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Avatar for Jordan Kahn

Jordan Kahn

jordankahn

Dir. Partnerships

9to5Mac / 9to5Google / 9to5Toys / Electrek.co / DroneDJ / SpaceExplored

Jordan manages the internal Partner Program for sponsorships and partnerships across the 9to5 network’s media brands including 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, Electrek.co, SpaceExplored and DroneDJ.com.

Jordan also writes about all things Apple as a Senior Editor of 9to5Mac. He covers Google for 9to5Google.com, the best gadgets and deals on 9to5Toys.com, and EV and solar news on Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series and makes music sometimes.

Contact Jordan with partnership inquiries and long-winded complaints:  

Connect with Jordan Kahn

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Swiss Federal Railways and watch maker Mondaine considering legal action over iOS 6 clocks app

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 20 2012 - 10:22 am PT
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While its certainly not a stand out feature of iOS 6, many were pleased to learn iPad users would gain access to a brand new Clocks app with the release of the new OS. Everyone, that is, except for Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) who is taking issue with the apps resemblance to its classic Swiss railway station clock design. Swiss newspaper Blick.ch reported today SBB is attempting to contact Apple over the issue and confirmed with SBB spokesman Reto Kormann that Apple is not authorized to use the design:

SBB are angry. Apple had apparently not considered necessary to ask the train operator’s permission. “We’re trying to contact Apple in touch to control the unauthorized use of financial and legal”, SBB spokesman Reto Kormann says on request of Blick.ch.


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First teardown gives us a look inside iPhone 5 [Gallery]

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 20 2012 - 9:46 am PT
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While it’s not the usual in-depth iFixit teardown we are familiar with, iPhone-Garage (via MacRumors) has images of an iPhone 5 disassembled with its internals spread across a table. We do not learn much from the images, but we can see Apple slightly tweaked the layout of the battery and other internals. We also get a closer look at some of the other repositioned parts we already knew about.

Go to iPhone-Garage for more pictures and commentary.


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Apple expanding North Carolina data center operations with $3M, 200-acre land purchase

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 20 2012 - 8:51 am PT
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According to a new report from Hickory Daily Record, Apple is expanding its data center operations in North Carolina with the purchase of $3 million worth of land in Conover, Catawba County. The purchase would include 218.885 acres and another 0.251 acres for a new solar farm. HDR cited “deeds and a plat book at the Catawba County Register of Deeds”:

CONOVER, NC — California-based technology giant Apple has spent nearly $3 million to buy more than 200 acres of property in Catawba County for another solar farm… It’s another step in Apple’s pledge to have its Maiden data center running on 100 percent renewable energy by the end of the year…Apple recently closed on the land purchase that includes a tract of 218.885 acres and another tract of 0.251 acres, according to deeds and a plat book at the Catawba County Register of Deeds.
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Apple invents Android-like face unlock feature for mobile phones, patents it

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 20 2012 - 7:08 am PT
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We told you about a few Apple patents in the past that highlight Apple’s experimentation with face and object recognition. Today, PatentlyApple reported on another patent that covers methods of unlocking and locking a device including unique child lock features and “learn the user’s intended movements.” Hopefully the end result is something better than what we have seen before.

Today’s invention takes a few different twists that very interesting. I’m sure that die-hard Androiders will be up in arms today pointing to Google’s feature and patent – but Apple’s invention adds so much more depth. We’ll point you to Google’s patent for those wishing to compare the two inventions to be fair. Yet at the end of the day, Apple’s invention – especially if they combine it with ‘Presence’ technology, will have a unique product that will simply outshine Google’s implementation, plain and simple.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l4D2tn_-kQ]

Missing all the features of Google Maps? Get them back in iOS 6 with these third-party apps

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 19 2012 - 3:00 pm PT
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Are you already feeling the frustration of Apple’s new iOS 6 Maps app? Apple is officially no longer using the Google Maps backend from iOS 5 with today’s public release of iOS 6. With its new in-house Maps app, some were concerned users would be disappointed with the arguably downgraded experience. A few of the reasons some users are refusing to update to iOS 6: lack of Google’s Street View and public transportation features, limited traffic data, and inferior local search. Above is a breakdown of lost features by country, courtesy of theunderstatement.com, showing 51 countries will be losing access to Transit data, 24 countries losing traffic data, and 41 countries without access to Street View. Also worth noting is that 20 countries won’t have access to Apple’s shiny new turn-by-turn and 3D Flyover features. Another consideration is that many of the features of Apple’s new Maps app, such as Flyover, turn-by-turn, and Siri, will be limited to iPhone 4S/iPhone5, and third gen iPad users.

