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2008-08-16T16:54:00.001-06:00

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2008-07-18T20:19:00.001-06:00

Lovers In Japan (acoustic) - Coldplay

2008-03-19T01:36:00.000-06:00

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Mac OS X Leopard to ship on October 26

2007-10-16T11:05:00.000-06:00

Packed with more than 300 new features, Mac OS X Leopard goes on sale Friday, October 26, at 6:00 p.m. at Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers, Apple announced today. And, beginning today, customers can place pre-orders on Apple’s online store. “Leopard, the sixth major release of Mac OS X, is the best upgrade we’ve ever released,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “And everyone gets the ‘Ultimate’ version, packed with all the new innovative features, for just $129.”

Christmas Songs by Jars of Clay

2007-10-12T19:40:00.001-06:00

Faith in his art as a filmmaker

2007-08-21T23:38:00.000-06:00

To make '7 Días,' Fernando Kalife just had to believe in himself.

Los Angeles Times, August 21, 2007

Reed Johnson

MEXICO CITY -- If Fernando Kalife had scripted the plotline behind the making of his film 7 Días (7 Days), he might've ended up tossing it away as one of those eye-rolling Hollywood happy endings that's too good to be real.

Instead, Kalife actually lived this improbable life-imitates-celluloid saga, whose cast of characters includes Bono and Larry Mullen of Irish rockers U2 and British supermodel Naomi Campbell.

Here's the setup:

A Mexican guy with a USC film degree decides to write and direct a movie about a likable dreamer who's determined to bring U2 to play in his hometown of Monterrey. After losing a half-million dollar bet on a soccer game with a local mob racket, the protagonist (played by Eduardo Arroyuelo) hopes to save his skin by promising the mob boss' equally U2-obsessed son (Jaime Camil) that he will be able to deliver the band. The mob gives him seven days to make good on his promise -- or else.

But rather than doing the logical thing -- contacting the band first to see if he could obtain the music and concert-film footage rights he needed -- Kalife decided to go ahead and shoot his $1.9-million dramedy, then worry about securing U2's blessing after the fact.

"I kept in the back of my mind what my father always told me: You make a good product, the rest will happen by consequence," says Kalife, who like his main character is a Monterrey native and a lifelong U2 fan. 7 Días, which obtained 40% of its financing from Mexico's national film fund and the rest from Kalife's Moliere Films and private investors, received five Ariel nominations (Mexico's version of the Oscars) when it played in Mexico. It opened Friday in Los Angeles theaters.

Things did indeed start to happen, whether by consequence or by what some might consider a near-miraculous chain of coincidences.

After he finished shooting 7 Días in early 2004, Kalife was still trying to make contact with U2 to obtain the permissions he sought. Then in March 2005, U2 frontman Bono was flying to the beach resort of Cabo San Lucas when an unexpected airport closure forced him and his entourage to land at Acapulco.

While there, Bono ran into an old friend, Jaime Camil, an Acapulco real estate and communications impresario who is the father of the actor also named Jaime Camil. The Camil family also is friendly with British supermodel Campbell, who happened to be in Acapulco for a fashion show and used to date U2 bassist Adam Clayton.

The younger Camil told the unsuspecting Bono about U2's talismanic role in 7 Días and asked if he'd like to watch a copy of the film at his family's home. The rock star agreed, liked what he saw and immediately called Kalife, who was back in Monterrey taking his kids to the circus.

"My cellphone rings and the very first thing I hear is an Irish accent, 'Are you taking it to Cannes?' " Kalife remembers Bono saying. "He was so earnest and so humble that I was just overwhelmed. We talked for about half an hour. He complimented the film a lot."

So did Bono's bandmate Mullen, the group's drummer, when he saw it a few weeks later. While U2 is frequently approached about lending its endorsement and/or its songs to various outside projects, the group is "very particular" about such collaborations because it must guard the artistic integrity of its music, says Mullen, speaking by phone from Europe.

Mullen, the band's founder, thought the film was "a great idea, brilliantly executed," and he agreed to let the director use one of U2's songs, "Miracle Drug," and concert footage in 7 Días. For free. It was the first time that U2 had extended such a privilege to a filmmaker, Mullen says. "I just thought, 'This is a good guy [Kalife] and he's got good intentions.' "

It's an absorbing tale, and Kalife, 43, obviously relishes retelling it as he sips a café con leche during a recent stopover here.

A highly spiritual man, Kalife unhesitatingly attributes his good luck in recruiting U2 to a beneficent God. A large part of his admiration for the band is based on its well-established reputation for exploring spiritual themes in its music and its activism on behalf of charitable and social causes. "They were not afraid they would be cheesy or corny because they were singing about love, peace and God himself," he says.

Kalife says that he too has turned to faith to guide him through life's rough spots. The fourth of eight children, he was born into an entrepreneurial clan of Lebanese immigrants who parlayed two clothing stores into a family business that subsequently branched out into real estate and construction. Both parents were accomplished raconteurs. His father "told me more than 1,000 stories," while his mother, if "you give her five minutes she'll tell a story and she'll make you cry."

Kalife got hooked on movies at age 6, watching two-for-one flicks at the Cinema del Valle in Monterrey. Though he tried his hand at selling clothes for a while, his heart wasn't in it, and by the late 1990s he was signed up in USC's summer film production workshop. Soon after, he was accepted into the university's visiting scholar graduate program in film. His wife of eight years, Raquel, later followed him into the movie business after studying film editing at USC.

Like Kalife's previous short film The Mexican Way, an acidic allegory of the country's former one-party political power structure, 7 Días tosses black-comic barbs at the corruption of Mexican society. It's one aspect of his country that deeply dismays him, Kalife says, and he tries to follow "my teacher Molière" in satirizing this unpleasant reality. He seeks the broadest possible audience for his movies because, he says, "We are not in the time of Godard. It's very comfortable to play Mr. Intellectual and say, 'Well, nobody understands me, that's why I only sell four tickets.' "

Leigh Savidge, founder and chief executive of Xenon Pictures Inc., which is distributing 7 Días in the U.S., thinks the movie represents a "progressive new Latin cinema" that both Latinos and non-Latinos are increasingly receptive to. "People want to pigeonhole an ethnic genre, make it into something easy to understand," Savidge says. "We felt there was a very strong ability of an Anglo audience to relate to the characters, relate to the story."

Savidge hopes that the film, which opened to mixed reviews on a half-dozen L.A.-area screens, will move up to about 20 screens in the weeks ahead.

While he waits to see how 7 Días fares at the U.S. box office, Kalife is developing more feature film projects and shopping around Latin Code, a TV series thriller (he describes the hero as a Mexican cross between James Bond and Jason Bourne). One planned film project is a romantic drama about a Mexican man and an Irish woman, provisionally titled St. Patrick's Brigade. Mullen, on tap to compose an original score for the film, suggested the title, a reference to the renegade Irish soldiers who deserted the U.S. Army and fought for Mexico during the countries' 19th century territorial struggles. Kalife says his first choice for the male lead in the film is Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ), whom he met -- where else? -- at a U2 concert at Staples Center. That's another one of those convergences in which Kalife perceives more spiritual consequence than coincidence.

"I believe in God; it is because of him that I'm here," he says. "Does everybody say this? Of course not. Because it's better to be cool and noncommitted."

© Los Angeles Times, 2007.

U2 could be shrunk down to size

2007-08-21T23:37:00.000-06:00

The Sydney Morning Herald, August 22, 2007

Joyce Morgan

Honey, he's shrunk the icons. He's reduced Jeff Koons's giant floral Puppy to the size of a terrier and morphed the art critic Robert Hughes into a miniature Jabba the Hutt.

The indignity does not stop with the art world. Alasdair Macintyre has turned the mega rock stars U2 into 13-centimetre figures as part of a diorama in which the Edge -- complete with teeny-weeny beanie -- waters Puppy's nose. So is calling the work and his new solo show after U2's Elevation Macintyre's little joke?

Not entirely, says the Brisbane-based artist. It is as much homage as spoof, sparked in part by seeing the band in concert last year.

"It was sublime. Occasionally in life I had what I call God moments," Macintyre says. "The previous time I felt it was at the Bill Viola [The Passions] exhibition at the National Gallery...Of course, it's a different sort of God moment when you've got 40,000 people around you."

It is high praise for a gig, but it has provided Macintyre with sufficient inspiration to create all the dioramas in his new exhibition around the titles of U2 songs - from Staring at the Sun, to (Stay), Faraway So Close and The Pursuit of Happiness. "I like doing pieces with pop culture figures in them. I wanted to do something with Bono," he says.

And then he saw a film in which Koons was discussing Puppy -- the work in which some jester seeded a cannabis plant when it was created outside the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, a few years ago -- and decided to bring the icons of the art and pop world together. It is a small world after all for Macintyre.

"Koons was talking about how Puppy communicates love, in that smooth way he talks. And in the doco he climbed a ladder inside Puppy and said, 'Now I'm ascending into the sacred heart of Jesus'...I take his patter with a grain of salt. But I love his work."

Macintyre says he admires Hughes, too. Whether Hughes would appreciate being turned into the slug-like crime boss from Star Wars in the work Hands that Built America is hard to know. It is not the first time Macintyre has shrunk the stentorian critic to less than life-size. Hughes appeared about to impale an artist with an oversized pen in an earlier diorama.

"I like playing with the whole art world situation, where we have these prominent figures," he says.

For Macintyre these towering figures include the artist Ian Fairweather, who lived for years on Bribie Island, not far from the younger artist's home. In (Stay), Faraway So Close, he has depicted Fairweather emerging from a forest of paintbrushes.

"I made a pilgrimage there," Macintyre says. "Some titles fit perfectly. Bribie Island is so close, it's only about 40 minutes away from where I live. Fairweather is so far away from me but you can feel him there."

Macintyre's work is witty and playful, yet there is an engagement with darker aspects of contemporary events, including the Iraq war, in works such as Staring at the Sun, in which a naked soldier raises his arms in surrender.

"I dip into that a bit and then I get kind of depressed and do something else," he says.

"I'll make a piece and want to put it away and have a lie down. Other times I'll fall on the floor laughing."

But all his work is informed by the Catholic faith in which he was raised and which he has retained. He volunteers that his greatest inspirations are three JCs, the others the American artist Joseph Cornell and the mythology professor Joseph Campbell, whose work influenced the Star Wars director George Lucas.

"The three of them combined, that's my work. I think I'm lucky that I was brought up in any kind of faith. It could have been Buddhism, it could have been Islam. I think it just gives you an extra dimension...The history of art, particularly pre-Renaissance, is intertwined with the history of the Catholic Church. When people were illiterate and they couldn't read the Bible they'd look up [in church] and there were visual versions of the Bible."

If he has an eye on the transcendent, he also has an eye for the fake. Hence his best-known work, The Art Park, in which he corralled the art world's sacred sites, among them Van Gogh's Yellow House, Monet's Japanese Bridge and Grant Wood's American Gothic house in a miniature artistic theme park. The work, for which he was short-listed for the 2005 National Sculpture Prize, was inspired by a trip to Movie World on the Gold Coast.

"I got the idea that for someone like myself who couldn't really afford to travel around the world to see art destinations to bring them all in one place, and each would be a fabrication...I pretty much made a list of where I would go if I could."

Macintyre, 36, who studied at the Australian Catholic University and Queensland College of Art, began working with models as a child, including the Star Wars toys he collected. He still does. His mini Bono was created from a Hans Solo toy. Today he works with a mix of existing models and created figures.

"If something pre-exists I'll use it and make a mould and cast it...then I'll dismember the thing I've cast and remodel it into the position I want," he says. "I am still playing with my toys today; I'm just doing it in a more informed way."

Alasdair Macintyre's Elevation is at Sullivan+Strumpf, Gurner Street, Paddington, from August 28.

© The Sydney Morning Herald, 2007.

Apple Unveils New iMac

2007-08-07T20:47:00.002-06:00

CUPERTINO, California—August 7, 2007—Apple® today unveiled an all new all-in-one iMac® line featuring gorgeous 20- and 24-inch widescreen displays encased in elegant and professional aluminum and glass enclosures. The entire new iMac line features the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and a new, ultra-thin aluminum Apple Keyboard, built-in iSight® video camera for video conferencing and iLife® ’08, making it the ultimate digital lifestyle desktop computer for both consumers and professionals. The 20-inch iMac now starts at just $1,199, $300 less than the previous 20-inch model, and the 24-inch iMac starts at just $1,799, $200 less than the previous 24-inch model.

“This new iMac is the most incredible desktop computer we’ve ever made,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Our new design features the innovative use of materials, including professional-grade aluminum and glass, that are highly recyclable."

Redefining Apple’s signature all-in-one design, the new iMac integrates the entire computer system into a sleek, professional aluminum enclosure for a striking, clutter-free desktop. An elegant glass cover joins precisely to the aluminum enclosure creating a virtually seamless front surface. The new iMac’s 20- and 24-inch glossy widescreen displays provide incredibly crisp images, ideal for photos and movies using the all new iLife ’08 suite of digital lifestyle applications that are included. The new ultra-thin aluminum Apple Keyboard is just 0.33 inches thin at its front edge. A new optional Apple Wireless Keyboard is a compact design that, with Apple’s wireless Mighty Mouse, offers a cable-free desktop.

From Apple PR

Apple Introduces iLife ’08

2007-08-07T20:47:00.001-06:00

CUPERTINO, California—August 7, 2007—Apple® today introduced iLife® ’08, the most significant upgrade ever to Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications, featuring a major new version of iPhoto® and a completely reinvented iMovie®. iPhoto ’08 automatically organizes photo libraries into Events that let users more easily manage their growing photo collections, and iMovie ’08 introduces an entirely new way for users to quickly make movies and share them online. Both iPhoto and iMovie integrate seamlessly with the new .Mac Web Gallery, Apple’s new service for .Mac members to instantly create and host stunning online websites for their photos and videos. iLife ’08 also features iWeb™ ’08, with live web widgets such as Google Maps that let users create even more dynamic websites, and GarageBand™ ’08, with its new Magic GarageBand feature that makes it fun and easy for both musicians and non-musicians to create great sounding songs.

“Apple has taken iLife ’08 to a new level that is years ahead of anything available for the PC,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think iLife ’08 gives Mac users even more reasons to love their Macs, and PC users even more reasons to switch.”

From Apple PR

Apple Enhances .Mac

2007-08-07T20:46:00.001-06:00

Apple® today announced significant enhancements to its .Mac online service, highlighted by the debut of .Mac Web Gallery, a new feature for sharing photos and movies on the Internet. .Mac Web Gallery lets members easily share photos and movies directly from iLife® ’08 with anyone on a Mac®, PC or iPhone™ in stunning quality. In addition, .Mac Web Gallery visitors can download high quality images for printing and even contribute photos using a standard web browser or email. Other new .Mac features include a tenfold increase in .Mac storage to 10GB, support for personal domains for iWeb™ websites and enhancements to .Mac Mail.

