RT @gadgetsearch CES 2011: Asus Eee Pad Slider http://goo.gl/fb/Ob2k4 http://j.mp/iGADGETS - Seriously, will someone buy this? http://svrt.se/ePdEC5

Impressive: Mac App Store hits one million downloads on day one

See my posts from yesterday about it here:

http://svartling.amplify.com/?s=mac+app+store

Amplify’d from www.engadget.com

Apple's just announced that its freshly baked Mac App Store's already hit the one million download mark on its launch day, with more than 1,000 titles -- including both free and paid apps -- up for grabs. Can't say we're surprised Read more at www.engadget.com

 

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/gWWnMQ

Gary Marshall: How the iPad ruined CES

So true, so true.... Nothing but boring iPad look-a-likes.. The Motorola Xoom is cool though but it's not available yet, and probably not before iPad 2..



Via Apple Informatory: http://goo.gl/fb/hfVGt

Amplify’d from www.techradar.com

Fancy a CES roundup? Here you go: Tablet tablet tablet tablet tablet tablet tablet tablet tablet tablet tablet tablet tablet mushroom mushroom.

I added the mushrooms in to make things sound more interesting than they actually are, because so far CES 2011 has been pretty dull.

It's mainly Apple's fault.

If you were to describe CES 2011 in a word, it'd be "tablets". PC firms can't get enough of the damn things.

They're making tablets with big screens and tablets with keyboards and tablets with styluses - styluses! - and tablets with WebOS and tablets with Windows and tablets with Android and tablets with god knows what on them. We've seen more tablets in the last few days than pharmacists see in their entire careers.

That's great if you're really, really interested in tablets, but it's not much cop if you aren't. It's as if the entire PC industry has become so fixated on tablet computers that they haven't bothered to make anything else.

So is CES 2011 rubbish? Not really. The problem is that the last few years spoiled us with their 3DTVs and SSDs and iPads, new kinds of technology that were enormously exciting when they were unveiled but that already seem everyday.

The truth is that technology can't be revolutionary every year, and 2011 so far is clearly not one of those years. There's every possibility that CES 2012 will be awesome - and if it isn't, at least we'll be able to mock all the iPad 2 copies. Read more at www.techradar.com

 

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/e3umdS

Shared via smartr -- the best way to get your news on twitter.

What Intel's Sandy Bridge can offer

Original Source (http://www.macworld.com)

by Sharon Gaudin, Computerworld  

Editor's Note: This story is excerpted from Computerworld. For more Mac coverage, visit Computerworld's Macintosh Knowledge Center.

Intel formally unveiled its line of

Sandy Bridge

chips at the

Consumer Electronics Show

(CES) in Las Vegas, taking the wraps off a family of Core processors that includes dozens of new chips, with more to follow later this year.

The chips will fit into Intel's line of i3, i5 and i7 processors, with quad-core versions available on Jan. 9. Dual-core chips are slated to follow next month.

"This is a pretty big deal," said Mike Feibus, an analyst with TechKnowledge. "It really is a pretty impressive platform. This is exciting, especially for mobile."

So, what do the new chips offer users?

Overview

Intel's Sandy Bridge processors include dual-core, quad-core, six-core and eight-core chips for desktops and laptops.

In the last generation of the iSeries chips, the dual-core and six-core processors had been moved to the 32-nanometer manufacturing process. The old quad-cores, however, remained on the 45nm process.

That's now changed. The new processors are all made with the 32-nanometer process, giving the quad-cores more transistors than their predecessors.

"It's a significant introduction," said Dan Olds, an analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group. "They move everything to 32nm here.... These things use quite a bit less power too compared to their predecessors. Some of the new chips use up to half the power."

Graphics

Another distinguishing feature for the Sandy Bridge chips is that they've been designed from the ground up to have integrated graphics.

The latest Intel processors put a graphics processor, microprocessor and memory controller on a single chip. While extreme power users and gaming enthusiasts often look for a separate (and more powerful) graphics chip, Olds said the integrated graphics in Sandy Bridge should work just fine for almost everyone.

The advantage to having integrated graphics is that with one chip instead of two, there's no need to connect graphics to the CPU. Eliminating that hop between the two chips saves on heat and power loss.

