Filed under: Humor, Cult of Mac, Steve Jobs, Holidays
We like it, obviously, especially the little Steve Jobs peep, as well as the iPeep nanos (in, apparently, all of the different colors Peeps come in). Happy Easter to everyone -- may you have candy and chocolate of all kinds (if that's what you're looking for today), and may all of your egg finding go well.
TUAWHappy Easter from TUAW originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Microsoft may clone iPod touch as Zune HD
Based entirely upon a leak of abstract new marketing graphics from Microsoft, bloggers have announced a new generation of music players that will apparently do most of what the iPod touch did when it arrived in 2007.
Microsoft adds to the Apple surtax
After the diatribe from Steve Ballmer about the Apple overcost and the advertising campaign aiming at showing that Mac is much more expensive, MS places more on the Windowsstreamblog.com site. They financed a study that concludes, of course, that the "Mac surtax" is very high.
The whole is even detailed in a PDF.
The example is disressing. A family that would equip itself with a PC running Windows could save $3367. Even though we will not detail certain points, there are many that are obviously made in bad faith, like including in the difference, an iLife update at $99 or to take a Linksys router instead of an airport base station (one can, of course, do this with Mac too). Other points are less contestable like the price difference of a Radeon HD 4870 and the high cost of Apple Care.
But all this is secondary. The most important thing is that Microsoft shows for the first time in its history a real fear concerning a competitor that, in spite of the remarks of Ballmer, becomes sufficiently strong to worry them.
Steve Jobs Still Involved in Apple, Still Expected to Return in June
The Wall Street Journal reports that despite his medical leave, Steve Jobs has remained very involved in Apple's strategies and planning:
Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook runs the day-to-day operations at Apple, these people say. But...
Road Tested: LaCie iamaKey, the USB flash drive you'll actually use
Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, Peripherals, Road Tested
USB flash drives are a dime a dozen. They've gone from being a "wow" item a few years ago to a throwaway handout item. Many are cheap plastic devices that either come with a neck lanyard attached or with a small loop for attaching to a key ring. More often than not, they end up falling to pieces or getting lost.
iamaKey came with a tiny plastic cap that covered the connector. Of course, after about 15 minutes the cap disappeared. I was concerned about that until finding out that iamaKey uses a gold SIP connector that resists scratches and water. You don't need the cap at all.
So, does it still work after almost two months of riding around in a pocket with a bunch of other keys and change? Absolutely! It's been dropped multiple times, it's gotten soaked in the pocket of a pair of jeans I was wearing during a sudden downpour, and it's put up with winter cold while I've been out walking. iamaKey is rugged and fast, with up to 30 MB/s read rates and 10 MB/s write speeds.
iamaKey comes in 4 GB (US$19.99) and 8 GB (US$29.99) flavors. LaCie also sells the less rugged and larger itsaKey, which retails for US$3 less than iamaKey.
TUAWRoad Tested: LaCie iamaKey, the USB flash drive you'll actually use originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apple continues to tighten up the rules concerning battery replacement
Since the release of Mac Intel (but already during the time of the iBook), Apple had to face many problems with the batteries on its portables. Between those that started to inflate, those that did not hold the charge, and those which broke down and displayed an X. These vexations were very expensive and created precedents that made it was relatively easy to exchange a used battery under guarantee.
Since March, they have started to tighten up. This started with the arrival of test software only available for the CMAA. This is now used to test the battery and decides if it must be exchanged or not. The after sales service department is forced to follow this guidance, since the software delivers a code for the return. In the absence of this code, the CMAA have to cover cost of the battery.
Also Apple has since then defined especially strict rules and even a very long-winded speech that the technicians must give you.
- To start, in the event of loss of battery life, if your battery has done its time, (more than 300 cycles of charge/discharge), the software will not deliver a code of guarantee. Apple considers indeed; beyond this number of cycles the wear is normal and advises to use the analogy of batteries of remote control that need replacing too.
- Previously any battery which inflated being exchanged immediately. Now, it will be the case only under guarantee or extended guarantee in certain cases.
We will finish by an important reminder. If you have several batteries, take care well to store them charged and especially not to let them discharge completely by using them regularly. If they go below a minimum threshold of charge, it will definitively be impossible for you to recharge them again.
