"Security Hole Could Affect All iPhones: The popular Apple iPhone smartphone may be at risk from a security vulnerability that affects even those models that haven't been hacked, or 'jailbroken,' according to new findings from a Swiss software engineer." eSecurity Planet 9:15 AM
"Apple's Game Changer, Downloading Now" New York Times [Free Registration Required] 4:12 PM
"What Apple's LaLa Acquisition May Mean for iTunes" PC World 4:16 PM
"Apple offers statement on LaLa.com deal" 9 to 5 Mac 6:29 PM
"Sharing music on iTunes should be easier than it is" Seattle Times 9:07 AM
"Phone Giant Beset by 'iHogs': For AT&T, the iPhone is both a dream -- and a nightmare." Barron's 10:15 AM
"Apple's Odd Double-Talk About Psystar" Betanews 9:03 AM
"Apple Acquires Lala Media: Apple Inc. acquired online music company Lala Media Inc., possibly signaling an expansion of the computer giant's music strategy." WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 12/4
"Apple Strikes Deal to Buy the Music Start-Up Lala: In the most recent sign that Apple is looking at alternative ways for people to store and play their digital music, the company has agreed to buy Lala, a four-year-old start-up based in Palo Alto, Calif., a person with knowledge of the deal said Friday." New York Times [Free Registration Required] 12/4
"Apple in 'advanced' acquisition talks with Lala" CNET News 12/4
"Apple Said to Be in Talks to Buy Music Service Lala" Bloomberg 12/4
"Apple clears first hurdle in bid for new Cupertino campus" ["The planning commission has unanimously voted on Monday to rezone the high-tech company's property on Pruneridge to planned development industrial and residential, clearing the first hurdle for the construction of a new campus there."] Cupertino Courier 12/4
"Apple wins key permission for second Cupertino campus" 9 to 5 Mac 12/4
"Apple Isn't Hungry Enough to Need Verizon" MacNewsWorld 12/4
"Adobe warns of zero-day bug in Illustrator: A potential zero-day security flaw has been found in Adobe's Illustrator software that could allow an attacker to execute malicious code on a user's system." ZDNet UK 12/4
"Setting up my parents with a new mini, I've recently spent some time shopping for and testing iSight alternative webcams for iChat." MacInTouch 1:08 PM
"Our searchable, sortable Snow Leopard Compatibility List gets 44 new updates and additions today, including BackJack, Bean, Camino, Dialectic, Dropbox, iDefrag, LAMA, Klicko, Live, Logitech Control Center, M-Audio, Paperless, Portfolio Server, SafariStand, SyncTogether, and WattWenn. (The current list includes 1365 entries in total.)" MacInTouch 12/4
"DNS security and performance considerations, and ISP alternatives" CNET Reviews 12/4
"How to: Safari running slow? Try using Google Public DNS" Mac.Blorge 9:23 PM
"Yes, you can delete artwork, but you must select the songs you wish to affect and select 'Clear Downloaded Artwork', and that will delete items from the iTunes artwork folder (these objects are not 'embedded' in the music file). You can also select songs, check the 'artwork' checkbox and save the changes." MacInTouch 1:08 PM
"I want to echo Bob Parks' experience with Eneloop batteries. I highly recommend trying them with your mouse." MacInTouch 1:10 PM
"PDFpen 4.5: A useful and feature-laden PDF editing tool" Macworld 12/4
"ShareTool extends Bonjour over the 'net" Macworld 12/4
"How To Organize Your Comic Books On A Mac" Mac360 12/4
"Humyo review: Can another cross-platform online storage tool make an impact in this already crowded market?" Macworld UK 12/4
"Macsimum Migration Kit: Information organizing software for Mac OS X, part II" Macsimum News 12/4
