Posts in news

Kickstarter: iBamboo Speaker Is A Really Cool Eco-Friendly iPhone Speaker

We’ve talked about a number of really cool Kickstarter projects over the past few months and today we’ve found another one; iBamboo speaker. Using just a foot of bamboo it uses the natural resonance to amplify the sound coming from an iPhone to create an ‘electricity-free’ speaker.

Merging the latest high tech with the simple beauty of nature, iBamboo is a100% eco-friendly speaker made from a whole length of bamboo.

Brilliant in simplicity, the iBamboo speaker is literally a foot of bamboo that has only had minor modifications; a slot for the iPhone, a flattened out base (so it sits flat on a surface) and the two edges of the bamboo tapered to direct the sound forward.

These speakers combine the high-tech of the modern day with the simplicity and aesthetics of nature. Since bamboo is a natural material, no two iBamboos are alike. Every piece has the same functional parameters, but each one is unique in its appearance and beauty.

You can support the project on Kickstarter from $5 and if you pledge $25 or more you’ll be pre-ordering your own iBamboo speaker.  Jump the break for a video demonstration of the iBamboo speaker in action.

[Via Tree Hugger]
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Intuit And Apple Working To Try And Get Quicken 2007 Working On Lion

With Lion launching next month, some users who rely on Quicken for Mac 2007 may want to hold off updating for a while. As it stands it Quicken relies on Rosetta, an engine that allows PowerPC code to run on Intel Macs, but Lion removes support for Rosetta – rendering Quicken for Mac unable to run on Lion.

The Mac Observer talked to the Aaron Patzer of Quicken to find out a bit more about the situation and found that PowerPC codebase is the foundation for Quicken for Mac 2007. Patzer says it “has many intricacies – including its own custom-built database engine that are very much PowerPC specific”. He explains that porting the code over would take a significant amount of work, which is why they recently decided to develop Quicken Essentials, a brand new app developed on the Intel code.

For many Quicken Essentials or perhaps another Intuit owned service, Mint.com, would suffice in replacing Quicken for Mac 2007. However because of its lack of some features, most critically bill pay and detailed investment tracking, it may not be enough. Well there is some, potentially, good news for those users. Patzer said that Intuit has been working “closely with Apple” to potentially get Rosetta (or parts of it) running in Lion.

The project has been underway for the past few months, with Intuit working to possibly embed specific Rosetta libraries into Quicken For Mac 2007 to get it to run. This, too, is not a simple project and may never come to fruition.

Patzer says they will know by the end of summer where the project stands and whether or not the old Quicken for Mac will run in Lion. However in somewhat more positive news, Intuit is on their way to deliver an iPad app for Mint.com within the next few months.

[Via The Mac Observer]

NYT: Facebook iPad App Launching “In The Coming Weeks”

Nick Bilton at The New York Times reports Facebook is in the final stages of testing its first official iPad application, which should launch in the App Store for free in the coming weeks. The lack of an official Facebook app for the tablet contributed to the rise of third-party solutions in the past year that were nothing but redesigned versions of Facebook’s website wrapped inside the iPad’s screen; according to The New York Times, Facebook’s iPad app has been carefully designed and tested by Mark Zuckerberg himself to ensure the quality of the product and a great Facebook experience on the tablet. For instance, the app will sport chat and Groups integration and will allow users to upload photos shot with the iPad’s cameras. Or, users will be able to browse photos in full-screen in a completely new, beautiful Facebook UI.

People briefed on Facebook’s plans say that in coming weeks the company plans to introduce a free iPad application that has been carefully designed and optimized for the tablet.

The app has been in production at Facebook for almost a year, going through several design iterations, and is now in the final stages of testing, according to these people, who declined to be named because they were discussing confidential product plans.

With more than 600 million Facebook users out there and 25 million iPads sold since April 2010, the potential for adoption is huge. There’s been some talks lately as to whether Facebook is really planning to launch an HTML5-based development platform to take on Apple’s Mobile Safari, and indeed The New York Times is also reporting Facebook will launch a new version of the regular website for the iPad’s browser. It’s unclear when all this will launch (NYT says the iPad app will be available in the “coming weeks”), but it’s safe to assume the new website won’t offer as many features as a native app. The Facebook app for iPhone has been around since 2008 and it’s the most popular free App Store download of all time.

