Vimeo, one of the first video sharing sites to support HTML5 video alongside YouTube, has finally released its official iOS application. The free Vimeo app lets you upload, manage and watch your Vimeo clips, as well as the videos based on your personal preferences or Vimeo’s curated channels.
You can upload your raw footage in HD or SD to the cloud or download Vimeo clips to the camera roll. More features in iTunes release notes below the fold. And now a shocker: The app packs in a simple video editor that lets you record, trim, combine and edit your clips with transitions, titles and effects plus background music and recordings with control volume levels.
JBL, an American audio electronics company, is drumming up the OnBeat, an awesome-looking $150 iPad speaker dock that also works with the iPhone, iPod touch or other audio sources hooked up via a 3.5 millimeter auxiliary hack. It comes with a standard 30-pin dock connector allowing you to charge and sync your iOS device, even when the system itself is off.
There’s also a USB connection for desktop iTunes, an IR remote and an AC power supply. Another nice-to-have: A built-in composite video output that sends video from your iOS gadget to an a TV set or a compatible external display. The perks don’t stop here, quite the contrary. Read on for more juicy details and beautiful shots right after the break.
The news that WWDC 2011 tickets sold out in a matter of hours left me dumbfounded. Hours, mind you, not days. We’re talking a geek conference here folks, not a Lady GaGa show. I’m positive the achievement will deserve a funny remark during Steve Jobs keynote come June 6.
There are signs, however, that bogus developers have seized an opportunity to profit on the backs of real programmers eager to experience Steve Jobs’ reality-distortion field.
The New York Times has raised a pay wall yesterday. From now on, you must choose between three subscription models ($15/$25/$35 every four weeks) to access online articles at NYTimes.com. As you know, everyone can read up to twenty articles each month for free and home delivery subscribers get to enjoy unlimited access to online articles on NYTimes.com and via smartphone and tablet apps.
In addition to those deals, Amazon partnered with the paper and announced yesterday that subscribers to the Kindle version of The New York Times will get free and unrestricted access to all online articles at the NYTimes.com site. Russ Grandinetti, Amazon’s VP of Kindle content:
Given The Times’ transition to a digital subscription model, we’re excited to be able to offer Kindle subscribers online access to all the digital content available at NYTimes.com at no additional cost.
Remember Apple’s upcoming retail store in Dresden’s suburban mall we told you about? Today the company confirmed on its German retail site plans to officially open this store on Thursday, March 31, at 8am. Matter of fact, grand opening is being planned throughout the weekend, with extended store hours from Thursday (8am to 10pm) to Friday (9:30am to 10pm) and Saturday (9:30am to 12am). Expand Expanding Close
Not content with the ruling last Friday by the International Trade Commision that freed Apple of any wrong-doing in alleged patent infringement, the Espoo, Finland-based cellphone giant has filed a new complaint with the ITC. This time, they’ve broadened the scope to include new patents not previously mentioned, alleging that Apple is infringing intellectual property in virtually all Nokia products. In a statement issued via Thomson Reuters One, Nokia mentions seven new patents used in virtually all of its mobile phones, portable music players, tablets and computers:
The seven Nokia patents in the new complaint relate to Nokia’s pioneering innovations that are now being used by Apple to create key features in its products in the areas of multi-tasking operating systems, data synchronization, positioning, call quality and the use of Bluetooth accessories.
Following last Monday’s news of AT&T’s $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA that sent Sprint Nextel’s stock down 15 percent, the carrier is now officially opposing the deal which is pending federal review by the FCC and Department of Justice, which could take at least a year. A statement Sprint put out yesterday mentions duopoly and voices concerns for consumers and competition, urging the government “to block this anti-competitive acquisition”.
A duopoly created would threaten Sprint’s existence, the statement argues. Revenue-wise, the combined company would be three times the size of Sprint, it reads. Sprint warns the transaction “will likely spark a host of hearings in the US Congress,” adding:
AT&T and Verizon are already by far the largest wireless providers. If approved, the proposed acquisition would create a combined company that would be almost three times the size of Sprint in terms of wireless revenue and would entrench AT&T’s and Verizon’s duopoly control over the wireless market. The wireless industry moving forward would be dominated overwhelmingly by two vertically integrated companies with unprecedented control over the U.S. wireless post-paid market, as well as the availability and price of key inputs, such as backhaul and access needed by other wireless companies to compete.
With the news that Apple’s already sold-out summer developer conference is a software-related show focused on Mac OS X Lion and iOS 5 (which apparently won’t be ready for prime time until Fall), TechCrunch chimed in with new purported details regarding the next major version of Apple’s mobile operating system. Author MG Siegler re-iterated claims that WWDC will only see a preview of iOS 5 come June 6, with the final code slated for a Fall launch. Then he added:
A year ago, Apple bought Siri, a virtual personal assistant startup that had released a very cool iPhone app. The Siri team and technology are now said to be a big part of iOS 5. The use of Siri’s artificial intelligence and assistance technology is said to be deeply integrated into the OS for all the different services offered. And the team is now putting the finishing touches on the elements that will be demoed at WWDC, we hear. This tech may also be opened to developers for use in third-party apps — though that information isn’t quite as concrete.
