Digital Daily Says Apple Media Event Now Set for Wednesday, Jan. 27

It’s not the previously rumored Tuesday, Jan. 26, but Digital Daily is claming a “source in a position to know” has told them:

Apple (AAPL) is indeed planning a media event later this month at which the company will announce a major new product.

Steve Jobs has “dented the universe” previously with the Apple II, Mac, iPod and iTunes, Pixar, and again with the iPhone. He’s reportedly been working on a new product, often referred to as “the tablet” (or iTablet) with special focus for the last while. Given how tightly integrated Apple is as a company, where Mac development enhances iPhone enriches iPod touch amps up Apple TV goes right back into the Mac, whether or not this new product is an iPhone, and iPhone HD, a new iPod, or the much-rumored iTablet, the services and technologies it brings with it will no doubt be reflected in iPhone 4.0 and whatever 4th generation iPhone comes later.

That’s why TiPb is following these stories with such interest. iTunes LP and iTunes Extras is a side note until it’s the foundation for new media on an iTablet and iPhone. The iTablet OS X is a tangent until iPhone HD uses its pixels to much the same effect.

And that’s why we’ll do our best to cover it for you up to Jan. 27, on that day, and thereafter. (Unless it’s only iLife ‘10, in which case we’ll blog it and move on… )

Meanwhile, let us know what you think Apple will be announcing, and what you want them to announce, if different.

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

Digital Daily Says Apple Media Event Now Set for Wednesday, Jan. 27

Apple Prepping iPhone OS 4.0 Beta? SDK to Include Tablet ‘Simulator’ Tools?

In a brief report [Google translation], French site Mac4Ever claims that Apple's special media event now reportedly scheduled for January 27th will see both the introduction of the company's much-rumored tablet device and the launch of beta versions ...

Google’s Nexus One event: What to expect

Why wait until Tuesday to find out what Google has up its sleeve at its Android-related event? PC World's Ian Paul looks at what might come out of the event in regards to the rumored Nexus One smartphone.

Hollywood Finally Set to Allow “Buy Once, Watch Anywhere’?

The New York Times is reporting that one of the holy grails of digital media, the ability to buy a piece of content like a movie once and watch it on all your devices, from iPhone to iPod to Apple TV to Xbox 360 to PS3 to PC might actually be coming our way via the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE). Currently 5 major studios including Warners, NBC Universal, Sony, Paramount, and Fox (but not Disney) are working on DECE with Microsoft, Cisco, Comcast, Intel and Best Buy, and are set to add Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, Netflix, Tesco, Cox Communications, Liberty Global and others (but not Apple) to the list.

Under the proposed system, proof of digital purchases would be stored online in a so-called rights locker, and consumers would be permitted to play the movies they bought or rented on any DECE-compatible device.

So, for example, business travelers might find that their hotel room television could tap into their personal movie collections. Consumers could buy Blu-ray discs and have digital copies of those films accessible from all of their devices, even their mobile phones. And a PC maker could customize a new laptop for buyers by loading it with all their movies and shows — and eventually even their video games and e-books.

So what’s with Disney and Apple, who coincidentally share Steve Jobs on their Boards of Directors?

Disney is still a holdout. It is advocating a similar plan called KeyChest, which analysts say it may introduce working with Apple. A Disney spokesman said the company would give an early look at its rival technology at C.E.S.

“Buy once play anywhere” should have been the deal all along. So, whoever gives it to us — give it to us!

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

Hollywood Finally Set to Allow “Buy Once, Watch Anywhere’?

Found Footage: iPhone/Mouse integration

Filed under: iPod Family, Cool tools, Hacks, Found Footage, iPhone, Jailbreak/pwnage

What happens when you combine two amazing jailbreak utilities on the iPhone? You achieve remote mouse based support! iPhone developer Lance "ashikase" Fetters, author of the amazing Backgrounder jailbreak app, wrote a VNC style extension for the iPhone called MouseSupport. It provides a floating window with a virtual cursor that can be controlled with synthesized pointer events.

A second utility, developed by Matthias Ringwald, is called BTstack Mouse. It integrates with ashikase's MouseSupport and Ringwald's open source BTstack implementation to provide iPhone/mouse integration. The video shown here uses Apple's Magic Mouse to demonstrate the BTstack Mouse extension. BTstack Mouse will shortly be available on Cydia and will retail for free.

So why does this all matter? Who cares about using a mouse with an iPhone when most people have perfectly usable fingers? Where does a mouse fit into the iPhone world? This effort is part of a larger project to create a nomadic computing environment on the iPhone. To put yourself into the right mindset, try thinking of an iPhone as a portable pocket-sized Unix system instead of as a mobile cell phone.

