Apple releases OS X 10.7.3 and Safari 5.1.3, extending languages supported and fixing bugs

Apple has today released OS X 10.7.3, an update to its operating system for Mac computers, reports Macrumors. The update adds support for several new languages and fixes various bugs. The update includes Safari 5.1.3, an updated version of the web browser included in OS X.

The OS X Lion v10.7.3 Update includes Safari 5.1.3 and fixes that:

* Add Catalan, Croatian, Greek, Hebrew, Romanian, Slovak, Thai, and Ukrainian language support
* Address issues when using smart cards to log into OS X
* Address compatibility issues with Microsoft Windows file sharing
* Address an issue printing Microsoft Word documents that use markup
* Address a graphics performance issue after sleep on some earlier iMacs that use ATI graphics
* Resolve a Wi-Fi connection issue when waking from sleep
* Address an issue that may prevent Safari from opening before joining a wireless network
* Fix a potential issue authenticating to an SMB DFS share
* Include RAW image compatibility for additional digital camerasDirectory Services
* Improve binding to read-only Active Directory Domain Controllers
* Improve binding and login speed for Active Directory users in a domain whose name ends in ".local"
* Improve reliability of Dynamic DNS (DDNS) updates by Active Directory clients
* Allow login with an Active Directory username that contains a space
* Improve compatibility with Active Directory schemas that have been extended with the "apple-user-homeDirectory" and "apple-user-homeurl" attributes
* Fix home directory Dock item for Active Directory users with mobile accounts
* Allow NIS users with MD5-hashed passwords to log in

You can grab the update by running Software Update on your Mac or downloading the release directly here. If you're interested in more information about the update, you can read the full release notes here.

In addition to updating the standard version of its OS X Lion operating system to 10.7.3, Apple has also updated its OS X Lion Server edition and Server Admin Tools to 10.7.3. It has also released an update to Apple Remote Desktop Client to 3.5.2.

The updates to the products vary in depth, with Lion Server edition getting the most love, including the fixes pushed for regular Lion.

The OS X Lion Update 10.7.3 (Server) includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, migration and security of your server and improvements of the various services and applications. You can view the full list here.

The Server Admin Tools 10.7.3 suite has gotten updates for Podcast Composer, Server Admin, Server Monitor, System Image Utility, Workgroup Manager and Xgrid Admin You can see the list of improvements here.

Apple's Remote Desktop Client has been updated to 3.5.2 and features a couple of bug fixes, you can see those detailed here.

For Snow Leopard users, there is a security update available as well, containing the fixes that shipped with OS X 10.7.3. You can download the regular version here and the server edition here. The details of that patch can be viewed here.

Source

Neil Young: Apple was working on super high-def music

Recording artist Neil Young today said that he was working with late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs on a project that would push the quality of digital downloads to studio-quality levels.

In an interview with All Things Digital at the outlet's D: Dive Into Media conference today, Young discussed the quality of digital recordings, chiding MP3s for having just "5 percent of the data present in the original recording."

The answer to that other 95 percent would be "high-resolution" digital tracks that are of the same quality as the original studio recording, Young offered.

There are technical hurdles involved with making that happen though, including larger files. Young suggested that these high-resolution audio files be made readily available, and able to be downloaded at a speed of 30 minutes per song, with manufacturers offering a device that could offer size for 30-such albums, something like an iPod.

When asked if Young had approached Apple about the idea, Young said that he had, in fact, met with Jobs and was "working on it," but that "not much" ended up happening to the pursuit.

Of note, Young made mention that Jobs was a vinyl fan, despite having helmed the company that would spearhead the way people listened to and purchased digital music.

"Steve Jobs was a pioneer of digital music, and his legacy is tremendous," Young told the crowd. "But when he went home, he listened to vinyl. And you've got to believe that if he'd lived long enough, he would have done what I'm trying to do."

An Apple spokesman declined to comment on Young's statements.

A report from CNN last February suggested Apple and several of its competitors were in talks with record labels about selling 24-bit, high-fidelity audio recordings. Said recordings would come at a price premium, the report suggested, as well as requiring hardware manufacturers (including Apple) to make adjustments to future models to support the higher-quality files.

Apple's digital music offerings currently top out at 256 kbps, a quality level introduced as part of its iTunes Plus program in 2007. It began on EMI and trickled out to the rest of the labels, and the entire iTunes Store in January 2009. Despite that, the company has its own "lossless" format, which went open-source near the end of last year. Unlike the studio recordings Young was talking about, that technology was designed to provide a lossless copy of tracks ripped from CDs.

Source

Netflix Flirts With a New Idea: “Big” Movies at Your House, the Same Day They’re in Theaters

Netflix made a splash this year by creating its own TV shows and delivering them over the Web. Now it's toying with the same idea for movies.

