The Verge:
The Verge has confirmed with Verizon Wireless that the iPhone 5 won’t support the feature when it’s on the carrier’s cellular network, even if it is connected to LTE.Since Apple says that Sprint and Verizon will be offering the same version of the iPhone 5, it’s safe to say that simultaneous voice and data will not be available on Sprint’s network either.
Well, that sucks and might be a dealbreaker for some folks looking to switch from AT&T.
TIME:
On Wednesday, 18 workers were arrested for stealing the miniatures from LSG Sky Chefs, the company that provides food and beverages for American Airlines, CNN reports. The majority of those accused were LSG employees, but three were airport security guards. The arrests culminate a nine-month investigation known as “Operation Last Call” carried out by the Port Authority’s Office of Inspector General.Here’s how the whole scheme went down. At the end of every American Airlines flight, workers are supposed to return any unused bottles to a storage facility. Instead, workers began stashing the bottles to sell them to local liquor stores and bodegas.
I love those little tiny bottles of booze.
TechCrunch:
Apple took something ordinary, a phone, did some extraordinary things to it, and then made it re-appear in grandiose fashion. It’s a great trick. It’s so good, in fact, that I think it’s fair to call it true magic.The problem, if you want to call it that, is that Apple has now been doing this trick since 2007. Granted, they have other solid tricks too (they are far from the one-trick pony claims that several of their competitors face). But the iPhone is the best trick in their bag. And in the last few years, some people have gotten sick of seeing it.But it’s important to remember that just because you’ve seen a show before, it doesn’t make actually make it any less magical. It’s a perception issue.
Interesting way of looking at the discussion surrounding yesterday’s iPhone 5 launch.
Nintendo plans to release a new video game console to replace its Wii system, which comes to the U.S. this November for $299.
Some bloggers are already pooh-poohing the iPhone 5. To their peril, says Rob Fahey.
Apple’s VP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller says Passbook in iOS 6 does what some pundits thought NFC should do.
Apple has posted a video of Wednesday’s unveiling of the iPhone 5.
The iPhone 5’s extra-long screen will mean that some applications will be letterboxed until developers can get their hands on test units.
Apple’s simplified and reworked iTunes with a major new release due in October, and added some new features too.
Apple has introduced a new iPod touch, refreshed the iPod nano and still keeps on with the shuffle and classic models, though no significant changes were made to those two.
Apple’s new iPhone 5 goes on sale later this month, with a bigger screen, more horsepower and a slew of other improvements.
LA Times:
With Apple poised to announce the long-awaited iPhone 5 on Wednesday and reap heavy sales from it, analysts and software developers are looking beyond the product launch to whether Cook can set his own course at the company after the death of its co-founder.“I think we are definitely still riding Steve Jobs’ stewardship,” said Matt Brezina, chief executive of mobile start-up Sincerely Inc. “Tim needs to define what kind of leader he is externally. As a developer on their platform, I’m not quite sure what kind of leader he is yet.”
I can guarantee you that Tim Cook doesn’t give a rat’s ass if people can’t figure out what kind of leader he is.
YouTube has released a new video app for iPhone and iPod touch. It’s available for free download from the App Store.
512 Pixels:
In preparing for tomorrow’s podcast, I decided to type up a list of Amazon’s pricing for the Kindles. Here’s the complete list.
I won’t steal the pertinent information from the site (others will though) but before you click through, take a guess at how many price points Amazon has for the Kindle and then guess how many Apple has for the iPad. It’s hard not to imagine that Amazon is creating their own “Paralysis of Choice“. Thanks to Matthew Panzarino for the link.
A little more than a week ago, BlueToad was the victim of a criminal cyber attack, which resulted in the theft of Apple UDIDs from our systems. Shortly thereafter, an unknown group posted these UDIDs on the Internet.We sincerely apologize to our partners, clients, publishers, employees and users of our apps. We take information security very seriously and have great respect and appreciation for the public’s concern surrounding app and information privacy.BlueToad believes the risk that the stolen data can be used to harm app users is very low.