Report Claims No New Macs Until Lion Launches

As Apple is getting ready to launch the next major version of OS X, Lion, in July, AppleInsider reports the company has decided to postpone the release of refreshed Mac models until the OS is available, so customers buying new computers will find Lion already installed. The move would make sense considering the new features being introduced in Lion: a customer that doesn’t need to manually upgrade (in spite of the simple upgrade process of the Mac App Store with one-click install) may result in a customer already tied to the new iCloud ecosystem once the suite launches this Fall, as well as immediate access to new functionalities like AirDrop, full-screen apps, or Mission Control. To put it simply: by releasing new Macs with Lion built-in, Apple would eliminate the risk of users putting off the upgrade for any reason.

Apple management is so pumped up over the advantages presented by its forthcoming Mac OS X Lion operating system that the company has been holding back the release of at least one new Mac refresh until the software is finalized, AppleInsider has learned.

For instance, new Thunderbolt-enabled Sandy Bridge MacBook Air models expected to go into production this month have been ready and waiting for some time, according to people familiar with the matter. But management is currently unwilling to usher the new models into the market with the current Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard operating system.

With Apple’s Lion Up-To-Date program, customers will also be able to request the OS for free for Macs purchased between June 6, 2011, and the day OS X Lion comes out. This means that, even if the rumor’s untrue and Apple is not considering waiting for Lion’s release to unleash new Macs, customers would still have the chance to spend $0 to get the latest operating system.

As for the Macs rumored to be getting an update soon, the most notable ones are the MacBook Airs, allegedly set for a Thunderbolt and Sandy Bridge spec bump following the MacBook Pro and iMac refreshes from earlier this year. According to the rumor mill though, the Mac mini and Mac Pro lines are also due an update, with the server counterparts specifically mentioned in a report last week.

Patent Details Potential Future Find My iPhone Features

If features presented in a patent application from Apple this morning come to fruition, the ‘Find My iPhone’ service will become far more powerful in keeping your data secure. The primary feature described in the patent is one where the device would be able to detect a potential ‘intrusion’ by an unauthorised user of the device when an incorrect passcode is entered multiple times. It would proactively raise the security risk and then take steps to secure a users data.

When a raised security level is reached, certain files and content would be selectively protected. This data could be scrambled instead of wiped out – meaning that if a user does get the device back they still have the data and just have to unscramble it. The raised security level could also transition the device into a surveillance mode where the device records certain actions taken by a user including their actions, the ambient sounds, location of the device and then sends that data out, presumably to iCloud.

If a device is lost or stolen, it could become purposively limited from making calls, text messages and using mobile data so that the user doesn’t face costs from their mobile provider. Similarly, if the device has access to a corporate VPN, that VPN data could be altered when the device faces a raised security risk.

The patent also describes a system of how if a device is or presumed to be lost or stolen that it could request the location of the device. A pop-up would appear on the device, warning that location data is about to be sent, a user could then over-ride it with the correct passcode, or alternatively, contact the owner. Presumably this would be helpful if someone who found the device is trying to return the device.

[Via Patently Apple]

Angry Birds Updated With New Episode, Rovio Boasts Of 1 Million Downloads A Day

The unbelievably popular Angry Birds app has today received a new update, version 1.6.0, which brings a new episode for users to play with. The new underground episode, titled ‘Mining and Dining with the Burrowing Piggies’, is jam packed with another 15 levels to complete.

With a bottomless appetite, the bad piggies have burrowed deep in underground caverns to hide the eggs they stole from you. Use the landscape and geology to your advantage to chase the pigs out of their hiding holes, gather rare gems, and retrieve the eggs!

The new levels are cave themed and as usual there are jewels to find, but there is also new a gameplay mechanic – shoot at the hanging stalactites to “pop those pesky burrowing piggies”. Apart from the new levels, Rovio has tweaked some existing levels that were stonewalling people. The app update is available for both the iPhone version version and iPad version of Angry Birds.

