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| Saturday, May 31, 2008 |
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Apple releases security update for Mac OS X and OS X Server v. 10.4.11
Posted by Elinor Mills
May 28, 2008 6:06 PM PDT
Apple released a hefty security update for the Mac OS X and OS X Server on Wednesday that fixes more than 40 vulnerabilities, a number of which could be exploited to enable someone to run programs on the machine remotely or lead to the disclosure of sensitive data.
Security Update 2008-003 is for Mac OS X v 10.4.11 and Mac OS X Server v 10.4.11. The fixes are included in the latest Leopard edition, Mac OS X v 10.5.3, which also was released on Wednesday.
The software fixes vulnerabilities that could have led to arbitrary code execution and/or unexpected application termination related implemntaton of: AFP Server, AppKit, Apple Pixlet Video, ATS, CoreFoundation, CoreGraphics, Flash Player Plug-in, Help Viewer, and iCal. The iCal vulnerability was discovered by Core Security, which last week announced it had found three vulnerabilities in iCal.
It also fixes vulnerabilities that could have led to disclosure of sensitive information related to implementation of technologies including CUPS, International Components for Unicode, and CFNetwork when visiting a maliciously crafted Web site due to an issue in Safari's SSL client certificate handling.
Meanwhile, other updates fix vulnerabilities that could lead to information disclosure and allow a local user to manipulate files with the privileges of another user in Mail; allow a remote attacker to read arbitrary files related to Ruby; expose passwords supplied to sso_util to other local users when using Single Sign-On; expose user names on servers with Wiki Server enabled to a remote attacker; and not warn users before opening certain potentially unsafe content types.
In addition, the software fixes a vulnerability that could lead to information disclosure when viewing a maliciously crafted BMP or GIF image and lead to unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution when viewing a maliciously crafted JPEG2000 image file.
Security Update 2008-003 and Mac OS X v 10.5.3 are available from Apple's Software Downloads Web site.
Source: CnetLabels: AFP, Apple, iCal, Mac OS X |
| posted by Perimbean @ 1:15 AM |
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Apple to make major studios’ films available for download
May 29, 2008
by Dan Sabbagh
Apple is poised to announce it will start selling films from four major Hollywood studios for download in the UK as part of its iTunes internet service at prices on a par with DVDs.
The company intends to unveil agreements with Disney, the studio behind the Pirates of the Caribbean series and Paramount, the company behind the Indiana Jones picture.
Exact pricing details were not available last night, but studio sources said that they “would not want to undercut DVD prices”. That would imply prices ranging anywhere from £6 to £25.
Twentieth Century Fox, the studio owned by News Corporation, the parent company of The Times, and Warner Brothers, the Time Warner company that is behind the Harry Potter series and the Matrix trilogy are the other two majors to sign up.
Amazon and Play.com already sell DVDs on line. Sweeney Todd, the dramatisation of the familiar story starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter, and distributed by Warner Brothers and Paramount’s DreamWorks was on sale last night from Amazon at £12.98 and from Play.com at £12.99 — an indication of the potential pricing via Apple’s film-enabled iTunes service.
It is the first time that Hollywood films have been available to Britons, although similar agreements have been struck for the United States already. Canada is also expected to be covered by the new agreement.
Films will be available both for outright purchase and for rent, along the lines of video on demand services already available on Virgin Media and Sky, the satellite broadcaster, 39.1 per cent owned by News Corporation.
The exact date on which popular films will be made available is yet to be finalised, and the release schedule is up to the studios. However, the expectation is that studios will make films available for iTunes at prices that are compatible with movie rental for video on demand and with DVD for sales — and popular titles such as the Warner’s Harry Potter series will be available within the next few months.
Smaller studios such as Lions Gate, the horror specialist, and MGM, the independent studio behind the James Bond series, are also understood to be party to the impending deal, leaving only Sony Pictures, the producer of The Da Vinci Code, and Universal Studios, home to King Kong, outside the anticipated agreement.
The Hollywood studios remain mindful of the need to protect the still large revenue stream from the area, although DVD sales declined by between 2 and 3 per cent last year. In the UK the DVD market was flat in 2007 by value, amid pricing pressure from supermarkets who are keen to sell films at a discount to woo consumers.
Studio executives believe that it is possible to increase revenues through downloading because there is evidence from the United States that extra promotion and the availability of films on multiple platforms boosts interest. They are also confident that Apple is willing to accept varying price points for films, even though the technology giant insists that music should be priced at 79p per song regardless of how much in demand it is.
Source: TimesOnlineLabels: Amazon, Apple, iTunes, Play.com, Time Warner, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Brothers |
| posted by Perimbean @ 1:10 AM |
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| Friday, May 30, 2008 |
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Apple updates Leopard, issues 68 fixes
But it doesn't patch some iCal security bugs
By Gregg Keizer
May 28, 2008 (Computerworld) More than three months after it last updated Mac OS X, Apple Inc. today released 10.5.3, an upgrade for its Leopard operating system that boasts nearly 70 stability, compatibility and security improvements and fixes.
Apple did not include patches for two of three iCal vulnerabilities that were made public a week ago, however.
Mac OS X 10.5.3, the third upgrade to Leopard since Apple launched the current in October 2007, addresses issues in several components and bundled applications, ranging from the Address Book and Automator to Time Machine and VoiceOver.
Apple also listed a baker's dozen under a "General" category that included a fix for hard drives that wouldn't show in the Finder; an improvement in Spotlight, the OS's built-in search tool, for searches done on AFP volumes; and a patch for stuttering audio and video playback from certain USB-based hardware.
AirPort, Apple's label for its wireless technology, got a pair of fixes: one to improve wireless reliability in general, the other to boost reliability when used with the company's relatively new Time Capsule router-cum-backup-device that debuted earlier this year.
iChat, the Mac OS's bundled instant messaging and video conferencing application, received five fixes; Mail, Apple's own e-mail client, got 10; and Time Machine was the target of seven.
The Time Machine fixes, said Apple, resolve issues when backing up a notebook running on battery power, and address a reliability problem some users have encountered when restoring from a Time Machine backup.
Apple also tucked eight fixes for iCal, its personal scheduling program, into the 10.5.3 update, but failed to patch two of the three security vulnerabilities disclosed last week by Core Security Technologies.
It appears Apple did patch the most serious of the three -- dubbed CVE-2008-1035 -- which Core said was the only one of the three it had proven could be used to insert malicious code into a Mac.
The three iCal bugs, which were reported to Apple in January 2008, were revealed last Wednesday by Core after it had repeatedly been asked by Apple to delay publishing its findings. Core decided to unveil the vulnerabilities after Apple again postponed its patches.
"No vendor moves as fast as the vulnerability researcher wants them to," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Network Security Inc.
Storms refused to blame either side. "It generally takes a major vendor, like Microsoft or Apple, about six to eight months to get a patch released," he said. "But Core had every right to push the vendor into delivering the patch."
In a follow-on interview last week, Ivan Arce, Core Technologies' chief technology officer, said that the current version of iCal is vulnerable to the flaws, one of which he considered critical. But his team had not found evidence of any in-the-wild attacks trying to trigger the iCal vulnerabilities.
"It wouldn't take a whole lot of reverse engineering to figure this out," Storms said, referring to the ease with which attackers would be able to put two and two together from Core's disclosures. "It's a valid concern," he added. "The moment you click on a malformed .ics file, you're done."
Apple did not respond to an e-mail Wednesday asking when it would patch the remaining two iCal vulnerabilities.
Mac OS X 10.5.3 can be downloaded manually from the Apple site, or retrieved and installed using Mac OS X's integrated update feature.
Correction: This story has been updated to note that Apple patched one of the three iCal vulnerabilities disclosed last week.
Source: ComputerworldLabels: Address Book, AFP, Airport, Apple, iCal, iChat, Leopard, Mac OS X, Time Capsule, Time Machine, VoiceOver |
| posted by Perimbean @ 1:00 AM |
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| Thursday, May 29, 2008 |
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Two weeks until Apple’s WWDC event: Some keynote wild card options
MG SIEGLER | MAY 26TH, 2008
We’re now two weeks away from Apple chief executive Steve Jobs taking the stage at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) to give the keynote address. It’s pretty well accepted that the big announcement at the event will be the launch of the 3G iPhone, but Jobs does love his wild cards — could there be something else in the works as well?