This summer, the company announced that it in addition to TV shows like "Orange Is the New Black," it would start spending money on modest movies - documentaries and stand-up comedy specials - which would debut on the service.

Now Netflix is floating the idea that it will foot the bill for a "big" movie, which would appear in theaters and on Netflix at the same time.

During the company's earnings call last week, content boss Ted Sarandos said the company was interested in breaking into movies, and that investors should "keep [their] mind wide open to what those films would be and what they would look like."

This weekend, Sarandos got more explicit. In a speech hosted by Film Independent, the nonprofit behind the indie film Spirit Awards, Sarandos said Netflix could start delivering new movies to its subscribers by doing the same thing it has done with its original TV shows, and becoming a first-run distributor.

"What we're trying to do for TV, the model should extend pretty nicely to movies. Meaning, why not premiere movies on Netflix, the same day they're opening in theaters? And not little movies - there's a lot of ways, and lot of people to do that [already]. Why not big movies? Why not follow the consumers' desire to watch things when they want?"

Good logic. And hard to imagine how that will work.

But presumably that's Sarandos's point - Netflix wants to show that it can do it, at least once, and put pressure on the rest of Hollywood to change.

And there's some nice symbolism here, too: Netflix started out delivering movies via DVD, which it could do without Hollywood's permission. It eventually moved into a digital TV show service, at least in part because it couldn't get the studios to let it distribute their movies over the Web. Wouldn't it be cool if Netflix could start to end run the system and deliver movies that way, too?

As Sarandos notes, it's already possible to see some art house movies at home, via distributors like Apple or Time Warner Cable, at the same time they're in theaters. (Sometimes even before they're in theaters).

But almost all major Hollywood movies follow a rigid "windowing" system, where they show up in theaters first, then on DVD and "on demand" services, then on pay TV (and sometimes Netflix), etc.

Films studios themselves have expressed interest in tweaking those windows, so movies could migrate more quickly from theaters to other venues, but theater owners, who play a big role in movie marketing, have been fiercely opposed to any changes. (See: "Tower Heist" or "Alice in Wonderland.")

And I can't see Sarandos convincing any studio with a traditional blockbuster that needs conventional theaters to change course anytime soon. If you want to see "Thor: The Dark World" on November 8, you're still going to have to visit the box office.

So perhaps Sarandos has a different definition of a "big" movie in mind. Or maybe some other clever end run around the system.

Feel free to watch his speech below (don't be scared off the by 44-minute counter on the YouTube clip; his prepared speech only goes 22 minutes, and if you need to go fast you can speed up to the 19-minute mark) and reach your own conclusions. For now, Netflix reps aren't offering any additional comment.

Apple Scores Another Beat

Back in September, Apple said it expected revenue and gross margins for its fourth quarter to fall "near the high end" of the range it had previously provided - $34 billion to $37 billion, and 36 percent to 37 percent.

Today, it delivered on that promise.

Posting fourth-quarter financials after market close Monday, Apple reported earnings per share of $8.26 on revenue of $37.5 billion. That's well above the $7.92 on revenue of $36.82 billion analysts had predicted, and at the higher end of Apple's own range of guidance for the period, though it was down on a per-share basis from $8.22 billion, or $8.67 a share, a year earlier. Apple said its gross margins were 37 percent, right in line with expectations.

Apple said it sold 33.8 million iPhones for the quarter, 14.1 million iPads and 4.6 million Macs. Analysts were expecting iPhone sales of 33.4 million units, iPad sales of 13.9 million units and Mac sales of about 4.2 million units.

Apple declared a cash dividend of $3.05 per share payable on November 14, 2013, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 11, 2013.

"We're pleased to report a strong finish to an amazing year with record fourth-quarter revenue, including sales of almost 34 million iPhones," CEO Tim Cook said in an earnings release.

Apple's guidance for next quarter, perhaps the most closely watched data point of all today: Revenue of between $55 billion and $58 billion, and gross margins of 36.5 percent to 37 percent. Analysts had been looking for revenue of $55.53 billion.

Apple stock is trading down more than three percent after hours.

