Apple Hot News
Sun Jan 24 11:26:58 EST 2010
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Logic Pro 64-bit the talk of the NAMM music show - Last week’s update of Logic Pro to include 64-bit support is getting rave reviews at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) trade show, according to The Loop. Music industry professionals like audio engineer CJ Vanston tout Logic Pro 9.1 as “a game changer,” noting that “the 64-bit gauntlet has been thrown down by Apple with Logic.”

The Apple App Store Economy: Infographic from gigaom.com - A clever new infographic from gigaom.com shows how the App Store puts more than 100,000 apps at your fingertips — and generates millions of dollars for app developers worldwide.

A Guided Tour in the Palm of Your Hand: iPod touch at the Cooper-Hewitt - “Design USA: Contemporary Innovation” at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York offers visitors an iPod touch on which to access exclusive exhibition content. The iPod touch supplements the physical exhibition with “a wealth of interviews, slide shows and snippets of performances, all related to the 78 architects and designers represented in the show. Available free, this device sends the traditional audio guide the way of the one-horse buggy.”

Apple Releases New MobileMe Gallery App - Today, MobileMe introduced a new Gallery app for iPhone and iPod touch. The app features iPhone- and iPod touch-optimized controls and beautiful gallery displays that make browsing photos and videos easier and more interactive than ever before. The Gallery app is free for MobileMe members and available now on the App Store in iTunes.

Introducing Bento 3 Contact and Customer Manager - Now available for download, FileMaker Bento 3 Contact and Customer Manager is the fast, free, and easy way to get instant access to contact and customer details. View call history, notes from meetings and conversations, upcoming to-do items, related documents and files, important emails, sales opportunities, receipts, and more. This download includes a free trial of new Bento 3 for Mac.

iPod touch + Edu Apps = Happy Students - Julio Ojeda-Zapata (twincities.com) reports that the iPod touch “has taken classrooms by storm” in several Minnesota K-12 schools, increasing student enthusiasm and engagement and offering new ways to teach children with special needs.

Camera Pro Preaches iPhone Photography - Thomas Houston (switched.com) reports that Pro photographer Chase Jarvis has created Best Camera, an iPhone app “that lets you shoot, apply multiple filters and effects, and share via Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, and the Best Camera photography community.” In an accompanying video, Jarvis discusses mobile photography, shooting, and his new app.

Global Mobile U - As one of the largest research universities in the United States, the University of Washington brings together 65,000 students, faculty members, and administrative staff. From the laboratory to the dormitory, this thriving academic community stays connected with iPhone and the university’s proprietary m.UW app, which gives students and staff mobile access to campus maps, news, directories, course schedules, and lectures.

How the iPhone Could Reboot Education - Brian X. Chen (wired.com) reports that Abilene Christian University has just finished the first year of a pilot program in which 1,000 freshman students each received a free iPhone or iPod touch to explore how the always-connected devices ”might revolutionize the classroom experience with a dash of digital interactivity.” Says Bill Rankin, a professor who helped plan the initiative: “I think this is the next platform for education.”

30 Must-Have Games for iPhone and iPod touch - Reviewer Peter Cohen (loopinsight.com) writes that “iPhone and iPod touch both make great handheld gaming systems” and offers thirty reasons why in a select roundup of racing, action, and strategy games available in the App Store.

iPhone Improves Legal Services - DLA Phillips Fox, founded 145 years ago, is one of Australia’s largest legal firms, providing services in 29 countries around the world. With iPhone in the hands of almost every partner in the 1,300-person firm, they can offer faster, more flexible responses to their clients’ legal needs. John Dockett, General Manager of IT, says choosing iPhone was “one of the smarter things we ever did.”

Snow Leopard Server “a tremendous value” - In an in-depth review of Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server, Ryan Faas (computerworld.com) cites “performance gains, improvements to several collaboration tools introduced in Leopard Server, enhanced simple administration for non-technical users and new features designed for mobile access and for supporting the iPhone.” Adds Fass: “Snow Leopard Server is a tremendous value.”

New Quad-Core iMac “worth the wait” - Reviewer James Galbraith (macworld.com) gives the new quad-core 27-inch iMac computers with Intel Core i5 and Core i7 “Nehalem” processors 4.5/5 mice, calling them “worth the wait.” In performance tests, writes Galbraith, the 2.55GHz Core i5 iMac was “the fastest standard configuration Mac we’ve ever tested” and the Core i7 “showed even greater performance prowess.”

“The Obama Time Capsule” - A custom coffee table book by co-author and publisher Rick Smolan takes you back to — and into — the story of Obama’s rise to the presidency. Says co-author and publisher Rick Smolan: “Every component of this project, from photo editing to design to video, was created entirely on a Mac.”

Cutting Health Care Costs on a Mac - Using a Mac Pro as the keystone of his rural radiology practice in Bemidji, Minnesota, Dr. Hilton Bakker is able not only to reduce the costs of his own practice but those of the hospitals who use his services. Says Bakker: “If hospitals can use Mac technology to do radiology cheaper, that’s my goal. Health care costs too much. If I can do my little bit to make it cheaper, that’s cool.”

Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server a “fantastic deal” - Reviewer Jason Snell (macworld.com) awards Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server 4.5/5 mice, calling it a “fantastic product for workgroups, small businesses, and even schools to use.” Emphasing value, Snell adds: “Mac mini server is just too good a deal to pass up.”

Nuru Uses Macs to Fight Extreme Poverty - Jim Dalrymple (loopinsight.com) reports on one-year-old non-profit organization Nuru, formed by ex-Marine platoon leader Jake Harriman, who “served two tours of duty in Iraq where he realized that the key to ending terrorism was to end extreme poverty.” To that end, Nuru educates communities in impoverished nations using technology, particularly Mac Pro and MacBook Pro computers, iPhone, Final Cut Studio, iChat, and MobileMe.

Apple Store Upper West Side - Apple opens its newest retail store on New York’s Upper West Side on Saturday, November 14 at 10:00 a.m. Set beneath a breathtaking all-glass arched roof, the street level of the Apple Store Upper West Side will offer more Macs, iPods and iPhones than any store in the world and feature the largest area ever created by Apple for personal training and technical support, including a 45-foot Genius Bar.

Taking iPhone to New Depths - At DOER Marine, a California company that designs and builds subsea vehicles, engineers are working to create a manned vehicle that can explore the ocean floor. VP of Operations Ian Griffith credits iPhone for keeping their engineering team responsive and nimble enough to make it happen — no matter where they are in the world. “The iPhone accelerates how we perform as a team,” says Griffith.

New Apple Mouse Really Is “Magic” - Reviewer Mark A. Kellner (washingtontimes.com) calls the new Magic Mouse “transformative,” “supereasy and very fast,” and “really, really worth it.” Kellner concludes: “After decades of using computer input devices, I think this is the finest mouse ever.”