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+-   Going Head To Head With Genius on Playlists[->] on Thursday November 05, @02:39AM brownerthanu

Submitted by brownerthanu on Thursday November 05, @02:39AM
music
brownerthanu writes "(This is a re-submit with the second paragraph revised to include an important part of the story.)

Engineers at the University of California, San Diego are developing a system to include an ignored sector of music, deemed the 'long tail', in music recommendations. It's well known that radio suffers from a popularity bias where the most popular songs receive an inordinate amount of exposure. In Apple's music recommender system, iTunes' Genius, this bias is magnified. An underground artist will never be recommended in a playlist due to insufficient data. It's an artifact of the popular collaborative filtering recommender algorithm, which Genius is based on.

In order to establish a more holistic model of the music world, Luke Barrington and researchers at the Computer Audition Laboratory have created a machine learning system which classifies songs in an automated, Pandora-like, fashion. Instead of using humans to explicitly categorize individual songs, they capture the wisdom of the crowds via a Facebook game, Herd It, and use the data to train statistical models. The machine can then "listen to", describe and recommend any song, popular or not. As more people play the game, the machines get smarter. Their experiments show that automatic recommendations work at least as well as Genius for recommending undiscovered music."
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+-   Apple Not Disabling OS X Atom Support After All[->] on Wednesday November 04, @05:03PM bonch

Submitted by bonch on Wednesday November 04, @05:03PM
intel
bonch writes "Contrary to previous reports, Atom chip support is working fine in the latest 10C535 build of OS X 10.6.2. Apple's EULA still states that OS X is licensed to run only on Apple hardware, but it looks like OSX86 hackers can breathe easy...for now."
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Comments: 3 +-   Mac Trojan is has a GUI and is Fun[->] on Wednesday November 04, @04:43PM ProfessionalCookie

Submitted by ProfessionalCookie on Wednesday November 04, @04:43PM
mac
ProfessionalCookie writes "A retro computer game/art project released for Mac this September has been labeled a trojan by Symantec. The project was unique enough to warrant a video showing it deleting files during gameplay. The twist is that the game plainly states what will happen if you play, as noted in their writeup. While the declaration pulls it out of trojan territory for the likes of slashdot, Appleinsider notes that the game has also been declared a threat by the anti-virus companies Sophos and Intego. Who wants to play?"
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+-   Is Apple building the ultimate computer factory?[->] on Wednesday November 04, @10:30AM Anonymous Coward

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 04, @10:30AM
apple
An anonymous reader writes "Digital Daily notes that Apple’s recent 10-K filing with the SEC makes mention of some new capital expenditures, specifically “product tooling and manufacturing process equipment.” More interesting still, Apple has budgeted $1.9 billion in capital expenditures for fiscal 2010. That’s 70 percent more than the $1.1 billion it spent in 2009. Could the company be gearing up to recreate the Ultimate Computer Factory Steve Jobs built at NeXT?"
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Comments: 2 +-   Adobe Blames Apple For Lack Of Flash On iPhone[->] on Wednesday November 04, @06:17AM MojoKid

Submitted by MojoKid on Wednesday November 04, @06:17AM
apple
MojoKid writes "Adobe has tried a number of things in its attempt to get Apple to take down enough barriers so the company can get Flash ported on to the iPhone and so far, nothing has worked. It's obviously a frustrating situation because a large wealth of video content being offered on the internet is drive by flash video players that are currently not supported on the device. In Adobe's latest attempt to get Apple to wake up and smell the coffee, the company is spelling it out to you, the end user, as to why you can't get Flash on one of the world's most popular handsets. Last month, Adobe did announce that the forthcoming Flash CS5 Professional would allow developers to write applications in Flash that can be compiled to run on the iPhone. Whether Apple will respond to this is anyone's guess"
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+-   What Security Might Look Like in a Decade[->] on Tuesday November 03, @10:39AM Anonymous Coward

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 03, @10:39AM
google
An anonymous reader writes "Esther Dyson, a former chair of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the ICANN, predicted the future evolution of information technology. Her prognostication lay on the premise that current private measures regarding computer security take hold across countries and societies. If that proposition holds true, she thinks it's likely that Microsoft and Apple will take more care to patch the vulnerabilities in their products, Google will alarm you more thoroughly if you search comes up with potentially dangerous links and that Comcast will declare war on botnets. And all of that she sees happening in this next decade."
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+-   Jailbroken iPhones Held Hostage by Dutch Hacker on Tuesday November 03, @09:36AM Pickens

Submitted by Pickens on Tuesday November 03, @09:36AM
security
Pickens writes "Ars Technica reports that a Dutch hacker has attacked a number of vulnerable phones on T-mobile Netherlands and tried to extort €5 from them using port scanning to identify jailbroken iPhones with SSH running. The hack was possible because jailbreaking an iPhone involves enabling an SSH service on the handset, and users who then failed to change the default password left their device open to anyone with a modicum of technical knowledge and time on their hands .He then sent what appears to be an SMS alert to the hacked phones that read, "Your iPhone's been hacked because it's really insecure! Please visit doiop.com/iHacked and secure your iPhone right now! Right now, I can access all your files." Going to the website directs the user to send €5 to a PayPal account, after which the hacker will e-mail instructions to remove the hack—which most likely involve restoring the iPhone to factory settings. "The incident highlights the fact that jailbreaking removes the security mechanisms that Apple has in place for the iPhone OS—which are as much about securing the device against hackers as they are about preventing "unauthorized" applications," writes Chris Foresman. "If you do jailbreak, then the onus of security is on you, so be sure to change the root password to something other than the default.""
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+-   Apple Floods Google With Anti-Microsoft Ads[->] on Monday November 02, @09:57PM bennyboy64

Submitted by bennyboy64 on Monday November 02, @09:57PM
microsoft
bennyboy64 writes "iTnews reports that Apple has launched a cheeky advertising campaign in which it mocks its rival, Microsoft, using search engine advertising on Google, Yahoo and Bing. The campaign, which pokes fun at Microsoft’s latest operating system Windows 7, promotes the fact that its products would enable users to 'avoid Windows 7 headaches' by making 'the switch to Mac'."
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+-   Apple’s iTunes Pitch: TV for $30 a Month[->] on Monday November 02, @04:00PM wkurzius

Submitted by wkurzius on Monday November 02, @04:00PM
apple
wkurzius writes "Apple is looking to compete head on with the cable companies with a subscription-based service for television. "Would you pay $30 a month to watch TV via iTunes? That'(TM)s the pitch Apple has been making to TV networks in recent weeks. The company is trying to round up support for a monthly subscription service that would deliver TV programs via its multimedia software...""
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Comments: 1 +-   OSX 10.6.2 to block Atom processors[->] on Monday November 02, @01:15PM Archeopteryx

Submitted by Archeopteryx on Monday November 02, @01:15PM
apple
Archeopteryx writes "According to Wired's "Gadget Lab" blog, the next update to OSX "Snow Leopard," which will be 10.6.2 will block the Atom processor and will disable many "Hackintosh" netbooks. Indeed it is true that OSX will run just fine on some netbooks if you install the right drivers and ktexts, but Apple's EULA has always specified that the license was applicable only to Apple hardware. There have always been processor types specified in OSX and that has to be worked-around now for those who want to use an Atom or similar non-Apple-adopted processor, so this is likely no more than a hiccup on the road for the OSX 86 crowd.

BUT, it raises the question; Is it time for Apple to sell a license for non-Apple hardware — priced accordingly of course — for those people who want OSX on platform types Apple has not yet adopted, like the netbook?

The only reason OSX is not on my Eee is that I want to comply with the licensing terms, and wish I could just pay for a license to use it."
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+-   Apple Blocks Palm Pre iTunes synching... again. on Monday November 02, @07:30AM Ihmhi

Submitted by Ihmhi on Monday November 02, @07:30AM
apple
Ihmhi writes "Apple’s latest version of iTunes (9.0.2) that rolled out Thursday evening breaks the Palm Pre’s ability to sync with iTunes software. The development should be no surprise to Palm Pre owners using iTunes, as it is the third time this year that Apple has disabled the Pre from syncing its multimedia with iTunes."
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+-   Books overtake Games on iPhone[->] on Sunday November 01, @11:20PM ruphus13