From Apple PR

Apple Introduces iWork ’08

2007-08-07T20:38:00.000-06:00

CUPERTINO, California—August 7, 2007—Apple® today introduced iWork™ ’08, a significant upgrade to Apple’s productivity software suite featuring new versions of Pages® and Keynote word processing and presentation applications, and introducing an innovative new spreadsheet application called “Numbers.” Numbers introduces the concept of intelligent tables on a flexible canvas, a new approach that makes it easy to organize information, create calculations, analyze results and make spreadsheets look as great as they work. Pages ’08 now features distinct modes for streamlined word processing and flexible page layout, a new contextual format bar and change tracking, and Keynote ’08 now includes text effects, transitions and themes that help users easily compose spectacular presentations, and Smart Builds with easy-to-set-up A-to-B animations that make impressive animations easy for anyone to create.

From Apple PR

Pastor Gets Inspiration From U2

2007-08-04T14:59:00.002-06:00

Lawrence Journal-World, August 02, 2007

Terry Rombeck

When the Rev. Michael Tomson-Degreeff wanted inspiration for his summer sermon series, he didn't look to classic literature or traditional sacred music giants like Handel or Bach.

Instead, he looked to his own CD collection and one of his favorite bands, U2.

On Sunday, Tomson-Degreeff, pastor at Eudora United Methodist Church, finishes up a five-week sermon series based on the songs of the Irish rock band fronted by humanitarian Bono (below).

Tomson-Degreeff found church and Biblical references in the songs, selected corresponding Scripture readings and played the U2 songs.

"I have been a huge U2 fan since high school," Tomson-Degreeff says. "My first U2 concert was a religious experience -- we sang 'Psalm 40' at the top of our lungs for 20 minutes at the end of the concert for the Joshua Tree tour (in 1987). I started out just loving their music, but I have grown to appreciate all of the Christian symbols, themes and Scripture references in their music."

He's used references to U2 songs in the past, but this is the first time he's done an entire sermon series based on the band. Sermon topics, and corresponding songs, have included:

• The role of a rock concert as a worship service and rock stars speaking out about social justice issues ("40" and "Pride").

• Holding faith during times of tension, and having faith ("I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For").

• Forgiveness and grace ("Bad" and "Walk On").

• Embracing all of life, including joys and pains ("Beautiful Day" and "Mysterious Ways").

• Oneness and interconnectedness of life, including unity and peace ("One").

Tomson-Degreeff knows a little about music himself. He majored in percussion at Berklee College of Music in Boston and plays piano, drums, and percussion, as well as writes music and lyrics in a variety of musical styles.

In addition to having great respect for U2's music, he has respect for what Bono has done for convincing G8 nations to forgive billions of dollars in debt for third-world countries, among other humanitarian efforts.

"His impact has been substantial," Tomson-Degreeff says. "He has used his celebrity to raise awareness about social injustices in very creative ways -- most politicians want to meet him, and he uses that to get people in the same room who would not normally talk to one another."

Tomson-Degreeff says reaction to the sermon series in his church -- which is building a new, highly visible sanctuary right off Kansas Highway 10 -- mostly has been positive.

"A few people did not know who U2 are," he says. "Most people have heard of them. One mother said to me that her 17-year-old asked to come to church to hear this sermon series, and that was 'a miracle.' "

There were a few grumblings, though.

"Some have complained about the style of music and volume," he says. "Actual quote: 'When will you do a sermon series on Handel?' "

© The Lawrence Journal-World, 2007.

First Intel Penryn Chips Due in 2007?

2007-08-04T14:59:00.001-06:00

Despite original plans for a Q1 2008 launch, Xbitlabs claims that Intel is anticipating an early launch for a least some of their next generation Penryn processors.

Initially it was projected that Intel’s new quad-core processors based on improved micro-architecture that is usually referred to as “Penryn” will be launched in the first quarter of 2008, but the company has changed its plans and now such chips will be available already in the fourth quarter of 2007, in time to compete against AMD Phenom processors based on the K10 micro-architecture.

Specifically, Xbitlabs believes that a 45nm Quad-Core processor topping out at 3.33GHz with a 1333MHz bus will be released in the 2007 timeframe, with the bulk of the Penryn chips still waiting until 2008.

Whether or not this will affect Apple's lineup remains to be seen. Apple currently uses Intel's Server class (Xeon) processors in the Mac Pro, while it uses Mobile class (Core 2 Duo) processors in the bulk of the remainder of its line (iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook). The Mac mini continues to use the earlier Core Duo processor.

Apple does not yet use any of Intel's Desktop class processors (Core 2 Duo / Conroe) in any of their shipping models. Of note, Apple is widely expected to release new iMacs at next week's media event. The event will take place on August 7th, 2007 at 10AM Pacific. According to our Buyer's Guide the iMac was last updated 331 days ago.

Apple Exploring MultiTouch Interface Gestures

2007-07-31T14:54:00.000-06:00

If there was any doubt where some at Apple think the direction of the future is, a new patent application describes the progression of the computer user interface over the years:

Many attempts have been made over the years to improve the way users interact with computers. In the beginning, cards or tapes with punched holes were used for user input. Punch cards gave way to terminals with alphanumeric keyboards and text displays, which evolved into the modern keyboard, mouse and graphical-display based graphical user interfaces. Many expect that the use of multi-finger, touch-sensitive user interfaces ("multi-touch interfaces"), such as those described in the references incorporated above, will become widely adopted for interacting with computers and other electronic devices, allowing computer input to become even more straightforward and intuitive.

This particular patent is credited to John Elias and Wayne Westerman who were founders of Fingerworks, a company who had done much work in the field of touch-interfaces. Apple acquired Fingerworks in 2005.

Elias goes on to describe how multi-touch gestures can have a broad vocabulary and invoke a number of actions. The patent application describes how to implement dictionary of gestures ("chords") which are made up of a combination of fingers, thumbs, and/or other hand parts. The dictionary would be presented to the user for teaching purposes but could also allow the user to assign meanings to particular gestures.

An extremely broad vocabulary is described in that Elias explains that each user's hands can execute twenty-five combinations based on five independent fingers. In the end, over 300 possible combinations are expected per hand.

Examples given include "Thumb & 1 Finger" combinations producing on action:

and "Thumb & 2 Finger" combinations producing different actions:

This patent application was filed January 3, 2007 and was just published today. Apple's iPhone presently utilizes a multi-touch interface, but only implements a limited number of gestures, but there have been hopes that Apple would expand this interface to iPods and Displays

From MacRumors.com

Apple Event August 7th

2007-07-31T14:53:00.000-06:00

Multiple sites (example) are reporting that Apple has called the media to its Cupertino headquarters next Tuesday, August 7th at 10am PDT. The reports indicate that the event will be strictly Mac-related.

Rumors have been indicating that the iMac is set for a dramatic refresh on that date, with iLife and iWork updates perhaps also in the wings.

from MacRumors.com

iPod Nano Details, and Full Touchscreen iPod?

2007-07-31T14:51:00.000-06:00

9to5mac updates with claims that sort out some of the mixed signals arriving these past two weeks surrounding upcoming versions of the iPod.

9to5mac had earlier posted a mockup of what was felt to be a next generation iPod which showed a shorter proportioned iPod. While met with some skepticism, a later ThinkSecret report corroborated the dimensions ("in some ways more resemble a BlackBerry") and confirmed that the leaked iPod interface videos would be used.

This latest report now claims that the mockup of the shorter iPod is in fact a mockup for the iPod Nano, and not the "full size" iPod as suggested. They also claim the leaked interface videos are for this upcoming Nano.

It will be about two inches square and play video (so technically we were right about being the new video iPods). It is coming in 4GB and 8GB size and will likely keep the same pricing. These little square machines are also coming in a new set of colors for all of us sick of the five already out.

This leaves room on for a high end iPod config, which is said to be a "phoneless iPhone" that many have been waiting for.

The anticipated release date for the new iPod nanos is August 7th.

iTunes Store Tops Three Billion Songs

2007-07-31T14:50:00.000-06:00

Apple announced today that they have sold over 3 Billion songs through the iTunes store.
“We’d like to thank all of our customers who have contributed to this incredible milestone,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes.

The last iTunes milestone announcement came in January 2007, when Apple revealed it had sold over 2 billion songs.

Earlier this year, Apple became the 3rd largest music retailer in the US. Apple first opened the iTunes store in April of 2003.

The best Mac quarter, ever

2007-07-25T21:58:00.000-06:00

By Jason Snell from Macworld.com

It seems like I do a whole lot of writing and talking these days — in print, online, and in press interviews — about all the things Apple does that aren’t the Mac. With the iPod an entrenched part of modern tech culture and the iPhone this year’s biggest tech product launch, it’s easy for the Mac to get lost in the shuffle. It’s old news from a company with a whole lot of new news.

Except for one thing: the Mac business has never, ever been better than it is right now. And even people outside our little world — financial analysts and technology pundits alike — seem to be realizing it.

What did it take for this to happen? Try this one on for size: in the past three months (April, May, and June 2007) Apple sold more Macs than it has ever sold in a single financial quarter. Ever.

The particulars: last quarter Apple sold 1,764,000 new Macs, up 154,000 from the previous high. That’s four straight quarters in which Apple has sold more than $2 billion worth of Macs. To put that in perspective, in early 2005 Apple was selling about a million new Macs per quarter, for a total of about $1.6 billion.

Leading the Mac’s surge in popularity: laptops. Yes, sales of desktop Macs perked up in the last quarter, bolstered by the arrival of Final Cut Studio and Adobe Creative Suite 3. But all in all, desktop sales have been flat for the last three years.

Not so with laptops. In early 2005 Apple was selling less than a half a million Mac laptops per quarter. But in this last three-month period, the company sold 1.1 million MacBooks, the most laptops Apple has ever sold in a single quarter. In the past year 61 percent of all Macs sold have been laptops (back in early 2005, the numbers were reversed — 60 percent of Macs sold in the first quarter of 2005 were desktops).

“It was an overall blowout quarter for the Mac,” Apple COO Tim Cook said on Apple’s quarterly conference call Wednesday. “It’s the absolute best quarter we’ve ever had. We sold more portables than we ever had, we sold more total units than we ever had. It was the best education quarter we ever had. And the pro business had a nice uptick.”

All in all, 47 percent of Apple’s revenues last quarter came from Mac sales. And within Apple’s retail stores, the news was even better. Apple sold 330,000 Macs in its retail stores, up 53 percent over the same quarter a year ago. And Apple continues to report that more than 50 percent of all Mac buyers in Apple retail stores said they were new to the Mac.

And of course, as Apple executives crowed during the conference call Wednesday, Apple is exceeding the growth rates that most industry analysts have predicted for the computer industry.

All told, it seems to be a pretty good time to be a Mac user. And it appears that there are a whole lot more of us today than there were just a few years ago.

Highest Fidelity

2007-07-25T21:56:00.000-06:00

U2's new 3-D concert film is near perfect. Which is kind of a shame.

Esquire, July 25, 2007

Stephen Garrett

If the concert film is simply a non-narrative souvenir of a unique live experience, then directors Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington have reached the genre apex with U2 3D. Bono's hand reaches off the movie screen in an eerie technological benediction. The Edge threatens decapitation with his swinging guitar neck. Arenawide shots boast depth of field so realistic that your seat feels like a stadium bleacher. Impeccable close-ups offer intimacy usually reserved for VIP rock journalists and corporate sponsors. It's a mesmerizing, masterful film of musical performance. Is it worth watching? Absolutely. But is it worth remembering?

Think of Jimi Hendrix lighting his guitar on fire in D.A. Pennebaker's Monterey Pop (1968), the National Guard bringing food and medical aid to the hippie crowd in the split-screen Woodstock (1970), or the crowd-control Hells Angels rampaging at Altamont Speedway in the Maysles brothers' Gimme Shelter (1970). The Last Waltz (1978) with the Band. Stop Making Sense (1984) with Talking Heads. These movies are products of directors who massage epiphany out of spectacle.

Fashion photographer Bert Stern virtually invented the concert film in 1960 with Jazz on a Summer's Day, a time capsule of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival that immortalizes Anita O'Day, Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, and others using voluptuous, impressionistic camera work. He swaddled his reportage in a style that not only reflects the music but also downright illuminates it. U2 3D does the same thing (if briefly) during "The Fly," when swarms of platitudes scissor their way throughout the image, conflating JumboTron wizardy with the band's raw energy and creating a uniquely cinematic sequence.

Moments like that upgrade U2 3D from perfect to transcendent. Here's hoping the inevitable U2 3D:2 has more of them.

© Esquire, 2007.

Apple Sold 270,000 iPhones in First 30 Hours

2007-07-25T21:51:00.001-06:00

Mixed in with Apple's Financial Results, Apple announced that they sold 270,000 iPhones in the first 30 hours of iPhone sales.

The number was included with their financial results product breakdown and vaguely listed as 270,000 "iPhones and Related Products and Services".

Despite this wording, during the conference call, Peter Oppenheimer clearly states that Apple sold 270,000 iPhones in the first 30 hours of sales.

From MacRumors.com

test

2007-07-25T17:41:00.000-06:00

this message is been taped from my new brand new iPhone!!!
This is pretty cool actually!
Love and peace
-FCA

The Hall Rocks With Irish

2007-07-24T21:47:00.000-06:00

IrishAbroad.com, July 24, 2007

Mike Farragher

July 24, 2007

Why in God's name are you taking her to Cleveland for her birthday?!? That was a recurring question when I told people of my plans to celebrate my wife's milestone birthday (a husband's code of conduct forbids me from printing her age) this past weekend. I was just following orders; the missus always wanted to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Did I marry the right woman or what?

Walking up to the hall is an experience guaranteed to raise more than a goose bump or two. A stunning piece of daring architecture designed by internationally renowned architect I.M. Pei, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum looks like a futuristic ice sculpture jutting out of the banks of Lake Erie.

According to the website, the venue is within 500 miles of 43% of the U.S. population and less than a day's drive or an hour's flight from many major cities in the U.S. and Canada.

We took the plane. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is a 20 minute drive to downtown, or an easy trip on public transportation.

For anyone still making up their minds on where to go for a last minute summer getaway, look no further than Cleveland! We even got into a Cleveland Indians game by walking up to the gate and paying face value for a ticket that cost a fraction of what a Yankee ticket costs. How can you go wrong?

I thought I would be leaving work behind, but work soon found me as soon as I walked into the hall. U2's stage props are the first things you see when you enter, the hollowed out compact cars that acted as lighting fixtures for the Zoo TV tour in 1991 shine the spotlight on the visitors as you pay your way.

