March 17, 2012
Google’s missing developer payments ∞
BBC:
Europe-based software writers have posted hundreds of comments on the company’s forums, saying their February fees had not been received on 7 March as scheduled.
Oops.
Goldman Sachs leaked info about Apple ∞
A person at Goldman Sachs Group Inc, who has not been identified or charged in a broad U.S. insider-trading probe, was caught on a wiretap leaking secrets about Intel Corp and Apple Inc, a lawyer for accused former Goldman board member Rajat Gupta said in court on Friday.
March 16, 2012
Sidekick 4.0 ∞
Many thanks to Oomph Software with Sidekick for sponsoring this week’s RSS feed on The Loop.
Sidekick is a stealth little Mac app that automatically updates laptop settings based on where you are. It takes care of annoying tasks so you can focus on what you need to do.
By controlling a huge variety of settings, Sidekick makes your laptop more secure, efficient, portable, and personalized. It can automatically change your default printer, connect to a server, run a command in Terminal, lock the keychain, change the system location…the list goes on. Visit the Sidekick website to learn more.
Try Sidekick 4.0 for free. It’s super powerful and very easy to use.
Use the coupon code THELOOP to save 20% on Sidekick.
Dell wants to challenge Apple in the tablet market ∞
Reuters:
As Apple’s third-generation iPad went on sale on Friday, accompanied by the now traditional scenes of fans queuing round the block , Dell’s chief commercial officer Steve Felice said the tablet market was still wide open.
I kid you not, I actually laughed out loud reading this. How many times does Apple have to lay the smackdown on Dell before they finally go away.
Instapaper for the Retina display iPad ∞
Marco says it’ll be ready in 7-10 days.
Ass clowns ∞
Colin Crawford talking about IDC’s predictions for iPad and Android tablet growth:
While I’ve a lot of respect for IDC’s ability to identify key market trends, especially in the Enterprise IT market…
Wait for it…
…but I’m not convinced they have their finger on the pulse of the Apple iPad market nor Apple’s iOS strategy.
Translation: Ass clowns.
iPad 3 jailbroken ∞
Not ready for mass adoption yet, but still.
Pushing the limits of CSS3 ∞
Web Designer Depot:
Don’t be mistaken though, CSS3 and CSS can’t do everything but, ironically enough, I doubt most of us are aware of its limitations or what pushes the very edges of its possibilities.Well, today we are here to find that out. So let’s dive right in to what certainly will be an interesting and fascinating journey of discovery for all of us that are fans of CSS3 and CSS.
Apple factory critic lied about what he saw ∞
Rob Schmitz for American Public Media:
Apple got a lot of attention recently over conditions in the Chinese factories that make its iPhones and iPads. The public radio show “This American Life” aired an electrifying account of one man’s visit to several factories. The man was Mike Daisey, a storyteller who is widely credited with making people think differently about how their Apple products are made.…Daisey told This American Life and numerous other news outlets that his account was all true.But it wasn’t.
Mike Daisey is a goddamn liar.
This is a bombshell, and if it gets more than slight coverage compared to the stories about Apple’s supposed exploitation of Chinese workers, I’ll be surprised.
Web design trends ∞
I still like Letterpress. I can’t help myself, I think I’ll always like it.
German court stays Apple ‘slide to unlock’ case ∞
FOSS Patents:
This morning, Apple’s second slide-to-unlock case was stayed for the duration of a parallel proceeding before the Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt (German Patent and Trademark Office) that could lead to the revocation, in whole or in part, of Apple’s slide-to-unlock utility model. Judge Andreas Voss said that the court was unconvinced of the validity of that intellectual property right in all respects, with particular concern about the broadest group of claims.
It’s a setback for Apple, which had sought to prevent other phone makers from using the familiar “slide to unlock” UI mechanism.
March 15, 2012
Blend your own Whiskey ∞
Based in bonny Scotland, with a team of whisky enthusiasts, we wanted to create something to allow people a simple way for them to own a unique bottle of blended Scotch whisky (or blended malt Scotch whisky) One which they’ve not only had a say into how it tastes and what it’s called but also to have a little bit of fun in the process.
You blend your own Whiskey and they ship it to you. You gotta love the Scots.
[Via Harry Marks]
Can the iPad do to gaming what the iPhone did to the point-and-shoot camera ∞
Wade Meredith:
Like smart phones and point and shoots, iPads can compete or best the consoles on hardware specs while absolutely whipping them on platform flexibility and portability. I don’t know the console equivalent of on-device photo editing — but between app, accessory and peripheral support for iPad, the consoles have their work cut out for them (Kinect was a good start, Playstation Move was not).
