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Tdxv Behind 10 eyebrow-raising App Store rejection

星期日, 02月 28th, 2010

In one fell swoop, a Web firestorm erupted. Journalists started questioning why Apple would reject the app. Consumers felt disenchanted. And the Federal Communications Commission decided to investigate.

Apple didn’t reject the South Park iPhone app once; it rejected it twice because of “potentially offensive” content included in the app. The application featured several clips from the long-running show. Boing Boing reported that Apple did tell South Park’s creators that it might eventually allow the application into its store, since its policies have evolved in the past. According to the company, it didn’t originally allow explicit lyrics into iTunes, but it now does.

Current status: After having some discussions with Apple, a Eucalyptus developer wrote on the company’s blog that Apple had relented and would allow the full version of the app, Kama Sutra and all, into the App Store. It’s currently available for $9.99.

Current status: Although Podcaster is still not available in the App Store, a Podcaster-like application called RSS Player Podcast Client currently allows users to download more than 10,000 podcasts. That said, it doesn’t let users search for podcasts through the app (another Apple request). It costs 99 cents.

Ninjawords

The objectionable content Apple was referring to came from “The Downward Spiral,” a 1994 Nine Inch Nails album, which was played in the app. That album contains explicit mentions of sexual activity.

Ninjawords is (finally) in the App Store.

Pull My Finger
Catalog this under the Apple-needs-to-find-humor-in-apps-to-accept-them category.

The app featured President Bush on an analog clock as it counted down until President Barack Obama’s inauguration. When users clicked on the President’s body, it played so-called “truthisms,” clips from speeches President Bush had given about leaving office.

Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.

At first, the application was made available in the App Store for $9.99. But Apple promptly removed the application from its store. NetShare’s removal is suspected to be related to wireless carrier AT&T’s agreement with Apple over use of its data network.

Pull My Finger was sophomoric, for sure. The app allowed users to “pull its finger.” When they did, it played a sound mimicking flatulence. Apple blocked the application from entering the App Store because it had “limited utility” to the community. It seemed believable. But when one considers that the store is filled with absurd applications, Pull My Finger might have fit in quite well.

(Credit:R7 Developers) CastCatcher Internet Radio was enjoying its placement in Apple’s App Store until the company decided to release version 1.3. The new iteration was rejected by Apple for a strange reason.

(Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET) In a political statement, a group of developers created an application called FreedomTime, to count down the days left until former President George W. Bush has been out of office.

Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus, an e-book reader app, was denied access to Apple’s App Store after the company found that it allowed users to read the Kama Sutra. The ancient book on sexuality was downloaded from Project Gutenberg, which the app used to acquire books.

Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor has embraced technology and the social Web unlike many other artists in the music industry. Perhaps that’s why it was so shocking that his band’s iPhone app update was denied access to the App Store for, what Apple called, “objectionable content.”

NetShare
Prior to the release of the iPhone 3GS, one of the most requested iPhone features was tethering, or using the phone’s wireless connectivity to connect another device to the Internet. Nullriver’s NetShare application provided the modem-like functionality last year.

The rejection led to outcry on the Web, as comparisons were drawn between software bundled withMac OS X and those applications that users can install on their Macs that mimic or improve those bundled applications. To some, there was no difference.

Current status: The Nine Inch Nails update was eventually allowed into the App Store after Apple realized its double standard. The full, unedited content is available in the Store.

(Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET) If there is a record for the number of times an application can be rejected by Apple, Ninjawords might have a shot. The dictionary app was denied access three times due to “objectionable” words users could find in its dictionary.

South Park
“South Park” might be an extremely popular animated television show, but it just doesn’t have what it takes to make it into the App Store.

(Credit:Mac-Addict)

Current status: After realizing that it allows at least several useless applications into its store, Pull My Finger was eventually accepted and offered in Apple’s Store. It’s currently on sale for 99 cents.

Current status: FreedomTime is still not available in the App Store. In its place, a Web site has been built to countdown the number of days former President Bush has been out of office.



Apple rejected the application on the grounds that it was “defaming, demeaning, or attacking political figures.” That’s an App Store no-no, evidently.

Current status: The events surrounding Google Voice’s absence from the App Store are still unclear. AT&T says it was not involved in an approval decision, and Apple said it didn’t actually reject the application from the store. In a statement, the company said its review of the app is still under way. It doesn’t look like this will be over any time soon.

Current status: The application was allowed access to the App Store after removing any word that might be construed as objectionable. It’s currently on sale for $1.99 in the App Store.

Freedom Time takes on former President Bush.

Although this is just a short list of many applications that have been denied access to the App Store, there’s a common thread among the rejections: Apple wants nothing to do with apps that can be found “objectionable,” have functionality similar to Apple-built features, or might conflict with a contract it has established with AT&T or other partners.

