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Apple moving to tie operating systems

Apple is moving to more closely tie the software that runs its Macintosh computers to that used by its mobile iPhone and iPad devices with its upcoming Lion operating system.

The Mac operating system, which will be released in the summer of 2011, will be based around the sort of multitouch capabilities popularized by the iPhone and iPad as well as an app store for the computer, which will be launched in the next 90 days. The app store will feature the same sort of free and paid downloadable software applications found on Apple's mobile devices.

Some of the touch features have already been incorporated into Apple's laptops, Magic Mouse and trackpad, but the company will not migrate them to the computer screen itself because it is ergonomically problematic to use them vertically, chief executive Steve Jobs said at a product launch event on Tuesday.

The Lion operating system will therefore be optimized for control via touch-enabled attachments.

"Touch surfaces want to be horizontal," he said.

The Macintosh app store will also have an advantage over standard methods of buying software because it will offer better organization and automatic updating, Jobs said. Users will be able to flip between their standard desktop display and the sort of app grid found on iPhones and iPads through an interface called Mission Control.

Apple also announced the immediate launch of its Facetime video calling capability for Mac computers. The feature allows computer users to make video calls to people who own the latest iPhone or iPod devices, although those people are still only able to connect to such calls if they have a Wi-Fi connection handy.

Apple has not yet announced a deal that will allow iPhone 4 users to make Facetime calls over their cellular connection.

The company also launched a pair of slimmed down Macbook Air notebook computers, as well as an update to its iLife software for computers.
Source:http://www.cbc.ca

Google TV hopes to change how you watch, how you surf

By Jefferson Graham

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Upstairs in one of the main buildings at the Googleplex headquarters here, engineers are putting the finishing touches on Google TV, the company's latest attempt to stake out a new territory beyond search ads.

Google's multibillion-dollar ad business put it on the map, and the company has been looking to branch out, with mixed results. The Wave, Buzz and Orkut social-network tools fell flat, but its Android platform brought Google onto the mobile phone in a way. Tech analysts predict Android will overtake BlackBerry and become the dominant smartphone platform by next year.

And now Google has its sights set on the living room with Google TV, a software platform to bring the complete Internet experience to TV sets. It's expected in stores later this month, via new TVs, Blu-ray players from Sony and a set-top box from Logitech.

TALKING TECH VIDEO: An inside look at Google TV

At the beginning of the year, many TV manufacturers announced plans to bring the Internet to their TVs, via a partnership with Yahoo. But while TVs from Panasonic, LG, Vizio and others have smartphone-like apps forNetflix, YouTube, Skype and other favorites, what they don't offer is the complete Web. And that's one point Google aims to pound home in selling Google TV.

"We consider the Internet to be the entire Internet," says Google TV product manager Rishi Chandra. "That's a big difference."

A lot of people watch Web video together at home huddled around a laptop, "a sub-optimal device," he adds. "There's all this great content stuck on your PC and phone, and people want to see it on the best screen, which is the big screen in the living room."

Interacting with apps

The remote control that comes with Google TV devices has a keyboard and a pointing device that navigate you to TV channels and Internet sites.

You can watch a TV show, say Fox's Glee, and call up the website as well at the bottom of the screen, and have both running simultaneously. If you prefer a faster-loading Web experience, you can also opt for apps from Netflix, Pandora, CNBC, Amazon, the National Basketball Association and more.

The Netflix and Pandora apps are very similar to those you see on smartphones, Apple's iPad, TV boxes like Roku and Yahoo's connected TVs. Select a movie from Netflix's collection. Create a radio station on Pandora and see large album art displayed.

The CNBC app, however, is a standout. It allows you to watch the financial channel and also personalize it with your stocks and a collection of CNBC videos from the Web.

Google TV uses the same Android operating system that's used for smartphones. More than 10,000 apps are available for Android, but only a handful of apps will be set for Google TV at launch. However, Google expects "thousands" by next year.

