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iPad gives Netbooks breathing room

For many people, it's a safe bet that the iPad will not replace or preclude the purchase of a Netbook. A quick look at the specifications and it's pretty obvious why.

The iPad is definitely not a laptop and that's not necessarily a good thing.

The iPad is definitely not a laptop and that's not necessarily a good thing.

(Credit: Apple )

As this tweet succinctly put it: "What has no webcam, no multitasking, no HDMI port, and (possibly) no Flash, and costs $500? Hint: Not a netbook." This tweet, of course, is referring to the Apple iPad. And, by the way, you can eliminate the parenthetical; the iPad definitely does not support Adobe Flash video. (Also see this post at Gizmodo.)

But specifications aside, here's the most fundamental difference. The iPad is what analysts call a purpose-built device. It does certain things very well (e.g., video, Web browsing, e-reading) and other things (most notably office productivity apps) not so well or not at all.

The Netbook--though not as fast as a standard laptop and handicapped by a relatively small screen--is still a PC and is capable of doing pretty much everything a standard PC does. In other words, it's a general-purpose device.

Then there's the physical difference. Consumers who make the leap from a notebook or Netbook to a tablet will immediately recognize the ergonomic limitations of a tablet. In short, the inconvenience of not having a physical keyboard: the keyboard on a laptop also acts as a ballast--or stand--for the screen. Needless to say, that's why laptops decorate Starbucks tables and airplane trays. (Yes, Apple will sell an iPad case that serves as a stand but that does not make it a laptop.)

That said, preemptively panning the device is foolhardy. Consumers will undoubtedly find novel ways to use the iPad. And I will likely be rubbing elbows with an iPad user at Starbucks as soon as it hits stores.

Multitasking: Intel does, iPad doesn't

This Aava Mobile design uses the upcoming Intel Moorestown chip. Devices using the chip can multitask.

This Aava Mobile design uses the upcoming Intel Moorestown chip. Devices using the chip can multitask.

(Credit: Aava Mobile)

How important is the ability to multitask on tablet-class devices like Apple's iPad? Important enough that the feature will likely be touted as a trump card for Intel-based smartphones such as a tablet-size phone from LG due later this year.

How do we know this? Watch the embedded CNET video below, which I took at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, and find out. Toward the end of the video (the 2:55 mark), Pankaj Kedia, director of Intel's Global Ecosystems Program for Mobile Internet Devices and Smart Phones, makes it clear that multitasking--in this case using Intel's Moblin operating system--is a marquee feature for devices running on Intel's Moorestown chip technology, due sometime in the next few months.

Kedia shows three applications running but is quick to add that "you can have more apps running."

Of course, on an Apple laptop, where a user can easily have a dozen or more apps active, multitasking is taken for granted. For example, users can watch a video feed while writing an e-mail. For the iPad, however, Apple is betting that the snappy interface, as demonstrated in this CNET video, will more than compensate for the lack of multitasking.

On Friday, I asked Keida about the importance of multitasking on Intel-based smartphones and tablets.

"Consumers want to do multiple things at the same time: listen to music while browsing the Web, look for directions while looking at your calendar and talking with your friends, and so on," he said in response to an e-mail query. "Multitasking is one of the key differentiators for the LG GW990 smartphone, based on the Intel Moorestown platform," he said.

To date, Intel has gone public on three Moorestown-based designs. The LG GW990 smartphone, the Aava Mobile smartphone, and the OpenPeak tablet. "The LG GW990 is a product, while the Aava and OpenPeak are two of our leading reference designs, which will generate multiple end-user products," he said. "As we launch Moorestown in [the first half of this year] and products begin to ship in (the second half of the year), you will hear about additional customers."

Power-frugal Intel chips to spawn new laptops

The most power efficient of Intel's new series of mobile processors will start appearing in new laptops in February, according to the chipmaker.

Sony Vaio Y series uses Intel ULV processors

Sony Vaio Y series uses Intel ultra-low-voltage processors

(Credit: Sony)

The Core i3, i5, and i7 processors are slated to replace most of Intel's older generation of Core 2 processors across its mobile, desktop, and server lines. At the Consumer Electronics Show last month, Intel introduced mainstream mobile processors based on the Core i design--the Core i3 and i5.

Though laptops using Intel's standard-power Core i mobile processors have already hit store shelves en masse, systems using the chipmaker's ultra-low-voltage, or ULV, Core i processors will begin to appear "in early February," according to an Intel representative. These new processors include the i5-520UM and i7-640UM. Because ULV chips consume relatively little power, they are used in laptop designs in order to offer longer battery life.

High-profile laptop lines that currently use Intel's older Core 2 ULV chips include the Dell Adamo, Toshiba Portege R600, Sony Vaio Y, and Hewlett-Packard Envy 13. The most widely used processors have been the SU9400 and SU9600. Dell, last week, began offering steep discounts on its Adamo laptops that use the SU9400, cutting prices by about $500.

With the new i3 and i5, Intel is changing the way it rates power efficiency to account for the new "Arrandale" chip design that packages the graphics silicon together with the main Intel processor.

A Core i chip rated at 18 watts will now be considered a ULV processor, compared with the 10-watt rating of the older Core 2 technology. This is done to account for the additional power load of the graphics circuits that, before, were in a separate chip package called the chipset.

To date, Apple's MacBook Air has used Core 2 low-power processors but the Air's processors run at relatively high speeds of 1.86GHz or 2.13GHz, higher than ULV-designated chips in other ultrathin laptops, and therefore are not as power efficient.

Though Apple is expected to use Core i5 processors in its upcoming MacBook Pro lineup, it is not yet clear which processor Apple would opt for in a new MacBook Air model--if indeed Apple is planning an imminent update for this model.

Apple iPad profit model gets a 'teardown'

Like the iPhone, Apple stands to make a greater profit on the iPad when consumers choose models with more memory, according to an estimate released by iSuppli on Wednesday.

The $729 version of Apple's iPad is estimated to carry a bill of materials (BOM) and manufacturing cost of $287.15, making it the most profitable iPad model, according to iSuppli. The iPad is expected to go on sale as early as next month.

The firm did not have an iPad in hand when doing its analysis but based the virtual teardown on an in-house cost model that includes commodity components that are used across many devices.

Though the estimate does not account for non-hardware costs, as the price of different models increases, other costs will stay the same, according to Francis Sideco, an analyst at iSuppli. "Regardless of the configuration, software and licensing is going to stay the same. The only thing that's going to change are the hardware costs and primarily the memory," Sideco said in an interview.

