9to5Mac is claiming some giant news about the next iPhone. The specs aren’t shocking: a generous 1 GB of RAM and the iPad 2’s A5 processor. But what Apple’s going to push hardest is Assistant: your iPhone talks to you. More »
If the only thing standing between you and the purchase of an iPad is the existence of a large, remote controlled spy tank, we’ve got some rough news for your bank account. Brookstone is offering up the Rover App-Controlled Spy Tank, an iPad / iPhone / iPod touch-controlled toy tank that can capture audio and video and send it back to your iOS device. The tank can be controlled at distances of up to 200 feet and works around walls. The app is available as a free download and the tank will run you $150. That price includes six AA batteries, but apparently won’t cover therapy for distressed house pets.
Rover App-Controlled Spy Tank gives your cats another reason to hate your iPad (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Well, it was really only a matter of time before third parties stuck their nose in the ongoing battle between Apple and Samsung. For most of this time others have stood on the sidelines, occasionally shouting moral support. But, no one has rolled up their sleeves and put up their dukes for either party — that is, until now. Verizon has requested permission to file a brief with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, asking it to deny Apple’s request for a nation-wide injunction against the Infuse 4G, Galaxy S 4G, Droid Charge and Galaxy Tab 10.1. At the heart of Verizon’s argument is that a ban on import of Samsung’s devices would harm not only the carrier’s business, but consumers and the economy by slowing the growth of its LTE network. The brief, technically, only relates to one of the four infringement claims filed by Apple, but it’s clear that Verizon has just as much interest in seeing Samsung succeed in the other three challenges as well. For more (somewhat editorialized) details, hit up the source link.
Verizon goes to bat for Samsung in patent war with Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Sep 2011 14:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here’s some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of September 19, 2011:
Mobile Miscellany: week of September 19, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comcast has been talking about adding live TV streaming to its Xfinity TV tablet apps for a while, but now this screenshot of a product page from MacRumors indicates it could be launching very soon. It requires an AnyPlay box — a Comcast brand name for the Motorola Televation cable TV-to-IPTV box shown off in June and previously a portable DVR concept from Panasonic — that will allow viewing over the local network on compatible devices, including iPads, Android tablets and the like. There’s also been recent rumors of Microsoft seeking a tie-in to bring live streams from Comcast to its Xbox 360, which could be eventually be enabled by a device and service like this. According to the page, it includes access to “most” channels, and can register up to ten tablets, but only allows for viewing on one at a time. Time Warner and Cablevision have already rolled out live TV streaming on their tablet apps, we’ll see if this in-home Slingbox-approach can avoid their licensing issues.
Comcast close to releasing AnyPlay box for in-home live TV streaming to tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A key security feature of Apple’s in-app billing feature for iOS apps has been down since Thursday night, making it difficult for app developers to verify legitimate sales and leaving some of them worried they’re losing money.
Several developers have told Wired.com the verifyReceipt function, which ensures in-app purchases are valid, is showing an error whenever customers attempt to buy something through an app. Without verifyReceipt, faked purchase attempts could be made on iOS apps.
The problem started around 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time Thursday, according to several Tweets describing the problem, and had not been resolved by the time this story was posted. Apple has not responded to our requests for comment.
The Sandbox version of the site, used for testing, is up, but the URL used for real transactions shows a 404 error. With the page down, developers cannot verify that receipts are valid, and therefore can’t honor purchases because of the possibility the receipt has been forged.
The timing is especially problematic for developers because Friday is typically a busy day, said iOS developer Martin Nilsson. He estimates the problem has cost him between $900 and $1,500 in revenue. Nilsson’s app, a magazine aggregator called Paperton, is relatively new, and he feels the issue is particularly harmful because it could damage users’ trust of the app.
The iOS in-app purchasing feature is one of the best ways for iPhone and iPad developers to make money from their apps because it provides for continued revenue long past the initial app download. The function has been a cornerstone of Apple’s success in attracting developers to make apps for the platform. Apple’s App Store now boasts over half a million apps.
The in-app purchasing issue has recently come under fire for both iOS and Android developers with the aggressive actions of patent trolls like Lodsys. This summer, Apple also revamped its in-app purchasing policy regarding subscriptions.
With the verifyReceipt page out, Nilsson says he has had to develop a workaround to allow purchases to now go through. But Andrew Johnson, who develops an offline topographical maps iOS app, said the issue isn’t as critical.