"10.6: Create a Service to copy a file path URL to the clipboard" Mac OS X Hints 12/4
"Install Windows98 in VirtualPC 7 on an OS X 10.5 PowerPC" Mac OS X Hints 12/4
"Minimize windows in slow motion via hot screen corner" Mac OS X Hints 12/4
"Convert non-clickable links to clickable links" Mac OS X Hints 12/4
Op/Ed
"Attention Apple legal: Kuhgar tries selling Dell Mini 10v preloaded with Mac OS X Snow Leopard: Get ready, Kuhgar, Apple's likely to go all Psystar on your ass in 10, 9, 8..." MacDailyNews 12/4
"Chrome for Mac coming any day (or hour) now" ZDNet Blogs 12/4
"Still more feature requests for Mac OS X 10.7" Macsimum News 12/4
"Ted Landau's User Friendly Blog: USB Feature Returns to FileApp" The Mac Observer 12/4
Press Releases
"Camino 2.0.1 updates Gecko engine, squashes bugs" FairerPlatform 11:47 AM
"Kuhgar stops selling Dell Mini 10v preloaded with Apple's Mac OS X Snow Leopard" MacDailyNews 10:30 AM
"Dare to be Creative Ltd. has announced the release of Sponge 1.3, an update to its system clean and optimization tool for Mac OS X." prMac 9:52 AM
"Stampers/The ACP currently has four 'stamping' utilities: Rixmode, Rixstamp, Xstamp, and newcomer Xstat. Here's a bit about them and how they work." Rixstep 12/4
"apple and google sued over icon issue" Tech Jackal 12:22 PM
"IPhone sales delayed on S. Korean bases: The iPhone arrived a week ago in South Korea to great fanfare and enthusiasm, but U.S. servicemembers will have to wait awhile before the phones are available at military bases on the peninsula." Stars and Stripes 6:31 PM
"What's On Phil Schiller's iPhone?" New York Times [Free Registration Required] 9:47 PM
"Student orchestra with iPhones for instruments: Smartphone now so powerful it can replace parts of the real world" TechRadar UK 9:09 AM
"Analyst says Apple Tablet is a go for 2010: An Apple Tablet is a 'no-brainer,' said IDC chief analyst Frank Gens." Christian Science Monitor 12/4
"Forget the iPod: the iPhone orchestra really makes music mobile" The Guardian 12/4
"Apple tablet heading for January release: Will we see a 7-inch Apple tablet early next year?" T3 12/4
"Time Inc demos Mac Tablet friendly version of Sports Illustrated" Macworld UK 12/4
"Apple's App Store police relent on hardware images" The Register 12/4
"Jailbroken: Prison Officers Caught Smuggling iPods into Jail" Wired 12/4
"Headphone buying guide (2009): Improve your listening experience with the perfect pair of headphones." Macworld 12/4
"2009 Gear Guide video short: Pillow talk" Macworld 12/4
"10 iPhone apps for the holidays that sparkle: Whether it's football, flight tracking or shopping, these programs shine" [Slideshow] PC World 12/4
Non-Apple News
"Avid Technology cutting another 120 employees" Boston Globe [Free Registration Required] 10:00 AM
"EtherPad Shuts Down after Google Acquisition" TidBITS 12/4
"Man 'beats' World of Warcraft: A Taiwanese man has become the first person to finish nearly everything in the popular online game World of Warcraft, according to an online report." Stuff: New Zealand 12/4
"YouTube Goes Basic: YouTube Feather lets users with slow Internet connections to view videos." [Video Report] ABCNews 12/4
"Google Updates Android SDK: The refreshed software developer's kit comes as the operating system is beginning to pick up steam with wireless carriers and handset makers." InformationWeek 12/4
"Google Gmail keyboard - the Gboard: Gmail has long had keyboard shortcuts, though learning them can be difficult. Enter the Gboard, a specialized mini-keyboard for Google's e-mail service. It debuts this Friday at an asking price of $19.99." CNET News 12/4
