Google said “no” to joining Microsoft, Apple, in Novell bid? [Updated]

Microsoft General Council, Brad Smith tweeted out a response today to Google’s open letter on an alleged anti-Android patent conspiracy, basically calling shenanigans on their whole patent conspiracy act:

Google says we bought Novell patents to keep them from Google. Really? We asked them to bid jointly with us. They said no.

Which makes very little sense, given how angry Google reportedly was about not winning the bidding (regardless of the silly way they went about it), and their interest in having the DoJ investigate Microsoft, Apple, et. al on anti-competiveness grounds.

Jon Fingas at Electronista hypothesizes that:

His remarks if accurate imply that the bidding group, which named itself Rockstar BidCo and also included companies like RIM and Sony, is primarily intended as a defensive mechanism to prevent lawsuits from patent trolls and other, usually smaller firms from suing anyone involved in the coalition. Many have presumed that the group was united with the aim of further suing Google and slowing down the adoption of Android.

UPDATE: Frank X. Shaw, from Microsoft Communications has posted a copy of the email to Brad Smith of Microsoft from Kent Walker, Google’s General Counsel. Along with this sharply worded tweet:

Free advice for David Drummond – next time check with Kent Walker before you blog. http://t.co/PfKle9H

[@BradSmi via Electronista, @xfshaw via WPCentral]

Amazon’s Appstore makes Apple’s App Store seem all warm and cuddly

We’ve all heard horror stories about Apple’s “draconian” control over the iOS App Store for years, but if developer Shifty Jelly is to be believed, and as the old saying goes, Apple ain’t got nothing on Amazon.

Amazon’s biggest feature by far, has been their Free App Of The Day promotion. Publicly their terms say that they pay developers 20% of the asking price of an app, even when they give it away free. To both consumers and naive developers alike, this seems like a big chance to make something rare in the Android world: real money. But here’s the dirty secret Amazon don’t want you to know, they don’t pay developers a single cent.

So it’s not that they exchange marketing (getting on their features list) for money (getting zero for your app), but that they’re not up front about it before hand. But that’s not all, in addition to Apple-like lengthy review periods, Amazon takes it upon themselves to set or reset a developer’s price, re-write their descriptions, provides fewer reports, and pays later than Google does for the Android Market proper.

This, of course, comes as no surprise to anyone who’s ever dealt with Amazon from an author/publisher point of view. They’ve always made Apple look easy going by comparison. What will be interesting is how developers, media, and enthusiasts respond. They and we, rightly, gave Apple hell in 2008/2009 for their App Store policies. Given the especially harsh contrast between Amazon’s policies for their Android Appstore, and Google’s policies for the “openy” Android Market, there will be every bit as much outrage directed Amazon’s in 2011, right?

Check out the link below for all of Shifty Jelly’s cautionary tale…

[Shifty Jelly, thanks Seth!]

Google said “no” to joining Microsoft, Apple, in Nortel bid? [Updated]

Microsoft General Council, Brad Smith tweeted out a response today to Google’s open letter on an alleged anti-Android patent conspiracy, basically calling shenanigans on their whole Nortel act:

Google says we bought Novell patents to keep them from Google. Really? We asked them to bid jointly with us. They said no.

Which makes very little sense, given how angry Google reportedly was about not winning the bidding (regardless of the silly way they went about it), and their interest in having the DoJ investigate it.

Jon Fingas at Electronista hypothesizes that, if true, it calls into questions Google’s whole patent victim routine:

His remarks if accurate imply that the bidding group, which named itself Rockstar BidCo and also included companies like RIM and Sony, is primarily intended as a defensive mechanism to prevent lawsuits from patent trolls and other, usually smaller firms from suing anyone involved in the coalition. Many have presumed that the group was united with the aim of further suing Google and slowing down the adoption of Android.

