Also covered on today’s Apple Q2 2009 financial results call were Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cook’s description of netbooks, as currently on the market, having:

cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens, and just not a consumer experience… that we would put the Mac brand on, quite frankly.

So where does that put all the rumors about an Apple netbook being all but imminent? Either once again shoved on the back burner like the iPhone nano, or — really imminent. (Apple has a history of trash talking product spaces and denying interest right up until they launch their own offering, like video on iPods, or, you know, smartphones).

Does this mean we’ll more likely see an Apple tablet? Mac OS X or iPhone OS X based? Opinions vary but Cook gave nothing away. Instead, to costumers who might want mobile web and email, he offered this advice:

They might want to look at an iPhone or iPod touch instead.

Okay, so I’ll admit that I leave my laptop at home now and just use an iPhone far more often than I ever would have guessed I would, but as a full on mobile replacement? Is it really there yet?

And what do you see, if anything, as Apple’s now near-mythical entry into the pseudo-netbook space? One of the above, or something else entirely?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Says Netbooks Cramped, Terrible, Junky, Not Mac-Worthy — Buy an iPhone Instead!

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     MUSIC NEWS - Trent Reznor's latest web post today has good news/bad news for Nine Inch Nails fans.  For one he says, "I've been thinking for some time now it's time to make NIN disappear for a while".  It's not an announcement that NIN is xompletely done, but seems like they certainly will be laying low for some time.  As for the good news, Reznor talks about his friendship with JANE'S ADDICTION, their time together and  says, "After some thought, we decided to book a last run of shows across the globe this year. The approach to these shows is quite different from last year - much more raw, spontaneous and less scripted. Fun for us and a different way for you to see us and wave goodbye. I reached out to Jane's to see if they'd want to join us across the US and we all felt it could be a great thing."  See his full message at NIN.com.

Tour itinerary and new music news to be announced, stay tuned. 

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Filed under: Macworld, Hardware, Video

Digging into the Macworld Expo video vault on this holiday Monday (in the US, we're celebrating Presidents' Day), here's a quick interview with Paul Scandariato from Intelliscanner showing off the Intelliscanner mini hardware. The demo shows how quickly you can use the mini to scan your media or books; it's easy to plug back in and offload your scans to Intelliscanner's Media app or to your collections app of choice, just the thing for your spring organization projects. You can also get preprinted barcode stickers for your own inventory planning, or print out your own if you like.

The mini was a big hit with showgoers who shopped at the booth, and it's available online from Intelliscanner for $179 (with the Media Collector software package) or $249 (adds Assets, Kitchen, Wine and Comics collector modules). While both Delicious Library and Bruji's Pedia series of organizers support scanning of barcodes via the built-in iSight, for substantial collections a standalone scanner is going to save you time and aggravation.

Read on for the video. The iPhone-friendly YouTube version is here.

Continue reading Video vault: Macworld visit with Intelliscanner

TUAWVideo vault: Macworld visit with Intelliscanner originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Humor, iPod Family

As if the Microsoft Zune didn't have enough bad publicity, now the Fox Show Family Guy is beating up on the iPod competitor. In last night's episode, called "Ocean's Three and a Half", Carter Pewterschmidt asks Bill Gates for some help programming his Zune. Then Carter remembers he has an iPod, "like the rest of the world." Zing. Pow.

Of course Apple doesn't escape the sharp scalpel of satire either. In American Dad, a Fox show from the creator of Family Guy, Roger the Alien thought he was facing certain death and said: "I'm going to be dead, and I have two more years of AppleCare." Rim shot. Clank.

Here's a Hulu link to the clip from the show last night, and you can also watch the entire episode from the same link.

Thanks to Nick and John for the heads up. I've just got to start watching more television.

TUAWZune gets a smackdown on Family Guy originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Features, AppleScript

Welcome to Part I of this mini AppleScript feature on creating useful folder actions. We'll have more posts on this topic coming up, but for now, let's introduce what a folder action is. Have you ever wanted to just drop a file into a folder and have something magically happen? Say, have a file printed, whisked to a remote site via FTP, or perhaps have an image be automatically flipped from horizontal to vertical? With Mac OS X's built-in folder actions, you can easily do this with a simple drag and drop.

Creating the folder
First, let's talk about how we can enable these "magical folders" that perform actions on files dropped within them. For this example, I'll show you how to make a folder on your desktop that, when a file gets dropped into it, will display a dialog letting your know that the file was placed there.

Continue reading AppleScript: Exploring the power of Folder Actions, part I

TUAWAppleScript: Exploring the power of Folder Actions, part I originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We are now at the point where there are lots and lots of games for the iPhone, most of them taking the form of miniscule games that could easily be small flash games on the web. Obviously games with higher production values and longer playtimes get a lot more attention, but there is a certain joy to these 99 cent mini games that allow for quick bites of playtime.

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Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhone, App Store

File under "It was only a matter of time": The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Nevada gaming authorities are warning casinos to be on the lookout for blackjack card counters getting an assist from their iPhones. While card counting itself is not banned in Nevada, the use of an assistive technology is a felony (!), and apps like Card Counter or A Blackjack Card Counter make it much easier for the math-impaired. ABCC's 'stealth mode,' which uses vibration to alert the user when the time is right for a big bet, is particularly head-achey for casino security.

Nevada casinos don't have any instances yet of gamblers being kicked out or arrested for iPhone use -- the initial warning was from California authorities, who spotted card-counter apps in use at a Northern California casino and thought it prudent to raise the alarm. The lure of easier blackjack winnings may be too tempting for some people to pass up, but the consequence of this iCheating may be that we all have to check our iPhones before heading to the blackjack tables.

Aside from the logistical challenges of an iPhone ban in casinos ("Sure, I don't need my phone, my family knows that I'll be here at the quarter slots for the next five hours"), this is a fascinating example of how the App Store is turning us all into denizens of the Matrix, with skills and information on demand and jacked in, literally at our fingertips. Need to level a bookshelf? Fine. Want to identify local birds? Done. Get your garage mojo in gear? Can do. Learn a language? Of course. Adding the ability to move money from the casino's pocket into yours with better odds than usual seems like a natural next step... and another 'disruptive technology' is going to come into conflict with a long-established, politically and economically powerful industry. Let's watch.

Update: Commenter 'brainopera' contributed his "Matrix moment" -- have you had yours yet?

Thanks Matt

TUAWThere's an app for that: Casinos on alert for card counters using iPhones originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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     MUSIC NEWS - Iron And Wine have announced the release Around The Well (Sub Pop) for May 19, 2009.  It'll be a collection of rare, out of print and unreleased tracks from Samuel Beam and company. To promote the release, the group will play ten intimate dates around the country. And, fans can create the set-list for each gig by voting at the band's website !

I&W have also started work on their follow-up to The Sheppard's Dog  (buy CD here) for a spring 2010 release. The new, Around The Well, will span Iron And Wine's full discography, include tracks from as early as 2002 through material readied for The Sheppard's Dog in 2007. The first half of the record presents more intimate, raw acoustic material, with the second half will highlighting the band's fuller studio efforts. Also included are covers of songs by the Flaming Lips and New Order. 

Concert tix go on sale February 20 with show voting for set-lists start on March 6, 2009.  See Around the Well tracklist and full tour itinerary below-

Tracklist For Around The Well:

Disc 1:
01. Dearest Forsaken
02. Morning
03. Loud as Hope
04. Peng! 33
05. Sacred Vision
06. Friends They Are Jewels
07. Hickory
08. Waitin' for a Superman
09. Swans and the Swimming
10. Call Your Boys
11. Such Great Heights

Disc 2:
01. Communion Cups And Someone's Coat
02. Belated Promise Ring
03. God Made The Automobile
04. Homeward, These Shoe
05. Love Vigilantes
06. Sinning Hands
07. No Moon
08. Serpent Charmer
09. Carried Home
10. Kingdom Of The Animals
11. Arms Of A Thief
12. The Trapeze Swinger

