Apple To Provide Live Video Stream Of Tomorrow's Event

Apple has announced that they will be providing a live video stream of tomorrow's event.  The stream can be viewed on Apple.com at 10a PT / 1p ET.  To view the video, you will need to have a Mac running OS 10.6 or an iOS device with version 3.0 or higher.

USA Today Restructuring; Shifting Focus To Digital Distribution

The Associated Press reports newspaper USA Today will be restructured to focus more on digital devices like the iPad and less on physical print. 

"We have to go where the audience is," Hillkirk (John Hillkirk, USA Today Editor) said. "If people are hitting the iPad like crazy, or the iPhone or other mobile devices, we've got to be there with the content they want, when they want it."

The changes will result in the loss of 9% of USA Today's current staff, approximately 130 jobs. It will be interesting to see if this newspaper can successfully migrate its business to digital distribution.  If they are successful, others should start to follow quickly.

StreamTV Elocity A7 Android Table Coming September?

Engadget has an interesting post about a new Android based tablet they had a chance to take a look at.

Specs: 

• 7" capacitive touch screen


• 1 Ghz Tegra 2 processor


• 800 x 480 resolution


• 1.3 mp front facing camera


• SD Card slot


• USB & HDMI ports


• Android 2.2 coming in October, 2.1 in September


• HDMI cable & wireless keyboard included


• Price: $399 via Amazon

This tablet sounds interesting and might be a good product, if it actually is released.  There have been plenty of table announcements with little actually making it to market.

Rumor: Apple's New iPod Nano To A Have Major Redesign?

Image via AppleInsider

Rumors have been swirling around the Internet about the design of the iPod nano. AppleInsider published a story stating the new nano will resemble an iPod shuffle instead of a nano.  They believe the nano will loose its click wheel and the screen will be replaced with a 3cm x 3cm touch screen.  This is the same screen that appeared earlier this year and every rumor site has been trying to find product for it to go in (the previous rumor was a new remote for the AppleTV).

We'll see if this rumor is true this Wednesday, September 1st at Apple's media event.  I'm not sure how usable this form factor would be.  Keep checking Digital Copy Room for more updates.

Apple Updates Pages To Add ePub Export Feature

In a surprise move, Apple updated the current version of Pages, Apple's word processing program, to include ePub export. ePub is the format Apple uses for its iBooks application, on iOS devices such as the iPad. Pages has supported PDF document export, so with the addition of ePub, Pages becomes an increasingly important document creation tool.

Many tech sites are speculating that Apple will release the next version of its iLife and iWork software packages and this update takes some of steam out of those rumors.

MPEG LA Makes H.264 Royalty Free For End Users

In a move that should help HTML 5 adaption, MPEG LA has decided to allow H.264 video playback to be royalty free.  H.264 is one of the proposed specs for HTML 5 video for streaming online content.  Unfortunately, for-profit content providers will still need to pay licensing fees to use this technology. 

 

Press Release: 

For Immediate Release

CONTACT:

Tom O’Reilly MPEG LA, LLC Tel: 303.200.1710 Fax: 301.986.8575 toreilly@mpegla.com

MPEG LA’s AVC License Will Not Charge Royalties for Internet Video that is Free to End Users through Life of License

(DENVER, CO, US – 26 August 2010) – MPEG LA announced today that its AVC Patent Portfolio License will continue not to charge royalties for Internet Video that is free to end users (known as “Internet Broadcast AVC Video”) during the entire life of this License. MPEG LA previously announced it would not charge royalties for such video through December 31, 2015 (seehttp://www.mpegla.com/Lists/MPEG%20LA%20News%20List/Attachments/226/n-10-02-02.pdf), and today’s announcement makes clear that royalties will continue not to be charged for such video beyond that time. Products and services other than Internet Broadcast AVC Video continue to be royalty-bearing.

