Today's MU PROMO offers 60% savings on Phone Amego (Family Pack) 1.4_9. "Phone Amego integrates your mobile and VoIP phones with your Mac. With handy features like on-screen caller ID and dialing directly from Address Book, Daylite, and selected text you’ll wonder how you ever lived without Phone Amego."
Major/Minor Threat to Apple's living room vision: Microsoft's new Xbox One game+media hub?
Vote for the results in the left column below or go straight to the results here.
Wednesday Highlights: Tim Cook goes to Washington, under fire from the US Senate over offshore tax shelters including Ireland, China, makes no apologies, defending his company and telling senators they need to fix the tax system; Cook even plays a little Genius Bar as Senator John McCain complains of having to constantly update apps on is iPhone; plenty more in our Apple/Macintosh, Op/Ed, and Finances sections; Apple claiming Samsung Galaxy S4 infringes on five patents including customizations Samsung has done on the Android Jelly Bean OS; a "sophisticated 'operation hangover' gang in India" said to be responsible for new OS X Oslo malware; Mactuts+ offers help for those having issues downloading apps from the Mac App Store; Macworld shows you where to get some nice, free or low-cost fonts; and the staff at Macworld have another tutorial for switchers from Windows to OS X; and here's how to sync calendars for those of you balancing between Mountain Lion and Snow Leopard systems; according to new stats, Samsung and Motorola have cut Apple's lead in customer satisfaction by half; Apple updates online store in preparation for Father's Day; TechHive shows you which major US carriers have the most LTE throughout the states; Tim Cook says the USA-made Macs are to be built in the great state of Texas, with Apple spending $100 billion in the endeavor; Flickr, Vimeo integration rumored for iOS 7, and a couple interesting iPhone 6 concepts hit the web; LAPTOP Mag gets a hands-on with LifeProof's Fre iPad mini case; is Apple held to different standards than other companies?; Rush Limbaugh has no love for the Senates "high-tech lynching" of Apple; Microsoft's Xbox One means "goodbye freedom".
WEDNESDAY BLOWOUT: Every NEW or RENEWING paid subscriber receives 2 YEARS FREE.
"Apple, HTC Move Toward U.S. Ruling: Apple Inc.'s claims that some smartphones running Google Inc.'s Android software copy its inventions are approaching their first big judgment day in the U.S." WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 3:32 PM
"Is Apple using patents to hurt open standards?" Ars Technica 8:35 PM
"Apple forced to deal with patent troll?" CNET News 2:56 PM
"Did Apple redefine photography with the iPhone?" The Next Web 8:36 PM
"Rumor denied: Apple hasn't got iPhone 4S clearance for China launch yet" The Next Web 2:53 PM
"Apple Loses US Bid to Enjoin Samsung: At least in the US it appears Apple will have to trade in the design patents it's been asserting for some of its stronger IP" JAVA Developer's Journal 8:12 AM
"Senator seeks ban on the Apple app that lets anyone with an iPhone or iPad make a fake driving licence" Daily Mail (UK) 7:34 AM
"Man Whose House Was Searched For Lost iPhone Prototype May Sue Apple" Social Barrel 12:19 PM
"iPad Sales Expected to Slip a Bit" Network World 12:17 PM
"Steve Jobs remembered by Stephen Wolfram: The inspirational Apple leader's revolutionary talents were apparent long before the iPod came along" The Observer 12/10
"Apple possibly forced into deal with patent troll Digitude" Electronista 12/10
"Apple accused of feeding intellectual property to 'patent troll'" AppleInsider 12/10
