Technology Today ( Apple,iPhone,iPad,Mac – Google,Tables,Android )
hutchinj
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Posts by hutchinj
Motorola XOOM WiFi Android 4.0.3 OTA now available in Canada
May 17th
Although Motorola Xoom WiFi owners in the US have had Android 4.0.4 for quite some time now, Android 4.0.3 is only just now pushing out to folks in Canada. As noted in the Android Central Forums, the update went live earlier today for the masses. Checking with Motorola also shows that to be the case, as they’ve highlighted the update via their website.
- Updated Browser with faster rendering, zoom and pan Users can also now save pages for offline reading and request desktop versions of websites.
- Swipe to dismiss notifications, tasks, and browser tabs You can now dismiss individual notifications, apps from the Recent Apps list, and browser tabs with a simple swipe of a finger.
- Redesigned app launcher In All Apps launcher, you can now simply drag an app to get information about it, immediately uninstall it, or disable a pre-installed app.
- New System Font for Improved Readability An entirely new typeface (called Roboto) optimized for high resolution screens improves readability and brings a polished feel to the user interface.
- Updated “People” Application Replaces contacts and integrates seamlessly with Google+ and other social networks.
- Improved text input and spell-checking The keyboard now features improved accuracy to make text input faster. It also now includes an in-line spell checker to make corrections easier.
- Type with your voice Now you can simply touch the microphone on the keyboard and start talking to write emails, SMS, or any other text-more than 20 languages supported. Text appears in real time, so there’s no waiting for server processing.
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Richer and versatile imaging capabilities For capturing larger scenes, the camera introduces a single motion panorama mode. Also, you can now take still shots while shooting video just by tapping the screen as video continues
Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/QN4sJHwSivw/story01.htm
HTC one X vs. Galaxy Nexus, Could the Galaxy S III become an Apple target? [From the Forums]
May 17th
We’re getting ramped up for the Android Central podcast right now but in case you missed out on anything today — get yourself caught up. Need to know what we’ll be talking about? Head on back ohhh… 5-6 pages. If you’re looking for something to do before we kick things off, check out the threads below from the Android Central Forums.
- HTC One X Forums - HTC one X vs Galaxy Nexus
- HTC One S Forums - HTC One S crashed – Strange battery error
- HTC Thunderbolt Forums - 3G with screen off 4G with screen on
- Samsung Galaxy Nexus Forums - Google Wallet 1.1-R63-v12 (May 16th update)
- Samsung Galaxy SIII Forums - Apple blocking One X in US. Could S3 become their next target?
If you’re not already a member of the Android Central forums, you can register your account today.
Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/66QT0iVAIik/story01.htm
Is Office, Exchange Lock-In Microsoft’s Best Weapon in the Cloud?
May 17th
If Microsoft Office tie-in like candy in the cloud? Photo: Sunfox/Flickr
With Microsoft recently beating out Google for providing cloud service to the Los Angeles Community College District, the focus of one report was that the win reflects “how Microsoft can use its lock on conventional productivity software as a springboard into the cloud.”
Microsoft’s Live@edu online suite, which gives an educational institutions’ users access to cloud-based versions of Exchange and Outlook, SkyDrive online storage, as well as access to the Microsoft Office Web Apps online productivity suite, won out based on “that the school system was already an Exchange and Outlook user,” the Information Week report said.
And so the story goes that integrating Live@edu “with in-house apps would be that much easier, and users would get a consistent experience whether they were working with the cloud tools or their existing software.”
Los Angeles Community College District CIO Jorge Mata tells IW:
“We wanted to make sure the experience was the same, as much as possible,” said Mata. “If I’m a faculty member and I’m teaching a class, and then go to my office to conduct some business, and then to a lab to help a student, if all those are using the same kinds of themes and interface then that was something important to us.” Mata added that if LACCD “was completely Google, then that would have been a major point [in Google's favor].”
Another requirement that Microsoft had to meet was for Live@edu to be accessible through multiple platforms, including Apple iPads and iPhones, and Google Android devices. “Our students would love to have laptops and tablets, but if they can buy only one thing it’s
Article source: http://www.wired.com/cloudline/2012/05/microsoft-office-lockin/
Android hackers hone skills in Russia
May 17th
CSO - The malware business growing around Google Android — now the leading smartphone operating system — is still in its infancy. Today, many of the apps built to steal money from Android users originate from Russia and China, so criminal gangs there have become cyber-trailblazers.