(Credit:South Park Studios)

Several developers whose applications have been rejected from the store, which hosts third-party software developed for theiPhone andiPod Touch, have published their correspondence with Apple.

Current status: It’s available on your television, and it has won an Emmy, but you won’t find “South Park” on your iPhone because of its “offensive” content. Yikes.

In a letter sent to Eucalyptus developers, Apple said that the app was denied because it gave users access to “objectionable” material. If the developers removed the Kama Sutra from its book listings, Apple would have allowed the app into the Store.

Although that might be enough for some to agree with Apple, it’s worth noting that the same exact album, unedited, was already available in the iTunes Store.

CastCatcher is still in the App Store.

Current status: Eventually, Mousa and Apple were able to reach a middle ground, and new versions of the application were allowed into the App Store. CastCatcher 1.4.4 is currently offered in Apple’s store for $1.99.

After Ninjawords’ developers worked out some design issues, which Apple requested, the company rejected the application again, after finding that the dictionary contained vulgar words that “could be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod Touch users.”

Current status: Nullriver’s NetShare is not available in the App Store and will likely never make its way to the store. Internet tethering is a feature that’s built into the iPhone’s latest system software and will be made available to AT&T customers later this year, meaning that NetShare would be duplicating existing functionality–another App Store no-no.

Podcaster
Podcaster was an app that allowed users to download their favorite podcasts without using iTunes to do it. After submitting the app to the store, Podcaster developers received notice that their app was denied access because it “duplicates the functionality of the Podcast section of iTunes.”

But in the end, determining what Apple will allow into its App Store isn’t an exact science. Developers want better direction from Apple on what types of applications will get approved for–and remain in good standing with–its App Store. Until the parameters are clearer, and the approvals and rejections are consistent, they will continue to face the risk of seemingly arbitrary rejection.

South Park won't see the App Store.

Apple’s rejections of apps accused of infringing a patent or copyright make sense to most industry insiders. But some App Store rejections have raised quite a few eyebrows.

Ninjawords’ developers were desperate to get their app into the store, so they removed as many objectionable words as possible within a reasonable time frame. Their app was rejected again for containing fewer, but still some offensive, words.

Apple wrote in a letter to CastCatcher’s developer, Amro Mousa, that the application’s update was rejected because it transferred “excessive volumes of data over the cellular network.” Mousa was a little perplexed by Apple’s decision to suddenly deny the application access to the store, considering that the new version of the app didn’t transfer more data than previous, approved versions. Worst of all, Mousa said, his app was using the same amount of data as competing streaming-radio applications.

Behind 10 eyebrow-raising App Store rejections

Frustrated programmers have highlighted what they believe to be double standards, strange policies, and flip-flopping among Apple’s App Store guards.

CastCatcher

The shock starts here

Nullriver's NetShare app was here and gone.

FreedomTime


Lessons learned

In an attempt to highlight–and perhaps make some sense of–a few of the more questioned rejections, I’ve compiled a list of those that caused me to scratch my head.

Google Voice
Google Voice is an application that allows users to to assign a single number to their home, office, and mobile phones. It was denied access to Apple’s App Store, along with already-approved third-party applications that used Google Voice to work.

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kchl Apple unveils anticipated iPad tablet_83

星期六, 02月 27th, 2010

The iPad is “so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smartphone,” he said.

The 3G version will reach the market in late April. The iPad is “unlocked,” meaning buyers can pick preferred telecom service providers.

Apple said it would start shipping the Wi-Fi version of the iPad, which has a virtual keyboard but can also dock with an external keyboard, in late March.

Jobs said the iPad has support from five big publishers and Apple will “open the floodgates for the rest of the publishers starting this afternoon.”

Apple shares gained 0.94 per cent to close at $US207.88 ($A232.55) on Wall Street, but slipped a tad in after-hours electronic trading.

Jobs, who appeared thin but healthy, said Apple was launching an online “iBookstore” for the iPad and touted its abilities as an electronic reader of books, newspapers and magazines.

“If you are thinking about buying a Kindle, you are probably reconsidering that decision. If you are a developer, you have one more reason to develop applications for Apple,” said Interpret analyst Michael Gartenberg.

Dressed in his trademark blue jeans, black turtleneck and sneakers, Jobs walked around the stage and sat on a couch at the Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts Theatre as he unveiled the hotly anticipated gadget.

Analyst Rob Enderle of Silicon Valley’s Enderle Group said the iPad could be “disruptive for a lot of markets.”

He said it has about 10 hours of battery life.



Apple simultaneously released a kit for software developers to tailor applications for the iPad.