Submitted by ruphus13 on Sunday November 01, @11:20PM
apple
ruphus13 writes "In a sign that ebooks are rising in popularity, a recent survey by mobile analytics company Flurry revealed that users may be using the iPhone for more 'intellectual' pursuits, and not just the visual sizzle. The 'book-related' apps on the iPhone overtook games in terms of new apps released, and one out of every five apps released were eBooks. According to the post, "Book-related apps saw an upsurge in launches in September, according to a survey conducted by Flurry, a San Francisco-based mobile application analytics company. So much so, that book-related applications overtook games in the App Store as a percentage of all released apps. The trend isn’t an aberration. In October, one out of every five new applications launching on the iPhone was a book...Because from August 2008 to the same month in 2009, more apps were released in the “games” category than any other and, as a result, the iPhone (and iPod touch) became a new handheld gaming platform, one that impacted Nintendo DS. The Japanese game device maker acknowledged that the iPhone and iPod touch were among the reasons why its profits declined drastically in the most recent quarter...The sharp rise in e-book activity on the iPhone indicates that Apple is positioned to take market share from the Amazon Kindle as it did from the Nintendo DS.""
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+-   Speech-to-Speech Translator Developed for iPhone on Wednesday October 28, @04:57PM Ponca City, We love you

Submitted by Ponca City, We love you on Wednesday October 28, @04:57PM
programming
Ponca City, We love you writes "Dr. Dobbs reports that Alex Waibel, professor of computer science and language technologies at Carnegie Mellon University, has developed an iPhone application that turns the iPhone into a translator that converts English speech into Spanish, or vice versa. Users simply speak a sentence or two at a time into the iPhone and the iPhone will respond with an audible translation. "Jibbigo's software runs on the iPhone itself, so it doesn't need to be connected to the Web to access a distant server," says Waibel. Waibel is an leader in speech-to-speech translation and multimodal speech interfaces, creating the first real-time, speech-to-speech translator for English, German and Japanese. "Automated speech translation is an expensive proposition that has been supported primarily by large government grants," says Waibel. "But our sponsors are impatient to see this technology become more widely available and we, as researchers, are eager to find new revenues that will help us extend this technology to more of the 6,000 languages now spoken worldwide.""
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+-   Review: Psystar's Rebel EFI Hackintosh Tool[->] on Monday October 26, @05:13PM CWmike

Submitted by CWmike on Monday October 26, @05:13PM
mac
CWmike writes "While the world focused on Microsoft's launch of Windows 7, Florida-based Psystar quietly launched Rebel EFI, a software product that should worry Apple a lot more than Microsoft's latest operating system. Rebel EFI allows users to run Apple's flagship operating system, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, on non-Apple hardware. Computerworld test drove the making a Hackintosh out of a generic PC with company's new software package and found a product that has a lot of homework still to do. Reviewer Frank Ohlhorst's final analysis: "Psystar's Rebel EFI [ a free trial is available ] is an interesting tool, but it is very limited when it comes to the selection of hardware that you can use. The company really needs to create a compatible hardware list and post that on its Web site — and it also needs to create some usable documentation. As it stands right now, you can use Rebel EFI to build a Mac clone, but unless you stick to relatively generic hardware, you will be disappointed.""
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+-   Classic PCs vs. New PCs: A True Price Comparion[->] on Monday October 26, @01:26AM harrymcc

Submitted by harrymcc on Monday October 26, @01:26AM
microsoft
harrymcc writes "We all know that today's PCs deliver massively more power for the price than vintage machines of the 1970s and 1980s. But the price/performance curve over time is even more stunning if you factor in inflation--for instance, the original 1981 IBM PC sold for the equivalent of $7127.69 in 2009 dollars, a price higher than that of even most of today's most powerful PCs. Benj Edwards has prepared in-depth comparison charts that pit the MITS Altair, IBM PC, Apple Lisa, original Mac, Commodore 64, and Timex Sinclair against comparably priced new computers, with adjusted prices."
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+-   Ultra cool NASA App for iPhone released today[->] on Friday October 23, @07:07PM lenehey

Submitted by lenehey on Friday October 23, @07:07PM
nasa
lenehey writes "A new free iPhone app provided by NASA was released today. The iPhone app lists each of NASA's missions, and allows you to see a brief description, latest news updates, images, videos, etc. corresponding to that mission. A timer is also provided for each mission, logging the days, hours, and seconds until, or since, the mission launched."
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Comments: 4 +-   Apple discontinues ZFS project on Friday October 23, @02:44PM Zaurus