An event with a 3G iPhone and the launch of the 2.0 software for the device wouldn’t need anything else — I foresee a lot of talk about amazing native applications built with the software development kit (SDK) — but if Jobs really wanted to make jaws drop, here are a few possibilities:
A smaller, cheaper second version of the iPhone. Think of this as perhaps an “iPhone Nano.” There is a lot of speculation that AT&T may subsidize the new 3G iPhone all the way down to $199 — but most analysts and experts are in agreement that it really doesn’t need to; the thing will sell like hot cakes even at $399. There are also some interesting questions this raises. Such as, if the sign-up process is once again online through iTunes, will users be getting $200 rebates after the fact?
Instead, what if Apple had a second version of the phone it intended to sell at the lower price point? Maybe this version would be a bit smaller than the current one and would lack some of the functionality, such as video streaming (if that is included in the 3G iPhone). This talk of a cheaper, smaller version of the iPhone has been around for about a year now, but nothing has come of it — yet.
A tablet Mac or new version of the Newton PDA device. While there are multiple rumors that Apple is working on such a device, a launch alongside the 3G iPhone is probably very unlikely. Still, imagine a larger version of the iPhone that was a full-powered computer. Maybe it has a 3G chip built in as well, but also has USB ports and even more advanced multi-touch capabilities. Some are betting on a launch of such a device this fall, others say 2009, but wouldn’t this just make a killer “One more thing…”?
Would anyone still want a Kindle? What about an Ultra-mobile PC (UMPC)? Did anyone want one of those to begin with?
A new Apple TV. While the Apple TV got a software upgrade and price cut at MacWorld in January, the box itself didn’t actually change. With increased pressure from the likes of Netflix and its Roku-built set-top box, this could change.
Apple hasn’t significantly updated the Mac Mini in years. (I would even say that it has never gotten a significant upgrade since its launch over three years ago.) What if Apple merged the Apple TV and the Mac Mini for the ultimate living room device?
Full computing capabilities, an optical drive, the ability to act as a digital video recorder (DVR) — yeah, I’d buy one in a second.
A revamped iTunes. While most people will focus on new gadgets, Apple is said to be working with the record labels on some new deals that could alter the iTunes store. Certainly the ability to buy music and ringtones any time and any place on the 3G network seems like a no-brainer. But what if Apple goes really wild and launches a subscription-based version of iTunes?
Apple is falling behind other services in terms of its DRM-free music availability, quality and its pricing isn’t even the best at all times anymore. This, combined with all the pressure it’s getting from rivals for its video content on iTunes (see above with the Apple TV), means iTunes itself could be in for a major shakeup soon.
If you think Apple won’t mess with something that is still working so well, note that it stopped making its best-selling iPod, the Mini, when it was still the king to launch the iPod Nano.
A revamped .Mac service. Apple tries hard to sell its .Mac online syncing service whenever you buy a new computer, but most people simply don’t need to pay $99 a year when there are plenty of free options that do the same things — though a little less conveniently. There has been talk for a while that Apple would need to make .Mac more meaningful, and full integration with the iPhone at a much lower price point could certainly help that.
New MacBooks. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster believes Apple will use the WWDC to launch some newly designed MacBooks as well. Other whispers are starting to circulate that Apple could completely revamp the product this fall, so an update at WWDC could just be an incremental one — if it happens at all. We previously wrote a bit about Munster’s comments here.
iPhone to China. This wouldn’t be huge news to many people in the WWDC audience — unless they were financial analysts. It’s no secret that Apple wants to get its device into the massive Chinese market. Recent news of the Chinese government’s overhaul of the telecomm industry could finally open the door. Forget the 3G iPhone, if Jobs announced a deal to get the iPhone to China at the WWDC, the company’s stock price could soar through the roof.
Conclusion
Some of these options are more likely than others, but all are far from sure-bets. They’re wild cards, plain and simple. Given Jobs’ penchant for mesmerizing people with one product and then tossing in another one from left field, you never know what you’ll see at an Apple event. In two weeks we’ll know for sure.
Source: VentureBeatLabels: Apple, iMac, iPhone, Mac Mini, Newton, WWDC |
| posted by Perimbean @ 11:45 AM |
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Apple Reportedly Looking At Solar Power For Mobile Devices
Apple is not the first to consider this technique for using solar power; Motorola describes a similar approach in a 2001 patent.
By Antone Gonsalves
InformationWeek
May 27, 2008 08:08 PM
Apple is reportedly looking into solar panels as a power source for handheld devices and portable computers.
A recently published patent application discovered by the Apple enthusiast site MacRumors.com describes a technique in which solar panels would be built behind a portable device's LCD screen. From that location, the panels could absorb ambient light that passes through.
The technique would eliminate the need for Apple to redesign its iPods and laptops to make room for the new technology, MacRumors said. Among the problems with using solar panels on devices are durability and the need to take up valuable space on the compact devices.
Apple isn't the first to consider this technique for using solar power. Motorola describes a similar approach in a 2001 patent described in the blog TreeHugger.
Apple and technology companies routinely apply for patents on technology that may never find its way into products.
The U.S. Patent Office this year granted Apple a patent that describes a new instant messaging interface for touch-screen devices, such as the iPhone and iPod Touch. The technology lets users manipulate chat conversations in real time by editing old chats. It also enables people to embed video and images, which is something the iPhone can't do today.
In April, Apple filed two patent applications that describe improvements in head-mounted displays, which typically combine one or two small display screens with magnifying lenses inside a helmet or glasses. Apple claimed in the applications that its approach provides a "a wider field of view and [creates] a more natural viewing situation for a user of a head-mounted display, which results in improved comfort and usability for head mounted displays."
In March, an Apple patent application filed described a three-dimensional display system that could be used in computers for displaying 3-D images.
Apple doesn't comment on future products.
Source: InformationWeekLabels: Apple, ipod, Motorola |
| posted by Perimbean @ 1:00 AM |
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| Wednesday, May 28, 2008 |
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Apple Will Rule Home Entertainment By 2013
By Branko Miletic | Friday | 23/05/2008
According to a report by Forrester Research and Computerworld, Apple will be the king of the living room in five years, with the company being firmly implanted in homes by 2013.
According to the report, Apple will leverage its existing products like the iPod, iPhone and Mac and its iTunes and retail Apple Stores that unite home audio and video with IT.
Moreover Forrester has predicted that Apple will:
-- Release a home server that "doesn't contain the word 'server.'"
-- Produce an all-in-one super remote that controls everything musical in the house, including iPods, the home stereo and audio-playing computers.
-- Sell network-enabled digital photo frames and room-specific "clock radios" that stream images and tunes from the server.
-- Extend the AppleTV into Blu-ray territory, or morph it into an Apple HDTV line.
-- Offer in-home installation services.
-- Revamp its Apple Stores into retail outlets that push the digital living room/digital lifestyle.
-- And push iTunes so it ties together digital content with cloud-based updates, remote management and editing.
Furthermore the report also pointed out what Apple would not become in five years. It won't, for example, "turn itself into a company that serves enterprise IT, or one that boasts an end-to-end presence in the mobile market by purchasing a mobile carrier or running its own network".
The report concluded that Apple has bigger ambitions, and that it's only interested in "having a love affair with consumers. And there's no better place for that love affair to culminate than in the home and the living room."
Source: SmartHouseLabels: Apple, Blu-ray, HD, HDTV, iTunes |
| posted by Perimbean @ 11:45 AM |
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Apple's Sydney Store To Open Next Week?
1:23 PM ON MON MAY 26 2008
As the countdown to June 9 and the Apple WWDC gets closer, more and more rumours are flying off the shelves regarding Apple's next-gen iPhone. But another big Apple launch may be happening even earlier if a conversation the guys from TechWiredAU had with some construction workers is true.
The guys were making their way down to CeBit last week via the corner of George and King streets in Sydney when they had a little conversation with some construction workers who said the store would be opening next week. Which would be this week, going off the date of the video. So are Apple about to wrench the covers off the store on an unsuspecting public without warning? In a word - no.
Overnight, some signage went up to tell people that the building is actually going to be an Apple flagship store, as you can see from the photo above. As silly as it sounds, Apple aren't going to put up a "Coming Soon" sign only to rip it down in the same week.
Then there's the rumour that Mr Jobs will be on hand to open the store first hand. If it is true (and part of me keeps looking at my X-Files styled "I want to believe" poster every time I think about it) then it probably won't happen until mid-to-late June at the earliest.
I'm sure Apple will be inviting local media to the opening, so as soon as I receive my invite, you guys will know.
