Macgasm

Samsung Takes a $10B Hit From Apple Rumors

Corey Tamas — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:30:22 +0000

Samsung isn’t exactly in financial trouble, but no company in the world is gonna laugh off a $10B drop in market value. Reuters reports that the Korean handset giant took an Old-Testament-Level beatdown when Taiwan’s DigiTimes reported a rumor about Apple placing huge orders for DRAM with Japanese chip-maker Elpida. This, of course, draws a pretty grim picture for Samsung’s earnings, as their chips have been used in Apple’s ridiculously popular mobile devices and the business deal represents a hard-to-ignore percentage of their earnings. Samsung’s stock dropped 6.2% in a single day to a 9-week low of approximately $1,100 USD and, according to Reuter’s, it was their biggest daily fall in four years.

Reports of Elpida being purchased by Micron have also come to the fore and talks are supposedly in progress. This could further serve to drink Samsung’s milkshake because, as Lim Dol-yi, an analyst at Solomon Investment & Securities says, “A merged Micron-Elpida could pose a significant threat to South Korean memory chipmakers, and Elpida’s huge order from Apple was the spark that triggered these worries.”

The irony of this rumor having come from DigiTimes isn’t lost on us here at Macgasm. As we recently reported, Time’s Harry McCracken demonstrated clearly (and a little embarrassingly) how DigiTimes is wrong about Apple predictions 3/5ths of the time. Why investors and the market in general would put so much (sorry for the pun) stock in DigiTimes’ reports about Apple business, we have no idea. Never the less, Samsung is feeling some pressure over it and, if the reports turn out to be true, it’s going to hurt them.

Source: Reuters

Via: AppleInsider

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Deal: Learn To Produce Professional-Looking Photos With The Photoshop Elements 10 Course

Joshua Schnell — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:00:14 +0000

Do you want to take your photos to the next level, but you have no idea where to start with the whole editing process? If so, then this deal is for you. The Photoshop Elements 10 Course brings you 90 lectures with over 8 hours of content to help you master the art of photo editing. You’ll learn how to remove red eye, fix colour issues, work with layers, brushes and drawing tools, and so much more. You can pick this course up for only ~~$49~~ $19, over 60 percent off.

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Warner Brothers To Stream Casablanca On Facebook

Corey Tamas — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:30:48 +0000

Warner Brothers is trying something rather unusual and kind of awesome: They’ll be streaming Casablanca on Facebook for today for free at 7 PM Eastern and 7 PM Pacific. Only one screening per Facebook account is permitted, but still… the 1942 movie that’s been referred to as “the greatest film of all time” by more than one credible reviewer? That’s not bad.

Warner is making kind of a big thing out of it, too: A three-disc Blue-ray/DVD combo gift set with the original film and two never-before-seen documentaries about it plus 14 hours of bonus material will hit shelves today. It’s an interesting and somewhat innovative way to pair up a brick-and-mortar release with a virtual event. It’s not the first time Facebook has been used to stream media, but this seems like it could potentially be a bit of a test balloon by Warner Brothers to gauge reception. If this screening turns out to be a hit, I suspect we’ll see more of this kind of thing both from Warner and their competition.

As a footnote: A lot of you young ‘uns have never seen Casablanca and may only have a vague grasp on the pre-internet memes of “here’s lookin’ at you, kid” and “play it again, Sam.” But if you think you can handle a movie that has no 3D, no lightsabers, no ninjas and no sequels… you may find yourself enjoying one of the greatest films ever made.

Update: This one seems to be for Americans only, kids. Sorry if I got my fellow Canadians (or any other non-Americans) excited!

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Verizon Planning To End “Unlimited Data” Plans

Corey Tamas — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:30:14 +0000

Verizon has decided the time for unlimited data plans to come to an end. According to CFO Fran Shammo, who spoke at an investors’ conference today, if you already have an unlimited plan and want to move to 4G then you can expect to lose that plan in favor of a new one. The story isn’t all bad, to be fair: Verizon is planning to create a shared data rate which will cover all the devices on the account (I think that’s good? isn’t it?), and then there’s the speed boost of 4G connectivity. Never the less, it may come as a bit of cold water in the face to those who resent having to choose between the plan they want and the connection they want. Here’s a bit from TechCrunch about it:

The concept of shared data plans would is wonderful for families and other multi-line accounts, but it doesn’t do any favors for the individual customers who don’t need more than one device. The status of existing customers who have had their unlimited data plans grandfathered over to their new 4G devices is also unclear — Shammo makes it sound like only customers who upgrade after the change takes place will have to pick a new data plan (for better or worse), and with any luck they’ll leave the lucky souls who have already locked their old data plans alone for now.

The whole “unlimited data” thing has always been a difficult concept for carriers anyhow. It seems more like an idea that they collectively came up with when mobile data use began to proliferate and then, over time, they realized it wasn’t the best way to maximize profits. The result, as we have all seen, is stifled plans which have a cap of some kind (and yet the cap is never disclosed to the user) and, of course, the most expensive mobile charges on the planet. If users who put a greater strain on the carrier’s resources are asked to pay more than those who don’t, that seems fair… but once you’ve sold something called an “unlimited” account and accepted the payment, it’s not really ethical to try negotiating after the fact because you didn’t like the terms. After all, it’s not like the customer gets that option.

Source: TechCrunch

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Three Old-School Games On The Cheap For The iPad

Grant Brünner — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:00:11 +0000

Pac-Man

Who doesn’t love the little yellow pizza chasing after dots and fruit? No one I know or care about, that’s for sure. For only $4.99 USD in the App Store, you can relive your misspent youth. No more pumping machines full of quarters now that we have credit cards and Paypal.

Tetris

If there was a stop watch that measured how much time I’ve spent in every activity I partake in, I would worry that playing Tetris would be right up at the top. Make those blocks fall with just a quick swipe and $2.99 USD on the App Store.

Frogger

Many people’s first interaction with video games was Frogger. Navigate the green guy through a busy highway and speeding stream to safety without getting squished into green goo. You can get up on the Frogger tip with Frogger Pad for only $0.99 USD on the App Store.

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HTC Stopped At US Border By International Trade Commission

Corey Tamas — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:26:05 +0000

HTC seems to be having a little trouble with getting their One X and EVO 4G LTE into the U.S.A. due to checks for compliance with an injunction from the International Trade Commission. The Taiwan phone maker has been subject to an import ban because of patent infringement on a technology called “data detectors”, which allows the phone to figure out what’s a phone number, what’s an email address, etc. The patent belongs to Apple and, according to Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents, is of ”medium value” and HTC would be at a complete disadvantage without it. Here’s a bit from AppleInsider to lend a little more detail:

Though the ITC is unable to issue fines for patent infringement, it is able to grant import bans that can have devastating financial impact on companies. According to the report, Customs and Border Protection is responsible for enforcing the injunction and is reportedly “allowed to handle things pretty much any way it wants.”

HTC says that things should be just fine (of course) and released a statement saying: “We believe we are in compliance with the ruling and HTC is working closely with Customs to secure approval.”

Source: AppleInsider

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Flipboard Updated, Adds Integration With Soundcloud

Grant Brünner — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:05:12 +0000

Flipboard is a fantastic interface to your world online. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Reader, and anything else you’re into can be tossed into Flipboard and made into a glossy magazine. The one aspect of social media that it was missing was audio. As of today, Flipboard now integrates with Soundcloud so you can listen to the jams and podcasts that your friends and favorite artists create right inside of Flipboard. Never before has there been such a wonderful app to experience your favorite media in one place. Included with the Soundcloud integration are dozens of recommended audio feeds for your listening pleasure right in the content guide.

