(Bloomberg)
Could an iTunes and iPod engineer be the ringmaster for Apple's long-rumored interactive TV? Bloomberg thinks so. SoundJam creator Jeff Robbin is apparently taking the lead on development, according to a gaggle of people "with knowledge of the project." Well, okay, but there better be a volume scroll wheel on there somewhere.
(NY Times)
If you're stuck on sluggish hotel Wi-Fi on your next business trip, all those extra mobile devices we carry around may be to blame. Turns out that iPads are gobbling up four times more Wi-Fi data per month than the typical smartphone, and that extra stress has not been so great on aging hotel networks. The solution: pricing tiers. Or asking travelers to stop playing Super Stickman Golf on their iPads against friends while in a Google Hangout meeting.
(Apple Support)
If you have an iPhone 4S, you might have noticed that the Enable 3G switch (under Settings -> General -> Network), present in earlier iPhone iterations, has mysteriously vanished. Not to worry, says Apple: This is intentional. In fact, depending on your carrier, you may not even see this switch on the iPhone 4. Poor EDGE--the slow-as-molasses network connection will never again be intentionally visited by someone trying to save just a teensy bit more battery power.
(ThinkGeek)
It's not enough that Apple programmed in an intelligent assistant to your phone that can answer complicated questions in a snarky manner, oh no--you simply have that full "Evil A.I. Overlord" experience. And ThinkGeek's happy to sell it to you for $60, pulsating red light and remote-control docking station and everything. Of course, because we're all so excited to get conquered by machines, you probably won't be able to get your hands on one until April--but I'm sure you'll find a way to make do until then. Just ask Siri to sing to you. It likes that.
- D-Link has introduced several mini adapters for its PowerLine home networking line. PowerLine products deliver networking speeds of up to 200Mbps using existing electrical wiring. PowerLine AV Mini Adapter, $100; PowerLine AV Mini Adapter Starter Kit, $110; PowerLine AV 4-Port Switch Mini Adapter Starter Kit, $130.