Source: GizmodoLabels: Apple, WWDC |
| posted by Perimbean @ 11:45 AM |
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| Tuesday, May 27, 2008 |
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TeliaSonera, Apple sign deal to sell iPhone in Nordic, Baltic countries - Quick Facts
5/27/2008 3:15 AM ET
(RTTNews) - TeliaSonera (TLSNF.PK: News, Chart, Quote , TEE.L, TLSN: News, Chart, Quote ) announced the signing of an agreement with Apple Inc. (AAPL: News, Chart, Quote ) to bring the iPhone to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia soon this year.
TeliaSonera is a telecommunication services provider in the Nordic and Baltic countries, in Spain and the emerging markets of Eurasia, including Russia and Turkey.
by RTT Staff WriterLabels: Apple, iPhone |
| posted by Perimbean @ 12:58 AM |
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| Sunday, May 25, 2008 |
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GeForce 9500 Series
- GeForce 9500 GT
- 65nm G96/D9M GPU
- 32 Stream Processors.
- 550 MHz core, with a 1375 MHz unified shader clock.
- 256 MB 1600 MHz GDDR3 memory with a 128-bit memory bus, although the memory type might change prior to release.
- Will support DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0, OpenGL 2.1, and PCI-Express 2.0.
- Supports 3rd generation PureVideo technology and Hybrid Power technology.
On 21 February 2008 the Geforce 9600 GT was officially launched.
GeForce 9600 Series
- 65nm G94/D9M GPU.
- 64 Stream Processors.
- 16 Raster Operation(ROP) units, 32 Texture Address(TA)/Texture Filter(TF) units.
- 20.8 billion texels/s fillrate.
- 650 MHz core clock, with a 1625 MHz unified shader clock.
- 1800 MHz memory, with a 256-bit memory interface.
- 256 MB, 512 MB, or 1 GB of GDDR3 memory[6].
- 57.6 GB/s memory bandwidth for boards configured with GDDR3 900 MHz memory.
- 505M transistor count
- DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0, OpenGL 2.1, and PCI-Express 2.0[7].
- Is compatible with HDCP, but the implementation will depend on the manufacturer.
- Supports CUDA and the Quantum Effects physics processing engine.
- Almost double the performance of the previous Nvidia mid-range card, the GeForce 8600GTS.
- Estimated by NVIDIA to cost between $169-$189 MSRP.
Geforce 9600 GSO
The Geforce 9600 GSO is essentially a renamed 8800 GS. It seems they are repositioning the card into the 9*** series to combat slower than expected sales of the 8800 GS. Just like the 8800 GS the 9600 GSO features 96 stream processors, a 550Mhz core clock with shaders clocked at 1,375Mhz, and 384MB memory clocked at 1,600Mhz on a 192-bit memory bus.
GeForce 9800 Series
The GeForce 9800 series is reported to have GX2 (dual GPU), GTX, GTS, GT, and GS variants.
GeForce 9800 GX2
On 18 March 2008 the GeForce 9800 GX2 was officially launched.
The GeForce 9800 GX2 is reported to have the following specifications:.
- Dual PCBs, dual GPU design
- 197 W power consumption
- Two 65nm process GPUs, with 256 total Stream Processors (128 per PCB).
- The 9800 GX2 is at least 30% faster than the 8800 Ultra.
- Supports Quad SLI.
- 1 GiB (512 MB per PCB) memory framebuffer.
- Supports DirectX 10, Shader Model 4, OpenGL 2.1, and PCI-Express 2.0.
- Outputs include two DVI ports, an HDMI output, and S/PDIF in connector on-board for routing audio through the HDMI cable
- An 8-pin and a 6-pin power connector.
- Clocks (Core/Shader/Memory): 600 MHz/1500 MHz/2000 MHz.
- 256-bit memory interface
- 128 GB/s memory bandwidth
- Released date: March 18, 2008
- Launch price of $599.
GeForce 9800 GTX
On 1 April 2008 the GeForce 9800 GTX was officially launched.
- 128 Stream Processors.
- Clocks (Core/Shader/Memory): 675 MHz/1688 MHz/2200 MHz
- 256-bit memory interface.
- 512 MB of GDDR3 memory.
- 70.4 GB/s memory bandwidth
- Texture Fill Rate (billion/sec) 43.2
- DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0, OpenGL 2.1, and PCI-Express 2.0.
- Release date was 2008-04-01.
- Launch Price of $349.
GeForce GTX 200 Series
It has been reported that Nvidia's upcoming GPUs codenamed GT200 (including the D10U-30 and D10U-20) will be named as GeForce GTX 280. Another slower GPU previously thought to be the GeForce 9900 GTS will be the GeForce GTX 260. These GPUs are expected to be launched between June 16th and June 20th. The GeForce GTX 280, the top end model, will launch with support for nVidia's technologies CUDA, PhysX and an upgraded version of PurevideoHD. The GeForce GTX 260, the high end model, will also support the same technologies as the 280. The GTX 280 is expected to be priced at over $600 and the GTX 260, at $449. The die size of GTX 280 and 260 is 576 mm^2 on a 65 nm process.
NVIDIA 9600 GT Has Launched - New Mid-Range GFX King?
Galaxy is launching a very different 9600 GT, featuring a custom board design, dual slot cooler, two BIOS and windows flash tool, it is geared toward the enthusiasts out there. This sample comes factory overclocked we compare its performance to a reference 9600 GT video card, as well as a 8800 GT, 8800 GTS and AMD's pride: HD3870. Read on to find out of this product is the best mainstream card out there!
Here are the different boards available from all known and lesser known companies:
Reviews from the big boys:
* Anandtech
* HardOCP
* Techreport
Source: WikipediaLabels: GeForce, GS, GT, GTS, GTX, GX2, Nvidia, SLI |
| posted by Perimbean @ 10:30 PM |
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Anti-malware group scolds Apple over Safari 'carpet bomb'
Stopbadware.org asks Apple to reconsider its refusal to address the flaw in its browser as a security problem
by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld
May 22, 2008
An anti-malware organization has called on Apple to beef up its Safari Web browser to protect users from exploits that could let attackers download malicious code to a Mac or Windows user's desktop.
Stopbadware.org, a group founded by Google, Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group, and Sun Microsystems, on Monday asked Apple to reconsider its refusal to address the flaw as a security problem.
"StopBadware.org believes that users should have control over software being downloaded to their computers, and we encourage Apple to reconsider its stance and treat this as the security issue that it is," Stopbadware.org said in an appeal posted to its Web site.
"Apple's Safari browser likened to malware" and "Apple dismisses Safari download issue."
The group's concern centered around an issue made public a week ago by Nitesh Dhanjani, a security researcher and the co-author of the book "Network Security Tools." In a post to his own blog last week, Dhanjani spelled out what he called a "carpet bomb" attack possible via Safari.
According to Dhanjani, attackers could take advantage of the fact that Safari lacks an option to require a user's permission to download a file. Those attackers, Dhanjani claimed, could populate a malicious site with rogue code that in turn would automatically litter a user's desktop with malware.
Although Dhanjani praised Apple's security team for its rapid response to his queries, he also noted that the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer and consumer electronics maker passed on updating Safari to lock out such attacks.
After he suggested that Apple add a setting to Safari that could be toggled to ask the user before downloads are allowed, Dhanjani said he received this reply from the company's security group: "... the ability to have a preference to 'Ask me before downloading anything' is a good suggestion. We can file that as an enhancement request for the Safari team."
However, the issue is not a security problem, said Apple. "Please note that we are not treating this as a security issue, but a further measure to raise the bar against unwanted downloads."
Other browsers, including Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox, include options that prompt users before initiating downloads of some or all file types.
"Assuming Nitesh's analysis is accurate, 'unwanted downloads,' as Apple calls them, represent a serious security threat to users, who can be easily tricked into executing a malicious file," argued Stopbadware.org.
The group has rebuked Apple before. In March, when Apple started using its software update utility to push Safari 3.1 to Windows users, Stopbadware.org first noted the move, then later said that, following its usual practice, it had notified Apple it would soon issue a "badware" alert for the company's Software Update.
The day before Stopbadware.org was set to release that alert, Apple modified how the updater offered Safari 3.1, separating updates for already-installed programs from offers to install new software.
Apple did not reply to a request for comment on its security team's decision against adding a user-approval option to Safari.
Source: InfoWorldLabels: Apple, Safari |
| posted by Perimbean @ 2:27 AM |
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| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
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The World's First 65 W Desktop Quad Core
1:30 AM - May 21, 2008 by Frank Voelkel
Introduction
As far as performance is concerned, AMD is lagging behind its competitor Intel. But few users other than gamers still care solely about performance. In this age of burgeoning energy prices, AMD has an ace up its sleeve: the world’s first quad core CPU that consumes as little as 65 W (TDP). In comparison, Intel’s smallest quad core absorbs 95 W (TDP), despite the fact that Intel is already using 45 nm technology and AMD is still at 65 nm.
