The Business Software Alliance reportedly is pushing to overturn the U.S. International Trade Commission's ban against older iPhones and iPads, maintaining that it would set a dangerous precedent. When the ITC makes a decision to ban a particular product for import into the U.S., it is fast and usually final. That, after all, is what companies like about the ITC -- its black-and-white contrast with the slow-moving decision-making that characterizes most patent cases in the courts. It's different, as it turns out, when the decision goes against a top U.S. tech company.

Use Singlemizer to remove unnecessary file duplicates, and bring order to file chaos.

• Minimalist UI
• External drives support
• Folders priorities
• Efficient scan algorithm
• Progressive results
• Duplicate folders detection
• Duplicates filtering
• Duplicates sorting
• Instant Quick Look preview
• One-click duplicates selection
• Safe duplicates removal
• Linking duplicates to the original item

Version 4.4.1:

• Prefer older files to designate as originals
• Sort duplicate items in a group like Finder
• Preserve selection during meta groups switching in single column view
• Preserve selection during single and two column views switching
• Other minor internal improvements

• OS X 10.8 or...

Tech companies have been busy jockeying for position behind the scenes in Apple's ongoing patent battle with South Korea's Samsung. Some of the top companies in U.S. technology have been aligning themselves for and against an import ban the ITC issued against Apple's iPhone 4, and Bryan Chaffin explains what's what and who's who.

It’s the beta code that tells you where things are going.

Per Electronista, code strings buried in iOS 7 beta 4 suggests that one or more next-generation iOS devices will indeed have fingerprint sensors. An unused folder in the firmware, discovered by Hamza Sood, is titled “BiometricKitUI.axb.” Accompanying code strings moreover make reference to a “Photo of a person holding an iPhone with their right hand while touching the Home button with their thumb,” a percentage completion meter for fingerprint recognition, and “a fingerprint that changes colour [sic] during the setup process.”

Apple has been expected to add a...

Have you ever thought about how often you pick up your iPhone and use it to perform some task or another? That's exactly what Nick Bilton, tech columnist at The New York Times, did for a story published today. Bilton's post follows his iPhone app usage throughout a typical day.

Bilton begins his day with the Walk Up! alarm clock app, then spends the rest of the day grabbing information from a variety of free and paid apps. At the end of the day, he may read a few articles from Instapaper, use the Kindle app to read a book, or use Apple's Remote app to control...

(Updated with Apple TV 5.4 seed 3) In tandem with iOS 7 beta 4, Apple has also started seeding beta 1 of iTunes 11.1, reports say. The beta includes hooks for iTunes Radio, Apple's upcoming music streaming service. The service is slated go live around the same time iOS 7 is released, likely this September, although people will be able to listen via both iTunes and iOS....  ...

AllThingsD reports that Starbucks is expanding its experimental wireless charging program to the West Coast. The program will roll out at 10 stores in the San Jose area in August.

It introduced the program in a number Boston-area stores stores using Duracell Powermats, a PMA-standard wireless charging mat which allows those phones with compatible Duracell cases to simply rest it on the mat to receive power. The cases retail for about US$35 for the iPhone 4 and 4S and $50 for the iPhone 5, and AllThingsD adds that Starbucks and Duracell have been giving away sleeves to frequent customers.

AllThingsD draws attention to the...

Noise Industries has released the Final Cut Pro X plug-in, Hawaiki Color, from developers Tokyo Productions and Lawn Road. It's available in FxFactory for US$49.

You can enhance FCP X footage with this grading tool built around a unique and professional interface.The FxFactory plug-in features industry-standard color wheels for accurate results.

My husband was excited and kept egging me on, but I was pretty nervous. This was the sort of thing that tested your marriage, and the only thing standing between us and defeat was our ability to work as a team. Finally, I agreed to play Spaceteam with him.

Spaceteam has been on iOS since last year, but it released an update recently that added support for iOS 7 and Android. This allows the game to be played in a multi-OS household.

There are no solo missions. The game requires two to four players connected on the same Wi-Fi network or via Bluetooth. Experimental modes will add support for up to 8 players on Wi-Fi, perhaps 6 or 7 on Bluetooth. We played over Wi-Fi, and the game immediately detects how many others on the same network are playing. Apple and Android logos in the corner show how many are playing and what platform they're on.

The game is like an extreme version of...

iFFmpeg is a graphical front-end for FFmpeg, a command-line tool used to convert multimedia files between formats. The command line instructions can be very hard to master/understand, so iFFmpeg does all the hard work for you. This allows you to use FFmpeg without detailed command-line knowledge.

Version 3.8.3:

• Copy DTS audio streams now works.
• Added ‘Zero Motion Estimation’
• Updated several help tags
• Fixed issues when source contains YUV video
• Faster 2pass encoding
• ‘Force Blu-ray format’ now works again (introduced in 3.8)
• Fixed issues with aspect ratio and H264
• Support for .264 files
• Improved error parsing for FFmpeg 2
• Encoding HE-AAC to MOV now works

• OS X 10.6 or later
• Working FFmpeg OS X binary (available...

Senior VP of Technologies Bob Mansfield (Photo: Apple)

Following Apple’s confirmation that its Senior Vice President of Technologies Bob Mansfield would be leaving the executive team but continuing to work on special projects at the company, there has been much speculation about what the move meant behind the scenes at Apple. Daring Fireball’s John Gruber chimes in today claiming that people familiar with the situation say the move is simply part of the transition started when Mansfield originally retired as SVP of Hardware:

There’s nothing punitive with Mansfield’s role change, nor health problems or anything like that. Just a more focused role on certain new products. His...

It’s the iPhone, but at a lower cost…and plasticky.

Per AppleInsider and China Labor Watch, a new plastic iPhone is currently being tested Apple supplier Pegatron, and will soon go into mass production and hit the market, one factory worker claims.

