The New Nation - Internet Edition

iPhone put users on hold

Peter Cohen

Developers hoping to build native iPhone apps have been put on hold when attempting to enroll in Apple's iPhone Developer Program-at least temporarily.

The program gives access to additional resources on Apple's Web site and code-level support from Apple engineers. It also provides code testing tools. And, it will give developers the ability to distribute their offerings through the forthcoming App Store when that software distribution venue arrives this summer.

But last week, some software makers who applied to be part of the Developer Program received an e-mail from Apple that said their membership had been turned down for the time being.

"As this time, the iPhone Developer Program is available to a limited number of developers and we plan to expand during the beta period," the e-mail sent to these developers said. "We will contact you again regarding your enrollment status at the appropriate time."

Some developers contacted by Macworld said that they've received the wait-list notification, but that they're proceeding on building iPhone apps using the software development kit (SDK) released by Apple two weeks ago. In less than a week, the SDK had been downloaded more than 100,000 times, suggesting that developers are clamoring for the chance to build native iPhone apps.

"When I first received the notice, I thought of it as a rejection, but over the past few days I've come to the conclusion that it's more of a courtesy note," said Daniel Jalkut, owner of Red Sweater Software, developer of the MarsEdit blog publishing software. Jalkut said that he applied for the program the same day the announcement was made.

Developers shouldn't be surprised that there's a waiting list to get into the Developer Program, according to Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director at JupiterResearch. "Apple said from day one that while the program was going to be open to everyone eventually, during the beta period they were going to limit enrollment," Gartenberg said. "And anyone can download the SDK for free."

Still, some developers worry that being unable to join the iPhone Developer Program now could put them at a disadvantage down the road. One who asked not to be identified told Macworld that while having the SDK is a start, he's hamstrung by not having access to a way of testing on an actual iPhone or iPod touch.

"This is especially true for anyone wanting to create a game or use any of the hardware features, therefore there is an entire category of applications that cannot be built unless we're accepted into the iPhone Dev program," he said.

Apple launched the iPhone Developer Program less than two weeks ago when Apple CEO Steve Jobs and other executives revealed the iPhone SDK at a March 6 press briefing. The SDK has been released to help third-party software developers get a leg up on creating applications for the iPhone which will be available through an App Store that Apple will launch in June when it's introduced as part of the iPhone 2.0 software update.

The iPhone Developer Program costs $99 for the "Standard" program, which is aimed at freeware and commercial application developers. A $299 Enterprise program is available for creating proprietary, in- house applications.

"June is the starting line for every one of us and that should be plenty of time to get all the applications processed," said Mike Glass, a developer at Marware.

"I think we'll all be on equal ground when the App Store is ready and we'll all be able to hit the ground running."

Gartenberg agreed. "June is still a pretty long way away, there are ways for Apple to ramp this up, even post-launch," he said.

US military restricts google maps

The U.S. Department of Defense put Google on the defensive last week when it issued a communique to make it clear that the roving photographic vehicles Google uses to acquire Google Maps Street View images aren't allowed on U.S. military bases.

In pursuing its mission "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful," Google inadvertently ran afoul of the military's mission to maintain security for its personnel and sites.

The DOD took action when Street View images of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, appeared on Google Maps. Google introduced Google Maps Street View images for San Antonio in February.

Google removed the pictures at the request of the military. Fort Sam Houston is not open to the public. Google spokesperson Larry Yu said it was against Google's policy to seek access to military installations or otherwise private facilities. "Our policy is to stay on public roads," he said. "A driver broke that policy."

Lt. Commander Gary Ross, a public affairs officer for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the U.S. Northern Command, said that the military had become aware that Google was requesting access to Fort Sam Houston and that the Pentagon issued a memorandum on Feb. 28 to clarify that Google's image capture efforts should not be allowed on military sites.

"It has operational risks for force protection and the safety of personnel who work on the base," Ross said.

Ross said that the directive doesn't apply only to Google as there are other companies that also acquire images for similar uses.

While security through obscurity is generally regarded as an inadequate strategy on the Internet, it remains a cornerstone of site security policies for governments around the globe.

London's Metropolitan Police recently launched a counter-terrorism campaign that warns citizens to be on the lookout for "odd" photographers. Posters promoting the campaign present the camera as if it were a weapon. The climate in the U.K. is such that the photographers there last year organized a photographer's rights petition out of fear that public photography might become a licensed activity.

In 2004, New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority considered a ban on photography in subway stations. It dropped the idea the following year.

In 2006, Saudi Arabia lifted a ban on photography in public places to attract more tourists; some restrictions remain, however. In December 2005, the New York Times reported that the governments of India, Russia, and South Korea, among others, were worried that Google Earth's satellite imagery -- which comes from third-party providers -- might reveal too much about their military bases.

Google isn't unaware of the privacy issues surrounding its collection of images. "We've been pretty clear with people that if they're concerned with the imagery, we try to make it easier and easier to submit requests to get the imagery taken down," said Yu. "That's helped mitigate issues of privacy."

And if you represent a large army, you don't even have to bother with the Report Inappropriate Image link. Someone at Google will take your call.

(By Thomas Claburn, Information Week)

Xbox 360 supports high definition movie

Days after Toshiba formally pulled the plug on HD DVD, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) said it will discontinue an external Xbox 360 drive that supports the high-definition movie format.

Microsoft will "no longer manufacture new HD DVD players for the Xbox 360, but we will continue to provide standard product and warranty support for all Xbox 360 HD DVD Players in the market," company officials said in a blog post Saturday.

Microsoft had been selling an HD DVD player as a US$129 add-on for the Xbox 360.

