Five undisclosed features of Apple's Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Although Apple is marketing Mac OS X Snow Leopard as an operating system update with "no new features," under the hood improvements will actually translate into a slew of new enhancements, five of which are described herein. Citing sources, Roughl...

What Apple should allow with the SDK, but won’t

Section: Apple, iPhone + Communications, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, OriginalsLet’s face it, when it comes to the iPhone and its SDK, there are some types of applications Apple isn’t going to allow. Many of these will be expected, and I certainly don’t care if Apple blocks access to all the applications containing porn and other naughty things. However, some of the applications I assume Apple will block could be extremely great ones that could really help make the iPhone better. The restriction of some of these apps by Apple will probably be pretty disappointing, but we have to remember that they are a company who likes to keep everything pretty much under their control to make sure it is stable. Here are some of the apps that I would love to see on the iPhone, but the chances that Apple will allow them are slim. Firefox. Although I’m not sure if the developers over at Mozilla were planning on making a mobile Firefox for the iPhone, I’m almost positive Apple would block it anyway. Apple would obviously want their own browser, Safari Mobile, to do all the web searching and get the most market share. This is unfortunate, because I’m sure many people would love to use Firefox on their iPhone as it is a great browser (and sometimes faster than Safari). Turn by Turn Navigation. Whether Apple has plans to make their own turn by turn navigation app to integrate with Google Maps is unclear, but they probably won’t let other developers make one either way. Again, Apple sees this as a large market for the iPhone, especially considering it will have GPS. Apple will probably create their own and reap all the benefits. The only downer about Apple making their own is that some people may not like it, and the competition from other developers that Apple may block would only help Apple to improve theirs. What’s your opinion? What would you love to see in the iPhone but are afraid that Apple will not allow? Full Story » | Written by Josh Holat for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

iPresentee offers free images for iWeb, Pages and Keynote

Section: Software + Apps, Design, iLife, iWork, Mac + Computers, SoftwareiPresentee, a developer of add-ons for Apple’s iWork and iLife applications, has released free Keynote Objects, a package of images for Apple Keynote, iWeb and Pages. The package continas 100 easy to use Keynote Objects for decoration in iWeb websites, Keynote or PowerPoint presentations and Pages or Word documents. All Keynote Objects contain background transparency, and can therefore be used on any colored background. Each image can be changed in size, rotated, increased or decreased in opacity, fitted with shadows or even overlapped with one another to create extra effects.  Keynote Objects requires any Macintosh computer running Mac OS X with any version of Keynote, iWeb or Pages. They are also compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint and Word. The kicker, of course, is that Keynote Objects is being offered free of charge. Samples and more information about Keynote Objects are available immediately at the iPresentee website Product [Keynote Objects] Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Apple following iPod, PS2 model to sell 23m iPhones in one year

With a new price cut for the iPhone that hits the magic $199 mark, Apple is said to be following the same paths taken by the iPod and even the PlayStation 2 that triggered explosive growth and cemented both devices as champions in their fields. In...

Apple, O2 working together to allow Apple stores to sell iPhone 3G

Section: Apple News, Retail & Apple Store, iPhone + Communications, Carriers, iPhone There have been various reports on the internet that the new iPhone 3G will be available exclusively from O2 and Carphone Warehouse, not from Apple stores (in the UK, anyway). The reports came after the UK version of the iPhone site listed only O2 and Carphone Warehouse under “Where to Buy.” But, it seems Apple will indeed be selling the new iPhone in their stores, after all. MacWorld UK reports that O2 is working closely with Apple to enable them to sell the iPhone at the O2 subsidized cost throughout Apple stores in the UK. Apple currently can’t sell the iPhone 3G at its stores due to the need for credit checks (which Apple can’t currently do in-store) and because their staff is currently not trained to sell contracts, which is required for the iPhone 3G because it will be activated in-store only. “We are currently working closely with Apple to enable them to issue contracts in store. Full details are still to be confirmed,” explained a spokesperson for O2. The new iPhone, launching July 11th, will be available in the UK at O2 stores, The Carphone Warehouse, and, if all goes well, Apple stores too. I had a feeling that Apple would be selling in store; after all, it’s their product! Via [Macworld UK] Full Story » | Written by Steve Embleton for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

iPhone = iPorn?

Section: Apple, iPhone + Communications, iPhoneWell, I guess it had to happen sooner or later. Video tapes, DVDs, cell phones...all saw their push into the mainstream increase greatly once the porn industry got ahold of them, and now CNN is saying that the iPhone is “...increasingly the source of forbidden fruit.” Well, duh. Have you seen the quality of that screen? These kind of reports are always good for a laugh, mainly because it’s kind of obvious, isn’t it? Where there’s a video screen, there’s porn. But I always learn something I didn’t know. For instance, have you ever heard of “moan tones?” I’m guessing you can’t buy those through iTunes. In Europe, a video chatting market allows customers to pay an average of $50 a month to exchange dirty messages with actresses. However, the article goes on get iPhone specific: ...thanks in large part to the iPhone’s video dexterity, short clips are becoming a staple of the mobile porn business. The speed promised by the iPhone 2.0 is much anticipated. Google Trends, which measures Web buzz, shows a sharp increase over the past year in the popularity of the term “iPhone porn.” Guess we better add that to the keyword meta tags here at Appletell. The article gets even funnier, featuring quotes such as “It’s by far the porn-friendliest phone,” from Devan Cypher, representative for San Francisco–based Sin City Entertainment. I can’t help but think Apple is missing a great marketing opportunity by not putting that in the advertisements. I mean, the whole “iPhone 3G is an iPhone killer” theme is clever, but come on! iPhone 3X! Apple spokesoman Jennifer Bowcock is quick to point that Apple doesn’t condone iPhone porn distribution. This won’t stop iPhone users such as blogger Jason Swifter from dreaming, however. He wrote on his blog at iphonematters.com, “I wish there was an application that allowed you to undress people by dragging your fingers across the screen and literally dragging it off.” Whoa! Dude! I think you just created a new euphemism, there! iPhone users can look for this debate to heat up soon. On one hand, you have the porn industry: Sensing the start of a profitable new era for pocket porn, the adult entertainment industry is investing heavily and feverishly broadening its marketplace of iPhone porn. On the other hand, you’ve got angry parents and Ms. Bowcock: The genre’s availability could spark new demand for mobile-phone porn blockers, as parents realize that children could access adult content on Apple’s device. “Our iPhone 2.0 software will give customers the opportunity to turn on parental controls,” says Apple spokeswoman Bowcock. Of course, none of this is Apple’s fault. The porn industry will target any media device with a video screen, but the popularity of Apple’s iPhone and its easy-to-use web browser will undoubtedly make it a lightning rod for protest groups and media reports. The negative attention could hurt Apple, but not enough to offset the sales that will result as people see these reports and say, “What? I can get me some porn on that thing? Honey, do we got ourselves an Apple Store near here?” If Apple wants to “..figger out a way to keep the young ones moral after school” (thank you, Harold Hill), the best thing they can do is make sure iPhone users know all about Super Monkey Ball and such. After all, if you’ve got a choice between Jenna Jameson and a monkey on a ball, who are you going to pick? Via [Time.com] Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »