Apple, Mac, iPod and iPhone News

Weekly Wrap: New apps, new accessories, and helpful Mac hints

Lex Friedman — Sat, 26 May 2012 09:30:00 -0700

Hey, it's a three-day weekend! Might we suggest you unwind with this recap of our biggest stories from the week gone by?

Remains of the Day: Knight time

Dan Moren — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:30:00 -0700

The TSA is joining the Apple ecosphere, a stolen iPhone sends pictures from beyond the "grave," and everybody can relax--Sir Jonathan Ive isn't going anywhere.

Take me out to the ballgame, with 4G

Brandon Butler — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:00:00 -0700

Ever been to a sports game and tried to send a text message, upload a photo to Facebook, or send a tweet about that awesome play that just happened? If so, you...

Cisco all but kills Cius tablet computer

Jim Duffy — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:30:00 -0700

Another one-time iPad killer is about to be killed off itself, less than a year after it started shipping.

Google asked to yank a million search results a month

John P. Mello Jr. — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:56:00 -0700

The Week in iOS Apps: Come fly with me

Joel Mathis — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:00:00 -0700

This week’s roundup of iOS apps is another feast for the senses: Offerings that let you pretend to fly through the air, watch the latest shows, read the latest news, or plan that trip to the big city.

Nuance to bring Siri-like commands to cars

Ashleigh Allsopp — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:00:00 -0700

Nuance, the company behind the technology used in Siri, has announced that it is making a Siri-like natural language command platform for vehicles.

Lawmakers call on feds to reopen investigation into Google Wi-Fi spying

Grant Gross — Fri, 25 May 2012 05:30:00 -0700

Two U.S. lawmakers have called on the U.S. Department of Justice to reopen its investigation into Google's snooping on Wi-Fi networks in 2010 after recent questions about the company's level of cooperation with federal inquiries.

Remains of the Day: What's Cookin'?

Dan Moren — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:30:00 -0700

Tim Cook's in the kitchen, whipping up some tasty Apple turnover; Yahoo bakes its keys right into its latest product; and a Rogue Amoeba iPhone app apparently isn't to Apple's taste.

Hands on with SketchBook Ink

Serenity Caldwell — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:15:00 -0700

Previewed at last March's iPad event, Autodesk's SketchBook Ink has hit the App Store for all to test and play with. Being the naturally curious sketcher that I am, I took it for a quick spin.

Android, Apple own 80 percent of global smartphone market

John P. Mello Jr. — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:00:00 -0700

What a difference a year makes in the booming smartphone market. A year ago, the world's leading smartphone operating systems, Android and iOS, owned a little over half the market. Now they own more than 80 percent of it.

Cellphone vibration syndrome and other signs of tech addiction

Patrick Thibodeau — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:40:00 -0700

There's a growing body of research on phantom cellphone vibrations and the other problems associated with technology obsession.

Bug bounty hunters reveal eight vulnerabilities in Google services

Loek Essers — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:15:00 -0700

Security researchers unveiled eight vulnerabilities in Google services during the Hack in the Box conference in Amsterdam on Thursday.

Google's Android did not infringe Oracle patents, jury finds

James Niccolai — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:45:00 -0700

Google's Android operating system does not infringe Oracle's Java patents, a jury in San Francisco found Wednesday in a setback for Oracle.

Apple claims US government sides with monopoly in ebook case

John Ribeiro — Thu, 24 May 2012 06:30:00 -0700

The U.S. government has sided with monopoly rather than competition in bringing a case of ebook price-fixing against Apple, the company said in a filing on Wednesday.

Yahoo Axis syncs browsing between iOS and desktop

Lex Friedman — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:58:00 -0700

Yahoo plans to unveil Axis, a free browser extension and iOS app for syncing your Web browsing between devices.

Remains of the Day: Losers, weepers

Dan Moren — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:30:00 -0700

Samsung and Apple can't find a compromise, IBM employees lose out on Siri, and Jony Ive tears up about Apple's next great product.

