The assistant general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays is leaving the organization to join Apple as an executive with responsibility for managing the Sports and Entertainment sections of the App Store, according to reports. Jay Sartori has been with the team since 2010 and will be leaving next month for the new job. His exact duties at Apple haven't been revealed, but the company has been working closely with Major League Baseball to enhance its apps' integration with other Apple technologies....
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Apple has hired Toronto Blue Jays assistant GM Jay Sartori to manage a sports section of the App Store, according to a number of reports dating back three days (via MG Siegler). Sartori a numbers guy who can effortlessly crunch statistics according to a bio from 2011, but he also has some experience in software development. He previously created some stats software for the MLB commissioner and has a background in finance and management information systems…

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Back in July, we featured the Muku Shuttr in our weekly crowdfunding roundup. Since then, the Kickstarter project went on to gain over 2500 backers and end with $94k in funding – well over the $10k goal. With the devices shipping out to backers starting next month, we took some time to review the device and speak with Kevin Keung, the head of Muku Labs.

Setting up the device

The device has two switches: one for turning the device on and off and the other for switching between iOS and Android compatibility. They’re easy to maneuver, but sadly there is no indication as to which is for on/off and which is for iOS/...

A new report from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech that gathers the averages for June, July and now August is painting two pictures: one of the areas where iOS and Android are growing, and another showing that Android growth in developed markets such as North America and Europe to be levelling off or falling. The report covers most of the summer, and thus reflects some dropping demand for the iPhone in light of the expected refresh -- but trend lines for both Apple and Android are becoming clear....
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Apple is pulling from the Toronto Blue Jays' bench to secure a new executive, as reports have the baseball team's assistant general manager Jay Sartori leaving to take over management of part of the App Store.
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One of the unsung heroes among the built-in apps on iOS devices is Reminders. Reminders are different from calendar events. Calendars mark your appointments, while reminders tell you what you have to do.

In this short video, I'll show you how to create a new reminder list, enter a reminder, set a deadline or prioritize a reminder, and show items as completed. We'll also cover deleting reminders and creating then with Siri.

As with all of our video tips, this one can be expanded to full screen for more detail.

iOS 7 video tip: Using Reminders originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 30 Sep 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | ...

Display manufacturer Viewsonic is refreshing its entertainment line of monitors today with the launch of its new VESA-mountable VX52 series, which includes the 24-inch (23.6-inch viewable) VX2452mhand 22-inch (21.5-inch viewable) VX2252mh. The VX52 series features Full HD resolution and ClearMotiv II technology that delivers 2ms response times for what the company says are blur-free images....
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In iOS Safari, at first, it's perhaps counter-intuitive how to move a folder of bookmarks.  However, once you get the hang of it, it's easy.  Here's how to do it.

From 9to5Toys.com:

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+.

Today’s featured deals:

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Software developers Raskin and Paddle have collaborated in their release of a Mac OS X app bundle, titled "Cheaper by the Dozen". From illustration technology to network management to social media consolidation and more, the $35 bundle features productivity-oriented software, both previously-released and debuting as standalone software for the first time, such as Marked 2. Available until October 10, the "Cheaper by the Dozen" Mac Bundle can be purchased from Paddle....
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Apple licensed US Patent #772,078 from original owner Intellectual Ventures to allow for in-app purchases of iOS apps. The patent, now owned by Lodsys, covers "Methods and systems for gathering information from units of a commodity across a network." Lodsys started suing iOS developers for patent infringement and Apple filed a motion to intervene in patent infringement lawsuits in 2011.

Patent trolls -- also known as Patent Assertion Entities ("PAEs") -- are "firms with a business model based primarily on purchasing patents and then attempting to generate revenue by asserting the intellectual property against persons who are already practicing the...

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

No Flash? Click here to listen.

Subscribe via RSS

Daily Update for September 30, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 30 Sep 2013 16:15:00 EST. Please see our...

I've long suffered Apple's attempts at cloud services. While iTools hardly counts, my accounts (and usernames) do go back that far, and along the way I've made aliases (remember .mac?), and obtained a confusing .mac/MobileMe login split personality, ultimately ignoring an @icloud account name. When iCloud debuted, loyal buffoons like me were "gifted" a 20 GB storage plan on top of the paltry 5 GB given for free to all iCloud users.

Tomorrow that freebie expires, and if you're using more than 5 GB here's what Apple says will happen:

If the storage you're using in iCloud exceeds the total storage available, iCloud Backup, Documents in the...

Since the release of iOS 7 earlier this month, a number of users have been complaining about issues with iMessages failing to be sent or received from their iOS devices.

While Apple's iMessage service has suffered from occasional outages, including a minor one documented on the company's System Status page earlier today, some users have been complaining of multi-day outages on their devices, suggesting that something more than a simple service problem may be occurring. Anecdotal reports have indicated that the issue may have worsened with last week's release of iOS 7.0.2, but reports of problems do date further back than that.

Some users have reported that turning their iOS devices off and back on fixes the problem, while...

