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iPhone OS 4.0 Brings Multitasking, Ad Framework For Apps 983

Posted by timothy from the define-myself-as-outside-the-fence dept.
Low Ranked Craig writes "Apple had an event today to show off the next major update to the iPhone OS. iPhone OS 4.0 should arrive this summer (presumably with a new iPhone) for iPhone and iPod Touch, and in the fall for the iPad. According to Apple the update has more than 1,500 new APIs and 100 new features including the sorely missed multitasking. Other highlights include unified inbox, improved security, support for multiple Exchange accounts, application folders, iBooks, and iAd, an advertising framework for developers to put ads in their applications. The official word from Steve on Flash and Java remains a simple 'No.'" Updated 20100408 22:09 GMT by timothy: Read on for more information, including some bad news if you want to program for the iPhone in C# or Flash CS5.

Comment Re:Dump TiVo for MythTV (Score 1) 107

by supun (#31383192) Attached to: TiVo Time Warp Judgment Affirmed

It doesn't.

Most US cable boxes have firewire, which by law should be enabled, which will allow you to record over the air channels, including local HD. However if you wanted to record HD HBO, you have to spend more for some really experimental equipment. Pretty much all of the non-over air, over 100/analog, are 5C encrypted. Basically you need a HD PVR to connect to your STD's component out. If you don't have component out, then you need to get a DVI to component converter (cheap). If you only have HDMI, then you need an HDMI to component converter (not cheap, and may be blacklisted). And if you want to record two streams, you have to double all the equipment. That will get you close to functionality of the HD TiVo.

Basically if you have basic analog cable, MythTV is the way to go. If you have digital cable, with HD packages, and want non-over air HD channels, then TiVo is the way to go. That is unless you want to mess with a lot of stuff. I just wanted to watch TV.

Comment Sorry, my fault (Score 1) 95

by supun (#29549521) Attached to: AT&T Calls Google a Hypocrite On Net Neutrality

I used to get a daily call from AT&T pushing their Uverse, DSL, etc. Even though I told them no, they would call back the next day. So my only course was to forward my land line to my Google Voice phone number to block them. Soon after that I received a postcard asking if I was having problem with my land line.

Comment HD PVR (Score 5, Informative) 257

by supun (#29006641) Attached to: Shaw Cable Again Blocks Firewire On Canadian Set-Top Boxes

I battled with my cable company to get them to enable the firewire on my cable box. After a long battle, they did. However only the over-the-air channels were not encrypted. The rest, including the HD channels, were 5C encrypted.

Instead of playing their little game, I purchased a HD PVR from Hauppauge. It's a component (Y,Pb,Pr) input recorder. Now there is no way to block me, except by disabling the component output on the cable box.

http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Hauppauge_HD-PVR

Comment Thing to remember (Score 2, Informative) 412

by supun (#27886345) Attached to: What To Do When a Megacorp Wants To Buy You?

You can sell and have a big pay off, however you don't get to walk away. Oh no, no no. You become an employee of Megacorp, and depending on the size of Megacorp, an employee with no power. Megacorp will most likely have a bunch of managers who will call the shots, and you'll have to follow them even if they are 100% wrong. You'll have to put up with that for the next three years while they have the golden handcuffs on you.

Plus everything they promise you will change. A change of direction, and suddenly everything they told you to get you sell is out the window. Megacorp will have all sorts of wonderful policies and procedures for you, like time tracking, horrid ticketing system, an IT department that will force locked down, Window desktops/laptop that belong to a domain (say goodbye to any Mac or Linux desktops), monitored internet, and tons of HR crap like employee ranking, personal development plans, blah, blah, blah. Also they might install badge security and cameras on all your door, so they can track you, if they don't make the entire company move. And if they don't move you, they will entice a few employees to move and grow a local branch and kill your branch via nutrition. Again, you're not sitting on a beach enjoying yourself .. you're writing a daily status report to your new boss that has no idea what you product or company does.

Been through two buy outs, and watched both companies torn to shreds. And watched two boss struggle watching it happen. It's pretty painful to watch people destroy what you spent time to create.

Simply, when you sell, you become their bitch for a few long years. Could you have made it without them?
Media

iTunes On OS X Finally Has Competition 668

Posted by timothy from the file-managers-that-also-play-music dept.
mallumax writes "The truth is, iTunes is an average music player. Though the UI is simple and good like most Apple products, it has lagged in features compared to music players available on Linux and Windows. A feature as basic as monitoring a folder and adding the latest music files to the library is unavailable in iTunes. There are no plugins or themes. Despite the many faults, many of us continued to use iTunes because of the lack of options available. But today the wait is finally over. Not one, but two music players have become credible contenders. Songbird: An open source music player which has been in the works for more than 2 years has finally released its 1.0 Release Candidate builds. The team behind Songbird has members who previously developed for both Winamp and the Yahoo Music Engine. It has support for extensions and themes ('feathers' in Songbird parlance). Amarok: The undisputed champion among Linux music players is finally coming to OS X, thanks to KDE 4 being ported there. Amarok developer Leo Franchi has been able to run a Amarok on OS X natively. So we can expect a reasonably stable Amarok to hit OS X in a few months' time. Hopefully these players will gain traction among OS X users, which will finally force Apple to either step up in terms of features or open up iTunes for extensions."

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