The Xbox 360 Program Manager “fitret” has posted a picture of the Zune HD which shows a glimpse of the marketplace, specifically an artist sub-menu for The Hold Steady. there isn’t really much to say about it but it sure is gorgeous.

For those asking about #zuneHD: It’s awesome! Great UI, great… on Twitpic.

Appmodo is the source of the original rumor in the middle of June saying that both MMS and tethering were to be coming in July with tethering costing $55 per month.

Not only is Appmodo claiming that it is still set to cost $55 per month on top of the current iPhone data plan they are also claiming that it has been pushed back to September.

There is a general consensus amongst most writers who focus on Apple news that AT&T is worried that turning on tethering and MMS would be detrimental to the quality of their data network. But, if that is the case then why would AT&T turn both of them on at the same time? Wouldn’t it be smarter to turn MMS on first and then allow people to tether a month or so later?

Appmodo is sourcing an “undisclosed reputable AT&T employee” and I have a feeling that they are telling the truth, but am worried that their source doesn’t actually know the real deal. I’m sure their source believes the information he has to be true, but whether or not it will remain this way at launch is a completely different story.

Don’t forget that as long as AT&T doesn’t bill you extra for doing so, you can turn on tethering right now.

Apple iPhone MMS Delayed, Coming Sept, Tethering $55 Extra – Appmodo.

Previously:
6/25/09: Enable Tethering and MMS Using MobileSafari
6/18/09: MMS Coming to iPhone in July, Tethering Will Cost $55

But clearly, if so many customers are complaining, there must be a problem with some iPhone 3GS batteries. Our testing leads us to suspect their units are defective. If iPhone 3GS owners are experiencing surprisingly meager battery life, they should schedule an appointment at an Apple Store Genius Bar to request an exchange.

I’ve heard a lot of people complain about battery life issues but I haven’t seen them first hand. The battery life on my and my girlfriend’s iPhone 3GS is perfectly fine. I would say mine is at least 30% better than the first generation iPhone I had previously been using and I know for certain that I use the 3GS more often than I did the older model.

I agree with Wired, if you are having battery life that is gone after less than 5 hours of use (check your usage in Settings, General, Usage) than you should have your device looked at or request an exchange.

Battery Tests Confirm iPhone 3GS Improvements, But Complaints Linger | Gadget Lab | Wired.com.

Update 7/10/09: After spending some more time thinking about the problem I’ve remembered that my first generation iPhone did experience shorter battery life after upgrading to firmware 3.0. Based on this it is clear that 3.0 is one of those releases that adds features but unfortunately, also decreases battery life. But, I’m sure Apple is readying a firmware update that will address some of these battery issues.

If you were curious (like I was) as to why Google would choose to announce this now, especially since they don’t seem to have much to say about it yet, Robert Scoble believes it has something to do with a Microsoft announcement set for this Monday. Unfortunately Scoble is embargoed from talking more about it.

What’s funny about this story is that there isn’t really a lot to talk about and yet everyone seems to be finding quite a bit more than I am.

There have been operating systems that focused on the web like this before, some of you might remember gOS. The problem with all of these internet focused operating systems is that you have to run completely different software than what most users are accustomed to. I know that Google wants to think that everyone lives in the cloud now but that just isn’t the case. It does appear to be the case amongst the kind of people that work at Google but not the average Joe. And, even if the average Joe does have everything up in the cloud theres i some sort of fear towards relying on it full time.

Google Chrome OS is initially being targeted at netbooks, which is a wise decision. The netbook market is currently the place where Windows doesn’t really cut it and not a single Linux distro does either. The only problem is that Windows 7 will be out by the time Chrome OS is released (Chrome OS will be available in the second half of 2010) and from everyone I’ve heard or talked to about Windows 7 says that it works flawlessly on every netbook they’ve tried it on.

I know that Google feels the need to compete with Microsoft but what they fail to realize is that Microsoft will always lose when competing with Google at web services (like search) and Google will always lose when competing with Microsoft at desktop software.

Official Google Blog: Introducing the Google Chrome OS.

Update 7/9/09: MG Siegler says that it is indeed an online version of Office that Microsoft is going to be announcing on Monday. This is the reason for the timing of the Chrome OS announcement.

Update 7/9/09: The geniuses over at Engadget posted screenshots of Chrome OS. It should have been pretty obvious that they were fake (John Gruber puts it best), but they posted them anyway only later updating the post to correct their mistake.

Update 7/10/09: From the Official Google Blog:

The software architecture is simple — Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel. For application developers, the web is the platform. All web-based applications will automatically work and new applications can be written using your favorite web technologies.