Most of the time, we frame the photo on our iPhone and touch the shutter release button on the display. Or perhaps it's more convenient to use the volume control buttons on the side.  However, there are several ways to trip the shutter without even touching your iPhone.

Three years after Apple launched iAd Producer as a way to build interactive ads and other content using HTML5, JavaScript and CSS web standards, Google has launched a beta development tool of its own, which it calls Web Designer.
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Chronos has released Business Card Shop 5, an upgrade to its card creation utility for the Mac. One of the key changes is the addition of a Template Chooser, which lets people preview templates or skip to creating a card from scratch. Custom cards can now be saved as templates; Chronos has meanwhile added 50 new templates of its own, including 36 double-sided cards, 10 signature cards, and 4 folding/tent cards....
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A nice little upgrade today from Dropbox today has some new features we can all use. Firstly, Dropbox does a Cloud App clone where it uploads screenshots and pops a link into your clipboard for quick sharing purposes.

Starting today, all the screenshots you take...

Apple's silicon development operations in Central Florida continue to grow, with the company advertising even more positions now available as part of its graphics processing team in Orlando.
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Apple is now selling refurbished fourth-generation 128GB iPads in its online store. Currently available are Wi-Fi models in black or white, for $679, and a Wi-Fi + Cellular AT&T model in white, for $789. The latter model is the only Wi-Fi + Cellular option available. Apple is expected to…

Ever wonder how the original iPhone compares to Apple's newest iPhone 5s when it comes to boot up and shutdown times? YouTube user EverythingApplePro decided to find out by testing the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5s with simultaneous shutdowns and restarts. Spoiler alert: the iPhone 5s is fastest at starting up, but it wasn't the fastest shutting down. It was also the fastest at rendering reddit.  There are some other interesting differences between the different devices and the different versions of iOS that they run.

Music producer Steve Albini had a conversation with Kurt Cobain about the possibility of Steve producing Nirvana’s next album, their final studio album, In Utero. Kurt asked Steve to put together an outline of his thoughts on producing and the letter after the jump was the result. So much great stuff in there.

∞ Read this on The Loop

It's time to save some of that hard-earned cash with our Daily Deals, featuring exclusive TUAW Deals, a handy list from Dealnews and our own hand-picked iOS and OS X selections.

TUAW's Daily Deals

World's First Mobile Breathalyzer [On sale for $134.99, down from $150]

Ever wonder how quickly your body processes alcohol? Maybe you've always wondered which of your friends is actually the drunkest at the end of the night. Well with the BACtrack Mobile Breathalyzer, you can put a number on all of your inebriated muscle flexing.

BACtrack has created the world's first breathalyzer that connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth. Using a law enforcement-grade fuel cell sensor, it'll quickly and easily estimate your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC), and then let you save...

Good hire for Apple.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Follow the steps below to deploy Aperture 3 across multiple Mac systems using Apple Remote Desktop, NetInstall, or NetRestore.

Earlier this year, Apple and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) inked a three-year deal for the chip manufacturer to produce A-series processors for iOS devices starting in 2014. While the move was seen as a strategic step away from relying on rival Samsung to produce the chips, it's now appearing that it is strictly a move towards diversifying supply away from a single source. The Verge, citing Korean daily Hankyung, says that production of the next-generation A8 chip will be handled primarily by TSMC with Samsung still grabbing about 30-40 percent of manufacturing.

Chipworks found that Samsung is the manufacturer of...

cagraham writes "According to consultancy firm Interbrand's latest 'Best Global Brands' report, Apple is now the world's most valuable brand, with an estimated worth of $98.4 billion. Since Interbrand began issuing the report in 2001, Coca-Cola has previously always claimed the top spot, but fell to third place this year, behind both Apple and Google. Tech companies now make up six of the top ten brands, but only 12 of the top 200. The report comes a week after Apple reported record sales numbers, moving 9 million iPhone 5s and 5Cs during their opening weekend."

...

The slider toggle switches in iOS 7's settings don't include any words to indicate whether or not something is active -- like On or Off -- but they do turn green to show they're active. That's nice, but not all apps offer the green visual cue, and some people may have trouble with colors, too. That's an easy fix because Apple includes a setting that helps make it much easier to tell the difference between the On and Off state.

Apple CEO Tim Cook knows that the company wouldn't be in the enviable financial state it's in right now if it wasn't for the hard work and dedication of its employees. Cook today sent a company-wide email to employees thanking them for that work and letting them know that they'll get some extra paid time off during the Thanksgiving holidays.

Apple is shutting down on November 25, 26, and 27 so that employees can have the entire week off. While Retail and AppleCare employees will still be working those days during the all-important buildup to Black Friday, they'll get that extra paid time off at a later date along with employees at international locations.

Cook's full email to employees can be read in its entirety below.

Show full PR text

Team-

It's been an exciting summer. For the first time,...

