[MyAppleMenu] Jun 25, 2010

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple Cripples IBook Fonts <http://www.thinq.co.uk/2010/6/24/apple-cripples-ibook-fonts/>
Stewart Meagher, THINQ.co.uk

Designers of ebooks are starting to grumble about Apple's policy of locking down which fonts can be used on its iBooks platform.

Apple's guidelines say that designers choosing their own fonts would lead to "a bad user experience", a claim which some are calling shortsighted.

**** FaceTime Versus Fring: iPhone 4 Video Chat Throwdown <http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-20008762-233.html?part=rss&amp;subj=news&amp;tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
Jessica Dolcourt, CNET News

While Apple's FaceTime calling seems to win all the video chatting marbles, just remember that its victory is relative. FaceTime only operates over Wi-Fi, which hobbles its overall usability.

**** Class Action Against Apple And AT&T Is Amended <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/class-action-against-apple-and-att-is-amended/?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Nick Bilton, New York Times

The suit, presented as a proposed class action lawsuit, currently names three individuals who claim that Apple and AT&T “baited” them into purchasing an iPad 3G with the promises of a flexible unlimited data plan, “only to have that promise reneged upon within weeks of their purchases.”

**** iPhone 4: First-commute Impressions <http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2010/06/iphone_4_first-commute_impress.html>
Rob Pegoraro, Washington Post

**** Updated Bing For iPhone Strives To Be An All-in-one App <http://www.macworld.com/article/152280/2010/06/bing_iphone.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Brennon Slattery, Macworld

Microsoft updated its Bing iPhone app, adding social network integration, visual scanning, and restructured entertainment sections that may lure people away from Google.

**** Congressmen Query Apple On Privacy Policy Changes <http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20008721-260.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Apple>
Erica Ogg, CNET News

On Thursday, coinciding with Apple's high-profile first day sale of the iPhone 4, Reps. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) announced that they have sent a letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs expressing their concerns and asking for answers regarding reports that Apple is gathering location information on its customers.

**** iPhone 4 Screen Yellowing Could Be A Temporary Problem From Assembly <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/06/24/iphone_4_screen_yellowing_could_be_a_temporary_problem_from_assembly.html>
AppleInsider

"Apple is using a bonding agent called Organofunctional Silane Z-6011 to bond the layers of glass," austingaijin wrote. "Apparently, Apple (or more likely Foxconn) is shipping these products so quickly that the evaporation process is not complete. However, after one or two days of use, especially with the screen on, will complete the evaporation process and the yellow 'blotches' will disappear."

**** Lefties: Beware iPhone 4 Reception Problem <http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/06/new-iphone-4-antenna-causing-potential-reception-issues.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

Despite the crafty design, it turns out that some users are experiencing a problem where holding the phone a certain way in the left hand can significantly reduce 3G signal strength.

**** Twitterrific 3.0 Runs On iPad, iPhone <http://www.macworld.com/article/152302/2010/06/twitterrific_ipad.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Serenity Caldwell, Macworld

Twitterrific 3.0 combines the company’s previous three offerings (Twitterrific for iPad, Twitterrific for iPhone, and Twitterrific Premium for iPhone) into a single ad-supported universal application. In addition, the app has been updated to take advantage of iOS 4’s fast app-switching and the iPhone 4’s new Retina display.

**** Facing Off With FaceTime <http://www.macworld.com/article/152308/2010/06/facetime_iphone4.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Dan Moren, Macworld

Will FaceTime really get video-calling to catch on? It’s hard to say, but with the smooth, slick it-just-works way that Apple’s implemented FaceTime, it will certainly be tough to point a finger at the technology as the culprit.

**** Steve Jobs: Wi-Fi iPhone Syncing Coming “Someday” <http://appadvice.com/appnn/2010/06/steve-jobs-wifi-iphone-syncing-coming/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AppAdvice+%28AppAdvice%29>
Joe White, App Advice

"Yep, someday."

**** Hands On: iMovie For iPhone <http://www.macworld.com/article/152307/2010/06/handson_imovie4iphone.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Christopher Breen, Macworld

I’ve had a couple of hours to play with iMovie for iPhone and these are my impressions.

**** Apple iOS 4 Is An Upgrade Worth Having <http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Apple-iOS-4-Is-an-Upgrade-Worth-Having-427059/>
P. J. Connolly, eWeek

**** Apple Responds Over iPhone 4 Reception Issues: You're Holding The Phone The Wrong Way <http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/apple-responds-over-iphone-4-reception-issues-youre-holding-th/>
Joshua Topolsky, Engadget

Apple cops to the fact there are reception issues with the new iPhone -- namely, that if you cover the bottom-left corner of the phone and bridge the gap between the notch there with your naked flesh, you could see some signal degradation. Yes, you read that right: it's not a software or production issue, simply a matter of the physical location of your hand in regards to the phone's antenna. The company's suggested fix? Move your hand position, or get a case which covers that part of the phone, thus breaking contact.

**** Jobs On FaceTime Replacing Hold Button: “Hold Doesn’t Do Anything More Than Mute” <http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/24/facetime-hold-button/>
MG Siegler, TechCrunch

**** Apple IOS 4 Vs. Android Multitasking: Which Approach Is Better For Users? <http://www.pcworld.com/article/199830/apple_ios_4_vs_android_multitasking_which_approach_is_better_for_users.html?tk=hp_new>
Melissa J. Perenson, PC World

As it turns out, the way Apple tackles multitasking is fundamentally different from how Google handles the job--and that difference speaks volumes about Apple's mature interface polish as opposed to Google's work-in-progress, developer-optimized approach.

**** Apple Advises On Holding iPhone <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8761240.stm>
BBC News

Steve Jobs responded to a query about the problem from one owner by saying: "Just avoid holding it in that way."

The official advice is to "avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band".

**** Hardware Expert Explains iPhone 4 Antenna Problem <http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9178503/Hardware_expert_explains_iPhone_4_antenna_problem>
Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Reports of call and data signal strength problems in the new iPhone 4 have a basis in fact, a hardware expert said Thursday.

**** Which Drew The Bigger Crowd In San Diego? Microsoft Store Opening Or Apple iPhone 4 Launch? <http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/30689/20100624/which-drew-the-bigger-crowd-in-san-diego-microsoft-store-opening-or-apple-iphonelaunch.htm>
Joe Wilcox, International Business Times

Apple shoppers came to spend money on iPhone 4, not get freebees.

**** FontLab Releases Fontographer 5 <http://www.macworld.com/article/152311/2010/06/fontographer.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Jackie Dove, Macworld

FontLab has released Fontographer 5, a new version of its font editing application. This version of the software—which lets you create, customize, fine-tune, fix, and convert fonts to different formats—is specifically designed for desktop publishers who need quick solutions to font problems.

**** Mac Money Mangers <http://www.macworld.com/article/151819/2010/06/mac_money_managers.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Jeffrey Battersby, Macworld

An overview of personal finance tools for the desktop, iPhone, and Web.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Smarter Than You Think <http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/jul/15/smarter-you-think/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nybooks+%28The+New+York+Review+of+Books%29>
Wyatt Mason, The New York Review of Books

“What I would love to do is a profile of one of you guys who’s doin’ a profile of me,” David Foster Wallace told the journalist David Lipsky in 1996 during a series of conversations now collected as Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace. “It would be a way,” Wallace continued, “for me to get some of the control back”.

**** Rent A White Guy <http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/07/rent-a-white-guy/8119>
Mitch Moxley, The Atlantic

Confessions of a fake businessman from Beijing.



SingaporeSurf
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**** Just How Wealthy Is The Singapore Government? <http://singabloodypore.rsfblog.org/archive/2010/06/24/just-how-wealthy-is-the-singapore-government.html>
Singabloodypore

**** Filial Piety Ad – What Was Not Shown <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/06/filial-piety-ad-what-was-not-shown/>
Joshua Chiang, The Online Citizen

**** Sorry, It's My Bloody Fault. <http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.com/2010/06/sorry-its-my-bloody-fault.html>
Feed Me To The Fish

All they do is just talk their way out of any situation. No matter how condescending, unreasonable or dumb they sound, as long as they are elites connected to the obnoxious power that is, they get away with it.

**** Law Soc Wants Protocol For Police Questioning To Be Spelt Out Clearly <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC100625-0000077/Law-Soc-wants-protocol-for-police-questioning-to-be-spelt-out-clearly>
Leong Wee Keat, Today

Procedures concerning the questioning of suspects by the police should be spelt out clearly, argues the president of The Law Society of Singapore.

Mr Michael Hwang said it is a question of morality that the basic needs of a suspect like how much rest he should be given, and whether he can record his interviews, be stated explicitly in police handbooks.

**** Heavy Downpour Causes Flooding, Road Chaos <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1065589/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

The heavy downpour Friday morning is causing chaos on the roads.

**** Mark Ng Advances The Cause Of Speech Freedom <http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/mark-ng-advances-the-cause-of-speech-freedom/>
Yawning Bread

Mark Ng’s mocking words about Taoist deities were made two years ago. They were contained in DVD recordings that had been on sale since. In other words they circulated for two years before somebody noticed.

None of these cases were preemptively censored. They even circulated for a while before they came to light. And yet, we’re doing alright. It only goes to show: We do not need preemptive censorship. Not even of racially and religiously offensive speech.

**** Johor to start probe into sand smuggling Claims <http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/6/25/starprobe/6544126&sec=starprobe>
Nelson Benjamin, The Star

The state government will initiate its own probe into allegations that sand is being smuggled out of the country via Sungai Johor.

**** Stereotyping Filial Piety And The Hypocrisy Of MCYS <http://furrybrowndog.wordpress.com/2010/06/24/stereotyping-filial-piety-and-hypocrisy-of-mcys/>
Furry Brown Dog

A perennial question some spouses ask of their significant other is to choose between saving their life  or that of their parents should a choice have to be made.  This is a painful choice, should it ever arise, of the individual themselves and I do not think the state has a right to implicitly endorse either option.

**** What Excuse Will The PAP Give Now? <http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/3851-what-excuse-will-the-pap-give-now>
Singapore Democrat Party

Through all these incidents the Prime Minister has, and is continuing, to hide. Mr Lee Hsien Loong has not uttered a word about the recent floods and the security breach into tthe MRT depot. He has shown absolutely zero leadership.

When there are accolades the ministers stand right in front to absorb the fragrance, using it to increase their salaries. When troubles come, they hide and push the blame to others. Welcome to the world of the PAP.

**** Orchard Road Flooded Again <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC100625-0000183/Orchard-Road-flooded-again>
Today

Nine days after a blocked canal running under Orchard Road overflowed and caused millions of dollars in damage to shops, floods were again reported along Singapore's main shopping stretch this morning.

**** Swiss Admits To Train Graffiti <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_545499.html>
Elena Chong, Straits Times

A Swiss national pleaded guilty on Friday to entering a protected place and vandalising an SMRT train by spray-painting two of its carriages.

Oliver Fricker, 32, an IT consultant, faces a fine of up to $2,000 or a jail term of up to three years and caning of at least three strokes on the vandalism charge. For entering a protected place, he can be fined up to $1,000 and/or jailed for up to two years. He is expected to be sentenced on Friday after his mitigation plea.

**** Swiss Man Admits Singapore Vandalism, Faces Caning <http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hTpRaQ3haUgATGVzl5M35oUeC1gQ>
AFP

A Swiss expatriate pleaded guilty on Friday to vandalism and trespass for spray-painting a Singapore metro train in a daring stunt for which he is expected to be caned and jailed.

Singapore considers the intrusion a serious offence because its metro system is believed to be the target of Southeast Asian Islamic extremists. Its vandalism laws became global news in 1994 when an American teenager, Michael Fay, was caned for damaging cars and public property despite appeals for clemency from the US government.

**** Singapore's Factory Output Sees Record Rise In May <http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jp_blXKhvG2VyDtXv7u50CkRMCOw>
AFP

Singapore said Friday that manufacturing output surged a record 58.6 percent year on year in May as factories raced to meet robust foreign orders for electronics and pharmaceuticals.

**** Four SCDF Rescue Operations During Morning Heavy Downpour <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1065638/1/.html>
Joanne Chan, Channel NewsAsia

The heavy downpour Friday morning left at least four people injured, and several others trapped in flash floods and vehicles hit by fallen trees.  The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), was involved in four rescue operations during the morning's heavy downpour.

**** Floods In Various Parts Of Singapore.... <http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2010/06/floods-in-various-parts-of-singapore.html>
Diary of A Singaporean Mind

It is not really clear what is causing all these floods but we have been getting explanations that result in the least amount work and effort on the part of the authorities.

**** Fricker Gets 5 Mths' Jail, Caning Over Vandalism & Trespassing Charges <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1065691/1/.html>
Sona Remesh, Channel NewsAsia

Swiss national Oliver Fricker has been sentenced to five months jail and three strokes of the cane.

**** No Evidence HDB Sand Is Illegal <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1065724/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

Singapore says there is no evidence that sand received by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has been smuggled out of Malaysia as alleged by The Star newspaper. 

In response to media queries, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Development (MND) said that HDB engages sand suppliers on a commercial basis to supply sand for its development works.