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AfterDawn: News

iPhone OS 3.2 may have clues about rumored Verizon iPhone

Written by Rich Fiscus @ 05 Apr 2010 10:36

iPhone OS 3.2 may have clues about rumored Verizon iPhone Apple may have more than one version of the next iPhone planned according to some hints found in the iPad file system.

The first clues about the new model of iPhone, expected later this year, first appeared last year in version 3.1 of the OS. But at that time there was only one listing.

Boy Genius Report has published a screenshot from the latest iPhone OS update, version 3.2, showing two new phones listed which should have essentially the same hardware.

The original iPhone and iPhone 3G are noted as 'iPhone 1,1' and 'iPhone 1,2' respectively. This indicates that the general platform is mostly the same in terms of hardware.

The iPhone 3GS is listed as 'iPhone 2,1' which is logical since the hardware in it is significantly different than the previous two models.

Then there is a listing for 'iPhone 3,1'. This is reportedly the model which Apple began testing last November. References to it first showed up in version 3.1 of the iPhone OS.

The two other models listed, 'iPhone 3,2' and 'iPhone 3,3' are new in iPhone OS version 3.2. Based on the numbering used for the first two iPhones it's almost certain they share the same basic hardware as the previously discovered new model.

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AfterDawn: News

Microsoft to show off 'Pink' phone series on April 12th

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 05 Apr 2010 10:25

Microsoft to show off 'Pink' phone series on April 12th Microsoft is planning to reveal their new mobile phone series on April 12th during a media event, introducing the phones that have been developed under the working title "Pink."

The "Pink" phones will feature social networking tools, and will be aimed at teens.

The WSJ is reporting that the media has been invited to the event in San Francisco, which has the title "It's time to share," a play off the social networking features of the devices.

The phones will be available in the U.S. only at first, with an eventual international launch.




AfterDawn: News

Zune HD firmware v4.5 now available

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 05 Apr 2010 9:59

Zune HD firmware v4.5 now available The long-anticipated Microsoft Zune HD firmware v4.5 is now available to Zune HD owners, bringing native XviD support to the device as well as streaming Smart DJ.

The player will now has native support for the MPEG-4 Part 2 ASP codec, and the player will playback XviD videos, which is still the codec of choice for most videos downloaded online. The format will play via your HDTV as well if you own the Zune HD Dock.

Smart DJ playlists, a "Genius"-esque song playlist creator, is also available on the player and not just the desktop software. If you are connected via Wi-Fi you will be able to to create Smart DJ playlists that incorporate streamed content from the Zune Marketplace, besides the songs already stored on the player.

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AfterDawn: News

Apple to talk about upcoming iPhone OS features on Thursday

Written by Rich Fiscus @ 05 Apr 2010 6:04

Apple to talk about upcoming iPhone OS features on Thursday Less than a week after the iPad went on sale in the US it seems that Apple is getting ready for a preview of the next version of iPhone OS.

Like both the iPhone and iPod Touch, the iPad uses this stripped down version of OS X as its operating system.

Engadget has reported getting an invitation to a press event which promises a "sneak peek of the next generation of iPhone OS software." It will be held this Thursday (April 8) at 10AM Pacific Time.

As with every version of the iPhone OS, there has been rampant speculation about what features will be added in version 4. The iPad, with it's increased emphasis on apps similar to what you might use on a laptop or desktop, has only added to the rumors.

Perhaps the hottest rumor right now is the introduction of multitasking. The current version of the OS doesn't allow applications other than the built-in iPod software to run in the background.

With other smartphone vendors, particularly Nokia and Microsoft, making a big deal about their upcoming phones featuring multitasking superior to the iPhone this would make a lot of sense.

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AfterDawn: News

Most of iPad buyers were Apple 'fanboys,' says survey

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 05 Apr 2010 1:40

Most of iPad buyers were Apple 'fanboys,' says survey Research firm Piper Jaffray has released a survey today that includes the results of 448 launch day iPad buyers, and it appears that most are what could be considered Apple "fanboys."

74 percent of the buyers were current Mac users, and 96 percent of those were completely satisfied with their Mac computers.

66 percent of the buyers own iPhones. 13 percent owned Amazon Kindle e-readers but 58 percent were set to replace it with the iPad.

