Mar 18

iPad 2 Delays May Increase After Japan Quake

Posted in: Apple, ipad 2, Today's Chili

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The horrific 9.0 earthquake that struck off the coast of northern Japan may have some unexpected effects on the technology industry outside of the country. Take the iPad 2, which relies heavily upon Japanese parts, including the battery, compass, and newly designed display glass.
Unexpected demand for the second generation tablet has already led to shortages in Apple Stores and other retailers across the US and increasingly lengthy ship times. According to a new report, the ever-deepening crisis in Japan may well lead to continued shortages for the iPad 2, as well. 
The device relies on very specific parts, so swapping one out for another may not be an option. “The iPad 2’s compass works in close coordination with the tablet’s accelerometer and gyroscope, iSuppli analyst Jérémie Bouchaud told the press. “This makes it impossible to simply replace one manufacturer’s compass with another.”

Apple has offered support in the wake of the quake, financially supporting employees in the country with payment for travel and other expenses. It has also set up donation options via iTunes. 
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Mar 18

iPhone 5 NFC Rumors Persist

Posted in: Apple, iPhone, Today's Chili

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Rumors that the forthcoming version of the iPhone will sport Near Field Communication (NFC) technology are back, after being shot down by a number of sites, earlier in the week.

Of course, we’re still a ways from a formal announcement for the handset (that will most likely come in the early summer months), so fittingly, the current batch of rumors are third-hand. Forbes is citing an “entrepreneur who is working on a top-secret NFC product” who is in turn citing “a friend who works at Apple.”

It wouldn’t be a shock, of course, were Apple to offer such a technology on the new iPhone–and Steve Jobs would, no doubt, present such a feature as though his company invented it. Google, as present, is pushing the mobile payment technology, having backed in the latest version of Android.

The technology gives users a simple way to make payments via their handsets without actually touching the phone to a retail terminal. 

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Mar 17

Steve Jobs Reaches Out to Employee Victims of Japan Earthquake

Posted in: Apple, Japan, Today's Chili
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Earlier in the week word got out about Apple’s massive show of support for its Tokyo employees affected by the 9.0 earthquake off the coast of northern Japan. The company worked swiftly to provide food, shelter, support, and transport to corporate and retail employees and their immediate families. 

Apple head Steve Jobs followed up with a note to employees, reinforcing the company’s support in the wake of this continued crisis. 
“To Our Team in Japan,” opens the letter signed ‘Steve and the entire executive team. “We have all been following the unfolding disaster in Japan. Our hearts go out to you and your families, as well as all of your countrymen who have been touched by this tragedy.If you need time or resources to visit or care for your families, please see HR and we will help you. If you are aware of any supplies that are needed, please also tell HR and we will do what we can to arrange delivery. Again, our hearts go out to you during this unimaginable crisis. Please stay safe.”
Mac Rumors points out that the company has also given users the ability to donate to Red Cross via iTunes. 
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Mar 17

iPad Scalpers Buy Out Apple Flagship Store

Posted in: Apple, ipad 2, Today's Chili
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With sell outs, long lines, and repeatedly pushed-back shipping times, it’s perhaps not surprising that the scalpers are getting into the iPad 2 business in a big way. The tablets are currently selling for exorbitant amounts online, through sites like eBay. Resellers also have plans to sell the things in China.

The New York Post has a piece about the lengths scalpers are going to clean out Apple locations, namely the company’s flagship glass storefront on 59th street. The paper illustrated a scene in which five men walked down a line of roughly 200 people, handing out $100 dollar bills to pick up the devices (and keep with Apple’s strict per-person limit).
“The ones we bought today are already on their way to China,” the “ringleader” told the paper. “It’s been pretty crazy.” The iPad 2 can apparently resell for as much as $2,000 a piece–well over double the asking price of the most expensive model. 
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Mar 17

iPad 2 on eBay: Only $1,700

Posted in: Apple, ipad 2, Today's Chili
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Need an iPad 2 and need it now? Good news: there are a bunch up for sale on eBay right now. Actually, you can get one right this second for the low, low Buy It Now price of $1,699. That’s the high end, or course. There’s also one for $1,299 and another for $1,200. Heck, it all makes the 64GB Wi-Fi version going for $950 seem downright reasonable.

The bidding situation is better, but not all that much. A 32GB Wi-Fi model ending in 38 minutes is currently going for $860–there’s also a 64GB version for $300, but that one’s still got four days and eight hours left on it.
Great than anticipated demanded is push up these tablets to crazy levels. Apple Stores and a number of other mainstream retailers sold out of the devices on launch weekend. The company also recently pushed the online ship time for the devices back to four to five weeks. For those who absolutely need a tablet, there are still plenty Xooms available, apparently. 
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Mar 16

Wi-Fi iPad 2 CAN Use Pinpoint GPS, If Tethered to iPhone

Posted in: Apple, ipad, Today's Chili

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Side-by-side, the iPad Wi-Fi and iPad 3G don’t look different at all, but under the hood there are a lot of differences. Customers who bought a Wi-Fi model, for example, cannot use the same sophisticated GPS features that the iPad 3G has. For the iPad 2, however, there is a workaround to this.