MPEG LA's AVC Patent Portfolio License provides access to essential patent rights for theAVC/H.264 (MPEG-4 Part 10) digital video coding standard. In addition to Internet Broadcast AVCVideo, MPEG LA’s AVC Patent Portfolio License provides coverage for devices that decode and encode AVC video, AVC video sold to end users for a fee on a title or subscription basis and free television video services. AVC video is used in set-top boxes, media player and other personal computer software, mobile devices including telephones and mobile television receivers, Blu-rayDiscTM players and recorders, Blu-ray video optical discs, game machines, personal media player devices and still and video cameras.

For more information about MPEG LA’s AVC License or to request a copy of the License, please visit http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/AVC/Pages/Intro.aspx .

Apple Media Event Scheduled For September 1st

Image via Engadget

Engadget reports Apple has started sending out invitations for a media event being held September 1st at 10am PT / 1pm ET.  This should be Apple's annual iPod refresh.  Will Apple give us "one more thing" by unveiling the rumored iTV or the iPad Nano?  We'll have to wait and see.  Digital Copy Room will provide a full run down and analysis of the day's announcements.

Apple May Start To Detect Unauthorized iOS Devices

MacRumors reports Apple has been granted a new patent (application # 20100207721) for detecting unauthorized users of electronic devices.  The patent is generating controversy about how Apple plans to use the technology, if they decide to do so. I believe Apple may already be using this idea with the find my iPhone feature.  Through Apple's MobileMe service, users can locate lost iPhones via GPS & WiFi data.  Additionally, users can permanently lock their phones, so their data cannot be stolen.

There is some fear that Apple may use the technology to disable jailbroken devices.  It may not be in Apple's best interest to do this.  How else will Apple continue to add features users want without being able to "borrow" them from the jailbreak community.

One of the more scary ideas about this patent is the spy camera function.  If the device's location is trying to be determined and all available data is being gathered, there are some privacy concerns about the photos that may be taken with the built in camera.  Hopefully, malware authors do not find a way to activate this system and start taking photos of users in all kinds of situations.

At this time, there is no need to panic.  There should be discussions held about how Apple and other vendors intend to implement this type of technology.  There should be limits set to ensure consumer's privacy is not compromised in an effort to "protect them".

Seagate's 3TB Hard Drive

Seagate has released the world's first 3TB hard drive.  Currently, the drive only comes in an external version; an internal model is expected to be released later this year.  Seagate is able to get 3TB in a single drive by using 5 600GB platters inside the drive.

Specs:

• Model: Seagate Freeagent Goflex Desk 3 TB External Drive STAC3000100


• External enclosure


• USB 3.0 & 2.0, Firewire 800, Ethernet connectivity


• 7200RPM


• 32MB Cache


• 5 - 600GB Platters 

Anandtech has a full review of this drive.  If you are thinking about buying this drive and cracking it open to use it internally, definitely check out the review.

Securely Delete Data From Old Hard Drives

If you are thinking about selling or disposing your old hard drives and computers, you need to make sure data cannot be retrieved from the drives.  Darik's Boot and Nuke is a great free resource for this.  Download the file and create a bootable CD and nuke those drives. Just be careful to select the correct drive!

Convert Your Movies To Play On iPad & iPhone

Converting your favorite movie to play on your iOS device is easy.  The biggest hurdle in the process is the time it takes to convert the video to the correct format.  iOS plays H.264 mp4 videos using the m4v extention.  

There are 2 free software programs required to convert your videos and both programs are available for OS X, Windows, and Linux!  Although you need to install 2 programs, the only program you need to launch is Handbrake.  Handbrake handles all the video encoding, but it can also decrypt your videos using VLC.

 

 

Encoding your videos: 

• Install VLC and Handbrake


• Launch Handbrake


• Select video source (dvd or already ripped video files)


• Select your preset- In Handbrake 0.94, I found AppleTV Legacy works on my iPod Touch, iPad, computer, and WDTV)


• Sit back and relax, it may take a while.  Encoding a 2hr movie on my Core Duo iMac takes about 2hrs.  Newer computer are much faster but there is still plenty of room for speed improvements.