“You can have black-and-white, colour, video in your books – whatever the author wants,” he said. “We think the iPad is going to make a terrific e-book reader, not just for popular books but for textbooks as well.

Some technology analysts believe the iPad will render other e-readers obsolete, while a number of publishers are counting on it to sell digital versions of their publications.

The cheapest iPad model, with Wi-Fi connectivity and 16GB of memory, is $US499 ($A558) while the most expensive – which includes 3G connectivity and 64GB of memory – costs $US829 ($A927).

“I have a hard time believing after seeing this that folks are going to want an e-reader that just does plain text and doesn’t do format or colour,” he said.

Enderle believed iPads could also pose a threat to hand-held gaming systems and eventually videogame consoles.

The New York Times, Time magazine and National Geographic were among the partners whose content was displayed on the iPad on Wednesday.

“We want to kick off 2010 by introducing a truly magical and revolutionary product,” said Jobs, who underwent a liver transplant last year and on Wednesday was making just his second public appearance since September.

Jobs said he expected the device to carve out a place between the laptop computer and the smartphone.

“Amazon has done a great job of pioneering this functionality with the Kindle,” Jobs said. “We are going to stand on their shoulders.”

Apple unveils anticipated iPad tablet
January 28, 2010

AFP

“We want to make something that combines the best of print and the best of digital,” Times digital operations vice president Martin Nisenholtz said as he showed off an early version of an app for the device. “We are incredibly psyched to pioneer the next stage in digital journalism.”

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs has revealed the culture-changing company’s latest must-have device, a touchscreen tablet computer anointed the “iPad”.

“We are going to be able to bring all of the other great EA games for the iPhone from the App Store to this device in no time,” said Travis Boatman of EA’s mobile studios.

“Do we have what it takes to establish a third category of products in between a laptop and a smartphone?” he asked. “We think we’ve done it.”


The long-awaited iPad has a 25cm colour screen and resembles an oversized iPhone. It is 1.3cm thick, weighs 0.7kg and comes with 16, 32, or 64 gigabytes of flash memory.

Gameloft and Electronic Arts showed off slick games they had crafted with just a few weeks of preparation, saying the iPad opens countless “new doors.”

He showed off various iPad features which include browsing the web, checking email, working with spreadsheets and charts, playing videogames, listening to music or watching video.

Besides serving as an e-reader, the iPad runs almost all of the applications available through the Apple App Store for the iPod and iPhone.

“I think it’s a home run,” said Gartner analyst Van Baker. “It becomes a viable alternative to a netbook and I get the 140,000 applications in the App Store. It is a pretty compelling value.”

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rgnw Apple iPad Adds to Pressure on AT&T_2

星期六, 02月 27th, 2010 
Apple iPad Adds to Pressure on AT&T

As Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs unveiled the tablet-style iPad computer Jan. 27, many of his pronouncements were greeted with cheers. In contrast, his revelation that AT&T (T) would be the exclusive U.S. provider of high-speed wireless connections for the Internet-capable device was met with audible sighs.

The reaction reflects dismay with the performance of AT&T’s wireless network and concern that adding the iPad will only add to the strain. AT&T is the exclusive U.S. carrier of Apple’s iPhone, a device that already places heavy bandwidth demands on AT&T’s equipment. Even executives of the phone company concede the network isn’t up to snuff in New York and San Francisco. "Consumers may expect more from their iPad than the network can deliver at this point," says Shira Levine, an analyst with Infonetics, a telecommunications market research firm. "There’s potential for more consumer dissatisfaction."

AT&T to Spend $2 Billion on Upgrades



Network improvement plans by AT&T have met with Apple’s approval, Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer, said during a Jan. 25 conference call. "We have personally reviewed these plans, and we have very high confidence that they will make significant progress toward fixing them," Cook said.

For those who opt for AT&T’s 3G service plans, the company says it’s working on upgrades designed to reduce the number of dropped calls and poor connections. AT&T will spend about $2 billion to improve its ability to deliver wireless calls, John Stankey, CEO of AT&T Operations, said during the Jan. 28 conference call. AT&T is adding twice as much capacity to its network in 2010 as it did last year, he said. The company is also adding 2,000 cell sites, which play a role in delivering wireless calls, and says it will extend 3G coverage by 400,000 square miles through the acquisition of certain wireless assets.

Many iPad users will instead access the Internet using Wi-Fi networks in homes and other locations, AT&T executives said on a Jan. 28 conference call discussing the company’s fourth-quarter results. Three iPad models will be Wi-Fi only. The iPad "will be used a substantial amount of time in a Wi-Fi environment," AT&T Chief Financial Officer Richard Lindner said on the call. While the iPad’s 1.5-pound frame makes it easy to carry from place to place, the device’s 9.7-inch screen makes it too big to fit into a pocket.

