It turns out that his hobby 9to5Mac blog was always his favorite and in 2011 he went full time adding his Fortune Google followers to 9to5Google and adding the style and commerce component 9to5Toys gear and deals site. In 2013, Weintraub bought one of the Tesla’s first Model S EVs off the assembly line and so began his love affair with the Electric Vehicle and green energy which in 2014 turned into electrek.
In 2018, DroneDJ was born to cover the burgeoning world of drones and UAV’s led by China’s DJI.
From 1997-2007, Weintraub was a Global IT director and Web Developer for a number of companies with stints at multimedia and branding agencies in Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, Hong Kong, Madrid and London before becoming a publisher/blogger.
Seth received a bachelors degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California with a minor in Multimedia and Creative Technology in 1997. In 2004, he received a Masters from NYU’s Tisch School of the Art’s ITP program.
Hobbies: Weintraub is a licensed single engine private pilot, certified open water scuba diver and spent over a year traveling to 60 cities in 23 countries. Whatever free time exists is now guaranteed to his lovely wife and two amazing sons.
South Korea’s Maeil Business Newspaper begs to differ. According to a recently published article, the paper asked the head of human resources at Foxconn’s Taiyuan factory about the iPhone 5 release date. The human resources head apparently told the paper, “We just got the order. It [the release] will be around October.”
Rob Schmitz, the reporter who exposed Mike Daisy’s “inaccuracies” to NPR, is now the second reporter after ABC’s Bill Weir to get a tour of the Foxconn factory. It appears that Foxconn rewarded the long-time Marketplace Asia reporter for his work in exposing lies.
Schmitz’ radio reports can be heard starting Monday, April 9, on your local public radio station (or on Marketplace’s special page on the Apple Economy.)
Meanwhile, Schmitz has been writing about the tour on his reporter’s notebook blog, and Marketplace has posted a couple of teasers: A 3:30-minute radio interview and a 20-second YouTube clip of iPads with their innards exposed.
You will recall Schmitz is the China correspondent who tracked down Daisey’s translator and verified that almost none of what Daisey claimed he saw actually occurred.
TL;DR: By popular demand, we are rolling out 9to5Forums.combuilt on the Vanilla platform. As part of this new structure, we are moving our comments going forward to Vanilla, as well. Single sign up for both is quick and easy (including login with Twitter/Facebook/Open ID, etc.). Oh, and there will be prizes!
It appears AT&T has been hit hard by complaints from Apple iPhone users who used up their two-year subsidy and want to go elsewhere, such as T-Mobile in the United States or just roaming internationally without paying AT&T’s high international costs.
AT&T will now unlock your iPhone—if you are in good account standing and are done with your obligated term of commitment (including having paid an early termination fee.)
Here is AT&T’s statement:
“Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones. The only requirements are that a customer’s account must be in good standing, their device cannot be associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee.”
Here is another fun fact: If you have paid the no-commitment price, AT&T will unlock your phone too.
Earlier this week, Apple released a Java security update, 2012-001, to patch the Flashback vulnerability that a security company claims affected 600,000 Macs.
Late this evening, we are getting reports from readers that a new version of the Java update is becoming available via Software Update.
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The latest update, Java for OS X 2012-002, supersedes the -001 update Apple released earlier this week, and indeed the KB article linked from the -002 update is still the -001 version (below).
Update: Apple sent a note out to its Java Community, below, with the ‘why’ (small issue they are the same but for a few symlinks and version numbers.)
At the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in January, LaCie announced a new product for Thunderbolt users. The eSATA Hub Thunderbolt™ Series is a $199 Thunderbolt pass-through that allows you to connect 2 eSATA drives to your Mac via the speedy Thunderbolt port. By Daisy chaining six of the devices, you could add 12 eSATA drives to your Mac setup.
eSATA speeds are up to 3Gb/s or equivalent to SATA II, so you will not be making full use of the Thunderbolt bus speed. However, you will still be much faster than either USB2 (480Mbps) or Firewire 800 (800Mbps). Apple’s Thunderbolt cables are sold separately at $50 a pop.
eSATA docking stations start at around $30, so if you have some eSATA or SATA drives laying around and want to get them on Thunderbolt, this might be a good—though slightly expensive–solution.
Seagate makes a $99 Thunderbolt to SATA drive adapter, but it is having trouble keeping stock (and it lacks a Thunderbolt pass-through) and reviewers note erratic results.
