Windows XP users will be lost in the iCloud

It's a subtle change but an important one: Apple's published Windows system requirements for iCloud are a bit different than they are for MobileMe and the current version of iTunes. Per the company's press release:
Using iCloud with a PC requires Windows Vista or Windows 7; Outlook 2010 or 2007 is recommended for accessing contacts and calendars.

Emphasis mine. What's missing? Only the world's most popular operating system (still!), Windows XP. While iTunes 10.3 and MobileMe both include XP SP 2 in the support list, it looks like the next stop on the road to the cloud is a no-go for the older OS.

Considering that Apple's backwards-compatibility on iTunes 10.3 only goes back four years for its own operating system, it's kind of surprising that the ten-year-old XP has stayed on the short list for as long as it has. This shift, however, may mean that some PC users will search for alternatives to Apple's tools for iOS support (assuming that iTunes itself will move up to match the iCloud specification).

Are you running Windows XP on any machines you currently use with iTunes or MobileMe? If so, is the prospect of iCloud requiring Vista or Win7 keeping you up at night?

5 things Apple borrowed from Android for iOS 5

Apple's iOS 5 is slated for release this fall, presumably with iPhone 5. But the Android Army doesn't have to wait, like the iPhone idolators. Android users can have some of those features now. Looks like Apple has been doing a little copycatting. Again.

It's funny, since hardcore Apple enthusiasts are so quick to accuse whenever they see anyone copying the slightest thing from Steve Jobs' company. They're not as fast to acknowledge when Apple does the, ah, borrowing. I'm glad to do it for them.

With that brief introduction, here's my second top-5 list within 12 hours presented in order of importance.
It's coincidental there are two so close together; don't expect this to be habit.
1. Cloud Synchronization. iPhone users had pseudo-sync with MobileMe, which Apple is retiring, but it was nothing like what Google offers Android users. On Android phones, signing into the Google account syncs up all the search and information giant's services -- and when switching phones also restores apps, settings and personalized features, like desktop wallpaper. With iOS 5 and iCloud, iPhone users will get most of the sync benefits Androiders have long enjoyed.
2. Notifications Center. Apple gets kudos for better presentation, but Google had the concept first. Just about Android's best user interface feature is the notifications bar across the top of the phone's screen. Now, instead of annoying notifications that interrupt or are lost in numerical count on an app in another screen, iPhoners can enjoy the convenience of notifications collected in one place and pulled down for easy reference. Google be warned: I know lots of would-be iPhone switchers who stick with Android because of notifications.
3. Over-the-air updates. Apple has made iPhone slave to iTunes for far too long. How ridiculous that iPhone users have to plug in to a computer to update. Androiders have long enjoyed the convenience of OTA. It's about time Apple cuts the update cord that binds the iPhone chain gang. Free them! Freedom!
4. Photo sharing. Android users know the many benefits of using an open system, where developers are allowed to tap into the platform capabilities. One of my pet iOS peeves: Photo sharing. On Android, from the camera or photo gallery, I can send photos to any supported service installed on the phone. So if I want to take a photo and send to Twitter, Android let's me do that from the camera. Oh, but not iOS. Apple presents sharing options for its services but none other.
That will change with iOS 5, which will take Apple's grubby hands off and let third-party apps grab on. Photo sharing will be available from the camera and photo gallery. But why wait, when Android has your back? Today.
5. Twitter. On Android, Twitter is perhaps too much of a good thing. Who really wants to sync Twitter with their contacts? Twitter, like many other apps, can tap deep into Android -- like the aforementioned photo sharing. Apple is following Google, but I must concede going seemingly deeper. Androiders can tweet from some apps, like the browser and YouTube, a capability iPhoners will get from Twitter being integrated into iOS 5.

Apple's iOS5 - breaking ground or breaking hearts?

Many iOS5 improvements were borrowed from existing apps and services.
From what we’ve seen so far, there’s a lot to like about the latest iGadget software update. Previous iOS upgrades have mainly focused on playing catch up with other smartphone platforms, but I’d say iOS5 is perhaps Apple’s biggest update in terms of assimilating great features previously offered by third parties.

Adding handy third-party features to iOS is one of those areas where Apple is damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t. Assimilate new features and it’s accused of acting like the Borg, but leave them out and it’s seen as lagging behind competing platforms such as Android. So should third-party developers take it as a compliment or a slap in the face? If they’re smart, they’ll see it as an opportunity to grab new customers by expanding features to stay one step ahead of Apple.

In many cases Apple’s new iOS features only partially replicate the functionality of existing third-party apps and services. Look at the impressive Dropbox and how it compares to iCloud’s new integration with iWork. It’s a mistake to think that one negates the need for the other, because they actually specialise in different tasks.

Dropbox is handy for getting files onto your iPad, especially if you’re dealing with a wide range of formats from a wide range of devices. Dropbox’s Achilles’ Heel on the iPad is that it won’t sync edited files back to the Dropbox service (there are webDAV workarounds but they take some extra messing about and aren’t foolproof). This is where iOS5’s new native iCloud sync features are certainly useful, if iWork is your productivity suite of choice, as it promises to sync edited files between Pages running on iGadgets and Macs.

Apple isn’t likely to replicate Dropbox’s wider format and platform support any time soon because it’s more interested in improving the i-centric ecosystem. Meanwhile there’s a place for both on your iPad.

Another example is Mobile Safari’s new Reading List feature and how it will impact Instapaper. At first glace Reading List is a death sentence for Instapaper, as it also lets you easily mark webpages that you want to reader later on other devices. Once again, Apple has restricted itself to its own ecosystem - with Reading List only syncing marked webpages between Mobile Safari on iOS5 and Safari on MacOS 10.7. This leaves the door open for services such as Instapaper to cater to a much wider range of devices and platforms, plus add extra features to integrate with other third-party services.



In both cases, Apple’s new features could be a blessing for Dropbox and Instapaper as iGadget lovers discover iOS5’s built-in features and then go searching the App store for something with a little more advanced functionality.

The future isn’t so bright for one-trick pony apps and services which can easily be completely assimilated into iOS. If anything, iOS5 is a timely reminder for developers that you need to think big in order to stay one step ahead of Apple.

High-stake star Simbu

Simbu has a slew of films lined up, of which Podaa Podi by Gemini Film Circuit is almost complete.

The actor is busy at present with the last leg of the shooting of PP, which is happening in Puducherry with veteran actress Shobana.

She plays a Salsa guru. Heroine Varalaxmi is also a part of the shoot.

poda podi poster



Vettai Mannan, produced by NIC Arts and directed by new filmmaker Nelson, is another film STR is busy with. It is being said that three heroines are starring opposite him.

Sources confirmed that one of them is Deeksha Seth, currently the toast of K’town, who has already been signed for one of the roles. The script also requires a foreign heroine. Actor Jai is playing an important role in the film.

Recently, a huge set was erected at Binny Mills near the airport, where a vital scene was shot with STR, Jai and 200 junior artistes.

“The sequence and the set is the highlight of the film”, Nelson says.

The scene depicts the world’s most powerful mafia kingpins and gangsters gathering for an auction, at which they will hire the smartest and most brilliant assassins for their gangs.

After a few enthralling moments, in the final bid, Simbu is auctioned for a whopping amount.

A USB Hard Drive That Asks For Your PIN Before Allowing Access

Taking hard drives along for storage and portability needs has become a necessity these days. But security is still an unaddressed issue, in case the hard drive lands in the wrong hands. Apricorn has just come up with a new concept incorporated in its Aegis Padlock encrypted USB hard drive. The hard drive comes with a secure PIN access that bars any unauthorised entry if it is either lost or stolen. The Aegis Padlock includes a keypad on which you have to enter the required PIN as and when you try to access the data stored on it.

The Aegis Padlock features a choice of AES (advanced encryption standard) 128- or 256-bit hardware encryption that offers better security. The hard drive is available in the 250 GB, 320 GB and 500 GB capacities, and is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. The price starts at $ 99 (Rs 4,829).

Apple Now Worth More Than Microsoft & Intel Combined!

Apple pulled out all the stops at yesterday’s WWDC event. OS X Lion, iOS 5, and iCloud blew my little mind yesterday. So what’s going to blow my mind today?

How about the fact that Apple is now worth more than Microsoft and Intel combined? Yup, that’ll do it!

MacDailyNews totted up Microsoft’s and Intel’s market valuation when the markets closed on Friday and their total sum came to a combined $316.8 billion (MS – $201.59b & Intel – $115.21b).

Apple’s valuation on Friday closed at $317.6 billion, a little under $1 billion more than the two great rivals combined.

During the WWDC keynote, Apple’s SVP of Product Marketing, Phil Schiller told us that there is now more than 50 million Macs on the market. That may not sound too amazing but what is of note is the year over year growth for Macs vs PCs. Mac popularity grew by 28% while PCs declined by 1%.

Beijing denounces Google hacking charge as political

China's official Communist Party newspaper has issued a caustic response to Google's charge that Chinese hackers had taken aim at influential users of its Gmail service.
"Many international bystanders believe that Google's charge is thickly tainted with political colours and one can't dismiss the fact that Google is taking advantage and provoking new Sino-American internet security disputes with sinister intentions," a front-page editorial in Monday's international editions of the People's Daily said.
"What was once a model of leading internet innovation has now become a political tool for slandering other countries."

"Once the international winds change," the editorial later added, "Google might become a political sacrifice and might be discarded by the market."
Google declined to officially comment on the editorial, but a spokesman responded to the article's headline: "Google, What Do You Want?" What Google wanted, he said, was to protect its users and help them stay safe online, which is why it went public with the hacking allegations.
Google officials had said last Wednesday that hackers in Jinan, a coastal city in Shandong province in eastern China, had sought to gain access to the Gmail accounts of hundreds of US government officials, Chinese political activists, military personnel, journalists and Asian officials. The attacks used a polished version of a rudimentary technique, called spear phishing, to trick recipients into revealing their email passwords. US officials said they had no evidence any confidential information was breached.
In January 2010, Google tied hackers in the same city to a more sophisticated and wide-ranging assault on its computer systems. The company has not suggested that the Chinese government was behind those attacks.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/beijing-denounces-google-hacking-charge-as-political-20110607-1fr7v.html#ixzz1ObLTMLkw

Sony unveils new portable console, PlayStation Vita

Looking to get past its woes with rogue hackers who continue to wreak havoc with its computer networks, Sony on Monday night unveiled its upcoming portable console, which it dubbed PlayStation Vita, at the E3 video game convention in Los Angeles.

Jack Tretton, the head of Sony's PlayStation business in North America, defused a potential public- relations bomb by addressing the "elephant in the room" at the opening of the company's presentation to thousands of journalists, game developers and retailers who attended the Sony's news conference at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

"I want to apologize both personally and on behalf of my company," said Tretton, who reported that the PlayStation Network, an online service for PlayStation 3 console users, was back up to 90% of its activity before hackers infiltrated the system and stole the account information of tens of millions of customers.

The brief apology seemed to suffice as the audience's attention turned to the PlayStation Vita, a portable game console that boasts a 5-inch ultra-high contrast OLED front display, a touch pad in the back and two cameras to support augmented reality games. The device is a successor to the PlayStation Portable, of which more than 70 million units have been sold since it was first introduced in 2004.

Sony, which expects to begin shipping Vita for the holidays, priced a version with the ability to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi at $250. A version that can also tap into cellular 3G service will cost $300.

Although Sony may have been able to sidestep the PSN-outage land mine, it inadvertently tripped a different bomb when it announced the service provider for the Vita. Loud boos from the audience greeted the news that Sony had selected AT&T as the device's exclusive carrier, lighting up a tinder box of consumer resentment and frustration with the cellphone service.

Despite the sour note, Sony moved on to present a rash of game titles for the new console, which has 80 games in development from numerous developers, including Capcom, Sega, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft Entertainment and THQ.

Another device that drew approving nods from the audience was a 24-inch 3-D screen that can display two separate images to two people looking at the same screen. The feature, which works by flashing separate images to players wearing Sony's active-shutter 3-D glasses, would allow two players involved in the same multi-player game to see only their perspective of the game. Currently, such games have to split the screen in half to give each player a different view of what he or she is are doing.

Slated for sale this fall, the $500 screen would come bundled with 3-D glasses, an HDMI cable to connect the display to a game console and the upcoming Resistance 3 game.

Despite some market skepticism regarding 3-D, Sony continues to push the technology.

Skype says outage hitting 'small number' of users

Skype is down for the second time in a matter of a couple of weeks, the VoIP service provider confirmed on its Twitter account this morning, saying it working to address the issue.
"A small number of you may have problems signing in to Skype," the company wrote on its Twitter page today. "We're investigating the cause, and hope to have more details to share soon."
Skype users on Twitter aren't so sure it's just a "small number" who've been affected. One user wrote that he and "all of my friends" have the problem. Another took a more sarcastic route, saying the small number was really "all of us."
Exactly how widespread the issue is right now is unknown, but as of this writing, I am one of the people who can't connect to Skype. When I log in, the service says "Connecting," but it never actually logs me into the program.
Today's troubles follow an outage that occurred in late May, when the company acknowledged that some users were unable to place calls or even sign in to the service. Skype quickly came up with a fix (deleted a "shared.xml" file) for the issue, which affected Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux users. In December, an outage took the service offline around the world. Skype blamed the problem on issues with "a large number of supernodes" that didn't allow users to place calls.
Skype's outages are coming during a transitional time for the company. Last month, the software giant announced plans to acquire Skype for $8.5 billion. Once the deal closes later this year, Skype will become its own division at Microsoft under the supervision of its current CEO Tony Bates. Microsoft has said that it plans to integrate Skype into its Kinect motion-gaming peripheral, Windows Phone 7, and other platforms.
Skype did not immediately respond to request for comment on its most recent outage.