First Look: Travel organizer Tripit.com offers iPhone app
Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, First Look
Do you travel a lot for business or pleasure? If you do, then you'll find the new free iPhone app (click opens iTunes) from Tripit.com to be a great way to organize your trip plans.Tripit.com imports and interprets your itineraries from airlines, hotel chains, ticket outlets, and other travel companies. When you receive an itinerary from one of these providers, you forward it to a special Tripit email address to have it translated into a trip plan automatically (the site supports hundreds of travel providers, and the translation from email into structured itinerary is really quite amazing). You can share your travel plans with friends or colleagues via LinkedIn, and see when your fellow travelers are heading to a city near you or when their plans align with yours.
That collection of trip plans is what you view with the Tripit.com app. The app is linked to your Tripit.com account, and displays a day by day list of flights, car rentals, and other events that make up your trips. Each event can be opened in further detail to show information such as arrival and departure times, confirmation numbers, and more. Links for airport codes bring up Google Maps of the airport vicinity, and other links can check your flight status with a touch.
Since you can always access the mobile version of the Tripit site from a connected iPhone or iPod touch, the big advantage of the native application is that the travel data is cached locally on the phone for offline review (mid-flight, for example). More full-featured apps like the $9.99US TravelTracker or FlightTrack Pro can also store and display your Tripit itineraries via the service's API, and Tripit's developers tell us that they intend to continue supporting third-party application access.
To use the app on your iPhone or iPod touch, all you need to do is sign up for a free Tripit.com account or forward your first itinerary to plans@tripit.com. Take a look at the gallery below for details of the Tripit app at work.
TUAWFirst Look: Travel organizer Tripit.com offers iPhone app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Steve Jobs maintains grip at Apple
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than three months into a medical leave from Apple Inc, Chief Executive Steve Jobs remains closely involved in key aspects of running the company, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the...
Apple stores to ditch Windows EasyPay systems for iPhone tech
Apple retail stores are looking to move away from Windows Mobile-based handheld checkout devices in favor of iPod touches with custom accessory add-ons, with a transition expected to follow the release of iPhone 3.0 later this year.
Happy Easter from TUAW
Filed under: Humor, Cult of Mac, Steve Jobs, Holidays
We like it, obviously, especially the little Steve Jobs peep, as well as the iPeep nanos (in, apparently, all of the different colors Peeps come in). Happy Easter to everyone -- may you have candy and chocolate of all kinds (if that's what you're looking for today), and may all of your egg finding go well.
TUAWHappy Easter from TUAW originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Microsoft may clone iPod touch as Zune HD
Based entirely upon a leak of abstract new marketing graphics from Microsoft, bloggers have announced a new generation of music players that will apparently do most of what the iPod touch did when it arrived in 2007.
Microsoft adds to the Apple surtax
After the diatribe from Steve Ballmer about the Apple overcost and the advertising campaign aiming at showing that Mac is much more expensive, MS places more on the Windowsstreamblog.com site. They financed a study that concludes, of course, that the "Mac surtax" is very high.
The whole is even detailed in a PDF.
The example is disressing. A family that would equip itself with a PC running Windows could save $3367. Even though we will not detail certain points, there are many that are obviously made in bad faith, like including in the difference, an iLife update at $99 or to take a Linksys router instead of an airport base station (one can, of course, do this with Mac too). Other points are less contestable like the price difference of a Radeon HD 4870 and the high cost of Apple Care.
But all this is secondary. The most important thing is that Microsoft shows for the first time in its history a real fear concerning a competitor that, in spite of the remarks of Ballmer, becomes sufficiently strong to worry them.
Steve Jobs Still Involved in Apple, Still Expected to Return in June
The Wall Street Journal reports that despite his medical leave, Steve Jobs has remained very involved in Apple's strategies and planning:
Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook runs the day-to-day operations at Apple, these people say. But...
Road Tested: LaCie iamaKey, the USB flash drive you'll actually use
Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, Peripherals, Road Tested
USB flash drives are a dime a dozen. They've gone from being a "wow" item a few years ago to a throwaway handout item. Many are cheap plastic devices that either come with a neck lanyard attached or with a small loop for attaching to a key ring. More often than not, they end up falling to pieces or getting lost.iamaKey came with a tiny plastic cap that covered the connector. Of course, after about 15 minutes the cap disappeared. I was concerned about that until finding out that iamaKey uses a gold SIP connector that resists scratches and water. You don't need the cap at all.
So, does it still work after almost two months of riding around in a pocket with a bunch of other keys and change? Absolutely! It's been dropped multiple times, it's gotten soaked in the pocket of a pair of jeans I was wearing during a sudden downpour, and it's put up with winter cold while I've been out walking. iamaKey is rugged and fast, with up to 30 MB/s read rates and 10 MB/s write speeds.
iamaKey comes in 4 GB (US$19.99) and 8 GB (US$29.99) flavors. LaCie also sells the less rugged and larger itsaKey, which retails for US$3 less than iamaKey.
TUAWRoad Tested: LaCie iamaKey, the USB flash drive you'll actually use originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apple continues to tighten up the rules concerning battery replacement
Since the release of Mac Intel (but already during the time of the iBook), Apple had to face many problems with the batteries on its portables. Between those that started to inflate, those that did not hold the charge, and those which broke down and displayed an X. These vexations were very expensive and created precedents that made it was relatively easy to exchange a used battery under guarantee.
Since March, they have started to tighten up. This started with the arrival of test software only available for the CMAA. This is now used to test the battery and decides if it must be exchanged or not. The after sales service department is forced to follow this guidance, since the software delivers a code for the return. In the absence of this code, the CMAA have to cover cost of the battery.
Also Apple has since then defined especially strict rules and even a very long-winded speech that the technicians must give you.
- To start, in the event of loss of battery life, if your battery has done its time, (more than 300 cycles of charge/discharge), the software will not deliver a code of guarantee. Apple considers indeed; beyond this number of cycles the wear is normal and advises to use the analogy of batteries of remote control that need replacing too.
- Previously any battery which inflated being exchanged immediately. Now, it will be the case only under guarantee or extended guarantee in certain cases.
We will finish by an important reminder. If you have several batteries, take care well to store them charged and especially not to let them discharge completely by using them regularly. If they go below a minimum threshold of charge, it will definitively be impossible for you to recharge them again.
First Look: Travel organizer Tripit.com offers iPhone app
Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, First Look
Do you travel a lot for business or pleasure? If you do, then you'll find the new free iPhone app (click opens iTunes) from Tripit.com to be a great way to organize your trip plans.Tripit.com imports and interprets your itineraries from airlines, hotel chains, ticket outlets, and other travel companies. When you receive an itinerary from one of these providers, you forward it to a special Tripit email address to have it translated into a trip plan automatically (the site supports hundreds of travel providers, and the translation from email into structured itinerary is really quite amazing). You can share your travel plans with friends or colleagues via LinkedIn, and see when your fellow travelers are heading to a city near you or when their plans align with yours.
That collection of trip plans is what you view with the Tripit.com app. The app is linked to your Tripit.com account, and displays a day by day list of flights, car rentals, and other events that make up your trips. Each event can be opened in further detail to show information such as arrival and departure times, confirmation numbers, and more. Links for airport codes bring up Google Maps of the airport vicinity, and other links can check your flight status with a touch.
Since you can always access the mobile version of the Tripit site from a connected iPhone or iPod touch, the big advantage of the native application is that the travel data is cached locally on the phone for offline review (mid-flight, for example). More full-featured apps like the $9.99US TravelTracker or FlightTrack Pro can also store and display your Tripit itineraries via the service's API, and Tripit's developers tell us that they intend to continue supporting third-party application access.
To use the app on your iPhone or iPod touch, all you need to do is sign up for a free Tripit.com account or forward your first itinerary to plans@tripit.com. Take a look at the gallery below for details of the Tripit app at work.
TUAWFirst Look: Travel organizer Tripit.com offers iPhone app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Steve Jobs maintains grip at Apple
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than three months into a medical leave from Apple Inc, Chief Executive Steve Jobs remains closely involved in key aspects of running the company, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the...
Apple stores to ditch Windows EasyPay systems for iPhone tech
Apple retail stores are looking to move away from Windows Mobile-based handheld checkout devices in favor of iPod touches with custom accessory add-ons, with a transition expected to follow the release of iPhone 3.0 later this year.
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