Thursday, May 31, 2007
Xserve Lights-Out Management firmware update
Apple today issued an update to its Xserve Lights-Out Management Firmware that offers functionality improvements alongside a security fix. Xserve Lights-Out Management Firmware 1.0 remedies a security issue affecting Intel-based Xserve systems that could enable a remote user to gain admin privileges on the Xserve with IPMI configured in a particula... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
Facebook and MySpace square off in this Mac ad spoof
Video: Facebook and MySpace square off in this Mac ad spoof. Facebook and MySpace do some serious trash talking in this spot spoofing a Mac advertisement.
[ Full story from CNET News.com ]
Verizon, gearing for iPhone fight, offers free Prince tune
Wireless carrier is giving away digital copies of musician's latest single as it sets the stage for a mobile-music battle with Apple. [ Full story from ZDNet News - Front Door ]
Parallels 3.0 RC announced
If Windows is the new Classic, then Parallels Desktop for Mac is the Classic Enabler of the new millennium; there's no easier way to get XP running on your Intel Mac, should you wish to do something as antithetical to the Macintosh way as that. Virtualization heavyweight VMware has been sneaking up, though, releasing early betas including preliminary 3D support. Now Team Orange is leaping back to the front of the pack with a release candidate announcement for version 3.0 and upgrade pricing ($40 before June 7, $50 after that).New features in v3 of PD include:
- SmartSelect -- set your preferred application handlers cross-platform. Want to open URLs in IE7, mailto: links in Mail.app, or .xls files in Excel 2007? You can now.
- 3D acceleration -- DirectX and OpenGL support will allow 3D gamers to play Windows games at some modicum of acceptable speed
- Snapshot -- back up or roll back your virtual machine
- Parallels Explorer -- copy files into or out of your virtual disk images or your Boot Camp partition
- Enhanced Boot Camp support, better USB, better printer sharing, shiny Coherence 2.0
Thanks to everyone who sent this inRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
[ Full story from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) ]
Firefox 2.0.0.4 update Includes Security Fixes, More
Mozilla.org updated Firefox to version 2.0.0.4 Thursday, a minor update whose most important features are some security fixes (listed below). For those running Windows on their Intel Macs, Vista support is also included in the release (the Mac and Windows versions are in sync)
[ Full story from The Mac Observer ]
Review: MacBook Core 2 Duo/2GHz and 2.16GHz
Apple's MacBook line, already a hit with consumers and students, is even more appealing with faster CPUs, bigger hard drives, and more memory in the base model.
MacBook Core 2 Duo/2GHz (4.5 Mice) Best Current Price: $1075.00 (via ProductFinder)
MacBook Core 2 Duo/2.16GHz (black) (4.5 Mice) Best Current Price: $1475.00 (via ProductFinder)
[ Full story from Macworld ]
MacBook Core 2 Duo/2GHz (4.5 Mice) Best Current Price: $1075.00 (via ProductFinder)
MacBook Core 2 Duo/2.16GHz (black) (4.5 Mice) Best Current Price: $1475.00 (via ProductFinder)
Verizon, gearing for iPhone fight, offers free Prince tune
Wireless carrier is giving away digital copies of musician's latest single as it sets the stage for a mobile-music battle with Apple. [ Full story from CNET News.com ]
iPodObserver - Apple's YouTube Announcement Has Leverage
Apple's YouTube Announcement, while modest, has a great deal more leverage than some would believe, according to MultiChannel News on Thursday
[ Full story from The Mac Observer ]
Apple releases Security Update 2007-005 v1.1
Apple has released Security Update 2007-005 v1.1 which is recommended for all users... [ Full story from MacDailyNews ]
Somebody, please get Eric Schmidt an iPhone
P.S. -Walt asked about the Google phone, which Eric non-denial denied exists. Instead Eric just talked about phones, platforms, application layers, partnerships with KDDI, LG, Samsung, etc.
[ Full story from Engadget Mobile ]
News: Parallels 3.0 supports 3D games, 'SmartSelect'
Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac adds SmartSelect, Snapshots and 3D gaming capabilities -- it's expected to be released in the next several weeks. 