In terms of power consumption, AMD’s platform as a whole — motherboard, CPU and graphics chip — is not bad either. Its performance is perfectly adequate for office work and entertainment, though not for games. The integrated graphics engine in the 780G chipset is capable of rendering Blu-ray movies in 1920 HD resolution under maximum CPU load without jitter via HDMI. With Intel, this is only possible with a separate graphics card, as a comparable platform is not yet available.
AMD still has difficulties with high clock frequencies. While Intel’s quad core easily touches the 3 GHz mark, AMD is barely capable of 2.5 GHz. The Phenom X4 9100e presented in this article operates at 1.8 GHz.
Compared to classic Athlon 64 X2 CPUs, the first Phenom models with the B2 stepping featured improved power efficiency, but due to a TLB error — largely irrelevant in practice — the maximum clock rate had to be limited to 2.30 GHz. The B3 stepping eliminated the error, allowing the clock rate to be pushed up to 2.50 GHz. As even the B3 update failed to provide a major boost to the clock rate of the Phenom core, AMD was forced to increase the core voltage. Thus, the Phenom X4 with the B3 stepping is characterized by an extremely high power consumption (TDP) of 125 W.
Nevertheless, Tom’s hardware test of Phenom X3 CPUs provides evidence that AMD is capable of reducing the Phenom’s power consumption by optimizing the production process. Using a core based on the B3 stepping, the voltage and current requirements are much lower compared to the quad-core models at the same clock rate.
The following sections will shed light on how AMD was able to set the bar at 65 W.
Like all Phenom CPUs, the 9100e is also produced via a 65 nm process. In terms of technical features, it is completely identical to the conventional Phenom X4 CPU; the only differences are clock rates and the supply voltage. On the low-power Phenom, the speed of the memory controller and Hypertransport protocol has been set to 1600 MHz. The standard Phenom X4 runs these components at 1800 MHz, while the Phenom X4 9850 Black Edition has a clock rate of 2000 MHz.
MC = memory controller, HTT = hypertransport link
The low-power model does not have an unlocked multiplier.
Core Voltage: only 1.10 V
The fact that the Phenom X4 9100e is a low-power CPU is evident from the core voltage: at full throttle, the quad core CPU gets by with 1.100 V.
The tool Core Temp reads out the VID of the 9100e CPU correctly. Evidently, the board manufacturers did not expect that AMD would introduce a Phenom CPU with such a low supply voltage to the market; on our MSI K9A2 Platinum board, the voltage cannot be adjusted manually. The VID is only set to 1.100 V if the board is set to auto. The board supplies the CPU with 1.096 V; at this supply voltage, CPU operation is absolutely stable.
The manual setting of the MSI board for the core voltage begins at 1.128 V.
The table shows the voltages used by our models.
If the Phenom 9100e enters the Cool’n’Quiet power-saving mode when idle, its core voltage drops from 1.10 V to 1.00 V.
In Cool’n’Quiet mode, the Phenom 9100e lowers its voltage to 1.00 V; the Phenom X3 reduces its supply voltage to 1.050 V.
By comparison, the Phenom X3, whose power loss is also much lower than that of the classic Phenom X4, reduces its voltage to 1.05 V.
Overclocking to 2.40 GHz: the Board Is the Limit
The Phenom 9100e has greater overclocking potential than the other Phenom X3 and X4 models. We were able to overclock the Phenom 9100e from its standard clock rate of 1.80 GHz to 2.40 GHz without increasing the core voltage.
At its original voltage of 1.100 V, the Phenom 9100e operates smoothly at 2.40 GHz.
There is, however, a slight hitch. As the Phenom 9100e has a fixed multiplier of 9x, it can only be overclocked by raising the front-side bus. To achieve a CPU rate of 2.40 GHz, we had to increase the FSB from 200 MHz to 266 MHz. This elevated FSB represents the limit for the AMD 790FX chipset with the SB700 southbridge. With a good portion of luck and by increasing all board voltages, some boards can be stepped up to 295 MHz. Most, though, are not stable enough for long-term operation in such a configuration.
When clocked to the level of a Phenom X4 9750, the power consumption of Phenom X4 9100e is fascinating — see the next page.
CPU Power Loss: 63.9 Watts Under Full Load
Our measurement confirms AMD’s TDP specifications. Under full load of all four CPU cores with Prime95, we measured a power consumption of 63.95 W. Our measurement also includes the power loss of the voltage stabilizers, so the Phenom X4 9100e actually consumes even less power.
In response to the many inquiries of our readers, we included Intel’s Core 2 Quad Q9450 in the power measurements. As we could only get hold of a 45 nm Intel CPU, the Core 2 Extreme QX9770, we simulated the Core 2 Quad Q9450. The freely selectable multiplier was set to 8.0 and the FSB to 333 MHz; the CPU’s core voltage was 1.2875 V. Our Core 2 Extreme QX9770 was a sample with C0 stepping.
Compared to the Phenom X3, which has one CPU core less, the low-power Phenom’s power consumption is approximately 10.5 W lower. Though the clock rate of the 9100e is 300 MHz below that of the Phenom X3, it also consumes less power at the same clock rate.
Compared to the other Phenom X4 CPUs, AMD’s Phenom 9100e succeeds in saving the power consumption equivalent of one CPU core.
For more detailed information, please go to the link below. :D
Source: Toms Hardware
Labels: AMD, Intel, Phenom |
| posted by Perimbean @ 3:00 AM |
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| Thursday, May 22, 2008 |
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How AT&T spilled the Starbucks beans
MAY 10, 2008, 9:07 AM
Here’s one thing the folks at Apple could teach their friends at AT&T: how to parcel out the good news.
Case in point: the Starbucks-iPhone-Wi-Fi deal that’s been on and off all week and generating all the wrong kind of headlines (see for example, here).
If Steve Jobs were running AT&T, he would have kept it simple. And a surprise. The first we would have heard about it would be when he announced it, with a flourish, as a fait accompli. Starting today, free unlimited Wi-Fi for every iPhone owner at all 7,000 Starbucks coffee shops and every other AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot — 17,000 in the U.S., 70,000 around the world.
Boom.
What we got instead was the public relations equivalent of second-day coffee, starting with the press release AT&T (T) issued back in February. The 13-paragraph document talks about free Wi-Fi for “AT&T broadband, AT&T U-verseSM Internet [and] AT&T’s remote access services business customers” but never mentions Apple (AAPL) or the iPhone — two hot-button words that would have given the news some real buzz.
Instead reporters focused on the fact that Starbucks (SBUX) was pulling the plug on T-Mobile, which had been providing it with wireless service since 2001.
Then, last week, without warning, AT&T turned the service on. I spotted it on April 30 when I tried to log on to my T-Mobile account and discovered an AT&T link that wasn’t there the day before. I was already thinking about how many extra shots of espresso I could buy with the $39 a month I would save.
And I was not alone. Apple rumor sites that day were flooded with tips from both coasts alerting them that iPhone owners were getting free Wi-Fi at Starbucks by just by typing in their 10-digit AT&T phone number. AT&T had apparently launched a nationwide test without telling anyone.
Then, four days later, the service stopped, as abruptly and mysteriously as it started, setting off waves of confusion and speculation about what the company’s on-again, off-again behavior might mean.
You might think that AT&T would have learned their lesson. But no. On Thursday, the text on its website was changed to add language about the new service — “access to AT&T’s more than 17,000 Wi-Fi hotspots, including Starbucks* all for use (sic) in the U.S.” — that iPhone owners took as a signal that the game was on for good.
Then the language disappeared, along with the Wi-Fi service, triggering another round of second-guessing.
Apparently the habit of firing before aiming — not to mention clearing it with publicity — had spread from AT&T’s networking guys to its marketing staff.
Officially, both AT&T and Apple have no comment, but the folks in Cupertino are clearly miffed. They saw the Starbucks deal as big news for iPhone owners, and they had hoped to work with AT&T to package it for high-profile release, probably in a matter of weeks.
They would have done it right.
Source: CNNMoneyLabels: Apple, iPhone, Starbucks, T-Mobile |
| posted by Perimbean @ 11:50 PM |
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Napster Challenges Apple's ITunes With MP3 Store
By Damon Poeter, ChannelWeb
2:50 PM EDT Tue. May. 20, 2008
Struggling music subscription service provider Napster thinks it has what it takes to finally challenge Apple (NSDQ:AAPL)'s dominant iTunes Store. The Los Angeles-based company on Tuesday launched what it is calling "the world's largest and most comprehensive MP3 store," available online at www.napster.com/store.