"Apple Clears Final Hurdle to Start Selling the iPhone in China" AllThingsD 12/10
"iPhone 4S nabs access permit, may land in China by Xmas" CNET News 12/10
"Does the iPhone 4S Still Need a Permit to Launch in China?" PC Magazine 12/10
"iPhone 4S cleared for use in China, sino-Siri coming soon" Engadget 12/10
"Apple loses patent case ruling in Motorola case" The Times of India 12/10
"Apple loses the iPad name in China" Appletell 12/10
"Largest Crowd of Witnesses For Store Opening" ifoAppleStore 12/10
"Apple Grand Central Store: Quick Tour" [Slideshow] InformationWeek 12/10
"Apple posts photos of its Grand Central Store opening" Fortune 12/10
"I've had the same problem with cookies regenerating after deletion. Also the problem with Apple ID queries - a continual nuisance. YMMV, but I found that if I delete all cookies _but_ the apple.com cookie, the recurring Apple ID query in iTunes goes away. (Of course, deleting _all_ cookies is a near impossible task, as this thread suggests, given the current handling of cookies by Safari.)" MacInTouch 12/10
"Copy preference files instead of deleting them when troubleshooting" CNET Reviews 12/9
"Troubleshooting printer warnings after updating OS X" MacFixIt 12/9
"HoudahGeo 3.0 is a major upgrade to Houdah Software's one-stop photo geocoding solution for the Mac. It comes with an all new all-in-one-window interface, improved performance, support for many more GPS devices, .... HoudahGeo 3.0 runs on Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Lion. It is a $12 paid upgrade." Houdah Software 12/9
"I'm Away is released: Free IM status changer for Mac" prMac 12/9
"24U Software releases 24U FM Bench Detective 1.0.2" prMac 12/9
"iPad 2 dropped in lava in the name of marketing: If someone sends you a link to a Video of an iPad 2 being dropped in hot lava, the only sensible thing to do--once confirming the link is malware-free--is to click it." CNET News 3:43 PM
"One Million Mobile Apps, and Counting at a Fast Pace" New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required] 10:06 PM
"Apple's News Week in Review: iPad 3 Expected in February" Wall St. Cheat Sheet 12:17 PM
"Apple of my iPad: Computer company offers personalized service, private lessons and steady support for Mac users" The Key West Citizen 7:57 AM
"The New iPhone 4S Available For Pre-Order In The UAE" Abu Dhabi City Guide 12/10
"Starbucks Soars with Mobile Payment Program" Computerworld 12/10
"Apple Opens New Store in New York: A couple hundred eager shoppers from around the country were waiting Friday outside Apple Inc.'s newest retail store in New York when the store opened at 10 a.m. inside Grand Central Terminal" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 12/9
"Apple's Grand Central store packed for opening day" The Loop 12/9
"Apple's massive Grand Central retail store draws big crowds ahead of 10am grand opening" 9 to 5 Mac 12/9
"Grand Central Apple Store Open for Business" The Mac Observer 12/9
"4,000 Snag Apple Grand Central Store T-Shirts" iPhone Savior 12/9
"Apple's Hottest New Product Can Be Thrown in the Wash: Fans Collect Company's T-Shirts, Kept in Limited Supply; 'Star Trek' Model" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 12/9
"The covert birth of Apple's next Santa Monica store" CNN 12/9
"San Francisco man plans to sue Apple over iPhone prototype search" Yahoo! News 12/9
"Android, BlackBerry phone owners favour Apple tablet: OS brand loyalty, they've heard of it" Register Hardware 12/9
"Apple Capitalizes On Doctors' iPad Romance: Apple's medical manager has been promoting the tablets in a variety of venues, including iTunes' healthcare room." InformationWeek 12/9
