Mobile Application Development Company

Mikael Ricknäs, IDG News Service

Microsoft has reinvented its mobile phone operating system, showing a new version Monday at Mobile World Congress designed to make the software company a more viable competitor with Apple and Google.

The Windows Phone 7 series will integrate message, gaming, music, video and productivity software in a way that brings together Microsoft's businesses with Outlook, Xbox, Zune, Office and Bing.

"This is a phone built for people in motion," said Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer in a news conference in Barcelona, Spain. He also acknowledged the company's lack of progress over the past three years. "There's no question in my mind we go back a couple of years that we wanted to think ouf of the box clearly differentiated from our past and clearly different from other things going on in the market," he said.

The phones will not be available for sale until the holiday season this year. Microsoft says it plans to release more details about how developers can build applications for Windows Mobile at its Mix conference in March.

Here is a hail of bullets on the new features of Windows Mobile 7:

• The phone will have capacitive touch screens, meaning screens with pinch and pull technology, and three buttons for Windows, search and back. The demo phone had a touchscreen keyboard, but Microsoft said device makers can design phones with physical keyboards as well.


• The start screen will feature customizable "live tiles," icons that link to contacts, music, messaging, games and photos. The tiles will pull updates from the Web, such as Facebook status changes and new uploaded photos. They can also be edited -- a source of criticism of the Apple iPhone -- and users can create a tile for individual contacts, Web sites and photos.


• Zune and Xbox Live are integrated on each phone. The phone displays your Xbox avatar as a Live Tile. The design of the phone overall mimics the Zune with its large clean type, square tiles and black background.


• The calendar displays Outlook Exchange work items and Web hosted calendar items.


• The search refines results, rather than just returning a list of relevant links as you would see in a Web browser. It automatically returns local results and, for instance, displays phone number, directions and nearby businesses for a specific restaurant.


• The e-mail mirrors many features from Outlook, such as the ability to sort messages based on read and unread, flagged, urgent categories. It also allows multiple deletion of messages.


• Social networks are well integrated, so pulling up a contact also pulls up that person's updates on social networks.


• The Office integration, which is the big differentiator Microsoft has over its competitors, is also redesigned, with a note-taking area, documents screen and Sharepoint integration.


• In general, the software appears to have been designed with the phone, rather than the PC, in mind.


• Devices makers that have signed on to make Windows Phones include HTC, LG, Samsung, Garmin, Asus, HP, Dell and Sony Ericsson.


• Wireless carriers have signed on, including AT&T, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Sprint in the U.S. International carriers include Telefonica, Orange and Vodafone.


• Ballmer reiterated Microsoft's business model to license the operating system, rather than go the free route as Google has. He also remains committed to working with device makers and multiple carriers, rather than doing a soup-to-nuts phone like Apple.


• The themes hammered on in the news conference: "A phone is not a PC," "integrated experiences," "smart design," "delight the user."

Adobe went to Spain this week to try to get some love for its Flash software, the dominant platform for viewing Web videos and playing games online.

Flash took a hit in January when Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad tablet, billed as the ultimate multimedia device. Like the iPhone and iPod Touch, the iPad when it is released in March won't support Flash. So iPad owners won't be able to watch videos at popular sites such as Hulu, JibJab or Nickelodeon.

On Monday at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Adobe unveiled a beta version of a new mobile Flash Player for software developers and touted support from most of the wireless industry, including Google's Android operating system, Palm, Samsung and Research In Motion's Blackberry.

The Flash Player is on 98% of all computers, including Apple's desktops and laptops. But Adobe can't seem to get Apple support for mobile devices.

Apple declined to comment. Adobe says the conflict has to do with one thing: economics.

Even though the Flash Player is free, "Apple wants to move rich content off the Web and into the App Store, where they can monetize it," says David Wadhwani, vice president of Adobe's platform business unit, which includes Flash.

The App Store is where Apple sells (and gives away) software for the iPhone, iPod Touch and, soon, the iPad. Adobe profits from Flash by selling the software to create programs — and offers a free Flash Player for viewing Flash projects.

