Apple releases iOS 5 beta 6 to developers

Apple has released yet another beta version of its iOS 5 software to developers this morning, marking the sixth since offering a test version of the software in June.

Boy Genius Report has posted a full change log of the update, and it appears to be mostly bug fixes, short of some additions to interface builder, the tools that let developers put together their applications. As BGR also notes, unlike the last beta, this one is not requiring developers to do a clean wipe of their testing devices ahead of installing the software.

Apple has said it will release iOS 5 to users as a free update this fall. The company typically seeds several beta versions of its major software releases to developers ahead of time to work out any bugs and give the developers time to integrate new features and APIs into their applications. This is just the latest in a long series of software releases leading up to the public availability.

Of note, today's release comes some two days after a supposed release date found inside the code of the previous developer build. So far, Apple has released a new version of the software roughly every two weeks.

The new version of the software brings an overhaul of the notifications system, alongside a new messaging platform called iMessage that lets iOS users text and chat with one another free of charge. The software is also deeply tied to Apple's upcoming iCloud service, which will be used to ferry photos, applications, and settings back and forth between iOS devices, as well as serve as a free backup solution.

Source : cnet

Universal starts offering movies to rent on Facebook

Following in the footsteps of Warner Bros., Universal Pictures has started offering movies to rent on Facebook. The movie studio is starting off by letting Facebook users rent The Big Lebowskidirectly through the movie’s Facebook Page in conjunction with the film’s HD release on Blu-ray this week.

The film is available for 30 Facebook Credits ($3) for a 48-hour rental window, but only to consumers in the US. The Big Lebowski is rated R and thus can only be rented by Facebook users who are at least 17 years of age.

It’s clear that Universal is interested in adding more movies in the near future. The company has partnered with F-commerce developer Milyoni and its Social Theater app that allows Facebook users to rent, view, and interact with movies on Facebook. For The Big Lebowski specifically, users who rent the film can pass along a $1 discount off the rental for up to five friends through Facebook’s Buy With Friends platform.

The app integrates social features into all aspects of the movie rental experience:

• View, Like, share comments, invite, and chat live with other fans across different locations directly from Facebook.
• View comments and/or likes at specific points of the stream.
• Easily share movies, concerts, sporting clips or quotes via a message, status update, or wall post.
• Send discounts to a group of friends using Facebook Credits through the Group Buy feature.
• Take advantage of incentives that can be applied to future content purchases.
• Share comments only with friends or broaden to all Facebook users via new privacy sharing options.
• Experience insider commentary at particular points of the feed from the cast, directors, producers, athletes, promoters, or musicians through new expert views.
• View in full-screen.

“What Zynga is to social gaming, Milyoni is to social entertainment,” John Corpus, founder and CEO of Milyoni, said in a statement. “Social Theater is quickly becoming the most popular social platform for on-demand movies, concerts and other live events deployed on Facebook.”

As I’ve said before, the movie pricing structure on Facebook is still a little steep. $3.00 for a movie isn’t exactly cheap when you can rent it on iTunes for the same price for 30 days (although you only have 24 hours to finish the movie once you’ve started watching it). Also, don’t forget that a Netflix subscription is only $8 per month now in the US and Canada.

Facebook should make a point to partner with multiple movie studios and can convince them to offer aggressive pricing in the hundreds of countries the social network is available in. The social network has the potential to transform the movie industry, but at this rate it’s definitely not going to happen.

Report: Retina display iPad 3 to hit in 'early' 2012

Pouring cold water on reports that Apple intends to launch the next version of the iPad inside of this year, a new report says the company has yet to hit the trial production phase of the device.

A super high-resolution 10.1-inch panel from 

Nouvoyance that debuted earlier this year, similar 

to what's reported to make it into the iPad 3.

(Credit: Nouvoyance)

The Wall Street Journal says (subscription required) Apple is still in the process of pulling together parts from various vendors for a trial production of the device, which the Journal says is expected to begin sometime in October. A release is said to follow sometime early next year.

Previous reports hinted that Apple might surprise with a new model in time for this year's holiday shopping season.

