MacCast 06.06.2010 - Show #304
Media/Links
V Opening
V Opening Music
* Music is "Say Anything" by Manda and the Marbles
* Band's MySpace page
V Sponsor
V Faronics
* DeepFreeze
* Set up a system, Mac or PC, and then "freeze" it in place.
* Still leave it open to use and update.
* Define user areas, including "home" folders as ThawSpaces
* Great for shared computers in public areas. Sensitive data left behind by users can get wiped away with a simple reboot.
* Free trial
V News
V Apple international iPad launch a success
* Launched in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.
* Long lines and sellouts pretty much across the board.
* Apple announced on May 31st that it had sold over 2 million iPads in just 60 days.
* Gene Munster (Piper Jaffray) upped his 2010 sales estimates from 4.3 million to 6.2 million in 2010 based on strong initial sales.
* UBS analyst Maynard Um expects Apple to sell 3 million iPads by the end of the quarter.
V iBookstore Open to Self Publishers
* Apple has opened up iTunes connect to those in the US who wish to sell independent books on the iBookStore
V Working directly with Apple requires:
* US Tax ID
* ISBNs for all titles you intend to distribute
* You must be able to deliver your book content in EPUB format, passing EpubCheck 1.0.5.
V Must meet payment requirements and earning thresholds in each territory.
* Apple doesn't seem to state this up front, but was set to $250 per region for Apps.
* Meaning you have to earn that in each store before you'll get a check for that region.
V Also support going through these aggregators
* BiblioCore, Book Baby, Constellation, INgrooves, Ingram, LibreDigital, Lulu, Smashwords
V Concerns in EU over an Apple contractual requirement that Apple's price not be undercut
* Publishers are waiting to see because that policy might violate a 1990 law that prevents publishers and others from setting their own minimum prices.
V AT&T backpedals on iPad data plans
V New plans for new users and those who cancel and then re-sign up for iPad plans
* Starting June 7th.
* Apply to new iPhones too.
* DataPlus - 200 MB (250MB on iPad) for $15.00. If you go over you will be charged another $25.00 for another 200 MB
V DataPro -2GB for $25.00. No unlimited anymore.
* 98% of customers use less than 2GB. My guess is that's changing on the iPad and iPhone with more 3G streaming.
* overage charge is just $10/GB.
* By by 3G streaming of video.
* What about Apple's new video chat?
* Existing customers can keep their current unlimited plans as long as they keep paying. Can transfer them to a new phone.
V Also added tethering when iPhone OS 4 ships for $20/mo extra, but requires the "DataPro" $25/mo. plan. No extra data and won't support iPads.
* AT&T blames Apple for the iPad tethering restriction.
V Why did they do it?
* The iPad
* New streaming supported apps
* Tethering.
* We likely shouldn't complain as International customers have it worse in most cases.
* To give and take away though is a bit annoying to say the least.
* Customers with 3G iPads on pre-order that aren't received before june 7th can still sign up for the AT&T $30/mo unlimited data plan.
V Don't freak out, but check your data usage
* Log into your account on AT&T's site
* Click the "View past data usage" link and adjust the dates to get a nice graph of your usage over time.
V If you don't see that link;
* Click on My Accounts and select Bill & Payments
* Click Billing Reports and select Data Trends
* Hit Submit
* I discovered I trend currently between 150MB to 300MB per month.
* Light users may actually be able to save money.
V Apple TV take 3?
V According to Engadget
* $99 set top box
* Running iPhone OS 4
* A4 processor
* 16GB Flash RAM
* 1080p HD support
* Streaming from the cloud.
V App support?
* Netflix, Pandora, ABC app, etc.
* Apple planning to take on Boxee, Roku, and Google TV?
* Analysts seem to think Apple needs to get in the game
* Already the DOJ is reportedly doing a inquiry into Apple's media business. Asking questions of music and movie studios.
V Google goes Mac
* According to the Financial Times Google workers have told them many workers have been moved from Windows to Mac
* Due to security concerns following the China hacking attacks
* New hires are being offered Mac or Linux systems, but if your need Windows it requires CIO approval.
* Also an effort to run the company on Google's own Chrome OS which is in BETA
* Google is said to have at least 20,000 windows licenses.
* Might be a significant reason for Chinese (and other) hackers to start targeting the Mac?
V New OS X attacks raise security concerns
V Tabnabbing
* TUAW pointed out a new "hack" detailed by Aza Raskin a lead designer at Firefox.
V A malicious site could detect when you use a new tab to switch focus from their site
* Then using some simple Javascript, switch the page info , tab tile, favicon (icon in the URL location bar) to look like a different site and prompt for credentials
V Aza even has a social history detector to help detect which sites you may use based on CSS data
* basically tests "purple" or "blue" visited link colors against known domains
* Could create a tabnabbed page to look like a banking or social media site it detects that you visit.
V Scary, but not fool proof and avoidable if you pay attention.
* Only visit "trusted" sites to begin with. This attack has to start on a web site.
* Pay attention to the "URL" and turn on your "Status" bar.
V Virus company Intego warns of spyware trojan
* OSX/OpinionSpy. Installed by "screensaver" software distributed by 7art-screensavers through sites like MacUpdate, VersionTracker and Softpedia.
* Asks for admin password to install and sometimes acts like a "market research" tool.
* Scans all files, even on network volumes. tracks network packets and sends data to remote servers.
* Apps like Intego VirusBarrier or MacScan
V Adobe warns of new Flash attack
* Reportedly already exploits in the wild.
* Critical vulnerability effects Adobe Flash Player 10.0.45.2 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris, and the authplay.dll component that ships with Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX operating systems.
* Could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system
V Rumor summary on eve of WWDC
V New iPhones
* Yes.
V 960x640 IPS LCD with a 320 pixels-per-inch density. (not AMOLED)
* Full color range and better outside viewing.
V Verizon iPhone
V Possible announcement with a launch in the fall?
* Verizon spokesperson John Johnson told Beet.TV, it won't happen in the "immediate future".
* Multiple report that Pegatron, an operating division of Asustek, would produce a CDMA iPhone
* AT&T recent move to double ETF seems to show them on the defensive.
V iPhone OS 4
* More details?
* Adding Bing as a search option and make it easier to change default search option (Tech Crunch)
V New Mac Pros, Mac Minis, and Macbook Air
* I don't see this as likely, not typically at a Developer conference
V iTunes in the cloud
* Possibly.
* Streaming "locker" service based on LaLa model.
* Lower prices to add streaming only tracks.
* 50/50 on a one price unlimited streaming model.
V Mobile Me
* Going free or offered as a tiered service.
V Mac OS 10.7
* Not likely.
V Safari 5
* AppleInsider reports on French site "MacGeneration" who claims to have Apple support documents that detail Safari 5
* 25 percent faster JavaScript performance
* DNS prefetching to speed up browsing.
* Safari Reader button to view pages in single "clutter-free" page.
* Expanded HTML5 support adding over a dozen new features, including Geolocation, full screen and closed captions for HTML5 video, and more.
* Also Bing support added.
* WWDC attendees can get the official WWDC iPhone App from Apple.
V Sponsor
V Citrix
* GoTo Assist Express
* Save time on support calls and reduce on-site and travel costs.
* Secure remote access connection set up in seconds without configuring routers or opening up ports.
* Free 30-day trial.
V Feedback, Comments and Commentary
V Are the Foxconn suicides an epidemic?
* The Tech media is all over these stories and seems to think so
V No doubt that we should be concerned and watchful over the companies that we purchase our products from
* Apple, HP and others audit and are watchful of these companies
* Apple Supplier Conduct reports available on their site
* It's being reported that in response Apple will be paying Foxconn workers a direct subsidy of 1-2% on all iPad sales. Not sure if it's related or not to the 30% pay increase.
V Facts and the source
* I'm not saying these things aren't happening, nor trying to down play the tragedy
V Sources
V I subscribe to 28 tech news and blog feeds. Stories on the suicides
* Most have 1 to 3 articles over the past week
* Gizmodo has - 14, Engadget - 8, 9 to 5 Mac - 6
* Some of the reports actually cite "Twitter" posts as a sources.
* Many cite a "Hell Factory" report from Chris Chang writing for M.I.T. Gadget (Made in China) and based on an undercover report from China's "Southern Weekly" allegedly China's most liberal paper.
V I tried finding hard data and it's very hard
* The Foxconn factory has roughly 420,000 employees
* China's suicide rate for 1999 (latest numbers I could find) was 28 out of every 100,000 people.
