The Victoria School of Business and Technology in B.C., Canada was sent a letter by Apple's local legal representation, Baker & McKenzie claiming that the school's logo violates Apple's trademark. The school disagrees and has also invited readers of their Website to vote on the matter
mDialog announced on Saturday an updated version of mDialog iPhone app designed to work with OS X iPhone 2.1. The new version adds most of the navigation and operational controls that users have access to on the Website from a browser
Last week's scare, an unverified rumor that Steve Jobs had suffered a heart attack sent Apple stock plummeting, expert investment analysts scolding, and some writers believing that Apple needs a public succession plan to avoid confusion and concerns about these kinds of incidents. That's nonsense
On September 19, Apple announced a voluntary recall and replacement program for the USB power adapter that ships with the iPhone 3G. For those who ordered a new one, they have started to ship. Replacements will also be available in Apple retail stores starting October 10
LateNiteSoftware announced the immediate availability of Sketches 1.4 for the iPhone and iPod touch on Tuesday. The update for the drawing application gained support for text input, improved sharing support, added new clipart shapes, fixed several bugs, and more. Sketches 1.4 is priced...
Universal Music Group has agreed to offer at least part of its extensive music library through Dada.net, Sony's iTunes Store competitor. Dada.net offers potentially lower per-song pricing compared to Apple with its 10 song per month download package for US$10, and its MP3-based tracks are also DRM-free
In the course of discussing his career and love for computers, Steve Wozniak predicted that the iPod has peaked and will eventually die out like the transistor radio and Walkmans, according to the Telegraph in the U.K. on Tuesday
Ben Reitzes with Barclays Capital is maintaining his 1-Overweight rating (Buy) for AAPL. Even though weak economic conditions have led to a deterioration of Apple's share price, Mr. Reitzes believes the value of Apple's stock at current prices is compelling
Computer chip maker AMD announced on Monday that it plans to spin off its semiconductor business as a new company dubbed The Foundry Company. The company called the move part of a plan to address "the growing global demand for independent, leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing."
October 7, 2008 6:00 AMThe Mac Gamer has published a new interview with Aspyr Media's Glenda Adams. The Director of Development discussed a variety of topics related to gaming on the Mac including the repercussions of the Intel switch, increased difficulty dealing with graphics technology, and the future of game development.TMG: Weve had Intel in our Macs for a few years now. Has how the switch changed game development for the Mac?Glenda: Its lessened some of the work we have to do, but unfortunately the graphics side of games has just exploded. The amount of shader code and complex rendering is probably 2-3 times as much work as it was for games a couple years ago, so that has more than offset the efficiency gains we had from theIntel switch. TMG: Why hasnt there been a flood of games for the Mac that some predicted?Glenda: I think there are several reasons - Mac game sales are still fairly constant, and havent expanded with Apples market share increases over the last two years. So there isnt loads of money to be made. And the complexity of games has made it more difficult to port them to the Mac. Lastly, the PC market has been really beat up in 2007 and 2008, and there just arent as many AAA PC games out there that make sense to bring to the Mac. TMG: What happened with ET:QW? It was originally destined for a Christmas release but was postponed till March.Glenda: The last three or four games weve done for the Mac have all had 3-4 month delays that were tied directly to issues with graphics performance and stability. From Neverwinter Nights 2 to Call of Duty 4, and ET:QW in between. The sheer complexity of modern graphics engines has somewhat overwhelmed the ability of OS Xs OpenGL framework and drivers to keep up, from a performance and stability standpoint. Weve had to spend many extra months on each project working very directly with Apple, AMD/ATI and nVidia to get the widest support for hardware we can while avoiding some of the known problems in the graphics drivers. TMG: Whats the most frustrating thing about developing for the Mac?Glenda: Lately its been frustrating dealing with things beyond our control. Contracts, legal negotiations, etc. Its no fun having to shelve a project because the license details just cant be worked out.Visit the site below to read the rest.The Mac Gamer: Glenda Adams InterviewAspyr Media
October 7, 2008 6:00 AMIGN has posted a new interview with Caryl Shaw, producer for Will Wright's latest god-sim, Spore. The game allows players to follow an organism from single cell to spacefaring creature. In the Q&A Shaw discusses the popularity of the game's editors and tools as well as the infrastructure supporting it.IGN PC: Spore's been out a while now and there's already an unbelievable amount of content available. Can you give us a brief overview of the galaxy and its varied populations? What's the perception within Maxis and EA of the way the game has been received?Caryl Shaw: The Spore Universe is off to an amazing start as we've just reached a huge milestone of more than 30 million creations made! When we launched Spore, the community had made 3 million creatures alone with the Spore Creature Creator, so it's pretty impressive to see that number jump so high in just three weeks. Our players' creations are not only a