Sophos and Symantec on Wednesday released their latest Android malware discoveries written in Russian. While the language narrows the number of potential victims, the social-engineering tactics used to get Android users to install the malware is universal. The gang tracked by Sophos is using fake antivirus scanners, while Symantec is tracking cybercriminals using mobile websites to offer bogus versions of popular games.
[See also: Companies slow to react to mobile security threat]
Sophos says the criminals are like other entrepreneurs launching startups. They’re starting in Russia, but have far greater ambitions.
“I don’t think we can say that they’re necessarily using it as a testing ground — think of it more as a local business that as it grows may gain multinational ambitions,” Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, said in an email interview on Wednesday.
While criminals today are writing consumer-focused apps, it’s only a matter of time before the hackers go after corporate data, particularly if the number of people accessing employers’ networks with personal devices continue to grow, experts say. Android is the leading smartphone OS.
In the first quarter, 56% of the smartphones sold ran Android, compared with 23% with Apple iOS, according to the latest figures from Gartner.
The cyber scam tracked by Sophos was reported this week by GFI Lab, which discovered links to the bogus antivirus software on Twitter. Sophos
Article source: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9227243/Android_hackers_hone_skills_in_Russia
Kodak accuses Apple of interfering with patent sale
May 17th
Things are getting heated in Kodak’s patent battle with Apple. In a recent court filing noticed by Total Telecom, Kodak accused the Cupertino company of trying to interfere in its upcoming patent auction in order to avoid paying US$1 billion in penalties and royalty fees.
According to the court document, Kodak says Apple shouldn’t be allowed to claim ownership of a key Kodak imaging patent that describes a method of previewing a photo on an LCD. Kodak argues that the International Trade Commission and a US District Court have denied Apple’s ownership claims. Apple, however, continues to assert that Kodak misappropriated its technology to get the patent.
If Apple’s ownership is upheld, then the company would not have to pay royalties or any infringement penalties to Kodak. It would also prevent Kodak from paying off its creditors by selling this valuable patent in an auction.
Kodak asked the bankruptcy judge to consider this matter during a hearing scheduled for June 14. This would give the court a few weeks to make a decision before Kodak must file its patent auction rules and timeline with the bankruptcy court. Needless to say, Kodak’s patent auction would go smoother if there wasn’t an Apple ownership claim on one of the company’s most important patents.
Source: http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=473588G=5C=3page=1
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/17/kodak-accuses-apple-of-interfering-with-patent-sale/
Apple apparently censoring the word "jailbreak" in US iTunes Store
May 17th
Developers, musicians, and probably any other content provider in the U.S. iTunes Store have a new Apple policy to deal with this morning; you apparently can’t use the term “jailbreak” in a product description or name. If you do slip up, or happen to be like 70′s rock band Thin Lizzy and have a hit song and album by the name of “Jailbreak”, you’ll find that it has been censored by Apple.
Apple appears to be blanking out the word “Jailbreak” as J*******k in many cases where it appears on iTunes. Some Americans we’re talking to are not seeing the censorship, but we’re assuming that’s due to caching issues.
It’s not only in the music category; “jailbreak” is being censored on the App Store (above), in listings for TV episodes (including a G-rated episode of The Roy Rogers Show from 1951 — below), and even on a podcast on iTunes U about the Andy Griffith show. We’re not certain why Apple has chosen to do this — it could be that it’s an unintended outcome of trying to ban the use of the word on the App Store that went a little overboard. When the word “jailbreak” is outlawed, only outlaws will “jailbreak”…
Source: http://www.macrumors.com/2012/05/17/apple-censoring-jailbrea…
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/17/apple-apparently-censoring-the-word-jailbreak-in-us-itunes-sto/
Report: Americans have 28 percent more mobile apps in 2012
May 17th
If it feels like you not only have more apps on your iPhone, but that you’re spending more time in those apps, then you should congratulate yourself on being as savvy as pollster Nielsen. According to a report from the organization, the number of apps on the average smartphone increased from 32 to 41 — a jump of 28 percent — over the past year.