Apple's iPhone 5s and 5c may be on their way to prepaid carrier Boost Mobile, as new images have emerged showing what appear to be promotional materials touting the two smartphones.
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A newly-documented technique lets people bypass the lockscreen in iOS 7.0.2 and dial any phone number, not just emergency numbers. The method involves waiting for a notification, or forcing one by sending a text message or ejecting the SIM card. Once the notification pops up, a hacker has to swipe right on it while simultaneously swiping up on the Camera icon. While keeping a finger on the Camera icon, a person must then slide to unlock and tap the Emergency Call button. After dialing, hitting the Call button quickly two or three times should crash Springboard, but allow the call to go thr...
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The smartphone landscape sure has changed since 2007, back then the iPhone rocked the smartphone the market. Still, the original iPhone lacked GPS, cut-and-paste, a camera flash, and horror of horrors, it only ran on Edge.

Since then, there have been seven additional iterations of the iPhone, each one slowly but surely building upon the advancements of its predecessor.

So how do each of the eight distinct iPhone models stack up against one another? Well, as CNet points out, the folks over at EverythingApplePro decided to run a little speed test comparing every iPhone model ever released.

The results aren't all that shocking, but you may be surprised...

Developer Greg Pierce talks to Charles Perry and Joe Cieplinski about updating his popular app, Drafts, to iOS 7.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Paragon Software Group (PSG) has launched a portal hosting a selection of free or inexpensive tools for users of multiple devices seeking to solve incompatibility issues on consumer electronics.
 

read more

Apple is once again allowing Personal Pickups for online orders of the iPhone 5s, checks show. The company halted pickups of the phone early last week without explanation. Even with the option returned, many stores are listing the device as unavailable for pickup, although some locations should have stock....
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Apple’s motion to intervene in a patent infringement lawsuit Lodsys filed against numerous iOS developers has been dismissed by US District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, according to a report. Lodsys originally sued seven third-party iOS developers, which prompted Apple’s motion to intervene more than two years ago. Apple proposed to…

The official NBA Game Time app has been updated today with support for the upcoming 2013-2014 NBA preseason.  Preseason games for the 2013-14 season, the 68th NBA season, will kick off on Saturday, October 5th.

Version 5.0 of the free NBA Game Time app for iPad is available now on the App Store.

Another popular sports app, Yahoo’s Sportacular Pro, received a recent update that brought iPad support and a redesigned experience with new content and features.

What’s New in Version 5...

Patent troll company, Lodsys, has won at least a small court victory. U.S. District Judge Rodeny Gilstrap, the East Texas judge overseeing Lodsys' systematic patent attack on app developers, has refused to even consider Apple's motion in the case, reports "ArsTechnica" (http://tinyurl.com/pxhffe2). Instead, he allowed the patent-holding company to settle all its cases -- and then dismissed Apple's motion as moot.

read more

Delta said on Monday that it plans to buy Surface 2 tablets using the Microsoft hardware to replace paper flight books for the airline’s 11,000 pilots.

The deployment will start later this year with pilots of 757 and 767 aircraft, with the goal to have all cockpits paperless by the end of next year. The Surface tablets will contain charts, reference documents and other information. Delta estimates that it can save $13 million in fuel costs by replacing the paper manuals.

American Airlines has been making a similar move, but using Apple iPads.

Delta has already been betting on Microsoft’s mobile technology. The airline is equipping its 19,000 flight attendants with Nokia Windows Phones running Microsoft’s Dynamics software to handle customer purchases...

I’m a huge fan of Thunderbolt. A single wire carrying both DisplayPort and high-speed PCIe data is an incredibly elegant approach to minimising cable clutter even if you don’t need the blistering speed, especially when you can use an Apple Thunderbolt Display as a hub for your USB devices.

I also admire clever tech. The reason you can daisy-chain up to six separate devices is because Thunderbolt automatically multiplexes and de-multiplexes the signals as needed. Thunderbolt 2 takes this approach one step further, combining two 10Gbit/s channels into a single 20Gbit/s connection, with the the Thunderbolt controller again doing all the work. It’s impressive stuff.

A fast, clever technology developed by Intel and enthusiastically marketed by Apple ought to stand a fighting chance at mass-market adoption....

The evolution of Apple's iPhone ? from the original model through the new 5s and 5c ? was shown off recently in a new video that pits all eight released versions of the bestselling handset against each other in a test of speed.
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An east Texas judge, Rodney Gilstrap, has issued a ruling blocking Apple from intervening on behalf of iOS app developers pursued by Lodsys, reports say. The order, handed down last Tuesday, also allows Lodsys to settle individually with each of the developers it has been leveling patent claims against. Apple has been seeking to intervene on behalf of developers for two years, arguing that it since it licensed patents (now owned by Lodsys) from Intellectual Ventures for in-app purchases, third-party developers are already protected....
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Do you love TextEdit for its simplicity and elegance? Have you ever thought that it'd be great to use it in full screen mode? Here's how to achieve that. Apple has released TextEdit's source code as an example of an Xcode project; with Xcode installed, you'll be able to manufacture a version of TextEdit with full screen support.

