Mac OS X 10.5.7 Optimized for Intel Atom Netbook/iTablet Class Processor?!

Yeah, this story is thin. iPod nano thin. But Wired (via MacRumors) is claiming that Apple recent Mac OS X 10.5.7 Leopard update gives netbooks running the software (aka Hackintoshs) a significant boost to battery life (up to 33%).

This has led to some speculation that Apple maybe — just maybe — built in better power management and other optimizations for lower end processors like the Intel Atom.

Of course, that type of speculation is but one tiny little step to yet more rumors of Apple preparing to launch a netbook-like laptop of their own (or perhaps a full own OS X iTablet).

Hope springs eternal… especially when spring is right before WWDC. TiPb’s still leaning towards a larger-screened iPod touch as being more likely, but what do you think?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Mac OS X 10.5.7 Optimized for Intel Atom Netbook/iTablet Class Processor?!

iPhone Dev Team: Mac OS X 10.5.7 More Jailbreak-Friendly as it Fixes DFU mode Bug

Thomson Reuters launches iPhone app

Reuters today released its Thomson Reuters News Pro app for the iPhone, offering more multimedia features. Since Reuters has also launched the BlackBerry version, but this app has different characteristics for each of the two devices. The BlackBerry app is more text-centric, while the iPhone places more emphasis on the video ...

Next-gen iPhone specs leaked; New iPhone just an update?

A Chinese discussion forum suggests some specs of Apple's next-gen iPhone. "...one commenter claims to have used prototypes of Apple's next-gen iPhone because he purportedly has a friend working at the company's manufacturing partner Foxconn," Apple Insider writes. According to the poster (who said the next iPhone as a "repeat" in ...

Apple, others, sued over Shazam app

In a filing earlier this week, Tune Hunter has accused Apple and several other companies of patent infringement over its music identification system.

Mac OS X 10.5.7 Update Improves Battery Life on ‘Hackintosh’ Netbooks?

Wired summarizes some surprising experiences of users who have hacked their MSI Wind netbooks to run Mac OS X. These so called "hackintoshes" when updated to Mac OS X 10.5.7 have experienced dramatic boosts in battery effeciency.

Re...

Glandarius Wing Strike for iPhone

A top-down shooter inspired by the classics of yore, Glandarius Wing Strike is a competent offering, though it's bound to be overshadowed by what's missed.

Rumor: Jobs seen carrying new iPhone after WWDC

While all eyes are on Apple’s annual developers conference as a likely forum for new iPhone hardware announcements, one Wall Street analyst is advising clients that better bets may be placed on an event a few weeks later that may also mark the return of Steve Jobs. In a note to clients, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene [...]

The stars in your pocket: Pocket Universe for iPhone

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, App Review

I've always loved astronomy. There is something about the tremendous size and scope of our observable universe that is inspiring and humbling at the same time. It's why I get excited about the variety of astronomy programs for the iPhone.

The latest is called Pocket Universe [App Store link]. For the $2.99US price, your iPhone or iPod touch gets a star atlas of 10,000 objects, a guide to moon phases, a list of what's up on any particular night including meteor showers and any visible planets, as well as live links to astronomy news.

The app also includes an accurate rendering of the positions of the 4 easily visible moons of Jupiter, but your best bet in seeing a planet this time of year is Saturn which is high in the southeast.

As we move toward summer, more and more people will be heading outdoors. That makes it it is a great time to learn the constellations and be able to understand what you are looking at, as opposed to just wondering what that bright thing is.

A nice feature of the app is auto tilt, so when you are pointing the right direction, you can tilt the phone up to get a view higher in the sky and the star map will follow your tilt. If, as rumored, the iPhone adds some kind of direction finding compass, apps like this can be even more helpful as you turn and tilt, as the map should track your movements exactly.

Pocket Universe has a very clever locate feature, where you can select an object, and there are on-screen directions to take you to the object by superimposing arrows on the screen. This feature didn't always work perfectly. I asked the program to find Saturn. It told me to follow the arrows, but no arrows appeared. It seemed to work fine on other objects I was looking for, and Saturn was properly placed on the sky map.

How does this object compare to some of the competition? Quite well. It's reasonably priced, and with its live links has some features the others don't have. I also recommend Distant Suns, Starmap, and Star Walk as worthy alternatives.

Here are some screen shots:

The stars in your pocket: Pocket Universe for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 14 May 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The stars in your pocket: Pocket Universe for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 14 May 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: SurfaceDJ for iPhone

This mobile DJ app impresses with its overall polish. Creating a track is easy and fun.

Apple, AT&T Sued over… Shazam App Existing?

We typically don’t follow every little Apple or AT&T lawsuit that closely because, frankly, there are too many of them and the frivolity of some just harshens our collective mellow. Case in point, according to Apple Insider:

Apple, AT&T and several others have been named in a new patent infringement lawsuit, presumably for their connection to Shazam, a maker of music identification software distributed under the same name for the iPhone and several other mobile devices.

The suit was brought by Tune Hunter, Inc. Assuming their case has merit, why sue Apple and AT&T instead of focusing on the actual Shazam app in question? Tune Hunter claims it’s because the iPhone duo are contributing to the infringement. For our part, we couldn’t help but notice Apple especially is contributing towards having tons of money.

They’re also suing Samsung, Napster, Motorola, Gracenote, LG Electronics, Pantech Wireless, and Verizon.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple, AT&T Sued over… Shazam App Existing?

iHome iP1 isn’t bad for an iPod dock, packs a Bongiovi punch

We're not what you'd call audiophiles -- we've stood dangerously close to a 128kb MP3 or two in our lives, and even tried internet radio once -- but we still seem to prefer things that "sound good." That cuts out most iPod docks on the market, which due to price, size and know-how constraints tend to do few favors for the low-bitrate music they usually serve up.

