Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Apple near saturation point for iPod, iTunes use by teens

Apple near saturation point for iPod, iTunes use by teens
The results of Piper Jaffray's 17th bi-annual teen survey are in, showing Apple to have broadened its lead in the areas of iPod consumption and iTunes usage -- both of which are nearing their saturation point -- as the company moves to translate these successes to its iPhone business.


Channel Four on Demand: Sorry, Mac users

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Mac users in the UK have been waiting a long time (like, years) for Channel 4's Video on Demand "Catch Up" service to come to their platform, and finally, after long last, the day is here. And they're sorry, Mac users -- they say so with the cute video above. Of course, the reason why it's now compatible is because it's the Flash-based web version linked above, and not actually the desktop app that Windows users had. But late and web-based is still better than never, right? Right?

At any rate, it's nice to know they care enough to make a funny video. The site features Channel 4 content for up to 30 days after broadcast, so if you happen to miss Hollyoaks, Skins, or Fat Pets (I'm just kidding -- being an ignorant American, I have no idea what those shows are or if they're any good), there's your chance to catch up.

TUAWChannel Four on Demand: Sorry, Mac users originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Road Tested: Voltaic Systems Generator laptop bag

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Thinking green? Voltaic Systems' Generator laptop bag (US$499) might be just the thing to buy for Earth Day on April 22nd.

I had a chance to road test one of these incredibly cool bags for a month and was very impressed. What makes it so special? Well, it could be the big photovoltaic panel on one side of the Generator that provides 15 watts of power to feed your electronic devices. Voltaic points out that the Generator is the "first solar bag powerful enough to recharge a laptop." That panel charges an internal 58Wh Lithium Ion battery pack that can run most laptops.

The solar panel isn't the only thing that's green about this bag. The materials that make up the majority of the bag are made from recycled PET soda bottles. In fact, the shell, webbing, mesh and lining of the case are made of 100% recycled materials.

Continue reading Road Tested: Voltaic Systems Generator laptop bag

TUAWRoad Tested: Voltaic Systems Generator laptop bag originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Advantageous mp3 simplifies Amazon comparison shopping

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The most recent iTunes update introduced variable priced, with many popular tracks now priced at $1.29. Needless to say, this makes Amazon MP3's 99 cent tracks that much more attractive. Advantageous mp3 is a little script and application combo that makes comparison shopping between iTunes and Amazon a snap.

Basically the Advantageous installer adds both an AppleScript to iTunes and a small application to your Mac. When you're browsing in the iTunes Store if you invoke the script from iTunes script menu in the menubar it will start the little application and search for the track in Amazon (via your default browser). It's not perfectly reliable (for instance, it didn't work with Choosy as my default browser and it messes up some searches), but it is a convenient way to surf for music in iTunes but take advantage of lower prices at Amazon. So now you can do to Apple what you've been doing to Barnes & Noble!

Advantageous mp3 is a free download from Robert Palmer.

[via Engadget]

TUAWAdvantageous mp3 simplifies Amazon comparison shopping originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

New Gmail Mobile site released for iPhone (and Android)

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New Gmail Mobile for iPhoneBack in March I made a plea for a native Gmail application on the iPhone. As it turned out, Google was working on a new version of the Gmail Mobile site that takes advantage of HTML5 features like database storage to provide caching functionality on the iPhone and Android phones. The demo was compelling; a super-fast Gmail experience that includes long-awaited features like full label support, the ability to apply changes to multiple messages at once, and a floating action bar (dubbed the "floaty bar") that allows you to archive, delete, mark read/unread, add or remove a star, or mark messages as spam without having to scroll to the top or bottom of the thread you are viewing to do so.

The demo was certainly exciting, but though I was hoping would be released soon, I was fearing we were still a year away from seeing this new version of Gmail Mobile. Boy, was I wrong.

This sexy new web version of Gmail Mobile was released yesterday, and as a heavy Gmail user I have only one word for it: Glorious! Okay, I'm a blogger, so we know I never only have one word for something. But if you've been using the built in Mail app on your iPhone to avoid the clunky web version, it's time to try Google Mobile again.

While it's a huge, massive improvement on the previous version, the new Google Mobile is not without areas that could use improvement. For one, it is very slow to load. For me, I'm willing to put up with this since once it does load everything is significantly faster than it was. But it would certainly be nice to see an improvement in this regard, and that's something that was hinted at on the Official Gmail blog post announcing this new version. Another small annoyance is that the buttons are smaller than standard iPhone buttons, and there are more of them. It's manageable, but does require a bit of extra care and attention.

All in all, a very solid improvement, and one that makes working with email on the iPhone significantly more pleasant for Gmail users.

TUAWNew Gmail Mobile site released for iPhone (and Android) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple addressing cracks on white MacBooks casings
Apple is privately acknowledging an issue with the enclosure on some of its white 13-inch MacBooks, which in some cases have seen the formation of hairline cracks during normal usage patterns.


Video-In and Magnetometers Could Introduce Interesting iPhone App Possibilites
The discovery that Apple's next iPhone might contain both video input as well as a magnetometer (digital compass) opens up some interesting possibilities for future iPhone applications.

Over at TouchArcade, game researcher Blair MacIn...

Apple delaying web standard with patent royalty claim
Often touting web standards itself, Apple is being accused of holding back an important web specification by demanding royalty payments on a patent for updates.


