The 404 1,193: Where we take the number 2 train (podcast)
Welcome to today's show, where we're finally analyzing the food photography trend for what it is, with the help of this article in the New York Times that profiles restaurateur David Bouley and the creative tactics he's come up with to stop the dining room distractions.The way we see it, the problem with food photography is that we've collectively lost our shame and sense of subtlety when it comes time to dine. Instead of snapping a quick 3-second iPhone pic, we've seen folks stand on chairs, use tripods with a giant dSLR, and even ask the restaurant to adjust the ceiling lights to suit the mood of the picture.The fact is that there's really no better way to prove you're eating above your budget than to take a picture of it. Argue all you want, it's just a tacky move and plenty of restaurants agree. Check out today's show to hear some places are doing to avoid the awkwardness.We'll also talk about a story from Jim Romanesko's blog about an on-air news reporter in Rochester that took a stand and refused to let WHAM-TV's parent company take control of her personal Twitter accounts.The reporter, Rachel Barnhart, asserts that a reporter's relationship with her followers is part of her personal brand, and should be treated such. Just as Sinclair Broadcasting doesn't own her life outside of work, she should be given carte blanche over her social-media profiles too.Finally, we'll end with a story about Atari filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy.Atari is still paying off its $27 million debt to BlueBay Asset Management five years after Infogrames Entertainment bought the company in 2008, and the NY-based branch is eager to maintain their independence from their parent company. We'll finish off the show reminiscing about the faux wood-paneling on the original Atari 2600 and cap it off with a few listener voicemails.Episode 1193PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe:iTunes (HD) |Â iTunes (SD) |Â iTunes (HQ) |Â iTunes (MP3) RSS (HD) |Â RSS (SD) |Â RSS (HQ) |Â RSS (MP3)Â Follow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff Bakalar
Kindle app update brings some Kindle Fire features to iPads
Kindle app update brings some Kindle Fire features to iPads
For any iPad owner who's seen those spiffy-looking magazines and newspapers on Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet and thought, "Hey, why don't my magazines and newspapers look this spiffy?", here's good news: Amazon just rolled out a Kindle app update that adds rich magazine and newspaper viewing to the iPad, among other things.Kindle 2.9 for iOS offers several appreciable changes, and not just for the iPad. For example, iPhone and iPod Touch users will also notice a new scrolling menu atop their library; it lets you sort your view between books, magazines, and documents.Also, you can now e-mail documents to your Send-to-Kindle address for quick and easy viewing on your iWhatever. (Those documents will also reside in Amazon's cloud so you can redownload them to other devices.)In addition, Amazon has built in a PDF reader, which you can use not just for documents linked to your Kindle account, but also for PDFs that come from the Web, iTunes, and e-mail. The reader supports tables of contents and thumbnail navigation.But it's definitely iPad users who clean up with this update. Like the Kindle Fire, the iPad can now tap more than 400 magazines and newspapers, all of them displayed in full color, just like the paper editions.And good news for students: the new iPad app supports print-replica textbooks, which can be purchased or rented (at considerable savings). According to Amazon, "print replica textbooks maintain the rich formatting and layout of the print editions, with features including notes and highlights, zoom and pan, linked table of contents, and Whispersync of notes, highlights, and last page read."Kindle 2.9 is available now. As always, it's free, though obviously most Kindle content is not.
For any iPad owner who's seen those spiffy-looking magazines and newspapers on Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet and thought, "Hey, why don't my magazines and newspapers look this spiffy?", here's good news: Amazon just rolled out a Kindle app update that adds rich magazine and newspaper viewing to the iPad, among other things.Kindle 2.9 for iOS offers several appreciable changes, and not just for the iPad. For example, iPhone and iPod Touch users will also notice a new scrolling menu atop their library; it lets you sort your view between books, magazines, and documents.Also, you can now e-mail documents to your Send-to-Kindle address for quick and easy viewing on your iWhatever. (Those documents will also reside in Amazon's cloud so you can redownload them to other devices.)In addition, Amazon has built in a PDF reader, which you can use not just for documents linked to your Kindle account, but also for PDFs that come from the Web, iTunes, and e-mail. The reader supports tables of contents and thumbnail navigation.But it's definitely iPad users who clean up with this update. Like the Kindle Fire, the iPad can now tap more than 400 magazines and newspapers, all of them displayed in full color, just like the paper editions.And good news for students: the new iPad app supports print-replica textbooks, which can be purchased or rented (at considerable savings). According to Amazon, "print replica textbooks maintain the rich formatting and layout of the print editions, with features including notes and highlights, zoom and pan, linked table of contents, and Whispersync of notes, highlights, and last page read."Kindle 2.9 is available now. As always, it's free, though obviously most Kindle content is not.
