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US TSA eyeing Macs, iOS devices to assist mission
America's favorite frisking and body scanning team -- the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) -- is about to go Apple. NextGov is reporting that the TSA has put out a request to possibly purchase any number of Apple products to "support specific areas of TSA's Risk Based Counter-Terrorism mission."
TSA's Office of Acquisitions is planning to enter into several contracts over the next three years to buy Apple products and services with a maximum value of US$3 million. They're not just looking at Macs and iPads; according to a TSA document (PDF), "The proposed procurements may include any products currently within or added to the Apple line of products to include but not limited to: Apple computers/laptops, Apple iPads, Apple iPhones, Apple iPods, Apple TV, Apple OS (sic), Apple App Store applications, Apple peripherals and accessories such as monitors, mice and keyboards, and such services as installation, software updates, extended warranty and repairs, including AppleCare, required to support the Apple product line in an enterprise/production environment."
The document goes on to describe why TSA is looking to sole-source the Apple line, stating that it "requires the hardware, software and licenses to support a greater diversity of devices and operating systems as we follow the public driven demand for more mobility." TSA states that they'll be issuing a separate document for "Google Android" hardware, software and services to cover another "TSA capability gap."
US TSA eyeing Macs, iOS devices to assist mission originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
creativebitsorg: Yoga Logo Designs http://t.co/R5arVlps
Pitch Perfect is the perfect marketing primer for the indie developer
If you're a developer with an app and a dream, you would do well to pick up Pitch Perfect by TUAW's Erica Sadun and Steve Sande. Their book lifts the veil on how app reviewers, bloggers specifically, operate. Most of the advice I give to people looking to pitch an app is in this book. Added to the valuable knowledge within are some great illustrations by Nitrozac and Snaggy (of Joy of Tech).
Pitch Perfect starts with why you should care about reviews, and dives quickly into some essential advice on crafting your app. It's hard to be objective when you've slaved over code and graphics for months, but if you take Erica and Steve's advice to heart, it will snap you awake and hopefully give you a discerning eye before you send us your hard work.
The book has several chapters on crafting your pitch, from what to include and what to avoid, all the way to how to reach out to harried, underpaid bloggers. Managing expectations, dealing with bloggers in general -- these are things I wish I could tell everyone before they send us a single PR email. Then there are a bunch of case studies, which they pick apart for good and bad examples.
Finally, there are tips and techniques for making a product video, press release and more. A few quick tips on social media, and the all-important care and handling of bloggers rounds out the book. These last few chapters are marketing classes distilled into action items. How do you know which PR outlets to use, for example? How do you shoot a video of your app? I think the social media tips are the most sane I've read in a while, honestly.
While this book is a great first step, it won't tell you how to measure ROI on your social media campaigns, or provide a list of secret emails that guarantee you great reviews across the galaxy. Pitch Perfect is tuned especially for indie devs who lack a marketing team, who likely can't afford one, and who have a ton of other responsibilities besides promoting their app (like, bug reports, making enhancements, eating food, playing outside, etc.). Once you've launched your app, however, this book is your best chance for a fair look from any number of review sites.
Obviously I wouldn't keep Erica and Steve around if they couldn't write and knew nothing. I think any developer who is looking to understand how to pitch blogs for reviews would do well to read this book not just because it's a sneak peek into blogs or reviews, but because Erica and Steve know their stuff and (most importantly) know how to explain what to do in a wonderful way.
You won't feel lost, either. Pitch Perfect is one of those delightful books that guides you through a process and points out all the right moves. Well-written, with great examples pulled from the stuff we do every day? It's a bargain at US$8.99 and available on Kindle and the iBookstore.
Pitch Perfect is the perfect marketing primer for the indie developer originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Foxconn to build new plant for iPhone screens with Sharp's help
Sharp and Hon Hai Precision, parent company of Foxconn, are partnering to improve the LCD manufacturing process for the iPhone. A report by Reuters points to Nikkei business daily report that says Sharp is helping Foxconn outfit a new Chengdu plant with the latest LCD manufacturing technology. Foxconn will use Sharp's know-how to improve its iPhone display manufacturing process. In return, Hon Hai, parent company of Foxconn, will buy an 11 percent stake in Sharp that's worth 66.9 billion yen (US$844 million as of this writing).
