Leander Kahney's Blog, page 1447

December 20, 2011

Apple Is Now Replacing First-Gen iPod Nanos With Current Sixth-Gen Models

It seems Apple's stock of refurbished first-generation iPod nanos has now run out following the launch of its worldwide replacement program last month. Customers who have applied for a replacement device in recent weeks report that they are now set to receive the current sixth-generation model instead.

Shortly after the first batch of first-generation iPod nanos were sent out — which was almost immediately after Apple announced the replacement program — users began complaining of slow turnaround times for both receiving their shipping boxes and for receiving their replacement iPods from Apple, apparently due to shortages with both items, according to MacRumors.

It would appear now, however, that Apple's stock of first-generation iPod nanos has gone, and lucky customers are receiving the current-generation device instead:

Several users have reported over the past few days that they have received emails acknowledging shipment of their replacement device's and checking the serial numbers of the replacement devices on Apple's support site has shown them to be sixth-generation models.

According to the report, however, none of these customers have actually received their replacement device yet, and so it's possibly their serial numbers are simply registering incorrectly in Apple's database.

Apple has been contacted for clarification on the situation, but before the company responds, they may have already received their devices, with delivery expected this Wednesday.

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Published on December 20, 2011 04:02

December 19, 2011

Apple Offering Bejeweled iPhone Game For Free On Facebook [Deal]

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Apple is offering the popular Bejeweled game for free to customers who 'like' the App Store on Facebook. The limited-time sale is a continuation of app giveaways that Apple has been offering on Facebook for the last couple of months.

Pop Cap's Bejeweled normally sells for $0.99 in the App Store. The iPhone game can be downloaded with a free promo code by simply visiting Apple's App Store page on Facebook. Once you have 'liked' the page and requested your free app, a link will take you to the iTunes Store and your download will start.

(via iDownloadBlog)

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Published on December 19, 2011 21:12

Apple Wins Huge Battle Against HTC In US Patent Case, HTC Fighting Back [Report]

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The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) has ruled in favor of Apple and declared a ban on the import of many HTC devices in the US, including flagship phones like the Sprint Evo 4G and Verizon Droid Incredible. The ruling would effectively end HTC's business in the US.

After a lengthy back-and-forth between the two companies, the ITC has ruled that HTC infringes on two of Apple's patents. Should the President of the United States decide to let the decision pass through, the ban will be put into effect on April 19, 2012. HTC plans to implement "alternate solutions" to combat the ruling.

The Verge reports:

After a lengthy review, the Commission found that HTC devices infringe two claims of patent #5,946,647, which is a system level patent issued in 1999 on analyzing and linking data structures— ultimately implicating the heart of Android itself and not HTC's specific implementation.The decision now goes to the desk of the president, who has 60 days to issue a rarely-used veto; the ban itself will go into effect on April 19, 2012 to provide HTC with a transition period, and HTC will be allowed to import refurbished products for warranty replacement purposes until December 19, 2013.

Due to the nature of the exclusion order in the ruling, HTC devices that are already being sold in the US shouldn't be affected. But until the cases of infringement are fixed by HTC, Apple could use its newfound clout to go after all of the HTC phones running the newer versions of Android (2.3, 3.0, and 4.0).

Apple could theoretically use this new ruling to go after any other Android handset maker, as the main patent in question is a system level part of the Android OS. HTC has said that it will simply remove the infringing patent from its phones. The company called it a "small UI experience" in an official statement:

We are gratified that the Commission affirmed the judge's initial determination on the '721 and '983 patents, and reversed its decision on the '263 patent and partially on the '647 patent. We are very pleased with the determination and we respect it. However, the '647 patent is a small UI experience and HTC will completely remove it from all of our phones soon.

Apple's official response:

We think competition is healthy but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.

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Published on December 19, 2011 20:45

Jaw-Dropping Update for iPhone Navigation App of The Year Localscope

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Though it wasn't in our readers' top 10, Apple named Localscope the best navigation app of 2011. Yeah, well they ain't seen nuthin' — its new update adds a whole new exploratory facet to the app that's arguably cooler than the app's original focus.

