[MyAppleMenu] Jul 15, 2010

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
====================================

**** Apple Acquires Online Mapping Company Poly9 - Report <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/07/14/apple_acquires_online_mapping_company_poly9_report.html>
AppleInsider

Apple has purchased a Web-based mapping company from Quebec, Canada, that creates interactive 3D software for use in a browser, according to a new report. French-Canadian news site cyberpresse.ca reported Wednesday that Poly9 has been purchased by Apple, and a majority of the company's employees were moved to California. Poly9's official website is no longer available.

**** Why Apple Bought Poly9 (And What Is Poly9)? <http://www.pcworld.com/article/201118/why_apple_bought_poly9_and_what_is_poly9.html>
Jeff Bertolucci, PC World

**** Apple To Hold Special iPhone 4 Press Conference On Friday <http://www.loopinsight.com/2010/07/14/apple-to-hold-special-iphone-4-press-conference-on-friday/>
Jim Dalrymple, The Loop

Apple would only say that the press conference would be regarding the iPhone 4. No other information was available when I spoke with them tonight.

**** Yes, The iPhone 4 Is Broken / No, The iPhone 4 Is Not Broken <http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/13/yes-the-iphone-4-is-broken-no-the-iphone-4-is-not-broken/>
Nilay Patel, Engadget

We've collected reports from every member of the Engadget staff who's using the phone, as well as reached out to a variety of tech industry colleagues for their experiences. As you'll see, most of our peers seem to be doing perfectly fine with their iPhone 4s, but the people who are having problems are having maddening issues in an inconsistent way.

**** iPod Touch Battery Life And IOS 4: It’s The ‘Fetch New Data’ Setting <http://www.betalogue.com/2010/07/14/ios4-battery/>
Pierre Igot, Betalogue

I believed that, if you use any other settings for this “Fetch New Data” feature, iOS 4 keeps the iPod touch’s Wi-Fi connection live at all times, even when the iPod appears to be asleep. And that’s what eventually drains your battery in much less time than it used to with previous versions of the operating system.

**** Apple Prepping Genius Bar Changes: Focus On Shorter Wait Times, Multitasking, Overnight Repairs <http://www.macrumors.com/2010/07/14/apple-prepping-genius-bar-changes-focus-on-shorter-wait-times-multitasking-overnight-repairs/>
Eric Slivka, AppleInsider

MacRumors has learned that Apple is preparing an overhaul of the functionality of its Genius Bar, with the company positioning the changes as a "giant leap forward" for the Family Room concept that has come to embrace both the Genius Bar itself and roving specialists able to help customers with their mobile device support needs at locations throughout Apple's retail stores.

**** Apple Releases iOS 4.1 Beta To Developers <http://www.macworld.com/article/152719/2010/07/ios41beta.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Marco Tabini, Macworld

An update to Apple’s iOS mobile operating system has been released as a beta to registered developers, according to a tweet by Apple evangelist Michael Jurewitz.

**** Why Apple—And Not Its Customers—Should Fix The iPhone 4 <http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2010/07/apple-iphone4-iphone-4-antenna-design-flaw-update-fix-responsibility-consumers-fault-error-blame-consumer-reports-responds.html>
ConsumerReports.org

We think it's the company's responsibility to provide the fix—at no extra cost to consumers.

**** Add Bluetooth To The iPhone 4 List Of Woe <http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/add-bluetooth-to-the-iphone-4-list-of-woe/7588?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zdnet%2FApple+%28ZDNet+The+Apple+Core%29>
Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet

The iPhone 4 Bluetooth issue is more than just a few anecdotal reports, it appears to be more widespread.

**** ChronoSync, ChronoAgent Updated For Smarter Backups <http://www.macworld.com/article/152718/2010/07/chronosync_chronoagent.html?lsrc=rss_main>
David Chartier, Macworld

Updates to the developer’s ChronoSync and ChronoAgent bring a handful of new scheduling and networking features to make sure your backup and sync operations get done.

**** Organize E-books In iTunes <http://www.macworld.com/article/152681/2010/07/ebooks_itunes.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Kirk McElhearn, Macworld

With the arrival of iOS 4, the iPad, and iTunes 9.2, iTunes can now manage e-books for syncing to Apple’s iBooks app. iTunes accepts two types of book files: those in ePub format, and PDF files. Organizing e-books in iTunes can be a bit baffling, however. Here’s a look at how you can keep your e-book library spic and span.