"Take Two Takes it in the Teeth: Take Two Interactive was greeted with a chorus of analysts downgrades Friday after the video game shop warned that it would swing to a steep loss next year on weak sales." TheStreet 12/4
"AOL Chief Takes Apple Turnaround as Model to Revive Ad Sales" Bloomberg 12/4
"Lawsuit Alleges Palm Pre Violates Copyright" IDG News Service 12/4
Publications/Podcasts
"The MacReviewCast #232: Dexin Bluepack, iCasual, New Contest!" SurfBits 12:59 PM
"Apple Context Machine Podcast: ACM 159: Psystar, New iPhones, & App Store Predictions" The Mac Observer 12/4
"MyMac Podcast 269 - Tim's Last Show Part II" MyMac Magazine 12/4
"Rob Walch of Wizzard Media Discusses the iPhone, Their Podcast Support Services, and Their iPhone Apps" MacVoices 12/4
"15'' MacBook Pro Prices & Current Bundles" MacPrices 12/4
"13'' White MacBook Prices & Current Bundles" MacPrices 12/4
"iPod Classic Price Tracker... Up To $150 Off Original Price" MacReviewZone 12/4
"Apple Friendly Gift Guide... Best Selling Digital Cameras -From $103 To $4,500 -Prices, Reviews And Information" MacReviewZone 12/4
"Apple Product Friendly Gifts -Best Selling iPhone Accessories -From $2 To $195 -Prices, Reviews And Information" MacReviewZone 12/4
"Apple Friendly Gift Guide... iPod Speakers $38 To $300 -The Best iPod Speakers -Prices, Deals, Reviews And Information" MacReviewZone 12/4
"There are two new refurbished items in The US Apple Store including the 13.3-inch LED-backlit MacBook Pro 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo for $1749, the AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11n and AirTunes decreased price price by $6 to$79, 12 were restocked, 65 were unchanged, and eight were Sold Out." While Supplies Last 12/4
"Kodak EasyShare D830: The EasyShare D830''s display can be used with your own frame" Macworld 12/4
"Open source helps Western Digital prioritize product features: Thanks to open source freedom, Western Digital's MyBook World Edition is a better choice than Apple Time Capsule for home backup" InfoWorld 12/4
"Genius MousePen i608: Genius' MousePen i608 graphics tablet offers more real estate for less money" Macworld 12/4
"Is Apple the Mobile Walmart?" Hello Mobile! 6:24 PM
"Mac Gift Guide: 10 Buying Ideas for Apple Fans" Mashable 4:18 PM
"Week in Apple: streaming video on the iPhone, new Handbrake, and more/Ars recaps the biggest news from Apple land, including new Mac Pros, Steve Jobs intervening to get an iPhone app approved, the arrival of DVD-ripping tool Handbrake, and more." Ars Technica 4:17 PM
"Sports Illustrated Tablet Concept Video (Oh Hai Apple!): Sports Illustrated has thrown their hat into the ring of media properties racing their content towards a tablet (or mythical iTablet) delivery system for the future." iPhone Hill 9:50 AM
"Is a Windows Machine Less Expensive than an iMac?" Applepeels 9:50 AM
"iTunes gifts Blighty 12 freebies of Christmas" The Register 9:10 AM
"Apple move suggests streaming for iTunes: Acquisition of cloud-specialist Lala could be a game-changer" TechRadar UK 9:08 AM
"Verizon customer should consider iPod Touch as substitute for iPhone" Monterey Herald 9:06 AM
"New Verizon DROID ad implies that the iPhone is for girls." The Raw Feed 12:42 PM
"New Droid commercial ironically lambasts iPhone for being pretty and all about style" Edible Apple 8:36 AM
"An iPhone Can Make Music, But Is It Art?" New York Times [Free Registration Required] 12/4
"Android, iPhone, BlackBerry: Which OS is best for app development? Every operating system has different strengths and weaknesses, sometimes making it daunting for developers of mobile apps" Network World 12/4
