[MyAppleMenu] Sep 17, 2007

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Microsoft Loses Anti-Trust Appeal <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6998272.stm>
by BBC News
Microsoft has lost its appeal against a record 497m euro fine imposed by the European Commission in a long-running competition dispute.
The European Court of First Instance upheld the ruling that Microsoft had abused its dominant market position. Microsoft has two months to appeal at the European Court of Justice.

**** O2 Wins Apple iPhone Deal - At A Hefty Price <http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/17/mobilephones.apple>
by Richard Wray, Guardian
Mobile operator O2 is preparing to unveil Apple's much anticipated iPhone in the UK tomorrow. But serious questions are being raised in the City about how much ground it has had to give away to Apple in order to clinch the deal.
O2 is understood to have agreed a margin on the retail price - to be confirmed tomorrow - but will return to Apple as much as 40% of any revenues it makes from customers' use of the device.
/Also, this article claims that the iPhone will continue to use the EDGE network, and not 3G networks that have higher speed./

**** The iPod Meets The iPhone: A Review Of The iPod Touch <http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/the-ipod-meets-the-iphone-a-review-of-the-ipod-touch.ars>
by Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica
Apple could have hit a home run with the iPod touch by including full calendar functionality along with the e-mail and notes applications. Instead, the company chose to go with a common product differentiation strategy.
That said, the iPod touch is an impressive product.

**** iPod Freakout <http://www.winnipegfirst.ca/article/2007/09/06/ipod_freakout>
by Chris Brown, Winnipeg First
My iPod's shuffle feature is freaking me out!

**** Apple Gadgets Aren't As Great As They Seem <http://www.thebreeze.org/2007/9-17/op3.html>
by Sarah Delia, The Breeze
Easily breakable, overpriced technology may turn out to be more trouble than cutting edge.

**** Readers Endorse Switch To Apple <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118953892743724082.html?mod=googlenews_wsj>
by Jason Fry, Wall Street Journal
Email after email came from people who had recently switched from Windows to Macs, or were planning to do so once OS X 10.5 &mdash; alias Leopard &mdash; comes out next month. And many of those emails came from people who were longtime, dedicated Windows users, including engineering types who had resisted what they saw as Apple hype.

**** Apple's New iPod Checksum Cracked By GtkPod Coders <http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070916-gtkpod-coders-crack-apples-new-ipod-checksum.html>
by Ryan Paul, Ars Technica
Those who are already locked into Apple's ecosystem will now be able to continue using the software of their choice with their iPods.
Why did Apple do this in the first place? It appears to be a lock-in strategy intended to force consmers to use iTunes. It is relatively clear that this change was made to block third-party software and isn't just a new feature that was added to the database format for other reasons.

**** Getting Down To iWork '08 <http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9036020&source=rss_topic123>
by Ryan Faas, Computerworld
Users comfortable with Microsoft Office may find it takes time to get used to iWork. Advanced Word and Excel users, especially those who rely on specialized features and functions, will probably find Pages and Numbers to be limited.
But overall, iWork '08 is beautifully designed &mdash; a compelling product and great value for consumers and small business alike. It brings tons of innovation over previous versions of iWork as well as many office suites on the market. And it turns typical office tasks and documents into creative outlets.

**** What Small Businesses Can Learn From Apple's Steve Jobs <http://blogs.theage.com.au/enterprise/archives/2007/09/what_small_busi.html>
by The Age
When it comes to brand-building, product innovation, worldwide distribution and simply being a household name, you don't have to look too far than Apple.

**** My Switcher Story <http://www.thinkdavid.net/life/my-switcher-story/>
by ThinkDavid
Apple makes amazing computers.

**** Apple To iPod Fans: "We've Got The Remedy For Your Freedom" <http://www.daverea.com/?p=313>
by Daverea.com
I can't, for the life of me, think of any reason Apple would want to do something like this apart from a devilous desire - no, try /thirst/ - for control.

**** iPhone And iPod - What's Apple's Plan? <http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10464194>
by Nic Fildes, New Zealand Herald
The iPod touch risks dampening demand for the iPhone.

**** Steve Jobs, My Fruit Vendor And How To Keep Customers <http://adage.com/article?article_id=120442>
by Lenore Skenazy, Advertising Age
A lesson in how transformative an apology (and customer service) can be.

**** Microsoft's Mac Busienss Unit: Love The Sinner, Hate The Sin <http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=873>
by David Morgenstern, ZDNet
My level of gratitude to the Mac BU and Microsoft is tempered by having been forced to use this Outlook Web Access workaround for ages.

**** Unlocked iPhone Sales Soar <http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/4204190a6430.html>
by Jon Hoyle, The Press
Sales of parallel imported Apple iPhones have accelerated since new, unauthorised methods to use the device on the Vodafone mobile network became widely available last month, according to one importer.

**** iPhone Provides A Peek At The Mobile Future, Study Says <http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,137228-c,futuretechnology/article.html>
by Brad Reed, Network World

**** What Is Wrong With This Picture? <http://www.tuaw.com/2007/09/16/what-is-wrong-with-this-picture/>
by Erica Sadun, The Unofficial Apple Weblog
Image Capture automatically launches when I attach my new iPod touch to my Mac.