The downside is that you don't get the graphics performance you would with separate graphics hardware. Intensive users might get more stuttering video or see some drag in graphics rendering, according to Olds.

Chip details

i3: The Core i3 chips make up the low end of the processor line for the Core i Series. They are all dual-core chips for desktops and laptops and they won't be available until February.

The i3 chips will have a few new features, including an update to Intel's Wireless Display technology, which will allow users to wirelessly watch high-quality digital content delivered from their computers to their TVs.

The i3 chips also will have Intel Insider, an anti-piracy technology that keeps people from copying online movie content.

i5: The i5 chips initially will launch with quad-cores for the desktop, according to Feibus. Next month, Intel is expected to release i5 dual-cores for laptops.

The i5 chips will have Intel Insider technology and the updated Wireless Display, along with:

• Quick Sync Video: Acts as something of a traffic cop inside the processor. Quick Sync offloads video tasks to the integrated graphics part of the chip, taking the load off of the CPU. "It's something that we haven't seen a lot of performance tests on, but it think it's going to be very helpful in terms of getting better results in video editing," said Olds.
  
  
• Turbo Boost: Automatically turns cores on and off as needed. If a machine is running a quad-core processor but only one core is needed, three of the cores will be shut down to save power or to divert some of their power to the one working core. The sleeping cores will automatically power up when needed.
  
  
• Hyper-threading: Gives you two threads, instead of one, per core. Software is written so the workloads are split up into threads. While operating systems are getting smarter about this, hyper-threading makes the operating system think it has twice the number of cores.

i7: The i7 chips are the high-end processors in the Sandy Bridge family. Sporting all of the new features offered in the i5 line, these will include quad-cores for desktops and laptops. The i7 chips for laptops are expected in February, with six- and eight-core chips for desktops slated to ship during the second half of this year.

Performance

Both Olds and Feibus said users should see noticeable speed improvements if they switch from the previous iSeries chips to the new generation.

"This should be seriously faster," said Feibus. "To move a movie from your computer onto your iPod or iPad, that will be more than 20 times faster. For a consumer, that really is a pain point right now. It's something that consumers are doing more and...that should go from tens of minutes to minutes. That's real significant."

He estimated that enterprise users who are doing video and photo editing should be able to do their work five times faster than with the older generation of Intel chips.

According to Olds, increases in performance will vary widely based on what the user is doing.

For instance, someone in an office setting who is generally using Excel or Word should only expect a 10 to 15 percent increase in performance. However, someone who is doing image processing on the same hardware might see as much as a 40 to 50 percent increase in speed.

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/hj03Ms

Dell Venue Demonstrated

It is like the Dell Venue Pro but without the QWERTY keyboard and running Android instead of WP7.



Via Gadgets Informatory: http://j.mp/iGADGETS

Amplify’d from www.ubergizmo.com

Android 2.2

1GHz processor

Dell’s custom interface – Dell Stage

8-megapixel camera

Flash 10.1 support

4.1-inch Gorilla Glass AMOLED touchscreen display Read more at www.ubergizmo.com

 

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/i8LQeN

Smartr version 1.3 is here - Now with Posterous sharing support!

I've got this email from the makers of the cool Smartr twitter client for iphone:

We just released v1.3 of Smartr with some exciting new features and lots of bugfixes.

1. By popular demand, we're now supporting facebook, posterous and read_it_later sharing.

2. A simple swipe allows you to go from one article to another without having to return to the list

3. While reading an article, scroll up to recall the original tweet and context of the article.

4. We've also upgraded the app for 4.0 usage only so we can have faster, smoother interactions.

Hope you get a chance to play with it! We're now a great reblogging tool going from twitter to tumblr, posterous, and directly to blogs (via email)

On another note, would you be interested in helping us try out our new major update that supports lists?

http://smartr.mobi

- Of course I want to try out Lists support in next major version ;)

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/fMi3ZY

More news about the interesting new Mac App Store. Will it grow piracy or not? http://goo.gl/fb/45LEP /via @informatory http://svrt.se/hbqAJi

Today's first list of news from CES 2011. A lot of cool future stuff are presented http://goo.gl/fb/UV1ik /via @gadgetsearch http://svrt.se/eOolQL

Here is even more news about the new cool Mac App Store from Apple: http://goo.gl/fb/QiOYH /via @informatory http://svrt.se/fKMLyh

Here is the latest 12 hours from CES 2011 Day 1: http://goo.gl/fb/hMOzK /via @gadgetsearch http://svrt.se/fHGem3

Tweetings for Mac looks like the best desktop Twitter app I've seen

The new Tweetings for Mac app looks awesome. I think I will buy that.



