Social Media Going Too Far?

Note: While the ContentRobot blog tends to focus primarily on WordPress and blogging topics, Karen takes a moment to weigh in on Facebook’s recent stance on their privacy policy and broader implications of social media.
***
What would the Silent Generation think? According to Wikipedia, the Silent Generation is:
… a term coined in the November 5, 1951 cover story of Time to refer to the generation coming of age at the time, born during the Great Depression and World War II,… Continue Reading

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LINK: What Entrepreneurship Is and Isn?t

The other day I was reading through the Art of Non-Conformity’s archives and I found a post that Chris wrote in the very beginning. I found myself nodding my head quite a bit as I read it. My favorite part is: True entrepreneurship involves the creation of processes, not just the creation of work. If [...]

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With Their Carrier-Crippling SIM, Can Apple Do What Google Chickened Out Of?

At the beginning of this year, I was very excited. You see, at Google's launch event for the Nexus One, they made one thing clear: they were going directly after the dominating carrier lock-in model that had held everyone in the U.S.�captive�for years. Then Google chickened out. And things are now getting just as bad as they have ever been. Unless Apple has the cojones to do what Google wouldn't, that is.

To be clear, the report today from GigaOM's�Stacey Higginbotham isn't about the U.S. She notes that Apple is working alongside�SIM-card manufacturer Gemalto to make a built-in hardware SIM card that could work with many carriers across Europe. Essentially, this would allow customers to jump from carrier to carrier as a better deal came along or as they were traveling without having to swap SIM cards.

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Rumor: Apple looking at buying Spotify... to incorporate it or close it?

Fans of streaming music service Spotify might not want to read this story. The last time Apple bought such a company, it lived on for about six months before being unceremoniously shuttered. Hopefully if a rumored buyout of Spotify does go through, the service will face a happier outcome than Lala did earlier this year.

The rumor of early stage talks between Apple and Spotify comes via Techcrunch, so it's probably worth grabbing a big hunk of salt to go with it. According to Michael Arrington's source, Google nearly bought the music streaming service last year for US$1 billion, but the parties couldn't come to terms on grandfathering the existing licensing deals with the music labels.

There have been rumors that Apple would add a music subscription service to iTunes for several years, and the imminent launch of the company's North Carolina data center have accelerated those rumors. Previously Lala was expected to be the basis of a subscription plan, but that has gone nowhere yet. Apple and Spotify apparently aren't even at the stage of talking price or terms yet, so this may not go anywhere... assuming that they are even actually talking.

[via Electronista]Rumor: Apple looking at buying Spotify... to incorporate it or close it? originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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WordPress 3.0 Has Arrived

Yesterday afternoon Automattic released WordPress 3.0 to the public.
While it’s an exciting upgrade, we are not recommending that you upgrade your sites at this time.
We are often hesitant to upgrade on what we call “zero” releases and tend to wait til the bugs shake out a bit before applying these types of updates to live blogs. Once 3.0.1 comes out, however, we will be happy to assist anyone who wants an upgrade at that time (we’re sure it… Continue Reading

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Blob banter

Those of you with jailbroken iPhone3G and ipt2G devices may now have noticed Cydia starting to save your SHSH blobs too, just like it does for iPhone3GS, ipt3G and later devices. That?s because starting with 4.0, Apple started putting a ?soft? SHSH blob check in the firmware. The SHSH blob check is very real in the sense that if iTunes can?t get your blobs (because the Apple signing window has closed), the iTunes restore will error out. But it?s ?soft? in the sense that those devices can always use redsn0w or PwnageTool to get past the error (the bootroms themselves for those devices don?t require blobs to be in the firmware files, unlike the newer bootroms).
Furthermore, since the 3.x IPSWs for these devices don?t enforce it, you can always restore to 3.x IPSWs outside of any signing windows.
So, Cydia is doing this to allow you to continue to use iTunes to restore to 4.x on iPhone3G and ipt2g outside of Apple?s signing window without needing to use redsn0w or PwnageTool to get around Apple?s annoying new restriction.

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Dennis, Tell Us How You Really Feel About Facebook

Ever wonder what the inspiration was for the Facebook Friends icon, the one with the outline of two people side-by-side? Neither have I. But now that Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley put up this side-by-side comparison of images on his Tumblog, I will never be able to look at the outline of the woman friend's bob haircut again without thinking of Darth Vader's helmet.

It's just a funny photoshopped juxtapostion with the caption, "I?m sure this is where the Facebook ?Friends? icon came from." I don't want to psychoanalyze Crowley too much on this. He simply reblogged something he found amusing from someone else's Tumblog. (That is what you do on Tumblr. It's like retweeting). But you have to wonder if he doesn't feel a little bit like the Luke Skywalker friend.

