Snow Leopard Pouncing Q1 2009 & Quad Core iMacs

When last talked about in June during the annual World Wide Developer Conference, Apple gave a passing mention for Snow Leopard’s release in the time frame of a year from then. A slip from Jordan Hubbard’s slideshow from his presentation at LISA ‘08 points toward a possible Q1 2009 release for Snow Leopard positioning its Delta status at 14+ months. Meanwhile, Intel has been busy rolling out their newest brand of CPUs dubbed Core i7 but revamps to the older Core 2 family could take a prominent place in Apple’s newest iMac in Quad Core form.

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Stashbits: OS X 10.5.6 Making Progress & Fixes, iPod Firmware Updates

Since Apple launched Mobile Me in July, steady updates have given the Internet reliant service greater stability and much better integration with the devices information is synced to and from. The next upgrade is expected to arrive in a new a point update for Leopard, 10.5.6, which will also include over 90 bug fixes for various aspects of the Operating System. On the note of updates, Apple pushed out point updades for the newest iPod Nano and iPod Classic.

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Stashbits: Parallels 4, Delayed In-Ear Headphones

Parallels 4 has been released to consumers today bringing with it, a monumental improvement in speed and resource handling along side support for Leopard server virtualization. While Parallels 4 may be shipping, Apple has slipped on delivering their newest in-ear headphones to the masses.

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iPhone 2.2 To Arrive In Days? Will Pack OTA Podcast Downloads

Rumors point towards Apple releasing Firmware 2.2, the latest revision of the iPhone OS in the next ten days, being made available for download November 21st. Features have been worked in and heavy development has taken place since the first screenshots and demos seeds for 2.2 have surfaced. In addition to the plethora of new additions to an already much anticipated release, Apple has baked in over the air Podcast downloading.

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Apple, Please Stop Making Everything Look Like The iPhone

Sure Apple, the iPhone may have set a precedent in the Smartphone sector by marking a touch screen as just ticket to compete with the big man that you are. Yea that’s working well, you even out paced RIM, taking their spot in Smartphone sales as number two. Heck, RIM is pushing the Storm at a lower price and is the first Blackberry with a touch screen but you know what all of these new phones are lacking Apple? Yea, a glossy screen.

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iPhone 3G Coming To A Laptop Near You Soon

Usually phone tethering has long been a marketing point for floor salesmen to push, extending the mantra of having the Internet in your pants to what’s on your lap but that’s all been thrown out the window with the iPhone. Beyond the multi touch gestures, next generation operating system and whatever talking points easily memorized by a sales clerk, having the Internet extend to something, a little bigger, was always a sore spot with AT&T and Apple. No more says Ralph De La Vega, CEO of AT&T as iPhone tethering is coming “Soon.”

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Marware Adorns iPhone With Gaming Abomination

One universal trend of gaming handhelds is the lack of oodly appendages, extruding limbs and knobs in all the wrong places which results in a smooth slice of portable console gaming. The iPhone, like most other devices, followed this trend of sleek lines and an easy to hold shape but Marware thinks different. What happened during the thought process of “how do we transform the iPhone into a gaming controller” to the final result was probably filled with a drug induce daze that produced the hideous attachment waiting to disrupt hand held gaming everywhere; the Marware Gaming Controller.

As put so bluntly by Gizmodo, it is basically two pieces of foam bolted to the end of an iPhone that probably malfunctioned in a past life which would be the only reason to slip such a travesty onto it. The alternative uses I can think of with no real world practicality are an idiot’s take on a Batterang, a much undersized steering wheel or a feeble and overpriced attempt at a child’s play toy.

50 bucks will net you these foam protrusions of hell but hey, it’s covered in Marware’s typical colors of blue and grey. It’s very odd to see such a product surface outside of water cooler meetings parodying the company’s design team and actually escape the reject bin.