Apple's mobile-advertising VP departing
Apple's mobile-advertising VP departing
Apple's vice president of mobile advertising for Apple's iAd platform is leaving the company.Andy Miller, who joined Apple with the company's acquisition of Quattro Wireless, is leaving to become a general partner at venture firm Highland Capital. That's the same firm that helped fund Quattro Wireless, the advertising company that Miller was the co-founder and CEO of, the report notes. An Apple spokesman confirmed that Miller plans to leave the company, though did not provide additional details on his departure.Miller's departure, which was first reported by AllThingsD, comes at a time when the company's advertising efforts are still in their infancy. Apple bought Quattro Wireless in January 2010 for a reported $275 million. Just months before, rival Google purchased Quattro competitor AdMob in a deal worth nearly three times as much. Apple proceeded to shut down Quattro Wireless in September of last year, shifting its focus to iAd, the company's first-party advertising platform it launched in April 2010.Last month, Apple began offering advertising firms a way to make large iAd buys that could then be doled out to companies at a lower volume than what Apple sells directly--a move designed to make the service more approachable to advertisers that wanted to run smaller campaigns. On the flip side of that, the company has shrugged off the inclusion of advertising of any sort on its Web properties, notably its iCloud service, which is set to launch this fall. Updated at 11:32 a.m. PT with Apple's confirmation of Miller's departure.
Apple's vice president of mobile advertising for Apple's iAd platform is leaving the company.Andy Miller, who joined Apple with the company's acquisition of Quattro Wireless, is leaving to become a general partner at venture firm Highland Capital. That's the same firm that helped fund Quattro Wireless, the advertising company that Miller was the co-founder and CEO of, the report notes. An Apple spokesman confirmed that Miller plans to leave the company, though did not provide additional details on his departure.Miller's departure, which was first reported by AllThingsD, comes at a time when the company's advertising efforts are still in their infancy. Apple bought Quattro Wireless in January 2010 for a reported $275 million. Just months before, rival Google purchased Quattro competitor AdMob in a deal worth nearly three times as much. Apple proceeded to shut down Quattro Wireless in September of last year, shifting its focus to iAd, the company's first-party advertising platform it launched in April 2010.Last month, Apple began offering advertising firms a way to make large iAd buys that could then be doled out to companies at a lower volume than what Apple sells directly--a move designed to make the service more approachable to advertisers that wanted to run smaller campaigns. On the flip side of that, the company has shrugged off the inclusion of advertising of any sort on its Web properties, notably its iCloud service, which is set to launch this fall. Updated at 11:32 a.m. PT with Apple's confirmation of Miller's departure.
Apple's mea culpa works wonders in China
Apple's mea culpa works wonders in China
Apple CEO Tim Cook's apology to China over his company's warranty apology seems to have succeeded in reducing tension with the Chinese government.Global Times, a state-run media outlet in China, today wrote that Apple's "apology letter has eased the situation, softening the tense relationship between Apple and the Chinese market," according to Reuters, which was first to report on the statement. The Global Times also said that Apple's apology was "worth respect."Tim Cook yesterday issued an apology, saying his company was sorry for the lack of communication on its warranty policies. Cook also promised a new repair policy for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, new explanation pages to make it clearer what's covered under its warranty and what's not, and more training and policing of Apple Authorized Service Providers doing repairs.Apple had been facing criticism over its warrantiesfor weeks. State-run media outlets were targeting the company over its warranty policies, but Apple had argued that it was following all local laws and regulations. After Apple declined to be interviewed by state-run media, however, the company was called arrogant, and speculation rose that the country's commerce watchdog, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, might move in.For now, though, it appears that the apology and promises of fixes have addressed China's concerns. They also underscore just how important China has become to Apple -- the company has consistently said it's the second-largest market for its business -- and how powerful the Chinese government is.
