Apple aggressively recruiting ex-Google Maps employees for iOS 6 Maps app, say sources

“Apple is going after people with experience working on Google Maps to develop its own product, according to a source with connections on both teams,” Darrell Etherington reports for TechCrunch.

“Using recruiters, Apple is pursuing a strategy of luring away Google Maps employees who helped develop the search giant’s product on contract, and many of those individuals seem eager to accept due in part to the opportunity Apple represents to build new product, instead of just doing ‘tedious updates’ on a largely complete platform,” Etherington reports. “Apple is actively looking for more talent to add to its team, according to recent job listings the company has posted. And while there’s a tough road ahead for Apple playing catch-up in this area, my source believes that the possibility of building a platform that truly competes with Google Maps is well within reach for Apple.”

Read more in the full article here.

Related article:
Why Apple pulled the plug on Google Maps – September 23, 2012

Review: two new multimedia players “iMedia Player” and “Movie Player HD+”

Today, let me review two new multimedia players iMedia Player and Movie Player HD+. The former is free and Universal; the latter is $1 and has only an iPhone version.

As usual, I’ve updated the main chart (the latest version is HERE; look for the two new columns currently “C” and “D”) of my forthcoming Multimedia bible with information on these players.

iMedia Player (AppStore link)

(The interface of iMedia Player during playback using software decoding. As you can easily see, there’s no Retina iPad 3 support – videos are rendered at the resolution of 1024*768. As usual, click the image for the original-sized version.)

Pros

- Free but still capable of quality playback with some formats

- Very good WMV playback for WMV or VC-1 files with no WMA Pro audio. (WMA Pro isn’t at all supported)

- Very good software H.264 decoder at 720p (albeit lipsynch issues are a real pain)

- Very good MS-MPEG4 decoder

- 15/15s quick rewinding / fast forwarding with single-finger swipes and dedicated ffwd / rewind icons (see THIS for more info on why this may be very important). Doesn’t work in hardware decoding mode, though.

- Good ATSC DVB 1080i60 MPEG-2 playback – unlike for SD broadcasts

- Support for HW playback of native iDevice file formats – uses the original interface, allowing access to everything (audio / subtitle track selection etc.). HOWEVER, swipe-or button-based repositioning doesn’t work in this case!

- FLAC and Ape support (audio)

- Tries to find album artwork for audio playback. A screenshot of this:

Cons

- No iPad 3 Retina support with SW-decoded videos. (HW decoding does use the full resolution!)

- No SSA subtitle support: the  Suzumiya  subs are displayed as unstyled English – not even the Japanese text is shown

- Poor SD DVB 576i50 support

- Doesn’t even list MTS videos, let alone playing them

- Lipsynch issues with a lot of videos

- Poor (very slow) M-JPEG decoder (for unconverted camera videos)

- Constantly displays annoying ad dialogs. Some other, also free players do this much more discretely and in no way such an annoying manner; for example, RockPlayer2 (review).

- Swipe-or button-based repositioning doesn’t work with hardware decoding

- No OGG video support  

- WMA support-wise, not better than all the other iOS players (except for XBMC, of course – see THIS)

Verdict

If you don’t need Retina support for the iPad 3 and don’t want to play back formats not (OGG, MTS videos, WMA Pro audio also extensively used in WMV videos etc.) or poorly (standard-definition DVB MPEG-2 TS or M-JPEG videos; ASS subtitles etc.) supported, you may want to give it a try – after all, it’s free.

Movie Player HD+ (AppStore link)

This $1 app is (still) iPhone / iPod touch-only. The developer has no iPad version at all. Therefore (and because of its, on average, pretty mediocre and, with H.264, plain bad video decoders), I don’t really recommend it for iPad owners.