Iron And Wine May 2009 Toour Itinerary:
05/04 - Seattle, WA - Vera Project
05/05 - Seattle, WA - Triple Door
05/06 - San Francisco, CA - Swedish American Hall
05/07 - San Francisco, CA - Swedish American Hall
05/08 - Los Angeles, CA - Masonic Hall At Hollywood Forever Cemetery
05/09 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
05/12 - Chicago, IL - Lakeshore Theatre
05/13 - Chicago, IL - Schuba’s
05/17 - New York, NY - Abrons Arts Center
05/18 - New York, NY - Abrons Arts Center

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Filed under: Software Update, Bad Apple

Over the weekend, the mailbag caught a few notes of problems starting up once Leopard users had applied the 2009-001 Security Update (thanks @danielbru), and on Friday the spotty issue was noted by MacFixIt as well. Affected users report a variety of symptoms: the dreaded 'boot disk not found,' a 20-minute hold before the login screen shows up, and a disabled keyboard & mouse -- making the usual first troubleshooting step (a Safe Boot, triggered by holding down the shift key at start up) rather more difficult. As with most Mac OS X patches, the majority of those who applied the security update did so with no reported problems, but that's cold comfort if you're one of the unlucky few.

While it's always a good idea to verify your backups before updating to major dot releases, I doubt most users would bother with that due diligence when facing a 'simple' security update; unfortunately, since these updates often touch multiple subsystems, issues do emerge for some folks in the aftermath. MacFixit's thorough guide to troubleshooting startup problems is a good starting point if you're having problems, and if you've already been through the mill this weekend, let us know how you resolved your problems in the comments below.

Continue reading Reports of startup issues after 2009-001 Security Update

TUAWReports of startup issues after 2009-001 Security Update originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

Who will buy a 2G iPhone?

Rumors are circulating that Apple will announce a $99 iPhone sans the 3G. I think this is good since most users don’t know the difference between 2G and 3G. 

Where do you sync?

There are many ways to sync your devices these days; your desk, the cloud, Web, etc. What is the best way? Rene takes a look at this in his most recent article!

Streaming iTunes to your iPhone rumor

Well, this would be rather sweet should Apple decide to do something like this, but I think it would require a lot of hardware on Apple’s end, and considering as how they can’t do email effectively, I put this one to rest.

20,000 apps in 7 months. Wow. 

If you were the competition, your jaw should be hitting the floor right about now. At this rate, it will be impossible for anyone to catchup with Apple. But then again, I am not sure of the competition needs as many fart apps. I was amazed one of my friends downloaded one the other day. Armageddon is upon us.

Push notification service delayed?

Well, obviously it is, it was supposed to come out in September 2008 if memory serves. However it looks like Apple might be waiting for their new Snow Leopard OS to hit the server market before unleashing thousands of notifications to iPhone users…

iPhone Blog Live! Podcast!

We talk Google and do a live Jailbreak during the podcast. I was dropped due to a power outage, but Rene and Dieter trucked on without me…

How can you find your car with your iPhone?

Brian attempts to answer this age-old question in his recent how-to article. Purple pins to the rescue!

Leaked iPhone backing?

Could this be? I posted on the 3G rumor, and it wound up to be true… oh yeah, April 4th 2008, I called it.

Android gets Tel-Nav GPS, where is iPhone’s?

Sure this can’t be that hard to make. My bet is there is some heavy, heavy negotiations coming. I hope it’s free, because if there is a fee involved, I am not signing up.

Google adds optimized spreadsheet functionality to Google Docs

This is a step in the right direction! You can now edit rows, sort and filter in Google Spreadsheets on the iPhone. Now, about that document part…

iPhone owns 51% of mobile market…

Oh yeah. Didn’t we already know this? I am still amazed that there is essentially one phone on one carrier in the US… imagine if it was on all carriers… ah, to dream.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

The iPhone Blog Week in Review for February 16, 2009

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