After sending a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google, and others questioning if the companies could be doing more to prevent increasing thefts of smartphones, State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has now scheduled a face to face meeting with the companies to discuss the issue.

NYDailyNews reports Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon will meet with representatives from Apple, Google, Motorola, Samsung and Microsoft at a June 13 “smartphone summit” in New York.

Schneiderman wants the same thing that San...

While Google's Android is the most popular smartphone platform among consumers, Apple's iOS remains the default choice for the majority of business customers activating phones and tablets, according to the latest data from Good Technology.  ...

A new hack dubbed PlexConnect allows the third-party Plex media server to run on second- and third-generation Apple TVs without jailbreaking, the creators of Plex say. The technique involves running a program on a computer which disguises itself as the Trailer app; changing a setting on the Apple TV is then all that's needed to put everything into motion. The Plex team notes that PlexConnect uses the latest transcoder, supports iTunes DRM, and can also handle AC3 5.1 sound when using the current preview release of Plex....  ...

It was updated again.

And that’s not a bad thing.

On Wednesday, Google released version 27.0.1453.110 of its Chrome web browser. The update, a 50.4 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and changes:
- Medium CVE-2013-2855: Memory corruption in dev tools API.

- High CVE-2013-2856: Use-after-free in input handling.

- High CVE-2013-2857: Use-after-free in image handling.

- High CVE-2013-2858: Use-after-free in HTML5 Audio.

- High CVE-2013-2859: Cross-origin namespace pollution.

- High CVE-2013-2860: Use-after-free with workers accessing database APIs.

- High CVE-2013-2861: Use-after-free with SVG.

- High CVE-2013-2862: Memory corruption in Skia GPU handling.

- Critical CVE-2013-2863: Memory corruption in SSL socket handling.

- High CVE-2013-2864: Bad...

British Airways has launched an updated version of its iOS app that features new Passbook integration. With the latest release all boarding passes will now be sent directly to Passbook, however, support for downloading them within the app will also remain available. The company has also announced that by mid June the Passbook integration will be enhanced through the addition of direct links to boarding passes from the lock screen. Along with these changes the update also resolves a number of bugs and improves overall stability.... ...

Concerned by a lack of female developers, several women in the Apple and app world have joined forces to start a national nonprofit camp program.

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.

Late Tuesday, Apple released Safari 6.0.5, an update to its web browser. The new version, a 342.33 megabyte download (via MacUpdate), includes the following fixes and new features:

- Improves stability for some websites with chat features and games.

Safari 6.0.5 requires an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.8.3 or later to install and run and can also be located and downloaded via Mac OS X’s Software Update feature. If you’ve tried the new version and have any feedback to offer, please let us know.

Would you like to sample goodies from some of the best independent bakers in the US? Treats so fine they will make your mouth water just by looking at them. If you are driven by a sweet tooth, then you should fire up the App Store and download the new Made app from Helpies. Made lets you browse through a large and lovely catalog of desserts from local bakers, bakeries, chocolatiers and candy makers. The list includes high-profile companies like Ovenly and Made By Melissa.

The Made app is driven by visuals, and I must say that the photos of the desserts are stunning -- literally mouth-watering. Made is more than a picture book, though. It's also a shopping tool that lets you order these delicious sweets and have them delivered directly to your front door. Made includes information about the baker, a description of the dessert and order details like preparation time...

While Apple typically uses a shell corporation abroad to register for trademark names of upcoming, unreleased products, Russian newspaper Izvestia (via AppleInsider.ru) reports that the company has filed for the “iWatch” trademark in Russia, further fueling speculation that “iWatch” will be the name of Apple’s much rumored wearable, wristwatch device.

Tonight newspaper “Izvestia” gave a sensational news: the company Apple has filed with Rospatent application for registration of the trademark ” iWatch...

Though Apple lost an International Trade Commission ruling this week to Samsung and sales of the iPad 2 and iPhone 4 must be suspended in the U.S., those legacy products are already on the way out, suggesting to market watchers that the financial impact will be minimal.  ...

