After previewing their app almost one year ago in March of 2009 at the Apple iPhone OS 3.0 event, Meebo has finally made it to the App Store. The reason the app took this long to make it to the store is still unclear, but according to Tech Crunch‘s enamored MG Siegler, the app was only officially submitted last week. 

The wait might have been worth it.  The simple app  allows you to connect to almost all of the different services you use such as AIM, Facebook Chat, and MSN messenger (no Skype like Fring). The app also comes with a great design, searchable chat history, and push notifications like many of its competitors. The app is free on the App Store.

Sometime

http://www.microsoft.com:80/presspass/silverlightApps/videoplayer3/standalone.aspx?contentID=windowsPhone_MWC10_02&src=/presspass/presskits/windowsphone/channel.xml

Microsoft has made its bid for future relevance, announcing Windows Mobile 7 with a caveat – it won

Announced this morning in Barcelona, Apple

Fisher-Price has been watching Apple closely and this week will introduce its own iPad-inspired device for children, the iXL.

The iXL offers photo, ebook, music playback, games, an art studio and e-notebook all inside its robust body. Set to cost $79.99, the system launches at this week’s Toy Fair in New York and to the public in July.

The idea is that children will want to mess with this device because it emulates what their parents and older siblings use.

Attempts by the world

T-Mobile has won 1.2 million new customers in Germany on strength of its introduction of the iPhone, the company confirmed at Barcelona

Apple

At Mobile World Congress 2010, Adobe introduced the latest version of Flash for mobile phones, including the unveiling of Adobe AIR on mobile devices, a consistent runtime for standalone applications to come out of the Open Screen Project.

Expected to offer Android support in 2010, Adobe pushed AIR  as a solution for developers hoping to create rich applications, across operating systems – though it has also been revealed Windows 7 will not support Flash.

Adobe also announced that a beta of Flash Player 10.1 is now available to content providers and mobile developers worldwide. The final version is expected to ship in the first half of 2010.

The company touted Flash Player 10.1

Japanese regulators are summoning Apple execs to their offices to give the Cupertino company a strict dressing down following complaints that iTunes has billed customers for downloads they never made, officials said Monday.

Officials are angry as in at least 95 cases in Japan involving five major credit card companies, iTunes customers say they have sometimes been charged

Apple has allegedly moved to ban hackers behind iPhone jailbreak solutions from the App Store, a Redmond Pie report claims.

iPhone developer and hacker, Sherif Hashim, claims to receive a warning showing he

Sling today upgraded their Sling Player Mobile App ($29 App Store) to 1.2 with one very big update note: “3G Streaming enabled”.  It has been a long, long road fraught with finger-pointing and poor communication but you can finally watch your TV over 3G wherever AT&T’s service flows.

In case you were wondering, Prices on compatible Slingboxes as follows:

Solo: $158

Pro: $264

We’re new to this one, but according to DaringFireball, it appears that Adobe has been trying to slow down the HTML5 ratification process by sending in objections whenever they can.   Could there be a reasonable explanation for Adobe objecting to HTML5 ratification?  Adobe’s man in question, Larry Masinter, has a pretty distinguished career both with Adobe and also the W3C consortium so we wouldn’t want to judge this hastily without all of the facts.  

Anybody out there with more information on the subject?

Update: Masinter posts this in the comments:

 No part of HTML5 is, or was ever, “blocked” in the W3C HTML Working Group — not HTML5, not Canvas 2D Graphics, not Microdata, not Video — not by me, not by Adobe.

Neither Adobe nor I oppose, are fighting, are trying to stop, slow down, hinder, oppose, or harm HTML5, Canvas 2D Graphics, Microdata, video in HTML, or any of the other significant features in HTML5.

Claims otherwise are false. Any other disclaimers needed?

There are some things that are wrong with the spec I’d like to see fixed. There are some things that are really, really, wrong with the process that I’d like to improve.

I’ve been working on web standards since the beginning of the web in the early 90s, and standards for even longer; long before I joined Adobe. My opinions don’t come from Adobe, and I don’t get approval or direction. I hate to see decades of work on web architecture messed up in the short-term interest of grabbing control of the web platform for a few vendors to own. If you think that position doesn’t match what you imagine Adobe’s position is, well, I’m glad Adobe’s planning to support HTML5 in its products.

