• Windows App Store Screenshots leaked: Looks Suspiciously Like Apple’s

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Microsoft, News, Rants & Raves No Responses

    Images of the new Windows App Store have emerged, showing similar functionality to not only Apple’s App Store, but also the Ubuntu Download Center. Regardless, it is bringing Windows 8, for which these screenshots are taken from, into the next-generation application game. From what we see here, it suggests one will be able to download a vast number of applications, ranging from games to office applications. With applications available like Opera and Angry Birds, it’s clear that Microsoft are following suit with other content providers by opening up to third-party applications.

    Since Apple released the Mac App Store, Microsoft has been fighting to get the application store ready for users in time. However, considering Apple’s move to sue Amazon for the use of the name “App Store”, Microsoft could also be in hot water if it continues to use the name. Apple maintains it should have control over the “App Store” name, though Microsoft is contending the challenge.

    Though it does look suspiciously similar to the Mac App Store and the Ubuntu Download Center, I don’t think much can be taken from it. Personally, I think it looks strangely similar to Windows Media Player.

    Regardless, these rumours we keep hearing about seem to be ringing true week by week as these leaks slip out. What else is Microsoft hiding up their increasingly long sleeves?

    [via: zdnet]

  • Glasses Free 3D on iPad 2 and iPhone 4 via Head Tracking

    // Gradly // 3D, Apple, blog, Gadgets, iPad, iPhone, Rants & Raves, Tech. 1 Response

    Jeremie Francone and Laurence Nigay from the Laboratory of Informatics of Grenoble at the EHCI Research Group have created an amazing tech demoes by combining head-tracking technology that uses the iPad’s front facing camera to deliver glasses-free 3D experience that doesn’t require the accelerometer, but it’s entirely based on the camera and the movements of a user’s head in front of the screen. The position of the user will give the illusion of tridimensional objects moving on the display.

    We track the head of the user with the front facing camera in order to create a glasses-free monocular 3D display. Such spatially-aware mobile display enables to improve the possibilities of interaction. It does not use the accelerometers and relies only on the front camera.

    Francone and Nigay were inspired by the work of Johnny Lee who built a similar system using a Wii system.

    Glasses-free 3D has been deployed by Nintendo in its latest 3DS portable gaming console, and a series of reports in the past suggested Apple could implement glasses-free 3D in the future. The app does not yet appear to be available for download.

  • Apple Ordered 12 Petabytes of Storage For iTunes Video Offerings

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, News, Rants & Raves No Responses

    Citing a new reports by StorageNewsletter.com,  Apple has placed a order for about 12 petabytes of storage from Isilon Systems. According to an inside source, the company will use this storage to support iTunes video downloaded by its customers. This order will make Apple the largest Isilon’s customer.

    Apple ordered as much as 12PB of capacity from Isilon Systems, notably to manage the video download of its customers using iTunes, according to an inside source of the new division of EMC. It’s probably the largest of its 1,500 customers recorded at the end of December, including 20% in Europe

    Already several journalists have been briefed under embargo on the new releases and we will publish a deep analysis on the subject next week.

    A petabyte of data is a huge amount of data; it’s 1024 terabytes. If you tried to store a petabyte of data on dual-layer Blu-ray discs (50 GB each), it would take almost 21,000 discs to fit it all… and Apple just bought 12 of those. It’ll be interesting to see what they do with all of that storage? Maybe with the new MobileMe and a more cloud-based “locker” that stores media.

  • iSteve: ‘The Book of Jobs’ First Authorized Biography of Steve Jobs Coming Early 2012

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Books, News, Rants & Raves, Steve Jobs No Responses

    The first authorized biography of Steve Jobs which dubbed iSteve: The Book of Jobs by Walter Isaacson will be published in early 2012 by Simon and Shuster as announced sunday by ABCNews. Here is what Fortune had to say about the man who won Jobs’ trust:

    The Jobs book will be his fourth major biography. In addition to Kissinger: A Biography (1992) he has written Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003) and Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007). His most recent book is American Sketches: Great Leaders, Creative Thinkers, and Heroes of a Hurricane (2009).

    How did Walter manage to win the trust of Steve Jobs, a man whose penchant for secrecy, and his contempt for journalists, are legendary? Says Simon & Schuster editor-in-chief Priscilla Painton, Isaacson’s editor and a Time alumna: “It was Walter’s idea. And you know Walter — he just worked at it.” Fortune has a great profile on Isaacson who has a long history of convincing notable people to tell them their story.

    The Jobs book was announced in February of last year but with no title and release date.