"Our goal is to enrich your life with music, in ways that are personalized to you," said Napster COO Christopher Allen Tuesday in a statement. "Napster now offers a truly complete and synergistic digital music destination, where music lovers can not only discover and listen to music, but also buy and own everything they want in MP3 format, which works on any music player. The combination offers consumers the best of both worlds."
The store features 6 million downloadable songs in DRM-free MP3 format, or 50 percent more than "any other MP3 store," according to Napster. Apple's iTunes also has a catalog of some 6 million songs, but only about 2 million are DRM-free and the bulk are in the less cross-platform compatible AAC format.
Napster, by making what appears to be its entire catalog available for a price as DRM-free music files, will offer customers songs that can be played on any device, including iPods. Apple's AAC files can be converted by purchasers to DRM-free versions when those become available, but with a 30 percent surcharge.
Napster won't charge a monthly fee for browsing the new download store as it does for its existing unlimited-subscription service, which costs $12.95 for an on-demand streaming service and $14.95 for a portable syncing service. Pricing for download sales will remain at 99 cents for MP3 singles and $9.95 for "most" albums, according to the vendor. The "vast majority" of the company's catalog "is available at a high-quality 256kbps bitrate," according to Napster.
Napster has also revised its Web interface, which means store visitors no longer have to download software to browse. Windows, Mac OS and Linux running Firefox 2.x or Internet Explorer 7.x are all supported. Non-subscribers can preview music at Napster in 30 second clips. The portable device syncing service still requires a download of Napster software which runs only on Windows XP or Vista and requires Windows Media Player 10.
"Music fans have spoken and it's clear they need the convenience, ease of use and broad interoperability of the DRM-free MP3 format, and they want to be able to find both major label artists and independent music all in one place. Napster is delighted to deliver all of this and more with the world's largest MP3 catalog," said Napster CEO Chris Gorog in a statement.
The Napster brand, formerly associated with the pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing service built by Shawn Fanning and others, was purchased and reconfigured in 2003 by a company called Roxio following Napster's extensive legal battles with the recording industry and subsequent bankruptcy auction in 2002. Roxio has since changed its name to Napster.
Source: ChannelWebLabels: Apple, iTunes, Napster, Roxio |
| posted by Perimbean @ 2:20 AM |
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DoD reviewing Apple's bid for PA Semi
Rick Merritt
EE Times
(05/20/2008 5:06 PM EDT)
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Defense is reviewing Apple Inc.'s acquisition of embedded PowerPC designer PA Semi Inc. The acquisition put into jeopardy the future for the startup's processor which reportedly has been designed into a wide variety of military programs.
"The [PA Semi] 1682 is a very important and unique component required to meet performance requirements on a wide variety of defense applications," said an investigator working in the industrial policy unit for the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense.
"The Department of Defense had extensive discussions with various prime contractors and subcontractors on the matter," the investigator continued. "We discussed our findings with the FTC and Apple. The issue is still a matter under discussion," he said in an email exchange.
A spokesman for Apple had no comment on the on-going talks with DoD except to reiterate the company's original position when word of the deal was first tipped on Forbes.com. "From time to time Apple buys smaller technology companies and we don't comment on our purpose or plans for them," the spokesman said.
A source in the pre-merger department at the Federal Trade Commission also refused to comment on the case.
Apple scooped up PA Semi for a reported $278 million in mid-April without saying a word to investors or even PA Semi's customers about what it has in mind for the low-power-processor startup. At the time, analysts speculated Apple was trying to quickly bolster its silicon expertise at a time of hyper growth.
PA Semi originally hoped to snag design wins for its low power PowerPC CPUs in Apple notebooks, a fact that may have lead to a report that Apple was an investor in the startup. But when Apple shifted to the x86, PA Semi focused its energies on the embedded market, a highly fragmented collection of many low volume markets including military applications.
Apple is not likely to use PA Semi to make a broad shift back to the PowerPC, given the difficulty of quickly supporting the company's high volume requirements. But some observers suggested having a PowerPC capability in house would make an excellent bargaining chip for Apple in regular negotiations with its main vendor, Intel Corp.
PA Semi's customers said the dual-core chip's unique capability of running at 2 GHz while consuming just 15 watts had won a wide variety of design wins in DoD programs in an unusually short time. Cards using the chip delivered far greater performance than competing products while shaving power consumption by up to 30 percent.
One source said PA Semi's PWRficient processor is designed into DOD programs in every major branch of the armed services.
On April 21, PA Semi informed its customers it was being acquired and could no longer guarantee supplies of its chips. The startup said the acquiring company was not interested in its products or road map but had purchased the 150-person company for its intellectual property and talent. PA Semi did not identify Apple but said the acquiring company might be willing to supply the chips on an end-of-life basis, if it could successfully transfer a third-party license to the technology.
The license in question is probably a PowerPC architectural license PA Semi has with IBM Corp. that lets the startup design its own PowerPC chips from scratch. No one from IBM was immediately available for comment.
PA Semi's chief executive and founder Dan Dobberpuhl reportedly scheduled a conference call in May with customers. However sources at PA Semi and the customer companies refused to comment on the call, except to suggest the situation has not yet been resolved.
Kent Dahlgren, CEO of bridging IP specialist Praesum Communications, said his company had worked with PA Semi to develop FPGA-based bridging solutions between RapidIO and other interfaces. Dahlgren said several designs in military and wireless-infrastructure markets had been canceled within a few hours of the PA Semi acquisition news.
"Even if the Defense Department blocks the deal, the circle of trust between PA Semi and its customers is gone," Dahlgren said in an April interview, adding that several contracts involving military OEMs were now in jeopardy.
Source: EETimesLabels: Apple, PA Semi |
| posted by Perimbean @ 2:10 AM |
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| Wednesday, May 21, 2008 |
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Netflix's $100 Box Goes Head-To-Head With Apple TV
Netflix's long-term goal is to get digital TV makers, such as Sony, Panasonic, and LG Electronics, to integrate the Netflix service with their products.
By Antone Gonsalves
InformationWeek
May 20, 2008 02:46 PM
In a move that challenges Apple for space in people's home entertainment centers, Netflix on Tuesday launched a player that would stream the company's movies and TV shows to a subscriber's television set.
Roku, a company specializing in digital streaming media technology, makes the box, which sells for $100 and is available on the Web. Beyond the cost of the player, subscribers of Netflix, an online DVD rental company, would be able to access content from the Internet at no additional charge.
In launching the device, Netflix is going up against Apple for a place in people's living rooms. Apple last year started selling the Apple TV, which connects via the Internet to the company's iTunes music and video store. Through the device, people can rent movies and TV shows.
While Apple and Netflix are going after the same potential customers, their offerings are very different. Apple is focusing on new releases, which customers rent individually. Netflix, on the other hand, is offering unlimited access to older titles, or about 10,000 movies and TV shows from a library of 100,000, said James McQuivey, analyst for Forrester Research.
"They don't compete head to head on content, but they do compete for real estate in the living room," McQuivey said.
Both vendors are trying to build a customer base to sell more services in the future. Netflix, however, is also trying to give its 7 million subscribers another reason to stay with the company.
But Netflix's long-term goal is to get digital TV makers, such as Sony, Panasonic, and LG Electronics, to integrate the Netflix service with their products. "That's where this is heading," McQuivey said. Netflix "wants to be an ingredient in every video device in your home."
For Apple, Apple TV rounds out the company's "three-screen strategy," said Ross Rubin, analyst for the NPD Group. The company can now deliver video through iTunes to a Mac or Windows computer, the Apple iPhone smartphone, and the television via Apple TV.
A wildcard is movie rental company Blockbuster, which has yet to make a move for the home entertainment center. The company rents movies online for viewing through a PC. Blockbuster, however, is likely to offer its own player in the future. "I would be surprised if they don't do that to keep up," McQuivey said.
The Netflix/Roku box feeds off of the Netflix Web site, where subscribers can make a list of movies and shows they want to watch. Using the player's remote control, people can browse the list, read synopses, and rate what they watch. They also can fast forward and rewind the video stream.
The player has no hard drive, and software upgrades are automatically downloaded, Netflix said. The box can connect to the Internet through either a wired connection or Wi-Fi. The player is about the size of a paperback book.
