Reuters:
Research In Motion shares fell to a seven-year low in Toronto on Wednesday as the market digested further evidence of the smartphone maker’s declining share of the lucrative U.S. market.
How much more evidence do you need?
It’s a universal app for iPhone and iPad and it’s free from the App Store.
Retrospect – the long-time backup software for Mac and Windows – has been spun off as an independent company. The eponymous software publisher has also announced the release of Retrospect 9 for Mac.
Retrospect 9 features data de-duplication, network backup of Mac, Windows and Linux computers, and new support of cloud-based storage: Retrospect 9 can now target any WebDAV-compatible storage system, including services from providers like Egnyte and Dreamhost.
Retrospect’s network backup client for Intel-based Macs has been reworked in the new release; it’s 64-bit and uses optional AES-256 encryption for sending backup data to the Retrospect server. It allows users to initiate backups and restores either from the desktop or the Retrospect Client preferences pane. Users can be notified of backup operations through Growl.
Also new in this release are improvements to performance, task workflows, user interface elements and reliability.
Retrospect 9 goes on sale in boxes at the end of November. Upgrades from previous releases are available – free if you purchased Retrospect 8 on or after July 20, 2011.
Prices for the full version range from $129 to $1,669 depending on desktop and server configurations. More details are available from the Retrospect Web site.
Retrospect started life in the 1990s as a backup software app for the Mac from Dantz Development Corp. Dantz was acquired by EMC Corp. in 2004, which published the software until Roxio acquired Retrospect in 2010.
Bloomberg:
Telefonica Czech Republic AS won’t sell Apple’s new iPhone 4S and will end sales of all Apple’s models because of Apple’s business terms, Hospodarske Noviny reported, citing Telefonica’s local spokesman Hany Farghali.
That might be a good business decision if the competition wasn’t selling the iPhone. Vodafone and T-Mobile will both be selling the iPhone in that country.
Om Malik:
The service, which costs $19 a month, will allow you to make VoIP phone calls over Wi-Fi and will switch to cellular-based calling when a Wi-Fi network is unavailable.
Mat Honan for Gizmodo:
Mobile devices are turning us all into reporters. The citizen journalist hasn’t been such an important player since the days of the American Revolution. That’s largely been a cell phone phenomena; everyday people can both record and broadcast information widely, and in narrow channels.When conditions at Occupy Oakland turned violent, I didn’t go to the San Francisco Chronicle, which had a paucity of static information. I didn’t turn to the local TV networks (one of which was off-air for a helicopter refuel), I went to Twitter and YouTube, which gave me a steady stream of reportage, video and photos from the ground, describing events as they happened.
So true. Think about how many major news items you’ve heard about on Twitter or Facebook over the past couple of years and compare that to how many you heard about on TV or radio. I usually hear about the event on Twitter and then turn on CNN and watch the two together.
Josh Ong for AppleInsider:
A British Employment Tribunal has upheld Apple’s decision to dismiss a retail store employee who violated company policy by posting derogatory comments about his employer on the Facebook social networking site.
You can’t break the rules and then complain the rules are unfair. Well, you can, but…
Testament, Megadeth, Arch Enemy, Exodus, Killswitch Engage and Devildriver all call the same man to lay the final hand on their albums: Britain’s Andy Sneap. This highly in-demand producer/engineer has worked on numerous Grammy Award-nominated albums, is known worldwide for having produced some of the heaviest releases this last decade and has had an instrumental role in shaping the sound of metal music as we know it in the new millennium. Now Toontrack is proud to present the first ever drum sample library to bear his unmistakable seal; Metal Machine EZX.
This is what I love about Toontrack. They go out and get the best engineers and drummers and work with them for their drum packages. As users, we end up getting the best sounding drums that Toontrack can provide. That’s commitment to its customers.
John Gruber responding to criticism about how Microsoft wasted time publishing concept videos:
Putting this “Future Visions” video in public squanders attention that Microsoft could otherwise have focused on its current and imminent new products — like Windows Phone. Take a new iPhone 4S and a Windows Phone 7.5 device back in time 20 years and they might seem equally impressive to a pair of 1991 eyes. But one of them sold more in a weekend than the other does in an entire financial quarter.