Toshiba, which developed HD DVD, last week confirmed speculation that it would nix the format. The move follows decisions by virtually all major Hollywood studios to throw their weight behind Sony's rival Blu-ray high-definition format.

The death of HD DVD puts Microsoft in a quandary. Sony's Playstation 3 console features a built-in Blu-ray player. With HD DVD no longer viable, Microsoft needs to find an alternate high-definition format for the Xbox.

The company could itself move to Blu-ray. More likely, however, is that it will reject its rival's technology and focus instead on offering high-definition downloads through its Xbox Live online content service.

Microsoft already sells a limited selection of HD television program and movie downloads on Xbox Live, which boasts more than 10 million members.

In the meantime, Microsoft says that HD DVD's discontinuation won't hurt Xbox 360 sales -- insisting that it's games, and not movies, that dictate console sales.

"We do not believe the recent reports about HD DVD will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace," the company said. Microsoft shipped 4.3 million Xbox 360 systems in the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with 4.4 million systems during the same period in 2006 -- a decline of 2.3%.

Paul McDougall, InformationWeek

Solid ink technology from Xerox

We always knew that color is expensive, but there a new technology in market which makes color affordable. Solid ink is a proven color printing technology which is easy to use, produces incredible colour print quality, Simple maintenance and less impact on the environment, fast speed and less worry.

The benefits of using color:

* Colour emphasizes critical information and conveys a sense of professionalism

* Colour increases readers' attention spans and recall by 82%

* Colour gains readership by 80%

* Colour makes an impression that is 39% more memorable

* Telephone listings printed in colour can increase response by 44%

* People are 55% more likely to pick up a full-colour piece of mail first

* Information can be located 70% faster if it's in colour

* Colour reduces errors by 80%

Introduced in 1991, Xerox's proven solid ink colour printing technology gives you the most value for your money. Solid ink produces brilliant, vibrant prints on a wide range of media, is the easiest technology on the market to use, and produces 90% less waste than a typical colour laser printer.

3 reason why you'll love solid ink ---------

* Outstanding print quality

* Clean & green

* Easy to use

The Ink:

* Non-toxic ink is resin-based, similar to a crayon, so the sticks are safe to handle by anyone

* No-mess ink won't stain your clothes or your skin

* Capacities of ink sticks can be up to 1,000 or 2,300 pages depending on the device

* Load up to 5 sticks at a time (depending on device) of each colour in a solid ink device for long, uninterrupted printing

Stringent manufacturing of the ink ensures colours will be consistent - 100% of all ink is inspected, not a statistical sampling, which is commonly used

AirPort Express Wi-Fi base station

Christopher Breen and Dan Frakes

Apple released an update Monday to a favorite, though under-hailed, hunk of wireless networking hardware: the AirPort Express Base Station. The new version looks identical to its rectangular predecessor and boasts a single major improvement-802.11n networking versus the slower 802.11g standard found on the original AirPort Express-as well as a few minor tweaks.

Like the Express Base Station of old, the updated version includes a 10/100Base-T Ethernet port, a USB port for attaching a remote printer, and an audio-output jack that supports both digital and analog audio. You power the thing by plugging it directly into a wall socket. For those who haven't discovered the AirPort Express' wonders, its benefits include:

Nearly all the wireless-router features of a full-fledged AirPort Base Station in a package about the size of the AC adapter for an Apple laptop: You can use an Express as your main wireless router at home, or create a wireless access point on-the-go. For example, most hotels offer Internet access but far too many of them are tethered. If you prefer to compute from the comfort of a king-sized bed, just jack the hotel's Ethernet cable into the Base Station's Ethernet jack and you're well on your way. Added bonus: Both you and your roommate can access the Internet at the same time. (The Express supports up to 10 simultaneous users; the Extreme, 50.)

The ability to extend the range of a WDS (Wireless Distribution System) network hosted by an AirPort Extreme Base Station or another AirPort Express: For example, if you have a Base Station in the basement but its signal weakens by the time it hits the second floor rumpus room, just plug the AirPort Express into a power receptacle on the first floor to improve the signal upstairs.

Streaming audio: With iTunes and an AirPort Express Base Station on your network you can stream audio tracks from within iTunes to play through an audio device attached to the Base Station's audio jack. Although Apple doesn't support streaming audio from other applications, Rogue Amoeba's $25 Airfoil 3.1 () makes this possible.

Remote printing: Like the AirPort Extreme Base Station, you can string a USB cable between the appropriate ports on the Express Base Station and your printer and print remotely. This is a nice way to station a printer in a central location convenient for everyone in your home or office.

Nothing has changed in this regard after Monday's release. What the latest AirPort Express brings to the table is enhanced range and speed, as well as a few minor new features. Specifically, Apple claims that the new Express brings twice the range. If it offers the kind of extended range some of us have found from our n-flavored Airport Extreme Base Stations, this is definitely a good thing. Signals that used to peter out from a certain distance now offer the strongest possible signal across multiple floors.

Similarly, a faster Express will certainly do no harm if you currently have today's AirPort Extreme Base Station. And that base-station-in-hotel scenario should bring benefits as well.

(Note, however, that if you add an 802.11n AirPort Express to a slower network-for example, one provided by an 802.11g Extreme or Express Base Station-the network will still operate at the slower g-standard speed. Conversely, an 802.11n Base Station won't suddenly improve the network performance of a PowerBook that contains an 802.11b/g AirPort card.)

The new Express also adds support for a number of features the AirPort Extreme gained when it made the jump to 802.11n.

For example, like the Extreme, the Express now also supports the older 802.11a standard. And through the use of the latest AirPort Utility, it offers the same easy-to-use setup procedure available to the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule.