Microsoft just burned Adobe
Apr 30th
Dean Hachamovitch, the general manager for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, just burned Adobe and everything that is Flash by supporting Steve Jobs’ claim that HMTL5 is the future. Woah.
We seriously don’t know what to think about this statement. We had some serious doubts that Apple, by itself, would be able to bring the world away from Flash and into HTML5 but we were just smacked across the face with a statement supporting Steve Jobs… from Microsoft. It appears that Microsoft is really trying to build its browser into something that doesn’t cause web designers to cringe and shudder. They’ll be fully compatible with HTML5 after they release Internet Explorer 9… and if you read a little more into the blog, you’ll notice that they’re doing a lot to make IE 9 standards-compliant. Web designers will finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief.
The last paragraph of Dean’s post says this:
Today, video on the web is predominantly Flash-based. While video may be available in other formats, the ease of accessing video using just a browser on a particular website without using Flash is a challenge for typical consumers. Flash does have some issues, particularly around reliability, security, and performance. We work closely with engineers at Adobe, sharing information about the issues we know of in ongoing technical discussions. Despite these issues, Flash remains an important part of delivering a good consumer experience on today’s web.
He’s really nailed our main reason we hate Flash: why do we need a plugin to browse the web? We shouldn’t, right? It appears that all of the major browsers will be supporting HTML5 and all of the other “standards” relatively soon. Dean’s last sentence may say that Flash is still important but that doesn’t change the fact that the article’s theme is this: HTML5 will be better than Flash. We definitely hope so.
Via MacRumors
The Daily Show sketch of the 4th generation iPhone saga
Apr 30th
This John Stewart clip has been making its way around the internet, but we thought we’d share it with you as well. We apologize for it’s Flash content (BOOO!!) but that’s the only way to share The Daily Show clips. He didn’t do all of his research about the saga as a whole, but his points are funny nonetheless. Anyways, stick through the video until the end… it’s really the best part. Enjoy!
Userland jailbreak “Spirit” coming soon to your iPhad touch
Apr 29th
Just for clarification: by “iPhad touch” we mean your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Spirit is an untethered jailbreak solution that will allow you to jailbreak (Not Unlock) your iPhad touch on the latest firmware without having to mess with software like Pwnage Tool, Blackra1n, Redsn0w or any of the other jailbreak solutions available. There is NOT a specific release date, but the developer has been waiting for the release of the iPad 3G… so we can expect it soon. In other words, within a few days.
Spirit works by exploiting an unreleased vulnerability in the default iPhone OS. It uses that vulnerability as an injection point for the jailbreak and, once completed, will allow you access to all of the typical jailbreak software. It will only be compatible with 3.1.2, 3.1.3 and the iPad’s 3.2. Once the vulnerability is exposed, we’re certain that Apple will do whatever it takes to close the hole because it has unlimited malicious potential. Anyone with a nefarious know-how will be able to use the vulnerability to run their favorite exploits on your iPhad touch.
We give and we take. We take whatever jailbreaks we can get but they often expose holes in the iPhone OS. We give these holes to Apple when the hackers release their jailbreak solutions. We actually expect that the Spirit jailbreak will be killed by an update within days of its release. So, be very careful that you don’t press the update button in iTunes if you decide to go this route.
Please remember that this is not unlocking software: it merely jailbreaks your device. We do not recommend anyone using an unlock to update and try out Spirit. It is merely a jailbreak and still requires activation via iTunes after the jailbreak has been performed. So, don’t mess with it unless you know what you’re doing. For more information on Spirit, please read the Dev-Team’s post and follow @comex on Twitter.
Here’s a video demo of the software that came out a few weeks back:
We’ll always keep you updated on the latest Jailbreak and Unlock news. So, follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our RSS feed by clicking the buttons in the sidebar to the right. It’s super easy. 
Steve Jobs posts “Thoughts on Flash”
Apr 29th
In the typical Steve Jobs manner, Apple posted an article detailing his thoughts on Flash this morning. They didn’t add the letter to their typical “Hot News” page… instead they have a link to the article directly on the Apple.com homepage. I was very interested in Steve’s actual perspective on Flash, but realistically, there’s not much we haven’t already heard Steve say at one point or another.
After the break, we cover Steve Jobs’ main points and add a little bit of our perspective into the mix. We also interviewed Jason Carr, a prominent PC developer, and asked his opinion on Steve’s letter. His answers may surprise you. So click the “Continue Reading” button and get the whole story.
HP buys Palm for 1.2 Billion
Apr 28th
This doesn’t exactly qualify as Apple-related news but it’s big enough that we felt a need to mention it. Today, HP released this announcement on their website saying that Palm has accepted a buyout for 1.2 Billion US dollars. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise to us: we’ve been waiting for the demise of Palm for a long time. HP was never rumored to be courting Palm, nor were they even in the “top prospects” of the companies many news sources viewed as viable purchasers… but they won out in the end. Jon Rubinstein is expected to stay on the team even though management is moving to HP’s control.
