Monday, September 30, 2013

Wells Fargo to pay Freddie Mac $780 million to settle mortgage claims - Reuters

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A Wells Fargo sign is seen outside a banking branch in New York July 13, 2012. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

A Wells Fargo sign is seen outside a banking branch in New York July 13, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

Mon Sep 30, 2013 7:16pm EDT

(Reuters) – Wells Fargo & Co said on Monday it will pay $ 780 million in cash to Freddie Mac to resolve substantially all repurchase liabilities on home loans sold to the government-controlled mortgage company prior to 2009.

The largest U.S. mortgage lender said the settlement was reached on September 27 and totaled $ 869 million before adjusting for credits related to prior loan repurchases.

Wells Fargo announced the settlement five days after Citigroup Inc agreed to pay Freddie Mac $ 395 million to settle similar claims over roughly 3.7 million mortgages sold from 2000 to 2012.

Citigroup is the third-largest U.S. bank by assets, while Wells Fargo ranks fourth.

Wells Fargo said the cost of its agreement is covered by existing reserves.

On August 7, the San Francisco-based lender estimated a probable $ 2.2 billion loss over claims it breached representations and warranties in the sale of mortgage loans.

It is unclear how much of the latest settlement related to Wachovia Corp, which Wells Fargo bought at the end of 2008.

Freddie Mac and larger rival Fannie Mae, which both received federal bailouts in 2008, have pushed banks to buy back mortgages that soured during the nation’s housing downturn.

Banks can be forced to buy back loans if the representations and warranties over how well the loans were underwritten, and whether borrowers could afford them, prove false.

Citigroup agreed in July to pay $ 968 million to settle repurchase claims by Fannie Mae, while Bank of America Corp agreed in January to pay $ 3.6 billion.

Freddie Mac did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wells Fargo declined to comment, citing a “quiet period” ahead of its October 11 release of third-quarter results.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York. Editing by Andre Grenon)

We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/

Comments (2)

Now we have to settle the Ginnie Mae Ponzi activity. Don't Washington Mutual Bank government insured loan ring a bell for you Wells Fargo, as you don't own these government loans but foreclosed on them as if you were the owner? The proof is in the still blank Notes!

Sep 30, 2013 9:02pm EDT  –  Report as abuse

So let see Sen Warren go to work for the rest of this money. I expect Wells Fargo to roll out in front of the Justice Dept any day now, with a $ 11-$ 14 billion offer also, as banks follow trends as they did with this corrupt lending!

Sep 30, 2013 9:34pm EDT  –  Report as abuse



mac – Google News

Lineal Timeline Lets You Visualize History (Or The Future) On Your iPad - TechCrunch

A new app for iPad called Lineal Timeline launched recently, offering a way to scroll back through historical events from centuries prior, as well as create your own personal timelines using notes and photos from your device's library. Though appearing deceptively simple, the app's goal is fairly ambitious: it wants to be able to present all of history in minute-by-minute detail in the iPad's interface, without overwhelming the user with information.

The answer comes in the form of an iOS 7-only iPad application from a company called Apposite, founded in 2011 by husband and wife team Greg Wieber and Colleen Clery. Greg had previously launched music app Polychord in the iTunes App Store, before the two teamed up on Apposite. The company's first creation was Microcosm – an experimental sound toy that grabbed a headline on Gizmodo in early 2012.

Lineal Timeline, however, has been on Colleen's mind for years. She began working on designs for the app back in 2010, after being inspired by the iPad's capability to organize research and thoughts. Explains Greg, Colleen is dyslexic and has been frustrated by how information is often presented in isolation. "For her, understanding comes through placing things in context – by contrasting fields of study, building connections between them, and discovering common themes," he says.

Meanwhile, Greg, a former EA interaction designer, says he was intrigued by the user interface challenge of building something like Lineal Timeline.

linealtimelineEven if you don't have a need for organizing your own personal research into some sort of historical context, Lineal Timeline is still an enjoyable way to organize any series of events throughout history that you want to better understand and view more visually. For example, a student struggling to understand how the events of a World War unfolded could plug them into the app and then use it as a reference tool. You could also visualize the important moments throughout a company's history, or that of an industry. Parents could use Lineal Timeline as a modern-day baby book, tracking the chronology of their child's first steps and other milestones.

The app also supports "future" timelines, which opens it up to other use cases led by project managers or event planners, too.

Today, Greg says he's been using Lineal while reading about Einstein — plotting his major life events and discoveries, including those of his contemporaries and predecessors all the way back to Newton.

As you create your own timelines in Lineal, you'll be able to scroll through the moments you add in a variety of ways. If you were to build a timeline for a series of events throughout a decade, for example, when you zoom out, all the events from that decade form a stack which can be scrolled up and down for easy access. Zoom in again, and the events again spread out to their respective years. You can also color tag events to build sub-timelines around themes, and a forthcoming update will make building timelines easier through the addition of import and export tools. That will go a long way to encourage adoption, as today making timelines takes, well, some time.

A bit further down the line, the plan is to also add in collaboration and sharing features. And longer-term, Greg says the company's overall vision for this and other projects it's considering, including some smaller apps that emerged while making Lineal, is to bring data visualization tools to ordinary people.

He declined to discuss the business model in-depth (beyond the fact that Lineal is a paid application), saying only that there are "a lot of interesting opportunities once we reach a certain scale." Well, aren't there always? However, he did promise Lineal would never introduce things like banner advertising in order to generate additional revenue.