Notes from the call

• $16 billion in revenue from iTunes software and services.
• 400 million visitors to retail stores. $50 million in revenue per store.
• Completed 15 strategic acquisitions. That's one acquisition every three to four weeks.
• Greatly appreciate "suggestions" from shareholders about capital allocation. Will announce any changes to capital allocation program in the first part of 2014.
• Sold 33.8 million iPhones versus 26.9 million in the same period in the year prior. Increase of 26 percent, a new September quarter record.
• Experian says iPhone users spend 53 percent more time each day on their devices than Android users.
• Sold 14.1 million iPads this quarter versus 14 million in same quarter last year.
• Sales of Macs exceeded expectations. Down 4 percent year over year, but overall PC market was down 10 percent.
• Planning 30 new stores in fiscal 2014, two-thirds outside the United States.
• Company has $146.8 billion in cash; 76 percent of that is offshore ($111.3 billion).
• Cook on 64-bit processor in iPhone 5s and new iPads: "This is the front end of a long roadmap."
• Cook on iPhone 5c pricing: "If you look at what we've done, we're selling the iPhone 4s as our entry level offering. We sell the iPhone 5c as a mid-tier device. And then we have the iPhone 5s at the high end. Obviously some people read rumors about the 5c being an entry-level device, but that was never our intent."
• Cook says he stands by his statement that we will see exciting new products from Apple across 2014. "We believe we can use our skills to build new categories in areas where we do not participate today. We're confident in that."
• Cook on China: "We had a pretty good quarter in China, but want to do better." IPhone units were up 26 percent year over year despite constraints around iPhone 5s. For full year, Greater China generated $27 billion, up 14 percent year over year.
• Cook on the tablet market and Apple's new iPad lineup: "We continue to view the tablet market as huge. We see it as a large opportunity for us. We are not solely focused on unit share, we are focused on usage share and customer loyalty and other things that are important to us. ... We're confident we will grow strongly year over year. We're getting things off to a great start this weekend with iPad Air and later in the month we'll begin shipping the new mini. ... We did feel that we wanted to reduce the price of the iPad mini and now we're coming in at $299. ... IPad Air is the best iPad we've ever done. We believe these products are going to do really well. We think it's going to be an iPad Christmas."
• Cook on Apple's decision to offer iWork, iLife and Mavericks for free: "We wanted to make this software part of what it meant to own a Mac and an iOS device. IWork had become the best-selling productivity app on a mobile device, we wanted all of our customers to have access to it so they could have the best features. ... Other folks charge for their OS and productivity apps. We wanted to make it a part of the experience."
• Cook on iPhone 5s and iPad supplies: "The 5s ended the quarter with significant backlog, but supply is building each week. [We're] very confident in ability to keep ramping. In terms of Retina mini, we'll start shipping later in November. We know how many we can make, but we won't be able to assess demand until we ship ... it's unclear when supply and demand will be in balance there. ... We will see how we do on iPad Air as we go out this week. I think we'll have a very good weekend, but I'm not sure everyone who wants one will be able to find one."

Where's the Intel Sticker?

Q:

Thanks for explaining how to use the new-style Intel Inside sticker to find a laptop with the latest Intel chip. But what if I'm shopping online, where they usually don't show the sticker?

A:

Besides the sticker, there are two ways to tell if the PC or Mac you are considering has the latest Intel Core processor, which boosts battery life. One is to look for the words "Fourth Generation" or "4th gen" or even "Haswell" (the chip's code name) in the description of the processor. The other is to check what Intel calls the processor number, which follows the chip's name, to make sure it starts with the number 4. One example might be Intel Core i5 - 4300M.

Q:

Apple's iTunes Genius feature is getting on my nerves, because, when I sync my device, it takes up time syncing "Genius data." What does Genius do and how can I turn it off?

A:

Genius is a free, optional feature that can create mixes or playlists based on songs in your music library. The data that is synced is used to update the playlist-creation algorithms about changes to your library. If you don't use Genius or like it, you can turn it off by going to iTunes on your computer, selecting the Store menu, and clicking on "Turn Off Genius." Note: These menu items won't be available if you use iTunes Match, a separate, paid service that stores your music in the cloud.

Q:

I need a new laptop and I want Windows, but I don't want to get one with Windows 8, or Windows 8.1. Is it still possible to buy a laptop with Windows 7?

A:

Yes. They are getting scarcer, but you can find them at both stores and online. I saw a few in a Micro Center chain store about 10 days ago. Checking on the chain's website, I see more, from $350 to over $1,000. But many listings indicate a limited number remain in stock.

Write to Walt at mossberg@wsj.com.

Apple Replacing Some iPhone 5s Handsets Due to Battery Issue

Apple is having a bit of trouble with its latest marquee iPhone. The company said late Tuesday that the battery in some of its iPhone 5s handsets are draining more quickly than they should.

"We recently discovered a manufacturing issue affecting a very limited number of iPhone 5s devices that could cause the battery to take longer to charge or result in reduced battery life," Apple spokeswoman Teresa Brewer told AllThingsD. "We are reaching out to customers with affected phones and will provide them with a replacement phone."

Apple declined to elaborate beyond that statement, and wouldn't say which 5s models have been affected and how widespread the problem is. But, presumably, "a very limited number" means just that. That the company has chosen to reach out to affected customers directly, rather than pointing them to a Web page to submit a replacement request, suggests that the number of iPhones with the issue is indeed relatively small.

