Microsoft Office 2013

post from Daring Fireball on 17 July 2012 08:03:08 PM. © Daring Fireball

Good overview on the just-announced new version of Microsoft Office by Sean Gallagher at Ars Technica. They’ve also got detailed “first looks” at Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. And this piece by Peter Bright on “the sad state of Office 2013 touch support”.

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http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/07/office-2013-microsofts-bid-
to-win-the-future/

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Can Marissa Mayer Turn Yahoo Around

post from Daring Fireball on 17 July 2012 08:03:08 PM. © Daring Fireball

Good opinion roundup from The Week.

We’ll see how this turns out, but my guess is that she’s going to turn Yahoo into more of a Google rival, not a Google partner. (I don’t think this is anything like Stephen Elop leaving Microsoft for the CEO gig at Nokia, and then turning Nokia into a major Microsoft partner — but we’ll see.)

Yahoo is hopelessly behind in mobile. No way they’re going to have their own mobile phone platform. But why not make them into more of a partner with Apple as a mobile content provider? Apple already uses Yahoo for weather, stocks, and, in Siri on iOS 6 betas, sports. Emphasize that even more.

I’ve long suspected that Mayer preferred the iPhone to Android as a user. She was into Instagram while it was iPhone-only. She’s sent multiple tweets — September 2011, June of this year — using Twitter for iPhone. And her husband just tweeted that he’s switching to the iPhone from BlackBerry.

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Read The Full Article:
http://theweek.com/article/index/230636/marissa-mayer-can-yahoos-new-ceo-turn-the
-company-around

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Thrillcall Announces Exclusive Access to The xx
Intimate Performance

post from prMac on 17 July 2012 04:15:00 PM. © prMac

Thrillcall, a live event discovery service with exclusive daily offers, is excited to announce that users of its mobile app, Thrillcall Live Music 1.5, will have exclusive opportunity to access the 98.7 KYSR-FM Penthouse Series, an ongoing intimate live music event series hosted on the penthouse of the historic Hollywood Tower Hotel. The first in the series will be The xx, a English indie rock band known for its electro pop-soul jams, on July 23, 2012 at the Hollywood Tower Hotel in Los Angeles.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-45436.htm

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Who’s ready for @icloud.com email addresses
Plus 4 other Apple stories to read today

post from Apple on 17 July 2012 04:02:37 PM. © Apple

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:

The transition from MobileMe to iCloud is nearly complete: Apple’s getting ready to rollout new @icloud.com email addresses. While users of legacy @me.com and @mac.com addresses don’t have to change, a lot of people are still annoyed with the third Apple email domain change in a little over a decade, Fortune writes.
From 9to5Mac: No real surprise here, considering its attitude toward the iPhone’s HotSpot feature, but AT&T is reportedly set to charge its iPhone customers that want to use Apple’s FaceTime service over a cellular connection, which will be enabled in iOS 6. (You can also take our poll on what you think about this.)
Some good news for iPhone 3GS owners via MacRumors: Apple is beefing up the iOS 6 features that will be compatible with these older iPhone models. Both shared Photostreams and VIP lists for Mail filtering will work on the 3GS, according to Apple.
The iPad can now double as a remote for My Xbox Live users thanks to a software update now available in the iOS App Store, according to Engadget.
Steve Jobs (and Apple) famously patented the glass staircase design used in Apple Stores. But an eagle-eyed attendant at the Apple Store reopening in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood this weekend notes on design blog Core77 that Apple is continuing to push architectural boundaries with its use of glass.

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http://gigaom.com/apple/whos-ready-for-icloud-com-email-addresses-plus-4-other-ap
ple-stories-to-read-today/

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Denver Hypnotherapist Launches Stress Release App
for iPhone

post from prMac on 17 July 2012 12:43:00 PM. © prMac

Heather Fralick, CCHt announces the launch of her first mobile application, Stress Release Hypnosis 1.0 for iOS. The app was launched by small-business owner Heather Fralick, CCHt. The goal of building an app was to be able to help more people realize their desires through hypnotherapy. This app was made for people who want to reduce stress, find their inner strength and create the lives they want. Individuals will now be able to access this series of audio tracks exclusively tin the App Store.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-45435.htm

