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INTEREST: Stanford University develops $90 iPhone accessory to replace ophthalmology kit costing tens of thousands
by Wayne Billing 17 Mar '14

17 Mar '14

...from: http://9to5mac.com/2014/03/17/stanford-university-develops-90-iphone-access… Stanford University develops $90 iPhone accessory to replace ophthalmology kit costing tens of thousands<http://9to5mac.com/2014/03/17/stanford-university-develops-90-iphone-access…> [stanford] Researchers at Stanford University’s School of Medicine<http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2014/march/eyego.html> have developed two low-cost iPhone adapters that provide images of the eye that usually require specialist ophthalmology equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars. The university hopes that it will be useful both for primary care physicians in the U.S. as well as rural medical centres in developing countries. The adapters make it easy for anyone with minimal training to take a picture of the eye and share it securely with other health practitioners or store it in the patient’s electronic record. “Think Instagram for the eye,” said one of the developers, assistant professor of ophthalmology Robert Chang, MD … The device shines a light through the lens of the eyeball which is reflected back, where a magnifying lens focuses an image on the camera, allowing it to capture detailed photos of both the front and back of the eye. Images can be almost instantly added to medical records for later review by a specialist, or can be transmitted from a primary care worker in a remote area to a specialist who can provide advice on the medical attention required for an eye injury. “Adapting smartphones for the eye has the potential to enhance the delivery of eye care — in particular, to provide it in places where it’s less accessible,” said ophthalmology resident David Myung, MD, PhD. “Whether it’s in the emergency department, where patients often have to wait a long time for a specialist, or during a primary-care physician visit, we hope that we can improve the quality of care for our patients, especially in the developing world where ophthalmologists are few and far between.” The prototypes were made from components commonly available online, and it’s hoped that 3D printing will reduce the cost even further.

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INTEREST: Microsoft finalizes Windows 8.1 Update 1
by Wayne Billing 15 Mar '14

15 Mar '14

...from: http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/4/5468968/windows-8-1-update-1-rtm-release-d… Microsoft finalizes Windows 8.1 Update 1, improved desktop features available next month By Tom Warren<http://www.theverge.com/users/tomwarren> on March 4, 2014 02:56 am @tomwarren<https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=tomwarren> Microsoft has completed the development process of Windows 8.1 Update 1. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans have revealed to The Verge that the software maker recently signed off on a final version of the update, a process known internally as Release to Manufacturing (RTM). Microsoft has started sharing Windows 8.1 Update 1 with partners and PC makers ahead of its release next month. Russian leaker WZor claims<http://wzor.net/21306.html> the final update was originally compiled on February 21st. While the update is ready, it’s not clear exactly how Microsoft intends to brand the final version. The company announced Update 1 as a ‘spring’ update for Windows 8.1<http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/23/5438734/microsoft-announces-spring-update…> during a press event at Mobile World Congress last week. Most of the changes in the update are designed to appease keyboard and mouse users, with options to show Windows 8 apps on the desktop taskbar, the ability to see show the desktop taskbar above Windows 8-style apps, and a new title bar at the top of Windows 8 apps with options to minimize, close, or snap apps. Microsoft is also adding a shutdown button to the Start Screen<http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/25/5344066/windows-8-1-update-1-shutdown-sta…> for non-touch machines, with a new search button present across all machines. Alongside some context menu changes, where right-clicking on Live Tiles now produces a menu with options to resize, unpin, and more, Microsoft is also tweaking how its boot-to-desktop option works in Windows 8.1 Update 1<http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/7/5390024/windows-8-1-update-1-boot-to-deskt…>. Microsoft is planning to automatically boot Windows 8.1 non-touch PC users to the desktop interface by default, as long as they haven’t already changed the existing setting that allows you to bypass the tiled Start Screen. Early test builds also altered the default apps associated with audio files and photos, allowing desktop apps to open the files if boot-to-desktop is automatically enabled. It’s not yet clear if that change has made its way into the final version of Windows 8.1 Update 1. Microsoft is also tweaking the amount of disk space that Windows 8.1 utilizes. Alongside new license cost changes<http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/21/5435152/windows-8-1-license-fees-cut-by-7…> (as low as $15 in some cases), Windows 8.1 Update 1 will allow PC makers to produce machines with just 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, a change that will help bring lower price points. Combining all these changes together, it’s clear that Microsoft is adjusting to feedback and willing to invest in the Windows 8.1 desktop. Microsoft will now release Windows 8.1 Update 1 to existing machines on April 8th, following the company’s Build developer conference in early April.

