iPhone applications compiled for the Intel-based simulator can also be shared between developers. And, since the free developer program offers access to the simulator, the apps can be distributed even more widely than with the re-signing approach.

Simulator testing does not offer the full suite of device-specific capabilities. You cannot simulate the onboard camera or retrieve proper accelerometer feedback. The simulator does not vibrate or provide general multitouch input. (You can pinch, but that's about it.)

The strength of simulator-based distribution is that it lets you send out applications for early testing and feedback. Sim-only tests strengthen the preliminary design process; this approach helps solicit feedback on user interface and general program layout before the main development push gets underway.

Simulator-based apps are easy to transfer and easy to use, cutting out a layer of overhead that's needed for when you go to a full ad-hoc beta.

To distribute a simulator application, go to the Library/Application Support/iPhone Simulator/User/Applications/ folder in your home directory. There you'll find the application sandbox folders that are currently installed for your simulator. Each folder is named with a unique id (i.e. 56E66CE5...DC028F) that does not reflect the folder's contents.

You'll have to peek inside to determine which folder is which.The folder contains the application, and three sandbox directories: tmp, Library, and Documents.

To share a simulator folder compiled for 2.2.1 and earlier, you must zip up both the folder with the application and the .sb (sandbox) file that shares the same name as the folder. 3.0 and later applications do not use a .sb file. Just zip up and share the folder.

Install the shared app by decompressing its sandbox folder (and, for 2.x, its .sb file). The recipient must have installed the iPhone SDK. Drop it into the simulator's Applications folder on another machine and launch the simulator. The app should appear in the simulator, ready for testing.

Developer-to-developer: application sharing for the iPhone simulator originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Developer-to-developer: application sharing for the iPhone simulator originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple releases 3.1 beta for iPhone SDK originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple releases 3.1 beta for iPhone SDK originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AdMob is one of the bigger names in iPhone ad-supported applications. They provide embeddable advertisements that developers can incorporate into otherwise free apps. Recently, third-party ad networks like AdWhirl and Tapjoy have appeared on the scene, offering to negotiate ad displays from multiple sources to increase developer revenues and increase fill rates. Yesterday, citing increased technical complaints and parameter obstruction, AdMob announced that it would no longer work with these third party mediation services.

This move affects developers who turned to dynamic advertisement solutions from third parties. AdMob will continue to allow developers to use their own solutions for maximizing ad fill rates outside these services.

Ad-supported applications are not particularly common in the App Store, where they have been relatively unsuccessful as a monetizing solution (jailbreak apps on Cydia and Icy have provided somewhat more effective results). App Store titles must compete in a huge market with delays in providing updates. The relatively close relationship between software creators and their target audience and quick update/release cycles appears to work better with ad-supported models than the more formal App Store environment.

Further details about the AdMob policy change can be found on their blog.

AdMob withdraws from 3rd party ad networks originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AdMob withdraws from 3rd party ad networks originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gallery: Apple TV Remote Gestures

Apple TV software update adds gesture support via Remote originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple TV software update adds gesture support via Remote originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If all that seems like a hassle, well, yes it is. It is, however, the proper, authorized, and recommended way to distribute pre-release software, whether for testing or reviews. But there is another way.

If you know for sure that your target audience is another developer, the process becomes way easier. You can simply compile a normal development build of your application and send a copy of that build to another developer.

That's because each registered developer has the ability to sign applications. Although the app was built to work with just the in-house devices you've registered for development, another developer can re-sign that application using the simple command-line script shown here.

#! /bin/bash 
export CODESIGN_ALLOCATE=/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform\
/Developer/usr/bin/codesign_allocate
 
codesign -f -s "iPhone Developer" $1.app

This script uses Xcode's codesign utility to sign the already compiled version of the application. Once applied, you can then install the application through Xcode.

So is this a general distribution solution? No. And thank heavens for that; free trading of app binaries would rapidly lead to piracy. This approach allows developer-to-developer testing and collaboration only. The development signing is limited to the units you have personally registered.

If you want to try this out, follow the link at the start of this post. It leads to a testing folder I keep around and occasionally stock with software that I need tested. It also includes a copy of the script, which you must make executable (chmod 755 signit).

Dev Corner: Signing iPhone apps for informal distribution originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dev Corner: Signing iPhone apps for informal distribution originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey, iPhone 3G owners: Please do not download the 2,1 firmware files listed below. They are for the 3G S and will not work on your phone. Read the whole post for details. The correct firmware for the 3G will start with "iPhone1,2" instead.

