[MyAppleMenu] Jul 9, 2010

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Tricks For Editing Your iPhone Photos <http://www.macworld.com/article/152573/2010/07/edit_iphone_photos.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Ben Long, Macworld

The iPhone's camera is a great tool for taking spontaneous photos for sharing on sites like Facebook or Flickr, or even as actual prints on paper or in photo books. But just like photographs taken with a point-and-shoot, and even a DSLR, these images aren't necessarily their best when you first capture them. A few tweaks in a photo editor can greatly improve your iPhone photos, whether they were taken with a first-generation iPhone's 2-megapixel camera or the iPhone 4's 5-megapixel camera.

**** Mac Gems: Pester Offers Quick And Easy Reminders <http://www.macworld.com/reviews/product/569796/review/pester_11b10.html?expand=true&lsrc=rss_main>
Dan Frakes, Macworld

**** Pixelmator 1.6 To Bring New Tools, Massive Performance Gain <http://www.macworld.com/article/152580/2010/07/pixelmator.html?lsrc=rss_main>
David Chartier, Macworld

At the top of the new features list for Pixelmator 1.6 is Layer Groups, sharing images directly to social sites like Flickr, Picasa, and Facebook, and direct import from devices like cameras, scanners, iPhones, and iPads. Also on the list are new transforming tools, a redesigned printing engine, and new Automator actions to trim and watermark images.

**** iPod Touch Battery Life And IOS 4 <http://www.betalogue.com/2010/07/08/ipodtouch-ios4/>
Pierre Igot, Betalogue

I will continue to monitor the battery life of my iPod touch now that I have switched to Airplane Mode. If things do not improve, you can be sure that I will write more about this.

**** Want Some Video Calling Over 3G? Fring Goes Live For iOS 4 <http://www.tuaw.com/2010/07/08/want-some-facetime-but-on-3g-theres-an-app-called-fring-for-th/>
Victor Agreda, Jr., TUAW

**** My iTunes Account Was Hacked For $375—By My Own Kids <http://gigaom.com/2010/07/07/my-itunes-account-was-hacked-for-375-by-my-own-kids/>
Kevin C. Tofel, GigaOM

Not only have I learned some better ways to manage iTunes, but this experience also shed light on what kids actually think about virtual goods and currency.

**** How Dr. Seuss Titles Make It To The App Store <http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20010010-248.html?part=rss&amp;subj=news&amp;tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
Josh Lowensohn, CNET

Oceanhouse Media had already put out a number of iOS self-help book apps for publisher Hay House, and was able to sway Dr. Seuss Enterprises to take a chance on bringing the series to that platform by using the company's book reading engine as an example of what could be done.

**** Opening A Big Store In China, Apple Remains A Market Underdog <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/technology/09apple.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss>
David Barboza, New York Times

Analysts who follow Apple say that China is a potentially huge opportunity for the company because its market share here is tiny — less than 5 percent in big categories like personal computers, music players and mobile phones. But it has been adding authorized Apple dealers in China — expanding those ranks by about 800 in this year’s first quarter, bringing the total to around 2,000 locations.

“Apple plans a major invasion of China over the next 18 months to two years,” said Charles Wolf, an analyst who follows Apple for Needham & Company and credits its retail stores with significantly bolstering Apple’s brand. “To date, Apple has not been a force in China. But it will be.”

**** Apple Rules Elite Laptop List At Best Buy <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20009934-64.html?part=rss&amp;subj=news&amp;tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
Brooke Crothers, CNET

Apple MacBooks, more than any other single brand, populate the rankings of the priciest laptops at Best Buy, affirming Apple's reputation as a purveyor of elite computers.

**** Apple's Real 'Death Grip' Is On Its Customers: Rich Jaroslovsky <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-08/apple-s-real-death-grip-is-on-its-customers-rich-jaroslovsky.html>
Rich Jaroslovsky, Bloomberg

My own experience with the iPhone 4 hasn’t been trouble- free.

**** Forbes Attacks Apple On Its Commitment To Blind Users <http://www.loopinsight.com/2010/07/08/forbes-attacks-apple-on-its-commitment-to-blind-users/>
Jim Dalrymple, The Loop

Surely these people know more about how Apple devices work for the blind than Roger Kay.

**** An In-Depth Look At How People Are Using The iPad <http://mashable.com/2010/07/08/ipad-usage-report/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29>
Christina Warren, Mashable

While the ultimate impact that devices like the iPad will have on netbooks has been discussed at length (some analysts predict tablets will outsell netbooks by 2012), the two devices that will really be affected by the iPad, at least according to Resolve’s study, are e-readers and portable gaming devices.

**** Microsoft Page Curl Patent Could Hurt Apple's iBooks <http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/07/08/ms.page.turn.effect.could.lead.to.royalty.on.ipad/>
Electronista

Microsoft has filed for a patent that could create problems for Apple's iBooks and other e-reader apps. The technique for a "virtual page turn" would use the same design as Apple's, where readers can turn the page naturally by touching and dragging from one side of an e-book and curling the page to the other side. It would render the page in 3D and even render the back of a page while in mid-turn.

**** Tablet PC Vs iPad On The Road. <http://steveshantz.blogspot.com/2010/07/tablet-pc-vs-ipad-on-road.html>
A CIO's Musings

While I have the enterprise tools and multitasking OS on my notebook to get my work done, I am hampered on long trips by limited battery life. The iPad is only single tasking and not as connected to the enterprise as Windows 7. It does however deliver its applications hour after hour without a charge. Which tool would you prefer to travel with?

**** Phone Disk Lets Users Share Files Without iTunes <http://www.macworld.com/article/152597/2010/07/phone_disk_iphone_files.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Serenity Caldwell, Macworld

One of the big gripes about iOS’s “File Sharing” feature is that it requires users to go through iTunes each time they wish to add or remove files from a device. If you'd like a more direct route for taking your files on-the-go, Macroplant’s Phone Disk grants access to your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad through everyone's favorite file management utility: the Finder.

**** Apple, Google, Microsoft, Others Sued In Email Patents Battle <http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/item/16911-apple-google-microsoft-o>
Silicon Republic

A payment holding company that recently settled a US$600m case against Research in Motion (RIM) is now taking a case against Apple, Google, Microsoft, HTC, LG and Motorola over alleged breach of email-related patents.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** They Did Their Homework (800 Years Of It) <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/business/economy/04econ.html?pagewanted=all>
Catherine Rampell, New York Times

“Everyone wants to think they’re smarter than the poor souls in developing countries, and smarter than their predecessors,” says Carmen M. Reinhart, an economist at the University of Maryland. “They’re wrong. And we can prove it.”



SingaporeSurf
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**** How Many Companies Re-employ Older Workers? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/07/how-many-companies-re-employ-older-workers/>
Leong Sze Hian, The Online Citizen

So, I am really quite confused, as the MOM says less than 3 per cent, NTUC said about 80 per cent, and the Public Service Commission said “a good majority”.

**** Shutters Still Down <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC100709-0000098/Shutters-still-down>
Neo Chai Chin, Today

They are just a few hundred metres apart but while business is back in full swing at Lucky Plaza's basement shops, the shutters are still down for the four Liat Towers stores hard-hit by Orchard Road floods three weeks ago. 

**** How About Night Trains? <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC100709-0000079/How-about-night-trains?>
Arun Shenai, Today

**** Singapore May Overtake China As Asia's Fastest-Growing Economy <http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-08/singapore-may-overtake-china-as-asia-s-fastest-growing-economy.html>
Shamim Adam, Bloomberg

Singapore may overtake China as Asia’s fastest-growing economy this year, increasing the attractiveness of the city state’s stocks and putting pressure on policy makers to check inflation with a stronger currency.

An acceleration in pharmaceutical output and the opening of two casino resorts boosted growth in the first half, the result of Singapore’s efforts to diversify sources of expansion beyond electronics exports. The push to bolster services may sustain the economy and support investment that spurred the island’s benchmark stock index to outperform counterparts in China, Taiwan, Japan and Australia this year.

**** Temasek's Asia Shift Shows No Sign Of Slowing <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/890bbd6e-8a65-11df-bd2e-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss>
Kevin Brown, Financial Times

For an Asian sovereign wealth fund, Singapore’s Temasek Holdings is remarkably transparent, as it showed on Thursday in the detailed notes accompanying its announcement that the mark to market value of its portfolio is back to where it was before the global financial crisis.

The 42 per cent increase in the portfolio, to S$186bn (US$134.5bn), was the most eye catching element of Temasek’s annual report for the year to March. But the report also documents a dramatic change in the focus of the group’s investment strategy.

**** Testing The iPhone 4 Antenna Issue In Singapore <http://asia.cnet.com/crave/2010/07/08/testing-the-iphone-4-antenna-issue-in-singapore/>
John Chan, CNET Asia

We haven't demonstrated anything that hasn't already been well-documented by folks in the US and UK. What did surprise us a little was that we couldn't reproduce the signal loss at all outdoors when it was so evident indoors. We suspect the quality of the cellular network has a big part to play in this whole iPhone 4 antenna issue.

**** Thanks But No Thanks <http://josh.sg/2010/07/thanks_but_no_thanks.html>
Josh.sg

We're talking about the sovereign wealth fund that bought strategic stakes in great banks like... erm... Merrill Lynch. And... erm... Barclays.

**** Are Extravagant Ministerial Salaries Screwing Singaporeans? <http://furrybrowndog.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/are-extravagant-ministerial-salaries-screwing-singaporeans/>
Furry Brown Dog

I’d like to say that I personally find it troubling that so much of a paper which was  written primarily for fat cat corporate America is directly applicable to the pay structure of Singapore ministers is a sobering reminder of the current state of Singapore’s political system.

**** Singapore Police Dare Not Take Action Against Saudi Diplomat Accused Of Assault <http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/07/09/singapore-police-dare-not-take-action-against-saudi-diplomat-accused-of-assault/>
The Temasek Review

The Singapore police has declined to take further action against a Saudi diplomat for assaulting a Singaporean citizen.

Mr Jaafar can only curse his luck that he is not a PAP MP or YPAP member. Had he been one, the Singapore police will surely attend to his concerns immediately and his attacker will most likely be charged in court.

**** I Love The System <http://facepalm310.blogspot.com/2010/07/i-love-system.html>
Don't Sue Me.

This is not right. I do not want to see one of my friends lose their lives over school issues.

**** Channelnewsbetter Always Looks On The Bright Side <http://miyagi.sg/2010/07/channelnewsbetter-always-looks-on-the-bright-side/>
Miyagi.sg

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林慧慧, 联合早报

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**** Singapore's Temasek Says BP Stake Talk "Speculation" <http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSSGE66708P20100708>
Kevin Lim and Raju Gopalakrishnan, Reuters

Singapore state investor Temasek, whose energy and resources portfolio grew by $3.6 billion last year, on Thursday dismissed talk it had held discussions with BP Plc for a strategic stake. Temasek's comment comes amid speculation the troubled British oil major is approaching several sovereign wealth funds for cash to ward off a takeover and help pay for the worst oil spill in U.S. history. BP boss Tony Hayward met an Abu Dhabi state investment fund on Wednesday.

**** Time To Question ISA Detention (Again) <http://aussgworldpolitics.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/time-to-question-isa-detention-again/>
Readings From A Political Duo-ble

As former ISA detainees accused of being Marxist or Communist have come out publicly to challenge the arrests, torture and the unjust accusations leveled against them, it becomes necessary to question the wisdom and current ISA detentions that are wielded against ‘militant jihadists’.

**** Do Not Print Pictures Of Me Smiling – Lee Kuan Yew <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/07/do-not-print-pictures-of-me-smiling-lee-kuan-yew/>
The Online Citizen

The UK released papers pertaining to Singapore’s independence several years ago.

We publish a copy of the memo for one interesting note – contained in the second paragraph of the memo. Mr Lee was reported to have “threatened ‘punitive’ measures against any newspaper which printed pictures of him smiling.”

**** Not All Radicalised Persons Are Detained: MHA <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1068571/1/.html>
Hetty Musfirah, Channel NewsAsia

In response to MediaCorp's queries, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said there have been a number of cases in the past where individuals were in the early stages of jihadist radicalisation. However, not all were detained or issued with Restriction Orders as they did not pose a threat.

**** Switzerland Accepts Verdict For Citizen Facing Caning In Singapore <http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/334067,citizen-facing-caning-singapore.html>
DPA

Visiting Swiss president Doris Leuthard said Friday that her country accepted the conviction of a Swiss national sentenced to caning and jail for vandalism in Singapore, adding that she did not ask the city-state's authorities for clemency.

"For us, it's not a big debate because, obviously, this Swiss citizen did not follow the laws of Singapore," said Leuthard after a one-day working visit to the island state.