Investigation Confirms Underaged Workers at Foxconn Facility

Underaged interns were found working in a Foxconn manufacturing facility, the company admitted after conducting an internal audit. An undisclosed number of workers, aged 14 to 16, worked on site for about three weeks before management took action, according to statements made by Foxconn to Bloomberg News. Labor rights organization China Labor Watch initially reported…

iPod nano Teardown: It's Full of Apple

iFixit loves to look inside Apple's latest products, and that's exactly what they did with the brand new seventh generation iPod nano. What they found were several Apple-designed chips and a media player that isn't all that easy to repair. The seventh generation nano is bigger than the model it replaces and does away with…

Bezos: Governments Should Kill Patent Wars

Patent lawsuits are filling court dockets, big name companies like Apple and Samsung are catching headlines with their cases, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos thinks it's time for governments to step in and put an end to the patent wars. The current patent system, he said, is choking innovation instead of promoting it. “Patents are…

Amazon: Kindle Customers Will Get Credit in Ebook Settlement

Amazon sent out emails to customers over the weekend effectively pre-announcing how a settlement between three publishers and the DOJ. Though that settlement won't be approved by the courts until February of 2013, Amazon told Kindle customers that they'll be getting credits of either $0.30 or $1.32 per book for purchases may between April 2010…

Fixing an iTunes Authentication Infinite Loop

Recently, the iTunes app on our family server got out of whack and cast me into an infinite loop, requesting endless authentication before my iDevices could sync. It was turned out to be an interesting problem that not even Apple tech support could solve. __________________ A few weeks ago, I wrote about how my boot…

Apple Doesn't Need Tutoring on Software Design

Apple uses a particular kind of software design in iOS that helps users become accustomed to a new environment. It's born of the Steve Jobs philosophy that computers should be at the intersection of technology and the humanities. Already, however, there are some who would propose abandoning that valuable concept in favor of… well, nothing…

5th Gen iPod touch Teardown: Sleek but Hard to Fix

With the fifth generation iPod touch just now making it into customer's hands, iFixit has already stripped one down to its frame to see what's inside. What they found was an Apple-designed A5 processor and an assembly that's extremely difficult to repair. Simply opening the iPod touch to see what's inside involves a heat gun…

Samsung Says the iPhone is for Old Folks. Really?

In Samsung’s latest anti-iPhone video commercial, a suggestion is made that the iPhone appeals to older people and, by implication, the Galaxy S3 appeals to hipper, younger people. Research data shows that not to be true. One technique in advertising is to take a kernel of truth, magnify and embellish, and drive a point home.…

AAPL & Capital Gains: A Look at Tax Strategy

This is a technical article aimed at people who own Apple stock. If you own Apple stock, and live in the USA, you need to know something about capital gains which must be paid on the sale of any stock. This information might save you some money, possibly a lot of money, but you have…

Taiwan Reminds Apple of Political Aspect of Global Maps

Taiwan reminded Apple on Tuesday that there is a political aspect of running a global mapping service. The island nation asked Apple to blur images of a new early warning radar station from Apple Maps, the company's iOS mobile mapping service that launched with iOS 6. According to the Associated Press, Taiwan Defence Ministry spokesman…

5th Gen iPod touch Benchmarks Reveal Slower A5 Processor

Now that the fifth generation iPod touch is reaching the hands of customers, some users have begun to post benchmarks. These benchmarks reveal that, while the iPod touch may share many physical characteristics with its iPhone 5 cousin, it falls far behind the iPhone in terms of performance. Japanese tech site Macotakara used the System…

$AAPL Slides 2.2% on Euro Concerns & Foxconn Strike

Shares in Apple Inc. slid more than 2 percent on Monday, pushed down by broader economic concerns in Europe and worries over the effects of a Foxconn strike in China. AAPL ended the Monday session down, at US$638.17 per share, a loss of $14.42 (-2.21 percent), on strong volume of 22.7 million shares trading hands.…