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INTEREST: Mozilla pulls the plug on 'Metro' mode Firefox browser for Windows 8
by Wayne Billing 15 Mar '14

15 Mar '14

...from: http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/15/5512324/mozilla-cancels-metro-mode-firefo… Mozilla pulls the plug on 'Metro' mode Firefox browser for Windows 8 By Dante D'Orazio<http://www.theverge.com/users/dantedorazio> on March 15, 2014 04:12 pm Email<mailto:dante@theverge.com> @dantedorazio<https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=dantedorazio> 63<http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/15/5512324/mozilla-cancels-metro-mode-firefo…>Comments <https://plus.google.com/+TheVerge/posts> [cid:520E62DF-15B6-4E61-87A3-184929F7C922] Mozilla is abandoning its plans to release a touch-friendly version of its Firefox web browser<http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/14/3988116/mozilla-firefox-windows-8-browser…> for Windows 8 users. The company first revealed experimental support for Firefox in "Metro" mode back in October of 2012<http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/4/3456412/mozilla-firefox-metro-windows-8-e…>, and development has continued since then — though a stable version has never shipped. Firefox Vice President Johnathan Nightingale says in a blog post<https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2014/03/14/metro/> that "we have to pick our battles," and a lack of demand for "Metro" mode support led to the decision. "On any given day we have, for instance, millions of people testing pre-release versions of Firefox desktop, but we’ve never seen more than 1,000 active daily users in the Metro environment," Nightingale reveals. With so few users testing the app, any release would be riddled with bugs and require lots of follow-up work to keep the product up to standards. "When I talk about the need to pick our battles, this feels like a bad one to pick: significant investment and low impact." "We have to pick our battles." The decision speaks to Microsoft's difficulties in turning its so-called Windows 8 Modern UI experience into a vibrant ecosystem. Developer support has been fairly disappointing, and users aren't moving to the touch-friendly interface in droves. User interface changes since the launch of Windows 8 have also downplayed the significance of "Metro" mode — the latest version will automatically boot many users directly to the desktop<http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/4/5468968/windows-8-1-update-1-rtm-release-d…>, bypassing the modern interface completely. With Mozilla's move to leave "Metro" behind, it seems that Windows 8 tablet users and others who take advantage of the touch-friendly interface will have few options other than Internet Explorer, though Google recently began to offer an intriguing option with its latest "Metro" mode for Chrome<http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/14/5309326/google-chrome-windows-update-chro…>.

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INTEREST: Getty Images makes 35 million images free (only a couple of conditions)
by Wayne Billing 06 Mar '14

