∞ Apple sued for tracking user location on iPhone and iPad

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It was only a matter of time before it happened and here it is — two Apple users have filed a lawsuit against the company for tracking user location.

According to Bloomberg, one of the people uses an iPhone and lives in Florida, and the other uses an iPad and lives in New York.

“We take issue specifically with the notion that Apple is now basically tracking people everywhere they go,” Aaron Mayer, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said today in a telephone interview with Bloomberg. “If you are a federal marshal you have to have a warrant to do this kind of thing, and Apple is doing it without one.”

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∞ Apple vs. RIM: Who sells more smartphones?

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Apple has clearly been upping its game when it comes to making the iPhone the most popular device on the market, but RIM is still making noise saying how good it is. I decided find out who was selling the most smartphones.

I looked at the last four fiscal quarters for Apple and RIM and get a feeling for which company was on the way up, or down, and who really did have the bragging rights.

Of course, fiscal quarters do not run like calendar quarters, so they are a bit off based on dates, but they are still pretty close. This isn’t meant to be scientific, but rather a look at four quarters to see how smartphone sales are trending.

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∞ Steve Jobs says Apple doesn't track anyone

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Apple hasn’t officially responded to reports that the iPhone and iPad track user movements, but CEO Steve Jobs apparently has.

Jobs reportedly responded to an email sent by a MacRumors reader asking about the devices tracking user’s location. The user asked Steve to explain why Apple would track its users. He also said in the email that he was going to switch to a Droid because it doesn’t track users.

Steve responded via email.

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∞ Will U.S. Senators question Google about data collection too?

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It didn’t take long for U.S. Senators to demand an explanation from Apple CEO Steve Jobs about why the company was collecting user location data on its iPhone and iPad. My question is, are they asking Google too?

Less than a day after it was first reported, Senator Al Franken, D-Minn., demanded an explanation from Jobs about why Apple is collecting the data.

“There are numerous ways in which this information could be abused by criminals and bad actors,” wrote Franken. “Furthermore, there is no indication that this file is any different for underage iPhone or iPad users, meaning that millions of children and teenagers who use iPhone or iPad devices also risk having their location collected and compromised.”

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∞ Report: Apple will beat Google to cloud music

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Apple has reportedly finished work on its iTunes cloud music service and will launch it ahead of Google, it’s main competition in this market.

According to a report on Reuters, Apple’s service will allow users to store music on remote servers and access music via the Internet. Reuters says it has multiple sources that did not want to be named.

Google, who is also working on a cloud music service is running into some problems, according to the report.

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∞ Apple is the world's largest handset maker based on revenue

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The good news just doesn’t stop for Apple. New research shows that Apple has become the world’s largest handset vendor based on revenue.

Writing for AllThingsD, John Paczkowski says that Apple’s iPhone revenues hit $11.9 billion for the quarter, outperforming Nokia for the first time ever. Nokia’s revenue from all of its phones was $9.4 billion.

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∞ Apple's iOS outdoes Android by 116% in Europe

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According to a new study by market research firm comScore on Thursday, Apple’s iOS is far outreaching that of Google’s Android.

The results of the study show that iOS on Apple’s iPhone, iPod touch, and iPads has a combined installed base of 28.9 million users. Android’s user base is at 13.4 million users. That number includes phones and connected media devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

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∞ iPhone data collection explained

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Researchers on Wednesday discovered a file on Apple’s iPhone and iPad that contained location information of its user. However, the file is not new and the discovery of the file was written about months ago.

Alex Levinson, the Lead Engineer for Katana Forensics, actually wrote about the file in a book by Sean Morrissey called “iOS Forensic Analysis.” Levinson refutes all claims that Apple is gathering this data.

“Apple is not harvesting this data from your device,” wrote Levinson. “This is data on the device that you as the customer purchased and unless they can show concrete evidence supporting this claim – network traffic analysis of connections to Apple servers — I rebut this claim in full. Through my research in this field and all traffic analysis I have performed, not once have I seen this data traverse a network.”

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∞ Apple reports $5.99 billion second quarter profit

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Apple on Wednesday reported a fiscal second quarter profit of $5.99 billion. Apple said it did $24.67 billion in revenue for the quarter.

