Report: Next iPhone not coming until October?

Those who were expecting Apple to ship a follow-up to the iPhone 4 this summer may be in for a longer wait than usual.  A new report from Japanese Mac blog Macotakra says Apple is behind its usual schedule of ordering parts that go into the manufacturing process for the device. That change in pace could result in Apple shipping out a phone a few months later than the June time frame for the previous two models, and July for the iPhone 3G.  AppleInsider, which picked up on the report this morning, notes that the later timing would result in the next iPhone missing Apple's fiscal 2011, which concludes on September 24 this year.  Along...

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Apple iPhones hit by summer time alarm glitch

Some iPhone owners were heading in to work late on Monday after a glitch caused their alarms to malfunction. Users found their wake-up alert coming one hour late, one hour early or not at all.The problem, related to the clocks going forward for British Summer Time, does not appear to have affected everyone. Apple has yet to comment on what caused it, but similar problems have previously hit iPhones in the US. Many of those whose alarms went wrong turned to social networking sites to vent their fury. One Twitter user wrote: "iPhone alarm failed twice. 1) went off at 5.45 instead of 6.45. 2) Didn't go off at all when I reset it. Time to update...

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Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City infecting 360, PS3 - Report

SOCOM studio Slant Six said to be prepping squad-based shooter set in Capcom's zombie-infested universe for release this winter. Slant Six Games has thus far made its bread off of Sony's SOCOM: Navy SEALs franchise. However, last year word emerged that the studio may be branching out when Kotaku ran a rumor indicating that the studio was staffing up for Resident Evil: Raccoon City, a "team-based" spin-off for the franchise.   Now, it looks as if those rumors were well founded. Gaming website Stick Skills claims to have secured an advance copy of the May 2011 issue of the Official Xbox Magazine, within which are the first details...

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App turns Google Nexus phone into payment tool

Owners of Google's Nexus S smartphones can soon use the device to process mobile payments via near-field communications tech, via software from a company called Charge Anywhere. Charge Anywhere's existing mobile payments application has already allowed owners of iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android devices to process credit card payments with their phones and a dedicated reader to swipe the cards. But the latest version to the software, announced at yesterday's CTIA trade show, turns the Nexus S phone into a full mobile payment terminal. This means that owners can process MasterCard PayPass and Visa Blink payments remotely using the phone's...

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Firefox 4 doubles IE9's 24-hour download tally

Firefox may be under fire from Microsoft's newly competitive browser, but with more than twice the downloads in its first day, Firefox 4 today soared over its rival by one measurement.  Microsoft, not without reason, boasted that IE9 was downloaded 2.35 million times in the first 24 hours after its release last week. And that is indeed a big number, especially for a browser that tech enthusiasts had scoffed at for years.  But less than 24 hours after its own launch, Firefox 4 cleared 4.7 million, according to the Mozilla Glow site that  That's a lot less than the 8 million copies of Firefox 3 downloaded in that version's...

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Facebook to test Groupon-like deals service

 Facebook will soon begin testing a service that will provide its members local discounts, a move that will put it in direct competition with daily-deals giant Groupon. The service will be tested in Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, San Francisco, and San Diego, and will expand on the social-networking giant's Deals program, which offers users deals to members when they use Facebook Places to check in at local business, the company said. Members will be able to buy deals and share them with their friends on the network. "Local businesses will be able to sign up to use this feature soon and people will be able to find deals in the coming...

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Adobe to deliver Flash for mobile 10.2 next week

Adobe Systems, working furiously to disprove Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs' belief that the Flash Player is a bad match for mobile devices, will deliver its second version of the software for Android devices on March 18.  The software will be available in final form through the Android Market for Android 2.2 (Froyo) and 2.3 (Gingerbread) devices and in beta form for Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) tablets after Google's 3.0.1 system update, Adobe said in a blog post.  However, it's not for any Android device. People can check Adobe's list of Flash-capable Android devices to see if theirs made the cut.  Flash Player runs cross-platform...

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Google now lets you block sites from search results

Those of you tired of seeing the same useless sites pop up in your Google search results can now stop those sites from appearing. A new option launched yesterday by the search giant lets you hide specific domains that keep popping up in your search results, preventing them from showing up again. Depending on the type of searches you run, you may now see a link called "Block all [name of site] results" next to the cached link for certain results. Click on the link, and Google will ask for confirmation on whether you really want to remove that site. In a blog posted yesterday, Google explained that the links to block a site will appear...