(main list view)

Pros:

- The developer is continuously giving away free promo codes at MacRumors (see THIS)

- Definitely better SSA subtitle support than with most iOS players and orders of magnitude better than that of iMedia Player (see above): while they aren’t animated / colored / positioned, both the original Japanese and its transcript is displayed, along with the English translation. An example screenshot showing this, along with the other playback controls of the app:

Cons:

- No iPad version

- Poor WMV support: even the lowest-resolution videos stutter (albeit WMA Pro is supported, unlike with iMedia Player)

- Poor H.264 decoder

- No dynamic MKV remuxing for HW playback

- Major lipsynch issues with even lower-resolution (e.g., the 720p Harry Potter test video) movies, let alone larger-resolution  ones. Frame dropping to keep audio and video in synch can’t be enabled.

Verdict

Well, this is a pretty mediocre player. If you can get a promo code and can get it for free, you may want to give it a try. However, I don’t think it’s worth the $1 in its current state. Hope the developer improves it over time.

Maps app grumbles, minor protest in France fail to dampen worldwide Apple iPhone 5 fever

“Apple fans queued around city blocks worldwide on Friday to get their hands on the new iPhone 5 – but grumbles about inaccurate maps tempered the excitement,” Peter Schwartzstein and Tim Kelly report for Reuters. “The new phone went on sale across, Europe, Asia and Australia with mobile carriers reporting record demand that looked likely to stretch Apple’s supply capacity.”

“Apple has booked more than 2 million orders for the device in the first 24 hours, double the first-day sales of the previous iPhone 4S,” Schwartzstein and Kelly report. “Some analysts expect Apple to sell up to 10 million iPhone 5 models in the remaining days of September and JP Morgan estimates the phone release could provide a $3.2 billion boost to the U.S. economy in the fourth quarter. The amount is almost the same as the economy of Fiji.”

Schwartzstein and Kelly report, “Hundreds of French iPhone fans lining up at Apple’s main store in Paris got an earful from disgruntled employees and former retailers protesting against the group’s policies. Some 20 former staffers of independent Apple distributors which closed after struggling to compete with Apple’s own stores marched in front of the Paris store. Joining them were three store employees striking to protest against Apple’s refusal to offer perks such as meal vouchers and a yearly bonus of an extra one month’s salary that are standard for many French workers.”

MacDailyNews Take: No wonder France is going down la toilette.

Schwartzstein and Kelly report, “Apple plans to sell the new phone in 100 countries by the end of the year, ramping up competition in a smartphone market that has already reached a fever pitch.”

Read more in the full article here.

iPhone 5 photo gallery

The first thing I did after receiving my iPhone 5 was give it a proper photo shoot.

Enjoy the iPr0n.

Apple reportedly to replace broken iPhone 5 displays in-store

iMore has learned from sources within Apple retail that broken iPhone 5 displays may soon be getting replaced in-store. This would be a change from Apple’s current iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 practice, which consisted of swapping the entire iPhone out for a new or refurbished one. Sources within Apple retail have told us that equipment used to remove the screens has started appearing in their stores.

The new unibody design of the iPhone 5 may be what makes it easier for Apple Retail staff to swap out the display. Apple Retail has been replacing shattered screens on the iPhone 3G and 3GS like this for quite some time. Instead of replacing just the glass, the entire front containing the digitizer, glass, and LCD would be removed from an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS and replaced with a new one.

This process wasn’t possible with the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S due to the design. While the glass backplate of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S could easily be removed, the front assembly could not — all of the internal components lay on top of the screen.

Apple Retail does offer some repairs on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S including rear panel replacement, camera replacement, and in some cases vibrator assembly replacement (GSM models only). Basically, any repair that could be done in a minimal amount of time.

There’s no word yet on how much the service will cost or whether it’ll be tied into AppleCare+. The current pricing is based off paying $99 for the plan and then $50 per incident. Since, with the iPhone 5, the entire iPhone wouldn’t have to be replaced anymore, it may bring down the cost for both in and out of warranty repairs.

iOS 6 for iPad Is Out Now

iOS 6 – the latest annual major update to the iPad (and all iDevices) operating system – is out now, available to download and install.

