Archive for 2010
Word Lens Offers Real Time Language Translation
Word Lens is an eye-catching iOS app for the iPhone and iPod touch. It is based on an augmented reality technology and offers real time translation of text. The only thing you need to do is just to point your device's video camera at a sign and the program translates and superimposes the translated text onto the video in real time. Now available only language packs for Spanish to English and English to Spanish for $4.99 each. More language packs are in the works. Text is translated on a word-by-word basis, so context is not taken into account.
Apple Prepping for iWork '11 Mac App Store Launch
Apple may refresh an iWork pretty soon. Some Apple Store Employees report that “there is no iWork on the shelves, no iWork in stock and none on the way”. A quick check to Amazon shows none in stock there. Family packs are only available. Meanwhile, Apple's online store auto-completes "iWork 11" as a possibility when searching for "iWork". Perhaps, Apple is planning on launching iWork '11 alongside the Mac App Store. Apple promised to launch the Mac App Store on January 6th, 2011.
Apple Will Open Its Mac App Store On Jan. 6 In 90 Countries
Yesterday Apple revealed that its Mac App Store will be opened on Jan. 6, 2011.
New App Store will offer both paid and free applications for Mac OS X Snow Leopard in such categories as Utilities, Productivity, Lifestyle, and Graphics & Design. Steve Jobs also told it will be available in ninety countries at launch.
"The App Store revolutionized mobile apps. We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store by making finding and buying PC apps easy and fun. We can't wait to get started on January 6".
Zuckerberg Became a Time's Person of the Year, Jobs Listed as a Person Who Mattered
This week Time magazine has published its annual "Person of the Year" issue with Mark Zuckerberg posted on its cover. Apple's CEO didn't receive that title though it was named among "People Who Mattered":
"With each passing year Steve Jobs and his sleek Apple products not only succeed in impressing the techiest of tech addicts, they also manage to create a whole new batch of gadget enthusiasts.
Apple releases iTunes 10.1.1, iBooks 1.2
Today Apple has released another minor update for its iTunes software. New version 10.1.1 addresses some issues and bugs that could cause the program to crash. Here is its list:
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Canadа: iBookstore Has Been Approved, iPhone Can Be Unlocked
According to MacNN, yesterday The Ministry of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages announced that it had granted formal approval of the iBookstore. Its Minister James Moore positively commented this decision:
"Our Government is committed to strengthening Canada's economy through all its sectors, especially arts and culture. Apple has demonstrated how iBookstore Canada represents new opportunities for Canadian authors and publishers, and I have determined that this investment will be of net benefit to Canada."
Verizon will sell 9 million iPhones in 2011
Another Gene Munster's research note reveals that Apple will release the CDMA-enabled iPhone in early to mid 2011, ad 2,5 million of these devices will be sold by Verizon in 2011.
Piper Jaffray, where Munster works at, assumed that Verizon will sell approximately 25 million smartphones in the next year, and 36% of it (or 9 million) will be Apple's iPhones. But the majority of those who will buy CDMA-enabled iPhone occurs to be the switchers from AT&T, and that's why only 2.5 million Apple's phones will be sold by Verizon.
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Japanese Publishers Accuse Apple in Illegal Distribution of Their Content
According to the Wall Street Journal, yesterday the Japan Book Publishers Association, the Electronic Book Publishers Association of Japan, the Japan Magazine Publishers Association and Digital Comic Association issued a joint press release, where Apple's content is called as infringing and "illegal". Particularly, the works well-known Japanese authors Keigo Higashimo and Haruki Murakami were mentioned as illegally scanned and distributed via the App Store.
“The associations we represent believe that Apple bears grave responsibility for this problem".
Apple issues Apple TV update
Yesterday Apple released a software update 4.2.1 for the second-generation Apple TV to address resolution problem caused by incorrect displaying of content and downloading issue that may cause a movie o TV show to be re-downloaded. Some users noticed that the update might resolve also flickering issue. Some of users used a HDMI to DVI cable to watch the Apple TV content and after the update, the flickering was gone. Though, other users found that the update doesn't resolve their issues.
US Army wants to equip all soldiers with an Apple iPhone or Android phone
The U.S. Army seems to indent to equip its soldiers with a smartphone making it a standard piece of soldier’s equipment. Soldiers will be given opportunity to choose between Apple's iPhone or one running Google Android. The Army is even going to pay the soldier's monthly phone bill. Army – issued smartphones are already used for different purposes but now it id interested in deploying handsets in war zones. The idea is to make it easier for soldiers to access data and receive updates on the go, no matter where they are.
Samsung Galaxy Tab Is an 'Over-Sized Phone', Not Tablet
Sencha, which is a web application developer, has recently compared Android-based Samsung Galaxy Tab and Apple's iPad and made a conclusion that a Samsung's tablet is "a little bit of disappointment".
As Sencha develops different JavaScript frameworks that enable developers to creating rich mobile apps for Android and iOS devices built from web standards, the company is interested to know how good actual products perform and support HTML5 and related web standards. The latter include overall JavaScript performance, embedded multimedia playback, Web Sockets, Canvas animations, SVG and advanced CSS3 transforms. Here are the results received by Sencha in their tests of Galaxy Tab and iPad:
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Google Announced New Version of Android Market
This week Google has released a new version of its client app for Android Market, which will work on any smartphone running Android OS 1.6 or higher.
The company aims to facilitate the process of discovering new software and its purchase. That's why new Android Market will have a Cover Flow-like style of app listings and include new categories like Widgets and Live Wallpapers, as currently the catalog is filled pretty much with these kinds of software. Besides that, app pages will now have more info and links to related content.
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Apple disabled jailbreak detection API in iOS 4.2
Apple has reportedly disabled its jailbreak detection API through iOS 4.2 software update. The API helped third-party mobile device management (MDM) applications to check for unauthorized modifications of system files. Apple's jailbreak detection API provided MDM applications direct access to iOS system information and was able to ask the operating system directly if it had been jailbroken. Jailbreak exploits typically change a number of operating system files, and exploit one or another low-level OS features to let users directly load their own or third-party applications.
Power outage at Toshiba won't affect Apple products production
This Wednesday Toshiba had experienced the power outage at Fab 3 and Fab 4 in the city of Yokkaichi, Japan. This caused an immediate shutdown of the NAND chip production at the plant. Though as of 15:00 on Friday facility became fully operational again, it is believed that such a force majeure may result in a 20% reduction in the sales of NAND flash in the next two months. Toshiba hasn't given official word on that information yet.
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Five years of Apple: 2005 iBook to 2010 MacBook Air
Five years ago, Apple was selling the iBook G4 which evolved from the original iMac. The iBook released mid 2005 got 1.33 or 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 processors, 12.1 inch or 14.1 inch display, weighted 4.9 lbs (2.2 kg) (smaller version) or 5.9 lbs (2.7 kg) (larger version). Both models had 1024x768 screen resolution and were 1.35 inches (3.4 cm) thick.
Apple's latest laptop, the 11.6 inch MacBook Air, is equipped with 1.4 or 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, weighs just 2.3 lbs (1.04 kg) and is only 0.68 inches (1.7 cm) at its thickest.