The absence of Flash on such high-profile devices doesn't help Adobe, which counts on new software sales and active developer support to keep what Piper Jaffray estimates to be a $600 million Flash business thriving.

Apple is urging developers to get video onto its mobile devices by encoding them in an up-and-coming competitor called HTML5 instead of Flash.

Adobe Flash is "yesterday's technology," says Richard Doherty, an analyst at The Envisioneering Group. He believes Flash is susceptible to hackers and says it hasn't had a major refresh in years.

The future for Flash

But switching is not easy for millions of websites that are created and presented in Flash.

"For a rich-media site like ours, Flash is the only option," says Gregg Spiridellis, a partner at JibJab Media, which makes online greeting cards. "We could support a second platform just to serve the Apple user base, but there are so many more opportunities to grow on the Web, it makes more sense to put our efforts there."

Google's YouTube video site and Vimeo, a competitor, recently opened up HTML5 support with test pages. "We did it as an experiment to see what the response would be," says Andrew Pile, vice president of products for Vimeo.

The pages load more quickly than Flash, but videos can be seen only in Google's Chrome browser and Apple Safari — not Internet Explorer, because it doesn't support HTML5.

"Right now, Internet video is about Flash. That's all there is to it," Pile says. "If you want to see video online, it's in Flash. It works on every kind of computer and browser. Bringing everyone around to HTML5 is going to be a huge leap. I don't see Flash going away any time soon."

In Barcelona, Adobe is showing its new Flash Player 10.1, which the company says is its most advanced yet.

But what took so long? Flash has been around for 13 years, why isn't it seen on many phones?

Wadhwani says computers have stronger processors and memory capacity and getting Flash to run effectively on mobile devices "has taken quite a bit of effort."

The current mobile version, Flash Lite, "could have worked on an iPhone," he says. "It plays most Web content but not all Web content."

Apple has survived consumer angst over the lack of Flash on the iPhone, but Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster isn't so sure it will have a clear ride with the iPad.

"For the first six months, it won't matter, because people will buy the iPad anyway," he says. "Then we'll see what happens."

Ross MacMillan, an analyst at Jeffries & Co., says the scuffle with Apple won't hurt Adobe in the long run, because the player is free. "Adobe will still sell its software to creative professionals to create for the Web," he says.

"Every person in the world would have to buy an iPad for Flash to go away," Munster says. "And we don't see that happening."

Source: usatoday.com

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By Audrey White

Daily Texan Staff
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Published: Saturday, February 6, 2010

Updated: Saturday, February 6, 2010

Two conflicting iPhone applications designed to serve UT students and alumni spurred a legal dispute that may lead to the removal of one of the “apps” from the Apple Store.

Computer science junior Michael Miller developed the iTexas app over the course of 2009 and sold it to Mutual Mobile, an Austin company founded by two UT alumni. Mutual Mobile released iTexas on Jan. 5 — the same day UT launched the official University of Texas at Austin app. Wendy Larson, an attorney at Pirkey Barber LLP, filed a complaint with Apple on behalf of the University on Feb. 1 requesting Miller rename iTexas. Larson refused to comment to The Daily Texan.

The inclusion of “Texas” in iTexas violates University trademark rights, which guarantee UT ownership of the brand “Texas” when used in reference to the University.

Craig Westemeier, UT assistant athletics director for trademarks and licensing, said that the name could cause confusion among consumers who think the University produced the iTexas application.

“The app could communicate incorrect information or provide recommendations that do not fall within what the University would [offer],” Westemeier said.

Tarun Nimmagadda, Mutual Mobile’s co-founder, said around 2,000 people have downloaded the iTexas app. About 50,000 people have downloaded the official UT app, said John McCall, the associate vice president of the University Development Office. The applications have very distinct features.

The official UT application is focused on alumni and guest needs, providing resources such as sports news, a guide to campus landmarks and access to President William Powers Jr.’s blog, Tower Talk. Nimmagadda said the iTexas app is more focused on day-to-day student needs such as campus maps, schedules, grade access and meals that the dining halls are serving. Both provide access to the UT directory.