In the same quarter last year Apple post revenue of $13.5 billion and a quarterly profit of $3.07 billion, the company said in releasing the fiscal results. International sales accounted for 59 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

“With quarterly revenue growth of 83 percent and profit growth of 95 percent, we’re firing on all cylinders,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We will continue to innovate on all fronts throughout the remainder of the year.”

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∞ AT&T blocks BlackBerry Bridge from PlayBook users

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When RIM introduced the PlayBook, it did so without an email client, but not to worry you can download BlackBerry Bridge and tether the PlayBook to your BlackBerry. Or maybe not.

It seems that AT&T may be blocking the BlackBerry Bridge due to tethering restrictions, according to CrackBerry.com. Even a note on BlackBerry’s App World says the BlackBerry Bridge software is supported by all carriers, except AT&T.

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∞ Apple's iOS clobbering Android

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We often here about how Google’s Android operating system is outperforming Apple’s iOS, but a new report on Tuesday sheds new light on all those numbers.

According to research from comScore, if you factor in all of the devices that use iOS including iPhones, iPads and iPod touches, Apple reached 37.9 million people. Android, according to the data reached 23.8 million on phones and tablets, according to WSJ.com.

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∞ Pictures of the line-up for the RIM PlayBook

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Today is the big day for RIM. They are betting the company on the PlayBook tablet, and today it’s available in stores.

I’ll admit that where I live isn’t a hotbed of technology like Silicon Valley, but we know our devices like most other communities in North America. I live in a city of about 450,000 people, so there should be lots of interest in a new tech gadget.

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∞ Line 6 founder: We want to 'enable musician's creativity'

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When it comes to amp and effects modeling, most people think of Line 6 first. And with good reason — the company has been on the forefront of modeling technology for many years.

I recently sat down with Line 6 CEO Marcus Ryle to talk about the company’s achievements and how Line 6 continues to evolve its technology under ever-increasing competition.

“We’re all about finding ways to harness technologies to enable musician’s creativity,” Ryle told The Loop. “Modeling is one of those ways.”

I visited the Line 6 headquarters a couple of years ago and saw the amp room. This is where the engineers model real tube amp circuitry and transform it into amps we can buy as part of Line 6’s Pod Farm 2 software. To say the collection of vintage amps is impressive would be an understatement.

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∞ Guitarists get the most for their money with Line 6

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I’ve been playing guitar for about 20 years and have a nice collection of analog gear, but I also use a lot of amp and modeling software too. One of the questions I often get is “what hardware and software should I get?”

The answer to that question differs depending on the needs of the person asking, but more often than not, it’s simple: Line 6. I have a lot of Line 6 gear — a Pod X3 Live, Pod XT Live, HD 147, Vetta 3, UX8, a couple of TonePorts, and the latest Pod Farm 2 software (I have more, but you get the idea).

One of the things I like most about the Line 6 hardware, software combination is that it’s easy to use. Literally, you plug it in, install the software and you’re done. It’s hard to beat that when all you want to do is sit down and play.

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∞ Mac sales up 27 percent in second quarter

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Apple’s Mac sales are showing an incredible surge for the second fiscal quarter, according to a new report on Monday.

In a note to clients on Monday, financial analyst Gene Munster said U.S. Mac sales are up 27 percent over last year’s second quarter. Munster based his analysis on data provided by market research firm, NPD.

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∞ Review: AmpliTube 3.5 Custom Shop

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It’s always exciting when new guitar software comes out, but that’s usually about once a year. However, IK Multimedia released the AmpliTube Custom Shop as part of AmpliTube 3.5, allowing you to purchase new amps and effects anytime you want.

When you enter the Custom Shop, you are immediately reminded of Apple’s Mac App Store. That’s a good thing for IK. As far as I know, IK is the first company to take the Mac Store concept and apply it to its own products.

You have a few options when you open the app. You can add credits to your account (credits are used to purchase products), look at the gear you already purchase, and manage your account.Everything you need to do can be done from within the application — very smart move.