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Amex?s Ad Agency Asks Us To Remove Post, Threatens Future Business

An advertising agency that represents American Express took issue with my post yesterday complaining about my failed efforts to get a simple credit card. In the post, titled Damnit Amex, Give Me A Credit Card, I complained about the difficulty of someone in my particular demographic to get credit, and noted the usefulness of Credit Karma, a startup that gives people immediate access to their credit report.

Some users actually saw an ad for the Amex ZYNC card next to the post.

In an email to our sales team, the agency said "We found this on your site today, obviously not a good thing for AMEX or for ZYNC branding."

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grow, grow ultrasn0w!

We?re happy to tell you that our ultrasn0w carrier unlock now supports the iPhone4!
�� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � ��
Version 1.0-1 of ultrasn0w works for:
iPhone4 baseband 01.59
3G/3GS basebands�04.26.08, 05.11.07, 05.12.01 and 05.13.04
(If ultrasn0w doesn?t show when you search Cydia, add the repo: �repo666.ultrasn0w.com)
Here is a nice how-to video from @AdamFromYT that shows the installation process on the iPhone 4.


For comments or questions, please use the comments section below.
Enjoy!

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IAC Shows Signs Of Life In Third Quarter, Revenues Jump 25 Percent

Barry Diller realizes that his Ask search engine isn't going to gain market share anytime soon, but search can still power growth for IAC if it just keeps up with the growth in the overall search market. IAC released third quarter earnings this morning. Total revenues were up 25 percent to $422 million. Operating income quadrupled to $36 million, and adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.32 versus Wall Street estimates of $0.27. (However, after stripping out the adjustments due to one-time sales of stock and other assets a year ago, net income was actually down 19 percent).

Search represented nearly half of revenues ($205 million). The search business grew 20 percent, goosed primarily by a 55 percent increase in active toolbars to 97 million. IAC's toolbar business is its secret distribution weapon, but those searches tend to generate lower revenue per query than those on Ask.com, which itself is still growing and is now ranked as the sixth largest website in the U.S. LAst month, Ask CityGrid Media's new local advertising network also contributed to overall search revenues.

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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.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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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.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Getting out of jail is free!

Fantastic news today from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). �After a lot of hard work and mountains of paperwork, jailbreaking your iPhone is now explicitly a permitted fair use under the DMCA!

The first of EFF?s three successful requests clarifies the legality of cell phone ?jailbreaking? ? software modifications that liberate iPhones and other handsets to run applications from sources other than those approved by the phone maker. More than a million iPhone owners are said to have ?jailbroken? their handsets in order to change wireless providers or use applications obtained from sources other than Apple?s own iTunes ?App Store,? and many more have expressed a desire to do so. But the threat of DMCA liability had previously endangered these customers and alternate applications stores.
In its reasoning in favor of EFF?s jailbreaking exemption, the Copyright Office rejected Apple?s claim that copyright law prevents people from installing unapproved programs on iPhones: ?When one jailbreaks a smartphone in order to make the operating system on that phone interoperable with an independently created application that has not been approved by the maker of the smartphone or the maker of its operating system, the modifications that are made purely for the purpose of such interoperability are fair uses.?

The EFF also successfully renewed the existing DMCA exception for carrier unlocking. �More on the ruling by the Library of Congress is here and here (and many other places, since this is huge news!). The full ruling is here, and EFF?s history with this case is here (EFF?s servers are understandably getting hammered today!).
This doesn?t mean that Apple will stop their technical attempts to thwart jailbreaking, but it does mean that our iPhone jailbreaks and unlocks are now unambiguously legal under the DMCA.
Great job, EFF!

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How Spotify Almost Sold To Google For $1 Billion, Plus New Apple Rumors

"Apple, Inc. (AAPL) in negotiations to acquire Spotify," read the tip that came in yesterday via email from an anonymous source. Most tips are just outright false, but we dug into this one a little bit.

Here's what we heard - Apple and Spotify are in on-again, off-again discussions about an acquisition, but at best it's very early in the process. No firm price has been offered, no term sheet tabled. Still, it's interesting that the two are talking.

But way more interesting is this - Last year, around the time that Apple acquired music service Lala, Google and Spotify were deep in acquisition discussions, says a source with knowledge of the negotiations.

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Branded Social Networks: Does the name matter?

Some people will tell you that "content is king" when it comes to social media. Post/blog/share good information that your audience wants to hear, and you will develop a following. But what about the medium for your sharing? Which network will you choose? How much does a platform contribute to or hinder your success? If [...]