News of the battery issue and Apple's response to it was first reported by the New York Times.

QOTD: Cracking Andreessen Up

The stories crack me up. There's sort of two criticisms. One is that Silicon Valley is the new elite, the new one percent, the new oligarchy, and that all the billionaires don't give a shit about society and [welcome a] Mad Max dystopian wasteland of no jobs [as] technology takes everything over. The other argument is that technology produces nothing of value; it's all just Snapchat apps so 14-year-old girls can send selfies to each other. I have a hard time reconciling the two arguments.

- Marc Andreessen, talking to Strictly VC

Ads Appear on Instagram, Just Like Instagram Said They Would

Instagram said it was going to deliver ads to your Feed, and then it said it again.

And now, here they are.

Designer Michael Kors started running this ad this morning. This is a version that ran in a brand's own Feed, but people who aren't following the company may see the same image anyway, with a "sponsored" tag where the timeline is in this image:

So there you go. An ad on Instagram looks exactly the way Instagram said it would look.

Bigger picture: An ad on Instagram is one of the reasons Facebook said it isn't going to jam up its own Feed with more ads - because it doesn't have to in order to make more money. Another way it can do that will be video ads, but we're not going to see those until next year.

Garmin’s Vivofit Has Some Neat Features, But How Does It Compare To Other Wearables?

AOL Aims To Unify Its Programmatic Efforts With A New Ad Platform, ONE

Digital Ad Company CPXi Raises $30M In Its First Outside Funding

With Revenue Up 2.4X In The Past Two Months, Instacart Lands In NYC

India slaps Google with $166,000 fine for not cooperating in antitrust investigation

Yahoo received 21,425 government requests for data impacting 32,493 accounts in the second half of 2013

Girl Scouts urged to end partnership with Barbie manufacturer

Advocacy groups say Mattel tie-up, announced last August, undermines Scouts' mission 'to build courage, confidence and character'

US Senate to vote on Kirsten Gillibrand's military sexual assault bill

Bill, which would strip senior commanders of their authority to prosecute rape cases, firmly opposed by Pentagon leadership

5 Cool Pet Apps You Must Download For Your iPhone

As soon as you bring your pet home for the first time they automatically become an important part of your family. You will do everything for them and that includes buying them treats. I'm not sure if you can call these apps treats, but they will definitely help your pet in some way or another.

Pet Master Pro (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pet-master-pro/id420036386?mt=8)

If you want your pet to stay as healthy as possible you need to learn to track everything. This includes the medication they're taking, the appointments they have coming up, and even the different allergies you find out they suffer from. Pet Master Pro is like the ultimate resource for recording everything you need to know about your pet. You can also upload photos so you can remember what your pet looked like over the years as it was growing up.

Catbook (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/catbook/id342562837?mt=8)

Facebook is now one of the biggest companies in the world, but it was obviously a lot smaller when it started. Catbook has around 1 million users at the moment so could it go the same way? The app is similar to Facebook except each user will have a pet cat. Don't get too excited about your love life becauseCatbook isn't a dating app. The focus is on your pet and the cats in your local area they can become friends with. It's also a nice place to discuss things with fellow cat lovers.

Dog Translator (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dog-translator!/id483638824?mt=8)

Before you download this app you should know it's only a laugh. Nobody in the world knows exactly what your dog is trying to say when it barks, but the people who released this app think they might have the answer. You first need to record your dog when it barks then the app will take care of everything else. It will analyze the vocal tones and it will tell you what your dog is trying to say. Like I said before, it's a fun app as long as you don't take it too seriously.

DogVacay (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dogvacay/id595856620)

What do you do with your dog when you want to go on holiday? A lot of people don't have a family member who can take over the reins for a few weeks, so their dog usually get thrown into the kennels. Instead of throwing them in with dozens of other dogs you should let an individual dog lover look after them. The DogVacay app will let you find lots of willing dog sitters in your local area and you can choose whoever you like best. Each reservation comes with free pet insurance so everything will be taken care of while you're away.

Petometer (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/petometer/id439888312)

If you take your pet out on a lot of walks you might like this app because it will make things more interesting. Have you heard about those fitness apps that let you track the speed, distance, and duration of your runs? This app does the exact same except you'll be able to track your dog's stats. You can also go back in time to see all the walks you've taken in the past. If you have more than one dog you can still upload them to the app and track them individually.

Look out for more goodies

These apps are just the beginning and there is a lot out there you'll love. Wait until you see the apps they come out with in a few years. I'm sure you'll enjoy a few of the ones we talked about today and you should test out your favorites over the holidays. Your pet will be glad you have them on your phone.

