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Filed under: Internet Tools, iPhone

British carrier O2 to unlock out-of-contract iPhones

In an interview with Times Online, Matthew Key, head of O2, shared his company's plans to allow users of out-of-contract iPhones to switch to other providers:

"Once the iPhone becomes available on other UK networks, we will allow O2 customers to unlock their iPhones, although of course they will still need to honour any outstanding contract period they have. At the end of their contract period, they are entirely free to move to another operator...."

Of course, this hinges on other carries -- namely Vodafone and Orange -- ending O2's exclusivity. Both Vodafone and Orange are scheduled to start selling the iPhone next year. O2 first announced UK pricing in June of this year.

That's good news for users in Britain and makes me wish the same were true in the US. While I love my iPhone, AT&T often ruins the experience with dropped calls and "fewer bars in more places." The thing is flawless on Wi-Fi; hit-or-miss via 3G. A part of that is likely due to my location (my neighborhood makes that town in Deliverance resemble Gotham), but I'm certainly not the only one complaining about coverage.

[Via Wired]

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: Software Update, Snow Leopard

Mac OS X 10.6.2 is on the prowl, plus security update for 10.5 users

Update: As noted by our commenters and cross-confirmed with OS News, the 10.6.2 update appears to drop support for the hackintosh-centric Atom processor. This was spotted in earlier builds, but it was not clear whether the support for the netbook CPU would be in or out in the final configuration.

We've been expecting Mac OS X 10.6.2 for a while now, especially since Apple initially said that the new Magic Mouse would require it, but it has just arrived.

Alongside the OS update for Snow Leopard users, Security Update 2009-006 is out for users of Leopard. Use Software Update to make sure that you get the right update for your computer.

Bug fixes are reported for AFP Client, Adaptive Firewall, Apache (2), Apache Portable Runtime, ATS, Certificate Assistant, CoreGraphics, CoreMedia (2), CUPS, Dictionary, DirectoryService, Disk Images, Dovecot, Event Monitor, fetchmail, file, FTP Server, Help Viewer, ImageIO, International Components for Unicode, IOKit, IPSec, Kernel, Launch Services, libsecurity, libxml, Login Window, OpenLDAP (2), OpenSSH, PHP, QuickDraw Manager, QuickLook, QuickTime (4), FreeRADIUS, Screen Sharing, Spotlight, and Subversion.

No word on any new features or enhancements yet. Stay tuned.

Here's the update list from Apple via Software Update:

The 10.6.2 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, including fixes for:

an issue that might cause your system to logout unexpectedly
a graphics distortion in Safari Top Sites
Spotlight search results not showing Exchange contacts
a problem that prevented authenticating as an administrative user
issues when using NTFS and WebDAV file servers
the reliability of menu extras
an issue with the 4-finger swipe gesture
an issue that causes Mail to quit unexpectedly when setting up an Exchange server
Address Book becoming unresponsive when editing
a problem adding images to contacts in Address Book
an issue that prevented opening files downloaded from the Internet
Safari plug-in reliability
general reliability improvements for iWork, iLife, Aperture, Final Cut Studio, MobileMe, and iDisk
For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3874.

Filed under: Apple Corporate, Gaming, Software, Apple History

John Carmack: Working with Apple not always easy

Folklore.org is a tremendous repository of Apple history and lore. Check it out if you haven't; you'll find some entertaining and incredible stories.

I'm reminded of Folklore whenever a story emerges describing Apple from behind the scenes, like this interview with id Software's co-founder John Carmack. Speaking with Kotaku, John describes the ups and downs of working with Apple:

"I'll be invited up on stage for a keynote one month and then I'll say something they don't like and I can be blacklisted for six months."

We suspect such a public revelation won't get you back on stage anytime soon, John. Or maybe not, as he's now got "a man on the inside." Former id coworker Graeme Devine now works at Apple's iPhone Game Technologies division. However, the most interesting part of this interview confirms, in a small way, what I've always suspected: Apple begrudgingly promotes the iPod touch and iPhone as gaming platforms.

"At the highest level of Apple, in their heart of hearts," Carmack said, "they're not proud of the iPhone being a game machine, they wish it was something else." I have no way of backing this up, but I've long suspected that Steve Jobs in particular has no interest in the world of gaming. They're certainly pushing the iPod touch as a gaming device, but I'm sure it's through tightly-clenched teeth.

Filed under: Hardware, MacBook, iPhone, iPod touch

Time names Apple MacBook, iPod touch among best travel gadgets

Time Magazine has published their list of 2009's best travel gadgets, and the iPod touch and MacBook have made the cut. Time notes the MacBook's size and high green ratings as well as the iPod touch's speed, Wi-Fi compatibility and library of games worked in their favor.

I do my share of traveling (as does Steve) and find that my iPhone plus a couple of well-selected apps are enough to get the job done most of the time.

It's strange that the iPhone wasn't included, since its connectivity isn't limited to Wi-Fi as the iPod touch is. It's even stranger that several apps also made the list, like Yelp (tap the masses for dining tips) [iTunes link] and the Zipcar App (find a quick-and-easy rental), but not the device that would get the most out of them. Perhaps it was the high cost of service for the iPhone?

Stranger still is their inclusion of the Droid. We assume it made the cut based upon its proven track record. I mean, it's been out for a whole 3 days now.

[Via MacDailyNews]

Filed under: Bad Apple, MobileMe

MobileMe is MobileSlow today

Several of my colleagues here at TUAW and other people around the country are seeing some slowness and timeouts from MobileMe mail today.