It’s hard to argue with that.
Whether you stood in early-morning lines, pre-ordered far in advance, or are still waiting for that package to arrive at your doorstep, let the editors at Macworld help you get to know Apple’s new smartphone with our free iPhone 4S Starter Guide, now available for download from the iBookstore.
Ben Brooks:
Wouldn’t it just be far more convenient if there was a global search, that when used, returned a result that said: Apocalypse Now is available on both iTunes and your Netflix account, there are also 43 results on YouTube. Perhaps it even states whether buying from iTunes would be a higher resolution or not, but let’s not get greedy here.Wouldn’t that be a far better user experience, and potentially more lucrative for Apple?
Yes, Yes, YES!
Google changed the look of Gmail this afternoon. Just log into your Gmail account and look at the bottom right corner — click the switch button and you’re done.
WSJ:
But the low-key Mr. Cook has already put his operational mark on Apple in ways that suggest the company won’t be entirely the same as under its intense and tempestuous co-founder.
Things had to change. Tim is not Steve and he won’t manage the company the same way — and he shouldn’t.
Universal Audio (UA) is proud to release UAD Software v6.1, featuring the new MXR Flanger/Doubler Plug-In, the Little Labs Voice of God (VOG) Bass Resonance Tool, plus enhancements to Pro Tools workflow and the Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder Plug-In.
My favorite audio company has another great round of plug-in releases. Anything from UA is worth checking out.
I will join Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and author Walter Isaacson as speakers at the 2012 Apple Investor Summit in Los Angeles, Calif. The event will be held March 15-16 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Summit organizers are offering a “friends, family & followers” discount until November 4, so if you want to sign-up, you can get can a discount until Friday.
Woz will give attendees some early Apple stories and personal stories about Steve Jobs. There will be a book signing with Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson and he will talk about the Jobs interview tapes.
I will be talking about the blogosphere and how it has changed the way we look at Apple and technology. There will be many other speakers too, like Horace Dediu and Jim Goldman.
Of course, there will be lots of investor talk as well. It’s going to be a lot of fun.
Feral Interactive has released LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars for the Mac. The game costs $29.99 and is available for download from various online distributors including the Mac App Store. You can also order the game in box form.
LEGO Star Wars III features single-player and a cooperative multiplayer mode that lets the second player drop in and drop out whenever they want. A new customizable “Arcade Mode” offers head-to-head combat, and new abilities let player slice using a lightsaber or perform lightsaber jumps, squad command, long-distance Jedi attacks and more.
System requirements include a 1.4GHz or faster Intel-based Mac with 2GB RAM, 128MB or better 3D graphics and Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later. Some Intel, ATI and Nvidia graphics not supported – check the site for specific details.
Wow, this is incredible.
Apple on Tuesday announced the release of GarageBand for iPhone and iPod touch.
Previously available for the iPad, GarageBand allows musicians to plug in their guitar to Apple’s devices and create songs on-the-go. The new version is a universal app, which means one app will work on all devices.
GarageBand also comes with some enhancements over the last version. You can now create custom chords for Smart Instruments; you can transpose songs in semitones or full octaves; the app has support for for 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures; you can reset song key without transposing original recordings; and the app has new audio export quality settings for AAC and AIFF (Uncompressed).
GarageBand runs on iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPod touch (3rd & 4th generation). The app is available from the App Store for $4.99.
Twelve South’s latest creation is the PlugBug, a wall charger that piggybacks onto the power adapter included with all MacBooks and enables you to charge an iPhone or an iPad while charging your laptop simultaneously. It costs $34.99.
The PlugBug makes it possible for you to leave your iPad’s separate power adapter behind when you travel, and it also frees up a USB slot on your Mac. What’s more, the PlugBug works independently of the MacBook power adapter – you can just plug it into the wall instead.
