Megan Lavey
Phoenix, AZ - http://www.tuaw.com
Filed under: Internet
Google to deliver free airport Wi-Fi for the holidays
Here's one holiday treat that Mac and PC users alike can enjoy. Google announced yesterday that during the holiday season, it is sponsoring free Wi-Fi at 47 airports around the United States, as well as on every Virgin America flight. According to CNN, those who choose to take advantage of this will be urged to set Google as their home page, or receive an offer to download Google Chrome. Google has also suggested that those utilizing the free service should donate the money they would have otherwise spent on airport Wi-Fi to a worthy charity.Full details, including a list of airports, a contest and the charity drive, can be found at FreeHolidayWiFi.com. To connect on a MacBook, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, simply make sure your Airport is turned on and look for the available networks at your airport, then launch a web browser to complete the connection.
Other free Wi-Fi deals for the holidays include Yahoo donating a year of free Wi-Fi service to Times Square in New York City, and Microsoft's Bing search engine joining forces with JiWire to offer free Wi-Fi at JiWire hotspots that opt into the program -- provided that you run a search using Bing first.
Filed under: Software
Adobe layoffs strike home, 680 to lose jobs
TechCrunch, among other news outlets, reports that Adobe is cutting 680 employees as part of a restructuring plan. This is roughly 9 percent of the company's workforce. The news comes on the heels of Electronic Arts' decision to layoff 1,500 workers and a reduction of 600 from Adobe back in December. Adobe had purchased Omniture in September and reduced its workforce by 9 percent at that time.The cost of restructuring for Adobe will total between $65 and $71 million, the TechCrunch article says.
The layoffs come just after Adobe announced that Flash Professional CS5 will be able to turn Flash projects into iPhone apps. The company has also recently released a version of its Photoshop.com Mobile app for the iPhone [iTunes link].
Filed under: iPhone
Shazam offers paid app, downscales free version
VentureBeat reports that Shazam [iTunes Link], an app that's long been a favorite among several TUAW staffers, is now offering a paid version. The $5 Shazam Encore (link opens iTunes) offers faster, unlimited tagging of music. A new mode designed for your car will tag whatever music is playing over the radio if you have your iPhone or iPod Touch hooked up to a car adapter. There are also recommendations based off existing tags, the ability to search Shazam's database, and more.This new feature set does come at a cost to new users of the Shazam free app. New users can now only tag five pieces of music per month. The VentureBeat article adds that existing users of the free app can still tag with no limits.
[Via Macworld]
Filed under: Cult of Mac, iPhone
iPhone user survey gives excuses to dump gadget-undesirable romantic partners
My beloved fiancé,It is with great sadness that I write you at home to your Gmail account to inform you that I am intending to sell your ring on Ebay and we will part ways. You see, ours was a mixed relationship to begin with. You have your Windows 7, your Linux, your original Android phone from T-Mobile in the UK. I have my iPhone, my iMac and everything good that's Apple (and even a few pieces that aren't).
That's why I know it'll never work out between us. According to a recent study from Retrevo, iPhone owners believe that a "cool gadget" makes a person far more attractive than the measly doctorate you've spent years studying for. Every time we are together, I can't help but shudder over the fact that your Android phone is not of the latest generation.
So forget the four years of history between us, the months of separation due to our being in two different countries, and the fact that you are a wonderful, kind, sweet, and intelligent man with a bright future ahead of you. I have someone else I think the world of, and it is my iPhone. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go watch adult material and post up an ad at Match.com for someone with a 3GS.
Much love,
Your dear departed Megan
P.S. This letter is satire, I'm not dumping my fiance over his gadget preferences. Love you, honey!
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iTunes, Apple TV
I heart my Apple TV, but as for 3.0 ...
As we learned yesterday, not everyone loves the update to Apple TV.For me, however, the upgrade was an improvement to an adequate piece of hardware -- when it chose to work. By mid-afternoon, I was listening to classical music being streamed over Internet radio, and I was very happy with the Apple TV for the most part. The flagship new features -- iTunes Extras and iTunes LPs -- were finicky and hard to work. Trying to navigate through iTunes Extras was akin to herding cats. When it works, it's fantastic. When it doesn't, you want to hurl something at the wall.
I'm quite the opposite of fellow blogger Steve Sande when it comes to the Apple TV. I chose the device over getting cable back in February. I promptly did the hacks to open up the USB port and utilize Boxee (with Hulu) and XBMC. Please note that these hacks will be wiped when you upgrade to 3.0.
I frequently use it because it became the perfect home for streaming content from first an external hard drive, then my new iMac. I'm an anime fan, and used the chance to rip my DVDs to my hard drive and have all the episodes in one place. It's very nice not to have to get up and change DVDs after every 3-4 episodes. I also stream YouTube content and play music over it.
