Apple DMCAs iPodHash Project
TRS-80 writes "Apple has sent a DMCA takedown notice to the IpodHash project, claiming it circumvents their FairPlay DRM scheme. Some background: Apple first added a hash to the iTunesDB file in 6th-gen iPods, but it was quickly reverse-engineered. They changed it with the release of iPhone 2.0 and a project was started to reverse the new hash, but weren't successful yet. My guess is Apple used the same algorithm as FairPlay for the new hash, so Apple could use the DMCA to prevent competing apps like Songbird and Banshee from talking to iPods/iPhones. BTW, don't tell Apple, but the project uses a wiki, so the old page versions from before the takedown are still there."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
published on Thursday, the 20. November 2008, apple-slashdot
Apple files patent for iPod background display
Apple has developed a technology that would let iPhones and iPods display basic warnings to users without invoking the full screen, a new US patent filing shows. The system would use a second, always-on but power-efficient backlight to illuminate a custom-shaped notification when the main backlight isn't switched on, such as an indication that an iPod is stopped or an SMS text message has reached...
published on Thursday, the 20. November 2008, macintosh-news-network
Apps: FlashVideo Converter, Speedy Mac, Sound Grinder
FlashVideo Converter 2.2 ($100) is a tool for converting Flash SWF and FLV files to video files such as MP4, MOV and MPEG. Version 2.2 has improved the overall video quality as well as the movie size optimization feature. An option for selecting background color is also now available along with other various bug fixes. [Download - 15.1MB]...
published on Thursday, the 6. November 2008, macintosh-news-network
Weekly App Store Roundup: Nov. 1, 2008
The time has arrived for us to wave a fond farewell to the week that brought us the joys of seeing Steve Wozniak dressed as a Sith Lord and the subsequent horror of seeing The Woz then attempt to act. As usual, the App Store has been chugging away in the background like a steam engine fueled only [...]
published on Saturday, the 1. November 2008, apple-blog
Hyperspaces brings customization to Leopard's Spaces
Hyperspaces is a new third-party app that adds some customization options to Leopard's virtual desktop Spaces feature. If you have been jonesin' for custom backgrounds and more keyboard shortcuts, Hyperspaces might grant your wish.Read More...
published on Wednesday, the 29. October 2008, ars-technica
New iPhone ad: Game Changer, with MLB app
Apple has posted a new iPhone ad to its site which puts a focus on the MLB At Bat application. The new promotion follows Apple's, now common formula for building an iPhone ad. A hand is seen operating the phone over a white background with the same tune playing in the background, the same voice describing the capabilities of the iPhone and the phone ringing and being answered to end the advertisem...
published on Wednesday, the 22. October 2008, macintosh-news-network
PhoneGap Provides Javascript Access to iPhone API
There is no doubt that developers are coming from far and wide to write iPhone applications. While some are coming from household names Mac users have come to know and love, others are coming from developers who have never laid hands on a Mac before. However, regardless of background, sometimes, learning a whole new programming [...]
published on Tuesday, the 21. October 2008, apple-blog
iPresentee posts Keynote Themes 3.0, free samples
Add-on producer iPresentee says it is now shipping Keynote Themes 3.0, an updated collection of its themes for Apple's presentation software. New to the pack are 10 more themes: Chocolate, Bloom, Book, Black Sea, Stripe, Blue Curve and Metal Lead, as well as Brown, Blue and Yellow versions of Conformation. Each contains a pre-arranged set of colors, fonts, backgrounds and frames, and can be scal...
published on Thursday, the 9. October 2008, macintosh-news-network
Norway and iTunes: The DRM War
Norway has taken their two-year fight against iTunes and Apple’s FairPlay DRM to its next step, and will now ask the government to force Apple to open their iTunes music to other devices besides the iPod. As background, this all began when Norway’s consumer ombudsman, Bjorn Erik Thon, ruled that Apple’s FairPlay DRM violated the country’s consumer rights [...]
published on Wednesday, the 8. October 2008, apple-blog
imageSynth 2 image processing tool released
Luxology has announced the availability of imageSynth 2, the newest version of its image processing tool that can run as a standalone program or plugin for Adobe Photoshop. The release is claimed to offer speeds up to ten times faster than previous versions. The tool is designed for processing images into new seamless textures, synthetic images or backgrounds, and generating high resolution tile-a...
published on Tuesday, the 7. October 2008, macintosh-news-network