Open the app up, and a new "Discover" button leads to recent geotagged events for all the major social media platforms, and then some: Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, even Panoramio (how weird is this: I just walked up to a neighbor at the Starbucks I'm currently stationed in and showed him the Instagram photo he just posted).

And it's the attention to detail — and, well, just beauty — of the new feature that's so impressive. Each instance comes with a tiny thumbnail, distance to the event and a little compass pointer that displays relative bearing to the event from your current location. Well worth the $2.

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Published on December 19, 2011 19:52

Rode Podcaster USB Microphone: You're Going To Like The Way You Sound, I Guarantee It [Review]

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If you've spent much time podcasting, Skyping, recording any kind of audio on your Mac, you've no doubt found its built-in microphone woefully inadequate. Well if you're ready to toss down some Benjamins for an upgrade, the Rode Podcaster Microphone ($230) is a rich-sounding, easy-to-use option you should consider.

The Good:

Rich and true — that's how I would describe the Podcaster audio quality. During Skype calls and podcasts, my voice always sounded great and people could tell my audio had been significantly upgraded. Rode is a microphone company, and I can tell the Podcaster was built as a proper mic first, and a computer mic second. I also love that Rode didn't try to make the Podcaster a jack-of-all-trades. This mic was built to be a high-quality, dead-easy way to bring your voice into your computer, and that's exactly what it is.

So how easy is it to use? How's this: you take it out of the box, plug it into your Mac via USB, then select it from your audio input sources. Done. It's USB powered, so no XLR cables, no phantom power or expensive Mac audio interfaces needed. In fact, though I have other professional vocal mics laying around, the Podcaster's ease-of-use has made it my go-to mic when I need to do most anything voice related. Why mess with an audio interface and XLR if you're not recording an album?

Additional features I like include a zero-lag audio out jack (with a volume knob) you can use to monitor your sound and a little green light that tells you when it's powered on.

And finally, a quick thought about the Podcaster's build quality. This microphone feels like it's hewn from a solid metal ingot. It has a heft that exudes "well-made," and feels great in the hand. Nothing about it feels cheap or compromised. It even comes with a ten year warranty — ten years!

The Bad:

In order to get the best sound from the Podcaster, you're going to need to get your lips literally right in front of the mic, and in order to accomplish that, you're going to need to cough up extra cash for a microphone shock mount and studio arm. Sure, you could use a $15 desktop mic stand to hold the Podcaster, but you'd always be arching your neck forward to get your lips where they need to be — hello neck pain. A shock mount/studio arm combo is really the way to go, and together those will run you another $150.

A lesser gripe: I wish the Podcaster had a mute button like other USB mics on the market. Seems like a small addition easily remedied by hitting mute in your software, but eventually you'll forget to unmute yourself and spend 30 seconds as a moving mouth with no audio on that video podcast you do… not that that's happened to me personally more than once./p>

Verdict:

The ease of plug-n-play; solid build; great audio; the Rode Podcaster is an easy product to recommend if you have need for a good computer mic – just be prepared for a cramped neck if you don't spring for that studio arm.

Rating: ★★★★☆

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Published on December 19, 2011 19:00

VoxOx iPhone App Adds Outbound Faxing, Realtime SMS Translator

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VoxOx's free telephony app was already heavy on features when it launched earlier this year. Now it adds two more big features: outbound faxing capability (previously the app only had the ability to receive faxes) and two-way, realtime SMS translations.

Simply photograph the document to fax using the iPhone's camera, and the app can send the document to a fax number within the U.S. and Canada. Prices are a cent per minute of transmission to send a fax; receiving faxes are free to your VoxOx number. VoxOx says the app might work internationally — albeit with higher prices (rates here) — but they don't guarantee transmission, so use at your own risk.

The second new feature, realtime SMS translation, allows two-way realtime translations between English and 36 other languages — great for texting that Norwegian exchange student you got cozy with in economics class. Again, prices are inexpensive, with one-cent texts within the U.S. and Canada, and two-cents per text worldwide (as with faxes, receiving texts are free with a VoxOx number).