Worth noting is the addition of VoiceOver support in this version of Flipboard. Now visually impaired iOS users can more easily navigate Flipboard so they enjoy great content right alongside of people with normal vision. It’s nice to see an effort to serve the disabled, and we certainly would like to see more like this in all applications across the board.

Also in this update is Readability support, Japanese localization, and the ability to drill down into separate sections of social networks on the iPhone version of Flipboard. As always, Flipboard is completely free, and there is no indication of how they ever plan to make money.

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Plugbook: A Better Power Strip

Grant Brünner — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:02:21 +0000

Getting power to your devices is a pain in the ass. Dave Hakkens, a product designer and student from Eindhoven, Netherlands, has reimagined the concept of a power strip into the shape of a book. Not only can it be kept on the bookshelf and stacked with other things neatly, but it also hides the messy cord. By pressing the button on the side, the Plugbook sucks up the cord inside of itself so it will sit nicely.

Built in two versions: US (Nema 5-15 plug) and EU (CEE7/7 plug), the Plugbook is available on Kickstarter for only $25 USD. That includes free shipping in the US or Europe, but an additional $10 USD is needed for shipping elsewhere. It has two standard power plugs and two USB ports for charging your favorite electronic devices. It is available in three colors: white, black, and red. A fourth color is currently being voted on by the Kickstarter backers.

As of publication, this project is sitting at just under $2,000 USD. The minimum funding goal is $45,000 USD, and they have 39 days left to reach it. If the current pace stays, they should have no problem, but don’t wait. If you want your own Plugbook, you should back the project ASAP.

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Ask And Tell: Sparrow’s Subscription Plan For Push Services Not A Popular Idea

Joshua Schnell — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:46:31 +0000

Today we’re introducing a new feature here on Macgasm. From time to time we’re going to be including a poll in a hot-topic post that asks you to weigh in on the topic. After a week, approximately, we’re going to write up the results of our findings.

So, here we go.

Last week we asked you if you would pay a subscription fee for Sparrow’s announced Push services in their iOS applications. While we don’t know the price, or how the company plans on releasing the subscription, we do know how you feel about the idea: 82.95 percent of you told us that you will not be paying a subscription fee for Sparrow’s Push email service. The other 17.05 percent of you said that you planned on paying for the service.

Some quick thoughts on the findings

Push email is not all that necessary for a majority of users. While it’s handy, it’s certainly not something that most actually “need” if they find themselves having to pay for it. So, we’re not overly suprised by the findings. Plus, if you really want Push services in your email, you could just head to Apple’s Mail app in iOS. They provide it for free.

Also, in the future, it may make more sense for us to figure out the price point at which people are willing to pay for the service. But, since this is our first Ask and Tell, we’ll have these things figured out in no time flat.

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Apple Stuck Defending Siri’s Performance In Court

Joshua Schnell — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:25:41 +0000

Apple’s back in court (they should probably just set up a tent in the lobby), but this time it’s not to fight off Samsung’s copyist antics. Nope, this time it’s because consumers are getting tired of Siri not performing up to their expectations.

A grouping of lawsuits are currently seeking class action status in California. The lawsuits allege that the “iPhone 4S commercials and company statements about the phone were false and misleading. Siri, they say, is brilliant on TV, but she’s dim in reality” according to the Wall Street Journal.

Can’t really complain there, but Apple’s certainly right when they point out that the software application is in beta currently, and it’s far from being finished.

How did Apple’s legal team respond in court? Oh, it’s a doozy:

They offer only general descriptions of Apple’s advertisements, incomplete summaries of Apple’s website materials, and vague descriptions of their alleged—and highly individualized—disappointment with Siri. Tellingly, although Plaintiffs claim they became dissatisfied with Siri’s performance “soon after” purchasing their iPhones, they made no attempt to avail themselves of Apple’s 30-day return policy or one-year warranty—which remains in effect. Instead, they seek to take an alleged personal grievance about the purported performance of a popular product and turn it into a nationwide class action under California’s consumer protection statutes. The Complaint does not come close to meeting the heavy burden necessary to sustain such claims.

If you didn’t read the quote, let me paraphrase it for you. Apple’s legal team pretty much inadvertently called the plaintiffs a bunch of gold-digging douchebags. It’s hard not to agree with them. All the complainers could have returned their phones quite easily within the first 30 days after they purchased it, but they chose not to, didn’t they?

That said, Siri certainly doesn’t live up to my expectations either; however, I’m giving Apple the benefit of the doubt here because I live in Canada. That said, there’s a good ten minute stretch between my location and the freeway where Siri’s servers can not be accessed despite having decent signal strength. Again, this could be on the carriers, so I’m not going to complain too hard.

What do you think?

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Two Independent ‘Confirmations’ Have The Next iPhone Screen Going 4 inches

Joshua Schnell — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:44:19 +0000

We’ve been pretty skeptical about the new iPhone going 4 inches in these parts of the Internet, but two independantly confirmed reports from The Wall Street Journal and Reuters have us rethinking our stance today. According to the reports, Apple is indeed moving to bigger screens for the next generation iPhone.

Below is an except from each report, just so you can see who is saying what on the new iPhone.

From The Wall Street Journal:

Apple Inc., AAPL +0.23% which is expected to launch its next-generation iPhone later this year, has ordered screens from its Asian suppliers that are bigger than the ones used in iPhones since they debuted in 2007, people familiar with the situation said. Production is set to begin next month for the screens, which measure at least 4 inches diagonally compared with 3.5 inches on the iPhone 4S, the latest phone from Apple, the people said.

From Reuters:

The new iPhone screens will measure 4 inches from corner to corner, one source said. That would represent a roughly 30 percent increase in viewing area, assuming Apple kept other dimensions proportional. Apple has used a 3.5-inch screen since introducing the iPhone in 2007.

We’re still not 100 percent sold on the rumors, as it seems everyone, including mainstream media outlets, are getting in on the Apple rumor mill cash cow these days. That said, we tend to give publications like The Wall Street Journal and Reuters the benefit of the doubt in these matters. Only time will tell, I guess.

Image Credit: _GUIMS

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Aaron Sorkin Officially Adapting “Steve Jobs” Biography For Sony Pictures

Joshua Schnell — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:18:52 +0000

If you’re worried that Kutcher and company are going to botch their indepented film, fear not, the big boys over at Sony Pictures have just officially hired Aaron Sorkin to adapt the official ‘Steve Jobs’ biography into a screenplay for their own.

From the press release uncovered by our friends over at Slashfilm:

Academy Award® winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin will adapt Steve Jobs, a motion picture based on the best-selling biography of the legendary Apple co-founder by award-winning journalist Walter Isaacson, it was announced today by Amy Pascal, Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Doug Belgrad, President of Columbia Pictures. The project is being produced by Mark Gordon, Scott Rudin and Guymon Casady.

For those of you not up on your film industry trivia, Aaron Sorkin also wrote the screenplay for The Social Network. He also spent time writing for The West Wing. We’re pretty pumped that Sorkin agreed to do the adaptation. The Social Network was fantastic, and there’s no doubt the Jobs bio will be fantastically written as well.