Meanwhile, Peter Vesterbacka CEO of Rovio, spoke at the openIDEAS Conference in Europe today and revealed that the Angry Birds games are now seeing over a million downloads per day. You may recall that Rovio revealed that over Christmas Day last year it saw its most successful day ever with one million downloads – now that’s a daily occurance. In recent times it had also surpassed 250 million downloads.

[Via The Next Web]

Yahoo Tries To Improve App Search With Yahoo! App Search And AppSpot

Yahoo today launched a new search service that aims to improve the searching experience for the iPhone App Store and the Android Marketplace. The service brings a new app called Yahoo! AppSpot to the iPhone and Android as well as the Yahoo! App Search website.

With 425,000-plus apps in the Apple App Store and 200,000 apps in Android Market, we know finding what you want can be exhausting. And even more challenging: There are times you don’t know the specific name of the app, so you’re leaving it up to chance that you’re actually downloading the app you really want.

Yahoo claims to be able to search the App Store and Android Marketplace more intelligently as well as also offering users personal recommendations from within the AppSpot app. The personal recommendations feature works by first taking a look at all the apps you currently have on your iPhone (it asks for permission) and then displays eight suggestions for each category of the store. Unfortunately the recommendation system seemed very poor for me at least, suggesting a rather bizarre range of apps from ‘Alphabet Car’ to ‘Justin Bieber Revenge’ to ‘Foreclosure Search’.

Both the website and the app from Yahoo gives you all the same information that Apple’s own store provides, including: a description, rating, price and screenshots. If you choose to download the app through the AppSpot app it will launch you straight over to the App Store app. If you’re on the website on your Mac/PC though it will give you the option to either send an SMS with a link, open up the iTunes Preview page in your browser or display a QR code with the link embedded (the AppSpot App has a QR reader inbuilt).

You can try Yahoo! App Search from here and download the Yahoo! AppSpot App from here. Jump the break for a video promo.

[Via Engadget]
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Apple Launches 2011 Back To School Promotion In US And Europe, Features $100 Gift Card

As had been rumored and then confirmed last night, Apple has launched its 2011 Back to School promotion today, featuring a $100 gift card for use on any of Apple’s digital stores. The promotion runs from today until September 20th this year and is available for college students and faculty staff.

When you buy a new qualifying Mac with Apple education pricing* from June 16, 2011, through September 20, 2011, you’ll get a $100 Back to School Card

The qualifying Mac’s include the MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iMac – all of which are at a discounted rate for students. The gift card will work on the Mac App Store, App Store, iTunes Store or the iBookstore. The promotional page also highlights some accessories to help you “Gear up for college” as well as suggested “Apps for Studies” and “Apps for Study Breaks”.

The promotion has also launched in the UK where a £65 gift card is offered and in various other European countries where a 75 € gift card is offered.

Back To School Promo Finally Launching Tomorrow, $100 Gift Card Confirmed

The much anticipated Back to School 2011 promotion that was initially rumored to kick off in May, and then set for an announcement at WWDC with special iPad discounts, has finally been confirmed to kick off tomorrow, June 16, with a $100 gift card to buy software and media in Apple’s digital Stores. Photos posted by Italian website iPadevice [Google Translation] and MacRumors confirm that Apple has finalized work on the promotion, which will run until September 20, 2011, and will include a $100 (€75) gift card for software purchases. As Apple’s gift cards can be used everywhere though (iTunes Store, App Store, iBookstore), students who buy a new Mac will be able to redeem a code to use with apps, songs, movies, or books.

In the past years, Apple offered free iPods with the purchase of a new Mac as a clear sign of the company wanting to push iOS devices in the educational market – each student would get a free iPod touch, create an Apple ID to download apps, and eventually be tied to Apple’s ecosystem with other iOS devices. With the launch of the Mac App Store, however, and the upcoming OS X Lion, it appears Apple wants to heavily promote how the new Store will become the best way for Mac users to discover and buy software. In spite of the universal nature of gift cards, Apple clearly states on the promo material that $100 to spend on the Mac App Store can be used to buy Pages, Keynote, and Numbers.