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An iPad Lover Plays With Fire→

An iPad Lover Plays With Fire

Also, at times I seem to tap items and nothing happens, leaving me to wonder if I’ve somehow died, lost the electrical charge in my finger tips, and am just a ghost who believes I’m in our regular reality. I’ve had this happen with the iPad 2 and my iPhone, so I can’t blame it all on the Kindle Fire. I bet there’s a usage learning curve where I’ll intuitively understand how long and hard I have to make a tap to be to get a consistent response. I’m not there yet, but I expect my interaction to improve. If it doesn’t, it would be only a minor irritation because, after all, I only spent $199 on this device.

Chris Maxcer has written a multi-part series on the using the Kindle Fire at MacNewsWorld, looking at just how it compares to Apple’s iPad. With Christmas around the corner and budgets to be managed, the Kindle Fire’s attractive price point will certainly makes it an impulse buy for people who couldn’t afford one otherwise. Its price, however, may not necessarily be its only good quality. Maxcer writes that its media experience (for consuming video for example) is excellent, although actually using the Fire for anything productive ends up being a big hassle. The multi-part review is a good read through to manage your expectations if you’re thinking about getting the Fire.

An iPad Lover Plays With Fire: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

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Highland Village Retail Store to be Texas’ Little “Upper West Side”

Houston, Texas is about to get a new Apple Store that’s getting an early sneak peek thanks to a curious Apple fan. The Upper West Side Retail Store, a massive glass-roofed complex unveiled at the end of 2009 (and pictured above), appears to be the inspiration for the Highland Village Retail Store said to be currently under wraps on the west side of Houston. The same all glass front, limestone walls, and glass roof made up the construction of the retail space, though not at the same scale as it’s older NYC counterpart. There is a difference, however, as the back of the store will also be all glass (there will only be one entrance to Apple’s new retail space). Inventory will apparently be held in next door in an adjacent space instead of in the retail store itself.

The future Palo Alto (N. Calif.) and Third Street Promenade (S. Calif.) stores—both expansions of existing stores—will also feature the UWS design, according to renderings submitted by Apple to city planning officials. However, the scale of the stores will be smaller than the original Upper West Side store that opened to rave architectural reviews in 2009.

Photographs posted on ifoAppleStore show off the similarities in architecture between the NYC and Houston retail spaces. The open design, featuring high glass ceilings overlooking open spaces, looks like it’ll be a common theme for Apple heading down the road.

[ifoAppleStore via TUAW] image via Apple

#MacStoriesDeals - Tuesday

Apps now show in parentheses what category it is classified under. Here are today’s @MacStoriesDeals on iOS, Mac, and Mac App Store apps that are on sale for a limited time, so get them before they end!

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YES! Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition to Land on iOS and Android December 15th

Grand Theft Auto fans are going to have an early Christmas present come December 15th as Rockstar Games celebrates the 10 year anniversary of Grand Theft Auto III with a launch on iOS and Android mobile devices. Grand Theft Auto III made waves when it was launched on the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox back on October 22nd, 2001, introducing players to a vast open world with a gripping story line and hours of endless gameplay. There’s nothing quite like GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas, and I’m terribly excited to see games from my youth (in hindsight that I probably shouldn’t have been playing) find its way onto iPads and iPhones. Here’s the list of supported devices:

iOS:

  • iPad, iPad2
  • iPhone 4, iPhone 4S
  • iPod touch 4th generation

Android:

  • Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Toshiba Thrive
  • HTC Rezound, LG Optimus 2x, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon 4G, Samsung Galaxy R, T-Mobile G2x

The game will only cost $4.99 when it launches. An official trailer will be released next week with the launch of the mobile remake. Be sure to check out Rockstar’s post for more iOS and Android screenshots.