[ Full story from Macworld ]
OpenGL, DirectX support coming to Parallels
Parallels today announced that it is entering the final stages of testing for the next major release of Parallels Desktop for Mac by launching release candidate 3.0 to the private beta community. The new test version contains more than 50 new features, including a cross-platform file and application integration feature called SmartSelect. The lates... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
Update: DivX Pro for Mac 6.7
The DivX codec and player package adds a Universal Binary version of DivX Player, Video On Demand capability, an update to DivX Codec 6.6, and other changes. [ Full story from MacInTouch ]
iTunes Plus review reveals "growing pains"
A review of Apple's newly unveiled iTunes Plus service, which offers higher quality DRM-free audio t... [ Full story from iPodNN | The iPod News Network ]
Apple continues to mostly ignore the enterprise
For consumers, the Macintosh's hip quotient is being hammered home... [ Full story from MacDailyNews ]
Update: ScreenTime for Flash 3.5
The Flash screensaver building tool now "builds lighter, more full-featured screen saver installers, includes better Mac OS integration and improves support for Intel Macs." [ Full story from MacInTouch ]
Security: Security Update 2007-005 v1.1
Apple re-released this update to correct an installation problem on some systems. No security content has been changed. [ Full story from MacInTouch ]
Security: Personal Info in iTunes
Apple apparently encodes your name and email/account information in iTunes you purchase - both DRM-locked and DRM-free. [ Full story from MacInTouch ]
Fabrix offers two new Delux laptop cases
Fabrix today added two new designs to its Delux Laptop Case collection, providing decorative protection for Apple's MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks. The new designs, titled Floral Explosion and Black Beauty, are available in sizes that fit both of Apple's current-generation notebooks as well as custom sizing for owners of non-Mac laptops. The cas... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
MailTags 2.0 Adds IMAP Support, Improves iCal Support
Indev Software announced the immediate availability of MailTags 2.0 on Thursday. MailTags is an email organization plug-in for Apple's Mail application
[ Full story from The Mac Observer ]
News: DivX 6.7 Bundle for Mac supports protected files
DivX 6.7 for Mac bundles new versions of the DivX Plaer, DivX Codec, DivX Converter, DivX Web Plaer and DivX Content Updater for Mac. 
[ Full story from Macworld ]
Adobe shares Acrobat 3D 8 PRC specs
Adobe has unveiled the specifications for the PRC file format supported by Acrobat 8. PRC is used to create 3D models that users can import into PDF documents using custom tools; it is also said to retain accuracy while producing dramtically smaller file sizes, by a factor of 100 to 300. The release of PRC's internal workings means that Mac develop... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
First Look at Windows Live Mail--Replaces Outlook Express
PC World -The Writer release updates the first program beta from last August, and includes some minor feature and interface changes. For more information see the ...<br><img src="/images/chart_7777cc3.gif" class="ticker-icon" width="14" height="12"><a href="http://finance.google.com/finance?q=MSFT&client=news" class="rich">MSFT</a> <a href="http://mac.blorge.com/2007/05/30/steve-jobs-talks-iphone-battery-leopard-wifi-keyboard/" id=r-9i_0><img src=http://200.202.249.85/news?imgefp=IRJQrHBNZHMJ&imgurl=mac.blorge.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/iphone%20and%20jobs.jpg width=80 height=58 alt="" border=1></a><a href="http://mac.blorge.com/2007/05/30/steve-jobs-talks-iphone-battery-leopard-wifi-keyboard/" id=r-9_0>Steve Jobs talks iPhone; battery, Leopard, WiFi, keyboard</a><br>TECH.BLORGE.com, Australia - 19 minutes ago<br>As the iPhone could be the hottest cell phone release of all time, the latest batch of information coming from todayA s interview with Steve Jobs might be ...
:: [ Full story from technology News feed ]
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Review: Apple’s iTunes Plus
Apple and EMI recently announced that EMI would offer its entire... [ Full story from MacDailyNews ]
Video highlights of the Steve and Bill show
Filed under: Other Events, Steve Jobs
In case you missed the Engadget li veblog of last night's lovefest between Big Mac and El PC, the folks at the D conference have posted complete video coverage and a highlight reel (above) of Steve and Bill's excellent adventure. Enjoy the show, and please open any hard candies in advance of the feature.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
[ Full story from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) ]
Apple CEO Steve Jobs hints that .Mac is about to undergo big overhaul
In a highly anticipated meeting of the two computer industry titans... [ Full story from MacDailyNews ]
Swift Share helps manage shared content
Koingo Software has released Swift Share 1.0, its share point and file server management utility for Mac OS X. Swift Share enables users to choose only specific folders to share with others, and offers control over who has access to those shares. The software also supports managing users and groups on Mac systems, and allows customization of almost... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
Photos: Gates, Jobs share the stage
"We've kept our marriage secret for over a decade," Apple's CEO says of his relationship with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. [ Full story from CNET News.com ]
Music industry, Microsoft once again being herded into the direction of Apple’s choosing
Apple has plunged into uncharted waters by stripping security software off... [ Full story from MacDailyNews ]
Apple patent keeps iPhone signals clean
Apple has developed a way to keep the iPhone and any other future wireless handhelds free of interference, according to a newly granted US patent. The filing, originally made just weeks before the iPhone's announcement at Macworld San Francisco, is meant to address the potentially dangerous problem of interference from peripherals brought near or ... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
U.S. mortgage rates edge higher for third straight week
PHILADELPHIA (MarketWatch) -- Mortgage rates edged higher for a third straight week, Freddie Mac said Thursday, with the national average on the benchmark 30-year, fixed-rate loan hitting 6.42%, up from 6.37% a week earlier. The rate remains below its year-ago level of 6.67%. [ Full story from MarketWatch.com - Top Stories ]
DivX 6.7 offers faster decoding, bug fixes
DivX for Mac 6.7 has been released. With this release, Mac users can playback protected, DivX-formatted, VOD content for the first time. The full version of DivX for Mac 6.7 is available for download on DivX.com for $20. There is also a free version available that includes a 15-day trial of the DivX Converter and a 6-month trial of DivX Codec for M... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
Will music industry dance again to Apple's tune?
Apple's bold gamble could push the rest of the music industry into offering DRM-free music. [ Full story from CNET News.com ]
Will music industry dance again to Apple's tune?
Apple's bold gamble could push the rest of the music industry into offering DRM-free music. [ Full story from ZDNet News - Front Door ]
Will music industry dance again to Apple's tune
Apple's bold gamble could push the rest of the music industry into offering DRM-free music. [ Full story from ZDNet News - Front Door ]
Jobs: Windows is hell
A question lobbed by a writer covering this week's D: All Things Digital conference drew a comparison from Steve Jobs between Windows and hell. As for Apple's role as a significant developer in that diorama, ice cubes are involved. 
[ Full story from Computerworld Macintosh News ]
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates chat at All Things Digital 2007
Filed under: Other Events, Steve Jobs
This is the last All Things Digital post for today, promise (well, as long as nothing cool happens). Engadget is live on the scene where Steve Jobs (Apple's CEO) and Bill Gates (he works for some small tech company in Redmond) will share the stage with Walt Mossberg. What will they talk about? I have no idea, but you can read it as they say it over at Engadget.Read& nbsp;| Permalink | Email this | Comments
[ Full story from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) ]
iPhone to get third party apps
Filed under: Cellphones
Just in case you missed Walt Mossberg's sitdown with Steve Jobs earlier today, but in the open Q&A his Jobsness was asked point blank about the openness of the iPhone, and whether users can expect their $600 cellphone to be able to add on third party apps. His reply?"This is an important tradeoff between security and openness. We want both. ... we'll find a way to let 3rd parties write apps and still preserve security on the iPhone. But until we find that way we can't compromise the security of the phone. ... I've used 3rd party apps... the more you add, the more your phone crashes. No one's perfect, and we'd sure like our phone not to crash once a day. If you can just be a little more patient with us I think everyone can get what they want."
You heard it folks, Apple's working on allowing third party devs into the hallowed ground of the iPhone. One big issue (kind of) down, now we've just got to work on getting that thing a real keyboard and some 3G.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
[ Full story from Engadget ]
iPhone to get third party apps
Just in case you missed Walt Mossberg's sitdown with Steve Jobs earlier today, but in the open Q&A his Jobsness was asked point blank about the openness of the iPhone, and whether users can expect their $600 cellphone to be able to add on third party apps. His reply?"This is an importa nt tradeoff between security and openness. We want both. ... we'll find a way to let 3rd parties write apps and still preserve security on the iPhone. But until we find that way we can't compromise the security of the phone. ... I've used 3rd party apps... the more you add, the more your phone crashes. No one's perfect, and we'd sure like our phone not to crash once a day. If you can just be a little more patient with us I think everyone can get what they want."
You heard it folks, Apple's working on allowing third party devs into the hallowed ground of the iPhone. One big issue (kind of) down, now we've just got to work on getting that thing a real keyboard and some 3G.