Practical work-ready peripherals that can move as you move, without need for carrying along a laptop, act as an important part of that vision. You can be on the go with just the phone itself -- as you know, a naked iPhone offers a perfectly usable mobile solution for light computing needs -- or you can start accessorizing to upgrade your computing efficiency.

By providing hooks for these accessories, the iPhone opens itself up to better desktop-style computing in addition to its existing mobile tools. In the end, when the vision of this project is fulfilled, you'll be able to move the iPhone between desktop set-ups where it can connect itself into a "dockable" Bluetooth-enabled work system, to your pocket on the go, to a lightly-accessorized system for coffee house use.

Found Footage: iPhone/Mouse integration originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Found Footage: iPhone/Mouse integration originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Major New Apple Product on January 27th?

All Things D claims that Apple's rumored media event will actually take place on Wednesday, January 27th rather than the 26th as originally rumored.

Sources in a position to know tell me Apple (AAPL) is indeed planning a media event l...

Rumor: Apple COO Tim Cook… Departing for CEO Spot at GM?!

According to Silicon Valley Insider and a anonymous tipster, Apple COO Tim Cook may be leaving Apple to take the spot of CEO at General Motors.

“[Interim GM CEO Edward E. Whitacre] wants the candidate to come from a company known for operational excellence, innovation and customer satisfaction and in addition he is looking for someone that has turnaround experience. It also doesn’t hurt that [Tim] has been able to work with Jobs. Whitacre does want to stay on as Chairman. Also, Cook has been the key link to AT&T and should understand the culture that Whitacre, [a former AT&T CEO] built.”

Of course this information is coming from an unknown source and should be taken with a Hummer-sized grain of salt, but it does make sense that GM would be going after Cook as they need all the help they can get. But if you consider how well of a job Cook did stepping in for Steve Jobs during his medical leave and then throw in the fact Cook made a cool 12 million in doing so… we’d have to say he is next in line to take over as CEO of Apple when Steve decides to step down. Would you trade that for GM?

So again, this is all speculation but we will keep you informed if anything else does turn up.

[Via Silicon Valley Insider]

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

Rumor: Apple COO Tim Cook… Departing for CEO Spot at GM?!

AT&T 3G Network Covers 230 Million Americans According To New Ad

Review: WorkLog for iPhone

This standalone iPhone and iPod touch app offers many useful features for tracking the time you spend on projects. And the free lite version is a solid offering as well.

Apple gains control of “i-phone” trademark in China

Filed under: Apple Corporate, Hardware, iPhone

Back in 2002, Apple applied to register the iPhone trademark in China, but that application was limited to computer hardware and software, not mobile phones. A year later (three years before the iPhone's introduction), Chinese manufacturer Hanwang Technology applied for the trademark "i-phone" for a device they briefly sold. I

Since then, Apple has been working to acquire the trademark "i-phone," and this week they finally succeeded. According to Macworld, the record for the trademark now shows Apple's name where it used to list Hanwang Technology. On Monday a Hanwang representative stated that Apple has indeed acquired the trademark, but refused to give any details.

The iPhone's performance in China has been interesting, as the government's communication restrictions, a bustling black market and cheaper competition in Hong Kong got things off to a slow start. Just last week, China Unicom reported that they had sold 300,000 iPhones, which tripled claims of only 100,000 units sold by the start of December.

Apple gains control of "i-phone" trademark in China originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple gains control of "i-phone" trademark in China originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More Details on Nokia’s Latest Complaints Against Apple Surface

Last week, Nokia filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) claiming infringement of its patents by "virtually all" Apple products. The complaint was an extension of an earlier lawsuit filed by Nokia over the iPhone, one wh...

UK’s Wi-Fi boom fueled by iPhone

The UK is set for a Wi-Fi boom, with the number of We-Fi internet hotspots trebling treble over the next two years to cope with demand from users of Apple's smartphone.

Apple Removes iPhone App After Developers Get ‘Cease And Desist’ Notice from Hollywood

Magic Mouse Blamed for Draining Bluetooth Keyboard Batteries [Updated]

Over the weekend, TUAW pointed to a growing chorus of complaints in Apple's discussion forums from users who have seen poor battery life from their Apple wireless keyboards after moving to the company's new Magic Mouse, which began shipping in late O...

Magic Mouse Blamed for Draining Bluetooth Keyboard Batteries

Over the weekend, TUAW pointed to a growing chorus of complaints in Apple's discussion forums from users who have seen poor battery life from their Apple wireless keyboards after moving to the company's new Magic Mouse, which began shipping in late O...