There are three cars dangling from the glass and steel ceiling. One silver mirrored model looks like it had a disco ball vomit all over it, while the leopard print model looks like it made big cat road kill on the way to the museum.

There are plenty of Irish references throughout the site. U2 is there, and they are in good company. Aerosmith and Madonna are in front of them, and they are situated across from the wild stage costumes of David Bowie, the sequined glove of Michael Jackson that goes with the torn red leather jacket worn by the fallen pop star in his "Thriller" video.

The U2 exhibit was an interesting hodgepodge of band history. In what must amount to be a delicious slice of revenge, the band chose to immortalize the rejection letters they got from record company geniuses in the late 1970s within their exhibit.

Billy Lawrie, director of A&R at Arista Records, writes that "although this doesn't meet our needs at present we would like to thank you for thinking of us and encourage you to keep us posted on future endeavors."

RSO Records writes to a Mr. P. Hewson (a/k/a Bono) at 10 Codewood Road, Dublin on May 10, 1979 that "we have listened with great consideration but feel that your music is not what we're looking for." The letter is signed by Alexander Sinclair, who probably no longer works in the record business for passing on one of the biggest recording outfits of our generation!

There are hand-written lyrics of "Bad," from the album The Unforgettable Fire in 1984. The birth of their future merchandising empire can be found in a relic from Larry Mullen Junior, who silk-screened the first U2 design onto a T-shirt during his art class.

Bono's first guitar and the militaristic costumes from the band's PopMart tour, including a wicked fretless bass once played by Adam Clayton, round out the U2 exhibit.

Obviously, the Lennon and McCartney song partnership produced the greatest band in the world, and the Beatles are prominently represented with walls of memorabilia. It's great to see the pale, weathered lavender matching suits they wore at Shea Stadium and the moptop lunchboxes and board games that were part of the teenybop souvenirs of the era.

"John Lennon was the first punk," said Marianne Faithful with a sly smile during one of the many video montages that play in the many theaters within the hall. Truer words were never spoken.

There is disappointment in store for Van Morrison fans. Though he was elected into the hall a few years back and he does make an appearance in a documentary on the blues, I didn't see any memorabilia from him.

Since the museum relies mainly on the private collections of the artist for material, one must wonder what kept Van the Man from parting with his stash of memories?

Despite the reverence displayed to the forefathers of rock and roll, the rebellious spirit is never far behind. It is provided by none other than Sex Pistols lead singer Johnny Rotten, the Irish Brit formerly known as Johnny Lydon.

"This honor is like putting urine in wine," he retorts in the letter in which he declines the offer of membership into the hall.

While the hall does a brilliant balance of all phases of rock, I would love to see more Celtic and Irish additions on my next trip. Richard Thompson and the Fairport Convention influenced many an acoustic guitarist, and Rory Gallagher gave way to a million air guitarists. They deserve their rightful place in the rock museum.

I'm sure we'll see Sinead O'Connor in there before long, but what about the Virgin Prunes, who influenced the likes of the Sex Pistols and U2? What about the Clancy Brothers? Bob Dylan himself makes no bones about citing the influence of this legendary folk outfit, yet their impact does not get a mention.

If the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame doesn't let them in, perhaps we should all lobby for a Celtic Music Hall of Fame? Until then, I highly recommend making this pilgrimage. I know it's only rock and roll, but you'll like it. Trust me!

For more information, log onto www.rockhall.com. A number of hotel and travel packages are available on the site.

© IrishAbroad.com, 2007.

Cisco patch quells Duke's iPhone storms

2007-07-24T21:41:00.000-06:00

By John Cox, Network World
Editor’s Note: This story is reprinted from NetworkWorld.

Cisco has just released a new security advisory that details what caused the address storms that recently afflicted Duke University’s wireless net.

The advisory, posted on the company’s Web site, says that Cisco’s wireless LAN controllers have “multiple vulnerabilities in the handling of Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) packets.” These vulnerabilities “could result in a denial of service (DoS) in certain environments.” The vendor is offering free software to patch this problem, and notes that “there are workarounds to mitigate the effects of these vulnerabilities.”

In keeping with Cisco’s standard format, the advisory makes no reference to the events at Duke, which were first reported a week ago. At the time, intermittent floods or storms of ARP requests were taking 20 to 30 WLAN access points off line for 10 to 15 minutes. The events involved the newly released Apple iPhone.

But a Cisco spokesman confirmed that the advisory deals with the problem uncovered at Duke. “To date, we have not seen widespread issues relating to Apple iPhone across our customers’ networks,” the spokesman wrote in an e-mail response.

The baffling problem, occurring at least nine times at Duke over about a week, triggered a wave of reader speculation, rants, and recommendations on Networkworld.com and other Internet tech sites.

The advisory finally makes it clear that the iPhone simply triggered the ARP storms that were made possible by the controller vulnerabilities. Any other wireless client device, moving from one subnet to another apparently could have done the same thing.

According to the advisory, the vulnerabilities are found in versions 4.1, 4.0, and 3.2 and earlier of the company’s Wireless LAN Controller software. Affected products include the 4100 and 4400 series of controllers, the earlier Cisco-Airespace 4000 series controller (introduced shortly after Cisco acquired Airespace), the Catalyst 6500 series Wireless Services Module (WiSM, a single-board version of the controller), and the Catalyst 3750 Integrated Wireless LAN Controller.

Many other products are immune to these vulnerabilities, according to Cisco, including the 2000 and 2100 series controllers, various stand-alone access points, and the 3800, 2800, and 1800 series of Integrated Services Routers.

The identified vulnerabilities relate to a unicast ARP request which in certain circumstances can be flooded on the LAN links between a group of WLAN controllers (Cisco calls this a “mobility group”).

The advisory notes that IP Version 4 hosts use a method, specified in the IETF standard RFC 4436, to detect if they have re-attached to a network to which they had previously been attached. If so, the host may not have to request a new DHCP address lease if the current lease is still active, according to the advisory. To determine this re-attachment, the host host sends a unicast ARP request to the default gateway that it had previously used.

But the controller may mishandle this request, sparking the ARP storm. For this to happen, two vulnerable Cisco WLAN controllers, attached to the same set of Layer-2 VLANs, “must each have a context for the wireless client,” according to the advisory. That shared context can occur “after a Layer-3 (cross-subnet) roam by the client” or when a guest WLAN is in use.

“If the client sends a unicast ARP request with a destination MAC address that has not been learned by the Layer-2 infrastructure, that request will be flooded to all ports in the Layer-2 domain” after exiting the first WLAN controller. The second controller then reprocesses the ARP request and incorrectly re-forwards this packet back into the network.

If the ARP unicast features is enabled on the controller, the controller will re-forward broadcast ARP packets targeting the address of a known client context. “This creates an ARP storm if more than one [controller] is installed on the corresponding VLAN,” according to the advisory.

The trigger for the ARP storm or flood in a WLAN configured as described is apparently a wireless client that moves from one IP subnet to another. This was in fact the behavior noticed by Duke’s IT group, with a small number of iPhones. It was initially thought that the iPhone itself was generating the ARP flood.

Cisco will release software updates for versions 3.2 and 4.0 of the controller software on July 27. An update for version 4.1 apparently is now available from Cisco. Further, Cisco recommends that administrators require all clients to obtain their IP address from a DHCP server. To enforce this, all WLANs can be configured with a “DHCP required” setting. That will block any wireless client with a static IP address. The advisory notes this will “not be effective against deliberate attempts to craft packets that create an ARP storm.”

Duke CIO Tracy Futhey in a Web post last Friday revealed that the problem lay with Cisco equipment and not the iPhone itself, but did not provide details.
Links from Macworld.com

AppleCare for the iPhone Now Available

2007-07-24T19:31:00.000-06:00

Apple posted more details for AppleCare for the iPhone today and is now available for purchase from the Apple Store.

Each iPhone comes with one year of hardware repair coverage and up to two years of technical support. AppleCare for the iPhone extends your repair coverage to two years from the original purchase date.

You can purchase the AppleCare plan for the iPhone anytime within the one-year limited warranty. AppleCare, however, does not cover accidental damage.

146,000 iPhone Activations in First Two Days

2007-07-24T19:29:00.000-06:00

AT&T posted their 2nd Quarter earnings today and revealed some numbers on early iPhone sales.
S

ales of the Apple iPhone have been robust. The June 29 launch allowed for less than two days of sales and activations before the end of the quarter. In that time, AT&T activated 146,000 iPhone subscribers, more than 40 percent of them new subscribers. Sales of the iPhone continue to be strong in July with store traffic above historical levels.

The 2nd Quarter only includes two days of iPhone sales so only reflects activations in those two days (June 29, June 30). While there were some activation issues for some early adopters, these delays reportedly only affected 2% of users.

A few additional notes: 40% of iPhone activations were new AT&T subscribers and since the iPhone went on sale at 6pm, activation numbers reflect less than two full days of sales.

Apple's 2nd Quarter earnings are expected on July 25th.

Posted by arn

Apple bluetooth headset unpacking pics

2007-07-24T00:06:00.000-06:00

by Dave Caolo
When reader Nomad send us a link to pictures of his new iPhone bluetooth headset, we thought, "Eh, it's just a headset in a box. How cool can it be?"

Pretty cool.

It's packaged in a black, minimalist box, as expected. Inside is the headset itself, a combo dock (accommodates the iPhone and headset) with USB cable and a travel cable for the headset only.

Nomad notes that when both the iPhone and headset are connected to the dock, the iPhone's display depicts the headset, as well as its current charge. Pretty nice. When connected to the stand-alone cable, the headset uses a magsafe connector.

Leave it to Apple to make the act of charging a headset elegant.

70% of Zune users plan to switch to iPhone

2007-07-24T00:03:00.000-06:00

I'm a little skeptical about this one (who is the Eagle Research Group, and why are they polling people about iPhones and Zunes?) but a new study from the ERG says that a whopping 70% of Zune users are actually planning a switch to the iPhone. And perhaps even more revealing, 36% of Zune users say they never would have bought one if they'd have known Apple would produce something as "ground-breaking" as the iPhone (well, duh).

Of course it's not news that the Zune sucks, and it's definitely not news that the iPhone is a revolutionary little device. But it's an interesting idea that while the Zune has been fighting to stay alive ever since introduction, it might be the iPhone that actually puts it out of its misery.

The social hasn't been quelled yet, though. Of the Zune users keeping their phone, 43% say the reason they don't want an iPhone was the lack of storage space for music (which is kind of an obvious conclusion when you're comparing a phone and a music player, innit?). And 22% of those sticking to the Zune say the reason for doing so was simply an overall dislike of "all things Apple."

[via DF]

iPhone Nano Design Possibilites?

2007-07-22T00:01:00.000-06:00

With the recent claim that an iPhone Nano is truly in the works, speculation points to possible designs for a miniaturized design.

Hrmph consolidates recent iPod/iPhone patent applications which depict what appears to be a click-wheel iPhone design:

They go on to describe methods for dialing and text entry with the click wheel. What's most interesting about the depicted images is that they closely resemble an artist rendition of the purported iPhone prior to its launch in January. The September 2006 report came from reliable sources who had reportedly seen the device in person. After the iPhone was revealed in January, we assumed the report was simply wrong or a product of Apple's misinformation efforts surrounding the iPhone. However, if both phones have been in development for some time, this could still represent what the rumored iPhone Nano might look like.

From MacRumors.com

iPhone 'Hello World' Application

2007-07-20T00:00:00.000-06:00

iPhone hacking efforts have been ongoing, but early efforts have provided only a few practical uses (custom ringtones), but one big news item from the community is the first proof-of-concept "Hello World" application has been compiled and launched on the iPhone.

After many, many hours of intense work from "Nightwatch", the first independent "Hello World"* application has been compiled and launched on the iPhone. This was made possible using the "ARM/Mach-O Toolchain", Nightwatch's "special project", that he has been working on so carefully over the past few weeks. Certain parts of the toolchain (such as the assembler) are being refined and tested and these will be released as soon as possible.

No sample code or development tools are yet available, but this may pave the way to future 3rd party iPhone applications. There has been some hope/rumors that Apple may eventually launch their own official SDK, but for now, Apple is sticking to the Web 2.0 development plan and hosting iPhone Tech Talks in major cities to help developers with their iPhone web-applications.

From MacRumors.com

Flash Shortage due to iPod and iPhone?

2007-07-19T23:59:00.000-06:00

A report by the DramExchange.com indicates that Apple's iPod and iPhone could use up to 25% of the world's production of NAND Flash chips this quarter.

This, along with production delays amongst NAND Flash manufacturers could contribute to shortages and rising prices.

NAND Flash supplies and pricing could also affect rumored plans for a NAND-flash based subnotebook from Apple - which was last pinpointed for release in late 2007/early 2008.

Apple's U.S. Marketshare Up to 5.6%

2007-07-18T23:56:00.000-06:00

posted by arn
IDC released marketshare numbers for the top U.S. and worldwide computer brands.

Apple's 2nd Quarter 2007 U.S. marketshare was up to 5.6% of U.S. shipments. This tied Apple in 3rd place with Gateway for U.S. marketshare for this quarter. Dell and HP were well ahead at 28.4% and 23.6% respectively. Apple did not rank in the top 5 vendors for worldwide sales.

The 5.6% U.S. marketshare represents an increase from 4.8% in the year-ago (2006) quarter, which was an increase from 4.4% in the Q2 2005 quarter.

The U.S. market grew by 7.2% while Apple's sales grew 26.1% from the year ago quarter.
From MacRumors.com

Happy iCal day!

2007-07-17T17:02:00.000-06:00

From Joy of Tech.com

World's Smallest iPhone in Paper

2007-07-17T16:56:00.000-06:00

Some people have free time, while others just have lifes filed with hobbies. This is surprising one! Yes, its incredible what you can do with paper. So, with some patience, paper and ability, this guy made the whole iPhone box, manual, accesories that come with it and the iPhone, all in a very little scale! Here it is!

Via TUAW.com

iMac Revision and iLife on August 7th?

2007-07-17T13:55:00.000-06:00

ThinkSecret pinpoints Tuesday, August 7th as the likely date for the long awaited iMac revision.

The revamped iMac will represent the first substantial upgrade to the system since it initially adopted Intel processors in January 2006, and will sport an entirely new brushed aluminum enclosure.

ThinkSecret also suggests that the overdue iLife updates could also arrive at the same time, but are less certain on this possibility.

A recent rumor had claimed that iLife update had gone "golden master", suggesting an imminent release.

From MacRumors.com

iPhone taking down Duke infrastructure

2007-07-17T13:51:00.000-06:00

Something strange is afoot in Durham, North Carolina. The wireless network of Duke University has been having issues in the past few days, with routers being barraged by repeated requests for IP addresses—up to 18,000 per second. And that problem has been laid squarely at the feet of iPhones on campus.