AT&T’s data-plan pricing may go part of the way toward alleviating network strains. Users who pay $29.99 a month can consume unlimited data. That plan "certainly could tax an already taxed network," says Gerard Hallaren, director of research at TownHall Investment. Those who opt for the cheaper plan may deliberately consume less data for fear of exceeding caps. Because they’ve spent less, they’ll also feel less obligated to use big allotments.

Only 25% of iPad Buyers May Get Data Plans

If Cupertino (Calif.)-based Apple (AAPL) has its way, iPad users will consume a lot of bandwidth-hogging media. The iPad lets users purchase and download books, movies, and other large files. Marketers may also find ways to deliver multimedia ads and other content wirelessly to the device. If the iPad is successful, "the volume of data would be the same the iPhone consumes plus another 50%," says Mike Manzo, chief marketing officer at Openet, a maker of software that helps carriers manage network traffic.


Not everyone who buys an iPad will use AT&T’s network. Three iPad models that work with AT&T’s 3G wireless-phone network will go on sale in April for $629 to $829, with an additional $14.99 or $29.99 a month for a service plan. In all, Apple may sell 3 million to 4 million iPads in the first year, and 8 million in 2011, says Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray (PJC) in Minneapolis. As few as one-quarter of new iPad purchasers will add a wireless data plan, predicts wireless-industry consultant Chetan Sharma.

AT&T spent $21 billion improving its network between 2006 and September 2009, Ralph de la Vega, president of AT&T’s wireless division, told attendees of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January.

Now, AT&T will need to get the message across to users.

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uxfj Apple sheds light on App Store approval proce

星期六, 02月 27th, 2010

But, Apple said in its response letter that while AT&T is not consulted regarding submitted applications, that hasn’t stopped AT&T from complaining about apps it doesn’t like.

AT&T said much the same thing back in May when the application’s Wi-Fi-only mode created a stir when it finally made it to the App Store.

Updated at 3:50 p.m. PDT.

Apple is also obligated by a contract with AT&T as its exclusive carrier in the U.S. to weed out apps that allow iPhone owners to make VoIP calls without AT&T’s express permission, or any that violate the carrier’s terms of service. This included SlingPlayer Mobile, which was rejected by Apple and only allowed to use the iPhone’s Wi-Fi and not its 3G cellular signal. Apple says in the letter that the Sling app, which allows video content from a set-top box to be watched remotely, was rejected “because redirecting a TV signal to an iPhone using AT&T’s cellular network is prohibited by AT&T’s customer Terms of Service.”

Beyond the Google Voice dustup, however, we now have a broader understanding of how the App Store works. First of all, it’s a monstrous administrative challenge. Apple says it receives 8,500 new applications and updates to existing ones every week. There are 40 people responsible for reviewing every application submitted and each app gets reviewed by two people. Eighty percent are approved as submitted with no changes necessary, and 95 percent of applications are approved in two weeks or less. In total, since the App Store was opened last year, Apple says it has evaluated 200,000 apps and updates.

Apple sheds light on App Store approval process

It’s been over a year since Apple inaugurated its App Store, but we finally have a sense of how the approval process works.

For the controversial or otherwise special cases, Apple has established an App Store “executive review board.” While there’s no mention of how many members there are, we do know it’s made up of senior management responsible for the App Store who meet weekly to determine review process policy as well as take a look at applications that “raise new or complex issues.”

If you do the actual math, the task is sort of mind-boggling. Forty people looking at 8,500 apps and updates during a regular five-day work week comes out to approximately 212 apps per week. But since each app gets evaluated by two different people, that doubles the load to 424 apps per week, or about 85 apps per day. Assuming a standard eight-hour workday (which, let’s be honest, is probably not what these employees are getting away with), that comes out to each member of the App Store team reviewing an app every six minutes. So, it’s understandable that some apps that violate the rules might accidentally get by the reviewer.

Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She’s also one of the hosts of CNET News’ Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she’s a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica.


“From time to time, AT&T has expressed concerns regarding network efficiency and potential network congestion associated with certain applications, and Apple takes such concerns into consideration,” the company told the FCC.



Apple has started in recent weeks to acknowledge the often confusing and frustrating process that the App Store had become for developers and consumers, including some public communication from Apple Chief Marketing Officer Phil Schiller to developers and a blogger. But this is the first real look at how the process works.

First, Apple says Google Voice was not rejected, it just hasn’t been approved, and that AT&T was not consulted in that decision at all. AT&T told the FCC the same thing in its own response to the agency’s questions Friday.