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Deal: Keep Your Mac In Tip-Top Shape With MacKeeper

Joshua Schnell — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:39:44 +0000

Is your Mac working at less than its full capacity? Are you worried about protecting your Mac from malware? Do you worry that you’re not backing up your important files properly? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to take a look at our newest deal. MacKeeper brings you 16 great features that will help your Mac function like the sexy beast that it is. From protecting your Mac from malicious software to optimizing your most common processes to controlling and organizing your data, MacKeeper has it all. This software would normally cost you $59, but we’re bringing it to you today for only $26. That’s a 55 percent discount. But hurry, because the price is going up by $1 every day. This is a deal that you really shouldn’t pass up, so head on over to our deals page to grab it while you can.

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Greenpeace Projects Protest Onto Apple Campus Walls

Corey Tamas — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:00:56 +0000

Greenpeace has been a busy little beaver this week, as you can see by its impromptu slideshow projected onto the glass walls of the Apple campus in Cupertino. Greenpeace takes issue with Apple’s “unclean” cloud technology used to power iCloud, and they holed up in an eight-foot-tall, ten-foot-wide “survival device” that has previously been used to prevent Arctic drilling. From within their Fortress of Solitude, they projected slides on the building’s walls showing chastising messages about Apple’s eco-indifference as well as messages of support from Twitter and Facebook. AppleInsider has a bit more info:

“Apple’s executives have thus far ignored the hundreds of thousands of people asking them to use their influence for good by building a cloud powered by renewable energy,” Greenpeace USA Executive Director Phil Radford said. “As Apple’s customers, we love our iPhones and iPads, but we don’t want to use an iCloud fueled by the smog of dirty coal pollution.”

Their beef is about the server farm Apple built in North Carolina to power iCloud and its related services. Greenpeace claims Apple receives failing marks for “infrastructure citing”. We don’t totally buy it: As we reported, Apple is already building a solar array (capable of 42 million kWh of solar power per year) to power their data center, and this positions them as the force behind the U.S.A.’s largest end user-owned, onsite solar array. While Greenpeace makes some pretty big (and sometimes amusing) statements, one can’t help but wonder if they have bigger fish to fry.Source: AppleInsider

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Macgasm TV: Cookies, DSLR Camera Mount And Rails, And A Teradek

Joshua Schnell — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:42:18 +0000

In this week’s episode! Brennan and Luca check out some more camera gear while eating scrumptious cookies. First Luca fills us in on some more Luca eBay Specials™, showing off a dSLR camera mount and rail system, as well as a mountable camera, or ZOOM, clip for your belt. Brennan shows off a little toy we picked up to live stream some upcoming videos called the Teradek. It’s not cheap, but it’s certainly awesome.

[Download][Direct Feed][iTunes]

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Apple Still Faces Australian Court Despite iPad Rebranding

Corey Tamas — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:00:32 +0000

Apple may have rebranded their new iPad in an effort to placate Australian courts, but the courts are having none of it. Their original claim of the iPad as 4G ran afoul of Australian watchdogs, as 4G isn’t available in that country and, thus, telling Australian customers that they’re buying a 4G product is misleading. Apple capitulated by changing the wording so as to defer any misleading implications about what the product offered (calling it “iPad WiFi + Cellular”). Alas, that didn’t quite do the trick.

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission is unimpressed, and told SmartHouse “Any move by Apple to cease using the descriptor of ’4G’ will mitigate against the ACCC’s concerns but will not deal with any past conduct.” Slashgear has a bit more on the story:

…with Apple’s wholesale rebrand, it was assumed by many that the consumer confusion issue would go away. The ACCC’s decision to continue to pursue the case – based on Apple’s previous behaviors, irregardless of however they may have changed today – suggests the Cupertino company may not be off the hook quite so readily.

The court case is set to start on June 4.

Source: Slashgear

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Kick It Stylish With This Leather iPad Case

Grant Brünner — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:30:33 +0000

Sometimes a smart cover doesn’t cut it. You’re a powerful executive, and you want people to know that you’re special. That’s why you want this “Leather Agenda” iPad case from Vaja.

It’s designed to attach securely, keep your iPad safe from bumps with its padding, and to stay relatively slim. It is made of leather and has a two-tone design. A snazzy elastic band keeps it closed. This is the pinnacle of classy iPad cases, and you’ll be the envy of everyone in the boardroom.

Better yet, you can completely customize your order to fit your color scheme. If the brown and cream is too drab for you, why not try out Mauve Wine and Galapagos Green? Yes, those are actually colors you can choose. For $220.00 USD, customizability is the least you can ask for. Keep in mind, it will take about twenty days for your custom “Leather Agenda” case to be made and then shipped out. Quality can’t be rushed, you know.

Is this the iPad case of your dreams? Did you find a kickass color combination? Let us know by taking a moment to sound off in the comment section below this post. All you need is a Twitter or Facebook account to log in.

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Apple Releases Update For OS X Leopard. Yes, Really.

Corey Tamas — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:00:02 +0000

Straight out of the “things we didn’t expect to hear today” file, Apple has released an update for OS X 10.5, also known as Leopard. This update is all about security and disables old versions of Adobe Flash that could potentially leave your Mac vulnerable to attacks (as the recent update for OS X 10.7 also did). The update also gives Leopard users a tool with which they can remove the Flashback Mac virus which was the hot news a few weeks ago. If you’re on Leopard, you can get your update by opening your System Preferences and checking the Software Updates control panel.

Since Leopard, we’ve seen the release of two Mac OS X operating systems (Snow Leopard and Lion) and we’re on the precipice of another (Mountain Lion, due out this summer). While support for older systems gradually fades over time (as it should), it’s nice that Apple gave a little love to those who are still rockin’ the Titanium PowerBooks and Gooseneck iMacs.

Source: TUAW

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So, Josh Co-Hosts The AppOrchard Podcast, Check It Out!

Joshua Schnell — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:55:53 +0000

I’m not one to self promote, but I’m making an exception this time. Did you know that I also co-host a podcast over on the 70 Decibels network with that famous, or is it infamous, Myke Hurley? It’s called The AppOrchard

The network has some of the best podcasts on the Internet right now, and I think we’re one of them. I’m pretty biased though. You should check it out. We chat weekly about apps (mostly iOS and OS X).

It’s an honor that I’m even allowed to play with the big boys, but I’d also be even more honored if you checked it out and left us some feedback or rated the podcast in iTunes.

Do me a favour: go subscribe.

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Two Classic Star Wars Games Now Available On Steam For Cheap

Grant Brünner — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:30:24 +0000

Are you jonesing for some classic Star Wars video games to play on your Mac? Well, you’re in luck because Aspyr has just made two beloved Star Wars games available on Steam for OS X. You’ll get access to both the Windows and OS X versions of the games, and they are both on sale.

Knights of the Old Republic

The famous KotOR is often thought of as the best Star Wars game ever made. This RPG developed by Bioware is now available on Steam for only $7.49 USD — 25 percent the usual price. If you’ve never played this amazing game, this is the time to do it.

Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

Kyle Katarn, one of the best known EU characters in the Star Wars franchise, is the hero of this game. Fight your way through 24 single player levels, or go online and duke it out with your friends. It’s available for only $7.49 USD — the same 25 percent off as KotOR.

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Android Asks: Where’s Google Gone?

Corey Tamas — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:00:45 +0000

Though once purported by Google to be the saviour of the mobile platform, Android appears to be at a crossroads where the search giant — who invented and championed it — is leaving it behind like a forgotten child in a cart at a grocery store parking lot. It’s not news that the mobile operating system hit some big and unexpected snags along the way since its inception in 2007, but Google has taken a hands-off approach as of late that might signify its plan to leave Android behind.

PC World looked at Google’s aloof relationship with Android in a recent article and calls Google to account for it, citing the seven months since their last major Android announcement, stating publicly that Android isn’t a crucial component of Google’s business strategy, and expressing fears that Android may end up being the next Google Wave:

Your neglect is starting to show for those of us who depend on Android. Lately, finding apps in the Google Play store has been harder than usual–even popular apps can be difficult to locate at times, and it’s worse if the user is searching for tablet-specific applications. App makers are feeling lost, with no one to guide them through the perils of making an app that works on multiple Android devices. And sometimes it feels as if the carriers and device makers have more control over Android than you do; they dictate how the OS looks, what it can run, and whether a phone or tablet will receive an update to the OS.

While they are up to their neck in patent lawsuits and trying to make people like Google+, there’s a degree of intent that’s obviously present. In other words: Google’s careful steps away from Android aren’t simply a matter of poor time management. It’s easy to see why Google may have simply had enough: Android failed to get into an advantageous position with carriers (the way iOS did) and has largely been their plaything ever since. Handset fragmentation has gone from being an annoyance to being the main barrier to effective development. And as if that’s not enough, Android malware has increased to the tune of 3000 percent in the last year. For Google, the management of Android must seem very much like having a fistfight with a swarm of gnats.

If Google is, indeed, trying to sneak out of bed with Android before it wakes up and wonders where they went, it would be a real shame. The promise of a more open, flexible mobile operating system may have been highly idealistic, but it wasn’t uncalled for. The odds were largely against Google from the outset, as they clearly didn’t grasp the breadth of implications that came with an “Open” system (and have been trying to close it ever since). But if Android is ever going to really supplant iOS, they’re going to need Google to show up to the fight.

Source: PC World

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Asus Announces A Sleek External Blu-ray Writer

Grant Brünner — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:15:45 +0000

If you’re in need of a Blu-ray writer for your Mac, you’re probably going to need an external device. Not many of us are rocking the Mac Pro at this point. Well, if you’re in the market, you should take a gander at what Asus just announced.

Ray Willington, HotHardware:

The company’s new SBW-06C2X-U is a 3D Blu-ray writer, fully supporting BDXL, 6x Blu-ray writes, Blu-ray 3D playback, 2D-to-3D conversions, DVD upscaling to 1080p HD, 5.1 channel Dolby EX and DTS-HD and the ability to even play nice with Mac machines[…] There’s no word on a price just yet, but you can bet there will be some sort of price premium baked in for all of its good looks.

Reading and writing data on Blu-ray discs works perfectly well on OS X. That’s not the problem. The issue is that Apple won’t put in the low-level DRM-related shenanigans that the Blu-ray consortium requires for commercial Blu-ray playback. Of course, there are other options.

I currently have a Buffalo Mediastation hooked up to my iMac, and I couldn’t be happier. I just have to get creative about watching commercial Blu-rays.

Source: HotHardware

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Diablo Effin’ III

Corey Tamas — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:53:53 +0000

In case you’re wondering why everyone at work suddenly got “mysteriously ill” today or why your college classrooms look like a ghost town, allow me to fill you in: Diablo III went live yesterday and, for North Americans, in the wee hours of the morning today. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Macgasm content was a little… light for the next 24 hours.

I kid. I kid. Josh is hogging the review copy.

Diablo III is the third instalment in Blizzard Entertainment’s ridiculously popular Diablo series that began in 1996 and puts you against hordes of foes in a dark swords-and-sorcery world in which evil is trying to take charge. While not as in-depth a role-playing game as others like Baldur’s Gate, the Diablo series helped to popularize RPG-style video games and spawn an endless series of copycat titles, essentially becoming the template for an entire genre. Blizzard, who is no newcomer to monstrously popular gaming, released the first sequel (Diablo II) in 2000. Now, the third game in the series is poised to become the crown jewel of the franchise, having already shattered multiple pre-sale records and become the most pre-ordered PC game in Amazon.com’s history. Fans can expect much improved graphics and the sort of deep, rich storyline that Diablo is known for.

As has been their practice since the Diablo II expansion, Throne of Baal, Blizzard has included both Mac and PC versions of this game in the same box and on the same discs, so you don’t have to worry about that part. Even better, you can grab Diablo III via digital means by heading to Blizzard’s site and purchasing a download.

In the meantime: Keep lots of ice in your freezer. Your mouse-clicking finger is gonna need it.

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In Finland Open Wi-Fi Owners Not Responsible For Others’ Copyright Infringement

Joshua Schnell — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:36:43 +0000

A Finnish court has decided that having an open Wi-Fi connection does not make the access point owners responsible for third party copyright infringement that happens over their network. Proponents of common sense just let out a loud collective sigh of relief.

The case was brought to the courts by a Finnish Anti-Piracy Centre, which was also suing a woman for $7,700 for copyright infringement. Turns out the defendant had approximately 700 guests at her home for a play that day. The Finnish Anti-Piracy Center claimed that the women who owned the home downloaded the files in questions. The home owner claimed that it was one of her guests.

The ruling found that “the applicants were unable to provide any evidence that the connection-owner herself had been involved in the file-sharing. The court thus examined whether the mere act of providing a WiFi connection not protected with a password can be deemed to constitute a copyright-infringing act.” The court finally ruled that “the WiFi owner cannot be deemed liable for the infringements actually committed by third parties.”

Now, this pretty much has zero implications over here in North America, but it’s important to point out that it’s nice to see a court system applying logic to their cases. Owning a gun and having a third party use that gun to commit murder doesn’t make the original gun owner a murderer. It’s the same kind of logic in this case. Sure, murder versus copyright infringement isn’t exactly the same kind of case, but the basic tenants of reponsibilty apply in both cases. It’s time the rest of the Western world realizes that.

Via: BoingBoing

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NVIDIA Graphics Chips To Be In Next-Gen MacBook Pro?

Joshua Schnell — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:27:41 +0000

Apple seems to have an oscillating love for Nvidia, often switching to and from the graphics chipsets with alternating laptop releases. Both ABC News and The Verge are reporting that Apple is planning to switch from AMD and back to NVIDIA for their graphics chipset in the rumoured upcoming MacBook Pro.

The entire Mac lineup has been reported to include Ivy Bridge CPUs in the upcoming computer refresh from Apple, but the inclusion of the GeForce GT 650M card in the MacBook Pro is a pretty new rumor at this point.

From Joanna Stern at ABC News:

The laptops will also get a graphics boost from Nvidia’s latest graphics, the GeForce GT 650M card. ABC News has heard the same from its sources, which say Apple will move from AMD to Nvidia graphics chips in this version of the MacBook Pro.

The current MacBook Air has an Intel HD Graphics chip, and the MacBook Pro versions that start at 15-inches currently have an AMD Radeon HD 6750M card or Radeon HD 6770M card. We wouldn’t be surprised if Apple gives the graphics processor a bit of an upgrade moving forward. It pretty much happens every time they release a new version of their laptop.

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Google Could Be Gearing Up To Release A Chrome Browser For iOS

Joshua Schnell — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:54:25 +0000

It looks like Google is working on a Chrome iOS browser for Apple’s iPhone and possibly even iPad, according to a recent Macquarie Equities Research Note:

The Bottom Line – If, as we assume, GOOG successfully introduces its Chrome browser for iOS devices, it could significantly benefit Google’s strategic and operational mobile positioning.