The web interface seems to be working faster than the Apple Mail app, but even the web is slow. No communication from Apple support about what the problem is, but something clearly is wrong for some customers. Others may be doing fine.

I'm not seeing any reports from users on the Apple support board yet, but I expect they'll be flowing soon. Several MobileMe customers are seeing repeated timeouts from Apple servers.

Hopefully this will be just a short lived glitch, and not an epic failure.

Update: Service seems to have been restored for as of 3:15 EST, but still no word on the MobileMe support site.


Filed under: TUAW Business

iMac touchscreens, iPod HD radio and iPhone sync issue fixed

Thumbnail for Gigaware adapter brings HD Radio to iPod touch and iPhone for $80 Gigaware adapter brings HD Radio to iPod touch and iPhone for $80
Up until now, there have been just two ways to get HD Radio in a portable, handheld solution: buy a Zune HD, or opt for Insignia's NS-HD01. As of today, Gigaware is changing all that...
Thumbnail for New iMac and MacBook touchscreens debut, thanks to Troll Touch New iMac and MacBook touchscreens debut, thanks to Troll Touch
Troll Touch -- the fun little company with the unfortunate name -- have announced more of their award-winning analog resistive touch kits for 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs as well as unibody Macs...
Thumbnail for Gigabyte fixes iPhone sync issue with BIOS update Gigabyte fixes iPhone sync issue with BIOS update
The Intel P55 Express chipset snafu that caused iPhones to lose their syncing minds has now been remedied -- at least by one motherboard maker.
Also of interest:

All above via Engadget

Filed under: Audio, Multimedia, Software, Video, iTunes, Music

Orb has landed for Intel Macs

If you are a sometime PC user you probably know about Orb, a multimedia sharing tool that allows you to access your media from anywhere you have an internet connection and a browser. Now, Orb has come to the Mac and it's got great possibilities -- but it's a mixed bag in terms of reliability.

You can download Orb for free, and set up a no-cost account. The software will index your iPhoto libraries, as well as your iTunes library, both audio and video.

You can then log into your Orb account on any other computer, fire up a browser, and play your media files. Orb has also had an iPhone app that logs you in and gets your media as well. It's been available for a long time, but only would work with a PC-based host. Now your Mac is accessible too.

Orb still lacks a few features you can get on the PC version. One big one is it won't talk to a TV tuner, so you can't look at live video from home on another computer. I expect this will be coming in short order. You can share media with others from the Orb website. They will need a free account, but they can watch a movie or listen to music or view photos just as you do.

Read more →

Filed under: Accessories, iPhone

Get a Quirky Beamer for your iPhone (hint: it's not a car)

TUAW has introduced several Quirky projects to you in the past. Quirky is a community of folks who come up with really cool ideas, and then the best of the ideas are fine-tuned by the folks who run the site and readied for manufacturing. Once a minimum number of customers commit to buy the product, it is put into production.

While looking at the headline for this post, you might think that we're talking about an oddly-painted BMW, but the Quirky Beamer is actually a case for the iPhone. Not just any case, mind you, but one with a built-in bright LED light that can act as a real flashlight or provide illumination for your nighttime photos.

Compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS, the Beamer uses replaceable lithium coin cell batteries to provide up to 10 hours of illumination without chewing up your phone's batteries. Pressing the button on the case once turns on the light for 10 seconds, enough to find your keys or take a picture of your buds. To turn the light on for an indefinite amount of time, press the button twice. A third press turns it back off.

Quirky won't produce the Beamer until 500 commitments at $32.00 are received on the site. As of 9 PM on Sunday night, 106 people had committed to the product. If you're looking for a way to flash your friends and not get arrested, the Quirky Beamer might just be the answer.

[Thanks for the tip, Chris T.]

Filed under: Steve Jobs, Apple History

Steve Jobs, the moral high ground, and the return to Apple

Jesus Diaz over at Gizmodo had a fascinating exposé in a post late last week that provided a look into some of the thinking of Steve Jobs back in 1997. As Diaz relates, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and his friend Steve Jobs were on a beach in Hawaii in '97 when Ellison, under the influence of a few margaritas, floated the idea of buying Apple to bring Jobs back into power at the company he had co-founded with Steve Wozniak.

Jobs declined, although Ellison had funding all lined up to allow The Steve to make a hostile takeover of the company. He told Ellison that a takeover would make people think he was greedy, just wanting to make money out of Apple. Ellison later stated that "He (Jobs) explained to me that with the moral high ground, he thought he could make decisions more easily and more gracefully."

Diaz went on to conjecture that it was more than decision-making that went into Steve's refusal to push his way back into power; it was love. As Diaz notes,
"Steve wanted to be wanted. He knew he was loved by the public and the press. After all, everyone likes the story of a legend coming back-to see him succeed or, better yet for Hollywood drama, fail. More importantly, the company was his company. He didn't have to buy it! That was absolutely preposterous, he probably thought at the time. He knew he was going to return as King once again, acclaimed by his troops and his people, so why spend any money?"

Since his return to Apple, Steve Jobs has, of course, brought the company from the brink of extinction into profitability and recognition. Whether or not he would have been equally successful as a result of a hostile takeover is a great plot for an alternative universe sci-fi novel, but it adds a lot to the legend of Steve Jobs to know that he was able to regain control of the company through a combination of connections, persuasion, and his love for his company.

The rest is history. As Ellison stated in an interview in Fortune, "The difference between me and Steve is that I'm willing to live with the best the world can provide-with Steve that's not always good enough." That difference explains why Apple continues to amaze us with their products, why Steve Jobs is so important to the company, and why Jobs was the hands-down choice for Fortune's CEO of the Decade.

[via Digg]

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