Well….that’s embarrassing.
TUAW:
…last week…Amazon introduced its new, larger HD (Kindle Fire). With low-cost, built-in LTE, and a $50/year data plan that gives users 250 MB of data per month, it provides a budget alternative to the iPad.No matter how you look at it, the Fire is a bargain.
Agreed but the line “I’ve used the Kindle Fire for a year now. It’s fine. The Android-based OS isn’t particularly horrible” is certainly damning with faint praise.
GoDaddy and sites hosted with the popular service went offline on Monday; a hacker associated with ‘Anonymous’ claims credit.
New York Times:
(Here) comes an actor, comedian and writer, seeking to make his way across the country in the next two weeks with only a dream and, oh, yes, instead of a dollar, a trailer filled with 3,000 pounds of a new bacon.The actor, Josh Sankey, will embark this week on a promotion for the Oscar Mayer division of Kraft Foods that is being called the Great American Bacon Barter.
This is just yet another lame attempt by Corporate America to leverage social media (and use the mainstream media as a promotional tool) and turn something viral. It rarely works and often blows up in their faces.
On the other hand – Bacon. So there’s that.
Wall Street Journal:
On Aug. 31, the Federal Aviation Administration requested public comment on its longstanding policy of prohibiting the use of personal electronics during takeoffs and landings. The restrictions date back to 1991 and were motivated in part by anecdotal reports from pilots and flight crews that electronic devices affected an airliner’s navigation equipment or disrupted communication between the cockpit and the ground. Over the years, however, Boeing has been unable to duplicate these problems, and the FAA can only say that the devices’ radio signals “may” interfere with flight operations.
Gadgets may not but the near constant whining of people who can’t use their iPads and Kindles and can’t entertain themselves for a few minutes might drive some of us insane. Our parents seemed to get along just fine on airplanes without needing to be constantly distracted by electronic gizmos.
Steve Simonsen:
This morning I received an urgent telephone call from my good friend Pam Gaffin. She was terribly excited about an event that was happening before her eyes. Pam told me it was a migration of soldier crabs also called hermit crabs and there were millions and millions of them she likened it to the migrations of Serengeti.
At what point do you watch this video and think, “That’s really….CREEPY!!”
PayPal’s president is promising to make major changes to the way the company works after the latest publicized incident of the company freezing a customer out of his own funds.
Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s is suing porn makers for trademark violation, after they produced “Boston Cream Thighs” and “Peanut Butter D-Cup.”
More Shit Apple Fanatics Say!
A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit against Apple that claimed Apple misrepresented the strength of the glass on the iPhone 4.
Wired:
Amazon packed a boatload of new products, services and information into its Santa Monica media event Thursday morning. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos introduced a trifecta of new Kindle Fire Tablets, new software services to improve the tablet experience, and updated Kindle e-reader models.
If you are a fan of Amazon and/or their Kindle devices, there’s a lot to like about these announcements. Amazon has a niche – customers who want access to the Amazon ecosystem – and are serving it well.
It may not be a two horse race but the other horses are three legged.
Associated Press:
The nation will have a chance to say goodbye to Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, in a memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral on Sept. 13.The 10 a.m. service will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the websites of the cathedral and space agency.
I’d amend that first sentence to “The world will have a chance to say goodbye…” Armstrong represents and represented more than just America. He represented the best in all of us.
Vanity Fair:
At the apex of this year’s New Establishment list is a Digital Age grudge match–the warring heads of Apple, Google, and Amazon–while Mark Zuckerberg wonders when the gloom of Facebook’s I.P.O. is going to lift. But this crowd has entertainment powerhouses too (Joss Whedon, Adele, Ryan Seacrest), not to mention some real outlaws.
Persona is a new creative writing tool from Mariner that helps writers flesh out details about their characters – personality, physical attributes, and more.
If you can’t laugh at yourself…
Baskin-Robbins has introduced a new dessert that turns waffle cone bits and soft serve into the ice cream version of a plate of nachos.