Author Bio

This post has been authored by Nancy Baker, a freelance blogger who is currently writing for Pond Point which is a veterinary care clinic based in Connecticut. She takes great pride in helping people, and assists many animal shelters in her vicinity during her leisure time. You can also follow her on Twitter @Nancy Baker.

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Windows Phone Mango update available to “nearly everyone”

I know, it's been a few weeks since the Mango update started rolling out but the update has yet to reach 100% of all Windows Phone users yet. Well for those of you who are keen on the progress of its delivery, the folks at the Windows Team Blog have written about it, claiming that the update is being delivered ahead of schedule and is now available to "nearly everyone in the current delivery pool".

The team also notes that there have been some issues with the current update and will be dealing with the problem. Beginning next week, firmware updates will be delivered to specific phones that have problems are being updated to Windows Phone 7.5 Mango. It's good to see Microsoft acting so quickly in response to complaints. In the meantime for those of you who still don't have Mango, just sit tight.

Iphone: Tips To Help You Make The Most Of It

No matter the age or personality, people worldwide think the iphone is the best invention yet. Why does everyone love the iphone? You will be provided with the answer to that question and be provided with other important iphone information.

When using Safari, you do not have to type the “.com”, saving you extra time. For instance, you may input “Amazon” for Amazon.com in your URL box to instantly go to the site.

If you have an iphone, it is important that it has a protective screen. Those who do not use screen protectors run the risk of incurring scratches on the screen. Even the smallest piece of dirt on your finger can cause a scratch. Be sure that you always have a screen protector on your phone.

A case is one of the first accessories you should purchase, especially if you are accident-prone. Dropping the device is likely to cause shattering of the screen if it is not inside a protective case. Having an iphone case will protect your phone if you accidentally drop it.

If you wish to send your message or draft a note but do not want to utilize corrected words, there is no need to touch the “x” to get rid of them. Just tap on your screen where ever you want and the box should close.

Do you need special characters when you type foreign or accented words? Here’s how to get that accomplished. If you touch an individual letter for only a few seconds, options will appear for that letter. A box will appear with some extra keys. This will allow you to type with fancier letters and you are sure to find what you are looking for.

For privacy, you can disguise your caller ID when calling someone. Navigate to “Settings,” and tap on the “Phone” button; then, press “Show Caller ID” and turn that setting off. You can also look here if you forget your phone number.

If your iphone gets wet, you can dry it with rice. There are many ways you may get your phone wet, such as puddles or toilets. Do not use a hair dryer. Instead, use a paper towel to wipe it. Then, place the phone in a Ziploc bag that is full of rice. Let it sit overnight to dry out completely.

Extreme Temperatures

Do not allow your phone to be in places where it will be subject to extreme temperatures. Do not take your iphone into a freezer and protect it with a case if it is very cold outside. Moisture can accumulate inside the phone if it is subjected to these extreme temperatures.

Make sure that you do not save videos on your iphone that you do not intend to watch again at a later time. When you have finished a video, your phone will ask if you want to delete the video from the phone. Remove it to increase available space.

If you’re an iphone owner, it’s important that you not get app crazy. The iphone platform has a lot of free and paid apps. But some are very shady and will actually take your information or send you hidden charges.

If you wish to gain valuable insight on how to operate your iphone, consider using the tutorials Apple offers. The benefit of using the tutorials is that they can give you a simple but thorough guide to the features of the iphone. When you need to know something, simply use a tutorial and your needs are met right away.

Think about purchasing an app for battery management. There are a few options, and they help you make your battery last longer. They will also notify you about calibration, which is an important part of caring for your battery.

Be sure to take care of all of your chargers and computer connection cords, as they are prone to breaking when they are abused. If you have to disconnect it from a power outlet or USB port, make sure you do it gently. If you take care of your cord, it will last you for about 12 months.

The “unread” email command isn’t in plain sight, so you will have to find it. Open ‘Details’ and click on ‘unread’. This will mark the message as unread the next time you open your Mail app.

Really Speed

Manipulating text on your iphone is all about efficiency, and understanding the right shortcuts can really speed you up. It’s pretty common knowledge that any word can be selected automatically by double-tapping it. The same can be done for entire paragraphs. You can really speed up your cutting and pasting operations by selecting text a paragraph at a time; all you have to do is tap four times on the paragraph in question.

As stated in the first portion of this article, people everywhere are using iPhones. Although you may not have known what the big deal was before, after reading this article, you now understand the appeal of the iphone.

Want To Know More About The Iphone? Read On

If you have an iphone then you know it can do many more things than the average cell phone, however; there are probably a lot of things you still are unaware of regarding your phone. To learn how to maximize all that the iphone can do for you, continue with the following article.

