If you’ve already seen photos of the super-realistic 12-inch Steve Jobs action figure online, you may have already placed bets with your friends as to when Apple would come calling to squash it. If you guessed today, we have a winner! Cupertino is claiming ownership of the late co-founder’s likeness, but the defiant Chinese manufacturer plans to proceed anyway. Get out the popcorn, this one should be interesting! Meanwhile, here’s the rest of what’s making news for this Thursday, January 5, 2012.
Google’s Eric Schmidt recently sounded the alarms for companies making Android tablets, revealing that the search giant themselves are planning to launch their own branded tablet within the next six months — presumably some sort of “Nexus” branded hardware in the tradition of their annual smartphones. While many rightfully assumed that the company had Apple’s iPad in their sights, a new report from DigiTimes is claiming that Amazon’s 9 Kindle Fire is what Google may actually be taking aim at. The idea is to introduce a seven-inch tablet priced at 9 (or less) to take advantage of their new Android 4.0, “confectionally” known as Ice Cream Sandwich. Of course, in less than six months they’ll have a new iPad to contend with as well, so… good luck, Mountain View.
If you’ve been waiting anxiously to pit your Steve Jobs action figure against the forces of evil (do they make action figures of Google CEOs?), you may want to grab one on eBay while you can. According to The Telegraph, a 12-inch action figure of the iconic Apple co-founder is set for release next month by Chinese manufacturer In Icons, but Cupertino will have none of it, claiming they own the likeness of Steve Jobs and they’ll sue if the company moves forward. The report claims “any toy that resembles the technology company’s logo, person’s name, appearance or likeness of its products is a criminal offence.” In Icons remains defiant and plans to proceed with selling the figure next month for , although units have already shown up on eBay for 5 each. The eerily realistic figure “comes with a pair of black socks, some glasses, a leather belt, two apples (one with a bite taken out of it), a bar stool and a ‘One More Thing’ backdrop.”
Count us among those who frequently criticize Google for their often weak iOS apps, with bonus points taken away for how few of them include a universal build for native iPad support. If you frequently turn to the Google Translate app on your iPhone or iPod touch, you’ll be happy to know that the search giant pushed out a new version 1.3.0 update on Wednesday night which finally adds support for the iPad with a universal build. There’s nothing too fancy in the iPad edition, but at least now when we want to hear what some of our babbling nonsense sounds like in Mandarin, we won’t have to dig into our pocket to grab the iPhone anymore. (Yes, we’re that lazy…)
It’s too bad there’s no technological equivalent of the Lifetime network, because we’re dying to see what kind of soapy TV movie they’d make about Research In Motion. According to BGR, the news keeps getting more interesting out of Waterloo, with Jeffries & Company analyst Peter Misek claiming that RIM may soon license their once-mighty BlackBerry software to other hardware makers — specifically HTC and Samsung, who have been known to dabble in Android and Windows Phone of late. “We think some of this has already been started with RIM likely agreeing to license Blackberry 10 to Samsung, HTC, and possibly others,” the analyst writes. “This would help create a critical mass for the ecosystem and maintain RIM’s monthly service revenue.” Misek believes such a move would help get “people hooked on the RIM ecosystem,” something that could ultimately move more BlackBerry 10 handsets — assuming they can ever release one.
“Epic” is definitely the word we’d use to describe a new report from Joystiq touting over million in revenue for developer Epic Games from the Infinity Blade franchise. That includes the original launched in December, 2010 as well as last month’s Infinity Blade 2, which is some pretty good scratch for a mobile device game. “We have so much more in store for players, and will continue to make great content for Apple’s evolving platforms,” explained Epic Games President Dr. Michael Capps. No word on expanding the company’s horizons to competing platforms such as Android, however.
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(Image courtesy of The Telegraph)
The war of words between iOS and Android goes on, with Google’s mobile boss now claiming the lion’s share of new device activations over the Christmas holiday. How Apple will respond is anyone’s guess, but with the close of another calendar quarter just days away, we’d expect some serious revenue boasting next month when Cupertino reports revenue from their holiday quarter. In the meantime, there’s plenty of other tech items making news for this Wednesday, December 28, 2011.