The Lineal Timeline app is $ 4.99 here in iTunes. (Note that it requires iOS 7 and up to run.)

Apposite was founded in 2011 by husband and wife team Greg Wieber and Colleen Clery. The company's first creation was Microcosm – an experimental sound toy that grabbed a headline on Gizmodo in early 2012. Most recently Apposite launched Lineal Timeline, an app for iPad that offers a way to scroll back through historical events from centuries prior, as well as create your own personal timelines using notes and photos from your device's library.

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ipad – Google News

What's still to come from Apple this fall - Macworld

Long-time Apple watchers know that the fall season usually brings a bountiful harvest of new and updated products from the company. Indeed, just two short weeks in September have ushered in new iPhones, iOS 7, a new version of iTunes, a modest bump to the iMac line, a nice update to the Apple TV software, and several minor changes to the company's product lineup including iPhone docks and even new iPod colors. But we didn't see lots of stuff in September that many had hoped for, and the rumor mill is churning away (as usual) about all the things Apple supposedly still has up its sleeve for the fall.

What else should we expect from Apple in 2013? Here's a look at some of the popular predictions out there, along with just how likely we think they are to appear.

A new full-size iPad

It's been a year since Apple introduced a brand new full-size iPad. (Granted, that was only six months after the previous model.) That's been enough time for the company's competitors to show off their own new gear, and Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have all obliged. Now it's time for Apple to weigh in.

If the supply-chain leaks are as solid here as they were with the iPhone, bet on a full-size iPad that's taken on much of the iPad mini's styling, with a thinner bezel on the longer sides and perhaps even different back colors. (Space Gray, anyone?) Also, some version of Apple's speedy new 64-bit A7 chip is likely to make its way inside, along with some camera improvements—and it wouldn't be entirely crazy to see the Touch ID fingerprint scanner, which debuted with the iPhone 5s, make an appearance. (We're already spoiled, as unlocking our current iPads by tapping out a passcode feels like a chore.) Really, only one question remains: Will it come in gold?

Chances: Bet on it. (The new iPad, that is. Gold? Not so much.)

A new iPad mini

The iPad mini has, by all indications, been a popular product for Cupertino, and we've no reason to think that the company won't be rolling out a new version of the diminutive tablet just in time for the holiday shopping season. One big head-scratcher, though, is whether or not the 7.9-incher will boast a Retina display. Reasons against? A high-resolution display costs more to manufacture, and it requires a lot of horsepower to drive it—and those horses have a healthy appetite for battery power. But consider the reasons for: The iPad mini is the last iOS device in Apple's lineup without a Retina display, and iOS 7 practically cries out for such a higher-resolution display.

As for performance and power, we suspect that, as with the current iPad lineup, a new iPad mini will use the processor found in the previous year's full-size iPad. That would mean an iPad mini with Apple's A6X, a processor that currently handles a 9.7-inch Retina display with aplomb. (But it's not out of the question for Apple to use a version of the A7 processor found in the iPhone 5s, which could probably handle driving an iPad-size Retina display.) The other wild card here: Might the new iPad mini feature a plastic case inspired by the iPhone 5c?

Chances: A new iPad mini seems a sure thing, as does a Space Gray option, but we put the odds of a Retina display at 60/40 (in favor). As for a plastic case, we doubt Apple would want to draw even more comparisons to Google's less expensive and plastic-bodied Nexus 7 tablet.

Updated iPods

If you'd asked us a few weeks ago whether we expected new iPod models this fall, we wouldn't have hesitated to pronounce it a done deal. After all, it's a rare September or October that doesn't see at least one new iPod, if not updates to all three of the main iPod models: touch, nano, and shuffle. But then Apple quietly added a new Space Gray color to each of those models earlier this month. It seems unlikely that Apple would make such a cosmetic change and then turn around and announce entirely new models a month later.

However, what if Apple were to announce that the iPod touch is (finally) available in a 128GB version? We've long (on multiple occasions) predicted that the iPod classic will go the way of the dodo once a 128GB iPod touch is available. Maybe this is the year? We're keeping our fingers crossed, though we also doubt Apple would give the iPod touch more storage than the company's flagship iPhone.

Then again, Apple could really surprise us by updating the iPod classic. I mean, what music packrat wouldn't like a 250GB Space Gray iPod classic with a Multi-Touch display and …oh, who are we kidding?

Chances: We rate the likelihood of more updates to the iPod line at a slim 20 percent, with much of that probability resting on a larger-capacity iPod touch. The chances of a new iPod classic? Next to nil.

OS X 10.9 Mavericks

Apple has said that Mavericks (OS X 10.9) is due this fall, and we have no reason to doubt it, despite rumors that iOS 7's development has been the Paul paid by robbing OS X's Peter. Indeed, reports from developers indicate that the beta versions of Mavericks are moving along nicely. As with iOS 7, don't expect much to change since 10.9's announcement at June's Worldwide Developers Conference, though Apple could, as always, be holding something in reserve.

To us, the bigger question is what Mavericks is going to cost. Lion was $ 30, but Mountain Lion was just $ 20. Will this year's OS X update drop to $ 10? Or perhaps even be a free download? Or is $ 20 the new going rate for a world-class desktop OS? It shouldn't be too long before we find out.

