Archive for August, 2010

Apple has posted a new job listing looking for a marketing manager specifically for the iBookstore. The listing seeks an experienced business marketer "to drive awareness and sales of iBooks through co-marketing programs with publishers and authors, strategic partnerships, and via online and direct marketing tactics." It seems like a lot of the position will be self-driven, as whoever's chosen will be asked to come up with some interesting schemes to push iBook sales, both with publishers, and even across the other divisions of iTunes. But the bottom line is of course sales -- Apple wants someone to push iBooks, specifically in the US.

Researchers at the University of Michigan have created a display with nanometer-thin sheets of metal (called nanoresonators) that use slits to create pixels eight times smaller than the pixels currently on the iPhone 4. To show off their work, the University of Michigan researchers created their school's logo on a display only 9 microns tall (a strand of human hair is about 100 microns wide).

Crazy. You have to wonder what an iPhone-sized display would look like with a resolution like that (or if we'd even tell the difference, given that our eyes have a limit on the amount of detail they can discern). Obviously, such  display would probably cost a lot more than the iPhone 4 actually does.

iTunes users will be able to sample a minute of a song before purchasing. Currently, iTunes song samples are limited to 30 seconds.

The report said that the addition of more sample time is one of a number of expected changes to iTunes, aimed at helping users discover music. It is rumored that Apple will spend "a large part" of its 1st September  special event detailing how the new iTunes improves the user experience. But Apple is not expected to introduce a cloud-based iTunes service, which would allow users to stream music to devices such as the iPhone.

Apple and its  iAds mobile advertising service are the target of a new lawsuit from a company that owns a patent related to location-based ads. Apple was named in the lawsuit from StreetSpace, along with Quattro Wireless, which is now being phased out in favor of iAds. Other defendants include Google, AdMob, Nokia, Navteq, Millenial Media and Jumptap.

StreetSpace is the creator of a remote Internet terminal the Web Station. Users can walk up to one of these terminals to access the Internet, and are delivered targeted advertisements in the process. The suit alleges that iAds service, launched on July 1, is in violation of StreetSpace patent because it delivers personalized advertisements based on a user's location, profile and usage history.

Related to that invention is U.S. Patent No. 6,847,969, which StreetSpace has alleged Apple is in violation of. Named "Method and System for Providing Personalized Online Services and Advertisements in Public Spaces," it was granted on Jan. 25, 2005.

The two pictures of airplane propellers seem absolutely unreal. Yet, it is no Photoshop – just the iPhone and its Rolling Shutter Effect.

The photos were made by Soren Ragsdale and Jason Mullins, and they represent the iPhone’s way of image acquisition.

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Apple’s Special Event is just 2 days away, and fresh iPod rumors appear each day. Late last week there was a leak of information about a smaller iPod nano. Now there are more images from Asian websites showing screen protectors and additional cases, supposedly for a next-generation iPod nano as well.

One of the images is detailed enough, so we can try to establish some of the main features of the forthcoming device. In the edge of case there is a long slot that is certainly meant for Apple’s dock-connector, expected in the new iPod nano. The opposite edge is occupied by an elongated hole – most probably the slot for the on/off buton or the hold switch, like we can see on the already-existing iPod models.

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Who knew that credit card processing would be the new hotness for smartphones? The Square mobile payment system has been making waves by letting small businesses receive credit card payment directly on their smartphones. Now, mophie and Intuit are looking to get in on the same action with their Complete Card Solution for iPhone. It's a $179 package that includes both mophie's card-swiping phone case and the 3.0 version of Intuit's GoPayment app. After a quick application users are said to be approved (or, erm, declined) within 15 minutes and can immediately start accepting payments.

A single account can also cover up to 50 users, meaning an entire sales team could be equipped with these devices. But this case, which encrypts every credit card number before it gets to the phone, will only work with the iPhone 3G/S.

