iPad App Lets You Share Your World with Autistic Children

While there has been an explosion of media attention given to the hundreds of apps that focus on allowing children with autism to communicate with others, a new app for autism strives to achieve the reverse -- bringing the outside environment into the autistic child's world.

The iPad has become a commonly used tool for allowing those with speech-language impairments to communicate and helping to teach those with special needs. Searching "Autism" in the iPad App Store yields 902 results, a number which has been increasing rapidly. The popularity of using iPad apps for this purpose is not surprising given that traditional alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) dedicated devices cost up to $15,000.

A new app named AutisMate allows parents and therapists to create interactive representations, or scenes, of an autistic child's environment. Since children with autism tend to be visual learners, these scenes can be used to teach them how to communicate and interact with the world around them. Jonathan Izak, creator of the AutisMate app and founder of SpecialNeedsWare, says, "By sharing a simplified representation of the world with autistic children, we are allowing them to communicate and learn important life skills more effectively and comfortably than ever before."

Izak began developing AutisMate for his 10 year old brother Oriel, who is on the autism spectrum and has struggled with other communication apps. "The grid designs used by Proloquo2go and other alternative communication options were created for a wide variety of speech impairments, not specifically autism. They require generalizing and categorizing, which are often a struggle for those on the spectrum," says Izak.

Proloquo2go was the first fully featured augmentative communication app available, and is the long time leader in the AAC app market. Apps like Proloquo2Go allow users to navigate grids of symbols to express themselves, which has been effective for high functioning individuals with speech impairments.

AutisMate, on the other hand, allows parents and therapists to create interactive scenes of their own environment using pictures, video, and voice recordings that can be created on the iPad itself. The app also leverages GPS technology to further reduce the navigation abilities required to use the app. Amy Lackey, a speech pathologist and educational coordinator of the Manhattan Children's Center, notes that, "Most communication apps require some level of understanding of categories, whereas the scene-based approach of AutisMate provides object-picture association that many students form around common objects within their homes, schools, and other familiar settings.”

The iPad has become such a popular device for helping those with special needs that Apple will be releasing a new feature named Guided Access with iOS 6, the next version of the iPhone and iPad operating system that will be released in the fall. This feature keeps users from navigating out of a specific application, which is useful when using the iPad for therapy. In announcing the feature at Apple's World Wide Developer Conference, Senior VP of iOS software at Apple Scott Forstall said, "we’ve been surprised by the numbers of children with autism who’ve been flocking to our devices; especially our iPads. We want to make that experience even better."

This article comes from:http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/7/prweb9728113.htm

iPad App Lets You Share Your World with Autistic Children

FLORHAM PARK, N.J., July 23, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- While there has been an explosion of media attention given to the hundreds of apps that focus on allowing children with autism to communicate with others, a new app for autism strives to achieve the reverse -- bringing the outside environment into the autistic child's world.

The iPad has become a commonly used tool for allowing those with speech-language impairments to communicate and helping to teach those with special needs. Searching "Autism" in the iPad App Store yields 902 results, a number which has been increasing rapidly. The popularity of using iPad apps for this purpose is not surprising given that traditional alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) dedicated devices cost up to $15,000.

A new app named AutisMate allows parents and therapists to create interactive representations, or scenes, of an autistic child's environment. Since children with autism tend to be visual learners, these scenes can be used to teach them how to communicate and interact with the world around them. Jonathan Izak, creator of the AutisMate app and founder of SpecialNeedsWare, says, "By sharing a simplified representation of the world with autistic children, we are allowing them to communicate and learn important life skills more effectively and comfortably than ever before."

Izak began developing AutisMate for his 10 year old brother Oriel, who is on the autism spectrum and has struggled with other communication apps. "The grid designs used by Proloquo2Go and other alternative communication options were created for a wide variety of speech impairments, not specifically autism. They require generalizing and categorizing, which are often a struggle for those on the spectrum," says Izak.

Proloquo2Go was the first fully featured augmentative communication app available, and is the long time leader in the AAC app market. Apps like Proloquo2Go allow users to navigate grids of symbols to express themselves, which has been effective for high functioning individuals with speech impairments.

AutisMate, on the other hand, allows parents and therapists to create interactive scenes of their own environment using pictures, video, and voice recordings that can be created on the iPad itself. The app also leverages GPS technology to further reduce the navigation abilities required to use the app. Amy Lackey, a speech pathologist and educational coordinator of the Manhattan Children's Center, notes that, "Most communication apps require some level of understanding of categories, whereas the scene-based approach of AutisMate provides object-picture association that many students form around common objects within their homes, schools, and other familiar settings."

The iPad has become such a popular device for helping those with special needs that Apple will be releasing a new feature named Guided Access with iOS 6, the next version of the iPhone and iPad operating system that will be released in the fall. This feature keeps users from navigating out of a specific application, which is useful when using the iPad for therapy. In announcing the feature at Apple's World Wide Developer Conference, Senior VP of iOS software at Apple Scott Forstall said, "We've been surprised by the numbers of children with autism who've been flocking to our devices; especially our iPads. We want to make that experience even better."

AutisMate is the first product of SpecialNeedsWare, a tech startup geared towards helping those with special needs. AutisMate is currently only available in the iPad App Store, but the company has stated it intends to release an Android version in the future as well.

"This one is different from all of the rest," noted Joan Green, M.A. CCC-SLP and author of The Ultimate Guide to Assistive Technology in Special Education. "It can be a game changer for many individuals with complex communication needs. I am impressed with the creative developers who are truly trying their best to meet the needs of the user and consult with many communication professionals."

Contact: info@specialneedsware.com (212)-253-0003 http://www.autismate.com

About SpecialNeedsWareSpecialNeedsWare is a mobile technology company that seeks to take advantage of modern technology to help individuals with special needs. The company recently released AutisMate, a revolutionary, scene-based iPad app for individuals with autism.

This article comes from:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ipad-app-lets-you-share-your-world-with-autistic-children-2012-07-23

Apple buys tracts at site of proposed operations center

 In new signs that Apple Inc. is moving ahead with a proposed Austin operations center, the technology giant has closed on the purchase of three tracts of land at the site, and a general contractor is reaching out to minority subcontractors for a chance to work on the project.

Apple Inc. hasn't confirmed that it's bringing its proposed new operations center to Austin, but city and Travis County officials say all signs indicate it's a go.

Apple — which is in line to receive millions in incentives for the project — is proposing to create 3,635 new jobs in Austin over the next decade and invest hundreds of millions of dollars as part of its plan to create a major operations center here. The facility would run most of its business operations for North and South America.

An Apple spokeswoman did not respond to an email Wednesday.
Apple's incentive agreement with the City of Austin calls for the company to spend $282.5 million in two phases on its campus, which would be on a 38.8-acre campus at West Parmer Lane and Delcour Drive in Northwest Austin. The site is adjacent to Apple's current campus at Riata Crossing. Apple currently occupies about 550,000 square feet in Riata Crossing and nearby Parmer Business Park.

In late June, Apple closed on the purchase of three tracts at the proposed site, county property records show. The sellers were Chicago-based McShane Development Co. and MetLife Real Estate Investments, through their Riata Vista limited partnership. Joe Llamas, vice president of McShane's South Central region based in Austin, said the company had no comment.

Apple's expansion would include a pair of four-story office buildings, each with 140,816 square feet, according to a notice the city is sending out to local minority subcontractors to outline opportunities to participate in the project. Cadence McShane Construction, a McShane Development affiliate that will be the general contractor on the project, and the city's Small and Minority Business Resources Department will host a meeting next week for minority subcontractors.

A notice for the meeting says the site work will include "concrete paving for surface parking, a detention point with retaining walls and landscaping." Cadence McShane will solicit proposals in August for the site work and the building shell.

City, county and state officials have signed off on about $35 million in incentives to try to persuade Apple to locate its operations center here. The city's agreement says Apple must make "reasonable" efforts to give local certified minority-owned and women-owned businesses an opportunity to supply materials and services for the operations center.

The agreement also specifies that Apple retain 3,100 existing full-time jobs. And it sets forth minimum average annual salary requirements for the new jobs for each of the 10 years, with an average compensation of at least $54,000 at the end of the first year; at least $63,000 at the end of the fifth year; and a minimum of $73,500 at the end of the 10th year. Apple has said most of the jobs would be local hires.
This article comes from:http://www.statesman.com/business/real-estate/apple-buys-tracts-at-site-of-proposed-operations-2418742.html

iThousands' apply at Foxconn ahead of rumored iPhone, iPad mini build

According to Chinese electronics blog M.I.C. Gadget, "thousands" of people gathered in front of Foxconn's Chengdu plant to vie for a large number of "summer job" slots that have only one stipulation: applicants must have good eyesight.

Sources claim that openings still remain but are filling up fast and note that a smaller "iPad mini" may possibly be rolling off the assembly line. This is contrary to a previous report which had the rumored 7-inch tablet set for manufacture at Foxconn's plant in Jundiai, Brazil.

Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory is also hiring workers and sources there say the plant is currently producing Apple's next-generation iPhone albeit on a very small scale. The insider claims that the production line's over 100 workers rolled out a mere five units during a recent night shift, and goes on to explain the upcoming iPhone is said to be in the "trial production stage."

While AppleInsider cannot validate these claims, the report is consistent with earlier rumors that said Apple's sixth-generation iPhone is currently being manufactured.

Apple's rumored next-generation handset is expected to launch some time this fall with a larger 4-inch display and newly-designed "uni-body" chassis. A smaller version of the company's popular iPad is also widely rumored to debut later this year with recent "leaks" pointing to a 7-inch screen and slightly modified case design. A report from The New York Times claims the so-called "iPad mini" will be priced below $499 to meet entry-level market demand.

This article comes from:http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/07/17/thousands_apply_at_foxconn_ahead_of_rumored_iphone_ipad_mini_build.html

Apple Releases iOS 6 Beta 3

Apple released iOS 6 beta 3 yesterday, which includes some new Maps settings and Mail icons, among other things.

As noted by MacRumors, the release comes about three weeks after the last beta version. In the brief release notes, Apple said only that beta 3 includes "bug fixes and improvements," but MacRumors set up a thread to chart add-ons as they are discovered.

That thread revealed that iOS 6 beta 3 improvements include auto brightness that increases gradually instead of instantly and pictures next to privacy settings. There are also new Maps settings that allow for volume, distance, and label customization, while the Mail app has new icons for junk, trash, and archive.

The iOS 6 beta 2 update did not appear to include any new features. When updating to the new version, however, the icon was animated with spinning gears.

Apple unveiled iOS 6 at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June. It will include a revamped Maps app, Siri on the iPad, as well as Facebook integration, and FaceTime video chat over cellular networks.

That revamped Maps app ditches Google Maps in favor of an in-house offering developed by Cupertino. Apple's iOS 6 is expected in the fall, likely with the release of the next-gen iPhone. The last version, iOS 5, came out in October alongside iCloud.

This article comes from:http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407186,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03069TX1K0001121

Retina display technology for the rumored Apple HDTV?

Will new Retina display technology be found in Apple's rumored HDTV? Founder and CEO of DisplayMate Technologies, Raymond Soneira, thinks so. Essentially, he believes that Retina display screens will be used across all premium products from the Cupertino-based company, citing color accuracy as a reason:"Starting with the new iPad 3, images on all future Apple devices and displays will appear visually identical and with extremely accurate colors and images.

Why does Apple need to introduce its own Apple Television with an actual TV screen as opposed to just relying on an Apple TV streaming box connected to some other brand of TV? Because all existing TVs produce inaccurate and inconsistent colors and images that will be poor matches to Apple's own iPhones and iPads.

Consumers will love the fact that everything including their personal photos, TV shows, movies, and videos will all look exactly the same on all Apple devices."Interestingly, he also claimed that the Retina-based Apple HDTV will support only a full-HD resolution.

"There is tremendous confusion (from consumers to Wall Street analysts) as to exactly what a "Retina Display" is in terms of resolution and Pixels Per Inch. Some analysts are saying that an Apple Retina Display Television is years away because the display technology won't be ready for years. That is simply not true... Existing 1,920 x 1,080 HDTVs are already "Retina Displays" in terms of visual sharpness at typical viewing distances.

So, when Apple launches its own Apple Television it will almost certainly have a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 and it will be a True Retina Display Television. The timing of an Apple Television will be up to Apple, but the display technology is already here."

There are two things that I think need to be considered. Firstly, color inconsistency is usually caused by different batches--and sometime different manufacturers--of display panels. Unless Apple is willing to calibrate these screens like professional monitors, it is almost impossible to ensure uniform hues across all its products, even with its Retina display technology.

Secondly, while standard full-HD panels could possibly match Retina display's level of sharpness for film-based content, they usually have issues displaying smoother text and graphics in games and animation, based on my experience. A 4K-resolution panel could be the solution, but is very costly at the moment.

This article comes from:http://asia.cnet.com/retina-display-technology-for-the-rumored-apple-hdtv-62217922.htm

China pips Apple on iPhone 5 launch

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Apple Inc's next-generation iPhone has not even been released yet, but opportunistic sellers on China's largest e-commerce platform, Taobao, are already accepting pre-orders, complete with mock-up pictures and purported technical specifications.

