Apple privacy report details government queries
Apple says that the "vast majority" of the requests for information that it gets from law enforcement are queries related to lost or stolen devices.On Tuesday, Apple released a "Report on Government Information Request" (PDF) to inform its customers about how their personal information is handled and to provide assurances that it does as much as it can to protect their privacy. The report covers the period between January 1 and June 30, 2013."These types of requests frequently arise when our customers ask the police to assist them with a lost or stolen iPhone, or when law enforcement has recovered a shipment of stolen devices," Apple said in the report.By contrast, Apple said, only a "small fraction" of the requests are in pursuit of personal information related to an iTunes, iCloud, or Game Center account. But it is those sorts of account information requests that have stirred up the greatest anxiety and the fiercest opposition within the tech sector and in the body politic at large. Related postsWant really secure Gmail? Try GPG encryptionReally secure your GmailDoes the Fourth Amendment cover 'the cloud'?Microsoft cuts Bing IP address storage to 6 monthsPrivacy is over. Here comes sociality.Apple's report comes after nearly half a year of dramatic revelations about widespread online surveillance conducted by the US National Security Agency and other government bodies, initiated by leaked documents made public by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Given that backdrop, Apple sought to offer reassurances about how it attempts to safeguard the personal information of its iPad, iPhone, Mac, and other customers."Our business does not depend on collecting personal data," Apple said in its report. "We have no interest in amassing personal information about our customers. We protect personal conversations by providing end-to-end encryption over iMessage and FaceTime. We do not store location data, Maps searches, or Siri requests in any identifiable form."Device information requests, Apple said, never include requests related to national security matters.Apple -- and other tech companies -- face limits on coming clean about government information requests. The US government imposes restrictions on what those companies can say about national security letters they've received. Apple and other companies including Google and Microsoft have been pushing to have such gag orders eased and arguing for greater transparency on the NSA's surveillance operations.Apple said that it has never received an order under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act, which expanded the ability of the NSA and the FBI to collect information on individuals, and that if it did, it would likely challenge such an order. Transparency reports on government information requests have become a regular thing for the giants of the Internet realm, with annual or semiannual updates now coming from the likes of Twitter, Yahoo, Google, and Facebook.Details from Apple's reportApple said in its report Tuesday that, in disclosing data related to account information requests, it was compelled by the US government to combine national security orders with more run-of-the-mill law enforcement requests. The information sought ranged from an individual's name or address, to -- less frequently -- photos or e-mail. Said Apple: The most common account requests involve robberies and other crimes or requests from law enforcement officers searching for missing persons or children, finding a kidnapping victim, or hoping to prevent a suicide. Responding to an account request usually involves providing information about an account holder's iTunes or iCloud account, such as a name and an address. In very rare cases, we are asked to provide stored photos or email. We consider these requests very carefully and only provide account content in extremely limited circumstances.As for device information requests, Apple said that these may be seeking the customer contact information providedto register a device with Apple or the date that the device first used Apple services.The US was far and away the country that hit Apple with the greatest number of account information requests, somewhere in a range between 1,000 and 2,000 requests. (Apple said that the US government would allow it to report "only a consolidated range in increments of 1000.") Apple was not able to effectively disclose the percentage of account requests in which some data or content was disclosed.The next highest number of account information requests was from the United Kingdom (127), with "some data" disclosed in 37 percent of those cases and content disclosed in 1 case.The US also accounted for the greatest number of requests for device information, at 3,542, and Apple provided some data in 88 percent of those cases. The second highest was Germany, at 2,156, with some data provided 86 percent of the time.Last update 2:36 p.m. PT: Provided additional background and more details from Apple's report.
Make custom iPhone ringtones, alerts with GarageBand
Make custom iPhone ringtones, alerts with GarageBand
To start, open GarageBand. Once it's open, select iPhone Ringtone > Loops. Then click on Choose. (You can also access the Loops category by going to New Project > Loops.)You can name your project whatever you like. Identifying whether it's a ringtone or alert tone in the title will come in handy in the future, so it's a good idea to get into the habit now. For demonstration purposes, we will name this project "My Favorite Ringtone." Don't worry about setting a Tempo, Signature, bpm, or Key.Click on Create after you have named your project.Jason Cipriani/CNETNext you will be presented with a screen similar to the one above. Here you will need to change a few items before you get started. Click on the note icon along the bottom of the screen and select Time.Make Cycle Region active by clicking on the double arrow icon along the bottom of the screen.Switch to the Media Browser by clicking on the icon located on the far right along the bottom of the screen. Jason Cipriani/CNETYou should then see a yellow bar across the top of the screen. That is your Cycle Region. On the right-hand side, once you select iTunes from the drop-down menu, you will see your entire iTunes music library. Find the song you want to use to make a ringtone and drag and drop it into the area labeled "Drag Apple Loops here."Jason Cipriani/CNETYou can adjust the position of the song by dragging it left or right. For simplicity make sure it is all the way to left, matching the start of the song with the 0:00 time marker above. The Cycle Region, which will set the length of your ringtone, can be adjusted by moving your mouse to either end of the bar. When you see your mouse pointer turn into an arrow pointing in opposite directions, drag the bar to the desired time length. The time is measured directly above the Cycle Region bar.A ringtone cannot be any longer than 40 seconds; however in our own unscientific testing, roughly only the first 20 seconds of the ringtone is all that is heard. Make sure the meat of your ringtone is within that first 20 seconds. To listen to the section you currently have included in the Cycle Region, press the Space Bar on your computer. Pressing it again will stop the playback of the selection.Jason Cipriani/CNETAs you can see, we have moved the bar to a portion of the song we like, as well as extended the time from 5 seconds to 12 seconds. Jason Cipriani/CNETOnce you are satisfied with your selection, click on Share in the Menu Bar at the top of your screen. The second option should be Send Ringtone to iTunes. Click on that. Let GarageBand do its magic. When it's finished, open up iTunes and select the Ringtone category. Jason Cipriani/CNETWhen viewing the Ringtones category, you will see all the ringtones you have either previously paid for or made yourself. Next you will need to sync the tones to your iOS device. Once you have done that, go into Settings > Sounds on your iPhone to set your new tone. The best part about these instructions is that they are the exact same instructions you would use to create alert tones. iOS 5 will allow users to set custom alerts for e-mail, SMS, and the like. Alert tones appear to have a 30-second maximum length, but that is a bit extreme. Try and keep your alert tones short and sweet. We can promise you that after reading through this guide you'll be making your own ringtones in a matter of minutes.
To start, open GarageBand. Once it's open, select iPhone Ringtone > Loops. Then click on Choose. (You can also access the Loops category by going to New Project > Loops.)You can name your project whatever you like. Identifying whether it's a ringtone or alert tone in the title will come in handy in the future, so it's a good idea to get into the habit now. For demonstration purposes, we will name this project "My Favorite Ringtone." Don't worry about setting a Tempo, Signature, bpm, or Key.Click on Create after you have named your project.Jason Cipriani/CNETNext you will be presented with a screen similar to the one above. Here you will need to change a few items before you get started. Click on the note icon along the bottom of the screen and select Time.Make Cycle Region active by clicking on the double arrow icon along the bottom of the screen.Switch to the Media Browser by clicking on the icon located on the far right along the bottom of the screen. Jason Cipriani/CNETYou should then see a yellow bar across the top of the screen. That is your Cycle Region. On the right-hand side, once you select iTunes from the drop-down menu, you will see your entire iTunes music library. Find the song you want to use to make a ringtone and drag and drop it into the area labeled "Drag Apple Loops here."Jason Cipriani/CNETYou can adjust the position of the song by dragging it left or right. For simplicity make sure it is all the way to left, matching the start of the song with the 0:00 time marker above. The Cycle Region, which will set the length of your ringtone, can be adjusted by moving your mouse to either end of the bar. When you see your mouse pointer turn into an arrow pointing in opposite directions, drag the bar to the desired time length. The time is measured directly above the Cycle Region bar.A ringtone cannot be any longer than 40 seconds; however in our own unscientific testing, roughly only the first 20 seconds of the ringtone is all that is heard. Make sure the meat of your ringtone is within that first 20 seconds. To listen to the section you currently have included in the Cycle Region, press the Space Bar on your computer. Pressing it again will stop the playback of the selection.Jason Cipriani/CNETAs you can see, we have moved the bar to a portion of the song we like, as well as extended the time from 5 seconds to 12 seconds. Jason Cipriani/CNETOnce you are satisfied with your selection, click on Share in the Menu Bar at the top of your screen. The second option should be Send Ringtone to iTunes. Click on that. Let GarageBand do its magic. When it's finished, open up iTunes and select the Ringtone category. Jason Cipriani/CNETWhen viewing the Ringtones category, you will see all the ringtones you have either previously paid for or made yourself. Next you will need to sync the tones to your iOS device. Once you have done that, go into Settings > Sounds on your iPhone to set your new tone. The best part about these instructions is that they are the exact same instructions you would use to create alert tones. iOS 5 will allow users to set custom alerts for e-mail, SMS, and the like. Alert tones appear to have a 30-second maximum length, but that is a bit extreme. Try and keep your alert tones short and sweet. We can promise you that after reading through this guide you'll be making your own ringtones in a matter of minutes.
Apple's iOS 6 does not have a virtual limit on apps
Apple's iOS 6 does not have a virtual limit on apps
There is no such limit in place to keep users of Apple's next major iOS release from installing 500 or more applications without ill effects on system performance, says a person familiar with the latest beta of the software.Instead, the reported "virtual limit" on the number of applications users can install on Apple's next iOS before it becomes unusable may have been an isolated incident.That information -- which CNET cannot test yet because iOS 6 is currently available only to developers who have signed a non-disclosure agreement -- contradicts a report from Mid Atlantic Consulting. Yesterday, the company made the claim that users who installed more than 500 apps on their iOS device running iOS 6 will experience severe slowdowns, as well as random rebooting. That report further claimed that those with 1,000 apps installed would not even be able to get their devices to start, adding that Apple had confirmed the issue as a bug, and was working on a fix. The author of the original report says the testing of the pre-release version of the software took place on four different iOS devices, including an iPhone and iPad, and that the problem occured on all of those devices as the number of installed apps went past 500. Apple declined to comment on the report.How many applications users can have installed is of significance given the growth of built-in system storage, as well as the library of content available on mobile application stores. In Apple's case, there are now more than 650,000 apps on its App Store, according to the company's most recently-released figures. Apple, for its part, makes no claims about how many applications users can have installed on any given iOS device. With 11 home screen pages and the use of folders, users can theoretically have up to 2,160 applications installed and viewable. The software is also set up to let users install additional applications beyond what they can see on the home screen, then launch them from the built-in search feature. Apple historically hasn't provided details on how many applications the average user has installed. However, dividing the number of iOS devices sold (365 million) by the number of reported application downloads (25 billion), that's around 68 apps per user. Of course that figure does not take into account iOS devices that are not in use anymore, or the fact that users may own several iOS devices under the same iTunes account. iOS 6 is currently in its third developer beta, with a release expected to coincide with the company's next iPhone in the fall. Apple went through seven beta versions of iOS 5, which went out to users last October. Updated at 1:44 p.m. PT with additional detail about the testing.
There is no such limit in place to keep users of Apple's next major iOS release from installing 500 or more applications without ill effects on system performance, says a person familiar with the latest beta of the software.Instead, the reported "virtual limit" on the number of applications users can install on Apple's next iOS before it becomes unusable may have been an isolated incident.That information -- which CNET cannot test yet because iOS 6 is currently available only to developers who have signed a non-disclosure agreement -- contradicts a report from Mid Atlantic Consulting. Yesterday, the company made the claim that users who installed more than 500 apps on their iOS device running iOS 6 will experience severe slowdowns, as well as random rebooting. That report further claimed that those with 1,000 apps installed would not even be able to get their devices to start, adding that Apple had confirmed the issue as a bug, and was working on a fix. The author of the original report says the testing of the pre-release version of the software took place on four different iOS devices, including an iPhone and iPad, and that the problem occured on all of those devices as the number of installed apps went past 500. Apple declined to comment on the report.How many applications users can have installed is of significance given the growth of built-in system storage, as well as the library of content available on mobile application stores. In Apple's case, there are now more than 650,000 apps on its App Store, according to the company's most recently-released figures. Apple, for its part, makes no claims about how many applications users can have installed on any given iOS device. With 11 home screen pages and the use of folders, users can theoretically have up to 2,160 applications installed and viewable. The software is also set up to let users install additional applications beyond what they can see on the home screen, then launch them from the built-in search feature. Apple historically hasn't provided details on how many applications the average user has installed. However, dividing the number of iOS devices sold (365 million) by the number of reported application downloads (25 billion), that's around 68 apps per user. Of course that figure does not take into account iOS devices that are not in use anymore, or the fact that users may own several iOS devices under the same iTunes account. iOS 6 is currently in its third developer beta, with a release expected to coincide with the company's next iPhone in the fall. Apple went through seven beta versions of iOS 5, which went out to users last October. Updated at 1:44 p.m. PT with additional detail about the testing.
SXSWi- What makes you Internet-famous-
SXSWi: What makes you Internet-famous?
AUSTIN, Texas--What does it mean to be "Internet-famous?"That was the topic of conversation at "I'm Internet Famous: Status in Social Media," a South by Southwest Interactive "core conversation" hosted by Alice Marwick, an NYU doctoral candidate studying feminism and social media.Not surprisingly, a good handful of the attendees at the "conversation" displayed various degrees of Internet fame (or notoriety): Dodgeball founder Dennis Crowley, Valleywag writer Melissa Gira Grant, video personality and dating columnist Julia Allison, BoingBoing's Joel Johnson, Ypulse's Anastasia Goodstein, Budget Fashionista blogger Kathryn Finney, Boinkology editor Lux Alptraum, and podcaster Dave Delaney (he co-hosts the "Two Boobs and a Baby" parenting podcast with his wife).Drop any one of those names in a setting outside the technology community, and it's more than likely that you'll get one blank stare after another. That doesn't mean "microcelebrity" isn't worth talking about. Internet fame is insular, but it's still fame among a very connected and tuned-in subset of the population."Pretty much any group, or any community, no matter how big or small, has a kind of hierarchy," Marwick explained. It's not evil, she said. "That's just a normal way that people organize themselves." The Web is no exception.So what makes people Internet-famous? Attendees shouted out suggestions like page views among the content-creator and blogger communities, valuation and investors among start-up founders, the ratio of "followers" to "following" on Twitter, and how valuable one's reputation is as an "information broker" (i.e. if Michael Arrington or Robert Scoble recommends something, it'll get at least temporary traction).But we still can't confuse Internet fame with mainstream fame, no matter how high-profile an event like SXSWi, packed to the seams with Web-based "microcelebrities.""A lot of the time, we overvalue our Internet celebrity," one person in the conversation said, referring to the fact that a popular blogger had recommended the Jeff Buckley cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and it promptly shot to the top of the iTunes download chart, seemingly vindicating that blogger's influence.Only problem is, people soon realized that pop culture behemoth American Idol had recently featured the song, too.See more stories in CNET News.com's coverage of SXSWi (click here).
AUSTIN, Texas--What does it mean to be "Internet-famous?"That was the topic of conversation at "I'm Internet Famous: Status in Social Media," a South by Southwest Interactive "core conversation" hosted by Alice Marwick, an NYU doctoral candidate studying feminism and social media.Not surprisingly, a good handful of the attendees at the "conversation" displayed various degrees of Internet fame (or notoriety): Dodgeball founder Dennis Crowley, Valleywag writer Melissa Gira Grant, video personality and dating columnist Julia Allison, BoingBoing's Joel Johnson, Ypulse's Anastasia Goodstein, Budget Fashionista blogger Kathryn Finney, Boinkology editor Lux Alptraum, and podcaster Dave Delaney (he co-hosts the "Two Boobs and a Baby" parenting podcast with his wife).Drop any one of those names in a setting outside the technology community, and it's more than likely that you'll get one blank stare after another. That doesn't mean "microcelebrity" isn't worth talking about. Internet fame is insular, but it's still fame among a very connected and tuned-in subset of the population."Pretty much any group, or any community, no matter how big or small, has a kind of hierarchy," Marwick explained. It's not evil, she said. "That's just a normal way that people organize themselves." The Web is no exception.So what makes people Internet-famous? Attendees shouted out suggestions like page views among the content-creator and blogger communities, valuation and investors among start-up founders, the ratio of "followers" to "following" on Twitter, and how valuable one's reputation is as an "information broker" (i.e. if Michael Arrington or Robert Scoble recommends something, it'll get at least temporary traction).But we still can't confuse Internet fame with mainstream fame, no matter how high-profile an event like SXSWi, packed to the seams with Web-based "microcelebrities.""A lot of the time, we overvalue our Internet celebrity," one person in the conversation said, referring to the fact that a popular blogger had recommended the Jeff Buckley cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and it promptly shot to the top of the iTunes download chart, seemingly vindicating that blogger's influence.Only problem is, people soon realized that pop culture behemoth American Idol had recently featured the song, too.See more stories in CNET News.com's coverage of SXSWi (click here).
Is this the unluckiest man in digital music-
Is this the unluckiest man in digital music?
On Tuesday, Kent notified associates that after three years working almost exclusively for Qtrax, he will no longer provide consulting services to the much maligned legal peer-to-peer company, which is only available in a few overseas markets. Qtrax has become something of a running joke in the music sector, as it has become notable for its many broken promises about licensing deals and failed attempts to launch in the United States. At SpiralFrog, Kent kicked off his foray into digital-music with a bang. He managed to help attract millions in funding for the start-up, which proposed to offer song downloads free to the public and support them by selling ads. The New York Times and other publications wondered whether SpiralFrog might lure illegal file sharers away from pirate sites and someday challenge iTunes. It never came close to meeting that potential. New York-based SpiralFrog shut down last year after racking up more than $40 million in debt and attempting to prop up traffic numbers with all kinds of iffy marketing schemes. Kent was long gone by that time. He left the company in December 2006 following a struggle for control of SpiralFrog with founder Joe Mohen. After moving to Qtrax, Kent watched the public relations debacle that followed when founder and CEO Allan Klepfisz made claims to have licensed music from all four major labels, only to see the record companies deny there were any deals. That was followed by a string of missed U.S. launch dates and legal problems involving unpaid bills. As for his future, Kent said in his farewell e-mail that "I'm very excited about some new ventures that I will be announcing in the not too distant future." He told CNET only that the new ventures have nothing to do with digital music.
On Tuesday, Kent notified associates that after three years working almost exclusively for Qtrax, he will no longer provide consulting services to the much maligned legal peer-to-peer company, which is only available in a few overseas markets. Qtrax has become something of a running joke in the music sector, as it has become notable for its many broken promises about licensing deals and failed attempts to launch in the United States. At SpiralFrog, Kent kicked off his foray into digital-music with a bang. He managed to help attract millions in funding for the start-up, which proposed to offer song downloads free to the public and support them by selling ads. The New York Times and other publications wondered whether SpiralFrog might lure illegal file sharers away from pirate sites and someday challenge iTunes. It never came close to meeting that potential. New York-based SpiralFrog shut down last year after racking up more than $40 million in debt and attempting to prop up traffic numbers with all kinds of iffy marketing schemes. Kent was long gone by that time. He left the company in December 2006 following a struggle for control of SpiralFrog with founder Joe Mohen. After moving to Qtrax, Kent watched the public relations debacle that followed when founder and CEO Allan Klepfisz made claims to have licensed music from all four major labels, only to see the record companies deny there were any deals. That was followed by a string of missed U.S. launch dates and legal problems involving unpaid bills. As for his future, Kent said in his farewell e-mail that "I'm very excited about some new ventures that I will be announcing in the not too distant future." He told CNET only that the new ventures have nothing to do with digital music.
Apple wins patent for Shanghai store glass cylinder
Apple wins patent for Shanghai store glass cylinder
Apple has scored a patent for the large round glass structure that leads customers down to its retail store in Shanghai.Awarded Tuesday by the US Patent and Trademark office, the patent known as "Glass building panel and building made therefrom" describes the unique design of the cylinder. The structure is made of huge glass panels united by metal joints. But to achieve the cylindrical design, the glass panels had to be manipulated to curve precisely into the right shape.The structure itself also had to be strong enough to support itself and the stream of customers going back and forth. As such, the cylinder was outfitted with glass beams extending from the inner cylinder to the outer edges. Glass fins connect each area where adjacent panels meet.Apple/USPTOAs Apple describes the technology in patent-ese:A building panel and a building formed therefrom, where the building includes a plurality of building panels arranged to form a cylindrical shape, where each panel comprises a single, or monolithic, glass piece, where each glass piece is substantially rectangular and includes two opposing long sides extending in a height direction and two opposing short sides extending substantially in a width direction, and where each glass piece forms an identical circular arc when viewed from either of the two opposing short sides.Apple also notes that the exact dimensions, shapes, and sizes described in the patent could be modified to create other types of buildings based on a similar design.(Via AppleInsider)
Apple has scored a patent for the large round glass structure that leads customers down to its retail store in Shanghai.Awarded Tuesday by the US Patent and Trademark office, the patent known as "Glass building panel and building made therefrom" describes the unique design of the cylinder. The structure is made of huge glass panels united by metal joints. But to achieve the cylindrical design, the glass panels had to be manipulated to curve precisely into the right shape.The structure itself also had to be strong enough to support itself and the stream of customers going back and forth. As such, the cylinder was outfitted with glass beams extending from the inner cylinder to the outer edges. Glass fins connect each area where adjacent panels meet.Apple/USPTOAs Apple describes the technology in patent-ese:A building panel and a building formed therefrom, where the building includes a plurality of building panels arranged to form a cylindrical shape, where each panel comprises a single, or monolithic, glass piece, where each glass piece is substantially rectangular and includes two opposing long sides extending in a height direction and two opposing short sides extending substantially in a width direction, and where each glass piece forms an identical circular arc when viewed from either of the two opposing short sides.Apple also notes that the exact dimensions, shapes, and sizes described in the patent could be modified to create other types of buildings based on a similar design.(Via AppleInsider)
Apple wins patent for iTunes Store user interface
Apple wins patent for iTunes Store user interface
Apple has won a patent for the look and feel of its iTunes Store.The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published patent 8,161,411 related to a "graphical user interface for browsing, searching, and presenting media items." Apple filed for the patent back in 2004, when the online retail venue was still known as the iTunes Music Store.The patent appears to be quite broad, but focuses solely on the graphical user interface, and not the way in which people might buy songs on the platform or its general functionality. That said, the patent abstract says that the user interface is "suitable for previewing or purchasing media items in an on-line manner."Related storiesiTunes Store could be slated for a major overhaul this yearApple counting down to 25 billion app downloadsCNET's review of Apple's new iPadCNET's review of the Apple iPhone 4SSince the patent application was filed with the USPTO, Apple's iTunes Store has undergone a host of changes. When it first launched, it provided users with music downloads, but over the last several years, as Apple's digital focus has expanded, the marketplace has added movies, television shows, and more. The platform has also been ported from the desktop to mobile devices, including the iPod and iPhone.Over that period, Apple's store has watched its popularity skyrocket, and become the world's largest music store. Apple's App Store, which is built into iTunes on the desktop, has become the top destination for developers and those looking for mobile applications. Simply put, iTunes has become a juggernaut.But now that Apple has secured its user interface patent, it might be changing things. In February, 9to5Mac reported, citing sources, that Apple is planning to redesign the iTunes Store and App Store, with a launch set for sometime later this year. The improvements would offer a "much more engaging experience," and make it simpler for users to find the content they desire.(Via Patently Apple)
Apple has won a patent for the look and feel of its iTunes Store.The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published patent 8,161,411 related to a "graphical user interface for browsing, searching, and presenting media items." Apple filed for the patent back in 2004, when the online retail venue was still known as the iTunes Music Store.The patent appears to be quite broad, but focuses solely on the graphical user interface, and not the way in which people might buy songs on the platform or its general functionality. That said, the patent abstract says that the user interface is "suitable for previewing or purchasing media items in an on-line manner."Related storiesiTunes Store could be slated for a major overhaul this yearApple counting down to 25 billion app downloadsCNET's review of Apple's new iPadCNET's review of the Apple iPhone 4SSince the patent application was filed with the USPTO, Apple's iTunes Store has undergone a host of changes. When it first launched, it provided users with music downloads, but over the last several years, as Apple's digital focus has expanded, the marketplace has added movies, television shows, and more. The platform has also been ported from the desktop to mobile devices, including the iPod and iPhone.Over that period, Apple's store has watched its popularity skyrocket, and become the world's largest music store. Apple's App Store, which is built into iTunes on the desktop, has become the top destination for developers and those looking for mobile applications. Simply put, iTunes has become a juggernaut.But now that Apple has secured its user interface patent, it might be changing things. In February, 9to5Mac reported, citing sources, that Apple is planning to redesign the iTunes Store and App Store, with a launch set for sometime later this year. The improvements would offer a "much more engaging experience," and make it simpler for users to find the content they desire.(Via Patently Apple)
Apple wins patent for iTravel application
Apple wins patent for iTravel application
Is Apple getting into the travel business?The Cupertino, Calif.-based company today was awarded a host of patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. However, the one that stood out describes an application, called iTravel, that handles all of a person's needs when traveling. Patently Apple first reported it.According to the filing, iTravel would allow users to make reservations for a trip and then share them with others. In addition, the application could be used to check in and handle checked luggage. The application appears to work with Macs, as well as Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.Although Apple has not announced iTravel, the company is slowly but surely working its way into the travel business. At the Worldwide Developers Conference last month, Apple announced Passbook for iOS. The application lets users store not only loyalty and gift cards, but also boarding passes and tickets. It's not a full step to iTravel, but appears to be inching its way towards the implementation described in the patent.There might be a good reason iTravel hasn't come to Apple's mobile products yet: it uses near-field communication to communicate ticketing information. If Apple's next iPhone and iPad ship with near-field communication built-in, it's possible they might support the application.Still, it's important to note that Apple files for patents all the time, and in many cases, the products described in its granted patents are never released. Whether iTravel will ever launch remains to be seen.CNET has contacted Apple for comment on the iTravel patent. We will update this story when we have more information.
Is Apple getting into the travel business?The Cupertino, Calif.-based company today was awarded a host of patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. However, the one that stood out describes an application, called iTravel, that handles all of a person's needs when traveling. Patently Apple first reported it.According to the filing, iTravel would allow users to make reservations for a trip and then share them with others. In addition, the application could be used to check in and handle checked luggage. The application appears to work with Macs, as well as Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.Although Apple has not announced iTravel, the company is slowly but surely working its way into the travel business. At the Worldwide Developers Conference last month, Apple announced Passbook for iOS. The application lets users store not only loyalty and gift cards, but also boarding passes and tickets. It's not a full step to iTravel, but appears to be inching its way towards the implementation described in the patent.There might be a good reason iTravel hasn't come to Apple's mobile products yet: it uses near-field communication to communicate ticketing information. If Apple's next iPhone and iPad ship with near-field communication built-in, it's possible they might support the application.Still, it's important to note that Apple files for patents all the time, and in many cases, the products described in its granted patents are never released. Whether iTravel will ever launch remains to be seen.CNET has contacted Apple for comment on the iTravel patent. We will update this story when we have more information.
Apple wins patent for inductive charging docking station
Apple wins patent for inductive charging docking station
Apple has won a patent for a technology that could help iOS device owners more easily charge their phones and tablets.Granted to Apple yesterday, Patent No. 8,207,906 is known simply as "Antenna insert" and would outfit a docking station with inductive charging circuits and a reradiating antenna.The charging circuits would let users place their device on a docking station or other platform where it could be charged wirelessly. As the patent states: "Devices currently require a physical connection to either a docking station, cable, or other device for battery charging and data transfer. The connectors used to make this connection can be awkward to use and require a user to properly align the handheld device to the connector."The technology would ensure that devices of different shapes and sizes could more easily be charged through a docking station or other means. The reradiating antennas would then boost the strength of the wireless signal and the speed of data transfers while the device is docked.The patent points to docking stations as a beneficiary of the technology. But it notes that adapters for cable connections and other types of devices could be on the receiving end as well.Related storiesApple wins patent for rotating and scaling documents on touch screensApple patent application explores using social networks for automatic metadataApple applies for patents tied to security, imaging, flash memoryApple wins patent for intelligent dock connectorWhen might iOS users see this technology in action?CNET contacted Apple for comment and will update the story if we get more information.The folks at PatentlyApple weighed in with a rough projection, suggesting we may have to wait awhile for the new docking stations."The patent win covers an iOS docking station based on inductive charging that has yet to surface," according to PatentlyApple. "Perhaps this granted patent opens the door for its release in the not-too-distant future."
Apple has won a patent for a technology that could help iOS device owners more easily charge their phones and tablets.Granted to Apple yesterday, Patent No. 8,207,906 is known simply as "Antenna insert" and would outfit a docking station with inductive charging circuits and a reradiating antenna.The charging circuits would let users place their device on a docking station or other platform where it could be charged wirelessly. As the patent states: "Devices currently require a physical connection to either a docking station, cable, or other device for battery charging and data transfer. The connectors used to make this connection can be awkward to use and require a user to properly align the handheld device to the connector."The technology would ensure that devices of different shapes and sizes could more easily be charged through a docking station or other means. The reradiating antennas would then boost the strength of the wireless signal and the speed of data transfers while the device is docked.The patent points to docking stations as a beneficiary of the technology. But it notes that adapters for cable connections and other types of devices could be on the receiving end as well.Related storiesApple wins patent for rotating and scaling documents on touch screensApple patent application explores using social networks for automatic metadataApple applies for patents tied to security, imaging, flash memoryApple wins patent for intelligent dock connectorWhen might iOS users see this technology in action?CNET contacted Apple for comment and will update the story if we get more information.The folks at PatentlyApple weighed in with a rough projection, suggesting we may have to wait awhile for the new docking stations."The patent win covers an iOS docking station based on inductive charging that has yet to surface," according to PatentlyApple. "Perhaps this granted patent opens the door for its release in the not-too-distant future."
Apple wins patent for crowd-sourced traffic navigation
Apple wins patent for crowd-sourced traffic navigation
Imagine a navigation system that can guide you based on the number of stop lights, stop signs, and obstacles along the way. A new Apple patent describes just that.Granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday, an Apple patent called "Routing based on detected stops" takes the concept of crowd-sourced navigation a few steps further than usual.Current products such as Waze combine traffic data collected from multiple drivers to suggest the quickest way for you to reach your destination. Crowd-sourcing the information provides more accurate and real-time information than can be achieved through standard navigation apps, such as Google Maps and Apple's Maps app. But even today's crowd-sourced systems can only go so far in taking into account every possible interruption or slowdown along your route. A smarter system that could truly find the best route would be a boon to every driver.In Apple's patent, such a smart navigation system would use the GPS in your mobile device to collect any detected stops of your car and determine how long each stop lasts. The information could even be analyzed to distinguish between stop lights and stop signs. The data itself would be sent to a remote server and then shared with the vehicles tapped into the system via a regular navigation app, such as Google Maps or Apple Maps.As a driver, you could then use that information to determine the quickest route to your destination. You could also more accurately estimate the duration of your trip based on the data and even determine the best time to leave to reach your destination without being late.Over time, the server could also collect and collate the data to predict specific traffic patterns based on the location of stop lights, time of day, and other factors.As always, even an approved patent doesn't mean this technology will make its way into the real world. But a driver can always hope.(Via AppleInsider)
Imagine a navigation system that can guide you based on the number of stop lights, stop signs, and obstacles along the way. A new Apple patent describes just that.Granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday, an Apple patent called "Routing based on detected stops" takes the concept of crowd-sourced navigation a few steps further than usual.Current products such as Waze combine traffic data collected from multiple drivers to suggest the quickest way for you to reach your destination. Crowd-sourcing the information provides more accurate and real-time information than can be achieved through standard navigation apps, such as Google Maps and Apple's Maps app. But even today's crowd-sourced systems can only go so far in taking into account every possible interruption or slowdown along your route. A smarter system that could truly find the best route would be a boon to every driver.In Apple's patent, such a smart navigation system would use the GPS in your mobile device to collect any detected stops of your car and determine how long each stop lasts. The information could even be analyzed to distinguish between stop lights and stop signs. The data itself would be sent to a remote server and then shared with the vehicles tapped into the system via a regular navigation app, such as Google Maps or Apple Maps.As a driver, you could then use that information to determine the quickest route to your destination. You could also more accurately estimate the duration of your trip based on the data and even determine the best time to leave to reach your destination without being late.Over time, the server could also collect and collate the data to predict specific traffic patterns based on the location of stop lights, time of day, and other factors.As always, even an approved patent doesn't mean this technology will make its way into the real world. But a driver can always hope.(Via AppleInsider)
Why 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Is the Best Sequel Since 'The Dark Knight
This past weekend the Alamo Drafthouseand Badass Digest held a special screening of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes with a Q&A after featuring Gary Oldman, Andy Serkis and director Matt Reeves. Seeing this incredible film and then hearing the Q&A, one thing became crystal clear: Matt Reeves saved this movie from being like every other sequel. At several points Reeves mentions his initial contact with the studio and how the movie they presented to him wasn;t exactly the movie he was interested in making. It didn;t focus on the apes in the right ways, and it needed to tone down how much they had advanced since the last film. So the studio let him bring on a new writer to work with (Mark Bomback) and make the movie his way, so long as he could still get it done on time. But asking for a rewrite isn;t the real reason Matt Reeves saved Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. What really brought this movie away from the brink of being just another sequel is how much reverence Reeves clearly has for not only the old Planet of the Apes series, but what was laid out in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. He points out a number of times during the Q&A how much admiration he had for Rise, and how many scenes influenced him, but what;s great about this isn;t that he saw what worked and did it again-- which is exactly what you;d expect from a sequel. Rather, Reeves truly thought about and figured out why certain themes and ideas worked, what motivated them, and how those could be played out on a grander scale. It;s odd that such simple extrapolation -- of looking at an idea, understanding why it worked, and then applying those principles to new and different ideas -- is rare for Hollywood sequels, but it unfortunately is. Just look at a sampling of big studio sequels from the last decade and you;ll see they pretty much only tackle what the first one did, but with bigger action scenes. Star Trek Into Darkness has Kirk battling with being a Captain again. Transformers 2 is just more bumbling humans asOptimus Prime fightsMegatronagain. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is Peter Parker still dealing with his daddy issues. Thor: The Dark World threatens to change the game, but then presses the just kidding button and ends up being all about Loki;s continued desire to dethrone daddy. The Hangover 2 is just the first movie in a different city. The list goes on. That;s not to say that all of those sequels are bad movies (though some are), only they exist to tread water and maintain status quo. There;s no sense of development or forward progress from the first film. The circumstances haven;t changed. Nothing has been truly learned by the characters. And so what saves Dawn of the Planet of the Apes from the fate of all these other sequels is Reeves; awareness of progress, of understanding how the world of the first film has changed while the audience has been away. There;s a sense of intellectual continuity to it that;s pretty remarkable. The world kept spinning while we weren;t watching, and Reeves simply figures out a good point to jump back in and show us where things are now. And not only is that how Reeves saves Dawn of the Planet of the Apes from being like most other sequels, it;s how he elevates it to the same level as the recent benchmark for ambitious sequels: The Dark Knight. Now Bat-fans, before you start throwing Batarangs at me for daring to put another movie on The Dark Knight;s pedestal, I am not arguing one way or another that Dawn is better or worse than Nolan;s film, simply that everything that makes TDK great is present in Dawn. It respects what happens in the first movie, it respects the audience;s intelligence, and with those crucial things under its belt, it is allowed to take risks, to have consequences. It;s funny how many sequels don;t allow that last part. They;re afraid that if they make any permanent decisions or mess with the formula of the first movie, audiences will be confused and frightened away in droves. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes doesn;t think that at all. It delights in making decisions. The entire movie is about decisions being made -- both by the apes and the dwindling number of humans -- and wow is that refreshing. And none of it would have ended up on the big screen were it not for Matt Reeves essentially telling the studio, What if we... instead of just going along with the status quo that was presented to him. Having said all of that, it needs to be stressed that20th Century Fox;s willingness to engage with Reeves; ambitious plan is also what saved this movie. The studio folkscould have simply said no to his counterpitch, but instead they had a dialogue with him. They selected a leader and they put their trust in him, echoing one of the movie;s biggest themes: a leader is only as strong as the community who enables them. And the result is a rich, complex movie unlike any of the other tentpole films that have hit theaters in years.
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