Apple clarifies App Store approval process, fart apps not welcome
Responding to developer demands that it clarify its approval process, Apple on Thursday published, for the first time, a document that details what it is looking for in new apps. If anything could be taken away from the new public policy, it may be that the approval process could get more difficult for some.
Apple appears ready to start rejecting apps based on duplicate themes to preexisting content, and it would hold apps to a higher quality standard. Apps have become ever more inappropriate in the App Store as of late, and the Cupertino company did express concern that children may be gaining access to these inappropriate apps.
Amazon Kindle threatens booksellers by finally launching in retail stores
Amazon's Kindle has managed to make a tremendous impact on the e-reader market without even being available in physical stores. Soon, however, Amazon's best-selling product will be available through retailers in stores across the U.S.
Today, Best Buy announced it will be selling the Wi-Fi only 6" Kindle for $139.99 and its 3G-equipped counterpart for $189 in all of its stores this fall. The company says the 9.7" Kindle DX will be available "later in the season."
T-Mobile spills details about its next flagship Android device, the HTC G2
Wireless network operator T-Mobile USA has been incrementally releasing information about the G2, its first HSPA+ smartphone, and long-awaited sequel to the first Android smartphone, the G1. Thursday, the first official images of the G2 were released, along with some additional specs that have heretofore been unknowns.
The 3.7" touchscreen device may look like a QWERTY slider, but it is actually hinged...Not hinged like a clamshell device, but more like a rack. We've sent an inquiry to HTC to find out more about the benefits of this design, and we will update with the company's reply when it arrives.
Amulet Devices voice-activated Windows Media Center remote begins shipping
Irish company Amulet Devices today announced it is now shipping its Amulet Voice Remote to U.S. customers. The Windows Media Center remote control supports a full array of voice commands in addition to standard button-based IR navigation.
Through the remote's built-in microphone, users can access their profile and navigate through all the content on their Windows Media Center box. In addition to simply playing the media, users can also program their DVR, instantly navigate to a specific clock time in a video or audio file, skip over advertisements in recorded TV, or ask their Media Center questions such as what song is playing or the title of the show they are watching.
Apple releases iOS 4.1 for iPhones, iPod Touches
As promised at last week's event, Apple on Wednesday released iOS 4.1, its first significant update to the iOS platform that was introduced with the iPhone 4 earlier this summer. The update includes several new features including HDR photos, HD video upload, and a working Game Center.
Several bugs were also fixed in this latest update, including the highly-publicized proximity sensor issue and security issues involving FaceTime, GIFs and TIFFs, and at least 20 bugs in the WebKit framework of the Mobile Safari browser. The fourth generation iPod touch runs iOS 4.1 natively, thus upgrading the device is unnecessary.
$400 Xbox Kinect bundle due November 4 in US
Microsoft has fired the first salvo in a battle for motion-sensing superiority that is sure to last through the holiday season. The Redmond company said Wednesday that it would introduce a Xbox 360 bundle that would include Kinect for $399.99 beginning November 4.
The console is Microsoft's redesigned 250GB Xbox 360 which retails on its own for $299.99. The company had announced in July that the Kinect system would be a $149.99 add-on, so buyers would save $50 on the bundle. Like the standalone Kinect offering, the game Kinect Adventures, would be included.
Google Instant provides search results as you type
Google Wednesday launched a new search feature called Google Instant, which offers search results as you are typing your query terms.
Around this time two years ago, Google unveiled Suggest, a feature which predicted what searchers were looking for as it was being typed in the Google search field. Instant takes this a step further and provides the actual results so the user doesn't have to even click "search" or hit enter.
Google logo clickthrough causes sales windfall for toy maker
A lot of attention is being paid to Google Doodle logos with the company's impending press conference today, and the public's curiosity about the search engine's animated logos really paid off for one toy maker.
