March 9, 2010
∞ Pink Floyd sues EMI over iTunes royalties
Legendary rockers Pink Floyd filed a lawsuit in London on Tuesday against its record label EMI. (more…)
∞ GDC: Ngmoco on building Eliminate for iPhone
The Game Developers Conference is this week in San Francisco and there is a lot going on. Of course, Peter Cohen is reporting from the show, but our friends at TUAW.com have some great coverage too. One article that got my attention today is about a panel lead by Ngmoco discussing how they built Eliminate.
As they explained during the presentation, they had a heck of a goal with this project: they wanted to put together “the definitive FPS for iPhone,” complete with all of the functions of a standard console deathmatch-style FPS, in just five months with just three engineers. And they started with the toughest nut of all: the networking code.
GDC 2010: Ngmoco explains how Eliminate was built [TUAW.com]
∞ GDC: Unity 3.0 engine adds iPad support, more
Unity Technologies has announced Unity 3.0, a new version of its versatile 3D game engine which enables developers to create titles for Mac, iPhone, Web and other platforms. A final release date is scheduled for this summer. (more…)
∞ Audio Job Interview Professional for iPhone available
It’s a big part of the world we live in these days — jobs are scarce and when you do find something, the competition is fierce. (more…)
∞ GDC kicks off with iPhone Game Summit
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) kicked off in San Francisco this morning with a two day summit focused specifically on the iPhone. The summit gathers experts from the technical and business end of iPhone game development. (more…)
∞ iPhone, Android users fall for botnet scam
I suppose this is a good argument for why Apple wants to have control of the apps that people have access to on the App Store. Researchers got almost 8,000 people to install an app and while they have created a “malicious version of the app capable of harvesting data, posting fake updates on social networking sites and sending spam,” they haven’t published it. Of course, the only iPhones affected by this problem are jailbroken devices that install apps from Cydia or other similar service.
Smartphone app botnet experiment blows up a storm [The Register]
∞ Microsoft updates Office for Mac 2008 and 2004
Microsoft on Tuesday released updates for two of its Office versions for the Mac, according to software site, MacUpdate. (more…)
∞ Valve promises simultaneous Mac, PC game releases
Valve Software, makers of the Steam software distribution platform, has announced that the Mac won’t be a second-class citizen when it comes to new game releases. All future games – including the upcoming Portal 2 – will be released simultaneously for the Mac, Windows and Xbox 360 platforms, according to John Cook, director of Steam development for Valve. The company indicates that software developers who use Source, Valve’s game development environment, will be able to produce native Mac OS X games, not games that run “in emulation.”
Valve leaked its Mac plans last week to several Web sites using imagery culled from its popular games including Half-Life 2.
Steam, Source coming to Mac [IndustryGamers]
∞ FileMaker Pro 11 adds charts, easier reporting
FileMaker Inc. on Tuesday announced the release of FileMaker Pro 11, a major new release of its popular database software for Mac OS X and Windows. It’s available beginning today, along with new versions of FileMaker Pro 11 Advanced, FileMaker Server 11 and FileMaker Server 11 Advanced. It costs $299, with upgrades available for registered users of previous versions. (more…)
March 8, 2010
∞ Tivo loss widens, but not as much as expected
Everyone that has one, loves it, but Tivo is still losing money. The company reported a $10.2 million loss in the fourth quarter or $0.09 per share, which compares to a $3.6 million loss for the same quarter last year. The good news is that analysts expected the company to report a loss of $0.12 per share, so they actually beat the street. Subscriptions to the service fell 22 percent this year.
Tivo Rises After Fourth-Quarter Results Top Estimates [Bloomberg]
∞ iPhone, iPad operating systems to unify with OS 4.1
Like many people this afternoon, I read John Gruber’s post — iPhone apps on the iPad — at Daring Fireball with great interest. While I agree with almost everything he said, I disagree with one small point — when the iPad and iPhone OS will become unified. (more…)
∞ U.S. Internet users watched 32.4 billion videos in January
Market research firm, comScore, on Monday released some staggering numbers about the number of videos watched by U.S. Internet users. (more…)
March 7, 2010
∞ How Ad Blockers hurt your favorite Web sites
Ars Technica posted a great article on how ad blocking is affecting its business. While we’re not quite as big as Ars, the same principles apply. We are trying to bring readers interesting content everyday — the way we make money is through advertising. If everyone used an ad blocker, we wouldn’t have jobs.
The Loop isn’t a hobby for me — this is how I make my living. I’ve been doing this for 15 years now and have been through a lot of ups and downs in the industry. If you use an ad blocker, take a minute to think about how it affects the sites you are using it on.