Apple iPad price tier

Apple iPad price tier

(Credit: Apple)

That memory-based pricing scheme has become standard practice for Apple when pricing its iPhone and iPod, for example. For the iPad, the 32GB model will be the most profitable, costing only $29.50 more to produce than the 16GB versions, but the retail price gap is $100, iSuppli said. After the display, the NAND flash memory is expected to be the most expensive item. In the mid-range 3G model, the 32GB of NAND accounts for 21.4 percent of the total BOM, iSuppli said.

... Read More

Apple's late to the Core i5 laptop party

As performance laptops based on the Intel Core i5 processor proliferate, older Core 2 models look, well, old. That means Apple's core silicon is past its prime.

This Toshiba 13.3-inch laptop packs the Core i5 processor and a touch screen.

This Toshiba 13.3-inch laptop packs the Core i5 processor and a touch screen.

(Credit: Toshiba)

What began as a trickle about a month ago is now a torrent of new Core i-based notebooks. Although lower-end Core i3 processor-based systems are widely available for the more budget-minded, the Core i5 is now powering performance laptops for those willing to pay a little more money.

The mobile i5 and i7 chips are, in a word, fast. Made on Intel's cutting-edge 32-nanometer manufacturing process, they handily outperform the older Core 2 Duo. Tech Web site AnandTech said the i5 processor delivers "the single largest performance improvement we've seen from a new mobile processor in years," and Tom's Hardware said it "boasts the best balance between desktop-class speed and true mobile usability we've ever seen."

Dell: The Dell 15.6-inch Studio (S15Z-3630CPN) offered at Best Buy is a good example. Priced at $1,049, it comes, as many systems do, with the popular Core i5-430M processor (2.53GHz) and an ATI Radeon HD 4570 graphics chip with 512MB dedicated video memory.

Other features for this Dell Studio model include 4GB DDR3 memory, a 500GB Serial ATA hard disk drive (7200 rpm), two built-in 2W speakers, a built-in optical drive, and Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system.

Apple, by comparison, offers a 15-inch aluminum MacBook Pro for a pricey $2,299 that uses the older 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo and comes with specifications that are otherwise pretty similar to the (much) cheaper Dell system.

Hewlett-Packard: A $1,299 15.6-inch HP Envy (considered the company's consumer luxury laptop line) offers similar specifications to the Dell system but with more powerful graphics silicon. In addition to the Core i5-430M, it comes with a more powerful 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5830 graphics chip, a 320GB disk drive (7,200rpm), and 4GB of DDR3 memory.

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Before the iPad, there was the ThinkPad

The ThinkPad came long before the Apple iPad. Lenovo makes this clear in a video showing the genesis of the ThinkPad brand name, though the clip raises some pesky questions.

As some quick background--and as many readers probably know--a line of laptops using the same ThinkPad brand name ultimately became a hit for IBM, though the PC business overall didn't pan out financially for Big Blue, which sold it to Lenovo in 2004.

IBM was first: In the video, the Lenovo marketing executive (originally an IBM employee) talks about how IBM, in 1990, designed the ThinkPad 700T slate computer with a cutting-edge (at that time) magnesium case; how it used an "integrated heatsink" to obviate the need for a fan; and used a flash drive instead of a hard disk drive. Again, all of this way back in 1990.

While certainly an enlightening video, it still leaves one wondering why Lenovo is talking about this in the past tense. In other words, if IBM had such a head start in 1990, why is everyone fixated on Apple's tablet and why aren't we drooling over some highly evolved Lenovo Pad today? (Note: the Lenovo U1, though compelling, is a little late.)

I'm sure there are hundreds of reasons why IBM, and later Lenovo, didn't have a commercially successful consumer slate device (no, I'm not talking about a convertible laptop), but it seems odd that consumers have to wait for Apple to bring out a tablet before anyone takes serious notice of the slate computer.

So, what happened? Here's one facile answer. In the intervening 20 years, IBM sold off its PC business while Apple actually made a commercial success of innovative consumer designs and ballooned into one of the largest and most successful consumer device makers in the world.

(Via Engadget)

HP Slate to run Windows 7, but on which chip?

The HP Slate will use Windows 7, but what isn't known is which chip will power the Apple iPad rival from Hewlett-Packard.

This is an important question, as there's a world of difference between an Intel Atom processor and, let's say, a low-power Core 2 or Intel's latest-and-greatest chips based on the "Nehalem" design, referred to commercially as the Core i3, i5, and i7. Atom chips (with one exception) use a single-core processor--which can struggle under moderate to heavy workloads--while the more powerful Core 2 and i series chips use two processing cores.

HP has been careful not to reveal the silicon inside. And the company has declined to answer queries about internal silicon specifics. So, let the guessing games begin.

In order to make an educated guess at what HP may have in store, here's what Phil McKinney, chief technology officer at HP's Personal Systems group, said last month (see video) about the HP Slate: "North of what a smartphone is, smaller than a Netbook and notebook. Something thin and light but allowing (consumers) to have that rich media experience. They can do everything on that one device versus having to carry a variety of devices. I want to browse, I want to watch my movies, I want to be able to listen to my music, I want to read magazines and books."

Well, all of those things can be done on an Atom-powered Netbook, but the experience isn't always smooth--even when using the new "Pine Trail" Atom. The upcoming Moorestown Atom is a different beast and is slated to power tablet-like (i.e., large-screen) smartphones. So, Moorestown is also a possibility.

And anyone in need of further proof of Moorestown's viability, just check out the Open Tablet 7, which is based on Moorestown.

And just to keep the discussion interesting, there is already some chatter about a future Atom processor on a Japanese-language PC technology Web site. That site, PC Watch, speculates that upcoming ultrathin Sony Vaio laptops are possible candidates for the processor.

That leaves us with a bevy of low-power versions of more powerful Intel processors: the Core i and Core 2 Duo chips (as mentioned above) and the Celeron and Pentium processors. The ultra-low-voltage (ULV) Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor, for instance, delivers stellar battery life. In a laptopmag.com review, an HP Pavilion laptop lasted more than nine hours.

Finally, low-power Core i5 and i7 processors will be appearing in new laptops in the coming months, but whether these are suitable for a tablet device is questionable.

Whatever chip HP has decided to use, it will not be an insignificant choice as the iPad's operating system coupled with the Apple A4 processor will be no slacker.

Take note Apple, Dell makes plastic look good

Maybe for the first time in its history, Dell is selling good-looking consumer laptops. They're plastic but show that Apple's aluminum design zeitgeist has its limits.

It's not an Apple MacBook Pro but it's attractive--and cheap.

It's not an Apple MacBook Pro but it's attractive--and cheap.

(Credit: Dell)

In a visit over the weekend to a Best Buy in the heart of Silicon Valley, two things got my attention. One was the disproportionately large number of people gawking at Netbooks. The other was two gorgeous Dell laptops.

