[MyAppleMenu] Apr 5, 2010

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Review: Apple's iPad Keyboard Dock <http://www.macworld.com/reviews/product/463547/review/ipad_keyboard_dock.html?expand=true>
Dan Miller, Macworld

The iPad Keyboard Dock makes text entry on an iPad feel natural; I could type comfortably enough to write the first draft of this review on it. Using it to type in Pages, I had my first “this isn’t just a big iPod Touch” experience; it really could be a legitimate business tool. If you’re going to use the iPad for work, you’re going to need a keyboard. I can certainly recommend this one.

**** The iPad Gets Jailbreaked In Less Then A Day <http://appadvice.com/appnn/2010/04/ipad-jailbreaked-day/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AppAdvice+%28AppAdvice%29>
Alexander Vaughn, App Advice

**** The iPad Has Not Changed My Life <http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/25007/?ref=rss&a=f>
Will Knight, Technology Review

It's lightning fast, intuitive to operate, and very good for tasks certain tasks: reading, watching videos and playing games. If you're into e-books I think it's an excellent platform for that. But I like to input stuff too, and it's a pain to type on. The lack of multitasking, external ports or camera limits its usefulness as a more general-purpose computer.

**** Apple iPad: Just Say No? <http://www.pcworld.com/article/193280/apple_ipad_just_say_no.html>
Harry McCracken, PC World

But here’s the thing: one-size fits all buying advice just doesn’t work.

**** iPad Taps Familiar Apple Suppliers <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303912104575164112770784290.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews>
Don Clark, Wall Street Journal

A look inside Apple Inc.'s new iPad points to more business for some familiar component suppliers to the Silicon Valley giant.

**** Apple Tried To Prevent Hiring Of Tech Writer By Newsweek <http://weblogs.jomc.unc.edu/talkingbiznews/?p=14763>
Talking Biz News

"And Newsweek hired me anyway, but sure enough, we didn’t get any access, we didn’t get — I don’t have an iPad. I didn’t get a device from Apple."

**** Some Publishers Are Wary Of Sales On iTunes <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303450704575160074073113744.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines>
Shira Ovide and Russell Adams, Wall Street Journal

Newspaper and magazine companies rushed to prep their titles for the debut of Apple Inc.'s iPad last weekend. But while publishers hail how the tablet computer lets them showcase their wares, some are working to develop ways to sell their publications separately from Apple's iTunes.

**** The Finder Is Dead, And So Are Geeks <http://www.macstories.net/stories/finder-is-dead/>
Mac Stories

**** iWork Pages For iPad: A Primer For Word Users <http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/193427/iwork_pages_for_ipad_a_primer_for_word_users.html>
Tony Bradley, PC World

As a Microsoft Word loyalist, I had some minor issues with Pages, but overall it seems to be a more than capable substitute and an app I can rely on if traveling with my iPad and leaving my notebook at home. I won't be abandoning my Windows 7 notebook any time soon, but the iPad does an admirable job filling in as a business tool in addition to simple Web-surfing and playing music.

**** Developers Are In A Scramble To Strike iPad Gold <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/technology/05apps.html?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Jenna Wortham, New York Times

While many developers have spent weeks working on applications for Apple’s newest toy, only a handful were given iPads on which to test their software. The rest had to wait until the device went on sale Saturday for the moment of truth: How well does our app work on the iPad? Does it look and feel right? Or do we have a lot more work to do?

Adding to the urgency was the knowledge that many of the earliest apps for the iPhone ended up being among the most successful. A slow start with an iPad app could mean getting lost in the clutter of Apple’s crowded online store.

**** Apple Sells More Than 300,000 iPads On Launch Day <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/04/05/apple_sells_more_than_300000_ipads_on_launch_day.html>
AppleInsider

Apple on Monday announced that it sold over 300,000 iPads in the U.S. on its first day of availability, including preorders shipped directly to customers, and purchases at Apple retail stores and Best Buy outlets.

Apple also revealed that more than a million applications were downloaded from the App Store for the iPad. Apple's iBookstore saw over 250,000 books downloaded on the first day alone.

**** Apple, Microsoft: A War Between Frumpy, Fresh <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36169908/ns/business-us_business/>
Bill Briggs, MSNBC

Market cap, one method for measuring a company’s value, may represent the real chase. Among some tech insiders, however, bets on the ultimate winner are all over the board — with many prognosticator linking their forecasts to the potential rise of the iPad — or to long-term, lukewarm reactions to the new tablet.

**** Apple iPad: Still Some Bugs And Rough Edges <http://blogs.computerworld.com/15876/apple_ipad_bugs>
Mitch Wagner, Computerworld

Like I said: My wife and I are very happy with our iPads, we're glad we bought them when we did. But I don't want to write yet another blog or article praising the iPad. You can already find a million of those. I just want to let you know about some problems you might encounter if you decide to buy one for yourself.

**** Apple Dimming Flash's Outlook? <http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/04/apple_dimming_f.html>
Ed Hansberry, InformationWeek

I am sure Flash will continue to be around for a long time to come, but Apple may be making enough of a difference to webmasters to ensure that if they want their content viewed on the iPhone or iPad, they will need to rethink how they use Flash on their site, if at all.

**** iPad Mail Takes Baby Steps Towards Desktop Mail <http://www.macworld.com/article/150411/2010/04/ipadmail.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Dan Frakes, Macworld

While it has its limitations, especially for power users, it gets most of the basics right, and it excels at the most important tasks: viewing and composing messages, displaying attachments, and connecting reliably to nearly any e-mail server. And while the iPad version is, by my ballpark estimate, 85 percent identical to its iPhone counterpart, that 15-percent difference—which is mainly a product of the iPad’s increased screen space—makes for major increases in usability and productivity.

**** Denial Of Expertise <http://blog.fawny.org/2010/04/04/expertise/>
Joe Clark

This was the weekend those of us with high standards lost their remaining residue of patience for ideologues who hyperbolize about open systems without actually creating something people want to use.

**** A “Sneak Peek Into The Future Of The iPhone OS”?!? <http://ihnatko.com/2010/04/05/a-sneak-peek-into-the-future-of-the-iphone-os/>
Andy Ihnatko's Celestial Waste of Bandwidth (BETA)

I just got an invite for a special event on the Apple campus on Thursday. Topic: the future of the iPhone OS. Image: the long shadow of a number “4.”

**** Apple Announces iPhone 4.0 Event For Thursday <http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/04/apple-announces-iphone-40-event-for-thursday.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

**** iPad Included In Patent Infringement Suit <http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20001747-260.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Apple>
Erica Ogg, CNET News

A company that has already sued Apple over a patent on zooming and scrolling on a mobile Web browser, is now adding the iPad to the lawsuit Monday.

**** The iPad: A Developer's Anti-Contrarian View <http://db.tidbits.com/article/11151?rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tidbits_main+%28TidBITS%3A+Mac+News+for+the+Rest+of+Us%29>
Matt Neuburg, TidBITS

My overall reaction to the iPad as a developer is extremely positive. I think the iPad's cheerful, bright screen cries out: "Hey there, programmers and prospective programmers, come on in! The water's fine!"

**** Why The iPad Is A Blank Slate, And Why That's Important <http://db.tidbits.com/article/11152?rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tidbits_main+%28TidBITS%3A+Mac+News+for+the+Rest+of+Us%29>
Adam C. Engst, TidBITS

The iPad becomes the app you're using. That's part of the magic. The hardware is so understated - it's just a screen, really - and because you manipulate objects and interface elements so smoothly and directly on the screen, the fact that you're using an iPad falls away. You're using the app, whatever it may be, and while you're doing so, the iPad is that app. Switch to another app and the iPad becomes that app. If that's not magic, I don't know what is.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** "In Pursuit Of Silence": How Noise Really Is Killing Us <http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2010/04/04/pursuit_of_silence_interview/index.html>
Thomas Rogers, Salon

Most of us accept these noises as a normal byproduct of our gadget-obsessed times, but in his new book, "In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise," George Prochnik argues that this barrage of noise is more than just a nuisance; it poses a real threat to our cardiovascular system and mental health, our ability to concentrate, and, perhaps most dangerous of all, it turns our political discourse into a shrill barrage.

**** The TV <http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/features/2010/04/12/100412fi_fiction_loory>
Ben Loory, New Yorker

**** Lust For Life <http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/poetry/2010/04/12/100412po_poem_robbins>
Michael Robbins, New Yorker

**** Next Door <http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/poetry/2010/04/12/100412po_poem_greenbaum>
Jessica Greenbaum, New Yorker



SingaporeSurf
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**** SDP Repeats Call For Teo Ho Pin To Speak Up For Residents <http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/3572-sdp-repeats-call-for-teo-ho-pin-to-speak-up-for-residents>
Singapore Democrat Party

This is why the cost of living increases unnecessarily for Singaporeans. There is no change in demand or supply of the items sold in the market, workers have not become more productive, and there is no upgrade of the facilities at the market. All that has changed is the ownership of the market and because the new owner wants to make a bigger profit margin. As a result, consumers will now have to pay more for basic necessities. 

This is one example of how the GDP grows at the expense of the people.

**** Details Could Not Be Disclosed, Says Church <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC100405-0000063/Details-could-not-be-disclosed,-says-church>
Joanne Chan, Today

In a two-page notice to its members yesterday, it explained that it had signed a non-disclosure agreement with other shareholders and had to keep details of the transaction - including the share price and the percentage of shares acquired - confidential.

This is pure coward. If you think you should disclose, then you shouldn't get into this deal. If you think you don't need to disclose, then just say so. Don't blame your failure to disclose on the deal.

**** Possible Chiam-Jeyaretnam Alliance Eyes Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC100405-0000024/Possible-Chiam-Jeyaretnam-alliance-eyes-Bishan-Toa-Payoh-GRC>
Leong Wee Keat, Today

At the next General Election, the incumbent People's Action Party (PAP) team in a ward not contested since 1997 could face a combined opposition force - one anchored by a veteran and a newcomer.

After their first joint walkabout yesterday morning in Bishan-Toa Payoh, opposition veteran Chiam See Tong of the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) and rookie Kenneth Jeyaretnam of the Reform Party told reporters they were "working toward" having a joint team contest the Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

**** æ–°å…ƒè¢«ä½Žä¼°ï¼Ÿæ— ç¨½çš„æŒ‡è´£ <http://www.zaobao.com/cs/cs100404_001.shtml>
郭书真, 联合早报

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**** 国际新闻界出现两个怪论调 <http://www.zaobao.com/yl/yl100405_002.shtml>
岳安民, 联合早报

持这种观点的人大多是崇尚美式民主。但他们太健忘了。美国迄今有44位总统，其中哈里森家族是爷爷当了总统孙子当，亚当斯家族和布什家族都是父亲当了儿子当，还差点出现肯尼迪家族的兄弟总统和克林顿家族的夫妻总统。美式民主，爷孙、父子当总统都是正当的，而别的国家民主选举出的父子总理就是“世袭制”“王朝”，这些崇美派是什么逻辑！

The debate, whose point this author missed completely, is that whether the term 'dynasty' does or does not imply nepotism. In fact, American media have referred to Bush and Kennedy families as 'dynasty', without any implications of nepotism.

**** Bishan Flat Sold For $900k <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_510667.html>
Straits Times

A rare penthouse maisonette in Bishan Street 24 has become the most expensive HDB flat ever to be sold in Singapore.

**** Income Gap, Reason And The Spirit Level <http://www.pressrun.net/weblog/2010/04/income-gap-the-cause-and-the-spirit-level.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rana+%28Blowin%27+In+The+Wind%29>
Blowin' In The Wind

**** High Tea In Singapore <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/foodandwineholidays/7544460/High-tea-in-Singapore.html>
Dan Lepard, Telegraph

Food has a sacred status in Singapore and eating out is a favourite national pastime. So perhaps it's no wonder that afternoon tea, far from becoming a relic of the colonial period, has been elevated and elaborated upon – to a level where it has become a high point of self-indulgence and affordable luxury. It's a much better experience than in London, in the quality, quantity and variety of the food on offer, while the settings in which you can enjoy it are in a league of their own. And that's what afternoon tea should be: a mixture of grandeur, folly and flippancy, playtime for the taste buds and a feast for the eyes.

**** MFA Spokesman's Follow-up Comments To Those Made On 1 April 2010 <http://app.mfa.gov.sg/2006/press/view_press_email.asp?post_id=5915>
Singapore Government

The MFA spokesman reiterated that Singapore expected the full cooperation of the Romanian authorities to ensure that justice would be served and that to this end Singapore would cooperate to the fullest extent possible under our law with the Romanian authorities.

**** Planned Johor Retirement Village Targets S'poreans <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1048031/1/.html>
Joanne Chan, Channel NewsAsia

A Malaysian property developer plans to build a retirement village in Johor to cater to the growing silver market in Asia.

**** Indonesia Seeks Singapore Help To Hunt Graft Suspects <http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Crime/Story/A1Story20100405-208610.html>
AFP

Indonesian police want to work more closely with Singapore to track down corruption suspects who have taken sanctuary in the city state, national police chief detective Ito Sumardi said Monday.

**** Singapore Agrees To Rare Human Rights Visit <http://us.asiancorrespondent.com/the-asia-file/singapore-agrees-to-rare-human-rights-visit>
Ben Bland, Asian Correspondent

Although the Singapore government usually prevents human rights experts from conducting official trips to the city-state, it has agreed to a request from the UN special envoy on racism to visit Singapore later this month.

**** Young Singaporeans Should Have Confidence In Their Future, Says DPM Teo <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1048066/1/.html>
Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia

Singapore's deputy prime minister Teo Chee Hean says young Singaporeans should have a well-founded confidence in their future. He pointed out that even though Singapore has vulnerabilities, the country has strong anchors that will keep it stable.

**** NSP Press Release: Concerns On The Casino License For Marina Sands <http://singaporealternatives.blogspot.com/2010/04/nsp-press-release-concerns-on-casino.html>
Goh Meng Seng, Singapore Alternatives

We hope that the CRA would take the recent development into careful considerations when it decides upon the issuing of Casino License to Marina Sands. We would also like to know the contingency plans that the government has in place to deal with casino operators who are found to breach the rules on having links to any triads after casino licenses have been issued.