I don’t know if it will ever happen, but this was a good read.
J.D. Power names Apple No. 1 in smartphone customer satisfaction ∞
For a seventh consecutive time, Apple ranks highest among manufacturers of smartphones in customer satisfaction. Apple achieves a score of 839 on a 1,000-point scale and performs well in all factors, particularly in ease of operation and features.
Congress asks for privacy briefing with Apple ∞
AppleInsider:
In a letter to Tim Cook on Wednesday, members of a U.S. Congress subcommittee requested that Apple send a representative to Washington to brief government officials on what the company is doing to protect the personal information stored on iOS devices.
‘Great apps for the new iPad’ ∞
A new section that Apple put on the App Store.
6 laughable lawsuits against Apple ∞
This is a pretty good list. The mafia mind control guy will always be my favorite.
Take a wild ride on a Shuttle solid rocket booster ∞
Bad Astronomy:
On Google+, Michael Interbartolo — who worked for ten years on the Space Shuttle Program in Mission Control in Houston — just posted about this amazing video from cameras mounted on the Shuttle solid rockets as they rode into space.On the upper left is elapsed time, and on the upper right is the air speed as calculated using on board instruments. Watch as the speed increases… and then the increase increases!
CSS3 parallax content slider ∞
This is very cool. Certainly doesn’t fit for The Loop, but it would for many other sites.
iFixit’s iPad 3 4G teardown ∞
iFixIt:
Is it “The New iPad?” “iPad HD?” “iPad 3?” Who cares? All we know is this: It’s here!Our CXO flew to the Telstra store in Melbourne, Australia and was first in line to get the iPad 3 for our deconstructive pleasure.
For your geeky pleasure, here is the traditional iFixIt abuse of a brand new Apple product.
Ed Baig on the new iPad: ‘Still no Adobe Flash’ ∞
Ed Baig for USA Today:
Still no Adobe Flash…
How can this possibly be a drawback? And since Adobe killed mobile Flash last year, how could anyone in their right mind expect any product would support it.
iA Writer, Byword and Elements ∞
Shawn Blanc posted his thoughts on iA Writer and Byword. Ben Brooks wrote something about them yesterday as well, which was very humorous.
Personally, I prefer Elements. Quick, easy, uncluttered and uses Dropbox for storage.
Survey says: iPad most popular tablet for first time buyers ∞
Dealnews:
A reader survey discovered 55% of current iPad owners said they would update to the third generation.But what about consumers who are currently tablet-free and finally ready to jump aboard the slate train?78% of non-tablet owners who are planning on buying their first device said they’ll spring for the newest offering from Apple. And, of the people who aren’t buying the new iPad (the remaining 22%), almost half will buy a previous generation — specifically, 60% plan on buying the iPad 2 within the next six months. Why? Because the iPad 2 is now cheaper.
Certainly an unscientific, self-selecting survey but it is most likely indicative of desire and demand among potential first time tablet buyers.
iPad is about the experience ∞
It seems that every time a new tablet comes on the market, people compare the hardware to Apple’s market leading iPad and wonder if this is the one that will dethrone it. The problem with this thinking is that the iPad isn’t just about the hardware and specs, it’s the experience.
This is my first bi-weekly column for Techpinions. I’m joining Ben Bajarin, Tim Bajarin and Steve Wildstrom on the site where I’ll write opinion articles on the world of Apple.
Blizzard says Diablo III will be out on May 15th
At long last, Blizzard game fans will be able to get their hands on the latest installment of the Diablo series. The company has announced a launch date for Diablo III: May 15th. The game is coming simultaneously to OS X and Windows.
The game launches simultaneously in the US and other countries, and is also available for pre-order through the Battle.net Web site; users can buy the game, pre-load it and start playing it as soon as it’s released on May 15th.
Diablo III is a dungeon crawling action game that puts you in the role of wizard, witch doctor, demon hunter, barbarian, or monk as you take on hordes of demons and monsters.
Diablo III costs $59.99. A special Collector’s Edition is also available that includes a behind-the-scenes Blu-ray/DVD, soundtrack CD, Art of Diablo III book, and 4GB “Soulstone” USB thumb drive that includes Diablo II and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction), along with exclusive in-game content for Diablo III and other games.
Apple shares hit $600 ∞
Jordan Golson for Mac Rumors:
Apple’s share price touched the $600 mark as trading opened this morning, just a month after reaching $500/share for the first time.
Wow.
John Legend working with Samsung ∞
Speaking of Om, he noticed this little nugget:
All five winners will be honored in a special Washington, D.C. ceremony in April with John Legend, the Grammy Award-winning recording artist and education advocate.