Nokia asks ITC to ban iPhone, iPod, and MacBook imports, files another lawsuit against Apple

digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Nokia_Wants_to_Ban_iPhone_iPod_and_MacBook_Imports'; Looks like Nokia is going all-out in its patent fight with Apple: in addition to the lawsuit it's filed over GSM standards and last week's International Trade Commission complaint, Espoo just filed a second complaint with the federal court, alleging that Apple's infringing several "implementation patents" that cover everything from camera sensors to touchscreens. That's three fronts in the same war, if you're counting -- the original regarding GSM patents, and these two latest over specific device technologies. The biggest bombshell so far is the ITC complaint, in which Nokia's asking the commission to ban imports of basically every Apple mobile product from the MacBook to the iPhone for infringing its device patents -- a strategy we've seen in other high-profile cases. Since the ITC has the ability to move quite quickly, we'd expect that case to be the primary battleground for the moment -- but remember that Apple has plenty of its own incredibly broad patents of its own to fight back with here, so don't expect a quick resolution. Looks like 2010 is going to be awfully good for these attorneys, don't you think?

[Thanks, Matt]

Nokia asks ITC to ban iPhone, iPod, and MacBook imports, files another lawsuit against Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 4.0 Want List: MobileFinder App

When we made our “Dear Santa Jobs: All We Want for iPhone 4.0 is…” holiday post, one of the items we didn’t include but which came up frequently in the comments is a Mobile Finder app. And it’s definitely something we want in iPhone 4.0 as well.

Now we’re sure most of our readers want a full blown Mac OS X Finder or Windows Explorer type file browser — and full, free file system access to go along with it. But let’s keep things real. Given past history, we very much doubt Apple would provide that, at least not any time soon. The iPhone isn’t a Mac in a phone for power users, it’s an iPhone that hopes to redesign how mainstream users engage mobile technology (and it’s sales success to date show that’s a pretty compelling approach). Power users are the ones who Jailbreak to get that kind of system access anyway. But could there be a middle ground? We think so, and we think Apple has already shown how it would work.

Let’s start with the iPhone Photo app. Not only can you sync your pictures to it, you can save pictures to the default directory either via the iPhone’s camera, or via screen capture or tapping and holding to get the “Save Image” popup on the iPhone or iPod touch.

You can also access those images from other apps, including a host of 3rd party App Store photo editing apps, and then save them back or save new version based on them.

Imagine a Finder App that did the same for all types of files the iPhone currently handles — anything that could be played in iPod app (music and movies) or displayed via QuickLook (Office formats like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, iWork docs, PDF files, text and rich text, etc.). Built in functionality already exists to trim short audio and video clips and crop photos, and could be rolled into Mobile Finder. But it could also be used the way Photo app is currently used — as a repository by 3rd parties to open, edit, and save files, especially Office Files.

Instead of the wonky work around already in place, iPhone users could “tap and hold” any document to save it to Mobile Finder, then use any 3rd party App Store app they like, including Documents to Go or QuickOffice (or both!) to open it, make changes, and save it back or save as a new version. Then, from within Mobile Finder, they could also share the docs via Email, and other 3rd party apps could also offer ways to move them back and forth to iDisk, Google Docs, Microsoft Office 2010 Online, or anything else enabled in an iPhone 4.0 SDK.

Adding in something Photo app currently lacks, the ability to move content between folders, would be great. The mobile Mail app already lets us do that with email, do bring that to the party as well.

With what’s essentially a document repository, however, security is a legitimate concern. One of the reasons there are such wonky workarounds for document editing right now is that Apple is very strict about what apps can access. Everything is sandboxed. Allowing only simple documents, parsing out scripts and macros could be the tradeoff to prevent bad guys from writing exploits specifically to target iPhone users via their documents. It would be sufficient to meet most mainstream users’ needs, and that’s what Apple and the iPhone have excelled at. (No pun intended).

Maybe Mobile Finder is too grand a name for such an app; it would confuse the power users used to Mac OS X Finder or Windows Explorer. But the idea itself is something we want for iPhone 4.0.

How about you?

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

iPhone 4.0 Want List: MobileFinder App

Google Nexus One Phone Not an iPhone Killer?

Despite the hype and expectation surrounding the official Google-branded phone early impressions of the device by Engadget reveal the device is not quite an iPhone killer:

Now, of course everyone seems to have one question about the ...

Mophie to show iPhone credit card reader at CES

Mophie will unveil a credit card reader for the Apple iPhone at CES this week.

Morphie to show iPhone credit card reader at CES

Morphie will unveil a credit card reader for the Apple iPhone at CES this week.