If you were up all night waiting for the new iPhone OS to arrive, you're in good company -- we were too, until we began getting Twitter reports from users in Hong Kong and Sweden that the local carriers sent out SMS alerts to their customers suggesting when they could download 3.0. Those times both align with a 10 am PT/1 pm ET go time, and that's when we're calling it for now; Engadget concurs. That's why you're still seeing 2.2.1 as the most current version in iTunes; the new version hasn't been released yet.

curl -s -L http://phobos.apple.com/version |\
 grep -i restore |\
 grep '_3.' | open -f

The results will look something like URLs ending with this:

iPhone2,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw
iPhone2,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw

The model number indicates which unit has downloadable firmware. As of right now, only the iPhone 3G S firmware has been updated. That's the 2,1 iPhone model. Yes, the 1,2 iPhone 3G model was considered a revision of the first generation 1,1 iPhone as it only had moderate hardware changes. The two iPods are 1,1 and 2,1 for the first and second generation.

To download, copy the URL and paste it into Safari's download window or use any other favorite method to retrieve the firmware. Then hold the Option key and click Update in iTunes. Navigate to the firmware (the ipsw file), select it, and 3.0's good to go. Of course, you can also download directly through iTunes as soon as the update is available.

3.0 firmware release expected at 10am PT/1pm ET, quick Terminal tip to check originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

3.0 firmware release expected at 10am PT/1pm ET, quick Terminal tip to check originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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My jaw is dragging the floor.

When TUAW reader Daniel Burkholder tipped us off this afternoon, I thought he was somehow misled by the text message that appeared on his iPhone. It reads:

AT&T Free MSG: A new software upgrade for iPhone will be available on 6/17. This upgrade may affect your data service. Please visit att.com/iphone or call 800-901-9878 for a representative. If you download the software and are not on an approved iPhone data plan, your data service will be interrupted.

So I called, despite the fact that I am on an approved data plan. Sure, my account is grandfathered in, and new iPhone 3G purchasers can no longer get GoPhone activation (click the "New to AT&T" link to see the relevant section), but it's never been an issue.

I was told that AT&T was asking customers to move to a contract plan as they no longer plan to support prepaid data. "This is a recommendation," the technical support person told me. "If you decide not to go, it's okay but we're informing customers that service will not be up to par."

I asked if they were deliberately cutting out GoPhone customers from full Internet access (and mind you, I asked this in several ways, at least three or four times), and was told 'Yes.' "This will affect logging onto the Internet and using your data services."

I pushed further, asking whether I could move to a postpaid plan without invoking a two-year contract as I already fully owned my equipment and had been a customer for two years on my current plan. "You will have to enter a new contract as this service change is not compatible with the iPhone prepaid. You cannot enter a postpaid contract without a two year commitment."

The technician pointed out that "the iPhone has drastically cut prices" on recent models. I responded that my 2G iPhone was working fine. He pointed out that this was an official AT&T policy and that they have decided that "all prepaid customers should transfer into a contract plan for the iPhone."

I asked him to point me to an official policy statement but he said at this time only the text messages going out are available as official communications with customers. "This is an official iPhone advisory. We are informing customers by text messages."

So this is how AT&T rewards me for two years of customer loyalty: I either have to start paying up another $20+ per month and commit to two years of additional service (without any further breaks on equipment or contract terms, if I don't choose to buy a 3G S right now), or accept that I'm going to be paying good money each month for a plan with substandard data service. Based on the fact that the data pinching will happen deliberately on AT&T's end, I'd call it a strongarm approach and a rotten way to treat customers.

It's one thing, if you're going to make a change in the terms of service for an admittedly legacy (but still perfectly usable) service plan, to clearly communicate customer options well ahead of the transition date, and to work with loyal users to find accommodations that satisfy. It's quite another thing to lower the boom with two days warning: upgrade or suffer.

Update Official statement here, which does not yet shed any further light on the matter. Developing.

Update 2 Three different AT&T reps checked my *specific* plan using my account information, which is the original iPhone GoPhone plan and said that yes, I would be affected and that no, this didn't just affect people who stuck SIMs into iPhones

Update 3 We have a query into AT&T PR that has not yet been replied to, asking why service reps are giving information that seems out of line with the statement

AT&T signals an abrupt end for some prepaid iPhone plans (updated) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AT&T signals an abrupt end for some prepaid iPhone plans (updated) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A new kind of App Store rejection is making the rounds in the iPhone World. It's not about violating the SDK. It's not about objectionable content. It's about Apple empowering its reviewers to reject software without providing any substantive reason or feedback. TUAW reader Kenneth Ballenegger received the following rejection notice for his iLaugh application.