“The iTexas app was built by students for students, and it allows students to access features relevant to their UT activities,” Nimmagadda said.

The University first began looking at applications as a source of trademark violations two months ago and has since investigated five to 10 applications, Westemeier said. He said that the production of such applications has the same function as selling non-licensed T-shirts with the UT brand: decreasing the value of University trademarks.

Another application Miller developed, UT Directory, was removed from the application store at the end of November after a trademark debate regarding the application’s burnt-orange color scheme. Miller said he hopes the legal questions surrounding the iTexas application can be resolved without removing it from the store.

“I started this project because, as a student, I wanted an app that could do things like show my grades,” Miller said. “I think it’s an excellent app, and taking it down would make a worse experience for students.”

Miller’s iTexas app will most likely be temporarily removed from the Apple Store on Saturday, Nimmagadda said. He said nobody from the UT legal department contacted Mutual Mobile directly and that the company does not have the resources to fight a legal battle if the University chooses to prosecute.

“If they had told us to change the name, we would have been open to that,” he said. “They did not contact us. They just got in touch with Apple directly. But they know who we are. We are all UT people, and they have talked to us at different times throughout these processes.”

Westemeier said that it is standard procedure to file complaints directly with Apple because they have an efficient process for responding to and working with both parties, which has worked well in the past. He also said no members of Mutual Mobile had contacted the University’s legal or trademarking departments about the complaint.

Nimagadda said that as they investigate the application further, other issues may arise that force the trademarking and legal departments to fight the application’s return to the store.

“We’ve got to look at the bigger picture as far as what they’re doing, the information they’re using and confusion of the brand,” Westemeier said.

Jack Koenig, a Plan II and electrical engineering freshman, has downloaded both applications for free from the Apple Store. He said he finds them both extremely useful and hopes students will continue to have access to the services both applications offer.

“The University has a valid complaint, but the iTexas app has really cool stuff that the UT app doesn’t,” Koenig said.

Source: dailytexanonline.com

Nokia fired the latest salvo in its ongoing patent dispute with Apple, saying Tuesday that it has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission charging that Apple infringes its patents “in virtually all of its mobile phones, portable music players and computers.”

The complaint involves seven patents that Nokia says Apple is using to “create key features” in products related to the user interface and camera, antenna and power management technologies. Nokia wants the ITC to investigate its claims.

Nokia and Apple are already locked in a legal struggle that started in October when Nokia filed suit against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. Nokia, the world’s largest mobile handset maker, alleged in that lawsuit that Apple infringed 10 of its patents related to wireless technologies used in the iPhone. Apple countersued earlier this month, charging that Nokia has infringed on 13 Apple patents.

“This action is about protecting the results of … pioneering development” of “key technologies in small electronic devices,” said Nokia’s Paul Mellin, the general manager of patent licensing in a statement about the ITC complaint. “While our litigation in Delaware is about Apple’s attempt to free-ride on the back of Nokia investment in wireless standards, the ITC case filed today is about Apple’s practice of building its business on Nokia’s propriety innovation.”

An Apple spokesman could not be reached for comment Tuesday morning, but when it filed the countersuit Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell said: “Other companies must compete with us by inventing their own technologies, not just by stealing ours.”

Source: http://www.itnews.com/patent/12378/nokia-files-itc-patent-complaint-against-apple

Ford Motor just can't seem to get enough lately of high-tech flourishes for the dashboard.

Earlier this month, the automaker unveiled plans to integrate Wi-Fi into its Sync entertainment systems so that drivers can turn their cars into wireless Internet hot spots. On Tuesday, Ford said that starting in 2010, car buyers will be able to get a factory-installed HD Radio receiver with iTunes Tagging capabilities:

"Through the Sync system," Ford said in its press release, "iTunes Tagging will provide Ford customers with the ability to capture a song they hear on the HD Radio receiver for later purchase. With a simple push of the 'TAG' button on the radio display, the song information will be stored in the radio's memory.

"Up to 100 tags can be stored on Sync until the iPod is connected to receive the download of metadata. When the iPod is then synced to iTunes, a playlist of 'tagged' songs will appear. Customers then can preview and, if desired, purchase and download tagged songs from the iTunes Store."