This agreement follows an earlier deal that gave Hon Hai a 46.48 percent stake in a Sharp's most advanced LCD display plant in Sakai, Western Japan.
Foxconn to build new plant for iPhone screens with Sharp's help originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 May 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apple's VP of Europe steps down after 12 years
French newspaper Le Figaro is reporting that Pascal Cagni is stepping down from his position as Apple's vice president of Europe. Cagni was hired by Steve Jobs in 2000 and has served as Apple's European VP for 12 years. He was responsible for Apple's explosive growth in the EMEA region, which saw revenue grow from US$1 billion to $19 billion per year under his leadership.
This resignation hasn't been confirmed by Apple or Cagni and, as pointed out by The Next Web, Cagni's LinkedIn account has not been updated. Given the newness of this change, this radio silence is expected.
[Via The Next Web]
Apple's VP of Europe steps down after 12 years originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apple adds free App of the Week to iTunes, Editor's Choice to Mac and iOS App Store
As noticed by The Verge, Apple has started to promote apps in the iOS and Mac App Store using an "Editors' Choice" branding. The first apps to receive this distinction are Deus X Human Revolution and Cobook in the Mac App Store as well as Facebook Camera and Extreme Skater in the iOS App Store.
Also, Apple is offering the 99-cent Cut the Rope: Experiments game for free as part of its "App of the Week" series. This is apparently the first time Apple has discounted an app specifically for this promotion.
Apple adds free App of the Week to iTunes, Editor's Choice to Mac and iOS App Store originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 May 2012 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Untethered iOS 5.1.1 jailbreak for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch now available
This is super good news for the jailbreak crowd. GreenPois0n Absinthe 2.0 is out for iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreaking enjoyment. Absinthe is an easy solution for jailbreaking, and going untethered is pretty awesome. Excellent work by Chronic Dev Team and pod2g.
Absinthe works on A4-powered devices and A5 ones, like the iPhone 4S and new iPad. It won't work on the iPad 2, however. JailbreakUntethered has explanations on how to get this going on your device, so if you've ever wanted to try jailbreaking, it's never been easier.
[Via BGR]
Untethered iOS 5.1.1 jailbreak for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch now available originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 May 2012 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Daily iPhone App: Burnout Crash smashes with style
I don't really care who you are or what kind of games you like. You should go to the App Store and buy Burnout Crash for 99 cents because it's on sale right now.
Done? Great. Now I'll tell you what the game's about. Criterion Games typically makes console games, most notably the Burnout series, in which cars are mashed up in incredibly gorgeous ways across races and other modes. Recently, the company released a downloadable console game called Burnout Crash, which was a top-down arcade version of one of Burnout's destruction-based modes.
Burnout Crash isn't a shabby port. Criterion clearly considered how to best adapt the game to Apple's touchscreen. The result is a lot of fun. You swipe cars around the screen to blow them up, earn points with combos and multipliers, and enjoy the chaotic fun.
The sounds in Burnout Crash must be heard to be believed. Not only are the crashing sounds perfectly implemented, but the arcade-style sounds are reminiscent of a casino slot machine. They ring out gorgeously as you play with various spinny wheels and jackpot game mechanics.
And at 99 cents during EA's big sale this weekend, this is absolutely a must-play game. Which is why you already bought it at the beginning of this post, right?
Daily iPhone App: Burnout Crash smashes with style originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Social Media B2C Marketing Summit Set for June in London
Force YouTube links to open in mobile website on iOS
To stop iOS from launching the native YouTube app, and force it to use the superior YouTube mobile website, simply disable YouTube under Settings > General > Restrictions.
This will make all YouTube links open the mobile website and will also hide the native YouTube app on the device. If you decide you want to revert these changes, simply go to the Restrictions settings and toggle YouTube back on.