Here's a look at some of the new features:
iTunes TOS update hints at Apple TV 3.0 software
A new terms of service agreement has been posted up for iTunes users to approve when purchasing songs, movies or apps -- but a read of the summary reveals that Apple TV 3.0 software is on the way. Thus far, all we know is that the update will include support for iTunes LPs and iTunes Extras. A quick check of my Apple TV reveals no update has been pushed to the devices as of yet.
Many thanks to those who submitted the tip!
Filed under: Gaming, App Store
StoneLoops! pulled from App Store
StoneLoops! of Jurassica is one of those iPhone gems that everyone needed to try. It was a beautiful port of an existing desktop game and one of the cases where the iPhone version blew its desktop sibling out of the water regarding graphics and playability.That's why, with a genuine cry of dismay, I read the very sad news from Maciej Biedrzycki, co-founder of Codeminion Development Studios, that StoneLoops! was pulled from the App Store today thanks to complaints from MumboJumbo, creators of rival game Luxor. Charges levied against Codeminion include copyright infringement, "confusing customers," stealing the look and feel of Luxor and their source code.
One of the most ironic facts? Codeminion offered StoneLoops! to MumboJumbo initially. The company declined to pick up the game and did not cite any sort of copyright infringement then.
In addition, the original StoneLoops! desktop game was released three years after the first Luxor game to little fanfare. However, when it came to the iPhone port, StoneLoops! was several months ahead of Luxor. It was enjoying immense popularity when Luxor finally debuted in the App Store in late August. It was only then that MumboJumbo launched its complaint against Codeminion.
Yes, both StoneLoops! and Luxor have similar formats, bonuses and goals, but so does Zuma from PopCap Games. One imagines what would happen to time-management games if PlayFirst decided to go after every Diner Dash clone, for example. There is room for both games on the App Store, and I hope Apple reconsiders its decision. If not, PopCap better gear up for a battle against MumboJumbo should it decide to port Zuma to the iPhone.
Thanks for the tip, dubbs!
[Via AppAdvice]
Filed under: Hardware, Software, Snow Leopard
Psystar to pursue OEM licensing program despite legal woes
Legal issues? What legal issues?
Psystar has announced that it plans to license its virtualization technology for OS X to third-party vendors despite its continuing legal issues with Apple. The Psystar OEM Licensing Program, designed to allow Intel machines to run Snow Leopard -- actually, certified machines from Psystar running the company's Darwin Universal Boot Loader -- can support up to six operating systems at a time in a single piece of hardware.
"Once a product is certified, consumers can purchase it off the shelf or through standard channels and when labeled Psystar Certified would allow the installation of Snow Leopard simply by inserting the retail OS X DVD," Psystar said in a press release issued today.
The cost of this licensing program is not available at this time.
Apple and Psystar go to trial in January 2010.
[MacDailyNews via Apple Insider]
Filed under: iPhone
Vodafone enters UK iPhone war, sales to begin in 2010
Vodafone has announced that they will start selling the iPhone 3G and 3GS in the UK and Ireland in early 2010. This comes just one day after Orange UK revealed its plans to offer the iPhone. Up to this point, O2 has had exclusive rights to the iPhone in the UK. No information on pricing is available at this time.[Via Engadget]
Filed under: Software
FileMaker's Bento 3 announced, available immediately
FileMaker has announced the release of Bento 3, the next version of its database program for the Mac, available for purchase immediately. The upgrade comes just a couple weeks shy of a year from the debut of Bento 2.
Changes in Bento 3 include:
- iPhoto integration, allowing you to use your images directly from iPhoto without an export/import step
- Share Bento libraries over a local area network (however, you can't share over the Internet)
- Grid View, which allows you to see multiple images and forms all at once
- Simple List field
- Library folders
- New security options including database passwords and encrypted fields
- Group e-mailing
- The ability to print blank forms
- The ability to add an image box for static images
Bento costs $49, but current users of Bento 1 and 2 qualify for a $20 rebate for a limited time. Customers who purchased Bento 2 between August 30 until October 14 can upgrade for free. A family pack of five licenses is $99. An upgrade to Bento for the iPhone and iPod touch [iTunes link] to resolve any compatibility issues with Bento 3 will be available soon.
Bento 3 requires OS X 10.5.7 or above, and can be run on G4 (867 MHz or faster), G5 and Intel processors. 512 MB of RAM and 1GB of available hard drive space is recommended. A 30-day trial version of Bento 3 is available.
FileMaker will host a Twebinar, described by the company as a combined Webinar and live Twitter session, at 11 a.m. PDT to discuss the new features in Bento 3.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