It has been pointed out on various blogs that because Google is building a new windowing system this isn’t going to be “just another Linux distro.” I tend to disagree, mostly because I can’t really imagine how it could be all that different. I am very willing to eat my words if Google shows something that blows my mind but at this point I really don’t see that happening (and can’t see that happening until next year, when this thing actually ships). I have a feeling that this OS is going to just boot directly into a web browser, which wouldn’t blow me away and instead would leave me as disappointed as I am with Chrome OS as it is today (which is with essentially no details).

Regarding the use of web-based applications on the OS. It’s obvious that all of them will work, as long as you have a browser (I’m assuming Chrome OS will use the Chrome web browser) all web-based applications will work, I’m certain that you don’t have to mention that specifically. Google says that “the web is the platform” but does that mean that there won’t be any native apps for the OS? That seems a little silly to me, especially since this OS is built on Linux. Obviously you will be able to write native apps for it and Google probably won’t do anything to stop you, so why act as if web apps are the only apps that will work? We all know how that worked out for Apple.

This whole announcement has been the oddest one I can remember. I don’t expect announcements like this out of Google, and yet here we are. I wish they would have just said “we’re building an OS, we have nothing to say about it now, but it is coming next year.” And, just left it at that. At least then we would let our imaginations run wild. Maybe Google would have even taken some of our speculation to heart and actually built a really amazing product.

Update 7/10/09: Google has posted a useless FAQ about Chrome OS.

It has been rumored since April that Apple would be adding cameras to the iPod nano and iPod touch but there has been a little extra fuel added to the fire over the past couple of days.

First Michael Arrington cited sources in Asia that said that Apple has placed an order for a “massive number of camera modules of the type that they include in the iPhone.” Also saying: “the size of the order means they can only be used for one thing – the iPods.”

Then it was found on DealExtreme and Uxsight a total of three iPod cases supposedly built for the upcoming iPod nano and touch that features a spot for the camera module.

Protective Silicone Case for iPod Touc 3 (Blue)
Anti-slip Silicone Skin Case for iPod Touch 3G 8GB 16GB Red
Protective Silicone Case for iPod Nano 5 (Black)

Although these images do appear to be of actual iPod cases there is no way of telling whether or not they were built with knowledge of the upcoming revisions or if they were just made as some sort of marketing scheme for the sites they are sold on. It is interesting to note that the two iPod touch cases don’t have the same size holes for cameras, which could mean that they are either cheaply made or fakes.

I do believe that cameras are coming to the iPod touch, it is necessary for Apple to justify the price of the device. Us gadget fans know that the iPhone is subsidized down to the $199 price point but the average Joe probably doesn’t understand why anyone would pay the extra $30 for the iPod touch and lose all of those cool iPhone-only features. With that in mind it makes perfect sense to add a camera to the iPod touch. But, I’m not exactly convinced about the iPod nano, I’m sure it wouldn’t be too difficult for Apple to add the functionality but wouldn’t Apple want to use that feature to up-sell you to the iPod touch?

Previously
4/7/09: iPod touch May Gain Camera in Future Hardware Revision
4/5/09: Rumors Say Apple is Ordering 3.2MP and 5MP CMOS Image Sensors

Update 7/8/09: MacRumors says that Pinch Media has found the iPod touch 3,1 in online logs a few times since April.

Michael Arrington has incorporated a new company with 14 employees called Crunchpad Inc.. Arrington has said that he will be active in the company for now but eventually wants to have someone replace him so he can go back to blogging full time.

The CrunchPad is getting closer and closer to release, last we heard about the device it was 18mm thick, had a 12-inch 1024×768 display, Flash support, 1GB of RAM, and a 4GB flash drive.

We now know that it will come in different colors, have an Intel Atom processor, will be capable of connecting an external keyboard, and will actually be slightly thinner at about 16mm.

Early last month it was announced that there would be a media event officially launching the device sometime in July. But, according to recent reports the event could come as late as August. I’m a little disappointed about the delay but I’m not too surprised, we are talking about someone who hasn’t really lead a project like this before. Hardware is a completely different realm compared to what Arrington is used to.

I’m expecting the CrunchPad to be released in late August or early September, the price of the device, according to Arrington, will be “less than $300,” which may mean $299 as I predicted previously.

I’m getting a little excited about the device, the prospect of connecting an external keyboard to it will be very useful. I imagine myself bringing this thing with me on trips instead of my laptop and just keeping a keyboard in my bag in case I need to do some writing.