Most Web videos should be easy to watch on the service, since Google TV supports the use of Adobe Flash software, which is used on some 75% of all Web video. The iPad, by comparison, requires a workaround because Apple won't use Flash.

What Google doesn't support — unless you subscribe to Dish Network— are direct tie-ins to easily record shows on your DVR. Beyond Dish, Google hasn't formed alliances with cable and satellite providers. Without access to those program guides, Google TV owners won't be able to use Google to set DVRs. They'll have to find a show in Google, then go to the provider's menu to set the DVR.

Gartner analyst Van Baker says this is a major flaw. "Their vision is sound," he says. "This is where the TV industry needs to go eventually. But the story Google portrays is that they're totally integrated, and that's just not the reality."

Still, James McQuivey, an analyst at Forrester Research, thinks the idea of the complete Internet on TV sets, without having to adjust input settings or switch remotes, is going to resonate. He thinks Google has a hit on its hands, one that could sell 10 million units by the end of next year.

Once that happens, the same kind of app development we've seen on the iPhone, iPad and Android devices will get created for Google TV, he says. "These apps will interact with what people watch on TV. Advertisers will start spending money on apps that target shows they're already advertising on."

The way he sees it, an advertiser could have a spot in Fox's Glee, for instance, and also run an ad in an app that interacts with the show.

Google is offering its software platform free to manufacturers, as it does with Android, in the hopes of broadening its advertising base from the Web to TVs. While at first it's working with just Logitech and Sony for 2010, Google's hope is to greatly expand to many manufacturers, Chandra says.

Source:http://www.usatoday.com

Apple Approves Two Google Voice Apps For iPhone

Apple has given the green light to two third-party applications that let iPhone users interact directly with their Google Voice accounts.
By Eric Zeman
InformationWeek
The iPhone Google Voice story has now finally come full circle. More than 14 months after Apple pulled Google Voice and GV Mobile from the iPhone App Store, it has re-approved two applications that enable Google Voice on the iPhone.
The first to be approved and hit the iPhone App Store was GV Connect. This application, which costs $2.99, works natively with the iPhone and iPod Touch and lets users skip the browser-based version of Google Voice.

According to GV Connect, its application lets users:

• Place calls using your Google Voice number rather than your mobile number - enter number directly, select a contact from your device's contacts, or call back any number in your history.
• Send and receive text messages (SMS) from your Google Voice number.
• Listen to voicemails and recorded conversations right on your device (allowing you to pause, rewind, or fast forward to any point within the message) - voicemails will also show the transcription of the message when available.
• Mark messages as starred, attach notes to conversations, block/unblock senders, or delete conversations.
• Easily search in your history by contact, message, or note.
• Messages are stored on your device for offline access.
• Composing notes and text messages can be done in landscape mode.
• Quickly change various Google Voice account settings (call forwarding, do-not-disturb, message notifications, …) directly from within the application.
• Automatic checking for new messages while the application is active.
• Direct access to your device's contacts without needing to synchronize them with Google
• Automatic fallback to offline dialing mode if no data connection is available.
• All communication is done with the Google Voice website directly, no need to hand over your account information to a third-party.
• Full support for fast app switching in iOS4 and high-resolution graphics for retina displays.

The application is not SIP/VoIP-based, and iPad or iPod Touch users will not be able to use it to make voice calls without another third-party workaround. The developers behind GV Connect note that passwords are stored securely and encrypted during transmission between the phone and Google's servers.At the time of this writing, GV connect had an average rating of three stars, with approximately 400 reviews of the product already submitted.

