August 17, 2011
Tony Iommi on a Rolling Stone story published yesterday:
I’m saddened that a Birmingham journalist whom I trusted has chosen this point in time to take a conversation we had back in June and make it sound like we spoke yesterday about a Black Sabbath reunion.At the time I was supporting the Home of Metal exhibition and was merely speculating, shooting the breeze, on something all of us get asked constantly, “Are you getting back together?”Thanks to the internet it’s gone round the world as some sort of “official” statement on my part, absolute nonsense. I hope he’s enjoyed his moment of glory, he won’t have another at my expense.To my old pals, Ozzy, Geezer and Bill, sorry about this, I should have known better.All the best, Tony
I’ve seen Sabbath a couple of times and love their show. It would be incredible to have another album from the pioneers of heavy metal.
Tablets have been around for years, and while there was a lot of interest in what the platform could do, they never really caught on. It wasn’t until Apple released the iPad that tablets became a popular device. (more…)
August 16, 2011
Arik Hesseldahl:
According to one source who’s seen internal HP reports, Best Buy has taken delivery of 270,000 TouchPads and has so far managed to sell only 25,000, or less than 10 percent of the units in its inventory.A second person who has seen Best Buy’s TouchPad sales figures confirmed the results as “consistent with what I’ve seen,” and went so far as to say that 25,000 sold might be “charitable.” This source suggested that the 25,000-unit sales number may not account for units that consumers return to stores for a refund.
It’s not the year of the tablet, it’s the year of the iPad.
Apple on Tuesday released an update to OS X Lion to version 10.7.1 – the update is available through the Software Update system preference, and is recommended for all Lion users. (more…)
MacUser (UK):
A court in Düsseldorf has lifted the injunction it granted Apple last week, which prevented Samsung from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in all European Union countries except the Netherlands.The initial injunction banned Samsung’s Korean-based parent company and its German subsidiary from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the EU.The injunction was lifted after Samsung complained that the court did not have the authority to issue an injunction on its parent company. The injunction on the German subsidiary remains in place. Samsung’s appeal against the initial ruling, which found that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 had infringed Apple patents, will be heard on 25 August.
It was only last week that the preliminary injunction was put in place. It’s important to note that this decision is largely procedural – it doesn’t go to the heart of Apple’s complaint, which is that Samsung infringed on Apple’s design with the Galaxy Tab 10.1. The two companies are set to square off in court again on August 25th, so we’ll surely hear more from both sides then.
Macworld:
Kagi, a popular payment processor for independent software developers, recently began selling a $5 Lion-compatibility patch for the discontinued-in-2008 VisualHub video converter that the original software’s developer says he didn’t authorize—and isn’t getting paid for. Kagi defends the move, arguing that it’s merely helping less tech-savvy paying customers that it says the developer abandoned.
TUAW also reports on this. Bottom line: Techspansion, the company behind VisualHub, isn’t associated with this updater and has asked customers not to use it. Under those circumstances, Kagi’s justification for continuing to offer it is questionable at best. Until this is resolved, caveat emptor.
The Mac Observer:
Given that comforting sanity check, I measured the diameter of the Apple spaceship as 1615 ft, plus or minus a few ft., depending on where one places the ruler. That’s a radius of 807.5 ft.So, if one could magically fly the future Apple spaceship to Arlington, VA and hover over the Pentagon, it would just slightly cover it.
Apple has more cash on hand than the U.S. government, so this seems appropriate.
John Gruber on Dan Lyons’ crap story:
Another way to look at this story, then, is that maybe Google really did want those Nortel patents, and when they didn’t get them, they knew they were in a worse position than ever, patent-wise, with Android. And then Motorola started threatening — publicly, just this month — to wage patent warfare against other Android handset makers. And started talking about support for Windows Phone. We now know that while Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha and badass 11-percent-of-the-company shareholder Carl Icahn were making these threats to wage a patent civil war against other Android handset makers, they were actively negotiating with Google on a buyout. Does anyone, Lyons included, think it’s a coincidence that these stories — not based on speculation but on-the-record statements by the CEO and the company’s biggest shareholder — came out one week before this acquisition was announced?