Social network Facebook has been rocking their new Timeline feature fairly hard since debuting earlier this month, with one curious exception: It doesn’t work yet on the iPad. That serious bummer may get squashed over the next four weeks, however. According to 9to5Mac, the iPad version of Timeline “was pushed back due to last-minute bugs found during advanced testing.” The good news, however, is the tablet-friendly version appears on track for an “update between mid-January and late January.” Since we all need something to look forward to next year, might as well start with the little things…
Now that 2011 is winding to a close, we can look ahead to what 2012 may bring, which usually includes new processors from Intel to power our favorite desktop and laptop computers. According to DigiTimes, the chipmaker plans to release “a total of 25 models of its 22nm Ivy Bridge processors” on or around April 8. Taiwanese PC makers claim Intel will introduce 17 desktop-class processors as well as another eight aimed at notebooks and ultrabooks. “Desktop CPUs to be unveiled include quad-core Core i7-3770K, 3770, 3770S, 3770T, and Core i5-3570, 3550 and 3450, with prices ranging from US4-332,” the sources claim. “Additionally, the Core i5-3470T will be available in May priced at US4.” These desktop processors should find a home in the iMac, with the mobile versions landing in the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac mini product lines.
AllThingsD is reporting that Google Android boss Andy Rubin has further elaborated on yesterday’s Flurry data regarding iOS and Android device activations over the Christmas holiday. The analytics company projected 6.8 million devices were activated on Christmas Day, and according to Rubin’s Twitter account, 3.7 million of those were for Android-based products “activated on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.” Those numbers obviously downplay the potential iOS numbers, so it will be interesting to see if Apple retaliates with their own claims of holiday mobile domination.
The folks in Cupertino haven’t been shy about chest-thumping their own custom silicon for the A4 and A5 processors which power their iOS devices, and a new report from AppleInsider claims that the tradition is likely to continue with the rumored debut of an Apple-branded television set next year. According to DigiTimes, three companies are expected to bid on the custom, ARM-based chips, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering and Siliconware Precision Industries. The first of those, TSMC, has already reportedly signed a deal with Apple for next-generation A6 and A7 processors to be utilized in future iPhone and iPad devices, but AppleInsider notes “it’s possible an Apple television could also utilize the advanced chips.” Apple is said to be finalizing their hardware by the end of the second quarter of next year, with assembly to take place at Foxconn Electronics for a launch by the end of 2012.
Android may be kicking ass and taking names where smartphones are concerned, but it’s stumbled when it comes to home theatre domination with Google TV thus far. If you’re one of the few, the proud who has dove headfirst into that shallow pool, however, you can at least make the best of the situation by adding a little AirPlay love to your Google TV box. According to TUAW, a new 99-cent app from the Android Market called Airtight will stream your videos and photos from an iOS device to your Google TV over Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, music and DRM’ed content (such as iTunes movies, TV shows and music videos) won’t work with Airtight, and mirroring over AirPlay is also off the table for now. However, the developer is working hard to add new features, so stay tuned for future updates and features.
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(Image courtesy of TUAW)
Seems like all the big news this week is app-related! Twitter has a new iOS app update, Batman flies in with a slick new Arkham City game, OnLive is coming to iOS and a whole lot more. Hey, maybe someday we’ll all be giving virtual gifts for the holidays — no more wrapping paper and bows, no more piles of gifts under the tree. While you ponder that future, read on for all the news from Thursday, December 8, 2011.
Got .99 burning a hole in your iTunes account and ready to kick it Batman-style? Warner Bros. Entertainment is all too happy to take your cash and accommodate with the new Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, a universal iOS game app that just hit the App Store. “The inmates have escaped and Batman has his hands full defeating an army of henchmen and some of his most iconic villains,” the game description reads. “Scour the rooftops and the seedy underbelly of Gotham City through a series of one-on-one battles with the Joker, Two-Face and more, as well as the Batman: Arkham City Lockdown exclusive – Deathstroke.” Gamers will have a choice of several Batman skins and power-ups “as you punch, kick and combo your way to cleaning up Gotham City,” and the game is built on Epic’s Unreal Engine (the same one powering the popular Infinity Blade titles), so it should be pretty sweet.
You’ve got to hand it to the folks at Twitter: They’re not afraid of change. That includes releasing version 4.0 of their iOS app, with a redesigned user interface for the iPhone that’s already testing the patience of users, judging from a quick glance at (ironically) Twitter itself. With a cry of “Let’s fly,” the new app is broken up into four categories: Home, Connect, Discover and Me, with a fifth button for posting new tweets. While our personal favorite remains the third-party Echofon Pro, we kind of dig this update more than the last few (we know, we’re in the minority). The changes will be rolled out eventually to the Twitter website, but for now you can download the iPhone or Android versions (or hit up the mobile version of the website) to experience it for yourself.