[via Rockstar Games]

Cox Communications Launches TV Connect for iPad

Cox Communications has just launched a free app for streaming live TV directly to the iPad. This app is available exclusively for customers that have Essential/Preferred TV subscriptions as well as Cox Preferred, Premier, or Ultimate residential Internet service. Subscribers log in to the app with the same credentials used to access their Cox online account. It requires the user to be on their home wifi connection to stream which is an odd limitation but when attempting to use the app away from my house I received a pop-up that said it can only be used on a Cox network.. I would really like to see Cox improve the app by allowing the user to stream TV over remote wifi and 3G connections.

I am personally a Cox TV Essential provider and I have roughly 80 different channels each of which are aired in both standard definition and HD versions. After logging in to the iPad TV Connect app I found that it had 32 different channels including A&E, AMC, FX, History, USA, and many more. These are great channels I would actually enjoy watching. According to the built in TV Guide section, these are the HD versions but after streaming a few channels I would have to disagree. The quality is not bad but it does look a bit grainy when in fullscreen mode.

The iPad TV Connect app is a good first attempt but it fails in a couple of ways. The usability of the app could be greatly improved. It lacks the ability to swipe through channels in fullscreen mode which seems like a more than logical way to browse TV channels on a touch screen device. It also does not support AirPlay video streaming to an AppleTV. If you try to enable AirPlay Mirroring then the video playback will stop and you will receive a pop-up error message. You aren’t even able to playback audio over AirPlay speakers and keep the video on the iPad. I am not sure why they would choose to limit the app in this way but maybe an updated version will be released to fix these issues.

Although I am not completely satisfied with Cox TV Connect, as a Cox cable customer I am elated to have the app on my iPad. I hope to see Cox really get behind this app and strive to improve it because it does have great potential and I look forward to future versions.

Cox TV Connect for iPad is available for free on the App Store

Global BBC iPlayer App Coming To The iPhone & iPod Touch This Thursday

Update: The iPhone version of the BBC iPlayer (Global) app is now available for free on the App Store - it comes as a universal app that runs on both the iPad and iPhone.

The global version of BBC iPlayer first began rolling out internationally five months ago and is now available in sixteen countries around the world. So far the video-on-demand service, offering BBC content to an international audience, has only been available on the iPad. That will change this Thursday when the BBC iPlayer app will become available for the iPhone and iPod touch.

The announcement was made by Jana Bennett, President of Worldwide Networks and Global BBC iPlayer who noted that “moving to iPhone and iPod Touch allows us to take the service to a significant new potential audience and deliver fantastic programme content from the BBC and the UK’s creative industry”.

This platform extension shows how Global iPlayer isn’t just about moving TV to tablet devices, it’s also about a mobile strategy – about truly getting TV everywhere in a way that it hasn’t been before.

Bennett also announced that programs from DRG will also begin to appear on the BBC iPlayer service in early 2012. DRG is a program distributor that owns programs such as Peep Show, Father Ted, Black Books and Shameless.

[Via The Next Web]

European Commission Begins Antitrust Investigation Into Ebook Publishers, Apple

In a statement released today, the European Commission has revealed that it is opening formal antitrust proceedings to investigate the possible presence of anti-competitive practices within the ebook industry.  The investigation will target a number of international publishers including Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster and Penguin. The Commission will also be investigating whether Apple has helped the publishers engage in anti-competitive practices.

The European Commission has opened formal antitrust proceedings to investigate whether international publishers Hachette Livre, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin and Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holzbrinck have, possibly with the help of Apple, engaged in anti-competitive practices affecting the sale of e-books in the European Economic Area, in breach of EU antitrust rules.  [Shortened]

The Commission will examine the ‘agency agreements’ entered into by the publishers — with concerns that they may breach EU antitrust rules that “prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices”. It isn’t yet known for how long the commission will run for.

The Commission will in particular investigate whether these publishing groups and Apple have engaged in illegal agreements or practices that would have the object or the effect of restricting competition in the EU or in the EEA.

