WWDC 2011 Announced

For the past few years the WWDC announcement has meant the arrival of our favorite device. So when Apple yesterday announced the 2011 WWDC, ears were of course perked. If you dont know what WWDC is all about, here it is straight from the source.

The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) showcases the latest innovations and the newest technologies in iOS and Mac OS X. Over 1,000 Apple engineers guide you through five exciting days of in-depth technical sessions and hands-on labs that demonstrate how to harness the incredible power of the world’s most advanced operating systems into your apps.

Redefine what you think is possible.
The new technologies in iOS and Mac OS X redefine the possibilities for your app development. The sessions at WWDC cover the latest technologies and development best practices on iOS and Mac OS X and will show you how to create great apps.

Bring your ideas to life
The hands-on labs at WWDC provide an unparalleled opportunity for you to meet and work with the Apple engineers responsible for creating the technologies that power iOS and Mac OS X. Take advantage of this collaborative working environment to apply the inspiration and knowledge you gain from the sessions to bring your new ideas to life.
Make new connections
Thousands of developers from around the world attend WWDC, creating a unique setting for you to make new connections. Strike up a conversation with other developers, create relationships that go beyond your week at WWDC, and gain inspiration from how your peers are using Apple technologies.

From Apple.com

AT&T To Purchase T-Mobile USA

Ma Bell is back? Well not yet anyway. AT&T swooped in and has decided to purchase the US off shoot of T-Mobile. Recently rumors had been swirling of Sprint gobbling up the 4th largest carrier, but to no avail. Some look at this as a monopoly in the making, AT&T becoming the largest GSM carrier in the states, with only Verizon and Sprint remaining. However there are tons of regional carriers who piggyback off of the big guys, so people will still have plenty of choices. I for one am both happy and sad. Happy in the fact that I can now have an iPhone which isn’t jailbroken and unlocked (I’m not saying I still wont do it of course). And sad because I know my extremely cheap T-Mobile plan will be gone out of the window. Here is the basic run down of the proposed deal that should go through.

AT&T Cracking Down On MyWi Users

Well that seemed to take a while. AT&T seems to finally have dropped the ban hammer on jail broken tethering app users. In a text message sent out to quite a few unsuspecting folks, AT&T has given an ultimatum. Either do nothing and het your plan changed to the 4GB tethering option. Or quit using tethering on your iPhone. I wonder which route a majority of folks are going to take. Personally I still have an issue with a carrier telling a user how the can use their data which has been paid for, especially unlimited plan owners. Changing a persons plan without speaking to them, which I think will be the norm, just isn’t cool in my book. Have any of you guys gotten this message from AFee&Fee? If so post up and let us know how you handled it.

iPad Availability Pushed Back……Again

At this point if you don’t already have your iPad 2, it’s probably going to take awhile for you to get one. Apple has once again pushed back the shipping dates from 2-3 weeks to 4-5 weeks. Of course this is only for online orders. You still can’t try and hit up the Apple Store, each and everyday, and try to score one there. The release of the iPad 2 has been a strange one. Apple touted multiple retailers were going to be offering the device, possibly lower the need to wait in line, and giving more options for the magical device to be had by all. What they didn’t tell you is that most of these stores only got one model, and in one color. And only 5 total. Best Buy now has a reservation system in check. You can put down a deposit of $100 in the form of a gift card, and they will reserve the model of iPad you like. They won’t however tell you when another shipment is expected. You will get one of course, but when is up to them. I personally took the Apple Store route and waited in line with about 500 other people. I admit it was probably a foolish to waste most of the day standing in line for, but I am happy I am writing this from my iPad 2.

iPhone 5 In The Wild

It looks like the iPhone 5, might just turn out to be an iPhone 3GS type upgrade. More ram, better camera, additional memory. Evolutionary not Revolutionary.

Update: The serial number indicates that this particular prototype was produced in early 2010. So, while Apple may be working on a 64GB iPhone in the future, this particular one was an old prototype that pre-dated the launch of the iPhone 4.

iPad 2 day is here!

With the announcement presumably of the iPad 2 just hours away, some new pictures have surfaced from China!  These mock-ups seem to shift the iPad’s looks to that of a giant iPod Touch with it’s new sloped design.  So what’s new with iPad 2? The 3G antenna is white in these pictures and I assume the finished product might be black. The speaker is much larger and of course the front and rear facing camera.  We also see a white iPad and earlier this week we saw the leaked white front bezel iPad, so that’s something we may see.  Other than that, these are all speculation which will soon be confirmed or proven wrong in just a few hours. Don’t we love the rumors? See more images after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

MobileMe Changes In The Works?

In a letter to shareholders, Apple has finally reviled what the gigantic data center in North Carolina is intended for. Since construction began, many have speculated to the function of this new building. Reports varied from MobileMe backups to Cloud iTunes storage. Apple also said at its shareholder meeting that the North Carolina facility will be the company’s second data center. The Mac maker has a multi-million dollar facility in Newark, Calif., that was originally built for telecommunications company MCI WorldCom. In addition, another report suggested that Apple’s cloud plans would instead have users serve up their own files from a home computer. Content such as music could be streamed over the Internet to a connected device like an iPhone, as long as the “host” computer is active. Exactly how the MobileMe will be changed should possibly be answered today with the iPad 2 announcement.

iOS 4.3 Dropping Soon?

iPad 2 day is rapidly approaching, and with that the possible release of iOS 4.3. The beta has been available for developers, for a short time, and its believed the software update is complete and ready to be unleashed. Hit the break for iOS 4.3 features.

Read the rest of this entry »

AT&T Serves Mobile HotSpot in iOS 4.3Beta

The Verizon iPhone 4 separated itself from its AT&T counterpart when launched with mobile hotspot ability. Allowing 5 or less wifi enabled devices to piggy back on its data network. Not to be outdone AT&T has enabled the same feature in the 4.3Beta supplied by Apple. The feature is similar to the Verizon iPhone, giving you the ability to connect your iPad or laptop to your iPhone’s data connection. The 4.3 software update has not been released yet, so we do not know if this is just to test AT&T’s network for a possible roll out, or whether this will be a go from the start.

Will Apple Acquire Sony?

The issue of recent acquisition claims started to ramp up earlier this month, when on a conference call Steve Jobs answered the question, ‘what would his company do with the nearly 51 Billion is cash’? He answered there might be one or more strategic opportunities available in the future. Many industry experts took it to mean a possible acquisition of one or more companies whose integration with Apple would help the Cupertino giant. Steve Jobs recently had dinner with FaceBook CEO Mark Zuckerberg leading many to believe Apple was interested in purchasing the social networking site. However many analysts are saying the meeting was about the use of FaceBook in PING, Apple social networking feature. Sony was named another company Apple would be interested in purchasing. Apple has shown considerable interest in taking over the media streaming section, and an acquisition of Sony would allow Apple to get the AppleTV software experience in many more households across America. Sony stock rose yesterday 3 percent from the news of a possible buyout, but then fell after reality set in that Apple would rather stash their cash for something bigger in the future.