If you’re truly interested and have already convinced yourself this accessory will improve your gaming ability without lowering your social status, please direct your browser here and consequently far away from any dignity you may have had.

Via: Gizmodo

Review: Tap Tap Revenge NIN

Rhythm based games are quickly becoming “The Game” to own, manifesting in all forms from miniaturized plastic instruments that quickly gobble the living room and knockoffs of anything that so much as brings up the word beat, in a musical sense of course. “The Game” to have for the iPhone has always been Tap Tap Revolution and since its Jailbreaking reliant days, have provided hours of fun for casual users, asylum for Dance Dance Revolution fanatics and of course something to pass the time from those big boy console games. Tap Tap Revenge rose from the ashes of the fractured Jailbreaking community and took center stage on the iPhone’s own App Store from day one and has only gotten better thanks to a partnership between Tapulous and Nine Inch Nails. The end result is a tapping frenzy synchronized with a sonic felatio of music.

What makes the newest iteration of Tap Tap Revenge so appealing is the partnership between a band providing content that powers the game which is sure to tickle the sweetspots of fanboys and challenge seeking gamers alike. Besides dipping into Nine Inch Nail’s latest albums, Ghosts and The Slip, to assault finger tips everywhere, the close integration of the band’s theme throughout the game makes it all the more enjoyable. You’re almost immersed in a complete NIN induced music frenzy sans mic throwing and a graveyard of beat down broken instruments. The close integration between not only the music and album production make for a tight knit game that doesn’t skip on features and doesn’t sell out for the sake of appealing to a niche userbase.

The App is further sweetened by a promotion being ran by Tapulous in which floor tickets for NIN’s remaining shows of this year will be gifted to a select few who manage to conquer their way into a score of 150,000 of higher. Oh and don’t forget that one of you lucky tapping connoisseurs will be worthy of receiving a Les Paul guitar signed by Trent Reznor himself. There will be no pork based appetizers as a consolation prize, however.

Whether you’re a fan of Tap Tap Revenge or Nine Inch Nails, none of that matters once you plop down and unleash your fingers of fury. Sure you’ll get an extra dosage of NIN’s newest release but it’s still a challenge worth taking up by dedicated Tap Tap fans. While the few tracks included from The Slip make waves, the remaining selection is slotted full of Ghosts songs. Despite any perception you may have of the instrumental laden album, they translate quite nicely into Tap Tap, possibly due to the emphasis of hitting dots as they roll down the screen and not trying to impose your horrible Karaoke playing skills on the general public.

The setlist for Tap Tap NIN consists of 13 tracks which all contain difficulties of Easy, Medium, Hard and Extreme. The tracks included are below.

-1,000,000
-Discipline
-3 Ghosts I
-Echoplex
-18 Ghosts III
-19 Ghosts III
-Head Down
-21 Ghosts III
-26 Ghosts III
-Demon Seed
-31 Ghosts IV
-Letting You
-9 Ghosts I

What’s interesting to note however is the comparisons in price between the NIN version and Tapulous’ free version. The price of $4.99 doesn’t technically consist of the cost for songs. The six songs from The Slip can be had for free from Nine Inch Nail’s website while two songs from Ghosts can also be obtained for nothing through the teaser posted for the album. The 5 remaining Ghosts tracks make up the whole 36 song disc and comes to $5 for the whole shebang or 14 cents per individual slice of sonic solace. That puts 70 cents into the cost of the game’s music but the price is worth every penny considering the excellent quality of the game and awesome integration between Nine Inch Nails. This kind of development skill and expertise is rarely seen as gaming companies butcher a brand until its assimilated into a cookie cutter environment.

Gallery On Flickr Tap Tap Revenge (NIN)

The Problem With Ebook Readers

Books may have had their day but the ways in which epics and novels alike are being delivered is changing. Dedicated handhelds are springing up filling an emerging niche but drastically changing how books are being read while eBooks slowly make their way into the digital libraries. But the eBook craze will be hindered by overpriced and bulky handhelds that offer to go overboard on a portable reading experience.