[ Full story from Engadget Mobile ]
Joystiq reports GameTap to support Mac
Filed under: Gaming
OK, it's been a busy day in Macville, what with the D Conference doing its best impression of Comdex and inspiring scores of product announcements. Still worthy of mention from earlier today: our sister site Joystiq posted an interview with two GameTap VPs on the upcoming changes to the GameTap offering. Th e most notable change for our people won't be along until late summer: a Mac implementation of GameTap.com will be released. This tidbit was so surprising to blogger Alexander Silwinski that he responded "Late summer you'll have a what?" Classic.For those not familiar, GameTap is a gaming subscription service; imagine NetFlix but without actually mailing DVDs, and, like, for PC games. Check out details here.
Thanks Chris & Uros.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
[ Full story from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) ]
Found Footage: Steve Jobs at All Things Digital 2007
Filed under: Other Events, Steve Jobs, Apple, Found Footage
We've been blogging about Steve Job's appearance at All Things Digital a lot today, and now you can watch it for yourself. A ten minute highlight reel has been posted on the All Things Digital website. I recommend you watch the whole video for a classic Jobs quote.
[ Full story from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) ]
First DRM-free "Free song of the week"
Apple is already offering its first DRM-free "Free song of the week" on its iTunes Store via the new... [ Full story from iPodNN | The iPod News Network ]
Apple TV gains YouTube support, 160GB option
Apple CEO Steve Jobs took to the D: All Things Digital conference stage with surprise news that his company's media hub would soon grab YouTube clips -- and unveiled a hard drive upgrade behind the scenes. During his interview with the Wall Street... [ Full story from AppleInsider ]
Feature: First Look: iTunes Plus
Apple made good on its pledge to deliver DRM-free music through the iTunes Store by the end of May. The result is iTunes Plus, and Christopher Breen explores what to expect from these unprotected tracks encoded at a higher bit rate.
[ Full story from Macworld ]
MacMania: Cruising with Leopard
MacMania VI gets ever closer to Juneau, Alaska, as Rob Griffiths struggles with how to teach a class on an operating system that isn't shipping yet. 
[ Full story from Macworld ]
New Office revisions challenge Mac users
Microsoft's introduction of its Office 2008 -- due to ship later this year -- signals the end of VBA script and macro support, effectively axing the transparent cross-platform compatibility of Windows and Mac clients that rely on Visual Basic for applications, scripts, and macros. Additionally, Microsoft's recently released Office 2007 for Windows ... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
Ask TUAW: Sharing iPhoto and iTunes between users, seeing who's connected, scrubbing Sercices, and more
Filed under: iLife, Features, Tips and tricks, iTunes, Open Source, Troubleshooting, Ask TUAW
This week in Ask TUAW we have questions about sharing iPhoto and iTunes between different users on the same Mac, seeing who's connected to your wireless network, cleaning up the Services menu, installing applications, the nature of open source software and more. Remember new Mac users and Switchers who are enjoying our Mac 101 series should feel very welcome to post questions for Ask TUAW; we're happy to have them. As always, please submit your questions for next week by commenting to this post.Permalink | Email this | Comments[ Full story from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) ]
Apple Debuts Unprotected Songs Online
Apple Inc.'s iTunes Store started selling thousands of songs without copy protection Wednesday, marking the trendsetting company's latest coup and a model for what analysts say will likely become a pattern for online music sales. Launching initially... [ Full story from SFGate: Top News Stories ]
News: Kingston combines USB microSD reader with cards
Kingston has introduced two bundle kits that combine a microSD card with a Mac and PC-compatible USB reader. 
[ Full story from Macworld ]
iTunes goes DRM-free with EMI
Songs from major music label are available via Apple's store sans digital rights management software that prevents file copying. [ Full story from ZDNet News - Front Door ]
Apple’s answer to Microsoft Surface: real products
Microsoft is announcing today a new direct-manipulation concept... [ Full story from MacDailyNews ]
iTunes goes DRM-free with EMI
Songs from major music label are available via Apple's store sans digital rights management software that prevents file copying. [ Full story from CNET News.com ]
Free Educational Content Now Available from iTunes U on the iTunes Store
Apple announces iTunes U. A dedicated area within the iTunes Store, iTunes U features free content â€" course lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights, and campus tours â€" from such leading universities as Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Duke University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. iTunes U, created in collaboration with colleges and universities, allows anyone with access to iTunes to easily extend learning, explore interests, learn more about a school and stay connected with an alma mater. [ Full story from Apple Hot News ]
iTunes Plus Brings Higher Quality DRM-free Tracks to the iTunes Store
Apple today launched iTunes Plus. The new option for iTunes customers features DRM-free music tracks that offer â€" for just $1.29 per song â€" high-quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for audio quality indistinguishable from the original recordings. iTunes Plus debuts with singles and albums from EMI’s digital catalog of outstanding recordings from artists such as Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, Frank Sinatra, Joss Stone, Pink Floyd, John Coltrane, and Paul McCartney, a dozen of whose classic albums are now available on iTunes for the first time. [ Full story from Apple Hot News ]
News: iTunes U comes to the iTunes Store
Apple has enabled all iTunes Store users in the U.S. to access "iTunes U" university content through a new link on the iTunes Store. 
