Just four days after the last developer seed, Apple has released yet another version of OS X 10.5.7 to developers. The new seed, designated Build 9J50, contains only a single documented fix related to Bluetooth networking. World of Apple republishe...
Sonos adds more firepower to iPhone app
Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, App Review
Sonos, maker of the highly regarded multi-room music system, has updated the free controller software the company provides for the iPhone. The Sonos Controller [App Store link] allows the selection of music or playlists, selection of internet radio stations, control of Pandora, Napster, Last.fm and other music services, and now adds the ability to set, edit and delete alarms as well as set up networked music folders. If you have an iPhone or iPod touch, this free app is an alternative to the $399.00US controller that is sold with the system, and it is actually easier to use because of the iPhone touch screen. The iPhone app requires users to update their Sonos software to version 2.8, which is a free upgrade that was released yesterday.
The app works very well, without glitches or drama. The screens look stunning, and the reflection effects for album art are a nice touch. Sonos could have easily charged for this app, but getting it free is a major bonus.
The Sonos product is one of many that distributes music around the house and is Mac friendly. Of course Apple has its own solution, the Airport Express Base Station, which effortlessly streams music from your iTunes library to to speakers or a stereo within range of the device. Logitech also has several solutions including the Squeezebox, the Squeezebox Duet, and the Squeezebox Boom. Olive has a well regarded high end solution that includes music servers and players for individual rooms.
Here are some screen grabs of the Sonos Controller in action:
TUAWSonos adds more firepower to iPhone app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Towards Greener Graphic Cards!?
While CPU manufacturers have already started defining power consumption and performance per watt as the new reference standards for comparing/developing new CPU models; so far, graphic cards manufacturers did not really feel concern about such parameters and every new GPUs were racing towards the same goal: be the fastest irrespective to the power consumption.
Things might change in a near future, if one considers the screen capture related to the future presentation of the forthcoming AMD/ATI Radeon HD4770.
AMD/ATI have used performance per watt as one of the marketing parameters. They compare the forthcoming entry level model Radeon HD 4770 with the aging NVidia GeForce 9800 GT. According to their figures, the Radeon is almost 3 fold faster per watt. AMD takes advantage of an exclusive 40 nm engraving process, even thinner than the one currently used by Intel.
AMD most likely decided to apply this new engraving process to entry-level GPU as their architecture is usually not as complex as the high-end models. However, AMD will most likely transfer it to all other models, and the benefit of thin engraving could rather be used for high-end GPU to push core frequency higher, while controlling heat release. In other words, power consumption might not be the future marketing parameter of 40 nm engraved future flagship GPU from AMD. Especially, if one considers the growing importance of GPGPU, synonym of growing needs for raw power. This could be associated to greener behavior if the power management of the GPU is really improved to switch off unused cores as today in CPUs.
Bluetooth 3.0 in the Future iPhone?
Instead of launching new rumors, Fudzilla speculates on the availability of the Bluetooth version 3.0 in the future iPhone to be released in June. Thanks to pre-version of iPhone OS 3.0, one can learn that apple will integrate in its future models the Broadcom BCM4329 chip. despite the FM receiver function, which will most likely never be activated, this component supports BT 2.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11n, exactly the hardware specifications required to manage Bluetooth 3.0.
If one adds to this analysis that the iPhone 3.0 will allow P2P connections between iPhones without requiring any difficult settings, the BT 3.0 is the perfect tool for such function. If this remains only hypothesis, it makes sense. Hhowever, having the hardware compatibility does not imply that Apple will implement and develop those functions. It could also decide to activate it only later on when BT 3.0 will really be a true marketing point and the new standard, so in about 6 months from now.
A handful of Apple patents made public
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has made public several patents deposited by Apple.
- The first describes the sleep mode of our Macs, in particular the saving of the contents of the memory and instant re-awakening.
- The second concerns the management of energy in the computer.
- The third describes a system of anti-copy protection for software based on a Watermark and a unique key.
- The fourth describes the usage of capacitors to stabilise the voltage and reduce the noise of a power supply.
- The fifth describes a library system capable of storing different types of documents; a bit like that already done in iTunes which mixes music, videos and Podcasts.
- The sixth describes a system of using a magnet to fix the power cord, otherwise known as the MagSafe, that we believe is one of the most beautiful inventions of Apple.
Thus there is a bit of everything in these patents, but not much to serve as a base of speculation.
Rumor: Upcoming iPhone parts list published
Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, iPhone
Once again, the folks at DigiTimes have leaked information about a forthcoming Apple product. Citing "Industry sources in Taiwan," they've published an alleged parts list for the next generation iPhone. Standout items include the 3.2-megapixel CMOS image sensor from OmniVision, which seems in line with the rumored video features in iPhone OS 3.0. Also listed is NAND flash from Samsung and Toshiba and Mobile DDR DRAM from Samsung.
Most interesing is what missing from the list. Namely, the processor. So far, there are no solid rumors on what this could be, so it's really anyone's guess. We think it's safe to say, however, that Apple will release new iPhones this summer. Those who purchased original phones two years ago will have their contracts expire in June, just around the time that iPhone OS 3.0 and WWDC will drop. Here's to this summer!
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
[via theAppleBlog]
TUAWRumor: Upcoming iPhone parts list published originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apple Seeds OS X 10.5.7 Build 9J50 to Developers, Public Release Imminent?
