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HTC Fires off a statement rebuking Apples lawsuits

Savan Thongvanh — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:44:27 +0000

Today HTC Fired off a statement rebuking Apples lawsuits and pointing out all the ways in the last ten years that they’ve brought innovation to the mobile arena. Here’s the statement from HTC.

Seattle – March 17, 2010 – HTC Corporation today outlined its disagreement with Apple’s legal actions and reiterated its commitment to creating a portfolio of innovative smartphones that gives consumers a variety of choices. Founded in 1997 with a passion for innovation and a vision for how smartphones would change people’s lives, HTC has continually driven this vision by consistently introducing award-winning smartphones with U.S. mobile operators.

“HTC disagrees with Apple’s actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible,” said Peter Chou, chief executive officer, HTC Corporation. “From day one, HTC has focused on creating cutting-edge innovations that deliver unique value for people looking for a smartphone. In 1999 we started designing the XDAi and T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Editionii, our first touch-screen smartphones, and they both shipped in 2002 with more than 50 additional HTC smartphone models shipping since then.”

The industry has recognized HTC’s contributions through a variety of awards including Fast Company’s 2010 Top 50 Most Innovative Companies and MIT Technology Review’s 2010 50 Most Innovative Companies. The GSMA also recently awarded the HTC Hero as the “Best Phone of 2009.” Some of HTC’s technology firsts include:

* First Windows PDA (1998)
* First Windows Phone (June 2002)
* First 3G CDMA EVDO smartphone (October 2005)
* First gesture-based smartphone (June 2007)
* First Google Android smartphone (October 2008)
* First 4G WIMAX smartphone (November 2008)

In 2009, HTC launched its branded user experience, HTC Sense. HTC Sense is focused on putting people at the center by making phones work in a more simple and natural way. This experience was fundamentally based on listening and observing how people live and communicate.

“HTC has always taken a partnership-oriented, collaborative approach to business. This has led to long-standing strategic partnerships with the top software, Internet and wireless technology companies in the industry as well as the top U.S., European and Asian mobile operators,” said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America. “It is through these relationships that we have been able to deliver the world’s most diverse series of smartphones to an even more diverse group of people around the world, recognizing that customers have very different needs.”

For more information on HTC’s history of innovation, please visit: www.htc.com/history.

About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

HTC Public Relations
htcpr@waggeneredstrom.com
(425) 638-7000

i The O2 XDA by HTC was the first 3.5-inch color touch screen smartphone in the world in 2002.

ii The T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition by HTC was the first 3.5-inch color touch screen smartphone in the United States in 2002.
Source

Microsoft security bulletin: Security Bugs in Producer, Excel, and SharePoint

Savan Thongvanh — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:07:38 +0000

Microsoft announced yesterday that they’ve found more bugs. Surprise. Microsoft annouced via security bulletin on the TechNet site that vulnerabilities were found and patched in various versions of Office, SharePoint, and it’s movie making software Producer. All of the vulnerabilities found allow what microsoft calls “Remote Code Execution”, which means that malicious code can be planted and run on your computer. This is not a new thing for Microsoft and they fix them as the find them but, the just keep finding them.

Here’s a rundown of the affected software:

2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 1
2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 2
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac
Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats Service Pack 2
Microsoft Office Excel 2002 Service Pack 3
Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Service Pack 3
Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Service Pack 1[1]
Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Service Pack 2[1]
Microsoft Office Excel Viewer Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office Excel Viewer Service Pack 2
Microsoft Office for Mac
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (32-bit editions)[2]
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (64-bit editions)[2]
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Service Pack 2 (32-bit editions)[2]
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Service Pack 2 (64-bit editions)[2]
Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3
Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems
Windows 7 for x64-based Systems
Windows Vista x64 Edition, Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 1, and Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 2
Windows Vista, Windows Vista Service Pack 1, and Windows Vista Service Pack 2
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2
Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows XP Service Pack 3

Note that all currently supported versions of windows are affected and that Windows and Mac versions of Office are affected. From the links below you can download the patches or they can be downloaded through Windows.

See the Producer Bulletin for more
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms10-016.mspx?pubDate=2010-03-09

And the Office and SharePoint Bulletin
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms10-017.mspx?pubDate=2010-03-09

Mac Hack: Intel-base startup keys

Savan Thongvanh — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:48:50 +0000

If you’ve ever had problems starting up your intel based mac you’ll want to bookmark this article. Apple released a support article today with a load of great keyboard shortcuts to subvert the startup of Intel based Macs.

