VMware Fusion 4

post from Daring Fireball on 30 September 2011 11:04:01 PM. © Daring Fireball

My thanks to VMware for sponsoring this week’s DF RSS feed to promote VMware Fusion 4, the newest version of their software that lets you run Windows and Mac applications side by side. In addition to Windows, VMware Fusion supports running over 200 operating systems on your Mac, including OS X Lion. It even supports the new Windows 8 developer preview.

New features include drag-and-drop installation, support for adding Windows apps to Launchpad, and up to 2.5× faster 3D graphics than previous versions. VMware Fusion 4 is available now for an introductory promotional price of $49.99.

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Read The Full Article:
http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;246175540;71187208;h

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Teardrop Skepticism

post from Daring Fireball on 30 September 2011 09:04:08 PM. © Daring Fireball

Preface: I don’t know what the new iPhone looks like. I don’t even know whether there’s only one new iPhone. The only thing I know is that there existed, months ago, “N94” prototype iPhones that looked like the iPhone 4, but which contained the iPad 2’s next-gen A5 CPU. That proves nothing, however, as I believe Apple was just as likely to build iPhone 4-lookalike prototypes whether or not they ever intended to bring them to market. Testing new internal components in disguised exteriors is an obvious strategy for a secretive company.

So what follows is just good old-fashioned speculation and design thinking.

As I type this, we’re four days out from next week’s “Let’s Talk iPhone” media event in Cupertino. Everyone knows that Apple is poised to release a new iPhone based on the iPad 2’s A5 dual-core system on a chip, and there’s also strong agreement that the new iPhone will get an upgraded camera. There seem to be two main lines of thought about what the new top-of-the-line iPhone will look like:

Pretty much just like the iPhone 4.
A sort of MacBook Air-inspired teardrop design.

People are calling the former the “iPhone 4S”, as it would be clearly analogous to the 2009 iPhone 3GS, which had the same form factor as the 2008 iPhone 3G. People are calling the latter the “iPhone 5”. I detect an undercurrent of sentiment that if Apple announces the iPhone 4S, it’d be a letdown, but if they announce the iPhone 5, it’d be exciting. But this is all merely about the how the thing looks on the outside. A new form factor would by definition bring more “new-ness” to the announcement, but why should an iPhone 4-lookalike “iPhone 4S” be considered disappointing if it contains significantly improved components? The iPhone 4 is, I think it fair to say, the most popular device Apple has ever made.

Evidence for the “iPhone 4S” is based on component supply reports from Asia, and numerous leaks of actual iPhone 4-esque components that aren’t the same as those on the current GSM and CDMA iPhone 4 models. This is pretty good evidence that Apple is set to release a new phone that looks like the iPhone 4. The question is whether that phone will be the new high-end model, or the new low-end model. (If it’s the high-end model, what will the low-end model be? It doesn’t seem right to me that Apple would keep selling the 3GS into 2012. The simplest solution: 16/32/64 GB A5-powered iPhones at the high end, and an 8 GB A4-powered iPhone at the low end, all of them looking like today’s iPhone 4.)

There’s no such component evidence of a new form factor iPhone.

But: Chinese case-makers sure seem willing to bet that the much-rumored teardrop design is going into production. The website MIC Gadget published a report this week claiming that teardrop iPhone 5 cases are available all over China, from multiple manufacturers. They have photos and a video showing dozens of different cases in a gadget store. Maybe it’s not that big a bet on the part of these case makers — perhaps it doesn’t cost much to make a few thousand cheap plastic cases? But still, it’s a bet.

Then, yesterday Eric Slivka at MacRumors reported that AT&T retail stores are receiving “iPhone 5” silicone sleeves. Unusual, to say the least, regardless of whether Apple announces such an iPhone next week.

But here’s the thing: Something about this design seems wrong to me. The proportions seem off. Wouldn’t a teardrop body feel weirdly unbalanced when held horizontally? Look at MacRumors’s mockup of this purported design. It strikes me as ungainly that the “forehead” is smaller than the “chin” on the front face. On all previous iPhones the forehead and chin are the same size, which makes the iPhone look “right” no matter how it’s oriented. This iPhone seems like something that would only look right or feel right when held in portrait.