Games for Change Awards Announces Nominated Games
Patently Apple theorizes what Safari 3D would be like
Patently Apple keeps an eye on all of the patents coming out of Cupertino, California, and they've been seeing a lot of patents for a 3D interface for Safari. This does not mean that you'll be wearing special glasses to do web browsing; instead, it describes a way in which existing Apple patents can be used in a GUI to overlap and stack windows and content.
The website describes several uses of 3D stacking to provide a different web browsing experiences. First, there's a discussion of "Rotating Titles of URLs, Emails, Documents, Apps" described in a specific patent application -- in this method, windows are exposed edge on until you wish to use them, in which case they are rotated into view.
Next, Patently Apple talks about a second patent that describes how open windows are displayed in a three dimensional browsable parade. That's tied into yet another patent describing how to present and browse items in a tilted 3D space. A possible 3D interface could include windows that you could flick through much in the way you can currently view images or file icons in Cover Flow.
As usual, none of these items may ever appear in an actual shipping Apple product, but it's fascinating to see what the minds in Cupertino are thinking.
Patently Apple theorizes what Safari 3D would be like originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tim Cook declines dividends being paid to Apple employees
Apple's Board of Directors approved a dividend equivalent payment to employees holding restricted stock units, but this won't apply to Tim Cook, says a report in MacRumors. These RSUs vest after a period of time and are usually given to employees to entice them to stay with the company for a length of time.
Tim Cook, for example, was awarded 1.125 million RSUs when he stepped into the CEO position last year. At the current dividend payment of US$2.65 per share, Cook would receive a payment of approximately $75 million. Keeping with his character as a kind and gentle leader of Apple, Cook is refusing to accept this dividend, says a recent SEC filing.
[Via MacRumors]
Tim Cook declines dividends being paid to Apple employees originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 May 2012 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iPhone, iPad optics add night vision for covert missions
The iPhone and iPad are consumer devices, but they're powerful enough to be used in a variety of industries, including the military and law enforcement. One such military tool is a new hardware and software system from Special Operations Apps that lets you attach an iOS device to military grade optics like an infrared imaging system, night vision equipment, or laser range finder. The product works with current optics and will be sold as the Operations Apps/System for Optical Attachments system, also known as [SOA]2.
In the [SOA]2 system, the smartphone or tablet will become a heads-up-display that'll let the user easily view their field of view without squinting or having to keep one eye on the ocular and one eye on their surroundings. The app supports geo-tagging and high-definition video recording so users can mark their location and save what they see for later review. A future version will include facial and object recognition as well as advanced targeting. The company completed testing and is now demonstrating the technology to law enforcement, defense contractors and government security agencies.
[Via SlashGear]
Show full PR text Military-grade optics meet iPhone and iPad via US Night Vision and Special Operations Apps[SOA]2 new technology hardware and software renders comprehensive integration
TAMPA, Fla., May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) --
The Apple iPhone, iPad, and military-grade optics can now be seamlessly and simultaneously integrated to deliver mobile data-recording, navigation, and instant situation-analysis in a comprehensive solution to debut at this week's SOFIC, according to its developers.
Special Operations Apps/System for Optical Attachments - also known as [SOA]2 - can allow geo-tagging in the standard Military Grid Reference System in frame-stamped high-definition video, geo-located and accurate within seven (7) meters. The integrated smart device can be attached permanently or temporarily to optics, weapons, or equipment, according to K. Dominic Cincotti, founder of SOA and its affiliated company, MW Research and Development, Inc.
"In addition to the Apple iPhone 4S and the New iPad," Cincotti said, "we're also excited about the platforms and devices like the Windows phones, the Android, the Lumia 9000, and the Nokia PureView, with its game-changing 41-megapixel camera." He added that all of these are under consideration for [SOA]2 development, and his companies are in continuing talks with Nokia.
Generation III night vision devices, long-range day optics, infra-red imaging systems, and laser range finders, among others, can now be configured with commercially available smart devices - including the iPhone 4S and the New iPad - from the [SOA]2 cluster of newly patented and patent-pending hardware and software.