It’s been a big week for “personalized reader” apps with Flipboard finally arriving on the iPhone, and now Google is leaping into the pool with its own approach. Google Currents is a free universal app for iOS (also available on Android, naturally) with more than 150 publishing partners, offering full-length articles from more than 180 editions including CNET, AllThingsD, Forbes, Saveur, PBS, Huffington Post, Fast Company and more. (And hey, don’t forget to add Mac|Life, who’s included in the “Science & Tech” category!) The app is also tied to a new self-service platform allowing publishers to design, brand and customize their web content for Google Currents users. The app also taps into RSS, video and photo feeds, public Google+ streams and Google Reader subscriptions so you’ll never be without something to read (in theory, anyway). The universal 9.3MB app is available now from the App Store.
If you love cloud-based gaming service OnLive, you’ll love it even more once the iOS client app arrives. According to TouchArcade, the release is imminent and will come with a free copy of LEGO Batman: The Videogame absolutely free for anyone who downloads the client and signs up (no purchase necessary). TouchArcade describes the service as “a lot like instantly streaming movies over Netflix, except it’s video games, and you get to actually play them in real time with minimal lag if you’re internet speeds are up to snuff.” The OnLive client has already hit Android, so if you’re rockin’ some kind of Google-blessed device, you can download that client now, sign up and be ready to go when the iOS version hits the App Store. The company is also offering a Universal OnLive Wireless Controller in their store for .99 if you don’t like doing the touch thing, and an iPhone version of the app is expected soon as well.
Ape Entertainment and Bolt Creative have announced a milestone for the Pocket God digital comic book series. With more than seven million downloads for the popular iOS game from which it’s based, the full-color comic has itself passed the 500,000 download mark. To celebrate, the two companies have teamed up with Free App A Day (FAAD) to offer the first issue of the digital comic absolutely free today from the App Store — but don’t worry, it will also be a Friday freebie courtesy of Monster Free Apps as well. And that’s not all: The digital comic series today launches issue No. 11, which is immediately available for download on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad with 20 pages of all-new content courtesy of iVerse Media as a 99-cent in-app purchase.
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We’ve got three words for you today: Short work week! For our U.S. readers, Thanksgiving is this Thursday and many folks have an extra day off on Friday, which means you’ll have a longer weekend at play than you will working three days this week. (Our apologies to those of you who don’t get to enjoy that scenario. We feel your pain.) But there’s still plenty of news floating around the interwebs, and we’ve collected some of the best stuff for you to read on this fine Monday, November 21, 2011.
Retailers are amped up for Black Friday this week here in the U.S., and 9to5Mac is reporting that Apple may also get in the holiday spirit by opening its biggest store to date in New York City’s Grand Central Station. According to their sources and some on-site spy photos, Apple could officially announce the opening of the store on Tuesday and pull back the curtains in time for Black Friday shopping on November 25. The site is expected to have just over 300 employees (!!), who are currently being trained at New York area Apple Stores. Grand Central Station receives a whopping 750,000 visitors every single day and more than a million during the holidays, so it’s safe to say that this Apple Store could be the mother of them all.
The Google Mobile Blog announced an update to the iOS Google Search app today, which specifically targets the iPad user interface for “a significant redesign.” The app is now more interactive, more visual and easier than ever before to find exactly what you’re looking for. Images can be viewed full-screen and the app includes a new visual search history as well as easy access to other Google apps. The 11.9MB update is available now for users running iOS 4.0 or later — which should really be most of us by now.
We love us some Spotify here at MacLife.com, which is why we’re excited to see what they’ll do next after finally landing on American shores over the sunny summer. As it turns out, we won’t have long to wait: AllThingsD is reporting that the company has sent out a “mysterioso invitation” for a press event in New York on November 30 with CEO Daniel Elk and “a special guest or two.” So what’s the topic? No one knows for sure, but Spotify is teasing “a new direction for the company,” which sounds like a bit more than adding an MP3 store (which is already available in Europe) or a much-needed iPad app. Mark your calendars, and check back with us next Wednesday for all the details.
Despite no official word from Apple that a new iOS 5 fix would be released this week, German-language site Macerkopf.de is backpedaling on an earlier report claiming that would be the case. According to AppleInsider, the website originally reported last week that iOS 5.0.2 would arrive “no later” than this week in an effort to address additional battery life issues for iPhone 4S users. The update supposedly brings 10 hours of active use for the new handset, while Apple is rumored to also be hard at work on iOS 5.1, which promises “many changes” to Siri’s voice control — but don’t expect that one until sometime next year, sources claim.
Still looking for the perfect social sharing app? The folks at Stamped, Inc. have released a free iPhone app that may be just the ticket. Aptly named Stamped, the app claims to be “a new way to recommend only what you like best — restaurants, books, movies, music and more.” To get started, create a profile and customize a unique “stamp,” then use it on things you want friends to know about. Promising “no noise, no strangers, just the things you and your friends love,” Stamped integrates with Opentable, Amazon, Fandango and iTunes and shares easily via Twitter and Facebook. The 8.5MB is free and available on the App Store now for all devices running iOS 4.0 or later (but is not a universal build for the iPad).
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Hard to believe that our U.S. readers will be face down in a plate of turkey, stuffing and all the fixin’s only a week from now, but November is flying by like a freight truck out of control, so what can you do? Meanwhile, the technology world is keeping busy with new advances such as Facebook-to-Facebook calling via the Skype app for Mac, Google Music is official, DebtMinder goes supersized, Apple pulls its one and only iOS game and RIM looks to be ready to fire sale its BlackBerry PlayBook — at least in Canada. Here’s all the news for Thursday, November 17, 2011.
Ready for a little more Skype-Facebook integration in your life? We sure hope so, because Skype’s The Big Blog announced today that a new beta version 5.4 for Mac has just hit the website, offering the ability to conduct a Facebook-to-Facebook call from within Skype — no browser required. The move continues the Skype/Facebook love-fest that began when Facebook video calling powered by Skype was first launched in July. Simply install the Skype 5.4 for Mac beta (you’ll have to scroll down the page a bit, which first tries to offer you an old version 5.3), connect your Skype and Facebook accounts, select a Facebook friend and hit the video call button. For some of us, that will be just another reason to avoid Facebook (and now, maybe Skype in general), but for you social butterflies, you’ll be floating like you’re in heaven.
Now here’s an odd one for you: Apparently, Apple is getting out of the iOS game business. Didn’t know they were in it to begin with? That’s probably because you never bought Texas Hold ‘Em, the company’s only title for the platform, which began life in late 2006 on the iPod and then moved into the App Store when it debuted in 2008. According to MacRumors, the .99 app hasn’t been updated since September, 2008, and attempts to find the title in the App Store throw up the familiar “The item you’ve requested is not currently available in the US store” error. RIP, Texas Hold ‘Em…
Remember Music Beta by Google? (Insert sound of crickets here.) Well, it’s finally out of beta and officially know as simply Google Music, the search giant announced at a press conference on Wednesday night. The good news is the service remains free and now the doors are opened to anyone willing to install the desktop client and then push upwards of 20,000 songs onto Google’s servers. Although the mobile client is Android only (at least for now), the service has a rather nice HTML5 mobile web version which works quite well on your iOS devices. New to Google Music is the ability to buy music via the Android Market and share with friends on Google+, and the company is encouraging new artists to sign up for the fun as well for a mere one-time payment, then a 70/30 split split on the sales.
return7 is back with another update for their DebtMinder app, and this time it’s gone supersized! DebtMinder version 1.1.0 is now a universal build, which means it works great on your iPad as well as the iPhone or iPod touch. The new version also resolves some iOS 5 display issues, adds a per-account amortization chart to the Payment Plan and squashed a few other little bugs here and there. The .99 app works in tandem with BillMinder to take charge of your debt quickly while keeping your bills paid on time — and let’s face it, we could all use that in our lives, especially with the holidays fast approaching. DebtMinder 1.1.0 is a free update for existing users and ready for your downloading pleasure in the App Store.
Canadians, start your (fire sale) engines! According to AppleInsider, Research in Motion’s beleaguered BlackBerry PlayBook is gearing up for a holiday fire sale up north, with the 16GB as low as 9, 32GB for 9 and the 64GB model for 9 — all cheaper than what the tablet debuted at just a few short months ago. It goes without saying that sales of the device have been disappointing, both here in the U.S. and in every other country the PlayBook has landed where Apple’s iPad came before it. The sale corresponds with Black Friday next week, so we’re thinking Americans may also have a crack at the crazy new low price, which runs until December 1 but is rumored to become permanent come December 18.
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