(via M.I.C Gadget,The Next Web)

The President of Turkey, Abdullah Gül (pictured right, on left), recently visited Apple’s California HQ and met with Apple CEO Tim Cook, according to Turkish-based Anatolia News Agency. The Turkish President was in the United States to promote Turkey in a bid to be the host for the 2020 Olympic Games as well as visit some of the biggest technology companies in the valley including Google where he tried on Google Glasses and drove in the driverless car.

On a subject very close to Apple’s motives and beliefs, the President discussed a new technology in education project with Cook. This is an important subject for Apple with the company’s recent push of the iPad and iBooks into education. On the note of iPad usage, the Turkish President expressed concern with the Turkish character input. Cook said he was unaware of the issue, but he said he would take care of it.

Also, it sounds like there might be some Apple Stores in Turkey’s future as well.

Apple has pushed out a revised version of the recently released iOS 5.1.1. The original public build of iOS 5.1.1 is labeled build 9B206, while this new build is labeled 9B208 (direct download). This is only two builds newer, and probably represents a small fix in the software. Whatever Apple needed to fix was specific to the GSM iPhone 4 (iPhone 3,1) as no revised builds for other iOS devices have been released (perhaps yet). The new build is only available for new iOS 5.1.1 iPhone 4 (GSM) installs and will not be available as an update for users currently on the original build. Apple has not described the changes that are included in the revised release.

Sotheby’s plans to auction two pieces of Apple history on June 15 in New York, including a rare document penned by Steve Jobs while working at Atari and an operational Apple I motherboard expected to fetch up to $180,000 USD. An excerpt from Sotheby’s description for the Apple I lot is below, and it claims less than six Apple I’s in working condition are known to exist:

As the first ready-made personal computer, the Apple I signaled a new age in which computing became accessible to the masses. The interface of circuitry and software that Woz created enabled users to type letters with “a human-typable keyboard instead of a stupid, cryptic front panel with a bunch of lights and switches,” as he explained to the Homebrew Computer Club. Even so, it was sold without a keyboard, monitor, case, or power supply, An exceptionally rare, working example with original Apple cassette interface, operation manuals and a rare BASIC Users’ Manual. It is thought that fewer than 50 Apple I Computers survive, with only 6 known to be in working condition.

As noted by Macenstein, Sotheby’s is auctioning a rare memo penned by Steve Jobs during his days at Atari, which occurred almost two years before the founding of Apple in 1976. We are expecting both items to go for much higher than the estimate, especially because Sotheby’s recently sold Apple’s founding contract for $1.6 million (originally estimated at $150,000).

Excerpts from Sotheby’s auction description, which noted the documents are related to Atari’s World Cup Football game, are below. The corresponding images are above.

This memo describes changes that could be made to Atari’s World Cup Soccer arcade game. These changes were designed to add play variety to the game and to extend the ‘shelf life’ for arcade operators. While the memo is typed on Atari letterhead, it also features a stamp imprinted with the name of Steve Job’s company at the time “All-One Farm Design” and the address of the Jobs family garage( and the birthplace of Apple Computer). The memo features a circuit diagram and a hand written addendum.

After leaving Reed College in the winter of 1974, Steve Jobs began working at Atari (as employee number 40) under the leadership of Nolan Bushnell and chief engineer Al Alcorn. He worked night shifts to improve the designs of existing Atari games, isolated from the colleagues who believed him to be arrogant and offensively Bohemian. He was as unimpressed by his colleagues as they were by him, referring to them regularly as “dumb shits.” However, he was profoundly influenced by 41-year-old Ron Wayne, who had previously started a company and inspired Jobs to do the same. Indeed, Wayne is listed on the original partnership agreement for Apple Computer Company as holding a 10% share, which he soon relinquished. By adding sounds or addressing the durability of hardware, Jobs contributed to the overall experience of the Atari user. Walter Isaacson points out that Jobs “intuitively appreciated the simplicity of Atari’s games. They came with no manual and needed to be uncomplicated enough that a stoned freshman could figure them out.” Jobs carried this lesson with him to Apple, creating technology easily accessible and appealing in its straightforwardness.

The present report written for his supervisor Stephen Bristow, was meant to improve the functionality and fun of World Cup, a coin arcade-game with four simple buttons and an evolution from Atari’s Pong game. Job’s report is stamped “All-One Farm Design,” a name appropriated from the commune he frequented at the time, and the address of the Jobs family in Los Altos. At the bottom of the stamp is the Buddhist mantra, gate gate paragate parasangate bodhi svahdl.

Ars Technica posted Apple’s legal response (PDF) to the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit against the Cupertino, Calif.-based Company, and six publishers, for allegedly conspiring to fix eBook prices. In the document, Apple condemned the federal government for siding with “monopoly, rather than competition,” and then called the Department of Justice’s complaint ”fundamentally flawed as a matter of fact and law.”