(And color me skeptical about a bigger display. If it goes to 4-inches diagonal, but the pixel count remains the same, won’t the pixels-per-inch resolution drop beneath Apple’s own threshold to qualify as a “retina display”? I mean, a 4-inch 960 × 640 display would still be plenty dense and should look good, but Apple tends to make things smaller, not bigger.)

Symmetry is a hallmark of Apple’s iOS devices to date. They look right in any orientation. In terms of weight and thickness, they feel balanced when held in either orientation. These things are true of all existing iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads.

The MacBook Air is symmetric despite its teardrop shape because it has only one orientation. A teardrop iPhone, when held in landscape, would be thicker (and presumably heavier) on one side than the other. That seems wrong to me. Not shockingly wrong, but wrong nonetheless. The iPhone is not as orientation-agnostic as the iPad — the iPhone homescreen and multitasking tray, for example, are portrait-only. But still, all previous models look and feel right when held in landscape.

Consider, for example, how many iPhone games are played in landscape and use the accelerometer for control (e.g. almost all driving games). Seems to me that games like would suffer on an unbalanced asymmetric iPhone.

That brings me to the craziest thing I’ve seen all week, from the guys at Benm.at:

Based on CAD designs, hardware components, several leaked hints,cases and recent, believable mockups we created athree-dimensional computer model. This virtual model was then usedto build a very detailed, true prototype that you can hold in yourown two hands.

That’s a remarkable amount of effort to put into something that is, ultimately, useless. But, still — kind of cool, right? At the very least they’ve alleviated my concerns that I am unhealthily obsessed with this stuff, because I wouldn’t go to that effort in a thousand years. Benm.at’s photos of their prototype, to my eyes, make this design seem less severely tapered than MacRumors’ mockups based on the same purported form factor. It’s not balanced or symmetric, but, it’s not as unbalanced and asymmetric as I’d been thinking.

So, let me pull out my trusty old Magic 8-Ball to finish this off:

Q: Will Apple announce at least one new iPhone next week?

A: IT IS CERTAIN.

Q: Will they release two new iPhones?

A: ASK AGAIN LATER.

Q: If — if — there are two new iPhones, and one of them looks like the iPhone 4, is it certain that the iPhone 4-esque one is the low-end model?

A: BETTER NOT TELL YOU NOW.

Q: Is there a new iPhone with a tapered “teardrop” design?

A: DON’T COUNT ON IT.

Q: Is there a new iPhone with a new form factor, neither like the iPhone 4 nor “teardrop”, which Apple has managed to keep completely secret?

A: REPLY HAZY, TRY AGAIN.

Read The Full Article:
http://daringfireball.net/2011/09/teardrop_skepticism

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Leading Kids Developers Unveil New StoryBook App
- A Princess Tale

post from prMac on 30 September 2011 08:51:00 PM. © prMac

California based Tiger Stripes, LLC ushering in a new era of interactive storybooks, A Princess Tale 1.1 is a children's book in polished app form. Throughout an interactive journey of doing chores, feeding animals and picking out the perfect outfit, A Princess Tale is the perfect storybook for girls ages 3 - 9. The road to the ball is full of energetic learning games and story telling! Tested by teachers and developed by parents, A phenomenal app that both kids and parents will enjoy.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-31537.htm

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Appnovation Technologies Joins the Open
Virtualization Alliance

post from prMac on 30 September 2011 07:55:00 PM. © prMac

Appnovation Technologies is pleased to announce that they have become a member of the Open Virtualization Alliance (OVA). The move to join OVA correlates strongly with the company's dedication to providing open source products to its clientele. The OVA is a consortium committed to fostering the adoption of open virtualization technologies, including Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM).

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-31536.htm

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Learn Gymnastics for Kids special sale October 1
and 2

post from prMac on 30 September 2011 07:23:00 PM. © prMac

Selectsoft is offering the educational iOS app Learn Gymnastics for Kids for just $0.99 this weekend only. Learn Gymnastics for Kids is a simple and fun introduction to gymnastics for children ages 3-6. Users can follow along with easy-to-use video lessons and discover entertaining gymnastics activities and team-building games that will have children balancing and tumbling in no time. It is a simple and fun way to encourage self-confidence and build physical and social skills with gymnastics.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-31535.htm