The Dream Team
To produce [SOA]2, Cincotti's companies led the program development with proprietary solutions, including an intellectual property cluster for attaching mobile smart devices onto weapons. Cincotti established a Joint Teaming Alliance (JTA) with US Night Vision, Hoodman USA, and Jonathan Springer, the US Army captain who created the critically acclaimed Tactical Nav App that has been soldier-deployed in the fiercest combat zones.
"This is the Dream Team for optics, US Night Vision hardware, and software, and a chance for us all to help customize the future," Cincotti said, "and with the US Army's announced intention to issue smart devices to soldiers, [SOA]2 is the best use of the newest technology and the army technology already in hand."
US Night Vision's vice president of sales and marketing, Chris Byrd, said "With [SOA]2 and USNV Hardware, warfighters can use their smart devices as a calibrated, heads-up display for optics to improve situational awareness. No longer will they have to squint through a scope and close one eye - or be locked into goggles."
"We are taking military-grade optics and turning them into mobile high definition data-recording navigational and analysis systems," Byrd said, "while still maintaining the integrity of the original optics that have already been purchased in previous acquisition cycles."
Tactical Nav's developer, CPT Springer, said, "Bottom line up front, this joint teaming alliance is about integrating the best uses of technology we have right now and putting this technology into the hands of our combat soldiers downrange."
"The soldier already knows these mobile smart devices," CPT Springer said, "it's already in his pocket, and he's already an expert at using it."
[SOA]2 completed testing earlier this month in North Carolina, Cincotti said, and at SOFIC the Special Operations community, law enforcement, government security agencies, and major defense contractors will have the opportunity to schedule meetings for field demonstrations and to discuss inclusion in the [SOA]2 program.
"We do our best to answer and anticipate the needs of special operations," Cincotti said, "and we are looking forward to continued input from the operators and SF soldiers as [SOA]2 progresses to adoption and deployment."
Intellectual Property Cluster
[SOA]2 comprises a cluster of interlocking intellectual property, including issued patents, patents pending, and proprietary IP. SOA and MW R&D have been issued two patents already this year, executed three patent filings addressing mobile devices on weapons, and filed more than a dozen US and international patents in the last five years. US Night Vision has a patent pending, and Hoodman USA has a patent on their products.
Special Operations Apps/System for Optical Attachments [SOA]2 includes:
Multi-use Optics Case Integrator
Adapter Rings machined from Ultem 2300, which is virtually unbreakable and super-lightweight
Hoodman System Accessories, now modified for mobile devices for [SOA]2, including Day/Night Solutions to reduce glare and light bleed
A proprietary software platform that includes a range of Special Operations-specific tactical navigation apps, integrating various optics hardware and mobile-device capabilities
Future iterations of [SOA]2 now being developed by Cincotti's companies are expected to deliver Facial and Object recognition and advanced targeting, on smart phone platforms, as well as on iPads and tablets. The Tactical Nav App will feature tracking of a unit, or an individual within a unit, and a "John Madden-style" tool that allows for mark-up.
US Night Vision, founded in 2001 and located in Roseville, CA, has been providing federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the US Military, with advanced night vision, thermal imaging, infrared and lasers. The company handles the exportation of night vision systems following U.S. Department of State, ITAR guidelines. In addition to the exclusive line of US Night Vision products, manufactured and assembled at the Roseville facility, the company is also a national distributor for L3 ETO (Electron Tube Operations), FLIR GS (Government Systems), FLIR CVS (Commercial Vision Systems), Laser Technologies, Inc., and a point of sale for L3 Warrior Systems, Laser Devices Lasers and other related optics and accessories.
Hoodman USA, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Torrance, CA, manufactures digital camera tools, including Glare Fighting LCD Loupes, Ratcheting variable angle viewers, the fastest, longest lasting CompactFlash memory cards and the world's first steel-plated, ruggedized SDHC memory card line. Hoodman has more than 500 dealers in the US and around the world.
CPT Springer, while a Battalion Fire Support Officer in Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne, began developing what would become the Tactical Nav App. He spent more than $30,000 of his own money to create the app, now available for download on the iTunes App Store.