06 Mar '14

[Needless to say, their sight seems a bit busy today.....] ....from: http://bit.ly/NZFBcn<http://bit.ly/NZFBcn> or http://www.bjp-online.com/2014/03/getty-images-makes-35-million-images-free… http://www.gettyimages.ca/Creative/Frontdoor/embed Getty's Learn more about licensing<http://www.gettyimages.ca/HelpCenter#faq17> http://www.gettyimages.ca/HelpCenter#faq17 Is there a fee for embedding a Getty Images photo on a website, social media site or blog? No. You can embed a Getty Images photo on a website, social media site or blog for free and without having to buy a license, as long as the photo is not used for commercial purposes (meaning in an advertisement or in any way intended to sell a product, raise money, or promote or endorse something). No fee? Really? Apparently so for some non-commercial uses of embeded photos as of Wednesday, March 6th, 2014: [cid:538E1FE0-3FA5-4137-A707-268D5AB9B63F] Getty Images makes 35 million images free in fight against copyright infringement Getty Images has single-handedly redefined the entire photography market with the launch of a new embedding feature that will make more than 35 million images freely available to anyone for non-commercial usage. BJP's Olivier Laurent finds out more Olivier Laurent — 5 March 2014 [cid:3DB497BD-BB9E-4973-BA5D-51655552175F] Using a new embed tool, bloggers will be able to use Getty's images at no cost. © Getty Images. The controversial move is set to draw professional photographers’ ire at a time when the stock photography market is marred by low prices and under attack from new mobile photography players. Yet, Getty Images defends the move, arguing that it’s not strong enough to control how the Internet has developed and, with it, users’ online behaviours. “We’re really starting to see the extent of online infringement,” says Craig Peters, senior vice president of business development, content and marketing at Getty Images. “In essence, everybody today is a publisher thanks to social media and self-publishing platforms. And it’s incredibly easy to find content online and simply right-click to utilise it.” In the past few years, Getty Images found that its content was “incredibly used” in this manner online, says Peters. “And it’s not used with a watermark; instead it’s typically found on one of our valid licensing customers’ websites or through an image search. What we’re finding is that the vast majority of infringement in this space happen with self publishers who typically don’t know anything about copyright and licensing, and who simply don’t have any budget to support their content needs.” To solve this problem, Getty Images has chosen an unconventional strategy. “We’re launching the ability to embed our images freely for non-commercial use online,” Peters explains. In essence, anyone will be able to visit Getty Images’ library of content, select an image and copy an embed HTML code to use that image on their own websites. Getty Images will serve the image in a embedded player – very much like YouTube currently does with its videos – which will include the full copyright information and a link back to the image’s dedicated licensing page on the Getty Images website. More than 35 million images from Getty Images’ news, sports, entertainment and stock collections, as well as its archives, will be available for embedding from 06 March. “Images are the communication medium of today and imagery has become the world’s most spoken language. Whether via a blog, website or social media, everyone is a publisher and increasingly visually literate,” says Jonathan Klein, co-founder and CEO of Getty Images, in a prepared statement. “Innovation and disruption are the foundation of Getty Images, and we are excited to open up our vast and growing image collection for easy, legal sharing in a new way that benefits our content contributors and partners, and advances our core mission to enable a more visually-rich world.” Online power “What we’ve decided to do is to provide through the embed player the capability to use this imagery, but there’s a value for Getty Images and the content owners,” says Peters. “And that value is in three parts. First, there will be attribution around that image, and since we’re serving the image, we’re actually going to make sure there’s proper attribution. Second, all of the images will link back to our site and directly to the image’s details page. So anybody that has a valid commercial need for that image will be able to license that imagery from our website. Third, since all the images are served by Getty Images, we’ll have access to the information on who and how that image is being used and viewed, and we’ll reserve the right to utilise that data to the benefit of our business.” While more than 35 millions images will be available from today, Getty Images tells BJP that the Reportage and Contour collections will not be included. News images sourced from Agence France-Presse and distributed by Getty Images, however, will be available to all for non-commercial use in the next few weeks. Blogs that draw revenues from Google Ads will still be able to use the Getty Images embed player at no cost. “We would not consider this commercial use,” says Peters. “The fact today that a website is generating revenue would not limit the use of the embed. What would limit that use is if they used our imagery to promote a service, a product or their business. They would need to get a license.” A spokeswoman for Getty Images confirms to BJP that editorial websites, from The New York Times to Buzzfeed, will also be able to use the embed feature as long as images are used in an editorial context. Peters, aware of the controversial nature of this decision, claims that Getty Images had no choice but to open up its collections of images. “What we’ve seen is a significant amount of infringement online in an area, unfortunately, that we can’t control because this is how the Internet has developed,” he tells BJP. “What we’re trying to do here is to put a legal method in place for that to happen and that actually benefits our content owners.” Advertising avenue He adds that Getty Images’ existing licensing business will not be affected and that the stock library will continue to “pursue online infringing use as we’ve done traditionally.” Getty Images will also look to draw additional revenues from its player through advertising. “We reserve the right to monetise that footprint,” Peters explains. “YouTube implemented a very similar capability, which allows people to embed videos on a website, with the company generating revenue by serving advertising on that video.” And while Getty Images has yet to determine how these ads will appear, Peters is confident that this capability will be introduced in the near future. The stock agency will also use the data it will draw from the player to perfect its collections. “We’ll be working with the creative and editorial teams at Getty Images to better understand how our imagery is being used and how they can better create imagery. Getty Images’ move is expected to have drastic repercussions across the entire stock photography market, which has been forced, in recent years, to compete against the number one stock library by slashing its prices. Peters believes some agencies might want to follow Getty Images’ example – Magnum Photos, in recent months, for example, toyed with the idea of allowing non-commercial use of its collections of images, as reported by BJP – and he says Getty Images is open to conversations to share its player with others. “We think this is a bigger decision and a bigger issue than Getty Images. We’ve always been opened to using our platform to benefit other content creators.” As for Getty Images’ own photographers, the new embed program won’t have an opt-out clause. “If you’re a Getty Images contributor, you’ll be participating in this.” BJP will analyse the full impact of today’s news in a series of articles to be published later today and this week. Stay tuned

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FYI: 10.6? May be time to upgrade.
by Wayne Billing 02 Mar '14

