Google has officially released their popular photo management application Picasa for Macs, after years of offering Picasa as a free Windows download.
It’s an exciting announcement for anyone who’s looking for a good photo management app on OS X that isn’t iPhoto or for anyone who’s used and fallen in love with Picasa on Windows or Linux. This release still sports the beta tag, so you can expect a bug here or there, but overall it appears to boast most of the same features as its counterparts. That includes:
1. Photo Management
Picasa scans your entire computer for new photos and keeps them neatly organized, with great timeline features, tagging, and folder organization.
2. Image Editing
Picasa sports simple but impressive editing capabilities, including non-destructive editing of photos. The Mac version offers a few smart options for users looking to run both iPhoto and Picasa so that neither application stps on the other’s toes.
3. Integration with Web Albums
Just like Picasa for Windows and Linux, Picasa for Mac offers seamless integration with Picasa Web Albums, Google’s online photo sharing site.
We’ve got this from three independent sources close to Apple: expect a large screen iPod touch device to be released in the Fall of ‘09, with a 7 or 9 inch screen. Prototypes have been seen and handled by one of our sources, and Apple is talking to OEMs in Asia now about mass production.
Apple has been experimenting internally with large form tablet devices for years, one source says, but there was concern that users wouldn’t like the device. The difference now is the iTunes app store, which has thousands of games and other applications that are perfect for a touch screen device with an accelerometer. Apple says more than 300 million applications have been downloaded since the App Store launched in July 2008. Combine the App Store, iTunes and a browser and you have one heck of a device.
We don’t have any information on pricing. The current iPod touch, with a 3.5 inch screen, starts at $229. The 32 GB model is $399. We expect the price on the larger iPod touch to be significantly higher.
Apple rumors, particularly Apple tablet rumors, tend to come and go. I’m not saying Apple is definitely launching a large form iPod Touch. But sources I trust are saying they are currently planning to, and one source has actually held the device.
Yestoday Apple released Mac OS X 10.5.6 which apparently causes problems recognizing the iPhone in DFU Mode, according to iSpazio.
Minutes ago, Apple released the new OSX 10.5.6 update. We have to put a Big Warning on this update, because it causes problems with DFU mode. So with the Update 10.5.6 you cannot Jailbreak or Unlock your iPhone / iPod Touch with PwnageTool or QuickPwn as on the newest MacBooks. Update your System only if you really need it!
Please do not update to 10.5.6 until this situation is addressed by the iPhone Dev-Team. We will post further information as it becomes available.
Apple has finally concluded negotiations with Sony, Universal and Warner that will let tracks from the three giant music labels sell on iTunes without Fair Play restrictions, according to a report at AppleInsider.
AI cites information from a French electronic website claiming unnamed sources who confirm the DRM-free date is Tuesday, December 9. This hullabaloo falls squarely into the rumor category and should be seen as Holiday Hype as much as anything until either an official announcement from Apple or until tracks are actually being downloaded from iTunes without digital rights management restrictions.
The French site, ElectronLibre, also reportedly claims Apple is set to allow shoppers in France, Germany and the UK download an “unlimited” amount of certain iTunes content just after Christmas, leading up to the start of Macworld 2009 on January 6.
On November 4, 2008, Apple announced Tony Fadell is stepping down as Senior Vice President but will remain with the company as an adviser to CEO Steve Jobs. Fadell’s wife Danielle Lambert, who had been the Vice President of Human Resources, will be leaving the company.
Many people guess the reason of Fadell’s leave, but there is still no standard answer. We just know this is for “personal reasons” but could not know the details.
Let us review the career of this legendary people:
Fadell, graduated from University of Michigan with a BS in Computer Engineering in 1991. He worked for Apple spinoff General Magic for three years, starting in 1992 as a diagnostics engineer and progressing to a systems architect, where he was responsible for the development of a number of technologies and devices including the Sony Magic Link and Motorola Envoy, both of which were part of the Magic Cap platform. In 1995 he was hired by Philips where he was co-founder, Chief Technology Officer, and Director of Engineering in the Mobile Computing Group, which developed a number of Windows CE-based handheld services, notably the Philips Velo and Nino. Fadell went on the become a Vice President of Philips Strategy and Ventures where he was in charge of developing Philips’ digital audio strategy comprising of technology direction for silicon and software, as well as its investment portfolio and potential business models.
During the 1990s, Fadell started his own company called Fuse to develop the “Dell of the Consumer Electronics.” He first approached RealNetworks in 2000 but left after only six weeks. The second company he approached was Apple.
He started working for Apple from February 2001 as a contractor designing the iPod and planning Apple’s audio product strategy. In April 2001 he was hired by Apple to assemble and run its iPod & Special Projects group, where he has overseen the design and production of the iPod and iSight devices. He was promoted to vice president of iPod engineering in 2004. On October 14, 2005, Apple announced that Fadell would replace the retiring Jon Rubinstein as Senior Vice President of the iPod Division on March 31, 2006. On November 4, 2008, Apple announced Tony Fadell is stepping down as Senior Vice President but will remain with the company as an adviser to CEO Steve Jobs.
According to the Journal, Fadell plans to take time off after leaving Apple but may still keep a role at the company as a consultant.