Angry Birds Star Wars Leaves Hyperspace on November 8

One of the most popular mobile games is about to meet one of the most popular film franchises of all time. Angry Birds Star Wars, first hinted at last week, will launch November 8 on iOS, Android, OS X, and Windows, the game’s trailer, released Monday, revealed. Created in 2009 by Finnish game studio Rovio…

Steve Jobs Tribute Recreates iPod with HTML 5 & CSS3

A small Web development company called Inventika Solutions has paid tribute to Steve Jobs by recreating the original iPod on the Web using HTML 5, CSS3, and jQuery. The firm, which is located in Mumbai, India, has made the virtual iPod (shown below) to work as the original device worked, down to the rotating scroll…

Near Perfect Audio: Philips DC390 Dual Clock Radio

It is a rare event when a humble alarm clock can invoke intrigue and excitement. The Philips DC390 will have you waking up, to the crystal clear music you love, with two completely charged iOS devices every day. That is unless you have upgraded to the iPhone 5 or listen to heavy metal music. ____________________…

Starbucks iPhone App Adds Passbook Support

Starbucks issued Wednesday evening an updated version of its iPhone app featuring full Passbook support and integration. The company, which has long maintained its own Passbook-like mobile payment app, now allows customers to create a Pass from existing, registered cards to pay for beverages, food items and more. Integrating with the company's rewards program, purchases…

Lightning Accessories to Remain Scarce as Apple Tightens Rules

Apple’s new Lightning interface for its iDevices may not easily reach the same level of robust third party support as its 30-pin Dock Connector predecessor. Sources speaking with iLounge Wednesday indicate that the Cupertino company is making significant changes to its “Made for iPad/iPhone/iPod” (MFi) policies that will make it more difficult for third parties…

Fremont Abandons Effort to Enshrine 1984 Mac Factory

The City of Fremont has abandoned an effort to have the original, state-of-the-art factory that made the first Macs listed as a place of historic significance. The City Council wanted the building registered as such a place after the death of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs in 2011, but found out that the building isn't old…

Facebook's Zuckerberg: The iPhone 5 Is a Wonderful Device

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg thinks Apple's new iPhone 5 is the bee's knees. In an interview with The Today Show's Matt Lauer that will air on October 4th, Mr. Zuckerberg said that Apple CEO Tim Cook had sent him one on the house, and said, “It's a wonderful device.” Mark Zuckerberg & Matt Lauer Source:…

Onavo: Apple Maps Uses 80% Less Data than Old Google Maps

Apple Maps in iOS 6 uses significantly less data to do its job than the Google Maps-powered service it replaced, according to a report from data compression and analytics firm Onavo. The company did side-by-side tests of Apple Maps in iOS 6 and the previous Maps app in iOS 5.x, and found that Apple's new…

Apple Drops 'Most Beautiful, Powerful Mapping Service' Claim

Apple quietly dropped a claim that its new iOS Maps app was the, “most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever” in the wake of CEO Tim Cook's apology for the service and commitment to improve it. Apple's webpage devoted to the product replaced the above-mentioned braggadocio with a more modest claim that Apple Maps offered, “a…

Tim Cook: Apple Will Strive to Make Maps App World-Class

Apple CEO Tim Cook published an open letter to customers Friday, addressing concerns over the company’s new Maps application that was introduced as part of iOS 6. Mr. Cook reiterates the point that the service will improve over time as Apple receives corrections from users and internally updates data, but he suggests that alternative mapping…

Did Google’s Motorola Fake an Ad Critical of Apple’s Maps? Nope

Reports Thursday that Google's Motorola Mobility faked an advertisement comparing Google Maps to Apple's Maps app in an effort to artificially embarrass Cupertino’s new service are only partially correct. An examination of the issue shows that, while Motorola may have configured the comparison to act in its favor, the advertisement was a valid comparison, for…

Phiaton PS 20 NC Earphones Are Quite Impressive

The Phiaton PS 20 NC Earphones have noise canceling and are worth serious consideration if you're in the market to replace what came in the box with your iPhone or iPod. Aside from sounding quite decent, they add the advantage of noise cancellation that Phiaton claims is up to 95 percent effective; however I didn't…