While the key points from Macquarie Equities Research are quite vague on the whole, we can take away that the company believes Google could introduce the browser as soon as Q2 2012. If history is any indicator, getting the browser into Apple’s App Store could take a while. Google Voice took a pretty long time to get approved on the App Store. We should also keep in mind that Apple may be looking to update Safari as well with iOS likely getting an upgrade and announcement at this year’s WWDC conference in June.

I’m not one of those people who claim competition for everything is a great idea, but this time, I have to say, I’m looking forward to whatever Google releases so long as it makes it to the App Store. Safari’s minimalistic approach in iOS, and more specifically on the iPhone, is great, but it’s certainly starting to feel a little bit dated. It’s time the mobile web browser gets some revolutionary attention in the mobile space. I’d love to see what a new approach could bring to the table. I’m not sold that Google will be the one to innovate or even bring the browser to iOS, but I’ll be interested to hear how this plays out nonetheless. The mobile browser needs a new direction, and hopefully someone smarter than I figures that one out, and soon.

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The iMac And MacBook Pro To Get Retina Displays At WWDC

Joshua Schnell — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:30:28 +0000

Retina displays are the hot topic item around the rumor blogs these days, and today we’ve got word from Joanna Stern, perviously of Engadget and The Verge) during an ABC News report that both the MacBook Pro and iMac lineup will be getting an ultra-high-resolution Retina display.

From Stern’s ABC report:

The laptop will see the introduction of the “Mac Retina Display,” which is said to have a very high resolution. ABC News has similarly heard from its own sources that both the next MacBook Pro and the iMac would be getting very, very high resolution displays. Apple refreshed its new iPad with a Retina Display in March.

The report seems largely based off of 9to5Macs findings; however, Bloomberg has also thrown its hat into the ring this time around, and states that new MacBook Pros with Retina displays will be unvieled at WWDC this year (June 11).

From Bloomberg:

The MacBook Pro machines, to be unveiled at Apple’s annual developers conference starting June 11, also will feature high- definition screens like those on the iPhone and iPad, as well as flash memory to cut startup times and extend battery life, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been made public.

That’s two seemingly independant verifications that the new MacBook Pro and potentially iMac will be getting Retina displays. If you run a website in any capacity, now’s the time to start figuring out how to serve up Retina capable graphics to your visitors. Things are about to get a whole log blurrier come WWDC.

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The Rdio Mac App And In Browser App Gets An Update

Joshua Schnell — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:03:17 +0000

I woke up this morning to find a sexy update to the Rdio Mac application. Rdio has updated their Mac application (now version 2.01) to include better fullscreen support, some performance fixes and other boring stuff, but two new additions are pretty nifty. First, Rdio now lets you hit Command-F to open the search field so you can easily narrow down your artists and album searches without using the mouse. Second, Volume settings now save beteween application sessions, meaning that the volume won’t reset every time you close and re-open the Rdio application.

Additionally, the new in browser version of the application is built to look and feel more like the Mac application. Users can also add entire ablums to playlists, as well as some new social features. The OS X version of the application also users 32 percent less processor power, thank goodness.

For those not in the know, Rdio is a music streaming service much like Spotify. Personally I prefer it to Spotify, so I recommend checking it out. Rdio has a free 7 day trial for their streaming service. It’s pretty nifty. The service is available in the US, Canada, France, Germany, Brazil, Australia, Spain, Portugal, and the UK as well as New Zealand.

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Perian Killed Off

Joshua Schnell — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:36:37 +0000

Perian is reaching the end of its life cycle, and the developers have announced that they’ll no longer support the project, or update it for the upcoming Mountain Lion release. The popular QuickTime plugin that helped bring codec support to OS X when it needed it the most six years ago will stop being supported in 90 days.

From the Perian Blog:

We began the Perian project over 6 years ago. We wanted to simplify viewing your content. Our team has attained that goal and with that in mind, Perian will be retired soon. Our stewardship has been a blast but it’s time for all of us to move on … Starting 90 days after the final Perian release, we will no longer provide support. We’ll wrap up our loose ends, pack up our bags, and move on to new and exciting projects

The project will be placed on Github or Google Code once the Perian team wraps up with it, but that doesn’t exactly ensure that the project will live on and continue to be supported. VisualHub was killed off back in 2009 and the source code was released to the public, but there still hasn’t been a spinoff of the application worth downloading. That said there are a couple of other apps that pretty much handle all the codecs that Perian does at this point. You can hit up VLC and get support for all of your various video codecs. The project should have you almost entirely covered.

I’m pretty bummed, though; Perian has always been one of the first plugins I download whenever a I buy a new Mac. Ah well, best of luck to the Perian team. We can’t wait to see what they do next.

Via: 512px

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Kapersky Backtracks Over Claims Of Apple Asking For Help

Corey Tamas — Mon, 14 May 2012 23:50:29 +0000

The question of Mac malware and its proliferation is a contentious discussion on the internetz, but it doesn’t help much when there’s a lack of honesty. Security software company Kapersky raised the alarm by telling us that Apple invited them to Cupertino to meet with them and discuss how to strengthen the Mac’s security… but they weren’t exactly being honest. Or, more fairly, it sounds like someone wasn’t.

At first, the British site called Computing said Kapersky claimed that Apple asked them to go to the Cupertino campus, but they later re-framed the comment as being “out of context”. Here’s the whopping statement from Engadget:

On Monday, April 14, computing.co.uk published an article titled “Apple OS ‘really vulnerable’ claims Kaspersky Lab CTO” that includes an inaccurate quote regarding Apple and Kaspersky Lab. The article reports that Kaspersky Lab had “begun the process of analyzing the Mac OS platform at Apple’s request” to identify vulnerabilities. This statement was taken out of context by the magazine – Apple did not invite or solicit Kaspersky Lab’s assistance in analyzing the Mac OS X platform. Kaspersky Lab has contacted computing.co.uk to correct its article.

Please refer to the statement below from Nikolay Grebennikov, Chief Technology Officer, Kaspersky Lab, which clarifies this misrepresentation:

“As Mac OS X market share continues to increase, we expect cyber-criminals to continue to develop new types of malware and attack methods. In order to meet these new threats, Kaspersky Lab has been conducting an in-depth analysis of Mac OS X vulnerabilities and new forms of malware.

This security analysis of Mac OS X was conducted independently of Apple; however, Apple is open to collaborating with us regarding new Mac OS X vulnerabilities and malware that we identify during our analysis. Kaspersky Lab is committed to providing the highest level of security for all of our customers, including Mac OS X, and we will continue to enhance our technologies in order to meet the ever-changing threat landscape. “

Was it Kaspersky who misled the media? Was it an over-zealous website that published something it knew was wrong? Was it all just a misunderstanding? We might never know, but we at least we know that Apple isn’t so worried about security that they’ve invited this particular company to their campus… so that might come as a relief to those who worry about Mac OS X security.

Source: Engadget

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Dell Apologizes For Wicked Bad Sexist Remarks

Corey Tamas — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:45:22 +0000

Dell might have put their foot in it in a big way by letting Mads Christensen, a man renowned for sexist and stupid comments, stand in front of the mic for them at their summit in Copenhagen last month. Christiane Vejlø of Elektronista.dk chronicled the event in which Mads Christiensen, who began his address to the Dell company audience (men, of course) with “”There are almost no girls in this room, and I am happy. Why are you here at all?” and ended with telling them all to go home and say “shut up bitch!” to their significant others. Here’s her account of the magic moment:

Dell’s moderator continues talking about his two Rolex watches and he then presents the next speaker from Intel. After the break Mads Christensen shares with us his whole “show” about the bitchy women who want to steal the power in politics, boards and the home. “Science” he calls it and mentions that all the great inventions come from men. “We can thank women for the rolling pin,” he adds. And then the moderator of the day finishes of by asking all (men) in the room to promise him that they will go home and say, “shut up bitch!”.

