iOS Devices

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The WSJ and Billboard are both reporting that the big announcement tomorrow is the Beatles on iTunes.

The WSJ is more sure of themselves:

Steve Jobs is nearing the end of his long and winding pursuit of the Beatles catalog.

Apple Inc. is preparing to announce that its iTunes Store will soon start carrying music by the Beatles, according to people familiar with the situation, a move that would fill in a glaring gap in the collection of the world’s largest music retailer.

Excuse us if we can’t get too excited…this is a long running thing and anyone who hasn’t digitized their Beatles collection by now frankly is kinda wacky.

Oh and we got a tip a week ago that read…

(shoulda went with this one rather than Wi-Gear!)

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It would seem like a very opportune time to find a some code inside the iTunes 10.1 (and here) files which alludes to an ‘iTunes Live Stream’.  While Apple has been live streaming its own events and currently streams content to AppleTVs under different monikers, a separate iTunes streaming service might fit  well with tomorrow’s festivities.

via Macrumors.

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In an interview with the NYTimes, Columbia Professor and coiner of such terms as ‘Net Neutrality’, Tim Wu says he fears Apple:

Which companies do you fear the most?
Right now, I’d have to say Apple.

What about Facebook?
I think Facebook is looking for a mentor, they are looking for a role model. Right now it is choosing between Apple and Google in this great war between open and closed. It is possible that whatever side Facebook takes will have a lot to do with the future of how we communicate.

What worries you about Apple?
As I discuss in the book, Steve Jobs has the charisma, vision and instincts of every great information emperor. The man who helped create the personal computer 40 years ago is probably the leading candidate to help exterminate it. His vision has an undeniable appeal, but he wants too much control.

…

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http://cdn.livestream.com/grid/LSPlayer.swf?channel=facebookinnovations&autoPlay=false

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLz72XErN8U&w=640&h=390]

Comcast is going to allow its members to sign into their accounts and do all kinds of DVR stuff from their iPads.  Great.  But here’s the interesting: eventually (December) customers can watch Comcast movies over the web on their iOS devices.  That’s not necessarily from their homes or on a Comcast network.

nWatch TV from the app – including premium cable channels such as HBO and Showtime. (This feature will be available in December.)

The Xfinity TV App is part of Comcast’s ongoing commitment to offer customers the ability and flexibility to watch TV on their terms. Last month, Comcast introduced XfinityTV.com so its 23 million customers can access their favorite shows – including premium content from HBO and Showtime – from a computer. Also, Comcast will launch several Android apps before the end of the year and soon follow with products for additional emerging platforms.

You can download the app here.

Here’s the interesting question: What if you just want to watch TV on your iPad and not pay for a cable line at home?  Is Comcast going to offer these types of customers (who might not even live in Comcast covered areas) a solution?  Update: a Comcast spokesperson says no.

That’s a shame because Comcast could prove to be a competitor to Hulu and give consumers more choice in watching videos online if this were the case.
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Jean-Louis Gassée is back, making his predictions for the future of Apple’s operating system plans, which he sees as heading inexorably to a combined form of iOS becoming Apple’s OS inside all Apple devices.

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCJ5dyNDfkE&fs=1&hl=en_GB]

iPhone app Bump is already pretty popular as a way to share contact information (like an electronic business card), but now the app lets you share music too.

The most recent Bump app update lets users select songs from their iTunes collection to share with friends, just by bumping their phones together.
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Apple is this week expected to reveal the first major brands who’ve signed-up for iAds in Europe, though initial euphoria greeting the launch of the service has now waned, with ads agencies complaining on price and that Apple are difficult to work with.

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I’ve been using the Energizer Qi wireless induction charger for iPhone for the past few weeks and think it might deserve a place in our household.  The concept is pretty straightforward.  You put a protective jacket over the iPhone which also serves as a receptor for the induction charge.  Instead of plugging in a 30-pin adapter to your iPhone every time you want to charge it, you just plot it down on its Qi-spot.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jubhpnxK8wc&w=640&h=385]

I should also note that touching the charger points with fingers (even with metal rings) is safe.  The Energizer Qi retails at Amazon and Target for $89 and should be hitting stores in about 2 weeks.  The rubberized case for the iPhone is an additional $35.