Chances: 10.9 is obviously a sure thing, though never rule out the possibility of a delay until late in the "fall." Remember the delay in Leopard several years ago? And the price? We say $ 20 or free, and we’re still debating with each other.

A new Mac Pro

Another one of the marquee announcements at WWDC, this long-awaited revamp of the company's desktop powerhouse is scheduled to arrive "this fall." Apple has been running ads in movie theaters, so it clearly expects the computer to make its appearance before long—even if a professional-level workstation isn't likely to be this year's hot holiday gift.

Chances: Though little has been heard about the Mac Pro since it was first announced in June, it's probably on track. Another safe bet.

Updated laptops

The MacBook Air got a nice refresh back in June at WWDC, so don't expect another revision to Apple's ultralight laptops before next year rolls around. The MacBook Pro, however, is a different story. The current design debuted at WWDC 2012, and got only a bump in February of this year. So we wouldn't be surprised to see a refresh to the MacBook Pro lineup, especially if the company's finally ready to retire the older non-Retina models. That said, Apple tends to focus on consumer-level product updates at this time of year, so it's possible we'll see nothing at all.

Chances: 50/50.

A new Apple TV model

The current Apple TV receiver debuted way back in March 2012—and even that version simply added 1080p capability to the second-generation model, which debuted three years ago, in September 2010. Of course, both Apple TVs still work very well, and the company has regularly updated them with new software features: The aforementioned Apple TV software 6.0, just released, added iTunes Radio and a number of other features; numerous third-party content partners have also found their way onto the Apple TV home screen over the past couple years (including two late this week).

Still, with the Apple TV's biggest competitors adding features and lowering prices, and the iOS and iTunes Store ecosystems evolving rapidly, an update to the Apple TV's hardware seems a near-inevitability. A faster processor and some additional onboard memory would significantly enhance the Apple TV's potential, and a software update might (finally) offer the option of third-party apps. (Heck, even just a more-capable remote would be nice.) Or maybe the next Apple TV will turn out to be something completely different?

Chances: 75 percent. But speaking of something different …

An actual Apple TV. As in, a TV from Apple.

Some people—some very stubborn, persistent people—have been predicting for years that Apple is going to debut its own TV set … any day now. And they've been wrong so many times that it would be easy to shrug this idea off as just as crazy as ever.

Except that when you take into account comments from Apple leadership over the past couple years, along with rumored content negotiations with movie studios and TV networks, Apple does seem to be doing something more with television than updating the current Apple TV. Maybe it's an actual TV, maybe it's a set-top box that takes the place of your cable box, who knows? The only thing that's certain is that these rumors don't sound quite as crazy as they did a few years back.

Plus, it almost feels like we're playing Apple Rumor Russian Roulette here, and you can dodge the bullet for only so long.

Chances: Let's say 20 percent. For now.

An Apple smartwatch

Ummm, no. This one seems to be 2013's hot Apple rumor, but it won't be Holiday 2013's hot Apple product. There's a slight chance—a really teeny, tiny chance— that Apple might toss out a tease about this being "an interesting market," but releasing an actual product? Even the people perpetually predicting an Apple TV aren't putting their necks out on this one.

Chances: Sorry, what part of "Ummm, no" wasn't clear?

An iPhone 5c price drop

"Bowing to pressure from analysts, pundits, and budget-minded consumers, Apple has conceded that it was wrong to price the iPhone 5c starting at $ 99, and will instead give customers $ 100 (after rebate and with a two-year contract) to use the phone."

Chances you will ever see that lead in a news article: What's the phrase about a snowball's chance in hell?


Dan Frakes Senior Editor, Macworld

Dan writes about OS X, iOS, troubleshooting, utilities, and cool apps, and he covers hardware, mobile and AV gear, input devices, and accessories. He’s been writing about tech since 1994, and he’s also published software, worked in IT, and been a policy analyst.
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Dan Moren Senior Editor, Macworld Follow me on Google+

Dan has been writing about all things Apple since 2006, when he first started contributing to the MacUser blog. Since then he’s covered most of the company’s major product releases and reviewed every major revision of iOS. In his “copious” free time, he’s usually grinding away on a novel or two.
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ipod – Google News

Group Robbed at Gunpoint Walking Down Street in Uniondale; Stole iPod, Cell ... - NewsLI

Published on September 30, 2013 · Filed Under Crime 

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 by Dana Klosner

(Uniondale, NY) Four men and a woman were robbed at gunpoint as they walked down Lawrence Street in Uniondale on Sunday, September 29, 2013 at 12:45 A.M.

According to detectives, the men, ages 22, 21, 21, 20 and the woman, 21, were walking on Lawrence Street in the vicinity of Shady Street when they were approached by three unknown male black subjects.

shady.jpg
According to detectives, the group were walking on Lawrence Street in the vicinity of Shady Street when they were approached and robbed of an iPod, cell phone, wallet and unknown amount of cash. Image credit: Google Maps

The first subject is described as 23 to 25 years of age, approximately 6'02" tall, muscular build, wearing a gray zippered hooded sweatshirt and black pants.

The two other subjects are described as 20 to 25 years old, approximately 6'00" tall, average builds wearing black hooded sweatshirts.

According to the report, subject one, while displaying a handgun, demanded the victim's property.

After obtaining an iPod, cell phone, wallet and unknown amount of cash the subjects fled on foot in an unknown direction. No injuries were reported.

Detectives request anyone with information regarding this crime to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.

All callers will remain anonymous.



