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Archives
‘Two is better than one’
Jan 22, ’11
9:48 PM
Gorillaz’ iPad album ‘The Fall’ now streaming for free
Dec 25, ’10
9:53 AM
Damon Albarn of Gorillaz hasn’t been shy of his love for Apple’s iPad nor of his intention to release an album made with one ‘before Christmas’. Sure enough, Gorillaz’ follow-up to ‘Plastic Beach’ entitled ‘The Fall’ is now one email sign-up away for those who want to give the English alternative hip hop band’s freshest record a listen.
Mailing list subscribers can enjoy free streaming of all 15 tracks from Christmas Day on, while Sub Division fan club members ($45/£30) are treated to the gift of a free download. ‘The Fall’ will see a physical release sometime in 2011. The full track listing is:
- Phoner To Arizona
- Revolving Doors
- HillBilly Man
- Detroit
- Shy-town
- Little Pink Plastic Bags
- The Joplin Spider
- The Parish of Space Dust
- The Snake In Dallas
- Amarillo
- The Speak It Mountains
- Aspen Forest
- Bobby In Phoenix
- California And The Slipping Of The Sun
- Seattle Yodel
‘The Fall’ — Gorillaz’ fourth album — was recorded in the fall of 2010 while frontman Damon Albarn was on tour with the band. ‘The Fall’ was recorded almost entirely on an iPad using no less than 20 apps including Korg’s iElectribe.
Although Apple has positioned the iPad as primarily a content consumption device, Gorillaz’ ‘The Fall’ is just another reminder that Cupertino’s Multi-Touch tablet is equally poised as a vehicle for content creation.
Source: Gorillaz
Mac App Store opens January 6, raring to revolutionize PC app discovery
Dec 16, ’10
1:39 PM
Ready for the walled garden to expand from iOS devices to include Macs running OS X? Apple is.
Today Apple announced in a press release that the Mac App Store launch date is scheduled for Thursday January 6, 2011 with an initial roll out in 90 countries that ‘will feature paid and free apps in categories like Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity and Utilities.’
The Mac App Store is Apple’s attempt to bring back the raging success of app discovery and download on iOS devices to its Macintosh line of personal computers and will be available as a free download via Software Update for OS X Snow Leopard users.
It will be interesting to see how Apple’s curated app model translates into the personal computing space and whether it will be enough to disrupt the traditional means of application installation on PCs.
Apple engineer builds working replica of the Antikythera mechanism using LEGO Technic
Dec 12, ’10
9:30 PM
Notwithstanding my passion for all things digital and electronic, I have always been fascinated by the intricacies and complexities of purely mechanical devices such as clocks and watches. The Antikythera mechanism, however, takes the cake.
Built sometime between 150-100 BCE and discovered in a wreckage off the coast of the Greek island Antikythera in 1900, the Antikythera mechanism is an ancient device designed to calculate astronomical positions precisely and is the world’s oldest known analog computer.
Over 2000 years after its invention, Apple software engineer Andrew Carol has built a fully functional LEGO Technic replica of the mechanism. See how it works in the video below and hit the source link for an interview with Carol himself.
I’m not sure what is more astonishing: that such a sophisticated device existed two millennia ago or that we can reconstruct the Antikythera mechanism using a child’s toy today.
Source: FastCoDesign via SlashGear
Official Google Voice app lands in App Store
Nov 17, ’10
1:02 AM
The Beatles and Google Voice hit iTunes on the same day. Hell hath frozen over.
Download here.
Source: Google Voice Blog via TechCrunch
WSJ: Apple gets digital rights to Beatles — live streaming, new logo will have to wait
Nov 15, ’10
7:03 PM
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that tomorrow’s iTunes announcement will be that Apple has finally acquired digital rights to the Beatles catalog.
Looks like iTunes in the cloud is the pipe dream now.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Apple debuting cloud streaming service, iTunes.com tomorrow?
Nov 15, ’10
1:13 PM
When Apple devotes its entire home page to an announcement, you know something big is coming. So what could Apple be planning with iTunes? I’m betting that iOS 4.2, AirPlay, and the debut of a cloud streaming service utilizing Apple’s acquisition of LaLa and that brand new data center in North Carolina have something to do with it. I would also expect the new 90-second song previews to take effect tomorrow, although I wouldn’t get your hopes up if you’re a Beatles fan. But who knows? All this hoopla could just be over a new desktop icon. We’ll know for sure at 10 am EDT tomorrow.
Source: Apple via CrunchGear
Apple iPad coming to Verizon Wireless and AT&T stores October 28
Oct 14, ’10
12:00 PM
That’s right. On October 28, you’ll be able to walk into a Verizon Wireless or AT&T store and walk out with an Apple iPad. Verizon will be selling the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB WiFi versions of Apple’s tablet bundled with a MiFi Mobile Hotspot for $629, $729, and $829 respectively. Data plans start at $20 for 1GB of data per month and are commitment-free.
AT&T will be matching Big Red’s prices on iPad hardware except that they are offering the 3G + WiFi models obviating the need for a separate device for mobile data. AT&T’s data plans are the same metered ones they introduced in June for smartphones: $15 for 250MB/mo or $25 for 2GB/mo. Note that AT&T’s data plans for iPad are also unfettered of the bonds of contractual obligation.
Official press releases after the break.
So, who’s getting one for the holidays?
Google Voice app GV Mobile + available for free in App Store
Sep 26, ’10
3:27 AM
GV Mobile + has just been updated to version 1.0.2 — and for a limited time — developer Sean Kovacs is giving it away for free. Thanks Sean!
Source: @seankovacs iTunes link: GV Mobile +