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What does Wi-Fi look like? Feast your eyes

In Oslo, Norway, it's not uncommon for a dazzling aurora borealis to light up the night sky. Or maybe it's just the Internet you're looking at.  Timo Arnall, Jorn Knutsen, and Einar Sneve Martinussen from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design have found a unique way to visualize invisible Wi-Fi signals in their Norwegian city by light-painting signal strength in long-exposure photographs.  Their project, which is documented in a film called Immaterials: Light painting Wi-Fi, is powered by a 13-foot "Wi-Fi measuring rod" containing 80 lights that illuminate at varying levels depending on signal reach.  The glowing Wi-Fi...

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Apple TV update adds MLB.TV, NBA, AirPlay enhancements

Alongside the iOS 4.3 update, Apple TV received several new feature updates this afternoon, including live streaming sports from MLB.TV and NBA League Pass, AirPlay enhancements, and 5.1 Dolby Digital audio on some streaming Netflix titles. The addition of MLB.TV and NBA League Pass is a significant upgrade, as they represent some of the first non-iTunes streaming media services available on Apple TV, aside from Netflix and YouTube. The lack of additional streaming media services has been one of the our major criticisms of Apple's streaming video box, as competitors like the Roku XDS have offered MLB.TV and NBA (along with tons of other...

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Developers plan for iPad 2 graphics boost

Though the iPad 2 doesn't hit store shelves the end of this week, developers are already planning to give their games and applications a boost with the extra power.  The iPad 2 sports a dual-core processor and graphical performance Apple says is about nine times as powerful as the first-generation iPad. This is likely to have the biggest impact on things like installing and switching between applications, but it will also impact 3D games, where the system will now be able to push a higher number of polygons and pixels around on the screen, as well as allowing 3D game engines to do some new tricks.  A number of developers TechAce...

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Warner Bros. to deliver movies on Facebook

Warner Bros. is apparently hoping to attract new fans by offering movies for viewing on Facebook.  The movie studio announced this evening it would begin testing a program that would offer movies for sale or rental for a brief period through its fan pages on the social-networking giant.  Beginning tomorrow, Facebook users can use Facebook Credits to rent "The Dark Knight" through the movie's official fan page on the social-networking site, Warner said in statement. The movie can be rented for 30 Facebook credits or $3, and Facebook users will have access to the movie for 48 hours through their accounts on the social network.  Facebook...

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Apple job ads seek Voice Control experts for iOS

In a few recent job postings noticed by AppleInsider, Apple has perhaps given a hint as to its future plans for iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads, looking for qualified individuals to bolster its Voice Control and syncing departments. This is not the first search for Voice Control experts in which Apple has engaged. Back in December Apple was looking for new hires "specializing in voice technologies such as speech recognition, iOS software development for speech applications, and speech research." Now, Apple is looking for three iOS Speech Operations Engineers to help develop the Voice Control functionality of iOS devices. Some of the more-advanced...

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Five things the iPad 2 didn't get

One of the questions I've been peppered with since the iPad 2 announcement was whether I was going to replace my first-generation iPad for the new one. The answer for me is yes, since it's part of my job to live with these gadgets so I can understand their strengths, weaknesses, and appeal. But for most original iPad owners, I'm guessing they'll be holding out for version 3. Why's that? The real big change is less about the external redesign as much as what's inside. New are things like a snappier processor and built-in graphics that Apple promises to be up to nine times faster than in the first-generation iPad. There are also the two cameras,...

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The iPad 2 makes its debut

The wait is over for eager Apple fans wanting the next-generation iPad. At an invite-only event in San Francisco today, the company took the wraps off the iPad 2. Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who is taking a leave of absence from the company, returned to unveil the new product, which is expected to be a hot seller. As anticipated, the new tablet has two cameras and is faster with dual-core processors. They just about double CPU performance and make the graphics speed 9 times faster, while using the same power as the processor from the first iPad. The iPad 2 is thinner than the older model. It went from 13.4mm in thickness on the old iPad to...

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Facebook beefs up Like button

Is Facebook getting ready to show its Share button the door?  The social-networking giant recently released an update that adds Share button functionality to the Like button, perhaps presaging the phasing out of the Share button. When a Facebook user clicks the Like or Recommend button on a third-party site, a full feed story with headline, blurb, and thumbnail is generated on the user's wall. Users will also have the option of commenting on it.  Previously, unless third-party publishers chose the Like with Comment version of the button for their site, users got only a link to the story in their recent activity section on their...

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