Apple has been reluctant to publicly discuss how developer-created applications get approved, but the federal government forced its hand by sending an official query regarding the rejection of Google Voice several weeks ago. On Friday, Apple answered a series of questions posed by the FCC regarding the App Store and its evaluation policies, and there were several interesting revelations.

“We’re covering new ground and doing things that had never been done before. Many of the issues we face are difficult and new, and while we may make occasional mistakes, we try to learn from them and continually improve,” Apple’s Friday statement reads.

The things the reviewers check for when apps are submitted: buggy software, apps that crash too much, use of unauthorized APIs (Google, apparently, excepted), privacy violation, inappropriate content for children, and anything that “degrades the core experience of theiPhone.”

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hmze Apple gets higher profile in HTML standardiza

星期六, 02月 27th, 2010

The standardization process is complicated, though, with a complex back-and-forth between the standards group and browser makers trying new features on their own.

Indeed, the two new co-chairs arrive during a crucial time. The W3C stopped developing HTML with version 4.01 in 1999, focusing instead on a very different standard called XHTML 2.0 that ultimately met its official demise in July. Browser makers, meanwhile, went their own way with a group called WHATWG, short for Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group.



The World Wide Web Consortium’s HTML Working Group had been led by IBM’s Sam Ruby and Microsoft’s Chris Wilson. Wilson has stepped down and is being replaced by two others, Paul Cotton, who manages Microsoft’s Web services standards team, and Maciej Stachowiak, who manages Apple’s WebKit WebApps team, according to an e-mail announcement by W3C Director Tim Berners-Lee.

And Aaron Boodman, a programmer involved with Google’s Chrome browser, suggested on the HTML 5 mailing list, “I would like to propose that we get rid of the concepts of ‘versions’ altogether from HTML. In reality, nobody supports all of HTML 5…Instead of insisting that a particular version of HTML is a monolithic unit that must be implemented in its entirety, we could have each feature (or logical group of features) spun off into its own small spec.”

Apple gets higher profile in HTML standardization

An Apple manager has become a co-chairman of the group standardizing HTML, giving the company a higher-profile role in a crucial time for development of the language used to build Web pages.

Stephen Shankland writes about a wide range of technology and products, but has a particular focus on browsers and digital photography. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered Google, Yahoo, servers, supercomputing, Linux and open-source software, and science. E-mail Stephen, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stshank.


Meanwhile, Microsoft only began HTML 5 discussion in earnest earlier this month.

WHATWG’s work ultimately grew into HTML 5 as the W3C embraced HyperText Markup Language once again. It’s got a number of features to make the Web a better foundation not just for static Web pages but also for more interactive Web applications. For example, one Web storage lets Web-based applications store data on a computer, helping Web applications work even when a network connection isn’t available.

“Why three co-Chairs?” Berners-Lee asked in the note. “Clearly, there is a lot of work to do. Sam, Paul, and Maciej bring particular skills to the job (whether it is Maciej’s experience with WebKit or Paul’s with Working Group processes).”

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Ddyx Apple readying MacBook makeover-_134

星期六, 02月 27th, 2010 
Apple readying MacBook makeover?

At its annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference in June, Apple introduced new versions of its 13- and 15-inch notebooks that use the same battery technology found in the 17-inch models. The rebranding of the 13-inch unibody MacBook to the MacBook Pro line left the polycarbonate white plastic casing as the only true “MacBook.”

Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. Before joining CNET News in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers. E-mail Steven.


Indeed,Mac sales have been very impressive lately. Data provided by market research firm IDC showed the entire PC industry down more than 3 percent for April, May, and June, but Apple sold 4 percent more computers that quarter than it did during the same quarter in 2008. The company’s laptops were responsible for that surge: MacBook and MacBook Pro shipments were up 13 percent.



Is Apple giving its last remaining MacBook a makeover?

That move left many speculating on the lone remaining model’s chances of survival. But the MacBook remains very popular with consumers. AppleInsider notes that Apple’s online store says the white MacBook is the second best-selling model behind the iMac.

Apple’s 13-inch notebook in currently undergoing an industrial redesign that will also feature new internal architecture, according to a report on AppleInsider. The redesign, which would be the entry-level machine’s first overhaul in three years, is expected to be unveiled in the coming months, the site reported.

Apple is getting ready to introduce a slimmer, lighter MacBook, according to an Apple blog citing unnamed sources.

However, Apple typically unveils new or redesigned products at media events, but after the September 9 music event, Apple has no such events on the calendar for the rest of the year.

(Credit:CNET)

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Yaug Apple unveils anticipated iPad tablet_83

星期六, 02月 27th, 2010

“If you are thinking about buying a Kindle, you are probably reconsidering that decision. If you are a developer, you have one more reason to develop applications for Apple,” said Interpret analyst Michael Gartenberg.