Dell went on to release an apology for the comments, which receives marks for being direct about it and not trying to make Christiensen’s comments sound like something they aren’t. Here’s the crux of the biscuit:

Dell sincerely apologizes for these comments. As members of our Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) know, Dell is an enthusiastic and committed advocate of women in business and IT. These comments do not reflect Dell’s company values and undermine much of the work we’ve done in support of women in the workplace overall.

Though Dell certainly did distance themselves from Christiensen’s comments, it does beg the question of how he ended up there in the first place (as he’s known for these kind of comments and has a history of it). Does this represent a larger and more entrenched attitude of sexism in the tech industry? Well, ask yourself this: The event in question happened in April. Had you heard anything about Christiensen’s comments before today?

Source: Elektronista.dk and CNN

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HP Returns To Tablet-Making For Some Reason

Corey Tamas — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:18:33 +0000

HP, the company that released their TouchPad tablet last year only to K-Line it a month later, had declared that they’re getting back into the tablet business, only with a twist: Instead of using the WebOS, which was the brains of the original TouchPad, they’ll be going with Windows 8 this time around. According to chief executive Meg Whitman, the move will be “capitalising on the extraordinary growth in tablet sales” (DaringFireball poses the question: “Extraordinary growth in tablet sales, or extraordinary growth in iPad sales?”). There’s no word on whether or not the newly reborn tablet division will dig out old TouchPads or if it’ll be a brand new product, but the exclusion of WebOS makes it seem as though little remains of the HP purchase of Palm, which occurred a few years back. It’s a shame, too; WebOS was lauded as one of the few mobile operating systems with UI and speed advantages over iOS.

HP also let it be known that they’re merging its PC and printer businesses among Southeast Asian’s operating units within the next three months. Whitman says the merger will improve HP’s efficiency through centralized sales and marketing teams and by unifying the product line.

Source: Chicago Tribune
Via: Daring Fireball

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DigiTimes Gets Pwned. Hard.

Corey Tamas — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:09:32 +0000

DigiTimes, which is something of a tenured voice in the tech industry, has had a lot of trouble with their credibility when it comes to making predictions about Apple’s next move. How much trouble? 3/5ths of the time, they’re flat-out wrong. Time’s Harry McCracken, who has a well-earned reputation for telling everyone when the Emperor has no clothes, put DigiTimes under the microscope in a recent article and illustrated why we shouldn’t be so quick to believe everything they say about Apple’s future.

A Digitimes defender might argue that the publication always says that the Apple rumors it reports are merely what it’s heard from various sources. Which is true. But at least some of its sources appear to be so lousy that suppressing their scuttlebutt would make more sense than publicizing it — and partway through its stories, it sometimes stops hedging and starts stating the rumor as fact.

McCracken’s (and many others’) main gripe with DigiTimes is not so much with the site itself, but with the cavalcade of other web “news” outlets that are all too ready to simply take what they say at face value and reprint it without so much as a sliver of skepticism — many even re-stating rumor as fact. In a web climate where so-called journalists put their credibility second to search engine rankings and “tune” the stories to get better hits, it’s good that someone’s still willing to stand up and call shenanigans.

Source: Time
Via: The Loop

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Siri Gets New Smartass Answers To “Best Smartphone Ever” Question

Joshua Schnell — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:54:04 +0000

Siri will no longer tell you that the best smartphone on the market is a Nokia Lumia 900 when asked “What’s the best smartphone ever?” Apple has updated the Siri response for the query, and now provides answers like “you’re kidding, right?” and “The One You’re Holding.” Previously the results that were returned were from a WolframAlpha query that would return the “best smartphone” results based on the average consumer score for the handset.

It’s nice to see the team at Apple having fun with the search queries. There’s no doubt that Siri’s personality is part of the charm in using the service. That said, if the Nokia Lumia 900 does in fact have a better consumer rating than the iPhone 4S, would you prefer Siri tell you the truth, or tote the company line?

Who am I kidding? Everyone knows the iPhone 4S is the best phone on the market, right?

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Create Great Art With This iPad-Friendly Paintbrush

Grant Brünner — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:30:12 +0000

When the iPad launched, the dumbest of the dumb pundits went off half-cocked about how it is a consumption device that has no use as a creative tool. Clearly, they couldn’t be more wrong. People are using their iPads to make movies, compose music, write novels, and draw great works of art. Wouldn’t it be great if you could use the iPad to paint as well? Well, that is the goal of this capacitive paintbrush.

The Sensu brush is a stylus that works with any capacitive screen (pretty much every touchscreen device sold uses this technology). What makes it special is that once you remove the cap, your stylus is also a paintbrush. No, you’re not dipping it in paint, but you can use it to mimic the strokes and movements you make when painting on a canvas. When you combine this great technology with an app like Paper, you can actually come incredibly close to replicating the painting experience without any of the mess, and a tiny fraction of the cost.

If you want your very own Sensu, you can pick it up from their online store for only $39.99 USD. As it stands, you can only buy it in the US, but international sales are promised to be in the works.

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Is Apple Looking To Take On Flickr With New iCloud Additions?

Joshua Schnell — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:23:32 +0000

The Wall Street Journal is currently reporting that Apple will be adding a number of photo-centric features to iCloud that could directly compete with Flickr and other photo-sharing services like 500px. The new features are rumored to include tools to let iCloud users share photo sets and folders outside of the all or nothing Photo Stream service that’s already featured in iCloud.

The maker of the iPhone and iPad is preparing a big upgrade to its online service iCloud that includes new photo-sharing features, according to people familiar with the matter … The new features, likely to be announced at Apple’s world-wide developer conference beginning June 11, will allow iCloud users to share sets of photos with other iCloud users and to comment on them, these people said.

In addition to being able to share photos with friends and family, the service is also rumored to allow viewers to comment directly on photos. Going full circle to the Flickr and 500px references, it’s hard not to see these types of iCloud features directly competing with some of the major photo-based social networks currently on the market. Being able to share photos privately, in a potentially automated synching service like iCloud, would both save customers the headache of having to manually upload files as well as let them share photos and videos without having to publish them in a public forum. I know I’d retire my Flickr account.

Also included in this round of rumors is that Apple will begin letting its customers also sync home videos to iCloud, which would also likely coincide with an inclusion of video in Photo Stream in some capacity.

Both features have been highly requested both by people on Apple’s own support forums and across the major Apple-centric blogs on the Internet. Should the features actually be included in iOS 6, there’s a good chance that we may actually hear about them during WWDC this June.

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Republique Receives Funding, Big Brother Frowns

Grant Brünner — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:50:38 +0000

The road to successful funding for Republique has been a long, arduous one. While other game projects like Double Fine Adventure and Wasteland 2 had it easy, Camouflaj, the developer of Republique, had to work it hard to squeak by on the last day of their Kickstarter Project.