**** iPod Classic Audio Measurements <http://homepage.mac.com/marc.heijligers/audio/ipod/comparison/measurements/measurements.html>
by HifiVoice
The 5G sounds less precise, but its timbre contains more harmonic information and sounds less electronic. For me, the 5G is closer to how I experience acoustic music in real life, and for me is the better sounding device overall. This is not to say that the 6G is a terribly bad sounding device! It's just less than the 5G, and sound electronic/acoustical as opposed to accoustical/musical.

**** In An iPod World, The Future Is Always Now <http://www.thestar.com/News/Ideas/article/257039>
by Jennifer Wells, Toronto Star
"It's very hard to be anthropological about your own consumption," says professor Richard Wilk. The annual iPod ritual, however, is illuminating his study of those who crave the new &mdash; or fear it.

**** Once You Go Mac <http://www.blogmaverick.com/2007/09/16/once-you-go-mac/>
by Mark Cuban, Blog Maverick
I'm not an Apple fanboy, but I love me some MacBook.

The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Power To The People <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20789352/site/newsweek/>
by Steven Levy, Newsweek
Computers once filled entire rooms. Now they fit in our pockets. How a generation formed our tech landscape.

MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Rule Of Thumbs: Love In The Age Of Texting <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091401972.html?nav=most_emailed>
by Natalie Y. Moore, Washington Post
As we catch up here in the United States, we are gapplign with the social implications that come along with texting.

**** Resignation <http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/poetry/2007/09/24/070924po_poem_mcclatchy>
by J. D. McClatchy, New Yorker

SingaporeSurf
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**** Commercial Sex With Someone Under 18 To Be Made A Crime <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/300358/1/.html>
by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
Commercial sex with someone under 18 will be made a crime under the law, and this extends beyond Singapore's borders.
This means Singapore citizens and permanent residents going on a child sex tour will be prosecuted. Organisers and promoters of child sex tours will also be taken to task.

**** Higher Interest And Better Returns With CPF Changes <http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_158673.html>
by Straits Times
The Special, Medisave and Retirement Accounts (SMRA) will be pegged to the yield of the 10-year Singapore Government Securities. Mnapower minister Ng Eng Hen revealed this in parliament on Monday when he revealed further details to the CPF changes.
As Singaporeans are living longer, the draw-down age will gradually be raised &mdash; from the current 62 years to 63 in 2012, 64 years in 2015 and 65 years in 2018. This will eventually be raised to 67 years of age.

**** Extensive Review Of SAF Camp Security Triggered By Missing NSF <http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_158690.html>
by David Boey, Straits Times
See Also:
Speech by Mr Teo CHee Hean, Minister for Defence, at Parliament Sitting <http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/news_and_events/nr/2007/sep/17sep07_nr.html>, by Singapore government.The criminal case against CPL Dave Teo is pending. Investigations by the police are ongoing. My answer must therefore be circumspect so as not to prejudice the ongoing case and police investigations. I will therefore focus primarily ont he SAF's control of arms and ammunition. My answer will be based on preliminary findings by the SAF and MINDEF only.

**** Public Sector To Re-Employ More 62-Year-Olds And Above <http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_158697.html>
by Straits Times

**** Amazing... Even This Can Be News <http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2007/09/amazing-even-this-can-be-news.html>
by Mr Wang Says So
/This/ is news? And deserves to be reported in the nation's leading newspaper?

**** Civil Society Making Its Mark, Quietly <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/211597.asp>
by Sheralyn Tay, Today
Ordinary citizens seem to get away with more than political party members.

**** Ranting Swede <http://jeremywrong.blogspot.com/2007/09/ranting-swede.html>
by JeremyWrong

**** One In Six People Suffer From Mental Illness In Singapore <http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/108685.html>
by DPA
One in six people in high-stress Singapore suffer from some form of mental illness, with the rate expected to rise, a news report said Monday. Problems ranging from anxiety and dpression to severe manifestations such as psychosis and dementia prompted a top-level committee headed by the health ministry to map out a five-year blueprint to curb the city-states trends of deteriorating mental health.

**** A*STAR To Open Up Its R&amp;D Facilities To SMEs <http://ratinthelab.wordpress.com/2007/09/13/astar-to-open-up-its-rd-facilities-to-smes/>
by Rat In The Lab

**** Temasek Says It Did Not Participate In LSE Bid <http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Money/STIStory_158646.html>
by Reuters

**** Hong Lim Park Protest - Revisited <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2007/09/16/hong-lim-park-protest-revisited/>
by theonlinecitizen
Hong Lim Park one year on and members of the Singapore Democratic Party were there to revisit their previously failed attempt to walk from the park to the Istana in their struggle for democracy.

**** On Otto, Part 1 <http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2007/yax-791.htm>
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
In short, Section 28 &mdash; and Singapore's current policy &mdash; served to efface gays and lesbians from society. It insisted that they remain invisible and not speak up for themselves. It even warned off any straight person should he feel moved to voice his thoughts in support.
See Also:
On Otto, Part 2 <http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2007/yax-792.htm>, by Yawning Bread. This statement &mdash; that Fong chose to delete his blog when he discovered his own students reading it &mdash; would recur in the New Paper. You should note that it doesn't seem to have come from Fong himself, but from the school.

**** Will New Bond Peg End Up 'Hurting The Old'? <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/211629.asp>
by Cheow Xin Yi, Today
It is designed to enhance the retirement nest egg, but if market conditions have their wya, some economists and finance professionals wonder how re-pegging Central Provident Fund (CPF) interest rates to government bonds will help the older generation.