Yesterday, as part of a wider interview with Larry Page, Bloomberg quoted Google’s CEO as saying:
I think the Android differences were actually for show. I had a relationship with Steve. I wouldn’t say I spent a lot of time with him over the years, but I saw him periodically. Curiously enough, actually, he requested that meeting. He sent me an e-mail and said: “Hey, you want to get together and chat?” I said, “Sure, I’ll come over.” And we had a very nice talk. We always did when we had a discussion generally….I think that [Anger at Android] served their interests. For a lot of companies, it’s useful for them to feel like they have an obvious competitor and to rally around that. I personally believe that it’s better to shoot higher. You don’t want to be looking at your competitors. You want to be looking at what’s possible and how to make the world better.
However, Page likely was not present for the behind-the-scenes remarks from the former Apple CEO. Jobs probably put on a more distinguished game face, especially in the last meeting the two had when Jobs was very ill. In addition, Jobs’ anger was more than likely focused on former Apple board member and then previous Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
Biographer Walter Isaacson was present behind-the-scenes with Jobs, and last night he disputed Page’s assertion that Jobs’ anger was “for show”:
Isaacson continued: “It’s almost copied verbatim by Android. And then they licence it around promiscuously. And then Android starts surpassing Apple in market share, and this totally infuriated him. It wasn’t a matter of money. He said: ‘You can’t pay me off, I’m here to destroy you’.”
As for what will happen now that Jobs isn’t around to go ‘thermonuclear’ on Google, Isaacson thinks that Apple CEO Tim Cook will handle things differently. “Tim Cook will settle that lawsuit”, Isaacson added.
ArsTechnica quotes a Russian antivirus company called “Dr. Web” that claims hundreds of thousands of Macs are infected with the Flashback Trojan detailed earlier this week. The attack takes advantage of an old Java vulnerability that Apple just patched this week.
Variations of the Flashback trojan have reportedly infected more than half a million Macs around the globe, according to Russian antivirus company Dr. Web. The company made an announcement on Wednesday—first in Russian and later in English—about the growing Mac botnet, first claiming 550,000 infected Macs. Later in the day, however, Dr. Web malware analyst Sorokin Ivan posted to Twitter that the count had gone up to 600,000, with 274 bots even checking in from Cupertino, CA, where Apple’s headquarters are located.
Dr. Web said over half of the infected computers were in the United States (including 274 in Cupertino), and 20 percent were in Canada. The malware self-installs after you visit a compromised or malicious webpage. Obviously, it would be a good idea to update any Macs in your control.
If you think one of your machines may be infected, F-Secure has instructions on how to use the Terminal to find out. If these numbers are true, chances are some 9to5Mac readers are infected. Update: A reader comments that he was infected (599,999 more to go):
Regional carrier nTelos offers service in Virginia, West Virginia, and portions of Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, and North Carolina, and it announced today that it would carry the iPhone 4 and 4S on its CDMA network with nationwide roaming on Sprint and Verizon CDMA networks.
Like U.S. regional carrier CSprire, nTelos will carry the iPhone with a $50 discount versus the big boys. Customers can pre-order now for delivery on April 20.
“As a wireless service provider well-known for delivering the best value in wireless, we’re pleased to offer the amazing new iPhone 4S to our customers,” said Jim Hyde, president and CEO for nTelos Wireless. “iPhone 4S offers an abundance of new features, and with our industry-leading, nationwide smartphone plans, customers can now enjoy the nation’s best networks for less.”
The carrier’s retail stores will open early at 7 a.m. on April 20. Nationwide smartphone plans start at $79.99 and include unlimited data and messaging. In addition, family plans start at $134
Update: As MacRumors notes, additional regionals are signing up all for April 20th
What question does the Lumia 900 answer? Why would you buy a Lumia over an iPhone or Android device?
The Metro interface is fun for a little while, but what feature is a Lumia 900 going to have that iPhone or Android does not after consumers tick it off their “gotta haves” list? Perhaps the responsiveness of the user interface edges out the iPhone. However, that is not going to sway anyone. Live tiles? Glorified widgets.
If you’re looking for a $100, high-end smartphone, or are a Windows Phone fan who has waited for better hardware, the Lumia 900 is worth considering. But the phone had just too many drawbacks in my tests to best its chief competitors.
This is the problem: It does not actually do anything noticeably better than iOS or Android. From The Verge’s review, Josh Topolsky was smitten with the hardware, but I do not think it holds up with the iconic iPhone and runs neck and neck with HTC’s new One line at best. Moreover, once you turn it on, it has the same 4.3-inch 480-by-800 display that the HTC EVO had two years ago. Most reviews also claim it is pixellated. Mossberg is stretching with the “high-end” tag above.
Fortunerelays Piper Jaffray/Gene Munster’s bullish prediction that Apple could reach a $1Trillion valuation in a few years by taking some its competitors’ value while also benefiting from increased tech investment and sales. The first point he illustrates (above) is that during the period where AAPL gained $400B in valuation (2008 to present), some of its key competitors lost the same amount in market cap. The second point is rationalized thusly:
We believe dollars invested in US technology companies will increase ~5% y/y on average for the next three years (CY12-CY14). By comparison, dollars invested in US tech companies were up 9% y/y in 2011. Therefore, the tech sector will add ~$390 billion in market cap through 2014. We assume Apple could capture half of this market cap (from 85% in the 4 years prior).Therefore, the tech sector will add ~$390 billion in market cap through 2014. We assume Apple could capture half of this market cap (from 85% in the 4 years prior).
Here’s a video from CNBC where Munster explains his world view: Apple and Samsung rule the mobile roost and companies like Nokia and RIM disappears into the ether.
[vodpod id=Video.16316843&w=425&h=350&fv=]
Munster’s figures follow another report from yesterday by Topeka’s Brian White who first made the $1000 AAPL call… Expand Expanding Close
In this release, we added some features and fixed some bugs so now:
– You can go offline in chat
– The right profile picture appears for everyone
– Your list of friends always includes all your friends
– In sets of photos, your name is displayed correctly
– Photos of people who like Facebook Pages load correctly
– Your friend-request notification only lights up if you have a request
– You can change your language to Czech, Danish, Greek, Indonesian, Malaysian, Norwegian (Bokmal), Portuguese (Portugal) or Thai
– If you’ve got a new Retina iPad, you’ll see a crisp, high resolution interface Expand Expanding Close
The first customer satisfaction survey since the release of the new iPad shows that owners are almost completely smitten with their new devices.
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Changewave surveyed 200 new iPad owners from March 22 to March 28 and found that those “Very Satisfied” were up 8 percent from the iPad 2 to an impressive 82 percent.
Consumer Reports took a beating for measuring the new iPad’s heat and charging non-issues under intense loads. However, it still overwhelmingly recommended Apple’s new device.
The high-resolution screen of the new iPad establishes a new benchmark in excellence, providing the best rendering of detail and color accuracy we’ve ever seen on a tablet display. As a result, the iPad tops our new tablet Ratings, posted today.
Performance on the new iPad ($500 to $830) was superb in virtually every other way as well. The 5-megapixel camera took very good photos. Verizon’s 4G network yielded very fast, dependable connectivity to a 4G-compatible version of the iPad in our informal tests. And despite the energy-intensive display and graphics, the iPad still has longer battery life than all other tablets.
Responding to consumer comments on the new device, and to coverage from other reviewers, we also carried out further tests that confirmed the new iPad is warmer in its hottest spots than the iPad 2. But we didn’t find those temperatures to be cause for concern. In addition, further tests of observations we made that the new iPad was not recharging when playing a demanding, intense video game, showed that the problem was limited to times when the device was playing a demanding game with the screen fully bright. Our high overall judgment of the new iPad was not affected by the results of either battery of tests.
Nokia is going after iPhone and Android owners with its new Smartphonebetatest.com campaign starring former Saturday Night Live star Chris Parnell. While the “beta” name certainly rings Android devices, it seems that Nokia is hitting at iPhone owners too.
It even resurrect the old death grip issue and more, below:
Here is one we are a bit dubious about because of the date: Variety Magazine says Twitter magnate Ashton Kutcher is signed on to play Steve Jobs in the upcoming biopic movie:
Ashton Kutcher is attached to play Steve Jobs in the indie pic “Jobs,” which Joshua Michael Stern (“Swing Vote”) will direct from a script by Matt Whiteley.
The film will chronicle Steve Jobs from wayward hippie to co-founder of Apple, where he became one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of our time.
Joshua Michael Stern will direct, and production will start in May, according to Variety.
There are a lot of interesting announcements this Sunday morning. Here is a rundown, but make sure to hit us with anything else you find in the comments below.
iFixit offers a special tool for opening the new iPad, which is reinforced with extra glue:
From the makers of Doxie comes Shreddie, the portable document shredder.