You can easily access your email accounts and messages by tagging them. This helps greatly because once you get an instant notification, you can check out the message instantaneously on the iphone. You can choose a variety of email accounts or just one to tag to your phone.

Firmware on your iphone should be kept up to date. Not only will it extend the life of the battery, but it will make your phone more functional. You can update your firmware simply by uploading iTunes to your computer and connecting your phone to that computer. Alternately, you can use iCloud to connect your phone to your Apple computer.

If you try the Safari browser instead of Internet Explorer, you will not have to type the .com to go to a website. To go directly to a website simply type the websites name into the URL box.

If you are accessing the web on you iphone, do not worry about using the “.com” portion of the website address. Just type in the main portion of the site’s name and the browser can do the rest. This may seem like a small benefit, but it actually goes a long way in saving you time.

Try not to talk to your Siri function as often as you do if you are a very private type of person. Apple stores all Siri voice prompts on their internal servers. This makes it easier for Siri to recognize you and to follow your command.

Most people who own iPhones are well aware of the picture-taking possibilities the phone has to offer. After some substantial photography sessions, however; it could be hard sorting through all the pictures in the Camera Roll. You can use the album feature to organize your pictures so you can find them easily. It will be easy to locate that needed shot when you do this.

Your Iphone will do the typing for you if you set up shortcuts. Simply go to Settings, then General and Keyboard, and then “Add New Shortcut”. You can add acronyms or abbreviations to stand for common phrases and words that you often type. As you use these shortcuts, the correct words or phrases will be typed.

Do you feel like the phrase you just typed into iMessage was the wrong one? Did Auto Correct screw up your meaning again? There’s a very simple way to take back your words; quickly shake your iphone. This is a quick way to undo typing. Remember that this is optional, so you have to check Settings first.

The most popular features of the iphone is essentially that fact that it can do so many amazing things. Using an app such as BlinqTV, your iphone can become a universal remote. Then, you are able to control certain electronic items like TVs, amplifiers, and DVD players. You will also have the option to program reminders that will alert you when your favorite shows are on.

If you are an iphone owner, consider using Facebook with your phone. A lot of mobile users are already aware that they can do this, but a lot of folks still have no idea that they can do this.

It can be touchy to navigate small windows on websites. You may discover you have scrolled yourself right through the main site instead. If you have trouble, zoom in on the page a bit. It takes some practice but using two fingers when you are scrolling through on your iphone can help save time and refine your touch so that you reach the part of a website you were looking for more easily than when you use a single finger.

Given the tips and advice you have just seen, you likely realize the expanded potential your iphone holds. You simply have to remember what you have learned the next time you use the phone!

Report: eBay To Launch “The Plaza,” A New Brand-Focused Online Mall For Retail Goods

According to a new report from Macquarie Capital, marketplace giant eBay is set to launch a new vertical this spring called The Plaza on eBay that will focus on direct-to-consumer sales.

As Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter notes in a report, details are sparse, but Plaza has been compared to Alibaba's Tmall. One retailer with knowledge of eBay's plans said that the site will allow brands to sell direct to consumers using eBay, but in a more controlled area than the traditional eBay marketplace. Basically, brands could use eBay to gain access to the company's customers without weakening their brand by listing and selling alongside used and auctioned goods.

What this could be is a complete redesign of eBay Stores, which is a centralized place for retailers like Toys R Us and others to list items on eBay. But currently the branding isn't all that different on eBay Stores from the auction marketplace. With a different branding, eBay could attract larger retailers. Alibaba has been successful in accomplishing this with Tmall in China. The WSJ reported last week that the online mall currently has over 70,000 digital storefronts, and retailers like Apple, Nike and Gap all have online stores on Tmall.

Whether eBay's own "Tmall for the US" will be successful is another matter. eBay will have to convince brands like Apple or Nike that there is value in selling via eBay, as well as their own e-commerce sites. But in the company's favor is the fact that the marketplace business has been growing, and the company is also seeing strong adoption of its mobile apps. Mobile as a platform for the mall could be a particularly interesting opportunity.

We reached out to eBay, and the company provided us with this response: "eBay partners with brands, designers and retailers - and sellers of all sizes - to help them grow their business. As such, we are always exploring new, innovative ways to help them market directly to eBay's global audience and connect them to the things they need and love. We don't comment on industry rumors or speculation."

That's not a denial, folks.

Microsoft’s Build Developer Conference Sells Out In A Day

Today Microsoft announced that its Build developer conference taking place in San Francisco this April sold out. Surprised parties: None.

It's becoming clich to see large platform companies (Apple, Microsoft, Google) hold developer events in this city that quickly run out of seats. The question that now remains is whether Microsoft will, like last year, release a later tranche of tickets.

The company is currently allowing interested parties to add their names to a waiting list. Given that, I doubt that the company will make any more tickets available to the general public.