The hotly anticipated iPhone 5 is widely expected to be released sometime between August and October this year, although Apple itself has been tight-lipped about it. Sources have said the iPhone 5 would have a bigger screen than previous models, while Taiwanese media reported the phone's voice recognition software, Siri, would have more powerful functions.

Sellers on Taobao, a unit of Alibaba Group, are accepting orders for the iPhone 5, in some cases asking for a deposit of 1,000 yuan ($160) for the new phone. One seller, "Dahai99888", who started accepting pre-orders this week, is asking for full payment upfront, at a cool 6,999 yuan ($1,100).

Taobao sellers that Reuters spoke with said they planned to buy the iPhone 5 in Hong Kong or the United States and then bring it to mainland China. Apple products are often available in Hong Kong before they are released on the mainland.

The sellers could not promise a specific delivery time. The pre-order activity comes despite the mystery around the iPhone 5 and highlights the intense demand for new Apple products in China.

Apple has not confirmed the specifications, details or price of the latest iPhone but the Internet rumor mill has been in overdrive, churning out photo renderings and pictures of purported iPhone 5 engineering samples, and speculating endlessly on its technical specifications and functions.

Apple did not respond to requests for comment. "Demand is high, yesterday someone just bought two phones. Altogether we have about two dozen orders," said one seller on Taobao who went by the nickname Xiaoyu.

Demand for Apple products in China is so high that many consumers buy smuggled goods in order get them before the official China release. Earlier this year scalpers queued overnight outside a Beijing store for the latest version of the iPhone 4, only to pelt it with eggs after Apple decided against selling the phone at the store because of security concerns.

"It's not so easy to bring the phones from overseas, there's a limit to how many you can carry in ... If we could bring in a few thousand that will be great!," said Xiaoyu.

One enterprising seller posted a list of 17 possible new iPhone 5 features and gave a percentage probability that they would be included in the new device. For example, bio-metric capability has a 20 percent chance of being a feature on the iPhone 5, according to this seller.

Apple, which recently settled an iPad trademark lawsuit with a Shenzhen technology firm, said on Tuesday it would release its latest iPad in China on July 20.

Apple has five stores in mainland China and plans to open flagship stores in the major Chinese cities of Chengdu and Shenzhen, according to government officials.

This article comes from:http://news.yahoo.com/china-pips-apple-iphone-5-launch-071605454--finance.html;_ylt=A2KJjbxpmP5PIBgAxSDQtDMD

Apple's New IPad Arrives in China Stores

Apple Inc. (AAPL) (AAPL) said the latest iPad will arrive in China on July 20, working to extend its lead in the tablet market by courting new business in the world’s most populous nation.

The new iPad, which went on sale in the U.S. in March, will cost $499 to $829, depending on the amount of memory and the device’s wireless-connection compatibility, Cupertino, California-based Apple said yesterday in a statement.

China has become Apple’s second-biggest market after the U.S., as rising wages give Chinese citizens more disposable income to spend on iPhones, iPads and Mac computers. China accounted for $7.9 billion of Apple’s $39.2 billion sales in the fiscal second quarter, which ended March 31. That was more than triple the company’s sales in the country a year earlier.

Apple will look to buck a slowdown in the Chinese economy that is reverberating across the technology industry. Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) (AMAT) andAdvanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) (AMD) cited weakness in China this week when trimming financial forecasts.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said there was “relatively large” downward pressure on the economy there, and that authorities will intensify efforts to give it a boost, according to a July 8 report by the official Xinhua News Agency.

Apple is also aiming to stay ahead in tablets as Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. prepare to release their own tablet computers.
Reservation Only

Apple is taking steps to manage the new iPad’s debut in China to avoid a repeat of the scene when the iPhone 4S was released there last year. Customers who had been waiting in line for hours clashed with employees and threw eggs at the stores, causing shops to be closed. Authorities were called in to break up the crowd.

Apple said the new iPad will be available for purchase by reservation only at Apple retail stores. It also will be available for sale at authorized resellers and the company’s online store.

The iPad is Apple’s second-best (AAPL) selling product behind the iPhone, accounting for 17 percent of sales in the second quarter. Apple, the world’s largest company by market value, will report third-quarter results on July 24.

Apple slid less than 1 percent to $608.21 at the close yesterday in New York. Through yesterday, the shares had risen 50 percent this year.

This article comes from: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-07-10/apple-says-next-ipad-tablet-will-arrive-in-china-on-july-20

iPhone Coding Language Now World’s Third Most Popular

Objective-C — the programming language used to build applications for the Apple iPhone and iPad — is now the third most popular language on Earth, according to a new study.