Searches go full-screen in update to Google's iOS app

Eric Bruno — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:11:00 -0700

Full-screen search results highlight the changes to version 2.0.0 of Google Search. The latest update overhauls the iPhone version of the app, adding search speed improvements, an enhanced interface, and gesture tweaks for easier navigation.

Seagate to acquire storage company LaCie

Roman Loyola — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:50:00 -0700

On Wednesday, hard drive manufacturer Seagate announced that it will acquire a controlling interest in LaCie.

The Week in iOS Accessories: Travelin', man

Joel Mathis — Wed, 23 May 2012 08:30:00 -0700

This week’s roundup of iOS accessories features devices that let you travel, but without letting your iPad travel too far away from you.

(Insider) Macworld Insider: Download our new Power Guides

Macworld Staff — Wed, 23 May 2012 07:00:00 -0700

As a gift to our Macworld subscribers, we've created the Macworld Power Guides, a set of five short ebooks on a variety of topics. They're now available for Insiders to download for free.

(This story is viewable exclusively by Macworld Insider members.)

First Look: Ion's Air Pro Wi-Fi action camcorder

Bryan Hastings — Wed, 23 May 2012 06:00:00 -0700

Ion's Air Pro Wi-Fi offers a lot of extras, including the ability to wirelessly view and offload images and videos via Wi-Fi, great mounting hardware, fast battery charging using the wall-power USB charger, four wall-plug adapters to let you recharge in most countries, and 8GB of free storage in the cloud. Bryan Hastings takes a first look.

Soti SDK lets businesses remotely control iOS apps

Fred O'Connor — Wed, 23 May 2012 05:30:00 -0700

Businesses can now remotely control enterprise mobile applications developed for Apple's mobile platform with the latest version of Soti's MobiControl Software Developer Kit for iOS, announced Tuesday.

Facebook to settle class-action suit over Sponsored Stories

Cameron Scott — Wed, 23 May 2012 05:00:00 -0700

Facebook will settle a class-action lawsuit in California that accused it of appropriating its users' likenesses for its Sponsored Stories advertising feature.

Remains of the Day: Screen star

Dan Moren — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:30:00 -0700

The next iPhone's screen may be embiggened, but can Tim Cook's compensation get any higher? Elsewhere, Steve Jobs gets big honors.

Facebook tests Timeline redesign

Jared Newman — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:15:00 -0700

Facebook's Timeline profiles may be getting a redesign, but this one probably won't trigger a backlash.

New X1 DVR interface takes Comcast TV to the cloud

John P. Mello Jr. — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:15:00 -0700

Xfinity TV on the X1 platform integrates interactive, customized apps, and social media features with Comcast's traditional video services.

Mac Gems for even less cash

Dan Frakes — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:30:00 -0700

The Mac Gems blog focuses on reviews of great, inexpensive software, but every once in a while we call your attention to past Gems that are currently even less expensive. Here are 13 Gems you can get for a steal.

New TiVo Stream to deliver shows to iOS devices

Roman Loyola — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:15:00 -0700

TiVo on Monday announced TiVo Stream, which will allow TiVo user to stream content to iOS devices.

Report: 60TB disk drives could be a reality in 2016

Lucas Mearian — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:15:00 -0700

Advanced technologies such as HAMR could mean disk drive capacities from 30TB to 60TB by 2016, according to a new report by IHS iSuppli.

Ion launches Air Pro line of HD sports camcorders with a social networking option

Jackie Dove — Tue, 22 May 2012 09:03:00 -0700

Tiny, wearable sports camcorders compete with Contour and GoPro and will soon offer instant online sharing.

Liberate (some of) your Google data with Takeout

Christopher Null — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:30:00 -0700

Google Takeout, which lets you download a copy of your Google presence, turns one year old next month. Does Takeout truly let you liberate your data from the search behemoth, and what does that mean, anyway?

Google finally closes Motorola Mobility acquisition

Mikael Ricknäs — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:15:00 -0700

Google has finally closed its acquisition of Motorola Mobility, and will now start working on new devices while keeping Android open, it said on Tuesday.

Sonos announces Sub subwoofer

Christopher Breen — Tue, 22 May 2012 06:00:00 -0700

Sonos, maker of high-fidelity multi-room music systems, has announced its latest component: Sub, a $699 subwoofer.