As for the HTML standards process: I’ve worked in scores of standards groups in IETF and W3C, as well as a few others here and there, and I’ve never seen anything as bad as this one, with people abusing their official positions to grandstand and promote proprietary advantage. I’ve blogged some about this, but I’d rather fix things along.

I think progress of HTML5 in W3C could be faster if the subsections on graphics and metadata could (if not now, then eventually) be moved to separate subgroups focused on those topics. The organization of work in W3C is determined by the “charters” of working group and the “scope” of he charters, so saying work is “out of scope” even if you are marking a snapshot of the (already published) documents as “Working Draft”, means you might rewrite the “Status of This Document” section to say that it might move. That’s what I was asking for, in the somewhat stilted language of “objection”.

If you want to know who is sending in technical objections, you can see the working group mailing list at http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/. And if you want to see more of my opinions, I’m also on the W3C Technical Architecture Group (TAG) and post there a lot, seehttp://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-tag/; the TAG often discusses HTML5.

Any more questions about my opinion? My email address should be easy to find.

Also John Dowdell Post this:

via DF

On Friday, Apple posted a job listing for a ‘Data Center Chief Operating Engineer’ in Newark, CA, where the company currently has a large data center (aerial picture shown).  Now this posting wouldn’t be anything groundbreaking if it wasn’t for this defined ‘Primary Responsibility’:

“Plan and coordinate the implementation of new data center facilities projects.”

Now, this could be referring to any future projects Apple decides to implement, but given their purchase of land in North Carolina and planned investment of an estimated $1 billion on data center, we think this isn’t a coincidence.  The data center, according to at least one report, will be used to support the sales of both the iTunes Store as well as the iPhone App Store, though other possibilities have been discussed as well.

Check out the full job description below:

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
-Manage the installation, repair, and maintenance of critical facility systems
-Responsible for scheduling and managing the regular testing of facility equipment
-Responsible for executing and tracking planned expense facilities work at the Data Center
-Plan and coordinate the implementation of new data center facilities projects
-Monitor and report on facilities system utilization, capacities, and performance
-Review existing procedures and implement needed additional maintenance procedures
-Prepare site documentation including floor layouts and engineering designs
-Develop site solutions in support of various key infrastructure and business needs
-Work directly with Corporate Facilities to manage preventive maintenance activities as well as infrastructure upgrades
-Manage shipping and receiving operations including tracking packages and staging deliveries
-Build and foster a culture of teamwork at the site.

-10+ years infrastructure experience with a focus on Data Center Facilities operations
-A very good understanding of electrical and mechanical systems in use in the Data Center environment including transformers, generators, switchgear, UPS systems, ATS & ASTS units, PDU/RPP units, chillers, cooling towers, CRAC/CRAH units
-Ability to communicate effectively and provide direction to contractors and vendors performing maintenance or upgrade work on systems installed in a data center environment
-Must understand the Data Center environment and excel in customer service especially when dealing with IT group
-Ability to learn quickly, works autonomously, and addresses any issues that arise day or night
-A willingness to provide on call support in case of emergencies or other off hours issues at the facilities
-Strong verbal and written communication skills
-Detail oriented
-Strongly prefer a degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering technology

Rumored for a few months, two sources in the shopping center confirm Apple will soon announce the opening of a new Apple Store in Quebec, Canada at Place Ste-Foy.

Pierre Couture in “Le Soleil” newspaper (in French) said last month:

“(Quebec) Apple is seriously considering opening an Apple Store at Place Ste-Foy.
At least two sources have confirmed to the Sun that intensive discussions had taken place in recent weeks between Apple and management of shopping boulevard Laurier. Thursday at Apple Canada lips were sealed.
“We do not comment on rumors”, said a spokesman for the company.
In Place Ste-Foy, management would not comment on the content of discussions with Apple. “We are always looking to attract new renowned tenants,” said the CEO of mall, Donald Larose. “

I went about investigating on my own and have been able to confirm from two persons working at Place Ste-Foy that Apple will indeed open a new store there, strengthening its position as a leader in Canada with this new store in Qu