**** Apple Engineer Told Jobs iPhone Antenna Might Cut Calls <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-15/apple-engineer-said-to-have-told-jobs-last-year-about-iphone-antenna-flaw.html>
Peter Burrows and Connie Guglielmo, Bloomberg

Apple Inc.’s senior antenna expert voiced concern to chief executive officer Steve Jobs in the early design phase of the iPhone 4 that the antenna design could lead to dropped calls, a person familiar with the matter said.

Last year, Ruben Caballero, a senior engineer and antenna expert, informed Apple’s management the device’s design may cause reception problems, said the person, who is not authorized to speak on Apple’s behalf and asked not to be identified. A carrier partner also raised concerns about the antenna before the device’s June 24 release, according to another person familiar with the situation.



The Tomorrow Weblog
====================================

**** Hard Drives By Hitachi Back Up Files Two Ways <http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20100714/hard-drives-by-hitachi-back-up-files-two-ways/?mod=ATD_rss>
Walter S. Mossberg, Wall Street Journal

The drives, called the LifeStudio series, come with simple backup software that, from one screen, performs both local and online backups of your important data at regular intervals, and allows you to restore lost files from either backup repository.

**** Brighter Color For Reflective E-Reading Displays <http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/25809/?ref=rss>
Katherine Bourzac, Technology Review

Electronic paper that reflects light, instead of filtering it from a backlight, as most conventional displays do, is easy on the eyes and saves on battery life. But this reliance on ambient light becomes a handicap when trying to make a bright, beautiful color display. Researchers at HP are addressing the problem by developing new materials that use ambient light to create a more vibrant color for video-capable, low-power screens.



MyAppleMenu Reader
====================================

**** I Like Candy <http://www.thesmartset.com/article/article07131002.aspx>
Paula Marantz Cohen, The Smart Set

I recently discovered candy.

Or, to be more correct, I rediscovered it.

**** The Prose And The Passion <http://www.tnr.com/article/76235/the-prose-and-the-passion?passthru=MmU0NDlhMjNlMDI0NTJhMjM2OTg5MGI2OTY2NDc5YmQ>
Adam Kirsch, The New Republic

Whenever E.M. Forster is discussed, the phrase “only connect” is sure to come up sooner or later. The epigraph to Howards End, the book he described with typical modesty as “my best novel and approaching a good novel,” seems to capture the leading idea of all his work—the moral importance of connection between individuals, across the barriers of race, class, and nation. What is not as frequently remembered is that, when Forster uses the phrase in Howards End, he is not actually talking about this kind of social connection, but about something more elusive and private—the difficulty of connecting our ordinary, conventional personalities with our transgressive erotic desires.

**** The Art Of Slow Reading <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jul/15/slow-reading?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Patrick Kingsley, The Guardian

First we had slow food, then slow travel. Now, those campaigns are joined by a slow-reading movement – a disparate bunch of academics and intellectuals who want us to take our time while reading, and re-reading. They ask us to switch off our computers every so often and rediscover both the joy of personal engagement with physical texts, and the ability to process them fully.

**** Colonoscopy: It’s Time To Check Your Colons <http://www.themillions.com/2010/07/colonoscopy-it’s-time-to-check-your-colons.html>
Conor J. Dillon, The Millions

A new colon is on the march. For now let’s call it the “jumper colon”.



SingaporeSurf
====================================

**** Shanghai May Pip Singapore As Busiest Port <http://www.chinapost.com.tw/business/asia-china/2010/07/15/264674/Shanghai-may.htm>
China Post

Singapore could lose its crown as the world's busiest container port to Shanghai this year. A strong rebound in world trade this year has had container traffic through Shanghai's ports growing at a blistering pace of 19 percent over last year's figure, compared with Singapore's 14 percent.

Analysts had expected Shanghai to pip Singapore as early as two years ago, but that did not happen when the global recession put a dent in Chinese exports. And while it now seems inevitable that Shanghai will surpass Singapore, the result is not so cut and dried.

**** Are Ex-ISD Detainees In The Limelight To Radicalise Us? Or Wake Us Up From Our Slumber? <http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.com/2010/07/are-ex-isd-detainees-in-limelight-to.html>
Feed Me To The Fish

Are they afraid of the ex-ISD detainees (namely, Said Zahari, Lim Hock Siew and Teo Soh Lung) because they know that truth exposes, embarrasses and hurts the guilty villians?

**** Soup Kitchen Running Dry? <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC100715-0000120/Soup-kitchen-running-dry?>
Esther Ng, Today

A sharp increase in the number of jobless and homeless migrant workers could wind up a food aid programme within a month unless it receives an influx of donations and grants.

Though the spike in numbers could be due to the programme's higher visibility, TWC2's president John Gee believes that most of the participants have "either been forced to leave their jobs due to injuries or the non-payment of wages".

