John Carmack has a long history working with Apple on gaming products, not all of it positive.
“My relationship with Apple has been long standing, but it’s a roller-coaster ride,” he told Kotaku. “I’ll be invited up on stage for a keynote one month and then I’ll say something they don’t like and I can be blacklisted for six months.”
[…]
Carmack thinks the run-ins with Apple are because the company, the highest people in the company, look down on games. But the popularity of gaming on the iPhone has forced Apple to try and come to grips with that, even if they’re not happy about it.
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‘Reserve and Pick Up’
With Reserve and Pick Up, you can make sure the top things on your list are definitely under the tree. Reserve an iPod or Mac online today and it will be waiting for you to pick up and purchase at an Apple Retail Store from December 15 to 24. You can even have many products wrapped. It’s just another way we make it even easier to get through the holiday crowds — and your gift list.
Macworld Unveils Speedmark 6
The Macworld Lab has been hard at work tweaking Speedmark, our overall system performance testing tool, to better accommodate Snow Leopard and to test the Macs on which it runs. Of course, that means that the new version, Speedmark 6, runs on Snow Leopard and supports only Intel-powered Macs.
We have Speedmark 6 scores for 19 Intel Macs, including the new MacBook, iMacs, and Mac minis released last month. Please note that because Speedmark 6 uses different tests and a different OS, Speedmark 6 scores can’t be compared to the scores of Speedmark 5, the previous version of our test tool.
Second-Best
The Motorola DROID is the second-best smartphone available today, second only to the iPhone 3GS. In fact, I’d go so far to say to those of you who are with Verizon and on the fence about leaving to get an iPhone, you should try a DROID first. If you are an iPhone owner who is fed up with AT&T to the point where you want to leave, consider Verizon, because the DROID is just that good. Sure, we pointed out some negatives, but we can do that with any device, but at the end of the day, this is one fantastic, well-thought out mobile device.
Android: Under the Hood
Google has purposely broken compatibility with Java ME to introduce Android’s Dalvik alternative as a new development platform that leverages all the developer experience and familiarity of Java, without allowing or intending Android software to run on BlackBerry or Symbian phones. The hope is that Android’s single, standardized implementation of Java technology will do what Sun’s broadly licensed Java ME failed to do: deliver a viable mobile software market across hardware vendors’ offerings.
The Dell Adamo XPS Reminds Me of the TAM
The Brushed Metal iPhone
The gist of the tip is this: if you’d like to hide or eliminate scratches on your iPhone’s bezel, or you just want to sport a different look, then find ye a two-sided sponge and tape up your iPhone all kidnapped-like, leaving only the bezel exposed. Take the rough side of the sponge and start buffing the chrome in long, straight swipes. The whole process takes about 10 minutes, but your iPhone will come out looking just just a little sharper than it used to. It’s a subtle change, but the buffed bezel is not as prone to fingerprints and just looks a lot more hi-tech overall. I like it!
Sample Shots
Andy Ihnatko has posted a collection of photos pitting the Droid’s camera against the one in the 3GS.
Spoiler Alert: the iPhone 3GS beats the Droid in almost every way.
100,000 Apps
Apple today announced that developers have created over 100,000 apps for the revolutionary App Store, the largest applications store in the world. iPhone and iPod touch customers in 77 countries can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. App Store users have downloaded well over two billion apps, continuing to make it the world’s most popular applications store.
Macworld’s App Gets Approved
Suffice it to say, someone from Apple called me this afternoon and insists this is all a misunderstanding. (On their part.) Resubmitting.
And a few hours later:
I am happy to report that “Macworld’s iPhone and iPod Touch Superguide”-actual name!-is now in the App Store.
That was fast. Too bad it takes Apple days — if not weeks — to get such issues resolved for independent developers who don’t have their own Mac-based magazine and website.
EasyPay Gets Touchy
‘EasyPay’ is Apple’s handheld point-of-sale system in their retail stores. In the past, the system ran on Windows Mobile and was unreliable.
Seems like that has changed. AppleInsider:
Those who have seen the system for processing credit card, debit card and cash purchases, dubbed “EasyPay touch,” said it combines iPod touch features with a magnetic stripe reader, advanced barcode scanner and Apple-written software to speed plastic and cash transactions.
Perhaps more significantly, the change to an iPod touch and Apple software will bring the entire point-of-sale (POS) system under Apple’s control. In addition, the system will have the added benefit of advertising the usefulness of the iPod touch to customers who see it being used right in front of them.
More Clarification on Droid Data Plans
If you have a personal account or family plan, your data will cost $30/month. It doesn’t matter if you’re using Microsoft Exchange, Facebook, Gmail, or whatever - it’s $30. This is the same for all Verizon Windows Mobile and Android phones.
Data on business accounts - “corporate liable,” multiple lines, purchased through business sales, usually mediated by an IT department - costs $45/month. Once again, this is the same for every Windows Mobile and Android phone.