 

 One nice feature of Handbrake is its ability to queue video encodings.  To do this, you will need to have your video source files ripped ahead of time.  You can use any program you like.  For Mac OS X, my favorite program is RipIt. 

 

Now just import your encoded video into iTunes.  If you want, you can right click on the file in iTunes and select properties or Get Info (depending on your operating system) and click on the Artwork tab.  In this tab, you can paste your favorite movie poster or DVD cover into the file.

Sync your device and your all done.  Enjoy your movie anywhere you want!

webOS Tablet Coming Early 2011

Pre|Central reports that during HP's conference call, HP responded to a question asking if tablets are impacting the sales of netbooks.  For the first time, HP confirmed that they will be shipping a webOS based tablet in early 2011.  webOS is the platform that HP acquired when they purchased Palm.

Data Hog Uses An Impressive 2.7TB In A Month!

Ars Technica reports that a single user of the Begian ISP Telenet used a massive 2.7TB of data in a single month.  There were other users that consumed extreme amounts of data, 1.9TB, 1.5TB, 1.3TB, as well.  Telenet published the data in a forum, to persuade users to update their limited bandwidth service to plans with higher monthly data allowance.

Well, 2.7TB is a lot of Linux distributions to download in a single month!

iPad Shortage Begins To Ease

 

If you are thinking about purchasing an iPad, there is some good news.  Expected ship time on Apple.com has been reduced from 7-10 business days to 3-5 business days.  Additionally, it seems most accessories are available within 24hrs with the exception of the extremely popular camera connection kit which now ships in 5-7 business days (down from 4-6 weeks).

Magazine Subscriptions Come To The iPad

Apple and Time Inc. have agreed to allow print subscribers free access to the iPad version of People Magazine, according to a report from CNNMoney.  Other Time Inc. magazines such as Time, Sports Illustrated, and Fortune are expected to adopt the same model within the next 30 days.  

With this new policy change, expect other publishers to ask for the same deal from Apple.  Hopefully, subscriptions for all magazines will be available on the iPad very soon.

DVD reVIEW: Back To The Future

This past weekend, I watched Back To The Future for the first time.  In this tragic coming of age tale, hero BiffTannen (Thomas F. Wilson) is tormented by his childhood rival George McFly (Crispin Glover).  The 25 year old movie starts off in the then current year of 1985. As George McFly's supervisor, Tannen is constantly having to go over to McFly's house to follow up on George's sloppy work habits.  George McFly's son, Marty, hangs out with a crazy white haired mad scientist, Dr. Emmett  Brown, (Christopher Lloyd) that keeps inventing useless things.  Through a freak accident, Dr. Brown invents a time machine in the shape of a car (1978 Ford Pinto).

Marty steals the time machine from Dr. Brown and proceeds to travel back to 1955 to ruin Biff's life.  The junior McFly prevents his mother from falling in love with a young gentlemanly Biff.  In addition, Marty vandalises Biff's new car.  After ensuring Biff's future will be in shambles, Marty travels back to 1985 to rub it inBiff's face.  The movie ends with Dr. Brown pulling up in the pinto yelling at Marty and his girlfriend to get in.  The car starts to fly in the air and proceeds to travel through time with "To Be Continued" displaying on the screen. 

In Back To The Future 2, I predict that Biff was wearing a "Doctor Brown" mask in the last scene of the 1st Back To The Future.  He is probably taking Marty and Jennifer back to 1955 to take care of business!  I guess I will know next weekend.

Chrome OS Based Tablet Coming November 26th?

 

In a report from the downloadsquad, Google is apparently building a Chrome OS based tablet.  The tablet is rumored to be built by HTC, the same company that built the Android based smartphone, the Nexus One.  Additionally, the tablet is expected to be heavily subsidized by Verizon, which would make the initial purchase price cheaper than the iPad (not counting the monthly data service).  Downloadsquad's source did not provide any specs for the tablet.  The reported ship date is Black Friday 2010. 

Google Having Trouble Selling GoogleTV To Media Companies?