One point of note from the Journal's report is that Apple is, in fact, planning to offer a so-called Retina display. That's a panel that has a pixel density that's high enough that the human eye can't make out pixels on things like text and rounded corners. For the iPad, that means the screen size remains the same as it's been in the first two models, except with double the resolution, or 2,048x1,536 pixels. Apple first introduced Retina displays to its own products with the iPhone 4, and it's since filtered down to the latest generation iPod touch as well.

The news follows a report last month by The Korea Times saying both Samsung and LG were vying to producehigher resolution display panels for Apple's iPad follow-up. A report from Digitimes earlier this week claimed neither company was reaching good enough yields of the display, which it said was keeping Apple from delivering a new version of the device this year.

A release early next year would coincide with the launch scheduling of the previous two devices. The original iPad was launched on April 3, 2010, with its successor arriving less than a year later on March 2, 2011

Gadget helps answer if a plug-in car is right for you

Whether an electric car or plug-in hybrid makes sense for an individual doesn't have to be based on gut feeling.

A small company called EV Profiler is trying to take the guesswork out of an electric car decision by creating a multi-day virtual test drive. A piece of hardware tracks driving patterns and then an online application generates reports to simulate how an electric vehicle would perform.

The data logger which attaches to your windshield and plugs into cigarette lighter port.

(Credit: EV Profiler)

The company's business plan is to rent out its in-car device, called a Driving Data Recorder (DDR), to prospective plug-in car buyers, including fleet operators, and to make them available to consumers through dealerships.

Users get a comparison with their current car, showing how much gas or electricity would be used and what the different operating costs are. In the future, the company plans to add an environmental comparison. The simulations initially measure how your driving translates to the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, and the 2012 electric Ford Focus, although other plug-in cars are planned.

EV Profiler decided to make its own device because using a location service from something like Google Maps isn't accurate enough to measure speed and position, according to president John Collings. Measuring altitude accurately, in particular, is important because hilly terrain can make big impact on the energy needs of a driver.

A report based on driving patterns to compare how much electricity or gas would be used and the comparative costs.

(Credit: EV Profiler)

"This started as an iPhone app but we just couldn't get the accuracy we needed," Collings said. The DDR, which uses the same GPS receiver used in aircraft, also has an accelerometer to measure tilt and minor motion. Overall, he estimates that the device is three percent accurate now and can be improved over time.

The device itself attaches to the windshield with suction cups and plugs into the car's 12-volt port for power. A text is sent every day to the driver's cell phone with the latest results and people can get Web-based reports.

Driving conditions and driving patterns, including how quickly a person accelerates, have a significant impact on the performance of plug-in vehicles. In addition to driving style, very hot or very cold temperatures can degrade the range of batteries. GM, for instance, says the battery-only range of the Volt can be as little as 25 miles with aggressive driving and the heater on but go as high as 50 miles.

The first buyers of plug-in vehicles are largely EV enthusiasts. But Collings designed the system for mainstream consumers and fleet operators who need tools to learn about the new technology. "So far the most immediate interest has come from fleet managers wanting to back up their intuitions with facts," he said.

The company plans to rent the DDR for $25 a week or $82 a month. Since it's so new, there is limited inventory; the company plans to have more available in two to three months.

Source : cnet

Google Sites pages get fine-tuned visibility control

Google has added the ability to control who can see and edit specific Web pages in its Google Sites service.

Google Sites hosts Web pages and is available to personal users or those using the Google Apps service. Previously site permissions were an all-or-nothing affair, but on Thursday, Google enabled the finer-grained controls.

"Using page-level permissions, you can make some pages private for certain users while keeping other pages public for everyone to see," said programmer Eric Zhang in a blog post. "For instance, let's say you have a Google Site that you've shared with your team and your manager. You can allow your team to see one set of pages, let your manager edit another set of pages, and keep yet another set of pages private for only you."

The feature is turned off by default. It can be enabled by clicking More Actions then Sharing and Permissions. When the feature is turned on, site owners can give specific individuals privileges with specific pages. Page permissions can be inherited from others to simplify the process.

There's still plenty of work to be done on Google Apps, though, especially given Google's belief that its Web-based nature makes it more naturally suited to collaboration than Microsoft Office and Exchange.

