Author Archives: Jordan Kahn

Stitcher Radio iPhone app updated with simplified ‘Car Mode’ UI for drivers

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Sticher Radio, home to over 15,000+  live radio shows and podcasts, updated its iPhone app today with a new Car Mode feature that makes controlling the app even easier while driving. The new simplified UI features large, easy to see buttons and can be accessed at any time with a tap of the Stitcher logo at the top of the app. It works in both portrait and landscape orientations and is definitely a welcomed improvement for the nearly 60% of its users that Stitcher says listen to the app while in a vehicle.

The updated app also comes with a redesigned front page, one-tap access to search and Sleep timer, and a number of other performance improvements:

What’s New in Version 5.3.0

New! Car Mode for iPhone. A simplified interface that allows you to safely and easily control Stitcher while driving in both portrait and landscape orientations. Tap the Stitcher Logo at top of any screen to select car mode.

Improved! Redesigned Front Page, bringing you breaking news headlines from your favorite media sources.

Improved! Easier one-tap access to the shows you’re looking for via search.

New! Listen to archives of your favorite shows either newest first or chronological order.  To play episodes of your favorite shows in order, tap an episode on the episodes tab. To reverse the order to chronological, tap “Playing Next” then select the playlist order button.

New! Sleep timer quick access via the player screen – tap the equalizer icon while listening to set the sleep timer.

Improved! Faster playback start up for shows you’ve already started listening to.

Improved! Now it’s even easier for new users to get started with our new wizard.

Improved! Improved memory management and bug fixes.



Apple’s lax iTunes streaming security gives out a free copy of Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories

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Random-Access-Memories-Stream

Bob Dylan, David Bowie, and Justin Timberlake are just a few of the artists over the past year to offer full-length, high quality streams of their newest albums on iTunes in the days before release. The latest to follow in the trend is award winning electronic music duo Daft Punk with a full length stream of the group’s 74-minute “Random Access Memories” album hitting iTunes earlier this week. While it’s often suggested the streams help to fight piracy of the albums before their release, we’ve discovered Apple is ironically making it easier than ever to grab a high quality version of the stream right from its website.

By using a tool to monitor HTTP requests (like HTTP Scoop), users can easily find the URL where the stream is hosted and save the full, high quality MP4 to their computer. By simply navigating to the URL where the stream is hosted, you can download the whole album for free. The same hole exists for an album from The National that is currently being streamed.

The whole album is available as an easy download and while it does come with Apple’s FairPlay DRM to prevent it being played on other devices, we imagine (hope!) this gets pulled fairly quickly.

Many have called artist’s decision to stream their album in entirety on iTunes a play at combatting piracy in the days up to album’s launch. The idea being, since it’s going to leak anyway, offering a high-quality stream of the album will tempt most into going to iTunes and possibly preorder while they are there. It’s of course possible to rip a slightly lower quality version of the stream using software, but Apple shouldn’t be making it this easy to download the full quality file.

Apple’s streaming security is especially important in light of the upcoming iRadio streaming app that’s coming to iOS 7. We imagine that the labels will want to make sure holes like this are closed.



U.S. Air Force plans to save $50M over 10 years by deploying iPads

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Just as the Defense Department granted iOS devices approval for use on military networks, TheStreet reports that the U.S. Air Force plans on saving around $50 million through its purchase of iPads. The savings will mainly be due to the ability to cut weight on flights by replacing traditional flight bags and come over a ten year period:

“We’re saving about 90 pounds of paper per aircraft and limiting the need for each crew member to carry a 30 to 40 pound paper pile [of flight manuals],” said Major Brian Moritz, EFB program manager, in a phone interview. “It adds up to quite a lot of weight in paper.”

Removing the need to print and distribute thousands of flight manuals, however, equates to an even greater cost saving. “It comes out to just over $5 million a year,” noted Moritz. “With fuel savings, it comes out to $5.7 million annually in pure cost. When you look at $5.7 million a year, over 10 years, that’s well over $50 million.”

In February of last year the Air Force revealed plans to purchase up to 18,000 iPads as a replacement to traditional flight bags, although at the time it was considering other tablets and looking for the lowest cost of entry possible.

According to the report, the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command now currently has around 16,000 iPads in use with another 2,000 spread across other Air Force members. 

