When Apple introduced the new MacBooks, MacBook Airs, and MacBook Pros in October, they also introduced a new four-finger multi-touch trackpad gesture that allowed users to easily switch between applications (swipe left/right) or invoke Exposé (swipe up/down). While it’s long been known that the original MacBook Air and early 2008 MacBook Pros…
I Don’t Believe in Imaginary Property writes “Lawyer Scott Harris, one of the inventors of the concept of a ‘marketing company devoted to selling/marketing products produced by other companies in return for a share of their profits,’ is appealing the USPTO’s rejection of US Patent Application No. 09/387,823 which was intended to patent that ‘invention.’ This court action is important because it directly challenges the In Re Bilski ruling, which tightened the rules to get rid of most so-called ‘business method’ patents. One of Mr. Harris’s legal theories is that a ‘company is a physical thing, and as such analogous to a machine.’ If the name seems familiar, it’s because Mr. Harris has a long history of inventive legal maneuverings. I’m honestly surprised that SCO never tried to hire or sue him.”
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Despite public statements to the contrary, Apple did lay off around 50 enterprise salespeople last week, CNET News has learned. Sources who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal confirmed reports by Valleywag and 9to5Mac.com that roughly 50 salespeople were let go by the company for “business and economic reasons”.
This article (“9 features Ubuntu should implement”) came up on Digg today. It sounds like pathetic whining from a Mac fanboy–most, if not all, of it is patently absurd.
With the latest seed of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, Apple has made dramatic changes to QuickTime Player in both interface and features. Changes to the interface has gotten the most attention with a description posted by AppleInsider. The new QuickTime X playback window appears to be minimalistic with all user-interface pieces fading away, leaving…
A third version of Downadup has been identified by Symantec, which says the new variant gives infected machines more powerful instructions to disable antivirus software and analysis tools, among other actions.
So, what do the good people of digg think… is the mac mini worth buying? Do the pros outweigh the cons on this little laptop in a box?
A wink, a smile or a raised eyebrow could soon change the music on your iPod or start up the washing machine, thanks to a new Japanese gadget.
If you want to install cool apps on your iPhone or iPod Touch for free, easily, breaking Apple-imposed limitations without breaking your warranty or Applethingie, here is the how-to guide for Mac and Windows users.
arcticstoat writes with a snippet from bit-tech.com; musician Matthew Applegate “plans on assembling a virtual orchestra of 20 retired relics of computing at the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. The choice of venue will even allow Applegate to feature the infamous Colossus Mark 2 computer in the event, which was used for code-breaking in World War II and was recently reconstructed at Bletchley Park in 2007. … A wide selection of computing fossils be used in Applegate’s final musical presentation, which is called ‘Obsolete?’ This includes the Elliot 803 (a 1960s machine with 4KB of memory), the aforementioned Colossus Mark 2, a Bunsviga adding machine (pictured) and a punch card machine. As well as this, there are also some machines that will look nostalgically familiar to kids who grew up with the home computer generation, including a BBC Micro, an Atari 800XL, a Dragon 32 and an Amstrad CPC464.” The article’s list of the members of this “orchestra” makes an interesting checklist of computer hardware history.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