And without further adeiu…(oh and here’s freebie, don’t make the bookmark on your mac)
If you’ve ever had problems starting up your intel based mac you’ll want to bookmark this article. Apple released a support article today with a load of great keyboard shortcuts to subvert the startup of Intel based Macs.

And without further adeiu…

Keystroke	Description
C during startup	Start up from a bootable CD or DVD, such as the Mac OS X Install disc that came with the computer.
D during startup	Start up in Apple Hardware Test (AHT), if the Install DVD 1 is in the computer.
Option-Command-P-R until you hear two beeps.	Reset NVRAM
Option during startup	Starts into Startup Manager, where you can select a Mac OS X volume to start from. Note: Press N to make the the first bootable Network volume appear as well.
Eject, F12, or hold the mouse (/trackpad) button	Ejects any removable media, such as an optical disc.
N during startup	Attempt to start up from a compatible network server (NetBoot).
T during startup	Start up in FireWire Target Disk mode.
Shift during startup	Start up in Safe Boot mode and temporarily disable login items.
Command-V during startup	Start up in Verbose mode.
Command-S during startup	Start up in Single-User mode.
Option-N during startup	Start from a NetBoot server using the default boot image.

See the Apple article for more on which models these are good for.

Apple Support Article Outlines How to Back Up Your Music

Savan Thongvanh — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:42:59 +0000

Apple is turning back the clock and encouraging people to back their music up on CD. If you REALLY REALLY want to keep your music on CD Apple will tell you how to get your music out of AAC and into MP3.

Apple released a support article today outlining how to burn protected AAC music to an MP3 CD. Although it would be horribly tedious and a waste of time and resources, if you must have your music on something you can touch and you’re having problems check out Apple’s article on how to back up music from itunes.

Songs purchased from the iTunes Store may either be in AAC format or AAC Protected format depending on when they were purchased (older songs used AAC Protected format). You can convert AAC songs to MP3 format allowing them to be burned to an MP3 format CD, however AAC Protected songs can not be converted. You can, however, back them up to a data CD or DVD, or you can burn them to an audio CD (which can be played in a CD player).

Read the knowledgebase article for a full explanation

Apple Releases Aperture 3

Savan Thongvanh — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:00:36 +0000

We’ll the post earlier today about the 28 support articles of course was timed for today’s release of Apple’s Aperture 3. Photographers everywhere will be delighted. The new version is loaded with new features and fixes from Aperture 2.

From the release:

Aperture 3 allows you to organize large photo libraries with even more flexibility using Projects and the new Faces and Places. Faces uses face detection and recognition to find and organize your photos by the people in them. You can view faces across your entire photo library or view just the faces that appear in selected projects. In a new view that speeds up the organization process, Aperture 3 displays faces that have been detected but haven’t yet been named. Places lets you explore your photos based on where they were taken, and like in iPhoto, Places automatically reverse geocodes GPS data into user-friendly locations. In Aperture 3, you can assign locations by dragging-and-dropping photos onto a map or by using location information from GPS enabled cameras, tracking devices or your iPhone® photos.

Retail on the the new software will be $199. Owners of Aperture will be able to upgrade for $99 and new users can download a 30-day trial.

“Millions of people love using iPhoto to organize, edit and share their digital photos,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Aperture 3 is designed for both professionals who edit and manage massive libraries of photos and iPhoto users who want to take their photos further with easy-to-use tools such as Brushes and Adjustment Presets.”

“Aperture 3 gets it right,” said National Geographic photographer, Jim Richardson. “The image editing tools are exactly what I have been asking for, they’re so easy to use and give me a level of control that I never even thought possible.”

Apple releases 28 new support articles for Aperture 3

Savan Thongvanh — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:52:09 +0000

If you’re using Apple’s Aperture software you should get to their support site NOW! Apple just released twenty eight new articles in their knowledge base. Some of the just released articles are tips and tricks and some are notes on bugs and bug fixes. Hit the jump for a rundown of the titles and links.

Here are the some of the titles from Apple’s latest knowledge base articles on Aperture 3:

Apple iPhone Security Update 3.1.3, time to re-jailbreak?

Savan Thongvanh — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:27:45 +0000

Yesterday Apple released what is now the latest update for for it’s iPhone. Now the current version is 3.1.3. Apple has gone only five months since it’s last update to 3.1.2.

