Doom creator discusses experiences with Apple...
id Software co-founder John Carmack has described working with Apple as a "rollercoaster ride" in a new interview, arguing that Apple executives are not happy with the increasing popularity of the iPhone and iPod touch as a gaming platform. Carmack -- responsible for Doom, Quake and other titles -- has spent several years working with Apple in order to get games such as Doom Classic onto the App Store.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Apple readying dual-mode GSM/CDMA iPhone?...
An analyst report sent today hints at Apple producing an iPhone that would work with both GSM and CDMA networks. The OTR Global note obtained by AppleInsider claims to know of an iPhone in development with a hybrid Qualcomm chipset that will support the two normally incompatible standards. It would support UMTS-based 3G on carriers like AT&T and would presumably support EVDO-based 3G on Verizon and similar CDMA carriers.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Radio Shack to sell iPhone... Radio Shack in a terse notice today said it would begin selling the iPhone 3G and 3GS in its retail stores later this month. The initial rollout is small and will be limited to certain company-run stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth area as well as in New York City. Expansion to all of its stores isn't expected until 2010.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Review: LaCie Sound2 Speakers
LaCie is without a doubt best known for its hard drives and other storage solutions, many of which are often particularly good-looking. The company's new Sound2 Speakers could also be described in just such a way. Shaped by French designer Neil Poulton and engineered by Cabasse, a French loud speaker manufacturer, the design comes across as a French supermodel. But does that mean the design is strictly superficial? Our Sound2 review finds an answer.[print | email | comment]
Sonos Controller 3.1 for iPhone adds Twitter, improved UI...
Sonos has released an update to its Controller app for the iPhone and iPod touch. Version 3.1 adds the ability to send Twitter updates with information regarding the current track. The interface has been refined, with new icons and logos on the Music Menu and a simplified layout. Users are also able to control the company's latest ZonePlayer S5 all-in-one device.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Verizon's Droid tethering plans to match iPhone's...
Verizon late Thursday confirmed that it would add tethering to the Motorola Droid but clarified its plans. Contradicting a prior statement, it now says tethering when ready will cost $30 in addition to the phone's existing voice and data plans. It will also have a 5GB bandwidth cap before overage fees begin, though the tethering rate will be separate from the Droid's regular data.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Afternoon Edition
Jumsoft launches Aperture Themes 2.0 with 16 themes...
Jumsoft has released Aperture Themes 2.0, a package of ten new themes for Apple's photography software. The new content adds to the six themes available in the previous v1.0 bundle. The styles are geared toward creating web galleries with photos via Aperture. Each of the 16 themes has up to ten different layouts for a total of 51 designs.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Quirky announces Beamer iPhone case with built-in light...
Quirky has announced a new addition to its line of iPhone 3G and 3GS accessories, the Beamer. The case features a hard plastic outer shell, and a two-piece design, requiring owners to remove the base before inserting an iPhone. Giving the case its name is an LED light, which can be used either as camera flash or a standalone light. A button triggers three different functions: 10-second lighting, constant light, or simply shutting off.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Ionic batteries could multiply battery life by 11...
A new development by partly government-backed Fluidic Energy could potentially extend the battery life of notebooks, cars and other devices well beyond existing lithium-ion cells. Known as Metal-Air Ionic Liquid (MAIL), it would improve energy storage beyond relatively efficient zinc-air batteries by using an ionic liquid salt to conduct electricity that is much more stable and isn't prone to drying out either by accident or by eventual decay. The move would let battery makers use metals denser than zinc and therefore hold a much larger charge in a given volume.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Apple launches Reserve and Pick Up retail program
Apple has unveiled a new program for its retail stores, Reserve and Pick Up. Via the company's website, shoppers can now opt to have products held for later purchase at a store they select. Only Macs and iPods are eligible however, and pickup must occur between December 15th and the 24th. As the program is meant to cope with potentially long holiday lineups, shoppers can also have some products wrapped.[print | email | comment]
Spanish translation of Mein Kampf appears on App Store...