Even the simple “CTRL F” word search function, for example, is a huge time saver, something that could be crucial in an emergency. “Say that you have an engine problem or an engine fire over the North Atlantic,” said Moritz. “Having a device that you can use the search function and quickly pick out key words will drive you to a deeper level while you’re pushed for time.”

Like any electronic device used by the military, security is of paramount importance. “The camera and the Wi-Fi are turned off unless the device is in a pre-determined, undisclosed location where its OS certificates can be updated,”



iOS devices approved for use on U.S. military networks following Samsung and BlackBerry

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DOD-iPad-US

Update: Apple provided the following comment to AllThingsD on the approval:

“With iPhone and iPad being tested or deployed in almost every Fortune 500 company, Apple continues to scale across enterprise with nearly 30,000 companies globally developing and distributing iOS apps for corporate use by their employees,” Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told AllThingsD. “The FIPS 140-2 certification and STIG approval demonstrate our ongoing commitment to deliver a secure platform to our enterprise and government customers around the world who deploy iOS devices on their networks.”

Following reports earlier this month that the Defense Department was in the process of approving iOS 6 for nonclassified communications and widespread use by government agencies, Bloomberg reports today that Apple has officially been granted approval for use on U.S. military networks.

The Pentagon already approved Samsung devices powered by the company’s Knox security software and BB10 ahead of today’s approval of iOS 6.

In February the US Defense Department confirmed plans to open its networks to 100,000 new devices from Apple and Google by February of next year. At that time the Pentagon said its networks had about 470,000 BlackBerrys, 41,000 Apple products, and 8,700 Android devices.

A number of U.S. agencies switched from BlackBerry to iPhones over the last year, while earlier reports indicate Samsung is attempting to attract more government and corporate customers with a new team of security experts and former RIM employees as well as a water and dust proof variant of its flagship S4 dubbed the Galaxy S4 Active. Today’s security approval will increase the number of agencies allowed to deploy iPhone and iPads on government networks for nonclassified communications.



Corning launches Lotus XT Glass for high performance mobile displays, prime candidate for future iOS devices

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Corning, the company that currently supplies glass for Apple’s iOS devices, yesterday introduced its second generation glass substrate with the commercial launch of Corning Lotus XT Glass. While we initially expected Corning’s recently announced Gorilla Glass 3 might end up in an iOS device, the second generation Lotus XT Glass could be a prime candidate for LCD and OLED displays on future Apple devices.

The end result for consumers, according to Corning, is an easier method of manufacturing “faster, thinner, brighter, and higher resolution” displays.

The Corning Lotus Glass platform enables organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays and liquid crystal displays (LCD) that use either low-temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) or oxide thin-film transistor (TFT) backplanes. The result is an energy-efficient, immersive display device that features high resolution, fast response times, and bright picture quality.

Corning Lotus XT Glass also offers the advantages of Corning’s proprietary fusion process while meeting the stringent cost requirements of the mobile device and IT display market. Its superb surface quality supports the backplane characteristics required for the vibrant colors and clarity OLED and LCD transmissions are known for.

Apple is widely believed to use Corning’s Gorilla Glass in its iOS devices, although the company has never specifically confirmed as much.

Corning will be showing off its next-gen Lotus XT Glass in Vancouver from May 21 to May 23 at the Society for Information Display’s (SID) Display Week event.

Corning Introduces Corning Lotus™ XT Glass and Showcases Glass Innovations at SID Display Week 2013

Second-generation composition features host of new capabilities

CORNING, N.Y., May 16, 2013 – Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) today announced the commercial launch of  Corning Lotus™ XT Glass, a second-generation glass substrate specially formulated for high-performance displays. The company will feature its latest specialty glass innovation – alongside its other advanced glass technologies – in its booth (#801) at the Society for Information Display’s (SID) Display Week in Vancouver, British Columbia, May 21 – 23.

Lotus XT Glass features best-in-class total pitch variation, which is integral to efficient panel manufacturing. Essentially, total pitch – usually measured in microns or parts per million (ppm) – is the distance features move during panel processing.

“If you can predict the amount the glass shifts, then you can account for this movement. Deviation – or variation – from this predictable movement can ultimately result in yield loss,” said John P. Bayne, vice president and general manager, Corning High Performance Displays. “Lotus XT Glass is designed to have improved thermal and dimensional stability over higher temperatures, generating higher yields for our customers.”