Is he crazy? Legend working with Samsung? Because leaving Apple and going to RIM worked so well for U2.
Name dropping ∞
Om Malik:
When did we stop talking about ideas, technology and instead started focusing on you know… names and investing.
It’s been my experience that those that can name drop don’t.
March 14, 2012
Review: iPad third generation
When Apple’s iPad event ended last week, I walked out of the venue, spoke to Phil Schiller for a couple of minutes and went into a meeting with Apple executives. That’s where I picked up my new iPad and Apple TV.
I know everyone will be speed testing the processors and graphics chips, but I’d like to take a different approach and give you some information on how I actually use the iPad. My testing lab is my life, and how a device fits into that determines if I continue to use it or not.
I’ve been using the iPad for a week now and I’m so impressed. From the first time I turned it on and saw the Retina display, I was in awe of how good it was. Trust me, even if you watched the introduction video, you still have no idea how good this display is. You really do have to see it to believe it.
I struggled after the event to put the right words together to describe the display and a week later I’m still lost for the proper analogy. The only thing I can think of that comes close is comparing it to the first time you ever saw an HDTV. Remember how startling it was to go from one of those giant standard definition projector TVs to an HDTV? That’s what this is like.
The Retina display will make you do a double-take the first time you see it. Even on the home screen, it’s crisp and clear — you can notice a huge difference, even from the iPad 2.
So what does that mean in practical terms for me as a user? Plenty. Especially for the way people use the iPad. Granted, I’m not much of a photographer, but when I’m editing pictures in iPhoto I like to be able to see what I’m doing. I want those edits to properly reflect what I’m seeing on the screen. With the Retina display, they do.
Movies are the same — crystal clear and the colors are so vibrant. I can’t think of any reason I wouldn’t watch a movie on the iPad, especially when I’m traveling. I have my iTunes account and Netflix on the device, so movies are only a tap away.
For me, the real benefit comes with the clarity of text. I know that may sound strange, but I use the iPad to read quite a bit of text everyday. Crispness of the text matters to me.
If a device is a pleasure to use, you will keep using it. That’s a simple theory, but also very true. If the words on an iPad are fuzzy or difficult to read, you probably won’t use it that often.
The iPad makes it a pleasure to read whether you zoom in or use it in its normal mode.
I actually don’t read many books on my iPad. I read for my job all day, so I play guitar to relax — the last thing I want to do is read more. (Although my wife said she planned on buying a book and reading on the iPad. I think I’m about to lose this iPad).
I read my RSS feeds on Reeder, look through my saved articles on Instapaper, read Web sites and sometimes even post stories to The Loop. The iPad 2 did a fine job allowing me to do all these things, but the new iPad is just that much better.
Of course the iPad isn’t just about the Retina display. It also has 4G LTE, which is amazingly fast connection to have on a mobile device, a 5-megapixel iSight camera and the ability to record 1080p video.
I love having the ability to capture quality content on the iPad. Having a camera to take pictures and video is one thing, but having a quality camera is quite another. Knowing that the media you take home will be so good that you can make an HD movie or produce a slideshow is a huge plus. It’s the person with the iPad that won’t be saying, “excuse the quality, I didn’t have my good camera with me.”
I also really like AirPlay. This gives you the ability to play content from the iPad on your HDTV through the Apple TV. I played music, videos, trailers and all kinds of things on my TV directly from the iPad.
When you do this with iTunes Store movies, the screen goes blank on the iPad, so it’s not possible to watch it on both, but I don’t care about that, I want it on my TV anyway.
When you play media on your TV from the iPad, you can control the volume and playhead from the iPad. It’s like the iPad becomes your remote control. It really was cool to use.
One of my favorite features of the iPad isn’t really a feature of the device itself — iCloud. Setting up an Apple device is so easy these days with iCloud.
Apple walks you through all of the main settings when you start the iPad and then you just enter in your iCloud ID. Like magic, all of your contacts, iCloud email and calendars are there waiting for you. What’s more, they will automatically sync if you make a change on your Mac, iPhone or other iOS device.
iCloud goes even deeper than that. It’s my login for the iTunes Store and the App Store accounts. After logging in, you can browse through all of the apps that you bought and download the ones you want all at once. You can do the same for music, but I use iTunes Match, so it’s even better.
With iTunes Match, I don’t sync music to my iPad, I have access to all of my music. Thousands of songs and videos, instantly. Anytime, anywhere. That’s the way a service should be.
So, what did I like about the iPad? Simple — the experience. Nobody in the market today can touch the Apple experience.