 

Comments for this Article

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ipod – Google News

Purported Photos of the iPad 5 Leak Before Apple's Unveil - ABC News

The iPhone and iOS 7 craze might be behind us, only to be replaced by new iPad madness.

Numerous purported photos of Apple’s thinner and lighter tablet have leaked in the past month, signaling that the company is getting ready to announce the new products in October.

The most recent leak comes from Chinese supplier website sx-box.com, which has posted a video showing off the purported next-generation iPad shell. With a very similar design to the current iPad Mini, the casing looks slimmer, thinner and lighter.

  • According to numerous leaks, the next iPad will have a similar design to the iPad Mini.
  • Apple is expected to announce the new tablets this month.

According to the video, the iPad 5 measures 7.2 mm thick — 2.2mm less than the current iPad. While the front of the tablet is not visible in the photos, according to the dimensions of the back case the tablet is also narrower, meaning Apple likely cut the screen frame size down. Additionally, the speaker has been moved to the bottom of the tablet and the microphone has been moved from the bottom to the top. Sonny Dickinson, the Australian blogger who leaked the first iPhone 5s and 5c shots, has also posted photos of the purported iPad 5 with a design that matches the photos leaked on sx-box.com. Dickinson has also reported that the tablet will come in space-gray and silver colors.

PHOTO: Purported photos of the iPad 5 have been posted by Chinese supplier site sw-box.com.

sw-box.com

Purported photos of the iPad 5 have been posted by Chinese supplier site sw-box.com.

Martha Stewart Storms Twitter With Complaints About Her Broken iPad

There are also rumors that the iPad will come with Apple’s new TouchID or fingerprint sensor, which is found in the iPhone 5S’ home button. In addition, there is speculation that the new iPads will have the same 64-bit A7 processor as the new iPhone 5S. It’s also said that Apple will release the iPad Mini 2 with a higher-resolution display.

When reached by ABC News Apple would not comment on the iPad leaks, but according to other reports, the company is expected to hold an event in October to announce the next iPads.

And with the holidays coming, it is certainly good timing. Microsoft has already released its newest Surface tablets, and Amazon announced its newest Kindle Fire HDX tablets last week.


ipad – Google News

The iPhone face-off: Watch every model in a speed test [Video] - Los Angeles Times

The iPhone 5s is the fastest version of Apple’s smartphone for some tasks, but there are some tasks in which its outpaced by its older siblings.

The iPhone 5s is the fastest smartphone Apple has built so far — unless you’re trying to shut down the device.

A video posted this past weekend shows how every version of the iPhone compares in a speed test. Surprisingly, some of the older devices still do well when it comes to certain tasks.

If you’re having trouble counting, there are eight different iPhone models: the 5s, 5c, 5, 4s, 4, 3GS, 3G and the original 2007 model.

Review: iPhone 5s is a great phone, but is it right for you? [Video]

The first test is a shutdown test, which measures how quickly each device turns off, and this is where the surprise comes in, according to the video by EverythingApplePro.

The original model, the 3G, 3GS and the 4 all shut off much faster than the newer iPhone devices. The difference is a handful of noticeable seconds, and it’s likely related to the type of software each device is running. The newer models use iOS 7 while the older models — besides the iPhone 4 — are stuck on older versions of Apple’s mobile operating system. It seems iOS 7 likes to take its sweet time when it comes to turning off.

The next test measures how quickly each model turns on. The winner here is the 5s followed by the 5, 5c and the 4s. The original iPhone surprisingly booted up faster than the 4, 3GS and 3G versions.

The third test shows how quickly each iPhone loads up websites, and in this test, the iPhone 5s is the clear winner, loading up Apple.com and Reddit.com in a flash. However, it is quickly followed by the 5c, 5 and the 4s. Much later, the older models finally start to boot up the website.

Check out the video and see all eight iPhones face off.

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iphone – Google News

How to boost iPhone's battery life on iOS 7 - USA TODAY

With the introduction of iOS 7, Apple added a ton of new and exciting features to your iPhone. However, in order to show off all of these new features, Apple has decided to turn them on: all of them. There’s an opt-out method (of sorts) when it comes to their use, but depending on the age of the device, this can decrease both performance and battery life. The problem most users are encountering is that they don’t know how to selectively opt-out of the features they do not use.

The following will outline how you can fine tune your iOS 7 experience, taking advantage of the features you like and turning off the features you don’t. In the end, you may find that you won’t need to charge your iPhone quite as often.

Dim the brightness setting: If you think that iOS 7′s new display is a whole lot brighter than that of iOS 6, you may what to check your brightness setting. The brightness setting may have changed with a recent update. You can access your brightness setting by swiping up from anywhere with Control Center. More so than any other setting, modifying the brightness of the screen will have the biggest impact to battery life.

Conserving cellular usage: Using airplane mode can be a real power saver when you are in indoors or in bad coverage areas. This can prevent the iPhone from searching for a signal and trying to stay connected. Another good idea is to use Wi-Fi in areas that offer such access to the internet. Accessing the internet using a Wi-Fi network uses less of the battery than accessing the internet over a cellular network. You can even turn on Wi-Fi when using airplane mode.

Within the Cellular section of the Settings app you can also select exactly which apps can access the internet using cellular data. If you are interested in preserving as much battery life as possible, say for an important phone call, you may also want to disable both LTE and Cellular data all together.