Ford is proclaiming itself the first automaker to offer HD Radio with iTunes tagging as a factory-installed feature, but its announcement comes nearly a year after consumer electronics company JVC began touting its KD-HDR50, an in-car stereo system that comes with a built-in HD Radio tuner that incorporates iTunes Tagging.

For more on HD Radio and the gadgets that get it, see:

Radio options compared

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10422549-1.html?

When we talked to AT&T earlier Monday about the unavailability of iPhones for New York shoppers using the AT&T Website, a company spokesman told us that the wireless carrier “periodically modifies [its] promotions and distribution channels.” The company did some more modifying Monday, as the iPhone is once again available to New Yorkers shopping via the AT&T Website.

It’s still unclear as to why the iPhone was unavailable over the weekend via A&T’s online store. A follow-up report on Consumerist as well as comments in Macworld’s user forums indicated that as of Monday morning, AT&T was telling customers that the iPhone was unavailable for purchase online in certain zip codes due to “increased fraudulent activity.” In the original Consumerist post, AT&T service reps were telling customers that the iPhone wasn’t available in New York City because the nation’s most populous city didn’t have “enough towers to handle the phone.”

Source: http://www.itnews.com/smartphones/12368/iphone-once-again-available-att-website-new-yorkers

Computer security researchers say that the GSM phones used by the majority of the world's mobile-phone users can be listened in on with just a few thousand dollars worth of hardware and some free open-source tools.

In a presentation given Sunday at the Chaos Communication Conference in Berlin, researcher Karsten Nohl said that he had compiled 2 terabytes worth of data -- cracking tables that can be used as a kind of reverse phone-book to determine the encryption key used to secure a GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) telephone conversation or text message.

While Nohl stopped short of releasing a GSM-cracking device -- that would be illegal in many countries, including the U.S. -- he said he divulged information that has been common knowledge in academic circles and made it "practically useable."

Intercepting mobile phone calls is illegal in many countries, including the U.S., but GSM-cracking tools are already available to law enforcement. Knoll believes that criminals are probably using them too. "We have just basically copied what you can already buy in a commercial product," he said.

The flaw lies in the 20-year-old encryption algorithm used by most carriers. It's a 64-bit cipher called A5/1 and it is simply too weak, according to Nohl. Using his tables, antennas, specialized software, and $30,000 worth of computing hardware to break the cipher, someone can crack the GSM encryption in real time and listen in on calls, he said. If the attacker was willing to wait a few minutes to record and crack the call, the total cost would be just a few thousand dollars, he said.

There are about 3.5 billion GSM phones worldwide, making up about 80 percent of the mobile market, according to data from the GSM Alliance, a communications industry association representing operators and phone-makers.

Because even discussing wiretapping tools can be illegal in the U.S., researchers have steered clear of this type of work. But after consulting lawyers with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Nohl and his collaborators set upon a way of conclusively disclosing the flaws in the GSM system without --they believe -- breaking the law.

Last August they kicked off an open-source project to create the cracking tables -- something that would take a decent gaming computer about 10 years to compute -- and they have shown which open-source tools could be used to intercept messages, but they have stopped short of designing a device to intercept the messages. This is, however, something that a technically sophisticated hacker could figure out, Nohl said.

"I don't think anything we did was illegal," Knoll said. However, "using what we produced in certain circumstances would be illegal," he added.

Two years ago, hackers David Hulton and Steve Miller embarked on a very similar project, but they did not complete their work, Nohl said.

Source: http://www.itnews.com/phones/12370/hackers-show-its-easy-snoop-gsm-call

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As multiple publishers and consortiums gear up for an incoming wave of e-readers and other connected devices this year, publishers should be looking more seriously at the emerging app ecosystem for new revenue opportunities. The small branded and media applications that run on social networks like Facebook and mobile platforms will be a primary area of development among advertisers and ad agencies in the coming year.