There is a design renaissance at Dell, which is encouraging, considering that for years Dell sold, very forgettable, if not ugly, pedestrian designs. The Adamo line--a luxury laptop inspired by the Apple MacBook Air--has led the way for Dell. But that line, with the exception of the recent price drop to $999 of one Adamo model, is priced above $1,500--out of reach for most people.

What Dell has done with its newest plastic models is deliver a pleasing design along with a good price and solid specifications--based on Intel's newest Core i3 and i5 processors. The 15.6-inch Inspiron (i1564-6980CRD) is slim and cheap at $649 but exudes the look of a more expensive laptop. Ditto with the 17-inch model (i1764-60750BK).

This is a feat Apple is incapable of because Apple refuses to sell laptops below $999--not to mention the fact that Apple has yet to bring out laptops based on the new Intel Core i series of processors.

And this also underscores why Apple will never completely dominate the laptop market. And why there is a kernel of truth in the Microsoft laptop hunter ads. (Thinness is key to the improved Dell aesthetics. See this 360 degree spin of the 15.6-inch model, which, by the way, doesn't do the design justice. Seeing the design up close leaves a bigger impression, at least for me.)

So, Dell deserves credit--not all the design glory should go to Apple. Dell has delivered elegant designs that don't come with a luxury laptop surcharge.

See the colorful Dell Inspiron lineup at Dell.com


Police get Webcam pictures in school spy case

Two IT employees at Pennsylvania's Lower Merion School District have been put on administrative leave, and pictures taken from Webcams on school-issued computers have been turned over to the local police department, according to the attorney of one of the employees now on leave.

Charles Mandracchia, attorney for school staff member put on leave, speaks to Fox 29

(Credit: Philadelphia TV station Fox 29)

Attorney Charles Mandracchia, who represents school district information coordinator Carol Cafiero, told Philadelphia TV station Fox 29 that that "they had a private Web site for some of these pictures for the Lower Marion Police Department to view and they were the only ones who could view it."

In February, the family of Blake Robbins, a 15-year-old student at Harriton High School filed a civil complaint in federal court against the district for allegedly using the Webcam on his school-issued laptop to take a photo of the student while he was at home. The district contends that cameras were only activated if a laptop had been reported lost or stolen. The district has since stopped using the tracking software to activate Webcams.

Speaking about his client and Michael Perbix, the other suspended IT staff member, Mandracchia said, "It was their duty to turn on the camera, but they would only do that if they received a request from the two high schools." He also said the pictures were "taken by the computer itself...every 15 minutes once the computer was open, but it was only supposed to be done if the computer was lost or stolen."

Marc Neff, the attorney for Perbix, told the TV station, "Every time a tracking device was activated, it was activated at the request of an administrator or another IT person. The district has admitted activating the Webcam tracking system 42 times.

The software used at the time, called LANRev, has since been acquired by Absolute Software, which has changed its name and removed the ability to remotely turn on Webcams. Absolute publishes LoJack for Laptops and Computrace, which can be used to locate stolen laptops but only after a police report has been filed and only by Absolute's own technicians--not its customers, according to a company spokesperson.

Main Line Media News quoted a district statement that said, "Placing [Cafiero and Perbix] on administrative leave with pay is not a reflection of any wrongdoing on their part. It is a standard, prudent step in an investigation such as this one and it occurred in conjunction with the start of the review process nearly two weeks ago."

Watch TV Station Fox29's reports on latest developments in school Webcam spy case

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Microsoft demos game across PC, mobile, and console platforms

Whoa. During the keynote presentation at TechEd Middle East in Dubai, Microsoft's Eric Rudder played the same Indiana Jones-ish game on a Windows computer, a Windows Phone 7 phone, and an Xbox 360. Gaming is about to get really ubiquitous.

Not only is the game itself playable on all three platforms, but the session is maintained when you move from device to device: if you're playing on your Xbox and have to run out the door, you'll be on the same level when you fire it up on your Windows Phone 7 Series phone. Basically, you'll never have an excuse not to be gaming.

I'm sure this is very exciting to some of you and a little scary to others. Regardless of its potential for crippling your productivity and taking out your social life at the knees, it's pretty amazing stuff. Presumably we will be seeing more cool tidbits like this in the next few weeks when MIX and CTIA roll around.

This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.

Apple A4 chip, iPad vs. the competition

As the Apple iPad and its A4 chip get ready to ship on April 3, the competition is not standing still--and, by all appearances, there's plenty of it.

Lenovo laptop/tablet (left) and the iPad.

Lenovo laptop/tablet (left) and the iPad.

As reported back in January, the A4's central processing unit, or CPU, design, as it stands now, is thought to be based primarily on technology from U.K.-based ARM. Linley Gwennap, who is the president and principal analyst of The Linley Group, believes the A4 uses a fairly common ARM CPU designed by Intrinsity and manufactured by Samsung.

Where Apple, instead, may have chosen to enhance the A4's capabilities is outside the core CPU, modifying functions such as the 3D graphics engine. Along these lines, last year, Apple picked up former chief technology officer Bob Drebin of the Graphics Products Group at Advanced Micro Devices, who is now listed as a senior director at Apple.

"You pick and choose one or two places where you can invest and do something different from what other people are doing and then you just license the rest," Gwennap said. "In Apple's case, they've always differentiated based on the user experience, so it may be more valuable to them to control the graphics or the video or the audio or something like that rather than the CPU itself."

And what is the A4 up against? An overview of Apple's rivals and their competing technologies reveals a diverse ecosystem for smartphones and tablet/slate devices.

The competition for the Apple A4, iPad:

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon: Speed: 1GHz / Design: Qualcomm design using ARM instruction set / Products: Dell Mini 5 slate, Lenovo Skylight smartbook, Lenovo IdeaPad U1 laptop/tablet (see photo above), Google Nexus One
  • Texas Instruments OMAP3430: Speed: 550MHz / Design: ARM Cortex A8 / Products: Motorola Droid, Nokia N900, Palm Pre.
  • Nvidia Tegra 2: Speed: 1GHz (max) / Design: Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 / Products: Asus Eee Pad, Notion Ink, Viewsonic, T-Mobile UK. (Rumored: Microsoft Courier tablet, Motorola-Verizon device.)
  • Marvell Armada 610: Speed: 1.2GHz (max) / Design: Marvell design using ARM instruction set / Products: Now sampling to customers.
  • Intel Atom: Speed: 1.83GHz (max) / Design: Pine Trail, Moorestown / Products: Dell, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba Netbooks (Pine Trail). LG smartphone and other mobile Internet devices and tablets (Moorestown).
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The illegal downloaders' Oscar winners

A vast number of people will be seated Sunday evening, desperate to hear a good joke while the movie industry pats itself on its behind.