Some hidden cellular data features: There are also three somewhat hidden cellular data switches in iOS 7. The first one is in Safari. It will sync items in your reading list from all of your devices connected via iCloud. The second is located in iTunes & App Store settings; it enables music downloads, iTunes Match and iTunes Radio usage over cellular networks. The third hidden cellular data setting is in iCloud’s Documents and Data section. It enables syncing of data for apps that use iCloud storage. Here you can also individually pick which apps can sync data with iCloud. Provided you don’t feel that each of these settings will affect how you use your iPhone, you may save some power by shutting them off.

Selectively use Bluetooth and Wi-Fi: If you never connect to a Bluetooth device, then there is no reason to have it turned on. If you find that you use it with a headset, external speaker, or car, turn it on only when using those external devices. Like the brightness setting and airplane mode, this too is easily accessible by swiping up to reveal the Control Center. When you are in locations that you know does not have Wi-Fi service, you may think that there is no reason to have your device continue to look for a Wi-Fi hotspot’s services. However, depending on how often you are using your device’s location services, turning off Wi-Fi can actually have the opposite effect and decrease battery life by forcing your apps and system services to use a GPS signal to find your location.

Turn off AirDrop: AirDrop is a feature where you can quickly share files, photos, map points and links with other nearby iOS devices. It has existed on OS X since Lion. Leaving it turned on will have your device look for nearby devices ever time you access the share option in your apps. Accessible on the Control Center, turning off AirDrop when you are not using it is probably best.

Finding the right location services: Apple uses assisted GPS technology, which will attempt to find your location using the least amount of power possible. Even so, being selective as to which app uses location services can help conserve power as well. To control how location information is used, go to the Privacy section of the Settings app and select Location Services. You can of course turn quickly off all Location Services if you are in a hurry to conserve battery life, but that will also disable the Find my iPhone security feature. It may be better to spend some time and decide which apps and system services you want to use your location information.

Halt background apps from refreshing: New to iOS 7 is the enhanced ability that allows apps to refresh their data in the background, sometimes referred to as multitasking. You can decide which if any apps on your device can take full advantage of this feature. Located under the General section of the Settings app, you can either switch off all of the Background App Refresh services, or you can optionally select which individual apps can refresh their data.

Limit notification wakeups: Notifications wake up your device and allow apps to take action based on some external event. Having every app on your device respond to notifications can have your app powering on the lock screen to display the notification all day long. It is therefore a good idea is to be selective as to exactly which apps can be displayed on the lock screen from within the Privacy section of the Settings app. Easily accessible via the Control Center, Do Not Disturb is another great way to quickly turn off your least important notifications.

Disable spotlight search: Spotlight Search will keep an updated index of all of the information you have collected on your iPhone. Maintaining this index can conserve power. Located under the General section of the Settings app, you can turn Spotlight Search off completely by not checking any of the data types listed. You can also choose exactly which types of information you do want to search for, and adjust the order that the results are displayed.

Push rather than fetch email: The way in which you receive your email can cut down on your battery life as well. Given the fact that GMail has dropped support for pushing your mail message, switching to a fetch based service may be the cause of your battery drain. Fetching email ever five or fifteen minutes can really run your battery down in no time; manually fetch your email instead.

Don’t auto download: Auto downloading content to your iPhone can be a convenience, but it also can consume battery life. You may have purchased a song on your Mac, or an app on your iPad, but that does not always mean that you wanted it on your iPhone as well. The Automatic Downloads setting is located in the iTunes & App Store section of the Settings app.

Stop using Parallax and Dynamic Backgrounds: One of the new cool features is all of the advanced motion and three-dimensional effects that have been implemented in iOS 7. Hidden under Accessibility in the General section of the Settings app, the Reduce Motion switch will decrease the amount of motion one sees on the screen. While motion backgrounds are cool looking they really do not add to the overall functionality of the device. Go back to your standard flat wallpaper in an effort to conserve battery life.

Delete some of your apps: Sure, apps are cheap and fun to try out, but having too many of them around may be part of your battery problem. With each app you install comes the opportunity for that app to use background refresh, location and notification services. Pick your favorite most useful apps and configure them to use the services that are right for you, and delete the rest.

Stop running certain apps: Finding out which apps may be using the most battery life can be tricky. While an app is listed in the running list (double tap the Home button to see the list), it can still respond to notification events and wake up in the background. Selectively shutting down certain apps by flicking them off the list is also a good way to try and find out which of your apps is consuming the most battery life.

Don’t wait to auto lock: Try and get in the habit of locking your device after each time you finish looking at it. Even if you are just checking the time of day, leaving the screen on for five or even three minutes at a time can add up. Adjusting the auto lock to more quickly turn off the screen can help preserve battery life.

Leaving every service up and running for all apps all of the time will certainly run your battery down. While it may sound like the best way to conserve battery life on your iPhone is to not use your iPhone, a little fine tuning and conservation can go a long way to get your battery life back up to where you like it.

This story was originally published on GigaOM.

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iphone – Google News

iDatabase 2.3 review: A no-frills database for the Mac - Macworld (blog)

  • iDatabase $ 20.00 Get It for $ 20.00

Apimac's iDatabase 2.3 is a basic flatfile database application that offers 22 templates and 14 different field data options for handling a variety of data types. While it doesn't go deep in terms of features, iDatabase does offer enough in the way of basics that it may fill your low-end database needs.

iDatabase is an app that, like the discontinued Bento, uses a single window for creating, editing, and managing your databases. At the top of the window are three tabs titled Open, Use, and Define. The Open tab is used to create new databases, Use opens the database you've selected in the Open tab for editing, and Define is used to update, add, or remove database fields.

iDatabase offers a simple drag-and-drop interface for adding fields to forms, but has limited form customization options.