This kind of rejection is a gamechanger. Devs have complained that Apple's review policies to date have been inconsistent and arbitrary, since it was relatively easy to compare rejections and demonstrate the multiple standards in play. This rejection shields Apple's internal processes even further. Instead of moving towards transparency and responding to developer concerns, Apple has pointed itself in the opposite direction.

Making this rejection sting more, the app already was in the App Store; this submission was a bug-fix update. The premium edition of the same app, submitted at the same time, was approved without issue. It seems that previous and current approvals for the same application would argue in favor of letting this version through, or at a minimum providing an explanation of what's wrong with this one. As Christina posted yesterday, developers aren't getting straight answers about App Store rejections, even at WWDC.

"Sole discretion" hides a lot of possible review errors, both subjective and accidental. It makes it harder than ever for smaller companies to appeal rejections and denies them a factual basis on which to evaluate whether their rejection was issued in error. It also gives a firm answer to those who have been hoping for a transparent ticketing system and a open appeal process. Apple isn't interested; it's their store, their rules, and Caveat Developer to anyone whose business plan depends solely on Apple's beneficence.

An app full of admittedly lame jokes might be an appropriate candidate for App Store rejection, but the combination of veto power, the opaque review/appeal process, and inconsistent and capricious application of Apple's ax adds up to a troublesome situation in the developer ecosystem and in the App Store.

Postscript: Kenneth writes in to clarify that the 1.1.1 bug-fix update submitted 3 months ago was rejected. This will not affect his 2.0 Lite version, which was just submitted.

App Store Lessons: the game changer rejection originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

App Store Lessons: the game changer rejection originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When word about the Pogoplug hit TUAW central, we debated to see who would luck out and and cover the device. Apart from a few cuts and bruises, nearly all of which will mend in a matter of weeks if the doctors are to be believed, I won. The past few days, I've had the pleasure of road testing a unit. And it's awesome.

The Pogoplug offers a USB NAS adapter, i.e. a network-attached storage system, that gives you network access to your data from home and on the road. With NAS you can use common protocols like AFP and SMB to connect to a remote disk. And you can do so easily. That's a big win, because choosing and setting up these remote devices has been a deal killer for many otherwise interested people. As Brad Dietrich, Pogoplug's CTO, told TUAW, "[Until now], the state of home networking has been too complicated and geeky for most people." Pogoplug provides a simple solution.

What Pogoplug brings to the party is a remarkable ease of use that crosses past any issues of firewalls and port setup and delivers remote storage to normal (i.e. read "non-geek") humans. It transforms remote file access into a consumer device. And best of all, it provides this for just $99.

Continue reading Pogoplug: Your data, wherever you are

Pogoplug: Your data, wherever you are originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pogoplug: Your data, wherever you are originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The MiFi has a fairly limited WiFi range (about 20-40 feet max) and supports only 802.11b and g. Battery life seems limited to about 4 hours of active use. So why the attraction, and why the debate? After yesterday's slightly disappointing iPhone updates, namely the hefty hardware prices for in-contract customers and lack of AT&T announcements on tethering, I felt that the MiFi might provide a cost effective tethering solution for iPhone, iPods, and laptops.

The reasoning works like this. If you can bear to stick another gadget in your pocket or backpack, both iPods and iPhones can use MiFi's data plan. You can Skype to your heart's content (or, realistically, up to the 5GB monthly limit). This helps especially if your EDGE or 3G coverage is already awful when compared to Verizon's EV-DO network. MiFi gives you the opportunity to dump your entire iPhone plan and replace it with possibly better data. And with no US tethering yet announced for the iPhone, MiFi offers laptop as well as iPhone data; its WiFi connection appears to be platform agnostic.

So are you ready to dump your iPhone data plan? If so, you'll want to consider a phone number for your iPhone. If you've already got an AT&T plan on another phone, just pop in the SIM. If not, consider Pay As You Go. For $100, you can buy a one year credit that charges at either $0.25 a minute or $0.10 a minute with a $1/day minimum. This gives you a phone number for incoming calls, allows you to use Skype for outgoing calls, and should you have problems with MiFi or just aren't carrying it along, you can use those minutes to place normal calls. Obviously normal AT&T plans have better per-minute and SMS rates.

There are drawbacks. Along with convenience (now carrying two gadgets around? Plus your laptop?), you give up Visual Voicemail. It's one of the iPhone's nicer features. Pay As You Go, for example, gives you regular voicemail but it's not quite the same. Plus, the $60/month price? It's okay for what they give you but it's no huge bargain. Here's a quick summary of some of the the pros and cons of this approach.