The good news is there might be a way to get back some of that functionality even if it means having to go through a couple third-party apps to do so. Here’s to hoping Google has an even better Maps experience headed to iOS in the near future, but until then the apps like the ones below might be your only option:

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Apple updates Garageband, Keynote, Numbers, iPhoto, iMovie, Cards, Podcasts, Remote, iTunes U, & Find My Friends iOS apps

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 19 2012 - 11:57 am PT
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As expected, Apple is releasing updates to many of its iOS apps today including Garageband, Keynote, Numbers, Cards, iPhoto, iMovie, and Find My Friends with support for iOS 6 and other new features. We also expect to see a few more updates headed towards the rest of Apple’s own iOS apps today following the public release of iOS 6 earlier today.

Some of the new features now available in the updated apps, in addition to iOS 6 support: Location-based alerts in the Find My Friends app, the ability to create custom ringtons and alerts in GarageBand, iPad support for Cards with a new universal app (and new themes, layouts, and iPhoto integration) , and huge updates to iPhoto and iMovie that bring a long list of new features. Release notes for all the new updates below:

GarageBand version 1.3:

• Create custom ringtones and alerts for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch*
• Import songs from the Music library on your iOS device
• Play or record with GarageBand in the background while using other apps**
• Addresses a number of minor issues related to overall performance and stability

* Requires iOS 6 or later
** Requires iPhone 4S, iPad 2 or later

Keynote version 1.6.2:

• Support for iOS 6
• Ability to open a presentation in another app
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Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 updated with support for Retina MacBook Pros

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 19 2012 - 11:53 am PT
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Following a ton of complaints from new Retina MacBook Pro users about the Microsoft Office 2011 experience in August, Microsoft finally updated the app to version 14.2.4 today to bring support for Retina displays and a number of other fixes.

We’re happy to announce that Office for Mac 2011 (version 14.2.4) now supports Retina display for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Text everywhere is incredibly crisp and all key areas of the interface are now sharper than ever. We hope you enjoy this fantastic software experience!…As long as you have Microsoft AutoUpdate set to check for software updates automatically, you’ll be notified when this update is available.

(via MacRumors)

Roger McNamee of Elevation Partners says Apple is acting like a ‘dumb monopolist’ [Video]

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 19 2012 - 10:56 am PT
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[ooyala code=”VqYjJ4NTp7jeJgAB5RtS_zQ9gBXxCsfw”]

In a recent interview on Bloomberg Television, Roger McNamee of Elevation Partners discussed why he thought Apple is beginning to act like a “dumb monopolist.” While noting Apple is “the most amazing thing I’ve seen in 30 years of covering the tech industry,” McNamee said the company’s anti-competitive nature can be witnessed in recent retail layoffs and its effort to consciously slow down HTML5 web app development on its platforms. He also talked about the iPhone 5, claiming Apple is “increasingly dependent just on the software for their retention because the hardware’s not that cool.” Other topics of conversation included Google, Yahoo, and Zuckerberg post-IPO. Check out the full interview in the video above.

“And so when I look at Apple today, I see them doing crazy things like they laid off a ton of people who worked in the Apple Stores. The retail experience went down the toilet the next day, to the point where there was this huge backlash and they were forced to rehire some of the people. And I’m sitting there going, excuse me? Why are you trying to cut costs? You’re the highest margin hardware business in the last 25 years. What exactly is wrong with your model? And to me, I look at Apple and I go, as a shareholder, it’s an amazing thing. There’s nothing competitive with them at all today, but…they’re already doing the things you would expect a dumb monopolist to do.”


