iFunia YouTube Converter for Mac Adds 1080P
Support for iPad and AppleTV

post from prMac on 10 May 2012 10:21:00 PM. © prMac

iFunia Studio has released an update to its YouTube Converter for Mac, making it easier than ever to download and convert YouTube 1080p HD videos to 1080p HD MP4 format for the Third Generation iPad and Apple TV. Also, the newly released version improved the video downloading speed and stability of the program. It supports to download and convert YouTube videos to various video and audio formats such as AVI, WMV, MP4, 3GP, M4V, MOV, MP3, WMA, M4A and AIFF etc.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-42394.htm

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Import AVI to iMovie, convert AVI to iMovie on
Mac

post from prMac on 10 May 2012 09:18:00 PM. © prMac

MacMediaConverter announces Pavtube HD Video Converter for Mac. iMovie is a video editing software application for Mac users to edit videos or make their own movies on Mac. It features powerful video editing functions and easy-to-use interface. Pavtube HD Video Converter for Mac is designed for users to convert AVI to iMovie on Mac. By using it, AVI to iMovie conversion will be finished quickly and it keeps the video quality.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-42393.htm

Digg this

Microsoft Antitrust Finding Specific to Windows
on Intel

post from Daring Fireball on 10 May 2012 05:04:05 PM. © Daring Fireball

Hal Berenson, retired engineer and general manager from Microsoft, back in February:

Microsoft can get away with Office as the only non-Metro appon ARM because the anti-trust finding was specific to Windowson Intel.

I’m no lawyer, but a quick perusal of the Department of Justice’s 1999 Findings of Fact (PDF) has me nodding my head in agreement. I count 36 instances of “Intel-compatible PC operating systems”.

?

Read The Full Article:
https://twitter.com/#!/halberenson/status/167710692265308161

Digg this

A truly awful alternate name for the iMac, plus 4
other Apple stories to read today

post from Apple on 10 May 2012 04:02:56 PM. © Apple

An ad for the original iMac.

With so many people writing about Apple, finding the best stories and reports isn’t easy. Here’s our daily pick of stories about the company from around the web that you shouldn’t miss:

MacMan? Really, Steve? Ars Technica reviews former adman Ken Segall’s book Insanely Simple. Segall knew Steve Jobs back when his agency, TBWAChiat/Day worked with Apple, and in the book he talks about Jobs’ terrible track record during the first attempt to name new products.
ComputerWorld breaks down the list of new security measures packed into Apple’s latest Mac OS X update.
Why is it suddenly in vogue for financial analysts to wonder aloud whether the iPhone is hurting more than helping carriers who sell it, especially in the face of evidence to the contrary? Fortune traces the claim’s rise.
Proview — who claims that it and not Apple owns the trademark on iPad in China — was nonplussed by Apple’s settlement offer of $16 million. The Next Web translates a report from China’s Beijing Times that says Proview is holding out for $400 million.
Longtime partner for the Mac, Intel has famously — and embarrassingly — been shut out of Apple’s mobile device juggernaut. Forbes has the latest plans from the chipmaker to get Apple’s attention for its mobile chips.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

Read The Full Article:
http://gigaom.com/apple/a-truly-awful-alternate-name-for-the-imac-plus-4-other-ap
ple-stories-to-read-today/

Digg this

Study: NFL Players Living Longer Than General
Population

post from Daring Fireball on 10 May 2012 04:02:55 PM. © Daring Fireball

Mike Freeman, reporting for CBS Sports:

The main conclusion of the NIOSH study, which it says wascommissioned by the union, is that players in the study had a muchlower rate of death overall compared to men in the generalpopulation. This means, on average, NFL players are actuallyliving longer than men in the general population which contradictsa popular notion that former NFL players live into their mid-50s.
Out of the 3,439 players in the study, 334 were deceased. Based onestimates from the general population, NIOSH had anticipated 625would be deceased.

Good news for football.

?

Read The Full Article:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/mike-freeman/18992637/study-nfl-players-living-
longer-than-general-population

Digg this

Google Agrees With Mozillas Windows RT Browser
Concerns

post from Daring Fireball on 10 May 2012 04:02:55 PM. © Daring Fireball

Google statement:

We share the concerns Mozilla has raised regarding the Windows 8environment restricting user choice and innovation. We’ve alwayswelcomed innovation in the browser space across all platforms andstrongly believe that having great competitors makes us all workharder. In the end, consumers and developers benefit the most fromrobust competition.

Microsoft is free to ship a fully-functional version of IE for Chrome OS, right?

?