Just four days after the last developer seed, Apple has released yet another version of OS X 10.5.7 to developers. The new seed, designated Build 9J50, contains only a single documented fix related to Bluetooth networking. World of Apple republishe...
Sonos adds more firepower to iPhone app
Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, App Review
Sonos, maker of the highly regarded multi-room music system, has updated the free controller software the company provides for the iPhone. The Sonos Controller [App Store link] allows the selection of music or playlists, selection of internet radio stations, control of Pandora, Napster, Last.fm and other music services, and now adds the ability to set, edit and delete alarms as well as set up networked music folders. If you have an iPhone or iPod touch, this free app is an alternative to the $399.00US controller that is sold with the system, and it is actually easier to use because of the iPhone touch screen. The iPhone app requires users to update their Sonos software to version 2.8, which is a free upgrade that was released yesterday.
The app works very well, without glitches or drama. The screens look stunning, and the reflection effects for album art are a nice touch. Sonos could have easily charged for this app, but getting it free is a major bonus.
The Sonos product is one of many that distributes music around the house and is Mac friendly. Of course Apple has its own solution, the Airport Express Base Station, which effortlessly streams music from your iTunes library to to speakers or a stereo within range of the device. Logitech also has several solutions including the Squeezebox, the Squeezebox Duet, and the Squeezebox Boom. Olive has a well regarded high end solution that includes music servers and players for individual rooms.
Here are some screen grabs of the Sonos Controller in action:
TUAWSonos adds more firepower to iPhone app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Towards Greener Graphic Cards!?
While CPU manufacturers have already started defining power consumption and performance per watt as the new reference standards for comparing/developing new CPU models; so far, graphic cards manufacturers did not really feel concern about such parameters and every new GPUs were racing towards the same goal: be the fastest irrespective to the power consumption.
Things might change in a near future, if one considers the screen capture related to the future presentation of the forthcoming AMD/ATI Radeon HD4770.
AMD/ATI have used performance per watt as one of the marketing parameters. They compare the forthcoming entry level model Radeon HD 4770 with the aging NVidia GeForce 9800 GT. According to their figures, the Radeon is almost 3 fold faster per watt. AMD takes advantage of an exclusive 40 nm engraving process, even thinner than the one currently used by Intel.
AMD most likely decided to apply this new engraving process to entry-level GPU as their architecture is usually not as complex as the high-end models. However, AMD will most likely transfer it to all other models, and the benefit of thin engraving could rather be used for high-end GPU to push core frequency higher, while controlling heat release. In other words, power consumption might not be the future marketing parameter of 40 nm engraved future flagship GPU from AMD. Especially, if one considers the growing importance of GPGPU, synonym of growing needs for raw power. This could be associated to greener behavior if the power management of the GPU is really improved to switch off unused cores as today in CPUs.
Bluetooth 3.0 in the Future iPhone?
Instead of launching new rumors, Fudzilla speculates on the availability of the Bluetooth version 3.0 in the future iPhone to be released in June. Thanks to pre-version of iPhone OS 3.0, one can learn that apple will integrate in its future models the Broadcom BCM4329 chip. despite the FM receiver function, which will most likely never be activated, this component supports BT 2.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11n, exactly the hardware specifications required to manage Bluetooth 3.0.
If one adds to this analysis that the iPhone 3.0 will allow P2P connections between iPhones without requiring any difficult settings, the BT 3.0 is the perfect tool for such function. If this remains only hypothesis, it makes sense. Hhowever, having the hardware compatibility does not imply that Apple will implement and develop those functions. It could also decide to activate it only later on when BT 3.0 will really be a true marketing point and the new standard, so in about 6 months from now.
A handful of Apple patents made public
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has made public several patents deposited by Apple.
- The first describes the sleep mode of our Macs, in particular the saving of the contents of the memory and instant re-awakening.
- The second concerns the management of energy in the computer.
- The third describes a system of anti-copy protection for software based on a Watermark and a unique key.
- The fourth describes the usage of capacitors to stabilise the voltage and reduce the noise of a power supply.
- The fifth describes a library system capable of storing different types of documents; a bit like that already done in iTunes which mixes music, videos and Podcasts.
- The sixth describes a system of using a magnet to fix the power cord, otherwise known as the MagSafe, that we believe is one of the most beautiful inventions of Apple.
Thus there is a bit of everything in these patents, but not much to serve as a base of speculation.
Rumor: Upcoming iPhone parts list published
Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, iPhone
Once again, the folks at DigiTimes have leaked information about a forthcoming Apple product. Citing "Industry sources in Taiwan," they've published an alleged parts list for the next generation iPhone. Standout items include the 3.2-megapixel CMOS image sensor from OmniVision, which seems in line with the rumored video features in iPhone OS 3.0. Also listed is NAND flash from Samsung and Toshiba and Mobile DDR DRAM from Samsung.
Most interesing is what missing from the list. Namely, the processor. So far, there are no solid rumors on what this could be, so it's really anyone's guess. We think it's safe to say, however, that Apple will release new iPhones this summer. Those who purchased original phones two years ago will have their contracts expire in June, just around the time that iPhone OS 3.0 and WWDC will drop. Here's to this summer!
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
[via theAppleBlog]
TUAWRumor: Upcoming iPhone parts list published originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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