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Samsung mocks iPhone 5 line sitters (again) in new Galaxy S III ad

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 19 2012 - 10:35 am PT
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nf5-Prx19ZM]

Samsung just released its latest ad mocking iPhone line sitters—right on time for the release of the iPhone 5 this week. The ad is quite similar to its old “The Next Big Thing” Galaxy ads, as it bashes iPhone customers waiting in line at the Apple Store. This commercial is for Samsung’s latest device, of course, the Galaxy S III.


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Apple releases 10.8.2 Mountain Lion update with Facebook integration, 10.7.5 with Gatekeeper

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 19 2012 - 10:12 am PT
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After releasing a tweaked beta of Mountain Lion 10.8.2 just last week and the public release of iOS 6 this morning, Apple just released 10.8.2 through Software Update. As we previously detailed, the update’s big feature is Facebook integration including single sign on, Facebook sharing options for links and photos, and Facebook notifications in Notification Center. Game Center also received some nice enhancements while the MacBook Air (late 2010) gained Power Nap.

Apple also released OS X 10.7.5 today for OS X Lion users, which includes Gatekeeper and a number of fixes for Launchpad, Wi-Fi, and Spotlight.

A list of what is included in 10.8.2 is below via Apple’s full release notes:


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EU market tests settlement proposed by Apple and publishers in eBook price fixing case

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 19 2012 - 5:59 am PT
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Following a federal judge’s decision to approve settlements with three publishers and the Federal Communications Commission in the United States, the Apple/Amazon eBook price-fixing case is taking a different turn in the European Union with officials prepared to market test settlements put forward by Apple and the majority of publishers involved. In the EU, Apple appears to be proposing a settlement similar to the one it is fighting in the U.S. (and expected to appeal), allowing retailers to freely set prices for the next two years. The EU’s European Commission issued a press release earlier today (via Cnet):

Antitrust: Commission market tests commitments proposed by Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, Hachette, Holtzbrinck and Apple for the sale of e-books

The European Commission is inviting comments from interested parties on commitments offered by four international publishers – Simon & Schuster (CBS Corp., USA), Harper Collins (News Corp., USA), Hachette Livre (Lagardère Publishing, France), Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck (owner of inter alia Macmillan, Germany) – and Apple. The proposed commitments aim to alleviate concerns that these companies may have engaged in an anti-competitive concerted practice affecting the sale of e-books in the European Economic Area (EEA). If the market test confirms that the commitments are suitable to address the Commission’s competition concerns, the Commission may make them legally binding on the companies.

The Commission considers at this stage that these companies may have breached EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive practices by jointly switching the sale of e-books from a wholesale model to agency contracts containing the same key terms (in particular an unusual so-called “Most Favoured Nation” – MFN – clause for retail prices). The agency model allows more control by publishers over retail prices. The Commission has concerns that this switch may have been the result of collusion between competing publishers, with the help of Apple, and may have aimed at raising retail prices of e-books in the EEA or preventing the emergence of lower prices.

In the proposed commitments, the five companies offer to terminate existing agency agreements and refrain from adopting price MFN clauses for five years. In case any of the four publishers would enter into new agency agreements, retailers would be free to set the retail price of e-books during a two-year period, provided the aggregate value of price discounts granted by retailers does not exceed the total annual amount of the commissions that the retailer receives from the publisher.

Interested parties can submit comments within one month from the date of publication.

Background

Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement prohibit agreements and concerted practices which may affect trade and prevent or restrict competition.

After unannounced inspections in March 2011 (see MEMO/11/126), the Commission opened proceedings in December 2011 against Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, Hachette, Holtzbrinck, Penguin and Apple (see IP/11/1509). Following discussions with the Commission, four of these publishers and Apple offered commitments with a view to seeking an early resolution of the case. Penguin (Pearson group, United Kingdom) has not offered any commitments and the investigation into their conduct is on-going.

