MacRumors
Apple has applied for yet another patent for a Wii-like controller device, this time for a remote control that can distinguish infrared light sources. Via hrmph:
The present invention can include remote control systems that can distinguish predetermined light sources from stray or unintended light sources, such as environmental light sources and/or reflections.
Earlier this month another patent application was uncovered for a Wii-like controller developed by Apple. As with all patent applications, this may not represent technology planned for any particular project, though recent job descriptions have listed "remote controls" as one of the technologies Apple is developing.
Raw Data: Patent Application 20080121782
Hutchison Telecommunications Limited announced that the iPhone would be coming to Hong Kong and Macau later this year.
Hong Kong and Macau, 29th May 2008 - Hutchison Telecommunications Limited today announced that it has signed an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone to Hong Kong and Macau later this year.
No other details as has been typical for these international iPhone announcements.
Apple's 24-hour flagship 5th Avenue retail store in Manhattan will be shutting down on Thursday for the night. Apple's retail page reflects the temporary shutdown:
Please note we will be temporarily closed Thursday, May 29 at 3:00 p.m. and will reopen Friday, May 30 at 9:00 a.m. During this time, please visit one of our other two Manhattan locations.
While you might think that this would be a routine occurrence for inventory or some other innocent purpose. we've been told that Apple's 5th Avenue store has only been entirely closed twice in its history: the iPhone launch and the Leopard launch.
Instead, there are rumors that there will be a commercial shoot happening at that time. The exact subject of the commercial is unknown, but reportedly previous filming has occurred at the store without closing down entirely.
Update:: Followup story posted.
In addition to the earlier string giving user a method to turn on and off 3G ("Using 3G loads data faster, but decreases battery life."), Apple has added two warning strings if a user tries to turn 3G on or off during an active phone call:
- "Disabling 3G will end your phone call. Are you sure you want to disable 3G?"
- "Enabling 3G will end your phone call. Are you sure you want to enable 3G?"
Apple appears to be fine tuning the 3G experience on the upcoming 3G-capable iPhone.
French website PCInpact reports that Orange, Apple's official carrier of the iPhone in France, has been contacting existing customers with upgrade offers for the rumored 3G iPhone.
The first solution is a direct swap where owners can trade in their existing iPhone and get the second gen version for 50 euros.
The other option for those who would to keep their current iPhone, but also want the (supposedly) 3G version means they can buy the new model enjoying a "generous" discount.
Apple's 3G iPhone is expected to be announced at WWDC. Given Apple's preference for secrecy, it would appear as though such solicitations are being made prematurely.
[ via Sky News ]
Apple has released Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 2.1.
This update extends RAW file compatibility for Aperture 2 and iPhoto 08 for the following cameras:
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/Kiss Digital x2/450D
Epson R-D1
Leaf AFi 7
Leaf AFi 6
Leaf AFi 5
Pentax K200D
Pentax K20D
Left: original iPhone, Right: new iPhone?
Forum user mrat93 found an interesting image of the iPhone in a file called "iPhone.icns" that accompanies the iPhone SDK. Amongst the icons, one photo of the iPhone appears different than the others. It has been zoomed in and set alongside the usual iPhone icon for comparison. Direct size comparisons can't be made, since the smaller image was simply zoomed in to the approximate size of the larger image. There are, however, some clear differences to the outer casing.
The significance of this is unknown. While it could represent an early peek at the subtle design changes of the next iPhone, it may simply be an old "artist's rendition" that was never replaced.
Besides releasing Mac OS X 10.5.3 today, Apple also released a new version of the iPhone SDK (Beta 6). No details have been posted. Apple should be wrapping up development of the iPhone SDK which is expected to be complete by late June. Apple will be covering many aspects of the iPhone SDK during their Worldwide Development Conference which starts on June 9th.
Previous versions of the iPhone SDK and Beta 2.0 Firmware have revealed new features coming to the iPhone, including Geotagging, 3G preferences, Chinese handwriting recognition, and Photo saving,
Samsung today announced the L870 Symbian-based phone. Interestingly, spec sheets obtained by phoneArena.com (via Engadget) specify that the phone uses the Safari web browser.
The default web browser of the S60 platform is indeed a WebKit-based browser developed by Nokia. The "Safari" designation, however, would seem to indicate some cooperation with Apple, as Safari is an Apple-registered trademark.
Regardless, the move appears to be yet another win for the Apple-supported WebKit rendering engine. Recently, Adobe has announced that the Air platform is utilizing WebKit, and Dreamweaver CS4 will be using WebKit for its Live View feature.
Apple released the Mac OS X 10.5.3 update today. The latest update to Leopard should appear in your Mac OS X Software Update.
The 10.5.3 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac.
For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1141.
For detailed information on security updates, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.
Apple details the many fixes in their support document. Some highlights include:
- Includes additional RAW image support for several cameras
- Addresses an issue with stuttering video and audio playback in certain USB devices
- Improves 802.1X (Wifi) behavior and reliability and when using Time Machine
- Includes fixes for Time Machine compatibility with Time Capsule
Google posts that the Address Book application in Mac OS X 10.5.3 now lets iPhone users sync their Address Book with Google Contacts.