Why? Well, it’s a tough question to answer, and I doubt even the developer knows for sure what the major issue was. The easiest explanation would be that potential pledgers were hesitant to back a project from a development company that hasn’t proven itself yet. Okay, maybe, but that doesn’t smell right to me. These aren’t nobodies. They don’t have the cachet of the people like Schafer, Lowe, and Fargo, but the people working on the game have worked on some very well respected games. That counts for something. Maybe the iOS-only aspect turned some people off. Fine, that played some part in it — there was a bump in the number of backers when the Windows/Mac port was announced. But after seeing iPhone-only products get funded over and over on Kickstarter, it seems strange to me that there wasn’t a big enough chunk of the Venn diagram of console gamers and iOS users.

At this point, Kickstarter and its imitators are too new to be fully understood. Heck, it wasn’t until Double Fine Adventure’s break-through a few months back that video games of any substantial size saw success on Kickstarter at all. There is still a lot to be learned about this strange new world, and many an economics paper will be written about it.

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Buffalo Launches Next Gen Wireless Router

Grant Brünner — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:45:24 +0000

802.11n wireless has been a godsend to those of us who want to stream video wirelessly over our home networks. It’s great, but technology ever marches onward. The next Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ac, is on its way to being ratified. Much like previous standards, hardware vendors cannot wait for the final standard to be ratified to start producing routers and network cards, so they start manufacturing them using the draft specification. Today, Buffalo announced the first 802.11ac draft wireless router available to the mass market. As is all too common, they have given this router a ridiculous name: AirStation AC1300 or WZR-D1800H. While that’s fine for internal use, it is pretty silly for that string of characters to be placed prominently for the world to see.

Now, there isn’t really any hardware that can take advantage of 802.11ac’s speeds yet, so they decided to release a wireless bridge as well: WLI-H4-D1300. This allows you to plug in devices over ethernet so you get the benefit of the increased speed, and you only have to run a tiny bit of wires instead of a long string across your entire house.

So, how much is it? Well, you can pick up the wireless router for $179 USD on Newegg. If you want the wireless bridge, that will be another $179 USD. So, is it worth it to drop $358 USD on a solution that doesn’t work with anything else yet, and might not even be compatible with the final spec? Not yet. To be fair, they dragged their feet with 802.11n, so Draft-N proliferated to a point where it was useful. If that happens again, Draft-AC devices might be worth the investment, but that time hasn’t come.

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Add Some Crossbones To Your iOS Devices And MacBook With These Decals

Joshua Schnell — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:03:17 +0000

Screw it. You should totally decal up your iPad and iPhone. It’s not every day you can show off that you’re more pirate than ninja. With this nifty and cheap crossbones 3 pack, you can add decals to your iOS devices and MacBook. Let the ninjas in your life know where you stand on this generation’s most hotly contested debate: Pirate or Ninja? I guess you can probably tell where we stand on this issue.

The technology safe decal is made of vinyl and only costs $5.00 USD for 1 White Macbook decal, 1 Black iPad decal, and 1 silver iPhone decal. Decal All the Apple stuff for $5.00.

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Sparrow 1.2 Released, Will Soon Start Charging For Push Email

Joshua Schnell — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:28:54 +0000

Apple forced Sparrow to yank their iOS app’s Push services when the app was submitted to the App Store because the application was using a VOIP specific practice. Until now, the popular mail client for iOS was Push free unless customers jailbroke their device and installed a tweak. With the release of version 1.2 today, the company has come right out and said that they’re releasing Push whether Apple likes it or not, but with a twist. In a post on their blog, the Sparrow team elaborates a little bit on the incoming Push functionality:

You were more than 16 000 helping us on our Apple quest to get the VoIP privilege. We can’t thank you enough for your support. Unfortunately, Apple has confirmed that they are not willing to do any exception to the rule and that Sparrow will NOT be granted with the privilege. This means we’ll have to do Push on our side and that it will be integrated as a yearly subscription into Sparrow’s future update.

We don’t have much information on what the feature will cost, nor do we know exactly how Sparrow plans on implementing the subscription. That said, we’re not exactly sold on the idea of paying a subscription fee to get Push services in an application. It’s a foreign concept, that’s for sure.

Would you pay an additional fee for Push services, or would you just carry on using the official iOS Mail app for all of your email? Vote below.

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Here’s Photographic Evidence That The Kutcher Indie Flick On Jobs Is Terrible

Joshua Schnell — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:07 +0000

As if you needed another reason to believe that the forthcoming independent film about Steve Jobs starring Ashton Kutcher was going to be outright terrible. TMZ has stumbled across and posted some photos of Kutcher dressed up as Steve Jobs. It looks like the film is also throwing attention to detail to the wind, failing to accurately depict Jobs and his love for Levi jeans and New Balance running shoes. Instead, Kutcher’s Jobs loves what looks like Asics and slightly hipper and more expensive jeans. If you can overlook that fact, can you overlook the fact that Jobs wasn’t known for wearing that particular clothing combo until he was well into his 50s?

It has us wondering if Kutcher’s independent film has paid any attention to detail at all. It sure doesn’t look like it, does it? The only thing it looks like is a bunch of filmmakers looking to cash in on the Jobs story, which has us bummed because we were really hoping this thing would be good.

Status: Bummed Out.

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Loewe Denies Apple Purchase And TV Rumors, Stock Soars On Rumor

Joshua Schnell — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:31:25 +0000

At some point between us shutting down our coverage for the weekend and starting up again this morning, rumors began circulating that Loewe, a luxury German TV manufacturer, was not only pegged for creating the mythical Apple Television, but that Apple was looking to acquire the company. Hilariously, five minutes after getting caught up with the weekend news (there was none), Loewe came out and told everyone that the rumors are unfounded. The news caused Loewe stock prices to soar yesterday.

It’s pretty cut and dry. Translated from German, here’s what Loewe had to say:

The television specialist Loewe has an American report on an alleged offer to purchase from Apple rejected. The blog “Apple Insider” was referring to an unnamed informant wrote , Apple sell 87.3 million euros and Loewe would make a decision until next Friday. Is the data “absolutely nothing to it,” a spokesman said on Sunday Loewe.

Like the iPhone before it, it seems like the Internet is trying everything in its power to willfully rumor the Apple Television into existence. Reports pop up, like the one suggesting Jony Ive has a huge prototype in his lap, and then they disappear to never be heard of again.

As much as we would love to see an Apple Television hit the market, and more specifically hit up my living room, we really have a hard time believing that we’ll see the device this year. It seems that the market is terribly small.

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Autodesk Releases Free 3D Capture App For iPad

Joshua Schnell — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:13:47 +0000

Autodesk, the fine makes behind apps like AutoCAD, has released 123D Catch for the iPad 2 and 3 today. The free app lets users capture 3D objects in a real environment and then send the images to an AutodDesk server where the object is saved out as a 3D file.

The image, once returned from Autodesk, will actually provide a realistic 360 degree image that users can rotate and zoom in and out from. According to Autodesk, customesr will be able to upload 40 images at a time.

Man, anyone want to do up a 3D Macgasm logo? 123D Catch looks pretty sweet.

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Deal: Learn HTML5 And CSS With This Half-Price Video Course

Joshua Schnell — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:00:35 +0000

The foundation of any good website is solid HTML and CSS markup. And these two languages have seen some major and exciting changes with their latest iterations. That’s why our newest deal is arriving at the perfect time. With the HTML5 & CSS Academy Course, you get 66 lectures that will introduce you to the basics of HTML5 and CSS 2. And we’re bringing this course to you at half-price. For only $49, you’ll learn how to use HTML and CSS to lay out amazing websites. If you’d like to pick this deal up, head on over to our Deals page.