I am sure you have your favorites. For myself, I only hope that the divinity that is Sandra Bullock wins an Oscar, as she would then complete the most coveted double of winning an Oscar and a Razzie (which she picked up in person Saturday) in the same year.

The fine folk over at Torrent Freak have their own hopes. However, they have created a wonderful prelude to the big event, far more interesting than any discussion of rented frocks, baubles and faces, by calculating which of the nominated movies has been torrented the most.

Your champagne might go up an inappropriate nostril when I tell you that the most torrented movie among the 10 nominated for an Oscar was "District 9." Yes, the movie that makes you feel prawns have a soul and South Africans with mustaches do not always make for the best dinner companions.

Just behind this disturbingly human movie was "Avatar," followed by "The Hurt Locker," "Up" (so many naughty downloading 7-year-olds?), and "Inglourious Basterds." At the very end of the freeloading preference table came Bulllock's "The Blind Side" and "An Education."

Torrent Freak is careful to point out that some of the nominated movies only leaked into the Web's avaricious clutches over the last few weeks. Still, perhaps the information that you might find most indicative of an interesting world is that 12,639,000 people torrented "District 9." (This includes cammed versions.)

You will decide how hard to weep for the producers of this movie when I tell you that on a budget of $30 million, it grossed more than $200 million worldwide.

I have a feeling that "District 9" will not be the choice of the very old, short-sighted people who choose Oscar winners.

However, wouldn't it be fun if a prawn leaped onto the stage, grabbed James Cameron's Oscar from his delighted fingers and declared that director Neill Blomkamp's work was a far more accurate and vivid depiction of the world to come?

Final Cut Pro the Apple of Oscar's eye

Apple may not take the stage at Sunday's Oscars, but the company will be well represented by many filmmakers, directors, producers, and editors who will pick up awards.

(Credit: Food, Inc.)

In fact, 9 out of 10 of this year's nominees in the "Documentary Feature" and "Documentary Short" categories used Final Cut Studio to make their films. Final Cut Studio includes Final Cut Pro, Motion, Soundtrack Pro, Color, Compressor, and DVD Studio Pro, essentially giving filmmakers all of the tools they need to make a movie.

CNET caught up with a few of the people responsible for making some of this year's nominated movies including Matthew O'Neil, director of "China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province;" Kim Roberts, editor of "Food, Inc.;" and Dan Wilken, online editor of "Food, Inc."

"We switched over entirely to Final Cut Pro and forced any holdout editors to switch too, because it made the most sense economically and allowed us to do everything we needed," said O'Neil.

Roberts agreed. "I tend to work on a lot of independent documentaries and Final Cut Pro is affordable and a good application. It's been a natural choice for filmmakers," she said.

One of the big draws about Final Cut Studio for all of the people we spoke with is its ability to do a variety of tasks. Like most jobs, Filmmakers and editors are expected to do more tasks these days before the movie is handed off for post production.

Because Final Cut Studio includes so many tools, filmmakers are able to create very polished rough cuts. That allows the editors to present a great looking film right out of the box.

(Credit: China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province)

"You can do it all with Final Cut Studio and we can make it look close to finished all in-house," said O'Neil.

Of course, Final Cut Pro isn't the only product available for filmmakers, but it is the most popular now. According to market research firm SCRI International, Final Cut Pro has almost 50 percent market share in the nonlinear editor space, outperforming competitors like Avid.

Being a professional editor, Roberts said she feels equally comfortable using Final Cut Pro or Avid, but she said, "I prefer Final Cut--it's more intuitive and there are a lot of smart things about it."

Like most things these days, a lot of consideration comes down to price. Wilken said Final Cut Studio gives you almost everything you need.

"Final Cut Pro can do most everything that the million dollar systems can do and it costs you below $15,000 (this includes the cost of a Mac, Final Cut and video cards)," said Wilken. "The truth is, for several projects I've worked on, we can do everything with the same gear you use at home."

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Steve Jobs spotted at the Oscars; iPad ad runs

Is this Steve Jobs? Hint: He's to the right of the woman in the white dress.

(Credit: Wayne Sutton)

He wasn't lining up for an interview with Ryan Seacrest about what designer made his suit, but a few eagle-eyed bloggers on location at the 82nd Academy Awards on Sunday evening say that Apple CEO Steve Jobs was in attendance. In a tux, not a black turtleneck.

Blogger and Web video personality Wayne Sutton snapped a far-away shot of someone whom he believed to be Jobs, accompanied with "OMG it's Steve Jobs! I'm the only one yelling at him." Indeed, Sutton's photo shows Jobs' unmistakable profile filing into the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. CNET has placed an inquiry to Apple PR to verify that it is indeed him (Jobs has a famous satire-blog impersonator, after all).

Jobs has reason to be at the Oscars, and it has nothing to do with the fact that he once got played onscreen by actor Noah Wylie in a made-for-TV movie: the Apple CEO acquired animation studio Pixar in 1986 before selling it to Disney two decades later. He's now the largest individual shareholder in Disney; the Pixar film "Up" was nominated for the Best Animated Feature and Best Picture category this year.

But Jobs is also an ambiguous, powerful figure in the entertainment industry. Movie sales and rentals in Apple's iTunes Store required extensive negotiations, something that the public debut of its iPad tablet device next month may render even more complicated. Its Apple TV device has been one of the company's more low-profile products, but with the cable industry in more turmoil than ever (namely the battle between Cablevision and the Disney-owned ABC), it could be Apple's turn to flex a bigger muscle in video and broadcast entertainment.

That could make for some interesting conversation at Oscar afterparties. But at least for now, Jobs' evening is probably focused on "Up."

UPDATE (5:15 p.m. PT): Twitter user John Chu nabbed a picture at the Oscars with Steve Jobs, more or less proving that it actually is Steve Jobs.

UPDATE (5:54 p.m. PT): A commercial for the iPad, making public its April 3 release date, ran during the Oscars, though that's not necessarily correlated with Jobs' attendance. The ad ran in the commercial break following Christoph Waltz's acceptance of the Best Supporting Actor award for "Inglorious Basterds."

UPDATE (5:59 p.m. PT): "Up" has won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

UPDATE (6:23 p.m. PT): Here's somebody's grainy screen-grab of the video, which is currently the only version of the first-ever iPad TV advertisement that's online:

UPDATE (6:47 p.m. PT): The video of the iPad ad is live, but not embeddable, on Apple's Web site. The song playing in the ad is "There Goes My Love" by a Danish band called The Blue Van, from its 2008 album "Man Up."

UPDATE (7:14 p.m. PT): The iPad commercial has run again.

