Are you thrilled by the new levels of productivity you’ve reached thanks to this week’s iOS 4.2 update for iPad? Well, if you have SlingPlayer hardware lashed to your home entertainment center, get ready to kiss your new found zest for getting things done goodbye as the company has finally unleashed an iPad client to bring all of their place-shifting goodness to your Apple-branded tablet where and when ever you feel like goofing off.

Unlike it’s poor resolution iPhone cousin, SlingPlayer’s iPad app brings the noise… and some pretty decent video quality too. Just hook it up to either a Slingbox Pro or ProHD, and you’ll be able to get your boob tube on anywhere you can find an internet connection. With a UI that’s been specifically designed for the iPad and an easy to navigate program guide, the application looks like it could very well be a winner for TV loving iPad owners. Let’s hope it is: SlingPlayer for iPad comes with a hefty price tag. For that much coin, you’d want it to work exactly as advertised.

If you’re the type that takes your TV watching seriously, the application can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store now.

Follow this article’s author, Seamus Bellamy on Twitter

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It’s no secret that Apple has slowly but surely found ways to integrate their iPhone and iPad into the corporate workplace.  It’s also not much of a secret that Research in Motion, normally the corporate kingpin in the mobile world, is starting to take notice.  But perhaps RIM’s feathers are more ruffled due to Apple having reportedly plucked at least five key members of RIM’s sales staff in the least year and a half.

According to a report out of The Wall Street Journal:

In the past 18 months, at least five members of RIM’s enterprise-sales team have left the company to join Apple.  This includes Geoff Perfect, who served as Head of Strategic Sales at RIM for nearly five years before leaving in April 2009 and joining Apple a month later as Head of Enterprise iPhone Sales, according to LinkedIn, the online networking service for professionals.

WSJ‘s report also notes how Apple revealed during their recent earnings conference call how 80% of Fortune 500 companies are either piloting or using the iPhone.  Apple CEO Steve Jobs also made note of the fact how Apple beat out Research in Motion in smartphone sales for the quarter, and he doesn’t think RIM will catch up anytime in the interim.

In that same conference call, Apple COO Tim Cook pointed out that while Apple is not yet offering business-specific hardware, they are starting to leap into enterprise sales, with the iPhone’s software continuing to gain even more more features for corporate users.  Apple has also connected with partners like Unisys to support enterprise, and government customers.

via MacRumors

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(Image courtesy of xoxoboon.com)

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Remember the Apple I computer that was to go up for auction?  Well sorry to burst the bubble, but if you were hoping to get your bid in, it’s a bit too late.  A version of Apple’s first computer, called the Apple I, was sold for 4,000 at an auction in London on Tuesday.

Marco Boglione, an Italian businessman and private collector, made the winning bid, which all in all came to 0,000 after tax, via phone Tuesday at Christie’s auction house in London, reported the Associated Press.  Beforehand, Christie’s thought the computer would go for anywhere from 0,000-240,000.  How much did the computer go for during its initial release in 1976?  A mere 6.66.

Only 200 of the original computers were made, and only 30 to 50 are said to still be existing.  The unit that was auctioned was said to be a “superb example” and came in its original box with a signed letter from Apple cofounder Steve Jobs.

The other Apple cofounder, Steve Wozniak, who had hand-built each of the Apple I personal computers was in attendance at the auction.  He had offered to throw in an autographed letter in the lot.  Wozniak had told reporters that the auction was a historic moment for his work.

The Apple I wasn’t the only tech gem that was auctioned off.  According to the AP, it also included other items like an Enigma code-making machine and the writings of Alan Turing, considered “one of the founders of modern computing.”

“Today my heart went out as I got to see things auctioned off like the Turing documents and the Enigma machine – and the Apple I,” said the Woz after the auction.  “It was really an important step, (even though) I didn’t feel that way when I designed it.”

via AppleInsider

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(Image courtesy of Christie’s)

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Perhaps as you’ve been meandering about the Internets over the past few days, you have caught a glimpse of, believe it or not, a Steve Jobs action figure.  Well, about as soon as the figure made its appearance, it now seems to have made its disappearance.  M.I.C. gadget, the seller of the figurine, reportedly received a cease and desist letter from Apple.