"Cheering Gap-tards Bash Apple iStuff In Latest Ad" iPhone Savior 12/4
Non-Apple
"Test Bench: Outsmarting the iPhone/Alternatives to the iconic Apple mobile do exist: these five all beat it in at least one respect" Times Online, UK 4:17 PM
"Analyst: Nokia and Palm a match made in smartphone heaven" PreCentral 12/4
"Will gadget revolutionize our reading habits? Author Jeff Vande Zande was pleased when his latest book reached a digital milestone - it 'went Kindle,' formatted as an electronic book for Amazon.com's portable e-reader." San Francisco Chronicle 12/4
"PC Advisor Christmas 2009 IT buyers' guide: The perfect technology gifts to buy for everyone" PC Advisor UK 12/4
"Real or Hoax? Photos of Unreleased Motorola Phone Appear: Leaked photos of a purported Motorola Android phone show an 8-megapixel camera and 3.8-inch screen." PC World 12/4
"Sneak Peek: Nokia's Symbian OS Upgrade" PC World 12/4
"Why Open Source Phones Still Fail: Free software is all about the unexpected. Carriers hate the unexpected." PC Magazine 12/4
"Printer Math: Why a $100 Cartridge Can Be Cheaper than a $50 Cartridge/Forget about ink volume and cartridge prices. Focusing on a printer's cost per page will give you a much better idea of its running costs." PC Magazine 12/4
"10 nontech gadgets IT pros can't live without: IT professionals need a lot more than a computer and a smartphone to get their jobs done. Here are 10 mostly nontech tools they can't function without" [Slideshow] CIO 12/4
"Google Public DNS: But Is It Safe?" InternetNews 12/4
"Panelists question fabless model viability" EE Times 12/4
"The Seventh Annual Churchill Club GadgetFest: Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg host the seventh annual gadget show for the Churchill Club in Silicon Valley with celeb geeks from Facebook." [Video Report] MarketWatch 12/4
Humor/Cartoons
"A Romance Flowchart: When Is It Inappropriate to Use Your iPhone?" Gizmodo 6:33 PM
"Steve Ballmer legally changes his name to 'Steve Jobs' [Spoof] Edible Apple 12/4
"New '6 Degrees' Netflix iPhone Application" Hacking NetFlix 6:33 PM
"Save Benjis+ 1.1 Released: Save Benjis+ 1.1 has an even better bar code reader. It uses an active scanner which doesn't require an extra tap, and works even better with the original iPhone, the iPhone 3G, and the iPhone 3GS." Sol Robots 1:53 PM
"CAZE announces iPhone case 21 Days of Giveaway for Christmas" MacMegasite 12:53 PM
"Mac games: Hearts of Iron III/It's the weekend and there are better things to do than Christmas shopping, like play a new and highly immersive World War II real-time strategy game that puts you in command of everything from factories to diplomacy to managing the biggest battles of the biggest war ever." FairerPlatform 10:30 AM
"ThinkFlood Launches RedEye Universal Remote Control System for iPhone and iPod touch" Automated Home 10:16 AM
"iFunia launches 2009 Holiday Sale for Mac Users" prMac 10:04 AM
"MacMall offers special 'Blowout Sale' Mac deals: iMac and MacBook Pro starting at $1099.99" MacDailyNews 9:56 AM
"Kitty Code Releases Traveler's Quest Game For The iPhone" prMac 9:54 AM
"Cyclists Now Use Interactive Route Descriptions on their iPod Classics: TimeStream Software, along with River City Bicycles, has announced the new "Rubber to the Road" Notescast(R) for the iPod Classic, iPod Video and iPod nano." prMac 9:53 AM
"Sparkz Dock Projector for iPhone and iPod" UberGizmo 9:16 AM
"Adult Swim slices Santa apart on the iPhone OS" Norfolk Examiner 9:12 AM
"FastMac TruePower UCS Power Outlet With Built-in USB Ports" iTech News Net 9:11 AM
"DLO WallDock turns any outlet into a iPhone/iPod charging dock" iTech News Net 9:11 AM