Why Ad Blocking is devastating to the sites you love [Ars Technica]
∞ Apple posts iPad commercial
Apple on Sunday posted its first commercial for the iPad. The ad is viewable from the gallery page of the iPad Web site. (more…)
March 6, 2010
∞ Consumers lose interest in Kindle after iPad introduction
I’ve never been a fan of the Kindle. I know there are a lot of people out there that like the device, but it just makes no sense to me. This doesn’t surprise me the least little bit.
ChangeWave recently conducted a survey of 3,171 consumers the week after Apple announced the iPad, and the results suggest that the forthcoming device is poised to make a huge splash in the e-reader market.
Interest in Amazon Kindle wanes after Apple iPad unveiling [AppleInsider]
∞ Jobs says iPad won't support tethering to the iPhone
Apple CEO Steve Jobs answered a customer question on Friday, making it quite clear that the iPad will not support tethering to the iPhone. (more…)
March 5, 2010
∞ MacProVideo releases Spectrasonics Trilian video tutorials
MacProVideo on Friday released a new set of video tutorials for Mac-based musicians. (more…)
∞ Apple stock hits record high
I usually don’t bother reporting on stock prices because they go up and down with the whims of Wall Street and investors, but today is a bit different. After announcing the ship date for the iPad earlier today, Apple’s stock shot up to a record high of $219.70. Volume was described as being “heavier than usual” for the stock.
∞ And the Oscar goes to… iPhone apps for the Oscars
If you’re a movie buff, this is going to be a big weekend for you. The 82nd Annual Academy Awards take place on Sunday with hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. Seeing those two together may be enough of a reason to watch the awards. (more…)
∞ iPad will be available on April 3 in U.S., pre-orders March 12
Apple on Friday announced that its iPad Wi-Fi model will be available on April 3 in the U.S. (more…)
March 4, 2010
∞ Apple models new Mac Developer Program after iPhone program
Apple on Thursday relaunched its Mac Developer Program and modelled it after the successful iPhone Developer Program the company has had in place for the past couple of years. (more…)
∞ Judge puts Apple, Nokia lawsuit on hold
A federal judge put Apple’s legal battle with Nokia on hold until the International Trade Commission (ITC) has a chance to examine the patents. (more…)
∞ Macworld's Aperture 3.0.1 review
We at The Loop are working on our own first look at Aperture 3.0.1, which you’ll see on Friday. To whet your appetite, please have a look at Russ Juskalian’s thorough review of Apple’s new pro photo software. New features include Faces and Places, new adjustment tools including Quick Brushes which let you paint without having to exit to Photoshop first, and much, much more.
Aperture 3.0.1 [Macworld]
∞ Fortune: Apple world's most admired company for third straight year
Fortune magazine has published its list of the world’s 50 most admired companies, and Apple is number one for the third year in a row. Apple beats out Google and Berkshire Hathaway, the holding company chaired by American business titan Warren E. Buffett. (more…)
∞ Pioneer's new A/V receiver can be controlled with iPhone
Just a few years ago we were all so impressed when you could buy an A/V receiver that you could plug your iPod into. Now, you can get an app for your iPhone to control your A/V receiver. Pioneer just released a new line of receivers that have an Anchor Bay 1080p upscaler for analog-to-digital video, the Sound Retriever AIR for improving quality of MP3s, and of course, iPhone controllable.
Pioneer’s VSX-1020-K Is Best $550 AV Receiver and Not Only Because You Control It Via iPhone [Gizmodo]
∞ Analyst: iPad will change the entire PC ecosystem
In a report released Monday, market research firm Gartner said that Apple’s iPad is one of the new devices that “will change the entire PC ecosystem.” (more…)
March 3, 2010
∞ ProfitTrain 2.0 invoicing app released
Clickable Bliss this week released ProfitTrain 2.0, an invoicing app for Mac OS X. The application was formerly called Billable. (more…)
∞ Valve hints at Mac support in Steam
Valve, makers of Half-Life 2 and Left 4 Dead, have dropped hints at several Web sites indicating that their Digital Rights Management software Steam is headed to the Mac. This paves the way for more Mac games using a digital distribution system that’s already seen wide support on the Windows platform.
Valve teases Mac support with 6 images [The Escapist]
∞ Should Apple defend its patents against competitors?
It’s funny to watch people fight over the patent system we have. The opinions are as varied as the people that argue for or against them. (more…)
∞ Wall Street Journal iPad app confirmed
I don’t think there was much doubt that the WSJ would make an iPad app, but the news was confirmed today by Rupert Murdoch. It is amusing that Murdoch said the iPad is “kept under padlock and key” and an “Apple employee turns the key every night,” locking the iPad up.