"Apple Pulls 'TV Shows' Menu from Apple TV in Canada" iPhoneinCanada 12/9
"Microsoft Opens iOS Window for Xbox Live Fans" MacNewsWorld 12/9
"Computer History Museum unveils online Steve Jobs exhibit with extremely rare Video of Jobs circa 1980" Edible Apple 12/9
"Small retailer enables self checkout with iPhone app" ZDNet 12/9
"Say it Ain't So! AT&T Begins Throttling Data Heavy iPhone Users" PadGadget 12/9
"Syria bans iPhone use to prevent Video evidence of government sanctioned violence" Edible Apple 12/9
"Samsung's new Galaxy SII advert lampoons iTunes in the Cloud" 9 to 5 Mac 12/9
Non-Apple News
"webOS hacked together for HTC's EVO 3D, a proof of concept for the time being" The Verge 12/9
"Simple rubber band adds macro lens to any smartphone" CNET News 12/9
"Next Dr Who game to leave Xboxers in the cold" Register Hardware 12/9
"BBC teases new Doctor Who video game" TG Daily 12/9
"Andreessen Says He Has No Plans For 'An Operating Role' At Yahoo" TechCrunch 12/9
"Reading is alive and increasingly electronic" Reuters 12/9
"ViaSat's speedy satellite to go live by year end: Carlsbad company will begin offering high speed Internet service from ViaSat-1" San Diego Union-Tribune 12/9
"Anonymous attack on HBGary Federal didn't ruin us, says CEO" Network World 12/9
"Spotify gets makeover, Pandora-like radio stations" MSNBC 12/9
"Scientists 'fly' into storms from their computers" OurAmazingPlanet 12/9
"Two zero-day vulnerabilities found in Flash Player: Researchers release exploit for two zero-day remote code execution vulnerabilities in Flash Player" IDG News Service 12/9
"Coming next year: 802.11ac for faster Wi-Fi/The emerging standard will reach gigabit speeds and help conserve batteries, says chipmaker Broadcom" IDG News Service 12/9
"Panasonic to Venture Abroad in Smartphones, Plans Europe Launch in March" IDG News Service 12/9
"Toshiba Excite Android tablet coming in January" CNET News 12/9
"Cognitive Computing: When Computers Become Brains" Forbes 12/9
"Google Debuts Currents News Reader: Google debuted Google Currents to compete with Flipboard, Livestand and AOL's Editions, Kara Swisher reports on digits." [Video Report] MarketWatch 12/9
"Google deploys IPv6 for internal network: Google engineer tells Usenix conference the IPv6 project is already bearing fruit even though only halfway finished" IDG News Service 12/9
"Google chairman calls Carrier IQ a 'keylogger'" Washington Post [Free Registration Required] 12/9
"Google releases opt-in 'Find My Face' facial recognition tool" Washington Post [Free Registration Required] 12/9
"The Gear of ZDNet: How Matt Miller stays mobile" ZDNet 12/10
"Digital Rights Cloud Cloud-Based Streaming: Cloud-based systems allow a single purchase to stream on a variety of devices. But it looks like Apple and the Keystone system will duke it out with everyone else and Ultraviolet. Larry Greenemeier Reports." Scientific American 12/9
"Gene Steinberg meets columnist Kirk McElhearn, Laptop Magazine's Avram Piltch, and Kim Bradford from GottaBeMobile this week on The Tech Night Owl LIVE" The Tech Night Owl LIVE 12/9
"Gear Guide: For Macs/Know someone who (a) owns a Mac and (b) is hankering for some new gear to go with it? We've got some suggestions." Macworld 12/9
"Baldwins Behaving Badly, Siri Wish List, Apple's Newest Store + More (Podcast)" Insanely Great Mac 12/9
"Apple, Publishing Houses Face Antitrust Probe: Lynn Neary speaks with Sarah Weinman, the news editor for Publishers Marketplace, about the antitrust probe of Apple and six publishing houses over the prices of e-books. It is being investigated by the Department of Justice and the European Commission." NPR 12/9