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Auria 48-Track Recording System for iPad Now
Available

post from prMac on 17 July 2012 12:17:00 PM. © prMac

WaveMachine Labs announces Auria 1.01, a 48-track Digital Audio Workstation for the iPad. Built from the ground up to be used in professional studio and live tracking applications, Auria includes the necessary tools for recording, mixing, and editing any audio project. Auria introduces innovative features such as AAF import/export for moving sessions between popular DAWs, 64-bit double precision architecture, and up to 24 tracks of simultaneous recording using compatible USB audio interfaces.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-45434.htm

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Cafe4tune Adds Coffee Man Game and Karaoke to 3D
Social Network

post from prMac on 17 July 2012 12:07:00 PM. © prMac

Worldwide social network and online dating site, Cafe4tune, has just launched an innovative new service on the site called, Karaoke, and a new game called, Coffee Man 1.0, now available on the Cafe4tune website, as a new standalone game in the Apple Store for iPhone and iPad, and in the Google Play Store for Android mobile devices. In Coffee Man, users try to beat the clock in a race to serve people their beverage of choice.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-45433.htm

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Poll: If carriers charge for FaceTime over
cellular, will you pay

post from Apple on 17 July 2012 12:03:11 PM. © Apple

Using FaceTime on mobile broadband networks is supported in iOS 6 and up to now, I’ve been testing the video chat service with the beta software on my iPhone 4S. I say “up to now” because with the latest beta, version 3, I can’t use the feature any longer. As 9to5 Mac noted on Monday evening, attempting to use FaceTime on a cellular data connection causes a pop-up to appear, suggesting that AT&T, and possibly other carriers, will sell the service.

We won’t know for sure if using FaceTime on a mobile broadband connection will cost extra until Apple officially releases the iOS 6 software, but it’s a pretty safe bet: Why have the pop-up asking users to contact their carrier for support if not? Additionally, Apple did the same with mobile tethering, at least in the U.S.. To use an iPhone as a mobile hotspot, you typically have to pay an additioal fee for the feature.

The new Verizon Wireless Share Everything plans already include the mobile hotspot feature for smartphones, so perhaps the operator will simply bundle in FaceTime usage as well. AT&T has yet to announce its own family plans, however, it should be doing so in the near future and will likely be similar to those offered by Verizon. But based on the pop-up message from FaceTime, the video chat service may not be included in a bundled plan. This could be among the first examples of future data add-ons for specific applications; something we’ve noted before as a way for operators to find creative ways to boost data revenues.

After testing FaceTime on AT&T’s HSPA+ network, I doubt I’d pay extra for it. While it works fine, the quality is nowhere near as good as using the service on Wi-Fi. Call recipients reported frozen images and general video choppiness. Of course, this is a beta version of the software, so I’m not going to condemn it now. But I can’t see myself paying for it when I can use similar, cross-platforms alternatives for free that provide the same experience.

How about you? Will you pay for FaceTime over mobile broadband if there’s a fee? Have at it in our poll and if the answer depends on the cost, drop a comment about what you’d pay on a monthly basis for this.

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u-pay/

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No, Xoom tablet doesn’t copy iPad, says
German court

A court in Germany has ruled Tuesday that the Motorola Xoom tablet does not infringe on Apple’s iPad design, thus rejecting Apple’s bid to get the tablet banned for sale in Europe, Dow Jones reports.

Apple wasn’t the only loser in the ruling, however. The case is ultimately a loss for both parties since the same judges also disagreed with Motorola’s previous claim that Apple’s iPad design patent was invalid. As a result, both parties have to cover court costs generated by the dispute that originated in early 2011 — Apple was ordered to pay two-thirds and Motorola one-third.

While it’s getting hard to keep track of who’s suing whom in the mobile industry these days, and on what continent, this case of Apple versus Motorola is basically a fight between Apple and Google. While Apple has sued a bunch of hardware makers that license Android, the Motorola Xoom runs the Android mobile operating system but is also owned by Google, whom Apple has been targeting indirectly through these legal channels.

So while this could be read as a small victory, ultimately, for Google and Android, it’s mostly symbolic, since Google’s hopes for tablet success do not really hinge on the Xoom. Motorola has sold roughly 1 million of the tablets in a little over a year. Google is betting much bigger on the new Nexus 7 tablet, which is just now shipping to customers. The Nexus 7 has been well reviewed and is seen as the first true Android tablet that could challenge the iPad’s tablet dominance.

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http://gigaom.com/apple/no-xoom-tablet-doesnt-copy-ipad-says-german-court/

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