Extra Extra..... From the land of dinosaur media companies, Google having trouble selling the idea of GoogleTV!

We knew it would be difficult to negotiate content deals for GoogleTV.  The Wall Street Journal is reporting media companies are worried about cannibalizing the traditional broadcast model with online video.  Media companies are concerned because they currently earn less money with online advertising.  In addition, GoogleTV would enable more competition for content displayed on TVs.

I believe all video will be web based someday. Content owners that adapt to this new business model early will be in a better position to compete in this market.

GetGlue - A Social Network For Movies, TV, Music, & Books

DCR reader John Gomeringer recommended the social network GetGlue in our forums. GetGlue allows users to build a profile of the movies, TV shows, music, and books they like and then get personal recommendations for new content.  You can also follow your favorite director, artist, or author so you never miss any new releases! If you are looking for some good recommendations, you might want to check this site out.

If you have a topic you would like to see featured on this site, stop by the forums and let us know!

Is The Droid 2 Having Signal Issues?

 

MobileCrunch reports that Motorola's Droid 2 may be having signal issues similar to the iPhone 4.  While it is too early to tell if this issue is widespread, 6 review units are exhibiting this behavior and the comment thread on MobileCrunch's thread is filling up with complaints.  If there is a problem, is it hardware related like the iPhone 4, a software bug, or a problem with Verizon's network?  Is antennagate coming to Android? Let's hope not!

iPad Tip: Watch Xvid AVI Videos On Your iPad

The video codec for iOS devices has been restricted to h.264 mp4 files, until now.  For some unknown reason, Apple has approved the CineXPlayer app for the iPad.  CineXPlayer allows you to transfer Xvid AVI videos to your iPad via iTunes file sharing and play them from the app.  Support for all Xvids is not 100% and the developer is currently working on improvements.  The best feature of the app is its price, free!  Go download it now incase Apple has a change of heart.

Here Comes The Axon Haptic Tablet

CrunchGear reports on a new multi-operating system tablet called the Axon Haptic.  The tablet will be available to pre-order this week and sells for $750US ($800US once it ships).

At first glance, this tablet looks like a winner. It has a 1.6Ghz Atom processor, 10" screen, 320GB Hard Drive, 2GB RAM, 3 USB ports, web cam, and can run Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.  Reality slowly settles in when you realize the screen is resistive and requires a stylus. In addition, Axon installed Darwin on separate EFI partition so you could install Mac OS X on it.  Installing OS X on non Apple hardware is in violation of Apple's terms of use for OS X. I'm not against creating a Hackintosh computer, however I would be careful spending $800 on a tablet that I was afraid to run software updates on.

One additional note of concern is the design of the company's website.  While most areas are still under construction, the general design is a cheap knockoff Apple.com

Specs:

• 1.6GHz Atom N270


• 10″ 1024×600 LED-backlit LCD


• Resistive touchscreen w/ built-in stylus


• 2GB RAM


• 2.5″ 320GB Hard Drive


• 1.3MP webcam


• Wi-Fi (A/B/G/N)


• 3G SIM slot 


• Built-in speaker


• 3x USB, Headphone, mic, ethernet, VGA ports, card reader


• On-screen keyboard and handwriting recognition


• Removable battery (3000mAh, ~3hrs)


• 0.9kg (just under 2lb)

Google Introduces Voice Actions For Android

Google has introduced Voice Actions for Android.  With Voice Actions, you can speak to access music, directions, find and call contacts, search Google, send emails and more.  The app requires Android 2.2 and is included in the updated Voice Search app

Commands currently available (from Google's blog):

• send text to [contact] [message]


• listen to [artist/song/album]


• call [business]


• call [contact]


• send email to [contact] [message]


• go to [website]


• note to self [note]


• navigate to [location/business name]


• directions to [location/business name]


• map of [location]

Oracle Files Patent and Copyright Infringement Complaint Against Google

Oracle has filed a complaint against Google for copyright and patient infringement in the development of the Android operating system.

