Apple's iPod Nano could return to taller form, rumor says

If there's one chameleon in Apple's iPod lineup, it's a close race between the iPod Nano and the Shuffle. Both have changed dramatically over the course of their respective product life spans, and a new rumor says it could happen all over again to the next Nano.

According to Japanese Apple-focused blog Macotakara, Apple's next iPod Nano will return to an earlier form of sorts, reverting back to the tried-and-true "oblong style" form factor. As a frame of reference, the current Nano is more like an iPod Shuffle, just with a touch screen on the front instead of click controls.

One curious thing about this rumor is what this means to the cottage industry that's been built up around using the iPod Nano as a watch. There have been numerous third-party accessories that use the iPod Nano as a digital time piece, so much so that Apple made it a point in one of its last major iPod Nano software updates to add additional faces.

The benefit in all this, Macotakara offers, is that the device will sport a dedicated home button, and run an iTunes app, presumably meaning it will have a fully working version of iOS. However, that would also put into question where such a device would fit in with Apple's iPod line, considering its proximity to the iPod Touch.

Apple's last major update to the iPod Nano was the move to a square, touch-screen form factor in September, 2010. Apple then quietly reduced the price of the 8GB model at its iPhone 4S event last year from $149 down to $129. The company typically updates its iPod lineup in the fall, just when school is beginning and just ahead of the holidays.

Macotakara's report, which was spotted by 9to5mac, contradicts a series of leaked photos that began in April of last year, depicting a sixth-generation style iPod Nano with a built-in camera. The camera was a feature included in an earlier generation of the Nano, which was nixed when the device was shrunk down.

This article comes from:http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57469637-37/apples-ipod-nano-could-return-to-taller-form-rumor-says/?part=rss&subj=crave&tag=title

Microsoft vows hardware fight with Apple

Microsoft is going to turn up the heat on Apple, with a more aggressive focus on hardware, CEO Steve Ballmer said in an interview with Computer Reseller News.

After making predictable declarations about advantages in the corporate "enterprise" software market, he said that "we are not going to let any piece of this [go uncontested to Apple]...Not the consumer cloud. Not hardware software innovation. We are not leaving any of that to Apple by itself. Not going to happen. Not on our watch,"according to CRN.

"Hardware-software innovation" is the operative phrase here, as that's the newest fight Microsoft is picking with Apple.

Microsoft is getting set to deliver its own PC for the first time in the company's history when Windows 8 rolls out later this year. Dubbed Surface, the line of tablets sports innovative keyboards -- allowing laptop-like functionality -- and includes models running Windows 8 for both Intel and ARM processors.

Ballmer recognizes that Apple has a distinct advantage by controlling both the hardware and software. That results in a taut hardware-software design, like the iPhone and iPad, which consumers obviously like.

"Right now we are working real hard on the Surface. That's the focus. That's our core. Look, we'll see what happens," he told CRN.

Where this strategy leaves its hardware partners like Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer, and Asus is not clear. Though he did say, "We do feel empowered to innovate everywhere and bring our partners with us."

This article comes from:http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57468996-92/microsoft-vows-hardware-fight-with-apple/

Apple faces new legal challenge in China

Apple is facing a new legal dispute in China - this time over Siri, its voice recognition software.The move comes just days after Apple paid $US60 million ($A59.04 million) to end a dispute over who could use the iPad name in China.

Shanghai Zhizhen Network Technology Co Ltd patented its Xiao i Robot software in 2004, while Apple's Siri, which made its debut with the release of the iPhone 4S last year, was first developed in 2007.

The Chinese company's version operates in a similar way to Apple's personal assistant and works on the iOS and Android operating systems.Si Weijiang, a lawyer acting for the Shanghai-based firm, said it had tried to contact Apple two months ago over the alleged infringement but received no response.