* If the Foxconn rate stayed the same for the rest of this year there would be about 22 total suicides for 400,000 or about 5.5 per 100,000
V That rate is lower than the suicide rates in all 50 US states for 2006 according to numbers from the CDC. Only Washington DC has a lower rate (5.1 per 100,000).
* Wyoming, Alaska, and Montana had rates above 20 per 100,000.
* I am not implying that any of these rates are good. They are all horrible. Suicide is awful in any context, but the media outlets misusing facts to drive clicks is even worse.
* I am also not saying working conditions are good in the factory. My guess is that they are bad by most standards. Are they by China's standards? That I can't say.
V eBook editing and Management
* ePub format is a standard based on CSS, XML, and XHTML wrapped up in an ePub (zip) file.
V Current open-source based tools are great, but not enough.
V Calibre
* Edit and Manage metadata
* Target device formats
* Stanza Server
V Sigil
* Wysiwyg and code editor
V Stanza
* Reader for Mac, iPhone, iPad
* Organize and find books.
V Adobe InDesign
V Supports exporting to ePub
* Results might vary depending on version CS3, CS4 or CS5
* Tutorials online for how to set up
* Drag and drop ePub to iTunes.
V Adobe announced their digital viewer technology, used to create the WIRED app.
* Adobe Digital Publishing Platform, available this Summer.
* Redone in native Objective-C
* Adobe plans to make the technology available to uses of Adobe InDesign CS5
V Review: Navigon MyRegion
* The folks at Navigon gave me a copy of their MyRegion app for the Western US
V I don't own an in car GPS
V I found the user interface to be a bit confusing, but maybe that's normal for a GPS
* Address entry wizard. City-->Street-->Number
V POI categories weren't complete or at least didn't seem to be
* No churches
* Did have a "Google" button which I find I use more then the built in POIs.
V Have to click "Start Navigation" twice?
* Offers alternative routes before you start.
V Large download. Approx 1.8 GB
* Don't disconnect your iPhone when transferring.
V Once it' running it does a nice job
* 2D and 3D map options
* Clear images and details that change as appropriate
V Voice is clear and understandable, but pronunciation is not always correct
* Only 2 voice choices, seem similar to me.
V iPod controls are nice
* Need to "add" songs to an internal "playlist"
* Doesn't see podcasts
* "Music" or "Audiobook" mode. Music "ducks" level when GPS instructions play. "Audiobook" pauses the music.
V Price is right
* Normally $29.99 US, but on sale until June 11th for USD $14.99
* Purchase additional regions in store for $9.99
V Removing 3rd party contextual menu items
* Play clip from Brian
V With Evernote it's actually a Safari plug-in
* Installed from Evernote Preferences-->Clippings. 'Use Safari Clipper' plugin
V Safari Plug-ins are installed in ~/Library/Internet Plug-ins or /Library/Internet Plug-ins
* 'EvernoteSafariClipperPlugin.webplugin'
V Contextual Menu Item plug-ins
* ~/Library/Contextual Menu Items or /Library/Contextual Menu Items
V Services
* Under 'Services' in your Contextual Menus
* System Preferences-->Keyboard-->Keyboard Shortcuts. In the 'Services' category. Check them on or off.
V Learning keyboard shortcuts
* I've been covering some the ways I'm learning new shortcuts on the latest Maccast Member episodes
* Can save you time
* KeyCue
V New website, Keyonary
* Just getting started, but search a term like "Close Window" and it will give you the shortcut in several Apps.
* OS X and Windows General, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.
* Limited at the moment, but hopefully will expand quickly
V Closing
V Podcast Marketplace
V Thanks to my sponsors
* Circus Ponies
* Smile on my Mac
* Faronics, Deep Freeze
* Cocoatech, Pathfinder 5
* Citrix
* Gazelle
V Keep emails coming. Audio comments.
V 281-622-4269 or 281-Mac-I-Am-9
* PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
* MacCast Forum
* Follow me on Twitter
V New Music
* "I Don't Do Business in the Hallway" by Nickel Arcade
* Artist web site
* Buy on iTunes
V EOL: Fast Food meets iStore
* A new type of fast food join is soon to open in NYC. 4Food will sell doughnut shaped patties with their centers fill with ingredients of your choice. The chain will have waiters with iPads and the store designs Apple inspired. (via Electronista)