Tuesday, April 29, 2014

iWatch already in production in small numbers, sources claim

iWatch already in production in small numbers, sources claim - Apple suppliers have already begun small-scale production of the iWatch, claim supply chain sources for the China Times. It's said that Apple expects to launch the watch in the second half of 2014, but a more precise date isn't mentioned. It is however indicated that the device will use system-in-package chip design instead of printed circuit boards, saving space but potentially slowing down production. If a SIP component fails tests, the entire chipset has to be tossed out with it ...

(Via MacNN | The Macintosh News Network.)

1Password 4.5 Review

1Password 4.5 Review -

The recent Heartbleed bug managed to turn even the most secure Internet passwords into a potential security risk, but for those smart enough to invest in good password management software, the situation appears considerably less dire. 1Password is hands-down the best such solution, and we’d go so far as to recommend it as a required purchase for anyone with a Mac or iOS device. Although iCloud Keychain offers some of the same basic functionality on Safari, 1Password is a far more full-featured, cross-platform tool (with Windows and Android apps also available) capable of generating unique passwords for each site, managing credit card data, and securing notes, reward programs, and other sensitive data.

With the latest version for iOS, 1Password is also a more gorgeous experience as well. The app has always been stylishly attractive, but AgileBits dramatically overhauled the user interface while adding support for iOS 7 services like AirDrop, which allows users to share items between devices. More importantly, search is now prominently placed everywhere you need it—a godsend to users with more logins and secure data than organizational skills.

(Via Mac|Life all.)

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Mac Pro ship times improve, drop to 3-5 weeks for all configurations

Mac Pro ship times improve, drop to 3-5 weeks for all configurations - On Tuesday, Apple surprised analysts by noting a modest increase in Mac sales in the March quarter, improving them by some 100,000 units over the year-ago quarter. The feat was impressive, as the PC market generally has suffered a major decline in demand which has also affected Mac sales. Though it was the company's MacBook line that lead sales, one factor that may have played a significant role was the demand for the company's latest Mac Pro ...

(Via MacNN | The Macintosh News Network.)

iWatch May Ultimately Replace iPod, No iPod Updates Expected in 2014

iWatch May Ultimately Replace iPod, No iPod Updates Expected in 2014 - A research note (via Barrons) from Christopher Caso, an analyst with Susquehanna Financial Group, reiterates previous analyst reporting about the iWatch, saying Apple is looking to enter production with a pair of screen sizes in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Caso says Apple has production targets of 5-6 million units, but believes the iWatch will "essentially replace the iPod in the consumer portion of AAPL's product lineup" and will see lowered iPod sales as a result of customers choosing the iWatch instead. The note says the iPod is not expected to be updated this year.

Ipodfamily

(Via MacRumors : Mac News and Rumors.)

Apple announces 20M Apple TVs sold since debut

Apple announces 20M Apple TVs sold since debut - As the tail end of Apple's quarterly conference call, Apple CEO Tim Cook threw out a somewhat surprising statistic, saying the company has sold some 20 million Apple TV units since the unit launched in 2007.

(Via AppleInsider.)

Kindle for iOS finally gets X-Ray Smart Look-Up

Kindle for iOS finally gets X-Ray Smart Look-Up - Amazon's Kindle app is a wonderful alternative to Apple's iBookstore, and its latest update has introduced two incredibly useful new features. The most basic improvement is quick access to a book's table of contents in the app's left-hand navigation ...

(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)

Opera Coast: Simple and enjoyable browsing on an iPhone or iPod touch

Opera Coast: Simple and enjoyable browsing on an iPhone or iPod touch -

Tired of tabs in your browser? Try Opera Coast, now available for iPhone and iPod touch in the iTunes App Store. The new browser launched on Thursday for smaller iOS devices, having been available on the iPad since last September, and has a very minimalist but effective interface for immersive web surfing.

Opera Coast favorite management

(Via TheAppleBlog.)

The death of an iPod

The death of an iPod - Apple's gadgets even die in the most adorable ways. Let's have a moment of silence for this fallen musical soldier.

(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)

Netflix won't even reveal 'House of Cards' audience numbers to show's creator

Netflix won't even reveal 'House of Cards' audience numbers to show's creator - Beau Willimon, creator of Netflix series "House of Cards," says even he doesn't know how many people watch the show, and he's happy that way.

(Via CNET News.com.)