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The second application approved by Apple was one of those pulled during the summer of 2009. Sean Kovacs' GV Mobile + is now back in the iPhone App Store, and according to Kovacs, is "better than ever."
As with GV Connect, it is not a SIP/VOIP dialer. GV Mobile + lets Google Voice users do the following from their iPhones:

• dial numbers via the iPhone address book, entering on the keypad, or choosing from the internal favorites
• send, retrieve, and delete SMS messages
• retrieve and delete recent call history
• playback and delete voicemails
• take calls from different phones other than your iPhone
• enable, disable, add, or delete the phones that Google Voice forwards calls to

Similar to how GV Connect works, GV Mobile + stores passwords securely and encrypts them during transit. Kovacs warns that it is a data-intensive application.GV Mobile + also costs $2.99, and requires iOS 4.0 and up. It only works in the U.S. for now, and Kovacs recommends that jailbreakers remove the Cydia-based version of GV Mobile +.
At the time of this writing, GV Mobile + had a 3.5 star rating, with 460 reviews posted.
Both applications require an active Google Voice account.
Source:informationweek.com

TechBytes: Facebook Phone?

By ROD JUSSIM AND CARRIE HALPERIN
The Internet is buzzing with speculation that Facebook is developing a mobile phone. Techcrunchreported that Facebook is building the software, and wants a different company to build the hardware. The move would give Facebook friends a new way to keep in contact. Facebook says the report is not true.

Source:http://abcnews.go.com

Flip Video Cameras vs. iOS Devices: Spec Showdown

Ian Paul, PC World

Cisco announced four new Flip video cameras on Monday that bring high-definition video recording to every single device in the Flip line-up. All four cameras -- the Flip UltraHD 4GB/8GB and Flip MinoHD 4GB/8GB -- now record 720p HD video at 60 frames per second. Pricing ranges from $150 to $230 depending on the model you pick.

Despite the never-ending stream of multifunction devices, Cisco's Flip cameras (Cisco bought Flip-maker, Pure Digital Technologies in 2009) continue to be popular. The company hasn't announced unit sales, but Cisco recently reported that it sold about $75 million worth of Flip video cameras between February and May 2010.

But how much longer can Flip cameras stand up against smartphones and other multifunction devices that include steadily improving cameras? If you're just looking for 720p video, for example, you can already find that functionality on the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch, as well as the Android-based Droid X and all three of Nokia's new Symbian^3 devices. Plus, smartphones give you increased functionality such as telephony, gaming, productivity apps, and Internet access.

Is it still worth it then, to purchase a single-function, Flip video camera. Let's take a look comparing the Flip to the newly announced iPod Touch and the iPhone 4. To view a spec to spec comparison chart of the two devices click here.

Flip vs. iOS

Flip cameras are still packing some features that multifunction devices can't compete with yet, such as the video capture frame rate. The iPhone 4 and iPod Touch, for example, offer only 30 frames per second (fps), while all but one of the Flip devices (the 4G UltraHD) have 60 fps. This is significant since the higher the fps, the smoother the video motion will be. Each frame is considered a still image, so most Flip cameras will capture 60 images per second, while iOS devices can only grab 30 images.

Click to ZoomAll of the Flip cameras also feature image stabilization to reduce jerkiness and motion when panning the video camera across a scene. Apple's iOS devices offer fairly smooth video capture, but they do not have the same image stabilization capabilities the Flip cameras do. (Click on the image for a close-up of the comparison chart.)

Flip cameras also use standardized HDMI cables that will cost you less than $20 to connect with your television. Apple's iOS devices require a special $50 Apple component cable to display content on a TV.

The Flip devices let you pull still images from any video you capture, which suggests that Flip still images would have the same resolution -- 280 by 720 pixel (720p) -- that the video does. If that's the case, the Flip doesn't beat the iPhone 4's still image resolution at 1936 by 2592 -- the iPod Touch still camera resolution is 960 by 720.

The iOS devices are much thinner than the Flip making it easier to slide the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch into your pocket. The thinnest Flip video camera (the MinoHD) measures 0.63-inch depth, while the iPhone 4 is 0.37 inch and the iPod Touch is 0.28 inch.

There's a lot to love about the Flip when it comes to video quality, but it also has some drawbacks in its size and functionality.