Besides serving as an e-reader, the iPad runs almost all of the applications available through the Apple App Store for the iPod and iPhone.

Analyst Rob Enderle of Silicon Valley’s Enderle Group said the iPad could be “disruptive for a lot of markets.”

“You can have black-and-white, colour, video in your books – whatever the author wants,” he said. “We think the iPad is going to make a terrific e-book reader, not just for popular books but for textbooks as well.




Apple simultaneously released a kit for software developers to tailor applications for the iPad.

He said it has about 10 hours of battery life.

The iPad is “so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smartphone,” he said.

“Amazon has done a great job of pioneering this functionality with the Kindle,” Jobs said. “We are going to stand on their shoulders.”

The cheapest iPad model, with Wi-Fi connectivity and 16GB of memory, is $US499 ($A558) while the most expensive – which includes 3G connectivity and 64GB of memory – costs $US829 ($A927).

The New York Times, Time magazine and National Geographic were among the partners whose content was displayed on the iPad on Wednesday.

“We want to kick off 2010 by introducing a truly magical and revolutionary product,” said Jobs, who underwent a liver transplant last year and on Wednesday was making just his second public appearance since September.

Apple said it would start shipping the Wi-Fi version of the iPad, which has a virtual keyboard but can also dock with an external keyboard, in late March.

Enderle believed iPads could also pose a threat to hand-held gaming systems and eventually videogame consoles.

Gameloft and Electronic Arts showed off slick games they had crafted with just a few weeks of preparation, saying the iPad opens countless “new doors.”

“I think it’s a home run,” said Gartner analyst Van Baker. “It becomes a viable alternative to a netbook and I get the 140,000 applications in the App Store. It is a pretty compelling value.”

“I have a hard time believing after seeing this that folks are going to want an e-reader that just does plain text and doesn’t do format or colour,” he said.

“We are going to be able to bring all of the other great EA games for the iPhone from the App Store to this device in no time,” said Travis Boatman of EA’s mobile studios.

Apple shares gained 0.94 per cent to close at $US207.88 ($A232.55) on Wall Street, but slipped a tad in after-hours electronic trading.

Jobs, who appeared thin but healthy, said Apple was launching an online “iBookstore” for the iPad and touted its abilities as an electronic reader of books, newspapers and magazines.

Jobs said the iPad has support from five big publishers and Apple will “open the floodgates for the rest of the publishers starting this afternoon.”

Dressed in his trademark blue jeans, black turtleneck and sneakers, Jobs walked around the stage and sat on a couch at the Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts Theatre as he unveiled the hotly anticipated gadget.

Jobs said he expected the device to carve out a place between the laptop computer and the smartphone.

“We want to make something that combines the best of print and the best of digital,” Times digital operations vice president Martin Nisenholtz said as he showed off an early version of an app for the device. “We are incredibly psyched to pioneer the next stage in digital journalism.”

He showed off various iPad features which include browsing the web, checking email, working with spreadsheets and charts, playing videogames, listening to music or watching video.

The 3G version will reach the market in late April. The iPad is “unlocked,” meaning buyers can pick preferred telecom service providers.

Apple unveils anticipated iPad tablet
January 28, 2010

AFP

“Do we have what it takes to establish a third category of products in between a laptop and a smartphone?” he asked. “We think we’ve done it.”

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs has revealed the culture-changing company’s latest must-have device, a touchscreen tablet computer anointed the “iPad”.

The long-awaited iPad has a 25cm colour screen and resembles an oversized iPhone. It is 1.3cm thick, weighs 0.7kg and comes with 16, 32, or 64 gigabytes of flash memory.

Some technology analysts believe the iPad will render other e-readers obsolete, while a number of publishers are counting on it to sell digital versions of their publications.

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3uet AmEx Presale Tickets for AMERICAN IDIOT Now A

星期六, 02月 27th, 2010

AMERICAN IDIOT follows working-class characters from the suburbs to the city to the Middle East, as they seek redemption in a world filled with frustration – an exhilarating journey borne along by Green Day’s electrifying songs. This high-octane show includes every song from the album, as well as several new songs from 21st Century Breakdown. Green Day won two Grammys ®- Best Rock Album and Record of the Year – for its multi-platinum American Idiot, which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. Now the band brings this explosive album to the stage with the director of Spring Awakening, which won eight Tony Awards in 2007.

Michael Mayer comments, “Green Day’s iconic album is one of the most brutally honest, eloquent, and poetically theatrical responses to the post 9/11 world that I have encountered. I hear in these amazing songs the frustration and anger and dreams of a lost generation of Americans. Collaborating with Billie Joe and the band has been a mind-blowing thrill from day one.”