Capture of network packets revealed that the iPhones appeared to be the culprit, with, in some cases as few as two of them making enough requests to take routers offline for ten or fifteen minutes.

The oddity of this circumstance is its uniqueness. By this point, there are tens of thousands of iPhones around the country, and no other institution has reported the same issue. Is it something particular to Duke’s setup, or is it just an extremely rare problem that happened to crop up there?

Duke’s network team has reported the issue to Apple, who’s apparently busy investigating, though they have not yet responded to the query. If I might be so bold to suggest, perhaps they should seek the culprits to the southwest.

Posted by Dan Moren at iPhone Central

iPhone 3G Size and Battery Life Analysis

2007-07-17T13:49:00.000-06:00

Anandtech explores the validity of Apple's decision not to use 3G wireless network technology in the iPhone.

Jobs' explanation for not using 3G in the iPhone came down to issues with size and battery consumption:
"When we looked at 3G, the chipsets are not quite mature, in the sense that they're not low-enough power for what we were looking for. They were not integrated enough, so they took up too much physical space. We cared a lot about battery life and we cared a lot about physical size. Down the road, I'm sure some of those tradeoffs will become more favorable towards 3G but as of now we think we made a pretty good doggone decision."

Anandtech disects a Samsung Blackjack as well as the iPhone to compare chipset sizes for 3G vs EDGE implementations and concludes that indeed the "iPhone would have to be a bit thicker, wider or longer to accommodate the same 3G UMTS interface that Samsung used in its Blackjack".

They then proceeded to try to determine exactly how much of a battery life penalty the Blackjack suffered from when using its 3G network. The comparisons aren't direct, but they were able to determine the relative usage penalty on the Blackjack itself (3G vs EDGE) and compared to the iPhone's (EDGE vs Wifi).

In the end, 3G network usage on the Blackjack caused a 23% battery life reduction in using 3G vs EDGE to browse web pages. In contrast, iPhone's EDGE implementation produced a 25% battery life reduction compared to its Wifi implementation. This would suggest an even more substantial battery drain on the iPhone (relative to Wifi) if it did implement the 3G network.

A more interesting observation was that simply leaving the 3G network enabled on the Blackjack reduced the Blackjack's talk time from 9 hours to slightly over 4 hours. They conclude that the iPhone's talk time would be reduced to less than 3 hours of talk time if its battery was similarly affected by a 3G implementation.

Exclusive from MacRumors.com's iPhone blog

Sims Bowling game for the iPod released

2007-07-17T13:44:00.000-06:00

Electronic Arts has released Sims Bowling (iTunes link) for the iPod.

Join The Sims for fun bowling action! Enjoy challenging, realistic bowling anytime. Use the Click Wheel to control, aim, adjust your power, add spin, and then send the ball screaming down the lane. The Sims Bowling party comes to life with vibrant graphics, sound effects, and multiple game modes. Enjoy "Sims Life," in which you create a Sim and compete in a popularity contest, or bowl against a friend in "Pass-n-Play." Listen to your fans roar -- roll strikes and make The Sims crowd go wild!

The $4.99 game requires a 5th generation iPod with iPod Software 1.2 or later. Apple notes that they are not compatible with the iPhone.

Electronic Arts had previously revealed that Sims Bowling was coming to the iPod, and that 3 other titles can be expected from them this year.

from MacRumors.com

Rwanda Man's Confession

2007-07-13T14:41:00.001-06:00

by Dr. Bob Moorehead

In 1980 a young man from Rwanda was forced by his tribe to either renounce Christ or face certain death. He refused to renounce Christ, and he was killed on the spot. The night before he had written the following commitment which was found in his room:

“I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed, the die has been cast, I have stepped over the line, the decision has been made- I’m a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed vision, worldly talking, cheap giving & dwarfed goals.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I won’t give up, shut up, let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up for the cause of Jesus Christ.

I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till everyone knows, work till He stops me & when He comes for His own, He will have no trouble recognizing me because my banner will have been clear.”

iPhone Buyer Statistics, O2 Confirmed for UK?

2007-07-13T14:37:00.000-06:00

USA Today reports that early iPhone adopters are overwhelmingly happy with their iPhones.

In one of the first such studies, 90% of 200 owners said they were "extremely" or "very" satisfied with their phone. And 85% said they are "extremely" or "very" likely to recommend the device to others, says the online survey conducted and paid for by market researcher Interpret of Santa Monica, Calif. The firm surveyed 1,000 cellphone users July 6-10.

Of course, early adopters are a special population and may not reflect the satisfaction of later consumers as a whole. Some other interesting statistics that came from the studies are included:

• 51% of buyers were switching to AT&T from another carrier
• 35% of carrier switchers paid an early termination fee (avg $167) to switch
• 3 of 10 were first-time Apple customers.
• for 4 of 10, the iPhone was their first iPod
• New iPhone owners expected to pay about $35 more a month than their previous cellphone.

Meanwhile, Forbes publishes a report that Telefonica SA's O2 mobile phone unit has reached an agreement to become the exclusive network partner for Apple's iPhone in the UK. Sales are reported to begin "shortly". Vodafone had reportedly been a front runner in negotiations but in the end felt that the commercial terms were not viable.
From MacRumors.com

FCA latest News-My News-Jars' Newsblog

2007-07-13T01:00:00.000-06:00

Well, as some of you have noted to me through email, yes I been out of town in Costa Rica's beautiful beaches, filled with some good heat and sun that makes you want to be in the pool almost all day!
Today, I made my comeback and half and hour later I was with my niece in a circus which is leaving the country this sunday, so I had to go today because:

1.she wanted

2. I was tired but with some energy for my little niece

3.Today was the only day I could go with her.
It was nice, although some boring "childish" parts of the show appeared, like the famous Snowhite tale and King Kong for babies. There were some funny parts like clowns making fun of business men and motrocycles race in a circle jail, pretty neat.

Then, after that, when I get home, I got updated of ALL news that started to happened while I was drinking my pina colada. To be honest, I used the PC that was in the hotel to check out macrumors.com and jarchives.com, posted some stuff, but nothing further than that. So, here in this kinda tropical-cold early morning I'm updating you guys with the most important (though obviously not all) news that happened around the week.

In other news, I'm glad to say that my Apple just sent me an email saying that my iPhone was in the way of been delivered and I checked out the FedEx webpage, saying that it was in the activty of: "Clearance in progress " from SHENZHEN, China! Nice!
ok, last but not least...here are other news:
I also recieved an email from Jarchives.com poster, Mike Harvart, who kindly opened positions for bloggers for a new Jars of Clay Newsblog. Well, as you may tell, I responded to the call and now I'm a contributor to that blog too, you know, for specific Jars of Clay news. The posts are going to be much less larger than the ones you read here, but good thing is that they are simple, honest, concise and right-to-the-point. So please, check that out too, you may even liked! I mean, I already bookmarked in my RSS reader in Safari, why wouldn't you?

Talking about Jars' news... Jars' Christmas album, Christmas Songs (yes, as in Redemption Songs) promo video podcast is available too (guess how I found out about that!):

Ok, that's all for now, folks...
-FCA

PS.:btw...I know I forgot about our anniversary! I'm going to compensated in the next days!! sorry! so much iPhone hype made me forgot it!

Blood:Water Needs Your Input

2007-07-13T00:50:00.000-06:00

Ok, you know what is Blood:Water and how important it is to Africa and the communities waiting for develompenet through clean water wells. Well, this same organization is asking your opinion in a very brief survey. It's short (13 questions) and as Matt from B:WM's blog said: "it won't bite!"

Click here to start!

iPhone Print Advertisement

2007-07-13T00:45:00.000-06:00

MacDailyNews publishes a full page print ad for the Apple iPhone which appears on the back cover of the August 2007 issue of Details Magazine.

The copy reads:

Touching is believing

The revolutionary new iPhone is now available at Apple and AT&T retail stores.

Update: The ad has been running in other print magazines since iPhone's launch.
From MacRumors.com

iPhoneDrive lets you use iPhone for file storage

2007-07-13T00:41:00.000-06:00

Ecamm Networks has released iPhoneDrive, a Mac OS X application that enables you to move files back and forth between your Mac and your iPhone. It costs $9.95; a free demo is available for download.

The iPhone already synchronizes content with the Mac including contact and calendar information, music and video, but unlike the iPod, it can’t be mounted as a mass storage device for you to put files on it. iPhoneDrive overcomes that limitation.

The software lets you drag and drop individual files to be copied onto the iPhone. You can also use the iPhoneDrive toolbar to facilitate data transfers, or copy over entire folders.

System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later, iTunes 7.3 or later, a Mac equipped with USB 2.0, and, of course, an iPhone.

The truth about iPhone battery lifespan

2007-07-13T00:40:00.000-06:00

By Jason Snell of Macworld.com
One of the biggest knocks on the iPhone has been its battery. It’s not removable, which means — like an iPod’s battery — it will eventually run out of juice and need to be replaced.

A true statement, as far as it goes. Batteries die. But many media reports this week have gone further. Take, for example, CNET’s review of the iPhone, which states that “Apple is estimating one battery will last for 400 charges — probably about two years’ worth of use.”

Two years of use, the review says, and your iPhone dies. Or disappears in a puff of smoke, like those old tape recordings on “Mission Impossible.” Sounds pretty awful, right?

Too bad it’s completely wrong.

Apple estimates that the iPhone will lose 20 percent of its capacity — a darn sight less than 100 percent — “after 400 full charge and discharge cycles.”

“Sadly, there are some inaccurate reports out there,” Apple marketing vice president Greg Joswiak told me today during a brief phone call from New York City. Joswiak isn’t quite sure where the story went off the rails — David Pogue’s initial New York Times review of the iPhone mentioned the battery issue, but Pogue got it right: “Apple says that the battery starts to lose capacity after 300 or 400 charges.”

Somehow, though, things got lost in translation. And follow-on reports started claiming that 300 to 400 charges would be the end of the line.

“After 400 complete cycles, the iPhone’s battery still has 80 percent of its charged capacity,” Joswiak said. “And by a complete charge cycle, I mean completely draining the battery, a full chemical cycle.” In other words, using a little battery and then putting your iPhone back in its dock doesn’t count as a charge cycle. If you use a quarter of your iPhone’s battery and then re-charge it, Joswiak said, that’s the equivalent of a quarter of a charge cycle.

“If you top it off, you’re not wasting a charge cycle,” Joswiak said.

Apple’s iPhone battery page explains the rated life and lifespan of an iPhone battery, and also provides some helpful tips about how to extend battery life. For example, the page suggests that “for proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, be sure to go through at least one [full] charge cycle per month.”

So let’s put this in perspective: if you completely drained your iPhone’s battery every day — which would be a whole lot of use, since Apple estimates the iPhone can offer up to 8 hours of talk time per charge — in about 13 months your battery would only hold 80 percent of its current charge.

Or to put it another way, battery use will vary widely from person to person, but generally your iPhone will still be providing all but the heaviest users with good battery life even two years from now.

“Most iPhone users will realize, as most iPod customers realized, that they never needed to replace their batteries,” Joswiak said.

For those who do eventually need to replace the iPhone battery a few years down the road (assuming they haven’t upgraded to a new model by then), Apple will offer a battery-replacement program. If your iPhone’s battery dies young (i.e., within the first year), then you’re covered by Apple’s warranty and the company will replace your battery for free.

And my guess is that by the time most original iPhone batteries are running out of juice, there will be many third-party companies who will offer to swap out your battery at a lower price than Apple’s official offering.

So to sum up: As we’ve known since January, the iPhone’s battery is — like all iPod batteries — not user-replaceable. And like every battery ever made, it’s going to lose the ability to hold a charge over time. While the stories about the iPhone’s battery evaporating in two years are simply wrong, the fact is that sooner or later the iPhone’s battery will die. (Just like the rest of us mortals.)

But it won’t be evaporating in a puff of smoke anytime soon.

Concord welcomes One Vote

2007-07-13T00:30:00.000-06:00

Group urges candidates to fight world poverty

Concord Monitor, July 12, 2007

by Meg Heckman

If Bono has his way, white arm bracelets will be campaign trail couture in New Hampshire and other early primary states this year.

The bands signify support for One, a coalition of global health organizations working to reduce poverty, AIDS and malaria around the world. Since its inception in 2003, One has garnered support from politicians, activists and celebrities, including its co-founder Bono, lead singer in the band U2. Now, under its One Vote '08 campaign, the organization is poised to spend $30 million to nudge presidential candidates into considering the needs of the planet's poorest, sickest inhabitants.

Yesterday, the group formally launched its efforts in New Hampshire with a party in downtown Concord. To highlight One's bipartisan approach, it recruited prominent Democrats and Republicans to tout its efforts. Yesterday, Mike McCurry, who was press secretary to President Clinton, and GOP strategist Jack Oliver toured the state, speaking at One's Main Street offices and stopping by for a meeting with Monitor editors.

"You guys are kind of the role model of active democracy," Oliver said. "Candidates can't avoid answering the questions. It's a unique time to be able to impact the debate."

Voters, McCurry said, must understand global problems to know which candidates might best help solve them.

"Americans will respond to the emotional, moral dimension," he said "This is just the right thing to do. On the other hand, they're very skeptical about foreign assistance. They think a lot of it gets wasted. They also believe us to be very generous. Most Americans think we send a far greater percentage of foreign aid than we actually do."

One is perhaps best known for its association with Bono, but it includes a bevy of nonprofit organizations, celebrities and politicians from both parties. Locally, the list includes Gov. John Lynch and his wife, Susan; Senate Minority Leader Ted Gatsas; former congressman Charlie Bass; and former governor Craig Benson.

"We're trying to take the amazing activist support that's there, the support in the faith community, the unbelievable support of music and movie stars, and put it all together to say 'this matters,' " Oliver said. "Here are people who need our help, so American people understand it's the right thing to do and understand that it has long-term value."

The organization plans to spend $30 million -- including $22 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation -- on its efforts during the 2008 presidential campaign. Members are crafting a pledge for candidates to sign that includes easily understandable benchmarks, such as providing a certain number of malaria-preventing mosquito nets by a certain date.

Members are encouraged to question candidates, contact their elected officials and raise awareness in their communities. Earlier this year, One members sent 200,000 letters to Congress, persuading elected officials to increase anti-global-poverty funds.

Voters may also participate by purchasing One T-shirts on the organization's website, including tees made by a fair trade coalition. The designer models go for $40 each. A more modest style is $12.99. Visitors to the site can also buy the book One, an all-white volume that catalogues celebrities involved in the cause, such as Brad Pitt and Salma Hayek. The movement's signature white wrist bands sell for $1 apiece.