Watchful readers will remember this being a long-standing rumor…
iPad 2 could arrive to RadioShack tomorrow, March 29, 2011, a tipster told MacRumors. The source indicated that all 500 RadioShack nationwide retail spots will carry the tablet and provided a blurry but otherwise genuine-looking notice stating:
We are thrilled that iPad 2 will be available at 500 RadioShack locations across the country starting March 29! Details have been sent to these stores.
Amazon’s online bazaar for Android software opened for business a week ago and today a useful new feature went live. The call it Test Drive and it lets you sample apps before buying – in your desktop browser. No such thing exists neither on Google’s own Android Market nor Apple’s App Store. It works like magic, really. You just visit the Amazon Appstore on your desktop, select an app and hit the “Test Drive now” button.
Up pops a new window that’s basically a full-fledged Android operating system virtualized in the cloud. You can test the chosen app here, but also use the virtual machine to browser the web using Android’s virtual browser, listen to music, browse image galleries and more. It’s a stunning example of the cloud power leveraging Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud technology, the online retailer explains:
Clicking the “Test drive now” button launches a copy of this app on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), a web service that provides on-demand compute capacity in the cloud for developers. When you click on the simulated phone using your mouse, we send those inputs over the Internet to the app running on Amazon EC2 – just like your mobile device would send a finger tap to the app. Our servers then send the video and audio output from the app back to your computer. All this happens in real time, allowing you to explore the features of the app as if it were running on your mobile device.
I’m inclined to believe Apple is already hard at work on copying this neat feat, though more likely as part of iTunes rather than in Flash…
If past iPhone sales are anything to go by, Apple is set to move a whooping hundred million iPhone 5 units. In other words, a fifth-generation iPhone will match sales of all previous models combined, helping Apple maintain a healthy 20+ percent market share in smartphones. The assumption is based on the above chart from Asymco that outlines monthly sales for all four iPhone models, approximated based on actual quarterly sales divided over the months according to the number of days available. So far, each iPhone generation doubles on the previous.
If you develop apps for the iPhone, iPad or Mac and was thinking about submitting your work for the Apple Design Awards at WWDC 2011 this June, you better hurry up and submit your software for inclusion in the App Store or Mac App Store, Apple’s online bazaars for mobile and desktop software. Otherwise, you won’t be able to participate at all, reveals a note at the Apple Design Awards 2011 section on Apple’s site: Expand Expanding Close
Barron has profiled the world’s greatest CEOs, thirty of them to be precise, and found out what their perks at Fortune have known all along, that Steve Jobs is the world’s greatest corporate leader. The 56-year-old co-founder and leader of Apple won the accolade for turning the California-based computer maker into a global consumer electronics powerhouse which sold over a hundred million iPhones since its introduction.
They also noted Apple’s most recent successes with the iPad and the soaring stock that gained 72.6 percent in past twelve months. Eighteen corporate leaders on the list are Americans, including the likes of Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Netflix’s Reed Hastings and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. Interestingly, HP’s Mark Hurd, Cisco’s John Chambers and RIM’s Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis didn’t make it this year. Here’s the complete list, in no particular order, thanks to Setteb.it, plus a video at the bottom: Expand Expanding Close
There are plenty of reasons to jailbreak your iOS gadget, the new version of Cydia, an unsanctioned app store, being one of them. Those that recently upgraded to iOS 4.3.1 and wondering about a plethora of wonderful free and paid apps banned by Apple, such as user interface enhancements and skins, could consider the latest jailbreak that leverages the new PwnageTool 2.0.1 by the iPhone-Dev team.
As Google and Apple race to deliver their respective cloud music solutions, Amazon is allegedly coming up fast from behind in the hope of beating the two Silicon Valley giants to the digital locker punch. Unnamed sourced told CNET that the online retailer is talking up its upcoming cloud service with Hollywood moguls and music execs. The yet unnamed service is designed to store a wide range of media on Amazon’s servers for backup purposes and on-demand streaming, including items purchased from Amazon and sourced from elsewhere:
Sources from both the film and music industries said Amazon is working on creating a cloud locker service that would enable users to store their existing music, film, and book collections, even content not purchased at Amazon, on the company’s servers.