Typically gadgets follow the rule that slimmer and smaller is better. That rule applied to eBooks as well as some defective aftermarket epoxy. Instead, toting around a 7 inch e-ink screen has become not only fashionable, but also a standard for other manufacturers to follow. The end result is an expensive inconvenience that can’t even fit in your pocket, the total opposite of what the industry subscribes to in other sectors of gadgetry.

So much effort is applied to perfecting an experience that can only be enjoyed in limited situations which is a decline in opportunities when compared to the method of reading that’s slowly being replaced. In addition, the high price points of eBook readers set it outside the range of consumers who aren’t invested as heavily as true reading aficionados. Instead of creating a more robust and cheaper priced device for reading, manufacturers should turn to already existing technology and standards such as laptops, netbooks and even mobile phones. The market is more than ripe for an iTunes like distributor dedicated solely to eBooks. Reading Applications on the iPhone have been predicted to outsell the Kindle and possibly other dedicated eBook readers. Here are some possibilities.

Portability

Cell phones are the pinnacle of mobile computing compared to dedicated eBook readers for one of the most obvious reasons; a smaller form factor lacking a large screen. But when you run into touch screen phone territory, the displays themselves almost measure up to a page from a small paper back novel. EBook readers tend to overdo this by making gargantuan sized screens that are comfortable for reading but impractical to carry everywhere when books and phones can be pocketed.

Cost

Due to a smaller form factor, prices are cut and money is saved on the most vital component: the screen. A Smartphone can be bought in contract for around or less than half the price of most eBook readers but is more diverse in capabilities than one. Only serious reading enthusiasts are the target of dedicated eBook readers while a mobile phone appeals to everyone.

Flexibility

While dedicated eBook readers and phones share the same methods for transferring media or more importantly books onto the respective devices, Software can already achieve most of what the Hardware does in a dedicated reader. Since both share common aspects such as controls, battery and a screen, eBooks can be tossed around without hassle but in the case of the iPhone, eBook reading Apps can be bought for mere dollars that accomplish the same purpose as a dedicated reader that costs several hundred dollars. The fact that even other phones can do this as well by installing a single App makes a pocketable device all the more appealing.

EBook readers have yet to fail but they have to truly prosper and can be considered a niche product when relatively speaking about the world of gadgetry. Manufacturers and distributors would better benefit by targeting devices consumers already own that can be pocketed instead of forcing them to buy a less portable sized device that costs significantly more than something they already have on them. Software can already do what these dedicated readers were designed to do and the opportunity is waiting to be seized by anyone who can target all of these devices with a universal eBook distribution service.

The Lowdown On Lack Of iPhone Tethering

Many things are better abroad in foreign countries such as food, tourist attractions, women and of course cellular technology. The sad state of cellular tech in comparison to many other hardware savvy nations leaves much to be desired in the states, namely phone tethering. Overpriced plans and highly limited data usage make for a poor buy but at least some phones give the option. The iPhone however, has been met with setbacks in the US and the cat has been let out of the bag as to why: they’re is just too many of them.

Typically having sold so many iPhones would be a good thing to some people but not so much to AT&T. They’ve been plagued with network related problems since the handset took off on the popularity charts. Dropped 3G connections and class action lawsuits are the forefront of these problems which put tethering into the backseat of priorities.

Sources point the blame to AT&T’s still developing 3G network that has delayed sweet Internet sharing from an iPhone to a computer. As bitter sweet as it may sound, rushing this feature before its ready will be sure to yield disastrous results as we’ve seen Apple do in the past with activating new iPhones. However, it will be a long while before we see this really materialize outside of AT&T’s development labs. Network upgrades aren’t an overnight upgrade, selling hundreds of thousands of iPhones in the same time could soon be a promotion away.

Via: Mac Life