Photo Credit: cdsessums

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Accessorizing Your MacBook Air

Andrew Kunesh — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:35:23 +0000

After Apple cleaned up and redesigned the MacBook Air in October of 2010, Apple fans everywhere were dying to get their hands on the thin mobile powerhouse. Because of this, mobile accessory manufacturers decided to embrace the MacBook Air by releasing a ton of new and cool docks, cases and other accessories for the Air. Below, I have crafted a list of my top four MacBook Air accessories. While this article is geared towards the 11-inch MacBook Air, most of these accessories are available for the 13-inch model as well.

Henge Docks AirDock

A lot of Mac users have started to use the MacBook Air as their main machine by using an external display such as the Apple Thunderbolt Display. While this is a great idea in theory, you’re often left with a mess of wires coming from all ends of your desk. Henge Docks has decided to fix this issue by making an upright dock for the MacBook Air with built in cable management. This allows for a clutter-free desk and a cool looking MacBook. While the AirDock will run you $55-60 depending on the screen size of your Mac, I think this dock is a must-have for any external display-wielding MacBook Air user.

Speck SeeThru Satin

While the MacBook Air is an extremely durable computer, the aluminium is prone to scratching when coming in contact with sharp or pointy objects. The only real way to avoid this would be to throw a form-fitting case over your MacBook. While I’m personally against putting cases over MacBooks, I think I’ve found one that doesn’t suck: the Speck SeeThru Satin.

I’ve been a SeeThru Satin user for a couple years. It all started when I (reluctantly) purchased one for my 13-inch MacBook Pro in early 2009. I immediately fell in love with the soft-touch finish, which hides scratches and feels nice when held. When purchasing my MacBook Air, I couldn’t resist buying a Satin to protect it from everyday scratches and minor drops onto the coffee table.

Keep in mind that the standard SeeThru case is a lot different from the SeeThru Satin. This is because there is no soft-touch finish, so scratches tend to show on the case. As of now, I can only recommend the Satin as it feels nice, hides scratches and protects your Mac. Want to buy one for yourself? They retail for $49.95 and can be found on Speck’s website and can be bought in seven different colors.

SPIGEN Leather Case Gariz Modern Series

SPIGEN is known for their high quality cases and screen shields for mobile devices. Their latest case, the Gariz Modern Series for the MacBook Air, doesn’t disappoint. This specially fitted sleeve for the 11-inch MacBook Air is handmade from a high quality Italian leather, making it not only look good, but making it durable as well.

Personally, I think the Gariz case looks classy and definitely adds a luxurious edge to the MacBook Air. The actual case is designed and manufactured by Gariz, a popular camera accessory company, while the case is distributed by SPIGEN. This combination ensures that the case will feature the luxury of Gariz while keeping the excellent customer support offered by SPIGEN.

All in all, I think the SPIGEN/Gariz combo is a great sleeve for anyone who wants a classy looking way to carry their MacBook and has a few extra dollars in their wallet to spend. I say this because the Gariz case retails for $109.99, which may be steep for the average user.

ZAGG InvisibleShield

Photo Credit: Cristiano Betta

ZAGG, a mobile accessory company, was originally made famous for their InvisibleShield product, which is sold for many types of consumer electronics. The InvisibleShield is a pretty basic product: it’s an extremely thin, liquid-applied clear film for your device. The plastic material which is used in the InvisibleShield was originally developed for helicopter blades, so you can be completely sure that your Mac will be safe from everyday scratches and scuffs when applied.

The MacBook Air variant of the InvisibleShield features full exterior scratch protection as well as trackpad protection. This is great as it protects your trackpad from grease, smudges and spills while the exterior is protected from scratches and dings. If for some reason your InvisibleShield ever gets scratched or damaged, ZAGG will replace it free of charge.

While the InvisibleShield does a stellar job of protecting your MacBook Air, it does come with one major downside: the installation process. To start, the installation process is pretty horrible as it forces you to put a wet piece of plastic over your MacBook and to squeegee the solution away from all ports and fans. After performing the process a couple times, I can assure you that it isn’t fun.

Even with the installation process in mind, I can still highly recommend this shield as it offers full scratch protection while adding virtually no bulk to your Mac. If you want to pick up an InvisibleShield for your MacBook Air ($54.99), head on over to ZAGG’s official website for more information.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve taken a look at my favorite MacBook Air accessories, what do you use to protect your Mac? Let us know in the comment section below this post!

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Well, Dermal Implants Is One Way To Wear An iWatch

Joshua Schnell — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:47:30 +0000

I’m all for wearing the iPod nano as an iWatch, but man, I don’t think I’d ever have the balls or stomach to sit through a small operation to put magnets in my arm so I could wear the watch without a watch band.

Hey, whatever floats your boat, I guess.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

How Green Is The iPad Exactly? An Infographic

Joshua Schnell — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:30:18 +0000

We always hear about how terrible Apple is from the fine crazies at Greenpeace, but we never really put it into perspective. The fine folks over at Sortable have done it again with another nifty infographic that tries to answer the age old Greenpeace question: just how green is the iPad exactly?

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

In An Attempt To Remain Relevant In A Digital Download World, GameStop Starts Selling Used MacBooks

Joshua Schnell — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:06:57 +0000

Selling used electronics is big business. Companies keep popping up online to buy and sell used electronics. What we didn’t expect was GameStop to get into the buying and selling of used MacBooks. I guess it makes sense in their quest to remain relevant in a world of digital downloads and online app stores.

Kotaku is reporting on a photo tip from a GameStop employee who managed to find a couple of used MacBooks in the company’s inventory system:

An anonymous GameStop employee sent in a picture of the retail chain’s inventory screen that seems to suggest that you might be able to buy Apple’s popular laptops through the video game mega-chain. If the prices on the screen are any indication—and they may just be placeholders—these likely would be refurbished Macbooks, like the iOS devices GameStop sells.

Would you buy a refurbished laptop from GameStop? I purchased a new MacBook Pro from Best Buy once. Note the once. Nightmare after nightmare, I vowed to never purchase another machine or product from a Best Buy. I’d be a little skittish walking out of a GameStop with a new used MacBook. Would you?

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Spotify For Mac Gets A Much Needed Update

Joshua Schnell — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:46:46 +0000

Spotify fans are being treated to an update today. The much needed update brings OS X and Windows users playlist based radio stations, instant search, new social buttons and sharing doohickeys.

While I haven’t used Spotify in ages — I’m an Rdio guy — the playlist radio stations is a much needed feature in the application. It’s kind of like iTunes Genius in that it builds out a playlist based on the track or album you’re listening to at the moment. How Spotify made it to 2012 without releasing that kind of functionality is beyond us at this point.

Anywho, you can get the update from directly within the Mac app, or you can head over to the website to get access to the download directly. It’s up to you. We’re not going to tell you what to do. Just get the update, like now.

Via: Cult Of Mac

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Notes And Reminders Appear On iCloud Beta Site, Then Disappear

Joshua Schnell — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:31:13 +0000

It’s looking likely that Apple’s getting ready to extend iCloud, the website, to include both the Notes and Reminders applications. Some of our favorite Internet detectives managed to sneak a quick snapshot of the apps while they were temporarily online at iCloud.com. Both Dave Caolo of TUAW and 52 Tiger fame and the Macstories team were able to grab quick snapshots of the app listings, although neither was able to get into the apps.

As you can see in the screenshot above, Federico Viticci was able to snap a screenshot from beta.icloud.com that shows off the Notes and Reminders icons on the page.

Quick poll, do you actually use the iCloud website?

Image Credit: Macstories

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.