3.1.2 fixed a bug that affected many people, including myself, that caused the iPhone to sporadically reboot. Will 3.1.3 be as helpful?

Image by twenty5pics via Flickr

Well, only if you’re concerned about your iPhone security. Most of the fixes in the 3.1.3 update are security related. In this update Apple has fixed a number of bugs that:

Allow hacked audio and video files to run malicious code,
Allow access to to user data in recovery mode, and
Allow malicious code to be executed from a remote ftp server

This seem like an update worth taking. As always you can apply the update via iTunes.

Read about the iPad processor

Read about the iPad screen

Comparing Apples to Apples (to Apples): iPhone vs iTouch vs iPad

Savan Thongvanh — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:26:07 +0000

With this weeks announcement of the Apple iPad they now say they have a new category of device. Some say that the new category is just a bigger version of everything else they have. We’ll let the tale of the tape tell the story.

I’ll give you a hint, if you squint a little at the spec comparisons you won’t be able to tell iPad from iPhone from iTouch.

Let’s check out the specs Apples to Apples (to Apples).

	iPhone (3GS)	iTouch	iPad
Processor	600mhz	800mhz	1ghz A4
Storage (GB)	16/32	8/32/64	16/32/64
Display	3.5″	3.5″	9.7″ IPS
USB Ports	0	0	1
Video Support*	H.264	Support for 480p and 576p component TV out H.264 video	1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter H.264 video up to 720p
Audio	Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz Audio formats supported: AAC, MP3, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV User-configurable maximum volume limit
Microphone	Yes	No	Yes
Headphone Jack	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wifi	b/g	b/g	a/b/g/n
Accelerometer	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ambient Light Sensor	Yes	Yes	Yes
Stated battery Capacity	Talk time: Up to 12 hrs on 2G Up to 5 hrs on 3G Standby time: Up to 300 hrs Internet use: Up to 5 hrs on 3G Up to 9 hrs on Wi-Fi Video Up to 10 hrs Audio Up to 30 hrs	Music: Up to 30 hrs Video: Up to 6 hrs	10 hrs
Blue tooth	Yes	Yes	Yes
3G	UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)	None	UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) Data only2
GPS	Yes	Yes	Yes
Camera	3MP	none	none

*lower grade modes also supported

Apple iPad Screen: Oled vs IPS (LCD)

Savan Thongvanh — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:24:07 +0000

Prior to the announcement rumors of Apple hording OLED screens were rampant and possibly true. But if they were true it was a move by Apple to maintain what might be the tightest lid on info about a device in history. What we got was a 10 inch IPS LCD. If you know much about LCD or big screen TVs you know that the most popular king of LCD is the TFT.

So, what does that mean for consumers?

Aside from cost there are really there are two big pros and cons.

The Con

IPS required twice as many transistors per pixel than TFT TN. Roughly, twice the transistors equals twice the power consumption. More power consumption by the screen of course means less battery life. Steve Jobs said that they were able to achieve up to ten hours of batter life from the device. I’m betting that it’s far less than that. Only time will tell what real world use will attain but I think it’s unlikely to be a perfect ten.

The Pro

One good thing for consumers about having an IPS screen on the Apple iPad is that it provides a powerful backlight. A powerful backlight mean for users that they’ll get a wider better viewing angle for the device. Also IPS screens are able to provide more accurate color. This means a great deal for a device that will be used in your lap or on the Apple kickstand or dock accessory.

A little history on the Apple A4 processor

Apple iPad offical spec sheet

Apple’s A4 processor what else can it do besides provide PadPower

Savan Thongvanh — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:20:59 +0000

Apple’s shiny new A4 processor, hopefully, will really make the iPad fly while surfing but will it help keep you safe at night? Apple’s purchase of Palo Alto Semiconductor didn’t make much of a front page splash but joining the A4 to the M1 Abrams might.

In 2008 EETimes.com broke a story about Apples acquisition that didn’t really hit home. The most important part of that story now is that at the time 10 different defense systems were using PA Semiconductor products. Can you imagine all the way the military could use a rugged touch screen computer? Maps, HUDs for vehicles, realtime anything all provided by Apple via the A4 processor, or variant, foot that they got in the door with the PA Semiconductor purchase.

See the EETimes article here

And more on the iPad specs here

Lots of people are talking about the iPad being used in the medical field but, what do you think would be a cool military application of the iPad?