"Broken Thumbs Apps releases Santa's Run 1.1 – A Festive Game for iPhones" TechWhack 9:05 AM
"Stretch Your Holiday Dollars with the Snow Globe Maker iPhone App" prMac 9:51 AM
"Here's a fun way to create custom holiday crafts with Snow Globe Maker Winter Edition and your iPhone or iPod touch." Hawk Ridge Consulting 9:01 AM
"Dell balks at tax credits: State officials are at odds with Dell Inc. over whether Dell must repay millions of dollars in tax credits that it received as part of a massive incentives deal." Winston-Salem Journal 11:56 AM
"Dell's Limerick plant made $16.9m operating profit in year to January" Irish Times 11:59 AM
"Dell launches new mobile business unit: New unit will focus on producing mobile and other portable devices" V3 11:57 AM
"Dell Reorganizes, Creating New Mobile Device Division" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 11:59 AM
"Yahoo and Microsoft make a deal" Tech.Blorge 12:23 PM
"Google's Lesson Learned: Good News for Bing? Analysis: The recent rift between Rupert Murdoch and Google gives Microsoft an opportunity to earn the trust of Google-wary publishers." CIO 10:16 AM
"Local PC industry raving about Windows 7" Manila Bulletin 11:56 AM
"Windows 7 Family Pack Dissapears For the Holidays" Notebooks 12:26 PM
"Banfest: Microsoft Now Banning Players Over COD:MW2 Glitch" DailyTech 12:25 PM
"Taiwanese PC Maker Takes Aim at HP: One nearly given up for dead, Acer is set to steal HP's title as the world's biggest PC maker. Why it makes sense to buy on pullbacks." Barron's 11:57 AM
"Digital divide narrows, but gap remains for many" Washington Post [Free Registration Required] 4:08 PM
"Devices to Take Textbooks Beyond Text" New York Times [Free Registration Required] 6:45 PM
"Mozilla lights fire under Thunderbird: Mozilla will step up the pace of on its Thunderbird mail and communications platform next year, to re-invigorate a 'stagnant' email client scene." The Register 6:31 PM
"Iron Will deploys Peregrine gaming glove" TG Daily 4:02 PM
"Google Officially Launching Chrome Extensions Next Week" TechCrunch 6:35 PM
"Google Music Pays For Listeners On Bing" TechCrunch 4:01 PM
"Android SDK Doesn't Address Issues Faced by Developers: Google released a minor Android update with SDK 2.0.1., but it needs to provide more tools to bolster Android success." Network World 3:43 PM
"Android Posts SDK Updates, Camera Fix for Motorola Droid" eWeek 2:39 PM
"Scientists, lawyers mull effects of home robots" Associated Press 12:25 PM
"Sony add to their range of Freesat enabled LCD TV's" HDTV Org 11:46 AM
"Google Wave Pushes AppJet to Sell Out to Google" eWeek 10:05 AM
"EtherPad developers to now work on Google Wave" TechWhack 10:03 AM
"Google Chrome OS Previewed: Google's Chrome operating system is about a year away, but a tour of Chromium OS -- Chrome's publicly available open source incarnation -- reveals a lot." InformationWeek 8:48 AM
"Rambus Inc Antitrust Case Set for January" TransWorldNews 11:44 AM
"The Difference Between a Sony and Microsoft Exclusive" PS3center 12:24 PM
"Tech it out this holiday season with these gifts: Times are still tough, but there are still great eletronics at good prices out there for smart shoppers." Austin American-Statesman [Free Registration Required] 11:58 AM
"11 Chrome Extensions, For Starters" TechCrunch 10:10 AM
"Is the New Droid Ad Anti-Women and Anti-Gay or Just Plain Idiotic? Actually, All Three!" AllThingsD 9:59 AM
"Polycom Gives You Videoconferencing On A Budget: We tested three video communications systems for small and midsize businesses." InformationWeek 8:49 AM
"Analytics Brief: 5 Key Steps To Cybersecurity/Technologies like DLP, crypto, and strong access controls help lock down data." InformationWeek 8:48 AM