Open TextEdit.xcodeproj and on the left, find the Interfaces folder and select the file DocumentWindow. Then, select the window; make sure you select the window itself and not one of the objects contained in it. On the right, you can see the different inspectors Xcode provides. You'll want to select the fourth, the Attributes inspector. There are a lot of changeable attributes of the window available, but what we're interested in is the full screen support. Change that to "Primary Window". Build and run the application. Presto, you have full screen support!

To get the finished, executable application, locate "TextEdit.app" in the f ...

Following the launch of two new iPhone models and iOS 7 earlier this month, Tim Cook today emailed Apple employees thanking them for working tirelessly on the new products and rewarding them with extra, paid time off for the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays.

I realize many of you worked tirelessly to bring us this far. I know it required great personal sacrifice…In recognition of your incredible efforts and achievements, I’m happy to announce that we’re extending the Thanksgiving holiday this year.

Cook announced that Apple will shut down on November 25, 26, and 27 so employees can have the entire week off for the holiday. Retail and AppleCare employees will continue to work on those days to serve customers, but they’ll get the additional, paid time off at a later date along with international employees.

And I am proud to tell you that Apple is also a force for good in our world beyond our products. Whether it’s improving working conditions or the environment,...

Apple's new flagship iPhone 5s and mid-range iPhone 5c contribute more value to Cupertino's profit margins than their predecessor, the iPhone 5, according to one Wall Street analyst.
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NeoFinder (formerly CDFinder) rapidly organizes your data, either on external or internal disks, or any other volumes. It catalogs all your data, so you stay in control of your data archive or disk library. With extensive metadata support, you can find your files quickly.

Feature Overview:

• Catalog: any hard disk, data folder, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, BlueRay, HD-DVD, iPod, Server Volume, Audio-CD, USB-Stick, FTP-Server, and more
• Power: Handle really large amounts of data
• Photo Previews: Create beautiful thumbnails for many photo and image formats, such as JPG, TIFF, EPS, RAW, PDF, PSD, BMP, GIF, PNG, TGA, IFF (Maya)
• Audio Meta Data: MP3, AAC (iTunes), FLAC (Lossless), ALAC (Apple Lossless), and AIFF meta data: author, album, title, composer, lyrics, cover art, track number, duration, bit rate, genre, year, comment. Even catalogs whole Audio-CDs, and Apple iPhone ringtone files!
• Photo Meta Data: XMP (used...

Back in June, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) struck a three-year deal with Apple to produce A-series chips for iOS devices beginning in 2014. The move was seen as part of Apple's strategy of moving away from rival Samsung for component supplies, although Samsung was soon after reported to have landed its own deal to once again produce chips beginning with the A9 in 2015.

According to Korean news outlet Hankyung [Google Translate] (via ...

T-Mobile grew to 13.2% of smartphone sales in the U.S. market in the 3 month period ending August 2013, marking its highest share of sales over the past year, and realized a growth of 1.1% points, reversing an on-going trend of year-on-year decline. The sales growth comes as a result of strong iOS sales and strategic discounts, based upon analysis by the company.

Call it a first-world problem: The more photos we capture with our fancy smartphones, the more photos we have to sort through.

In the future, we may look back at the many thousands of digital photos we have and think, “When was that trip, again?” or “Where did I enjoy that fantastic meal?” or “How did I manage to take so many photos of pocket lint?”

That’s where Memoir comes in. It’s a free, iOS-only mobile app that launched the same day that iOS 7, Apple’s latest operating system, was released.

Memoir is a photo-storage app that automates an album-like approach to organizing your photos. It pulls photos from your smartphone camera roll and popular social networks.

[ See post to watch video ]

Then, each say, it shows you the most recent photos, as well as photos and social network check-ins from that same day two, three, or five years ago. You can also search for your photos using keywords, such as “July 2011,” “Costa Rica” or a person’s name....

Interbrand's annual Best Global Brands report is out, and for the first time Apple took the top position. Apple's ranking means Coca-Cola has finally been unseated as the number one company for the first time in the 13 years the Interbrand has conducted the study.

The Mac Observer Spin:
It's no secret that Apple has a strong brand. Taking the top spot in the Interbrand study this year is a big deal, not just for Apple, but also for Coca-Cola.

Notable software releases this week include Pixelmator 2.2.1, Typinator 5.7, TextExpander 4.1, and ReadKit 2.3.1.