Apple is reportedly using the technology behind HWPen to build its Chinese character recognition, according to a report from iPhone Atlas.
HWPen (western character mode) and Apple's beta implementation of Chinese input
Apple's betas have shown Chinese character input as well as Japanese character input. The general assumption has previously been that Apple has been developing the technology in-house based off of its experience with Newton handwriting recognition technology.
See Also: HWPen, DioPen (third party applications)
Check Point has released a version of Check Point Full Disk Encryption for the Mac (via MacDailyNews). With the release, Check Point is the industrys first full-disk encryption solution with pre-boot authentication to support the Mac OS.
"Enterprises and organizations have to secure 100 percent of their laptops and desktops to be fully protected," said Bob Egner vice president of product management at Check Point. "Check Point recognizes that Mac OS has an important and growing place in the enterprise and is proud to offer enterprise customers endpoint solutions that cover all platforms and work in mixed environments."
"We're delighted that Mac users in industries like government and healthcare who value high-quality encryption technologies have a strong solution that supports Leopard, the world's most advanced operating system," said Ron Okamoto, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. "Leopard is Apple's most secure OS release ever, and Check Point's encryption solution nicely complements features already present in Mac OS X."
Check Point supports Mac OS 10.4.5 Tiger through Mac OS 10.5.x Leopard in addition to Windows and Linux. Pricing starts at $120 for 1-99 users.
Many large corporations and governments have been deploying full-disk encryption solutions on portable computers, especially after high-profile laptop thefts. The lack of full-disk encryption has been cited as one reason why more enterprises are not adopting Macs.
See Also: PGP Full Disk Encryption In Development (via CNet)
MacNN republishes photos from iDealsChina which claim to be case moldings from Griffin Technology for the upcoming 3G-capable iPhone. Alongside the case images is a rendering of the 3G iPhone shape.
The moldings reveal the same tapered shape that has been circulating in rumors and photos over the past few weeks. Another case manufacturer had previously posted photos of the 3G iPhone case with a very similar design - with a curved back and a larger opening for the earpiece. The larger opening is presumably there to allow for the additional sensor that has been rumored.
The next major version of Windows (currently dubbed 'Windows 7') was demoed briefly today at the All Things Digital conference. Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer spoke with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher and showed off new multi-touch features in Windows 7.
Microsoft has adapted the multi-touch technology of their Surface computer into Windows.
iPhone users will be familiar with the photo manipulation shown, but according to Microsoft, multi-touch will be "built throughout the OS". Other notes from the talk report that "Microsoft is re-thinking the whole user interface to better accommodate multi-touch for day to day use." Windows 7 is expected in early 2010.
Of course, Apple first introduced the use of multi-touch into the iPhone and has since integrated basic multi-touch into the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air's trackpad. Meanwhile, patent applications have revealed that Apple is working on more advanced multi-touch integration into Mac OS X. When asked by Mossberg if Apple had a jump on this technology, Ballmer simply responded (Engadget's notes):
There's a lot in Windows 7, and our goal's got to be, with our hardware partners, to produce fantastic PCs. ... We'll sell 270m PCs a year, and Apple will sell 10m. Apple is fantastically successful, and so are we.
Another set of supposedly "leaked" next generation iPhone photos have been posted to iPhoneClub.nl (via Engadget). The images depict a white iPhone with a curved back consistent with circulating rumors.
According to the source - who wishes to remain anonymous - these pics originate from a well known European accessory maker.
These "leaked" photos are rarely accurate, and are typically fake images created by fans. That being said, the images are consistent with circulating rumors describing what the next iPhone may look like. iLounge was the origin of these design rumors with a report claiming to have design specs from 3rd party case manufacturers who had knowledge of the dimensions of the upcoming iPhone.
We post these images for interest only as it has already generated a lengthy discussion in our forums, and we don't necessarily believe these to be real. If the original rumors are to be believed, the iPhone is said to be coming in 3 colors: black, white and red.
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Citing "sources close to Intel", TGDaily claims that Intel will be delaying their Montevina notebook platform until July 14th, with a full line of chipsets not shipping for "a couple of weeks later". The reasons for the delay are believed to include FCC certification holdups as well as integrated graphic chip failures.
Apple followers have been paying attention to the Montevina release as a possible marker for the next MacBook revision. Apple last updated the MacBook in February of this year. The latest rumors have pointed to the 3rd Quarter of 2008 (July-September) as the delivery timeframe for the next MacBook.
Intel's Montevina revision promises Mac users a faster front side bus and faster Penryn processors over the existing designs.
Adobe announced that public betas of the CS4 version of Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Soundbooth are now available at Adobe labs. While the downloads are publicly available, only existing CS3 owners will be able to use the beta software beyond an initial 48 hour window.
The Dreamweaver beta for Web design and development, the Fireworks beta for prototyping, and the Soundbooth beta for audio creating and editing, demonstrate the direction that Adobe Creative Suite is taking with features and technologies that will simplify and streamline design and development workflows across all media. The betas also offer users the opportunity to give Adobe feedback for further product development.
Adobe lists the new features included in each beta on their respective pages: Dreamweaver CS4, Fireworks CS4, Soundbooth CS4.
