Thu, 02/09/2010
Having cornered the MP3 player, mobile phone and computer tablet markets with the iPod, iPhone and iPad devices respectively, last night Apple announced its latest expansion – into social media – with Ping. Ping will be integrated into Apple's latest iTunes software update and will enable users, or "Pingers", to follow musicians, friends and others to see details including what music they're buying and what concerts they're attending. Steve Jobs, Apple's chairman and chief executive, said the information will arrive in a long stream of updates, similar to the way Facebook and Twitter work.
Via The Guardian
Scottish school shifts wholly to the iPad
A Scottish independent Christian school has opted to educate its pupils by ditching paper and pens and instead issuing the children with iPads. Students at the Cedars School of Excellence in Greenock, Scotland will learn using Apple’s tablet PC, at a cost of about £14.50 per user per month. Head of computing and IT co-ordinator Fraser Speirs said the move began as an exercise that the private school carried out in January 2010. “Up until then we had used iMacs in the computing lab, then we moved to laptops, which could be used in other classes outside of IT," he said.
Via Computing
China demands ID from all buyers of mobile phone numbers
China began requiring identification from anyone buying a new mobile phone number today in what it says is a bid to stamp out junk messages. But critics say the move gives the government a new tool for monitoring its citizens. The rules apply to everyone, including foreigners visiting the country for a short stay, the China Daily newspaper reported. The paper said the regulation was "the latest campaign by the government to curb the global scourge of spam, pornographic messages and fraud on cellular phones".
Via The Guardian
Orange rolls out high-definition voice for mobiles
Mobile firm Orange has become the first UK network to use a technology that offers higher quality voice calls. High Definition (HD) voice claims to reduce background noise and the "hisses and crackles" often heard on a normal mobile call. The technology, known as, Adaptive Multi Rate Wideband (AMR-WB) has been adopted as an international standard for 3G mobile networks. Other networks are expected to follow Orange soon, experts said.
Via BBC
Adult texters catching up to teens
Grown-ups don't text as much as teens -- at least not yet. A new survey suggests they may be catching up. About 72 percent of adult mobile phone users send text messages with their phones, according to a report released Thursday from the Pew Research Center. That's up from 65 percent just a year ago. About 87 percent of teenagers use their phones to tap out messages to each other, the survey said. And they're way busier. Teens send an average of 50 text messages a day, five times more than the 10 that adults send daily.
Via CNN
Little black dress that's also a phone
The garment, branded the M-Dress, lets wearers make and receive calls by slipping their sim card under the label, allowing them to keep their usual numbers. Gesture recognition software allows users to pick up a call by raising their hand to their ear and end a conversation by letting it fall to their side. The M-Dress, designed by the London-based fashion company CuteCircuit, will ring when an incoming call is received and different ringtones can be assigned to different numbers. But the garment can only call a limited number of pre-programmed contacts, according to Mashable, the technology website. The dress is described as being made of "a dark, richly textured, form-fitting silk jersey" and will be released in 2011. Its price remains undisclosed.
Via The Telegraph