So either Smith is completely out to lunch, or some people in Mountain View have some explaining to do…

UPDATE: Frank X. Shaw, from Microsoft Communications has posted a copy of the email to Brad Smith of Microsoft from Kent Walker, Google’s General Counsel. Along with this sharply worded tweet:

Free advice for David Drummond – next time check with Kent Walker before you blog. http://t.co/PfKle9H

[@BradSmi via Electronista, @xfshaw via WPCentral]

Find my iPhone app catches another thief

We often get reports of how amazing the iPhone is or how practical potential iPhone apps are. However, you never really get to understand the benefits of an iPhone app until you see it work in the real world. One shocking example of this was the recent incident where a victim of a locker-room theft at the North Boulder Recreation Centre managed to track down the thief of his iPhone and other belongings to a Public library simply by using his “Find my iPhone” app. The thief was located and it was discovered that he was a suspect in a long string of thefts and burglaries.
 

It all started when Hugh Huffaker decided to check in at the North boulder Recreation centre with a few of his friends. After he deposited his iPhone, credit cards and other belongings in his locker, he went out for a few minutes. However, by the time he came back, all his belongings were gone. Fortunately, he remembered his “Find my iPhone” app and used the internet at the centre to track his iPhone via the in-built GPS system.
 
It turned out that the thief had gone to the public library. Two of Huffaker’s friends set out immediately and when they found the person, they called him and told him to activate the alarm on the phone. Once the alarm sounded, his friends cornered the man, who was then detained by the library security guards until the police came to arrest him.
 
The suspect was identified as Millhiser and it turned out that all of Huffakers’ items were in his bag. Right now, he is custody on $500 bail.
 
Huffaker admitted that the real reason he installed the app was simply that he was absent minded. In this case, the app brought a thief to justice. However, one can easily imagine some negative aspects of such apps, which can also be used to track innocent individuals.

Watch shark videos with SeaHD for iPad

Here’s another app to add to your Shark Week collection – SeaHD.

SeaHD brings you on a journey through several oceans around the globe. View real dolphins, sharks, eels, clownfish & more. Watch tranquil footage on your desktop or HDTV for an entertaining experience. Learn facts about the marine environment. Construct your own video playlist to watch your favorite clips.

SeaHD is available on the iPad for $2.99. Screenshots after the break.

[iTunes link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

imo instant messenger for iPad updates with Skype group chat

The messaging app imo instant messenger for iPad, by imo.im, has been with support for group chat and more.

With imo instant messenger, it’s easy to stay in touch with friends on your existing IM accounts. imo currently supports Facebook Chat, Google Talk, Skype, MSN, ICQ/AIM, Yahoo, Jabber, Myspace, Hyves, and Vkontakte.

The update includes:

imo instant messenger for iPad is available for free. Screenshots after the break.

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

South Korea and France Investigate Apple’s Locationgate

Locationgate looked like it had come to an end with the release of iOS 4.3.3, but it may have been too late. The Korea Communications Commission set a precedent on Wednesday by fining Apple 3 million won ($2,830) for ignoring their location information laws.

It was discovered in April that iPhones were storing up to one-year of location data files. Apple claimed that the information was being used to track Wi-Fi hotspots and cell phone tower locations, but some people didn’t like the idea that their iPhone was tracking them.

The South Korea communications regulator agreed, and after a four-month investigation decided that Apple was to blame. The KCC said Apple collected users’ info, even after they disabled the location systems in their devices, from June 22, 2010, through May 4, 2011.

Now France has started their own investigation.

“We have sent two letters to Apple, who have responded to us in part. We received some clarifications, but they were not complete. The file is still under investigation," Yann Padova, head of CNIL, told onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5igs8BXYxTZdIL6fj8Fi_SwLugp_A?docId=CNG.4e46f2abe4e7ba920554951ab8f1038a.1e1');" target="_blank" href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5igs8BXYxTZdIL6fj8Fi_SwLugp_A?docId=CNG.4e46f2abe4e7ba920554951ab8f1038a.1e1">AFP. “The group is still trying to figure out how Apple encrypts the location data it apparently collects.”

iOS 4.3.3 limited the data storage to seven days, and iOS 5 will encrypt the data on iPhones in the future, but Apple still claims they did nothing wrong.

Apple spokesman Steve Park wrote in a statement that the company was not tracking people:

“Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone,” Park said after the decision. “Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so.”

TiPb on TUAW TV Live

I had the great pleasure of being on TUAW TV Live with the one and only Steven Sande today, and we discussed all things Mac and iOS, and also delved into podcasting and some of the joys and consternations of blogging.

Check out the video after the break, and subscribe to the show iTunes while you’re at it.