[Via The Verge]

How the iPad 2 Became My Favorite Computer→

How the iPad 2 Became My Favorite Computer

This hasn’t been one of those experiments-for-the-sake-of-experimentation in which someone temporarily forsakes a PC for another device in order to write about the experience (like, say, this). No, I’ve been using the iPad for my daily activities–running Technologizer, writing for TIME, CNET, and AllBusiness.com, and more–because I find it to be the preferable tool in multiple respects. I’ve been using it about 80 percent of the time, and using my MacBook Air about 20 percent of the time. I have no desire to go back.

I think Harry McCracken is an excellent example of how and where the iPad can be used to replace a laptop computer in a professional industry (i.e. journalism). McCracken’s setup relies on three main benefits of the iPad: its ten hour battery life, 3G integration (AT&T), and its unique app ecosystem. To bolster the lack of a keyboard, a combination case+keyboard is used. While I don’t agree with McCracken’s desktop-OS comments, and while I personally couldn’t use the iPad as a replacement for a MacBook, I do agree with his conclusion. And yes Harry, I do think you’re ahead of the times.

Personally, I don’t see how McCracken’s setup is vastly different from the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime. Samsung’s Windows 8 Developer PC is another example of this, where you can dock the Metro-based tablet for use with a keyboard. What you want is a tablet to futz around with on the couch and in bed, but a working, cool, and quiet laptop with long battery life when you want to be productive. What tablet makers are starting to present is the coveted all-in-one solution. While there’s accessories (like an external keyboard) to manage, these qualities have even replaced the MacBook Air (which is surprising to me) for McCracken. As CES 2012 rolls around, I’m willing to bet you’re going to see a lot more of this. But for now, the iPad’s glowing qualities in all the categories mentioned have it coming out on top for the tech-savvy individuals bold enough to try going iPad-only.

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Apple Could Set Up Shop Next to Facebook’s Server Farm in Oregon

Facebook could have a new neighbor as Apple decides whether Prineville, Oregon, would make a suitable location for their next data center (codenamed Maverick). Apple is reportedly looking at a 160 acre plot of land in Crook County that’s a quarter mile south of Facebook’s nearby sever farm. Apple’s option to buy the land will expire at the end of the month, so a decision has to be made soon.

Sources with inside knowledge of Apple’s plans have told The Oregonian that Apple might be looking to take advantage of Oregon’s low power cost and property tax exemptions. Server farms are popular in Oregon, where rural “enterprise zones” free companies from paying property taxes on computer equipment, and the mild climate helps offset energy costs.

There are a couple of snags hanging up the decision. One revolves around a tax on intangibles, which take the value of a company’s brand into consideration. Intangible fees can undercut the tax exemptions that companies like Apple, Facebook, and Google are granted.

On the topic of energy, Apple’s plans aren’t finalized as they await word on whether Prineville can provide enough electricity for their Data Center. Apple will have to wait behind other local companies as transmission capacity is increased via the Bonneville Power Administration. Rackspace has already opted to build their new server farm elsewhere (Morrow County). However, the region’s transmission capacity is looking to be expanded a year ahead of schedule thanks to state delegation, and it’s possible Apple might have an open door thanks to recent developments.

To serve Facebook and other data centers in Crook County, the BPA says that it must upgrade the nearby Ponderosa Substation, add transmission lines and eventually add another substation. The full build-out would take two or three years and cost around $26.5 million.

Apple’s next data center will continue bolster their online offerings such as iCloud, which will require 31-Megawatts of power to operate. Currently, electrical transmission in Prineville is maxed out.

Data centers also generate franchise fees for local governments with their high electricity use, and Apple would bring its Prineville property onto local tax rolls by acquiring it from the county.

Apple’s data center will bolster their online offerings such as iCloud, mirroring the data center that was constructed in Maiden, North Carolina. The Maiden data center came under scrutiny as it was questioned whether the tax exemptions granted to Apple was worth the number of jobs (only 50) it brought to the region. While the data center won’t solve Crook County’s record 15.8 percent unemployment rate, the data center would provide a short term stimulus as construction of the facility (and expansion of other facilities like Facebook’s) takes place.

[The Oregonian via Macgasm]