You can update to iOS 6 over the air (if you are currently running iOS 5) or when connected to a PC and iTunes.

iOS 6 brings a total of over 200 new features, including a number of notable new features for the iPad.

I imagine Apple’s update servers will be getting hammered for at least the next few hours, so if you have the patience you might want to wait until this evening to update.

I’ve been running the developers Gold Master build for a few days now, which appears to be identical to the public release, so I’m set on the iPad – though I do need to update my iPhone later on.

Whenever you manage to get updated, let us know in the comments how it went for you and what your favorite new features are.

Deal of the Day: 46% off Incipio Alpinestars Bionic SILICRYLIC Hard Shell Case for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4

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Arriva iPod Shuffle (2nd Generation) headphones with in-ear earbud, regular black

• Free Shipping – Buy Now – Cordless ipod shuffle 2G headphones with in-ear type earbuds
• Comfortable, stays on, lightweight, designed for activewear
• Perfect for runners, skiers, workouts, does not bounce or move
• Wear under a helmet, with a hat, with glasses or with goggles
• Makes workouts and chores more enjoyable with no wires dangling

Arriva iPod Shuffle (2nd Generation) headphones with in-ear earbud, regular black

Flipping Tip: Know Your Students

I admit it.

I’m terrible at remembering names even though they are essential in our work.

We know the significance of student-teacher interaction to academic success. Using a person’s name makes our interactions with them a more powerful motivator. So here’s a tip for those of us who are challenged by names.

Early on take time out of your normal agenda to take a picture of each student with your iPhone. You’ll want to match faces with names so take the pictures in class list sequence. If that’s not possible, then print each students name as you photograph them. Tell your students  you value them so much you want to you memorize their names as quickly as possible.

Import each picture into iMovie and label it with the student’s name. You’ll find iMovie’s multi-touch interface intuitive. Just a tap enables you to add your photos. When finished adding the pictures you can add theme music to make your video more entertaining. 

Watch your video frequently until you know the name of each student in your classroom. Watch it anytime your have some downtime like waiting for a bus, commuting, waiting for the doctor or dentist, or waiting in line for an event. 

You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll master your roster but keep it handy. You may need to review it occasionally and make additions.

You’ll find iMovie at the Apple iTunes App Store. It’s well worth the $4.95 investment. It has a 4+ rating from over 1,900 users and needs 403 MB do memory.

Sent from my iPad

Apple shares hit new all-time intraday and closing highs

In NASDAQ trading today, Apple Inc. (AAPL) shares gained $8.30, or 1.22%, on well above average volume of 21,231,167 shares to set a new all-time closing high of $691.28.

Apple’s previous all-time closing high was $682.98, set on September 13, 2012.

Apple’s all-time intraday high is $685.50, also set during trading today. Apple’s 52-week low stands at $354.24.

Apple’s market value currently stands at $648.01 billion.

The top five U.S. publicly-traded companies, based on market value:
1. Apple (AAPL) – $648.01B
2. Exxon Mobil (XOM) – $426.05B
3. Microsoft (MSFT) – $261.65B
4. Wal-Mart (WMT) – $250.43B
5. IBM (IBM) – $236.34B

Selected companies’ current market values:
Google (GOOG) – $232.09B
Intel (INTC) – $116.92B
Amazon (AMZN) – $118.11B
Cisco (CSCO) – $103.92B
Disney (DIS) – $93.93B
Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) – $35.81B
Yahoo! (YHOO) – $18.68B
Dell (DELL) – $18.79B
Adobe (ADBE) – $16.40B
Sony (SNE) – $13.09B
Nokia (NOK) – $11.06B
Sirius XM (SIRI) – $9.47B
Research In Motion (RIMM) – $3.90B
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) – $2.76B
RealNetworks (RNWK) – $0.28B

AAPL quote via NASDAQ here.