We knew from a previous announcement last year that British Airways has been working on integrating Passbook integration for its digital boarding passes, much like American Airlines and a long list of other major airlines have done already. Today the airline has officially rolled out an update to its iPhone app that adds the ability to add digital boarding passes to Passbook.

It also confirmed that it will be enhancing the feature further my mid-June with direct links to the Passbook boarding passes on the iPhone’s lock screen:

By mid June we’ll be enhancing Passbook...

Quark is getting ready to launch version 10 of its landmark desktop publishing software package, QuarkXPress. And while the company remains mum on the specific details of the brand new version and the precise date of launch, it is offering a sweet deal on the new update to anyone who purchases or upgrades to version 9 from any previous version by June 30. Those users get a free update to version 10.

In its 25 years as a software developer, Quark has had its share of ups and downs, but the program has managed to retain its focus as an industrial strength desktop publishing challenger to Adobe InDesign, created in 1999, and popularly dubbed as a "Quark Killer."

Over time, Quark has pushed to stay modern in a competitive marketplace. The new text engine in QuarkXPress 7 laid the foundation for hanging characters, OpenType, and...

If you're getting tired of changing which account Mail tries to send from every time you compose a new message, you'll want to read this tip. We'll cover how to set your default account on your Mac, and heck, we've thrown in how to do it on your iOS devices for no extra charge. We're good like that.

Apple's trial for alleged e-book price-fixing is under way, and the tech giant has said it is not going down without a fight. The suit, brought by the U.S. Department of Justice about a year ago, claims that Apple and five other major publishers engaged in a conspiracy to fix e-book pricing. The alleged conspiracy began in 2009, when Amazon released its Kindle and snagged about 90 percent of the market by offering low-priced e-books in order to promote sales of its e-book reader.

If you thought that you were immune from being duped into downloading a fake app on the Apple iTunes App Store, think again. Apple users have often mocked Android fan boys about the number of fake apps and other malware that have been discovered on the Google Android Market/Google Play. They have also argued that although Apple's App Store approval process can be frustrating for developers, at least it's done in the best interest of users who can shop on the store taking comfort in the knowledge that the app has been properly vetted. This, it seems, is an illusion.... ...

Intel, who originally developed Thunderbolt networking technology with the help of Apple (which made it a standard feature on most current Mac products) has revealed that the name of the improved version of Thunderbolt -- originally known by its codename, Falcon Ridge -- is to be simply "Thunderbolt 2." The improved version, which offers roughly a doubling of existing (and still under-utilized) Thunderbolt speeds, will enter the market early next year and offers both sufficient bandwidth for raw 4K video transfer as well as backward compatibility with existing cables and connectors.... ...

As the Moscone Center prepares for the capacity crowd to arrive for Apple's sold-out Worldwide Developers Conference next week, an early clue to the tone and tenor of the convention often comes in the form of the logo and banners put up in preparation for the event. This year, as compared to some previous years, fewer hints have been revealed with this year's decorations so far, but the conference is still a number of days away. A few photos (seen below) have appeared showing off the initial banners, with the conference tagline revealed: "Where a whole new world is developing."... ...

SlamBots is the latest title from Retro Dreamer, a company that's been taking the one game a month idea very seriously this year. This title is based on a game Retro Dreamer put out back in February of this year, which took an endless jumping game and turned it into more of an arena-style beatdown, where you could jump on the heads of various monsters, touching down on the screen to "slam" them. Retro Dreamer took that idea and ran with it, converting it into a robot-style theme and adding a few more progression and monetization elements, and the result is...

Small San Francisco-based studio Pacific Helm released Camera Noir on Tuesday, a simple black and white photography app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch that produces top notch images.  ...

Save 50% on Hotspot Shield Elite VPN proxy software this week at MacUpdate.com. It is regularly priced at $30, but is currently only $14.99.    

Honk Kong-based onandoff announced a cool stand for iPad called The Dock Minimal. This device offers a small footprint and can hold your iPad (or other tablet) in 20 different positions. The image below shows the device from the front and back, but if you click through to the company's website, you'll find images of the device being used horizontally, too. The device includes a pass-through for your dock cable, too. It works with all iPads, iPad Mini, Kindle, Samsung and Nexus tablets/e-book readers, and it's priced at $39.95.

An "anonymous party," likely Samsung or one of its affiliates, has requested the US Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) reexamine two design-related patents crucial to the Apple versus Samsung patent battles. One patent being reexamined was responsible for most of the damages in the landmark US Apple versus Samsung patent lawsuit in 2012, and the second is intertwined in an Apple action against Samsung at the US International Trade Commission, due to have a final ruling in August.... ...

MacRumors is reporting that Apple this week began repairing iPhone 5 screens in its retail stores for $149. The move is significant not only because Apple retail stores are prevalent and easy to find, but also because the price point isn't outrageous. In fact, you might even say that it's a bargain.

A few weeks ago we reported on the rising cost of iPhone 5 screen repairs, with Apple sometimes charging as much as $229 to repair a broken iPhone 5 screen. Some third-party companies have even been known to charge more than that. Driving the atypically high repair costs is the fact that the iPhone 5 utilizes more expensive display components than previous iPhone models

Changes to Apple's repair policies first surfaced last month, where a town hall session revealed that Apple...

Apple has started installing banners for next week's World Wide Developer Conference, featuring brightly colored squares and the tagline "Where a whole new world is developing."  ...

As expected, Apple has issued Security Update 2013-002 for older versions of OS X that are limited to the security-oriented changes present in the latest Mountain Lion update, v10.8.4, which was issued earlier today. Updates for Snow Leopard (10.6), the OS X Server version of Snow Leopard, the OS X Server version of Lion (10.7) and the client version of Lion are all now available through Software Update or Apple's own Support Downloads page. Issues were found and patched for OpenSSL, QuickTime, Ruby and SMB among other areas.... ...

Samsung has won an import ban from the U.S. International Trade Commission. On Tuesday, the ITC announced the import ban for the iPhone 4 for AT&T, T-Mobile and some regional carriers, as well as the iPad 2 with Wi-Fi +3G for the same networks. The ITC found that the two Apple devices infringed on a Samsung patent.

Market analysts comScore MobiLens has issued its quarterly report on mobile phone usage derived from data surveys. The latest report continues to demonstrate that both Apple and Samsung are increasing usage marketshare mostly from smaller Android makers, including HTC, Motorola and LG, all of which lost ground over the past four months. As a result, Google's Android platform lost share in the US once again in the latest averages, alongside BlackBerry and Microsoft....  ...

Apple infringed a Samsung Electronics patent, the U.S. International Trade Commission said in a final judgment released Tuesday that bans import into the U.S. of certain AT&T iPhone and iPad models.

The patent involves 3G wireless technology used to transmit multiple services simultaneously and is necessary for device interoperability. The ITC found that Samsung did not prove that three other of its patents were violated by Apple.

The full panel of ITC commissioners reviewed a decision by ITC Judge James Gildea, who had found that Apple did not infringe four Samsung patents in a decision released in September. Commissioner Dean Pinkert dissented in the 4-1 ruling that found Apple in violation of one patent in the dispute. The ITC began an investigation on Aug. 1, 2011, after Samsung filed a complaint against Apple in what has been a multiple-pronged legal battle involving courts around the world.

The import ban, or “exclusion order” as it is...

Adobe on Tuesday announced a special $30 discount for Father's Day applicable to Photoshop Elements 11, Premiere Elements 11, and a Photoshop and Premiere Elements 11 bundle.   ...

Google has just released a redesigned Gmail app for iOS that takes the already powerful email tool and supercharges it. The main feature that will have Gmail users singing its praises is support for Google's auto-categorization feature. By activating auto-categorization in your email account Gmail will sort your messages by updates, social media, newsletters, and your primary feed. Users can then access their categories via the app's slide-out sidebar.

The update also comes with an improved notification system, allowing you to select which categories you receive notifications from. If you subscribe to a lot of newsletters, or haven't turned off email social media notifications, this feature will help keep whats important infront of you while cutting down on superfluous noise.

In-app actions have also been vastly improved. You can now respond to Google Calendar invites, interactive Google+ posts, and open...

You’ve been waiting for it and it’s here.

On Wednesday, Apple released version 10.8.4 of its OS X Mountain Lion operating system. The new version, a 342 megabyte download, offers the following fixes and changes:
- Compatibility improvements when connecting to certain enterprise Wi-Fi networks.

- Microsoft Exchange compatibility improvements in Calendar.

- A fix for an issue that prevented FaceTime calls to non-U.S. phone numbers.

- A fix for an issue that may prevent scheduled sleep after using Boot Camp.

- Improved VoiceOver compatibility with text in PDF documents.

- Includes Safari 6.0.5.

OS X 10.8.4 requires an Intel-based Mac running OS X 10.8 to install and run, the update itself being attainable by using OS X’s Software...

[Updated with Apple and Samsung statements on the ruling] Despite finding in September that Apple had not violated Samsung's patent rights and that Samsung didn't have a "domestic industry" that utilized the patents in dispute, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) has nonetheless issued a limited ban on older iOS products that utilize a disputed SEP Samsung patent in a surprise ruling on Tuesday. The ban reflects an apparent change in the "domestic industry" portion of the finding, which would normally shield Apple from import bans. The ruling primarily affects the iPhone 4 as sold by A... ...

Bose has introduced its QuietComfort 20 series in-ear earphones ($300). The noise-canceling earphones include an in-line control module for noise-cancellation — the module can run for 16 hours before needing a charge via Micro-USB. QuietComfort 20 earphones also allow users to enter “aware mode” to let in sound from…

Once in a while there's an incremental OS X update with a ton of bug fixes. This is one of them. Check out the list for 10.8.4:

• Compatibility improvements when connecting to certain enterprise Wi-Fi networks
• Microsoft Exchange compatibility improvements in Calendar
• A fix for an issue that prevented FaceTime calls to non-U.S. phone numbers
• A fix for an issue that may prevent scheduled sleep after using Boot Camp
• Improves VoiceOver compatibility with text in PDF documents
• Includes Safari 6.0.5, which improves stability for some websites with chat features and games
• A fix for an issue that may cause iMessages to display out of order in Messages
• Resolves an issue in which Calendars Birthdays may appear incorrectly in certain time zones
• A fix for an issue that may prevent the desktop background picture from being...

Photo by Andrew Stern

Ahead of next week’s WWDC 2013 at Moscone West in San Francisco, Apple has begun putting up banners at the venue. The multi-colored artwork is reminiscent of the invitations that went out in April and feature the tagline “Where a whole new world is developing.” Hit the break for a few more photos from reader Andrew Stern. If you’re in the San Francisco area and manage to get some photos of the banners, send them to us at tips@9to5mac.com.

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...

The U.S. International Trade Commission on Tuesday issued a limited U.S. import ban of older iPhone and iPad models after the body determined Apple had infringed on certain standard essential 3G wireless patents owned by Samsung.  ...

Apple has released a completed v10.8.4 update for OS X Mountain Lion. The release solves numerous issues, such as compatibility problems when connecting to enterprise Wi-Fi networks, and support for Microsoft Exchange in Calendar. FaceTime calls should now properly connect to non-US phone numbers, and Macs should go to sleep after using Boot Camp....   ...

OS X has been updated with lots of fixes. The download is available in the Mac App Store — just check for updates.

∞ Read this on The Loop

By: ogminlo

Apple released an update to OS X Mountain Lion today, version 10.8.4. Among the release notes are the resolution of an Xsan issue and some other file sharing and directory services issues:

• A fix for an issue that may prevent documents from being saved to a server using SMB
• Addresses an issue that may prevent certain files from opening after copied to a volume named “Home"
• A fix for an issue that may prevent changes to files made over NFS from displaying
• Resolves an issue saving files to an Xsan volume from certain applications
• Improves Active Directory log-in performance, especially for cached accounts or when using a .local domain
• Improves OpenDirectory data replication
• Improves 802.1X compatibility with ActiveDirectory networks
• Improves compatibility when using mobile accounts

There are also new 2013-02 Security Updates for...

Google’s Chrome (free) has been updated to version 27.0.1453.10. Voice search has been improved in the update, as the app now features faster voice recognition, with text results streamed on the fly. Answers are now spoken back to users, and web results are tailored to questions. Pages also reload…

Numbered footnotes are a print convention that may become cultural artifacts in the age of digital interactive text. But that may not be a completely good thing.

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.

President Obama has signed a host of executive actions intended to tighten down on the rash of lawsuits from non-practicing entities, colloquially known as "patent trolls." The President's orders aim at firms that collect patents without using them in products and use them as weapons to force primarily technology companies into expensive and time consuming litigation....  ...

Time Warner Cable is in talks with Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft for streaming video deals similar to the one it has with set-top maker Roku, CEO Glenn Britt hinted at today's Bank of America/Merill Lynch Global Telecom and Media Conference. "You should assume we're talking to everyone who makes devices like this, whether it's Samsung smart TVs, Apple, Microsoft," said Britt. Time Warner brought a TWC TV app to Roku boxes in March, letting people watch live TV without a separate dedicated cable box....  ...

Even though eyes are on next week’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which is rumored to usher in the next major update to OS X, Apple hasn’t stopped supporting its current version. The company on Tuesday released Mac OS X 10.8.4, bringing numerous fixes and improvements.

Among the changes in the latest Mountain Lion update are improved compatibility with certain enterprise Wi-Fi networks, better Microsoft Exchange compatibility in Calendar, a fix for issues with FaceTime calls to non-U.S. phone numbers, and—to cries of joy heard round the world—a solution for an issue where iMessages might show up up out of order in Messages.

A new version of Safari, 6.0.5, is included in the download as well; Apple says it improves stability for some websites with chat features and games. (Not that anybody uses the Web for chatting or playing games, right?)

Additionally, Calendar birthdays should no longer appear incorrectly in certain time zones, VoiceOver...

Apple on Tuesday released OS X 10.8.4, its latest security and maintenance update for the Mountain Lion operating system for Mac, improving Wi-Fi connectivity and Microsoft Exchange compatibility, and also fixing an issue that prevented making FaceTime calls to non-U.S. numbers.  ...

According to to a new research report from Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty, Apple's base of 500 million active user accounts is higher than any other company, save for Facebook which has 1.05 billion accounts. Amazon, meanwhile, checks in at third place with 200 million accounts.

A crucial difference, however, is that Apple has 500 million credit card accounts on file. Apple is therefore able to leverage its software and services in a way that competitors simply can't match.

Consequently, it should come as no surprise that when it comes to revenue generated per individual account, Apple comes out on top with an average of $329 per user. Amazon follows close behind with $305 per user while eBay is a distant third with $125 per user. Meanwhile, Facebook, generates a paltry $5 in revenue per user.

Looking ahead, Huberty anticipates that Apple will be able to leverage its 500 million strong pool of accounts to make inroads in three areas -- mobile payments,...

Three new Apple Stores are on their way to Utah, Virginia, and New Jersey, say ifoAppleStore sources. Job listings for two of the stores appeared in May, but are said to have been intentionally vague or even misleading. One simply mentioned a store in "Salt Lake City;" ifo sources explain that the outlet is coming to the SLC suburb of Farmington, specifically to the Station Park mall near Interstate 15. Another listing pointed to the Virginia store being located in Manassas, but sources claim that it will actually open in Woodbridge, at the new Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center mall, which... ...

In an effort to sell television studios on his company's forthcoming Xbox One game console and media center, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer personally paid a visit to Hollywood last week.  ...