"Think iPhone 3GS is Dead? Think Again, Apple Orders 2 Million Handsets in Q4" ITProPortal 12:19 PM
"Apple Planning to Add Bluetooth Support for AirPlay, and Expand iOS Accessory Capabilities" MacRumors 7:43 AM
"Apple Files for 'iTunes Match' & 'AirDrop' Trademarks" Patently Apple 1:55 PM
"Apple Patent Discusses FaceTime Advancements in the Works" Patently Apple 7:46 AM
"Apple seeks patents for display and noise-out systems" PhysOrg 7:46 AM
"Untethered iOS 5 jailbreak may be coming soon" It's All Tech 7:43 AM
"iPad 3 Said Thicker, with Smart Cover" Macworld UK 12/10
"Lenovo Could Unset iMac as Top All-in-one PC" Macworld UK 12/10
"Samsung's Retina Display threatens Apple's February iPad 3" Computerworld 12/9
"iPad 3 'coming in February 2012" - claim: Citigroup analyst reckons next-generation iPad will launch a little earlier than expected" Macworld UK 12/9
"Apple vs. Samsung: Here Come the Retina Display Tablets" Techland 12/9
"Analyst: 'iPad 3' coming in February" Washington Post [Free Registration Required] 12/9
"Black Friday: Apple zigged while the PC market zagged/PC sales were down 8% Thanksgiving week, but demand for the MacBook Air was strong" Fortune 12/9
"Apple loses iPad trademark in China" Xinhuanet 12/9
"Apple Patent Shows Apple Fighting Grime: Die-Die-Die!" Patently Apple 12/9
"Wait time for Apple's 2TB BTO iMacs improves to 2-4 weeks" AppleInsider 12/9
"Rumor: Third-generation iPad to arrive in February" O'Grady's PowerPage 12/9
"OEM production of iPhone 3GS to reach two million units in 4Q11, say sources" DigiTimes 12/9
"iOS 5 Untethered Jailbreak Video Means the Wait's Almost Over" Gizmodo 12/9
"Apple Tops in Reliability Again, Mobile Ivy Bridge Road Map, Upgrade MacBook Memory, and More" Low End Mac 12/9
Price Trackers/Deals
"PadGadget Daily App Deal – 11 iPad Apps on Sale" PadGadget 7:43 AM
"Flight Control and Flight Control HD For iPhone And iPad Is Free Today (Previously $4.99)" Apple Sliced 12/10
"Minigore For iPhone By Chillingo Is Free Right Now (Was $0.99)" Apple Sliced 12/10
"Turtle Fly 2 For iPhone Is Temporarily Available For Free (Normally $0.99)" Apple Sliced 12/10
"XtremeMac and id America iPhone 4S case roundup (review)" ZDNet 10:03 PM
"Improve the sound of your iPhone/iPod with the NuForce iDo" CNET News 12:19 PM
"Review: Three months with the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac" 9 to 5 Mac 12/10
"High-Tech Adidas Soccer Shoe and App Track Your Performance" Mashable 12/10
"Review: Powerbag by ful is a device-charging backpack that looks too good for a geek" 9 to 5 Mac 12/10
"Boombox makes cool comeback: Retro TDK sound system offers great alternative to trendier gear" Boston Herald 12/10
"Hands-on with the TouchFire iPad keyboard, 3 days left to back the project" ZDNet 12/9
"Griffin iTrip Dual Connect car kit for iPhone: When it comes to listening to music in the car, the iTrip Dual Connect offers the choice of cable free convenience or high quality audio." Register Hardware 12/9
"Review – Olympus XZ-1 camera – Capable Fun in your Pocket" Mac Edition Radio 12/9
"Review and Giveaway: iMainGo 2 & iMainGo X" Wired 12/9
"Sennheiser HD238i review: The HD238is are lightweight and designed to be portable, unlike most of the other phones we tested" Macworld UK 12/9
"The Stretch review: The Stretch headphones are certainly stretchy, and are fashioned with a combination of several different materials" Macworld UK 12/9
"JVC HA-M750 review: Despite the strange shape, the JVC HA-M750s sound amazing" Macworld UK 12/9
"SRH440 review: If you wear them on the train, be prepared to get a few funny looks" Macworld UK 12/9
iPad/iPhone/iPod touch Apps
"Two Days Is All You Need To Focus On" App Advice 7:24 AM
