news of 2004-02-17
ADC site down for the moment...
Right now, connect.apple.com does not let users in. Probably an update... ;-)
[ written by fryke™ on 2004-02-17 at 23:30 CET ]
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OmniWeb 5.0 Beta 2 released
A lot of bug fixes in this build. You'll find it here.
[ written by fryke™ on 2004-02-17 at 22:57 CET ]
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Apple releases iSync 1.4, opens WWDC registration
Today, Apple's released iSync 1.4 through Software Update. Its main new features are compatibility with newer Series 60 phones as well as the iPod mini. There are also a few bugs fixed, according to Apple.
In other news, Apple is taking registrations now for WWDC 2004, which will be held from 2004-06-28 to 2004-07-02. Obviously, Apple has pushed WWDC's date further into Summer, because Apple won't be at MWBO 2004. Whether this also means that Mac OS X 10.4 will take longer than until end of 2004 (which was previously assumed) is not as of yet known.
[ written by fryke™ on 2004-02-17 at 21:35 CET ]
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The "First REAL Office"
Chinese Evermore Software wants to create the MS Office alternative with EIOffice 2004. Sounds interesting. Mac OS X development is mentioned - but not ready yet. Java-based, apparently. Certainly one more development to watch, if you want to leave Microsoft behind. Pricing sounds interesting, too: You lease the software for 99 USD per year or 249 USD for three years.
[ written by fryke™ on 2004-02-17 at 17:33 CET ]
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iPod mini on Apple's frontpage
It's coming.
In stores at 2004-02-20. At least in the United States.
[ written by fryke™ on 2004-02-17 at 16:01 CET ]
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Follow-up article about that "smart PDA"
You can find it here.
The author is going great lengths to defend his first article. He also urges readers who don't believe him to take it as speculation. As such a reader, I'm going to both flame the author and build some speculation on my own.
The flame part
So you came up with an idea when you looked at your Clié. You like your Clié, but it has some flaws. Like the thumbboard being a bit too small. Like its Mac OS X integration being too limited out of the box. Like PalmSource saying there won't be Mac OS X compatibility with Palm OS 6 out of the box. And then you frankensteined a Clié-sized, iPod harddrive wearing 'smart PDA' with probably an almost full-sized keyboard (Clié sized?!) that you now admit could very well be misinterpreted as that tablet rumour and be sold under any name, basically. Okay. Why not. ;-)
The speculation part
I've tried. I've tried to come up with something good. But whatever I think of, it either becomes too big to be a PDA (and being too big, it won't compete with PDAs and smartphones, because people like to wear those things in jackets instead of bags) or too small for using a version of Mac OS X. I'm okay with this rumour if it turns out true. I'd love to be surprised by Apple and Steve Jobs. But the way the author describes the device, it just doesn't work. Clié size doesn't go with 7" screen and/or good keyboard. Inkwell doesn't go with keyboard (why have a keyboard if Inkwell is actually good?
I hope Apple chooses to create a smartphone instead. Take a SE T610, increase it a bit so it can have a 176*240 pixel screen and larger keys, give it really good iSync integration (should be no problem at all!), give it an iPod mini harddrive (even 2 GB sounds good), give it iTunes/iPhoto integration added to the usual iSync candidates, give it iChat mobile (there already _are_ AIM clients for smartphones over GPRS, so that's doable) and an interface that doesn't suck. Nokia's Series 60 (Symbian) is quite good, actually. But I'd expect Apple to innovate here. Give it Bluetooth, Firewire and/or USB-2 (we're talking 2 or 4 GB here!), add iSync for Windows (let's say for 29.90 USD) and make the camera (640*480 is enough, 2 MegaPixels would be nicer, of course) tiltable so we can use it for iChat A/V sessions when we're at home (and connected to the Mac via USB-2/Firewire) as well as for digital photos. If it can have WiFi in that small size, do so.
Do I expect this from Apple? No. Would I buy one for ~500 USD? Yes, please.
[ written by fryke™ on 2004-02-17 at 12:28 CET ]
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Microsoft offers not to comply to Europe's demands
In a move to calm down the jury, Microsoft has offered to add a CD with competitors' software in future Windows packages. According to Financial Times, the European Commission is shaking its head, though. Europe could, if they go to extremes, force Microsoft to exclude the Windows Media Player from their operating systems. Mr. Mario Monti already explained that he's willing to force Microsoft to lay open the communication interfaces between server and client. According to the council, the whole thing should be over come 1st of May.
[ written by fryke™ on 2004-02-17 at 11:30 CET ]
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Apple seeds Dec 2003 gccLongBranch Tools
"This package contains a revised gcc3.3 enabling the -mlongbranch option. This option is only useful for executables/shared libraries with text addresses larger than 32Mbytes. Enabling this option causes a lower powerpc calling sequence." - Not sure what it really is, as I'm no software developer myself, but I guess it causes a lower powerpc calling sequence. ;-)
[ written by fryke™ on 2004-02-17 at 10:11 CET ]
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Matthew Thomas' list of UI glitches in OS X
Specifically, he's targetting Mac OS X 10.3.2 and applications shipped with it. His points are mostly true, although some could probably be argued out in a good old flame war. ;-) The sad part is that he seems to think he's attacking. He seems to want a flame war. At least I can't explain why else he'd be so defensive at the end of his article...
However, I still find his collection of UI glitches an interesting read. And although he thinks it's a waste of time, I still say: Submit those bugs to Apple, if they are indeed bugs.
[ written by fryke™ on 2004-02-17 at 08:55 CET ]
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