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 discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

This series of scatterplots shows the relative IMDB scores for shows like Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, and The Wire. Well done, though I would argue that the charts show how much people love a show, as opposed to any measure of quality. But no matter. Still interesting.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Samsung claims that its cross-platform ChatON messaging service now has a "global subscriber base of over 100 million users.î The service, first launched in October 2011 is available as an app on PCs, Samsung feature phones, as well as Android, iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone. The company says that it crested the wave of 50 million subscribers in May this year, will the latest 50 million users added in the past four months alone. In touting the popularity of the app across the platforms, Samsungís promotional artwork includes images of Appleís iPad and iPhone, along with a BlackBerry device...
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Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "Los Angeles Unified School District started issuing iPads to its students this school year, as part of a $30 million deal with Apple. Now Sam Sanders reports at NPR that less than a week after getting their iPads, high school students have found a way to bypass software blocks on the devices that limit what websites the students can use. The students are getting around software that lets school district officials know where the iPads are, what the students are doing with them at all times and lets the district block certain sites, such as social media favorites like Facebook. 'They were bound to fail,' says Renee Hobbs, who's been a skeptic of the iPad program from the start. 'There is a huge history in American education of being attracted to the new, shiny, hugely promising bauble and then watching the idea fizzle because teachers weren't properly trained to use it and it just ended up in the closet.' The rollout of the iPads might have to be delayed...

Valuing brands isn’t necessarily an exact science, but each year the folks at Interbrand do their level best to engage in this sort of alchemy.

The big news this year is that Apple has surpassed Coke as the firm’s most valuable brand, with Interbrand valuing Apple’s market appeal at $98.3 billion. Google also moved ahead of Coca-Cola, with a $93.3 billion brand, ahead of Coke’s $79.2 billion.

But there were lots of other tech names high up on the Interbrand rankings. IBM was No. 4 at $78.8 billion, followed by Microsoft at $59.5 billion. Samsung landed at No. 8 on the list, Intel was No. 9, Cisco was No. 13, Disney No. 14 and Hewlett-Packard at No. 15. Oracle was No. 18 (though presumably the rankings were compiled before the improbably America’s Cup comeback).

Amazon, meanwhile, was No....

The newly released QuarkXPress 10 leverages the latest OS X features, including a state-of-the-art graphics engine that renders rich PDFs, Photoshop and TIFF images and uses its Adaptive Resolution feature to deliver designers the most appropriate onscreen resolution in real-time.

read more

InterBrand does this study every year.

Apple Inc.’s brand value jumped 28 percent to $98.3 billion, Google Inc. (GOOG) is now in second place at $93.3 billion, and Coca-Cola Co. has slipped from the top seat after 13 years to third place at $79.2 billion.

The annual study, closely watched by the industry, determines a brand’s value by examining its financial performance, role in influencing consumer buying and ability to secure earnings. The Top 10 is rounded out in descending order by IBM, Microsoft, GE, McDonald’s, Samsung, Intel and Toyota.

Pretty interesting.

∞ Read this on The Loop

A new Gatepoint Research study (http://tinyurl.com/kllawxg), commissioned by cloud billing expert Aria Systems and released today, finds that a significant percentage (42%) of respondents from the high tech, telecom, and retail sectors are experiencing frustration with their current billing systems when trying to use them to support new recurring revenue models. Often at the heart of the problem are legacy billing systems that limit a business’s ability to adapt quickly and flexibly to changes in their marketplace.

read more

A 20nm test chip from TSMC

Oh, Digitimes. This is the 4th year in a row that you’ve reported that Apple would be moving its chip business away from Samsung in Texas to the friendly local confines of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). This time however, the report hedges the bet saying only a portion of the production will move to Taiwan. It also sources a Korean publication Hankyung.

Apple shifting production of its iPhone and iPad chips away from Samsung to TSMC is one of those constant rumors, dating back to at least...

For the first time since it began compiling its Best Global Brands report in 2000, Interbrand now lists Apple as the worldís most valuable brand, reports The New York Times. Since the inception of the Interbrand report, Coca-Cola has taken out the top spot for the last thirteen years straight. Apple took second place on the list last year, moving from eighth in 2011, but has now claimed the top position with an estimate brand value of $98.3 billion, a 28 percent increase from 2012....
  ...

A rumor out of the Far East on Sunday claims Apple has once again retained Samsung's services to build a next-generation processor dubbed the "A8," though a majority of production will reportedly be handled by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
  ...

Following the ongoing legal threats to iOS developers by patent holding firm Lodsys, an East Texas judge has tossed Apple’s original legal challenge of the patent firm, ruling that Lodsys is free to settle all its cases, reports Ars Technica. Now, after two years of litigation, it's back to square one. The East Texas judge overseeing Lodsys' systematic patent attack on app developers has refused to even consider Apple's motion. Instead, he allowed the patent-holding company to settle all its cases—and then dismissed Apple's motion as moot. By doing so, US District Judge Rodney Gilstrap—who has inherited the patent-happy East Texas court that once belonged to patent-troll favorite T. John Ward—has enabled Lodsys to threaten developers for months, and perhaps even years, to come.
The legal actions by Lodsys originally started in May 2011...

A Texas judge last week dismissed a motion that would have allowed Apple to intervene in patent-holding firm Lodsys' ongoing attacks against iOS app makers, hindering the Cupertino company's ability to protect developers that provide the backbone of its important iOS ecosystem.
  ...

Read recommendations and guidelines for cleaning your Apple computer, iPad, iPhone, iPod, display, or peripheral device. 

