The browser wars have a new winner after major updates to platforms

Just a couple of months ago, Microsoft bragged with the performance of its IE9 browser after it blew competition out of the water in a browser benchmark fight plotted by Redmond itself. But two months later, iOS 5 is official, and we have a whole new ball game. Running Mobile Safari on an iPhone 4 updated to a beta of iOS 5 shows that there's a new winner in the browser battle.

Safari scored a whopping 31fps despite the fact that it runs on a handset with a higher resolution, dwarfing the 26fps result on the WP7 handset and the 15fps on Android. The iPhone 4 sports a screen rendering 640x960 pixels in comparison to the respective Windows Phone device which only had to support 480x800 pixels. Initially, Microsoft's browser claimed to succeed due to its hardware accelerated HTML5, but while Redmond's new platform is about to use new hardware, the iPhone 4 manages to outscore with its year-old silicon.

Apple Revolutionizes Video Editing With Final Cut Pro X

CUPERTINO, California-June 21, 2011-Apple® today announced Final Cut Pro® X, a revolutionary new version of the world's most popular Pro video editing software which completely reinvents video editing with a Magnetic Timeline that lets you edit on a flexible, trackless canvas; Content Auto-Analysis that categorizes your content upon import by shot type, media and people; and background rendering that allows you to work without interruption. Built on a modern 64-bit architecture, Final Cut Pro X is available from the Mac® App Store™ for $299.99.

"Final Cut Pro X is the biggest advance in Pro video editing since the original Final Cut Pro," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "We have shown it to many of the world's best Pro editors, and their jaws have dropped."

"I'm blown away by what Apple has done with Final Cut Pro," said Angus Wall, Academy Award-winning film editor. "Final Cut Pro X is incredibly modern and fast, but most importantly it lets you focus on telling your story in the most creative way, while it actively manages all of the technical details."

At the heart of Final Cut Pro X is the Magnetic Timeline, a trackless approach to editing your footage that lets you add and arrange clips wherever you want them, while other clips instantly slide out of the way. You can use Clip Connections to link primary story clips to other elements like titles and sound effects, so they stay in perfect sync when you move them. You can even combine related story elements into a Compound Clip that can be edited as a single clip. The groundbreaking new Auditions feature lets you swap between a collection of clips to instantly compare alternate takes.

Content Auto-Analysis scans your media on import and tags your content with useful information. Final Cut Pro X then uses that information to dynamically organize your clips into Smart Collections, so you can easily find the clips you want by close up, medium and wide shots as well as media type and the number of people in the shot. You can also tag parts of clips with Range-based keywords to add custom search criteria to your media.

Completely rebuilt from the ground up, Final Cut Pro X is a 64-bit app that takes full advantage of the latest Mac hardware and software so you never have to wait for the next edit, even if you're working with 4K video. Final Cut Pro X uses multi-threaded processing and the GPU on your graphics card for blazing fast background rendering and superb real-time playback performance. Additionally, a ColorSync-managed color pipeline ensures color consistency from import to output.

Final Cut Pro X also includes powerful tools for audio editing and color correction, and is complemented by two companion apps, Motion 5 for professional motion graphics and Compressor 4 for advanced media encoding, available from the Mac App Store for $49.99 each.

Pricing & Availability
Final Cut Pro X is available today for $299.99 from the Mac App Store. Motion 5 and Compressor 4 are available today for $49.99 each from the Mac App Store. Full system requirements and more information on Final Cut Pro X can be found at www.apple.com/finalcutpro.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Nokia's N9 official

Stephen Elop said that Nokia would unveil its first MeeGo device this year, and he just made good on his word with the N9 (also known as Lankku). Just as we spotted earlier, the N9 is a solid slab of 3.9-inch AMOLED screen (854 x 480) sans a keyboard or physical switches of any kind (well, aside from that oh-so-necessary volume rocker and camera button). The phone comes with 16GB or 64GB of onboard memory and 1GB of RAM wrapped in a polycarbonate shell that's colored all the way through, so dings and scratches won't show -- unless the wounds run deep, of course. An OMAP3630 1 Ghz processor does the computing while a PowerVR SGX530 GPU is around for graphical grunt work. Connectivity comes courtesy of quad-band GSM and penta-band WCDMA radios, plus Bluetooth 2.1, NFC, and GPS. There is also a dedicated camera button for the 8 megapixel wide-angle shooter, which is capable of aperture F2.2 for low light picture taking and true 16:9 720p video recording. Oh, and it's an AF shooter, not EDoF.