If the market test indicates that the commitments are a satisfactory solution to the Commission’s competition concerns, the Commission may adopt a decision under Article 9 of the EU’s antitrust Regulation 1/2003, to make them legally binding on Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, Hachette, Holtzbrinck and Apple. Such an Article 9 decision does not conclude that there is an infringement of EU antitrust rules but legally binds the companies concerned to respect the commitments offered. If a company breaks such commitments, the Commission can impose a fine of up to 10% of its annual worldwide turnover, without having to find an infringement of the antitrust rules.

Mainstream apps optimized for iPhone 5, Passbook, & iOS 6

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2012 - 10:27 pm PT
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If you want to take full advantage of iOS 6 and the new iPhone 5′s extra screen real estate, you will want to pick up some of the apps and updates below, which are specifically optimized for the device’s bigger screen size and latest OS. We will continue to update the list as more updates that are notable pop up.

Tweetbot version 2.5.0:

Support for iOS 6 and iPhone 5

Readability version 1.2.1:

– updated for iOS 6 and iPhone 5
– iOS 5.0 or higher is now required
– improved scrolling prevents accidental panel swipes
– unified navigation menu (added in version 1.2)
– bug fixes

Temple Run version 1.6: In addition to iPhone support, Temple Run also gets new social sharing features to celebrate  hitting 100 million downloads:

– Bigger screen size for iPhone 5
– New social sharing feature. Now share your scores via Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.
– Lots of bug fixes

iTranslate Voice version 1.3:

-Support for the bigger iPhone 5 display
-iOS6 compatibility
-Some minor Bugfixes

Open Table version 3.8:

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iPhone 5 shipping times slip again to ‘3-4 weeks’ on Apple’s website

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2012 - 9:30 pm PT
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After slipping to “2-3 weeks” for preorder customers, just two days after the launch of the iPhone 5 last week, readers informed us Apple’s website now lists the device as available to ship in “3-4 weeks” in at least the United States, Australia and Canada. Many other countries are still listed at “2-3 weeks.” Either way, initial shipments will not arrive until long after Apple launches the device in another 22 countries at the end of the month. Most carriers are still advertising availability for Sept. 21, but all three iPhone 5 models on all carriers are listed as available in “3-4 weeks” for the countries mentioned above.

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Poll: Are you worried that iOS 6 Maps ‘update’ won’t have important data that Google’s maps did?

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2012 - 11:29 am PT
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image via reddit

When Apple demoed its new in-house, iOS 6 Maps app at WWDC in June, replacing the Google Maps backend used in previous versions of iOS, first impressions from many users raised concerns over whether it could compete with the old Google Maps iOS app they were used to. Apple has been steadily improving the Maps app with each beta release, including recently expanding coverage of 3D maps to new cities, but its limitations could be a source of frustration for upgrading iPhone owners in the coming weeks.

Macworld’s Jason Snell raised some alarm bells this week at the post-iPhone 5 roundtable (11:00 in), saying Maps did not feel ready and he was concerned that long-time Maps users would be disappointed. We received lots of comments and forum posts from users who refuse to update until transit times were included.

[tweet https://twitter.com/jon889/status/248130694319046657]

The move was not surprisingly viewed as a strategic one for Apple, and fueled by powerful technologies from Placebase, C3 Technologies, and Poly9 acquisitions, but will Apple be able to smooth iOS 6 Maps app enough to keep users happy when they update to iOS 6 and make the transition from Google Maps later this month?

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Apps & updates: Pixelmator, Amazon Cloud Player, Reeder, Dropbox, more

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2012 - 9:21 am PT
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVb6081IaUI]

We already told you about some big app news today with an updated Twitter iOS client and the release of popular MMO Guild Wars 2 for Mac. Below is the rest of the notable apps and updates hitting the App Store today:

Pixelmator version 2.1.1: A big update today goes to version 2.1.1 of the Pixelmator Mac App Store app. The updated app includes a new Healing Tool that’s up to 20x faster than the previous version, UI improvements for Retina MacBooks, and a number of fixes and performance enhancements. A full list of changes is here.

