This could come in handy.

Per the cool cats at Engadget and The Unofficial Apple Weblog, Comcast has released a new cloud-based DVR app to the iTunes store.

The app actually showed up back in July but is only being spotted now. The reason for that is because the app is companion software to a Comcast service that has not rolled out to a large audience yet. That service is called “X2″ and combines a set-top box with cloud storage to allow...

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Aereo will soon offer streaming broadcast TV in Dallas, Miami and Houston, a novel iOS first-person shooter has just gotten its first global event, and Microsoft is now poking fun at the iPad mini in a new advertisement.
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Comcast has quietly snuck a new cloud-based DVR app into the iTunes store, according to Engadget. The app actually showed up back in July but is only being spotted now. The reason for that is because the app is companion software to a Comcast service that has not rolled out to a large audience yet. That service is called X2 and combines a set-top box with cloud storage to allow anyone to DVR their favorite shows and store them in the cloud.

Once the service rolls out, the Comcast Labs DVR app will allow users to access their cloud-based DVR (cDVR) programs when behind a Comcast modem. From the app's description:

The Comcast Labs DVR app enables advanced functionality associated with your new cDVR service.

This app is intended for customers of our new cDVR Service enabling our new best in class DVR service....

Other World Computing outlines faulty temperature sensor connections may be to blame for an iMac's fans blaring after a hard drive upgrade.

Some interesting numbers from Benedict Evans.

∞ Read this on The Loop

The online file sharing and storage service Dropbox is killing support for an old and outdated version of its tool that lets apps tap into its features. That shouldn't be a big deal, but for iPhone and iPad developers that have older apps they'd like to update, they can't. Apple's App Store doesn't have a system in place so developers can release maintenance updates for apps they no longer sell, and that ultimately hurts customers.

Five major U.S. publishers objected to the Justice Department’s proposal to limit Apple Inc.’s influence in the electronic-books market, saying it would effectively alter their existing settlements with the U.S. government.

It’s like a giant soap opera.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Patent holding firm Lodsys has agreed to mutual charitable donations as settlement in its case against TMSOFT, a developer of various Mac and iOS apps. The person behind TMSOFT, Todd Moore, described the case as a "frivolous lawsuit" and notes that the case has been dismissed "with prejudice," preventing Lodsys from suing him again. He adds that he wasn't forced to sign a confidentiality agreement, but that he also isn't allowed to sue Lodsys, which could've been used to have courts rule the company's patents invalid....
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Up until now, those with an iPhone 5 or compatible iPad wanted 4G service in the UK could only get it from one provider: EE. But thankfully that will change at the end of the month, as O2 and Vodafone have announced they will be offering 4G service in the UK come August 29.

On O2, 4G will at first only be available in London, Leeds and Bradford, though the company plans additional city rollouts by the end of the year. O2 hasn't announced all of its pricing plans yet, but 4G plans are rumored to start around £26 a month. O2's 4G network actually won't work with the current iPhone 5 as it runs on the 800 megahertz spectrum, which Apple's handset does not support, but the CEO of O2's parent Company told the BBC that he would be shocked if Apple's next iPhone does not support this...

Mac Geek Gab listener Jurgen doesn't like Time Machine, and would rather back up his Mac using third party software. Time Machine automatically chooses which files and folders to back up, but Jurgen will have to make these choices manually with his new backup software. We explain which folders are crucial for a good backup, and which can be safely excluded.

Apple is looking to build better protections against spam and other abuse in iCloud Mail, a new job listing suggests. The company is hiring a senior software engineer who will help "define and implement new mail anti-abuse systems" for iCloud. The person is expected to have experience with email and spam technology, and qualities like "a strong background in building high-performance, scalable and extensible systems."...
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Following its string of ads pinning up Windows 8 tablets against the full-sized iPad, Microsoft has just posted a new ad that pits the 8.1-inch Acer Iconia W3 against Apple’s 7.9-inch iPad mini. The point of this ad is to demonstrate that Windows 8 can even handle Microsoft Word documents and powerful gaming even at the small screen…

For comparison, Microsoft portrays the iPad mini as suitable solely for less-power-intensive tasks like...

Apple has seeded the latest beta of OS X Mavericks to developers, which this time includes iBooks for Mac, reports 9to5Mac. This is the first Mavericks build see to include iBooks for Mac. According to reports the app doesn't look much different than what was previewed at WWDC this June.

The iBooks app has the same features as the iOS version, functioning as both a store and a reader. OS X Mavericks will ship this fall.

Apple seeds OS X Mavericks Preview 5 with iBooks for Mac originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 08 Aug 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Electronics faces the possibility of U.S. import bans on some of its smartphones in two separate cases brought by Apple, with major steps happening Friday.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is scheduled to decide Friday whether Samsung infringed four Apple patents involving smartphone user interfaces and headphone input functionality.

The commission plans to move ahead with its decision and consider whether to ban the import of four Samsung smartphones, a USITC spokeswoman said, even after President Barack Obama’s administration recently overturned an import ban the USITC approved against Apple products.

Meanwhile, in yet another patent infringement case between the two companies, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., is...

Casio has just launched a new compact camera in its EXILIM range. The EX-ZR800 uses a similar 16.1-megapixel sensor to earlier versions, as well as the EXILIM engine for image processing, but this time increases the optical zoom from 12.5x to 18x, and introduces five stop, five axis image stabilization for clearer photographs....
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Dropbox announced some time ago that it would be retiring its original sync API, and it is being officially put out to pasture on September 1st to introduce a new, more secure version. This is good news for a lot of users, but people still using apps that were built on that older API will likely find those apps won't work as expected after the September 1 cut off. This includes the older v3 version of 1Password for the iPhone/iPad and 1Password Pro for iOS. While the password manager will still work in other respects, Dropbox-powered sync won't function.

These apps were pulled from the iTunes store last year to make way for 1Password version 4, which means there is no mechanism to release an update for them, but there are still plenty of people using those previous versions. For those who depend on Dropbox sync and haven't yet rolled forward to v4, 1Password developer AgileBits has announced they will be running a limited-time...

Apple recently saw an import ban on older iPhones and iPads vetoed, and now the company is trying to turn the tables on Samsung by asking a U.S. appeals court tomorrow to block sales of certain Samsung devices. Bloomberg reports that Apple will try to block the sale…

Something has to be done with these guys to stop them permanently.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Aereo has revealed the next three locations from the 21 US cities it hopes to launch in before the end of this year, following earlier launches and announcements covering Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, and New York City. Miami, Fl will gain access to the controversial cloud-based DVR service on September 2nd, while Houston and Dallas, TX will receive it on September 16th and 23rd respectively....
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The iPhone 5C pictures have leaked.

This time by the dozen.

Per Boy Genius Report and Mac|Life, BGR snagged some “allegedly legitimate” high quality pictures of Apple’s upcoming “budget/plastic” iPhone handset. The full gallery is available here

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Mackie introduced a new line of mixers, new loudspeakers and studio monitors. I’ve been using 1640 Mackie mixers for years and they still work great in my studio. I also have a set of the Mackie SRM450 loudspeakers that I’ve been using for years and they have never failed me. I’ve never used their studio monitors, so I don’t know about those. However, considering I blew up my 8-inch studio monitors a month or so ago, I may give these a try at some point.

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AgileBits, the development team behind 1Password for iOS and Mac, announced today that due to an upcoming change in Dropbox’s API, Dropbox syncing in version 3 of the 1Password iOS client will no longer work as...

AgileBits on Thursday announced a short-term discount on 1Password 4 for iOS. The reason for the sale: 1Password 3 for iOS is about to stop working properly—at least if you rely on Dropbox sync.

The password-management utility has long offered Dropbox synchronization, so that users can access their 1Password-stored logins on all their computers and iOS devices. 1Password 3’s Dropbox integration, however, relies on an older version of Dropbox’s API, and Dropbox is shutting down that version of the API on September 1.

Because Agile understandably doesn’t want to devote resources to an older version of 1Password—and because the app has been discontinued for some time—customers who rely on its Dropbox sync will soon find themselves out of luck. That’s where the 1Password 4 sale comes in. (1Password 4 is a standalone app; it wasn’t a free update to 1Password 3 in the App Store.)

Through Friday, August 16,...

Mavericks is coming that much closer to fruition and bringing iBooks for the Mac with it.

Per AppleInsider, Apple on Wednesday released the latest beta versions of OS X 10.9 Mavericks, allowing developers for the first time to test its iBooks software for Mac.

OS X 10.9 Mavericks Developer Preview 5 comes a little over two weeks after the fourth preview was made available at the end of July. Due to an eight-day downtime after Apple’s Developer Center was affected by an intruder, the timing of the latest Mavericks release is slightly off from the two-week cycle Apple had kept until Developer Preview 4.

Notable in the latest preview is the inclusion of iBooks for OS X...

Apple rolled out movie support for iTunes in the Cloud across eight more countries today: Austria, Estonia, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Switzerland. Users in those countries can now re-download previously purchased iTunes movies. Notably, Apple has yet to mark the countries as now offering movie support on the…

Apple has officially expanded the reach of iTunes in the Cloud movie support to eight more countries. Of these, Japan may be the most prominent, although the other countries are located entirely within Europe. The list includes Austria, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Switzerland....   ...

Available starting today, YouTube co-founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen have launched a new app called “MixBit” that appears to be a Vine-like approach to video editing on the go. Unlike Vine, and Instagram’s new video feature, MixBit will allow videos much...

PatentlyApple spotted an interesting-looking patent that could have both editorial and advertising applications in podcasts and iTunes Radio broadcasts. It’s of course written in the usual dense patent language:

Hyperlinks within an audio stream provide a way for a listener to access linked...

China Unicom has turned its focus to low-cost smartphones in an effort to win over new customers now that the carrier is no longer China's exclusive iPhone provider, and the strategy appears to be working.
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Instagram for iOS has been updated with a pair of significant new features. First, the app supports importing videos from iOS's camera roll. Previously users would need to record a video to share with the service, but now they'll be able to choose any existing video in the camera roll -- even if it was shot using other apps.

This update also introduces an Automatic Straightening tool. If your photo is crooked on a horizontal line simply tap the Automatic Straightening tool button and the photo will be straightened. Tapping the tool also brings up the straightening slider, which allows the user to manually correct for a desired level.

Interested users can read more about the update on Instagram's blog. Instagram for iOS is a free download.

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Five book publishers have objected to restrictions that would be placed on Apple’s business after it was found guilty last month of conspiring to fix prices for ebooks.

A New York federal judge ruled in July that Apple conspired with the publishers to fix prices for ebooks, snuffing out competition and leading to “significantly higher prices” for consumers.

The accused publishers, including Penguin, HarperCollins and Macmillan, had all settled the charges against them with the U.S. Department of Justice, but Apple went to trial and lost. The company says it plans to appeal.

In the meantime, the DOJ proposed a set of remedies last week to prevent Apple from engaging in the same conduct again. In a...

After steadily losing customers for years, T-Mobile had a total of 1.1 million customer net additions in its second quarter of fiscal 2013, with much of that success attributed to the addition of Apple's iPhone.
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Are we bored with these yet? The latest offering claims the Surface has a kickstand and keyboard, only the faint grey small-print pointing out that the keyboard is an optional extra and you can buy one for the iPad for less, and again pointing to the lack of Microsoft Office on the iPad, a deliberate omission by Microsoft purely so that it can make this claim.

The best part is the price comparison, Microsoft highlighting the cheaper price of the Surface: a decision forced on it after the Surface failed to sell when priced identically …

Check out 9to5Mac for more breaking coverage of...

Microsoft today continued its anti-iPad offensive with yet another commercial, this one highlighting the many differences between the Microsoft Surface RT and Apple's fourth generation iPad.

Per usual, the differences pointed out by the commercial aren't all that interesting and I sincerely doubt anyone would watch this commercial and feel compelled to abandon plans of an iPad purchase and head on over to the land of the Surface.

Somewhat amusing, though not terribly surprising given how the marketing world works, is that Microsoft boasts that a 32 GB Surface RT will cost you $349 while a 16 GB iPad will cost you $499. Funny thing is, the same Surface RT used to cost $499 before Microsoft recently slashed $150 off the price on account of lackluster sales.

I also find it curious that Microsoft continues to tout Microsoft Office as an attractive selling point for tablet buyers. The iPad is by and large a...

T-Mobile US’s customer base jumped by 1.1 million in its financial Q2, with the iPhone – offered by the carrier for the first time back in April – accounting for 29 percent of sales.

The company had lost over 200,000 customers in the same quarter the previous year. The company’s turnaround is being attributed to a combination of its new approaches to contracts – Uncarrier (whose introduction was not without controversy) and ...

We mentioned back in June that iOS 7 uses location data to incorporate Google Now-style info into the Notification Center. While this is one of many location-based services that rely on tracking your movements, that data is generally not directly accessible to smartphone users. With iOS 7, however, it is.

German website Protecus showed how you can display a complete history of the locations you’ve visited since installing the OS (in this case, Beta 5).  Buzzfeed pointed out that the data has limitations, but...

With WWDC way back in our rear-view mirrors and fall just around the corner, it’s time to wrap up my series of hands-on looks at the forthcoming OS X Mavericks release. I’ve already covered multiple-monitor support, Finder and tagging, Safari, and Notification Center. Here’s the best of the rest of what's new in OS X Mavericks. (Note: On some...