The entire thing measures 116.45- x 61.2- x 7.6-12.1mm and weighs 135 grams, with a battery capable of lasting up to 50 hours (music), 4.5 hours (720p video), or between seven and 11 hours (GSM yappin'). You'll also get gratis turn-by-turn drive and walk navigation with voice guidance in Maps, a dedicated Drive app, proximity sensor and a choice of hue: black, cyan, and magenta. Other hardware specs include 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, an ambient light sensor, compass, orientation sensor, a micro SIM slot, tethering support and a 3.5mm "AV connector." It'll be humming along on MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan, with apps being compliant with Qt 4.7 and HTML5 support bundled in.

As for software? Aside from Angry Birds Magic, Galaxy on Fire 2, Real Golf 2011 and OpenGL ES 2.0, those who take the plunge will be greeted with a Webkit2-based browser, pinch-to-zoom support, unified notifications for Facebook, Twitter and RSS feeds in the Events view as well as social networking profiles and status updates merged into phone contacts. MeeGo touts a user interface simplified to three home views -- events, applications and open apps -- with a swipe gesture able to take you back to the home view. For those looking to expand upon what's loaded from the factory, Ovi Store access is included, but we've no idea what kind of pricing will be affixed.

Symbian Anna to be available by the end of August

Stephen Elop confirmed on stage in Singapore today that the first major update to Symbian^3, called Anna, will be pushed out of the door for all handsets in need of it, like the Nokia N8, Nokia E7, Nokia C6-01or Nokia C7 in July.
New phones will ship with Symbian Anna straight from the factory, of course, but existing handsets might not get the firmware update until the end of August, according to the press release. Not that once Anna is out there won't be custom ways to get it on your phone, but still, it's nicer to get the official stuff. We also know that the camera-centric Nokia N8 will be getting a special Symbian Anna version that will officially introduce 30fps and continuous autofocus to the handset, as Nokia's camera guru Damian Dinning intended.
Future versions of Symbian are all supposed to carry women's names, and be alphabetical, i.e. this one is Anna, the next one, which should be arriving October/November is dubbed Belle, and so on. For Symbian Belle Nokia UK said that if you like Android, you'll like this one too - from what we've seen so far, it has back, search and context menu buttons just like Google's OS, but we don't have many details on how exactly the notifications are handled.
Nokia also reiterated its commitment to Symbian, saying that in the next 12 months we will be seeing not less than 10 new devices with Symbian onboard, so there will be enough bread left in the platform for developers, especially considering the prices of the applications in Ovi Store.

BMW electric vehicle Android app learns from your driving patterns

BMW is no stranger to integrating smartphones in its products, or using your iPhone, BlackBerry or Android device to provide Roadside Assistance.

It now takes the relationship between the BMW car driver and their smartphone to the next level, by outing the BMW EVolve app.

The goal by launching the app, which analyzes your driving patterns, is to determine if a BMW ActiveE, the company's all-electric vehicle, or some other upcoming engineering marvel, will be a good fit for your driving habits.

You can log on to a dedicated website, and submit the results to BMW's servers, while the car maker is calling all app users its Collective Engineers, who are helping it shape up the electric vehicles of tomorrow.