[TUAW]

iPhone 4 LifeProof Case now military standard

The iPhone is a marvelous piece of technology but unfortunately, like other marvels of technology, it is also very delicate. The problem is further compounded by the fact that most iPhone users are not careful all the time. Actually, it is just impossible to be 100% careful of your iPhone because it has literally become part of our lives and we take it everywhere with us. However, the LifeProof case now allows users to fearlessly take their iPhones where no iPhone has gone before thanks to its amazing protective capabilities.

 
The latest development is the fact that the new LifeProof case has been tested to military standards MIL-STD-810F-516.5 for drops onto concrete of 6.6 feet. In addition, the case is also waterproof for up to 6.6 feet. The case also protects against standard elements like sand, dirt, dust and snow.
 
However, the best part about this case is the fact that you can hardly notice it. This is because it simply adds 1.5 mm of thickness and only 28 grams of weight. This is an amazing feat considering the fact that it provides such superior protection.
 
Of course, many people will be wondering why the case cannot protect from falls of up to 100 ft, or something equally super extreme. The simple answer is that if manufactures actually tried to create such cases, you might as well pack your iPhone in a bombproof suitcase or something. Moreover, these protection specifications are far beyond what normal iPhone users could expect anyway.
 
The case is compatible with all career versions of the iPhone 4 and will be available in black, white or pink. The price is also quite reasonable at $69.95. You can easily get a cheaper case that provides basic protection. However, for protection against impacts or water, then this is the best option you could have.
 

Google responds to World War Patents, says hostile, organized campaign against Android

Google SVP and Senior Legal Officer, David Drummond has blogged about the recent trouble Google and their manufacturing partners have had over patents with the likes of Apple, Microsoft, and Oracle.

Android’s success has yielded something else: a hostile, organized campaign against Android by Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and other companies, waged through bogus patents.

He also complained about Apple and Microsoft teaming up to out-bid Google for Novell and Nortel patents and calls for a Justice Department investigation into anti-competitive behavior while at the same time indicating Google would beef up their own patent portfolio.

He didn’t seem to indicate Google would be filing to intervene in the Lodsys lawsuits against developers, which Apple has done. With Samsung delaying the launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia due to litigation with Apple, and HTC paying Microsoft $5 per Android handset in licensing fees, Google does have a lot to worry about.

While Android is fast approaching majority share of the smartphone market, Apple enjoys 66% of the profits, and as we’ve said before, while Apple seems content at making Android uglier, Microsoft wants to make an already less-profitable Android platform even costlier.

We called our most recent podcast with FOSS Patent’s Florian Mueller, World War Patents for a reason, and it seems the battles are just beginning.

[Google Blog via Android Central]

Time Inc. To Release All 21 Magazine Titles On iPad

href="http://cdn.everythingicafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/mzl.wjicbumr.480x480-75.jpg">class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-22895" title="mzl.wjicbumr.480x480-75" src="http://cdn.everythingicafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/mzl.wjicbumr.480x480-75.jpg" alt="" width="367" height="480" />

Time Inc. has just announced their plans to bring their entire catalog of magazine titles to the iPad. Their entire stock of titles will be available by the end of the year — that’s 21 titles. That includes ones such as InStyle, Real Simple and Entertainment Weekly, which will now make their debut.

I’m assuming this is just Time’s American holdings, because according to Wikipedia, href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Inc">they publish 130 titles globally — most of which are in the UK.

Between the four titles Time already has on the iPad (Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and People), the company has sold 600,000 single issues, so they obviously think expanding into other titles is wise.

A number of these titles will also be available through Barnes & Noble’s Nook service.

Full press release after the jump:

id="more-22894">

Time Inc. to Launch Tablet Editions for Its Entire U.S. Portfolio of 21 Titles by Year End

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As part of Time Inc.’s industry-leading effort to deliver its iconic brands everywhere consumers want them, the company today announced that all 21 of its U.S. titles will be available as tablet editions by the end of 2011. Time Inc. will be the first major U.S. magazine publisher to make all of its titles available on all leading tablet platforms, with products designed specifically for this medium.

