Tech Industry

Hulu drops its Plus plan pricing $2/ month today.  Perhaps it is feeling some competition from the likes of Xfinity’s iPad app? Or maybe paying for $10/month for shows with commercials just didn’t feel right.

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RIM CEO Jim Balsillie used a speech at Web 2.0 to issue one of his company’s attacks on Apple, saying, “You don’t need an app for the Web’.

Some may recall Apple CEO Steve Jobs in 2007 who said the future for app development on the iPhone rested with the Web. He faced a hail of criticism, Apple changed tack and launched the App Store, and the rest is history.
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Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen says his company isn’t really at war with Apple — the two firms are “just on different sides”, he claimed.

Adobe is focused on “creating content for multiple platforms” he said.
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NVIDIA has announced a new graphics card for the Mac Pro, the Quadro 4000 — a solution which brings nVidia’s advanced Fermi architecture to the platform.

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We’re heading to wrap-up on The Beatles/iTunes deal, learning overnight that Apple has secured an online exclusive on music from the band “well into 2011”.

It seems the move to get the music to the online store began when Roger Faxon took over as the head of EMI’s recorded music division — he prioritized making the deal happen, Billboard reports.
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Neil Ticktin over at MacTech has been thoroughly putting Microsoft Office 2011 through its paces and has found that in almost all cases it is significantly faster than its predecessors.

All of these items give users a great deal more “user speed”…and those are not the type of things that can be measured with a stopwatch. However, in many cases, you will see significant “user speed” improvements, regardless.

Microsoft Office 2011 is still $20-$50 off at Amazon.
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Twitter has just released an update to their iOS client and its brings support for the upcoming iOS 4.2 along with some other interesting features and enhancements. The iPad got inline media support, user interface improvements, along with an enhanced search feature.

iPhone:
* Improved display of shortened URLs
* Correctly load reserved Twitter.com paths, such as http://twitter.com/newtwitter
* Fix connection error caused by a device clock being set incorrectly
* Additional retina graphics
* Enable geotagging in your account with one tap

iPad:
* Inline media
* Manage saved searches
* UI improvements

Twitter for iPhone received a few important fixes including better short URL support, connection error fixes, easier geo-tagging setup and better Retina display support. The biggest new feature in the version 3.2 update may be the inclusion of push notifcations. You will now receive one of those classic Apple obtrusive alerts whenever you are @mentioned.

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Ironically, this might be the biggest announcement of the day for Apple.  After 16 months, Apple has finally let Google Voice past the App Store Gauntlet.

More screenies blow, via TechCrunch

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s72rGDUn2uo&w=640&h=385]

Where can I get one of these Playbooks? The iPad has been out since March and will likely be updated before I can buy the Blackberry device. (via Fortune)
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COMPUTERWORLD: Apple’s in a good position to take on PayPal with a move into mobile payment systems. A future NFC-based iPhone may enable people to pay for real world goods using their smartphones, with payments charged to them via iTunes. Is it game over for PayPal?

Read more

Well, well.  Looks like Amazon might have seen today coming.  They’ve already lowered their price of the physical box set to $20 below iTunes.  If you want the special Mono Edition, it is also $129 (If you have to ask…).

Interesting play Amazon!
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So after years and years of rumor and a decade in which music from the band has been among the world’s most heavily traded sounds on file-sharing networks, The Beatles are now on iTunes, and while we’ve no word yet on whether the catalog will be made available via any other services, we’re pretty sure EMI’s sundry creditors will be happy at the (remaining) Fab Four’s move to reach digital detente and get their content online today. Though you have to ask if it will be enough to keep up EMI’s payments and keep Warner out.

“I am particularly glad to no longer be asked when the Beatles are coming to iTunes,” said Ringo Starr. “At last, if you want it—you can get it now—The Beatles from Liverpool to now! Peace and Love, Ringo.”
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Slightly overdue but here you go:

Embedded Albums below:
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKOWK2dR4Dg&w=670&h=401]

Schmidt speaks at Web 2.0. Lots of Apple-related nuggets.
Quick rundown for the time-challenged:
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Apple’s move to junk Java on the Mac may make things a little more complex but could ultimately make the platform more secure, some experts say.

Apple recently revealed plans to abandon native OS X support for Java, following this news up with an alliance with Oracle under which Java on Mac development and maintenance passes to the OpenJDK project for Mac OS X.
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Why lawyers choose a Mac instead of a PC

Legal professionals are embracing Apple solutions in ever greater numbers, new research provided by online software as service supplier, Clio, claims.

In a survey of 835 US lawyers, Clio found 55 percent of the group already use Macs: 18 percent of Mac-using lawyers have been using a Mac for under a year, 41 percent between 1-3 years and the rest for over 3 years.
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Former Apple manager Paul Shin Devine is still awaiting trial on fraud charges but has managed to post bail because his mother put up her home as lien to his release. Meanwhile, US government prosecutors insist Devine let them into his safe deposit boxes.

Devine is accused of accepting payments in return for company secrets and of taking over a million dollars from Asian suppliers of iPhone and iPod accessories. He faces 23 counts of money laundering and wire fraud.

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_bW3cT9zFY&w=640&h=385]

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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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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http://widget.nbc.com/fullep/fullep_at25.swf?CXNID=1000004.10060NXC&widID=49d06ba1523528c3&configXML=http://www.nbc.com/service/videowidget/params/dmlkZW9faWQ9MTI1MzM2MA==/&initXML=http://www.nbc.com/30-rock/video/episodes/init.xml?videoId=1253360

According to the PayWall St. Journal (subs), The US government might make “playing nicely with companies like Apple” part of the conditions with which they will accept the merger of NBC and Comcast.  That might mean people not using Flash or outside of the US will be able to watch the video above!

Few observers expect either the Justice Department or the Federal Communications Commission to block outright the roughly $13.75 billion deal to purchase 51% of NBC Universal from General Electric Co. One reason: Because the two companies aren’t direct competitors, it’s harder to mount an antitrust challenge.

Both agencies, however, are likely to impose significant conditions to prevent Comcast from withholding, or threatening to withhold, NBC Universal’s programming from competitors, including companies that distribute TV shows and movies over the Internet, such as Apple Inc. and Netflix Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.

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