Pros

• Tethering. Above-board and sharable with a couple of nearby friends.
• Works with iPod touch.
• For that matter, works with iPhone in a laptop-free way that an Express Card does not
• Skype becomes a reasonable communication option

Cons

• Two gadgets to charge, two gadgets to carry
• No Visual Voicemail
• Skype is what it is, lagged audio and all
• For a data-only plan with tethering, pricing is not great but it's pretty much in-line with other plans out there
• Bulkier than express card

Is it time to drop your iPhone plan and buy a MiFi? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Is it time to drop your iPhone plan and buy a MiFi? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Join TUAW at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET for our WWDC keynote meta-liveblog originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Join TUAW at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET for our WWDC keynote meta-liveblog originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I was driving home from an appointment today with my brother, and at a stop light, I noticed that instead of the Edge "E", I had this little blue dot. I just assumed that it was where i had connected to WiFi and had no bars, but it was much too big and centered.

My brother, who also has an iPhone, pulled his out to find that we both had the little dot. They are both first Gen iPhones, his 4GB, mine 8GB. I did not know what this meant, but being the Apple nerd I am, I figure I would have heard something of this dot before now.

Do you know what it is? Could it have something to do with 3.0 coming out soon as expected? Thanks, And I look forward to hearing what you think.

With love from your nephew,

Andrew Dixon

Andrew, sweetheart,

Speaking of the iPhone, are you including enough roughage in your diet? Now that I'm entering onto what we oldsters can only term our "tender years," I've grown to realize that bulk, bulk, bulk is the key to world happiness. Fiber is health; health, fiber. That is what we know at TUAW, and all ye need to know for better digestive function.

As for your question, that little blue circle means you youngsters were connected to a GPRS network, aka General Packet Radio Service. When the iPhone first debuted, it displayed the EDGE "E" when connected to GPRS. This made pedants cry. Newer firmware versions show this blue circle instead. As noted below, GPRS is quite a bit slower than either EDGE or 3G.

To check this icon out for yourself, you can browse through your iPhone files using sftp (on a jailbroken iPhone) or iBrowser (for iPhones with the developer deployment). The EDGE and GPRS icons live in /System/Library/CoreServices/SpringBoard.app and are named FSO_EDGE_ON.png and FSO_GPRS_ON.png. You'll need to convert the compressed iPhone-style png images to Mac compatible ones using a utility like fixpng.

Send my love to your brother and don't forget to wear a scarf to keep your neck warm!

Love and hugs,

Auntie T.

Dear Auntie TUAW: What's that little dot in the iPhone's status bar? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dear Auntie TUAW: What's that little dot in the iPhone's status bar? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So when do you think Apple will start shipping 3.0? Let us know in the comments and cast your vote in this handy poll.

View Poll

iPhone 3.0 Firmware Antici... originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone 3.0 Firmware Antici... originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AppSales Mobile offers an easy-to-use settings page. Just enter your iTunes Connect user ID and password and choose the currency you want to work with (this defaults to the euro, so US devs will probably want to change it to dollars). Return to the main menu and click the refresh button. If you've got a solid network connection, your reports will download in a matter of minutes.

Continue reading iPhone developers on the go can retrieve App Store reports with AppSales Mobile

iPhone developers on the go can retrieve App Store reports with AppSales Mobile originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone developers on the go can retrieve App Store reports with AppSales Mobile originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumors: iPod, cameras expecting offspring originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 26 May 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Rumors: iPod, cameras expecting offspring originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 26 May 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A closeup view (below) shows that this appears to be a 4th-generation iPod, either the iPod Photo or iPod Color, with what looks like a Belkin TunePower battery pack. As for the speaker system, I leave that to our readers to let us know what model we may be looking at.

Since Astronaut Mike Massimino used the Hubble Servicing Mission to send the first Twitter messages from space as @astro_mike, we wonder when the first iPod touch or MacBook Air wlll be seen in orbit. This isn't the first time we've seen Apple products in space (for example, last year's STS-123 mission also had an AstroiPod on board), and it most certainly won't be the last.

Open the iPod bay doors, HAL: iPod spotted on STS-125 space shuttle mission originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 22 May 2009 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Open the iPod bay doors, HAL: iPod spotted on STS-125 space shuttle mission originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 22 May 2009 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grab your US Army-issue iPod touch, soldier! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 May 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Grab your US Army-issue iPod touch, soldier! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 May 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW Review: RadTech ProCable Shortz originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 18 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW Review: RadTech ProCable Shortz originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 18 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft takes aim at the iPod originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 11 May 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Microsoft takes aim at the iPod originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 11 May 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New shuffle gets an update originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New shuffle gets an update originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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