For quite some time, Apple has been sitting on Multi-Touch patents and just recently went after HTC and Google over what could potentially be some pretty serious infringements. Tim Cook, the COO of Apple, initially threatened Palm with such legal pursuits. Our ultimate point is this: we wouldn’t be surprised if Apple went after Palm and their new parents in a new legal battle. We’d be surprised if Apple was actually being nice to Palm… but before the acquisition, Apple could have Jason Chen’d Palm without batting so much as an eyelash.
iPad Video Out: it’s not what you think
Apr 27th
What would have been one of our primary “real-life” applications for the iPad has been thrown out with the trash. If you head over to Apple’s iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter, you’ll see a product that is getting bashed with every new review posted. In fact, all of the reviews give it a grand total of 1.5 out of 5 stars. That’s just sad.
Apple literally removed one of the most productive features of the iPad by limiting the video out to a select few functions. Most movies will play from the iTunes app, but you’ll never be able to play HD movies downloaded from the iTunes store with the VGA adapter. You can watch your photo slideshows with the photos app. You cannot watch the ABC player or Netflix through the VGA adapter. There have also been countless complaints about the way it handles Keynote Presentations. It’s not revolutionary, it’s not slick… it just sucks. Anyone who gives presentations frequently will be running back to their laptops and their slide clickers.
The real problem is this: Apple offered us a video out solution via VGA for the iPad. With that capability we expect to be able to send our iPad screen to the big screen so we can use it productively. What if I want to pop over to Numbers and walk through an expense report… I can’t. What if I want to train other people on a company-specific application… I can’t. What if I want to give a presentation via Keynote and view the script with the iPad… I can’t. In its current form, we can’t do any more than what the individual applications allow. Granted developers could put in the extra effort and give us video out for their applications but is that really how it should be? The iPad has some pretty good hardware under the hood that can handle a mirrored display. So why not make that happen? Instead we’re stuck with a crippled device that can’t do half of what we expected it to do. Yay!
Via Engadget
Is Steve Jobs the new Vito Corleone?
Apr 26th
We’ve avoided covering the supposed iPhone prototype leak for the pure reason that it’s not the type of news that we want to support with this website. The recent events in the prototype saga are no longer about a device but morality as a whole. Let’s recap incase you’ve some how missed the whole story unfold. Please, remember we’re not condoning either side’s actions… but this information is unsettling at best.
Back in March, an Apple iPhone engineer (whose name we’ll be gracious enough not to mention) left a prototype iPhone in a bar not too far from Apple’s Cupertino campus. As said engineer was leaving, someone asked if that was his iPhone. To this he responded, “No.”
The person who asked the question picked it up and proceeded to play with it and didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary with the iPhone… until later. After a while he realized that this wasn’t a regular iPhone. He tried to figure out the owner and claims failed attempts to contact Apple. Realistically, how many companies would actually respond positively to the statement, “Hey, I have your prototype… do you want it back?” In his mind, he did everything he could to return the iPhone to its rightful owner.
After a while of sitting on the device, he decided to shop it around to various news sources. No one would take it from him because, like Apple, they didn’t believe him. That was until Gizmodo came into the game. This isn’t the first time Gawker has been somewhat nefarious with their reporting. They offered a cash sum of $100,000 to anyone who would actually let them get their hands on the iPad before it was even announced. Because of that, their purchase of the iPhone prototype should not come as a surprise to anyone… the iPad bounty was enough to anger the news world but the iPhone prototype has pushed many news sources over the edge. TUAW has even referred to them as flippant, disrespectful, and adolescent. Not to mention the blatant transparency of the whole ordeal: Gizmodo has kept its readers a little too informed — probably in hopes that it won’t come back and bite them in the ass. That’s exactly what happened.
Friday night at 9:45pm local time, Jason Chen — Senior Editor of Gizmodo — came home to a scene out of a movie: local police were ransacking his house to find any and all evidence related to the recent acquisition of the iPhone prototype. Some of the items seized are as follows: two hard drives, several cell phones, multiple digital cameras, a couple flash drives, a plethora of computers and even Jason’s personal media server. All the while, he tried to explain that the search was illegal… the police didn’t care. The police did have a warrant but it is still unclear whether that warrant was actually valid. We’re not offering legal counsel by any means, but journalists are given certain liberties from the law and it appears as though the warrant and subsequent search of Jason’s property may be in violation of the California Penal Code. We won’t go into the details, but the law is never absolute and — realistically — can only be interpreted in court. The police were doing what was required of them… anything outside of that isn’t up to us, Gawker or Jason Chen.
We jokingly referred to Steve Jobs as Vito Corleone in our title… but Apple’s secretive nature, their legal domination and now their provoked, forceful re-acquisition of an iPhone prototype is not disproving the similarities. Do they own the police? Certainly not. Was this kind of reclamation absolutely necessary? Certainly not. Would the police initiate this type of investigation without Apple’s encouragement? Certainly not.
One thing that can be said for sure: this sucks for everyone. Gawker has taken the situation too far and Apple responded by doing the same. Everyone knew that there would be another iPhone this summer. There’s no reason to dissect the device and explain everything about it ahead of time… it spoils the mystery for everyone who cares and only solidifies truth for the people who don’t. We know that Gawker is out to make money and we’re unfortunately adding to their spoils by running this story, but no respectable media source should put the lives of their writers at risk to publish a story… ever.
Editor’s note:
I’m personally disappointed with the way this situation was handled from beginning to end. I feel sorry for the engineer. I feel sorry for the bloke at the bar who “found” the device. I feel sorry for Apple. I feel sorry for Jason Chen (sort of). I do not feel sorry for Gawker: I hope they get what they have coming in court… if it even goes that direction. Just leave the individuals out of it and let company fight company.
Gawker/Gizmodo, you should have known better. As TUAW put it, this debacle “won’t win [you] any new fans.”
Wireless sync coming to the iPhone
Apr 26th
… but not from Apple.
The video below is a very quick demonstration of wireless sync for the iPhone. It’s so quick that it’s hard to believe. But both Engadget and MacRumors are pointing to this as real software… so we thought we’d at least mention it.
We here at CTA have been waiting and waiting for wireless sync capabilities for the iPhone. There’s really no reason it shouldn’t exist already. The developer of this software is actually using a standalone application that he claims will be available on the App Store in the near future. It also requires a separate piece of software available for the Mac and the PC in the near future.
To his knowledge, he hasn’t violated any of Apple’s rules or terms of the SDK. We’re a little skeptical but we’d pay a hefty price for the ability to wirelessly sync either way. Apple has been known to reject iPhone Apps because they too closely mirror upcoming features that are currently in development behind Apple’s closed doors. We wish the developer luck… for all of us.
Facebook Video Player for iPad
Apr 14th
CTA RATING: 
The name really says it all. Facebook Video Player for iPad is a new app from Kemal Taskin & Elma DIGIT@L. This app is — I mean this seriously — one of my favorite apps on the iPad. I guess I would consider myself a Facebook junkie but my wife is a lot worse so I don’t feel that bad. Love you, babe.
One of the biggest complaints about the iPad, iPhone and/or iPod touch is its lack of Flash. I’ve been brainwashed into thinking that Flash sucks by Apple (in truth, it really does… at least on the Mac) but so much of our lives are spent viewing Flash. This is not by choice. This is by some stupid necessity because of dumb industry standards. We’re really happy that the industry is responding well to the iPad and other Apple products. Countless websites are going flash free for HTML5 alternatives that are just as powerful and completely compatible with the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch… and in return, they’re compatible with many other mobile devices.
Contrary to popular belief, Flash has not become a standard for the mobile industry: very few phones have it. It’s no wonder that websites are throwing Flash out for other options. Every day, more people begin using their mobiles instead of their computers… every day people drive themselves insane by grumbling at websites that use Flash. So why is the transition so slow? Ask the website you’re reading, we don’t really know.
Facebook is one of the worst offenders in the anti-Flash campaign. Many websites are using the excuse that it would be difficult to offer the features of their Flash video players with HTML5. Facebook can’t use that excuse: it’s video player is probably the worst looking, least feature-rich video player on the web. Play, pause, volume and fullscreen. Wow. There is no reason for Facebook to still be using Flash for their videos when one developer could code the same player in HTML5 with very little effort. Boo!
Thanks to the new Facebook Video Player for iPad… I can watch videos on my favorite web browsing device. There really is nothing else like browsing the web on your iPad and my Facebook addiction is a little more than healthy. The app helps out by bringing up the regular Facebook website and allows you to browse like you would normally. Whenever you run across a video of your college roommate passing out while he’s walking down the street, just tap the video TITLE and the video will play. You cannot actually tap the video as that will just bring up a Flash error. Once the video opens, you can add it as a favorite for later viewing. The interface is a little awkward and not very intuitive, but it works and that’s what we really care about. The developer will be including a help video in the next version. In general, it’s really quite slick and definitely a sanity saver for the people (like me) who are obsessed with Facebook.
We did ask the developer about upcoming features and improvements for the app… this is what will be coming in the near-future releases:
- French, Italian and Turkish language support.