AmEx Presale Tickets for AMERICAN IDIOT Now Available

Related Links Full Cast Announced for AMERICAN IDIOT; Cast to Appear on Grammy Awards STAGE TUBE: A Look Back at the Berkeley Rep Production of AMERICAN IDIOT AMERICAN IDIOT Moves To Broadway; Opens at St. James Theatre April 20, 2010 Cast of AMERICAN IDIOT Featured On Green Day’s New Version of Their Single ’21 Guns’

Purchase TicketsAmerican Idiot On BWW.TV



Based on the Reprise Records Grammy® Award-winning album of the same name, AMERICAN IDIOT features the music of Green Day and the lyrics of its lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong. The show is directed by Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), who also collaborated with Armstrong on the book, and choreographed by Olivier Award-winning Steven Hoggett (Blackwatch). The Tony-winning composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) is the music supervisor, orchestrator and music arranger. In addition, Kitt also provided string arrangements for Green Day’s latest album 21st Century Breakdown.

“Experiencing American Idiot on stage in Berkeley was incredible,” says Billie Joe Armstrong. “We have really enjoyed working with Michael, Steven, Tom and the cast. The energy and chemistry of the group is contagious. Michael Mayer was able to bring life to the characters of American Idiot and Tom Kitt’s musical arrangements are breathtaking. We’re so proud that the show is coming to Broadway!”

“American Idiot is that rare and tricky creature, a true rock opera,” says Charles Isherwood of The New York Times. “Directed with polish and precision by Michael Mayer, American Idiot has its own voice: bitter and melancholy, attuned to an era more doubting than hopeful. Perhaps most strongly – and promisingly? – the show’s story of young men on a confused search for themselves during a time of changing social mores and foreign wars recalls Hair, the musical about the make-love-not-war generation. (Both musicals also do most of their storytelling in song.) Mournful as it is about the prospects of 21st-century Americans, the show possesses a stimulating energy and a vision of wasted youth that holds us in its grip.”

The limited engagement of AMERICAN IDIOT at Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theatre began previews on September 4, 2009, opened on September 16, 2009, extended twice and played its final performance on Sunday, November 15, 2009. AMERICAN IDIOT’s record breaking run brought in the biggest advance sale in the Theatre’s 41-year history, the biggest day at the box office, 17 of the top 20 days ever and due to ticket demand had to announce the first extension before it had played its first performance.

Tickets for the Broadway run of AMERICAN IDIOT are now available exclusively to American Express card holders. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on February 14th. AMERICAN IDIOT will begin previews on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 and open on Broadway Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at the ST. James Theatre.

The cast of AMERICAN IDIOT collaborated with Green Day to record a new version of the hit single “21 Guns.” Produced by the band’s singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, the track was released by Reprise Records on December 22, 2009 for purchase through all digital retailers. “21 Guns” is the second single from Green Day’s gold album 21st Century Breakdown. The digital version of the track has gone platinum, selling more than one million downloads, earned 2010 Grammy® Nominations for “Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals” and “Best Rock Song”, while the video won three 2009 MTV Video Music Awards in September, including “Best Rock Video.”

The show features scenic design by Tony-nominee Christine Jones (Spring Awakening), costume design by Baryshnikov fellow Andrea Lauer (The Butcher of Baraboo), lighting design by two-time Tony-winner Kevin Adams (Hair), Sound design by Obie Award-winner Brian Ronan (Cabaret), as well as video design by Darrel Maloney.


AMERICAN IDIOT will be produced on Broadway in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre.For more information, visit www.AmericanIdiotOnBroadway.com.

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ezwg AmEx Presale Tickets for AMERICAN IDIOT Now A

星期六, 02月 27th, 2010

Tickets for the Broadway run of AMERICAN IDIOT are now available exclusively to American Express card holders. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on February 14th. AMERICAN IDIOT will begin previews on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 and open on Broadway Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at the ST. James Theatre.

The show features scenic design by Tony-nominee Christine Jones (Spring Awakening), costume design by Baryshnikov fellow Andrea Lauer (The Butcher of Baraboo), lighting design by two-time Tony-winner Kevin Adams (Hair), Sound design by Obie Award-winner Brian Ronan (Cabaret), as well as video design by Darrel Maloney.

AMERICAN IDIOT follows working-class characters from the suburbs to the city to the Middle East, as they seek redemption in a world filled with frustration – an exhilarating journey borne along by Green Day’s electrifying songs. This high-octane show includes every song from the album, as well as several new songs from 21st Century Breakdown. Green Day won two Grammys ®- Best Rock Album and Record of the Year – for its multi-platinum American Idiot, which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. Now the band brings this explosive album to the stage with the director of Spring Awakening, which won eight Tony Awards in 2007.