And MG Siegler on the same story:
This all begs the question: over the past two years, would you have gained more knowledge by reading Lyons, or by having your head up your own ass?Tough call.
GamesIndustry.biz:
[Crytek managing director Avni] Yerli agreed that tablets offer more, stating: “I can see that the multifunctions that devices like tablets offer is a big advantage of them. And I think people want one mobile device that can do multiple things.“Considering this, I think those handhelds are lacking in that area and they are losing ground, actually. I think they have to be more innovative.”
Crytek is the German video game development studio behind the CryEngine, video game technology used to create hit games including Far Cry, and the Crysis series. So far the company’s bet heavily on Windows and Xbox 360, but it seems that even they can see the writing on the walls: the future of portable gaming can lie with devices like the iPad rather than dedicated handheld systems like Sony’s forthcoming PlayStation Vita.
Reuters:
Smartphone maker HTC Corp sued Apple Inc, claiming infringement of three patents through Apple’s sale of Macintosh computers, iPads, iPods, iPhones and other devices.
Back and forth, back and forth. Repeat.
Apple on Tuesday made the OS X Lion USB Thumb Drive available from its online store. (more…)
August 15, 2011
Fusion Garage, the company behind the ill-fated JooJoo tablet, is back again. This time the company has unveiled two new products – the Grid 4 and Grid 10 – a smartphone and tablet, respectively. (more…)
Unless Google’s partners are completely stupid, they spent most of the day figuring out which mobile operating system they will use next. (more…)
The Loop reader, Mike Defrancesco, sent in a few pictures of Apple’s new retail location as workers begin construction. He also put together a nice panorama, so you get a better view of the store’s location.
BGR.com:
“We are supportive of Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility as this is a positive development to the Android ecosystem, which we believe is beneficial to HTC’s promotion of Android phones,” an HTC spokesperson told BGR on Monday. “The partnership between HTC and Google remains strong and will not be affected by this acquisition.”
Bullshit.
Line25:
One of the things we all admire as designers is typography. Some love the clean and crisp lines of sans-serif typefaces while others are passionate about the sophisticated and stylish curves of serif fonts. This showcase rounds up a collection of website designs that all feature some kind of sexy serif heading or title.
I’m not a Web designer, but I love looking at what good designers come up with.
Google’s Press release:
“We welcome today’s news, which demonstrates Google’s deep commitment to defending Android, its partners, and the ecosystem.”
– J.K. Shin
President, Samsung, Mobile Communications Division“I welcome Google‘s commitment to defending Android and its partners.”
– Bert Nordberg
President & CEO, Sony Ericsson“We welcome the news of today‘s acquisition, which demonstrates that Google is deeply committed to defending Android, its partners, and the entire ecosystem.”
– Peter Chou
CEO, HTC Corp.“We welcome Google‘s commitment to defending Android and its partners.”
– Jong-Seok Park, Ph.D
President & CEO, LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company
Seriously? Sounds like they have a gun to their head.
The Next Web:
Motorola Mobility spun off as an independent company from Motorola back in January, and at that time it announced it had over 24,000 patents ‘granted and pending’, though it’s thought its actual existing portfolio is around the 17,000 mark. These will now belong to Google.
Should Apple start crying about how unfair it is that they get all these patents like Google did last week with the Nortel patents?
Reuters:
Google Inc said it will buy phone hardware maker Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc for $12.5 billion in cash to bolster the adoption of its Android mobile software.
The mobile wars heat up a little bit.
August 13, 2011
AppleInsider:
The city is currently in the midst of its review process of Apple’s plans. The first step of the review involves an environmental impact assessment that will evaluate traffic, noise, air quality and will provide the public with an opportunity for comment. Apple’s proposal would then undergo a development review and public hearings at the Planning Commission and the City Council.
Wow.
August 12, 2011
Millennial Media has published its quarterly S.M.A.R.T. report, which shows that Apple’s iPhone has been at the top of the smartphone platform for three years running when it comes to mobile advertising, at least. The iPod touch and iPad both ranked well in Millennial Media’s list, also. (more…)
Greg Bensinger at WSJ.com:
The decision means the device hasn’t yet found any support from the three largest U.S. wireless carriers, which includes AT&T and Verizon Wireless. Without their backing, RIM will have to bear the burden of sales and marketing support for the device, as well as application development.In contrast, Apple’s market-dominating iPad is advertised and supported by both AT&T and Verizon Wireless, and the tablet is displayed prominently in stores.
And that’s what happens when you rush a product to market without the features that people want. Nobody will touch it.
Reports began to surface yesterday that Apple would hold a special event on September 7 to launch the new iPhone, but that’s not happening. (more…)
GamePolitics.com:
U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories took a 20 percent nosedive in July to $707.7 million, hurt by a combination of less demand for video game consoles and no major game title released during the month, according to market research firm NPD Group.
Is anyone actually surprised? Consumer confidence is in the toilet. People can’t find jobs, people who have jobs are terrified they’ll lose them, the dollar is taking a beating, and Congress and the President are faring incredibly poorly in polls. No one has an incentive to spend money, especially on discretionary items like games.
Brad Linder:
Dell has stopped selling the Dell Streak 5 inch Android tablet/smartphone. The original Streak launched last year as Dell’s first Android product. It blurred the lines between a tablet and a phone by pairing a reasonably large 5 inch, 800 x 480 pixel display with cellular capabilities.
Apple just keeps putting the smack down on Dell.
Reuters:
Authorities in China’s southwestern city of Kunming have identified another 22 unauthorized Apple retailers weeks after a fake of the company’s store in the city sparked an international storm.China’s Administration for Industry and Commerce in the Yunnan provincial capital said the stores have been ordered to stop using Apple’s logo after Apple China accused them of unfair competition and violating its registered trademark, state media said on Thursday.
In July an American traveling in China exposed stores in Kunming as fakes despite their realistic looks, straight down to the blue t-shirts worn by the employees. Apple only operates four stores in the country – two in Beijing and two in Shanghai. Those stores were ordered closed. Apple responded by suing operators of fake stores, as well.
Kunming is the capital of China’s Yunnan province. It’s home to more than 6.8 million people – almost twice the population of Los Angeles, Calif. – and serves as an important commercial hub for people traveling throughout southern China and into neighboring Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam, Burma and Laos.
August 11, 2011
GamePro:
Our iPhones and iPads have more than enough original apps to keep us obsessed with mobile gaming. Some of the greatest games on iOS, though, are ports of PC or other portable titles we can get on the cheap. iOS ports have the benefits of easier portability than a PC, a sharper display than, say, aNintendo DS, and cheaper prices all around. Poking around iTunes with a bit of gaming knowledge will undoubtedly lead to the discovery of a familiar game, a famous brand, or a beloved character from elsewhere. These are the best of that lot–and they’re a good lot, indeed.
In two short pages, GamePro covers a pretty broad swath of games, ranging from the adult-oriented Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars to Telltale adventure games. Check out the list to get some ideas for fun stuff to play on your iPhone or iPad this weekend.
A headline on a Bloomberg story written specifically to garner page views offer a prime example of how sloppy reporting and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) manipulation can converge to generate a veritable rumor storm in the Mac blogosphere. (more…)
Mark Dean, the chief engineer of IBM’s original IBM PC, says that his main computer is now a tablet – though he failed to disclose which model he uses. (more…)
HP has cut the price of its entry-level TouchPad tablet from $499 to $399. The news comes on the heels of a weekend promotion knocked $100 off the original price. (more…)