Don't read too much into the sell out. Microsoft sold out Build last year as well, and the company has still struggled to attract developer attention at the pace that it wants, and needs. You could say the fact that Microsoft managed to again bust through its ticket stack at north of 2,000 a head a few years in a row indicates it retains a dedicated developer base, but we already knew that via the flow of new apps being built for Windows and Windows Phone.

For Microsoft, Build should bring new firmware for both Windows and Windows Phone, and current rumor indicates that Windows 9 could make an appearance in one form or another. TechCrunch will, of course, be in attendance.

Why 2014 will be a tough year for first-time tech entrepreneurs in Europe

Paul Jozefak is co-founder and managing director of innovation laboratory Liquid Labs and a former venture capitalist.

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The last twelve months have been very good to the European tech scene.

Berlin has been at the epicentre of a tech wave on continental Europe that has led investors, entrepreneurs and the tech savvy to flock to 'Silicon Allee'. London has more than matched the success of its German counterpart with the Silicon Roundabout seeing an explosion of start-ups, incubators and accelerators. According to Tech City UK, 27% of job growth came from the tech sector this year in London, with the number of tech startups growing by 76%.

Investors have added substance to the hype with larger funding rounds amongst established players and plenty of new businesses launched at seed stage. In FinTech, there were 74 major deals in November alone. Last year also saw an uptake in M&A transactions, with US investors returning to the European market.

Deals in the technology, media and telecoms sector have reached a six-year high, with seven of the top ten deals taking place in the sector. The IPO window for tech companies has fully opened in the US, exemplified by the IPOs of Facebook and Twitter, and there is hope of a window eventually opening in Europe for established, venture-backed businesses.

2014 s double-edged sword

While it can be said that 2013 was a good year for the majority of tech companies in Europe, this success is likely to be a double-edged sword for new entrepreneurs in 2014. One of the biggest threats will be the difficulty first-timers may have in gaining attention from investors.

There are several reasons for this:

• Firstly, the sheer volume of new tech companies entering the market is outstripping the supply of new funds.
• Secondly, the European tech scene is more experienced than ever before and this has raised the bar, putting pressure on newcomers to deliver more solid, well thought out concepts to draw in VCs. Unlike ten or fifteen years ago, many entrepreneurs are now on their second or third new business.
• Thirdly, 2014 will also see an increased level of competition from Eastern Europe. Countries such as Poland and Hungary are slowly establishing themselves in the VC segment, fuelled by a prodigious level of talented engineers. With the relaxation of working restrictions on Romania and Bulgaria, the pressure of competition is only going to increase.

With such a glut of choice for VCs, it will be essential for new entrants to be truly innovative to stand out from the crowd. In reality, this will mean that the 'copycat era' will draw to a close as it will be much harder to build and flip EU copycats to US incumbents. With this exit route cut off, the attraction of building a clone has been greatly reduced.

New entrepreneurs should note that some areas, such as 3D printing and the semantic web, are still considered 'hobbyist' by the majority of investors and as a result it is very difficult to convince VCs to provide financing.

Considering the general picture for 2014, the good news for the tech sector is that the cost of building startups is likely to continue to drop. However, exit valuations for general M&A will also fall as more companies exit early. Although this is obviously still appealing for entrepreneurs, it may negatively affect VC sentiment.

Innovative corporations

Another notable trend likely to influence how 2014 plays out is innovation by corporations, whether via their own innovations labs, internal teams or incubators. With more corporations developing their own innovative products and services, there is likely to be a gradual reduction in the number of start-ups getting purchased outright.

For investors and entrepreneurs alike, it is going to be a year filled with opportunity, challenge and healthy competition. The biggest pressure will be on new entrants to the market, as the maturity of the market coupled with an influx of new start-ups makes it harder than ever before to gain the attention of investors.

To be successful, entrepreneurs will need to bring something new to the table. Investors, however, are still generally wary of unproven segments such as flying drones. On the flip side, with more VCs active, competition for the best deals will be equally as fierce, providing strong founders with leverage to negotiate better terms for their companies.

Image credit: Shutterstock

BBC launches new iWonder brand for digital content, starting with interactive World War One guides

The BBC has launched a new brand called iWonder which it hopes will unlock the learning potential from its wide-ranging content.

Starting today, and designed to coincide with the BBC's World War One season, the iWonder brand will kick off by offering eight interactive guides focused on World War One that have been curated by experts and BBC presenters like Dan Snow and Kate Adie. The Beeb says there should be 17 additional guides online by the end of the month and that ultimately it should play home to more than 100 interactive offerings looking at different aspects of the war.

Some of the topics of the first eight iWonder guides include: 'How did 'Pack up Your Troubles' become the viral hit of WW1?', 'Why were journalists threatened with execution in WW1?' and 'How do you fix a face that's been blown off by shrapnel?'.