Source: InformationWeekLabels: Apple, Apple TV, Netflix |
| posted by Perimbean @ 2:00 AM |
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| Saturday, May 17, 2008 |
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Intel Germany 'Confirms' Apple Tablet
By Charlie Sorrel May 15, 2008 | 4:48:44 AMCategories: Apple, Rumors
If we take a statement from Intel Germany's CEO, mix in a little internet rumor and season with a salty sprinkling of speculation, we come up with an Apple Internet Tablet. Here's the first ingredient, machine translated from ZDNET, Germany:
Germany-World's managing director Hannes Schwaderer today confirms what has long been a rumor on the Internet [...]: namely, that there is an iPhone with Intel's new nuclear-chip type. The device is slightly larger than the current version, Schwaderer. This is not the Intel chip, but to the larger display in the new iPhone is used.
For "Nuclear Chip" read "Atom", Intel's 45nm x86 chip intended for UMPC use. Apparently, this will not be a replacement for the current iPhone, but an addition, like the MacBook Touch we last dreamed about back before MacWorld in January.
ZDNET thinks that the screen will sport a 720 x 480 pixel resolution, which suggests a mini-tablet sized device (the current iPhone's screen measures 320x480 pixels). That puts it close to the Eee PC's 800x400 resolution. A high-res, always connected tablet with movies, music and the Mac OS? Goodbye, Kindle.
UPDATE: The German blog fsck spoke to Intel's Mike Cato about this statement. It turns out that it was more speculation than confirmation (cleaned up from machine translation):
Intel's press spokesman Mike Cato made clear to me that the statement made by Hannes Schwaderer so definitely not taken. Rather, Intel has used (and in this case is Mr. Schwaderer) the iPhone as a long time example for the entire category of Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), that the Atom increasingly has to stop. Whether the iPhone, or other device from Apple's mobile wireless platform will use Atom still remains open.
Source: WiredLabels: Apple, Intel |
| posted by Perimbean @ 1:15 AM |
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| Wednesday, May 14, 2008 |
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Singapore Telecom, units to roll out Apple's iPhone in India, Australia
05.12.08, 3:23 AM ET
SINGAPORE (Thomson Financial) - Singapore Telecommunications Ltd and its subsidiaries have signed a deal with Apple Inc. to roll out its iPhone in India, the Philippines and Australia later this year, SingTel said on Monday.
The iPhone is Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people )'s internet-enabled multimedia mobile phone with a multi-touch screen.
iPhones will be available to subscribers of SingTel in Singapore, Bharti Airtel in India, Globe Telecom in the Philippines and Optus in Australia, the company said.
Apple has been negotiating with operators to bring iPhones into Asia, but had found it difficult to reach a deal particularly in China, where operators rejected Apple's demand for a cut in the operators' revenues from iPhone sales.
The gadget has been made available to consumers in Asia by traders importing it directly from the United States. The product is not yet supported by telecom operators in the region, which means some of the iPhone's multimedia functions will not be available to users.
It is not clear whether SingTel agreed to such an arrangements. SingTel did not provide additional details.
Last week, Apple signed a deal with Vodafone (nyse: VOD - news - people ), which aims to make the iPhone available in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey later this year.
Source: ForbesLabels: Apple, Bharti Airtel, Globe Telecom, iPhone, Optus, SIngTel |
| posted by Perimbean @ 1:10 AM |
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Apple collars Iphone clone
Cheapo Chinese knock-offs chased
By Stewart Meagher: Monday, 12 May 2008, 9:48 AM
APPLE HAS RELEASED the Dogs of Law on at least one trader flogging Iphone lookie-likies in Europe.
According to Macnn, a cease and desist order has been placed on an undisclosed Ebay trader who has been selling the Chinese clone, named the Hiphone.
The device bears a remarkable resemblance to Apple's massively popular handset, both in the physical tooling of the hardware, and the functionality of the software and interface.
Apple's Euro men in grey suits, Bird and Bird, have told the trader to stop selling the devices, and destroy any remaining stock on pain of a €25,000 per-unit slap in the courts if it doesn't comply.
The devices, which are still currently listed on Ebay for as little at £75, usually sell for around £125 but, according to a number of forum postings, don't actually offer all that they promise.
Looks like an Apple, smells like a lemon
The handsets are described as buggy and lacking the firmware and software support needed. Amongst the features promised which don't appear to work properly are handsfree speakerphone, Java support, and dual-sim operation. Users have also reported problems with support for a number of media files.
The Hiphone does, however, offer some features which genuine Iphone users have been missing out on, including a replaceable battery and removable memory in the form of a MicroSD slot.
It is also delivered unlocked which theoreticaly means it can be used on any network. µ
Source: The InquiereLabels: Apple, iPhone, Java, MicroSD |
| posted by Perimbean @ 12:50 AM |
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| Monday, May 12, 2008 |
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Apple iPhone "out of stock" in US and UK
Is the launch of the new handset imminent?
10 May 2008 21:41 GMT by Stuart Miles
Earlier in the week O2 and Carphone Warehouse ran out of Apple's iPhone in both the 8GB and 16GB models.
It seems now Apple has run out online around the world with both the UK and the US store stating the mobile phone is "Currently Unavailable".
The news has sparked commentators to believe that the company is now more than ever going to be launching a new handset in the next 30 days.
Speculation has been rampant on the Internet that a 3G version of the iPhone would be launched at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.
However some commentators are citing that the global stock shortage could prompt Apple to bring forward a possible launch.
We will keep you posted.
Source: Pocket-lintLabels: Apple, iPhone, O2, Worldwide Developers Conference, WWDC |
| posted by Perimbean @ 11:40 PM |
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$150m BlackBerry Partners Fund goes against $100m Apple iFund
Posted on Mon, 12 May 2008 00:46:10 CDT | by Luigi Lugm
RIM and Thomson Reuters today announced plans to launch the BlackBerry Partners Fund, a US$150 million venture capital fund, to invest in mobile applications and services for the BlackBerry platform and other mobile platforms. The Fund is to be co-managed by JLA Ventures and RBC Venture Partners.
Apple recently announced the iFund with $100m in capital to fund iPhone and iTouch applications. RIM's venture capital fund is clearly aiming to counter Apple's initiative.
The BlackBerry Partners Fund is apparently not restricted to investments of BlackBerry platform application and services. That would mean the fund could also invest in an iPhone application.
About the BlackBerry Partners Fund
The BlackBerry Partners Fund is a US$150 million venture capital fund being formed to focus on applications and services for the BlackBerry platform and other mobile platforms including mobile commerce (payments, advertising, retailing and banking), vertical and horizontal enterprise applications, communications, social networking, location-based applications and services (navigation and mapping), media and entertainment, and lifestyle and personal productivity applications. The Fund will consider all stages of development and is to be co-managed by JLA Ventures and RBC Venture Partners.
More details on the BlackBerry Partners Fund site.
About the iFund
KPCB’s (Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers) iFund is a $100M investment initiative that will fund market-changing ideas and products that extend the revolutionary new iPhone and iPod touch platform. The iFund is agnostic to size and stage of investment and will invest in companies building applications, services and components. Focus areas include location based services, social networking, mCommerce (including advertising and payments), communication, and entertainment. The iFund will back innovators pursuing transformative, high-impact ideas with an eye towards building independent durable companies atop the iPhone / iPod touch platform.
Seattle-based Pelago Inc. is the first company to receive financial backing through the iFund. Their social discovery service, Whrrl, will be available on the iPhone as a native application in June 2008.
Source: I4ULabels: Apple, BlackBerry, iFund, iPhone, RIM |
| posted by Perimbean @ 1:00 AM |
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Toshiba to use Cell processor in future notebook
Posted by Brooke Crothers
May 9, 2008 6:30 PM PDT
UPDATE: Toshiba is expected to release a notebook PC this year that uses a chip based on the Cell processor, the same chip used in Sony's PlayStation.
The Toshiba Qosmio G40 notebook will sport a SpursEngine SE1000 chip based on the Cell Broadband Engine, which is also used in the Sony PlayStation 3.
The Cell Broadband Engine is a multi-core chip architecture jointly developed by IBM, Sony, and Toshiba. It is derived from IBM's Power Architecture, which was once used in Apple notebooks and desktops. Today, IBM uses the Cell processor in a line of blade servers.
Samples of the SE1000 chip began shipping from Toshiba on April 8. Toshiba has said it expects sales of 6 million units within the first three years.
The SpursEngine can do high-definition video encoding and decoding of MPEG-2 and H.264 streams, among other capabilities. The four processing elements inside the chip have a clock frequency of 1.5GHz, while boasting a relatively low power envelope of 10 to 20 watts.