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ContentRobot Cleans Shop

ContentRobot had a busy winter working and supporting our BlogOnCloud9 WordPress hosting service – and we’re not planning a lazy summer either.
We are in the midst of� launching a few new products. We think that you’ll not only enjoy them, but your blogs will benefit greatly from them, too.
But before that could happen, we had to first take inventory of all our offerings. Does everything we do still make sense? What services do we evolve? What products do… Continue Reading

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The MySpace Redesign Is Almost Here?Some Details

MySpace is preparing to roll out its long-awaited redesign, perhaps as early as tomorrow, at least for new users. It's not going to be pretty. Well, actually, it is quite pretty?I've seen screenshots?but that still might not be enough to help stem the diminishing appeal of the social network. MySpace tried to brief us on the new design under embargo, which we don't do, so we declined the briefing. Nevertheless, we keep getting snippets of information from various sources.

So let me describe it for you. The design will feature the new MySpace logo at the top, and center around discovering and sharing media?music, photos, and videos. When you log in, a big status bar will prompt you to "Share something!" That can be a status message, a link, a photo, or a video.

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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.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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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.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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PayPal Unveils Micropayments For Digital Goods, Facebook Signs Up

At the company's annual developer conference today, PayPal debuted its much awaited micropayments product. According to a release issued by the company, the new product is an "in-context, frictionless payment solution that lets consumers pay for digital goods and content in as little as two clicks, without ever having to leave a publisher?s game, news, music, video or media site."

PayPal equates the product as the online equivalent of dropping a quarter into a game machine. Pricing is set at 5 percent plus 5 cents for purchases under $12, which PayPal says is lower than the fees typically charged by payment processors. For example, under standard PayPal pricing, a $1.00 transaction would incur a fee of $0.33. Osama Bedier, VP of platform, mobile and new ventures for PayPal says the product allows developers and merchants to get the revenue right away.With micropayment pricing, it would cost $0.10. While PayPal for digital goods will be available late fall this year, Facebook will soon integrate the new digital goods payment product.

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With OS X Lion, It?s No Longer Point & Click, It?s Flick & Swipe

It feels like we're on the verge of something ? "feel" being the keyword. Personal computing has more or less been the same for a few decades now. It's the mouse, the keyboard, the monitor, and the machine. With things like notebook computers, this has been altered a bit, but it's the same basic idea. But with the rise of smartphones and now tablets, the whole concept is finally starting evolve. And it looks like OS X Lion will be a key to this transition.

On stage last week during their Back to the Mac event, Apple gave a sneak peak at some of what they have in store for the next version of OS X. Of note, CEO Steve Jobs made it very clear that it has been born out of the concept of "OS X meets iPad". In other words, OS X meets iOS, Apple's touch-based operating system.

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Photobucket Appoints CEO, Claims Users Upload Four Million Images Per Day

It's been over a year since we've last written about Photobucket, when the former News Corp. / MySpace property merged with Ontela.

Apparently, the Photobucket that came out of the merger didn't technically have a chief executive at the helm, although CFO Tom Munro served as acting President. The company this morning announced that Munro has now been officially appointed CEO after an executive search was initiated by Steamboat Ventures, the Disney-affiliated venture capital firm backing Photobucket.

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Automattic is now a Domain Registrar

Automattic recently appeared on ICANN’s list of accredited registrars as ID #1531, meaning that the company is now a full-fledged accredited domain registrar. WordPress.com is one of Automattic’s most popular services, and domain mapping is one of their most popular upgrades, so this is potentially yet another game-changing move for the company. According to Automattic

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Download My WordCamp NYC 2009 Presentation!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to listen to me geek out about WordPress Child Themes! Download Allan Cole?s WordPress 2009 Presentation. It?s filled with tons of� resources to help you develop WordPress themes the smart way ? using Child Themes!

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Naviflix ? One stop solution for movie lovers

About three months back we had this conversation in our office lounge after we had released an app for mumbaikar.com. What next ? After a series of discussions we understood that so many of us @flipmedia were hard core movie buffs. Watching movies in the cinema was on the top of our entertainment list. From [...]

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Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration

“If pop producer Timbaland had sought to build consensus around declaring independence, what might he have produced?” Concept video from Soomo Publishing Timbaland – Apologize (feat. One Republic) Hope you enjoyed watching both videos

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Set a Custom URL/Username for Your Facebook Page

This video tutorial explains, step-by-step, how to choose and secure your Facebook Page's custom URL. Choose wisely, because one you set your username, it cannot be changed. The video's script is included below. A note on Capital Letters An important note, that is not included in the video, is that your username can include capital [...]

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Get ready for the Mac App Store

Apple announced today that in 90 days the Mac App Store will be ready! The Mac App Store will be similar to the App Store, but instead of distributing iOS applications, it will distribute Mac applications. This is big news for cocos2d users, since cocos2d already supports Mac!! The guidelines and other requirements for the [...]

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TUAW's Daily App: Tiptop

Tiptop 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.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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