Apple launched iPhoto for iOS Wednesday, and it doesn’t use Google Maps for geolocation. Instead, the software uses OpenStreetMap data.
OpenStreetMap is billed as “the free wiki world map.” It’s a global mapping project contributed to by hundreds of thousands of volunteers around the world.
Apple’s use of OpenStreetMap data elicited a welcome from Jonathan Bennett, a member of the OpenStreetMap Foundation and author who’s written a book on the project. Bennett noted that Apple is using an older data set.
“It’s also missing the necessary credit to OpenStreetMap’s contributors; we look forward to working with Apple to get that on there,” writes Bennett in a blog post.
“But we’re delighted to see another prominent map user make the switch to OpenStreetMap, and look forward to many more.”
If you’ve never fantasized about what it’s like to hitch a ride on a paper airplane, you’re either lying or dead inside. Now you can do exactly that with Air Wings, Pangea Software’s newest game for iOS. It’s free to download (in-app purchases unlock new airplane models and multiplayer maps).
Air Wings is a 3D flying game in which you pilot paper airplanes, collect coins and gather weapons (like rubber bands, darts, firecrackers and more) which you can launch at other opponents. The game is designed to work online, and you match with other opponents over Game Center – up to four players can take to the skies at a time. There are indoor and outdoor environments, and each different airplane has their own flight and battle characteristics.
Air Wings is Airplay compatible, so if you have an Apple TV, you can even play the game on your television. It’s a Universal Binary that runs natively on any iOS device running iOS 5.0 or later.
On Tuesday, Apple issued the iOS 5.1 software update, and with it came a small but hugely symbolic change: the AT&T iPhone 4S data indicator now reads “4G.” Owners of the iPhone will notice no difference in performance or data transfer speeds; the device will not magically connect to AT&T’s shiny new 4G LTE network. It will simply receive a deceptive labeling change that allows AT&T to market the iPhone as a 4G device against competitive phones from Verizon — including, perhaps most importantly, Verizon’s own 3G iPhone 4S. It is a triumph of marketing for AT&T, and a rare acquiescence to a poor and confusing user experience for Apple.
The problem here is that “4G” as used here is marketing speak that doesn’t jibe with the actual technical standard. I agree with Patel, though – Apple made a mistake here that’s bound to leave a sour taste in users’ mouths.
(Thanks to David Nanian of Shirt Pocket for pointing us to the 4G definition.)
Most of the people opining about the Lytro have never seen one, never held one, never used one – but these days, I guess authority doesn’t count for much in a culture where everyone’s entitled to their opinion even if it’s not based on a single fact, completely wrong and slung with bad intent.
For the uninitiated, the Lytro Field Camera’s sensors gather light from different sources and directions, making it possible to refocus the image after it’s been taken. As Bourne points out, a lot of the criticism focused on the device is being made by people who either don’t understand the technology, have never used it or are just plain wrong in their assumptions. Does it replace a good existing digital camera and a skilled photographer? Of course not. But it’s a really exciting new technology that deserves a fair shake.
Apple took direct aim at Nvidia’s Tegra 3—a processor for a new batch of superphones—as it launched its latest iPad. The problem: Apple showed a chart with 4X the performance of Tegra 3, but provided no benchmarks or footnotes. … Ken Brown, a spokesman for Nvidia, said that it was “certainly flattering” to be called out by Apple, but the performance claims are sketchy without more data.
Nvidia’s invested a lot to convince Android hardware and software developers that its Tegra platform is the way to go for maximum performance for games and other demanding apps, so it’s unlikely to take Apple’s claims lying down. Not that the A5X is a design choice any Android developers have anyway.
Thomas Catan and Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg for the Wall Street Journal:
The Justice Department has warned Apple Inc. and five of the biggest U.S. publishers that it plans to sue them for allegedly colluding to raise the price of electronic books, according to people familiar with the matter.Several of the parties have held talks to settle the antitrust case and head off a potentially damaging court battle, these people said.
Apple and major publishers including Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins worked together prior to the iPad’s initial release in 2010 to help break the hold on inexpensive e-books held by Amazon.com and its Kindle e-reader. The European Union is also said to be looking into the matter.
In conjunction with today’s announcement of the third-generation iPad, Apple has introduced its new AppleCare+ protection plan for iPad.The new AppleCare+ for iPad extends both warranty coverage and phone support for the device to two years—normally limited to one year and 90 days, respectively. In addition, the plan adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage for the same $49 service fee as seen on the iPhone.AppleCare+ for the iPad sells for $99 and must be purchased within 30 days of the purchase of the iPad.
Apparently, Sprint Nextel’s seat at the cool kids’ table got revoked by Apple. As AT&T and Verizon Wireless got their hands on a shiny new 4G-enabled iPad, Sprint got stuck with zilch.“Sprint is not carrying the iPad at this time,” said a Sprint spokesman. He declined to comment on whether the company would eventually get to sell the device.The lack of an iPad could have to do with timing. Sprint is in the middle of rolling out its 4G LTE network, and expects to be in 10 cities by the end of June. That’s nice for Sprint, but Apple was likely looking at that paltry deploying and opting to take a pass.
If you have a second-generation Apple TV and want the nifty new interface you saw during Apple’s event in San Francisco on Wednesday, you’re in luck – a new update is now available for download and installation, and it replaces the old, busted, horribly antiquated and very retro-looking Apple TV interface with that hot, shiny, simplified interface you saw in screenshots and Apple’s recently-posted QuickTime video of the event.
Of course, you don’t get 1080p video support – that’s supported by speedier hardware inside the newest Apple TV, which goes on sale at the end of next week. But if you’d at least like your existing Apple TV to look the part, just make sure to run the “Update Software” command under the “General” menu.
Obviously, you don’t want to feel vomit rise in your throat every time you look at a tragic old-school Apple TV interface, so update it just as fast as you can (to version 5.0) and banish the old software to the dustbin of history.
After the iPad event ended, I had the opportunity to test out the new device and see if it really was as good as it seemed in the demos.
It really is.
It’s impossible to put into words just how good the Retina display is on the iPad. It’s not just images that look sharper, it’s text too. Reading a Web site or an iBook on the iPad’s display is incredible. Even the home screen on the iPad is crisper and sharper than I expected.
The iPad seemed quite a bit faster in doing tasks too. For example, looking at photos and scrolling showed no lag at all.
One of the great announcements for me was iPhoto and seeing that on the Retina display was amazing. iPhoto has the potential to really change the way a lot of people use the iPad.
The form factor of the iPad itself hasn’t really changed much. It’s still sleek and light-weight, but with all of the new features this is going to sell like crazy.
Along with a new version of iOS, Apple on Wednesday introduced iPhoto for iOS – the first version of the popular photo cataloging and editing software designed to work on the iPhone and iPad.
Available for $4.99 from the App Store starting today, iPhoto for iOS lets you compare photos, flag shots, adjust color, exposure and contrast, and enhance images using effects. You can share the shots you’re happy with using services like Facebook, Flickr and Twitter. You can also send images to a nearby Apple TV using Airplay or use Apple’s iCloud service to publish photo journals online.
iMovie has been updated with a new Theater view that lets you preview your movie and choose from one of nine templates like Fair Tale, Superhero and Romance. The new Jam Session feature in GarageBand lets you invite friends (up to three) to connect wirelessly to your iPad so you can jam together. Jam Session synchronizes tempo, key and chords, automatically collecting everyone’s tracks together. Other new features of GarageBand include Smart Strings, a new touch instrument that lets you simulate the playing of a string orchestra, and a Note Editor. Both upgrades are free for existing users.
Apple has also updated the iWorks apps for iOS to version 1.6 – Pages, Keynote and Numbers. The new updates take advantage of the Retina display of the new iPad with new 3D charts, support for landscape orientation in Pages for iPhone and iPod touch, and new builds and transitions in Keynote including Iris, Shimmer, Wipe, Flame, Swing and Fade Through Color.
Apple on Wednesday introduced a new third-generation model of its Apple TV interface with higher-resolution video support, now capable of natively displaying 1080p video. It still costs $99. Available for pre-order today, the device will be on store shelves beginning on March 16, 2012.
Featuring a new interface that Apple calls simpler and more refined, the Apple TV streams content from nearby Macs and iOS devices using AirPlay and Home Sharing, and can also connect to the iTunes Store and other services, including Netflix, Vimeo, Major League Baseball, NBA, NHL and YouTube. It can also be used to stream music or share photos. iPhone 4S and iPad 2 or later users can use AirPlay Mirroring to show their screen contents on the Apple TV.