When creating a new database, iDatabase offers the option of starting from a pre-defined template or from scratch using a blank file. Among the included templates are forms for book and CD collections, class lists, computer inventories, and exercise logs. All of the the templates provide a good foundation for creating databases that suit your specific needs, but as they are they lack necessary fields and need further configuration to be truly useful. For example, if you use the built-in movie database you'll notice that, among other things, it is missing pick lists for movie genre and lacks a release date field. These are easy enough to add to the template and once you've made these changes you can use your updated database as the basis for a new template. But, out of the box, the templates that ship with the app are not complete enough to be useful.

iDatabase offers 14 field types for handling the different types of data you may want to enter. Small Text fields offer a single line of text you can use to enter something like a name, address, city, or state. Large Text fields handle an unlimited amount of text, which you can use for notes or other multi-line text. Calculation Fields take the data entered into two Number fields and perform a basic calculation using the data in those fields. Password Fields offer a way to hide and secure the data you enter and, if you secure all your databases with a password, can require the entry of that password before someone is allowed to view or copy the information stored in the field. While all the fields handled the data they were designed to, I found the calculation field to be limited, only offering options for basic math. Also, iDatabase's media field only allows for image files, not video or audio files—a limitation that makes the field less useful than it should be.

Customization

When it comes to making changes to your forms iDatabase offers little in the way of customization. You can move fields up or down on the form, but it's not possible to put fields side by side. iDatabase also makes the first field you create a key field, which means it must appear as the first field on your form. It's possible to make a different field the key field after the fact, but because this field must be the first field it limits how you can place fields on the form.

If you turn iDatabase’s password lock on you can also lock the data stored in password fields.

I found some oddities when naming my databases files. When creating a new database I named it using a forward slash in the name—Classes 2013/14—then clicked the Create button. The app didn't create the new database and it didn't give me any error messages. A little digging revealed that iDatabase couldn't handle the slash in the file name. To be fair, the / character is used in the UNIX underpinnings of the Mac OS to designate a directory switch, but it wasn't obvious that this was the reason iDatabase couldn't create the new file. A simple message stating that a slash character isn't allowed would have eliminated my initial confusion and offered a solution.

Printing is the final sore point for iDatabase. The app does offer printing options but they're not all that useful. You can either print the form view for each of your records, which, depending on the size of your database, could be a rather large print job, or you can print the list view of your records. Unfortunately the list view offers no customization options and, oddly, it prints from the bottom of the page up rather than from the top down.

Bottom line

If your needs are basic, iDatabase offers a good way of creating personalized databases and collecting the information you want, but it doesn't go deep enough. Limited customization and poor printing options make iDatabase little more than a way of collecting digital records of your data.


Jeffery Battersby , Macworld

Jeffery Battersby is an Apple Certified Trainer, (very) smalltime actor, and regular contributor to Macworld. He writes about Macs and more at his blog, jeffbattersby.com.
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mac – Google News

iPhone fingerprint reader was hacked -- so what? - CBS Moneywatch

(MoneyWatch) There’s been a lot of attention on the iPhone’s fingerprint reader — called Touch ID — since Apple revealed it and the technology began shipping in the iPhone 5s last week. And it didn’t take long to get cracked.

Literally just days after the iPhone 5s began shipping, a hacker group called the Chaos Computer Club found a way to spoof the fingerprint reader and gain access to an iPhone.

Game over for TouchID, right? According to the Chaos Computer Club’s blog, they “successfully bypassed the biometric security of Apple’s Touch ID using easy everyday means.” The blog goes on to say: “This demonstrates — again — that fingerprint biometrics is unsuitable as access control method and should be avoided.”

On the face of it, this is bad news for Apple and for biometrics in mobile devices. But there’s more to the story. First of all, the Touch ID chip wasn’t directly hacked — the hackers, in fact, never got at the fingerprint data stored on the iPhone. Instead, it was more of a traditional case of lifting prints and using an impression to trick the phone.

But wait — didn’t Apple say that approach wouldn’t work? That’s where it gets even more interesting. The hackers went to a fair bit of trouble to spoof the fingerprint reader. Here is the process, as described by the CCC blog:

“First, the residual fingerprint from the phone is either photographed or scanned with a flatbed scanner at 2400 dpi. Then the image is converted to black & white, inverted and mirrored. This image is then printed onto transparent sheet at 1200 dpi. To create the mold, the mask is then used to expose the fingerprint structure on photo-sensitive PCB material. The PCB material is then developed, etched and cleaned. After this process, the mold is ready. A thin coat of graphite spray is applied to ensure an improved capacitive response. This also makes it easier to remove the fake fingerprint. Finally a thin film of white wood glue is smeared into the mold. After the glue cures the new fake fingerprint is ready for use.”

So, can Touch ID be hacked? Of course it can; it exists and was engineered by human beings, so we knew that it was hackable even before it was demonstrated by the Chaos Computer Club. The real question, though, is how easily can it be done? Based on this explanation, the answer appears to be, “not very easy at all.” Indeed, it’s probably far easier to hack a 4-digit passcode than to pull off this Mission Impossible-style fingerprint spoof.

And that’s where the power of Touch ID becomes apparent. The iPhone’s fingerprint reader makes it easy to secure your phone. So users who previously didn’t use a passcode at all because it was inconvenient can now have a relatively secure login. And for users currently using a 4-digit passcode, they can enhance their security by turning it into a strong password instead, since they’ll rarely, if ever, have to enter it manually.

After all, the passcode hasn’t disappeared — it’s still available as an alternate means of access on the lock screen. Which method do you think a hacker will choose: Reverse engineering your thumbprint with $ 10,000 worth of hardware and a weekend of playing with latex impressions, or just guessing that you made your passcode “0000?”

Photo courtesy Apple


iphone – Google News

Sharp's first Windows 8 tablet has 10.1-inch, 2560 x 1600 IGZO display and ... - Engadget

Sharp's first Windows 8 tablet has 101inch, 2,560 x 1,600 IGZO display and water resistance

Kicking off this week’s CEATEC show in Japan, Sharp has played to its strengths with its new Windows 8 tablet, the Mebius Pad, factoring in a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution display. That puts it pretty far ahead of the current crowd of 1080p Windows 8 tablets, including Microsoft’s incoming Surface 2, although we admit, we’d have loved to have seen another incredible 4K tablet. Regardless, that’s the highest resolution Windows 8 tablet we’ve seen yet. Alongside the company’s 10.1-inch IGZO panel (known for their low-power credentials), the Mebius Pad runs on a slightly less-exciting Intel quad-core Atom processor (the Z3370), which we’ve had mixed feelings on when it comes to the Windows tablets its powered in the past. The basic Windows 8.1 model will arrive with Office for free, although you’ll have to pay extra if you want it for the Pro edition. Also, following Japanese trends for practically any device, the slab is bo th water and dust-proof (it’s in the midst of being certified for IPX5, IPX7, IP5X), while you’ll be able to buy it with LTE radios on board, at least for Nippon, as the device is unlikely to leave Japanese shores once it launches in early 2014.

Unsurprisingly, in the flesh the screen looked good — Sharp even provided a magnifying glass so we could get up close to those pixels. The 10.1-inch display is also satisfyingly bright — if we’re honest, it’s unusual to see such a capable screen powered by an Atom processor. The tablet is headed towards business use (which explains the optional stylus) and the extra resolution found on Sharp’s first Windows 8 tablet means there’s more space for your spreadsheets and documents. The hardware itself is suitably thin and light, with the rear of the device bearing a passing resemblance to recent Sony hardware — possibly due to the understated camera lens in the corner. We’ll let you know if Sharp has plans to offer the tablet to global business types.

Sharp Mebius Pad hands-on at CEATEC 2013

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8 Photos


tablet – Google News

More Thunderbolt on Windows compatibility lessons for Mac owners - ZDNet

Summary: The compatibility picture with Thunderbolt on Macs running Windows is complicated and will continue to be so, according to one storage engineer.

Mac users have enjoyed the use of high-performance Thunderbolt devices for several years even when running Windows. However, customers have complained that the Thunderbolt experience and compatibility with Windows isn’t seamless. According to a storage engineer in the know, that situation will continue.

Mac owners have had the advantage of running Thunderbolt on their Macs since early 2011, with its introduction on the Macbook Pro line and soon thereafter across the Mac lines. The long-awaited, forthcoming Mac Pro will include a Thunderbolt 2 interface. Until the middle of last year, the the majority of Windows users connecting to a Thunderbolt display or storage device were Mac users running Windows.

However, many find the compatibility situation complicated, as I wrote recently in Boot Camp Windows presents some limitations with Thunderbolt.

While Windows currently doesn’t support Thunderbolt, a number of vendors provide Windows-specific drivers for their Thunderbolt devices. At the same time, not all Thunderbolt devices are certified for Windows. On Intel’s Thunderbolt Community site, the issue is clearly stated: https://thunderbolttechnology.net/tech/certification

A Thunderbolt device may not function properly or at all if attempted to be used with an operating system for which the device has not been certified.

Recently, I spoke with a storage engineer with experience in Thunderbolt developement (he declined attribution). In order to ship a Thunderbolt device, manufacturers must first get their products certified. This is a process that consists of strict testing by three parties: Apple and Intel, as well as an independent testing laboratory, such as Granite River Labs in Santa Clara.

Some devices are certified as only Apple OS X compatible; and some are compatible with both Windows and OS X. So, a Thunderbolt device may be certified, however, it can show up as invisible to some Windows computers, since the PC BIOS may refuse to recognize a device without the Windows certification bit set.

Customers should note, the engineer said, that Thunderbolt-checking BIOS was only implemented on one or two models of Windows PCs that implemented Thunderbolt last year.

The newest models of Thunderbolt equipped computers that use Redwood Ridge controllers have a new implementation of the BIOS that presents a dialog to the user when a Thunderbolt device is first connected:

- if a device is NOT Windows certified, user is asked to confirm whether use should be permitted. User is expected to then have the proper Windows driver installed for proper operation or there may be problems with hot-plug and surprise removal.

When Thunderbolt was under development, Windows 8 was also under development, and the feeling at Microsoft was that there were simply too many unknowns to burden Windows 8 schedule at the time.

With the release of Windows 8.1, the situation will improve, he continued. However, “note well again, there is nothing in 8.1 to improve the Thunderbolt situation yet.”