Moving into the third spot in the oft-cited TIOBE index, Objective-C has surpassed C++, another derivative of the venerable C programming language.

C itself is still at the top of the list, followed by Java.
Just a year ago, Objective-C was ranked 46th on TIOBE’s list, and its sudden rise is all about Apple. “This is less about Objective-C and more about the success of the Apple ecosystem,” says Nolan Wright, the technology chief at Appcelerator, an outfit offering a development tool that spans various languages and platforms. “Objective-C is enjoying that benefit. If it had been another language [on the Apple platform], it would have enjoyed that too.”

Apple settled on Objective-C because it was the language of choice on the NeXTSTEP operating system, which was developed by Steve Jobs and his NeXT Inc. in the mid-1980s and later became the basis for Apple’s Mac OS X operating system as well as iOS, the operating system that drives the iPhone and the iPad.

Originally developed in early ’80s by two developers at a company called Stepstone — Brad Cox and Tom Love — Objective-C was barely on TIOBE’s radar in the summer of 2008. But then Apple launched the iPhone App Store.

Now, according to the TIOBE Index — which surveys engineers and crawls the web for code — Objective-C accounts for 9.3 percent of the world’s software, while C++ stands at 9.1 percent. And a second survey, the Transparent Language Index, puts Objective-C at 9.2 percent and C++ at 7.9 percent.

Though the Apple App Store is the main reason for the recent rise of the language, Eric Shapiro, technology chief of app developer ArcTouch, also argues that the language is easier to use than most. “Almost anybody can just pick up a book and learn [Objective C] basics,” he tells Wired. “That doesn’t make you an expert, but that does mean that so many more [developers] are familiar.”

There’s still a learning curve, says Appcelerator’s Nolan, but once you climb it, you benefit from, well, Apple. “Apple probably has the most developed developer ecosystem,” he says. “Once people get passed that learning curve, people tend to really enjoy the language.”

But Objective C is unlikely to surpass the popularity of Java anytime soon. Unlike Objective C — which is predominantly used build “front-end” software on devices such as the iPhone — Java is a mainstay on servers running “back-end” software that feed online services to phones, tablets, and PCs. Plus, it’s the language used to build applications on Google’s Android mobile operating system.
This article comes from:http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/07/apple-objective-c/

Is Apple Planning a Mini iPad?

The sheer number of reports indicating Apple plans to launch a mini version of its iPad would lead one to believe that a 7-inch (18-centimeter) Apple tablet is a foregone conclusion. It’s less clear, however, that the company has much to gain in taking on the likes of Samsung and Amazon head-on by shrinking the iPad while the current incarnation remains the dominant tablet.

While Apple has been characteristically mum regarding its product pipeline, recentWall Street Journal and Bloomberg articles have added credibility to claims that the company would introduce a smaller tablet by year’s end. Ostensibly, an iPad mini would let Apple tap into another category of the tablet market rather than cede sales of 7-inch handhelds to Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Samsung’s Galaxy and Google’s Nexus 7.

It’s conceivable that Apple could deliver a mini iPad—both the iPhone and iPad began as long-simmering rumors. Yet Apple iPads already represent more than 61 percent of the worldwide tablet market, doubling sales of tablets using Google’s Android operating system, according to technology research firm Gartner.

Apple isn’t likely to start making a 7-inch (18-centimeter) tablet unless that device can do something better than any other 7-inch tablet on the market, and Apple can make a lot of money doing it, says Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg. “Apple products exist because they sell at relatively high margins,” he adds. “For Apple to introduce a mini tablet that would cost more than a Nexus 7 with the same specs doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”

It’s also not Apple’s style to make products simply as a strategic move to keep consumers from buying competitors’ products or to drive down prices, Gartenberg says. If Amazon and Google are selling the Fire and Nexus 7, respectively, for $199, then Apple would have to add something to its 7-inch tablet to justify a starting cost of $299 or $399, he adds.

Beyond market dynamics, midsize tablets are more for viewing content than creating it. With its five-megapixel digital camera and high-definition video-recording capabilities, the current 10-inch (24.6-centimeter) iPad is as much for content creation as it is for consumption. “Besides, Apple already has something that’s a mini in their line up—the iPod touch,” Gartenberg says. “Would they create a device that’s in between the iPod touch and the iPad?”

All those caveats aside, it’s still difficult to rule out a smaller version of the iPad. “Steve Jobs was dismissive of the 7-inch display, but Apple is frequently like that with things they later introduce to the market,” Gartenberg suggests.