Nokia rolls the iron shutters down: “it's Apple-style secrecy right now”

Nokia is well aware of its situation – with share prices going down and news revolving around lay-offs, Espoo realizes the need for a truly innovative product that will bring the brand value up. But for this to happen the company's new UK office hinted what's of utmost importance:
"The iron shutters are down around development – it’s “Apple-style” secrecy right now," a Nokia employee shared with SlashGear. The new Nokia Windows Phone device needs not only the specs, but also the flare of an exciting launch. Apple has probably been the best example in the industry, mastering its launches and managing to get customers involved and waiting for new products:
“If we can build the same hype around our first Windows Phone as Apple does about iPhone…” another Nokia employee voiced his hope that the company could release a product inspiring long lines.
But while Windows Phone rules the high-end segment, mid-range and low-end handsets are still to come with Nokia's Symbian platform. The operating system got an overhaul with the Symbian Anna update bringing portrait QWERTY input, a new Browser 7.3 with support for HTML5 and brand new looks, but expectations for the next update, Belle, are even higher. "If you like Android then you’ll love Symbian Belle," Nokia staff was upbeat about the future.

Did Apple steal the Wi-Fi Sync feature for iOS 5 from a developer whose similar app was rejected?

When Apple recently introduced iOS 5, it mentioned a new feature called "Wi-Fi Sync". This allows an iOS user with a device connected to a power source to automatically sync and back-up the device to iTunes via a Wi-Fi connection. To University of Birmingham student Greg Hughes, this sounded awfully familiar. Hughes had submitted an app to the App Store with the same exact name and practically the same logo that Apple rolled out earlier last week. Unfortunately, Apple had rejected the submission.
After rejecting Hughes' app for the App Store, an Apple representative called to tell him that while the app technically did not break any rules, it did "encroach upon the boundaries" of what can be offered in the App Store. Hughes didn't drop the project, instead he listed his app in the Cydia store aimed at jail-broken devices and sold over 50,000 copies of his "Wi-Fi Sync".

Greg Hughes, developer of the rejected "Wi-Fi Sync" with his logo(on top) and Apple's logo

When the student learned about Apple's introduction of its "Wi-Fi Sync", he was shocked and surprised. Hughes had been selling his version of "Wi-Fi Sync for a year. Apple had known about his software and he felt that the Cupertino-based firm had "pinched it for iOS 5". And while the App Store representative he spoke on the phone with last year had told him how impressed with his work the iPhone engineering team was, Hughes has received some legal advice and plans on defending himself and his work.
As the App Store continues to grow, it might be harder and harder for Apple to avoid stepping on the toes of small developers like Greg Hughes, which makes this a legal matter to watch as it moves through the legal system. If it does become a lawsuit,we would not be surprised to see Apple offer a settlement to make it go away.

iCloud Communications sues Apple for obvious reasons

You probably know the drill by now -- Cupertino introduces a new product with a name that ostensibly belongs to someone else, and for better or worse that someone decides to take Apple to court. Today, it's iCloud Communications charging out of the left corner to sock Apple's iCloud square in the wallet. Arizona-based iCloud Communications appears to be a VoIP equipment and service provider, though in court documents it claims to be a cloud computing company as well, and claims that it's been using the term iCloud (and the above logo) to sell such services since 2005. It's asking the court to destroy all iCloud marketing materials, pay damages and even invalidate the iCloud trademark that Apple bought from Xcerion -- the only registered iCloud trademark so far -- but what's probably going to actually happen here is a nice little settlement out of court.

Microsoft releases Android developer poaching package for Windows Phone 7

Microsoft's App Guy has quite a job on his baby-soft hands: to boost Windows Phone 7's numerically-challenged Marketplace by encouraging developers to port apps across from other platforms. The little fellow helped iPhone devs out a couple of months ago with an API mapping tool to makes it easier to translate iPhone APIs to WP7 code. Now he's extended the mapping tool to work with Android APIs too, and backed it up with a 90-page white paper and a promise to get more involved in developer forums.

Rovio teases Carnival update for Angry Birds Rio, coming soon

Just mere days after Rovio unveiled a new set of levels for its Angry Birds release with the “Mine and Dine” episode, an update for Angry Birds Rio named Carnival was also teased with a brand new trailer. In this new episode, the birds meet a pack of monkeys under the hot samba rhythm just when the carnival unfolds and you can even see the crowds looking at the action in the background.