“Having our entire portfolio available on tablets will create a significant new digital reach for our advertisers.”/> Brands including INSTYLE, REAL SIMPLE and ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY will now join PEOPLE, TIME, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and FORTUNE with digital tablet versions. To date, Time Inc.’s digital magazine and other content apps have been downloaded more than 11 million times. Hundreds of thousands of current print subscribers have upgraded their subscriptions to include the tablet editions at no extra cost, with thousands more being added each week. Time Inc. has also sold more than 600,000 digital single copies of those four titles.

“Now is the time for us to make this bold commitment. In the coming year, there will clearly be many more consumers using tablets, accelerating demand for content and driving advertiser interest. We are putting ourselves in a great position to take advantage of these opportunities,” said Maurice Edelson, EVP and a member of Time Inc.’s interim management committee. “Having our entire portfolio available on tablets will create a significant new digital reach for our advertisers.”

Today, the company also announced an agreement with Barnes & Noble to sell digital subscriptions and single-copy issues of FORTUNE, PEOPLE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and TIME on the NOOK Color starting later this month, with the rest of the portfolio to follow by year-end. The Barnes & Noble agreement adds the NOOK Color to a growing list of platforms where Time Inc. distributes its digital titles, including Apple iPad, Android Marketplace, HP TouchPad and Next Issue Media’s store.

Time Inc. offers consumers an All Access approach that includes print and digital subscriptions, as well as digital-only subscriptions and the ability to purchase single copies. Additionally, each of Time Inc.’s 28 million print subscribers will have the option to upgrade their subscription to include the digital edition at no additional cost. The digital editions will be presented using reader software that is native to each platform.

Print ads will be incorporated into the tablet editions. The company plans to report digital sales and subscriber information to ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulations) beginning in January 2012. Time Inc. research shows consumers place a high value on digital editions that include ads.

Twitter redesigns iPad web interface in HTML5

iPad users that use twitter.com in safari, instead of the downloadable iPad app, will be getting a new HTML5 web app in the next few weeks

Currently, iPad users who navigate to ‘twitter.com’ are greeted with the old iPhone layout, with an option to switch to the default desktop UI. However Twitter announced on the ‘Twitter Mobile’ twitter account that they have begun rolling out a new HTML5 based web UI specifically for the iPad, which should reach all users in the coming weeks.

The screenshot above shows that the UI is similar to both the desktop design and the recently updated iPhone design.

I haven’t had the updated web app yet, but I’m interested to know if any of you have had a chance to play with it yet.

[9to5mac] [@TwitterMobile]

Apple launching iTunes Replay in the coming weeks?

iTunes Replay is the rumored name of the rumored Apple subscription video streaming service rumored to compete with the likes of Netflix. Apple Insider reported on the rumors a while back, and now App Advice hears it might be coming soon.

There’s talk you’ll be able to stream content purchased as far back as January of 2009. We’re not sure what will happen to content purchased before that. There’s also talks of certain content only being available for re-downloaded five times. This lines up with Apple traditionally allowing 5 computers to be authorized to play purchased content under one iTunes account. If true, iTunes Replay would basically just extend what Apple is currently offering for re-downloading content via iCloud.

It should also be interesting to see if iTunes Match content will be integrated into iTunes Replay. If we can simply stream a lot of our content, it will free up precious storage space on our devices.

App Advice

Analyst Eightball: Apple To Combine OS X And iOS In 2012

href="http://cdn.everythingicafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/8ball.jpg">class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-15022" title="8ball" src="http://cdn.everythingicafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/8ball.jpg" alt="Magic 8ball" width="432" height="367" />

Yes, we know that Mac OS Lion has a strong iOS influence, but Jefferies & Co analyst Peter Misek thinks that Apple will actually href="http://www.everythingicafe.com/wp-admin/post-new.php">kill off OS X for iOS in the near future. Say what? He says “we believe Apple is looking to merge iOS (iPhones/iPads) with OS X (Macs) into a single platform for apps and cloud services starting in 2012-13.” This will be born on the back of an A6 chipset, which will be used for future generations of iPhones, iPads and Macs.

No. Just…no. This is pure scaremongering and FUD, and there hasn’t been any evidence that Apple is planning anything more than an aesthetic link between the two OSs. I’ll believe that this is happening when we see some evidence beyond the ramblings of an analyst.

iPhone 4 prices cut at Target and Radio Shack

Target and Radio Shack are dropping their prices on the iPhone 4. A lot of retailers typically do this to clear out inventory in anticipation for a new iPhone. We’ve seen it happen every year thus far.