Not too expensive, but it feels like it should be free because I bought it for my iPad recently....

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/eQG3pC

First Look at the Mac App Store: Your One-Stop Shop for Mac Software

I've already installed the new free Twitter for Mac app and I must say that it looks quite awesome!



Via Apple Informatory: http://goo.gl/fb/aUGjX

Amplify’d from lifehacker.com

Apple just dropped Mac OS X 10.6.6, complete with the long-awaited Mac App Store. Here's a quick look at what the App Store offers, how it works, and how you can use it to better manage the apps on your computer.

Easy Browsing

The Mac App Store is laid out almost exactly like the iOS App Store. The home page shows you the featured apps, and you can view the top paid and free apps at any given time, browse by category, or use the search bar. Each app has a description and user reviews, just like on iOS, so you can better judge whether the app is worth your time and/or money.

The rest of the window is pretty bare. You've got a few back and forward buttons, as well as the OS X traffic light—sans title bar, I might add, like the new iTunes 10—and that's it. You can also view a list of apps you've purchased from the store, which is pretty handy.

Update All Your Apps At Once

While shopping for apps in the app store is mighty convenient, the update system might be the best part. Instead of going into each individual app and checking for updates (or waiting for them to update themselves), you can head to the Updates tab of the App Store to see which apps have updates available for download. Just like on iOS (or in Apple's Mac Software Update), you can pick and choose updates to install, or just hit the "Update All" button do update your apps in one fell swoop.

How Apple Tracks Your Purchases

Other Nice Touches

You can't browse the Mac App Store on the web or on your iOS device, but you can use iTunes gift cards to make purchases from the Mac App Store. That's helpful for the average user, especially those still hoarding iTunes gift cards from the holidays.

Apple's also added App Store awareness to OS X. If you try to open a file that your system doesn't know how to open a file with a certain extension, it will allow you to search the App Store for an app that will (not unlike Microsoft's extension database in Windows). This is really nice, since instead of just prompting you to choose an application, it can give you an idea of what software you'll need.

Say what you want about Apple's history with App Stores; this actually looks pretty great. Sure, Apple will probably vet any apps that wants in, which could mean BitTorrent clients and other oft-banned apps likely won't appear, and they've probably placed a ton of other restrictions on third party developers. But as far as the user is concerned, there's something to be said for having a one-stop shop for discovering apps. It's also really nice to be able to update all your apps with just one click.

The App Store is available as part of the new Mac OS X 10.6.6, so just head to Apple Software Update to get it. And, once you've given it a look-see, share your thoughts with us in the comments. Read more at lifehacker.com

 

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/hQRgya

This is gonna change everything: Everything You Need To Know About The Mac App Store

I am so excited! This is unbelievable cool. A lot cooler than any boring Android tablets at CES... I really love it! This is gonna change everything.



Via Apple Informatory: http://goo.gl/fb/aUGjX

Amplify’d from www.macstories.net

You’ll find that the coolest thing about the Mac App Store is simply how easy it is to find great software. Upon updating to 10.6.6, a new Mac App Store icon is presented next to the Finder. We can’t promise you’ll like the icon if you were disappointed with iTunes 10, but I think you’ll definitely like what’s inside. This morning we’ve got a quick walkthrough so everyone can see what all the hype is about, and how great it is to have an App Store outside of iTunes.

Apple offers a quick set of options so you can set a credit card to your account, redeem iTunes gift cards (yes!), and get support in case that cash magically goes missing with those app cravings. That’s about the only section you’ll see for your account – the rest of the store presents nothing but juicy pixels and Mac App Store’ness.