From Bloomberg
A New Science of Stealth
January 2012's Popular Science cover story, Invisible Warriors and the New Science of Stealth, reports the two biggest new tech advances in modern camouflage, as "Camo Gets A Makeover."
Popular Science (The Future Now) reported SOA's development of site-specific camouflage using an app and a mobile smart device that combines photographs of a given location into customized, terrain-specific patterns that can be digitally printed directly onto a garment or fabric. One new camo technology in the Popular Science article is simultaneous camo stealth, in which multispectral countermeasures are simultaneously deployed for manned and unmanned vehicles, equipment, hardware, and weapons, for maximum tactical advantage.
Another SOA breakthrough, the CamoScience[TM] app, was featured in CNN and NBC TV news programs last year, demonstrating the power of iPhone-like smart devices with feature-rich app attributes, including geo-positioning, augmented reality overlays, and Area of Operation HD in-camera imagery. In 2009, intellectual property created by MW R&D garnered a $43 million contract award for its licensee.
The CamoScience[TM] commercial effort is led by Cathlena Spencer, SOA chief technology officer, teaming with Apple iTunes award-winning developers of the Theodolite App, a best-selling navigation app.
For MW R&D/SOA, Dave Mullins, a veteran operator with experience on four continents, leads in-house subject matter experts, along with Mark Tocci, a veteran Ranger and a patent-pending inventor.
The Special Operations Apps/System for Optical Attachments in-house team included Sam Thompson, physicist, veteran of NASA's Mars Rover project, and a patent-pending inventor; and Ronnie Medina, veteran special forces operator and project consultant.
The Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) is an annual event, bringing together more than 7,000 attendees from government and industry and featuring more than 350 exhibiting companies.
Special Operations Apps is a privately held company based in Wilmington, NC, strategically situated between Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune and convenient to Virginia Beach, VA.
iPhone, iPad optics add night vision for covert missions originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
creativebitsorg: New logo contest: SOUTHEAST STRATEGIES, LLC http://t.co/OKM03c6D
Celebrate Memorial Day By Sending Anonymous Tweets from God
Deeply religious people, rejoice! You now have something new to complain about.
From SF-based freelance art director Marcus Brown and W+K NY copywriter Nick Kaplan comes “Tweets from God,” a way to prank your friends by sending anonymous tweets from the alpha and omega, God. All you have to do is enter in the Twitter handle of the person you wish to message, write them something that will make them feel momentarily guilty about a crime or minor sin, and click “Do It.” Your victim will then receive a tweet from @Tweets_fromGod and have no way to tell who it’s actually from.
Thus far, the Tweets from God Twitter feed has been pretty PG-rated, with most messages along the lines of “I saw that.” But, surely you creative ad types can take it to the next level. I mean, these are anonymous tweets we’re talking about, so you can say pretty much anything and get away with it. Visit the Tweets from God website here to get started, and wonder how the owners of the Twitter handles @TweetsFromGod, @God and @TheTweetofGod will feel about this.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Google Developers
Friday Likes 04
Speaking of Creative Directors, Rokkan Welcomes Bryan Le
While we’re on the topic, might as well tell you that sources familiar with the matter confirm that Bryan Le has returned to his old stomping grounds at New York-based digital shop (or “trendy video game ad agency“) Rokkan. Le initially spent a year or so at Rokkan as a designer a few years back, but now, he’s moving up the ladder and rejoining the agency as creative director. Prior to his second tour of duty at said shop, Le spent the last two years at HUGE, where he last served as an art director.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
AKQA Adds New CD in SF
After a one-year stint at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Sergio Mugnaini is moving on to a fellow Bay Area branch, namely AKQA, where he will assume a creative director post. Mugnaini’s primary focus will be on AKQA SF’s Audi of America account. The creative is no stranger to the automaker’s biz as he worked on efforts such as “Robots” for the automaker while at AlmapBBDO, where he spent the majority of his career (seven years, give or take). During his career, Mugnaini has also worked at the likes of Ogilvy and JWT.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