In case you hadn’t seen it yet, the figure was an uncanny resemblance of the Apple CEO complete with black turtleneck, blue jeans, and an iPhone.  The iPhone even had the Apple logo on the back of it. 

The figure came complete with speech bubbles that you could fill out on your own, maybe with phrases like “one more thing” or “magical and revolutionary?” 

The company had sold out of its first round of figurines and was about to release another shipment.

But Apple has kindly asked M.I.C. gadget to cease the marketing and sale of the figure since Apple never gave out any type of permission for use of Apple’s copyrights and trademarks.

So unfortunately if you were hoping for a new bit of inspiration to add to your cubicle desktop, you’ll have to shelve those hopes for now.  But as TUAW points out, hopefully maybe once Apple sees the demand for this, maybe, just maybe, they’ll create a version of their own.

Follow this article’s author, Matthew Tilmann on Twitter

(Image courtesy of TUAW)

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Attention Mac Gamers: The wait is over. Civilization V is now available! Thanks to the game porting magicians at Aspyr, Sid Meier’s latest creation is now available in all of its turn-based empire building glory. No matter whether you’re an old hand at the game or new to its addictive turn-based gameplay, the latest iteration of the Civilization franchise has something for everyone. With streamlined city and civics management options, a refined technology tree and a fresh-faced combat system, the game is a strategy gamer’s dream come true.

So, what are you waiting for? You can snag your copy of Civilization V from GameAgent or Steam. Speaking of Steam, it looks as though as with many of the service’s other offerings, if you’ve already purchased Civilization V for Windows, you’re able to download the Mac version free of charge.

Follow this article’s author, Seamus Bellamy on Twitter

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iOS device users gained access to some pretty awesome perks yesterday when iOS 4.2 became available for download. iPad owners were finally rewarded by Apple for their patience with AirPlay, Wireless Printing and of course, multitasking. If you’re an iPhone user, you may have noticed a few new perks as well. However, it would appear that Apple also threw in a whole bag of awesome that they’ve kept on the down low.

As part of the testing of Safari and JavaScript he’d been doing for an upcoming project, mobile web development guru Maximilano Fritman found that Apple has baked a few new tricks into Mobile Safari, including accelerometer and gyroscope support, updated HTML 5 form support, the ability to support new JavaScript data types and enhanced SVG/Canvas support. What does it all mean? In simple english, how iOS device users interact with the internet is about to get a whole lot closer to what they experience when browsing the web from their computers. Better still, thanks to the accelerometer and gyroscope built in to late model iOS devices, you’ll be able to interact with mobile Safari simply by changing your device’s orientation.

That’s pretty sweet.

Follow this article’s author, Seamus Bellamy on Twitter

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If you happen to be in the Indianapolis area between now and the end of the year, you might want to stop by the Renaissance Fine Art & Design Gallery — they’re featuring an exhibition of rock ’n roll photographer Harry Sandler’s images, which were all captured using the iPhone 4.

Allusions of Reality is the name of photographer Harry Sandler’s exhibition, which features images from his frequent travels to various parts of the world. Of interest to Apple fans is the fact that Sandler captured and processed all of the images in this gallery using his iPhone 4 and a variety of apps straight from the App Store.

Sandler’s gallery show includes images from such locales as Iceland, Spain, Scotland, Canada and numerous points across the United States, stretching from New York City to Santa Monica — and all points in between. The images feature spontaneous “snapshots” of life taken through the iPhone 4, which the photographer compares to the first Polaroid camera his father gave him at age six.

“The iPhone is eerily reminiscent of that first Polaroid,” Sandler explained. “A virtual camera and darkroom in your pocket. Only now with the advent of iPhone 4 applications, one can alter the image to suit that internal vision. It also allows me to push the rules and add my own touch to each and every image — right there on the spot. Additionally, I enjoy the ability to post the images instantly on various platforms on the World Wide Web and gain instant feedback from around the world.”