The story piggy-backs on the publication’s previous report about Google dog-fooding its cloud music service to its employees. Apple’s own cloud locker for music is said to be coming out soon as well. Although Amazon hasn’t obtained all necessary licenses yet, they are to take Apple and Google by surprise with an announcement this week. If true, it’s bound to make a huge splash in the media. Expand Expanding Close
It’s becoming ridiculous at this point that Apple still hasn’t come to grips with mysterious bugs in the iOS software affecting time zones. According to BBC, some users have experienced a glitch on Monday that seems to be related to a Sunday Summer Time change in Europe when the clocks were set an hour forward. Expand Expanding Close
I know what you’re thinking – analysts, right? While it’s true many “analysts” can’t tell their arse from their elbow, some predictions are worth observing. Katy Huberty with Morgan Stanley is again risking her credibility by re-iterating that Apple will take on television market with a new product category expected in the 2012-2013 time frame.
She code-named it a Smart TV, a full-fledged networked television with the shiny Apple logo on it. Checks with Asian component suppliers suggest Apple is developing a Smart TV prototype, says her Friday note to clients. Expand Expanding Close
Long lines abound as Apple’s iPad 2 went on sale today in 25 overseas markets. Not all queues stretch around city blocks but many do, like the line outside Apple’s flagship store in London’s Covent Garden. There’s even a blog dedicated to iPad 2 queues in UK. Media reports describe the excitement and buzz factor – even with traditionally more reserved Europeans. Malls and plazas with Apple Store lines look the same the world over. iPad 2 is priced the same like the first-generation model, but in some countries it’s actually cheaper than iPad 1, including UK, Germany and Australia. Expand Expanding Close
This above is one of Europe’s oldest shopping streets in the Hague, Netherlands. Just look at those crowds – queuing is hardly possible. Rough estimate: About 200 people. Our reader Olaf noticed that iPad 2 was sold out at all Apple resellers in the Hague minutes before 5pm local time. Apple doesn’t operate its own stores in the country, leaving would-be iPad 2 buyers in the Netherland’s third largest city empty-handed.
Apple-designed Smart Cover is old news. Those yearning to stand out in the crowd should consider this beautiful and classy cover by Miniot, a Netherlands-based third-party accessory maker. Dubbed the Miniot Cover, it’s basically a Smart Cover redone in wood. Yes, it’s got magnets that snap it into place, just like Apple’s cover. Unlike Apple’s version, the Miniot Cover boasts the level of detail plus fit and finish that oozes with class. Read on… Expand Expanding Close
When the Eastman Kodak Company slammed Apple and Research In Motion with three infringement lawsuits in January 2010, they were crystal clear about a settlement being the desired outcome. Yesterday, their chairman and CEO Antonio Perez put a cash value on the litigation. In an interview with Bloomberg, Perez said Apple and RIM, if Kodak prevails, could pay a whooping $1 billion each in royalty fees related to Kodak’s digital camera technology. He said:
This is a lot of money, big money.
There’s something sinister about Perez’s words. I cannot help but remember how Samsung and LG were ordered to compensate Kodak $550 million and $414 million, respectively, over same infringement claims. Undeniably $2 billion from Apple and RIM would help Kodak’s bleeding bottom line. In last year Kodak added $838 million to its bottom line from patents alone. They license its intellectual property to some 30 companies such as LG, Motorola, Nokia and Sony Ericsson, among others. Remarkably, moving this huge pile of money around is the simplest of all features – image previews. Expand Expanding Close
When Apple unveiled iPad 2, they also advertised a new video converter designed to mirror whatever is displayed on the tablet’s screen to an external HDMI display by upscaling content to full HD 1080p resolution. It works seamlessly with any third-party application unlike before when only a handful of apps on the App Store were written to specifically support video output. In the case of games, the $39 Apple Digital AV Adapter upscales graphics from the iPad’s native 1024 by 768 pixel resolution to full HD 1920 by 1080 resolution.
We are now hearing that the PowerVR SGX543MP2, the GPU unit of the A5 chip with ninefold jump in graphics performance, can drive full 1080p 3D graphics. According to TouchArchade, the next update to Firemint’s excellent Real Racing 2 HD will enable full 1080p video output in 30 frames per second – without upscaling, as demoed in the below video:
This is a first for any iOS game, as other games have built in video out support but run in the native resolution and aspect ratio of the iPad. Real Racing 2 HD, on the other hand, will run full screen with no black borders and at native 1080p resolution without scaling.
The mythical Google Music service could be on the verge of unveiling as the search monster is alleged to have begun testing the service internally. They call it dog fooding, a tell-tale sign that a product has reached the critical phase prior to release when employees are using it in everyday work to figure out the bugs and smooth out the rough edges.
CNET broke the news quoting an unnamed music industry executive who reportedly said the product was nearly complete. As before, Google is still finding itself tangled in a complex web of music licensing deals, the source added, and has been unsuccessfully pursuing an agreement with four largest record labels:
Google is after cloud music rights and not just for songs acquired from Google Music.
Just like Apple, the search firm wants to create a digital locker in the cloud where users will be able to store their existing songs. Even that, however, requires rights holders to sign on the dotted line.