Apple, Acer and…Arington? – Bits Blog – NYTimes.com
Tech blog titan Michael Arrington’s next big thing: Hardware – San Francisco Business Times:

Previously:
6/3/09: CrunchPad Concept Launch Design
4/14/09: James Kendrick Claims CrunchPad May Not Happen, With No Evidence
4/10/09: TechCrunch Tablet Sees the Light of Day

Apple views NVIDIA’s proposals for renewed deals as “arrogance” and that much of the argument centers on the overheating material that triggered widespread failures in all GeForce 8400M and 8600M mobile graphics chips. The Mac firm has had to extend MacBook Pro warranties for up to three years and may be skeptical of NVIDIA’s insistence that newer models aren’t at risk of the same problem.

I really doubt that Apple would drop NVIDIA so quickly after transitioning most of their computers to the 9400M chipset. I’m sure that Apple and NVIDIA are in contract talks and wouldn’t doubt the idea of Apple being a little upset about the overheating issues with the MacBook Pro. But I really don’t expect this to mean Apple is completely dropping NVIDIA. It is much more likely that Apple just wants a little bit more assurance that this type of thing won’t happen again in the future (and a better deal wouldn’t sound too bad to them either).

Electronista | Apple already dropping NVIDIA chips?.

Dock Expose was a brand new feature that has only recently been added to the Snow Leopard beta. Clicking and holding on an icon in the dock will display all open windows from that application, making it easy to drag files or images between open windows with ease.

QuickTime X was probably the most interesting Snow Leopard announcement at WWDC and although it had been in the Snow Leopard beta for quite a while now below are some new screenshots of it in action. The new application uses what many believe to be precursors to the “Marble user interface” that everyone has been talking about. The title bar and video controls only appear when your mouse hovers over the video window, otherwise it is just a borderless video playing above your desktop (or whatever windows are behind it).

Apple is really building a very solid operating system with Snow Leopard and even if it is a little light on the (non-developer) features it is surely going to make users very happy with its increased stability and speed.

Previously:
5/19/09: Mac Magazine Posts Images of Snow Leopard
4/27/09: Apple Potentially Killing Snapz Pro with QuickTime X
3/27/09: Snow Leopard’s New “Marble” UI Theme

Update 7/5/09: I’ve updated the gallery above to show the new stacks features (scroll bars and open in finder buttons) and the ability to add text as a spoken track to iTunes.

I just downloaded Firefox 3.5 on both of my computers and am very happy with it. It does feel significantly faster than the previous version but didn’t blow me away quite like Safari 4 did.

When I upgraded only two of my six current extensions were compatible. So, even if you are anxious to get your hands on the latest version make sure your essential extensions are compatible with 3.5 before upgrading.

Firefox web browser | Faster, more secure, & customizable.

Update 6/30/09: Mozilla has already over one million downloads of Firefox. Mozilla has also launched a real time Firefox download tracker so users can watch as downloads occur.

If true, this would come just a few months after Apple dropped the prices on their MacBook line as well. It is clear to me that Apple wants to sell more Macs and dropping prices on their mainstream desktop computer would be a logical next step.

The sourcing in this article is a little strange though. “People familiar with the company’s thinking,” what does that even mean? Any guy with a rudimentary understanding of economics would understand that dropping the price of your product will inevitably sell more units.

AppleInsider | Briefly: more affordable iMacs from Apple expected by fall.

Sony Corp is considering developing a cellphone-game gear hybrid in a bid to better compete with Apple Inc’s highly popular iPod and iPhone, the Nikkei business daily said on Saturday.

It’s pretty amazing that it has taken them nearly two years before they finally got around to doing this. It’s almost as if they completely forgot what the iPod line did to Sony’s Walkman business.

Then again, I have a strange feeling that if Sony attempted a cell phone that was also a handheld game console it would turn out a little bit too much like the orignal Nokia N-Gage, I’m sure most of you remember that piece of crap.

Sony eyes cellphone/game gear hybrid – Nikkei | Technology | Reuters.

I downloaded the app immediately once I heard that it had been released and am glad I did. Although Birdfeed uses chat bubbles, which is one of my least favorite Twitter user interfaces, everything else about it more than makes up for it.

The new client has everything I need in a Twitter client. At first I was worried that it didn’t have trends built in, but I then found it in a slightly hidden yet very intuitive place, the saved searches section.

Other notable features include posting shortened URLs with tr.im integration, loading older tweets using infinite scrolling, navigating reply chains, Favrd and FollowCost integration, and local tweet caching for catching up on tweets while offline.