Supreme Court lets stand $675,000 fine for music downloads

Cameron Scott — Tue, 22 May 2012 05:45:00 -0700

The Supreme Court has declined to consider the petition of Joel Tenenbaum, a former doctoral student at Boston University who faces a fine of $675,000 for illegally downloading songs.

Judge deems Kodak digital camera patent invalid

James Niccolai — Tue, 22 May 2012 05:15:00 -0700

A judge at the U.S. International Trade Commission has determined that a Kodak patent asserted in a complaint against Apple and Research In Motion is invalid.

Remains of the Day: Won't you be our neighbor?

Dan Moren — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:30:00 -0700

Apple's started making trouble in the neighborhood, Foxconn's growing a new plant, and Samsung and Apple's CEOs prepare to get litigious.

Thunderbolt cable options open up

Agam Shah — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:30:00 -0700

The number of options available for Mac users to buy Thunderbolt cables from outside Apple is growing.

Panic announces Coda 2, Diet Coda for iPad

Lex Friedman — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:45:00 -0700

Panic on Monday announced the long-awaited sequel to its all-in-one-window Web development editor, Coda. And as a bonus, the company announced a version of Coda for the iPad as well.

Cable giants partner to offer 50K free Wi-Fi hotspots for subscribers

Ian Paul — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:15:00 -0700

Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, and Time Warner Cable announced an agreement Monday to make more than 50,000 hotspots available for customers.

China approves Google acquisition of Motorola Mobility

Marc Ferranti — Mon, 21 May 2012 08:00:00 -0700

Chinese regulatory authorities have approved Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility, paving the way for the deal to close within the week.

Elgato announces Game Capture HD

Jonathan Seff — Mon, 21 May 2012 07:00:00 -0700

On Monday, Elgato announced the Game Capture HD, designed to let gamers record and share their exploits with fellow enthusiasts.

Apple files for preliminary injunction against Galaxy Tab 10.1

Marc Ferranti — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:15:00 -0700

In the latest move in a complex series of patent-related cases, Apple filed a motion in a U.S. district court late Friday to ban Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the U.S.

Apple, Samsung CEOs to negotiate patent dispute

John P. Mello Jr. — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:00:00 -0700

A court-ordered summit will take place on Monday intended to hash out differences between Apple and Samsung and try to end their international patent wars.

Weekly Wrap: Hotkeygate, iOS 6, and a slew of reviews

Lex Friedman — Sat, 19 May 2012 09:45:00 -0700

Once a week, we catch you up on Macworld's biggest stories from the past week, in case you missed them. This week, we ruminated on the futures of iOS and OS X, covered Hotkeysgate, and offered a slew of reviews.

Remains of the Day: Jobs report

Dan Moren — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:30:00 -0700

One report says Steve Jobs was intimately involved with the four-inch iPhone, while another says he was working on creating the best car ever. Only one person can set the record straight for a major motion picture event.

Android in enterprises 'severely limited' by weak management support from Google

Matt Hamblen — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:00:00 -0700

Market research firm Gartner says adoption of Android tablets and smartphones in large businesses has been "severely limited" because of the complexities of managing the various Android models and versions.

The Week in iOS Apps: Hear, hear!

Joel Mathis — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:45:00 -0700

This week’s roundup of iOS apps offers all kinds of listening options, whether you’re staying at home, partying at the club, or going to see your favorite band in concert. Flipboard, StubHub, and Thefuture.fm all have updated offerings for your listening pleasure.

AT&T, Verizon LTE hotspots fight to a draw

Mark Sullivan and Edward N. Albro — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:30:00 -0700

The AT&T Elevate 4G and the Verizon MiFi 4620 Jetpack are easy to set up and use, and both offer fast speeds--but both suffer from limited battery life, too.

Remains of the Day: Rainbow connection

Dan Moren — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:30:00 -0700

Apple is greener than Kermit the Frog, Robbie Bach is cuddlier than Mr. Snuffleupagus, but John Boehner just reminds me of Bert.