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Song Sift Solves a Problem for Picky Podsters
October 29, 2009
It's been about a decade since the first practical MP3 players started popping up, and 10 years is plenty of time to collect a positively bloated library of digital music. Perhaps you got in at the ground floor with Napster in '99 and loaded up on free tunes before the music industry decided to do something about it. Maybe you remain a proud pirate, Bay or no Bay.
Lala Plans to Open Music-Streaming Dime Store on iPhone
October 28, 2009
Online music retailer Lala is preparing to launch an iPhone application that its cofounder says paves the way for the end of downloading songs in the MP3 format. The app allows users to buy the right to stream songs from a digital locker forever for just 10 US cents each. The song quality is lower than what Apple's iTunes offers, but "intelligent caching" lets the tracks load and play in seconds.

Adobe Elements Buffs Up for Mac
October 26, 2009
Mac jocks miffed at Adobe for releasing Windows versions of its Photoshop Elements photo editing and organizing application before getting around to its OS X editions of the software should be pleased with the simultaneous release of the product's new version for both operating systems this month.
PepsiCo Gets a Little More Buzz Out of 'Score' App
October 23, 2009
PepsiCo has removed the iPhone application that promised to help men "score" with different types of women about a week after it was criticized for stereotyping. The soft drink and snack maker announced its decision on Thursday. The application, called "Amp up before you score" was unavailable for download on iTunes and removed from the brand's site.

'Rock Band' for iPhone Knows the Words, but the Tone Is Flat
October 22, 2009
When it comes to games, Apple's App Store isn't just a flea market where independent and small-scale developers can earn a few bucks peddling momentary amusements for 99 cents a pop. Giant game makers like EA, Capcom and Ubisoft sometimes set up shop, and when they do, they're not afraid to charge top dollar, as App Store games go.
GoToMyPC Gets Ready to Go to Your Mac
October 19, 2009
More and more workers require remote access to their personal computers at their offices, and often those office computers are Macs. That trend has induced a major maker of remote access software to tailor one of its offerings for the Applesphere. Citrix Systems is close to releasing GoToMyPC for the Mac, currently in open beta trials.

Free iPhone Apps Now Free to Charge
October 16, 2009
Apple on Thursday revised its app store policy to let developers include for-pay features in free apps. This could save developers time in the long run, as they will only have to put out one version of their applications, rather than a free version and a paid-for version. In the short term, however, it could cause developers some grief.
Sidekick Snafu: The Data Saved and the Damage Done
October 16, 2009
T-Mobile's Sidekick users had a pretty rough time this week thanks to a mistake that first looked enormous but eventually was pretty much fixed, though with no small amount of worry and strife in between. An unfortunate series of events caused a major inconvenience for users of the smartphone.

Photoshop for iPhone: Premium Version, Please
October 15, 2009
It's slowly becoming apparent that cellphone photos need not look awful. Some phone are hitting the market with 8 or more megapixels, approaching the sort of resolution you'd get on a low-cost pocket cam. That's still not nearly professional hardware, but it sure will come out better than the muddy, washed-out tile mosaics you used to get from camera phones.
Apple Tweaks iPhone 3GS to Lock Out Jailbreakers
October 14, 2009
Apple has begun shipping new units of the iPhone 3GS that reportedly cannot be jailbroken using common methods. These new units have a new boot ROM that apparently can't be touched by the exploit, 24kpwn, from the iPhone Dev Team. The news comes just days after jailbreaking icon George Hotz released his blackra1n jailbreak.

Critics Soak Pepsi's Pickup Line iPhone App
October 14, 2009
PepsiCo is facing criticism for an iPhone application that promises to help men "score" with two dozen stereotypes of women by giving users pickup lines and a scoreboard to keep track of their conquests. An apology by the company -- which is using the app "Amp Up Before You Score" to market its Amp energy drink -- is igniting more online criticism.
Data-Chomping Snow Leopard Bug Draws Blizzard of Complaints
October 13, 2009
Apple users are fuming about a bug in Mac OS X Snow Leopard that deletes data when they log into a guest account on their Macs, judging by the rapid growth in the number of complaints on Apple's user forums. The data-eating bug was first reported a month ago, shortly after Apple released Snow Leopard in August.

QuickBooks Courts the Mac Crowd
October 12, 2009
Over the years, Intuit's QuickBooks has had its detractors in the Mac community, but with the release earlier this month of a new version of the accounting software, the company hopes it can win more hearts and minds in the Applesphere. QuickBooks 2010 improves on the "Mac-like feel" of its predecessors and has new features aimed at making small businesses more profitable, according to Intuit.
It's Not Reality - It's Augmented Reality
October 11, 2009
You're walking down the street, looking for a good place to eat. You hold up your cellphone and use it like the viewfinder on a camera, so the screen shows what's in front of you. However, it also shows things you couldn't see before: Brightly colored markers indicating nearby restaurants and bars. Turn a corner, and the markers reflect the new scene.

Trope: A Softer Shade of Bloom
October 08, 2009
Two weeks ago, when I reviewed an application called "Air," I referred to it as the follow-up to a similar app called "Bloom." One of the developers, Peter Chilvers, wrote in with a point of clarification: Air was not actually intended as the official follow-up to Bloom, an app that Chilvers wrote in collaboration with Brian Eno. The real follow-up, also created by Chilvers and Eno, is called "Trope."
AT&T Knuckles Under on VoIP for iPhone
October 07, 2009
That screeching sound you heard Tuesday from AT&T headquarters in Dallas was the company hitting the brakes and reversing itself regarding a portion of its iPhone policy. AT&T announced that it would support VoIP applications on its 3G network for use with the ultra-popular Apple smartphone.

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