Some other features of the SpursEngine: Its multimedia engine can deliver up to 48 GFlops (billion Floating point operations per second) or 12GFlops per processing element. Every element has 256KB of integrated memory. The circuit board (photo) supports a PCI-Express Base Specification Revision 1.1.
Toshiba also plans to release a TV with the Cell processor.
Source: CnetLabels: GFlops, IBM, Playstation, PS3, Sony, Toshiba |
| posted by Perimbean @ 12:02 AM |
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| Saturday, May 10, 2008 |
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Details emerge on Apple's acquisition of chip designer P.A. Semi
by Donald Melanson, posted May 8th 2008 at 12:04AM
There weren't a whole lot of firm details on the reasons behind Apple's acquisition of chip designer P.A. Semi to be had back when the deal was announced last month, but it seems that a bit of the veil of mystery may now be lifting, at least if the word EETimes is hearing from its unnamed source is to be believed. Apparently, Apple was keen to have P.A. Semi's crack chip-making team design a new chip for them, but P.A. Semi had "more or less burnt through its venture capital funds," leaving them unable to take on the project. According to EETimes source, that meant that the only way to get P.A. Semi involved was for Apple to pay off all of P.A.'s investors and bring the company in-house, something they were able to do for a mere $280 million or so. Of course, as EETimes points out, the big question remaining is exactly what it is that Apple wants P.A. Semi to help it out with, and that's a detail we'd expect to take considerably longer to trickle out.
Source: EngadgetLabels: Apple, P.A. Semi |
| posted by Perimbean @ 4:30 PM |
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| Friday, May 09, 2008 |
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Mophie’s iPhone battery extender gets Apple certification
by Dan Moren, Macworld.com May 8, 2008 3:05 am
Mophie announced the release of Juice Pack, the first “Works with iPhone” certified battery extender on the market. While other vendors have released iPhone-compatible accessories for charging the phone’s battery, devices that receive Apple’s official certification ensure optimal connectivity with the iPhone.
The Juice Pack is a ergonomically-shaped sled with a non-slip finish designed to fit the iPhone like a case. It attaches to the iPhone’s dock-connector port, providing additional battery power. The Juice Pack is rated for up to an additional 250 hours of standby time, 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of internet use, 7 hours of video playback, and 24 hours of audio playback.
The Juice Pack also has four LEDs to indicate the device’s charge level. It provides its own 30-pin dock-connector port for charging the iPhone's battery with the Juice Pack still attached, though you cannot use the Juice Pack's dock-connector port to sync the iPhone.
The Juice Pack is available from Mophie’s online store and retail stores for $99.95.
[Updated on 5/8 to clarify the Juice Pack's dock-connector port functionality.]
Source: MacWorldLabels: Apple, iPhone, Juice Pack, Mophie |
| posted by Perimbean @ 4:00 PM |
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| Thursday, May 08, 2008 |
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A Tale Of Two Keyboards: Apple Extended Keyboard II Vs IBM Model M
By Charlie Sorrel May 07, 2008 | 11:54:29 AM
Computers are a lot better than they were even a few years ago, and compared to the machines of the 1980s they’re in a different world. But what about the peripherals? Mice are better, but keyboards seem to have got worse. I’m no keyboard fanatic (the one built into my MacBook works just fine for me), but there are two legendary models from the 80s which seem to be the zenith of QWERTY design. The Apple Extended Keyboard II and the IBM Model M.
Apple Extended Keyboard II
Apple Extended Keyboard II was the successor to, surprise, the Apple Extended Keyboard. Extended means that it had arrow and function keys, something the original Mac keyboard lacked. Steve Jobs hated buttons even then. The AEK II is still thought by many to be the best keyboard ever made. First, they seem to last forever. John Gruber of Daring Fireball recently replaced his 14 year old keyboard with another one he had thoughtfully squirreled away when it was brand new.
The keyboard is also legendary for the racket it makes when you type. This is the result of the Alps brand leaf springs under the keys. These mechanical switches are the reason for the durability and noise, but they also give tactile feedback not available from today’s membrane switches. When you press the key, you know you have pressed it. It also pops the key back up quicker than the rubber bubble in a membrane board.
The AEK II has another nice design feature: A power switch on the keyboard. If you want to use one today, though, you’ll need to pick up an ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) to USB adapter.
IBM Model M
It was Mac versus PC even in 1984. The Model M was possibly designed to feel like the old IBM Selectric typewriter keyboards that secretaries were used to. Like the Apple Extended, it was built like a tank and can still be bought today (good luck finding a clean, new one though). Try to find a pre-1993 model. Units after this were manufactured by Lexmark and are considered inferior.
The Model M has “buckling spring” keys. The picture shows how it works. The spring inside each keycap pushes harder the further the key travels, so there is a lot of tactile feedback. Again, like the Apple Extended, the M is noisy, so it might be best if you work from home. that said, I’ve seen plenty of people bashing living hell out of a laptop keyboard, so maybe you’ll get away with it.
It can prove hard to find a mint version of something this old. Ebay has both the M and the Apple Extended from around $10, but for that you’ll get the added bonus of years worth of keyboard cruft. There is a modern version of the Apple Extended II, which uses the same switch design, but users report that it falls short of the original. Called the Tactile Pro, it has the advantage of using USB (it’s a two port hub, too) and includes modern niceties such as the Optimizer, which is a key that alters the functions of the keyboard. It even has a power switch. The downside? It’s $150.
Another option might be the Steelseries 7G. Aimed at gamers, it has the mechanical switches prized by writers. These switches are gold plated, which is supposed to increase response time. You know, like gold plated plugs make your stereo sound better. The 7G is said to last for 50 million keystrokes, but as we don’t know how many keystrokes you get out of an old M or Apple keyboard, we don’t know if that is good or bad. We do know that it sounds impressive.
The other selling point is the buffer, although it appears to be PS/2 only. The buffer supports more multiple key presses than a regular keyboard. It, too, is $150, and you’ll have to put up with the ugly tangle of cables coming out of it: PS/2, USB, Mic and headphones.
You can get by with a modern keyboard. While they are usually cheap afterthoughts bundled with the computer, some models are at least designed to look good (Apple's new aluminum keyboard, for one). But it seems, in this case at least, they they don't make 'em like they used to.
Source: WiredLabels: Apple, IBM, Steelseries |
| posted by Perimbean @ 4:15 PM |
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Telecom tipped to join rush for iPhone
By JON HOYLE - The Dominion Post | Thursday, 08 May 2008
Telecom is likely to jump on the iPhone bandwagon within weeks, after Vodafone's decision to sell the phones in New Zealand, an industry analyst says. Paul Budde doubts Vodafone has an exclusive deal with Apple and says Telecom would probably announce a similar agreement with it soon.
Vodafone has not announced a price for the 8 gigabyte phone in New Zealand but it sells for about US$400 (NZ$515) in the United States.Mr Budde said the iPhone's spread would have far-reaching consequences for the mobile market. The traditional mobile revenue split, of 90 per cent from voice traffic and 10 per cent from data, would reverse in coming years, he said.
Another analyst said the fact that Vodafone had not said the deal was exclusive indicated it would be open to other operators.
Last month, Telecom hinted the iPhone could be used on its $300 million 850MHz GSM/Edge network, to be introduced in November.
Yesterday, a Telecom spokeswoman said it would not be revealing its plans just yet. Vodafone would not provide any details of the deal announced late on Tuesday. Apple introduced its iPhone, a combination cellphone, Internet browser and iPod portable media player, in the US last June. Nathan Burley, telecommunications analyst for research company Ovum, said Vodafone would probably pay Apple a big chunk of the calling and data revenues it earned from iPhone owners using the Vodafone network.
The revenue share paid to Apple would depend on several factors, including whether Apple would also sell handsets directly into New Zealand or if another mobile operator got rights to sell the iPhone. Details of agreements between Apple and other mobile network operators are scant, but reports have suggested AT&T, the mobile carrier and exclusive iPhone partner in the US, pays between 15 per cent and 40 per cent of calling and data revenue to Apple, plus a fat margin for handset sales.
Earlier this year talks between Chinese telecommunications company China Mobile and Apple stalled over apparent revenue-sharing differences.
Mr Burley said revenue sharing was unlikely to be a serious obstacle for Vodafone as iPhone users were heavy users and big spenders on data. Last year, AT&T said much of its 41 per cent jump in profit was thanks to increases in new subscribers, mainly iPhone owners. There has been a steady flow of iPhones parallel-imported or imported directly from the US into New Zealand since their introduction.
Jens Mueller, managing director of parallel importing company ToshComputers which specialises in Apple products, said in September his company had been selling about 80 iPhones a week.