Apple near saturation point for iPod, iTunes use by teens
The results of Piper Jaffray's 17th bi-annual teen survey are in, showing Apple to have broadened its lead in the areas of iPod consumption and iTunes usage -- both of which are nearing their saturation point -- as the company moves to translate these successes to its iPhone business.


Channel Four on Demand: Sorry, Mac users

Filed under: , , , ,


Mac users in the UK have been waiting a long time (like, years) for Channel 4's Video on Demand "Catch Up" service to come to their platform, and finally, after long last, the day is here. And they're sorry, Mac users -- they say so with the cute video above. Of course, the reason why it's now compatible is because it's the Flash-based web version linked above, and not actually the desktop app that Windows users had. But late and web-based is still better than never, right? Right?

At any rate, it's nice to know they care enough to make a funny video. The site features Channel 4 content for up to 30 days after broadcast, so if you happen to miss Hollyoaks, Skins, or Fat Pets (I'm just kidding -- being an ignorant American, I have no idea what those shows are or if they're any good), there's your chance to catch up.

TUAWChannel Four on Demand: Sorry, Mac users originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Road Tested: Voltaic Systems Generator laptop bag

Filed under: ,

Thinking green? Voltaic Systems' Generator laptop bag (US$499) might be just the thing to buy for Earth Day on April 22nd.

I had a chance to road test one of these incredibly cool bags for a month and was very impressed. What makes it so special? Well, it could be the big photovoltaic panel on one side of the Generator that provides 15 watts of power to feed your electronic devices. Voltaic points out that the Generator is the "first solar bag powerful enough to recharge a laptop." That panel charges an internal 58Wh Lithium Ion battery pack that can run most laptops.

The solar panel isn't the only thing that's green about this bag. The materials that make up the majority of the bag are made from recycled PET soda bottles. In fact, the shell, webbing, mesh and lining of the case are made of 100% recycled materials.

Continue reading Road Tested: Voltaic Systems Generator laptop bag

TUAWRoad Tested: Voltaic Systems Generator laptop bag originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Advantageous mp3 simplifies Amazon comparison shopping

Filed under: , , ,


The most recent iTunes update introduced variable priced, with many popular tracks now priced at $1.29. Needless to say, this makes Amazon MP3's 99 cent tracks that much more attractive. Advantageous mp3 is a little script and application combo that makes comparison shopping between iTunes and Amazon a snap.

Basically the Advantageous installer adds both an AppleScript to iTunes and a small application to your Mac. When you're browsing in the iTunes Store if you invoke the script from iTunes script menu in the menubar it will start the little application and search for the track in Amazon (via your default browser). It's not perfectly reliable (for instance, it didn't work with Choosy as my default browser and it messes up some searches), but it is a convenient way to surf for music in iTunes but take advantage of lower prices at Amazon. So now you can do to Apple what you've been doing to Barnes & Noble!

Advantageous mp3 is a free download from Robert Palmer.

[via Engadget]

TUAWAdvantageous mp3 simplifies Amazon comparison shopping originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

New Gmail Mobile site released for iPhone (and Android)

Filed under: , ,

New Gmail Mobile for iPhoneBack in March I made a plea for a native Gmail application on the iPhone. As it turned out, Google was working on a new version of the Gmail Mobile site that takes advantage of HTML5 features like database storage to provide caching functionality on the iPhone and Android phones. The demo was compelling; a super-fast Gmail experience that includes long-awaited features like full label support, the ability to apply changes to multiple messages at once, and a floating action bar (dubbed the "floaty bar") that allows you to archive, delete, mark read/unread, add or remove a star, or mark messages as spam without having to scroll to the top or bottom of the thread you are viewing to do so.

The demo was certainly exciting, but though I was hoping would be released soon, I was fearing we were still a year away from seeing this new version of Gmail Mobile. Boy, was I wrong.

This sexy new web version of Gmail Mobile was released yesterday, and as a heavy Gmail user I have only one word for it: Glorious! Okay, I'm a blogger, so we know I never only have one word for something. But if you've been using the built in Mail app on your iPhone to avoid the clunky web version, it's time to try Google Mobile again.

While it's a huge, massive improvement on the previous version, the new Google Mobile is not without areas that could use improvement. For one, it is very slow to load. For me, I'm willing to put up with this since once it does load everything is significantly faster than it was. But it would certainly be nice to see an improvement in this regard, and that's something that was hinted at on the Official Gmail blog post announcing this new version. Another small annoyance is that the buttons are smaller than standard iPhone buttons, and there are more of them. It's manageable, but does require a bit of extra care and attention.

All in all, a very solid improvement, and one that makes working with email on the iPhone significantly more pleasant for Gmail users.

TUAWNew Gmail Mobile site released for iPhone (and Android) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple addressing cracks on white MacBooks casings
Apple is privately acknowledging an issue with the enclosure on some of its white 13-inch MacBooks, which in some cases have seen the formation of hairline cracks during normal usage patterns.


Video-In and Magnetometers Could Introduce Interesting iPhone App Possibilites
The discovery that Apple's next iPhone might contain both video input as well as a magnetometer (digital compass) opens up some interesting possibilities for future iPhone applications.

Over at TouchArcade, game researcher Blair MacIn...

Apple delaying web standard with patent royalty claim
Often touting web standards itself, Apple is being accused of holding back an important web specification by demanding royalty payments on a patent for updates.

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