It seems that we have the familiar set of birds who first took the journey to Rio, but unfortunately the update is not yet out (despite what the screenshot says) for us to see if there are some neat surprises. We'd expect to see it hit app stores by the end of the month and hopefully even sooner, but for the time being why don't you check out the teaser video below for yourself and get in the mood for action.

Apple gives in to publishers, changes policy on in-app subscription prices

It looks like Apple has decided to make some pretty major changes to its App Store Review Guidelines -- and, in particular, to its controversial in-app subscription policy. Under the new guidelines, publishers will be able to offer subscriptions to content outside of the App Store, as long as their apps don't include a "buy" button that directs users away from Apple's marketplace. Under the previous version of the policy, which was set to go into effect at the end of this month, app owners offering subscriptions outside of App Store were required to sell equivalent, in-app services at the "same price or less than it is offered outside the app," while giving a 30 percent cut to Cupertino. Now, however, they can price these in-app subscriptions as they see fit, or circumvent the system altogether, by exclusively selling them outside of their apps. Apple will still receive 30 percent of the revenue generated from in-app subscriptions, but won't get any money from purchases made outside of its domain. Theoretically, then, publishers would be able to offer in-app subscriptions at higher prices, in order to offset Apple's share. This is how the new rules are worded:

11.13 Apps that link to external mechanisms for purchases or subscriptions to be used in the app, such as a "buy" button that goes to a web site to purchase a digital book, will be rejected

11.14 Apps can read or play approved content (specifically magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, and video) that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app, as long as there is no button or external link in the app to purchase the approved content. Apple will not receive any portion of the revenues for approved content that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app.
 

It's important to note, though, that Apple hasn't made any changes to its policy on sharing user information. Publishers had been lobbying to gain access to subscribers' credit card data and other personal information, which they see as critical to applying a TV Everywhere model to online publishing. With today's concessions, though, these demands may become less insistent.

Android Market attrition rate is twice that of Apple's App Store

Android, and the Android Market specifically, are growing at an incredible rate. Recent research from Distimo and research2guidance claimed that the Android Market was on its way to eclipsing the Apple App Store by the end of this year. But they failed to take the attrition rate into account.

The earlier research only factored in new app additions. But new analysis by AppsFire shows that the Android Market has an attrition rate twice that of the App Store. Of the 300,000 apps published in the Android Market, 32% of those have since been removed. But of the App Store's 500,000 total apps, only 16% have been removed.

So why is this the case? AppsFire says that Android developers might have a harder time monetizing their apps, or it becomes unprofitable to try and maintain them. The Android Market also has an easier process, as well as no $100 development fee. App Store additions, on the whole, tend to be more carefully brought to market.

GigaOM suggests that the Android Market is a better venue for experimentation, while the App Store is better for making money. And we tend to agree. The only downside to Android's openness is that it lends to many under-thought apps, and less quality/security vetting.

Norton says Android security threats are only going to get worse

First off, let's be honest: security threats to Android are in Norton's best interest. After all, they recently released an anti-virus solution for the Android operating system, so spreading fear will help their bottom line. But that doesn't mean they don't have some good points.

According to Norton, the increasing malware problem on the Android OS is only going to get worse. They explain that Android has three key features that make it a target: it's an open platform, it's monetizable, and it is increasingly ubiquitous.

What's more, it's scarily easy to make an Android app into a Trojan horse. So it doesn't take a technical mastermind to make spyware, adware, and other malicious apps. And, while we're not blaming Google, the Android Market isn't exactly Fort Knox. Google will remove apps if they are reported, but they don't vet them in the same way that Apple does.

And we're really not blaming Google. The problem with fame and success, as any pro athlete will tell you, is that the world will come after you for all you've got. The real problem is that mobile malware is a young threat, so we haven't fully built solutions to combat it, as we have with traditional computers. Not to freak you out too much, but we imagine hackers are drooling over the potential for an NFC revolution, which would put more than our Facebook passwords at risk.

Google Maps Navigation to go offline this summer?