The bracelets were free yesterday to the dozens of people who packed One's downtown Concord office to celebrate the organization's official New Hampshire launch. Partygoers received cups of ice cream, One paraphernalia and an invitation to pray for global unity at the beginning of the ceremony. The crowd included campaign staffers, AIDS activists, half the state Senate, and a handful of current and former House members.

"It's a great cause, and it makes a lot of sense," said Dave Currier, a former Republican representative from Henniker. "We have firsthand, touchy-feely relationships with the primary...We take so much for granted here in the States. We need to be doing more."

© Concord Monitor, 2007.

Apple Acquires CUPS

2007-07-12T13:30:00.000-06:00

by arn
A new posting at Cups.org reveals that Apple has purchased CUPS and hired its author:

In February of 2007, Apple Inc. acquired ownership the CUPS source code and hired me (Michael R Sweet), the creator of CUPS. CUPS will still be released under the existing GPL2/LGPL2 licensing terms, and I will continue to develop and support CUPS at Apple.

CUPS stands for Common Unix Printing System and was adopted by Apple in 2002 for Mac OS X. CUPS is also heavily used by Linux distributions for printing services.

Other FAQ articles posted at Cups.org clarify trademarks, support, features and license exceptions.

Apple Explores Wireless Sharing

2007-07-12T13:00:00.000-06:00

A recent Apple patent application entitled "Media Data Exchange, Transfer, or Delivery for Portable Electronic Devices" is generating some buzz.

The patent application was filed on September 1, 2006 and addresses methods for mobile devices to wirelessly discover others in the local vicinity and transmit data from one another. Examples of data shared include video, music, games, photos, playlists, and slideshows. They do make special note of restricted sharing for certain media that may have "limited-use rights".

Electronista notes that the method could be used for something more useful than just one-to-one transfers:

Users could even create a random or semi-random effect through this method by telling the device or server on the opposite end to randomly load the device with content, similar to the way the iPod shuffle's AutoFill creates a new mix of songs through USB.

Some comparisons are being made to Microsoft's Zune product which allows Zune-to-Zune wireless sharing, though Zune's launch was approximately 2 months following the filing of this patent application. As well, historically, Apple has explored similar auto-discovery techniques (over RF at the time) with early prototypes of the Apple Newton (pre-1993).
From MacRumors.com

U.S. Mobile Phone Carrier Practices Questioned

2007-07-12T12:33:00.000-06:00

Several stories today came out about a hearing at the House Subcommittee on Telecomunications and the Internet.

During the hearing of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, representatives from both sides of the aisle called for a more open wireless system where new innovations aren't held hostage to the competition-killing carriers that control the network.

The iPhone was used as an example of a mobile phone tied to its carrier. AT&T has a (rumored) 5 year exclusive contract with the iPhone -- restricting use with other providers.

Marketwatch notes that the U.S. is unique in this regard:

Several industry critics who testified at the hearing noted that Asia and Europe obligate carriers to ensure that any device will work with their networks. Wireless entrepreneur Jason Devitt, chief executive of SkyDeck, said 800 devices would work on Vodafone Group plc's wireless network in Europe, whereas only 30 devices work on Verizon's network in the U.S.

Neither Apple nor AT&T testified at the hearing, and no laws have yet been proposed to address this issue.

From MacRumors.com

Bono getting "confronted" by anti-corporate activists

2007-07-12T01:35:00.000-06:00

While I was checking out how is the Bono wiki page doing (you know that I'm a wikipedia.com contributor too!) I was surprised to found a new link to what seems an interesting website. The name of the link? BONO: AUSTRALIAN ACTIVISTS FIND WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR AT THE G8
Description for the video? this is the given one by this activistis:

During the recent G8 summit in Germany a group of Australian activists present for the protests had the fortune to come across Bono. Unhappy with his meagre demands of the G8, at his willingness to sit down at the table with war criminals such as George Bush and Tony Blair to ask for a few scraps for Africa, at the credibility he gave to these illegitimate institutions and his use of the issues to further his thirst for power, the activists thought they'd have a few words

And for your intoxication and good soul/pacience treatment (and I kept asking, come on?? where is the respect?):

My opinion?- you may ask
I don't want to give it cause some can get hurt! hehe, well actually I think if people don't like corporations and think that everything that has to do with them has to to also with globalization, let me tell ya somehting, you are in a mistaken era, society and planet. :)
-FCA

Ultra-thin and Ultra-light Mac Notebook in 2007

2007-07-10T00:27:00.000-06:00

Posted by arn
MacScoop claims that according to "trusted sources" Apple is planning on releasing "a notebook that is so small and light that it could redefine the standards of ultra-portable computing."

The upcoming Apple notebook is said to feature a 12" display, 0.6-0.7 inches thick, and weigh less than 3 pounds. MacScoop's sources are unclear if an optical drive will accompany this ultra-portable notebook, but do feel it is likely to come by year's end (2007).

For reference, Apple's current 15" MacBook Pro weighs 5.4lbs with a 1 inch thickness.

Rumors of a ultra-portable Apple laptop have been ongoing since late 2006. MacScoop reported in December 2006 about the upcoming 12" ultra-portable MacBook Pro with additional details provided by Appleinsider in February. There are some conflicting reports with one summary that believed the ultra-portable would carry a 13" LED display

Top Byrd Adviser Leaving Hill, Joining ONE

2007-07-09T13:00:00.000-06:00

Washington Post, July 09, 2007

by Paul Kane

Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W. Va.) has lost one of his most trusted advisers in Tom Gavin, the communications director for the Appropriations Committee. Gavin is leaving Byrd's staff to join the ONE Campaign, the non-profit group co-founded by U2 singer Bono designed to lobby Washington about fighting third world poverty and HIV/Aids.

A veteran of Capitol Hill for a dozen years, Gavin has been the top flack for Democrats on the Appropriations Committee since 2000, explaining the intricacies of up to $1 trillion in discretionary spending under the panel's authority to uniformed hacks such as Capitol Briefing.

While relatively new to the lobbying scene, ONE Campaign has begun putting together a powerful team of insiders. Gavin's hiring comes six months after the non-profit lured away Susan McCue, the chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), to run its shop.

"ONE is going to raise the nation's awareness to these crises, and band millions of people together to fight extreme poverty," McCue said today of Gavin's hiring. "This new communications team will help to take ONE's message to people from coast to coast, and help to achieve a great victory for our world."

Bono's win is Byrd's loss, however. Intensely loyal to Byrd, Gavin has lately had to beat back questions and rumors about Byrd's health as the senator approaches his 90th birthday and has had a tremor common among elderly grow more pronounced in recent years. In May, Terry Sauvain, Byrd's longtime top aide, resigned from one of the most powerful staff positions in Washington, stepping down as staff director for Appropriations after 40 years in public service. Sauvain remains a part-time employee for the senator this summer as some of the last spending bills are being approved by the committee this month.

Neither of these moves should be construed as a sign of Byrd retiring from the Senate or turning over the committee gavel to a more junior colleague. As Capitol Briefing reported at the end of last month, Byrd -- the longest serving senator in history, who just won his 9th full term -- gave a floor speech vowing to fully serve as a senator till "this old body just gives out and drops."

No word on who's replacing Gavin as Byrd's top spokesman. At ONE, he'll be joining a bipartisan team of communicators. In addition to Gavin's hiring, McCue announced several additional new staff: Kimberly Cadena, formerly from the staff of Rep. David Reichert (R-Wash.); Sarah Crouthers, formerly of the staff of Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.); Chandler Smith, formerly a press assistant for the U.S. Supreme Court; and Stephen Wilson, a deputy press secretary for Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.) with a specialty in new media.

© The Washington Post Company, 2007.

My Life in Music: The Edge

2007-07-09T00:25:00.000-06:00

U2's revered guitar hero on all the records that he can't leave behind.

Uncut, August 07, 2007

The Edge

THE FIRST SINGLE I BOUGHT

Cum On Feel The Noize
Slade, 1973

The first record I ever bought was Sgt. Pepper. But the first single was this. I would have been 10 or 11, and it was a big deal, going into a record shop with your two shillings, because that's where all the big boys were. There were some good pop songs round about in those days. Soon after, I bought Alice Cooper's "School's Out."

THE RECORD THAT REMINDS ME OF BEING A TEENAGER

Hot Love
T.Rex, 1971

Marc Bolan was a little too effeminate for me when I was young. I wasn't in touch with my feminine side! But when I started learning guitar a a couple of years later, we had the Top of the Pops compilations, which was a big Christmas present everyone got. So, I was working on "Hot Love" from one of those albums, and when I realised I could play it, I reassessed T.Rex.

THE RECORD THAT MADE ME WANT TO PLAY THE GUITAR

A Hard Day's Night
The Beatles, 1964

The film was on at Christmas, for something like five years in succession, and I was really taken in by the whole package. I actually had a guitar at that point -- a miniature brought home by my dad from Spain. I'm not sure if I ever learned how to play it, but later my brother was given a guitar which we learned to tune. That was the guitar I learned to play chords on.

THE RECORD BY A LOCAL HERO THAT INSPIRED ME

Taste
Taste, 1969

I listened to Rory Gallagher's records from the age of 12 or 13. It was the glorious guitar playing that first inspired me to really go after the instrument. Not that I had any ambition then, other than just learning how to play. I saw him in Macroom in 1976. I love his early stuff, the pure energy. That was the era of the trio: Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream...and Ireland had Taste.

THE RECORD THAT REMINDS ME OF WHEN WE FIRST BROKE

London Calling
The Clash, 1979

They were part of our era, the punk and post-punk movement. One of the first punk shows I ever saw was Stiff Little Fingers, so music I cared a lot about always had a political element. London Calling is their finest hour. It was released when they were being called sell-outs. I never cared about all that sh**, I just thought this is an amazing band, this is an amazing record.

A RECORD THAT INFLUENCED U2

Horses
Patti Smith, 1975

It had the energy we were trying to achieve, but the poetic quality of it was also really significant, and the way it was arranged -- the economy. I always consider myself a minimalist in terms of arrangement -- the least necessary is the best approach -- and this record is the best example of that. John Cale did an amazing job, and all the players never broke their cool.

THE RECORD THAT RESTORED MY FAITH IN ROCK

The Idiot
Iggy Pop, 1977

Iggy is an amazing rock 'n' roll lyric writer. And The Idiot has some amazing songs. A lot of music up to that point had lost any ability to engage. So when suddenly I heard Bowie, and then Iggy Pop, it was a fascinating world that they were able to conjure up, and I wanted to be a part of it. It felt authentic, like they were writing what was going on in their lives.

THE LAST RECORD I FELL IN LOVE WITH

Now Here is Nowhere
Secret Machines, 2004

They did a couple of shows with us at the end of the last tour. This album is just not like anything that's happening anywhere else. The opening track is nine or ten minutes long. I asked them what their influences were and I thought they'd be into Magazine, early post-punk stuff, but they're all Neul fans, into Krautrock!

THE RECORD I COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT

Legend
Bob Marley, 1984

More than anyone, it's Marley whose music I keep going back to. It's the benchmark on every level, musically, spiritually....he's in a different league. Some music puts you in a dark place, but Marley lifts me out of any funky mood I'm in. For a favourite, I'd like to say Uprising, but the best is probably Legend. I know it's a compilation, but it's one of the greats of all time.

THE RECORD I'D LIKE PLAYED AT MY FUNERAL

Beginning to See the Light
The Velvet Underground, 1969

One of our proudest moments was doing a gig with them, and it turned out to be one of their last, because Sterling [Morrison] passed away not long after. One of the great things about being in a big band is that you get the chance to ask someone you love to come and play with you. It was a bit weird -- you shut up and listen.

© Uncut, 2007.

I should shut up and stick to singing

2007-07-08T00:23:00.000-06:00

At no time have I ever 'smoked a joint' with Bono or Peter Garrett

Sydney Morning Herald, July 08, 2007

Dylan Welch

The office of Peter Garrett has moved quickly to hose down a joke by Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns on Sydney radio this morning, suggesting Johns, his wife, Garrett and U2 singer Bono smoked dope together at a house in Sydney recently.

Johns, on Triple J to discuss the band's fifth album, Young Modern, released earlier this year, joked with presenters that when he played a demo of the album to Garrett and Bono they had been all lying on a bed in a Sydney house Bono was occupying, and smoking marijuana.

"[Bono] invited me over the house he was staying at in Sydney and asked if I'd play the demos and it was really one of the most surreal moments of my life," Johns said after 8am.

"It was me and [John's wife] Natalie [Imbruglia] and Peter Garrett and Bono laying on Bono's bed smoking joints listening to the Young Modern demo."

News website Crikey said the alleged incident would have occurred in November last year, when U2 were playing in Sydney.

However, Garrett's office began receiving calls from journalists who had taken the comments literally, and the office quickly contacted John's management to establish what had occurred.

His management confirmed Johns had made the comments, and Garrett's office asked Johns to issue a retraction, which he did later in the morning.

"I made a stupid joke," the singer stated.

"It's just been brought to my attention that some people in the media have taken my dumb joke seriously so I want to set the record straight. At no time have I ever 'smoked a joint' with Bono or Peter Garrett.

"They are both well known to be very anti-drugs so that's why I assumed everybody would know I was joking when I made that comment. Clearly that wasn't the case and I feel sick that I might have caused embarrassment to two people who I admire so much.

"I was fortunate enough to once get to play them some of my demo's but I swear that no joints were involved. I guess I felt a bit like a namedropper mentioning them on the radio so that's why I added a silly throwaway joke.

"I accept that drug use is no laughing matter and I apologise sincerely for any confusion or harm I've caused."

When contacted by smh.com.au Mr. Garrett's spokeswoman Kate Pasterfield confirmed the alleged incident had not taken place.

Mr. Garrett also clarified whether he had ever smoked marijuana in his life via Ms. Pasterfield.

"I tried a bit of dope in my 20s but I haven't since," Mr. Garret said through Ms. Pasterfield.

Johns also said his statement that issues like this were one of the reasons he was disinclined to participate in interviews.

"I really should just shut up and stick to singing," he wrote.

© Sydney Morning Herald, 2007.

Brushed Aluminum iMacs in August?

2007-07-07T00:56:00.000-06:00

ThinkSecret believes that the next generation iMac is in line for release in August with a brushed aluminum enclosure at only two inches thick:

The elegant new enclosure will somewhat resemble the current white iMac but is said to feature a shorter space below the actual display, where most of the internals are housed.

The new iMac is expected to be based on the Santa Rosa architecture and will only come in only 20" and 24" flavors with the 17" set to be discontinued.

Our Buyer's Guide notes that it has been 303 days since the last iMac update.
From MacRumors.com

The iPod of phones

2007-07-07T00:50:00.000-06:00

By Dan Frakes

It doesn’t have every feature in the world, but what it has works very well (with a few glitches). It’s also fun to use; its design and interface are stunning; and it integrates seamlessly with the content on your computer. People may not realize it yet, but it’s going to change the market.

If someone had read you that description a few months ago and asked you to name the product in question, there’s a good chance you would have guessed “the original iPod.” And you’d have been correct—introduced way back in October 2001, the first iPod fit that description to a T. But the text also describes Apple’s latest piece of shiny hardware, released just last week.

Because, you see, the iPhone is the iPod of phones.

At least that’s what I’ve been telling (the many, many) people who’ve asked for my opinion on the iPhone over the past week, because the simple phrase summarizes my experiences as succinctly as I can put it.

And if you read the reviews, and talk to people on the street, I’m not the only person to describe the iPhone in words similar to those used nearly six years ago to describe the first iPod. “Normal” people are wowed by the attractive design and ease of use. Mac fans alternate between drooling over the things it does right and criticizing it for not being perfect. (Hey, we have high standards.) The techie crowd complains about all the features it doesn’t have. And people in all three groups grouse about its price.

Which should all sound quite familiar: The original iPod was praised for its interface, ease of use, and several groundbreaking features, while being criticized for being too expensive and for omitting features included on other portable players.

But it’s more than a coincidence that the first iPod and first iPhone have experienced similar receptions. Apple clearly had similar goals in mind when designing the two devices: Get the main features right and make them simple to use. Integrate those features in a way people haven’t experienced before. Use a computer for those things that are more easily done on a computer and sync the two seamlessly. And make the entire package look and function in a way that will make people want to use it. As the platform matures and new models are released, add new features—without going overboard—and improve existing ones, all the while keeping the product easy to use.

Which means that the first iPhone, just like the first iPod, isn’t perfect. It’s missing features, some of which seem like forehead-slapping omissions. Some of the features it does have don’t feel quite finished. And there are plenty of phones out there that do more. On top of that, it’s not cheap. All of which, together, would appear to support the argument that, Apple’s PR spin aside, the iPhone is far from revolutionary.

But here’s the thing: Although the Apple- and iPod-haters won’t want to hear this, the truth is that the iPhone is every bit as revolutionary as was the iPod. Not in terms of which features it offers, but how it offers them—the stunning interface, the ease of use, the innovative way you interact with the device, the slick integration with iTunes and your computer, and the way features that are obscure and unused on other phones are accessible and useful on the iPhone.

That’s not to say we can’t quibble over little interface issues and which minor features should have been included in version 1.0. And there are valid complaints about major features omissions. But many of these complaints—including my own—miss the larger point, which is that the iPhone has, in one fell swoop, transformed the mobile-phone market, just as the iPod did the portable-media-player market six years ago. Expectations and standards just got a lot higher, for everything from external design to software interface to the activation process. As a result, just as portable media players have improved tremendously thanks to the iPod’s influence, you’ll be seeing other phone vendors (finally, it seems) take the overall user experience seriously. (At the same time, just as Apple stayed ahead of the iPod’s competition by regularly introducing new models with new features and at different price points, I think we’ll see a similar process with the iPhone.)

Oh, and after using the iPhone for a week, I can tell you there’s one other way in which the first iPhone is like the first iPod: Whatever your initial impression, the more you use it, the more you appreciate it—and the more you wonder how you got along without it.

From Macworld.com

Universal Confirms iTunes Contract Change

2007-07-07T00:39:00.000-06:00

Macworld.co.uk confirms an earlier rumor that Universal would not be renewing their long term contract with Apple for iTunes music distribution.

"Universal Music Group has decided not to renew its long-term agreement for Apple’s iTunes service. Universal Music Group will now market its music to iTunes in an ‘at will’ capacity, as it does with its other retail partners."

Macworld.co.uk suggests that this Universal may be interested in offering exclusive music to other online services besides iTunes, in an attempt to reduce Apple's control of online music distribution.

From MacRumors.com

iPhone Sells Out of Apple Stores (Almost)

2007-07-05T00:44:00.000-06:00

With the exception of the Apple Store in Tigard, OR and one in Pittsburgh, PA, Apple Retail is sold out of the iPhone nationwide for July 5th, 2007 -- according to Apple's iPhone availability tool.

While the July 4th holiday may have delayed shipments today, in-store availability has steadily been declining since the iPhone launch.

Apple's online store continues to cite 2-4 week delays in online orders, but some early iPhone orders are said to be shipping this Friday, July 6th.

Of interest, WaitingforiPhone claims they have heard that AT&T has fulfilled over 1 million iPhone activations since its launch. This remains unconfirmed, but we would expect Apple to make some sort of announcement shortly if true.
From MacRumors.com

Apple to Partner with O2 in UK, Orange in France, No 3G?

2007-07-04T17:35:00.000-06:00

TimesOnline.co.uk reports that O2 has won rights for exclusive UK rights to the iPhone.

O2 has beaten its rivals to win the exclusive UK rights to offer Apple’s iPhone. The tie-up, the mobile phone industry’s most sought-after deal in years, marks a major coup for the 18 million-customer group. The final contract is expected to be signed imminently.
....
The deal will come as a bitter disappointment to Vodafone, which had been tipped as the front-runner for the deal.

Vodafone is reported to have been "pushing hard" to win the iPhone contract but in the end felt that the commercial terms were not viable.

Timesonline.co.uk also suggests that Orange is the front-runner in France.

Finally, FTD.de reports that iPhone will start in only these three countries this Fall: UK, France, and Germany. According to the publication, the European version of iPhone will not support 3G, despite some earlier rumors.
From MacRumors.com

Apple Posts Web Development Guidelines for iPhone

2007-07-04T17:34:00.000-06:00

Apple posted Web Development guidelines for the iPhone.

Developers can create Web 2.0 applications that look and behave just like the applications built into iPhone, and provide seamless integration with iPhone applications and services including making a phone call, sending an email, and displaying a location in Google Maps. Third-party applications created using web standards can extend iPhone's capabilities without compromising its reliability or security.

The Guidelines are organized into:

• Understanding User-iPhone Interaction
• Use Standards and Tried-and True Design Practices
• Integrate with Phone, Mail and MAps
• Optimize for Page Readability
• Ensure a Great Audio and Video Experience
• Know What Safari Supports on iPhone
• Connect With Web Developers

A few web applications have already been released for the iPhone, but development has been very much by trial and error for these early iPhone applications.

iPhone Sales, Inventory and Domain Name

2007-07-03T13:36:00.000-06:00

Despite a wide range of claims from analysts about the iPhone's sales on opening weekend, the most official word comes from AT&T's spokesman Mark Siegel who indicates that the iPhone sales on opening weekend were more than they'd sold in the first month of any other wireless device in AT&T's history.

AT&T also notes that the iPhone activation problems should be entirely resolved at this time, though the EDGE network appears to have had a temporary outage yesterday.

Meanwhile, as of last night, Apple's retail inventory tool revealed that iPhones were sold out in 95/164 Apple retail stores. There's no way to determine if this is simply due to high demand or some combination of low supply... but early online Apple Store orders for the iPhone will start shipping on July 6th, rather than the 2-4 week time frame originally cited.

Finally, we'd previously noted that Apple had obtained ownership of the iPhone.com domain name, but a new report confirms that the domain was indeed sold to Apple.

Apple has owned the iPhone.org domain name since December 1999, and triggered the initial speculation that Apple was looking to create a mobile phone. The ownership of iPhone.com, however, has remained in the hands of a 3rd party until this past week.
From MacRumors.com

Jars of Clay Promotes Coffee for Clean Blood, Water

2007-07-03T13:27:00.000-06:00

By Jennifer Riley
Christian Post Reporter
Sat, Jun. 30 2007

Multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning band Jars of Clay has joined forces with 963 Missions in a new initiative to provide clean water and HIV/AIDS-free blood in Africa through the sales of fair trade organic coffee.

The “963 Coffee Project” will invite Jars of Clay fans and other supporters to buy coffee from farmers in poverty-stricken communities whose funds will be used toward building clean water wells in Africa. Youth groups and individuals are also encouraged to use the coffee to raise donations for their own mission projects and relief initiatives.

“As a coffee lover, I understand that a cup of coffee is only as good as the water you brew it with,” said Jars of Clay lead singer Dan Haseltine. “And as an advocate for bringing clean water to people who desperately need it for survival, there is a natural connection between water and coffee.

“I am excited to work alongside 963 Coffee to help everyone put an end to poverty one cup at a time,” Haseltine said.

963 is officially partnered with Blood:Water Mission – the development organization founded by Jars of Clay. Blood:Water Mission promotes clean blood and water by helping to build clean water wells, supporting medical facilities and aiding in the fight against poverty, injustice and oppression in Africa.

The two groups have worked together in the past when 963 helped connect people interested in serving in Africa with Blood:Water.

“Then the opportunity came for us to work with them ( Blood:Water) and Jars of Clay to use coffee – the essential beverage in the U.S. – to provide clean water – the essential beverage in Africa,” said Steven Bailey, the 963 director. “It just seemed like a perfect match.”

Coffee is the second most-traded commodity in the world, with over 500 billion cups consumed each year or the equivalent of about a third of the annual tap water consumption, according to 963 Missions.

Yet sadly, unclean water is the biggest killer in the world. In Africa, an estimated 256 million people do not have access to a cup of clean water. The mission group points out that just $1 will provide clean water for a person in Africa for a year.

In addition to coffee, the 963 Coffee Project also sells coffee tumblers and T-Shirts whose proceeds will go towards missions.

The mission group 963 was formed in 2002 with the goal of “anything missions” – helping with anything from connecting people to mission trips, to providing affordable travel, and now fundraising. The group’s vision is based on Psalm 96:3 “Tell of His glory among the nations…”

STORE

iPhone Sales Estimates 250,000-525,000

2007-07-02T11:28:00.000-06:00

After opening weekend for iPhone sales, the analysts are taking their guesses at how many iPhones sold over the weekend. Without official numbers, these are simply estimates by analysts.

Shaw Wu claims that 250,000 units sold over two days, while Gene Munster estimates 500,000 and Trip Chowdhry says 525,000 for the weekend.

iPhone sales kicked off with massive lines (Apple.com Photo Gallery) and we have heard that 5th Avenue's iPhone sales alone on opening day reached 5000 units.

From MacRumors.com

No poverty of spirit

2007-07-02T11:27:00.000-06:00

Frederick News Post, July 02, 2007

As a 3-year-old he lifted honeybees off flowers in his backyard with his fingertips, talked to them, and returned them to the petals without getting stung.

That's kind of interesting.

Later on, he became the only person to be nominated for an acknowledgment trifecta that included a Grammy, a Golden Globe and the Nobel Peace Prize. He has shared Time Magazine "Person of the Year" honors with Bill and Melinda Gates; and at the request of Pope John Paul II, swapped a pair of his trademark sunglasses for a rosary.

Early last year, he spoke to President Bush at Washington's 54th Annual National Prayer Breakfast and requested an extra 1 percent "tithe" of the U.S. National Budget; the year prior, his name was tossed around for the job of president of the World Bank. In addition, he has been frontman for one of the most popular bands on the planet, selling some 170 million albums worldwide.

That's just the short form, just a few segments of the extraordinary arc of achievement that defines the man's work. And, yes, the man is Bono.

Now, Bono is doing more, because, well, there's more that can be done, especially in the heady pre-nomination atmosphere of an election year. How totally smart. And appropriate. And pricey -- a $30 million effort to put the "P" word on the lips of every presidential candidate, and at the very top of their "issues" lists.

Driving home the point that dealing with world poverty is a lynch pin of U.S. national domestic security, Bono's ONE Vote '08 aims to mobilize activists to attend debates and some campaign events, then branch out into hosting town-hall-style meetings, mailings, a celebrity bus tour and TV advertisements.

All this is in preparation for the fall when ONE Vote '08 will execute a feet-to-the-fire holding maneuver and ask candidates to sign a pledge and embrace a platform that outlines concrete steps for dealing with extreme poverty and global health.

Established in 2004, Bono's ONE organization is a spitfire of an initiative with 2.5 million members that traditionally focuses on raising awareness of global poverty and mustering activists to lobby Congress for money accordingly. Now, with the bi-partisan, high-tech, high-energy ONE Vote '08, the mission includes pressuring presidential aspirants to advance the ONE Vote '08 agenda.

So it is that Bono continues to demonstrate the characteristics for which Time named him Person of the Year: "For being shrewd about doing good, for rewiring politics and re-engineering justice, for making mercy smarter and hope strategic and daring the rest of us to follow."

Take up the dare: www.one.org.

© Frederick News Post, 2007.

Steve shows up for iPhone launch

2007-06-30T12:57:00.000-06:00

Steve made an appearance at the Palo Alto Apple Store just moments after the West Coast release of the iPhone. This video, which shows Steve pushing his way through the surprised throng, captured the tail-end of his visit.

Watch as the blows off the guy who tries to shake his hand on the sidewalk. We don't love Steve because he's nice.

PC World: How tough is the iPhone?

2007-06-30T12:55:00.000-06:00

By Eric Butterfield, PC World
Editor’s Note: The following article appears at PC World. For more videos, visit PC World’s Video Library.

It would be a shame—after waiting hours in line and spending $500 to $600 on an iPhone—to lose it to a minor mishap. To see how well Apple’s phone can stand up to abuse, we stressed it with increasingly rigorous scratch and drop tests, which we informally conducted in the PC World kitchen, hallway, and back alley.

To see how it did, check out our video.

Scratch tests

First, to simulate how it held up when in a pocket or purse with house and car keys, we stuffed the iPhone into a plastic bag along with several key chains. We then gave the bag a few good shakes to see if the activity would scratch the iPhone’s screen. It didn’t.

Then we rubbed keys against the screen with a fair amount of force, as might happen if the phone was in your jeans pocket and you leaned against a counter. When the iPhone emerged with its screen just as pristine as when it went in, we then attempted to gouge the screen with one of the keys. We were very impressed that even this deliberate attempt to scratch the screen completely failed.

Drop tests

Next, we conducted three drop tests, increasing the severity with each round. In all cases we conducted the test several times.

First, we released it from waist height onto a carpeted floor. Then we let it fall from chest height onto a hard linoleum floor. Lastly, we let it slip from our fingers and bounce onto a concrete sidewalk from head height—as if we had been talking on the phone.

The iPhone not only continue to work after each drop test, impressively it still looked good as well. The only obvious damage suffered was a few gouges along its metal edge from the concrete drops. But it came out without a scratch on its glass screen, despite our best efforts to mar it in repeated tests of both types.

PC World’s Conclusion: There’s no need to coddle this sexy little device.

Unpacking iPhone pictures

2007-06-29T23:40:00.000-06:00

Check out MacRumors new iPhone site that has some new unboxing pcitures of the iPhone and the best gallery I ever seen from all webpages, is at Engadget. Have fun!

iPhone Now at Apple Store

2007-06-29T23:39:00.000-06:00

After being down for nearly 3 hours, Apple's online store is back up and features the iPhone for sale.

4GB $499: Shipping in 2-4 weeks
8GB $599: Shipping in 2-4 weeks

Apple also published an official guide of accessories for the iPhone. The $129 Bluetooth Headset was not yet available at retail locations. The iPhone also went on sale tonight at 6pm at retail stores across the country to (reportedly) sell out crowds at many locations.

Iniitial impressions are being posted to our forum, but some users have been having activation issues.
From MacRumors.com

Apple online Store is down

2007-06-29T16:43:00.000-06:00

Place where I would buy my iPhone:

Line report: iPhone mania!

2007-06-29T16:38:00.000-06:00

by Mike Schramm
Oh, buddy. It's 4:30 in the middle of the country, lots of people are just starting to get out of work, and things are really starting to pick up now.

Benjamin Gilbert sends pictures from his campout at Legacy Village in Ohio.
Andrew Abate is lineblogging from the West Farms Mall Apple Store in Farmington, CT, where California Pizza Kitchen is apparently handing out free food.
Nick Bodkins sends a note from Orlando, FL, where he's sitting in line at the Millenia Mall. Apple is handing out free water there, too, and apparently security says no shopping throughout the rest of the mall.
Danny Perez is at the 5th Ave. Store in New York (where I believe our own Mike Rose is headed very soon), and says the feeling there is good: "There are about 300 people in line that I can tell from my location, I'm almost at the end of the line, they are giving away some free stuff. Items include, FREE Baked Caramel Popcorn (FreeEvil), Water (Water is directly from Apple - Branded by smartwater), Virgin Atlantic Airlines just gave away a gift bag with toothbrush/paste, Eye covers, Ear plugs, socks, and Lemonade. I also got some free music CD's and the best part, A FAN TO COOL OURSELVES OFF!!!"
And finally, the best thing I've heard today comes from Rick and Simon at the Fashion Valley Mall in San Jose, CA: The Woz is live and in person there (or was, this afternoon), and apparently the Hummer and the Segway made the trip as well.

Just under a half hour until 6pm on the East Coast, and then iPhone mania sweeps the nation. Thanks everyone for sending in all the tips, and I hope all you intrepid linesitters get your phones. I'm off to the Michigan Ave store for a report later tonight-- good luck out there.

3G iPhone for UK Customers?

2007-06-29T13:49:00.000-06:00

NewsWireless.net (via Gadgettastic) is reporting that Apple has partnered with Vodafone, T-Mobile of Germany and Carphone Warehouse and is expected to announce the UK iPhone on Monday.

The most unusual part of the rumor is the expectation that the European iPhone will take advantage of Vodafone's 3G data networks.

Vodafone is currently in an ideal position to take on the iPhone, because its 3G network is hugely under-utilised. Pricing on mobile data is normally prohibitive, but Vodafone has recently revised its 3G data charges down, following "rip-off" complaints from users.

Steve Jobs was recently quoted explaining that the reason that the US iPhone didn't take advantage of 3G networks was due to size and battery considerations.
From MacRumors.com

The European version of the iPhone is not expected until towards the end of the year.

Found Footage: iPhone shipment arrives in NYC

2007-06-29T13:47:00.000-06:00

The only thing more impressive than the long line in this video is the fact that I sat here for 3 and-a-half minutes just to see a bunch of cardboard boxes leave the back of a delivery truck (The mini ping pong table was cool, too).

Can you feel the anticipation, New Yorkers? Because it's getting out of hand.

Thanks, Hamish!

Even Mayors have to wait in line for the iPhone

2007-06-29T13:37:00.000-06:00

You would think being the mayor of the 5th (or 6th, depending on who you ask) largest city in the country would mean not having to wait in line for an iPhone, but you would be wrong. That's Philadelpha's own Mayor John Street, on line here in Center City waiting for an iPhone (he is third in line at the AT&T store).

Does this mean that iPhone day is officially a holiday here in the City of Brotherly Love?

Thanks, Thad.

Update: The Mayor has left the line, folks. Don't worry though, he left an aide in his stead. Thanks to Janice for the update.

Apple unveils 'Works with iPhone' logo

2007-06-29T13:23:00.000-06:00

By Peter Cohen from Macworld
Apple has posted an iPhone accessories Web page that offers details on the Apple-branded accessories you can get for your new iPhone. The company has also posted there an image of the “Works with iPhone” logo that it will use on certified devices from third parties.

The page lists devices like the iPhone Bluetooth Headset, USB power adapter, dock, dock connector to USB cable, dual dock for both the iPhone and the headset, stereo headset and more. Prices range from $9 (for the iPhone Universal Dock Adapter 3-Pack) to $179 (for an AirPort Extreme Base Station).

The “Works with iPhone” logo is reminiscent of the “Made for iPod” logo — it depicts a stylized iPhone icon on the left side.

“Look for the ‘Works with iPhone’ logo to find electronic accessories designed to connect specifically to iPhone and certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards,” reads the Web page.

Apple also has helpful advice for users considering using their existing iPod accessories with the iPhone. Most iPod accessories equipped with a 30-pin connector may work with the iPhone, said Apple, but it may be necessary to switch the iPhone to “Airplane Mode,” which turns off its ability to make or receive calls. This can avoid potential audio interference.

iPhone 'Finger Tips' Video

2007-06-29T12:57:00.001-06:00

Apple posted a new video today called "Finger Tips" which demonstrates 10 tips/shortcuts for the iPhone. The video is embedded in their iPhone website:

1 - Silence the ring
2 - Delete a message
3 - Create your favorite list
4 - Assign a ringtone
5 - More song controls
6 - Browse in Cover Flow
7 - Magnify to edit
8 - Mail preferences
9 - Set a passcode
10 - Reset your iPhone

Apple's iPhone goes on sale today at 6pm local time.

Apple Releases iTunes 7.3 Update for iPhone [Update: And AppleTV]

2007-06-29T12:55:00.000-06:00

Apple has released the iTunes 7.3 updater through their Software Update.

iTunes 7.3 is required for iPhone compatibility.

Update: Forum user quackattack notes that iTunes 7.3 also contains an update that allows photo streaming to AppleTV from more than one computer.

Say Hello to iPhone. Today.

2007-06-29T12:43:00.000-06:00

Apple sent this morning this image:

Welcome iPhone!

AT&T's EDGE Network: Now Snappier?

2007-06-28T23:52:00.000-06:00

One of the major criticisms of Apple's iPhone release is the use of AT&T's EDGE data network.

A common thread amongst the official reviews has been the slow speed of the EDGE Network:

- AT&T’s EDGE cellular network: "excruciatingly slow"
- YouTube videos work great on Wi-Fi, but can display in a lower quality when you’re not at a hotspot and are using AT&T’s EDGE network
- Wi-Fi capability doesn't fully make up for the lack of a fast cellular data capability

Tonight, many forum members here and at Howard forums have reported that their EDGE network speeds may have been boosted substantially -- with benchmarks around 200kbps (25 Kilobytes/second).

While there had been rumors that AT&T had been working to upgrade their network to boost speeds from a paltry 40kbps (5 Kilobytes/second), we can't be certain if these numbers truly represent actual speed increases or simply faulty benchmark tools. Unfortunately, we don't have a similar set of data from earlier in the month to compare.

As this claim has been reported elsewhere already, we've posted this story for your interest and debate.

Update: Benchmarks posted by RnSK on June 26 found that EDGE speeds ranged between 16.8 KB/sec - 29.8 KB/sec in Washington, DC, so tonight's benchmark speeds may not actually reflect an increase, but they may be an accurate reflection of EDGE speeds.
From MacRumors.com

Steve Jobs: Free iPhones for Apple Employees, Town Hall Notes

2007-06-28T17:14:00.000-06:00

According to ThinkSecret, Steve Jobs held a company-wide town hall today and announced that Apple employees will get free 8GB iPhones this July. This applies to all full-time Apple employees as well as part time employees who have been with Apple for more than 1 year

The phones are expected to be delivered to employees by the end of July, after initial consumer demand has subsided. According to Yahoo! Finance, Apple has 17,787 full-time employees.

Meanwhile, ThinkSecret suggests that Apple has about 3 million iPhones manufactured and will be releasing about 1 million of them into the channel this week in an effort "to avoid perceived major shortages."

Arstechnica provides a recap of the speech from Steve Jobs.

Regarding Macs:

The first leg is the Mac business, which Steve addressed by saying that they have the "best Macs" in the new product pipeline ever right now, and that the stuff coming out in the next year is "off the charts."

Regarding OS X:

T

here is one OS group that does Mac OS X for the Mac and the iPhone, as well as "some iPods we're working on."

From MacRumors.com

More Details From AT&T Training Manual

2007-06-28T17:12:00.000-06:00

The AT&T Training manual (pdf link) posted by The Boy Genius Report is turning out to be a treasure trove of information.

iPhone Bluetooth
The iPhone currently supports two Bluetooth profiles: Hands-free (v1.5) and Headset. The Apple-branded Bluetooth headset uses Hands-Free Profile 1.5, and may be compatible with other third party Bluetooth enabled devices that support the profile. We have previously reported that Apple's Bluetooth headset would be priced at $129.

3rd Party Accessories
Apple has created a "Works with iPhone" program, similar to the "Made for iPod" program. If the iPhone detects that a non-certified device is connected to the docking port, it will alert the user that the experience may be less than optimal, although doing so will NOT void the warranty. Such a method was recently described in an Apple patent.

SIM Card Portability
While AT&T and Apple have made it clear that the iPhone will not accept SIM cards from other carriers, the document does explain that it will be possible to move the iPhone's SIM card to other AT&T phones. MMS and IM messages sent from the new phone are included in the iPhone Data Plan. However, contacts added to the SIM while in another device will not appear in iPhone.

Warranty/Repair Process
Notable details are as follows:
- iPhones which are Dead on Arrival(DOA) will not be exchanged over the counter. They must go through AppleCare.
- Apple expects repair turnaround as 3 business days.
- For a small fee, Apple will provide an AppleCare Service iPhone to the customer while their iPhone is repaired.

From MacRumors.com

Two iPhones Per Person at Apple Stores

2007-06-28T17:10:00.000-06:00

Apple issued another press release today, announcing that the iPhone will be going on sale Friday, June 29th at 6:00 p.m. local time at Apple retail stores nationwide.

All 164 Apple retail stores will stay open until midnight and customers can purchase up to two iPhones. On Saturday morning, Apple will begin offering free workshops throughout the day at Apple stores so customers can learn how to get the most out of the iPhone.

"Apple retail stores were created for this moment -- to let customers touch and experience a revolutionary new product," said Ron Johnson, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. "With our legendary Genius Bar support, free workshops and our One to One personal training, we're here to help customers get the most from their new iPhone."

Beginning June 30 and continuing through the summer, Apple Stores in the US will open early at 9:00 a.m. for iPhone sales. Customers can check iPhone availability at their local Apple retail store starting at 9:00 p.m. the night before at www.apple.com/retail.

Meanwhile, AT&T Stores are limiting sales of iPhones to one per person

Pre-Paid iPhone Available for Some? [Updated]

2007-06-28T17:06:00.000-06:00

BoyGeniusReport published an AT&T training guide which provides walk-throughs for sales reps on selling the iPhone.

The most interesting portion of the report is an excerpt describing the credit-check process.

For customers that choose not to run the Pre-Approved credit check in the store, they will go through a credit check during the iTunes activation process. However, this is not the preferred method because customers that require a deposit and or require an analyst review will be presented with one of the following options:
- choose Pick Your Plan
- pay the deposit, requiring a return trip to the store
- return product, requiring a 10% re-stocking fee.

Later they specify that "customers will only be offered GoPhone Pick Your Plan [as an option] if the credit check results in a deposit requirement".

AT&T's GoPhone Pick Your Plan requires no annual contract.

With Pick Your Plan, you establish monthly automatic payments for service and use the balance on your account for voice minutes or other features. It's that easy.

Update: For those hoping to somehow take advantage of a "contract-less" iPhone plan, it appears the Pick Your Plan deals are significantly worse (more expensive for the minutes) than the existing plans.
From MacRumors.com>

What's on your mind?

2007-06-27T19:21:00.000-06:00

From The Joy of Tech.com as always

More time on your hands

2007-06-27T19:18:00.000-06:00

A Revolution of Love by John Shults
Back on April 20th, I was fortunate enough to be involved with my closest friends in REVO Nashville.

On this night, we simply gathered to support Blood:Water Mission, a Franklin, TN-based, nonprofit organization that promotes clean blood and clean water in Africa by building clean water wells and encouraging community leadership. At this event, my friends and I brought most of (if not every aspect of) our culture together in order to inspire people. Fashion, photography, art, design, and (obviously) music were all under one roof in hopes to ignite motivation and desire for change in Africa.
I'll be the first to admit that I had not even imagined what was in store for that evening.

Four months of planning, which included many sleepless nights and a slightly dropped grade point average, seemed so effortless once the doors opened. People weren't only coming to see musicians or artists or photographers or designers. Sure it was an incentive, but people - in Nashville - were coming to support something bigger than you or I.

We were coming together to support sustained life in Africa.

As REVO Nashville, our hope was and is to inspire a generation to act. We believe that anyone and everyone can plan an event, support a worthwhile cause, and change the world. My participation in REVO has led me to understand more fully my purpose in giving back.
REVO Nashville proudly raised $6,000 for an organization that spends $3,000-$5,000 on a single well for their 1000 Wells Project. If you knew that it only cost $1 to supply one African fresh water for a year, would you act now?
And in writing this, I challenge you to find out what your purpose is all about. How will you give back? How will you change the world?

article originally published on June 22, 2007
http://coolpeoplecare.org/article/2007/06/22/revolution-love/

Rumor: iPhone "wristbands" to be distributed

2007-06-27T18:49:00.000-06:00

If you're in line with Greg - or any other iPhone line, for that matter - this may be of interest to you. According to the modmyiPhone forums, Apple Store employees will be distributing color-coded wristbands to iPhone customers. Shoppers will be let into the stores 50 at a time until the supply of iPhones ends. Forum poster Poetic Folly claims to know that his local store is getting 500 units.

Other details as reported by modmyiPhone:

The line will form at the entrance of the mall closest to the outside of the Apple store.
Wristbands will be distributed in the line at 5pm on Friday.
The first 50 customers will be let into the Apple Store at 5:50pm and then more groups of 50 following that until the store closes that night.

Plus, my personal favorite,

"...There will be a restroom(s) brought in for access to the outside entrance where the line will be."