Read The Full Article:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57431475-92/google-agrees-with-mozillas-windows-
rt-browser-concerns/

Digg this

Asa Dotzler Objects to Windows on ARM Locking Out
Competing Web Browsers

post from Daring Fireball on 10 May 2012 04:02:55 PM. © Daring Fireball

Asa Dotzler, Mozilla’s product director for Firefox:

Here’s what’s going on. For Windows on X86, Microsoft is givingother browsers basically the same privileges it gives IE. It’s notgreat that you don’t get those privileges (certain API access)unless you’re the default browser and I think that’s deeply unfair(a post for later,) but at least we’re able to build a competitivebrowser and ship it to Windows users on x86 chips.
But on ARM chips, Microsoft gives IE access special APIsabsolutely necessary for building a modern browser that it won’tgive to other browsers so there’s no way another browser canpossibly compete with IE in terms of features or performance.

In other words, Microsoft is setting policies for Windows for ARM that are a lot like Apple’s policies for iOS. These policies and restrictions make just as much sense for Microsoft as they do for Apple. The problem for Microsoft, as Dotzler points out in the comments on his piece, is that Microsoft has made antitrust agreements that seemingly preclude such restrictions.

Serious question: What if Windows 8 for ARM, instead of being called “Windows RT”, were instead called, say, “Metro OS”? Would that make a difference? Is Dotzler arguing that Microsoft should not be permitted to ship a version of Windows that locks out third-party browsers, or that Microsoft should not be permitted to ship any OS that locks out third-party browsers?

?

Read The Full Article:
http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/asa/archives/2012/05/firefox-on-windows-o.html

Digg this

So who picks the browser on a mobile device: You
or “them”

post from Apple on 10 May 2012 03:04:09 PM. © Apple

There’s quite a ruckus going on over Microsoft Windows 8 tablets that will run on ARM-based smartphone chips. Ed Bott nicely explains how both Mozilla and Google are crying foul over third-party browser restrictions that Microsoft has put in place on these tablets. Such browsers — Firefox and Chrome, to name two — won’t have access to APIs that Internet Explorer can take advantage of. According to Asa Dotzler, Mozilla’s product director for Firefox, the restrictions will ensure “there’s no way another browser can possibly compete with IE in terms of features or performance.”

How did we get here?

I can certainly understand why both companies are up in arms — no pun intended. Each has long supported an open web and have built some or all of their business with such products. Along the transition from traditional desktop to mobile computing, however, the rules have changed. Smartphones and tablets are at times are obviously considered to be portable computers, but they’re also looked upon as consumer electronic devices, which have a long, rich history of proprietary software, connectors and technologies.

Along the timeline of this change from standard computer to CE device, Apple has arguably best made the transition. The “it just works” mentality isn’t 100 percent accurate, but the latest Apple devices come closest in that regard. Think of the iPhone, iPad and even Apple TV: These aren’t just high-priced computing products; instead, you turn then on and use them just as you would a standard television set, an old VCR or an electric fan. All of the complexities inside the Apple product line are hidden by simple, intuitive controls, for example.

This isn’t a new problem

I don’t use Apple as an example to say they have the best products. Instead, it’s to show that their smartphones and tablets are more like traditional consumer electronics devices than products from most of their peers. And there’s another reason for using Apple here: For some time, Apple didn’t allow third-party browsers on its iOS devices. It does now, but they’re restricted just as Microsoft is restricting other browser capabilities in Windows 8: You can’t set a third-party browser on iOS to be the default browser, which is terribly inconvenient and likely holds back a significant amount of iOS users from using Dolphin HD or Opera to name a few.

Why is this allowed? Because Apple controls everything about its product from hardware to software to ecosystem. Perhaps you don’t like that example though. That’s fine. Consider this timely tweet from Ian Betteridge this morning because it’s spot-on in the point I’m trying to make:

Google's griping about not being able to put Chrome on Windows RT. So when will I be able to install IE on a Chromebook?—
Ian Betteridge (@ianbetteridge) May 10, 2012

The obvious answer is that you’ll never be able to install Internet Explorer — or any other third-party browser, for that matter — on a Google ChromeBook. Google developed the ChromeOS, which is essentially a Linux core that runs Google’s Chrome browser. How is that different from what Apple does or what Microsoft intends to do?

The choice is yours, but there are trade-offs involved

As a consumer, I personally like choice. It’s choice that drives some away from Apple’s iPhone, for example, and towards a phone that runs Android or some other alternative. Mobile technology however is a huge series of trade-offs because it’s so personal. If you want the rock-solid and intuitive experience from Apple, you give up some choice to gain that experience. Willing to tinker with your device so you can run any app you want and have your phone look the way you want it to? You may give up some of the polished refinement of iOS in order to get that freedom.