“If this continued for an extended period, this would be problematic for anyone who’s using in-app purchases,” Johnson said. He said his revenue loss has been negligible because in-app purchasing isn’t a primary component of his product.
Nilsson noted that several applications that use in-app purchasing have not been affected. The inclusion of verifyReceipt is part of Apple’s In App Purchase Programming Guide, so this could mean that developers aren’t appropriately safeguarding against the possibility of forged receipts.
If you’re an iOS developer and the issue is affecting you, shoot us an email or sound off in the comments.
Image: m thierry/Flickr
This whole thing is starting to play out like a giant game of patent Risk. As it did in Australia, Samsung is hitting back against Apple in the Netherlands, asking for a preliminary injunction aimed at Apple’s mobile line, including the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad and iPad 2, claiming that the products infringe on 3G patents held by the Korean electronics giant. The proposed ban would prohibit importing the products into the country and would recall them from Dutch retail stores.
Samsung asks Dutch courts to block iPad, iPhone sales originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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In-app purchases via iTunes have apparently been failing in a big way for the last ten hours and app creators who depend on this heavily taxed income are getting antsy. We’re hearing unconfirmed speculation that the problem may be connected to fake purchase receipts getting into the system. Whatever the cause, one developer told us the failure is “losing lots of sales” for apps that use receipt verification and is “threatening to more-or-less take down the entire IAP ecosystem.” Seeing as Apple insists on this being the only route for in-app purchasing, they’d better fix it pretty darned quick.
[Thanks, Tipster]
In-app purchasing fail on iTunes is starting to bug developers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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This article was written on January 24, 2007 by CyberNet.
As Microsoft continues their battle with Piracy, they have disclosed that one in five, or 22% of Windows installations are not genuine. Surprised? WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) started back in July of 2005 and has given Microsoft a good idea of how many people are using counterfeit copies. They have validated 512 million PCs since WGA was started, and along with those 114 million copies that were counterfeit, an additional 56,000 users have gone to Microsoft to report that they were using a copy that wasn’t legitimate. Microsoft’s policy in that situation is to give the user a free replacement copy of Windows. WGA as many of you know, requires users to validate their operating system before they are able to get updates.
With Vista and Office release dates just around the corner, Microsoft is stepping up their effort to put a stop to piracy that costs them a lot in lost revenue! Their new campaign is called Genuine Fact Files, and they’re turning to comic strips to help them out. These black and white comics show the evils of software piracy, and have already been displayed in Italy, France, Indonesia, Australia, The United Arab Emirates, Brazil, and the UK. They’ll be appearing in the US shortly. I haven’t been able to come up with a version in English yet, but just for the sake of seeing what it look like, one version is pictured below.
Microsoft is also hoping that their online “Test Drive” for Windows Vista, and the preview for Office 2007 will be enough to satisfy those who want to try out the operating system before buying. Sometimes that excuse is the reason for using a pirated copy of software.
Piracy is by no means a new thing in the software industry. In fact, here’s a video that the Software Publisher Association put out back in 1992 with their anti-software piracy campaign called “Don’t Copy that Floppy.” There’s no need for me to explain, just watch… 
Returning to Vista, in case you’re thinking about purchasing the OEM version of Vista, the picture below shows what you’ll get. It’s the same ole’ Vista minus the fancy packaging. Remember, typically when you purchase the OEM version, you must purchase hardware along side of it. This is because OEM is licensed for new computer purchases only.
Thanks to one of our readers, Jim Lester for snapping pictures after opening! He has more pictures here if you’re curios what to expect when buying Vista licensed for OEM distribution.
News Source: BetaNews
Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com
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If you thought hitting up the local library was far too Web 1.0 for your avant-garde lifestyle, you may want to check out the Eau Claire public library in Wisconsin — it’s not only lending books, but also, iPads. Each one of the 44 available tablets will be stuffed to the digital gills with 1,000 books, ten audiobooks and various apps for your reading (or, not reading) pleasure. Although other houses of learning have launched similar programs, this is the first of note to go with Apple slates for its e-reading experiment. If you’re the proud owner of a library card and have less than $10 in fines, you too can get in line for one of the loaners. We wonder, does the old saying “you break it, you buy it” apply here?
Wisconsin library loans iPads for at home e-reading originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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