All-new dial-in experience! Be sure to set up Fuze Meeting before the show if you want to join in live.

It's Sunday, and it's time for the TUAW talkcast! If you're feeling slightly wobbly and a trifle nauseated, we understand. Although it's possible that your vertigo is related to iOS 7's new parallax effect and zooming visuals, that's affecting relatively few people. (If you're affected, be sure to flip the Reduce Motion switch under Settings, General, Accessibility.)

No, more likely that the sour taste in your mouth is related to the frantic Wall Street rationalizations and revisionist redactions as the equity analysts covering Apple's business...

Tricky Letters is a new app that serves daily inspiration. The app is simple to use and delivers its content in a unique, cute way. You receive letters everyday at random times that contain wisdom, inspiration, meaningful quotes, and art. Tricky Letters stands out in that it doesn’t serve up content on demand. Instead, it only delivers content when the app decides to.

The app is very minimalistic with two buttons. In the upper left hand corner there is a circle. Tapping on the white circle, spreads out two different options. “About” will tell you how the app works and where it gets the pictures. Tapping on “Theme Store” shows you the different themes that are...

Apple The 5C iPhone comes in green, blue, yellow and pink, as well as white.

Another busy week in the digital world has passed, complete with our full coverage.

Here’s a download of the top news this week, in case you missed it:

1. Despite concerns from analysts and pundits, Apple managed to sell a whopping 9 million new iPhones over the first weekend of release. Those numbers, however, weren’t broken out in terms of how many were 5s devices versus 5c — perhaps we’ll hear more on the quarterly earnings call.
2. The NYPD would really love it if all Apple mobile...

When the iPhone 5s launched with the M7 motion coprocessor on September 20, Azumio’s ARGUS fitness app was updated that same day with M7 compatibility. I’ve been an ARGUS user for quite awhile, as it syncs with my LifeTrak and can also independently track steps in the background throughout the day even without a wristband.

The app is now the #1 free Health & Fitness app in the App Store and has been featured as one of the top “Designed for iOS 7″ apps.

Seeing that the app gained M7 compatibility so quickly – it was the first one that I noticed and I haven’t been able to find one that added it before them – I was curious about how ARGUS was able to...

Dave and John come out swinging today, hacking away at your problems, solving your dilemmas, sharing your groovy ideas, and ensuring that everyone is not only informed, but enlightened and entertained! Topics range from fixing crackly speakers to tidying up your menu bar to finding backups that disappeared. All of this and more ... just download and press play. That's all there is to it!

Update: It does appear this was a glitch, as it’s no longer available. It’s not yet known whether those who upgraded while it was available will get to keep their unlimited data.

Contrary to Verizon’s stated claims that it is ridding itself of unlimited data plans on iPhone upgrades, a few readers have been able to upgrade to the iPhone 5S or 5C and keep their unlimited data (which is all the more valuable in the age of LTE).

@9to5mac A friend upgraded to the 5S at Target and they let him keep his Verizon unlimited.

—
Jeff (@iCon1969) September 29, 2013

Folks at HowardForums and...

This looks like fun to me. Definitely adding to my bucket list.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Sony's new Cyber-shot DSC-QX10 wireless camera lens is a first-of-its-kind iPhone accessory that could appeal to many who are in the market for a quality, conveniently pocketable and connected point-and-shoot camera. Unfortunately software issues make the ambitious device far from perfect, though it does earn kudos for being a concept ahead of its time.
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One of the founders of Apple and the man who brought video gaming to the masses, together onstage for the first time (at least as far back as they can remember).

They covered a lot during an hourlong conversation before a packed room at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center on Friday afternoon, from Steve Jobs and data encryption to the early days of Silicon Valley and the future of robots and computing as machines get smarter and smarter. But the sense you got from both of these valley pioneers is that, for the most part, they had a lot of fun building the future and the idea of having fun still figures into their decisions.

A lot has been written about Steve Jobs and Woz’s roles in building Breakout for Atari. But this is the first time Woz and Bushnell have told that story together.

Both Bushnell and Woz said they never really...

9to5Mac is reporting that Apple recently hired former Nike design director Ben Shaffer.

At Nike, Shaffer was the Studio Director of the Innovation Kitchen. This is Nike's research and development lab where new product designs are created. Under Shaffer's lead, Nike was named the most innovative company in 2013 by Fast Company. Nike's Innovation Kitchen has been connected to wearable products like the popular Nike Fuel Band, and most recently, the Flyknit shoe.

The hiring of Shaffer comes just weeks after word surfaced that Apple had hired famed fitness guru and Nike FuelBand consultant Jay Blahnik.

As for the reasons behind Apple's recent hires, the rumor mill suggests that Apple is shoring up its iWatch team with fitness experts to shore up...