"Infinity Blade 2 for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad review" Appletell 7:24 AM
"Google Currents is a Publishing Platform for Business, Not a Flipboard Killer" iPadCTO 12/10
"Google Currents is latest Newspad reader-feeder app" TUAW 12/10
"Defenders of Ardania Review: Great-looking tower defense game that also lets players take the fight into their own hands by sending waves of attacking troops to combat the enemy." 148Apps 12/9
"Dizzy: Prince Of The Yolkfolk Review/A charming conversion of a much loved platforming classic." 148Apps 12/9
How-To/Tutorial
"How to Install Siri Proxy Plugins [Video] iDownload Blog 7:37 PM
"[Tutorial] Run Siri On Your iPhone 4 From Start To Finish" The Tech Erra 12/10
"5 Tips to Get the Most Out of Flipboard for iPhone" iDownload Blog 12/10
"How To Create An Alphanumerical Passcode On Your iOS Device [iOS Tip] Cult of Mac 12/9
"7 Ways to Pimp Your iPhone: Beyond the case and the apps, there are all kinds of ways to personalize your phone. Here are seven favorites." PC Magazine 12/9
"Daily Tip: how to use QR codes on your iPhone or iPad" TiPb 12/9
"iOS 5: Unlock device by swiping Notification" Mac OS X Hints 12/9
"Don't Have Siri? There's An App for That!" Examiner 10:11 PM
"Fake: AirBook is the best MacBook Air knock-off yet" ZDNet 10:11 PM
"8 Ways the iPhone brings us to different worlds with augmented reality" The Next Web 10:03 PM
"The Apple Blogs Vs. Brooke Crothers" ParisLemon 10:03 PM
"Cassandra -Monday Review: It will Soon be Friday" eXtensions 8:26 PM
"Speculation Swirls As OnLive's iOS 'Player' App Fails To Show On The iTunes App Store" RazorianFly 7:40 PM
"End Users Want an iPod: Could an RFID company build a solution that is easy to deploy, works well and doesn't involve a lot of hassle? If so, it could dramatically boost the technology's adoption." RFiD Journal 7:40 PM
"Switched On: A road trip with Siri" Engadget 7:40 PM
"Samsung out-lawyers Apple, Galaxy goes on sale" CIO 7:37 PM
"U.S. Senator Wants Tim Cook To Kill Fake Drivers License App" iPhone Savior 1:56 PM
"Murder, But No Macs, For America's Most Dangerous Cities" Forbes 12:20 PM
"Experts: Wipe gadgets before giving to kids" [Video Report] MSNBC 12/9
"Operating systems don't matter much anymore: Operating systems will remain important for as long as we use computers, but mostly they will matter only to the people behind the scenes" Computerworld 12/9
"Why today's living room doesn't need DVDs or Blu-Rays" The Globe and Mail [Free Registration Required] 12/9
"Top 10 tablets to give as Christmas gifts" V3 12/9
"10 gifts any nerdy couple will love" Nerd Approved 12/9
"Cool stuff: Your 2011 holiday tech gift guide/From tablets and smartphones to HDTVs and a few surprises, we've rounded up the best tech gear to give and get this year." Computerworld 12/9
"The Most Innovative Products of 2011" [Slideshow] CRN 12/9
"Carrier IQ: What Carriers, Device Makers Must Do Next" InformationWeek 12/9
"Time to Say Goodbye to the Cable Guy: Why You'll Buy TV on the Web in 2012" AllThingsD 12/9
"Exclusive Beatles 'Yellow Submarine' Book Available Free On Apple's iBookstore Starting Today" PRNewswire 12/9
"New App From Beatport Turns the iPad Into the Ultimate Mobile Mashup Machine" Business Wire 12/9
"Google offers Currents, a Flipboard-like app" IDG News Service 12/9
"PDF Quick Sign is a new valued addition to our PDF applications family, which contains PDF PROvider, PDF Printer and WEB to PDF solutions. This is a powerful tool to manage already converted PDFs, such as forms, articles, notices, contracts by annotating, filling forms and using signing capabilities." Dar-Soft 12/9