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MacBook Pro sports Core i7 chip label at Best Buy

Best Buy is showing a MacBook Pro page with an Intel Core i7 chip logo. Is Best Buy trying to tell us something?

Though undoubtedly a mistake it may also be telegraphing Apple products to come. The Web page is here as of 6:30 p.m. PST on Sunday.

Intel Core i7 label appears on Best Buy page for 15-inch MacBook Pro.

Intel Core i7 label appears on Best Buy page for 15-inch MacBook Pro.

(Credit: Best Buy)

Apple aficionados have been waiting patiently for Apple to update its MacBook Pro line with Intel's latest and greatest Core i series of processors, including the mobile Core i5 and i7, which were rolled out at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

The mobile i5 and i7 chips are made on Intel's cutting-edge 32-nanometer manufacturing process and handily outperform the older Core 2 Duo processors--which are still used by Apple in its MacBook and MacBook Pro lineup. (The Best Buy 15.4-inch MacBook Pro mistakenly shown with a Core i7 label is officially specified with a Core 2 Duo processor.)

Rivals such as Hewlett-Packard and Dell are now offering laptops in various product lines with the Core i5 and i7 processors. These Dell Studio and Alienware laptops, for example, all sport Core i7 processors.

[Via 9to5Mac and TUAW.]

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iPad ad launches during the Oscars--predictable?

Why would Apple launch its iPad campaign March 15, as was rumored by some, when it could launch during the Oscars? This is Apple, not Snapple.

It seemed so necessary the iPad would receive its official TV push as other glamorous objects of adoration displayed their wares.

What is remarkable about the ad is that there is nothing remarkable about it at all. It is very neat, but very standard communication from Apple.

Yes, there is the music: "There Goes My Love" by Danish band The Blue Van, a tune that will soon be downloaded quite often on iTunes.

But this is, as with the iPhone and so many other Apple launches, a simple product demonstration (apologies for grainy video. It's the only embeddable copy at the time of writing). The content might just as easily have been shot by a camera hovering over Steve Jobs' head when he launched the product January 27.

It really bears all the same characteristics--yes, even some of the same footage--as the video (also embedded) that Apple launched on its own site in January.

Apple's products are far more powerful than any of its ads. Everywhere you see them, your eyes and your interest temporarily lose their stasis. This ad serves simply to tell you that April 3 will be the launch date and you should do exactly what the hands in the ad are doing: get an iPad into them and see how much fun they (and you) will have.

It will be interesting to see whether Apple still might follow this execution with something a little more daring in a week or two.

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Apple removes Wi-Fi finders from App Store

Apple on Thursday began removing another category of apps from its iPhone App Store. This time, it's not porn, it's Wi-Fi.

Apple removed several Wi-Fi apps commonly referred to as stumblers, or apps that seek out available Wi-Fi networks near your location. According to a story on Cult of Mac, apps removed by Apple include WiFi-Where, WiFiFoFum, and yFy Network Finder.

(Credit: Apple)

"We received a very unfortunate e-mail today from Apple stating that WiFi-Where has been removed from sale on the App Store for using private frameworks to access wireless information," WiFi Where-maker Three Jacks Software, wrote on its Web site.

There was no explanation as to what Apple meant by "private frameworks." Apple representatives were not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNET.

TechCrunch says Tonchidot, a Tokyo-based developer, had its app Sekai Camera removed because of its use of Wi-Fi, too. Sekai Camera uses PlaceEngine as a way to determine a user's location over Wi-Fi.

PlaceEngine developer Koozyt says other apps that use its technology have also been removed, including Yahoo! Maps for the iPhone.

This isn't the first time Apple has gone after a category of apps. In late February, Apple targeted "overtly sexual" apps, removing almost 5,000 apps from the App Store.

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New Photoshop for Android includes Apple potshot

Adobe Systems released a new version of its Photoshop.com Mobile application for Android phones on Thursday night, an upgrade that came with an apparent attempt to tweak Apple's nose.

'Vignette blur' is of the new editing features available in the version 1.1 of Adobe's Photoshop.com Mobile for Android.

'Vignette blur' is of the new editing features available in the version 1.1 of Adobe's Photoshop.com Mobile for Android.

(Credit: Adobe)

The new version gets more editing options. It adds "vibrant" to make photo colors richer and "pop" for a pop-art style. Also new are "soft black and white," "warm vintage," "vignette blur," "white glow," and "rainbow," Adobe said.

But more significantly, perhaps, the mobile editing software also now can be incorporated by other programs on the phone. "Third-party application developers now have access to the Photoshop.com Mobile for Android 1.1 editor, allowing them to easily make it a part of their applications," Adobe said.

This is where the Apple potshot comes in--a notable move given a public squabble over Apple's unwillingness to include Adobe's Flash Player on the iPhone or forthcoming iPad.

"Unlike iPhone, the Android platform allows us to make the Photoshop.com editor broadly available to developers so they can provide it within any application they are working on. Photoshop functionality can then easily be accessed from an online auction, real estate, or social media application so users can quickly fix photos and make them look their best, before being showcased," Doug Mack, general manager of Adobe's Digital Imaging and Rich Media Solutions group, said in a statement.

The remark is hardly a condemnation of Apple. But I can't remember Adobe ever going out of its way to take sides by calling attention to what Photoshop on Mac OS X can do that it can't on Windows or vice versa.

More details are available at the Adobe site for mobile Android developers.

Originally posted at Deep Tech

iPad to hit the U.S. on April 3

Apple's iPad hits the U.S. on April 3

Apple's iPad to cost from $499 to $829.

(Credit: Apple)

Eager for the Apple iPad? You'll finally be able to get your hands on the tablet in the U.S. starting Saturday, April 3.

Apple announced Friday that the Wi-Fi version of the iPad will launch in the United States on that date, followed by the Wi-Fi + 3G edition later in the month. Additionally, both versions will hit Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K. in late April.

Starting March 12, consumers can preorder both the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G models from Apple's online store or reserve a Wi-Fi version to pick up on April 3 at any Apple retail store.

When it unveiled the iPad in January, Apple had said it was shooting to make the tablet available in March.

"iPad is something completely new," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said Friday in a statement. "We're excited for customers to get their hands on this magical and revolutionary product and connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before."

CNET News Poll

Apple of your eye?
Do you plan to buy an iPad on April 3?

I'm fine with Wi-Fi only, so yes.
I'll wait for the 3G version later in April.
I already have an iPod Touch, thanks. No need to supersize.
I'm waiting for more features - Webcam, multitasking, etc.
Not April 3, and not ever.



View results

The iPad's Wi-Fi only version will sell in the U.S. for $499 for 16GB of memory, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G edition will cost $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for 64GB.