If you’re in the market for a new iPhone and don’t care about waiting for the iPhone 5, you can get an iPhone 4 at Target for $149 (16 GB) and $249 (32 GB). Radio Shack also has a promotion this week cutting the prices to $169 and $269. If you trade in an existing iPhone, you can get an additional $100 off at Radio Shack.

As always, these prices will require you to sign a new 2-year agreement. I’d personally hold out for the iPhone 5 but if you aren’t willing to shell out over $200 for a new phone, this may be the deal for you.

TUAW

The week in iPhone, August 3, 2011

Missed a compelling piece of iPhone news, a great review, or a killer how-to? We’re not collecting absolutely everything in iPhone here — you can hit up TiPb.com/iPhone for that! — but we’re carefully picking what we think is the best of the last 7 days and presenting it here for your review.

And hey! — these double as show notes for our iPhone Live! podcast tonight at 9pm Eastern. So join us at TiPb.com/live and follow along!

iPhone Live podcast — and TUAW TV Live — tonight!

Not only does iPhone Live, the live recording of the best dang iPhone and iPod touch podcast on the net, hit the air tonight, but Rene will be a guest on TUAW TV Live with the one and only Steve Sande tonight as well!

Be there!

(You can watch from iPhone via Ustream Viewer app (here’s how) and iPad (we recommend Duet Browser.)

If you have any questions or stuff you want us to make sure we cover tweet them to @TiPb, email them to podcast@tipb.com, or leave them in the comments below!

iPhone 5 fakes already turning up in China [video]

The iPhone 5 hasn’t been launched yet, we don’t have any real idea what it will look like either. That hasn’t stopped the Chinese market for fake handsets to get one out the door already! Are we surprised? Not at all.

If we imagine for a moment, that the knockoff shown in the video is based on some inside information on the iPhone 5 design, what do you think? It looks like a softened iPhone 4 design with a few more curves and an iPhone 3GS type curved rear. The video is after the break!

[Cult of Mac]

Update: ‘Cut the Rope Experiments’ Releasing Tonight!

We didn’t receive much notice before developer, ZeptoLab dropped the bomb on us: Cut the Rope Experiments, the official sequel to the highly-played, well-received onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/itunes.apple.com/us/app/cut-the-rope/id380293530?mt=8');" target="_blank" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cut-the-rope/id380293530?mt=8">Cut the Rope is coming to an App Store near you tonight!

With an official launching date of August 4th ZeptoLab brings you Cut the Rope Experiments, without the collaborative effort between them and Chillingo. We href="http://www.iphonealley.com/news/om-nom-hungry-for-more-cut-the-rope-2-details-emerge">posted about, what was then, exclusive details, and usually we wouldn’t received more in the upcoming days, but instead the full version is launching tonight (at 11 PM EST for United States account holders) for $0.99.

What’s included in this version?

-Om Nom is at it again, eating like “it’s his job” – the game follows the same gameplay premise with your job being to strategically direct, if you will, candy to Om Nom’s mouth/> -New obstacles/> -Experiments seems to follow a storyline, with an intrigued professor curious to see what exactly Om Nom is after the creature lands at his doorstep. He’s basically doing the job everyone else has been wanting to do./> -75 new levels; 3 new level packs or environments/>id="attachment_21235" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 439px">href="http://www.iphonealley.com/current/update-cut-the-rope-experiments-releasing-tonight/attachment/hmm-interesting-2" rel="attachment wp-att-21235">src="http://www.iphonealley.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/hmm-interesting1.png" alt="" title="hmm interesting" width="429" height="259" class="size-full wp-image-21235" />class="wp-caption-text">"Hmm...interesting..." - the Professor

Gesundheit! HD now available

Konami Digital Entertainment has released their new iPad game, Gesundheit! HD. It has also recently received a performance update.

‘Gesundheit! (HD) tells the story of an odd little pig with allergies – the runt of the litter, who narrowly escapes being captured when monsters invade his village, and -finding courage he never knew he had – sets out to rescue his friends. You control our curly-tailed hero on his quest across 40 unique and increasingly challenging action-packed levels filled with mildly gross humor that will appeal to all ages.