"Tap to Trap Apple: Apple Trap Game Free to Download" prMac 12/9
"Publishing Phenomenon Scaredy Squirrel Ventures into the Digital World" prMac 12/9
"Steve Weintraut LLC releases QuoteMaker Pro sales tool for iPad" prMac 12/9
"Video Vault: Best of the Web - iPhone App Release Announcement" prMac 12/9
"Delicious Christmas for iPhone and iPod touch released: Yummy and fun" prMac 12/9
"Christmas Mansion iPhone Game Released" prMac 12/9
"JAM Language launches Brazilian Portuguese App" prMac 12/9
"Civics 101 - We the People - Multimedia Reference on U.S. Government" prMac 12/9
"Are these Google satellite images exposing America's secrets? Fears national security compromised after secret airstrip revealed" Daily Mail (UK) 8:00 AM
"As Kindle Fire Faces Critics, Remedies Are Promised" New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required] 10:06 PM
"In Silicon Valley rose-colored glasses sometime provide the best view" San Jose Mercury News [Free Registration Required] 7:57 AM
"Bill Shock Without Leaving Home: Most mobile operators no longer sell unlimited wireless Internet to consumers, instead marketing plans that link download limits and surfing speeds to price. But while operators have abandoned unlimited offers, which were costing them money, many are still using the marketing language of 'all you can eat' and 'flat rate.'" New York Times [Free Registration Required] 7:49 AM
"Samsung says sells over 300 million mobile handsets in 2011" Reuters 7:48 AM
"Why Amazon's current cloud domination helps us all" CNET News 8:35 PM
"How your IT guy could be spying on you at work" CNET News 3:43 PM
"Stocks close higher as Europe nears budget pact" Associated Press 12/9
"Dow Gains for Second Straight Week: Stocks wrapped up their second straight week of gains as the euro zone's latest plan to fix its debt crisis overshadowed some disappointing forecasts from big U.S. companies." WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 12/9
"Stocks head for higher ground after Europe deal" CNNMoney 12/9
"Canadian stocks lifted as Europe reaches pact" MarketWatch 12/9
"Brazil, Mexico stocks higher on European accord" MarketWatch 12/9
"Asia Stocks Drop as Europe Crisis Drags on Growth Across Region" Bloomberg 12/9
"Asia Markets: Asia shares drop sharply on Europe fears" MarketWatch 12/9
"Europe's yin yang: Stocks up, but debt weakens" CNNMoney 12/9
"European Stocks Rise on Fiscal Union, China Investment Report" Bloomberg 12/9
"Europe Markets: Europe stocks rise on euro-zone fiscal accord/Goldman Sachs upgrades banking sector to neutral" MarketWatch 12/9
"Most active Nasdaq-traded stocks: Nasdaq's 10 most active stocks at 1 p.m." Associated Press 12/9
"Midday Glance: Computer companies/Computer companies shares up at 1 p.m." Associated Press 12/9
MacSurfer Headline News Staff
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: P. Pearson
Managing & Weekday Editor: D. Mahaffy
Evening Editors: S. Siegling and
D. Mahaffy
Weekend Editors: S. Siegling , C. Rogers and
D. Mahaffy
CEO: T. Jefferson
CFO: K. Midas
Editor Emeritus: W. Shakespeare
Writers Emeritus: W. Lewis, R. Chandler, W. Morris, G. Simenon, C. Vallejo, F. Garcia Lorca,
P. White, R. Adams, P. Valery, C. Aiken, R. Bradbury, F. Pessoa, S. Bellow, F. O'Connor
Art Directors: V. Van Gogh, C. Monet
Advertising Managers: C. Chaplin, H. Marx
Public Relations Firm: Bits & Bytes
Bomb Squad: Type 11 Errors
Chief Scientists: I. Asimov, S. Hawking
Road Crew: R. Petty, J. Cooper
Mechanics: Tom and Ray
Fishing Crew: A. Lindner, D. Stange, K. VanDam
Head Chef: Mom
Head Travel Guru: D. Pearson
Mascots: Cyberdog, Clarus the Dogcow
General Counsel: #%@*$$$$!