Competitors include the poorly rated Powermat and the Duracell MyGrid which also scores low.
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Apple’s long-going mini-battle with iPhone copycat, Meizu, has taken an interesting turn today. Apparently another Chinese company, Herron Network Information Co., has sued Apple along with the Chinese Patent Bureau over patents the company calls “invalid.” According to MeizuMe:

Apple filed a patent covering three products. When the Patent Bureau saw that Apple did not specify what product the patent was for, they helped Apple register the patent for their mobile phone. However, a Shanghai company took the Patent Bureau to the courts about this. Apparently, acting for someone else like the Patent Bureau did is against Chinese law.

Apple apparently was very vague about their iPhone-related patents in China simply patenting a rectangular shaped device with round edges, a vertical oriented screened-device, and a device with a round button under its display. Herron Network Information Co. claims this patent is way to broad to be considered a patent and feels that it is hurting their own company along with others. They also claim that companies like HTC and LG released devices with vertical screens, rectangular-shaped designs, round edges, and round buttons under the screen.

Herron Network Information Co. may have a good case if they could prove other companies are certainly being hurt in China by Apple’s broad patents and the part about the Patent Bureau sliding Apple through is just wow. Let us know in the comments what you think about this and how you think this will all end in China. If you’re interesting you can watch the full court hearing here in Chinese. Oh, and according to the live blog Apple arrived to court fashionably late. Also, the guy who I think is Apple’s lawyer looks a little like Bob Mansfield.

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When Apple and Twitter announced Ping Twitter integration many users quickly noticed the length of the tweeted URL’s from Ping. Some even speculated that Apple would adopt their iTun.es URL to replace long URL’s like this: http://c.itunes.apple.com/us/event/id95145001T1T21?i=401082566. Well today it looks like Apple finally realized that URL length was not cutting it for users so they turned to Twitter’s t.co URL shortener.

As you can see in the image above my tweet from yesterday featured the very long URL and my tweet from today utilized the t.co URL shortener. Both of those tweets were screenshotted in Tweetie for Mac and we are yet to see that change on Twitter.com. It is present though on mobile clients such as Twitter for iPhone and iPad. Hopefully Apple and Twitter keep this change as it is much more efficient for both users and the timelines they read through daily.

Although there are still quite a few fake white iPhone 4s on eBay there appears to be less than usual and that is because Apple is working to have them all removed. We have found an e-mail sent to an eBay seller of a black-to-white iPhone 4 conversion unit. Quite frankly, all the “white iPhone 4s” you see on eBay are black-to-white iPhone 4 conversion units as the white iPhone 4 doesn’t exist.

Dear, [Redacted]
You recently listed the following listing:

[Redacted listing name and number]

Your listing has been removed.

Your item was removed because of a request we received from Apple, Inc., a member of our Verified Rights Owner Program (VeRO), asking us to remove the item for:

– Item(s) is a counterfeit product which infringes the trademark owner’s rights.

For more information on why your item was removed, you should:
– Contact Apple, Inc. directly at apple@gibney.com with your questions or concerns.
– Wait 7 days for Apple, Inc. to reply to you. Although most VeRO participants are willing to respond to polite email, please know that they aren’t obligated to reply.
– If after 7 days you haven’t received a response from Apple, Inc., please contact us by simply replying to this email.

The rights owner or an agent authorized to act on behalf of the rights owner, Apple, Inc., notified eBay that this listing violates intellectual property rights. When eBay receives a report of this type of violation, we remove the listing to comply with the law.

It’s against the law to sell fake, counterfeit, or pirated products.

Your listing was removed because the item in your listing was reported by the rights owner as a fake or counterfeit through eBay’s VeRO Program. Due to this report, please do not attempt to relist, advertise, or offer this item for sale on any eBay site or service around the world.

What Apple is apparently doing is quite interesting. They are proving that they don’t want anyone to get their hands-on the seemingly never to be released white iPhone 4 even if they are what they consider counterfeits. What also is interesting is that Apple is claiming the sellers of these “white iPhone 4s” to be infringing Apple’s trademarks. We think some will care that Apple still considers the white iPhone 4 as a product of theirs.

Apple today updated the backend of their iPad iTunes application to add Ping support. Ping support was added to the iPhone right around the iOS 4.1 launch so this means we’re close to the iOS 4.2 launch. The full Ping experience is present as a tab on the iPad iTunes app and it includes your feed, who you follow, who follows you, a look at your profile, and even a section dedicated to concerts.

The concerts section shows you local concerts, who is on tour, which concerts you say you are attending, and even links to purchase tickets at ticketmaster.com. For those wondering, we don’t see Twitter integration.

Update: Ping for iPad automatically connects to your twitter account and automatically tweets every time you like or post something:

Check out the full gallery after the break:

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Among the other changes in yesterday’s release of iTunes 10.1, Apple has added a new feature that video-taking Apple TV owners will surely appreciate. Up until yesterday’s update iPhoto users could only stream their photos via Home Sharing but now they can stream videos in their iPhoto library. Simply head to the share menu on the iTunes menu bar, then click share photos, and check the box you see in the image above.

Update: Several readers have pointed out that this does not work for them. This is because the Apple TV is need of a software update to support Video AirPlay as well as this reported function. It should work as soon as Apple gets around to updating their “hobby” and this will probably happen closer to iOS 4.2’s public release. Also, the reported iPhoto video feature is an exclusive to the second generation Apple TV.

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AT&T today informed customers of Apple’s iPad WiFI + 3G that they can now manage their devices account and data plans on any computer with an internet connection and a web browser. New users of the iPad 3G are given brand-new accounts in which they can manage their iPad’s data plan on a month-to-month basis. Prior to today’s change, iPad 3G users would need to manage their iPads data right on the iPad via the ‘cellular data’ settings pane.

Now, users can manage their data by heading to www.att.com/ipad and clicking on the “add data now” section on the middle of the page on the right side. AT&T notes that you can now also use this website to setup and manage new iPad 3G devices you purchase. This will come in handy if you want to make quick changes to your iPad data account anywhere you are. You are no longer limited to using your iPad to make these changes.

This sadly will also come in handy if you happen to lose your iPad 3G for any reason. You will now be able to easily cancel your 3G service until you find it or get a new unit. AT&T announcement is after the break:

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Apple today released their fifth preview of their upcoming Xcode 4 to developers. This fifth preview includes a solid amount of new features, enhancements and fixes but nothing major to note. Here’s a summarized list of the most notable features and enhancements:

This preview introduces new features and enhancements for tabs, editor panes, and alerts. These features are designed to scale the single window interface of Xcode 4 to more effectively use available screen real estate, from the 11” MacBook Air, up to Macs equipped with multiple monitors. Please experiment with these new features to see how Xcode 4 can speed up your daily development tasks.

You can view the entire set of release notes after the break:

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU_JCEUx1GE&fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1]

iOS developers got to see a new iPad GM 8C134b seed today, hoping to address some of the more significant bugs that have been floating around the previous GM seed.  The most notable was the Wifi shutdown that was happening to many (video above).

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Apple has just released iTunes 10.1 which is required to update your iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch to iOS 4.2.  They also advertise the ability to “Use AirPlay to instantly and wirelessly stream videos from iTunes to the all-new Apple TV”.  We’re assuming that is from a Computer running iTunes at the moment, though we’re not yet able to do so.  Perhaps an AppleTV update is coming shortly.

Anyone else able to Airplay Video to the AppleTV?

For those of you that had the beta installed: Software Update doesn’t find any updates, but iTunes can be downloaded here: http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

Also we get a new way to turn Ping off (and on)

iTunes 10 left and 10.1 right

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIixUYaLufo&w=670&h=401]

COMPUTERWORLD: Apple makes such beautiful products. Take the iPad for example — it is magical, and with hot new competitor the Samsung Tab receiving destined-for-the-grave reviews, wouldn’t it be nice to run Android on an iPad, rather than spend your cash on Samsung’s not quite as good as an iPad tablet-thing.

Read more

He’s generally nice to the Tab which has has its proponents and detractors.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/bcvideo/1.0/iframe/embed.html?videoId=1248069317901&playerType=embed

Remember kids, competition is good. So hopefully there will be some soon.
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Relax developers, relax developers, for today Oracle and Apple have announced how they intend maintaining Java on the Mac — and to be honest it looks like it will be better than before.

Apple will contribute nearly all the key components, tools and technology required for a Java SE 7 implementation on Mac OS X, including a 32-bit and 64-bit HotSpot-based Java virtual machine, class libraries, a networking stack and the foundation for a new graphical client.

OpenJDK will then make Apple’s Java technology available to open source developers so they can access and contribute to the effort.

Press release follows:
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