On September fourth, Google's Doodle logo was a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Buckminsterfullerene molecule, a spherical allotrope made up of 60 carbon atoms which closely resembles the geodesic domes made famous by American Engineer Buckminster Fuller.
Symantec releases Norton Internet Security 2011 and Norton Antivirus 2011
Symantec Wednesday launched the latest versions of its flagship security products: Norton Antivirus 2011 and Norton Internet Security 2011. As it has been for the last two years, Symantec's focus remains on keeping the Norton software quick and lightweight, while harnessing the power of the crowd and the cloud.
For this version of the Norton software, Symantec has added 100 new content updates, which includes new versions of both the software's behavioral engine, and the file-based heuristic engine. The cumulative effect of the improvements were recently shown off by software benchmarking company Passmark; which ranked a beta version of Norton Internet Security 2011 the best performing security software package for Windows 7 Ultimate (64 bit.) The company timed booting, scanning, browsing, IE launching, and installation, measured memory usage at idle, footprint, registry keys added, and network throughput in a total of 30 different tests.
Firefox 4 beta 5 beefs up video, audio, security features
Tuesday evening, Mozilla pushed out the fifth beta of its Firefox 4 Web browser. With this update, improvements to the browser's audio, video, and security have been added.
Two weeks ago, the Beta 4 release of Firefox 4 included new features to help users get organized, Firefox Sync and Panorama. This release focuses less on giving users new features, and more on providing the tools for a better experience down the road.
To protect trade secrets, HP sues former CEO Hurd after joining Oracle
HP filed a civil lawsuit against its former CEO Mark Hurd on Tuesday after the executive was hired by IT giant Oracle.
"Mark Hurd agreed to and signed agreements designed to protect HP's trade secrets and confidential information. HP intends to enforce those agreements," HP's statement to the media said.
Google aims for Apple with 'Web TV', launching worldwide by 2011
Apple may have the head start on its competitors when it comes to streaming content, but Google is not going to let it get too far ahead. CEO Eric Schmidt said in a keynote at the IFA conference in Berlin this week that it plans to offer its "Google TV" service worldwide by next year.
Sony will be the first manufacturer to incorporate Google's technologies into
television sets sold within the US this fall. From there, the service will be expanded worldwide in 2011. Samsung is also considering building televisions based on Google's Android platform, but no final decision has been made.
Craigslist takes down adult services section, silent as to why
Craigslist shut down its adult services section quietly late Friday, seemingly acquiescing to the demands of child welfare groups. Organizations such as The Rebecca Project had said that Craigslist's policy of allowing sex ads was assisting criminals in sex trafficking, and the site was making a hefty profit doing so.
For whatever reason, the site has decided to make it obvious that it was removing the link, placing the word "censored" in white letters with a black background in place of where the link used to be. Cragslist's decision to do so seems to suggest that it may have been pressured to make the change rather than doing it of its own volition.
IDC: Apple iOS market share will decline 26 percent through 2014
Today, IDC raised its forecast for 2010 global smartphone shipments. Is it any wonder? "Hot" defines an exciting summer of new models, including iPhone 4 and scads of big-screen Android smartphones. Meanwhile, Nokia is ready to pop the N8 (It's almost Nokia World, folks!), and Microsoft has already started marketing Windows Phone 7 even before the first devices release.
The analyst firm published a forecast through 2014 that shows Apple's iOS losing market share and Microsoft's mobile OS gaining but not rising from fifth place. Android -- what in a statement Ramon Llamas, IDC senior research analyst, called a "wild card" -- is forecast to make the greatest gains.
Samsung completes the carrier quadruple-play with Fascinate on Verizon
Samsung's Gigaherz class, Android-powered Galaxy S line of smartphones will be available on all four major U.S. wireless carriers this week with the launch of the Fascinate on Verizon Wireless.
Verizon Wireless and Samsung today announced the Fascinate will be available tomorrow (September 8) online and the following day in stores for $199 after rebate and two-year service contract.
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