Dan Wineman’s concept, above, for an iOS-powered Apple TV/iTV remote that’s essentially an iPod touch without the screen, is interesting. Same accelerometer/gyro, same multitouch, same home button.

Such remote is gesture-based. Tap to pause, swipe left to rewind, swipe right to fast-forward. Slide up or down to adjust volume. Home key to exit to the menu, which you navigate by flicking and tapping.

John Gruber still isn’t sure if any intermediated device could work (though given you’ll be sitting 10 feet away, one certainly will have to). But the idea is pretty interesting. And if Apple does go for something like this, however, you just know they’d call it Magic iRemote.

According to iLounge, at this week’s event Apple is planning to unveil its new 2.8-inch iPod touch sporting the same resolution as latest versions of the device. It is said that the current Nano’s screen is a bit smaller, only 2.4 inches. At the same time it is running on the same processor (although it has less RAM).

The idea is pretty good, because it will help fill the gap between your Nano and Shuffle devices.

Some users believe that they would have difficulties in typing on 2.8-inch iPod touch, but we are sure that kids will really appreciate it. And the price is pretty funny, right?

Yet it is a very interesting concept. Just imagine Wi-Fi, web browser, email, 250, 000 applications from the App Store, maps, videos, photos and much more for $ 100 dollars. Is it tempting?

Some users say that they have problems, while trying to use the JailbreakMe.com service. They simply can not browse the site! We decided to solve this issue, so you can unlock iPod touches, iPads and iPhones. Follow these instructions to achieve a positive result!

Step 1: Instead of typing http://www.jailbreakme.com, enter http://jailbreakme.com/index.html, it will take you directly to the site that really works.

Step 2: If the above does not work, use the Canadian extension as follows http://www.jailbreakme.ca. App Advice claims that it is a mirror redirecting you to the current website version.

In addition, remember that JailbreakMe will work only on your Apple devices, running on iOS 3.2.1/iOS 4.0.1 or below.

Steve Jobs introduces the Think Different Ad campaign and explains how a brand can become successful.

Enjoy the video below…

Both iPad Wi-Fi + 3G and iPad Wi-Fi can now be shipped in 24 hours, as is listed at Apple’s online store. And it concerns not just the US but also international stores in the UK and Canada.

Ever since its launch, the supplies of Apple’s new device, proclaimed “magical and revolutionary”, have been very low. This lead to delays in rollouts and rumors said that the reason was the IPS panels which just couldn’t be produced fast enough for the demand.

Either the demand slowed, or the production finally rose. We’ll find that out with the next quarter’s results.

2 years and 49 days after it was opened, the US App Store has passed the milestone of 250,000 applications. According to the chart, the largest categories are Books, with 17% of all applications; Games with 14% and Entertainment with 11%.

Recently Royal Pingdom determined that 70% of all App Store applications are paid. At the same time, 64% of the Android Marketplace are free.

These statistics are likely to be discussed further on September 1^st at Apple’s Special Event.

According to the first-hand information in China, China Unicom is currently advertising services for jailbreaking when you buy the iPhone 4. Quite intriguing, right? Thanks to online services such as Jailbreakme.com, jailbreaking has become much easier and it seems that the Chinese carrier of cell phones can realize this service, turning it into a great marketing scheme.

According M.I.C. Gadget, the advertisement is as follows: "Support Service: Free SIM-trimming, jailbreaking, installing more than ten hot applications."

However, with jailbreaking, China Unicom also offers free cases for your iPhone 4 with purchase, so buyers will not have to use the Apple's case program.

Every day we continue receiving new messages about the  iPod nano with 1.8 inch screen. Some users even think that Apple is planning to release a new wrist watch called iWatch. Although it does not mean that if it releases the device, all children will wear it on their wrists. The most interesting is that some users already wear their iPod nano on their wrists!

We suppose that the new device may sport FM radio or even a camera, though unlikely. It will be priced at $ 100 or less. Can we really wait for it next week?