**** Lee Insults Singaporeans - Again <http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/3912-lee-insults-singaporeans-again>
Singapore Democrat Party

If Singaporeans are ignorant, who made us this way? After all, didn't we live under PAP for more that half-a-century? Is this is not a failure of the Lee's rule, unable to produce an intelligent population after 50 years?

Who jailed the journalists and crushed all independent media so that Singaporeans only get to hear one voice - his?

Who instilled so much fear in society that even historians dare not let Mr Vincent Cheng speak at a library seminar?

Who groomed an entire generation of unimaginative ministers who know everything about banning information they don't agree with like Dr Lim Hock Siew's video and nothing about inspiring a people?

**** Morton’s Steakhouse Bar: Best Burger In Singapore <http://www.ladyironchef.com/2010/07/14/mortons-steakhouse-bar-best-burger-singapore/>
Ladyironchef

**** The World, According To George Yeo <http://www.pressrun.net/weblog/2010/07/the-world-according-to-george-yeo.html>
Blowin' In The Wind

**** 32,000 Flat Owners Sublet Their Flats As Of End June <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1069484/1/.html>
Mustafa Shafawi, Channel NewsAsia

Some 32,000 flat owners have registered their subletting of rooms with HDB as at end June.

**** æ”¾å…¬æ˜ ç‰‡å­ 电影节不再令人期待 <http://www.zaobao.com/fk/fk100715_001.shtml>
æŽäº¦ç­ , 联合早报

è¿‡åŽ»å‡ å¹´ï¼Œæœ¬åœ°å„å¤§å¤§å°å°çš„ç”µå½±èŠ‚é­…åŠ›ä¼¼ä¹Žå¤§ä¸å¦‚å‰ã€‚ä¸€å10å¹´å‰å¤§å®¶å¯¹â€œç”µå½±èŠ‚â€çš„æœŸå¾…ã€‚æ˜¯å› ä¸ºç”µå½±èŠ‚æ²¡æœ‰ä¸€ä¸ªâ€œå¥½çš„å¼€å§‹â€ï¼Ÿè¿˜æ˜¯ç‰‡å­çš„ç´ è´¨å¤§è·Œï¼Ÿæˆ–æ˜¯ç”µå½±èŠ‚çš„èŠ‚ç›®è¡¨ä¸­ï¼Œæ”¾äº†ä¸å°‘ä¼šåœ¨æˆé™¢å•†ä¸šæ€§å…¬æ˜ çš„ç‰‡å­ï¼Ÿ

**** MAS And DBS Computer Glitch <http://tankinlian.blogspot.com/2010/07/mas-and-dbs-computer-glitch.html>
Tan Kin Lian

Singapore has a culture of "no tolerance for failure". Is this going to be another example of over-reacting to a  mistake, to edge into the psyche of Singaporeans?

**** Malaysian Lawyer Denied Access To Yong <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/07/breaking-news-malaysian-lawyer-denied-access-to-yong/>
The Online Citizen

The Singapore Prison Service has denied access to Ms Ngeow Chow Ying, a Malaysian lawyer representing death row inmate, Yong Vui Kong. Ms Ngeow had requested access to her client in order to advise him on his constitutional rights as a Malaysian, now that Yong’s case is a matter which has come under consideration by the Malaysian government.

The request for access was first made to the Prison Service on 5 July. It was only today, 15 July, that the Prison Service responded to the request. In its letter, signed off by Superintendent Tan Khek Keong and addressed to Mr M Ravi (Yong’s Singapore lawyer), the Prison Service said: “We have considered your request and we regret to inform that we are unable to accede to it.” It added: “However, please be assured that we will continue to facilitate Mr Yong’s access to his current appointed Singapore lawyer.”

**** Infrastructure For Cycling As Alternative Transport To Be Ready By 2014 <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1069572/1/.html>
Dylan Loh, Channel NewsAsia

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said Changi-Simei and Bedok towns will have dedicated cycling paths. They will complement the existing cycling infrastructure within these HDB towns and will be progressively implemented by 2014.

**** Higher Singapore Wages To Benefit Consumer Plays: Credit Suisse <http://www.theedgesingapore.com/the-daily-edge/business/17872-higher-singapore-wages-to-benefit-consumer-plhigher-singapore-wages-to-benefit-consumer-plays-says-credit-suisseays-says-credit-suisse.html>
The Edge

**** New Media Tools For Polls <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_553991.html>
Jeremy Au Yong, Straits Times

In the next general election, officials at places such as polling and counting centres will have mobile Internet access and the ability to make video calls to each other.

Yeah, they want iPhones 4 with FaceTime. :-)