- Video Thumbnail Support: you’ll actually be able to click the thumbnail instead of the title.
- Help Video
- Video Download Manager: will allow you to save movies for offline viewing.
- Advanced Search
With those features, this app will be the easier way to watch Flash Facebook videos on your iPad. If you’re an avid Facebook junkie, this app is a must-have and definitely worth the $2.99 for the iPad version. You can also hop down the road a bit and grab the iPhone version for $1.99
- Facebook Video Player
- Facebook Video 2
- FBVideo Click for iTunes
Sorry for the default pictures, my iPad crashed and dumped the ones I captured. :/
Why Apple should NOT buy Palm
Apr 12th
If you haven’t heard, Palm is dying. In fact, they’re most likely dead already. They haven’t made a decent profit from their devices in a long time. In fact, they’ve posted 11 straight quarterly losses. A company like Palm doesn’t just go out of business, they try to sell themselves to the highest bidder… and that’s exactly what they’re trying to do. None of us at CTA will argue that the Web OS isn’t a great platform — it’s improved on a lot of things that the iPhone OS has been missing for a long time. The problem is this: they were too late in the game.
Apple announced the iPhone 2 years before Palm announced their new operating system, and the hardware releases were the same distance apart. There’s no doubt that Apple has taken the mobile phone industry by storm, but other companies did a much better job at keeping up with the pace. Blackberry and Microsoft have been pushing hard since the announcement of the iPhone… and Google, well they decided to write a completely new OS and announced it 4 months after the iPhone release. If Palm was trying to be a contender, we saw no signs of effort. Maybe they didn’t think the iPhone would be a threat, maybe they thought they had loyal customers, but they didn’t have the cool factor.
The iPhone had fewer features than the Palm OS since day one. We’re finally seeing the iPhone OS surpass Palm with its list of features. Palm knew that and decided to rest on their laurels. Eventually, they realized that the iPhone and the Android OS were becoming serious contenders in the mobile industry. So they hopped up, figured out how they could improve upon the elements introduced by Apple and Google and started developing the Web OS. Let’s forget about the fact that they did nothing for so long and just focused on their decision to write a new OS… it killed their company.
We know that Palm has primarily been a mobile software company, but in this instance, they didn’t have enough time to write a new OS from the ground up; doing so actually killed the company. It would have been blasphemous for Palm to join the Android OS initiative, but it would have put them back in the market right away instead of waiting another year and a half. Had they gone that route, they wouldn’t have died before they announced the Web OS. The introduction of Web OS was considered the last chance for Palm… they didn’t blow it (well their marketing was terrible) but they didn’t get there quickly enough.
We asked a few Palm Pre users why they decided to go with it over a different smartphone. There were a lot of responses but here are just a few:
- “An iPhone would have been nice, but I don’t make a million dollars a month.”
- “Even with a smaller App Store than the iPhone, it’s a better investment because it’s cheaper per month.”
- “It was pretty much the best decision I could make while still staying on Sprint.”
- “It definitely wasn’t because of the commercials: they were creepy.”
- “I really liked the OS.”
- “I love it for its Wi-Fi hotspot and Bluetooth tethering capabilities.”
None of the people we talked to really had anything negative to say about their device… in fact, most of them love it and wouldn’t trade it in for an iPhone if you paid them. The only improvement Palm users would like to see: more apps. Again, it all comes down to timing. Mobile developers were able to write software for the iPhone a whole year before the Palm Pre… that put Palm at a huge disadvantage, but doubling the app catalog still wouldn’t save them.
So, yeah, their timing was terrible… but what’s going to happen next? We really don’t want to see Apple, Google or even RIM pick them up at this point. If any of the main three companies bought Palm, we’d never see the Web OS again. Those three companies would purchase Palm for the patents and nothing more. Having those patents would give the purchaser a huge advantage over the rest of the market. That’s definitely not what we want. We’re a little afraid to see Apple acquire Palm because it would allow them to be even more restrictive with an already closed ecosystem. Dell is on the top of our list. They’ve been trying to get into the mobile phone market for a long time and would most likely continue where Palm left off. Nokia, Samsung, Motorola — really anyone could buy Palm. We’ll hopefully see someone besides the big three buy Palm, get newer and faster hardware under the hood, introduce a (much) better marketing campaign, and excel in every area that Palm didn’t. This all needs to happen in the next two months.
Most people have forgotten about Palm. The news of them being bought by another company would bring them back to the forefront of the mobile world. Especially if that company can roll out something amazing before the new iPhone. That, my friends, is the only thing that could keep this platform alive.
Palm was the pioneer of the smartphone platform and we salute them for the foundations they built for the rest of the industry. The last 18 years have been great; thanks for all of your hard work. We’re sad to see you go.