Phrases like “false” and “absurd” appear throughout Apple’s response to the accusations, which parallels the company’s statement from April, in regards to the suit’s filing, where Apple essentially said it is breaking monopolies, rather than starting them. Daring Fireball cropped this little nugget from the legal response that summarizes the entire 31-page document:

[Image via CBSNews]

Related articles

• DOJ explains settlement with three publishers, Macmillan CEO explains why they won’t settle (9to5mac.com)
• Analysts: Apple has a strong case in DOJ’s lawsuit over ebook price-fixing(9to5mac.com)
• Report: DOJ to sue Apple this week over fixed eBook pricing allegation(9to5mac.com)

Universal Apps (iPad, iPhone, iPad)

Grand Theft Auto 3 for iPad, iPhone, iPod, regular 99 cents, regular $4.99
Infinity Blade II, $2.99, regular $6.99
Mass Effect: Infiltrator, $2.99, regular $4.99
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, 99 cents, regular $9.99
Burnout CRASH!, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Combat Arms: Zombies, $1.99, regular, $6.99
Solar Walk 3D Solar System, $1.99, regular $2.99

iPad Apps

NBA Jam for iPad $1.99, regular $4.99
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for iPad, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Real Racing HD for iPad $1.99, regular $4.99
Need for speed Hot Pursuit for iPad, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Fifa Soccer 12 for iPad, $2.99, regular $9.99
Battlefield Bad Company 2 for iPad, $1.99, regular $9.99
Monopoly Here and Now: World Edition, 99 cents, regular $9.99
Skyfire web browser, $2.99, regular $4.99
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD, 99 cents, regular $9.99
Dead Space, $1.99, regular $9.99
Madden NFL 12, $2.99, regular $6.99
Tiger Woods: PGA Tour 12, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Flight Control HD, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Battleship HD, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Fight Night Champion by EA Sports, 99 cents, regular, $4.99
Monopoly, 99 cents, regular $6.99
Star Walk for iPad, $2.99, regular $4.99

iPhone Apps

Fifa Soccer 12 for iPhone, $1.99, regular $4.99
Need for Speed Undercover, $99 cents, regular $2.99
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, 99 cents, regular, $4.99
Real Racing 2, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Skyfire web browser, $1.99, regular $2.99
Battlefield Bad Company 2, 99 cents, regular $2.99
Dead Space, 99 cents, regular $6.99
Madden NFL 12, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Hipstamatic, 99 cents, regular $1.99
Star Walk, $1.99, regular $2.99
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, 99 cents, regular $4.99

According to iLounge, Tony Fadell – a former Apple Senior Vice President – will soon find another place to sell his new Nest Learning Thermostats: the Apple Store. According to the report, the Nest will run for $249 at the Apple Store (the same as Nest’s price through Nest’s online store). The Nest is a digital, easy-to-setup and use thermostat, and its user-interface, design, and setup process are all what is to be expected from the “father of the iPod.” The device can even be controlled by iPods, iPads, and iPhones.

Update: We can independently confirm that Nest Learning Thermostats are coming to Apple Store locations very soon. The systems are already listed in Apple’s internal inventory database.

Update 2: A Nest spokeswoman declined to comment.

There’s no denying iOS devices and cheaper Android solutions are taking the place of Cius. Recent studies show Apple with 97 percent of tablets in the enterprise, while 94 percent of the Fortune 500 arecurrently testing or deploying iPad. The result is no further investment in the Cius tablet line and only limited support for what is currently available. The company will instead “double down” on Jabber and WebEx

The iOS 5.1.1 untethered Absinthe 2.0 jailbreak unveiled in Amsterdam this morning and is available for download. For those who want to run Absinthe 2.0 on OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, or for those having trouble with the jailbreak, just browse the slideshow and steps above. It is literally as easy as 1, 2, and 3.

Note: A jailbroken iPhone simply means it is freed from the limitations imposed by Apple for safety measures.

Not sure why Absinthe 2.0's binary script doesn't have 10.8 support. It's as easy as adding a '12' to the list

—
Steve Troughton-Sm… (@stroughtonsmith) May 25, 2012

Thanks, Preston!

Related articles

• iOS 5.1.1 untethered Absinthe 2.0 jailbreak to be released in the coming days (9to5Mac)
• How to unlock an iPhone 4S in 12 easy steps  (9to5Mac)
• A5 jailbreak ‘Absinthe installed almost 1M times over the last 3 days  (9to5Mac)

The Verge recently went hands on with Samsung’s new flagship Galaxy S III launched earlier this month and during its review put the device’s new Vlingo-powered “S-Voice” feature up against Siri on the iPhone 4S. Other than the striking resemblance to Siri’s UI and canned responses, the first thing we notice is Siri appears to be much quicker than S-Voice running on the Galaxy S III.

When asked “Who is the president of France”, Siri quickly asks to search the web, while S-Voice takes a little longer but comes up with the correct answer. However, in most scenarios, both Siri and S-Voice request to search the web for the majority of the same queries. You’ll also notice S-Voice has no problem keeping up with Siri when scheduling appointments, but both have some of the same issues understanding The Verge’s commands.

S Voice consistently chews up my words when I try asking it questions, although it works better when instructed to schedule an appointment or set an alarm. It can also be used as an unlocking mechanism once you pre-record a pass phrase. That adds to the face unlocking option that’s native to Android 4.0 in being frustratingly unwieldy and planted firmly within gimmick territory — more than once I was stuck repeating “hello” without any recognition from the phone.

While we don’t have all of the info on S-Voice, we know it is using voice recognition technology from Vlingo, the same as the previous Voice Commander feature for the Galaxy S II. Last December Nuance acquired Vlingo. It’s no secret Apple is currently using Nuance to power speech in Siri, and Siri co-founder Norman Winarsky told us in October that Siri originally used Vlingo, but that Nuance has by far the most “IP in speech synthesis technologies”. However, he also noted Apple could likely easily replace Nuance if something better was available.

Related articles

• Samsung blocking Vlingo-powered “S-Voice” feature for non-Galaxy S III users (9to5google.com)
• Galaxy S III debuts Siri-like function ‘S-Voice’ (9to5google.com)