Just seeing Epson’s MegaPlex iOS device projector at tradeshows and in still pictures doesn’t do it justice. Set up in a small, awkward booth and surrounded by bright lights, the projector does not inspire a second look. It was not until I got a private screening at Macworld that I really saw what this thing could do.
The MegaPlex MG-850HD is an incredibly bright 2800 lumen 720P projector with some mighty 10-watt stereo speakers built-in, but it adds something that you would not find in many other high-end consumer projectors: a 30-pin iOS device dock. The dock will accommodate anything from an iPod touch, iPhone, or even any iPad.
Amazon has the MegaPlex MG-850HD for $612. Buy.com has it for $620.
This thing is a Portable. Home. Movie Theater—and I mean that in every sense of the word “portable.” At less than eight pounds and with a sturdy handle, it is easy to pack and take it to the parents’ house, or even move it from the basement to the bedroom. Your iOS device is the “brains” of this thing, and it starts working immediately upon plugging in, so it takes only seconds to set up. You can watch your iTunes, Hulu, or Netflix videos in under a minute after choosing a destination.
Similar to most high-end projectors, this one features manual movable feet to adjust projection angles, focus, zoom, and horizontal keystone. The MegaPlex also does auto-vertical keystone and iris controls to make setting it up at angles surprisingly easy.
This thing boasts some range, as well. With the early spring weather this year, we turned an evening birthday party into an impromptu outdoor movie showing on the backside of our house (with a sheet over a window). The MegaPlex is rated for an over 25-foot diagonal screen, and I can attest that it looks fantastic even before it is fully dark outside.
With that said, something even better happened with the release of the new iPad and 1080P Apple TV…
FireCore announced today that it successfully jailbroke the Apple TV 2 (not the new Apple TV 1080P that released earlier this month). The jailbreak is tethered, which requires the Apple TV to be connected to a Mac/PC when first powering it on (only once). You also have to pay fireCore $30, but it has been plenty good about updating.
What’s new in the 5.0 AppleTV software? Should I update?
New interface: – Fast, visual access to all content choices
Movie purchases in iCloud: Support for buying movies on Apple TV and playing back purchased movies from iCloud
Genius Recommendations: Recommendations for content on the iTunes Store based on previous rentals and purchases
Screensaver photos: New National Geographic photos built-in for screensaver
On-device sign-up: On-device sign up for content partners on Apple TV using your Apple ID
Not all plugins are currently working. The full list is below: Expand Expanding Close
There is no way to sugarcoat today’s announcement from the once-great Blackberry-maker RIM. The company is, after years of putting its head in the sand, finally taking drastic measures to change course, including getting rid of former Co-CEO and current board member Jim Balsillie and its CTO and COO (loooong overdue). Revenues are way down—and so are unit sales and prospects.
So, where is the way out of this mess? RIM says it is looking for “strategic business-model alternatives.” It is also considering a sale. Where is there any value in the company?
Paper is a beautiful new drawing and cataloging app for “free” [iTunes] that features a minimalist UI. With that said, the business model might not be to everyone’s liking. In app purchases: $2 for each new brush, which seems somewhat steep at first blush. However, this is such a well done app that it might just take off. The full description and gallery follows: (via DaringFireball)
Update: O.K., I just happily spent $8 for all of the brushes. No brainer. This is an awesome app.
This week’s Bloomberg cover story is a look at the darker side of Apple’s patent war with Google’s Android. As you can probably tell from the cover art, this one is not decidedly pro-Apple/Jobs. After the full rundown of the Patent war, it gets to this (which also seems to verify an earlier report):
People familiar with the situation, however, note that top-level executives at both Apple and Samsung have communicated lately about potential settlement options. Apple CEO Tim Cook does not seem to share his predecessor’s passion about laying all foes to waste. Cook appears to view litigation as a necessary evil, not a vehicle of cosmic revenge… Expand Expanding Close
As Apple will start mass producing its 15-inch MacBook Pro in April, sources from the upstream supply chain have pointed out that the company’s orders for the 13.3-inch model are far higher than those of the 15-inch, indicating that Apple is more focused on the 13.3-inch notebook segment.
However, the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro will not start mass production until June.
The timing is convenient for Intel’s plans, but we do not see Apple having two separate releases just two months apart in the same product line. Expand Expanding Close
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It appears AT&T has been hit hard by 
