2011 Best App Ever Awards

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148Apps: With over 1.5 million votes cast (over three times the number cast last year) and a record number of nominations, we now have the winners of the 2011 Best App Ever Awards. Thanks to all that voted, nominated, and … Continued

Dear Apple: Do something about Chinese working conditions

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Molly Wood at CNET: The company has been actively auditing its suppliers for labor, health, safety, and other concerns since 2007. Yet, as the Times points out, problems remain–the kinds of problems that kill people. It’s time for Apple to … Continued

Phone size comparison made easy

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Most of us are big fans of our iPhones but have you ever compared it to other smartphones? [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="470" caption="iPhone vs Lumia vs Galaxy"][/caption] The web site Phone Size helps you compare smartphones. Nnot features but the physical size of one phone to other. Amazing how gigantic the Samsung is!

Amazing surf photography from Clark Little

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[caption id="attachment_19218" align="alignnone" width="470" caption="Clark Little's "Sand Monster""]Sand_monster[/caption]Have you ever stood at the water’s edge, watching waves lap at your feet?

Not Clark Little. He stands in two feet of water and lets fifteen foot waves pound him into the sand – all to get some amazing shots of the surf from a viewpoint few of us have ever seen.

Check out the gallery of pictures and videos on his web site.

Apple’s iPad and the human costs for Chinese workers

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The New York Times:

Apple and its high-technology peers — as well as dozens of other American industries — have achieved a pace of innovation nearly unmatched in modern history.However, the workers assembling iPhones, iPads and other devices often labor in harsh conditions, according to employees inside those plants, worker advocates and documents published by companies themselves. Problems are as varied as onerous work environments and serious — sometimes deadly — safety problems.

Apple’s growth rate is simply incredible… and it’s accelerating

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ReadWriteWeb’s Dan Frommer:

There are plenty of impressive stats in Apple’s December quarter earnings report, such as 37 million iPhones shipped, $46 billion of overall sales, and $13 billion of profit.But Apple’s most impressive stat continues to be its growth rate: Apple is not only huge, but it is growing at a rate far greater than its peers. And, even more incredible, its growth rate is accelerating.

Keep that in mind. Apple has a huge amount of room to grow, whether it be in the PC, phone or tablet market.

An interview with William Gibson

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The Verge: William Gibson famously coined the term “cyberspace,” and gave us a singular vision of the future in early cyberpunk novels Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Mona Lisa Overdrive. During his recent book tour, he took time to talk about … Continued

Updated ‘Blue Marble’ image of the Earth from space

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From NASA: A ‘Blue Marble’ image of the Earth taken from the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA’s most recently launched Earth-observing satellite – Suomi NPP. This composite image uses a number of swaths of the Earth’s surface taken on January 4, … Continued

Ron Johnson tries the Apple magic at JCPenney

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Ken Segall’s Observatory: …it was a big blow to Apple when Ron left after 11 stellar years. And it was a big wow for JCPenney when Ron signed on as their new CEO. For many, Ron’s move was a disconnect. … Continued

Tim Cook on his first four months at Apple as CEO

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AllThingD: Asked about his first four months as Apple chief executive, Tim Cook stressed that what he feels most is lucky to be surrounded by his talented colleagues. “You can see our results,” Cook said during a conference call with … Continued

Apple’s sales set new tech record

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CNNMoney: The Cupertino, Calif.-based company said its fiscal first quarter profit rose to $13 billion, or $13.87 per share, more than double the profit Apple booked a year earlier. It was one of the most profitable quarters ever for any … Continued

Buying a used DSLR lens

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The Verge: There’s definitely a huge market for used lenses in great condition, at bargain prices. This guide will hopefully arm you with the knowledge and just the right amount of paranoia to separate the gems from the dogs. In … Continued

Inside Apple’s secret packaging room

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NetworkWorld: Adam Lashinsky’s upcoming book, Inside Apple, provides an intriguing look into the inner workings at Apple while examining the management and product development strategies they’ve implemented to create numerous game-changing devices. Now it’s no secret that Apple sweats every … Continued

Dasient acquired by Twitter

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Dasient Blog: The Dasient team is excited to announce that we have been acquired by Twitter! Effective immediately, we will be bringing our technology, tools, and team to the revenue engineering team at Twitter. Dasient has been focused on solving … Continued

Verizon’s “Good news, bad news” quarter

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Bloomberg:

Verizon Communications Inc, the second-largest U.S. phone company, reported a fourth-quarter loss after booking a pension charge and having higher subsidy costs for rising iPhone sales.While iPhone sales more than doubled from the third quarter to 4.3 million units, total smartphone sales fell short, signaling waning demand for handsets that run on Google Inc.’s Android operating system.

Because of the subsidies the carriers pay to Apple, higher sales of the iPhone mean more upfront costs but, in theory, more profits long term.

Why Apple should follow Michelin

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Jean-Louis Gassée’s Monday Note: What’s the use of offering more than 500,000 wares if customers can’t find their way through the gigantic bazaar? …the iPhone has sold in ever larger numbers (we’ll soon see if the December quarter number crossed … Continued

350,000 textbooks downloaded from Apple’s iBooks in three days

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AllThingsD: Within days of its debut, Apple’s iBooks textbook store had already racked up a significant number of downloads. According to Global Equities Research, which monitors Apple’s iBook sales via a proprietary tracking system it doesn’t much care to discuss, … Continued

Bloom County now available in iBooks

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Mobile Nations: Birkley (sic) Breathed’s Bloom County was my two favorite comic strips growing up, and now it’s starting to become available in iBooks. From Bill the Cat’s run for president to Milo’s skewering of Senator Bedfellow to Oliver’s landing … Continued

Ringtone interrupts, violist plays along

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Remember the story from earlier this month of the “iPhone that stopped the “New York Philharmonic”? It has happened again but with much more amusing results. Slovakian musician Lukáš Kmit was play a solo on his viola in a synagogue … Continued

How Kodak squandered every digital opportunity it had

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Mashable: Kodak has finally formalized what had been expected for years — it’s gone bankrupt. In the past 15 years, digital technology changed photography dramatically, and Kodak, a former heavyweight in the analog film business, got left behind. In fact, … Continued

Star Wars Uncut

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Star Wars Uncut: In 2009, Internet users were asked to remake “Star Wars: A New Hope” into a fan film, 15 seconds at a time. Contributors were allowed to recreate scenes from Star Wars however they wanted. SWU has been … Continued

China’s challenge to the iPad raises a red flag

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Reuters: China Communist Party members can now carry tablet PC to verify identification cards, read the blogs of cadres and manage state-owned firms without fretting that using a bourgeois Apple Inc iPad will ruin their street cred. Enter RedPad Number … Continued

The Milky Way and storms over Africa

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International Space Station: This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station…The complete pass is over southern Africa to the ocean, focusing on the lightning flashes from local storms and the Milky Way … Continued

Remembering Etta James

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The “Matriarch of the Blues”, Etta James, died on Friday morning. She toured with Little Richard while still a minor and had her first hit at 15. She was a six time Grammy winner and one of the few artists … Continued