"In developing Android, Google knowingly, directly and repeatedly infringed Oracle's Java-related intellectual property. This lawsuit seeks appropriate remedies for their infringement," said Oracle spokesperson Karen Tillman.

Oracle acquired Java when they purchased Sun Microsystems in April 2009.

Ukrainian Authorities Shut Down Kickass Torrents

TorrentFreak reports that popular torrent site Kickass Torrents has been taken down by the Ukrainian authorities.  The site was shut down after their hosting provider, Mhost, was contacted with concerns about the site's activities.  The torrent site's founders are currently relocating their servers outside the Ukraine and hopes to have the Kickass Torrents back up within the next few days.  This practice has become common with torrent sites; as soon as a government shuts it down, it reopens in another country.

Apple Fixes iOS PDF Flaw With iOS 4.02 & 3.2.2

Apple has updated iOS to address the PDF security flaw that allowed devices to be jailbroken via jailbreakme.com.  The iPhone / iPod Touch version has been updated to version 4.02 and the iPad version is 3.2.2.  There is no word if there will be an update for older iPhones / iPod Touches running iOS 3.

Dell Streak Goes On Sale August 13th

Friday the 13th may prove to be lucky for people waiting for Dell to release the Streak, a massive 5" screen smart phone.  General sales will begin this Friday with pre-sale registrants being able to place their orders on the 12th.  The Streak will sell for $299.99 with a 2 year contact on AT&T and $549.99 without a contract.

Specs:

• Android 1.6 (Hopefully an update will come sooner than later)


• Snapdragon 1GHz processor


• 3G + Wi-Fi + Bluetooth


• GSM Chipset


• 5 MP Autofocus camera with dual LED flash. 


• Micro SD slot

Press Release

Western Digital Launches WD Elements Play

Western Digital has released the WD Elements Play, a product that combines an external hard drive and WDTV media player.  Most of the basic features of the WDTV are available in this model, however this drive does not appear to be network compatible.  The Elements Play is available in a 1TB or 2TB version.

Specs:

• 1080p resolution


• Supported video codecs:

AVI (Xvid, AVC, MPEG1/2/4)
MPG/MPEG
VOB/ISO
MP4/MOV (MPEG4, h.264)
MKV (h.264, x.264, AVC, MPEG1/2/4)
TS/TP/M2TS (MPEG 1/2/4, AVC)
FLV (D1 resolution only)
RM or RMVB 8/9/10

• USB ports for extra storage


• Digital camera compatible for viewing photos from camera


• Can play video, music, photos from hard drive


• HDMI & composite video connections

WD Elements Play User Manual

QNAP App Allows Multimedia Streaming To iOS Devices

QNAP has launched an Application in Apple's iOS App Store that allows multimedia streaming from their NAS products.  To enable the feature, the NAS needs to have the QNAP v3.3 NAS management utility update applied to it.  The App is a free download, and allows you to stream your music, photos, and videos over WiFi or 3G.  QNAP also includes MyJukebox, a feature that enables browsing for playlists created on the NAS, without using iTunes. 

Source: Hot HardWare

Fired HP CEO Getting $40m Severance

File this one under " Are You Kidding Me?"!  Multiple sources are reporting HP CEO Mark Hurd was fired for filing false expense reports to conceal his mistress.  In addition to losing his job, Mr. Hurd is punished my receiving a $40 million (cash & stock) severance.  So he cheated on his wife, stole from the company he ran, and filed false reports.  HP should be forced to spend that money on hiring some of the millions of unemployed Americans, not giving it to that A-Hole!

iPod Touch, iOS 4 Event Scheduled For Mid August?

The MacMagazine received a tip that an iPod Touch / iOS 4 for iPad event is scheduled sometime between August 14th and 16th.  MacMagazine points out that Apple events are usually done on Tuesdays, so the event could be held on the 16th or 17th (Monday or Tuesday).  This event would fall about a month earlier than the usually scheduled Fall iPod event.  Could Apple be positioning the iPod Touch as a different device as I speculated in this previous editorial?

