[MyAppleMenu] Oct 25, 2010

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
====================================

**** MacBook Air And The Future Of Notebooks <http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/macbook-air-and-the-future-of-notebooks/8511?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zdnet%2FApple+%28ZDNet+The+Apple+Core%29>
David Morgenstern, ZDNet

What is significant is that in the new Air models we continue to see that Apple keeps driving its high-end technology down to the masses.

**** Might The Mac App Store Lead To A New Class Of Micro-Apps? <http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/24/mac-app-store/>
MG Siegler, TechCrunch

Apple has said that they’d like to get the first version of this Mac App Store out there in 90-days. They’ll undoubtedly have a range of third-party developers on board for the launch. But it will be shortly after that when we’ll begin to see exactly how this new distribution model will be used. And I suspect a lot of $5 micro-apps and small games may end up being the apps that drive the store.

**** China's iPad Users Get Free Tv Broadcast <http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4498441>
Indo-Asian News Service

China's state-owned television network China Xinhua News Network Corporation (CNC) will provide a 24-hour free broadcast to iPad users in the country.

**** Review: MacBook Air (11-inch, 2010) <http://www.electronista.com/reviews/macbook-air-11-inch-2010.html>
Electronista

For our money, the 11-inch MacBook Air is just about spot-on. A better processor would be great, as would a backlit keyboard and more battery life, but these aren't deal killers unless the 13-inch Air isn't an option. At this size, weight and level of comfort, the Air can win simply because it's the system you'd most want to carry with you. It's also arguably the true speed leader in the category. 

**** Apple: Master Of Miracles <http://www.infoworld.com/t/mobile-platforms/apple-master-miracles-632>
Paul Venezia, InfoWorld

Apple's track record in the past 10 years reads like fiction. So what's next?

**** Blurring The Line Between Apps And Books <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/business/media/25link.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1288004645-NdBlsetJG/LmAvdDH3GaFQ>
Noam Cohen, New York Times

Rather than exploit the multimedia potential of an app book, Mr. Elliott said he wanted to include tools that cater to a special group: Stephen Elliott readers.

**** Thin Air Perfect For Mother-In-Law <http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-talk-macbook-air-20101025,0,1612017.story>
Eric Gwinn, Chicago Tribune

Newest MacBook edges out iPad to earn recommendation for first computer.

**** MacBook Air Review: Skinny On The Skinny <http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/10/25/5346189-macbook-air-review-skinny-on-the-skinny>
Wilson Rothman, MSNBC

Apple's new MacBook Air doesn't take your breath away, like the original one did back in January 2008 when Steve Jobs yanked it from a Manila envelope. In the age of iPad, slender laptops are blasé. What Apple did do, with this relaunch, is turn a niche style statement into a mass-friendly option. It's MacBook Air, minus the early-adopter tax.

**** A Sledgehammer Called OmniFocus <http://shawnblanc.net/2010/10/omnifocus/>
Shawn Blanc

**** Size Does Matter With The 11-inch MacBook Air <http://www.wired.com/reviews/2010/10/11inch_macbook_air/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29>
Brian X. Chen, Wired

Even though the 11-inch Air is roomier and sexier than a netbook, it still feels claustrophobic over extended periods of use. Staring at a crisp 11-inch screen induces squinting, and the idea of doing any serious work on this note is painful.

**** iPad Magazine Apps Enjoying Variable Success <http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/39188/iPad-magazine-apps-enjoying-variable-success?>
Stuart Dredge, Mobile Entertainment

Great business for tech mags. Not so great for others.

**** Review: Microsoft's Office 2011 For Mac <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/10/25/review_microsofts_office_2011_for_mac.html>
Daniel Eran Dilger, AppleInsider

**** VLC 1.1.0 Now Available For All iOS Devices <http://www.tuaw.com/2010/10/25/vlc-1-1-0-now-available-for-all-ios-devices/>
TJ Luoma, TUAW

**** Apple Partners With Unisys To Reach Enterprise, Government Clients <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/10/25/apple_partners_with_unisys_to_reach_enterprise_government_clients.html>
Daniel Eran Dilger, AppleInsider

Apple has contracted with Unisys Corp to help it sell the Mac, iPhone and iPad to corporations and US government agencies outside of the company's core markets in education and consumers.

**** Configuring Mail's Junk Mail Settings <http://www.macworld.com/article/155157/2010/10/mail_junk_mail_settings.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Christopher Breen, Macworld

**** GarageBand '11 <http://www.macworld.com/reviews/product/710255/review/garageband_11.html?expand=true&lsrc=rss_main>
Christopher Breen, Macworld

All the changes that have been made—expanded lessons, How Did I Play, the greater variety of guitar amps and effects, and the addition of Flex Time and Groove Matching—are useful for those who take advantage of them. As both a musician and podcaster, I’ve found GarageBand to be an invaluable tool. And it remains so. If you’re one of the many people who have never bothered with it, perhaps it’s time to dig out that old Casio keyboard or Sears guitar and give it a try.

**** Apple Joins Google In Counterattack Against Paul Allen Lawsuit <http://www.macworld.com/article/155153/2010/10/apple_google_allen.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Apple last week joined forces with Google, Facebook, Yahoo and others in an effort to dismiss patent infringement charges brought by billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.



The Tomorrow Weblog
====================================

**** Filling Up Empty App Stores <http://www.technologyreview.com/web/26614/?ref=rss>
Erica Naone, Technology Review

A new product from Adobe, InMarket, represents the next step in the company's battle to help software developers publish their applications as widely as possible. It could also blunt the effects of Apple's blockade against Adobe's flagship product, Flash.