[ Full story from Macworld ]
iTunes Plus debuts DRM-free music
Filed under: iTS
At TUAW we've been following the DRM-free EMI track deal for some time. We're delighted to announce that these tracks will finally available for sale over at the iTunes Store later today (Apple announced they are available, but not in my copy of iTunes at the moment).
DRM-free tracks will cost you $1.29 each rather than the normal $0.99 per track you normally pay. The extra money buys you more audio quality than the standard DRM'ed tracks (256 kbps AAC versus 128 kbs AAC). Expect larger data downloads as your audio files expand to accommodate those extra bits.
iTunes Plus requires iTunes 7.2.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments[ Full story from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) ]
Apple announces iTunes U on iTunes Store; free content from top universities now available
Apple today announced the launch of iTunes U, a dedicated area... [ Full story from MacDailyNews ]
Apple debuts iTunes U on iTunes Store
Apple today announced the launch of iTunes U, a dedicated area within the iTunes Store featuring free content such as course lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights and campus tours provided by top US colleges and universities including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Duke University and MIT. "iTunes U makes it easy for ... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
Apple launches iTunes Plus alongside iTunes 7.2 release
Apple on Wednesday morning launched iTunes Plus, an extension of its iTunes Store that has begun selling DRM-free music tracks for $1.29 per song. iTunes Plus The new iTunes Plus tracks feature high quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for audio quali... [ Full story from AppleInsider ]
Q& A: Hothead's Ceraldi & Bocska Wax Lyrical
Founded in early 2006 and led by joint CEO and president Vlad Ceraldi and joint CEO Steve Bocska, Canadian developer Hothead Games announced their first title in August of that year, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. Based on the popular webcomic and developed using GarageGames' Torque engine, the adventure game is set - though not dated - for launch on Linux, Mac and Windows platforms in an episodic format, with new ...
ChangeShortName updated to 1.3
Filed under: Software, Cool tools, Hacks
A few weeks ago, in discussing some things not to do with your Mac, one of our commenters asked why changing the shortname (the abbreviated version of your username you see in Terminal, as the name of your 'home folder' or in Get Info windows) is such a nasty bit of business on Mac OS X. Shouldn't it be easy as pie, on the 'computer for the rest of us,' to make this quick and trivial modification? Well... it isn't. In part due to Mac OS X's UNIX heritage and in part due to NetInfo (a chunk of the NeXT operating system that hopefully won't be around forever), the shortname gets tucked away in a lot of tricky wee places, and getting them all updated manually is a path to disaster.Fortunately, as Scott mentioned way back in ought-five, there's a somewhat easier way: James Bucanek & Dan Frakes' handy-dandy and free ChangeShortName utility. This tool, now updated to version 1.3 and featuring an all-new Cocoa interface, will give timid people the strength to do what must be done and change your shortname for you, as an absolute last resort. Seriously, you are not allowed to use this program without reading the included (and well-written) manual, a nd you should heed the FAQ that asks "Q: Should I be scared of ChangeShortName? A: YES."
The authors suggest learning to live with your hella lame shortname, or creating a new account and migrating your data instead of changing the name; if something goes wrong in the process, your efforts at account aesthetics might render your machine unusable. You've been warned!
Thanks Dan & JamesRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments
[ Full story from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) ]
Apple launches iTunes Plus: high quality DRM-free music (how to enable iTunes Plus)
Apple today launched iTunes Plus, DRM-free music tracks featuring high quality 256 kbps AAC... [ Full story from MacDailyNews ]
Google Unveils Maps Street View, Mapplets
Google showed off its latest additions to Google Maps on Tuesday: Street View and Mapplets. Street View offers 360 degree views at street level in several U.S. cities, and Mapplets allows developers to create mini applications that display on top of Google Maps
[ Full story from The Mac Observer ]
[ Full story from The Mac Observer ]
Apple: iTunes Plus
Apple debuts iTunes Plus for DRM-free music purchases; you'll need the new iTunes 7.2 to use it. [ Full story from MacInTouch ]
News: MindManager 7 visualization software ships
MindManager 7 -- a new version of the visualization and "mind mapping" software for Mac and Windows -- is now shipping. 