Unfortunately, as mobile technology intersects more with and emulates a consumer electronics mindset, some companies are going to continue to control more of the experience, and in this case that experience is web browsing. I’m not sure this is in Microsoft’s best interest, however, mainly because the company has tried tablets for over a decade with relatively little success. Simply put: it doesn’t need another potential obstacle in the way of Windows 8 tablet sales, considering the competition from and traction of Apple’s iPad.

No matter how this browser battle plays out, I’ll do what I always do. I’ll consider the overall product, look at the trade-offs made by choosing one tablet over another and simply vote with my wallet. Ultimately, you do have the choice because it’s your money to spend on the device and browser(s) you want to use.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

Read The Full Article:
http://gigaom.com/mobile/so-who-picks-the-browser-on-a-mobile-device-you-or-them/

Digg this

Free CoPilot GPS App Now Available

ALK Technologies Inc., one of the world's leading developers of mobile navigation software, today announced that it's FREE CoPilot GPS route planning and on-board mapping app is available to download immediately for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. CoPilot GPS makes it easy to find places you need and provides the best route door-to-door. Search millions of pre-installed Points of Interest for nearby restaurants, hotels and gas stations. Find local businesses and attractions using Bing Search.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-42541.htm

Digg this

3 fun time-watching apps: Qlocktwo, Uniqlo Wake
Up, Doubletwist Alarm Clock

Time is the most naked manifestation of our irrelevance and perhaps that is why I am fascinated by all means of time-telling. Sundials, hour glasses, watches, clocks and now in the age of iPhone, time-watching apps. In the past I have written about the Nooka app for the iPhone. Today, I got a handful of new apps that are worth checking out:

1. Time in words — Qlocktwo

It is a very minimal clock for iPhone and iPad. It costs 99 cents but I like the idea of the simple black screen telling me what time it is. Built by creative design agency Biegert & Funk, who have also created similar watches and clocks. Download from the iTunes store. (via Ultralink)

2. Uniqlo Wake Up

It is so wonderful and delightful and meets my very simple requirement from an app: high emotional quotient. It is bright, cheery and it comes with alarm tones that mimic the weather, time and day of the week. It is intelligent and fun. It works both on Android and iOS and is free, thanks to Uniqlo, a Japanese clothing brand, whose clothes I will never fit into. As an aside, this is a perfect brand extension vehicle and what brand-advertising should be in the future.

The alarm music, which is automatically created based on the weather, time, and day of the week, was co-written by 51st annual Grammy nominee Cornelius (Keigo Oyamada) and Yoko Kanno, who is active in songwriting across a wide range of genres including video games and anime (COWBOY BEBOP, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Macross). The app allows users to share a record of their awakening ? specifically, the time, weather, and temperature at the moment they stopped the alarm ? via social media (Facebook, Twitter, RenRen, Weibo). In addition, the ?wake up records? shared by users around the world are displayed in a part of the app entitled WORLD WAKE UP.

3. Doubletwist Alarm Clock

Doubletwist Alarm Clock has to be by far the most stunning of all time-watching apps on the market. In fact it is so good that I would consider switching to Android just for this app, for it is not available on iOS. The details on this app are meticulous and the design is what Steve Jobs himself would have approved. Not a surprise, considering its creator Sebastiaan de With once worked for Apple. The app which displays time in two modes – flip and analog comes with features such as recurring alarms, multiple alarms and using library to set songs for wake-up sounds. The app costs $0.99 but is worth every penny! (Also, check out this interview with him to better understand his design philosophy.)

And as a bonus, check out this Habitco Day Maker project on Kickstarter.

With Day Maker, a bedside morning station/iPhone charger, you can add a little extra ?Pop? to your day when it?s time to rise and shine. And if you?re not quite ready to face the day, snooze on effortlessly by pushing your iPhone back into its slot. With Day Maker, waking on a schedule has never been easier or more fun. Or relaxing. Using Day Maker is a pleasure because it works exactly as you would imagine, just like a toaster. Once you set your iPhone?s timer, simply load it into an open slot, press down gently, and you?re ready to go. And for a little added fun, we?ve even added a pull tab on the back, so you can set and pop multiple iPhones all at once.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

Read The Full Article:
http://gigaom.com/apple/3-fun-time-watching-apps-qlocktwo-uniqlo-wake-up-doubletw
ist-alarm-clock/

Digg this