According to a new study by Quattro Wireless, only 46% of publishers, ad clients and agencies surveyed have already developed some form of application for their brands. (Quattro Wireless, a mobile developer and ad network, performed its research among several hundred advertisers, agencies and publishers.) Of the 54% that have not entered this arena, 65% say they will in 2010. The amount of spending projected for online social media apps will remain relatively flat in the coming year, but tremendous developer energy now is focusing on mobile platforms, specifically the iPhone and BlackBerry. Among those who will be developing apps in 2010, 95% say they will publish on the iPhone, 44% on BlackBerry, 31% on Android and 15% on the Palm Pre.

While mobile is the hot category in application development, the Web social networks and the handheld platforms seem to go well together. Of those surveyed, only 11% are developing solely for mobile and only 20% developed only for social networks. Sixty-nine percent of respondents are deploying apps on both mobile and social platforms.

Increasingly, we are seeing branded apps and publisher apps migrate between Facebook and mobile app environments. The modular application environment is evolving into a device-agnostic platform where publishers and advertisers can maintain a seamless presence across Web, mobile and perhaps the upcoming e-readers. For instance, according to recent reports, Apple has put out a call to select iPhone developers for versions of current applications that will work well in higher resolution environments. Many analysts see this as a sign that Apple is about to announce its long-rumored tablet device, which many expect will run iPhone/iPod Touch applications in larger 7-inch and 10-inch touch-screen format. The next generation of e-readers will likely run on Android or iPhone-like operating systems that can accommodate downloadable programs that look, feel and behave like the add-ons in the Facebook, iPhone and Android stores.

For publishers, there are multiple ways to leverage the emerging app ecosystem. Foremost is promotion. Most agencies and brands already know that the application environments in Facebook and iTunes are hopelessly cluttered, and few of them rely on the organic distribution and merchandising systems now in place. Publishers that already attract application audiences to their content can be important promotional vehicles for branded apps. According to the Quattro survey, advertisers and agencies that have used mobile apps, for instance, prefer to use online advertising, mobile advertising (via a network buy) and direct buy mobile advertising to promote their new apps. In other words, media companies should be able to leverage both their online and mobile positions to help clients get into the app market.

The hottest product categories in the app environment now are the consumer packaged goods (CPGs) and retail, where 27.5% of advertisers/agencies say they are deploying programs. Automotive (25%), entertainment (20%) and financial (20%) are the next most popular categories in the ecosystem.

Another area for growth and opportunity for publishers is app development. Just as content providers ultimately became custom online publishers by building microsites and consulting on branded destinations, publishers could perform similar tasks in the app world. For now, the app development economy is dominated by entrepreneurs. The Quattro survey shows that 83.1% of app development is being done by independent shops that consider app development the core of their business. Another 9.6% of development is going on in agencies that also work for multiple clients. Only 2.2% works directly for a specific brand only. But 5.1% in the app field are “publisher developers” who also work for a destination site.

As media companies look to extend their own content brands onto tablets, e-readers and even Internet-connected TVs and set-top boxes, they will need to bring more of app development in-house. These new skill sets could also be leveraged with marketing clients. Earlier this year, for instance, Meredith took a strategic investment in one of the leading mobile marketing companies, The Hyperfactory. The new app ecosystem is already cluttered with small shops that could easily become acquisition targets for ad networks, ad agencies and publishers in the coming year. As publishers contemplate a new world of apps for their own content brands, they need to consider the many ways in which they can turn it into something more than just another ad opportunity for clients. Apps should become a new area for marketing services as well.

Tomorrow at minonline we will drill deeper into the study’s findings regarding publishers' own branded applications.

NEWS Credit to minonline.com

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NEW YORK – Apple Inc. shares hit an all-time high Thursday after a published report suggested the intensely scrutinized yet secretive company may be getting ready for a major product announcement.

Citing unnamed people familiar with the preparations, the Financial Times reported on its Web site Wednesday that Apple has rented space for several days in late January at an arts center in San Francisco.

The company is famed for its highly staged launches. CEO Steve Jobs has used past events to introduce groundbreaking — and lucrative — gadgets such as the iPod and the iPhone.