The Corning Lotus Glass platform enables organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays and liquid crystal displays (LCD) that use either low-temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) or oxide thin-film transistor (TFT) backplanes. The result is an energy-efficient, immersive display device that features high resolution, fast response times, and bright picture quality.

In addition to Lotus XT Glass, the Corning booth will feature each of its advanced glass technologies, including: Corning EAGLE XG® Slim for a-Si displays; Corning® Willow™ Glass, the company’s ultra-slim, flexible glass; and Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 with Native Damage Resistance™.  Corning experts will provide daily demonstrations of Gorilla Glass 3, the industry-leading, damage-resistant cover glass.  Attendees should consult booth staff for exact times.

Display Week attendees will also have the opportunity to hear several of Corning’s technology experts deliver presentations at the conference.

“Display Week is a time to take stock of the industry and its future,” Bayne noted.  “The industry is changing, and Corning believes each of its innovative glasses helps solve tough technological challenges – advancing displays even further.”

For additional information about Corning’s presence at SID Display Week 2013, please visit www.corning.com/SID2013.



Apple releases Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0 for mid 2012 MacBook Air

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Screen Shot 2013-05-16 at 2.41.24 PM

Apple has released a new firmware update for the mid 2012 MacBook Air today that helps to address problems with the device recovering from a crash. Apple release notes said the update addresses “a storage firmware issue that, in rare cases, may cause a system to fail to recover from crash.”

The MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0 is available to download on Apple’s website here and should be hitting Software Update soon. The 1.69 MB update is available for mid 2012 MacBook Airs running OS X 10.7.5 or OS X 10.8.3.



Apple releases iTunes 11.0.3 with new MiniPlayer, an improved Songs View, and multi-disc albums

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iTunes-11-Mini-Player-album-artwork iTunes-11-mini-player-02

Apple just released iTunes 11.0.3 with several new features including enhancements to the MiniPlayer, an improved Songs View, and multi-disc albums.

Screen Shot 2013-05-16 at 1.34.20 PMApple’s new MiniPlayer, which it first introduced in iTunes 11, today gets a new “beautiful view that showcases your album artwork” as well as a progress bar viewable right from the MiniPlayer. The new view for MiniPlayer can also be expanded to show an entire playlist (as pictured above).

Other improvements to iTunes in version 11.0.3 include the ability to view multi-disc albums as a single album and “performance improvements when searching and sorting large iTunes libraries.”

The update also includes an updated interface for updating iOS apps (below). Thanks Graham!

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The update is available through Software Update now.

The new update also addresses several security-related issues:

iTunes 11.0.3 is now available and addresses the following:

iTunes
Available for:  Mac OS X v10.6.8 or later, Windows 7, Vista,
XP SP2 or later
Impact:  An attacker in a privileged network position may manipulate
HTTPS server certificates, leading to the disclosure of sensitive
information
Description:  A certificate validation issue existed in iTunes. In
certain contexts, an active network attacker could present untrusted
certificates to iTunes and they would be accepted without warning.
This issue was resolved by improved certificate validation.
CVE-ID
CVE-2013-1014 : Christopher of ThinkSECURE Pte Ltd, Christopher
Hickstein of University of Minnesota

