Roundup: Realtime animation, CNN sources Twitter, Joost ousts CEO
StudioGPU replaces computer animation render farms with $5,000 PC — I’ve seen the demo with my own unbelieving eyes. A single graphics accelerator card on a standard Intel-powered PC can now render in seconds what used to take a roomful of servers all day. Hollywood-based… Continue Reading
Roundup: Dell’s iPhone-sized gadget, Malcolm Gladwell vs. Chris Anderson, books on smartphones
Dell engineers are working on a pocket Android gadget — It’s roughly the size of an iPhone, the Wall Street Journal reports. In industry-speak, the device is what Intel calls an MID — a “mobile Internet device” somewhere between a smartphone and a laptop. What’s news isn’t… Continue Reading
Nokia, RIM, Apple to standardize European phone chargers
Ten smartphone makers who control 90 percent of the European mobile market have agreed to ship a standardized charger with their phones starting next year. Gadget makers have talked about standardizing their chargers for years. This time, they have a plan to finally do it…. Continue Reading
Apple can’t keep iPhones in stock
Apple’s iPhone availability widget, a page on Apple’s website, appears whenever there’s a shortage of iPhones at Apple’s stores. The widget shows which stores have which models in stock, on a state-by-state basis.
Over the weekend, many stores flipped from green to red on some or… Continue Reading
Apple PR confirms: Hottest Girls app was removed
On Thursday morning, developer Allen Leung’s Hottest Girls iPhone app, a $1.99 download that showed pictures of Asian women in lingerie, began displaying topless models. I’m from California, so whatever, but the app seemed to fly in the face of Apple’s stated no-porn policy.
Within… Continue Reading
Roundup: RIP Farrah Fawcett, Palm’s not-so-big loss, PC sales looking up
Palm’s fourth-quarter performance beat Wall Street expectations, and that’s before the Pre’s arrival kicked sales into high gear. The company’s Q4 loss was $53.4 million, or 40 cents per share, on sales of $113.2 million, excluding one-time items. Wall Street had been expecting a 62-cent… Continue Reading
Roundup: Zune HD specs, Google mobile ads, the most obscure Apple upgrade ever
Google AdSense Mobile – Yes, Google ads on your phone is a big deal. But Greg Yardley, CEO of mobile analytics startup Pinch Media, warns against dreams of Google megabucks for iPhone apps: “The bulk of applications either have a limited shelf life (just like a console… Continue Reading
HTC Hero phone will have a Flash player
If you’ve got an iPhone in your pocket, you know what’s most conspicuously missing from it (besides a keyboard): a Flash player.
Adobe’s Flash technology has evolved in the past four years from being hated for the proliferation of “Skip Intro” website home pages, to… Continue Reading
Roundup: Flash player for mobiles; Stephen King promo texts may draw $90M fine
Three years ago, publisher Simon & Schuster text-messaged thousands of SMS users with the message, “next call you take may be your last.” It a promotional stunt for horror novelist Stephen King’s The Cell. The company has been found to be in violation of the federal… Continue Reading
Apple sells over 1 million iPhone 3G S phones, offers $30 credit for delayed activations
Apple said today it sold over 1 million iPhone 3G S devices from Friday through Sunday. On top of that, it said that six million customers have now downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 software since its release on Wednesday, June 17th.
Meanwhile, Apple said it… Continue Reading
Apple iPhone 3G S is 11 percent faster than Palm Pre, 54 percent faster than iPhone 3G
The newest Apple iPhone 3G S model is 54 percent faster than its predecessor iPhone 3G that came out a year ago, but it’s only about 11 percent faster than the Palm Pre smartphone, according to the tech site Anandtech.
The measure is based on… Continue Reading
Report: Steve Jobs had liver transplant, still returning this month
Some of the questions about Apple chief executive Steve Jobs’ continuing medical leave appear to be answered: Jobs received a liver transplant two months ago, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.
Jobs revealed in 2004 that he had been treated for pancreatic… Continue Reading
Video: Live from the Apple Store at 7 am
The line for iPhone 3G S models this morning extended less than a block - -nothing like the snaking mob that wrapped around the corner for the 3G release last year. I shot a great interview with dedicated first-in-line guy Adam Jackson and then pressed… Continue Reading
iPhone tethering instructions are easy
Apple’s new iPhone 3G S is a huge hit, but it has one frustrating restriction: AT&T doesn’t support “tethering” the phone to a laptop for use as a cellular modem. But Cleve Nettles at 9 to 5 Mac has solved the dilemma. He’s posted a… Continue Reading
Apple stores to open at 7 am Friday for new iPhone
Eight o’clock isn’t soon enough. Apple retail outlets will be open at the bleary hour of 7 o’clock to begin processing the lines of iPhone buyers who just can”t wait. Hopefully, Apple has the phone activation process ironed out by now, so edgy buyers won’t… Continue Reading
AT&T improves iPhone pricing: Maybe I’ll buy the 3G S after all
AT&T is trying to soothe cranky iPhone owners today with an announcement that the new iPhone 3G S may not be as expensive as you think — specifically, iPhone 3G owners who are eligible for cheaper, “upgrade” pricing in the next few months (through September)… Continue Reading
First iPhone 3G S video: The auto-focus is cool
Attention iPhone fans: While you’re installing the 3.0 software, watch the clip below. The video was shot with a new iPhone 3G S, which has improved what was already an exceptional camera for a mobile phone.
In this clip, the auto-focus is surprisingly good at… Continue Reading
Apple hints that Palm’s ability to sync with iTunes may be short-lived
At a recent conference, Palm executives proudly proclaimed the recently launched Pre smartphone’s ability to synchronize with Apple’s iTunes media. But the technical achievement may turn out to be temporary.
Apple hinted that future versions of iTunes may break compatibility with third-party media players. That’s… Continue Reading
iPhone 3.0: A guide to what doesn’t work yet
Apple’s third-generation iPhone software makes its debut on Wednesday. But read the fine print before you blow $299 on a new iPhone 3G S. You won’t be able to send videos until “late summer.” You won’t be able to tether your phone to your laptop… Continue Reading
Graphics chip rivals race to deliver next-generation chips
The next-generation of graphics chips is due to arrive in PCs sometime this year. Both Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices are expected to deliver these chips for the personal computer market this year, but no one knows exactly when.
This change is so important that,… Continue Reading