"What Goes Mobile? Companies are going far past standard smartphone apps, with tools to tackle specific business problems." InformationWeek 8:48 AM
"Apple Again Leads Nov Sentiment for Tech - HP, Amazon, and Google Gain" prMac 12/4
"Apple Shares Are Options on New Products: Jesup & Lamont says ultra-portable Macs could launch next year." Barron's 12/4
Industry News
"In Harmony With Technology: Nick Thakore, Manager, Putnam Voyager Fund" Barron's 2:12 PM
"Stock rally: Rest or recharge/Signs that the battered labor market is starting to heal lifted stocks last week. But with Wall Street at 14-month highs, the advance could be set to stall out." CNNMoney 2:07 PM
"For stocks, it's still all about jobs, shopping: and the Fed" MarketWatch 2:10 PM
"U.S. Stocks To Get Another Run At Jobs And Retail" Dow Jones 2:07 PM
"Retail Sales on Display in Coming Week" TheStreet 2:08 PM
"Tech Stocks: Tech stocks hang on to gains in afternoon action/Technology stocks pulled back a bit from their early highs as trading progressed into Friday afternoon, as the overall sector remained upbeat due to a broad rally spurred on by a drop in the U.S. unemployment rate." MarketWatch 12/4
"Rally Evaporates as Dollar Dwarfs Jobs Data: A triple-digit rally on the Dow vanished Friday afternoon as the best jobs report in nearly two years sent the U.S. dollar soaring and punished gold and basic materials stocks." FOXBusiness 12/4
"Stocks choppy after jobs report: Wall Street abandons bigger morning gains that followed a better-than-expected unemployment rate with the Dow hitting a new 14-month high." CNNMoney 12/4
"Dollar Rally Erases Gain in Commodities, U.S. Stocks Trim Rise" Bloomberg 12/4
"Jobs report triggers reunion of stocks and U.S. dollar" MarketWatch 12/4
"Stocks Drift After Whipsaw Moves: Stocks rebounded off afternoon lows, but are still down from session highs after jobs data bolstered the U.S. dollar and raised questions about whether interest rates will rise." TheStreet 12/4
"Dollar's Gains Undercut Stocks: Stocks struggled and other investments, including the dollar and commodities, gyrated Friday after the release of much better-than-expected jobs data." WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 12/4
"Wall Street readies for a strong rally: Futures surge on much better-than-expected unemployment report that showed the unemployment rate dropping to 10% and monthly job losses little changed." CNNMoney 12/4
"Asia Markets: Japanese automakers gear up for emission-cutting race/Analyst: Hybrid vehicles might gain edge over electric vehicles" MarketWatch 12/4
"Europe Markets: European shares jump after U.S. jobs data/EasyJet reports rise in passengers; autos advance" MarketWatch 12/4
MacSurfer Headline News Staff
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: P. Pearson
Managing & Weekday Editor: D. Mahaffy
Evening Editors: S. Siegling and
D. Mahaffy
Weekend Editors: S. Siegling , A. Spaulding and
D. Mahaffy
CEO: T. Jefferson
CFO: K. Midas
Editor Emeritus: W. Shakespeare
Writers Emeritus: W. Lewis, R. Chandler, W. Morris, G. Simenon, C. Vallejo, F. Garcia Lorca,
P. White, R. Adams, P. Valery, C. Aiken, R. Bradbury, F. Pessoa, S. Bellow, F. O'Connor
Art Directors: V. Van Gogh, C. Monet
Advertising Managers: C. Chaplin, H. Marx
Public Relations Firm: Bits & Bytes
Bomb Squad: Type 11 Errors
Chief Scientists: I. Asimov, S. Hawking
Road Crew: R. Petty, J. Cooper
Mechanics: Tom and Ray
Fishing Crew: A. Lindner, D. Stange, K. VanDam
Head Chef: Mom
Head Travel Guru: D. Pearson
Mascots: Cyberdog, Clarus the Dogcow
General Counsel: #%@*$$$$!