A classic from FAIL Blog.
Capo: Reverse Engineering Rock and Roll
Many thanks to SuperMegaUltraGroovy for sponsoring The Loop’s RSS feed this week with Capo.
Reverse Engineering Rock and Roll: Capo is a revolutionary tool that helps you learn the music in your iTunes library. Available for your Mac, iPhone, iPod, and iPad.
Download the free trial for the Mac, and check out the new mastering-quality slowing engine that retains the detail in your music all the way down to quarter-speed!
Four years of App Store
Federico Viticci’s incredibly in-depth look at Apple’s App Store.
‘Big Week’ 5by5 show coming in June
Premiering in June of 2012, Big Week is hosted by Dan Benjamin and features the news that matters, regular segments, interviews, reporting from 5by5 Newshounds, listener feedback, and discussion with an all-star panel
Samsung’s bullshit Galaxy pre-order numbers
Everyone is talking about Samsung’s third-generation Galaxy smartphone and the extraordinary number of pre-orders the company received for the new device. It’s bullshit. […]
Nokia burning through cash at an unsustainable rate
Over the past five quarters, the onetime darling of mobile telecoms has eroded its cash pile by 2.1 billion euros ($2.7 billion) – a rate that would wipe out its entire 4.9 billion euros reserves in a couple years.
Truly amazing how far they have fallen.
DropKey encryption software free on Mac App Store
Building on state-of-the-art encryption standards, DropKey quickly and easily encrypts any file specifically for your recipients — without the need for a password or the hassle of juggling a bunch of keys!
They are giving away the app until May 20.
The other side of Twitter’s tracking
Jeremy Stanley:
Lots of tinfoil hat, bat-shit insane talk right there. What annoys me to no end is that Curtis omits an important part of this story.
Twitter is tracking you
Dustin Curtis:
I’m not particularly surprised that Twitter is doing this kind of data analysis or collection. Facebook is almost certainly doing the same thing. But it is wrong. People do not expect Twitter or Facebook to know about their movements on the web. But they do. And that information is being stored somewhere. It is a violation of privacy and trust.
Jay Geils selling his 1959 Gibson Les Paul for $250,000
After almost forty five years of ownership rock superstar Jay Geils is selling his 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard. He has owned it since 1967 and it has appeared on every single J.Geils Band recording as well as on live shows around the world. Jay has played it on stage with bluesman B.B King, Duane Allman from the Allman Brothers Band, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells . Jay affectionately calls it his “lunch pail” Les Paul because he made his living for so many years playing it.
Somebody needs to buy this for me.
Steve Jobs wanted to design an iCar
And, according to J. Crew CEO and Apple board member Mickey Drexler, Jobs even envisioned rethinking the automotive industry. Speaking at Fast Company’s recent Innovation Uncensored conference, Drexler clued the audience in on some insider Apple knowledge.“Look at the car industry; it’s a tragedy in America. Who is designing the cars?” Drexler said. “Steve’s dream before he died was to design an iCar.”
U.S. Senators scold Facebook co-founder
U.S. Senators on Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin’s decision to renounce his citizenship to avoid paying taxing:
“It’s infuriating to see someone sell out the country that welcomed him and kept him safe, educated him and helped him become a billionaire,” said Senator Charles Schumer at a news briefing. “We plan to put a stop to this tax avoidance scheme.”Facebook plans to raise billions of dollars in an initial public offering that could leave Saverin, still a part-owner of the social networking company, with a big capital gains tax bill, estimated to be $67 million.
Blogging is not a thing, it’s an attitude
After almost 20 years of writing news stories and blogs about Apple, it’s become very clear to me that large media companies do not get blogging. This isn’t new, but it’s not changing either. […]
Pixelmator update enables sandboxing for OS X Lion
This update enables sandboxing for OS X Lion and improves overall stability.
This is the very first app I’ve heard of that implements sandboxing.
According to Apple, “sandboxing protects the system by limiting the kinds of things an application can do, such as accessing files on disk or resources over the network. Limiting the capabilities of an app to just those operations that it needs to perform helps keep the rest of the system more secure in the event that an app is compromised.”
Not a big surprise to see the Pixelmator team ahead of the curve on implementing new features.
Verizon to end unlimited data
Philip Michaels:
Verizon wants more of its subscribers to opt for shared data plans which cover multiple devices like smartphones and tablets. To convince subscribers who’ve clung to their unlimited data plans to move to this new setup, Verizon is taking much of the choice out of the decision process: If you want to upgrade to a new 4G-compatible phone, you’re going to have to give up that unlimited data.
The carrot and stick.
Apple defends Siri
Joe Palazzolo:
Apple, which hired Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP to fight the claims, said in a recent court filing that Siri may not be perfect — in fact, she is a Beta release, something the company has been upfront about — but she’s still “cutting edge.”