iTunes
Available for:  Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact:  A man-in-the-middle attack while browsing the iTunes Store
via iTunes may lead to an unexpected application termination or
arbitrary code executionn
Description:  Multiple memory corruption issues existed in WebKit.
These issues were addressed through improved memory handling.
CVE-ID
CVE-2012-2824 : miaubiz
CVE-2012-2857 : Arthur Gerkis
CVE-2012-3748 : Joost Pol and Daan Keuper of Certified Secure working
with HP TippingPoint’s Zero Day Initiative
CVE-2012-5112 : Pinkie Pie working with Google’s Pwnium 2 contest
CVE-2013-0879 : Atte Kettunen of OUSPG
CVE-2013-0912 : Nils and Jon from MWR Labs working with HP
TippingPoint’s Zero Day Initiative
CVE-2013-0948 : Abhishek Arya (Inferno) of the Google Chrome Security
Team
CVE-2013-0949 : Abhishek Arya (Inferno) of the Google Chrome Security
Team
CVE-2013-0950 : Abhishek Arya (Inferno) of the Google Chrome Security
Team
CVE-2013-0951 : Apple
CVE-2013-0952 : Abhishek Arya (Inferno) of the Google Chrome Security
Team
CVE-2013-0953 : Abhishek Arya (Inferno) of the Google Chrome Security
Team
CVE-2013-0954 : Dominic Cooney of Google and Martin Barbella of the
Google Chrome Security Team
CVE-2013-0955 : Apple
CVE-2013-0956 : Apple Product Security
CVE-2013-0958 : Abhishek Arya (Inferno) of the Google Chrome Security
Team
CVE-2013-0959 : Abhishek Arya (Inferno) of the Google Chrome Security
Team
CVE-2013-0960 : Apple
CVE-2013-0961 : wushi of team509 working with iDefense VCP
CVE-2013-0991 : Jay Civelli of the Chromium development community
CVE-2013-0992 : Google Chrome Security Team (Martin Barbella)
CVE-2013-0993 : Google Chrome Security Team (Inferno)
CVE-2013-0994 : David German of Google
CVE-2013-0995 : Google Chrome Security Team (Inferno)
CVE-2013-0996 : Google Chrome Security Team (Inferno)
CVE-2013-0997 : Vitaliy Toropov working with HP TippingPoint’s Zero
Day Initiative
CVE-2013-0998 : pa_kt working with HP TippingPoint’s Zero Day
Initiative
CVE-2013-0999 : pa_kt working with HP TippingPoint’s Zero Day
Initiative
CVE-2013-1000 : Fermin J. Serna of the Google Security Team
CVE-2013-1001 : Ryan Humenick
CVE-2013-1002 : Sergey Glazunov
CVE-2013-1003 : Google Chrome Security Team (Inferno)
CVE-2013-1004 : Google Chrome Security Team (Martin Barbella)
CVE-2013-1005 : Google Chrome Security Team (Martin Barbella)
CVE-2013-1006 : Google Chrome Security Team (Martin Barbella)
CVE-2013-1007 : Google Chrome Security Team (Inferno)
CVE-2013-1008 : Sergey Glazunov
CVE-2013-1010 : miaubiz
CVE-2013-1011 : Google Chrome Security Team (Inferno)



UPS finally releases iPad app for tracking & scheduling deliveries

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UPS-For-iPad-app-04 UPS-For-iPad-app-03 UPS-For-iPad-app-02

UPS announced today that it is finally rolling out a native iPad app that brings the ability to track and schedule deliveries as well as access to features of UPS My Choice® and enhanced mapping features. These features were previously available to users in the free UPS Mobile app for iPhone, but today they come to iPads through the UPS for iPad app available on the App Store now. 

Some of the features below will require enrollment in the UPS My Choice program:

Without logging in, you can: 
– Track packages and freight shipments
– Save up to 5 tracking numbers in your tracking list
– See the current location of your package on a map
– Find UPS service locations via GPS

When you log in, you can also: 
– Sync your recent tracks from ups.com
– Nickname tracked shipments
– Enroll in UPS My Choice
– Use UPS My Choice to take action on your incoming deliveries
– Set your delivery preferences



Sharp’s bringing ‘highest pixel density’ IGZO displays yet, could end up in next round of Retina MacBooks

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Sharp-IGZO-displays-Macbook

MacBook-Pro-RetinaSharp, one of Apple’s display suppliers that is rumored to have just begun production on next-gen iPhone displays, this week announced it will soon begin producing notebook displays with the highest pixel density in the biz. With displays ranging from 11.6 inches to 15.6 inches, it’s entirely a possibility that one could end up in a next generation MacBook with Retina display.

IGZO technology enables smaller thin-film transistors and increased light transmittance. As a result, fine text can be rendered crisply and clearly, and images can be displayed with impressive realism. For example, the 14-inch panel boasts a pixel density of 262 ppi, which represents 1.67 times the number of pixels of full high definition*3. Increased light transmittance also means lower rates of energy consumption, with IGZO technology reducing the amount of power required to drive liquid crystals during the display of still images. These factors lead to greater energy efficiency and longer battery life on notebook PCs. IGZO technology is also compatible with stylus-input touchscreen functionality.