I’ve been experimenting with using FaceTime as an always-on video conferencing system. However things like network interruptions happen. Therefore, it’s never a bad idea to plan for that and allow either end of a call to initiate a new call without someone on the other end hitting accept. To do so, we can just send a boolean AutoAcceptInvites key to com.apple.FaceTime:

defaults write com.apple.FaceTime AutoAcceptInvites -bool true

After restarting FaceTime, incoming calls will automatically answer. Since we might take a machine and do something differently, we might need to disable this again. To disable this feature:

defaults write com.apple.FaceTime AutoAcceptInvites -bool false

In a post to its official global blog on Friday, Samsung addressed critics' claims that it aped Apple's iPhone 5s by releasing a gold Galaxy S4, rattling off a list of eight similarly colored legacy models dating back to 2004.
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TV streaming service Aereo will not be expanding its offerings to Chicago on schedule, the company revealed on Friday. The Chicago expansion was slated to launch on September 13, but "issues with [the] beta site" have prevented delayed the launch, the company said. Aereo has not given any indication when the service might go live, but it assures interested parties that "we are working our fastest to find a solution that works."...
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Tablets running Google's Android operating system have overtaken those running Apple's iOS in terms of shipped devices, according to new figures from ABI Research. ABI finds that, during the second quarter of 2013, Android-powered tablets also approached Apple's iPad in terms of total revenue. The Android platform's success in the tablet market is likely an outgrowth of the increasing popularity of devices manufactured by Apple's chief rival, Samsung....
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TUAW received an email this afternoon from Brett M. who noted that under iOS 7, the query "What is today going to be like?" ends up displaying the WIkipedia page for "Never Gonna Give You Up". In case you missed it, that's a 1987 pop song by British singer Rick Astley that was used for rickrolling other people...

As Brett mentioned, "If my query had a sly connection to one of the lyrics, I could see this, or if my query was so outrageous that I deserved to be rickrolled. But this? Very strange."

If any of our readers can figure out the link between the query and the oddball response, please let us know. By the way, this does not work when asking Siri the same question under iOS 6 -- in that case, the answer is always today's weather.

A TUAW hat tip to Brett M.

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Apple has sold Macintosh computers for just short of 30 years. Over just the last six, its personal computer business has been vastly overshadowed by its sales of Post-PC mobile devices. What future is left for the Mac?
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Contrary to earlier reports, Apple's recent hiring of a Nike designer was not related to his involvement in the Nike FuelBand project, because Ben Shaffer wasn't even involved in the wearable device.
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Semil:

I was lucky enough to watch enough baseball to know there was one player who was simply better than everyone else. He wasn’t perfect, but he was about as close as they come to perfection.

For Yankee fans, baseball fans and fans of class. And if you haven’t seen the video of Rivera’s last appearance at Yankee Stadium, watch it here. But have a tissue handy.

∞ Read this on The Loop

pwSafe provides simple and secure password management across devices and computers. pwSafe uses iCloud to keep your password databases backed-up and synced between Macs and iOS devices. It is compatible with Open Source Password Safe.

List of features:

• iCloud sync, realtime and bi-directional
• Generates strong passwords
• Print a hardcopy of your data for ultimate security agains data loss
• Copy password with Command+C or P
• Copy username with Command+U
• Double-click to easily copy password
• Lots of other hotkeys (see menus)
• Password history (per safe and per entry settings)

pwSafe is feature-complete password management, and is a one-time purchase (no subscriptions or optional items). Featured by Mac|Life as one the 20 Great Apps under $20.

Version 2.4.2:

• Preserves changed passwords even quitting the app without saving the safe...

New in iOS 7 is the ability to make FaceTime Audio calls. FaceTime Audio works internationally and works on a Wi-fi network, or on a cellular connection. Using Facetime Audio sounds nicer than actually using the iPhone to make calls. FaceTime Audio sounds deep, and closer to the actual sound of the voice. Another benefit of using FaceTime Audio is that it is associated with your Apple ID and phone number and is built right into the core operating system. For example, while you are texting someone, and you want to make a FaceTime Audio call, you can press the Contact button in blue in the upper right hand corner:

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Mail Rules are an important part of automating much of the mindless and repetitive tasks associated with the daily onslaught of incoming email. They help maintain your sanity while letting you concentrate on real work. Sandro Cuccia shows you how to set up and use Mail Rules in Apple’s recently updated iCloud.com web mail.

dryriver sends this story from The Guardian: "The introduction of fake zooms, parallax, sliding and other changes in Apple's new iPhone and iPad software has a very real effect on people with vestibular disorders. ... It makes frequent use of zoom and slide animations; the home screen boasts parallax, with icons apparently floating above subtly animating wallpaper. And it's making people sick. Triggers and symptoms vary, but TidePool mobile app developer Jenni Leder's experience is not uncommon. A self-professed power-user, she frequently switches apps; but on iOS 7, this has caused headaches and feelings associated with motion sickness. 'I now have to close my eyes or cover the screen during transitions, which is ridiculous,' she told The Guardian, adding that there's nowhere to hide: 'It's not apps that affect me, but accessing them. Tap a folder and the view zooms in. Tap an app and it's like flying through the icon and landing in that app's micro world — and I'm getting dizzy...

Meet Apple's 2013 iMac. It's a whole lot like Apple's 2012 iMac. Andrew Cunningham Specs at a glance: 21.5-inch 2013 iMac Screen 1920x1080 21.5" IPS display (102 ppi) OS Mac OS X 10.8.5 CPU 2.7GHz Intel Core i5-4570R (Turbo Boost 3.2GHz) RAM 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 (upgradeable, but not user-accessible) GPU Intel Iris Pro 5200 Storage 1TB 5400RPM hard drive Networking 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, gigabit Ethernet Ports 4x USB 3.0, 2x Thunderbolt, headphone jack, SD card slot Size 17.7 x 20.8 x 6.9 inches (45.0 x 52.8 x 17.5 cm) Weight 12.5 lbs (5.68 kg) Starting price $1299 Other perks 720p FaceTime HD camera, dual noise-canceling mics, ambient light sensor, Kensington lock slot

More than a year and a half passed between the introduction of Apple's 2011-model iMacs and the refresh that replaced them late last year, but the changes you got for waiting were reasonably substantial. The computer got much thinner, lost a few pounds, and ran much cooler and...

Bookends is a full-featured bibliography/reference and information-management system for students and professionals.

Access the power of Bookends directly from Mellel, Nisus Writer Pro, or MS Word (including Word 2011): Bookends allows you to scan your existing word-processor files and automatically generate finished manuscripts with properly formatted bibliographies. You can also scan Apple Pages '08 or '09 and OpenOffice 3 files, or RTF files saved from any word processor.

Bookends allows you to share your references over the Internet with anyone, on any platform. And with Bookends, you can directly search and import references from numerous sources:

• EndNote
• PubMed
• Web of Science
• JSTOR
• Google Scholar
...

C’mon, how wicked is this?

∞ Read this on The Loop

This living history of the web is a lot of fun. When you get to the site, click and drag in the timeline or click on the left or right side of each page to move forward or backward in time. OK, you won’t actually move through time, but you get the idea. As you move closer to current day and things start to get a bit crowded, you can click in the lower left corner to expand the timeline.

Lovely.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Call it a tipping point -- more than half (51%) of the U.S. population (ages 13 to 54) now watches TV programs or movies using streaming video at least once a week. Connected TVs, mobile devices, videogame consoles, and streaming services such as Netflix have helped turn a “tecchie” phenomenon into a mainstream entertainment source.

According to a just-released GfK report, "How People Use Media: Over-the-Top TV 2013," the weekly streaming audience for TV and movies in the US has risen from 37% three years ago to 48% in 2012, and edged over the halfway point in the past year.

read more

A new job listing on Apple's web site looks to hire a Maps Web User Interface Designer for, as quoted directly from the ad, "a new secret project." While Apple often advertises online positions for jobs that will result in eventual new products or services, this is the first time in memory the company has used such direct language regarding the fact that the job is related to future projects. The job will involve designing, developing and maintaining complex front-end code" related to Apple's Maps....
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On Friday, Geekbench published new processor scores for what appears to be a legitimate new Mac Pro model that utilizes eight cores on a single processor. A previous score from the unreleased 12-core Mac Pro appeared back in June -- suggesting that Apple is planning on releasing more than one model when the redesigned workstation is finally premiered. Though the scores of the two models can't be directly compared due to technical differences, the eight-core Mac Pro solidly beats current eight-core Mac Pros....
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Apple today published a new YouTube video highlighting some of the best moments of its 2013 iTunes Festival in London, which featured 60 artists over the course of 30 days.

Artists that performed included Lady Gaga, The Lumineers, Queens of the Stone Age, Kings of Leon, Vampire Weekend, Robin Thicke, Justin Timberlake, Thirty Seconds to Mars, and Jack Johnson.

Though the festival was limited to attendees in the U.K. who won a free ticket via an iTunes lottery system, Apple also provided access through its iTunes Festival app and a dedicated channel on the Apple TV.

The...

In a new video on their YouTube channel, Apple has highlighted some of their favorite moments from 2013′s iTunes Festival, which wraps up on the 30th of September.

The clip, only just over a minute long, highlights many of the performances, such as Lady Gaga and Elton John, held at the iTunes Festival, a free event held in the U.K.

Earlier this month, at Apple’s iPhone press event, Tim Cook highlighted iTunes Festival as well, promoting it with another, similar video, which can  be seen in the...

US District Judge Ronald Whyte signed off this week on a settlement in a class action suit against Apple and AT&T. The suit accused the two companies of a bait-and-switch scheme when it launched the iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G and unlimited data plans through AT&T, only to cancel the program a few months later.

Slacker, a music station streaming platform, has released its latest version for Android this week. With three tiers of service offered, users can select free Slacker Radio, or a $4 or $10 monthly subscription option, offering varying levels of customization. Slacker's app for Android has been entirely revamped to improve user navigation, as well as match its iOS7 counterpart launched last week. Most notable amongst redesign is the new My Vibe feature, which has been added to Slacker's home screen....
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