Prices in other countries will be announced in April, Apple said. The iPad will be available through Apple's online store, Apple retail outlets, and certain Apple authorized resellers.

Revealing the iPad to the world on January 27, Jobs touted the device as Web browser, music and video player, e-book reader, game player, and more. Measuring half an inch thick and weighing 1.5 pounds, the iPad is thinner and lighter than a notebook or Netbook and can potentially deliver up to 10 hours of battery life.

Apple's new tablet has generated lively debate even before it hits the market. No device could have matched the hype and buzz generated before Jobs' demo. So this may have been inevitable, but a significant number of reviews and opinions of the iPad have been negative.

Many have been underwhelmed by the tablet, calling it just a large iPod Touch. Some have faulted the iPad for its lack of certain features: no Webcam, no HDMI port, no multitasking, no Flash support, no ability to install software. Others have asked, "Why buy the iPad when I can buy a less expensive, more capable Netbook?"

But the original iPhone lacked certain key features and took time to evolve into the device it is today. The question for Apple is whether buyers will wait for iPad 2.0 or flock to the first-generation model when it launches in four weeks.

Updated at 7:10 a.m. PST with more details.

See also:
Apple's iPad: What you need to know
Editor's Take: Apple iPad

Apple bans iPhone app that measures cell phone radiation

I have no idea whether cell phone use turns your brain into a doughnut.

But I imagine if someone were clever enough to create an iPhone app that told you how much radiation your phone was emitting, and therefore how big a hole your brain might soon enjoy, you might just be interested.

Unfortunately, it seems that though there might be such an app, you won't be able to partake of its skills on your iPhone.

According to TechCrunch, an Israeli developer called Tawkon created an app that, with the help of a finely tuned algorithm, measures your Specific Absorption Rate. This is the rate at which your whole body, not just your little brain, absorbs energy from a radio frequency magnetic field. The Tawkon app then factors in environmental conditions and phone usage in order to give you some accurate sense of your exposure to bad rays.

No, no. It wasn't radiation that turned them this color.

(Credit: CC Incase Designs/Flickr)

Something that seems quite clever to a lay(ing down) person, this app tells you in which location radiation is strongest while you are making a call.

You launch a call through the iPhone's address book and the app then vibrates to the tune of the radiation levels. An alarming tone offers the information that you'd better get out of wherever you are if you ever want to visit your hairdresser again.

If real-time search is the axis around which the world is currently turning, then real-time radiation information seems a fine thing to have at one's ear.

However, Tawkon claims that Apple has banned its invention. It says Apple called and positively radiated regret that Tawkon's app would not find a place on the iPhone as it would create confusion with respect to usability.

I am not sure what usability confusion useful information might create. But I hope that blind panic, the mass tossing of iPhones into watery graves and the elimination of cell phone user sanity were not amongst the fears that led to this decision.

I have no idea whether Tawkon's app is as fine as its makers say. Reports suggest these are serious people with some kind of serious track record. One of its founders, Gil Friedlander, has an enthusiastic and persuasive blog in which he declares that a BlackBerry version of the app is almost ready. And I just know that Google will approve this app because it's just so darned scientific.

Perhaps some time soon, we will all be rushing in and out of various locations, our phones clutched to our ears, sweat dripping from our nostrils, because Tawkon has warned us that our current location is not a safe one in which to talk to our grannies.

More : http://news.cnet.com/apple/?tag=hdr;snav

Apple drops price of Mac Developer Program to $99

The fee to become an Apple Mac developer dropped significantly Thursday to $99. According to Apple the new low cost of membership is in response to the success of the iPhone Developer Program (also $99 per year) and the potential that apps from that platform might crossover to the Mac. Apple had previously sold memberships to the Apple Developer Connection (ADC) Select or Premier programs for $499 and $3,499 respectively.

The newly named Mac Developer Program offers access to Mac OS X prereleases, technical documentation, Xcode 3 and other tools, development videos, member-only developer forums, and two technical code-level support incidents. Additional support incidents can be purchased in bundles of two for $99 or five for $249.

Alternatively, there is still a free version of the Mac Developer Program that gives access to Xcode 3 and other tools, online resources, and bug reporting. This is perfect for students or for people interested in tinkering with Mac development.

Yet, the price drop also entails significant changes. The new developer program no longer includes significant hardware discounts (which helped developers to nearly recoup the entire $499 Select membership fee), 10 support incidents, and WWDC materials that included a WWDC ticket worth about $1,200. Apple's complete FAQ gives full details about the transition and its benefits.

Existing ADC members can keep their current membership and benefits up until their next renewal time. At that point, however, they'll be able to renew only under the new terms.

People who purchased an ADC membership on or after February 1, 2010, can receive a refund, but only if they haven't used one or more of the associated benefits of that program. If that applies to you, we advise you to contact Apple for more information.

What do you think about the possibility of iPhone or iPod Touch apps, especially games, being ported over to the Mac? Let us know in the comments.

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas
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Google tries again in search personalization

More than a year after introducing SearchWiki, Google has decided to try a different approach for personalizing search results: stars.

SearchWiki let people promote or delete various entries in search results. Now Google is switching to a system that instead lets people click a star marker next to search results they like.

"The next time you perform a search, that item will appear in a special list right at the top of your results when relevant," product manager Cedric Dupont and programmer Matthew Watson said Wednesday in a blog post.

The star metaphor is spreading across Google. People can star messages they want to flag in Gmail, star issues they want to see addressed in Google's software bug-tracker, and star RSS feed items in Google Reader. The new star system announced Wednesday also applies to maps, Google said.

What was wrong with SearchWiki?

"In our testing, we learned that people really liked the idea of marking a Web site for future reference, but they didn't like changing the order of Google's organic search results," Dupont and Watson said.

Starred entries can be seen and edited through Google Bookmarks and the Google Toolbar.

Google stars.

When a search result you like appears--in this case one for the Windsor and Maidenhead public library--you can click a white star icon next to it to tell Google you like it. Once clicked, the star turns yellow.

(Credit: Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Starred items

Once an item is starred, it can appear in a related search in a special section at the top of the search results.

(Credit: Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)
Originally posted at Deep Tech
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Live blog Thursday: YouTube press conference

Update: Things are running a little late. It should be starting around 10:30 a.m. PST.

YouTube is holding a press conference at 10 a.m. PST Thursday and we'll be there live with photos and text updates of whatever it is.

Details are scarce at the moment, but we know for sure it won't be related to mobile phones or movies. That opens up the door for a number of things including new Test Tube features, more TV shows, and that whole live streaming thing which was rumored to be coming out sometime in 2008.

As with some of our other live blogs, if you want to get a reminder before it starts, just use the sign-up post below. In the meantime, if you're itching for something fun to look at, you can check out the inside tour CNET got last week at YouTube's San Bruno, Calif., headquarters.