Gesundheit! HD is available on the iPad for $1.99. Screenshots after the break.

[iTunes link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

New and updated iPhone and iPad apps for Wednesday, August 3

Every day, TiPb gets flooded with announcements for new and updated iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games. So every day we pick just a few of the most interesting, the most notable, and simply the most awesome to share with you!

90′s Stick Figure Trivia: Do you remember the decade that brought flannel back in style and pushed glam rock off the charts? What about all the great tv shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or Weinfeld? [$0.99 for iPhone - iTunes link]

Counts: Do you need to take physical inventory? Count laps, cars, or customers? Keep track of how many times your colleague says umm during his presentation? This app will do it for you. [$0.99 for iPhone - iTunes link]

LotteryNews: Provides worldwide news, updates and results related to Lottery. [$0.99 for iPhone - iTunes link]

Relationship Finder…: Analyzes the names of any two people and automatically shows you the relationship between them. [$0.99 for iPhone - iTunes link]

Appstatics: Discover new and popular applications by their rankings, categorized as “released this week”, “released this month” and “all time” popular apps for your iPhone, iPad and Mac. [$4.99 for iPhone - iTunes link]

Any other big apps or game releases or updates today? If you pick any of these up, let us know what you think!

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Analyst Eightball: Apple To Combine OS X and iOS By 2012

href="http://cdn.everythingicafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/8ball.jpg">class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-15022" title="8ball" src="http://cdn.everythingicafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/8ball.jpg" alt="Magic 8ball" width="432" height="367" />

Yes, we know that Mac OS Lion has a strong iOS influence, but Jefferies & Co analyst Peter Misek thinks that Apple will actually href="http://www.everythingicafe.com/wp-admin/post-new.php">kill off OS X for iOS in the near future. Say what? He says “we believe Apple is looking to merge iOS (iPhones/iPads) with OS X (Macs) into a single platform for apps and cloud services starting in 2012-13.” This will be born on the back of an A6 chipset, which will be used for future generations of iPhones, iPads and Macs.

No. Just…no. This is pure scaremongering and FUD, and there hasn’t been any evidence that Apple is planning anything more than an aesthetic link between the two OSs. I’ll believe that this is happening when we see some evidence beyond the ramblings of an analyst.

Time Inc. bringing all 21 US magazines to iPad

Time Inc. has announced they plan to bring all of their 21 US magazine titles to iPad and other tablets by year’s end.

“Now is the time for us to make this bold commitment. In the coming year, there will clearly be many more consumers using tablets, accelerating demand for content and driving advertiser interest. We are putting ourselves in a great position to take advantage of these opportunities,” said Maurice Edelson, EVP and a member of Time Inc.’s interim management committee. “Having our entire portfolio available on tablets will create a significant new digital reach for our advertisers.”

InStyle, Real Simple, and Entertainment weekly are among the titles that will join the already available Time, Sports Illustrated, and Fortune.

[Business Wire via Android Central]

Pegatron working on iPhone 5 and will be shipping in September?

DigiTimes is reporting for the second time this month, that manufacturer Pegatron has landed an order from Apple for the iPhone 5. Earlier in the month, it told us that the order was for 15 million units, that has now been revised to 10 million.

Pegatron Technology has landed orders for 10 million units of iPhone 5. Shipments will start in September, according to industry sources.

Pegatron will become Apple’s second ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) for the iPhone; Foxconn being the first. Pegatron is also hoping to pick up orders for other future Apple products such as the iPad and MacBook Air.

[DigiTimes]

Angry Birds Bra now available

Etsy seller, SceeneShoes, is now selling Angry Birds bras!

This bra features the red bird and green pig from everyone’s favorite game, Angry Birds! Hand painted using acrylic paint with a textile medium. It is permanent and washable, and it will come with care instructions.

The bra is available in sizes 34A- 38DD.

I’ll admit, I’m tempted to pick one of these up! This bra cracks me up and it would bring me lots of giggles knowing that I’m sporting some Angry Birds under my shirt. I’d be interested in an Angry Birds bikini as well!

Any ladies planning to pick one up? How about the men – anyone desire to pick one up for your lady?