"Nice," said one commenter about the per-page permissions in response to the blog post. "Even nicer would be [the] ability to password protect opening of individual Google Docs files."

Source : cnet

Five freeware gems for Windows

Wow. You people know your freeware! A few weeks ago, when I asked you to name your freeware favorites, I never dreamed I'd get more than 400 responses--some of which listed programs and utilities that were new to me. (And here I thought I knew them all.)

I'm still sifting through those replies, looking for recurring favorites and investigating some of the suggestions. In the meantime, I thought I'd share a handful of freeware goodies that I know and love--and that I neglected to mention the first time around. (Actually, one of them is a product many of youknow and love, one I fully intend to check out.)

1. Fences  Best. Program. Ever. This fantastic utility corrals your desktop icons into customizable groups--little windows for Windows--thus keeping everything neat and orderly. Once you start using it, you'll wonder how you worked without it for so long--and why Microsoft didn't build it into Windows 7.

2. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware This is my go-to rescue tool for systems that have suffered malware infections. Just the other day I used it to clean a neighbor's Trojan-riddled laptop. Just drop it on your flash drive, then run it as needed. I've yet to encounter a bit of malware it couldn't send back to hell.

3. SoftMaker Office 2008 Two things I especially like about this Microsoft Office alternative: it's fast (unlike somesuites I could name), and it used to cost money. See, once SoftMaker moved on to Office 2010, it started giving away the 2008 version free of charge. How awesome is that! Makes me think seriously about paying for the upgrade.

4. TeamViewer  I love a good screen-sharing tool, especially one that offers a remote-control option for remote tech support. It doesn't matter if you're the helper or the helpee--remote control is a million times easier than trying to troubleshoot over the phone. TeamViewer lets you share desktops and connect to remote PCs. Even itsAndroid and iOS companion apps are free.

5. WizMouse Not to put too fine a point on it, but I can no longer use a Windows PC that doesn't have WizMouse installed. Its purpose: to make your mouse wheel work wherever your mouse is pointed. Windows should do that automatically, but until it does, this utility works wonders.

Source : cnet

Green Gadget: Logitech solar keyboard for Mac

I literally just put a new wireless keyboard on my shopping list as I shuffle around some of the equipment in my home office and get ready to donate the old stuff (no e-waste here!). Lo and behold, Logitech has come out with the Macintosh edition of the wireless solar keyboard that I wrote about a few weeks back and coveted.

Like its PC-focused sibling, the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac uses onboard solar cells to self-power using either sunlight or ambient light. No more batteries. On a full charge, it can work up to three months in total darkness. It connects via a 2.4 gigahertz wireless Unifying receiver.

The keyboard is shipping in the United States and Europe. It carries a suggested retail price of $59.99 and it comes in five colors: black (pictured), white, blue, green and pink.

Source: zdnet

New Facebook layout starts rolling out: What's new

Further to initial testing of the new Facebook layout, it seems the new layout is appearing on more and more screens.

Facebook has not seen a redesign to its News Feed area in over 16 months, it is understood and clear to see that advertising space — through sponsored stories and adverts — will regain prominent focus for Facebook users, in a bid to boost overall revenue.

Though the basic layout has changed slightly, Facebook keeps much of the same content. However, many will discover duplicates for now — one can presume until further tweaks are made to boost reported click-through rates for ‘unfiltered content’.

There are two key changes you need to be aware of — before you see the new layout, panic, and take to the groups to complain:

Highlighting: Facebook’s new highlighting feature is not yet clear, but shows some interesting functionality.

In short, you can hover over a status or an update and select the: “This is a highlight” option. While I suspect this is for a later feature, yet to be fully developed or rolled out, it temporarily ’sticks’ that status or update to your news feed.

It could be used to highlight favourite statuses, updates and ‘likes’ later on, in a retrospective look back at your time on the site — similar to that of Facebook Memories, which has yet to see the light of day.

Ticker: The fixed ticker on the right hand side of the screen displays all of your social networks’ updates, from friends’ statuses, along with updates from your pages and applications. This, in effect, is your unfiltered news feed.

Unlimited in length, it constantly updates you on the going’s on of your friends — taking on the permissions you set when you decide to hide a friend or a particular update still.

It is, in effect, an expanded view of the newly released Facebook game ticker, which was rolled out to counter the Google+ offensive.

Logitech's G300 9-button gaming mouse is for the win, $40

Getting tired of hitting the wrong keystroke bindings when you play World of Warcraft? Logitech’s G300 9-button ambidextrous gaming mouse could help you slay Deathwing.

The G300 comes with software where you can map your key combos to each of the nine buttons, so you can focus on upping your kill/death ratio rather than just playing your keyboard like a piano. Its on-board memory even lets you save the button configurations for up to three different games or players, and assign a different color to each profile so you can see right away which profile is active (see below). So you can plug this USB mouse into any machine and game with your configurations right away.

With a speedy one-millisecond report rate, and 2500 DPI optical sensor, this wired mouse “tracks slow or fast movements on a wide variety of surfaces, so you get exactly the action you want from every incremental hand movement,” according to its press release. The central DPI shift button will also let you switch up the mouse’s sensitivity for when you need to line up that perfect head-shot. Its sculpted shape for either hand should make your MMO and FPS marathon more comfortable.

This Logitech G300 will be hitting stores in Europe and North America in September, for $39.99.


Source: zdnet

WebOS goes down in quiet death

In the end, Hewlett-Packard had as much luck with webOS as Palm did. Maybe even less.

So long, TouchPad, we hardly knew you.

H-P said today it would discontinue operations for devices running on the webOS, including its recently launched TouchPad and smartphones.

The sudden death of webOS, which won critical acclaim but little commercial success, underscored the brutally competitive nature of the smartphone operating system. With a much smaller scale relative to the likes of Apple's iOS or Google's Android, it had a high initial obstacle to clear. The slick software may not have ever had a chance to begin with.

Palm bungled the debut of the software, choosing to go with a then-weak No. 3 carrier Sprint Nextel as its sole partner. It compounded the error with a wave of head-scratching advertisements that did little to sell the benefits of the phone. The software also never got the corresponding quality hardware from Palm, resulting in cheap-feeling devices.

H-P hardly did better. Its first H-P-branded device was the tiny Veer, which looked more like a toy than a genuine smartphone. It still never found a carrier partner for the Pre 3, which was supposed to be the revamped flagship phone. The TouchPad tablet, meanwhile, suffered from an underwhelming launch, with reports of Best Buy sitting on piles of unsold inventory.

"H-P has had Palm for more than a year and has failed to demonstrate any traction," said Maribel Lopez, an analyst at Lopez Research.

For now, the smartphone market is largely a two-horse race dominated by Apple and Google. With Research in Motion reeling with its software transition and Microsoft still trying to gain awareness for its Windows Phone software, it's easy to see how webOS could have struggled with only a single supporter in H-P.

Source: cnet

Datacenter power outage and DDoS attack cripples VoIP vendor

Ooma, a VoIP provider had the dual inconveniences of what they described as a “rare” partial power failure at their unnamed datacenter provider and what appeared to be asimultaneous DDoS attack on their corporate website, which left their customers unable to use their service, or even check on the status of their accounts while Ooma rushed to recover from the problems.

The service was only down for three hours, starting at 5:40 AM Pacific Time, which means that the issue was resolved by the time West Coast customers got to their offices, but anyone further east would have found their business impacted by the outage. Given that Ooma’s primary marketing approach is for their free home phone service it is likely that their customers, who are home users, would have been somewhat in the dark about what was going on and tried to connect to the company website.  According to the Ooma corporate blog, it was the sudden rush of customers, that no longer had phone services, trying to access the corporate home page that caused what appeared to be a DDoS attack.

Of course, the explanation is of little value to customers who found themselves without service. This is true of any cloud-based outage; customers won’t care why it happened, they just don’t want it to happen again.  And it is the primary Achilles Heel of cloud based services; anything that can cause a service interruption eventually will, and it is next to impossible to prevent every potential failure.

In a short span of time where we have seen major cloud providers such as Amazon and Microsoft have significant problems keeping their services up and running, most people are taking careful looks at the SLAs that are coming along with their cloud based service providers. The more professionally paranoid are reminded of the old adage “Once is an accident, twice a coincidence, three times is enemy action.”