Enter the new iP1 dock from iHome, which kicks off a new "Studio Series" for the manufacturer, and features "Bongiovi Digital Power Station processing" to bump up the quality. Tony Bongiovi, audio engineer and cousin to Jon Bon Jovi, developed the DPS technology to improve sound in "compromised" environments like cars (it's currently used by JVC in car stereos), planes and low-quality speakers, and is specifically tuned for its output device. The upshot is that the iP1 brings volume and clarity to the low and high end of the audio, especially in older recordings that haven't already been compressed to high heaven, where details and oomph would be absent given the limited hardware. Sure, the result isn't an "accurate" picture of what was recorded -- you still need studio monitors to do that -- but it makes most things sound "good" without adding the ruination of many digital audio enhancement techniques, and we even picked up a couple details in a favorite song of ours that's received heavy rotation on our home system. It also had the unfortunate effect of turning a Bob Marley song into a bit of a banger (a "Could You Be Loved In The Club," if you will) but can thankfully can be deactivated at the press of a button.

The dock itself packs a 100 watt amp, two 4-inch woofers and two 1-inch tweeters. The included remote can handle custom EQ in addition to switching Bongiovi on and off, and there's also component video out and full iPhone support. It should be hitting stores in the middle of July for about $299.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

iHome iP1 isn't bad for an iPod dock, packs a Bongiovi punch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 May 2009 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quick App: SPB SafeWallet for iPhone

Our friend George over at WMExperts — where they love them some SPB apps — passed on the news that the long-time Windows Mobile developer and interface enhancer has released their first iPhone app, SafeWallet ($5.99 - iTunes link)

SafeWallet is a secure storage application designed to help you manage all your private information in one secure solution! Use SafeWallet to store all kind of information, such as: credit cards information, online passwords, bank account info, registration codes, ATM PINs, emergency contacts and more

We know some of you savvy users are dual-wielding your iPhone (or iPod touch) with WinPho — or have maybe even replaced it completely — so if you want to bring some SPB with you, let us know if this version helps restore your childlike sense of wonder…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Quick App: SPB SafeWallet for iPhone

Thursday Fun Video: Rainbow/Unibody iPhone Concept Renderings

If it’s May, it must be pre-WWDC insanity season, and TiPb is expecting lots of leaks, fake leaks, and fake fake leaks. Also, lots of fun fanboi renderings like the videos embedded above and after the break, courtesy of Business Insider.

Not real, no way, but are these anything like the iPhonechromatic or Unibody models you’d like to see Apple release at some point?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Thursday Fun Video: Rainbow/Unibody iPhone Concept Renderings

Apple now selling iPhones on their site to clear out inventories

In the latest sign that iPhone season is rapidly approaching and inventories of existing models need a push out the door, Apple is now offering to sell customers an iPhone 3G through its website and ship it out for free. The move is an extension of the company’s Buy iPhone website, which until recently offered customers [...]

Review: Primrose for iPhone

Primrose offers a unique take on the "tile clearing" genre, and relies more heavily on strategy than a typical puzzle game.

Apps for Less: Terminator Salvation and PCalc for iPhone

Ok, not many applications currently in the App Store worthy of our Apps for Less. Although, the ones we did end up finding are not bad deals.

First up we have Terminator Salvation [iTunes Link], if you have not checked out the trailer we post two weeks ago what are you waiting for? This is one of the top games in the App Store and it seems like Gameloft has gotten the hang of programming games for the iPhones hardware. The best thing about this game now is it’s price - it has dropped from $9.99 to $5.99. People complained about the higher price and Gameloft has listened. I feel bad for the early adapters as we always get the short end of the stick in terms of price but that’s to be expected.

Next up we have PCalc [iTunes Link], now on sale for $4.99 An excellent app for anyone who needs a feature-rich calculator that the stock app on the iPhone simply can not match. Features are as follows:

• Switchable button layouts - choose from many different horizontal and vertical layouts to suit your needs.
• Calculator themes - pick your look, all the way from minimalist to striking.
• An RPN mode with one button access to the stack and optional two-line display.
• Hexadecimal, octal and binary modes, complete with a variety of bitwise operators.
• All the extensive unit conversions and constants from the desktop PCalc.
• A simulated paper tape to keep track of your calculations.
• Multiple undo and redo. Just flick the LCD to the right and left to reveal the past and future.
• Stylish, consistent user interface.
• Shake to clear! Two shakes to clear, three shakes to clear all.

If you are a developer and have a great app in the App Store at a great price, we want to hear about it!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apps for Less: Terminator Salvation and PCalc for iPhone

TiPb Presents: iPhone Live! Lucky #13

• Our podcast feed
• Download Directly
• Subscribe via iTunes

Join Dieter, Chad, Jeremy, Matt, and Rene for WWDC speculation, iPhone 3.0 Beta 5 thoughts, next-gen iPhone predictions, the SlingMedia Player controversy, Twitterrific 2.0’s release, and more! Listen in!

Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat, or sent in questions!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You — iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb Presents: iPhone Live! Lucky #13

Apple Hires Former Security Director of One Laptop Per Child

In a blog post, Ivan Krstić, former director of security architecture at One Laptop per Child (OLPC), has revealed that he has taken an unspecified position related to core security at Apple. Krstić is well-known within the among security ...

BuddyFeed 2.0 polishes FriendFeed experience for iPhone

This client for FriendFeed's media sharing services gains a much more usable UI, more control over behavior, and a fresh overall coat of 2.0 polish.