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in The 'Book Review, and general Mac
news is in Mac News Review.
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News, Reviews, & Opinion
The Competition
Apps & Services
Accessories
iPod Deals
These price trackers are updated every month.
News, Reviews, & Opinion
iOS Updates Address Location Database
Controversy
There has been a lot of controversy over the iPhone maintaining a
location database for 10 months. Although Apple has assured us that the
data is only used to determine your location more quickly than GPS and
that it cannot track individuals, the fact that this data is not
encrypted is cause for concern.
See Fuss Over iPhone
User-Tracking Information a Tempest in a Teapot for more on this
subject.
With iOS updates released last week, the cache is much smaller and
no longer backed up to your Mac or PC when you sync to iTunes. Also,
the entire cache is wiped if you disable Location Services.
iOS 4.3.3 Software Update for GSM iPhones, iPad, and iPod
touch
The iOS 4.3.3 Software Update contains changes to the iOS
crowd-sourced location database cache including:
- Reduces the size of the cache
- No longer backs the cache up to iTunes
- Deletes the cache entirely when Location Services is turned
off
This update is available via iTunes.
System Requirements
- Mac or PC computer with USB 2.0 port
- iTunes 10.1 or later (10.2 recommended)
Products compatible with this software update:
- iPhone 4 (GSM model)
- iPhone 3GS
- iPad
- iPod touch (4th generation)
- iPod touch (3rd generation)
Link: iOS
4.3.3 Software Update
iOS 4.2.8 Software Update for CDMA iPhone
iOS 4.2.8 Software Update contains changes to the iOS crowd-sourced
location database cache including:
- Reduces the size of the cache
- No longer backs the cache up to iTunes
- Deletes the cache entirely when Location Services is turned
off
Products compatible with this software update: iPhone 4 (CDMA
model)
System Requirements: iPhone 4 (CDMA model)
Link: iOS
4.2.8 Software Update
'Perfect iPad Companion' Coming from Seagate
The Register's Chris Mellor reports that Seagate says it's going to
announce a somewhat mysterious "perfect companion" for iPads and other
tablets later this month.
While Seagate is keeping its cards close to its chest while coyly
teasing speculators, given the company's product focus it is a
reasonable deduction that the "perfect companion" will be a storage
drive of some sort, perhaps an iPad-supporting addition to Seagate's
GoFlex external drive family. However, Mellor cautions that he can't
see the app providing drag-and-drop file transfer from iPad to external
drive media, because there's no file/folder view of resources on the
iPad.
Publisher's note: I can think of no better iPad/iPhone/iPod touch
companion than a portable backup device that doesn't require a Mac or
PC running iTunes to back up your apps, files, and preferences. We
should know soon what Seagate has planned. dk
Link: Seagate
to Unveil 'Perfect iPad Companion'
Americans Unwilling to Pay for Online News
AppScout says:
"Bad news, New York Times: A recent Adweek/Harris Poll found that 80
percent of people said they wouldn't be willing to pay anything to read
a daily newspaper's content online. Apparently Americans have gotten
the taste of 'free' and they like it."
Link: Americans
Unwilling to Pay for News Online
E-readers Slowly Eating into Market for Printed
Books
Cult of Mac's Ed Sutherland identifies more signs that the pad may
be overtaking paper as the preferred way readers get their literary
fix, citing a
survey by iSuppli predicting that e-books will grow at an annual
rate of more than 40% between 2010 and 2014 while traditional printed
book sales are predicted to fall 5% during the same interval.
Link:
Study: E-readers Killing Paper Books Thanks to iPad
iPad Changing the Way We Search?
iPad CTO's bfrench says that a #1 Google result is much less
significant in the touchscreen environment. In fact, the top spot gets
only 20% of overall Google traffic - still by far the biggest chunk,
but lower than the 34% that the #1 spot gets for overall desktop
traffic.
Link: iPad
Changing the Way We Search?
Create an Apple ID in iTunes Account without a
Credit Card
Lifehacker's Matthew Rogers notes that people often get confused
when they go to create an Apple ID in iTunes, only to find that a
credit card is required to proceed. However, there is a workaround.
Link: Create an Apple ID
in iTunes Account without a Credit Card
What To Do When Your iPhone Falls in the Drink
MacNewsWorld's Jesse Herman warns that if you take your smartphone
with you everywhere you go, you may one day find yourself rescuing it
from a puddle or fishing it out of the bottom of a pool - but don't
panic. While water damage is a bad thing, if you take the right steps -
either on your own or by turning it over to a trusted professional -
your phone, iPod, or tablet can likely be repaired.
Link: What To Do When Your
iPhone Falls in the Toilet, a Beer Mug, or Pile of Snow
The Competition
Will Your Next Tablet Be Amazon Branded?
DigiTimes' Yenting Chen and Joseph Tsai report that Taiwan-based
notebook maker and longtime Apple subcontractor (since the second generation WallStreet
PowerBook in 1988) Quanta Computer has recently received OEM orders
from Amazon for a new tablet PC, according to sources from upstream
component makers
The article says that Quanta is expected to start shipping as soon
as the second half of 2011, and that in addition to Amazon, Quanta is
currently also the tablet PC OEM partner of RIM and Sony - and also
hopes to land orders from the Lenovo for its second-generation
LePad.
DigiTimes says that while Amazon's Kindle still sells well in North
America and Europe, it's been unable to break through elsewhere, and
Amazon wants a tablet PC to boost sales of its software and content
resources - and to challenge Apple's
iPad 2.
Since Amazon has no OS of its own, the Amazon tablet will presumably
use some species of Android.
Link: Will Your Next
Tablet Be Amazon Branded? (subscription required)
Barnes & Noble Planning May 24 Launch of New
E-reader iPad Competitor
AppleInsider's Josh Ong reports:
"Bookseller Barnes & Noble revealed in an SEC filing Wednesday
that the company plans to announce a new e-reader device on May 24th,
creating yet another competitor to Apple's iPad."
Link: Barnes & Noble
Planning May 24 Launch of New E-reader iPad Competitor
Only Minor Differences Between Motorola Xoom and
Acer Iconia Tab
CrunchGear's Matt Burns compares Motorola's Xoom and Acer's Iconia
Tab, both Android Honeycomb based tablets. He says they are
indistinguishable from each other save for a few minor specification
differences and a more substantial price difference - $150.
The main distinctions are:
- Iconia Tab comes with more quality apps
- Xoom feels higher-end but not as nice
- Iconia has a working microSD card slot and USB port
- Xoom supports more media formats
Link: Only Minor
Differences Between Motorola Xoom and Acer Iconia Tab
Apps & Services
Free Life Mobile Updated for iPad
PR: Life for iPad is a spectacular experience: Life's
legendary photo collection at a never-before-seen resolution. Download
the free app to explore Life's vast archives, up-to-the-minute news
photos, and special features not available anywhere else.
- View high definition (HD) photo galleries featuring this enormous
collection of professional, endless fascinating, and historically
significant photography.
- Immerse yourself in the map-based Life Explorer view that allows
you to find photos based on where they were taken.
- "Email", "Facebook", and "Twitter" buttons allow you to easily send
Life photos to friends or post them to your favorite social
networks.
- Take millions of high-resolution photos with you everywhere you
go.
- Travel through this app by swiping side-to-side or using the
interactive filmstrip mode.
Visit
Life.com: Life.com is the largest
collection of professional and archival photography available online,
providing users with access to a visual cascade of news, celebrities,
travel, and classic photography. Combining more than 10 million
contemporary and archival photographs, and featuring galleries curated
with Life.com's unique point-of-view, Life.com is the online consumer
destination to see the world in pictures. Life also has iPhone,
Wallpaper apps, and the first illustrated book on the iPad.
New in Version 1.1
- New user-enabled functionality matches your location to relevant
galleries on Life Explorer
- Added in-app links to Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and EULA
- Added Skip This Ad button for advertisements
System requirements:
- Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later
Free
There is also a version for the iPhone and iPod touch.
Link: Life
Mobile for iPad (App
Store link)
Link: Life Mobile for
iPhone (App
Store link)
Free Moleskine
Note Taking and Sketching App
PR: The official Moleskine App for iPhone and iPad allows you
to express your creativity through text, images and sketches. Pick a
classic Moleskine notebook paper style, create a new thought and start
to type or draw choosing amongst different colors and sizes. Once you
are done with your thought, you can store it on your device and make
edits whenever you want.
Don't forget to map your thought by adding a geo-tag and share it
with your friends via the most popular social networks or email.
Think, type, and draw. Giving shape to what's in your mind has never
been so easy.
Features:
Pick a Moleskine
notebook paper style: plain, ruled, squared- Write and edit a text note
- Sketching tool
- Insert and play with your personal images
- Catalogue as many memories as you want with a full range of
categories
- Play with images provided by Moleskine
- Geo-tag each note created and create a virtual map of your
memories
- Share your notes with friends through email or social networks
This app is designed for both iPhone and iPad
System requirements:
- Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.2 or
later
Free
Link: Moleskine
App (App
Store link)
SizeMyBike 2.0: Free Bike Fitting App
PR: SizeMyBike.com has released SizeMyBike 2.0 for iPhone,
iPod touch, and iPad users. SizeMyBike is the first iPhone bike fitting
app. Essential to choose the right bike size and improve your
position!