The most popular model purchased was the cheap $499 16GB model, at 39 percent of all buys, followed by the more expensive 32GB model at 32 percent.

74 percent of all buyers will use the iPad for Internet surfing, with 38 percent using the device for e-book reading.




AfterDawn: News

T-Mobile offering credit to buyers of HD2 if they trade in their iPhone

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 05 Apr 2010 1:05

T-Mobile offering credit to buyers of HD2 if they trade in their iPhone T-Mobile is set to start a new promotion that will credit users that trade-in their iPhone with $350 USD to purchase a new HTC HD2.

The HD2 uses Windows Mobile 6.5, and most reviews call the phone excellent.

The offer is available until May 19th.




AfterDawn: News

Apple confirms 300,000 iPads sold on launch day

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 05 Apr 2010 11:47

Apple confirms 300,000 iPads sold on launch day Apple has released the official figures today for U.S. iPad sales, saying that including pre-orders, the company has sold 300,000 units on launch date.

Analyst Gene Munster had predicted 700,000 unit sales yesterday, but he was clearly wrong. The 300,000 number is still a large number however, surpassing all conservative predictions.

On launch day, one million apps were downloaded, and 250,000 e-books were downloaded from the iBookStore, notes Apple.

The iPad is available today starting at $499, for the Wi-Fi only version. 3G data versions will be available by the end of April.




AfterDawn: News

Adobe shows off another impressive Photoshop CS5 feature

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 05 Apr 2010 1:09

Adobe shows off another impressive Photoshop CS5 feature Earlier this week we reported on the new impressive Photoshop CS5 feature "Content-Aware Fill," which Adobe was giving a "sneak peak" of.

Content-Aware Fill can be used for everything from simple photo retouching operations like getting rid of artifacts like lens flare to creating entire new areas of an image based on existing elements.

Today, the company is showing off "Puppet Warp," a tool used for bending and twisting images with ease. Although the tool was a staple of "After Effects CS4," it has never been used in Photoshop.

Check it out:




AfterDawn: News

'Windows Phone 7 Series' gets small name change

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 04 Apr 2010 10:24

'Windows Phone 7 Series' gets small name change Since the launch of their latest mobile OS in February, Microsoft has fielded criticism over the name, Windows Phone 7 Series.

Most complaints were over the fact that the name is overly long, and that it not the easiest phrase to say.

Microsoft has listened and decided to slightly change the name, and the Windows Phone team has Tweeted about it.

Says the Tweet: "Tis the season for Series finales. We've got one too - dropping the ‘Series’ and keeping the 'Windows Phone 7.' Done."

Most reporters had dropped the "Series" already anyways, but now it appears to be official.




AfterDawn: News

ESPN3 launched with optimized video streaming, social networking

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 04 Apr 2010 10:05

ESPN3 launched with optimized video streaming, social networking Previously run as "ESPN360.com," the sports network has relaunched the site as ESPN3.com today, with optimized Flash 10 video quality as well as new social networking features.

Says ESPN of the new features:

* New Viewing Modes – Multiple options to watch live events, including picture-in-picture and split screens;
* New Scoreboard Module – Up-to-the-minute scores from hundreds of sports leagues from around the world;
* Stats – In-depth event stats that allow fans to track the event they’re watching;
* Chat – Interact with other fans watching the game;
* Enhanced Schedule – Users will be able to find a specific event via improved navigation;
* Social Networking Tools –Update your Facebook and Twitter status.


Additionally, starting later in April and then in June, the company will offer "downloadable enhancements" such as:

* More HD-quality streaming with the NBA Playoffs followed by the 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2010 US Open tennis;
* DVR functionality where fans will be able to pause, rewind and fast forward through live programming;
* A Key Plays feature where users will be able to jump to key scoring plays and pivotal moments at any time during the game.




AfterDawn: News

New York Times ups price of e-subscriptions

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 04 Apr 2010 9:20

New York Times ups price of e-subscriptions The New York Times has upped the price of its e-subscription packages, jacking up the price to $20 per month from $15 for e-edition and Kindle subscribers. The e-edition of the paper available to iPad users will cost $20, as well.