As you can see from the Nielsen infographic at the top of this post, the percentage of time spent by smartphone owners in apps rather than on the web has also climbed. The average smartphone user spends only about 19 percent of his or her time on the web; the rest of the time, native apps are being used.
The one other fascinating tidbit on the chart shows that the number of smartphone owners in the US has climbed from 38 million in 2011 to 84 million in 2012 — that’s a jump of 121 percent in just one calendar year.
[via Engadget]
Source: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/?p=31891
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/17/report-americans-have-28-percent-more-mobile-apps-in-2012/
Instacast pricing raises hackles: are apps bought or rented? [Updated]
May 17th
Update: I made a mistake about Instacast’s support for notifications in the original draft of this article. Please read my corrections at the end. My apologies, readers. –Rich
The release of Instacast v2.0 ruffled some feathers recently. Vemedio, publishers of the popular podcasting app, have taken the unusual step of switching business models with the new release. The old version of the app cost US$2.99; now it’s $0.99 for the basic version, with an in-app purchase (IAP) to upgrade to Instacast Pro for a further $1.99. However, several features that used to be in the v1.0 app, like push notifications (update: see note at end of post) and the ability to re-order podcasts in the list, have moved to the Pro version. This means existing customers who upgrade to the new releases have to pay again to access them. (I’m going to dub this tactic the Instacast Maneuver.)
Unsurprisingly, this hasn’t gone down too well with some longtime customers, who feel they are being unreasonably double-dipped. Angry one-star reviews for the latest version are accumulating in iTunes — although, to be fair, they are far outnumbered by positive reviews by people who like the new interface.
I think this is an interesting story, and it ties into something I’ve been meaning to write for a long time about the non-intuitive meanings of “ownership” in our increasingly on-demand all-digital world.
“It’s only two bucks!”
One of the most common reactions to the criticism is that it really isn’t much money and, basically, people should stop whining. As accurately stated by Harry Marks, we spend more money than this on bad coffee without blinking. Software upgrades of OS X cost $29, and Windows or Photoshop (amongst many others)
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/17/instacast-pricing-raises-hackles-are-apps-bought-or-rented/
Apple wins iPhone5.com domain name
May 17th
Apple’s attempt to wrest control the iPhone5.com domain name from the hands of a cybersquatter has been a success. TheNextWeb reports that the company’s complaint to the World Intellectual Properties Organization (WIPO) resulted in the iPhone5.com domain being handed over to Apple.
The fact that the company has re-obtained the domain name doesn’t necessarily mean that the next iPhone will be called the iPhone 5, nor that Apple will ever use the domain name. In fact, the domain is currently being held by Corporation Service Company, a firm that specializes in brand protection and may have been used by Apple to grab ownership.
In the world of intellectual property law, it is considered vital for organizations to actively protect trademarks. In this case, the domain had been registered in 2008 by a group that operated an online forum. While registering the domain, the former owners noted that “it was not endorsed, sponsored, nor otherwise affiliated with Apple” and was “for the sole purpose of entertainment and knowledge.”
Apple hasn’t been as aggressive in protecting other domain names. It does not own iPad.com, and hasn’t attempted to take control of the name. Apple did manage to acquire iPods.com after a protracted battle, but doesn’t own iBooks.com (publishing rival Barnes Noble does) or iBookstore.com.
With all of Apple’s intellectual property battles raging around the world, it must feel good to win a small skirmish like this.
Source: http://thenextweb.com/apple/2012/05/17/apple-wins-dispute-ov…
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/17/apple-wins-iphone5-com-domain-name/
Time Warner Cable, Viacom settle dispute over TV iPad app
May 17th
Time Warner Cable and Viacom announced in a joint press release that the two companies have resolved their disagreement over video streaming to mobile devices. Details of the settlement were not announced.
The new-found friendliness means Viacom shows like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart will be available to Time Warner Cable subscribers who watch TV via the TWC TV app. The additional channels should be added in the next few weeks. Customers can download The TWC TV app from the iOS App Store for free. It requires a Time Warner Cable subscription.
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iPad, iPhone, time warner cable, TimeWarnerCable, TV, TWC, twc tv, TwcTv, viacom, video streaming, VideoStreaming
Source: http://www.twcableuntangled.com/2012/05/we-are-adding-viacom…
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/17/time-warner-cable-viacom-settle-dispute-over-tv-ipad-app/