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Published on December 19, 2011 18:00

More People Use Facebook On Android Than The iPhone [Report]

According to a report from

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Published on December 19, 2011 14:11

AT&T Backs Out Of T-Mobile Merger, Takes $4 Billion Hit [Report]

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AT&T has officially backed out its proposed merger with T-Mobile. The deal has been undergoing intense scrutiny from the FCC and DOJ. A $4 billion pre-tax fee charge will be paid by AT&T as agreed upon.

While a complete merger is officially dead, AT&T and T-Mobile have said that they will enter "a mutually beneficial roaming agreement" to offer better service to customers.

With the $39 billion merger down the toilet, things aren't looking good for T-Mobile.

AT&T's full press release:

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) said today that after a thorough review of options it has agreed with Deutsche Telekom AG to end its bid to acquire T-Mobile USA, which began in March of this year.

The actions by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice to block this transaction do not change the realities of the U.S. wireless industry. It is one of the most fiercely competitive industries in the world, with a mounting need for more spectrum that has not diminished and must be addressed immediately. The AT&T and T-Mobile USA combination would have offered an interim solution to this spectrum shortage. In the absence of such steps, customers will be harmed and needed investment will be stifled.

"AT&T will continue to be aggressive in leading the mobile Internet revolution," said Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and CEO. "Over the past four years we have invested more in our networks than any other U.S. company. As a result, today we deliver best-in-class mobile broadband speeds – connecting smartphones, tablets and emerging devices at a record pace – and we are well under way with our nationwide 4G LTE deployment.

"To meet the needs of our customers, we will continue to invest," Stephenson said. "However, adding capacity to meet these needs will require policymakers to do two things. First, in the near term, they should allow the free markets to work so that additional spectrum is available to meet the immediate needs of the U.S. wireless industry, including expeditiously approving our acquisition of unused Qualcomm spectrum currently pending before the FCC. Second, policymakers should enact legislation to meet our nation's longer-term spectrum needs.

"The mobile Internet is a dynamic industry that can be a critical driver in restoring American economic growth and job creation, but only if companies are allowed to react quickly to customer needs and market forces," Stephenson said.

To reflect the break-up considerations due Deutsche Telekom, AT&T will recognize a pretax accounting charge of $4 billion in the 4th quarter of 2011. Additionally, AT&T will enter a mutually beneficial roaming agreement with Deutsche Telekom.

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Published on December 19, 2011 13:46

Siri Plays Piano Like Beethoven [Video]

We've seen Siri do nearly everything imaginable, but did you know that Apple's virtual assistant is also a musician? The Yamaha Disklavier can be controlled by Siri, as demonstrated in the above video.

Siri takes a song from your iPhone's Music library and sends it through an Airport Express to then get analyzed and played perfectly by the piano. Hey, it's a lot easier than learning the piano yourself, right?

Yamaha explained the way this setup works to The Loop:

Take a standard MIDI songfile and convert it to an audio file (while maintaining the MIDI data). The songfile is then sent wirelessly via WiFi to an Apple Airport Express (which is mounted underneath a Yamaha Disklavier reproducing piano. The audio output of the Airport Express is then connected to the analog MIDI inputs of the Disklavier, using a standard audio cable.

Then, you simply ask Siri to play your favorite song from your iTunes library, and Siri responds immediately, by making the Disklavier's keys and pedal move up and down, recreating the performance, including full orchestration.

Pretty dang cool.

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Published on December 19, 2011 13:30

Grab Your Popcorn And Batarang, The Dark Knight Rises Trailer Is Now Available In iTunes

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Apple has posted two HD trailers for Christopher Nolan's highly-anticpated Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises. While you'll have to wait until summer of 2012 to watch the whole thing, 3:41 minutes of glorious footage is available from the movie trailer section of iTunes right now.

If you need more of a Batman fix, the 6-minute prologue to The Dark Knight Rises is showing before Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol in IMAX. The official trailer is also showing before Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

Don't forget that you can see these trailers and more in Apple's official Trailers app for the iPhone and iPad.