Described as "the world's first video walkie-talkie," Runface's Vtalkie is a cross-platform video messaging app that offers free, unlimited chat, with no international SMS costs. Utilizing usernames, users can add friends and find others who are nearby. The app was launched for Android and Windows 8 platforms this week, and joins the existing version 2.1 for iOS. The iOS update offers increased video preview size, and bug fixes....  ...

Media appmakers FireCore have issued a major update to their multi-format media player Infuse for iOS ($5), which allows users to play normally unsupported video and audio file types by transcoding them on-the-fly. The new version 1.3 offers AirPlay streaming, Wi-Fi transfers of media from network-connected computers or drives, social sharing and one-button subtitle downloads. The program supports 14 different video formats, and features automatic artwork and metadata fetching, Dolby Digital Plus surround sound and full 1080p.... ...

Zink Imaging and Zink Paper today announced the launch of the Zink hAppy branded products encouraging consumer creativity. The line includes "Smart App Printers" featuring the hAppy and hAppy+, ink-free Zink zRolls, apps with digital design content, plus the integration of third-party printing standards that enable users to easily print from their favorite apps....  ...

Industry analysts MobiLens comScore have released their three-month average (covering April through June of 2013) survey of the US smartphone market and found that again Apple is the dominant smartphone vendor, gaining almost a full percentage point to end up at 40 percent marketshare based on end-user subscribers age 13 or older. While Samsung remains far behind at 23.7 percent, its share grew two percent -- twice as fast as Apple's rate, largely on the strength of newer models of smartphone.... ...

According to a research report published by IDC today, Apple's share of the worldwide smartphone market took a slight dip during the second quarter of 2013.

IDC's press release reads in part:

The iOS decline in the second quarter aligns with the cyclicality of iPhone," says Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team. "Without a new product launch since the debut of the iPhone 5 nearly a year ago, Apple's market share was vulnerable to product launches from the competition. But with a new iPhone and revamped iOS coming out later this year, Apple is well-positioned to re-capture market share.

Specifically, IDC found that Apple's share of the worldwide smartphone market during Q2 2013 checked in at 13.2 percent, representing a slight decline from the 16.6 percent share Apple registered during the same quarter a year-ago. While Apple's share of the smartphone market declined,...

Knightmare Tower -- a fast-paced action game for iOS -- plays off some extremely worn out videogame tropes: You have your faceless knight, tons of cookie-cutter monsters, and even a story that revolves around rescuing not just one, but ten princesses. And despite this laundry list of things gaming could do without, this one is an absolute blast to play.

The kingdom is gripped with terror as the good king's ten princess daughters have been kidnapped by a demonic force. They are being held on different floors of a massive tower, and you, as a loyal servant to the king, must jump on your rocket and blast as high into the tower as you can in an attempt to bring the captives home.

On your way up you must slash your way through dozens of monsters, each of which provide a small boost to your flight. You can gain additional bonus boosts by completing combos and you'll also find items like bags of...

There's been a bit of controversy recently regarding the security of passwords saved within Google Chrome. While Google's head of browser security says it isn't a big deal, some users aren't comfortable with the level of security automatically provided by Chrome. If you're one of those people you're in luck. The good folks over at iMore have put together an overview of different ways OS X users can quickly secure their computer, even if they can't secure Chrome.

The first step is to go to your Security & Privacy settings, found in the System Preferences section of the Menu. Under the General tab click "Require password after sleep or screen saver begins."

This will require anyone who opens up your computer when you're not using...

In a court filing on Wednesday, five major U.S. book publishers objected to the penalties proposed by the Department of Justice against Apple's e-book business, saying the program would change the terms of their respective settlements with the government.  ...

Analysts at investment firm Piper Jaffray, after monitoring online auctions for Apple and Samsung smartphones, have found that the three-year-old iPhone 4 has actually gained in resale value by just over 10 percent, while the later iPhone 4S and 5 models dropped in resale value -- but nowhere near as much as Samsung's former flagships the Galaxy S III or Galaxy Note II. A similar study conducted in China looking at resale auctions there saw similar results, with the iPhone 4 gaining resale value while newer iPhones and Galaxy products dropped.... ...

Two ITC rulings against Apple have been shot down in the past few days, which is good news for the iPhone and iPad maker. The bad news is that the DOJ wants to have broad sweeping control over Apple's iTunes Store. Jeff and Bryan share their take on both, along with fitness tech and Jeff Bezos buying the Washington Post.