Based on the Reprise Records Grammy® Award-winning album of the same name, AMERICAN IDIOT features the music of Green Day and the lyrics of its lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong. The show is directed by Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), who also collaborated with Armstrong on the book, and choreographed by Olivier Award-winning Steven Hoggett (Blackwatch). The Tony-winning composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) is the music supervisor, orchestrator and music arranger. In addition, Kitt also provided string arrangements for Green Day’s latest album 21st Century Breakdown.

“Experiencing American Idiot on stage in Berkeley was incredible,” says Billie Joe Armstrong. “We have really enjoyed working with Michael, Steven, Tom and the cast. The energy and chemistry of the group is contagious. Michael Mayer was able to bring life to the characters of American Idiot and Tom Kitt’s musical arrangements are breathtaking. We’re so proud that the show is coming to Broadway!”



Michael Mayer comments, “Green Day’s iconic album is one of the most brutally honest, eloquent, and poetically theatrical responses to the post 9/11 world that I have encountered. I hear in these amazing songs the frustration and anger and dreams of a lost generation of Americans. Collaborating with Billie Joe and the band has been a mind-blowing thrill from day one.”


The limited engagement of AMERICAN IDIOT at Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theatre began previews on September 4, 2009, opened on September 16, 2009, extended twice and played its final performance on Sunday, November 15, 2009. AMERICAN IDIOT’s record breaking run brought in the biggest advance sale in the Theatre’s 41-year history, the biggest day at the box office, 17 of the top 20 days ever and due to ticket demand had to announce the first extension before it had played its first performance.

“American Idiot is that rare and tricky creature, a true rock opera,” says Charles Isherwood of The New York Times. “Directed with polish and precision by Michael Mayer, American Idiot has its own voice: bitter and melancholy, attuned to an era more doubting than hopeful. Perhaps most strongly – and promisingly? – the show’s story of young men on a confused search for themselves during a time of changing social mores and foreign wars recalls Hair, the musical about the make-love-not-war generation. (Both musicals also do most of their storytelling in song.) Mournful as it is about the prospects of 21st-century Americans, the show possesses a stimulating energy and a vision of wasted youth that holds us in its grip.”

AmEx Presale Tickets for AMERICAN IDIOT Now Available

Related Links Full Cast Announced for AMERICAN IDIOT; Cast to Appear on Grammy Awards STAGE TUBE: A Look Back at the Berkeley Rep Production of AMERICAN IDIOT AMERICAN IDIOT Moves To Broadway; Opens at St. James Theatre April 20, 2010 Cast of AMERICAN IDIOT Featured On Green Day’s New Version of Their Single ’21 Guns’

Purchase TicketsAmerican Idiot On BWW.TV

AMERICAN IDIOT will be produced on Broadway in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre.For more information, visit www.AmericanIdiotOnBroadway.com.

The cast of AMERICAN IDIOT collaborated with Green Day to record a new version of the hit single “21 Guns.” Produced by the band’s singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, the track was released by Reprise Records on December 22, 2009 for purchase through all digital retailers. “21 Guns” is the second single from Green Day’s gold album 21st Century Breakdown. The digital version of the track has gone platinum, selling more than one million downloads, earned 2010 Grammy® Nominations for “Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals” and “Best Rock Song”, while the video won three 2009 MTV Video Music Awards in September, including “Best Rock Video.”

Posted in Liningblog | No Comments »

Sapv Android apps show big potential for growth_69

星期六, 02月 27th, 2010

(Credit:AdMob)

However, Android has a much smaller base of devices and thus has more upside ahead.

AdMob, a company that tracks mobile Web and application usage, found that Android and iPhone users download nine to 10 apps a month and iPod Touch users download 18 a month. More than half of the Android and iPhone users spend more than 30 minutes a day using apps, according to the survey results released Thursday (PDF).

(Credit:AbMob)

(Credit:AdMob)



Android,iPhone andiPod Touch users are all highly engaged with applications and frequently download them to their devices, according to a new survey from AdMob.

Android apps show big potential for growth

This was originally posted at ZDNet’s Between the Lines.

That’s some serious engagement and a lot of runway for Android. Why? Android-powered devices–T-Mobile’s MyTouch is the headliner–are hard to come by. However, that’s changing as Motorola will be taking Android handsets to large carriers like Verizon Wireless in the fourth quarter.

Simply put, Android has a nice base of engaged users already. More distribution is likely to make it a more viable rival to the iPhone.

(Credit:AdMob) Larry Dignan is editor in chief of ZDNet and editorial director of CNET’s TechRepublic. He has covered the technology and financial-services industries since 1995.


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