Originally posted at Web Crawler
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YouTube brings auto-captioning to everyone

On Thursday Google announced that YouTube is turning on its auto-captioning technology to all users--a move it hopes will make videos both easier to watch and find in its search engine.

The company is trying to make the service more accessible to everyone. At a press conference at YouTube's San Bruno, Calif., headquarters, the company touted the feature as useful to not only viewers who are hearing-impaired but also to people who are learning English as a second language.

Video providers are now able to apply for machine transcription on their own videos. And for videos that have not yet been transcribed, a user can request it themselves. YouTube then puts it in a transcription queue, which can take anywhere from an hour to a day--a time Google is trying to make as fast as possible.

YouTube users can now request a machine transcription of their videos that will turn speech into closed-caption text.

(Credit: Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET)

The technology that's being used to do the transcriptions works off the same infrastructure as Google's Voice Search, though a company spokesperson said that video presents a distinctly different challenge. Where Google's Voice Search is often taking audio from phones that might have noise cancellation, and only one speaker, videos can have several speakers with multiple dialects. There's also the problem of background noise.

These are challenges Google says it's continuing to work on, alongside support for spoken languages other than English. For now the transcription is limited to English, though Google uses its translation service to then convert those captions into one of the 50 languages it supports.

The option is already live to some users, and should be available to everyone in the next day or so. For more information, be sure to read our live blog.

Originally posted at Web Crawler
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Opera Mini now on Windows Mobile. Yeah, you read that right

As if keeping the differences straight between Opera's Mobile and Mini browsers weren't tricky enough already, Opera has added another twist by releasing Opera Mini 5 beta for Windows phones, a mobile platform that has previously only run the Opera Mobile app.

Opera Mini 5 beta

Opera Mini's presence on a Windows phone signals that standalone mobile browsers aren't yet fast enough.

(Credit: Opera Software)

Until now, Opera's mobile browsers boiled down to this: Opera Mini (stable|beta) is the proxy browser for Java-based phones that feeds Web content through Opera's servers. And Opera Mobile (stable|beta), is the full Web experience for Symbian and Windows phones that's written with Web code.

The "Mini" browser doesn't render Web sites as faithfully as Opera Mobile's true Web client (and it still won't for Windows phones) but it does return key content faster.

We loaded CNET.com and other graphics-heavy sites using both Opera Mobile 10 beta 2 and the brand-new Opera Mini 5 beta on an HTC Touch Diamond 2 running Windows Mobile 6.5 (got all that?). Opera Mobile took more than 15 seconds to load over Wi-Fi, but it rendered the page in desktop view and displayed CNET's Flash. Opera Mini loaded CNET's mobile-optimized site in a fraction of the time, but we missed out on the landing page.

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Can you appeal a YouTube ban?

Welcome to the first entry in our new feature, CNET to the Rescue. In it, I'm going to look out for your rights as a consumer of technology, try to help you save money, keep advertisers honest, and in general do what I can to keep tech vendors from taking advantage of you. If you've got a consumer complaint, send it to me at rescue@cnet.com or join the CNET to the Rescue forum.

Where have all the videos gone?

(Credit: Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)

On March 3, Chris Christensen, author of the Amateur Traveler Web site, posted a worrisome entry on his blog: Did this video get me banned from YouTube... for life? He said three weeks ago all the video reports he'd posted to YouTube for embedding in his travel blog, plus his channel on YouTube itself, had been disabled. Three weeks after communicating with Google through what he thought were the proper channels, he finally received a terse response to his query that left him as confused as he was originally--and his 39 innocuous travel videos remained banned.

I've looked at Christensen's videos and see nothing untoward in them that would merit their removal from YouTube. On one video, he does discuss and show a topless beach, but even in that video there is no frontal nudity.

I've taken on this issue for CNET to the Rescue because it highlights things that need to change in the way Google polices the user-generated content that makes up YouTube. The good news is that after I talked with Google about this issue, the company said it would start the process of updating its appeals processes to prevent this confusion and hopefully to safeguard users like Christensen who rely on YouTube for their businesses. Also, I'm happy to report that YouTube finally put Christensen's videos back online.

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Chrome dev gets rudimentary HTML5 geolocation

In an update to the development build of Chrome, Google on Thursday introduced a rough version of the native HTML5 geolocation API. Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, Google Chrome dev 5.0.342.1 comes with the geolocation API that Mozilla has supported since it introduced it in last summer's Firefox 3.5.

Geolocation comes to Chrome dev, but needs a tweak to work.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

However, geolocation in Chrome is turned off by default. To activate it, users must go to their Chrome shortcut and add --enable-geolocation to the end of the target line, under the Shortcut tab. To test if it's working, you can go to http://www.browsergeolocation.com. If the browser asks for you to approve sending your location data, you know it's working.

I found that on Windows 7, launching Chrome from the taskbar did not allow it to recognize the geolocation activation command. It worked fine, though, when launched from the Start menu.

This update to Chrome dev also includes a few other minor improvements, mostly to the Mac and Linux versions. Along with the geolocation support, users on those platforms should see improved plug-in stability and better implementation of autofill preferences. Mac users only should see favicons in the history menu, and HTML5 databases have been added to the cookie manager. The full list of changes can be read here.

Originally posted at The Download Blog
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Rescuecom drops trademark suit against Google

PC support company Rescuecom has dropped a trademark lawsuit against Google, giving it time to defend itself against a similar suit filed by Best Buy.

Rescuecom declared "victory" in a press release Friday, although it wasn't clear if anything had changed since Rescuecom was able to win an appeal of a 2006 decision dismissing its lawsuit over Google's keyword-based ad system. Rescuecom objected to the fact that competitors could buy ads that would appear when Google users searched for "Rescuecom," and was able to convince a federal court last year to rehear the case after it was initially dismissed.

But it will go no further. Rescuecom said it dropped the lawsuit after getting what it wanted out of the process, but the fact that it is currently involved in a dispute against Best Buy--where it is essentially arguing the opposite side of its dispute against Google--might have played into its decision.

Best Buy sued Rescuecom last year for using the term "geek squad" in keyword advertising, which Rescuecom has defended as an appropriate use of another company's trademarks in "comparative advertising." Eric Goldman, a professor at Santa Clara University who follows online trademark disputes closely, was quoted earlier this year by Online Media Daily as calling Rescuecom's position with Best Buy as "intrinsically inconsistent" with its position regarding Google, where it argued that Google did not have the right to sell its trademark to competitors.