[SceeneShoes via TUAW]

Twitter Overhauls HTML5 For iPad

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If you’re on the iPad and for some reason aren’t using the excellent, free, official Twitter app — this will probably make you happy. Twitter has completely overhauled twitter.com for the iPad, pushing out a redesigned HTML5 version that’s better designed for the device. href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/02/twitter-rolls-out-html5-version-of-twitter-com-for-ipad/">As reported by TechCrunch, the rollout href="http://twitter.com/#!/twittermobile/status/98529320527593472">has just started, and the next week or so should see the new design accessible for all users.

The HTML5 web app looks heavily influenced both by the official iPad app and the new Twitter interface that rolled out a couple of months ago, and the split pane interface makes much better use of the iPad’s real estate.

 

iPhone 5 Shipments Heading Out In September Sez Digitimes

The only-occasionally reliable href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20110802PD212.html">Digitimes is saying that Pegatron will send out iPhone 5 shipments in September:

Pegatron Technology has landed orders for 10 million units of iPhone 5 to become the second ODM of the smartphone. Shipments will start in September, according to industry sources.

Hopefully the combined might of Pegatron and Foxconn will mean that it’s actually possible to get hold of an iPhone 5 somewhere near launch without having to make a human sacrifice to the elder gods or something similar.

I wouldn’t count on it though.

We still haven’t heard definitively if this will be a September or October launch, with rumors and “unnamed sources” pointing to both.

Browse Reasonably Priced Furniture With The IKEA for iPad App

href="http://cdn.everythingicafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/mzl.wepywbyb.480x480-75.jpg">class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-22880" title="mzl.wepywbyb.480x480-75" src="http://cdn.everythingicafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/mzl.wepywbyb.480x480-75.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="360" />

Who doesn’t like IKEA? Probably people with a pathological fear of unpronounceable letters, but that’s beside the point. The much loved furniture store has ported its famous catalog to the iPad, so you can now ogle at tasteful and affordable furniture without needing the dead-tree version. href="http://itunes.apple.com/app/ikea-catalog-for-ipad-ikea-usa/id449850483?mt=8">IKEA for iPad is a free download, and unlike the printed version, this one has sound and video too.

Now, if only there was an IKEA less than three hours from me.

Full description after the jump:

id="more-22879">Welcome to the 2012 IKEA Catalog for the iPad. The printed IKEA Catalog has been around for more than 60 years, but this is the first version for the iPad. Just like the printed 2012 IKEA Catalog, the iPad version is filled with our latest affordable home furnishing solutions for making the most of the space you have, no matter how big for small your home is. The iPad version features movies and sound to make it even more useful for you. As always, the IKEA Catalog is free of charge

Jailbreak Tweak Lets You Send SMSs From Your Computer

width="560" height="349" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0">name="allowFullScreen" value="true" />name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" />name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CRUy-1t7KEw?version=3&hl=en_US" />name="allowfullscreen" value="true" />width="560" height="349" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CRUy-1t7KEw?version=3&hl=en_US" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" />/> Have you ever thought it would be useful — and much faster — to be able to type out your text messages on your computer, then magically reroute them through your iPhone, and send them on to your friends? WifiSMS is a jailbreak tweak that allows hooks together your computer and iPhone over WiFi, and you can access all your text messages through a webapp.

Once the jailbreak is installed, all you have to do is point your browser at your phone’s IP address, and you’ll be able to send text messages, access your address book, even insert emoticons.

It certainly beats checking your pockets whenever you get a ding.

Just be careful about which computers you use this on, it could be a major security problem.

[ href="http://www.idownloadblog.com/2011/08/02/wifisms/">iDownloadBlog via href="http://www.redmondpie.com/heres-how-to-access-iphone-sms-app-from-desktop-web-browser-over-wi-fi-to-send-text-messages-video">RedmondPie]

iPhone/iPad Manufacturer Foxconn Replacing Workers with a Million Robots, Beginning of the End for Human Employment?

This story is more breaking, significant news than it may seem at first glance: Foxconn, which manufactures products for a wide array of electronics companies including Apple’s iOS devices, is going to replace workers with a million onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/01/us-foxconn-robots-idUSTRE77016B20110801');" target="_blank" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/01/us-foxconn-robots-idUSTRE77016B20110801">robots. The company is already using 10,000 with plans for 300,000 next year then a game-changing one million by 2014.