I haven’t found any bugs in the application, remember it is a 1.0 release. I suggest everyone at least check out the screen captures I’ve posted below, it is well worth a look.

Twitterrific stole my heart from Tweetie but I can definitively (at least for the next month or two) say that this has become my new Twitter client of choice. But, it does amaze me to see consistent improvement among all Twitter clients, it just proves that competition creates better products for the users.

Birdfeed – $4.99

Update 6/30/09: I underestimated just how wonderful the local caching and infinate scrolling is. As soon as you reach the bottom of your list of tweets Birdfeed automatically starts loading more. This automatic loading is a beautiful thing but what is really amazing is that the local caching doesn’t just keep the most recently loaded tweets (options for 20, 50, or 100) it also keeps even older ones. I’m not sure how many Birdfeed is actually capable of caching (I’m sure there is a limit) but I was able to reload over 200 tweets while my device was in airplane mode (it cached user avatars too).

I spent the week or so leading up to the launch of the iPhone 3GS trying to convince my girlfriend to get a white model. I was going to get the black one (the black model suites me much better) and I wanted an easy way for us to tell each others apart. I failed, and we ended up both getting black models. But, luckily hitting the home or lock button to check the wallpaper isn’t to difficult, and in a few days she’ll be getting a Gelaskin in the mail.

But, now that the dust has settled I am quite happy that she didn’t get the white version, not because I prefer the look of the black model but because of this report on Nowhere Else (Google translated) of the white version overheating and discoloration occurring on the back.

Apple has had similar problems in the past, everyone who follows this sort of thing remembers all of the discoloration issues with the white MacBook, I experienced it, and practically every other white MacBook owner did as well.

It’s difficult to say how widespread this discoloration issue is with the iPhone, I haven’t seen any other reports about it. But, at this point I don’t know why anyone would take the chance and buy the white model.

SURCHAUFFE IPHONE 3GS | GEEK WEBZINE HIGH-TECH Nowhere Else.

Update 7/4/09: According to Engadget it turns out the cause of this browning on white iPhones may have to do with leaving it in a hot car.

Update 7/5/09: frenchiPhone (Google Translated) is claiming that the discoloration of white iPhone 3GSs may be caused by some third party cases. The solution is to clean the back with alcohol. I haven’t found anyone talking about what cases actually cause this problem but it is nice to know that if you do experience it the fix isn’t too difficult.

Yesterday Apple updated both the Apple TV and the iPhone’s Remote application. The new Remote app now supports multitouch gestures for controlling the Apple TV.

Navigating menus is much more comfortable, flicking or dragging the finger across the screen will scroll through menus and tapping will select an item.

The controls when playing back content is a little bit more complicated but very intuitive, it didn’t take long for me to be fast forwarding, skipping back, and pausing like a pro. The full list of controls can be seen in the gallery below.

Apple has also posted a list of the new features in the Apple TV update which, other than adding support for the new Remote app, include:

• Flickr Search: Search Flickr photo tags to find recently updated photos of interest. Save searches to quickly find new photos or use as a screen saver for Apple TV.
• New view options: View movies By Genre, By Movie, or Unwatched. View TV Shows and Podcasts By Date, By Show, or Unwatched.
• Updated transport and chapter modes: During video playback, click right or left to fast forward or rewind. Additional clicks increase the speed. Click down to show chapter markers.

AppleInsider | Apple updates Apple TV, Remote app to allow multi-touch control [u].

The process is very simple, go to http://help.benm.at/help.php, scroll down to Tethering & Internet Settings, tap on the Mobileconfigs download link, choose your country and then your provider. The network profile installer will launch and allow you to update your iPhone settings which will enable tethering.

To enable tethering just go to Settings, General, Network, tethering should now be an option.

I currently have a first generation iPhone, and since it doesn’t support tethering or MMS I wasn’t able to try this myself. But, Jason Chen of Gizmodo says that they have been testing it for about a day and it has worked fine for them.

I haven’t dug very deep into the MMS enabling features, since they are currently beta and the method to install it is a little complicated. I really wouldn’t advise anyone to enable MMS until they make things a little bit easier.

Gizmodo – Enable Tethering On Your iPhone 3G and 3GS With Only Safari MMS, VV Fix – Iphone tethering.

Update 6/25/09: I dropped by an AT&T store yesterday and installed tethering on one of their demo devices. I wasn’t able to test tethering but I can say that everything else on the phone worked just fine after installing the network profile.