'We sent legal notices to Apple in May, but no one contacted us. We filed the lawsuit in late June to the Shanghai number one intermediate people's court,' Si told AFP.'Currently the case is now at the court-mediated stage.''We mainly ask Apple to stop infringing on our patent and cover the court costs, but once the court confirms Apple has infringed on our patent, we will propose compensation,' he added.

The company's chairman, Yuan Hui, told the Apple Daily newspaper that the firm had 100 million users in China.'People feel that China has no innovation, that companies here just copy. But in fact, we are leaders in our field, and we have created our own innovation,' Yuan told the paper.

It added that Apple was also facing legal action from another Chinese company for allegedly infringing its 'Snow Leopard' trademark.The High Court of the southern province of Guangdong said on Monday that Apple had paid $US60 million to settle a long-running legal battle with Chinese computer maker Shenzhen Proview Technology over the iPad name.

Both Proview, based in the southern city of Shenzhen, and Apple had claimed ownership of the Chinese rights to the 'iPad' trademark.Proview's Taiwanese affiliate registered 'iPad' as a trademark in several countries including China as early as 2000 - years before Apple began selling its hugely successful tablet computer.

Analysts said the Chinese government wanted the matter resolved, wary of the damage a ruling against Apple could do for the foreign business climate in China.

Greater China - which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan - is Apple's fastest-growing region, with revenues second only to the United States.

This article comes from:http://www.skynews.com.au/tech/article.aspx?id=769717

Apple, Google remove Trojan spamming app from stores

Apple and Google removed an app from their app stores after it was revealed to be harvesting users' phone contacts as spam targets.

The Find and Call app was originally thought to be an SMS worm but later discovered to be a Trojan, according toKaspersky Lab. The Russian software security firm said it alerted by Apple and Google to the presence of the malware in their stores, leading to the app's removal.

Apple confirmed it removed the app for violating App Store rules."The Find & Call app has been removed from the App Store due to its unauthorized use of users' Address Book data, a violation of App Store guidelines," Apple spokesperson Trudy Muller told CNET.

CNET has also contacted Google for comment and will update this report when we learn more.The app required users to register their e-mail address and phone number and then would offer to find friends from users' phone book. The phone book data would then be captured and transmitted to a remote server, Kaspersky said.

The malware would then spam the user's contacts with text messages that appeared to come from the original user and including links to download the malware."The 'from' field contains the user's cellphone number," the report says. "In other words, people will receive an SMS spam message from a trusted source."

Both the iOS and Android versions also uploaded users' GPS coordinates to the remote server. The app also allowed users to enter information for social networks, e-mail, and even PayPal.

The app's author told Russian blogAppleInsider.ru that the app was still in beta and blamed a "failure of one of the components" for the spam. "This bug is in process of fixing," the app author said in a translated e-mail.

While malware is no stranger to Google's app store, Kaspersky points out that this is a first for Apple."It is worth mentioning that there have not been any incidents of malware inside the iOS Apple App Store since its launch 5 years ago," Kaspersky Lab said.

The malware discovery comes as Apple grapples with a binary corruption problem that led to incomplete app downloads and app crashes. After reports of the problem surfaced, Apple acknowledged the issue and said was working on a solution.

This article comes from:http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57467274-83/apple-google-remove-trojan-spamming-app-from-stores/

what iphone video player do you like?

iPhone has published for several years,we all know that watching video maybe a good feeling on iPhone,but how many iphone video player do you know?

There are 7 iPhone video player,which one do you like best?
1. QuickTime Player
2. MplayerX
3. Movist
4. VLC Media Player
5. RealPlayer
6. Plex
7. XBMC
I have used most of them,I like QuickTime Player,because it play video fluently,and it also can play many video formats,Of course,the other iPhone video players are also OK.If you have not try the other video players,you can have a try!

I have searched some information about these iphone video players,each has its own character,like the MplayerX,it has Clear pictures of the video.

Like QuickTime X, if you choose to have your video playing in a window, rather than maximised, all of the title bars of the window and any playback controls that are present will disappear.