Why replace robots with humans? Simply, they are superior to humans in any jobs that do not require emotion, empathy, or creativity. Robots have an unmatched precision with benefits such as a lowered amount of defective devices due to the lack of human error as well as how there is no need for them to be programmed to focus on anything but work, they can be significantly cheaper, and many of the jobs that they are fit for arguably do not really seem natural for humans to be doing anyway. Foxconn is assumedly making the move now as a result of raising salary requirements that may make it unfeasible for them to operate at the dirt-cheap prices that clients like Apple insist on.

The underlying significance of the story is that anybody with business sense should realize that this is just the beginning of robots taking the place of humans in the workplace; some, including myself, have already foreseen this for years. It will be quite interesting to see how long it takes businesses to make such a transition, particularly in service industries. The pros of using finely-tuned robots for a majority of jobs in place now can greatly outweigh the cons for businesses.

It seems that this will eventually become such a serious issue that the government will have to step in to regulate the usage of robotic devices. They will have a responsibility to due so as an effect of unemployment going way up once the robotics industry advances just a little more. A job will require special connections or talents to get into the few markets that robots could not pursue and excel at.

Mark my words: the generation of the 22th century will be going places like McDonalds to have orders taken, cooked, and served by robots. (Not to sound too I, Robot, more specifically computerized devices.) Of course the restaurant would also be cleaned by, you guessed it, robots, and may not even have a manager on-premises but rather a couple of people remotely keeping an eye on every location in the area. Who knows, maybe the “robots” that take food orders will be created by Apple in a form similar to the onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.ipadngravy.com');" target="_blank" title="iPad" href="http://www.ipadngravy.com">iPad if they see how a transition is imminent, though not in the immediate future.

Robots will not begin taking human jobs overnight. The process would be very slow, relying on the domino effect, and Foxconn could very possibly have knocked over one of the first dominos. It is far-fetched to believe that companies will transition over in one fell swoop, but rather in minuscule steps beginning with the simplest jobs. In fact, a fairly significant amount of jobs have already been eliminated by automated, computer-based systems.

I believe it is undeniable that we will see tremendous growth in our future with the technological advancements that have only just begun, especially considering how much we have accomplished in just the last 50 years. Here’s to wherever the future takes us.

Next gen iPhone already being tested by carriers for September launch?

After the recent rumor that the iPhone 5 would not see the light of day until October, UK newspaper The Guardian has chimed in with its thoughts on the matter. It  firmly believes that September is still the month for the iPhone 5 launch.

The Guardian reporter Charles Arthur is pulling no punches when it comes to questioning the reliability of the recent  All Things D report; which claimed that the iPhone 5 would not be released until October. He believes that the All Things D sources are nowhere near water tight and the argument for an October launch is flawed. The basis of his argument is centred on the fact that carriers are now in possession of iPhone 5 test boxes.

My carrier sources tell me that the boxes in which the new iPhone hardware is encased have been transported to carriers for testing. This is an important step in the release cycle for any phone. The next iPhones go for their testing inside locked and sealed boxes so that the carriers can carry out checks on their network compatibility in their labs. The new iPhones are in the system, which means they now just have to get approval – which will probably only take a few weeks at most – and can then be signed off for manufacturing. My gut feeling, allied to the information from carriers and Apple’s history, is that we’re still looking at a September release. Who knows, perhaps someone was even misdirecting the good people at ATD by suggesting October.

So there you have it, another day, another rumor and another differing opinion. Unfortunately nothing’s going to change until Steve hits the stage and tells us all what we want to hear. Until then, bear with us as we keep you informed of all the talk and rumors surrounding iPhone 5!

[The Guardian]

Get in touch with algebra with Algebra Touch for iPhone, iPad

Algebra Touch, by Regular Berry, is an iPhone and iPad educational math app.

Have you forgotten most of your algebra? Algebra Touch refreshes your skills using techniques only possible on your iOS device.

As a math educator, this app makes me very excited. One of the challenges of teaching algebra is finding effective teaching techniques geared towards visual learners. Algebra Touch is not only a great visual tool, but a very physical and hands-on one.

Algebra Touch is available on the iPhone and iPad for $2.99. Screenshots after the break.

[iTunes link]

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