Not advertised by Apple, an iPad 2 early adopter realized that when tethered to an iPhone via the phone’s Personal Hotspot feature, the iPad 2 was also able to leech off the iPhone’s pinpoint GPS accuracy.

“As we got closer, I decided to get some directions to make sure we were on track. I launched the iPads maps app, expecting to navigate the old fashioned way without GPS assistance — knowing full well that GPS only comes in the 3G iPad models. Imagine my surprise when my iPad pinpointed exactly where we were on the road,” wrote the iPad user who noted the feature, Kyle Carmitchel.

Via Cult of Mac

 

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Mar 16

Game on the iPad with an NES Controller and RoboTouch

Posted in: diy, gaming, ipad, Robots Robotics, Today's Chili, video games, Weird News

RoboTouch

RoboTouch isn’t so much a commercial product as it is a pet project of some folks at ProtoDojo who were looking for a way to combine their favorite console controller (the NES controller,) with their favorite touch-screen gaming platform (the iPad.) 
The gadget is actually a series of small robot arms that accept controls from an Arduino board that the NES controller is plugged into. Press the A or B buttons and different arms tap different parts of the screen. Use the directional pad and different arms on the other side of the iPad tap the screen there corresponding to your character’s movement controls. The video behind the jump shows one of the inventors using RoboTouch to play a game of Reckless Racing. 
Admittedly, the arms would have to be repositioned around the screen and re-tested depending on the game you’re playing. If you have a virtual on-screen joystick that requires you move your finger in a circle or requires constant contact to work, it might be tricky to use. Still, RoboTouch isn’t the kind of project you should expect to see on store shelves anytime soon: but if you love DIY projects and would get a thrill out of playing iPad games with an NES controller, this is the project for you. 
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Mar 16

Verizon Models Now Around 12% of iPhone Market – Report

Posted in: iPhone, Today's Chili, verizon
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A month after launch the Verizon iPhone now comprises around 12 percent of Apple handsets currently in use (the number is fluctuating between 12.7 and 10.4 percent) , according to new numbers from analytics firm Chitika Insights.

The numbers are pulled from data gathered by the Chitika ad network, collected over a 24 hour period. The firm put Verizon’s share of the market at around three percent of the market a day after the phone was launched. 
Not quite the apocalyptic numbers for AT&T that many expected, but still, a fairly impressive gain in a fairly short period of time, particularly given the fact that the iPhone 4 was already six months old by the time the device debuted on Verizon.

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Mar 15

Bon Jovi Blames Steve Jobs for Music Industry Woes

Posted in: itunes, MP3 Digital Audio, Music, Today's Chili, Weird News

Bon Jovi

Jon Bon Jovi has a bone to pick with Steve Jobs. He wrote in the Sunday Times Magazine that Jobs is “killing” the music industry, that iTunes is to blame for the death of the album, and that no one experiences albums anymore the way artists intend to them to be experienced. 
The argument is far from a new one, a number of musicians blame digital music stores and services for killing the album, and blame digital music in general for the “death” of the music industry, but considering iTunes rakes in money from music sales and controls over 66% of the online music market, it’s doubtful the industry is going anywhere anytime soon.
Bon Jovi says that kids today aren’t getting the experience of buying music in a music store based only on album art the way their parents did, and they’re missing the experience of listening to an album end-to-end as a story. At the same time, both of those issues: the trend towards buyers wanting to preview music before they buy and the desire of music fans to not spend money on an album that contained one or two songs they wanted both pre-date iTunes, or digital music sales entirely. 
Still, Bon Jovi also bemoans the end of the neighborhood music store as more people take their purchases online, and the end of physical distribution of music, both of which can – directly or indirectly – be at least partially attributed to digital music sales. 
[via TUAW]
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Mar 15

Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Comcast, More Nominated for “Worst Company”

Posted in: Apple, att, Microsoft, Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili, verizon
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Watchdog blog Consumerist this week announced the nominations for its sixth annual Worst Company in America competition. The list, which is is broken down in full March Madness bracket-style, features a number of high profile tech companies. 
In the first round, Apple will be competing with Microsoft, Facebook will be duking it out with Time Warner, DirecTV and Dish Network will be going head-to-head, and Sony and Dell will be doing battle. Also on the list: Tickemaster v. Paypal, Verizon v. AT&T, Radioshack v. Best Buy, Comcast v. Charter, and GameStop v. Wal-Mart.
BP makes a notable debut on the list this year, after an oil spill that proved one of the biggest man-made disasters in U.S. history. The oil company will be facing stiff competition in this round from Toyota–the car maker recalled millions of vehicles in 2010, over pedal-related problems.
Not surprisingly, in light of continued economic woes, banks and credit card companies had a big showing on this year’s list, with Chase, Wells Fargo, American Express, Capital One, Bank of America, and Citibank all making the cut. Interestingly (also in light of the year’s events), the number of airlines dropped to two, with only Delta an United making the final list.
The 32 companies will begin squaring off tomorrow. 
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