As noted by 9to5mac, Skyfire will release its first iPhone app on Thursday, which will allow users to load Flash videos on the device using the startup’s on-the-fly conversion technology.
Skyfire takes a Flash video, sends it to its own servers and translates it to HTML5 on the iPhone in a few seconds. I’m not really sure whether Skyfire’s servers will hold up on Thursday, or if there’s anything more to be noted about this app besides Flash conversion. Read more
According to a rumor published by TechCrunch, Google and Apple are keeping an eye on mobile payments startup BOKU, which allows users to complete online transactions by simply entering their phone number and confirming the purchase with a text from their phone. A simple and unobtrusive system that could really eliminate the need of credit cards and banks online: charges will be added to your wireless monthly bill. Boku has closed deals with carriers worldwide, including AT&T in the U.S.
Apple seems to be really committed to turning the iPhone into a digital wallet-like device you can use to buy stuff on the go and / or online, as we speculated in rumors surfaced earlier this year. Yesterday, Cult of Mac reported Apple not only wants to develop an “iWallet” based on NFC technology – they’re aiming at remote Mac controlling as well. Read more
Good points by Neven Mrgan, but I especially agree with this one:
It’s weird, and it’s one of the things I hope Apple will address in Lion.
Imagine a business card as sleek as an Apple product, with smooth and sexy lines wrapped around future-proof metal. Take a look at Steve Wozniak’s business card, stamped by UK company PlasmaDesign and produced for several high profile clients.
The cards are created through a combination of photochemical etching and good ol’ cutting (we assume stamping), depending on the design, and if regular stainless steel etched into two shades is too boring for you, PlasmaDesign can also tint the metal into seven different shades using a complicated process called electrophoresis, which I could not adequately explain to you if I had a gun to my head.
Saying this is just too cool would be an understatement. [Gizmodo via Core77]
Times change. Gadgets grow old fast. Look at your original iPhone from 2007, then look at the iPhone 4’s sexy metal band. Things in this industry have a short lifespan, and it’s up to great engineers and designers to make a device last in time and leave a permanent sign in the minds of people who used it, loved it.
In the picture above, you can see a Mac Portable from 1989 compared to a 2010 MacBook Air. Generation of Macs sitting next to each other, a visual representation of the progress that’s been made in science and computer engineering. But it was “only” 21 years ago. The first Game Boy came out the same year. The U2 were a great band. Yet, for as much as we remember those events as if it was yesterday and we struggle to keep that Mac Portable in perfect mint condition, things change. Fast.
So welcome, MacBook Air. We look forward to comparing you to another Mac in 21 years.
If Macs will still be around. [TUAW via Patrick McCarron]
Grazing is, in my opinion, the best alternative web browser for iPad which I reviewed here back in September. By combining a fast engine with a polished UI and a minimal (yet powerful) feature set, the developers of Grazing managed to release the finest example of what it’s possible to do with a 3rd party web browser on the tablet.
Today Grazing for iPad gets even better with a 1.1 updated aimed at improving overall performances and introducing a couple of new features highly requested by early adopters of the app. In the Settings, you can now turn on Ad-blocking, which works on domain basis and you can enable or disable at any given time. Also in the Settings, a TV Out option that allows you automatically output web pages when the iPad is attached to an external monitor or TV. Read more
I’m looking forward to what’s coming next for Instapaper.
If you live in Europe or in any other market outside the United States, here’s a nice surprise for you: Apple cut €100 off of the price of the Mac Mini, which is now available at €699 in the standard configuration with 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB memory, 320GB hard drive, 8x double-layer SuperDrive and NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics. The price cut is also available in the UK Store, where the Mac Mini is now priced at £599.
Prices in the US remain unchanged at the moment of writing this. I assume these prices cuts in Europe are likely connected to Dollar - Euro conversion rates, or maybe Apple just wants to sell more Minis in the holiday season in Europe.
According to the latest report by BGR, Apple changed its policy regarding AppleCare Protection Plans and transferability:
Starting immediately, an Apple customer will have the ability to transfer AppleCare Protection Plan coverage to a new device without having to cancel the current plan and purchase a new one. Though no formal announcement has been made to the public, Apple notified its employees of the new procedure on Monday.
This new system simplifies the purchase experience for customers and makes AppleCare even more relevant. Yeah, because in case you’re wondering – you need AppleCare.