I don’t believe this blood sucking fools are suing for this. They should be sued for being stupid.
Yo Zuck
It has been fun to see Mark Zuckerberg go from being the awkward college dude to being a mega-billionaire.
Hello iPhoto for iPad and iPhone on iBookstore
Hello iPhoto for iPad & iPhone interactively guides you through all the features of iPhoto. With over 200 screenshots, you’re going to get an in-depth look at iPhoto and so many cool and hidden features.
This is what I love about iBooks Author — interactivity and well designed books.
The evolution of Glassboard
The first five shots are from mockups as they evolved. The last screen shot is the shipping version — a screen shot from the app.
Amplified: If It Says Stomp, I Stomp
Virgin Atlantic intros in-flight cell service
Reuters:
The service will allow passengers to send and receive text messages, emails and access the Internet on Virgin Atlantic’s new Airbus A330-300 planes flying between London and New York.The in-flight service is targeting business travelers and will be available in all cabins, although limited to six users at a time.
Gibson releases Sheryl Crow Southern Jumbo Special Edition
The guitar, handcrafted by Gibson Acoustic in Bozeman, Montana, is built with a top made from prized solid Adirondack red spruce and back and sides of solid mahogany. This special edition model is enhanced by a 1930s advanced X-bracing pattern made with scalloped spruce braces to attain optimal acoustic resonance. Together these woods and construction techniques provide a blend of depth, clarity, richness and warmth along with the power and projection that made the Southern Jumbo famous.
Judge comes down hard on Apple, publishers
Jeff John Roberts for paidContent:
In a strongly worded opinion, US District Judge Denise Cote rejected requests by Apple and five book publishers to throw out a class action suit that accuses them of price-fixing.Citing ongoing state, federal and international antitrust investigations, Cote turned down arguments that Apple and the publishers had acted independently when they changed the pricing model for e-books.
‘Who Was Steve Jobs?’ children’s book
Fascinating, I had no idea this book was even available. Thanks to Ian Hamilton for sending this to me.
Apple tops cell phone customer satisfaction
For many users, the advent of smartphone technology has dramatically changed what they look for in a cell phone device. Two smartphones makers, Apple and Research in Motion (RIM), enter the ACSI with very different results. At 83, Apple (iPhone) leads the field by a long shot, while RIM (Blackberry) lags behind as the least satisfying at 69.“Companies with weak customer satisfaction often have weak stock performance,” notes Fornell. “RIM’s sales are slumping amid a bevy of problems, from hardware and software issues to server lapses that have caused email and messaging outages. Over the past year, share price for RIM has virtually collapsed.”At 83, Apple’s iPhone is a game changer when it comes to customer satisfaction. No other cell phone company has ever broken into the 80s. Apple’s nearest competitors this year are three companies tied at 75: Nokia (+3%) and ACSI newcomers LG and HTC.
So, Apple is on top and RIM sucks balls. Seems about right.
1440 Challenge offers $75,000 for the best ideas
The 1440 Challenge is an awards program — totaling $75,000 — aimed at further developing the best new ideas that help people learn, improve, and share the life skills of self-awareness, authenticity, trust, and empathy. These relationship skills help people connect at deeper levels with themselves, each other, and their communities. By leveraging communication technology and social media, winning entries will accelerate the development of these skills in the areas of education, wellness, or the workplace.
Go collect your money people.
Online privacy
Steve Wildstrom:
But based on what I heard from an admittedly limited sample in Seattle, that’s not where real peoples’ concerns lie. Their worries about online privacy are less corporate and much more personal and intimate. Privacy concerns are real, but the policy responses can seem like solutions in search of problems.
I think this sums up my feelings pretty well. Privacy is a personal issue and one that we sometimes give up freely for a small reward.
Glassboard 2.0
In case you’re not familiar with Glassboard, here’s the deal: what Pair is to the bedroom, and Path is to the rec room, Glassboard is to the board room. (Hence “board” in the name. “Glass” refers to your phone’s screen.)In other words, it’s great for teams (whether co-workers or not). It uses the same statuses, comments, and sharing that we’re all used to from social networks — except that Glassboard is private.
Nice looking new version from Brent Simmons and Sepia Labs.
Real Life with Stephen Hackett
Lots of respect for Stephen, his family and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
New details emerge in Apple e-book lawsuit
Laura Hazard Owen writing for paidContent:
New York, the District of Columbia and fifteen other states have joined the e-book pricing class action suit against Apple, Macmillan and Penguin, bringing the total number of states involved so far to 31 (if you include DC and Puerto Rico). The amended complaint, released Friday, reveals details that were previously redacted, including an e-mail from Steve Jobs.