Although Apple has not acknowledged working on a tablet computer — the company is notorious for keeping upcoming product plans closely guarded — analysts expect the company's next blockbuster to be something of a cross between a laptop and an iPod Touch, which is essentially an iPhone without the calling features.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request Thursday for comment on the FT report.

In a note to investors this month, Oppenheimer's Yair Reiner said Apple could have a tablet out by late March or April based on checks with contacts in the U.S.

Brian Marshall, an analyst with Broadpoint AmTech, expects the device to launch late in the first quarter, but he said the rise in Apple shares Thursday had more to do with investor behavior at the end of the year.

He said that after cashing in from the rise in Apple shares over the past few months, "people are coming back to the well," betting the stock will head even higher in 2010.

Apple shares hit an all-time high of $209.35 at one point on Thursday, topping the previous record of $208.71, set Oct. 21. The stock was up $6.94, or 3.4 percent, to $209.04 in afternoon trading.

Apple shares have recovered from a 52-week low of $78.20 in January, helped by consistently growing profits.

Even during the worst of the recession, people continued to buy iPods, iPhones and Mac computers. In its most recent quarter, the Cupertino, Calif., company reported a 47 percent jump in net income to $1.7 billion, on revenue of $36.5 billion.

With a market capitalization of more than $182 billion, Apple is now bigger than rival computer makers Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. combined. Dell has a market cap of about $28 billion, while HP is at $124 billion.

Source: yahoo.com

(CNN) -- BlackBerry customers throughout North America were without e-mail and Internet services for more than eight hours after a widespread outage that lasted until early Wednesday.

Customers began receiving e-mails again around 2:45 a.m. ET. Initial reports of outages came from BlackBerry around 6:30 p.m.

BlackBerry did not give a reason for the outage. It was the second such outage for users in less than a week.

At one point, BlackBerry estimated 100 percent of its customers in North America were affected by the outage, according to an e-mail sent to customers.

"BlackBerry subscribers may be unable to send or receive messages. Subscribers may also be unable to register their device, roam in another location, or use other services such as Internet browsing," the e-mail said.

"BlackBerry Internet Service subscribers may be unable to use the BlackBerry Internet Service web site or perform activities such as creating new accounts, integrating third-party email accounts, or viewing email attachments."

Research in Motion Ltd., maker of the devices, said it had about 32 million global BlackBerry subscribers as of the end of August.

BlackBerry phones run on multiple wireless carriers, including AT&T, Sprint Nextel and Verizon.

Source: CNN.COM

New data on the top 10 mobile phones puts Apple on top due to the sheer number of iPhone owners. But both Research In Motion and LG actually control more market share because they sell multiple, popular models.

Nielsen’s data on the top 10 phones in use in the U.S. from January through October shows Apple with 4 percent market share, RIM with 6.3 percent, and LG with 6.4 percent. But the trio lead a very fragmented market. In fact, the top 10 phones account for just over 20 percent of the total devices in use.

With an estimated 271 million U.S. mobile subscribers at the end of 2008, accounting for about 88 percent of the U.S. population, even 1 percent market share is significant.

RIM BlackBerry devices and LG handsets–voluminous in offering compared with the singular iPhone also have the benefit of longer time on the market and of promotion by the carriers that don’t have the iPhone. LG is the No. 3 handset maker behind Nokia and Samsung. RIM and Apple have nowhere the number of models offered by the top three handset makers, yet they enjoy a stronger market share.

The Nielsen data shows both the opportunity and the challenge of creating the next big thing in mobile devices. Just a few years ago, Motorola’s Razr was the belle of the ball, and RIM was firmly fixed as an enterprise device. However, the convergence of voice, e-mail, and browsing, as well as new 3G networks, brought the smartphone to the forefront and helped push both RIM and Apple to the top.

All hope is not lost for currently less popular handset makers, as the market can very quickly change dramatically.

Indeed, there is a big challenge under way from Android-based phones such as the Droid that could thrust laggards such as Motorola back into the spotlight, provided that Google doesn’t stomp all over the developer community that has been building up around the new mobile operating system.