The previous-generation model, which looks similar, was limited to 720p video resolution. Inside is the A5 microprocessor used in some iPhones and iPad models. Like the previous-generation model, it requires a TV set with HDMI interface in order to work.
Apple unleashed the original iPad two years ago, selling millions and silencing tablet-market naysayers. As Apple prepares to unveil the third version of its tablet on Wednesday, its rivals are still stuck at the starting line.
Just last month, Samsung’s head of product strategy admitted they’re “not doing very well in the tablet market.” Now companies are trying to blur the lines with “phablets” – devices that are too large to be conventional cell phones, too small to replace the iPad. Everyone’s looking for a way to knock Apple out of the top spot, but no one has succeeded yet.
The kids’ e-book market is still nascent, with e-books making up just about three percent of children’s book sales. That could change now that Scholastic, the world’s largest children’s book publishers, is digitizing the majority of its list and releasing an e-reading app, “Storia,” that includes a large e-bookstore and lets kids read e-books based on their reading level.
Storia has launched in beta for Windows PCs, and an iPad version is expected to be released later this month. The app officially launches this fall. Scholastic has a huge foothold with school aged kids – its influence to grow the e-book market for children should not be underestimated.
All of this knowledge leads to something inevitable: an initial letdown amongst some. This now seems to be a regular occurrence at Apple events. Again, people have gotten better at guessing what’s coming, but they want to be surprised. And yet, despite these “letdowns”, Apple is doing better than ever.
MG does a good job of articulating some of the problems associated with a tech press that in many ways lives and dies by Apple rumors and its news cycle. He doesn’t offer many solutions, but it’s comforting to see him observing and articulating many of the same problems that I see in the business: The rumor hype, the post-coital depression, the second-guessing, and the backbiting that plagues this industry.
Speaking with Christoph Pohlmann of Acer’s laptop team, we learned that the current $799 / €699 price for the Aspire S3 is too low for Acer to actually generate any profit from it. The company is merely breaking even when selling its entry-level ultrabook model and the venture is only made worthwhile by the higher-specced SKUs pulling in a surplus.
The company’s aiming for $500, but don’t count on it before 2013.
A whole new world of magic animals, brave young princes and evil witches has come to light with the discovery of 500 new fairytales, which were locked away in an archive in Regensburg, Germany for over 150 years.While sifting through the local historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth work, cultural curator Erika Eichenseer found 500 fairytales, many of which do not appear in other European fairytale collections. For example, there is the tale of a maiden who escapes a witch by transforming herself into a pond. The witch then lies on her stomach and drinks all the water, swallowing the young girl, who uses a knife to cut her way out of the witch.
I’ve always been a fan of reading the fairy tales we think we know in their “original form”. I hope these will be published soon.
Today, we are pleased to announce the release of Skype 5.6 for Mac. Please download the latest Skype for Mac to ensure you’re receiving the best quality from Skype on your Mac.New features and improvements in Skype 5.6 for Mac include:Automatic Updates Improved UI for group video calling New full screen mode in OS X Lion Ability to delete conversations Ability to disable Audio Gain Control
Amazon is offering surprisingly high bounties for used iPads, proving that even the bottom feeders of Apple’s tablet line-up still generate significant public interest.As at press time [sic], Amazon’s partner merchants were offering as much as $500 for a like-new iPad 2 with 3G or $320 for a first-gen iPad, depending on features and conditions. The used devices are typically either refurbished or sold as-is, often through Amazon. Sellers don’t receive cash, but rather store credit — a nice way for Amazon to ensure it retains you as a customer, and benefits more than once from the buy-back transaction.
But despite EasyDNS and others’ outrage, the U.S. government says it’s gone that route hundreds of times. Furthermore, it says it has the right to seize any .com, .net and .org domain name because the companies that have the contracts to administer them are based on United States soil, according to Nicole Navas, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman.
This has potentially chilling implications for companies with .com, .net and org domain registrations that may have thought they were out of reach of the US government because they don’t technically operate on U.S. soil. And as seizures like this continue to occur, it adds to a continued debate on the internationalization of domain name registration.
