iPhoneShopper.com

A few weeks ago it was reported that iTunes Connect would be closed over Thanksgiving weekend and the Christmas holiday. While the closure wouldn't affect consumers who want to shop for apps, it would affect developers who wanted to submit new apps or change prices of their apps during that period.

iTunes Connect had been closed for a number of days over Christmases past, but the Thanksgiving closure was one that irked a lot of devs as it came during Black Friday and Cyber Monday -- the four day weekend that is the traditional start off to the US holiday shopping season.

To the relief of developers everywhere, Apple last night notified iOS devs that iTunes Connect will be closing for Christmas between December 23-28, but made no mention of a Thanksgiving weekend closure. This means that developers can still adjust prices of their apps on those days to entice holiday app shoppers, submit new apps, and don't have to worry about a Top Apps list freeze during the Thanksgiving weekend.

iTunes Connect will be open over Thanksgiving weekend originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

It's definitely a good time to be an iPhone or an Android smartphone. Gartner is reporting that while the iPhone's total smartphone market share fell slightly from 17.1 percent to 16.7 percent (while still selling more total units than RIM) and Android's jumped from 3.5 percent to 25.5 percent in the past year, BlackBerry has seen a decline from 20.7 percent to 14.8 percent and Symbian from 44.6 percent to 36.6 percent. Windows Mobile's share has been sliced by more than half, from 7.9 percent down to just 2.8 percent of the market. In terms of total worldwide mobile sales, Apple's share is up to 3.2 percent from 2.3 percent this time last year, with 13,484,400 units sold in Q3 2010. Analysts project Apple to sell 36 million iPhones worldwide for the year, followed by 100 million by the end of 2011.

iPhone and Android shares rise while BlackBerry, Symbian fall originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Consumer Reports (CR) is in love with all models of the MacBook Air. In the publication's most recent ranking of notebooks and netbooks, the MacBook Air received top rankings and the coveted "recommended" status.

The 11.6-inch MacBook Air topped the list of 11-inch laptops (don't get excited, there were only two entrants) with a score of 67 out of 100. Its performance was rated as "good," while ergonomics and the display were rated "very good."

Meanwhile, the two 13-inch Air models ranked up 73 and 72 points, with the 2.4GHz model earning the "recommended" rating. As for Apple's other laptops, the 2.53GHz Core i5 15-inch MacBook Pro sat atop CR's 15- to 16-inch model chart, while the 17-inch MacBook Pro ruled the list of 17- to 18-inch machines.

All in all, it's a welcome change to the publisher's reaction to the iPhone 4.

[Via Macworld]

Consumer Reports loves MacBook Air originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Here at TUAW, we're starting to rev up the holiday gift ideas. And while this gift idea isn't completely Apple-related, you can certainly think up some cool things to make for your Mac, iPhone, and iPad-loving buddies.

Sculpteo.com provides a 3D printing service that can take 3D design files and turn them into physical objects. The company accepts many different formats; for Mac users, you'll probably want to use the free Google Sketchup application to create your design. There's also a set of online tools for making more simple shapes.

So, what can you make with this wonderful 3D printing technology? Anything! Want to make a mockup of your idea for the iPhone 5? Send Sculpteo your design and it'll be printed in either plastic or a ceramic-like material. How about a miniature Newton MessagePad 2100 keychain? No problem. Perhaps a bust of Steve Jobs to grace your desk? That's a possibility. And then there's my personal favorite; the customized avatars.

Yes, that's Mini-me standing there on that desk at right, complete with my traditional baseball cap and TUAW T-shirt. The company takes two head shots (direct and profile) and creates a frighteningly accurate miniature of you or your friend. Provide Sculpteo with a logo or other details, and you can customize these things all you want. The price is about $75 for a 7 cm. (2.8 inch) tall figure and $130 for a 10 cm. (3.9 inch) figure, but Sculpteo is currently offering a 50% discount through November 30, 2010 to introduce this service to the USA. That's perfect timing for Christmas gifts!

TidBITS editor Adam Engst may have his own action figure, but now I have my own personal TUAW Steve avatar to go into battle with him. Boo-yah!

The avatars and other items are printed with a Z Corporation ZPrinter 650 3D printer, which I'm sure would be a nice, albeit pricey, gift for your favorite TUAW bloggers. We'll be bringing you many other gift ideas over the next month, so please keep your browser pointed to TUAW and we'll help you spend your money.

Great geek holiday gift idea: Sculpteo 3D printing originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

If your having difficulty removing the SIM tray from your brand spanking new iPhone fear not since the solution is really quite simple.