With Boot Camp, Apple can do a lot, but they can’t fix deficiencies with Windows. That is still up to Microsoft.

Read this

USB 3.0 vs. Thunderbolt review

USB 3.0 vs. Thunderbolt review

I am interested in the Thunderbolt announcements over the past couple of weeks at the Intel Developer Forum and IBC2013 in Amsterdam. Many are Windows-certified systems aimed at the high-definition video-editing market. For example, ATTO Technology announced Thunderlink adapters and ThunderStream RAID controllers for Thunderbolt SANs.

Hewlett-Packard announced several Thunderbolt-compatible systems, including the ZBook 14, which the company calls the world’s first “workstation Ultrabook,” and the “first line of workstations to offer Intel’s Thunderbolt technology for high-speed data transfer.” They are due in October.

That “first workstation” claim must be news to Apple and the users of Thunderbolt-equipped Macbook Pro and iMacs.

The questions for Mac users is where is the Mac Pro? It wasn’t on display at IDF, I understand, nor at IBC. We’re all waiting.


mac – Google News

'Pissed off' Martha Stewart tweets her anger over shattered iPad and gets ... - Daily Mail

  • The household queen took to Twitter this week to rant about her broken tablet to her nearly 2.9 million followers
  • She complained that Apple did not react to her complaint
  • A later tweet from Martha complains that ‘i cannot believe that Apple Public Relations is mad at me’
  • She also declares her iPad was given to her by Apple founder Steve Jobs himself

By Reuters Reporter and Marie-louise Olson

|

Martha and her iPad: The household queen is upset that the screen of her beloved tablet is broken and wants Apple to come and fix it

Martha and her iPad: The household queen is upset that the screen of her beloved tablet is broken and wants Apple to come and fix it

Martha Stewart broke her beloved iPad. Can someone from Apple rush over and fix it? She’s waiting.

Stewart, the doyen of home products who parlayed her image as America’s household guru into a multibillion dollar empire, took to Twitter to vent about her shattered tablet, which she says Apple Inc co-founder Steve Jobs gave her.

She is upset that the company has not sent anyone yet to pick it up for fixing, as per the tweet.

'I am still waiting for an apple rep to come pick up my IPad. No action yey (sic),' she tweeted to her nearly 2.9 million followers on Thursday, a day after breaking the device.

'I just dropped my iPad on the ground and shattered two glass corners. What to do? does one call Apple to come and pick it up or do I take it?,' she tweeted on Wednesday.

Her litany of tweets elicited predictable jokes on Twitter, many of which made fun of her expectation that someone would come retrieve the tablet.

Consumers have to take their iPads to an Apple store to have it fixed or exchanged, depending on the warranty. Many third party vendors also repair broken screens.

Hours after expressing her disappointment with Apple, Stewart tweeted about a business idea she had.

Apple connoisseur? The TV personality is a regular at the Apple Store in Soho, New York City

Apple connoisseur? The TV personality is a regular at the Apple Store in Soho, New York City

'Maybe I have had a good entrepreneurial idea? Apple Now? Like same day delivery from Amazon? I think I am on to something. Same day fixit!!!'

Stewart, founder and director of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc, has a vast multimedia empire and can be seen regularly on television imparting tips on home decoration, cooking and gardening.

Her eponymous brand – on products such as cookware, bedsheets and home decor – is among the more popular tags in department store Macy’s Inc.

Earlier this year, Macy’s and rival retailer JC Penney fought in court to exclusively sell her products.

The moment her world shattered... Or, her iPad that is

The moment her world shattered… Or, her iPad that is

No action yet: Stewart waits for Apple to call

No action yet: Stewart waits for Apple to call

Entrepreneur: She comes up with a brilliant business plan

Entrepreneur: She comes up with a brilliant business plan

Trouble: And then the fun starts. Apple public relations have been in touch with Stewart to tell her off

Trouble: And then the fun starts. Apple public relations have been in touch with Stewart to tell her off

Damage control: Stewart realises she needs to reel it all in, but fails miserably

Damage control: Stewart realises she needs to reel it all in, but fails miserably

Quiet time: Stewart promises to stop ranting but tweets a final hint to Apple

Quiet time: Stewart promises to stop ranting but tweets a final hint to Apple

Shattered: Stewart tweeted that she dropped her iPad and asked her followers how she best could fix it

Shattered: Stewart tweeted that she dropped her iPad and asked her followers how she best could fix it

A present: Stewart tweeted that Apple founder, Steve Jobs, gave her the iPad

A present: Stewart tweeted that Apple founder, Steve Jobs, gave her the iPad

At one point, she appeared to calm down and dismiss her outburst as a joke.

'So is it time to put out the fires and admit I was just pissed off at the fact my precious ipad shattered and I wanted to make light of it??' she said.

But Stewart’s tweets then appeared to draw the ire of Apple public relations unit.

She tweeted later on Thursday: 'i cannot believe that Apple Public Relations is mad at me for tweeting about my Ipad and how to get it fixed! steve jobs gave it to me!'

'i wish i could explain everything here on twitter about the broken IPad, the stolen IPhone, the silly joke about repairs and my frustration!'

She then vowed to deal with the issue silently, but her tweets already had gone viral and provoked responses across the Twitter-verse.

A representative for Stewart declined to comment, while an Apple spokeswoman did not return a call seeking comment.


ipad – Google News