[ Full story from Macworld ]
Apple releases iTunes 7.2 for Mac and Windows with new higher-quality, DRM-free music
Apple has released iTunes 7.2... [ Full story from MacDailyNews ]
Apple debuts iTunes U on iTunes
Apple today announced the launch of iTunes U, a dedicated area within the iTunes Store featuring free content such as course lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights and campus tours provided by top US colleges and universities including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Duke University and MIT. "iTunes U makes it easy for ... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
Apple announces iTunes U on the iTunes Store
Apple on Wednesday announced the launch of iTunes U, a dedicated area within the iTunes Store featuring free content such as course lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights and campus tours provided by top US colleges and uni... [ Full story from AppleInsider ]
Apple releases QuickTime security update
Company has released a further patch for a QuickTime vulnerability first exploited in April and subsequently deemed 'highly critical' 
[ Full story from ZDNet UK News ]
Apple Issues QuickTime 7.1.6 Security Update
Apple released a security update for QuickTime 7.1.6 on Tuesday that addressed two potential Web-based security vulnerabilities. Both involve visiting Web sites that execute maliciously-crafted Java applets
[ Full story from The Mac Observer ]
Joystiq interviews GameTap about big changes and Mac support
Filed under: Mac, PC, Interviews
Joystiq recently spoke with GameTap's VP of Marketing, David Reid, and their VP of Content, Rick Sanchez, about all the major changes coming to the service this Wednesday. Most notable is the introduction of a free ad-driven GameTap service, effectively turning it into a hybrid, adapting casual game site Pogo.com's model while offering more than just casual games. One of the big recent announcements was that Tomb Raider: Legend will be offered free by this ad-driven service and GameTap even created a Lara Croft mega-site to showcase all things Lady Croft. We got a chance to talk to them about what's really going on with the service, which is still very unique in the gaming space, and future growth including ... Mac support.So, let's start off with David [Reid, VP of Ma rketing]. GameTap has had some serious changes over the last couple years. The service has almost mimicked the life of a cable television station. Starting off by showing mostly re-runs geared to the demographic and slowly introducing original programming. Is this an accurate model of what we should expect in the future?
Well, yes and no. You've got some of the history there pretty accurate. Internally, we look at Cartoon Network at how GameTap got started. Turner Broadcasting has this core competence in acquiring content. That's how TBS got started, Cartoon Network got started and how GameTap got started. The real difference is [GameTap] was Turner's first direct consumer business, its first games business and first broadband business. There has been a big push in Turner to get digital fast and build on the expertise they had on the licensing front.
What you'll see more of is a less purist game business model and more of an overall broadcast model . Like our ad-supported games service. Providing publishers a much richer sense of opportunity to make money off their intellectual property. Right now, the games industry, it's very much like box office. Like a movie, you see the marketing, you go to the theater and get the experience. The digital retail business we're launching on Thursday is sort of like a box office premiere. Then our subscription business (what we've known GameTap as), which keeps getting better, is video-on-demand. Then the free service is your free broadcast television. So, our model, it's more like what film and TV does rather than what cable does.
[ Full story from Joystiq ]
TMO Quick Tip - Automating Appointments with iCal
Apple's iCal is handy for tracking your appointments, but its unassuming interface hides other features, too. In addition to reminding you of upcoming events, it can also act as your personal assistant by automating other tasks on your Mac that relate to specific meetings
[ Full story from The Mac Observer ]
[ Full story from The Mac Observer ]
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Security: QuickTime 7.1.6
"A design issue exists in QuickTime for Java, which may allow a web browser's memory to be read by a Java applet." [ Full story from MacInTouch ]
Update: NeoOffice 2.1 Patch 5
Performance improvements for the latest release of this Mac OS X-native version of the OpenOffice.org office suite. [ Full story from MacInTouch ]
Security update for QuickTime 7.1.6
Filed under: Software Update
If you use QuickTime on your Mac running OS X, Windows XP, or Windows 2000 (heck, you might even run those last two on non-Apple hardware) then you need to fire up Software Update. QuickTime 7.1.6 is now available and it addresses two vulnerabilities with the way Java is handled. Apple recommends this update for everyone.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
[ Full story from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) ]
PayPlay reopens as 'world's largest' MP3 store
Filed under: Portable Audio
In what seems to now be something of a trend, online music retailer PayPlay.fm is following in the footsteps of Amazon and -- to some extent -- Apple, by retooling its store to only include tracks encoded as DRM-free MP3s. And not just a few MP3s, either, but over 1.3 million individual songs priced at 88 cents apiece; though if you think you'll find your favorite boy band or gangsta rapper here, you're sorely mistaken, as even encryption-hatin' EMI isn't contributing any mainstream acts to this all-indie-fest. Still, if you 're down with those obscure, struggling artists whom no one has ever heard of, the new PayPlay may be right up your alley.