02 Mar '14

[NOTE: you can find the serial number of your OS X machine by selecting: [cid:2DA9A622-680F-4E28-98E3-3D460EBEE36C] ...and clicking the "More Info..." button. ......from: http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/03/snow-leopard-updates-are-probably-done… Snow Leopard updates are probably done—here are your OS X upgrade options As OS X 10.6 fades, you'll need to start considering alternatives. by Andrew Cunningham<http://arstechnica.com/author/andrew_cunningham/> - Mar 2 2014, 4:00pm CST [cid:FF9C84A8-F5C1-47E4-8A8F-BDA8D8C95FE7] End of the line, Snowy. Apple Apple offers no end-of-life roadmaps for its operating systems, and it doesn't officially comment on whether support has dried up for this or that version of OS X. The best you can do is look at historical data. Since switching to a yearly release cadence with Lion back in 2011, Apple seems to be willing to support whatever the latest version is plus the two preceding versions. When OS X 10.9.2 was released<http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/02/apple-releases-os-x-10-9-2-patches-ssl…> earlier this week, it was accompanied by security updates for OS X 10.8 and 10.7 but not for 2009's OS X 10.6. It's the first major security update that Snow Leopard has missed—the OS is still getting iTunes updates, but its last major security patch happened back in September. This has prompted a flurry<http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/27/technology/security/snow-leopard/> ofposts<http://readwrite.com/2014/02/27/apple-snow-leopard-support-osx-mac#awesm=~o…> from various<http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-apple-snow-leopard-supp…> outlets. All point out the same Net Applications data<http://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&q…> that says 10.6 still powers around 19 percent of Macs. Most compare the OS X support cycle to the much-longer Windows cycle. Some make a bigger deal about it<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/27/fanbois_face_xp_moment_as_snow_leop…> than others. None really tell anyone in that 19 percent what to do next. You'll need to know the exact kind of Mac you're using before proceeding—typing your serial number into this Service and Support page<https://selfsolve.apple.com/> should give you the information you need if you're not sure. Launching the System Profiler application from the Utilities folder will show you your serial number and your Mac's specific model identifier (something like MacBook4,1 or iMac11,2), the latter of which can be used with this EveryMac lookup page<http://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/> to find what you're looking for. Newer Macs: Upgrade to Mavericks (or at least Mountain Lion) [cid:2C0056D4-D2E9-4B3A-99D4-31DB39F7D44B]<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/10.9.jpg> Enlarge<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/10.9.jpg> / It's time. Let the Mavericks wave crash over you. Resisting only makes it more difficult. Apple Macs this applies to: Anything that can run Mavericks. See this post<http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/06/psa-os-x-10-9-appears-to-run-on-any-ma…> for more details. If you're still running Snow Leopard because it came with your Mac and you just never got around to upgrading, the good news is that basically any Mac that came with Snow Leopard can update to the latest version at absolutely no cost<http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/10/os-x-mavericks-comes-out-today-and-its…>. Just grab it from the Mac App Store<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/os-x-mavericks/id675248567?mt=12> and do an in-place upgrade—you shouldn't run into problems, though it is probably a good idea to run a Time Machine backup (or something similar) before doing it. New OS X versions usually have teething issues when they first come out, but the 10.9.2 update is a big one that fixes much more than the "goto fail" SSL bug. If you were holding out because you didn't want to deal with those early-upgrader blues, most of 10.9's largest bugs should be squashed at this point. Supposing your hardware can handle the upgrade but you don't care to move to Mavericks, you canstill purchase copies of Mountain Lion for $20<http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6377Z/A/os-x-mountain-lion> through Apple's online store. The company will send you a code that you can redeem in the Mac App Store, and you can use that version of the software until you're comfortable moving to Mavericks or until software support for OS X 10.8 dries up. Older Macs: What about Lion? [cid:DBAF4808-2381-4D26-B255-95E499F63B76]<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/lion.jpeg> Enlarge<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/lion.jpeg> / Lion: King of the jungle and last refuge for a whole bunch of Core 2 Duo Macs. Apple Macs this applies to: Late 2006 iMacs; Mid-2007 Mac Minis; Mid-2006 Mac Pros; Early 2008 MacBook Airs; Macbooks from the late 2006 model to the late 2008 white model; Late 2006 MacBook Pros. OS X has required a 64-bit CPU since Lion came out in 2011, but a 64-bit CPU by itself isn't enough to run Mountain Lion or Mavericks. Those newer operating systems need 64-bit EFI firmware and graphics drivers too, and a small but still significant run of Macs fell short of these requirements. If you're got one of the Macs listed above, your hardware won't run Apple's latest-and-greatest, but they can run version 10.7, and Apple should support that OS until the next version of OS X comes out later this year (assuming Apple sticks to its yearly release schedule). Copies of Lion can bepurchased for $20<http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion> from Apple's online store. You'll get a code you can redeem in the Mac App Store, allowing you to buy your old Mac another year-or-so of breathing room. Intel Macs running OS X older than 10.6: There's still hope [cid:599203BF-6596-46E4-8536-456F2D4272E6]<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/black_macbook.jpg> Enlarge<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/black_macbook.jpg> / Quite a few MacBooks can run a newer version of OS X and aren't. Apple Macs this (possibly) applies to: iMacs from early 2006 to early 2009; Mac Minis from early 2006 to early 2009; Mac Pros from mid-2006 to early 2009; MacBook Airs from early 2008 to mid 2009; MacBooks from early 2006 to mid 2009; MacBook Pros from early 2006 to mid 2009. These Intel Macs all originally shipped running either OS X 10.4 or 10.5. Don't laugh! There are plenty of people out there who bought Intel Macs with OS X 10.4 or 10.5 installed and never felt the need to upgrade. Leopard in particular still runs on about 3.8 percent of active Macs, and statistically some of those are going to be Intel Macs eligible for an upgrade. 2007 iMacs shipped right at the end of Tiger's run and can be updated all the way up to Mavericks. Whatever you've got, these Macs are all capable of running at least Snow Leopard—and usually something newer. If you can upgrade, you're in luck—Apple still sells the OS X 10.6 DVD<http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard> in its store for $20. Even if your Mac can run Lion or Mavericks, you'll need to upgrade to Snow Leopard first as an intermediary step, since Tiger and Leopard can't access the Mac App Store and can't perform in-place upgrades of OS X 10.7, 10.8, or 10.9. Once you've installed your "new" operating system, revisit the sections above to see about moving to an even newer version that's still being actively supported. If you've got a Mac of this vintage that you'd like to keep using, you might consider doing some hardware maintenance to keep it running well. Walking you through upgrading an old Mac's hardware is outside the scope of this article, but iFixit<http://www.ifixit.com/Device/Mac> has plenty of excellent repair-and-upgrade guides and toolkits and Newegg<http://www.newegg.com/> can help you find reasonably priced components. I can't upgrade. What should I do? Maybe you've got some mission-critical PowerPC app, and you need to keep 10.6 around because it's the last version that includes the Rosetta compatibility layer. Maybe you've got one of those first 32-bit Intel Macs, and upgrading just isn't an option. Maybe you can upgrade and you just don't wantto (though that's probably less justifiable than either of the first two reasons). You're not totally without options here. First, consider a new Mac. This is pretty expensive option, but it's the most effective. Even the cheapest entry-level Macs will deliver hugely boosted CPU and graphics performance, and many will replace your weary old hard drive with a zippy new SSD. If you've got a MacBook or MacBook Pro, a new Mac will be much lighter and give you much better battery life. Keep an eye on Apple's refurbished site<http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac>, which will give you hefty discounts on the hardware especially if you're fine with settling for previous-generation Macs (they'll still have many years of software support ahead of them, and you get the same warranty options as you'll get for a "new" one). Students, staff, and teachers at virtually any educational institution can also get new hardware from Apple at a discount, and that educational discount applies to AppleCare warranty extensions and component upgrades too. If the place where you work buys a lot of hardware from Apple, you may be able to get a discount on a personal Mac through your employer. Assuming that buying a new computer isn't an option, there are still things you can do to protect yourself. First, stop using Apple's built-in apps where possible, especially the ones that have a connection to the Internet. Replacing Safari is particularly crucial—your browser is going to be the most vulnerable part of any Internet-connected computer, and running an outdated one that isn't being patched is the worst thing you can do. Both Firefox and Chrome still support OS X 10.6 as of this writing, and even once Mozilla and Google stop providing updates there's a good chance you'll be able to get help from the open source community. Look at TenFourFox<http://www.floodgap.com/software/tenfourfox/> as a case in point—it's a port of Firefox compiled for PowerPC processors going all the way back to the G3, which is more than 16 years old. Other apps are also easy to replace, since 10.6 still enjoys relatively robust software support from third parties. Replace iChat with Adium<https://adium.im/>, Preview with Adobe Reader<http://get.adobe.com/reader/>, and QuickTime with VLC<http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html>. These are all capable, actively maintained applications that should shield you from vulnerabilities. That said, OS X ain't Windows. Just as Apple replaces its software more frequently and drops support for older hardware more rapidly, Apple's developers are generally quicker to stop supporting legacy OS versions once Apple itself moves on. It's already happening in some cases—some programs require a 64-bit CPU because so many Intel Macs are 64-bit, and others have simply dropped support for 10.6 whether you've got a 64-bit CPU or not. Snow Leopard has had a good run, but as time wears on you'll either have to bite the bullet and buy new hardware or be faced with an increasingly less capable, more vulnerable machine.

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INTEREST: Apple to change chat support policy
by Wayne Billing 01 Mar '14

01 Mar '14

...from: http://9to5mac.com/2014/02/28/apple-will-soon-charge-for-out-of-warranty-on… Apple will soon charge for out-of-warranty chat support, schedule repairs via new web payment system<http://9to5mac.com/2014/02/28/apple-will-soon-charge-for-out-of-warranty-on…> [Online-Paid-Chat-support] Apple is about to begin charging users outside of their warranty for online chat support using a new web payment system it recently developed. Sources familiar with the project say Apple is currently expecting to launch the new paid chat support, which will also let customers schedule repairs and replacements online, as early as next week. Here’s how it works: Much like Apple handles support calls over the phone<http://www.apple.com/support/products/pay-per-incident.html>, soon only customers within their warranty period will be able to access online chat support throughgetsupport.apple.com<http://getsupport.apple.com/> for free. For others, Apple will charge what it refers to as a “pay per incident” fee or require the purchase of an extended warranty through AppleCare. Previously all online support chat features were available for free to users worldwide. Some users might have noticed back in August<http://9to5mac.com/2013/08/26/apple-launches-more-intuitive-applecare-suppo…> when Apple revamped its support sites that it started listing a $19.99 per incident fee for chat support. However, up until now AppleCare hasn’t actually been charging users to access the feature. Not only will this make online chat support an official support channel for Apple, it will also close up a loophole that allowed users to get free technical or diagnostic support and avoid paying for over the phone services or AppleCare. Before rolling out the paid chat support, Apple had to develop a new web payment system that would allow it to accept payments through chat and keep user info secure when transferred between support agents, according to our sources. Using the new web payment system, we’re told Apple plans to offer the ability to set up hardware repairs and replacements that require a hold on a credit card or pay per incident fee via chat support. Rather than having to call in, users will be sent a link that’s live for 24 hours in order to complete the payment. As for pricing, Apple will charge a fee of $19 for a single incident of basic tech support and troubleshooting. There will, however, be an option for users to request an exception on the fee. Up until the official launch of the paid online chat, AppleCare employees have been instructed to grant exceptions on all cases. We’re told Apple will continue to waive the fee for iCloud issues as well as accidental damage cases where users just want to setup a repair or replacement via chat. Apple representatives are expected to begin charging the $19 per incident fee for online chat support worldwide starting next week.

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INTEREST: NCPPR to Apple: Forget environment; Tim Cook: No.
by Wayne Billing 01 Mar '14

01 Mar '14

"Tim Cook rejects NCPPR proposal to end environmental programs for increased profit, suggests group sell stock" The National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) is, well, let them describe themselves: About Us The National Center for Public Policy Research is a communications and research foundation supportive of a strong national defense and dedicated to providing free market solutions to today's public policy problems. We believe that the principles of a free market, individual liberty and personal responsibility provide the greatest hope for meeting the challenges facing America in the 21st century. http://www.nationalcenter.org/NCPPRHist.html "If Apple wants to follow Al Gore and his chimera of climate change, it does so at its own peril," said Justin Danhof, Esq., director of the NCPPR's Free Enterprise Project. ....from: http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/tim-cook-soundly-rejects-politics-of… http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/right-wing-think-tank-wants-apple-to… http://www.nationalcenter.org/PR-Walgreens_010814.html http://www.nationalcenter.org/PR-GE_Climate_Change_022114.html Tim Cook rejects NCPPR proposal to end environmental programs for increased profit, suggests group sell stock<http://9to5mac.com/2014/02/28/tim-cook-rejects-ncppr-proposal-to-end-eviron…> Apple CEO Tim Cook rejected an propsal<http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/tim-cook-soundly-rejects-politics-of…> from a representative of the National Center for Public Policy Research during today’s shareholder meeting. The proposal would have required the tech company to disclose the cost of any environmental initiatives it engaged in and end those that could take away from the company’s bottom line. Cook reportedly became angry at the question, telling the representative that financial gain was not the purpose of ensuring environmental responsibility, saying, ”If you want me to do things only for ROI reasons, you should get out of this stock.” Cook also pointed out that making devices accessible for disabled users does not necessarily lead to increased revenue, but that doesn’t stop the company from searching for new ways to do so. The measure was voted down by shareholders by a margin of just over 97 percent. Whether the think-tank will take Cook’s advice is yet to be seen, but it’s clear Cook does not intend to take theirs.

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INTEREST: BLACK phone: how private? how secure?
by Wayne Billing 27 Feb '14

27 Feb '14

...from: http://www.itproportal.com/2014/02/25/a-closer-look-at-the-blackphone-and-w… ...or: http://bit.ly/N9FcnH A closer look at the Blackphone and why it's more anti-Google than anti-government MWC 2014<http://www.itproportal.com/mwc-2014/> 25 Feb 2014 by Ryan Whitwam [A closer look at the Blackphone and why it's more anti-Google than anti-government] Tweet<http://twitter.com/share> Silent Circle and Geeksphone announced the Blackphone earlier this year<http://www.itproportal.com/2014/01/16/blackphone-creates-nsa-proof-smartpho…> as everyone was still wringing their hands over NSA spying. The stated goal was to make communications private, just like they ought to be. Of course, that was conflated with an NSA-proof phone, which it’s not. Now, after having been officially unveiled at MWC<http://www.itproportal.com/2014/02/25/mwc-2014-meet-blackphone-the-official…>, the Blackphone is up for pre-order and Silent Circle has explained more about how the handset will work. Spoiler: It’s not doing anything new, but it does come with a full suite of privacy-minded apps and services. With the Blackphone, what it lacks may be just as important as what it includes. The Blackphone clocks in at $629 (£375) over in the US, which is right up there with the unlocked cost of most flagship smartphones. The device will run on a 2GHz (or higher) quad-core ARM chip, with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. Wondering about a microSD card for more storage? What, and let someone walk away with your data? Surely you jest. Buyers will also be treated to a 4.7in 720p LCD and 802.11n Wi-Fi. Despite the privacy focus, the Blackphone does still have the usual HSPA+, LTE, and GPS. The hardware is fine, though likely generic. The real selling point of the Blackphone is the software it runs. The company calls it PrivatOS, and it’s based on the open source version of Android. Most other Android devices you buy have Google’s services woven into the foundation of the OS, but not Blackphone. This device comes bundled with only Silent Circle apps and a few select third-party services for secure file sharing and VPNs. That means you don’t have access to Google’s app ecosystem, cloud platform, or location services. Although, that’s kind of why you’d buy the Blackphone. The Blackphone includes a two-year subscription to the Silent Circle application suite, which is what actually makes your communication secure. There’s no magic way to make regular cellular calls completely untraceable – the Blackphone is using the same network infrastructure and baseband as every other Android device on the market. Blackphone’s page uses a lot of inflammatory language to describe how Google’s services work, making it seem like this is more an anti-Google than anti-government surveillance phone. [cid:CB9C188F-5C84-42E5-A3F6-7C3BCECE72C1]<http://cdn.itproportal.com/photos/blackphone-features-chart_original.png> Access to Silent Phone, Text, and Contacts costs $10 (£6) per month after the included subscription, but you can only communicate with other people who also use the company’s VoIP service, which can be installed on any Android phone<https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Silent+Circle>. To make things a bit easier, the Blackphone includes three one-year “friends and family” Silent Circle passes. Adding up all the Silent Circle, encrypted file sharing, and VPN subscriptions leaves you with a value of about $1500 (£900). That assumes you use all these services to their fullest, of course. Silent Circle has also built out an enhanced version of Android’s app permission system in PrivatOS, like the now-defunct App Ops or CyanogenMod’s permission manager. It’s not unheard of functionality, but the more advanced permission management will allow users to revoke permissions from apps individually. For example, location or contact access can be blocked for some or all apps. The apps themselves will probably be side-load only, seeing as there’s no app store. Remote device management and security updates have also been modified by Silent Circle. Now that Silent Circle’s plans are laid out for us<https://www.blackphone.ch/phone/#privatosvsandroid>, the project seems less fanciful, but also less revolutionary. This is basically a moderately powerful smartphone running a privacy-focused custom ROM and some extra privacy tools that you can install on any phone. In fact, most of what the Blackphone does can be replicated with a much cheaper Nexus 5<http://www.itproportal.com/reviews/mobile-phones/google-nexus-5-review/> – install CyanogenMod, don’t flash the Google apps package, relock the bootloader, and install the Silent Circle suite. Silent Circle has been careful not to claim that this phone will thwart the NSA, but some people will still expect that. This device really just takes the guesswork out of making a mobile device somewhat more secure. Is that worth $629 (£375)? Silent Circle sure hopes so. The Blackphone is expected to ship in June. For all the latest news, photos and analysis from MWC 2014, check out our live coverage of the event<http://www.itproportal.com/2014/02/22/mwc-2014-live-updates-news-and-analys…>.

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INTEREST: Apple wins ‘best mobile tablet’ award at MWC
by Wayne Billing 26 Feb '14

26 Feb '14

[The GSMA Mobile World Congress (MWC - http://www.mobileworldcongress.com) is held each February in the Mobile World Capital of Barcelona, Spain. It includes a world-class conference, an exhibition with more than 1,500 companies, App Planet, mPowered Brands, and the Global Mobile Awards, which recognise the most innovative solutions and initiatives from around the world. In 2012, Mobile World Congress hosted more than 67,000 mobile professionals from 205 countries. Of these, more than 56% of these were C-Level executives, and 10,000 were mobile developers as part of App Planet.] ....from: http://9to5mac.com/2014/02/25/apple-wins-best-mobile-tablet-award-at-mobile… Apple wins ‘best mobile tablet’ award at Mobile World Congress in absentia<http://9to5mac.com/2014/02/25/apple-wins-best-mobile-tablet-award-at-mobile…> [ipad-air-best-buy-deal]<http://9to5mac.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/ipad-air-best-buy-deal.jpeg> The Global Mobile Awards today revealed their verdicts on their annual mobile device awards. As usual, like all industry conferences, Apple did not attend MWC. Regardless, in their absence, they were still given the ‘Best Mobile Tablet’ award<http://www.globalmobileawards.com/winners-2014/#cat_id25> for the iPad Air. The judge said: The iPad Air packs class-leading performance in an attractive and svelte frame, while its ecosystem has an undisputed advantage in the number of format-optimized apps Although Apple won the award for best tablet, the award for the best phone was given to the HTC One. Meanwhile, LG won the prize for ‘most innovative device manufacturer of the year’. Best Mobile Tablet Apple iPad Air Precision-engineered to weigh just one pound, iPad Air is 20 percent thinner and 28 percent lighter than the fourth generation iPad, and with a 43 percent narrower bezel the borders of iPad Air are dramatically thinner. iPad Air’s Retina display makes web pages, text, images and video look incredibly sharp and realistic, and the new power-efficient A7 chip allows the battery to be even smaller, helping reduce the overall volume by 24 percent from the previous generation while doubling its performance and maintaining its up to 10-hour battery life.

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INTEREST: Microsoft bought NOKIA to release an Android cellphone
by Wayne Billing 24 Feb '14

24 Feb '14

In September, 2013, to much fanfare* Microsoft and NOKIA announced that Microsoft Corporation and Nokia Corporation Boards of Directors for both companies have decided to enter into a transaction whereby Microsoft will purchase substantially all of Nokia’s Devices & Services business, license Nokia’s patents, and license and use Nokia’s mapping services. Nobody (outside of Microsoft and NOKIA, presumably) thought this meant that Microsoft would start selling ANDROID cellphones to capture Windows phone customers....... ...from: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/24/nokia-x-elop/ Elop: Nokia X will bring more consumers to Windows Phone<http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/24/nokia-x-elop/> BY BRAD MOLEN<http://www.engadget.com/about/editors/brad-molen> @PHONEWISDOM<http://twitter.com/phonewisdom> 5 HOURS AGO [cid:9D17B5FE-DAA0-434B-BF83-F11AB5F43E5A]<http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/24/nokia-x-elop/> After Nokia's big announcement of the brand-new X series<http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/24/nokia-announces-the-x-its-first-android-…> [of Android cellphones], we had a chance to sit down with Stephen Elop, the executive VP of Devices for the company. Naturally, the company's decision to crank out an Android device was a matter of great curiosity for us. Most importantly: Did Microsoft agree to this from the beginning, or did Nokia's acquirer go into this idea begrudgingly? According to Elop, it's the former. "Microsoft bought the Mobile Devices division," Elop told us, "so they knew what they were doing." Given the company's focus on a tile-based experience and its emphasis on the Microsoft Cloud, it's beginning to make a lot of sense. Elop went on to state that the X is primarily a stepping stone (a "gateway phone," if you will) for a largely untouched market segment -- emerging markets and developing countries -- to get acclimatized to Microsoft's suite of services and familiar Live Tiles interface. It's an interesting strategy, no doubt, and we're excited to see if it pays off in the long run -- people won't be rushing to a Windows Phone weeks after buying an XL, but it sounds like the idea is to plant a seed within consumers, as well as a reliance on services like Skype, Outlook and OneDrive. * - http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-02-16/news/47359495_1_sat… Does the Nokia deal still make sense for Microsoft? New York Times Feb 16, 2014, 02.55AM IST By James B Stewart When Microsoft announced in September that it was buying Nokia's struggling handset business and would meld its Windows operating system with the devices, it offered two major reasons for the $7.2 billion deal: - Apple and Google were combining their software and hardware. - The deal would ensure the survival of Microsoft's Windows operating system in a mobile universe.

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