Facebook’s native iOS client app controls are being reworked to allow developers of iOS apps more options on ways to link “click points” in Facebook back to either their own iOS app, the App Store page for the app, or an intermediate web page that asks the user if they’d prefer the “mobile” or “full” version of the web page. In addition, links can now take users to specific sub-pages of a site rather than the opening page.
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Enterprise font software maker FontGear has debuted FontPad Server, an internet server that both manages and protects web fonts used on web pages. The software allows users to specify what domains or pages are allowed to use which fonts, and then serves encrypted font data that prevents viewers from copying the commercially-licensed fonts used. The program gives designers the freedom to use custom fonts without worry.
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2 hours ago | Posted in: industry, Apple
Previously known by a code name “Project Maverick,” Apple has confirmed public documents that show it is planning to build another data center on a 160-acre parcel of land it has purchased from local authorities near Prineville, Oregon, KTVZ reports. The land will be located near a large data center owned by Facebook — which, local officials say, worked with Apple to bring the tech giant to the community.
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Apple is currently seeking someone who can lead an effort to recruit tech workers in Israel, perhaps signalling that the company is preparing to bring in a significant number of people for the projected research and development center in Haifa. Apple says the recruiter will be responsible for obtaining “world-class” candidates, Al-Monitor reports. The site says Apple’s Israel offices may open within weeks.
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Intel may make up for its Ivy Bridge processor delay by selling at substantially lower prices. New rumors from part suppliers claimed to Digitimes that processor prices would typically be $60 to $70 lower, presumably relative to the current-generation Sandy Bridge-era chips. The move could lead to faster processors at similar prices or, more likely, less expensive systems overall.
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Lenovo has climbed to the top of Rescuecom’s computer reliability ratings for the beginning of 2012, achieving a significantly higher score than its competitors. Apple has fallen to fourth in the lineup, despite maintaining a stronger rating in past years and achieving a surge in overall market share, with a score that is just over half of Lenovo’s rating.
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Social networking service Twitter has updated its client for iOS and for Android to return the much-requested “swipe shortcut” that allowed users to swipe a tweet and be offered options including reply, re-tweet, mark it as a favorite, share it or view the posting user’s profile without leaving the user’s own timeline. Those on iOS can now change font size among other features, and the Android version now supports more devices.
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After rejecting details in a recent leak surrounding Office for iPad, Microsoft suggests that the issue will be clarified soon. In a Twitter post from the official Microsoft News account, the company reiterates its stance that someone gave The Daily “bad info,” but hints that evidence supporting its accusation will become “clear in the coming weeks.”
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Makers of the Arc hand-held stabilizer case and arm for the iPhone, iSteady Shot has now added the M-27 action camera mount to its lineup. Featuring aircraft-grade aluminum, hand grips or tripod mounts and a 37mm wide-angle lens, the M-27 is intended to give the iPhone 4 or 4S a further nudge up the scale towards the quality of a dedicated wide-angle camera or camcorder.
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Google’s rumored heads-up display glasses should become real this year, insiders maintained Tuesday. Multiple staffers told the New York Times that the Android-based glasses would go on sale in 2012 and cost as much as typical smartphones, which the newspaper interpreted as between $250 to $600. Google was being careful to phrase the project as a public experiment and not an attempt to fully establish a new category.
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Game publisher Aspyr has announced that the company is bringing the real-time strategy game Company of Heroes to the Mac for the first time on March 1st. The Mac edition, dubbed the “Campaign Edition for the Mac” includes the original game as well as all additional single-player campaigns from the expansion packs Opposing Fronts and Tales of Valor. Pre-ordering is available now from Aspyr’s GameAgent site.
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Flickr senior product lead Markus Spiering in a far-ranging interview previewed some of its first major overhauls to Flickr for years. A February 28 overhaul outlined to BetaBeat will remake the photo preview page, turning it into a mosaic with larger shots and information only when it’s needed. The new upload page is now more akin to a mobile app with a more visual drag-and-drop interface.
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Apple has announced an extension on implementing sandboxing for Mac App Store titles. Developers were originally expected to have changes finished by March 1st, but the new deadline is now a full three months later, on June 1st. The technology is already present in OS X 10.7.3 as well as Xcode 4.3 APIs.
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Dell on Tuesday reported results that it touted as producing records but which signaled continued problems in its mainstay home PC business. Although its revenue was up two percent from winter a year ago to just over $16 billion, its profit was down 18 percent to $764 million. The largest drag was in the consumer group, where its revenue dipped two percent to $3.2 billion and it saw an extremely sharp 43 percent drop in operating income to $39 million.
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11 hours ago | Posted in: iPod, iPhone, iPad
The Japanese version of iTunes in the Cloud now supports music, says Macotakara. Users of the desktop and mobile versions of the iTunes Store can now visit a “Purchased” tab to redownload previously-bought music. Prior to this week, only apps and books could be redownloaded in Japan, likely because of rights issues.
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11 hours ago | Posted in: Apple
Google is facing a new lawsuit for violating privacy rights on Apple’s Safari web browser, Bloomberg reported. An Illinois man, Matthew Soble, claimed in the suit that Google sidesteps the computer settings that are designed to block monitoring of a user’s whereabouts on the web. The lawyers representing Soble alleged that Google did so willfully and knowingly.
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