testament to how people have embraced the game, but how they've embraced their own creativity as well. From a 1950's robot creature and a human skull spaceship to a swimming pool building -- there's some very cool stuff on in the Sporepedia at spore.com. IGN PC: Did you anticipate this much user participation? At what levels are you seeing players get involved in the creation of content?Caryl Shaw: The results have been pretty mind-boggling. Will thought we'd reach 100,000 creatures made with the Spore Creature Creator (released in June) by the time we launched. Instead we hit that number 22 hours after the Creature Creator was released. Then when we hit the 1 million creatures milestone within one week, we had a pretty good idea that people loved this concept, and that the tools were easy, fun and engaging enough to unleash their imagination.But those were just creatures -- and that was really just the beginning. The Spore team couldn't wait to see what players would do once the building, vehicle and space editors were released. Now we're seeing people use their creativity in all sorts of ways. From the convincingly accurate and realistic to the fanciful and unimaginable, it's really amazing to see how talented our players are. The team sends around cool stuff that they see all the time. It's very satisfying to see what people have done with the editors for us. Very rewarding. Head over to the link below to read the rest of the interview.IGN: Spore State Of The GalaxyElectronic ArtsSpore
October 7, 2008 6:00 AMAs promised Basilisk Games has released the first of its October creature features, showcasing one frightening denizen of the world of Eschalon: Book II. Each week the company will unveil a new creature, offering both concept artwork and a detailed description. The first creature showcased is the Catacomb Rat, a denizen of the underground areas players will encounter in the upcoming old-school RPG.DESCRIPTION:The Catacomb Rat is a large relative of the common rat and can be found inhabiting caves, dungeons and crypts throughout Eschalon. They have a coarse, bristly fur which is often colored shades of gray or brown, and their tail is rather short and muscular compared to that of lesser rats. After eons of dwelling in the darkness of the underground, their eyes have adapted to detect the infrared heat of their enemies. While they are primarily scavengers, they will not hesitate to hunt for their next meal if the opportunity arises nor defend their nesting area from invaders. Adults may grow to be the size of a large dog and can be a devilish for to the untrained, especially in large groups which are called mischiefs. VARIATION:A very rare and primitive relative of the Catacomb Rat, the Hystricognath, dwells in the deepest bowels of the underworld. This ancient rodent is also known as a "Dire Rat" by those unfortunate enough to encounter one, and it is a deadly beast harboring 10-inch incisors and diseases that are rapidly fatal to most. It is recommended that you do not willfully engage this creature in combat.Click over to the link below to read more about the creature.Eschalon Book II: Catacomb Rat FeatureBasilisk GamesEschalon: Book II
October 7, 2008 6:00 AMTransGaming has announced the release of Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, a continuation of Ubisoft's action game franchise, for Mac. The game features a third-person perspective, special combat moves, and the time bending abilities fans of the series have come to expect.The Prince of Persia, a seasoned warrior, returns from the Island of Time to Babylon with his love, Kaileena. Instead of the peace that he longs for, he finds his homeland ravaged by war and the kingdom turned against him. The Prince is rapidly captured and Kaileena has no choice but to sacrifice herself and unleash the Sands of Time in order to save him. Now cast out on the streets and hunted as a fugitive, the Prince soon discovers that past battles have given rise to a deadly Dark Prince, whose spirit gradually possesses him. Features: Play and master two distinct characters: Wield the powers and weapons of two master warriors with different combat styles, attitudes, and histories. Immerse yourself in a dramatic story: Experience unparalleled depth in storytelling as you fight your way through a twisting tale filled with adrenaline, tension, and discovery. Manipulate time to surprise enemies: Execute powerful attacks against entire armies by slowing down or rewinding time, or surprise them by using some all-new Sands of Time powers. Destroy foes in furious chariot combat: Seize the reins of a chariot to fend off hordes of enemies at breakneck speed in impossibly tight pursuit. Experience a masterful blend of gameplay: True to the Prince of Persia franchise, the game provides a variety of action combat, agility, and story-driven puzzles - all masterfully blended into a rich gaming experience.Requirements: OS: Mac OS X 10.4.11 Tiger / Mac OS X 10.5.5 Leopard CPU: Intel Core Duo Processor RAM: 1024 MB Video: ATI X1600, NVidia 7300 GT, or X3100 Intel integrated graphics chip (Intel GMA950 not supported) Hard Drive: 1.6 GB Keyboard and mouse Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones costs $29.95 and is available for download and purchase from GameTree Online.TransGamingPrince Of Persia: The Two Thrones
Freeridecoding announced the immediate availability of BurnAgain FS 1.1 on Tuesday. The update for the multi-session CD and DVD burning application added support for Mac OS X 10.4 along with German localization
Trans International announced the immediate availability of the Pro Drive Mac Pro internal hard drive enclosure on Tuesday. The enclosure is a dual drive RAID sled that holds up to two 2.5-inch SATA hard drives