Define your morphology with six body measures, and SizeMyBike will
compute the optimal geometry of your road bike or your mountain bike.
Getting the correct fit on your bike is an important step to prevent
pain and injury, increase comfort, and achieve your best
performance.
This new update is a major one, incorporating a number of new
features and improvements:
- Fit your road bike as you ride: comfort or performance
- Fit your MTB as you ride: Xcountry or All Mountain
- Road bike: computation of the top tube length and the stem
length
- MTB: computation of the saddle setback and the crank length
- Multiple user management
- Export results to PDF file
"We are proud and excited to propose a new kind of bike fitting
based on cycling multiple disciplines. Don't ride your bike as the
fitting but fit your bike as you ride! We know that Tim Cook is a
cycling enthusiast. We hope that he will like the app", says the dev
team. "Need to share the fitting with Bike Shop or team mates? Email
your bike measurements well fitted by SizeMyBike."
The new release also features new branding and an enhanced
design.
This major update to SizeMyBike is available for free in the App
Store for app's owners.
Device Requirements:
- iPhone, iPod touch and iPad
- Requires iOS 4.0 or later
- 2.2 MB
SizeMyBike 2.0 is $4.99 and available worldwide exclusively through
the App Store in the Sports category. Promo codes are available for
qualified reviewers.
Link: SizeMyBike (App
Store link)
Beautiful Israel Brings Holy Land Vistas to iPhone
and iPad
PR: Davka Corporation announces the release of Beautiful
Israel 1.0, a collection of 125 vibrant, high-quality wallpaper images
highlighting the natural beauty and magnificence of the Holy Land.
Stunning mountain vistas, lush wildflowers, rushing streams, ripening
fruits - all are shown in this spectacular collection of extraordinary
photos.
Israel is a country of varied geography, including four different
geographical zones and a range of climates, and Beautiful Israel covers
it all, from the snowcapped mountains of the north to the desert
majesty of southern Israel. Beautiful Israel captures the natural
beauty of mountains, valleys, desert, and woodland, as well as its rich
variety of plants and produce. Of particular note are the images of
species that have been grown there since Biblical times, such as
olives, pomegranates, grapes and wheat, as well as numerous varieties
of wildflowers, all shown in brilliant color.
Beautiful Israel brings the awe-inspiring magnificence of the Holy
Land to your iOS device. Users can browse through the entire collection
of HD photographs or view images by specific region. All of the images
are included in the app itself, and no additional downloads are
required. The images used in Beautiful Israel are the work of
award-winning photographer Yehoshua Halevi.
Device Requirements:
- iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
- Requires iOS 3.2 or later (iOS 4.0 Tested)
- 259 MB
Beautiful Israel 1.0 is $2.99 (or equivalent amount in other
currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store
in the Utilities category.
Link: Beautiful
Israel (App
Store link)
OCRKit: The Simple and Streamlined OCR Solution
for Mac and iPhone
PR: ExactCODE GmbH have released the next updates of the Mac
version of OCRKit as well as the relating equivalent OCRKit Mobile for
iPhone. ExactCODE continues commitment to the development and research
of advanced recognition and digital image processing. The update vastly
improves OCR recognition, accuracy and stability and improves layout
recognition as well as the output of special characters to PDF and RTF.
The Mac OS X version includes several user interface improvements.
OCRKit is the OCR engine of the award-winning ExactScan Pro.
ExactScan Pro is popular for being a modern and easy to use Mac OS X
scanning solution with built-in drivers for over 200 document scanners.
ExactCODE continues to provide automated and intelligent document
processing solutions for Mac OS X.
New in OCRKit 1.7:
- Added new OCR language, Finnish
- Improved OCR, especially for certain colorized material and camera
photos
- Improved layout recognition for RTF output
- Improved user-interface
Key Features of OCRKit 1.7
- OCR engine supports 25 Languages
- Searchable PDF
- Multipage documents
- Advanced layout recognition for RTF, HTML and TXT files
- 8 Import formats
- 4 Output formats
- AppleScript support
- Several user-interface translations
New in OCRKit Mobile 2.1
- Vastly Improved OCR Recognition, Accuracy and Stability
- Added new OCR language, Finnish
Key Features of OCRKit Mobile 2.1
- OCR Engine supports 25 Languages
- Editable history
- Editable recognized text with copy & paste functionality
- Processes images from the camera or photo library
- Supports iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
OCRKit 1.7 is available for $59.90/49,90EUR.