Google released a statement on the dismissal. "As we've consistently maintained, Google's trademark policy strikes the proper balance between trademark owners' interests and consumer choice, and now even Rescuecom concedes that it's legally entitled to use a competitor's trademark as a keyword trigger. We're pleased to see Rescuecom finally affirm our position by dismissing their claims."

Originally posted at Relevant Results
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Chrome bug kills offline Gmail

A bug in Thursday's update to the development build of Google Chrome renders it incompatible with Gmail offline. Users who've had Gmail and Chrome configured for offline use will find that Chrome crashes as soon as you log in to Gmail. The problem affects all development versions of the browser.

To disable Gmail offline, go to Gears Settings in Under the Hood and remove all references to Gmail.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

Right now there are only two ways around the bug. You can disable offline mode in Chrome by going to Options/Under the Hood and clearing out the Gmail-related entries under ''Change Gears settings''. This will delete all offline data from Gmail that you've saved on your computer. If offline Gmail is more important to you than using the dev version of Chrome, you can update the browser to the beta (Windows | Mac | Linux) or stable (Windows only) builds. Windows users can also use the Chrome Channel Changer to switch versions.

You can follow the bug's progress at Google's Chromium project Web site.

Originally posted at The Download Blog
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This week's Google acquisition: DocVerse

Google plucked another start-up from the Bay Area Friday, this time adding DocVerse to its Google Apps team.

Google will add DocVerse's Office collaboration software to Google Apps.

(Credit: DocVerse)

The deal--which The Wall Street Journal reported was valued at $25 million--will allow Google to start blending DocVerse's Microsoft Office plug-in software into Google Apps, DocVerse and Google said in blog postings on their respective sites. DocVerse's software and service is designed to let Office users who still need a lot of the power and features of the desktop version of that software share documents and track changes with colleagues online.

The move had been expected for a while, but a Google representative said it was too soon to know how quickly DocVerse's products would get integrated into the Google Apps software. Building out the Google Apps experience is a big priority for Google this year, as it attempts to get more and more people comfortable with Internet-delivered software while antagonizing rival Microsoft.

DocVerse--founded by two Microsoft alumni--also becomes the fourth Google acquisition in recent weeks. Since the beginning of the year, Google has purchased Picnik, and Remail, Aardvark, and it completed the previously announced purchase of On2 Technologies. That's a little ahead of the pace outlined by CEO Eric Schmidt last year to purchase one company a month.

Originally posted at Relevant Results
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Vlingo 2.0 for iPhone: E-mail, SMS dictation now cost

Vlingo 2.0 for iPhone start screen

Vlingo is an app that's been around awhile in the mobile space, but a new version for iPhone is causing some uproar. With Vlingo for iPhone 2.0, the company commits the sin of opacity by updating its rather good voice search and dialing application to version 2.0 without making it clear that you can only unlock the intriguing new features with your wallet.

Those familiar with Vlingo's BlackBerry app won't be surprised. There was an equal outcry when Vlingo introduced premium features for the first time, including switching a feature that had once been free to the paid category.

To recap, Vlingo's free voice app can search the Web, dial contacts, map a location, and update Twitter and Facebook with your voice--for free. You'll have a chance to edit before posting. Since computer-aided voice transcription is far from flawless--whether you're using Vlingo or Google Voice (see flubs here)--you may befriend that edit screen, especially when you're in noisy environments, when you're mumbling, and when you speak too quickly for Vlingo's rather sensitive electronic ears.

Vlingo 2.0 for iPhone

Vlingo's SMS feature needs some work.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

It doesn't help Vlingo's case that one of the two new premium features, which you can get by way of an in-app purchase, doesn't work very well. There's e-mail dictation and SMS copy that copies the transcription of your voice recording to the iPhone's clipboard, but you then have to paste the text yourself into the SMS field before sending it. For $6.99 as a standalone feature, e-mail dictation might be worthwhile; however, its SMS copy feature is not. For $9.99, you get both features, which would be a good deal if the SMS feature didn't require the hack.

Those who don't mind separating e-mail dictation from Vlingo's other voice-triggered features, there's always the free Dragon Dictation app by Nuance Communications (the folks who mainstreamed T9 text input method for cell phones.)

Sorry, Vlingo. We like you, we really do, but either the pricing has to go or the SMS tool does. However, there's no need to delete or avoid Vlingo 2.0 if you're not interested in buying into the new features. Voice search, dialing, and status updates work as they did before the update (hilarious and editable mistranslations included), and these are still free.

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas
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Apple cites suppliers for violations

Apple last year found a number of workplace violations, including use of underage workers, among its suppliers, even as those companies are coming more in line with Apple's standards.

In 2009, according to its 2010 Progress Report (PDF), Apple's audits of suppliers turned up 17 core violations, those that it considers to be the most serious practices or situations that run counter to the central principles of the company's Supplier Code of Conduct.

Of those core violations, three involved the hiring of underage workers; three involved the use of noncertified vendors for the disposal of hazardous waste; three involved the presentation of falsified records during the audit; and eight involved excessive recruitment fees.

The supplier code of conduct and the site audits are intended to protect workers' rights and to improve factory conditions.

Apple did not identify any suppliers by name or the countries in which the infractions took place.

In the case of the underage labor, three facilities had hired 15-year-olds in countries where the minimum employment age is 16. In addition, Apple said it found records of 11 workers who had been hired before reaching that minimum age, though those people were no longer underage or were no longer actively employed at the facilities.

Following up its investigation of how those people had come to be hired, Apple said it required the facilities to protect against future such violations through more thorough ID checks and verification procedures.

In the case of the hazardous waste disposal, Apple required the three facilities to stop shipping waste, to hire certified vendors, and to bring on an outside consultant for a thorough review of the systems used in managing hazardous wastes. It also prompted the facilities to immediately perform inspections of their wastewater disposal systems.

The suppliers who provided falsified records included one attempt to conceal evidence of historical instances of underage workers and two attempts to conceal violations regarding working hours and days of rest.

As for the excessive recruitment fees discovered, Apple required suppliers to reimburse fees exceeding set limits. Foreign workers, Apple said, have been reimbursed $2.2 million in recruitment fee overcharges in the past two years.

In 2009, Apple conducted on-site audits of 102 facilities. That included annual audits of all final assembly manufacturers (which assemble products including Macs and iPhones), first-time audits of component and nonproduction suppliers (which deliver goods including LCDs, hard drives, keyboards, as well as office supplies), and 15 repeat audits at facilities where it had earlier found instances of core violations.

"In general," Apple said in the report, "annual audits of final assembly manufacturers show continued performance improvements and better working conditions."

Apple said that, in total, more than 133,000 workers, supervisors, and managers have been trained on matters of workers' rights and management's responsibilities.

More : http://news.cnet.com/apple/?tag=hdr;snav