A Spanish translation of Mein Kampf has been launched at the App Store, observers note. Written in the 1920s by Adolf Hitler, the book is both an autobiography and a charter of the fascist, anti-Semitic policies that would come to guide the Third Reich. No other version of the book is available as a standalone app, and its icon is the Nazi Party emblem, complete with swastika.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Gideon launches Snow Leopard app updates...
Gideon Softworks has launched updates for Dock-It, Snard and Snippet Monkey, adding Snow Leopard support to all three. Dock-It 2.7.2 is a multifunctional dock and Finder enhancement tool, enabling users to create or customize multiple docks and navigate folder contents without the need of a Finder window. Docks can be used to hold files, folders, apps and scripts; users can drag-and-drop as well as copy and paste text clippings or URLs.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
ARM provides early details of Eagle architecture... ARM president Tudor Brown at a presentation on Friday provided early details of his company's next-generation architecture for smartphones and other handhelds. Nicknamed Eagle, the processor design will focus on speed and come with a multi-core main processor, "high-end" graphics and better security against hardware-related attacks. Power use will be kept down by using GlobalFoundries' new 28 nanometer process and should get more efficient still when the assembly process shrinks to 22 nanometers.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Boxee beta to be unveiled on December 7th...
The first public beta of Boxee will be shown on December 7th, according to its developer. The app is primarily used to stream movies and TV shows to an HDTV, including remote content from sources such as Hulu and Netflix. Music and photos can also be streamed; versions of the app have been produced for the Mac, Windows and the Apple TV.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
iPhone hits 17% smartphone share, passed by BlackBerry...
Apple gained market share in the summer but slipped in the face of tougher competition, according to new IDC data. The iPhone's share of smartphones grew from 16.6 percent to 17.1 percent during the quarter but was overtaken by Research in Motion's record BlackBerry sales, which pushed it above Apple from 14.6 percent to 19 percent. The reversal is credited to the BlackBerry's wider distribution and the launch of a pair of key phones, the Tour and the Curve 8520.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
O2 UK to allow iPhone unlocks for competing carriers...
UK iPhone owners subscribed to O2 will indeed be allowed to unlock for other carriers, according to the CEO of O2's parent company, Telefonica Europe. "Once the iPhone becomes available on other UK networks," says Matthew Key, "we will allow O2 customers to unlock their iPhones, although of course they will still need to honour any outstanding contract period they have. At the end of their contract period, they are entirely free to move to another operator -- though naturally we hope they won't want to!"[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Microsoft demos transparent, touchless interface...
Microsoft chief research officer Craig Mundie as part of his college tour this week demonstrated a unique concept for a future computing interface that would in many cases go without any touch input. Although it would support pens for precise input, the transparent glass display would also recognize voices and detect touch-free gestures, much as with the Xbox 360's upcoming Project Natal. The system can also detect eyes and navigate based on their gaze.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Developer spying on iPhone gamers?...
A California iPhone developer, Storm8, has been accused of spying on iPhone owners, according to court documents. A lawsuit was recently submitted on behalf of Washington resident Michael Turner, charging Storm8 with several violations including breaches of contract, the California Computer Crime Law and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. On August 26th, says Turner, the company openly admitted that its games had been illicitly collecting phone numbers.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Droid sees short launch lines [U]... (Updated with additional lineup details) Early reports have suggested relatively small lineups for the Droid at Verizon stores. Visitors to most stores have seen lines of several people or less, with others seeing no lineups even with later early opening 8AM openings. The midnight opening at Verizon's 34th Street Manhattan store has also been described as modest, with one report so far suggesting that only 20 were in queue roughly an hour before it opened and no reports of the line growing much larger by 12AM.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Early Morning Edition
Windows 7 not helping long-term PC sales?...
Windows 7 isn't having as large an impact on PC sales as initially thought, sources from manufacturers said on Friday. Although US retail sales were up 49 percent, those speaking to DigiTimes say they didn't see a major spike in late October and don't expect one for the rest of 2009. The turnout has been soft enough that some notebook producers are actually facing overstock as they ordered more portables than demand required.[C o n t i n u ed... | print | email | comment]
Afternoon Edition