The BBC said they've been designed to work flawlessly across a range of devices (mobile, tablets and laptops) and provide completely original video and audio programming.

iWonder - WW1

Featured Image Credit - Getty Images

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Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games)

Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games)

The greatly anticipated final book in the New York Times bestselling Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Who do they think should pay for the unrest?

Katniss Everdeen.

The final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins will have hearts racing, pages turning, and everyone talking about one of the biggest and most talked-about books and authors in recent publishing history!!!!Product Descr

Google Reader Gets a Redesign, Adds Google+ Integration

Google has begun rolling out a new version of Google Reader, one that sports a brand-new design and deep integration with Google+.

The new Google Reader sports a more spartan interface. It's similar to the Google Calendar redesign and Gmail makeover the search giant launched earlier this year.

The greater change is the addition of Google+ sharing. Google has replaced the "Like" button with the +1 button, which lets users share content to their Google+ accounts. Reader users with a Google+ login can choose which circles they'd like to share articles to using Google+ snippets.

The Google+ integration replaces the Google Reader social features the company unveiled in 2009. "Integrating with Google+ also helps us streamline Reader overall," Google Engineer Alan Green said in a " target="_blank">blog post. "So starting today we'll be turning off friending, following, shared items and comments in favor of similar Google+ functionality."

While Google Reader's notes got some usage, dropping them in favor of Google+ is the logical move for a company that is now trying to unify all of its social efforts under one banner. The company recently killed off Buzz while adding Google+ to Maps.

What do you think of the new Google Reader? Let us know in the comments.

Duke Nukem 3D hits Android, explosions ensue

As promised, our favorite cigar smoking, wise cracking first-person protagonist has hit the Android Market, and it didn't even take 15 years. The mobile version of the classic FPS is available now for Android 1.6 and up (that's according to the Market listing - its producers recommend 2.1 and up), courtesy of Tapjoy and Machineworks Northwest as a $0.99 download. And don't worry, there's plenty of Duke to go around.

Apple Acquires SnappyLabs, Maker of SnappyCam Burst Photo App [Confirmed]

Apple has acquired SnappyLabs, a one-man app maker behind the now-discontinued SnappyCam app. The app was removed from the App Store -- along with its website and social media presence -- just before the end of the year.

According to TechCrunch, which first reported the acquisition:

Sources have since affirmed that the company was acquired by Apple, and that there was also acquisition interest "from most of the usual players", meaning other tech giants. I don't have details on the terms of the deal, and I'm awaiting a response from Apple, which has not confirmed the acquisition.

Back in July, SnappyCam was upgraded with new technology, detailed in a now-deleted blog post (still viewable via Archive.org), that explains how developer John Papandriopoulos was able to redesign how JPG images are compressed, allowing the iPhone to shoot full-quality burst mode photographs at significant higher frames per second than other competing technologies, including the new burst mode built into iOS 7.

With the acquisition, it seems likely that Apple will integrate the SnappyCam technology into its native iOS and OS X camera programs and APIs. Apple added burst mode photo shooting to iOS 7, allowing iPhone 5s owners to shoot 10 photos per second at full resolution, in order to get the best shot in action scenes or with fast-moving children.

SnappyCam is no longer available for download from the App Store. Pricing and other details were not revealed, and Apple has not yet confirmed the acquisition.

Update: Apple has confirmed the acquisition to Kara Swisher at Re/code, the new home of the AllThingsD team.

CES 2014: LaCie Announces 1TB 'Fuel' Wireless External Hard Drive for iOS/Mac Devices [iOS Blog]

LaCie today announced the Fuel, a wireless hard drive designed to work with the iPad, the iPhone, and Mac computers. With 1TB of storage, the Fuel is able to wirelessly stream to any Apple device, serving as a portable storage unit for extensive media libraries.

Fuel, which does not require an internet connection, functions as a Wi-Fi hotspot able to stream HD content to up to three devices at once, with five devices able to access files on the drive at one time. Media on the drive is accessed on iOS devices using the Seagate Media app, and AirPlay functionality is also available.

The LaCie Fuel creates its own Wi-Fi network, just like your home router. So up to 5 devices can access its storage at the same time. You can even stream an HD movie to up to 3 devices simultaneously. Family road trips, long commutes, and airport layovers just got a lot better.

And while the LaCie Fuel doesn't need Internet to work, it can connect to nearby Wi-Fi hotspots. It can then provide Internet access to up to four of your wireless devices.

While file transfers are available via USB 3.0, the drive does function wirelessly, transferring content without a cord. It also has Dropbox compatibility and a 10 hour battery life.

LaCie's Fuel will be available soon and is priced at $199.99.