Nice.
by Dave Caolo from TUAW.com [Via ifoAppleStore]

Other Than The iPhone: A Recap Of Some Other Stories

2007-06-27T18:47:00.001-06:00

With some readers beginning to grow premature gray hair over the plethora of news regarding Apple's soon to be released iPhone, let's recap some of the recent non-iPhone related stories that we've covered, or that we've let slip through:

Leopard
Leopard leaks continue to trickle in. Recently disclosed features include enhancements to QuickTime, DVD Player, iChat, and system configurability. Apple has also seeded developers a read/write beta of ZFS for Leopard.

TUAW reports that developers who missed out on WWDC will be able to get their hands on the WWDC build of Leopard "soon." Meanwhile, Apple's major build milestone calendar was outlined by MacScoop, with an expectation of release in late October.

3rd Party Applications
Parallels has gained a lot of attention with their release of Parallels Desktop 3.0, which includes 3D graphics support. Macworld's Peter Cohen took a look at the release from a gamer's perspective. In addition, we recently announced a special through Digital River for a 10% discount on Parallels Desktop 3.0 upgrades.

Perhaps also notable is Adobe's Lightroom 1.1 update. Details and an in-depth overview are provided by James Duncan Davidson over in O'Reilly's Inside Lightroom blog.

From MacRumors.com

VPN Support in iPhone, What's in the Box, Specs

2007-06-27T18:43:00.000-06:00

An Apple iPhone FAQ confirms an earlier rumor that VPN will be supported on the iPhone:

For secure Internet access, iPhone supports industry-standard Wi-Fi security and virtual private networking (VPN).

The FAQ also reveals some other answers, such as:

- 4 Digit Password can be used to protect iPhone
- Windows 2000 (SP4), Windows XP Home or Professional (SP2), and Windows Vista.
- Photo of the iPhone Dock with bluetooth headset charger pictured

Finally the iPhone's specs page is updated with more detailed capabilities:

Audio formats supported: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 1, 2, and 3), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV

Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 768 Kbps, 320 by 240 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

What comes in the box:

- iPhone
- Stereo Headset
- Dock
- Dock Connector to USB Cable
- USB Power Adapter
- Documentation
- Cleaning/polishing cloth

iTunes 7.3 (not yet released) is required for the iPhone.

Apple posts new iPhone keyboard video

2007-06-27T18:38:00.000-06:00

Apple has posted another tour video for the Apple iPhone. This time their tour covers their virtual keyboard and predictive input.

The accuracy and ease of use of the virtual keyboard has been a point of concern in the months leading to its launch. Walt Mossberg felt that the on-screen keyboard was a "non-issue" after a week or two of use.

iPhone Box Photo and Video Review

2007-06-27T18:35:00.001-06:00

USA Today's Ed Baig provides a video report (YouTube) to complement his print iPhone review that was first published yesterday. The review demos various functions of the iPhone and also gives us a view of the iPhone Box:

iPhone Availability on June 29th

2007-06-27T18:34:00.001-06:00

AT&T sent out emails to customers today which reveals that they are limiting iPhone sales to "one per person":

With iPhone arriving June 29th at 6 p.m. in AT&T retail stores, the wait is almost over. Use our online store locator to find the closest AT&T store that sells Apple iPhone (limit one per person). We'll show you maps, directions, and everything you need to get your hands on an iPhone as quickly as possible.

There's been no official word if Apple will be similarly limiting their sales, but it may be a safe bet. Appleinsider reports that Apple Stores are preparing by requiring some employees to stay overnight on Thursday night to prepare for Friday's launch.

Finally, we've heard that some above-average size Apple Stores may be getting on the order of 1000 iPhones for Friday's launch, with a ratio of inventory being heavily skewed towards 8GB iPhones over 4GB iPhones at approximately a 4:1 ratio.

U2's Bono salutes Tony Blair before his final hours in office

2007-06-27T18:29:00.000-06:00

Bono: 'Tony Blair plays guitar. Singers need guitar players.'
NME, June 27, 2007

Today (June 27) marks the final day, and this morning, the final hours of Tony Blair's time in office as the U.K.'s Prime Minister.

Recalling Blair's lengthy and often controversial time in office, U2 frontman Bono likened the Prime Minister's strengths in politics, to his early university days spent playing guitar in his band Ugly Rumours.

"They're often very clever," Bono explained in The Sun, "very studious -- they spend hours in the bedroom practising -- you know, swottish."

Sharing his personal admiration for Blair, the U2 singer added, "What I admire the most about Tony Blair is that despite all accusations of a slick PR machine, spin doctoring and the like, he has almost all of the time exposed himself to bad press and outcry for doing the things he believed in."

Meanwhile, fellow band member and now editor of The Word magazine Mark Ellen described colourfully, how the politician used to storm on stage like Mick Jagger himself.

Describing their gigging days to The Sun, he wrote "Our second gig was at St. John's and Tony, who was a massive admirer of Mick Jagger, was waiting in the wings. He was wearing a hoop-necked, trumpet-sleeved T-shirt, loons and high heels, with lots of bare flesh on show."

"He came screaming on with the classic "Let's rock!" and went into the first Stones number as if he were Jagger himself, all pointing fingers and pout."

© IPC Media, 2007.

Apple stores to close from 2 to 6 on Friday

2007-06-27T18:28:00.000-06:00

Apple has just announced that its retail stores will be closed on Friday, June 29th between 2 and 6pm to prepare for the iLaunch. Many retail AT&T stores have announced they will also close between 4 and 6pm for similar reasons. Each store will start selling iPhones at 6pm local time, so we're expecting some great iPhone unboxing pictures for those of you lucky enough to live on the East coast.

As TUAW reader Fred Manning points out, we fully expect people to run through the mall shouting "The Apple Store is DOWN!". What will really, really make it special though is, as TUAW reader Brian suggests, if someone puts a giant yellow Post-it on the store. Any takers? Any takers? Send us a link to your photo via our Tip form.
From TUAW.com

History of the Apple Store

2007-06-27T18:25:00.002-06:00

Just in time for the iPhone crowds and media to descend on Apple stores around the country, SiliconUser has a quick little history of how Apple's famous retail space came to be. It all started back in 19-aught-7, when Mr. Stevonious Jobsenheimer first opened the Apple Computing Salon and General Store in little Border Junction, Wyoming...

No, only kidding. In 1996 when Jobs came back to Apple, they were struggling to come up with a good way to sell their computers at retail, and after a few bumpy years with store-within-a-stores at CompUSA, they set up a warehouse in Cupertino and went to work designing a real live Apple experience. The first try was apparently based on Apple's product matrix (and caused Jobs to famously say, "Oh God, we're screwed"), but eventually they came up with what we know today-- bright, open spaces with stations that encouraged visitors to use and play with the products. Strangely enough, SiliconUser points out that they are very much like Gap stores, which both disturbs and awes me at the same time.

So when you're standing outside your local Apple store Thursday at midnight while it rains and you stare at the growing-even-more- obsolete- than-it-already-is Treo 650 only to look up at the dry and warm Apple store and the glorious iPhones that lie inside behind the glass, just remember the good folks that designed it all for you. The money they were paid made it worth it, but the irresistible spending draw you feel while walking by is just the icing on the cake.

Lining up for Charity

2007-06-27T18:25:00.001-06:00

Out of all of the hype surrounding the imminent launch of the iPhone, this is the first story to warm my cold socialist heart. Johnny Vulkan of NYC ad agency Anomaly is first in line at the Apple Store SoHo, and has special plans for his iPhone. Instead of coveting his precious new toy like the rest of us, his iPhone will go right up on eBay where all proceeds from its sale will go to AIDS charity Keep a Child Alive.

If game console launches like that of the Wii and PS3 are any indication, early iPhone sellers on eBay stand to make a killing, and it's nice to see that some of that money will be going to an organization working to stop a nasty virus from doing the same.
From TUAW.com

Help make Frenzic an iPhone app

2007-06-27T18:22:00.000-06:00

Frenzic is an addictive puzzle game from the folks at The Iconfactory and ARTIS, which we took a look at back in February. It's really quite fun, and would be right at home on the iPhone (or iPod for that matter). I can see myself playing Frenzic while sitting on the train.

The folks at The Iconfactory pitched the idea of Frenzic for iPhone to Apple at WWDC, but they could use a little love from you, The People! Check out this post at gedblog to learn how you can ask Apple to make Frenzic an iPhone app. Good luck, guys!

From TUAW.com by Dave Caolo

AT&T's iPhone FAQ and Policies

2007-06-26T18:02:00.000-06:00

AT&T has posted a FAQ for the iPhone and service activation. Much of the information was known, but clarifies activation policies:

- $499 for 4GB, $599 for 8GB iPhone
- 2-year service agreement required
- iPhone is not eligible for Wireless Phone Insurance; iPhone is covered by Apple Warranty
- No business discounts
- iPhone must be activated before it can be used. Pre-installed SIM card.
- Activates "within a few minutes"
- 14 day return policy. If opened, there is a 10% restocking fee.
- Existing AT&T wireless customers will need to add an iPhone Data Plan.
From MacRumors.com

More Leopard Features Unveiled: Full-Screen QT, DVD Player, more

2007-06-26T18:01:00.003-06:00

In addition to the recently leaked ZFS Read/Write beta, AppleInsider has found hidden Leopard features.

Quicktime player has reportedly been updated to include support for full-screen movie playback without the need for a QuickTime Pro key.

DVD Player is also reported to be set for Blu-Ray and HD DVD disk support as well as the opportunity to add DVD cover art and change movie region support on the fly. The site had previously reported that DVD Player would receive a fair amount of attention in Leopard. The site does not make it clear, however, whether this support is in the current build, or is rumored for future builds.

Leopard's version of iChat now supports Google's GTalk (a report confirmed by MacRumors sources as well). If more protocol support is desired, Apple has built in the ability to set the default IM client so users can use a 3rd party program (such as Adium). AppleInsider reports that this configurability extends even into Diction
From MacRumors.com

More Official iPhone Reviews

2007-06-26T18:01:00.002-06:00

Following WSJ: Walt Mossberg's initial review, more reviews are beginning to appear across the web. We will highlight reviews of interest here.

NY Times: David Pogue
- "so sleek and thin, it makes Treos and BlackBerrys look obese."
- After walking around with the iPhone unprotected for 2 weeks, no marks on it. Glass smudges are easily wiped off.
- 700 megabytes is occupied by the phone’s software
- Making calls can be a 6 step process if phone is off.
- Web, Email is superior
- Battery Life Test: 5 hours video, 23 hours audio. Note: did not turn off Wi-Fi and other features as Apple suggests.
- Typing was OK. Difficult at first, but learned to "trust" the keyboard. "The BlackBerry won’t be going away anytime soon."
- Cites AT&T network as iPhone's biggest downfall. Cites Consumer Reports survey which ranks AT&T network as last or second to last in 19 out of 20 major US cities.
- AT&T’s EDGE cellular network: "excruciatingly slow"
- Slideshow of photos taken with iPhone
- Video Review

Newsweek: Steven Levy
- bottom line is that the iPhone is a significant leap
- The iPhone is the rare convergence device where things actually converge.
- e-mail looks more like you’re working on a computer than a clunky phone
- YouTube videos work great on Wi-Fi, but can display in a lower quality when you’re not at a hotspot and are using AT&T’s EDGE network
- unless I did a lot of video watching or Web browsing, [the battery] could generally last the day
- I’ve been jamming it in my pocket with keyrings, coins and pens, and so far it’s nearly as good as new.

USA Today: Edward Baig
- Apple's iPhone isn't perfect, but it's worthy of the hype
- The revelation is that it's also comfortable to hold and touch.
- I expected to miss the tactile feel that a physical keyboard provides. I didn't.
- You can hold a conference call with up to five people.
- No voice recognition or voice dialing
- halfway decent internal speakers for listening if you set the thing down
- iPod games are not compatible with iPhone
- our company tech department raised questions about the security settings Apple required with our Microsoft Exchange servers.
- Battery life didn't prove to be a big problem in my unscientific tests
- Edward Baig brought his iPhone to CNBC and demoed it live tonight: Video

From MacRumors.com

First iPhone Review from Walt Mossberg

2007-06-26T18:01:00.001-06:00

The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg and Katherine Boehret have posted their review of the Apple iPhone.

Mossberg and Bohret tested the iPhone for two weeks in multiple usage scenarios and in various cities:

Our verdict is that, despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer. Its software, especially, sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry, and its clever finger-touch interface, which dispenses with a stylus and most buttons, works well, though it sometimes adds steps to common functions.

Some highlights:

- largest, highest resolution screen of any smart phone they've seen, most internal memory
- Impressive battery life and thin
- Feels solid
- Regarding the touch keyboard: "After five days of use, Walt -- who did most of the testing for this review -- was able to type on it as quickly and accurately as he could on the Palm Treo he has used for years."
- Can't use T-Mobile SIM cards
- Wi-Fi capability doesn't fully make up for the lack of a fast cellular data capability
- Multitouch: "effective, practical and fun"
- No way to copy/paste text
- Microsoft's Exchange system support
- Voice call quality was good, but not great
- Can't record video
- No Adobe Flash support
- Songs can't be set as ringtones

Apple says it plans to add features to the phone over time, via free downloads, and hints that some of these holes may be filled.

He also provides a video review.

From MacRumors.com

iPhone Subtleties: Feature Lock, Capacity

2007-06-26T18:01:00.000-06:00

Some fine print regarding the iPhone is being brought to light today regarding the iPhone's storage capacity and features.

Many users continue to extol Apple's apparent editing mistake in its activation video where the iPhone is shown to have an 74.40 GB capacity. While we firmly believe this was simply an editing mistake on Apple's part, Apple shows during other parts of the video the capacity of an apparently empty 8 GB iPhone as 7.24 GB. It is standard industry practice to advertise a device's physical capacity rather than usable, formatted capacity, and it seems the iPhone is no exception. Potential purchasers should keep this in mind when deciding on which model to choose.

In addition, TUAW has noted that Apple and AT&T are serious when they indicate that a 2-year service plan is required when purchasing an iPhone. According to fine-print on Apple's rate-plan webpage, even iPod features of the iPhone will be locked until the phone is activated after purchase of a service plan through iTunes.
From MacRumors.com

Apple posts iPhone setup and activation video

2007-06-26T18:00:00.000-06:00

Apple has released an iPhone setup and activation video that guides new users through the process of setting up their iPhones. The whole process is handled by iTunes, of course. In fact, you can activate your phone from home, and not while standing in the crowded and noisy mall. Very nice.

The video also explains how to sync your data via iTunes (it works just like an iPod, of course) and features the same well groomed, well lit and hypnotic man - dressed just like Steve, mind you - from the previous video.