March 11, 2010
∞ Universal Audio releases three new audio plug-ins
My favorite audio plug-in maker, Universal Audio (UA) on Thursday released an update for its plug-in platform. UAD 5.6 includes many fixes and three new plug-ins. (more…)
∞ 'Law & Order' actor accused of harassment by Apple store employee
Strange but true. “Law & Order” actor Richard Belzer (Detective Munch) has been accused of harassment by an Apple Store employee. According to the employee Belzer “grabbed her by the shoulders, shook her, choked her and barked, ‘I need help!'” Belzer said he put his hand on her shoulder, nothing else. Apparently, the incident was captured on surveillance tape and after viewed by police, no charges were filed.
‘Law & Order’ star Richard Belzer says Apple Store harass accuser targeted him because of fame [NYDailyNews.com]
∞ Apple accepting iPad pre-orders at 5:30 am PT on Friday
If you’ve been following iPad news since it was introduced, tomorrow will be a big day. (more…)
∞ Apple releases Safari 4.0.5
Apple on Thursday released an update for its Web browser, bringing the current version of Safari to 4.0.5. (more…)
∞ Debunking the iPad bunk
I’ll admit it. I get very frustrated reading opinions from people saying the iPad has problems and it may be better to wait until the next version to buy one. Most of these people haven’t even touched one, but yet they feel compelled to give an opinion. (more…)
∞ Pink Floyd wins case, bans individual sales of songs on iTunes
Earlier this week, Pink Floyd sued its record label, EMI, for selling individual songs on digital music services like iTunes. (more…)
March 10, 2010
∞ New Jimi Hendrix album released with iTunes LP
I saw a new album on the iTunes Store today that I just had to share: Jimi Hendrix’s “Valleys of Neptune.” Best of all it comes in Apple’s iTunes LP format, meaning there are extras. These are previously unreleased recordings of Hendrix captured right after he recorded “Electric Ladyland.” I’m downloading it right now.
∞ Dell will call its tablet the 'Streak'
Get this. Dell will call its forthcoming tablet the “Streak.” I kid you not, that’s what reports are saying today. If Dell needs a theme song for its marketing campaign, they could contact Ray Stevens about his 1970s classic song, “The Streak.”
Leaked Dell Streak flyer shows multitude of color options, confirmed specifications [Engadget]
∞ GDC: Fallen Earth MMO comes to the Mac
At this week’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, Icarus Studios announced the Mac beta release of Fallen Earth, a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game. The new Mac beta release – available now – requires an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.5 or later. (more…)
∞ Hands On with Aperture 3.0.1: A huge step ahead for Apple's photo software
Whether you’re a seasoned digital photographer or an amateur looking to step up from iPhoto, chances are that Apple’s Aperture software can help you dramatically. Now in its third major iteration, Aperture is easier to use and more powerful than ever. (more…)
∞ Apple releases MainStage 2.1.1
Apple on Wednesday released an update for its professional guitar and keyboard app, MainStage. (more…)
March 9, 2010
∞ Lindsay Lohan sues E-Trade for $100 million over subliminal TV ad
Have you seen the E-Trade ad with the kids in it talking about stock trading? Cute ad, right? Not to Lindsay Lohan. One of the kids is named Lindsay and is referred to as a milkaholic. Apparently Lohan thinks her name is as recognizable as Madonna or Oprah.
They used the name Lindsay,” Ovadia said. “They’re using her name as a parody of her life. Why didn’t they use the name Susan? This is a subliminal message. Everybody’s talking about it and saying it’s Lindsay Lohan.
I don’t know what to say. Really, I don’t.
If you haven’t seen the commercial, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEXZ2hfD3bU
Lindsay Lohan wants $100M over E-Trade ad [New York Post]
∞ 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.