Spectre Media on Tuesday announced the development of Starship Troopers: Invasion, coming this summer on iOS. Based on the movie franchise, this marks the debut of Starship Troopers-related games on the iOS platform.
The game puts you in the role of a space marine on the distant Federation outpost Fort Casey. You’re part of a defense unit trying to protect Fort Casey from the Arachnids – a race of vicious insectoid aliens. You have power armor and upgradable weaponry to help carry out your mission.
It’s an arcade action game with integrated Game Center support, with achievements and leader boards. Spectre Media says a Mac version is also planned, with support for Android and other platforms also intended.
And unless you accuse the media of being biased towards Apple products, you should have figured out by now that none of us even care. Who cares. Nobody cares. We are all so jaded and cynical that if cow shit brought in an audience, we would all be sitting in a pasture, DSLRs in hand, waiting breathlessly for the next patty to fall. Or at least, many of us would.We cover what we cover because it’s what you want us to cover. And as long as the audience comes in, we’ll be there to receive you.
Electronic Arts (EA) has temporarily pulled its newest iOS game based on the popular “The Simpsons” cartoon – The Simpsons: Tapped Out. While existing users can still play it, you won’t be able to download it from the App Store for a little while while EA addresses some back-end server issues.
“To ensure current players have the best possible experience, we’ve temporarily removed The Simpsons: Tapped Out from the App Store to limit the game’s server capacity to its current players and address connectivity and lag time issues,” reads a statement posted by the company.
The free-to-play game features the characters and situations you’ve come to expect from the long-running Fox prime-time television series. This time around, you’re trying to rebuild Springfield from scratch after Home destroys the town in an accident at his employer – the nuclear power plant. You have to rebuild the town by executing a sequence of missions involving characters from the show.
EA uses its own Origin service to manage social network connectivity for its games, and that’s where the problem lies – apparently Tapped Out has been more popular than EA expected, and they haven’t been able to keep up with demand. So their solution is to pull the game from the App Store until they work their server issues out.
It’s the second high-profile iOS problem for EA in recent weeks. The company recently announced that it pulled an iOS game based on its enormously popular Battlefield video game franchise due to technical problems – but unlike the Simpsons game, the Battlefield game won’t be coming back any time soon.
Verizon Wireless on Tuesday announced the launch of HomeFusion Broadband, a new wireless access service that uses Verizon’s 4G LTE technology to provide residential dwellings with high-speed wireless Internet access.
Developed as an alternative to cable or FIOS, for homes that can get neither, HomeFusion Broadband works using a cylinder-shaped antenna that’s connected to the exterior of the home. Inside are multiple antennas that pick up Verizon’s 4G LTE signal. A broadband router included as part of the installation enable users to connect up to four wired and 20 wireless devices via Wi-Fi.
The service launches in Birmingham, Ala., Dallas and Nashville, Tenn. with other markets to follow. Usage plans start at $59.99 per month for 10GB of access. A one-time equipment fee of $199.99 is charged, though Verizon doesn’t charge for installation.
MariO is a brilliant and strange new creation you can find for download from Stabyourself.net. It’s a mashup of Nintendo’s classic Super Mario Bros. platform game with Portal. That’s right – Mario now has a portal gun, which he can use to transport between different spots on the level, and various puzzle points on the menu have been worked to take advantage of this new gameplay mechanic.
The free game comes complete with four-player multiplayer coop gameplay, a level editor and downloadable map packs. It’s available for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux.
I’d recommend grabbing it soon, because I can’t see Nintendo’s lawyers sitting down on this one for too long.
Senator Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, says Apple and Google have agreed to meet with him to discuss a privacy loophole on smartphones that gives apps unfettered access to people’s personal photos.
Neither Apple nor Google offered the Times any additional info, but Schumer says the companies “were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.” Schumer said over the weekend that he’d get the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) involved. An FTC spokesperson confirmed they’ve received the letter.
A subsidiary of a company that shares patent-licensing revenue with Microsoft Corp. has sued Apple Inc. for infringement, adding another wrinkle to the ongoing intellectual-property wars among technology giants.Luxembourg-based Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l. filed a complaint in a Texas court last week alleging that Apple has infringed on eight patents related to wireless communications in multiple versions of its iPhone and iPad.
Core Wireless is looking for damages and future royalty payments.