**** British Kids Log On And Learn Math — In Punjab <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/technology/25iht-teach25.html?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Julia Werdigier, New York Times

Once a week, year six pupils at Ashmount Primary School in North London settle in front of their computers, put on their headsets and get ready for their math class. A few minutes later, their teachers come online thousands of kilometers away in the Indian state of Punjab.



MyAppleMenu Reader
====================================

**** A Passenger’s Airport Wish List <http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/travel/24prac.html?ref=travel>
Susan Stellin, New York Times

Airlines have taken a lot of heat over bad customer service, but as I was waiting for a flight at La Guardia Airport this summer, I realized that the stress of flying sometimes starts at the terminal curb.

**** Johnny Has Two Mommies – And Four Dads <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/10/24/johnny_has_two_mommies__and_four_dads/>
Drake Bennett, Boston Globe

In the age of assisted reproductive technology, the increasing acceptance of same-sex partnerships, and a steady growth in “blended” families, more parents and more children are finding that traditional notions of the nuclear family don’t accurately reflect their lives and relationships.

**** Making A Home In A Pyramid, 462 Feet Above Seattle <https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/21/garden/21who.html?_r=1>
Michael Tortorello, New York Times

To get to the top of the world, Petra Franklin Lahaie ushers her two young daughters and their girly bikes through a set of heavy bronze doors, greets the 24-hour elevator operator in the Prussian blue uniform, rides up 35 stories past mostly vacant office suites, debarks next to an observation deck and Chinese-themed banquet room, passes through a portal marked “private residence,” climbs two stories into a neo-gothic pyramid and enters a penthouse apartment.



SingaporeSurf
====================================

**** People Can Lose Thousands In A Day, Hour ... <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC101025-0000052/People-can-lose-thousands-in-a-day,-hour-,,,>
Ng Jing Yng, Today

Dr Neo said she is confident of support since the lower income families have been benefiting from all the help provided and they would want to be looked after in the future.

**** Kl-S’pore High-Speed Link Proposal To Be Made Soon <http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/10/25/business/7290933&sec=business>
Risen Jayaseelan, The Star

A proposal for a high-speed train from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore using the magnetic levitation (maglev) technology will soon be submitted to the government, industry sources said.

**** SGX Gets Competition Green Light On Any ASX Bid <http://ca.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idCATRE69N16V20101024>
Rob Taylor and Saeed Azhar, Reuters

Australia's competition watchdog effectively gave the Singapore Exchange a green light on Monday to pursue a takeover of Australian stock exchange operator ASX , saying it did not see any major concerns.

**** Are We Making Them Cut The Last Ties? <http://www.todayonline.com/Commentary/EDC101025-0000026/Are-we-making-them-cut-the-last-ties>
Conrad Raj, Today

Giving up citizenship or PR status does not necessarily mean that a person wants to cut off all ties with Singapore. And property ownership is a good way to reinforce those ties. What if the person wants to come back regularly to stay in the house he was born in or with some other emotional or sentimental attachment?

Do the nationality rules also apply to those having landed property on Sentosa? At present, non-citizens are allowed to buy and own landed property on Sentosa. It now seems unfair that the super-rich on Sentosa are allowed to own landed property even if they are not citizens or PRs.

**** PMETs And Cohesiveness In Our Society <http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2010/10/pmets-and-cohesiveness-in-our-society.html>
Diary Of A Singaporean Mind

In the past when the labor market became tight during the good times, companies were more willing to give older workers a chance. However, now that the floodgates are open and companies have access to a large pool of cheaper younger foreign workers, it is hard for older workers to get a job that makes full use of their skills and experience.

**** SGX Makes Bid For ASX <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_595005.html>
Goh Eng Yeow, Straits Times

As expected, the Singapore Exchange is making an offer for ASX in a deal which values the Australian stock exchange at S$10.7 billion.

**** Temasek Review Sells Domain Name <http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/10/25/temasek-review-sells-domain-name/>
Alicia Wong, Yahoo!

The editors of Temasek Review have entered into a preliminary agreement to sell the temasekreview.com domain name to a non-Singaporean businesswoman, according to a press release made on the socio-political website on Monday.

**** Singapore's Offer For ASX Misses Mark <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304388304575573711477997190.html>
Andrew Critchlow And Mohammed Hadi, Wall Street Journal

Afraid of losing its relevance, Singapore Exchange is offering to pay $8.3 billion for its Australian counterpart, ASX. Not only an expensive proposition, it's one that might not even work.

The Singapore exchange would be helped by access to a much larger pool of capital and the ability of attract resource companies by pointing to a portfolio of their peers. But even with $1.9 trillion in listed market capitalization, SGX-ASX won't be as big—or as direct a play on China—as Hong Kong.

**** Inflation In Singapore Hits New High  <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1089182/1/.html>
Mustafa Shafawi, Channel NewsAsia

Singapore's consumer price index (CPI) increased by 3.7 per cent on-year in September. The Department of Statistics said this was a result of higher costs of transport, housing and food.

**** More Credit Card Holders Not Paying Their Bills In Full <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1089254/1/.html>
Joanne Chan, Channel NewsAsia

The number of credit card holders who do not pay their bills in full has increased, based on a snapshot by Credit Bureau Singapore.

**** Sustainable Singapore <http://lead-green-life.blogspot.com/2010/10/sustainable-singapore.html>
Amruta Kshemkalyani- Tavkar, Green Living

What strike me most about Singapore was their sustainable policies & implementation.

**** ERP Rates Up At 23 Gantries Across Singapore <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1089281/1/.html>
Wayne Chan, Channel NewsAsia

Rates across 23 Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries around the island will go up. This is part of the Land Transport Authority's quarterly review of ERP-priced roads and expressways, and may be the biggest single number of gantries affected this year.