[Via BoingBoing]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
[ Full story from Engadget ]
Apple plugs two QuickTime holes
Second security patch in less than a week
Apple has plugged two holes in its QuickTime media player that could create serious security problems for people tricked into visiting malicious websites. The release, which is available for both Windows and Mac platforms, is Apple's second security patch in less than a week.…
[ Full story from Reg Hardware: Product News and Gadget Reviews from The Register - Mac ]Jobs, Gates, and Hawkins: times (in approximate) for tomorrow's festivities
Filed under: Announcements
Ok, we've landed and have some rough times you should be ready for things to go off tomorrow. Remember, we've got a Steve Jobs presentation, Jeff Hawkins is showing off whatever Palm's got next, and the icing on the cake is Jobs (again) for a hot legend-on-legend sitdown with Bill Gates. Here are the windows to watch out for, we'll try and blog as much as our battery can hold out for:Wednesday, May 30
8:00AM - 10:30AM PST window
Steve Ballmer / Microsoft
Jeff Hawkins / Palm
11:15AM - 1:00PM PST window
Steve Jobs / Apple
7:15PM PST
Bill Gates & Steve Jobs 2getha 4eva
Thursday, May 31
11:00AM - 12 :45PM PST window
Eric Schmidt / Google
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[ Full story from Engadget ]
QuickTime 7.1.6
Filed under: Software Update
If you use QuickTime on your Mac running OS X, Windows XP, or Windows 2000 (heck, you might even run those last two on non-Apple hardware) then you need to fire up Software Update. QuickTime 7.1.6 is now available and it addresses two vulnerabilities with the way Java is handled. Apple recommends this update for everyone.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
[ Full story from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) ]
ModBook gets upgrades, coming in June
Filed under: Hardware, Hacks, Mods, MacBook
Remember the ModBook, the only actual Mac announced at Macworld back in January from third-party vendor OWC? Well it's finally getting ready to ship. According to jkOnTheRun, an email has been sent out to those lucky few who pre-ordered based on the January specs, and OWC has announced that they're including some "free" upgrades. The digitizer sensitivity has been doubled to 512 levels. Furthermore, the basis of the ModBook mod will be the new MacBooks released this month, not those available in January. Other options include replacing the optical drive with a second hard drive for up to 500GB of internal storage as well as a total of 3GB of RAM. The email states that "these solutions are now expected to ship in very limited quantities starting in the early part of June with all orders expected to ship by the end of July." So if you ordered a ModBook it looks like you'll get it just in time to sync with your new iPhone![via Engadget]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
[ Full story from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) ]
Nokia fights back, files countersuit against Qualcomm
Will one of these companies please just buy the other so we can put an end to this nonsense? Actually, that'd probably be a really bad idea; we take it back. Still, though, the childlike intellectual property spats between Qualcomm and Nokia are getting thoroughly out of hand. On the heels of the latest infringement suit filed by Qualcomm against Nokia a couple months back whining about a few of the former's patents, Nokia is fighti ng back with a six-pack of alleged patent infringements of its own relating to Qualcomm's implementation of CDMA2000 and GSM / WCDMA. Quoth Nokia's CFO, "We believe very strongly Qualcomm has copied our implementation patents." Well, there ya have it. We don't really expect this tussle to resolve itself any time soon.[Thanks, Matt]
[ Full story from Engadget Mobile ]
Apple releases Security Update QuickTime 7.1.6 for Mac and Windows
Apple today released Security Update (QuickTime 7.1.6 for Mac and Windows... [ Full story from MacDailyNews ]
Editors' Notes: Jobs! Gates! Snell?
Apple CEO Steve Jobs will speak at the D: All Things Digital conference on Wednesday, including a joint appearance with Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. And Macworld.com will have coverage throughout the day. 
[ Full story from Macworld ]
Apple plugs two QuickTime security flaws
Apple today updated its QuickTime multimedia software by fixing two important security holes that, if left unpatched, could lead to the disclosure of sensitive information or allow a potential attacker to take over a Mac or Windows system running the affected software. The update repairs the implementation issue in QuickTime for Java, which could a... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
Apple plugs another QuickTime security flaw
Apple today updated its QuickTime multimedia software by fixing two important security holes that, if left unpatched, could lead to the disclosure of sensitive information or allow a potential attacker to take over a Mac or Windows system running the affected software. The update repairs the implementation issue in QuickTime for Java, which could a... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
MemoryScape debugs MPI, remote apps
TotalView Technologies today released MemoryScape 2.0, the latest revision of its memory debugger for Mac OS X. The update supports memory debugging of MPI and remote applications via an easy-to-use graphical interactive memory debugger. The utility also helps developers to monitor heap memory, track memory events, and show corrupted memory. Memory... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
Lenovo Takes Page From Apple's Book: Quality
In a world of cutthroat competition in notebook computers, lowest bidders, and commodity products, Lenovo is making a bold move to champion Thinkpad quality, according to the Wall Street Journal on Thursday
[ Full story from The Mac Observer ]
PayPlay offers DRM-free tracks for $0.88
PayPlay.FM today began selling its catalog of 1.3 million audio tracks in unprotected MP3 format for $0.88 cents per song, beating out Apple's iTunes Store which charges $0.99 cents per track while matching the Cupertino-based company's efforts to offer DRM-free music. PayPlay works with Mac, Windows, and Unix platforms by providing music without m... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
WiFind replacement Airport menubar item
WiFind from Tasty Apps is a neat little replacement for Airport menubar item that adds some cool features. Specifically it shows right in the drop-down menu both whether or not networks are locked and also each WAP's signal strength. This is surely a much handier way to check all those networks at your local coffee shop, rather than just trying to connect to each one. It is worth pointing out, however, that WiFind does its magic via a SIMBL plugin.WiFind is $8 and a demo is available.
[via Digg]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
[ Full story from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) ]
Apple to debut DRM-free music from iTunes Store this week?
Last week observers noted that Apple's iTunes Store had... [ Full story from MacDailyNews ]
WSJ to interview Jobs, Gates for joint Q&A
Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Microsoft founder Bill Gates are scheduled to appear in a joint interview tomorrow night at the fifth edition of D: All Things Digital for a Q&A session with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. The event, which is taking place at the Four Seasons Resort in Carlsbad, California, is set to kick off this evening with a cocktail pa... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
Apple Patches 17 Bugs
The company releases fixes for vulnerabilities ranging from system takeover to denial-of-service attacks. [ Full story from Baseline Update ]
Autoblog Green Podcast #6 - Roberto Jerez of Velozzi and the 200 mpg car
BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.
Apple adds second iPhone manufacturer; orders 5 million units with ‘different outer design’
Quanta Computer has received an initial order for five million iPhones... [ Full story from MacDailyNews ]
News: Curl enterprise app platform comes to Mac
Curl, the Rich Internet Application (RIA) deployment platform for enterprises, has come to the Mac in the form of a public beta release of its Run Time Environment (RTE). 
[ Full story from Macworld ]
Apple Hot Deals Update For Gadget Locker, CDW, Small Dog
Apple Inc. has updated the Hot Deals pages for Gadget Locker, CDW Mac Warehouse, and Small Dog Electronics at the Macintosh Product Guide. The Mac Product Guide is a list of Mac compatible hardware and software products on the market
[ Full story from The Mac Observer ]
KaraTunes 3 supports synchronized lyrics
Ideographer.com has released KaraTunes 3.0, a major update to the personal lyrics database application for Mac OS X. The new version supports the LRC format, which is a lyrics format with time tags. With the LRC support in KaraTunes, users can listen to their songs and watch synchronized lyrics in a window or in full-screen mode. The new synchroni... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
Kenbushi v7.0 updates media center software
Lava Software is now shipping Kenbushi v7.0, an update to its media entertainment center with built-in file sharing and data backup. The software allows users to connect a PC or Mac to a TV and sound system, and Kenbushi will provide a "gorgeous, fast and powerful way to browse, search and play all your movies, music, TV shows and other media." The... [ Full story from MacNN | The Macintosh News Network ]
Monday, May 28, 2007
Podcast - Mac Geek Gab #105: Upgrades, Audio, Networking, and Spotlight
Dave and John in front of one mic today talk about tweaking spotlight and network preferences, audio geekiness, and what upgrade paths make sense for you. Enjoy
[ Full story from The Mac Observer ]
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