Current users will get to keep their current prices until October 2nd, while any new subscribers will have to pay the new prices starting this week.

It is unclear how many users will pay the extra money to have the specially produced versions of the sites instead of just using the free version of the site available online, but most analysts expect that number will not be high.

Most consumers are smart enough to know the price of delivering an e-product is a lot cheaper than the print counterpart, but at $20 per month, the price difference is not very significant.




AfterDawn: News

Hyundai to include iPad with owner's manual with purchase of Equus sedan

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 04 Apr 2010 8:33

Hyundai to include iPad with owner's manual with purchase of Equus sedan Hyundai has announced that all new buyers of the Equus luxury sedan will receive an Apple iPad, one that comes pre-loaded with a digital version of the car's owner's manual.

The tablet will also have a pre-loaded Hyundai app which will make service appointments easier.

Mike Bloxham, director of insight and research at Ball State University's Center for Media Design says: "They are trying to position themselves as a modern, in-touch, technologically savvy brand. It is the sort of innovation you would expect from BMW or Mercedes, but not Hyundai."

Hyundai is known for ultra-budget cars but will try to steal some luxury market share from competitors such as Lexus and Mercedes-Benz. The Equus will sell for around $55,000 USD, a far cry from some of Hyundai's budget cars like the Accent which sells for $10,000.




AfterDawn: News

Video Daily: iPad jailbroken

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 04 Apr 2010 7:49

Video Daily: iPad jailbroken Musclenerd, of the iPhone Dev Team has released a video this weekend showing off the iPad, already jailbroken, giving users access to the iPad software.

So far, the root access is just a hack, but within the next month iPad owners will likely be able to jailbreak their devices with a one-click app such as BlackRa1n, and install third-party apps through Cydia or Ice.

The iPad Guide site had this to say about the hack: "The video shows that the jailbreak provides a root shell with what appears to be full access to the iPad filesystem. The video walks shows connection to the iPad via ssh, exploration of the OS and kernel version information (uname), a view of running processes, moving applications out of the iPad's applications directory (and then restarting Springboard via the shell to show the results) and finally, rebooting the iPad via the jailbroken root shell.

Mind you, this isn't yet so functional a jailbreak that it is going to be of much interest to the average user, but as Musclenerd's latest Twitter update indicates, a joint effort by several members of the iPhone Dev Team is now underway to get 'everything working.'"

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Weekend iPad sales: 700,000

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 04 Apr 2010 7:37

Weekend iPad sales: 700,000 CNNMoney is reporting today that Apple has outsold even the most radical predictions for the iPad, selling 700,000 units during its launch weekend.

The estimates come from Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, an analyst who specializes in Apple products.

Reads the article: In a report to clients issued Saturday night, Munster's estimated that by midnight Sunday, Apple will have sold 600,000 to 700,000 iPads, including pre-orders — more than double his relatively conservative pre-launch estimate of 200,000 to 300,000. (Other analysts had published estimates of 300,000 to 400,000.)

When the original iPhone began sales in 2007, Apple took 74 days to hit 1 million sales. The latest iteration however, the iPhone 3GS took 3 days to hit the same milestone.




AfterDawn: News

Blu-ray Discs specification now allows for 128GB storage

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 04 Apr 2010 7:24

Blu-ray Discs specification now allows for 128GB storage The Blu-ray Disc Association has revealed this weekend two updates to the Blu-ray specification, the BDXL(High Capacity Recordable and Rewritable discs) and the IH-BD (Intra-Hybrid discs).

BDXL will be aimed at the commercial segment, and will allow for write-once ability on 100GB and 128GB capacity discs. Current dual-layer discs can only hold 50GB. Despite being aimed at the commercial market, the Association says a consumer version of the 3/4 layer discs will be available to Japan and the U.S. as well.

"Professional industries have expressed a desire to find optical disc solutions that enable them to transition away from magnetic media for their archiving needs," adds Victor Matsuda, Blu-ray Disc Association Global Promotions Committee chair. "Leveraging Blu-ray Disc to meet this need provides professional enterprises with a compact, stable and long term solution for archiving large amounts of sensitive data, video and graphic images using a proven and widely accepted optical technology."

Read more...



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