When you are ready to browse the available gear, the side menu gives you several options to find exactly what you’re looking. You can browse by Brand, Stomp, Amp, Cab, Mic and Rack. Each category is broken down further to narrow your search.

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∞ Microsoft's Datacenter GM goes to Apple

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Any doubts that Apple is getting serious about its datacenters can be put to rest. The company has apparently lured Microsoft’s General Manager of Datacenter Services away from his job in Redmond. His position at Apple hasn’t been announced, but AllThingsD’s John Paczkowski has it on good authority that it’s a done deal.

Timmons left Microsoft this week and the company has confirmed his departure, though it declined to say why he left or where he was headed. But sources in position to know confirm he’s hired on with Apple.

Apple Poaches Microsoft’s Datacenter GM [AllThingsD]

∞ RIM CEO defends PlayBook, says email 'really isn't a core element'

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RIM is on an all out blitz to defend its PlayBook tablet after negative reviews began hitting the Web on Wednesday.

Among the major criticisms from reviewers was the lack of a native email client for the PlayBook — a strange omission from the company that made its name on secure email.

RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie said that people are “overplaying one aspect that really isn’t a core element that we’ve seen from our enterprise customers or webmail people.”

Did RIM’s CEO just say that email isn’t a core element of the BlackBerry PlayBook.

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∞ AmpliTube 3 Custom Shop for Mac available

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IK Multimedia on Thursday released AmpliTube 3 Custom Shop, the newest version of the company’s amp modeling and effects software for the Mac.

According to IK, the “Custom Shop is an entirely new tone shopping experience that is like visiting a real guitar store, but one that is open 24/7 right in the comfort of your own studio.”

IK is offering a basic version of the software available free to download and it includes the plug-in and standalone version. The software gives you 24 gear models consisting of 9 stomp boxes, 4 amplifiers, 5 cabinets, 3 microphones, 2 rack effects and a digital tuner.

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∞ iDygest brings tech news to iPhone users

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I’ve been using the free iDygest app on my iPhone for some time, and have enjoyed the way it culls the news for me.

iDygest is not like a typical RSS reader. With an RSS reader, you enter in the sites you want to see stories from and it updates regularly. The problem is that many sites cover the same stories, which means you have duplicate content.

iDygest culls through hundreds of Web sites looking for the most popular stories and then brings them together in the app. You still have the option to read the story from your favorite site, but you don’t have to endlessly click through links of the same story.

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∞ Apple updates Safari, releases Mac OS X security update

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In addition to releasing iOS 4.3.2, Apple on Thursday also released an update for its Safari Web browser and a security update.

There are a number of security updates available, depending on the operating system you use. There are updates for Leopard client and server and one security update for Snow Leopard.

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∞ Apple releases iOS 4.3.2

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Apple on Thursday released iOS 4.3.2, the latest update for its mobile operating system.

According to notes provided with the update, iOS 4.3.2 fixes an issue that occasionally caused blank or frozen video during a FaceTime call. It also fixes an issue that prevented some internatinoal users from connecting to 3G networks on iPad Wi-Fi + 3G.

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∞ Can webOS succeed where RIM failed?

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RIM had a chance to take back the market, but it appears the company will not be successful. Now we look to other competitors to take up the battle against Apple.

The most likely candidate now is webOS. Originally developed by Palm, under the leadership of ex-Apple executive Jon Jon Rubinstein, webOS features a very user-friendly graphical user interface. In a lot of ways, the operating system is the most Apple-like on the market.

webOS is also complimented on its multitasking capabilities, so there is more to it than just a pretty face.

The strength of webOS was one of the leading factors in HP purchasing Palm in April 2010.

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∞ An email to RIM

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I sat last night reading reviews of the RIM PlayBook and wondered what the hell the company was thinking releasing this product. I’d email the company, but they wouldn’t get it, since the PlayBook doesn’t have an email client.

Yes, you read that right. The mobile company that built its name on being the email company doesn’t have an email client on its tablet. That is one of the most asinine decisions I’ve seen of any tech company in a long time.

The only thing that could be worse is if they left their users with no way to do calendaring and contacts too. Yes, you guessed it — you can’t do calendaring and contacts either.

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