This article comes from:http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/07/08/is-apple-planning-a-mini-ipad/

Amazon Said To Plan Smartphone To Vie With Apple IPhone

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is developing a smartphone that would vie with Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone and handheld devices that run Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android operating system, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

Foxconn International Holdings Ltd. (2038), the Chinese mobile- phone maker, is working with Amazon on the device, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private. Amazon is seeking to complement the smartphone strategy by acquiring patents that cover wireless technology and would help it defend against allegations of infringement, other people with knowledge of the matter said.

A smartphone would give Amazon a wider range of low-priced hardware devices that bolster its strategy of making money from digital books, songs and movies. It would help Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos -- who made a foray into tablets with the Kindle Fire -- carve out a slice of the market for advanced wireless handsets. Manufacturers led by Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple shipped 398.4 million smartphones in the first quarter, according to researcher IDC.

Drew Herdener, a spokesman for Amazon, declined to comment.Mark Mahaney, an analyst at Citigroup Inc., said in November that Amazon is planning to release a smartphone.

Seattle-based Amazon considered buying wireless patents from InterDigital Inc. before the King of Prussia, Pennsylvania- based company said in June that it will sell the assets to Intel Corp. for $375 million, two people said. Amazon is taking pitches and setting up briefings with other sellers, the people said.

This article comes from:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-06/amazon-said-to-plan-smartphone-to-vie-with-apple.html

Shanghai Company Sues Apple Over Siri for Alleged Patent Infringement

Apple has become the target of another lawsuit in China, this time because of its Siri technology, with a Shanghai-based company alleging that Apple has infringed on a patent involving its own personal assistant software.

The company, Shanghai Zhi Zhen Internet Technology, is the developer of software called "Xiao i Robot" that communicates through voice, and can answer users' questions while also holding simple conversations. In 2004, the company applied for a patent in China covering the technology, and was later granted it in 2006.

"We have a 100 million users in China, and many companies are using our product," said the company head Yuan Hui, in an interview on Friday. The software is available for Android, iOS, Windows Live Messenger, and is used by products from China Telecom, China Mobile, as well as major banks in the country.

Apple's Siri, which is also a personal assistant software, became available in China starting early this year, when the iPhone 4S was officially launched in the country. Last month, Apple said it had incorporated Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese languages into Siri.

In May, Zhi Zhen Internet Technology contacted Apple about the alleged patent infringement. A month later, the company filed a lawsuit against Apple in a Shanghai court, which has accepted the case, Yuan said. "Our only demand is that Apple stop infringing on our patent," he said.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The patent lawsuit is one more legal battle Apple has to deal with in China. Earlier this week, a Chinese court announced Apple had to pay US$60 million to buy ownership of the "iPad trademark" in China from a local company.

Another Chinese company, called Jiangsu Snow Leopard Household Chemical, has also said it is suing Apple for trademark infringement because a version of the Mac OS X also uses the Snow Leopard name in Chinese.

"Apple is a major company, and so it will be hard for it to avoid these legal disputes. If you are a big company you will attract controversy," said Zhao Zhanling, an expert on China's IT laws.

Some of these legal battles involve legitimate grievances, according to Zhao, such as in the case of a group of Chinese authors suing Apple for allegedly hosting pirated e-books on its App Store.

But others, including the trademark infringement case being brought by Jiangsu Snow Leopard Household Chemical, appear to be more about generating promotion, he said. "There is a low likelihood that Jiangsu Snow Leopard will win the case," he said. "They are just sensationalizing themselves, and perhaps want to try to make some money from trademark licensing from Apple."

Zhao declined to comment on Zhi Zhen Internet Technology's lawsuit against Apple because he was not familiar with the patent at the center of the dispute. Zhi Zhen Internet Technology, however, is dismissing any criticism that the company is suing Apple at an opportune time to try and gain something from the U.S. tech giant.

"People feel that China has no innovation, that companies here just copy. But this is a misunderstanding," Yuan said. "We are a leader in our field, and we have created our own innovation."

Yuan declined to comment on whether his company would sue other developers of similar personal assistant technology in China.

This article comes from:http://www.pcworld.com/article/258835/shanghai_company_sues_apple_over_siri_for_alleged_patent_infringement.html

10 Apple iPad apps to enjoy this summer

Flipboard: Flipboard launched on the iPad and is a fantastic way to view news and social networking updates. It gives Internet feeds a magazine look and feel and after testing it out a while ago I now use it every day to enjoy content.