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Play & Learn German special price cut October 1
and 2

post from prMac on 30 September 2011 06:19:00 PM. © prMac

Selectsoft is offering the educational app Play & Learn German for $0.99 for iPhone and $1.99 for iPad this weekend only. Play & Learn German is a fast, fun, and friendly way to play games and learn a new language. Match the pictures to the words you hear, and see how high you can score as you explore settings such as the supermarket, restaurants, and city streets. Over 700 words and phrases with entertaining visuals help users learn quickly and speak with confidence.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-31534.htm

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Learn American Sign Language special price cut
October 1 and 2

post from prMac on 30 September 2011 05:54:00 PM. © prMac

Selectsoft is offering the educational iOS app Learn American Sign Language for just $0.99 this weekend only. Learn American Sign Language is a simple and fun way to learn signing, covering such useful topics as Greetings, Emergency Situations and more. In 9 easy-to-follow video lessons, professional sign language interpreter Renee Moore will teach you the basic skills needed to communicate with deaf friends, family, customers and co-workers.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-31533.htm

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The Talk Show, Episode 61

Topics on the show: this week’s new Kindles, next week’s new iPhone(s?), and the last James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. Brought to you by the fine folks at Sifter and Sourcebits.

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Read The Full Article:
http://5by5.tv/talkshow/61

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Amazon and Apple vs. Everyone Else

Michael Mace:

Google’s reaction to Kindle Fire speaks volumes about its goalsfor Android. Kindle Fire is based on Android, and will runAndroid applications. Android has been struggling in the tabletspace, so you’d expect that Google would be delighted to haveAmazon on the Android bandwagon. But you’d be wrong. Let’slook at the press release Google issued today to welcome Amazon tothe Android family. Wait a minute, there is no press release.Okay, so let’s look on the Google blog. Nothing at all. Maybea tweet from Andy Rubin? Dead silence.

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Read The Full Article:
http://mobileopportunity.blogspot.com/2011/09/amazon-vs-apple-no-its-amazon-and-a
pple.html

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Not So Fast on That Samsung Official

I was on the cusp of linking to this report on the Samsung-Microsoft Android licensing deal, reported by Kim Yoo-chul for The Korea Times, in order to quote the following:

?If Samsung truly believed that Google?s takeover of MotorolaMobility was going to be helpful to the entire Android eco-systemat large, it would have waited until that deal was closed beforeconcluding the license agreement with Microsoft,? said a Samsungofficial.
?Samsung knows it can?t rely on Google. We?ve decided toaddress Android IP issues on our own.?

Juicy, right? It’s very likely you’ve seen this elsewhere, as it has been widely re-quoted. Examples: The Next Web, GigaOm, SlashGear, and Android Community. They all properly attribute the quote back to Yoo-chul’s report in The Korea Times.

But a day before The Korea Times story, Florian Mueller wrote the following on his FOSS Patents site:

If Samsung truly believed that Google’s acquisition of MotorolaMobility was going to be helpful to the Android ecosystem atlarge, it would have waited until that deal is closed beforeconcluding the license agreement with Microsoft. But Samsungprobably knows it can’t rely on Google. It decided to addressAndroid’s intellectual property issues on its own.

It seems clear that the statement The Korea Times attributes to an unnamed “Samsung official” is simply a slight rewording of Mueller’s opinion piece. I emailed Mueller to get his take, and he told me:

I wouldn’t be too harsh on the Korea Times reporter. Languagebarriers between Asian and Western languages are a huge challenge.I speak several European languages, including that I learnedRussian, but all of that is child’s play compared to thedifferences between Asian and European languages. That’s why Ididn’t blog or tweet to criticize him. I had emailed him my post,which I often do when I believe a reporter is working on a topicat the given time, but my email obviously didn’t suggest that I’ma Samsung official…

Considering that Mueller emailed Yoo-chul with his post, I agree that the attribution of these remarks to “a Samsung official” was probably an honest mistake, not plagiarism. Who would plagiarize from someone who emailed them with a “Hey, you might be interested in this piece I wrote” pointer. But given how much attention the remarks have gotten, the sourcing deserves to be corrected.

For what it’s worth, I think Mueller’s analysis is spot-on, and I find it interesting that Samsung hasn’t disavowed the quote. My guess is that this is exactly what Samsung officials really do think, and so they’re willing to let it stand.

(Thanks to DF reader Jon Christensen, who brought this to my attention.)

Read The Full Article:
http://daringfireball.net/2011/09/not_so_fast_on_that_samsung_official

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