Sandler isn’t just any guy who bought an iPhone 4 and decided to take up photography — he’s a rock ’n roll photographer with impressive credits for the likes of Rolling Stone and Circus magazines to his name. In addition to serving as a Film and Video Producer and Tour Manager, Sandler has worked with some of the biggest names in showbiz, including Barbara Streisand, John Mellencamp, The Eagles, Billy Joel, Jewel, Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Nicks.

Harry Sandler’s Allusions of Reality exhibition is running through December 31, 2010 at the Renaissance Fine Art & Design Gallery located at 246 Main Street West in Carmel, Indiana (located in the Carmel Arts & Design District). Daily exhibition hours are from 6 pm to 10 pm each day, and admission is free. Sandler’s work is also joined by Miami-based friend and fellow photographer Barbara M. Ventura and her Majesty Unfolding gallery.

For more information or directions to the exhibition, please call the gallery direct at 317-506-8477. In the meantime, enjoy a few samples of Sandler’s iPhone 4 imagery right here on MacLife.com and head to Sandler’s website for more of his work.

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

(Images courtesy of Harry Sandler and Andy Wilson, Copyright © Harry Sandler Productions, Used by Permission)

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We brought it to you yesterday about something being in the air as far as a potential collaboration between News Corp and Apple in regard to an iPad news app.  This seems to be gaining some traction as a new report has the app set to be revealed on December 9.

According to John Gruber, both Rupert Murdoch and Steve Jobs would be in attendance at the possible event.  “This is not going to be a quiet launch,” Gruber notes, saying that it would be iPad-only at first.

Apple has oft been talked about to be developing an actual dedicated newsstand app for the iPad, but the Daily would still start off as your traditional third-party app.  Where does Apple play in this?  Their contribution would revolve around a billing change to be able to allow subscriptions in iTunes.  The structure of it isn’t known just yet, but it would be built into iOS, not just the accounting system.

As Electronista points out, how this would work without an update to iOS isn’t known just yet either, but perhaps Apple would allow News Corp some early access to APIs or even a temporary free publication until the plan would go into effect.  As mentioned yesterday, the possible pricing plan is said to be 99 cents per week.

Most know that publishers have been knocking on Cupertino’s door asking for them to adapt its business model for magazines, newspapers as well as other periodicals because they believe the current pricing structure just isn’t cutting it. 

Follow this article’s author, Matthew Tilmann on Twitter

(Image courtesy of topnews.us)

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With Black Friday and Cyber Monday drawing nigh, it can never hurt to have another resource to help you score the best deals on the best gifts, right?  Amazon released a new iPhone app today called Price Check, that gives you a new way to go about comparison shopping.

The new app lets users scan the barcode of a product, take a picture of an item or even say the product’s name to be able to access product listings on Amazon.com’s marketplace.  If a user happens to get a match on Amazon’s site, they can then go ahead and purchase it with one click.  But not only will a barcode scan give you pricing from Amazon.com, but other online retailers as well.

Another feature is that you can use the app to take a picture of an item and match it up to books, DVDs, CDs and video games (Amazon’s planning on adding even more categories soon). 

By default, the app will display prices sorted from low to high and will even give you a heads up if you can score free shipping.  The company says that Price Check gives prices on “millions of products” and gives access to customer reviews; sharing via Twitter, Facebook, text message or e-mail link; and immediate purchasing through 1-Click ordering and Amazon Prime.

via TechCrunch

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With the shadow of the holiday season looming close, the thoughts of Mac|Life’s editorial staff and stable of writers have turned to thoughts of family, good times, great food and what the heck to buy for the gamer who has everything. While picking up an A-list title for a Mac or console of choice can be touch and go, depending on the tastes of the gamer in your life, casual games of a certain quality are always sure to please. With this in mind, we’re sure that you’ll be thrilled to hear that Pop Cap, makers of some of the finest casual games to be had on any platform or device, is holding a holiday sale, slashing the cost of their maddeningly addictive casual games for Mac and Windows machines by 50%.

All 48 of Pop Cap’s Mac compatible creations are up for grabs at half their regular price until January 3rd 2011, and can be tried on for size before you decide whether or not to buy them. If you or the gamer you love are one of the hard done by few that haven’t yet had the privileged of playing some Peggle or Plants vs. Zombies, this is your chance!

Follow this article’s author, Seamus Bellamy on Twitter

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