The bottom line, at least according to the specs, is that if you want better video quality, the Flip is still your best choice (perhaps with the exception of the Flip UltraHD 4GB). But how long until iOS devices and others start offering higher frame rates and better video resolution than Cisco's Flip cameras?

Source:pcworld.com

'Nokia is back - and we're not sorry that we're not Apple' declares exec

PaidContent: biggest mobile phone maker declares intention to win against rivals
By Robert Andrews

Nokia's beaten-down top dogs opened their annual Nokia World show in London Tuesday morning with a blunt and rousing pep talk and a direct riposte to their competitors.

"We're not going to apologise for the fact that we're not Apple or Google or anybody else - we're Nokia and we're unique," markets executive vice president Niklas Savander said.

"Nokia's going through a tough, challenging transition and we have a LOT more work to do. But we have laid the foundation for success."

Bullish, Savander mocked Apple's Scott Forstall for borrowing Nokia's corporate slogan to talk about iPhone recently: "Connecting People is more than just a feel-good tagline - it's our mission." In return, standing on stage in front of Nokia's developer community, Savander borrowed back a Steve Jobs catchphrase and took aim at iPhone 4…

"One more thing," he said, before talking about Nokia's flagship new N8 handset: "They perform - day in, day out - no matter how you hold them.

"In the past quarter, people bought far more Nokia phones than Apple and Android combined. On average, people buy 260,000 new Nokia smartphones every day - that's more smartphones sales than any other company by far - period." The N8, which has been taken on by over 100 carriers globally, is the first Nokia handset to be released with the re-engineered Symbian 3 OS on which Nokia's smartphone future will depend, and Nokia expects to ship at least 50 million.

But, in services, too, Savander also dared to declare: "Contrary to popular perception, Nokia - not Google (NSDQ: GOOG) - is the leader in mobile navigation. functionality quality and reach. Ovi Maps is far, far less hungry than the Google service. Why? Because it's optimised for mobile use." He also said Ovi Maps offers walking navigation that Google Maps does not.

On location sharing, Savander said over 800 million people will use GPS-enabled phones by 2013. "Soon, everything on the internet will have a location coordinate - it is a space that we intend to OWN."

In fact, Google launched walking navigations for Android's Google Maps last week, and no phone manufacturer is necessarily winning the location-sharing game ahead of dedicated services like Foursquare themselves.

"I recognise that we haven't been as competitive as we want to be in smartphones. Well, that's about to change. Today, we shift in to high gear in Nokia's fightback in smartphone leadership." Nevermind the past, Savander said: "Today is about the here and now, about three words. NOKIA IS BACK."

Executive vice president Ansi Vanjoki, who received warm applause after his resignation was announced on Monday, told delegates in another confident address: "The reality is that Nokia invented the smartphone."

Nokia's "fightback" amounts to four new handsets - the N8 entertainment smartphone, mid-market C6 and C7 phones targeted at social network users, and an E7 corporate communicator - packing Symbian 3.

Source:guardian.co.uk

Web users hit by sex movie worm

By Nick Collins

An email that purports to offer free pornography but actually contains a virus is spreading like wildfire across the internet, security experts have warned.

The email is entitled "Here you have" and holds within a link that appears to direct users to a PDF document.

In fact the link contains no documents but, if clicked, will enable the virus to access the user's Outlook address book and email itself to every contact contained within.

It will also attempt to disable any security programmes by deleting them, allowing it to remain hidden on the computer's hard drive.

The worm can also be passed on by unsecured links between computers sharing a network.

BBC News reported that companies including Nasa, AIG, Disney, Procter & Gamble and Wells Fargo are all having difficulties preventing the worm from spreading through their systems, with employees receiving hundreds of copies of the email.

The website on which the worm was based was shut down on Thursday evening, but it is expected that other forms of the virus will continue to spread.

Kaspersky, the security company, said the worm targeted Outlook in the same way as previous viruses such as the ILoveYou bug, which spread across the world in 2000.

Source:telegraph.co.uk