Top Charts: Everything Paid, Free, And Top Grossing

Pay attention to the right hand side! Top Charts Categories provide quick links so you only get the best to each section. Looking for the greatest in Music apps or Weather? Use this pane to narrow the top hits down to each specific category.

Categories Are Still Cluttered, But At Least We Have Them

Purchases & How They Work

Shut up already and buy something! Okay, you got me — I couldn’t help but download TextWrangler, Tweetie 2, and Courier this morning just to show off the Purchases section of the Mac App Store. Here, you’ll get a list of all the apps you’ve downloaded, but I don’t know how well this list will work when you end up with eight-jillion different things in this list view. Clicking on an App’s icon will take you to it’s home page on the store, in case you’d like to read about updates the developer has published.

Buying an app is just like how you’d do it on the iPad or the iPhone App Store. You simply visit the developers page, tap the Free or price’d icon for purchase, and simply enter your iTunes credentials (your Apple ID). Immediately the icon will go flying to your dock, which can only make grown men smile uncontrollably when they see this for the first time. A progress bar underneath the icon will show you it’s download progress, and it’ll pop into life as it finishes. That’s it! It’s very easy to buy and install applications – there’s no fuss whatsoever. If you want to copy a link to the app (or tell a friend), you can do that by clicking the small down button next to the app’s price. Unfortunately, there’s no web view for the Mac App Store if you’re friend doesn’t have the Mac App Store yet — the person you’re sharing with must have the app for it to be useful.

Updates & Everything Already On Your Computer

Where To Get Started

See more at www.macstories.net

 

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/fzqxNN

Mac App Store is released! Cool! Here is everything you need to know. I am installing it now http://goo.gl/fb/aUGjX /via @informatory http://svrt.se/fzm1Lo

@egoldstein why doesn't you fix the clippings of videos on iOS devices bug? I have many times pointed out that bug for you... http://svrt.se/e42j8u

iPhone 5 Casing & Innards Leaked

Well, this could be true, but it could also be parts from one of many Chinese pirated copies of the iPhone 4....



Via Tech Informatory: http://j.mp/iTECH

Amplify’d from blog.alltechrelated.com

See more at blog.alltechrelated.com

 

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/eKdUo2

A list with news from the latest 12 hours at CES 2011! http://svrt.se/glGUjR /via @gadgetsearch http://svrt.se/fSYezU

EXCLUSIVE: Tweetie 2.0 For Mac Will Launch With The Mac App Store, Tomorrow • http://rfly.co/hlpKtF • (via @razorianfly) - wow! http://svrt.se/fY6NQD

Here is a list with the latest news from the CES 2011 Pressday: http://goo.gl/fb/X08f6 /via @gadgetsearch http://svrt.se/gD42S3

One of the best things with #Amplify is that comments actually get indexed like real content by #Google. I like that. http://svrt.se/eoyhw4

Hey New Quora users! Please fix your Quora profiles!

I did a post on Quora on why I think its important for all new users to fix their profiles. See it here and vote on it please

http://www.quora.com/Stefan-Svartling/Hey-New-Quora-users-Please-fix-your-Quora-profiles

Amplify’d from www.quora.com

I think its very important to have a decent profile here on Quora. it's much easier to decide to follow someone for example. And it much better for SEO too. My Quora Profile is already on the first page while searching in Google. Read more at www.quora.com

 

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/gVnz9o

Android Aims For Quality in Its Android App Store http://goo.gl/fb/dHS14 http://j.mp/iTECH - it's about time.. http://svrt.se/gMkSPh

CES 2011 has started & here is a great HUGE list with news about this big Gadgets Show  http://goo.gl/fb/Aj1k5 /via @gadgetsearch http://svrt.se/hNkflv

Apple to open Mac App Store Jan. 6 in 90 countries!

This will crash CES 2011



Via Apple Informatory: http://j.mp/iAPPLE

Amplify’d from www.appleinsider.com

Apple announced on Thursday that the Mac App Store for Mac OS X Snow Leopard will debut with both free and paid applications for download on Jan. 6, 2011.

In a press release, Apple said the Mac App Store will make discovering, installing and updating Mac apps easier than ever. The software download destination will be available in 90 countries at launch, and will feature paid and free apps in categories like Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity and Utilities.

"The App Store revolutionized mobile apps," Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said. "We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store by making finding and buying PC apps easy and fun. We can’t wait to get started on January 6."

The Mac App Store will allow users to browse new and noteworthy apps, find out what's hot, view staff favorites, search categories and read customer ratings and reviews. Like on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, users can purchase, download and install apps in just one click and start using them immediately.

Purchased apps can run on all personal Macs and updates are delivered directly through the Mac App Store, making it easy to keep apps up to date. The Mac App Store will be available to Mac OS X Snow Leopard users as a free download through Software Update.

Mac developers set the price for their apps, keep 70 percent of the sales revenue, are not charged for free apps and do not have to pay hosting, marketing or credit card fees. To find out more about developing for the Mac App Store visit developer.apple.com/programs/mac. Read more at www.appleinsider.com

 

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/hE5MPj

Great Post: Quora: blending the best of social media

This is a great post about the blogosphere's new favorite: Quora.



Oh, and thanks for mentioning me

Amplify’d from askmanny.com

Seems like I have been living under a stone… at least, I certainly haven’t been keeping up with new social media platforms for a few months. It turns out 2010 was the year when Quora came out of nowhere and is now presenting itself as an incredibly valuable place to connect with one goal: ask or answer questions.

The value of Quora for some may be to get question(s) answered in a relatively rapid way while for others it may be to further consolidate themselves as experts on certain topics. Sounds like nothing new, you may say, but these guys have gotten the platform right in many ways:

Soft connections rule: Quora is less like Facebook or LinkedIn, and more like Twitter but richer and deeper (length of content AND content quality). You can follow anyone w/o them having to accept you as a “friend” or “connection”.

Q&A value for everyone: remember Yahoo! Answers? Quora is on its way to blowing them out of the water, along with LinkedIn Answers. Why?

What… quickly becomes evident while clicking around Quora, is that serious heavy-hitters are answering questions there. Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz offers his opinion of the movie The Social Network. Google Images product manager Nate Smith explains how color image search works. Foursquare’s head of business development talks about what it’s like to work for founder Dennis Crowley. Twitter’s Pierre Legrain explains the cost-per-follow principle for Promoted AccountsM. And AOL co-founder Steve Case answers how much it cost to mail everyone those CDs back in the 1990s. More…

Social sharing galore: the seamless integration into Twitter and Facebook to help disseminate questions and answers grow legs is impeccable. This helps content travel further, by leveraging the existing networks of friends and followers that Quora users have.

Wiki tools enrich the experience: the platform incorporates wiki features that allow anyone to edit any topic and give more context to new topics in ways that simply all other platforms missed.

For more comments on Quora, I recommend this great post by Svartling, a Swedish social media evangelist. Read more at askmanny.com

 

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/ghw4uc

Amplify - the next big platform? Mobile apps could make this a very strong contender.

Great post about one of my favorite services.

Amplify’d from www.theprview.co.uk

The next big platform?

While constantly on the look out for new platforms I end up signing up to plenty of sites that I end up never using, or even hearing of again. One site I joined 8 months ago has broken this trend, and I am now using it as much (or even more) as I blog.

There are a number of reasons why I have continued to use the site; all of which are to do with features no other social platforms offer in such a simple way as Amplify does. It is these features that make me believe Amplify will become a far more commonly used platform in 2011.

There are three key features that individually may just be the ‘same old’, but together in a smooth and well structured format, they offer a great sharing system:

If the site were to become more widely used, as I predict it will, then organisations with an interest on what people say about them online must take notice.

Take for instance a negative new article on The Guardian. This is bad enough already, probably being tweeted and commented on. However, if Amplified it is then essentially ‘re-blogged’, but with an emphasis on certain extracts. This could be damaging if taken out of context, i.e. Stephen Fry’s recent bad press. Then this is auto-posted to a number of sites, being ‘amplified’ all over the internet. Bad times.