Though he would not give current sales figures yesterday, he said the number had increased since September, then stabilised.
iPhone owners had used unauthorised methods to "unlock" the phones so they could be used on Vodafone's GSM network.
Mr Mueller said his company was selling unlocked 16 gigabyte iPhones for $979 including gst and 8 gigabyte unlocked devices for $869. Locked iPhones sell for less.
Apple should unveil the next generation iPhone next month at its Worldwide Development Conference.
Source: Staff NZLabels: Apple, iPhone |
| posted by Perimbean @ 1:00 PM |
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| Wednesday, May 07, 2008 |
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HTC Launches iPhone Killer Touch Diamond; Can Apple's iPhone Distribution Model Last?
Dianne See Morrison
mocoNews.net
Tuesday, May 6, 2008; 4:00 PM
Another handset manufacturer turning to the mobile internet to boost sales. Today, at a splashy launch at the smart Soho Hotel in London, Peter Chou, president and CEO of Taiwanese handset maker HTC, declared 2008 the year of the mobile internet as he brandished the company's latest device, the HTC Touch Diamond, which promises one touch access to a number of features, including the mobile web, photos and music among others, but will in most consumers' eyes appear to be another iPhone knock-off.
That's not to say the handset, which runs on Windows Mobile latest 6.1 version, isn't a worthy contender. The device sports a 3D user interface, a 2.8 inch display that allows users to zoom in on content with the touch wheel or tilt it by turning it on its side, is a mere 11.5 mm thick, making it even thinner than the iPhone, and includes a 3.2 megapixel camera and 4 GB of storage. The handset's designers were challenged with building a device that would be worthy of a place at the Museum of Modern Art and be instantly recognizable from across the street. They did this by creating an uneven surface of diamond shaped panels on the back of the phone. It certainly is recognizable, though it's a matter of personal taste whether its MOMA-worthy. More importantly, it beats the iPhone in the speed department, and runs on HSDPA networks.
The company obviously has high hopes for the Touch Diamond, which it claims has been in the works starting in November 2006 and launches in Europe and Asia in June. HTC's Chief Innovation Officer Horace Luke believes the device could help the company gain market share, and pointedly told Moconews that it was the company's "culture of innovation" that separated it from the struggling Motorola (NYSE: MOT). Will it be able to set itself apart from the iPhone and the growing number of iPhone killers on the market? HTC has done a good job securing a number of operator deals, having worked closely with them to tweak the phone to their liking. In the UK alone, the phone will launch with all five of the country's biggest networks. Orange, which was at the launch as a partner, says it plans to roll out the phone across all 27 of its country markets.
Still, its not hard to see how the HTC Touch Diamond and the growing number of credible iPhone knock-offs, such as the Samsung Instinct, steps up the pressure on Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) to innovate even further, and possibly even to reconsider its distribution model. Earlier today, news surfaced that Apple was not doing its usual exclusive deal in Italy, and had signed agreements with both Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) and Telecom Italia to carry the iPhone. No details have emerged on what this means for the fat revenue share Apple usually wrings from operators to get the iPhone. But rumors have been bubbling up that Apple's European operators have not been happy with the way the Cupertino-based company bosses them around. France's Orange was said to be more than annoyed with Apple's insistence that they cut prices to boost sales?though the network would be eating the loss. Finally, Apple is obviously not Motorola, but it's still an important point to note that Motorola was, in part, brought to its knees when LG (SEO: 066570) and Samsung quickly trotted out knock-offs of its hit handset the Razr.
Source: Washington PostLabels: Apple, HTC, iPhone, Samsung, Vodafone, Windows Mobile |
| posted by Perimbean @ 12:30 AM |
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| Tuesday, May 06, 2008 |
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Is Apple Set To Squash The Blackberry?
By Branko Miletic | Monday | 05/05/2008
According to a report in toptechnews.com, Apple's iPhone has “dramatically shaken up the smartphone market – especially for the leader, Research in Motion”, maker of the Blackberry.
In just the last three months of 2007, says the article, smartphone shipments "shot up 60 per cent from a year ago, according to industry research firm IDC. And RIM doubled sales of the Blackberry, adding 6.5 million subscribers in its last fiscal year, double the previous year".
But as the market has grown, says the report, the Blackberry's market share has dropped from "45 per cent to 40 per cent while the iPhone took 17.5 per cent in the second half of 2007".
The iPhone's consumer focus of the smartphone market has forced RIM out of its enterprise comfort zone and into the unchartered waters of consumer marketing, according to analysts.
In a desperate rear-guard action, the article notes that RIM is now working on a so-called "Apple killer" -- a device with a touchscreen and lines suggestive of the iPhone. "But US telco AT&T is said to have delayed its introduction of the new phone because of problems with call quality -- and delays hurt RIM as a new 3G iPhone is rumored for release this year".
Source: SmartHouseLabels: Apple, BlackBerry, iPhone, RIM |
| posted by Perimbean @ 12:25 AM |
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| Saturday, May 03, 2008 |
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Apple moving 174 jobs to Austin
Friday, May 2, 2008
Austin Business Journal
Apple Inc. eliminated 174 sales jobs at its Elk Grove, Calif. campus, and is planning to move those jobs to Austin.
All affected employees were offered the option to relocate to a work site in Austin, or apply for another position at Apple in Elk Grove.
The job that were cut are Mac telephone-sales positions, said Kristin Huguet, a spokeswoman for the company. She said some telephone-sales jobs will remain in Elk Grove, though she declined to say how many.
"Apple's headcount continues to grow in Elk Grove with more than 1,100 employees working there today, up more than 50 percent in the past three years," Huguet said, reading a statement Apple issued Thursday.
Huguet declined to disclose the salary range of the affected employees.
The company has warehousing and distribution operations in Elk Grove, as well as a customer support call center.
Shares of Cupertino-based Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) closed Thursday at $180.00 per share, up $6.05, or 3.5 percent.
Source: BizJournalsLabels: Apple |
| posted by Perimbean @ 10:30 AM |
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| Thursday, May 01, 2008 |
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Mac Copycat Produces A Customer
Brian Caulfield, 04.30.08, 6:00 AM ET
Burlingame, Calif. - Mac clone maker Psystar has a customer, and it's not shy about letting folks know about him.
The customer, Patrick, said he took delivery of a computer from Psystar last week. Since then, Patrick, who lives in West Virginia and doesn't want all his personal information revealed for fear of being sued by Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ), has popped up on Gizmodo, where he has shared pictures and a video of his new machine.
It's hard to blame Patrick for being eager to show off his new toy. At a fraction of the cost of a comparably equipped machine from Apple, Miami, Fla.-based Psystar is offering a computer you can load up with just about any operating system you choose, including Apple's OS X Leopard.
Of course, plenty of small companies build and sell computers. What makes Psystar different is that it allows users to order machines with the Leopard operating system already installed. This appears to break Apple's licensing terms, which forbids users from jamming its software onto non-Apple hardware.
The novelty generated a storm of press coverage and accusations from bloggers that the start-up is a scam. Patrick says he was nervous after Psystar started getting a lot of attention from skeptical bloggers three days after he placed his order for a machine loaded with Leopard. However, after receiving his machine, Patrick says he's satisfied. "The computer I got is exactly what I ordered," he says. "The end result is I got a nice computer that I'm very happy with."
And despite critics who call Psystar "shady," company president Rudy Pedraza insists his business is for real.
Pedraza helped Forbes.com contact Patrick in order to back up his claims. Earlier this month, Psystar aroused suspicion by changing addresses on its Web site four times and getting cut off by the company that processes its credit card transactions. Since then, however, Pedraza has opened an office in Miami with Pedraza's logo proudly displayed. He also says Psystar is working with a new credit card processor.
And Pedraza's produced at least one customer who will get on the phone and talk to reporters about his product. Patrick has set up his machine, transferred files from an older Apple machine, and says his Psystar computer works fine. "So far, not a hitch," he reports.
And if bunches of customers come forward, Psystar will be able to make those who accused it of being a scam eat their words.
Other questions, however, still remain: how will Apple react to the company? What kind of phone support will Apple offer those who own its software that runs on Psystar machines?
Apple has declined to comment on the matter, but the Cupertino, Calif., company may well be waiting to see how many machines Psystar ships before taking action.
So, what's the deal? If Pedraza and Psystar are delivering machines, they deserve plenty of independent references. Contact us and tell us about your Psystar Mac clone.
Source: ForbesLabels: Apple, Mac OS X, Psystar |
| posted by Perimbean @ 2:15 AM |
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