Recent Stories with tag apple

Everybody was watching Apple this morning, awaiting the big announcement: would the iBeast finally launch their web-streaming subscription service? 'Fraid not, but almost as good--at least for fans of John, Paul, George, and that other one (Just kidding! We love you, Ringo!)--Apple and Apple Corps Ltd., the label that owns rights to much of The Beatles' repertoire, have come together after years of helter-skelter copyright disputes. As of today, the band's catalog is finally available on iTunes. That means a lot.

Closer to home, this week the Seattle Public Library switched its online catalog to software from BiblioCommons, a Canadian company. The new system has all the features of the old, with none of the bugs. It also looks great and comes with social media features that will appeal to younger readers. BiblioCommons allows users to share favorites on Facebook and Twitter, as well as interact within the BiblioCommons community. The new interface is fairly simple, but there is a how-to video available on YouTube for noobs. Patrons will need to create a username the first time they log on.

In a story just begging for a tasteless joke, Newsweek and The Daily Beast have merged. Tina Brown will become editor-in-chief of both, making her the first female editor of Newsweek. Separately, the two companies have been hemorrhaging cash, almost $40 million dollars in 2010. The new Newsweek Daily Beast Co. hopes to stanch the flow, but insider consensus seems to agree that this will not end well.

And yet another: Hugh Hefner has taken a page from Willy Wonka and is offering 10 "golden tickets" to the Midsummer Night's Dream Party at Playboy mansion. Tickets are hidden in ten random newsstand copies of the venerable titty mag. This is the first time Playboy has offered access to a party to readers. I, for one, think it's hysterically funny and hope that at least one winner sends their ticket to Gloria Steinem. Or Sarah Palin.

In case that left a bad taste in your mouth, or a scary picture in your brain, here is a little video to brighten up your day: Marcel the Shell (with shoes on.) Like a puppet, only smaller.

"In its first quarter in the market, Apple's iPad shipments exceeded the combined volume of nearly 40 eBook reader suppliers with a 3.3 to 2.4M unit advantage," says IMS Research's Quarterly eBook and iPad Shipment and Forecast Service.

Their press release goes on to mention that eBook readers still made a good showing, with volume up 28 percent quarter over quarter; Amazon gained share in the market, along with Barnes & Noble, but still refuses to release sales figures on its Kindle.

You get a sense of the market differential, though, when IMS Research mentions they expect Apple to ship over 15 million iPads in 2010, and all eBook readers to total 13 million. Next year they predict greater separation, with over twice the iPads sold as eBook readers.

Expect to see touchscreens and color in eBooks sometime in 2011, as manufacturers try to counter iPad popularity.

AT&T's hold messaging is still trying to sell you its unlimited data plan--so you never get a surprise on your bill!--five days before its new, limited data plans go into effect on June 7, and bring with them overage charges. (I was calling to confirm that, in At&T's world, texting doesn't involve "data" and the answer is no, AT&T will still bill you separately for your texting plan.)

The upside of the announcement is that AT&T will finally be offering iPhone tethering when Apple ships its OS 4 this summer (though since OS 4 full functionality isn't supported on the 3G or original iPhone, it's not spelled out that tethering will arrive for older models: note that Apple's tethering page is for the iPhone 3GS model).

If your iPhone can tether (AT&T's wording is the blanket "iPhone customers"), it will cost you $20 per month on top of your $25 per month DataPro plan, and you'll be able to use your iPhone's 3G wireless with your laptop or other compatible device.

As of June 7, existing iPhone owners will have the option to do nothing (retain their $30/mo. "unlimited" data plan), buy a DataPlus plan (200MB per month at $15/mo.), or buy a DataPro plan (2GB per month at $25/mo.). AT&T's announcement details the overage charges are $15 for an extra 200MB for DataPlus customers, and $10 for each extra 1GB for DataPro customers. Again, tethering is only available with the DataPro plan--you won't be able to keep the unlimited plan and tether.

AT&T will send you texts, by the way, as you use up your bandwidth (a text is triggered at 65, 90, and 100 percent), so in theory you won't walk into an extra $15 or $10 fee blindly.

Just as the wheel in the sky keeps on turning, The SunBreak keeps on growing. We now have an official SunBreak iPhone app, thanks to the good work of Instivate and Purple Robots. What can you do with The SunBreak iPhone app? What can't you do!

Rather a lot, really. Let's just focus on what it does. You get to read all our stories--DELIGHTFUL! You can follow our Twitterings--ENTERTAINING! Browse our SunBreak Flickr pool--EYE-RAVISHING!

And under More..., we've added two special buttons! You can check in our weekly events picks post, On the List, and the weekend news wrap-up, cunningly named the Weekend Wrap. That's just for launch. We have plans to add more buttons as soon as we think up clever names for them.

I don't want you to think The SunBreak is an Apple-only enterprise, though. As always, anyone can follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our stories via RSS, or catch the feed on Facebook by becoming a fan. Or, if you're a skimmer, you can get a daily email digest of our headline stories.

What don't we do for you! Well, again, let's focus on what we will do. Which is keep writing about Seattle, the people who live here, and where you can get good pancakes.

Annsy's kid goes nom nom nom and we all get to go "awww, cute." Thanks!

Got something cute to show off? The SunBreak Flickr pool could use your cuteness. (Also prettiness, thought-provokingness, and other -nesses, excluding Loch Ness.)