Google Kills Wave

Google announced that they officially killed Google Wave.  The product was promoted as the next generation of online collaboration.  Many people thought it might kill email or instant messaging.  Others thought Wave would replace Microsoft SharePoint or Wikis in the enterprise market.  The one constant about the product was confusion.  Wave was difficult to implement, use, and find a good purpose for.

R.I.P. Google Wave 2009-2010

Mac OS X Tip: Popular Terminal Commands

Show hidden files in Finder

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE

Change TRUE back to FALSE to hide files

Both commands require the Finder to be restarted

 

Enable Safari debug menu

defaults write com.apple.safari IncludeDebugMenu 1

Change 1 to 0 to disable

 

Disable Dashboard

defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES

Change YES to NO to enable

Both commands require you to restart the dock by typing killall Dock in the Terminal

 

Changes all mail to plain text

defaults write com.apple.mail PreferPlainText -bool TRUE

Change TRUE to FALSE to undo

 

Disable unexpectedly quit dialog from application crash

defaults write com.apple.CrashReporter DialogType none

Change none to prompt to enable

Windows 7 Tip Covert External Hard Drives To NTFS

Converting an external hard drive to NTFS in Windows 7 is easy.  Key in the below command in the command prompt:

convert e: /fs: ntfs

Replace e with the drive letter you want to convert.

The external hard drive will need to have enough free space to convert the drive.  There is a risk of file corruption with any command that modifies the file system, so make sure to back up your data before proceeding.

Clear Offers $25mo Unlimited Data Access Point

Clear has a $25 a month unlimited data plan for its new iSpot device.  The iSpot uses Clear's 4g network to give you mobile WiFi access for all of your Apple mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, ect).  The regular retail price for the iSpot is stated to be $99, but I found it on their site for $29 (today only).  The service is pay as you go, so there is no contract required.  The only drawback is that you need to be in a market that has Clear service. 

Microsoft Teases A New Device On Twitter

The Microsoft Hardware Team @msfthardware teased a new product on Twitter.  Yesterday, they tweeted "Don’t be so touchy…flat is where it’s at.” and today posted the above image on twitpic.  Is this product Microsoft's answer to Apple's Magic TrackPad?  Is it the back of a Windows Phone 7 smartphone or even a new Zune?  I'm sure we'll find out soon.

FridgePad Coming Soon

Images Courtesy Woodford Design

Woodford Design plans to release the FridgePad, an aluminum constructed iPad mount, this fall.  The FridgePad magnetically mounts to your refrigerator and snuggly secures the iPad in place.  The product will be available on Amazon and there is no current retail price.

Jailbreak For iOS 4 Released

A new jailbreak for iOS 4 has been released and the mod is very simple to do. On your iOS device, launch Safari and go to jailbreakme.com.  Once there, move the jailbreak slider to the right. That is all that's required!  The jailbreak downloads and installs without needing to be tethered to a computer.  The process took about 3 minutes on my 3rd generation iPod Touch.  My iPod successfully synced to iTunes 9.2.1 after Cydia was installed.  Now a warning; jailbreaking can brick your device and Apple has said they will void warranties on jailbroken devices ( I guess devices that can't be restored before requiring service), so proceed with caution and at your own risk. 

Zombie TV Series Coming In October!

Finally, there will be a weekly zombie based TV series!  AMC will air the series The Walking Dead this October. Season 1 of The Walking Dead will be 6 hour long episodes.  Let's hope for a season 2!

Public Libraries Are The Largest Video Store In U.S.

The Consumerist reports that a recent survey from the Online Computer Library Center claims that U.S. public libraries lend 2.1 million videos a day.  This beats Netflix (2 million), Redbox (1.4 million), and Blockbuster (1.2 million).  While you are at the library, don't forget most also lend music cds.  Additionally, some libraries may have an expanded children's play area like Baltimore County Public Library's Storyville. Of course, you can still borrow books from the library as well.