And mobile phones are not just for those on the run. Nielsen’s Convergence Audit (PDF), an annual survey on voice, video, and data products, “shows a rise in households who have ‘cut the cord’ by trading their traditional landlines for wireless cellular services and an increase in mobile media device usage among a diverse set of households.”

In the second quarter, the report said, 21 percent of households were using wireless cellular service only–compared with 18 percent a year earlier. “This increase comes from…households who have dropped their landlines as well as from young adults that started new households with just a wireless phone service,” the report said.

Odds are that these percentages will continue to climb as young mobile users reach adulthood and as adults look to their mobile devices to do more than just make calls.

source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13846_3-10420114-62.html

Apple issued a firmware update today for all 27-in. iMacs that is designed to fix display problems, including flickering screens, that have been reported by hundreds of recent buyers.

“The 27-inch iMac Graphics Firmware Update applies to the graphics firmware on ATI Radeon HD 4670 and 4850 graphics cards to address issues that may cause image corruption or the display to flicker,” Apple said in the typically-terse description of the hotfix.

Display issues have plagued Apple’s 27-in. iMac desktop computers since the new machines were Oct. 20 . Users have reported cracked screens, a yellow tint in part of the display, and irritating flickers that come and go.

The problems prompted one Canadian Web developer to collate the complaints on a specially-built Web site, and may have been one of the reasons why Apple slapped a two-week shipping delay on 27-in. iMacs earlier this month.

A thread on Apple’s support forum dedicated to the flickering screen problem boasts more than 1,500 messages and has a view count of over 244,000, making it the most-read of those on the iMac forum.

Apple didn’t promise that the 638K update would solve everyone’s display issues. “If your screen remains black after applying the updater or if you continue to experience image corruption or display flickering after successfully completing this update, contact AppleCare or an Apple Authorized Service Provider,” the Apple advisory read.

In fact, just hours after the firmware update’s release, user reports were mixed. Several reported that the update had not done the trick. “I have only experienced a mild flicker or two, but I can confirm that the firmware update does not seem to have solved the problem,” said a user identified as “OSXAlex” on the support forum. “I noticed a flicker within 5 minutes of restarting after the update.”

“Applied the update about an hour ago hoping it would fix my flickers,” added “Paul_31″ earlier Monday. “Sorry to report that it hasn’t — they seem to be less than they were but not cured.”

However, others said that the flickers were now gone. “Just updated now, since then I didn’t find any flickering/tearing of screen,” countered “Ianod” this afternoon. “[But] it needs more time … can’t say anything at the moment.”

The firmware update can be downloaded from Apple’s site, or retrieved using Software Update on a 27-in. iMac equipped with one of the two ATI graphics cards.

Even after the update’s release, Apple’s online store continued to show a two-week shipping delay for all 27-in. iMacs.

Source: http://www.itnews.com/mac/12261/apple-firmware-update-aims-fix-imac-flickering

The latest version of the revolutionary Java based mobile development tool MobiForms 5.0 now offers support for Google Android smartphones. MobiForms is the first rapid application development tool in the world specifically designed for Google Android.

Up until now developing for Android required in depth professional programming skills with mandatory learning of Java, the Eclipse IDE (Integrated Development Environment) and the Google Android SDK (Software Development Kit). MobiForms replaces all of these tools with one simple, intuitive, drag and drop interface. No Java or XML programming is required.

MobiForms now makes it possible for novice or experienced programmers alike to quickly create mobile business application for Android Google smartphones.

MobiForms for Google Android supports JDBC database connectivity to a range industrial standard databases including Oracle and SQL Server. MobiForms also includes a free copy of the JDBC compliant HSQLDB database engine for off-line mobile database storage.

MobiForms offers all the tools in one "box" for the creation and deployment of any type of mobile application - from surveys to field service, from signature capture to bar coding.

One MobiForms application supports multiple device types including Tablet PC, Pocket PC, Windows CE, Windows Mobile, Symbian and now Google Android. One MobiForms licence includes an unlimited runtime licence for any number of mobile devices.

MobiForms 5.0 with Google Android support can be downloaded from the MobiForms web site at: http://www.mobiforms.com.

Original Source: javaworld.com | Re-Posted By: Mobile Application Development Company