Amazon: Prime fee hike not stopping membership growth

Amazon: Prime fee hike not stopping membership growth - The company says it's "encouraged" by week-over-week subscriber growth over the last several weeks.

(Via CNET News.com.)

Amazon said to be testing its own shipping network

Amazon said to be testing its own shipping network - Going up against the likes of UPS and FedEx, the Internet retailer is reportedly looking to boost its delivery game.

(Via CNET News.com.)

Friday, April 18, 2014

Michael's craft store chain hit by massive, long-running data breach

Michael's craft store chain hit by massive, long-running data breach - Craft store chain Michael's Stores and affiliated Aaron Brothers has confirmed details of a massive security breach including between May 8, 2013 and January 27, 2014. The analysis conducted by the company shows that approximately 2.6 million cards may have been impacted, which represents about seven percent of payment cards used at Michael's stores in the US during the time period ...

(Via MacNN | The Macintosh News Network.)

- ..- .- .-- presents 5 apps for World Amateur Radio Day

- ..- .- .-- presents 5 apps for World Amateur Radio Day - We'll bet you didn't know that today is World Amateur Radio Day, which is celebrated by radio amateurs on April 18th to commemorate the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) in Paris in 1925. In honor of WARD, here are five apps...

(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)

How to turn a dead iPod into an upgraded budget music player

How to turn a dead iPod into an upgraded budget music player - When a beloved piece of technology dies, it's often hard to let go. We've all seen basements and closets cluttered with the corpses of burned-out hardware that once served us well. Perhaps you've got a drawer somewhere with your dead USB sticks or an ...

(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)

Get your hands on NASA software code

Get your hands on NASA software code - Science fans and space junkies alike can now access code for a range of NASA projects. Who knows? It could help you accomplish your next mission.

(Via CNET News.com.)

Vinyl Freaks Show Off Their Epic Collections in Beautiful New Photo Book

Vinyl Freaks Show Off Their Epic Collections in Beautiful New Photo Book - The idea for the coffee-table tome is simple: The author traveled around the world, photographing record collectors in their homes with their vast libraries.

(Via Wired Top Stories.)

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Check out this astronaut's-eye view of the Grand Canyon

Check out this astronaut's-eye view of the Grand Canyon - The Grand Canyon is still spectacular when seen from the International Space Station.

(Via CNET News.com.)

How to Put a Mustang on Top of the Empire State Building

How to Put a Mustang on Top of the Empire State Building - To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Mustang, Ford recreated a publicity stunt it pulled in 1964 when it placed a Mustang convertible on the observation deck of the Empire State Building.

(Via Wired Top Stories.)

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

What Umpires Get Wrong

What Umpires Get Wrong -

Brayden King and Jerry Kim:

In research soon to be published in the journal Management Science, we studied umpires’ strike-zone calls using pitch-location data compiled by the high-speed cameras introduced by Major League Baseball several years ago in an effort to measure, monitor and reward umpires’ accuracy. After analyzing more than 700,000 pitches thrown during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, we found that umpires frequently made errors behind the plate — about 14 percent of non-swinging pitches were called erroneously.

What I want to know is how come the umps always have it in for the Yankees?

(Via Daring Fireball.)

Logitech Bluetooth Audio Adapter makes any speaker wireless

Logitech Bluetooth Audio Adapter makes any speaker wireless - What do you do with that old pair of expensive speakers you purchased back in college now that everything is going wireless? Logitech has an answer for that -- just get one of their new Bluetooth Audio Adapters (US$39.99) and you'll be streaming ...

(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)

Amazon Launches 'Fire TV' Media Streaming Box with Voice Search, Game Support, and More

Amazon Launches 'Fire TV' Media Streaming Box with Voice Search, Game Support, and More - In line with earlier rumors, Amazon today announced the Fire TV, a new media streaming device that will compete with the Apple TV, Google Chromecast and the new Roku Streaming Stick.

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The Fire TV is set-top box with a bluetooth remote that supports voice search. Internal hardware includes a quad-core processor with a dedicated graphics processor and 2GB of RAM. It supports 1080p via HDMI and features dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi with MIMO for fast video downloads. Amazon claims it Fire TV hardware is three times as powerful as its competitors.

The Fire TV streams Amazon Prime Instant Video titles as well as content from third-party providers such as Netflix and Hulu. Owners can browse through popular movies and TV shows on Amazon Instant Video, with personalized recommendations and a watchlist making it easy to find and save content. A new ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction) feature learns what movies and shows you enjoy and gets them ready for you to watch. The more you use the Fire TV, the better it gets at predicting your media choices.