Dutch tech site All About Phones claims that Google Maps Navigation will get a true offline mode later this summer. In December the Android app received an update that cached routes and the surrounding areas, but without a data connection you still couldn't enter a new destination. A source inside the Dutch telco industry said that Goog would removing the requirement for coverage -- an obvious next step for the nav tool, especially with Ovi Maps bringing its turn-by-turn prowess to WP7. The move is also bound to be another thorn in the side of standalone GPS makers like Garmin and TomTom. After all, it's tough to compete with free.

The Wii U, Nintendo's next console

Coming in 2012, Nintendo's next home console will deliver "deeper game experiences" that aim to offer "something for everyone." And it'll be called the Wii U! A variety of new controls will be made available by that crazy new controller with a 6.2-inch touchscreen embedded in it. Most importantly, you'll no longer be tied to a TV to enjoy your home consoling action -- the Wii U controller can handle your gaming session when the television is needed for other purposes, while a built-in front-facing cam will let you video chat from anywhere too. Notably, you won't have to use the 6.2-inch behemoth if you don't want too -- the Wii U will be compatible with all current-gen accessories and software. Yes, your expansive Wii collection will play on the U version of the console as well. We've also seen some decidedly high-def visuals from Nintendo showing off the Wii U's graphical prowess.

BlackBerry PlayBook gets updated

The PlayBook isn't even two months old yet and it's already scored a second update to its QNX-based OS. First up from BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.5 is an upgraded Facebook app, which is now a preloaded part of the system software and can do some really neat things... like delete unwanted messages. Devs will be happy to hear that they can include in-app payments, while our European friends should be excited about the expanded language support. There are a few other welcome changes, including some enterprise-friendly tweaks to video chat, a new pop-up power menu (pictured above), and the ability to charge even when the device is turned off -- a constraint we're sure had at least a few owners pulling a Picard-like facepalm.

iTunes (in the Cloud) 10.3 beta available for download

If you live in the US or Canada then the iTunes 10.3 beta is ready to rumble. Automatic downloads and access to your purchase history is limited to iOS 4.3.3 users on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and 3rd and 4th generation iPod touch devices. Once you meet those requirements, the iTunes in the Cloud beta promises to keep all of your newly purchased iTunes music in sync between devices while giving you the choice to download previously purchased tracks whenever you want at no additional cost. 10.3 beta also brings the Automatic Downloads feature to your apps and books, now allowing you to purchase tomes from your desktop while keeping them in sync with the iBooks app running on your iOS devices.

HTC sales in May reached $1.42 billion, more than double last year's total

Taiwan's premier smartphone maker has once again blown away its performance from the previous year, having informed the Taiwan Stock Exchange that it tallied up T$40.62b ($1.42b) in consolidated sales for May 2011. That's a neat chunk of change more than April's T$38.73b and it also comfortably dwarfs last year's May total of T$18.82b ($656m). There's no breakdown of what devices are to credit for HTC's ever-ascending revenues, but if you ask us, its future prosperity looks pretty good with the Sensation, EVO 3D, and a few tablet-shaped things lurking on the horizon.

Mozilla's Webian Shell interface will cloak your OS in a browser

With Google's fleet of Chromebooks making their way to market, Mozilla Labs has decided to release a similarly browser-based desktop interface, known as the Webian Shell. As of now, the prototype app consists of a screen-encompassing web browser, which essentially replaces your desktop interface. There's an address bar running across the top of the screen, a clock in the bottom right corner, and a tab button for all your web apps. Developed as part of the company's Mozilla Chromeless project, the tool was written entirely in HTML, CSS and JavaScript and, unlike Chrome OS, is designed to run on top of existing operating systems, rather than replace them. For now, the Shell is still in an early phase of development, looks pretty spartan and can't control a system's hardware. Mozilla, however, says it has plans to incorporate multiple home screens, split screen views and an on-screen keyboard, among other features. Windows, Linux and Mac OS X users can download the Shell now from here.

Nintendo 3DS system update is live, grab your free copy of Excitebike now

Nintendo has released a system update for anxious 3DS owners. The free update over WiFi delivers an internet browser and the eShop digital store to your multidimensional handheld. As a bonus, Ninty's offering the 3D-remastered NES game, Excitebike, for free until Tuesday with additional cash-money content coming to the store on Thursdays.