We are bursting with pride to tell you that this is the best and the fastest Healing Tool in the world. Pretty sophisticated algorithms and the latest OS X technologies have allowed us to create a tool that performs at an incredible speed. We hope you’ll be as excited about it as we are… A lot of other good things are here, too: the ability to temporarily hide the Alignment Guides with the Command key, significant performance improvements, the effects you’ve missed, and much more.

Amazon Cloud Player version 1.2.4: Amazon updated its Cloud Player app for iOS today, which allows users to stream and download music from their Amazon Cloud account. The biggest news in the update is that Cloud Player is now available in the UK, Germany, and France. Amazon is also introducing support for French and German languages.

Reeder version 3.0.4: The iOS Fever, Readability, and Google Reader client was updated today with a few new features. Included is enhancements bringing full support for iPhone 5 and iOS 6. The update means Facebook sharing becomes an iOS 6 only feature after updating. The developers have also included a fix for issues with Fever syncing and missing folders.

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ITC launches investigation of Apple devices following Motorola complaint

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2012 - 8:06 am PT
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The United States International Trade Commission announced today (via TNW) that it would launch an investigation of Apple devices, including iPhones, iPods, iPads and Macs, following a complaint filed by Motorola last month that sought an import ban related to seven patents. The release from the ITC does not provide many details and only stated it will investigate “certain wireless communication devices, portable music and data processing devices, computers, and components thereof” from Apple.

USITC INSTITUTES SECTION 337 INVESTIGATION ON CERTAIN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICES, PORTABLE MUSIC AND DATA PROCESSING DEVICES, COMPUTERS, AND COMPONENTS THEREOF

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to institute an investigation of certain wireless communication devices, portable music and data processing devices, computers, and components thereof. The products at issue in this investigation are certain Apple iPhones, iPods, iPads, and Apple personal computers.

The investigation is based on a complaint filed by Motorola Mobility LLC of Libertyville, IL, Motorola Mobility Ireland of Bermuda, and Motorola Mobility International Limited of Bermuda, on August 17, 2012. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the United States and sale of certain wireless communication devices, portable music and data processing devices, computers, and components thereof that infringe patents asserted by the complainants. The complainants request that the USITC issue an exclusion order and a cease and desist order.

The USITC has identified Apple Inc. of Cupertino, CA, as the respondent in this investigation.

By instituting this investigation (337-TA-856), the USITC has not yet made any decision on the merits of the case. The USITC’s Chief Administrative Law Judge will assign the case to one of the USITC’s six administrative law judges (ALJ), who will schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing. The ALJ will make an initial determination as to whether there is a violation of section 337; that initial determination is subject to review by the Commission.

The USITC will make a final determination in the investigation at the earliest practicable time. Within 45 days after institution of the investigation, the USITC will set a target date for completing the investigation. USITC remedial orders in section 337 cases are effective when issued and become final 60 days after issuance unless disapproved for policy reasons by the U.S. Trade Representative within that 60-day period.

Open Internet groups to file FCC complaint over AT&T FaceTime blocking

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2012 - 7:18 am PT
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After AT&T revealed to us that it was planning to block FaceTime over cellular for customers not on its pricy Mobile Share plans, an attorney at advocacy group Public Knowledge suggested the carrier’s decision violated the Federal Communications Commission’s Open Internet rules and warranted an investigation. Today, we get word (via from GigaOM) that Public Knowledge, the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute, and Free Press are planning to file a complaint with the FCC:

On Tuesday, Free Press, Public Knowledge, and the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute notified AT&T of their intent to file a formal complaint against the company. In the complaint, the three organizations will assert that AT&T is violating Net Neutrality by blocking the popular video-conferencing application FaceTime.

The groups will jointly file a complaint with the agency in the coming weeks. Today’s release provides the necessary 10 days notice of intent to file required by the FCC’s Open Internet rules. As for what will be included in the complaint: according to a press release from Free Press, “under the Open Internet rules the FCC passed in 2010, AT&T cannot block apps that compete with the company’s traditional voice-calling service.”

Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood said, “It’s particularly outrageous that AT&T is requiring this for iPad users, given that this device isn’t even capable of making voice calls. AT&T’s actions are incredibly harmful to all of its customers, including the deaf, immigrant families and others with relatives overseas, who depend on mobile video apps to communicate with friends and family.”

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Guild Wars 2 comes to Mac OS X in beta, shares live servers with PC client

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2012 - 6:53 am PT
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Guild Wars 2 OS X Beta: NCsoft, developer of the popular PC MMORPG franchise “Guild Wars”, announced today that its critically acclaimed Guild Wars 2, released last month for PC, is now officially available for Mac OS X. The Mac version is available to download through the game’s account management page after purchasing the title and will initially launch in beta. While Windows players already have a jump on Mac users, the developer confirmed the beta would run on live servers to allow seamless play between Mac and PC users. You will need 10.7 or higher, an Intel Core i5 or better, and at least 4GB of RAM.

The Mac beta version of Guild Wars 2 is still being optimised and, unlike other betas, is connected to the live servers allowing everyone to play together on both Mac and Windowsbased computers…To deliver this support, ArenaNet is partnering with TransGaming whose revolutionary Cider technology dynamically translates between operating environments. This approach means that future updates to the game will also be available for Windows and Mac simultaneously… ArenaNet staffers are big fans of Macs. We offer them as part of our employee laptop subsidy program, and our president Mike O’Brien is rarely seen without his Mac laptop. We’re as excited as anyone to play Guild Wars 2 on OS X.

NCsoft’s full press release is below:

One more thing… Guild Wars 2® to support Mac®

SEATTLE, WA – September 18, 2012: NCsoft®, the world’s premier publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) and ArenaNet™, developer of the renowned Guild Wars franchise, today announces that the revolutionary online roleplaying game Guild Wars 2 will also be supporting Mac OS® X.

Guild Wars 2 will be available for Mac in a beta version to anyone who purchases Guild Wars 2. The Mac beta version of Guild Wars 2 is still being optimised and, unlike other betas, is connected to the live servers allowing everyone to play together on both Mac and Windowsbased computers. Users will be able to access the Mac beta client through the Guild Wars 2 account management website after activating their game code.

As one of the most successful game launches of the year, Guild Wars 2 delivers an unparalleled gaming experience set in a magical world of high fantasy. Like its predecessor, Guild Wars 2features a subscription-free business model that allows players to enjoy the entire online experience for just one initial purchase.

In this groundbreaking online RPG, players will experience seamless, cooperative gameplay in a massive, online world. In Guild Wars 2, players embark on an epic journey in a gorgeously rendered world that is constantly evolving in response to player actions. Combined with visceral, fast-paced action and player vs. player combat of unequalled quality and scale, Guild Wars 2 is destined to be the premiere online gaming experience for both PC and Mac.

To deliver this support, ArenaNet is partnering with TransGaming whose revolutionary Cider technology dynamically translates between operating environments. This approach means that future updates to the game will also be available for Windows and Mac simultaneously.

For more information on the game and to purchase Guild Wars 2, visit www.guildwars2.com. For more information on the Mac version of Guild Wars 2, visit support.guildwars2.com/mac.

About NCsoft

NCsoft, headquartered in Seoul, Korea, is the world’s premier publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games, including the critically acclaimed Aion®, Lineage® and Guild Wars®franchises. NCsoft West is a division of NCsoft that holds operating responsibilities for North America, Europe, South America, and Australia/New Zealand. More information can be found atwww.ncsoft.com.

About Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2 is a visually stunning MMO that offers players the epic grandeur of a massive role playing environment combined with innovative combat mechanics, dynamic events, and customised personal storytelling. Building on the success of Guild Wars, NCsoft andgame developer ArenaNet have created an MMO that lets gamers play the way they want, while at the same time retaining the no-subscription-fee business model that made the original Guild Wars so popular. For more information about Guild Wars 2, visit www.guildwars2.com.

About TransGaming Inc.