Details of Apple’s anticipated low-cost iPhone were revealed in a report published by China Labor Watch on Monday. A section of the report details “A day in Pegatron...

Apple's latest iOS 7 beta includes a reference to a "Biometric Kit," offering the strongest evidence yet that the company's next iPhone will include a built-in fingerprint scanner underneath the home button.  ...

Porthole is a tool that lets you stream the music from your favorite music player such as Spotify or Pandora to your Airplay speakers, Apple AirPort Express and Apple TV.

Porthole focuses on being elegant and simple to use. The setup wizard will have you going in no-time. De-cable your living room and start enjoying wireless music throughout your home.

Porthole can stream to multiple speakers at the same time, allowing you to stream your music all through your house, in sync!

Version 1.4.1:

• Porthole is now compatible with OS X 10.9
• Improved built-in speaker playback
• Added browser controls to the purchase window
• Made the volume slider's width dynamic
• Tweaked and fixed various things
• Included in the previous update: Porthole can now play through multiple AirPlay receivers and your Mac's built-in...

Alongside the iOS 7 beta 4 and iTunes 11.1 with iTunes Radio betas, Apple has provided developers with a new Apple TV OS 5.4 seed. Below are the release notes. Thanks to everyone who sent this in. 

A tipster sent in the video below showing that iTunes music purchasing has returned in the latest beta, a feature that was only available on the first generation Apple TV:

Fixed in Seed 3

• Apple TV may not connect to the Internet on first boot after an iTunes Restore when using Ethernet.
• Music...

Apple released iOS 7 beta 4 today to developers, hopefully bringing some new features and bug fixes to the next version of Apple's mobile OS. Apple was on a two week release schedule with beta 2 and beta 3, but this fourth version is arriving at the three-week mark. This version is arriving a few days after the developer portal was reopened following a malicious hack on the site.

The latest version is available over-the-air via Settings > General > Software Update on devices running the current iOS 7 beta. Developers can also download it manually from...

After asking around, word on the Cupertino street is that there’s nothing to read between the lines regarding Bob Mansfield no longer being on Apple’s executive team. Apple’s statement means exactly what it says — Mansfield is well-liked at all levels within the company and truly is working on special projects (read: new products). No euphemism there. Compare and contrast with last year’s ouster of Scott Forstall, where Apple said:

Apple also announced that Scott Forstall will be leaving Apple next year and will serve as an advisor to CEO Tim Cook in the interim.

“Advisor” was a euphemism. “Working on special projects” means just that.

There’s nothing punitive with Mansfield’s role change, nor health problems or anything like that. Just a more focused...

Last year, Apple's primary Chinese manufacturing partner Foxconn came under intense scrutiny for complaints about how factory workers were being treated. Now another partner, Pegatron, is facing similar charges of poor treatment of workers.

An upcoming report from China Labor Watch outlined in the Wall Street Journal notes a number of claims against Pegatron:

• Pegatron allegedly withholds worker IDs so that Pegatron employees cannot choose to work elsewhere because they lack proper ID.
• Living conditions are supposedly poor, with "30-minute waits to enter their production facility, tight living quarters, and packed cafeterias."
• Workers are allegedly working over 60 hours per week, which is Apple's limit. Apple's June Supplier Responsibility report shows an average 46-hour work week for Pegatron employees.
• At one Pegatron...

The first low-cost iPhone will indeed be called the iPhone 5C, a source tells Business Insider. Over the weekend, a photo of product packages for a supposed iPhone 5C appeared on WeiPhone. The BI source, though, is allegedly connected to someone inside Apple who confirmed the name. Despite the indirect nature of the rumor, BI says it's "confident" about its assertion....  ...

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a final rejection of Apple's pinch-to-zoom patent, which could throw a big wrench in the company's patent infringement fight with Samsung. The patent in question was included in the big win a jury handed Apple last year against Samsung, although "final" doesn't always mean just that when dealing with the USPTO, so there's still a chance the pinch-to-zoom patent might be saved.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Apple and Samsung are hellbent on dragging each other through court over mobile device patent infringement claims. Apple's efforts to stop what it sees as an ongoing issue where Samsung is blatantly copying its designs won't, however, yield any short term results because Samsung's game plan lets them design and release new -- and potentially patent infringing -- smartphones and tablets faster than the courts can respond. So far, it seems to be a pretty good business model for Samsung.

...

This week in ExtraBITS, Bob Mansfield, Apple’s SVP of Technologies, has left the executive team at Apple, but is sticking around for “special projects.” After over a week of downtime, Apple’s Developer Center is mostly back online, with a new status page to track the availability of individual systems. If you have an old Newton sitting around, we have a guide on how to sync it with a modern Mac. Finally, Apple is reporting that there are now over a billion podcast subscriptions in the iTunes Store — a landmark number for the new medium.

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and...

New data from Kantar Worldpanel shows year over year market share gains by iOS in the United States, Great Britain and France, despite a seasonal shift that's returned Android to a majority share in the U.S.   ...

Apple supplier Pegatron is facing criticism from a watchdog group for poor working conditions at its factories in China, reports "PC World" (http://tinyurl.com/me9y69b).

The Taiwanese electronics maker came under fire for allegedly violating Chinese labor laws with the publication Monday of a new 60-page report from China Labor Watch that documents conditions at the factories. The alleged violations include unfairly deducting or failing to pay wages, providing insufficient worker training, and making overtime work mandatory, among others.

Indications suggest a sensor or other hardware-based fault could be the root of intermittent loss of video with Apple's latest MacBook Air systems.

Apple is planning to release just three more betas of iOS 7 before the gold master version debuts in early September, a BGR source claims. Several sources suggest that beta 4 will go live later today, now that the Developer Center has been fully restored. The code is expected to contain bugfixes, graphical and UI enhancements, and "a couple of other updates," according to BGR....  ...

Three weeks following the previous seed, Apple has released iOS 7 beta 4 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to registered developers. The release follows Apple’s Developer Portal going back online late last week following an 8 day outage. The new seed is available via the over-the-air Software Update function in the iOS Settings app.

The previous beta release brought several user-facing changes (video here), including a sharper system-wide font, interface enhancements to Safari, Calendar, App Store, and Music, as well as improvements to Home...

What do Microsoft, Oracle, Intel and AT&T have in common? All four of the major corporations are jumping to Apple's defense against the impending iPhone 4 ban ordered by the US International Trade Commission (ITC).

The Wall Street Journal reports that a trade group representing Microsoft, Oracle and Intel -- BSA -- was joined by AT&T in supporting Apple's side of the ban, which was brought about thanks to arch-rival Samsung. Samsung won a case before the ITC, and the potential ban, which still has to be approved by US Trade Representative Michael Froman before going into effect on August 4, was sought as a patent-infringement settlement. BSA argues that the use of essential industry patents to ban products should not be allowed, except under unusual circumstances.

The companies are concerned, though, that the ban sets precedent. Companies must license patented...

colinneagle writes "AllThingsD reported, Bob Mansfield, Apple's Senior Vice President of Technologies, has disappeared from the executive management team at Apple. But it was only last October when Mansfield was widely reported to have been convinced to return from retirement by Apple CEO Tim Cook for a two-year stint. His return to the company may have been cut short on account of Apple's continued reliance on Samsung for its mobile SOC processors, for which Apple paid an estimated $10 billion to Samsung last year. Mansfield's group was to have played a major role in this, and apparently it has not been able affect this change."

...

Apple on Monday issued a statement promising to look into claims that its supplier Pegatron has been requiring employees to work excessive hours without adequate compensation.  ...

Update: Apple appears to have removed the app from the App Store.

A...

Apple has sent a response to the Wall Street Journal with a full response to this morning’s report regarding Pegatron’s working conditions:

Apple is committed to providing safe and fair working conditions throughout our supply chain. We lead the industry with far-reaching and specialized audits, the most transparent reporting and educational programs that enrich the lives of workers who make our products. Apple is the first and only technology company to be admitted to the Fair Labor Association, and we are dedicated to protecting every worker in our supply chain.

As a part of our extensive Supplier Responsibility program, Apple has conducted 15 comprehensive audits at Pegatron facilities since 2007, covering more than 130,000...

Buried within a new scathing report on labor conditions found at Apple iPhone supplier plants, we find two references about Apple's entry-level mid-range iPhone.

MacRumors Forum poster aibnr noticed earlier today that the iOS 7 Beta 4 download appeared to be posted on Apple's developer servers early this morning, ahead of an expected release today. If released today, Beta 4, with a rumored build number of 11a4435d, would come three weeks after Beta 3 was released at the beginning of July.

Clicking the purported download link, available here, returns a 'Your session has expired' error page. Other URLs with similar build numbers, on the other hand, return an 'Access...

The biography for Bob Mansfield, Apple's senior vice president of technologies, unexpectedly disappeared from Apple's executive web page over the weekend. The removal of Mansfield's biography was first reported by MacRumors, and AllThingsD followed with an official statement from Apple that confirmed Mansfield is no longer part of Apple's executive leadership. Apple refused to comment on the reasons for Mansfield's departure.

"Bob is no longer going to be on Apple's executive team, but will remain at Apple working on special projects reporting to [CEO] Tim [Cook]," Apple spokesperson Steve Dowling told AllThingsD.

Mansfield announced...

This past weekend, an image claiming to show a bin of boxes for Apple’s upcoming lower-cost, plastic iPhone emerged with “iPhone 5C” as the purported product name. However, earlier today, the image was claimed to be debunked due to some minor inconsistencies and image distortion. The inconstancies do not seem to be prominent enough, though, to completely rule out legitimacy. Now, BusinessInsider is separately reporting that “iPhone 5C” will be the name of the upcoming plastic iPhone.

It’s unclear what the “C” in “5C” stands for, but we can discern from the 5 that the...

YouView allows you to browse, and watch YouTube videos on your Mac. YouView is faster than Flash and provides better looking video.

Features:

• YouView uses H264 video feeds with hardware decoding to provide smooth playback.
• Allows downloading of videos (with a donation).
• Comments are available so you do not have to go to YouTube in order to post or read comments on a video.
• Supports the highest resolution video available on YouTube.
• Apple Remote support.
• Parental Controls so you can protect your children from videos that are flagged and contains bad content.

Version 0.5:

• Fixed issues where some videos will not load.

OS X 10.4 or later


More information

...

Daniel Eran Dilger for AppleInsider:

Strategy Analytics is attempting to estimate mobile handset profit shares for both companies. While it generated a lot of coverage for its report, the numbers not only don’t reflect reality, but they were further mangled by sloppy reporting from a variety of major tech websites.

I’m shocked. It’s a great article.

∞ Read this on The Loop

UnCluster is app that will help you keep your Desktop from becoming cluttered. With UnCluster you can hide all your apps with a single click and organize your Desktop. It's so easy!

Features include:

• Hide Desktop icons
• And organize files on your Desktop based on the date.
• Quit all your apps with a single click
• Hide all windows

Version 2.5.0:

• Added Crash Reporter
• UI redesign
• Better integrated with the menu bar
• Now requires OS X 10.7 or later
• Now code-signed to make GateKeeper happy

OS X 10.7 or later


More information

Download Now

Chinese scalpers are booking all available Genius Bar appointments and selling them online, according to the Beijing Morning Post (translated link). Customers looking to book Genius Bar appointments at local Chinese Apple stores often find that all appointments have been taken. After searching for alternatives online, they discover that…

Following last week’s shipping time slip for the Mac mini from 24 hours to 5-7 business days, Apple Online Store is now returning the normal 24 hour shipping quote for both standard Mac mini configurations. The slip from last week ignited rumors that Apple would soon update its smallest desktop computer with new Haswell processors to match the recently released MacBook Air and upcoming iMac/MacBook Pro refreshes. The Mac mini...

Music recognition and discovery app Shazam updated its iOS apps today with a couple interesting features, including new “multi-track purchases” allowing users to purchase multiple songs at once through iTunes.

Multi-track purchase: When you’ve tagged a bunch of songs, now it’s easy to go back and buy them in one go. Go to My Tags (or Favorites on iPad), tap “Select & Buy”, pick the songs you want, then tap “Buy” to purchase in iTunes.

Also included in the update its recommendations based on what others users have purchased, music previews for trending songs in the Pulse charts, and improved Voiceover support and sharing.

What’s New in Version 6.2.0

○ Multi-track purchase:...

Chinese scalpers have set their sights on a new, in-demand product with limited availability: Genius Bar appointments inside Apple's popular retail stores.  ...

Today, Network World decided to run a headline that reads "US patent office rejects claims of Apple 'pinch to zoom' patent." Of course that's only true in part, as Apple has 60 days to appeal the ruling. Is this a case of Déjà vu? Yes, more than likely.

Ahead of iOS 7 beta 4′s rumored release (perhaps as soon as today if Apple were to follow its own pattern), some purported download links for the new release have hit the web. These download links, when clicked, pull up a “Your session has expired link,” while an incorrect link shows an “Access denied” message. The purported build number is 11a4435d, and here is a purported link for a GSM iPhone 5 (CDMA iPhone 5 link has the same message as well). (Thanks, Robert!)

In related news, BGR claims that two more betas will follow today’s beta 4 and that the...

Worms Revolution sticks an exploding sheep under worm-on-worm conflict and blasts it squarely into the 21st century.

Worms Revolution is the latest game in the classic turn-based strategy series to come to the Mac, featuring exciting new features and beautiful 3D graphics whilst retaining the classic 2D gameplay that fans love. Choose to play the extensive single player mode which features both campaign and puzzle missions or dive straight into multiplayer warfare via online or local play. For the first time ever see the inclusion of dynamic water, physics objects and worm classes! Customise your experience by choosing what classes you play with, what they look like and even how they speak!

Features:

• Class Acts! Choose from 4 different classes: Soldier, Scout, Scientist and Heavy. Players can unlock a total of 32 worms (8 of each class)...

China Labor Watch, a New York-based workers' rights organization, is accusing Pegatron -- one of Apple's major suppliers -- of violating a number of Chinese and international laws, as well as Apple's own supplier responsibility code, according to a report seen by Reuters and the Wall Street Journal. Although Pegatron is headquartered in Taiwan, it has a heavy presence in mainland China. The CLW says that between March and July it probed three factories, based in Shanghai and Suzhou, using undercover investigators and interviews with almost 200 workers. The interviews were conducted outside... ...

Apple is assigning Bob Mansfield to a “special projects” team.

Not bad for a guy who looks like a middle school football coach.

Per The Mac Observer and AllThingsD, Bob Mansfield quietly disappeared from Apple’s executive team webpage on Sunday and the company said it’s because he’ll be working on “special projects” instead. Mr. Mansfield had been serving as the company’s Senior Vice President of Technologies, but now it looks like he may be throwing his weight behind secret new products.

...

Apple senior vice president of technologies Bob Mansfield has left the company’s executive team, a company spokesman has confirmed. Mansfield’s biography was initially removed from Apple’s website yesterday, as noted by MacRumors. Spokesman Steve Dowling said Mansfield would remain at Apple to work on special projects, while reporting…

A new plastic iPhone is currently being tested Apple supplier Pegatron, and will soon go into mass production and hit the market, one factory worker claims.  ...

An alleged leaked photo posted on the WeiPhone forums shows a bin full of plastic packaging for the “iPhone 5C,” which may be the name of Apple’s budget iPhone. Though different from previously cardboard iPhone boxes, the new white plastic packaging appears to be legitimate, featuring a slightly thinned…

Some of the world’s brightest minds have speculated that a vacuum tube is the only way to do it — but before that idea could even get off the ground, Musk said that the Hyperloop is not based on an evacuated tunnel. With that possibility ruled out, there aren’t actually that many ways of safely and economically propelling carriages at 700 mph (1126 kph). Furthermore, when you factor in Musk’s comments that the Hyperloop “can never crash,” has no need for rails, and is “immune to weather,” the architecture of the system becomes a real head-scratcher. Oh, did I mention that Musk envisions the entire system being self-powered by solar panels, and that it somehow stores energy inside the system itself, without the need for batteries?

The Hyperloop is from Tesla founder, Elon Musk. He is set to unveil the plan on August 12—I’ll be interested to see what it is.

...

AKVIS ArtSuite is a photo decoration software that allows you to add effects or frames to your photos.

There are two effect groups in the program: Frames which let you generate a frame for your photo; and Effects which allow experimenting with photos (colors, surface, etc).

Photo frames samples that come with ArtSuite can be easily tailored to your particular photo. Select a color for the frame; choose its form, its style, brightness, and the intensity of the applied edge effect. Create your own unique frames. You can use any picture as a pattern to generate an original photo frame.

With artistic effects you can convert a photo into a black and white image and add a color shade to it (for example, sepia effect), replace colors on an image, add a texture so that the image looks like drawn on a canvas, wall, corrugated paper or other surfaces, the Glamour...

An AT&T employee sealed up the Samsung phone, took it in the water and it leaked like a sieve. Oh, and the warranty doesn’t cover water damage.

∞ Read this on The Loop

MovieSherlock is a YouTube downloader and converter. With one click you can search, download, and convert YouTube movies. Download any movie from YouTube and convert it on your Mac to a high-quality MP4 video that is playable in iTunes. A truly one-click solution.

Sport, TV, serials, fresh clips -- all of the most interesting things are on YouTube. With MovieSherock they are on your hard drive with single click.

Funny clips, jokes, shows -- the most valuable episodes can be downloaded with MovieSherlock. MovieSherlock can download HD (high definition) and SD (standard definition) video from YouTube. From now, MovieSherlock supports also Vimeo, DailyMotion and other video websites download their video. In addition to this, MovieSherlock can easily convert downloaded videos to MP3.

MovieSherlock Full includes HD and HQ YouTube downloading and the...

The gaming world still has yet to be rocked — or even budged — by the introduction of Windows 8 last year. But one of Microsoft’s friends in the industry, the mobile-social casual games studio Arkadium, says it knows how to fix the problem: Better analytics.

Yes, really. CEO Kenny Rosenblatt acknowledged that Windows 8 tablets and phones don’t yet have the reach of Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, but said that developers would be more inclined to make native apps for the OS if they could expect the same sort of “supporting cast” they get elsewhere: Companies to help devs with user acquisition and analytics, since doing those things in-house can be cost-prohibitive for the small game studios that have blossomed around mobile.

To that end, Arkadium has decided to build a proprietary game-analytics platform, but it’s encouraging outside developers to contact the company if they want in on what it makes. In the past 13 years, its main product has been games, many of...

Following last week's opinion piece from Verizon attorney Randall Milch outlining why the carrier objects to the impending U.S. ban on imports of older iPhone and 3G-capable iPad models, The Wall Street Journal notes that a number of other companies and regulators are lining up in support of Apple in the case.

Rather than taking a position on the details of the case, which revolve around a Samsung patent categorized as essential for 3G wireless functionality and thus subject to licensing under FRAND (fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory) terms, the companies are primarily objecting to the precedent of allowing products to be banned based on rulings of infringement of such patents.AT&T said the ITC [International Trade Commission] ruling...

“Bob is no longer going to be on Apple’s executive team, but will remain at Apple working on special projects reporting to [CEO] Tim [Cook],” company spokesman Steve Dowling told AllThingsD. He declined any further explanation, refusing to comment on the reasons behind Mansfield’s surprising move, whether he remains Apple’s SVP of Technologies or whether the company plans to appoint a new executive to that role.

Bizarre.

∞ Read this on The Loop

The report on working conditions at Chinese iPhone manufacturer Pegatron appears to confirm that the low-cost iPhone does indeed exist, is plastic and is not yet in mass production.

The introduction to the report (PDF), which provides a background to Pegatron, contains this statement:

Its assembled products include iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, and low-priced plastic iPhones

A day-in-the-life report on page 27 of the report states:

Today’s work is to paste protective film on the iPhone’s plastic back cover to prevent it from being scratched on assembly lines … ...

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, a Chinese worker’s rights group has brought forth allegations of poor working conditions at Pegatron, a primary supplier to Apple and longtime electronics manufacturing company. Specifically, the worker group accuses that the company has made numerous safety and workplace violations, including the unethical holding of worker pay and identification cards, as well as poor living conditions within the factory including tight living quarters and packed cafeterias.

Apple has replied to the allegations, stating the following:
Apple is committed to providing safe and fair working conditions throughout our supply chain. We lead the industry with far-reaching and specialized audits...

MYMUSAIC is a free iPhone app that lets you create a slideshow from your photos and music, using images from your Camera Roll or those submitted by friends.

The app requires you to create a login, or use your Facebook credentials. The privacy policy says your email won't be sold to 3rd parties. Making a slideshow is straightforward enough. Just select some images, add some music from your on-board music library, and the app will quickly render an animated slideshow.

Gallery: MYMUSAIC

The result is nothing fancy, using dissolves as transitions exclusively, and the app fades the music when the slides have run out. But it's quick and...

Graphic Node has announced another update to its assortment of templates for Pages. The company added six new packs to the Templates Pro for Pages collection for Apple's word processing software, expanding the selection to a total of 35 lines of templates.

Most of the templates were created for basic, one-page documents while the Brochure contains eight different page layouts. All templates are available in both U.S. letter and A4 formats.

read more

High stakes in an impending iPhone 4 ban by the International Trade Commission have created some unlikely bedfellows, with a trade group representing Microsoft coming to the defense of rival Apple.  ...

Apple Store, Shanghai

Beijing Morning News reports that local ticket scalpers have found a new way to make money on Apple: booking up all available Genius Bar appointments and then offering them for sale online.

Ticket scalpers usually make their money by buying large quantities of event tickets as soon as they go on sale then illegally selling them for more than face value once the event is sold out. With Genius Bar appointments, they don’t even need to fork out cash in the first place: they just use a bunch of email addresses to make the...

Bob Mansfield, ostensibly Apple’s SVP of Technologies, was suddenly removed from Apple’s leadership Web site over the weekend. Apple spokesman Steve Dowling told AllThingsD that Mansfield is no longer on Apple’s executive team, but is working on “special projects,” reporting directly to Tim Cook. Dowling would not say whether Mansfield is still SVP of Technologies. Paul Deneve, former CEO of fashion giant Yve Saint Laurent, joined Apple earlier this year, also to work on “special projects.” Mansfield had announced his retirement last June, but was convinced to stay for at least two more years, taking on a larger role after the ouster of SVP of iOS software Scott Forstall. It should be noted that Mansfield’s departure is different from Forstall’s, who was placed in an “advisory role” until he left the company at the end of 2012 — Mansfield is set to remain at Apple for the foreseeable future.

Read the full article at TidBITS...

When I stumble upon a fresh and creative app, particularly an app that pushes humanity forward in cold dark universe, I take a closer look. One such app is Ear Monsters: A 3D Audio Game by Ear Games via Brian Schmidt Studios. In this game, monsters from a parallel dimension have created wormholes to invade our universe. They quickly become invisible in our world when they pop out of the wormholes, but luckily for us, they don't realize we can still hear them.

xLine is the easiest mind-mapping app, the best way of brainstorming. It's perfect for idea collection and thought structuring. It allows you to visually organise your thoughts or ideas.

A mind map is considered a great way to brainstorm and generate more ideas. It helps you create a number of small ideas from one big idea, to see how different ideas could be connected, and to create a plan of action. Visualize your plan of action and carry out those strategies with your team. xLine is your ideal partner for brainstorming new ideas which can be brought to life on mind maps that resemble the informational structure of your brain using text, shapes, and images.

Mind mapping allows you to concentrated on the core ideas, reducing time spent and increasing productivity. xLine is the main partner of your brain! It features a very clean and simple design based on more than 10 years of...

CompeGPS Land will let you make the most of your outdoor trips. Its great variety of planning, navigation, and analysis tools is the perfect basis for any professional or amateur (trekking, mountain bike, 4x4, skiing, etc.). Get the best efficiency and lots of fun.

Visualize digital maps, download them for free from the Internet, or calibrate paper maps and manage all the necessary information for your trips on them. Land is optimed for TwoNav devices, either dedicated GPS devices (Sportiva/Sportiva+, Aventura), or devices with TwoNav installed (iPhone, Android, etc.). You can also communicate with Magellan and Garmin, and almost all new GPS receivers for upload/download waypoints, routes and tracks

Version 7.5.3:

Bug Fixes

• In certain situations, Land/Air could not send maps to iPhone/iPad
• Medion is compatible with Land/Air and...

The rumored low-cost Apple iPhone could be called the iPhone 5C, if a picture of its purported packaging as seen on WeiPhone is to be believed. Current speculation around the naming centers on various images of the plastic device appearing in a range of different colors, with the 'C' standing for 'Color.' While it is possible that this case is destined for the low-cost iPhone, it could equally be destined for Chinese markets for colored iPhone knock-offs that could hit the streets of China before Apple launches its own device....  ...

Neuronyx is a fast-paced game matching cards in as short a time as possible.

• Several levels of difficulties, possibility to create its own cards games.
• The matching cards can be maded of images, sounds or texts, to match in order or not.
• Many options of personalization.

Please visit author's website for other version (Carbon or Cocoa) and old versions (PPC, previous systems, etc.).

Version 2.5.3:

• Build with Xojo2013r2.
• Memorize two next clicked cards.
• Two Mac versions, Carbon and Cocoa (menu Help to see which).
• LAST Leopard version (build with RS2012r2.1) !

OS X 10.6 or later


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According to new data from Research and Markets (www.researchandmarkets.com), the total value of the global mobile marketing and advertising market will grow from 3.8 billion in 2011 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31% to 19.7 billion in 2017.

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SyncTwoFolders simply synchronizes two folders. It supports synchronization across mounted network drives. When files are copied, it acts like you're performing it through the Finder instead of mysteriously doing it in the background.

Please visit author's website for other version (Carbon or Cocoa) and old versions (PPC, previous systems, etc.).

Version 1.8.6:

• Build with Xojo2013r2.
• Two Mac versions, Carbon and Cocoa (menu Help to see which).
• LAST Leopard version (build with RS2012r2.1) !

OS X 10.6 or later


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SMasterMind is a game in which you have a certain number of guesses to figure out the color-pattern combination of four colored pins by the process of elimination. The game is in French and English.

Please visit author's website for other version (Carbon or Cocoa) and old versions (PPC, previous systems, etc.).

Version 1.3.8:

• Build with Xojo2013r2.
• Two Mac versions, Carbon and Cocoa (menu Help to see which).
• LAST Leopard version (build with RS2012r2.1) !

OS X 10.6 or later


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MemoDate lets you search for your contacts' birthdays in Address Book. It can also analyze a text file to warn you events which are notified there.

Please visit author's website for other version (Carbon or Cocoa) and old versions (PPC, previous systems, etc.).

Version 1.2.8:

• Build with Xojo2013r2.
• Two Mac versions, Carbon and Cocoa (menu Help to see which).
• LAST Leopard version (build with RS2012r2.1) !

OS X 10.6 or later


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NbreConvert is a simple program that lets you:

• Convert a number from any base to any base.
• Factorize a number into primes.
• Express a number in words.

The program is localized in English and in French. En Français, les nombres sont convertis en lettres.

Please visit author's website for other version (Carbon or Cocoa) and old versions (PPC, previous systems, etc.).

Version 1.3.0:

• Build with Xojo2013r2.
• Two Mac versions, Carbon and Cocoa (menu Help to see which).
• LAST Leopard version (build with RS2012r2.1) !

OS X 10.6 or later


More information

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MouseCoord shows the current coordinates of the mouse cursor. It can also draw a rectangle or an oval (see FAQ) to measure the pixels on the screen. It is intended to work with magnify software, as Pixie which is include in Apple's Developer tools, or others (Macnifier, etc.).

Please visit author's website for other version (Carbon or Cocoa) and old versions (PPC, previous systems, etc.).

Version 1.1.3:

• Build with Xojo2013r2.
• Two Mac versions, Carbon and Cocoa (menu Help to see which).
• LAST Leopard version (build with RS2012r2.1) !

OS X 10.6 or later


More information

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A previous chapter talked a lot about adding metadata during the import process because that’s the easiest way to apply it. Assigning keywords and other information during that initial stage takes some prep time, but when you click the Import button, the metadata is applied with a broad brush across all your incoming photos. After import, though, you still have some touch-up work to do. To make your photos easily searchable later — the ultimate goal in our organization project — you also need to apply more-specific metadata to individual photos. This might include identifying people and landmarks, or describing shots. In this chapter, I look at how to choose good keywords and how to apply them smartly. I also discuss how to fix incorrect dates and times, how to apply geolocation information, and why it may not be worth investing the time in your program’s facial-recognition tools.

Read the full article at TidBITS, the...

DeltaWalker Oro Edition has all the same great features as the standard edition of DeltaWalker, but also includes:

• Three-way file and folder comparison and automatic merging.
• Structure visualization and comparison of XML files.
• All three platforms-Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

DeltaWalker, a file and folder comparison application by Deltopia Inc., lets you compare, edit and merge files, and synchronize folders. DeltaWalker is a compelling choice for software, web, legal and publishing professionals, as well as scientists, engineers, translators and anyone who works with text, documents, and folders that change over time.

With DeltaWalker you can:

• Compare and synchronize hundreds of thousands of files and folders
• Compare and merge files two and three-way (Oro only)
• Edit and merge in-...

Bob Mansfield -- an Apple engineering veteran, and former senior VP of Hardware Engineering -- is no longer an Appleís executive, a company spokesman has confirmed with AllThingsD. Prior to his unannounced disappearance from the executive team webpage, Mansfield was listed in the recently-created position of senior VP of Technologies. Mansfield had planned to retire from the company, but was enticed to stay on with the executive team in late 2012, possibly to work on Appleís rumoured iWatch and to help the replacement SVP of Hardware Engineering Dan Riccio transition into his new role.... ...

Issues tries to help fix general problems with OS X:

• Airport
• AirDrop
• Mac App Store
• Finder
• Help Viewer
• Library
• Trash

Version 1.0.7:

• New: Software Update Panel
• New: Items added to Tweaking Panel
• New Icon

OS X 10.8 or later


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Excentro is an easy-to-use yet advanced tool that can create guilloche designs such as backgrounds, borders, or rosettes.

The guilloches are vintage design elements that were frequently used for anti-counterfeiting security purposes on banknotes, passports, checks, and certificates over the past two hundred years. As the times changed and digital copy and printing technologies were perfected, guilloches no longer presented sufficient security measures that could prevent the forging and counterfeiting of valuable papers. Today the main part of security technology lies in the special paper or tricky inks used in printing.

Still, it is too early to say that the days of guilloche designs are over. They can still be used to prevent the counterfeiting of products that do not require the highest level of security (e.g., theater tickets, diplomas, or gift certificates). Or, they can...

THE TICKER is a small, simple, and cute feed-reader app with built-in I HATE EXCERPTS feature.

Version 0.5:

• added favicons
• added GUI improvements
• improved performance
• improved image parsing
• improved feed parsing
• improved I HATE EXCERPTS feature

• OS X 10.7.4 or later
• Internet connection

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BackupLoupe allows you to answer questions like:

• Why does Time Machine take so long to back up my files?
• Which files are actually being backed up?
• Has a particular file/folder been backed up at all?
• How many revisions of a file/folder exist in Time Machine?
• A file/folder was deleted accidentally. When did this happen and where is the latest backup?
• Is my backup drive big enough? Should I consider buying a larger one? And if yes, when?

In addition BackupLoupe provides intuitive ways to restore any item backed up by Time Machine to any location or exclude directories from future backups.

Features:

• Quickly identify the items which take up the most space
• History: Show how many versions of an item are available and when they were saved; Quick navigation between versions
• Integration...

iDentify is an OS X application for tagging iTunes compatible MP4 video files.

Normally, when you convert a video file to the format used by iOS devices such as the iPad, iPod, iPhone, or AppleTV, all the information about the video is missing! The only thing you see is the name of the file where the title of the video should be! Enter iDentify 2!

iDentify 2 looks at the name of files as they are added to it. Based on the name of the file, iDentify determines whether it is a TV show or movie based on common naming conventions. From the file name, a lot of information can be gleaned, such as movie title, show name, season number, episode number, year of release, and IMDB code. iDentify can then automatically look on The TVDB, The Movie DB, and...

According to an upcoming report from the China Labor Watch, outlined by the Wall Street Journal, Apple’s China-based manufacturing partner Pegatron has come under fire for worker conditions. The report outlines several claims which shed a negative light on Pegatron:

• Pegatron is claimed to be withholding worker IDs. This means that Pegatron employees are unable to work elsewhere because they lack proper identification.
• The company is also claimed to be providing “poor living conditions” with “30-minute waits to enter their production facility, tight living quarters, and packed cafeterias.” Cold showers and packed dorms are also noted.
• Workers are claimed to be working over 60 hours a week (Apple’s limit), while Apple’s June...

Early Sunday afternoon Bob Mansfield, Apple’s senior vice president of technologies, disappeared from the company’s Web site, his biography removed from its executive profiles page without explanation.

Now, we know why. Sort of. Mansfield is no longer a member of Apple’s executive team.

“Bob is no longer going to be on Apple’s executive team, but will remain at Apple working on special projects reporting to Tim,” company spokesman Steve Dowling told AllThingsD. He declined any further explanation, refusing to comment on the reasons behind Mansfield’s abrupt demotion or whether Apple plans to appoint a new SVP of technologies.

Developing …

iCloudDisk lets you sync files between your Macs using iCloud, like iDisk.

iCloudDisk is the easiest way to use your otherwise-unused iCloud storage space for syncing files between your Macs. iCloudDisk creates a folder on your computer which is seamlessly synced using your iCloud account. Files are even saved for offline use.

Note: You must run iCloudDisk on all the Macs you want to sync with.

Version 2.1.1:

• Now code sign to make Gatekeeper happy.

Some users may have trouble upgrading; if you do please download a copy from our website.

• OS X 10.8 or later
• iCloud account

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In Kingdom Tales, only the most courageous and just of leaders will be able forge a friendship between mankind and dragons! Step into the role of the steadfast and altruistic leader who's quests is to ensure the safety and prosperity of all people and creatures in the kingdom! In Kingdom Tales you will explore the land, gather, produce and trade resources, build and repair subjects’ homes and community structures, and work to increase your subjects’ level of happiness! Along your journey, you will meet druids, forest fairies, trolls, dragons and other exciting creatures while racing against the clock to complete tasks in this gorgeous and fun time management / strategy game!

Features:

• Explore 45 extraordinary levels
• Ensure the welfare of your subjects
• Earn different achievements
• Assist Kingdom inhabitants in the rebuilding...

A giant has stolen all the grub from the Grag tribe in Prehistorik!

You play the role of Grag and set off on this monster’s trail in search of food!
Super friendly Grag is helped along the way by his new friend, the fly!
Help this friendly prehistoric hero defeat his monstrous enemies and bring back some loot to the village!

Pick up all the food!

• Battle the bosses - They're funny alright... but dangerous too…
• Travel through the different worlds, each one crazier than the next.
• Try out your boarding skills with a pigsurf (pig + snow + fun = pigsurfing).
• Have a go on a jetpack in the mountains.

P.S: No animals were harmed in the making of this game.

Features:

• Bonus Levels to unlock (jumping over giant muffins sounds pretty cool, right?)
• Find the statuettes and...

In Web Of Deceit: Black Widow, you're drawn into a web of deceit when your train stops in Andville, where the Black Widow lies in wait. Follow a trail of clues and dead husbands as you explore this once picturesque town now at the mercy of the Black Widow and her mechanical minions. What drives her lust for revenge? Where is the root of her strange power? Uncover the bizarre history – and mystery – of this little town. And track down the Black Widow in time to foil her devious plot for revenge!

Features:

• Spectacular cut scenes
• Amazing music!

OS X 10.6.8 or later


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Update: Poornima Gupta from Reuters got a statement from Apple on Mansfield:

Apple says Bob Mansfield is no longer on Apple's exec team but will remain at Apple working on special projects reporting to Cook. $AAPL—
Poornima Gupta (@PoornimaGupta) July 29, 2013

“Bob is no longer going to be on Apple’s executive team, but will remain at Apple working on special projects reporting to Tim [Cook],”

Apple Senior Vice President of Technologies Bob Mansfield has mysteriously disappeared from the executive organization chart on Apple’s website, as noted by MacRumors...

Apple employees will begin receiving free iBooks next week in order to prepare them for the launch of iBooks for Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks. The development was announced on Sunday in the course of Apple Retail's store quarterly meetings, according to 9to5Mac. The move is aimed at getting employees to familiarize themselves with Apple's iOS-spawned digital books platform and how it will work on the company's desktop and notebook devices....  ...

Product: For the past couple of weeks, I have been using Vaja’s premium leather Grip Hardshell Case and Executive Leather Flip Cover for the iPhone 5. These cases are built-to-order and handcrafted in Argentina. Vaja’s website allows customers to completely customize both the inside and outside designs of the cases. The process takes 20 days, according to the company. However, a series of in-stock, pre-chosen configurations are available.

Performance/Features: Both cases are very structurally sound, and compared to other cases that I have tested in the past, putting the iPhone 5 in and out of the cases is a simple...

During quarterly retail meetings that took place today, Apple announced a new ‘iBooks Discovery’ initiative that will see Apple Store employees provided with free iBooks beginning next week in order to prepare the retail workers for the launch of OS X Mavericks and iOS 7, reports 9to5Mac.

While an iBooks app has been available on iOS devices since the debut of the original iPad in 2010, OS X Mavericks will mark the first instance of an iBooks app for the Mac.

The Mavericks version of iBooks offers a number of features that will appeal to readers and students alike, including full screen reading capabilities, note taking functionality, and a feature that allows study cards to be automatically created from notes.

With access to...

Announced at Apple Retail’s store quarterly meetings today, Apple will begin providing its employees free iBooks titles next week. The initiative is called “iBooks Discovery” internally.

The move comes ahead of the launch of both OS X Mavericks and iOS 7. Mavericks will be the first Mac operating system to feature the iBooks app and iBookstore, so Apple is providing their employees paid titles for free as a way for the employees to further familiarize themselves with iBooks. This, in turn, will allow the employees to be more experienced with iBooks as they introduce the Apple book reading service to Mac users for the first time.

As for iOS 7, the new operating system sports a completely redesigned look, and Apple, in the internal quarterly store meetings, foreshadowed an...

Happens every day.

In case you missed anything, here’s a quick roundup of the news that powered AllThingsD this week:

1. Orange is the New Black is the new Arrested Development: In its Q2 earnings call, Netflix said that every original show it’s rolled out this year has improved upon previous shows‘ first-week ratings.
2. Google announced the Chromecast, which can beam video content from the Chrome browser or mobile devices to your TV, and might pose some problems for TV execs who don’t want the line between your screens to be so blurry.
3. Google also...

Free Fonts is a suite of 56 original free fonts that is updated regularly to feature more new fonts.

Version 2.0:

• Added 11 brand new fonts to the Free Fonts collection, all with a commercial use license to use in any business or personal project.

• OS X 10.7 or later
  
  
  More information
  
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FTP Client Ultimate is the easiest and fastest way to access a FTP server. It allows you to upload, download, create directories, and delete files with a streamlined and easy-to-use interface.

• Simple, easy-to-use use interface
• Secure connections
• Blazing, concurrent downloads and uploads
• Retina-ready and sandboxed (secure) app

Version 2.0.5:

• Fixed a memory leak

• OS X 10.6 or later

More information

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