But while the negative implications are important, there are potential benefits of the site. Positive coverage can be amplified too, and a post by influential Amplifiers may not just appear on the one site alone, but also shared on various platforms through auto-post, retweeted, re-amplified and shared in a potentially high volume.

As the name suggests, it is the amplification that makes this site important. Beneficial to users and PRs, this site could be the next big platform.

See more at www.theprview.co.uk

 

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/eM56qg

Chrome and Safari Steal Users from Internet Explorer

Glad to see that more people are using the excellent Safari browser.

It is actually faster than Chrome. At least on Mac. I know that Safari is not so good on Windows though.



Via Tech Informatory: http://goo.gl/fb/bIfcP

Amplify’d from techie-buzz.com

Based on the 2010 reports from Netmarketshare.com, the web browsers from Google and Apple have slowly been stealing users from Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. In the chart below, we can see the trends over the last year. (chart by CNET)

The gains by Chrome and Safari came at the expense of Internet Explorer’s dropping percentage, which ended the year at 57%, after starting above 60%. Google’s Chrome browser gained almost 5 points in 2010 and ended with 10% of the market. Safari gained about 1.5 points and ended at about 6%. Firefox and Opera remained about the same at 23% and 2%. Read more at techie-buzz.com

 

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/ghBgRz

ClipTouch for iPad allows for wireless Final Cut browsing

Wow! This is cool! One more professional solution for the iPad.

This kind of solutions is what Android needs.



Via Apple Informatory: http://j.mp/iAPPLE

Amplify’d from www.macnn.com

Factorial, a video software development company out of New Zealand, has released ClipTouch, a Final Cut Server client for the iPad that requires no configuration and allows users to present, share, collaborate on, or browse video clips. Users can add annotations, change metadata or review and approve clips.

ClipTouch requires iOS 4.2 or later on the iPad, Final Cut Server v1.5.1 or later, a login defined on the server or in Open Directory (Active Directory not supported) and is available now from the App Store for $15.

See more at www.macnn.com

 

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/h4dvjb

My hands on a new MacBook Air 11-inch!

I've got my hands on one of the newMacBook Air’s today. Wow! How thin and small it is! This is the future for computers. And how fast it was! Apps started instantly. Even iTunes and iMovie. Very, very fast. The SSD drive makes a huge difference.

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/f38E9Q

My hands on the WP7 phone: LG Optimus 7

Today I've got my hands on the WP7phone LG Optimus 7. The OS was quite fast and responsive. The typing was not as easy as on the iPhone but it was quite good. I really liked Windows Phone 7. A good OS. Too bad Microsoft is too late.

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/i9tg2B

Microsoft looks to dive into tablet software field

URL:  http://mo.statesman.com/business/microsoft-looks-to-div...

"By the time Microsoft gets it figured out, everybody will already own an iPad," said Keith Goddard, CEO of Capital Advisors, an investing firm in Tulsa, Okla., that holds Apple shares. "That train has left the station."

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/fimYIo

The syncing of iBooks bookmarks between iOS devices is awesome. In fact, it's a bit "Magic" really. http://svrt.se/gmSbMm

What ... or Where... Are The Great Android Apps?

iOS get more and more great apps everyday. Android doesn't seem to get so many.



Via Tech Informatory: http://j.mp/iTECH

Amplify’d from battellemedia.com

Because I want to know. Google, really, really, really. It's time to pivot your business and make this happen.

More later. Just posting this as a thought after a long talk with my 14 year old son, who wants to write apps. And funny, so do I. Read more at battellemedia.com

 

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/ecTYf9

Motorola Honeycomb tablet to be called Droid Xoom

Honeycomb is what Android needs to have a good tablet OS.



Via Gadgets Informatory: http://j.mp/iGADGETS

Amplify’d from www.pclaunches.com

There has been no word on features, but now it has been confirmed that the tablet doesn't pack 4G LTE.

But if you're dieing to learn its specs, then unofficial specs are NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, 10-inch multi-touch display, 32GB storage, SD card slot, 2MP front camera, 5MP back camera, WiFi, and gyroscope.

Wait till CES 2011 to learn more!

See more at www.pclaunches.com

 

See this Amp at http://svrt.se/exwkiZ