TransGaming Inc. (TSX-V: TNG) is the global leader in the multiplatform deployment of interactive entertainment. TransGaming works with the industry’s leading developers and publishers to enable and distribute games for Smart TVs, next-generation set-top boxes, Mac computers, and Linux/CE platforms. TransGaming is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. For more information, visitwww.transgaming.com.

Twitter for iPad gets a new landscape UI, profiles with header photos, and enhanced photo streams

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2012 - 5:33 am PT
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Twitter just updated its universal iOS app with a few new improvements, the most notable of which is a new landscape UI for iPad. Other aspects of the iPad UI have been slightly tweaked over the previous version, while version 5.0 of the app also brings new profiles with header photos, photo streams on profiles and events, and various other fixes and enhancements for both the iPad and iPhone client.

Among the improvements to the iPad UI: Tweets now come in a compact view and can expand with a single tap to view videos, web pages, and photos directly from within your timeline.

In a post on the official Twitter blog, Product Manager Sung Hu Kim took us through a few of the updates:

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Apple tops ACSI September report with 86 out of 100 in customer satisfaction

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2012 - 5:25 am PT
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The American Customer Satisfaction Index is out today with its September report for appliances, computers, televisions and video players/recorders. Not surprisingly, Apple is able to maintain its lead among personal computers despite a drop of 1-point to 86 over previous reports. While the report noted Apple continued to lead the category by a margin of 5- to- 9 points, Apple’s lead is slightly smaller than previously, according to the report, “due to an across-the-board customer satisfaction increase for Windows-based computers.” Apple’s score comes as the PC industry as a whole gains 2.6-points and hit all-time high satisfaction score of 80.

Skipping past HP, Acer and Toshiba, the aggregate of smaller PC makers (including tablet producers Samsung and Amazon) improves customer satisfaction by 4% to 80 while simultaneously gaining market share at a pace that outstrips even Apple… “What may be occurring is that the defection of the least satisfied customers of traditional PC brands such as Dell, HP and Acer to Apple and other smaller tablet makers actually may be boosting customer satisfaction for all,” says Fornell. “The companies that lose market share will maintain their most loyal and happy customers, while those who migrate to other companies in search of new products are more pleased as well.”


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Sprint to discontinue the iPhone 4?

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 17 2012 - 8:06 pm PT
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Update: A Sprint spokesperson confirmed to Cnet that it will no longer carry the iPhone 4 in its retail stores starting this Friday. While we originally thought the carrier might stop selling the device completely, it also confirmed it will continue selling it online:

“iPhone 4 will become a Web only device effective on September 21. We will certainly still be selling it,”

When Apple introduced the iPhone 5 earlier this month, starting at the usual $199 price point, the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 both received price cuts with an 8GB iPhone 4 going free on a two-year contract. Apple noted in its press release, while announcing the iPhone 5, that the free iPhone 4 would be available through select carriers only. It now looks like Sprint is one of the carriers dropping the iPhone 4 from its lineup. While the exact reason is unclear, we were sent the Sprint Phone 5 pre-launch materials above —which seem to be authentic— that appear to confirm the carrier will no longer offer the iPhone 4 starting Sept. 21 (iPhone launch day).

Perhaps Sprint feels it cannot afford to offer the device at $0 on a contract. There is a possibility the carrier will move the iPhone 4 to a Virgin-only prepaid offering, which we expect would bump the cost of the device close to the $399 price point. The device currently sells for $549 on Sprint, but that price has yet to come down following the iPhone 5 launch.


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Bluetooth-based Jawbone conveniently declares ‘the dock is dead’ following Apple’s move to 9-pin adapters [Video]

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Sep 17 2012 - 3:37 pm PT
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj1iO78d6AM]

With the unveiling of Apple’s new Lightning connector and often necessary 30-pin adapters for the iPhone 5 and refreshed iPod lineup, it is perhaps a perfect time for Jawbone to declare “The Dock Is Dead” in its latest ad for the Big Jambox wireless Bluetooth speaker. We put previous generations of the speaker to the test, but the new Jambox has since improved on many of the areas that the old model lacked. We also had positive experiences reviewing other products from Jawbone in the past.

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