MLB At Bat: When you travel outside your local area you end up having to watch whatever sports are on in the hotel for that particular destination. With MLB At Bat you can view and/or listen to your favorite home team on the go. I love the pitch tracking feature and all the real time stats too and as you may know serious baseball fans love their stats.

Angry Birds Seasons: Rovio just released an update to Angry Birds Seasons for the iPad that includes a new water feature. That's right, you sling your bird through the air and then figure out how to get through the water in the scene to knock out the pigs. I love that they keep updating the game with new levels and functions.

Evernote: I use Evernote to capture lots of things and with the solid camera on the new iPad it is handy for receipts, lists of movies to watch, attractions you want to visit, and much more. Evernote takes advantage of the large display on the iPad to give you an excellent experience that I even prefer over the version on my Macbook Pro.

ABC Player: We no longer have cable TV in my house so I catch up on all the shows I missed on ABC through the ABC Player app. I can't stop laughing through episodes of Modern Family and enjoy the intrigue in Castle. The ABC Player app is free and is great for viewing TV content. I even use the app with the adapter to play shows on my HD TV at home so the whole family can enjoy TV without paying for cable.
Facebook: My family and friends share most of their photos and activities on Facebook and during the summer it is fun to see where people have been, invite people over for barbeques, and share memories with Facebook on the iPad. Every once in a while I will login too and use Facebook to chat live with family and friends.

Newstand (Mac Life): I am moving away from paper magazine subscriptions and have a couple magazines I subscribed to through Newstand. The iPad is perfect for modeling the magazine experience and it is much easier to carry an iPad loaded with five magazines rather than five physical magazines. There is quite a good selection of titles and you can buy single issues or subscribe at a much lower monthly rate.

Kayak: I use both TripIt Pro and Kayak for travel, but have to say the Kayak iPad app is much better than TripIt. I love the way it uses the full screen to present your itinerary and since my iPad is always with me when I travel it is great to have along, especially since it is free. You can also use Kayak to plan trips on the go with its powerful search features.

IA Writer: I was using the default Apple Notes application to write in the past, but when I sent this content to copy and use in my posts the margins were all goofed up. I recently discovered IA Writer for the iPad, after hearing others talk about it for quite some time, and already wrote a couple ZDNet posts and extensive Facebook posts using this app. IA Writer gives you a full screen, basic experience for writing and is already proving that 99 cents is cheap for such a powerful document creation tool.

Skydrive: There are a number of cloud storage solutions out there now and I have accounts with several of them. I was signed up early for Skydrive so I have a free 25GB account and use this on all my devices to keep documents backed up for easy access from my devices.

Do you enjoy using any of these applications? What apps do you like to use in the summer?

This article comes from:http://www.zdnet.com/10-apple-ipad-apps-to-enjoy-this-summer-7000000201/

Apple Siri Versus Google Jelly Bean: Voice Search Showdown

One of the big enhancements in the Android 4.0 operating system update that Google announced on June 27 is improved voice recognition in search. You can now ask your Android phone questions in a natural way--meaning you no longer have to sound like a robot to get answers.

We wondered which service is better at answering questions: Android's Voice Search or Apple's much-touted Siri. To test the services, we assembled a list of 17 questions or commands, and asked them of a Galaxy Nexus running Jelly Bean and an iPhone 4S running iOS 5.

A quick disclaimer: Apple has greatly improved Siri in iOS 6, but we weren't able to get our hands on the beta to test it. And the version of Jelly Bean we received from the Google I/O developer conference was not the final version, which will come to phones in mid-July.

Our results? Siri and the new voice recognition software in Jelly Bean each have their fair share of pros and cons. In the end, Android came out ahead on 8 of the 17 questions and commands we posed.Here's a breakdown of how well each phone handled each question or task.

Question 1: "Where Is the Empire State Building?"Siri seemed to have trouble understanding this question, while Jelly Bean produced a map that gave us the address of the Empire State Building in New York. For now, Android has the upper hand when it comes to locating famous buildings.

Winner: Android Jelly Bean
Question 2: "Will I Need an Umbrella on Sunday?"

The first few times we asked this question, Siri gave us directions to the nearest department stores. We believe that it may have been trying to point us to places that sold umbrellas, rather than answering our weather question.

When Siri finally realized that we were asking about the weather, it informed us that it could not predict what the weather would be on Sunday, and showed us a graphic displaying the local weather forecast for the next five days. Android told us that we wouldn't need an umbrella on Sunday, and also produced a five-day forecast.