Apple Will Release $299 iPad Mini in October

A research analyst claims that Apple will unveil a 7.85-inch iPad Mini with 8GB of memory in October.Fresh off the heels of Google’s own 7-inch tablet, new rumors are still firing about the same-sized iPad. Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves suggests that the 7.85-inch iPad Mini will debut in Q4.

“We anticipate an entry-level 7.80-inch iPad with 8GB of NAND capacity to price at $299 with an initial gross margin of 31%,” wrote Hargreaves, in a research noteposted last Thursday.

Hargreaves went on to claim that the iPad Mini will probably cannibalize some of the larger iPad sales. Hargreaves told CNET that Apple would most likely kill off the $399 iPad 2 to make way for a 16GB iPad Mini.

“We estimate Apple will sell 10.0 million 7.85-inch iPads in FQ1 (Dec. 2012) and 35.2 million in all of F2013,” he said. “Based on estimated component order volume, we believe our iPad Mini unit estimates are well within Apple’s production capacity. We anticipate 25% cannibalization of the larger 9.7-inch iPad (for every four 7.85-inch iPads added, we reduced our 9.7-inch iPad estimate by one), so our total F2013 iPad estimate increases to 91.6 million from 65.2 million.”

Rumors of a smaller iPad started circulating when Tim Cook took the reins as Apple CEO. Cook’s predecessor, the late Steve Jobs, famously had a dim view of the 7-inch form factor.

In recent months, TabTimes has learned that Apple has reportedly been testing a 7.85-inch iPad at its offices in Cupertino, while other sources (including Samsung) have claimed that the device could pop up as early as September.

This article comes from:http://mashable.com/2012/07/02/apple-ipad-mini-october/

Brand New iPhone App Allows Australian Sales Reps To Process Orders Instantly While On The Road

JobSync is a mobile ordering system for sales reps, enabling them to take orders and process them instantly from their iPhone to better serve the customers while on the road. Reps can also access live inventory levels, avoiding customers ordering out of stock products and improving information flow.

The original software was designed by Damian Smith from software development companySyncIT. Having performed as a stable platform across Windows Mobile devices for years, Damian and his team decided to extend its reach to iPhone, and has seen massive public interest generate around the app in a short time.

SyncIT started over ten years ago, and has been tasked with designing creative online and mobile solutions for a number of clients – building systems to manage the transport of coal, to treatment cycles for cancer patients.“After witnessing wholesalers struggling with their order systems on a daily basis, we have come up with a one-stop solution for sales reps which will improve productivity and turn-around time, as well as reduce human error,” Mr Smith says.

“We saw a need for a simple yet effective way to remove the paperwork involved in the sales process. We wanted to give business owners the opportunity to improve their day to day operations, customer satisfaction, increase cash flow and ultimately grow their business.”

By downloading JobSync onto their iPhone or Windows mobile device, sales reps can check on the client’s account history before knocking on their door. They can access the client’s last order, check live stock levels and place an order based on that, also ensuring that the order is linked directly into their account system.

Should the client want to check out new products, the sales rep can also display the latest catalogue directly from their mobile. Orders placed in the field go directly through the warehouse, where the product is packed and dispatched – saving time and money. Lost order sheets and ordering products that are out of stock are a thing of the past.“We’ve designed JobSync to work anywhere and everywhere. Even if you’re out of mobile coverage, you can continue working offline, knowing the data is secure and the order will be sent through when mobile coverage is available again,” says Mr Smith.

“You need to be one step ahead of your competitors – you can’t afford for the order sheet to go missing or to expect clients to wait for out of stock products to arrive. JobSync puts your business ahead of the game and frankly I don’t think it can afford to operate without it.”

This article comes from:http://www.sfgate.com/business/prweb/article/Brand-New-iPhone-App-Allows-Australian-Sales-Reps-3677728.php