• apple,  itunes,  mac os x,  windows

    iTunes 10.5.2 Update Released

    Earlier today, Apple released the iTunes 10.5.2 update for Mac OS X and Windows PCs.  The 16MB or update addresses iTunes Music match and audio distortion on certain CDs.

    “iTunes 10.5.2 includes several improvements for iTunes Match and fixes an audio distortion problem when playing or importing certain CDs.”

    iTunes 10.5.2 is available now via the Software Update control panel or via direct download from the Apple website.

  • motorola,  rumors,  verizon

    Motorola Teases the Droid 4

    BGR has what appears to be a photo of Motorola’s upcoming Droid 4 handset.  The fourth edition of the “Droid” family is rumored to have “[s]pecs [that] include a 4-inch qHD display, Android 2.3.5, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 4G LTE compatibility.”

    BRG also seems to think that the Droid 4 could be released as early as next week.

    [Via BGR.com…]

  • apple,  games,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch,  itunes

    Infinity Blade 2 1.0.1 Update Released [UPDATED]

    Chair, the Epic game studio that brought us Infinity Blade and now Infinity Blade 2 has released Infinity Blade 2 1.0.1.  The update is designed to fix a start up crashing issue that customers, including myself, have been experiencing on the iPad 1 and iPhone 4.

    The game was released back on Wednesday.  Infinity Blade 2 is a universal game, meaning that you will be able to run the game on both your iPhone/iPod touch and iPad/iPad 2 without having to pay for it again.

    Infinity Blade 2 sells for $6.99 via the iTunes Store.  The 1.0.1 Infinity Blade 2 update is free to people who have already purchased the game already.

    UPDATE
    After installing the 1.0.1 update on my iPad 1, I’m still having trouble running Infinity Blade 2.  Epic Games is working on on a fix.  After installing the update, make sure that you reboot your iPad before trying to play the game.  I’ve been able to get a little further into the game before it crashes, but I don’t get to see the introductory cut scene movie.
  • games,  ios,  ipad,  iphone

    Epic Infinity Blade 2 Arrives Tonight

    Infinity Blade is an amazing game for the iPhone and iPad.  Starting at 11:00pm Eastern time later this evening, Epic is expected to begin selling Infinity Blade 2 for iOS.

    “Beyond the enhanced visuals, Infinity Blade 2 also advances the storyline of the original game and expands the combat experience to include more options and less predictable enemies.”

    Infinity Blade is one of those games that I can play often and not get bored with.  I’m looking forward to more stunning graphics and touch-tastic RPG play tonight.

    [Via MacRumors.com…]

  • hp,  web os

    Fate of webOS Still Hangs in the Balance

    According to a new article on BGR.com today, the fate of webOS, the mobile operating system that HP acquired thru their acquisition of Palm, still hangs in the balance.

    After having burned through a staggering $3.3 Billion on webOS, HP has abandoned their plans for any new webOS smartphones or tablets.

     “HP CEO Meg Whitman has gone on record in stating that a decision regarding the fate of webOS will be made within two weeks. HP took possession of webOS when it acquired Palm for $1.2 billion in 2010, and that buy yielded one failed tablet that was discontinued shortly after launching, three failed smartphones and soon, perhaps, the death of webOS itself.”

    [Via BRG.com…]

  • apple

    Apple’s Grand Central Store Nearing Completion

    Apple has started teasing the opening of their new Grand Central Terminal retail store.  I was in Manhattan for the iPhone 4S launch and the store front still had the black facade up.  I’m looking forward to taking a new trip down to New York City in then few weeks to check out the new 23,000 square foot Apple Store.

    Here’s another shot of the store with it’s teaser billboard.

    [Via AppleInsider.com…]

  • apple,  iphone

    New York City Apple Stores

    Yesterday I was in New York City, in Manhattan, New York.  It just so happened to be the iPhone 4S launch day.

    Grand Central Terminal Apple Store

    I hate driving into The Big Apple, so I took a commuter train into Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal (GCT).  Up on the main concourse, we can see that the GCT Apple Store is under construction.  You will also note that not only the back balcony is consumed by the new store, you can see that the store will also wrap around to the left wall.  It is impossible to gauge how far along the new store is with the black blockers up.  Grand Central is a noisy place, but I didn’t hear any heavy construction underway when I was standing at the bottom of the stair case.  I hope to make another trip into New York City before the end of the year to check out the new store when it opens.

    Fifth Avenue Apple Store


    The Fifth Ave Apple Store is the first Apple Store in Manhattan that I visited.  I’ve since been to several of the others.  You’ll recall that the Fifth Ave store is the one that has the gigantic glass cube marking the entrance to the store.  Apple is currently renovating the cube and has decided to continue to keep the popular store open during the construction.

    The Fifth Ave store is always busy, but throw in the iPhone 4S launch and you’ve got a mob scene!  The following are two photos that I look of the line waiting to get into the store to buy a new iPhone 4S.

    Despite the busy nature of the store, I did go inside to purchase a dock ($29.00) for my new iPhone 4S and received the same superior customer service that is expected from a shopping experience at an Apple Store.

    Steve Jobs Fan Memorial

    With people still shocked from the sudden passing of Apple Chairmen of the Board, Steve Jobs, people are still leaving tokens on the steps of the Fifth Ave Apple Store.  Mr. Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011.

    To find an Apple Store near you, visit the Apple website.
  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch

    iOS 5, iCloud Becomes Available – Hurry Up and Wait (Updated)

    In addition to releasing Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2, Apple also released iOS 5.0 for current model iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices and opened the virtual doors to the iCloud service.

    At the present time, the iOS 5.0 upgrade for my 16GB iPhone 3GS is taking about 45 minutes to download the 668.8MB update.  I’ve been waiting a good 30 minutes now for the account verification email so I can start using the iCloud service.

    Updates

    10/13/11 12:20am – I just started the iOS 5 package download for the 4th Generation iPod touch.  iTunes is reporting that the software update is pulling down in about 6 – 10 minutes.  I think I’ll actually run the upgrade tomorrow night.

    10/13/11 12:05am – My iOS 5 upgrade on my iPad and data restoration is finally done and it’s ready for me to test; which is code for “play with all the cool new features.”

    10/12/11 11:40pm – The iOS 5 upgrade completed some time ago on my iPad, but the data restore is taking forever.  The bad news here is that iTunes is busy with the restore so I really can’t work until the restore process has completed.

    10/12/11 10:50pm – I figured I could short-circuit the upgrade process on my daughter’s iPod touch 4th Generation by connecting it to my MacBook Pro while the iOS upgrade was running on my iPad; no such luck.  Only one iOS device upgrade at a time – even if the only thing I wanted to do was get a jump on the iOS download package for the “iTouch”.

    10/12/11 10:25pm – Still another 25 minutes for the iOS 5 packaged for the iPad to be downloaded and installed.

    10/12/11 9:52pm – The iOS 5 upgrade on my iPhone 3GS is complete.  Next up, my iPad.

    10/12/11 9:08pm – The iOS 5 update package for my iPhone 3GS has finally completed downloading.  I’m about to start the software upgrade now.

    10/12/11 8:37pm – My iCloud account verification email has arrived.  It took about 30 minutes for the request to be processed.  The email contains the directions for activating your iCloud account from an iOS 5 device or Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2.

    10/12/11 8:30pm – The iOS 5 update package for my iPhone 3GS is still downloading.  About 50% of the update is down, and iTunes is showing that another 53 minutes remains for the download before the update can be applied.  It’s going to be a long night.  Again.