The PlugBug gets its unusual red color from author Guy Kawasaki, who was shown an early prototype and suggested the color so the PlugBug could be seen from across the room.
Apple said it would launch the service by the end of October. Clearly they missed that.
Marco Arment on magazines that charge for digital versions and have ads:
It’s no wonder ad-free traditional-style magazines are so difficult to fund. But that doesn’t change my dissatisfaction with flipping past ads every few pages as I’m trying to read the articles I paid $4.99 for.
The more I think about, the more I like the suggestion from Shadoe Huard that magazines should make sections available for purchase. Like Marco, I often skip through sections of magazines, but I may buy sports or music if given the opportunity.
Pangea Software has announced the release of Monkey Bongo, a new game for iOS. It normally costs $2.99 but is on sale for 99 cents for a limited time.
Monkey Bongo is a physics-based puzzle game in which you throw bananas at toucans while swinging on vines, blowing up crates of TNT and solving puzzles. The game features 50 levels and five different worlds.
The game runs on iOS 4.3 or later and is universal, so it runs natively on iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. If you’re working on an iOS 5 device paired with a second-generation Apple TV, you can also stream the game over AirPlay, so you can view it on your TV set. It’s Game Center-compatible, so you can compete for high scores against your friends.
A nice look at the built-in image editing features in iOS 5 from Dave Caolo.
It’s available from iTunes. Go get it.
Apple’s iOS is continues to grow, as it reached an all-time high among mobile operating systems accessing the Web in October.
According to data by Net Applications, iOS showed 61.64 percent share in October, a 6.99 percent increase over the 54.65 percent share it held in September.
Apple’s closest competitor in October was from Google’s Android operating system, which was at 18.9 percent, some 42.74 percent behind Apple. Android’s share grew 2.64 percent from September, which was at 16.26 percent.
Apple has grown from 49.19 percent in December 2010 to its all-time high of 61.64 percent in October. iOS has held the lead every month.
AP:
The Who’s Pete Townshend on Monday branded Apple Inc.’s iTunes a “digital vampire” that profits from music without supporting the artists who create it.Townshend said that faced with the Internet’s demolition of established copyright protections, iTunes should offer some of the services to artists that record labels and music publishers used to provide.
Come on Pete. Apple is giving bands the chance to sell their music. Many of these artists wouldn’t have that chance without iTunes. Apple isn’t responsible for the demolition of copyrights, they are the company that is helping people to legally purchase music. iTunes is helping artists.
Billboard:
“Like John Lennon, the man I love deeply, Steve Jobs was a dreamer who changed the world,” Ono is expected to say during the online awards ceremony that begins Oct. 31 at 8:30 p.m. PT at www.omusicawards.com. “But of course when we lose a genius of that caliber, they are never really gone. They live on all around us, through our memories, their words, and their work. Their spirit grows in us forever to the end of the days.”
John Gruber:
Apple is only going to get serious about TV if they find a way to get past that paradigm.
Exactly. The paradigm is traditional TV as we know it. Turn on the TV and watch whatever is there. Apple feels that model is broken and until that changes, the company won’t enter the market in a big way. However, if Apple has figured out a way around that model, look out.
Mitch Kapor’s Posterous:
Being meritocratic is a really worthy aspiration, but will require active mitigation of individual and organizational bias. The operation of hidden bias in our cognitive apparatus is a well-documented phenomenon in neuroscience. We may think we are acting rationally and objectively, but our brains deceive us.
Lotus Development Corp. and Electronic Frontier Foundation founder Mitch Kapor is responding to a new installment of “Black in America” airing on CNN in which TechCrunch founder and high tech investor Michael Arrington is quoted as saying that he didn’t know any black entrepreneurs. Kapor posits that while overt 1950’s-era racism against blacks isn’t apparent in Silicon Valley, there does appear to be a bias in investors that makes them favor people like themselves:
If “young, white, geeky, and Stanford/Harvard/MIT dropout”, then “invest”, is a kind of mental shortcut that is anything but objective. This is mirror-tocracy not meritocracy.