Winner: Android Jelly Bean
Question 3: "Show Me Pictures of Mount Rushmore"
Android automatically brought up a small grid of images, while Siri asked if we wanted to perform a Web search. Siri finally showed us what we had asked for, but it required an extra step.

Winner: Android Jelly Bean
Question 4: "Where Can I Get a Taco Around Here?"
Siri, which pulls its results from Yelp, brought up 20 restaurants in the area that had tacos on the menu. Android presented a map of places that served tacos, but only one establishment was nearby; the rest were spread throughout the city. We have to hand it to Siri on this one, due to the number of results and owing to how close they were to our approximate location.

Winner: Apple Siri
Question 5: "What's the Capital of Canada?"
Both phones came up with an answer, but Android was faster at fetching a result.

Winner: Android Jelly Bean
Question 6: "Get Me Directions to the California Academy of Sciences"
As with the Empire State Building question, Android immediately brought up a map with the location of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, and started opening Google Maps to give us directions.

Siri found two entries for the California Academy of Sciences, and required us to select the correct entry before proceeding to give us directions.

This article comes from:http://www.pcworld.com/article/258704/apple_siri_versus_google_jelly_bean_voice_search_showdown.html

An iPad mini in October? New report fuels rumours

With the runaway success of the Kindle Fire prompting even Google to jump on the mini tablet bandwagon with its Nexus 7, is Apple also going to join the party? There have been a number of persistent rumours that a miniature version of the iPad is on the way, despite there being no signs from the company to this effect.

In March a comment by a Samsung executive to a Korean newspaper fueled rumours, while in February a report in the Wall Street Journal stated that Apple was testing out products with 7 to 8 inch screens. Then in April rumors resurfaced, this time on a Chinese blog.

And after a relative lull in the iPad mini expectations, an analyst report has got the tech world buzzing all over again. The report by Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves predicts that Apple will introduce a 7.85-inch version of its tablet in October.

The report quotes Hargreaves as saying,“We anticipate an entry-level 7.85″ iPad with 8GB of NAND capacity to price at $299 with an initial gross margin of 31%. We estimate Apple will sell 10.0 million 7.85″ iPads in FQ1 (Dec. 2012) and 35.2 million in all of F2013. Based on estimated component order volume, we believe our iPad mini unit estimates are well within Apple’s production capacity. We anticipate 25% cannibalization of the larger 9.7″ iPad (for every four 7.85″ iPads added, we reduced our 9.7″ iPad estimate by one), so our total F2013 iPad estimate increases to 91.6 million from 65.2 million.”

CNet added that Hargreaves suggested that Apple would kill the $399 iPad 2, and could introduce a 16GB iPad mini for a similar price.Steve Jobs is famously known to have been against the idea of a smaller iPad, but now as demand for smaller tablets increase, will Apple depart from the visionary’s opinion?

Why it’s a good idea: A smaller tablet would help Apple further its lead in the tablet market.“From a competitive standpoint, we believe an iPad mini with a lower price point would be the competition’s worst nightmare, says Shaw Wu, an analyst at Sterne Agee. “Most (competitors) already have a tough enough time competing against the iPad 2, as well as the new iPad.”

Apple has successfully fended off competitors who have tried to sell tablets in iPad’s size range. But last year, Amazon.com Inc. figured out how to crack Apple’s stranglehold on tablets by making a half-size, no-frills tablet. The result was the Kindle Fire, which sells for $199 —basically, the cost of production. Amazon has sold millions of them.

Apple sells the iPod Touch for $199, but its screen is about a quarter of the size of the Kindle Fire — a big disadvantage for people who want to enjoy books, movies and games. It also sells the older iPad model for $399. It has nothing in between.

Price isn’t the only reason customers might prefer a smaller tablet. A 7-inch model would fit in many handbags, unlike the current iPad.Wu says he’s seen evidence of Apple experimenting with both smaller and larger tablet screens since 2009, and doesn’t sense that the release of an iPad mini is “imminent.”

Why it’s a bad idea: A smaller iPad would be a headache for software developers.“Going to a different screen size ends up being a ton of work,” says Nate Weiner, the creator of Pocket, an application that stores Web pages and other material for later reading. “If you take, for an example, an interface built for the iPad and try to cram it into the Kindle Fire, it just doesn’t fit,” he says.

However, developers who have already adapted their programs to the Kindle Fire or other 7-inch tablets wouldn’t face a big hurdle in adapting to a third Apple screen size, Weiner say.


This article comes from:http://www.firstpost.com/tech/an-ipad-mini-in-october-new-report-fuels-rumours-363595.html