Submitted by Zaurus on Friday October 23, @02:44PM
apple
Zaurus writes "Apple has replaced its ZFS project page with a notice that "The ZFS project has been discontinued. The mailing list and repository will also be removed shortly." Apple originally touted ZFS as a feature that would be available in Snow Leopard Server. A few months before release, all mention of ZFS was removed from the Apple web site and literature, and ZFS was notably absent from Snow Leopard Server at launch. Despite repeated attempts to get clarification about their plans from ZFS, Apple has not made any official statement regarding the matter. A zfs-macos google group has been set up for members of apple's zfs-discuss mailing list to migrate to, as many people had started using the unfinished ZFS port already. The call is out for developers who can continue the forked project."
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+-   Apple seeks patent on operating system advertising[->] on Friday October 23, @08:50AM patentpundit

Submitted by patentpundit on Friday October 23, @08:50AM
patents
patentpundit writes "On April 18, 2008, Apple Computer applied for a patent relating to an "invention" that allows for the showing of advertisements within an operating system. The first named inventor on the patent application is none other than Steve Jobs, the CEO and co-founder. The patent application published and became available for public inspection on October 22, 2009. If implemented the invention would make it possible for advertisements to be displayed on a variety of devices, including a desktop computer, cell phones, PDAs and more. In one alarming aspect, the device could be disabled during the running of advertisements, thereby forcing users to not be able to use the device and be forced to let the advertisement run its course before the system would unlock and allow further use. In an even more invasive version explained in the patent application the user could be required to do something, such as click to continue, in order to verify that they are actively watching the advertisement and haven't simply walked away to let the ad run its course. Whether Apple would implement such an invention is unknown, but it is possible that they think there are others out there who might want to implement such invasive advertising. It is possible Apple wanted to get ahead of the curve and file this patent so that if an company is silly enough to engage in Big Brother advertising they will have to be paid a royalty. I sure hope this is not the future of advertising."
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Comments: 3 +-   Thou shall not infringe my 10 patents[->] on Thursday October 22, @08:22PM Tasha26

Submitted by Tasha26 on Thursday October 22, @08:22PM
patents
Tasha26 writes "So it's been in the news and on Slashdot that Apple's iphone allegedly infringes 10 of Nokia's patent. Since that number was so precise, I did some digging up within the official complaint and here's the list of infringements:
1. Patent 5,802,465: Data transmission in a radio telephone network.
2. Patent 5,862,178: Method and apparatus for speech transmission in a mobile communications system.
3. Patent 5,946,651: Speech synthesizer employing post-processing for enhancing the quality of the synthesized speech.
4. Patent 6,359,904: Data transfer in a mobile telephone network.
5. Patent 6,694,135: Measurement report transmission in a telecommunications system.
6. Patent 6,775,548: Access channel for reduced access delay in a telecommunications system.
7. Patent 6,882,727: Method of ciphering data transmission in a radio system.
8. Patent 7,009,940: Integrity check in a communication system.
9. Patent 7,092,672: Reporting cell measurement results in a cellular communication system.
10. Patent 7,403,621: System for ensuring encrypted communication after handover

Gee, I guess those folks at Nokia are really feeling the profit squeeze resulting from customers shifting to iPhones and Blackberries, and the recession on top of it!"
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+-   Psystar Releases Software to Install OS X on PC [->] on Thursday October 22, @04:26PM inglishmayjer

Submitted by inglishmayjer on Thursday October 22, @04:26PM
apple
inglishmayjer writes "From the article:
'Psystar Corporation will begin selling the software it uses to run OS X Snow Leopard on generic Intel hardware. Available for download directly from Psystar.com, the Rebel EFI suite allows users to easily install any OS on their computer. Available today, Rebel EFI allows machines with Intel Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, i7 or Xeon Nehalem CPUs to install any modern operating system, including Mac's newest release of OS X. Users would simply download the new software from Psystar.com, burn it onto a CD and follow the onscreen instructions to easily install the OS.'

While some users have taken advantage of building their own hackintosh for a while now, this would seem as to increase the ease of use and general accessibility of OS X Snow Leopard on non-Apple hardware."
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