Setting it apart from its competition, Amazon also bundles games into the Fire TV device with support for a $39 wireless Fire game controller. Well-known gaming studios such as Disney, Gameloft, EA, Sega, Ubisoft and Double Fine are partnering with Amazon to bring their titles to the Fire TV device. Amazon also is launching its own gaming studio, with the tower defense game Sev Zero debuting as the studio's first official game.

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Extras packaged into the Fire TV include photos with slide shows and X-Ray that provides IMDB details for movies and TV shows on a second screen device like the Kindle Fire HDX. Music services such as Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and Amazon's own Music service will debut on the Fire TV starting next month with support for X-Ray, which will display song lyrics.

Not just for adults, Amazon added its FreeTime service, which offers parental controls and personalized profiles for children. A $2.99 monthly option for a FreeTime Unlimited subscription adds unlimited access to programming from Nickelodeon, Sesame Street, PBS Kids and more.

The Fire TV will ship today from Amazon with a $99 price tag.

(Via MacRumors : Mac News and Rumors.)

Apples and Oranges: Amazon moves into the Apple TV space

Apples and Oranges: Amazon moves into the Apple TV space - Those of us who have been waiting for an Amazon Prime channel to finally show up on their Apple TV now have an explanation as to why it never arrived. Today Amazon introduced FireTV (US $99), an Amazon set-top box that seems perfectly situated to ...

(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)

Amazon launches Fire TV media streamer, starts shipping today

Amazon launches Fire TV media streamer, starts shipping today - Amazon has launched its new streaming media player, the Fire TV, at its New York media event today. Part of the retailer's push into the streaming video marketplace and building upon the success of its Kindle tablets, the Amazon Fire TV is a small set-top box that allows users access to TV shows and movies watch video from Amazon's Instant Video, as well as other services ...

(Via MacNN | The Macintosh News Network.)

Amazon fireTV launch 'aggressively' highlights need for Apple TV revamp, Piper Jaffray says

Amazon fireTV launch 'aggressively' highlights need for Apple TV revamp, Piper Jaffray says - Analyst Gene Munster, who has long held out hope for a more fully functional Apple TV and even a full television set from the company, believes that Wednesday's launch of the Amazon fireTV should serve as further motivation for Apple to make major moves in the television space.

(Via AppleInsider.)

Amazon Fire TV exec: Other boxes are 'self-important'

Amazon Fire TV exec: Other boxes are 'self-important' - Amazon VP Peter Larsen, who unveiled Fire TV today, tells CNET that flawless performance was his team's chief objective. Other boxes, he says, are "self-important" for expecting consumers to settle.

(Via CNET News.com.)

Cap'n Crunch is staring at your kid for a reason

Cap'n Crunch is staring at your kid for a reason - Cornell researchers studying "cereal box psychology" say the tempting gazes of all those sugar-hawking characters are carefully angled right at your tykes.

(Via CNET News.com.)

Amazon Fire TV as game console: will it succeed where others failed?

Amazon Fire TV as game console: will it succeed where others failed? - Amazon's move into living-room gaming could be a big moment, or just an afterthought. Which path depends on whether Fire TV will dodge the mistakes of console alternatives of the past.

(Via CNET News.com.)

This is what happens when a plane lands on only its rear wheels

This is what happens when a plane lands on only its rear wheels - The pilot of a Fokker 100, due to land in Brasilia, realizes that his front wheels are a no-go. So he goes for it anyway.

(Via CNET News.com.)

Amazon Fire TV heats up battle for living room

Amazon Fire TV heats up battle for living room - Get a quick overview of Amazon's new set-top box, the Fire TV. Video games may help this media box compete in a crowded market against Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast.

(Via CNET News.com.)

Amazon Debuts Fire TV Streaming Box to Rival Roku and Xbox

Amazon Debuts Fire TV Streaming Box to Rival Roku and Xbox - At an event in New York City today, Amazon showed off a new streaming set-top box, Amazon Fire TV for $99.

(Via Wired Top Stories.)

Microsoft Changes Its Tune With Free Version of Windows

Microsoft Changes Its Tune With Free Version of Windows - Microsoft took an enormous step forward this morning. It unveiled a free version of its Windows operating system.

(Via Wired Top Stories.)