Sharp will start producing the displays, which boast a resolution up to 3,200 x 1,800 and pixel density of 262 ppi, in June and already has a 13.3-inch model being mass produced.

We’ve had hands-on time with Sharp’s high resolution IGZO displays at CES this year and had nothing but positive things to say. It was previously rumored that Apple had considered using Sharp’s smaller IGZO panels for iPad and that’s also still a possibility for future generations of the device.

(via TheTechBlock)



Pebble releases updated Pebblekit SDK & Sports API with full support for iOS & Android apps

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pebble

Pebble, the popular bluetooth smartwatch that raised over $10M on Kickstarter before shipping to backers in January, today announced the release of an updated SDK and APIs that will allow iOS and Android developers to create apps for the platform. Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky had this to say about the updates:

“The tremendous response we received from Kickstarter backers validated our belief in the value of a smart watch as a wearable computer, but also in the value an open platform brings to truly personalizing the watch to their daily activities”, said Eric Migicovsky, Pebble’s founder. “This new investment will help us build out the Pebble development ecosystem and deliver on Pebble’s extraordinary potential.”

The updated Pebblekit SDK will now allow developers to create third-party apps that will be able to send and receive data to apps on the Pebble smartwatch. The updated SDK will effectively allow developers to build new apps for the platform, for example, taking weather or news information from an iOS or Android app and displaying it on the watch. Previously devs were limited to implementing the basic functions of Pebble.

You might have heard RunKeeper recently added support for tracking data using Pebble and today Pebble is making easier for similar fitness apps to do the same with a new Sports API for accessing the GPS features of the watch. 

Pebble also offered up some stats: The SDK has now been downloaded 8,000 times with around 300,000 unique app installs for the 5,000 apps that have been created thus far. Also, there are about 70,000 Pebbles in the wild since launching in January, while the company plans to hit retail locations within four to six months.

To top things off, the company announced today that it is getting an additional $15M in funding.

Palo Alto, CA. – May 16, 2013—Pebble, maker of the e-paper smart watch that connects to iPhone and Android smartphones, today announced it has received $15M in Series A funding from Charles River Ventures. The funding will be used to grow the software engineering team, expand Pebble’s open development platform and scale to meet customer demand.

Pebble is a highly customizable device, enabling users to download watchapps ranging from creative watchfaces to activity tracker apps. Pebble’s open approach to development is core to supporting a vast selection of apps that meet the unique needs and interests of users – or even enabling users to create something themselves. Pebble’s record-breaking launch on crowd funding site, Kickstarter, confirmed interest in this concept with over 68,000 backers pledging over $10M to make Pebble a reality.

“The tremendous response we received from Kickstarter backers validated our belief in the value of a smart watch as a wearable computer, but also in the value an open platform brings to truly personalizing the watch to their daily activities”, said Eric Migicovsky, Pebble’s founder. “This new investment will help us build out the Pebble development ecosystem and deliver on Pebble’s extraordinary potential.”

Pebble released the first stage of its open software development kit (SDK) in April by enabling third party developers to create watchfaces and games for Pebble. Pebble’s enthusiastic developer community immediately went to work and created hundreds of new watchfaces in just a few weeks. Pebbler supported sites like mypebblefaces.com, forums.getpebble.com and watchface-generator.deare focal points of the growing community. Over 8,000 developers have downloaded the Pebble SDK, resulting in more than 5,000 unique watchapps and 300,000 watchapp installs in just over a month.

Today Pebble released the next stage of the platform enabling two-way communication between Pebble and the smartphone at developer.getpebble.com. Known as PebbleKit, the update enables third parties to develop watchapps that send and receive information from a connected smartphone. Watchapps can now  be built to receive weather or traffic information, act as remote controls for a phone or internet-connected device, or display bitcoin prices.  The Pebble platform will continue improving over the course of this year and into the future.

Also launching today is the Pebble Sports API. RunKeeper, a GPS fitness-tracking app, announced support for Pebble two weeks ago and now that same functionality is available for integration into any sports or fitness tracker app. Other sports apps like FreeCaddie, a GPS golf rangefinder, have also released Pebble-enabled apps.

Pebble’s smart watches have begun shipping to Kickstarter backers and are now available for pre-order at getpebble.com.