OCRKit Mobile 2.1 is on sale for $4.99/3,99EUR in the iTunes
Store.
Availability of the updates in iTunes depends on Apple's approval
and may be delayed a few days.
Link: OCRKit (iOS
App Store link,
Mac App Store link)
Accessories
WOW-Keys Full-Size QWERTY Keyboard a Perfect
Bridge Between iPhone and Mac
PR:
CompuExpert, a division of Digital Interactive Systems Corp., has
announced the Wow-Keys, a full-size QWERTY keyboard for the iPhone that
also serves as a docking device for syncing and charging. Created by
Omnio Technologies, the Wow-Keys provides the ideal bridge between your
iPhone and PC or Mac computer.
"The
iPhone is portable and powerful, but entering or extracting a lot of
data can be awkward and time-consuming," says said CompuExpert's
president Ammar Adra. "The Wow-Keys gives your smartphone access to the
power and multitasking capabilities of the computer, and lets your
computer take advantage of many of the cool iPhone apps."
With its laptop-style soft keys, the Wow-Keys allows you to input
text comfortably and efficiently into your iPhone, or input commands
from the iPhone to the computer via the touchpad. Swap between modes
quickly with the touch of a button, and execute common tasks via 12
iPhone hotkeys.
The Wow-Keys charges your device via USB, and also syncs with
iTunes. The keyboard can also be used with an iPod, and it supports
Windows, Mac and iOS 4.x operating systems.
The Wow-Keys is expected to be available at retail on May 24, 2011
at a suggested price of $99.99.
Publisher's note: There is no indication on the website or PDF data
sheet whether this is a USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 device. dk
Link: WOW-Keys (available for
preorder from Amazon.com
with free Super Saver shipping)
SD/SDHC/TF/MS/M2 Card Reader for iPad
PR: This Connection Kit will make uploading pictures to your
iPad easy. It comes with slots for TF, SD (SDHC), MS, M2, and three
additional USB ports as a USB hub.
Features:
- Made uploading pictures (from DCIM folder) to your iPad easy.
- Support most Memory Cards in the market
- As a USB Hub for connecting keyboards or Camera (DC)
This accessory is suitable for (compatible with):
- Made uploading pictures (from DCIM folder) to your iPad easy.
- Supports most Memory Cards in the market
- As a USB Hub for connecting keyboards or Camera (DC)
Package Contents:
- SD/SDHC/TF/MS/M2 Card Reader for iPad x 1
- USB Power cable x 1
Notes:
- Requires the Camera, Memory Cards to have a DCIM folder for iPad to
read.
- Requires external Power supplies, there will be a power cable
included but no included power adapter
$38.99
Link: USB Fever
SD/SDHC/TF/MS/M2 Card Reader for iPad
Caze Polka Dot Case for White iPhone 4
PR: Polka dots fashion has been around for many years and
once again it is returning as a hot trend for Spring/Summer 2011. Polka
dots are one of those prints that will never go out of fashion, and
Caze has announced their colorful a Spring/Summer 2011 iPhone case
collection. Caze created some head turning polka dot style cases with
matching home button stickers for iPhone 4. Along with polka dots,
animal prints including Leopard and Zebra are also highlight of its
Spring/Summer iPhone case collection.
After ten months of delays, Apple finally released
the long-awaited White iPhone 4. Caze is just in time to launch its new
case collection for this new phone. The collection includes two sets of
products: Duetto case-back Polka Dot and Duetto case-back Zebra &
Leopard. Caze Spring/Summer 2011 collection features a changeable back
plate structure and a matching home button sticker.
The Duetto case-back Polka Dot offers a black background with white
polka dots back plate and a hot pink background with white dots back
plate while the Duetto case-back Zebra & Leopard features a Leopard
back plate and a Zebra back plate. To make the dressed iPhone more
outstanding, each set provides a home button sticker that matches with
the style of the back plates.
The case is a bit raised to protect your screen from further
scratches when laid on a flat surface. Each package comes with a bumper
and two back plates and a home button sticker printed in fashionable
Polka dots or zebra stripes and leopard spots. To ensure all-around
protection, the package also comes with a free screen protection kit
(front & back films) for added shield.
If you love polka dots and animal print designs and looking for
stylist case for your new white iPhone 4, then you might want to
consider Caze 2011 Spring/Summer collection. You can order now at
iPhoneCaze official website.
Link: Duetto Polka Dot
Case for White iPhone