Apple CEO Tim Cook's apology to China over his company's warranty apology seems to have succeeded in reducing tension with the Chinese government.Global Times, a state-run media outlet in China, today wrote that Apple's "apology letter has eased the situation, softening the tense relationship between Apple and the Chinese market," according to Reuters, which was first to report on the statement. The Global Times also said that Apple's apology was "worth respect."Tim Cook yesterday issued an apology, saying his company was sorry for the lack of communication on its warranty policies. Cook also promised a new repair policy for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, new explanation pages to make it clearer what's covered under its warranty and what's not, and more training and policing of Apple Authorized Service Providers doing repairs.Apple had been facing criticism over its warrantiesfor weeks. State-run media outlets were targeting the company over its warranty policies, but Apple had argued that it was following all local laws and regulations. After Apple declined to be interviewed by state-run media, however, the company was called arrogant, and speculation rose that the country's commerce watchdog, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, might move in.For now, though, it appears that the apology and promises of fixes have addressed China's concerns. They also underscore just how important China has become to Apple -- the company has consistently said it's the second-largest market for its business -- and how powerful the Chinese government is.
Apple's market cap tops $600 billion
Apple's market cap tops $600 billion
Apple's market capitalization crossed the $600 billion mark earlier today, setting a record for the company and nearing that of one of its biggest rivals.Shares of the company's stock reached $644 in intraday trading. Per Dow Jones, the stock needs to close above $643.52 to reach the magic $600 billion number. Market capitalization is defined as the value of shares times the number of shares outstanding. Apple passed previous market cap champ Exxon on that metric last year, and is now nearing the $619 billion market cap record set by rival Microsoft on December 30, 1999. The record for the company comes a little more than a month after Apple's market cap hit $500 billion, and weeks after the company announced plans to tap its $100 billion cash pile to pay a dividend to investors, as well as buy back $10 billion worth of company stock over the next three years. As mighty as $600 billion is, this could just be a stop along the way according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. In a note to investors this time last week, Munster said that shares of Apple would hit $1,000 a pop in 2014, bringing the company's market cap to "roughly" $1 trillion. That was based on the firm's confidence in Apple being able to continue to sell its mobile devices -- specifically the iPhone -- in markets around the world.Related storiesSky's the limit: Analyst says Apple could be worth $1 trillionApple sets earnings news for April 24Apple reports its fiscal second-quarter earnings on April 24, which will offer a more complete tally on sales of the latest iPad, which was released last month, as well as a progress report on iPhone sales since the iPhone 4S was launched in additional countries.
Apple's market capitalization crossed the $600 billion mark earlier today, setting a record for the company and nearing that of one of its biggest rivals.Shares of the company's stock reached $644 in intraday trading. Per Dow Jones, the stock needs to close above $643.52 to reach the magic $600 billion number. Market capitalization is defined as the value of shares times the number of shares outstanding. Apple passed previous market cap champ Exxon on that metric last year, and is now nearing the $619 billion market cap record set by rival Microsoft on December 30, 1999. The record for the company comes a little more than a month after Apple's market cap hit $500 billion, and weeks after the company announced plans to tap its $100 billion cash pile to pay a dividend to investors, as well as buy back $10 billion worth of company stock over the next three years. As mighty as $600 billion is, this could just be a stop along the way according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. In a note to investors this time last week, Munster said that shares of Apple would hit $1,000 a pop in 2014, bringing the company's market cap to "roughly" $1 trillion. That was based on the firm's confidence in Apple being able to continue to sell its mobile devices -- specifically the iPhone -- in markets around the world.Related storiesSky's the limit: Analyst says Apple could be worth $1 trillionApple sets earnings news for April 24Apple reports its fiscal second-quarter earnings on April 24, which will offer a more complete tally on sales of the latest iPad, which was released last month, as well as a progress report on iPhone sales since the iPhone 4S was launched in additional countries.
Apple's Maps makes its way to OS X Mavericks
Apple's Maps makes its way to OS X Mavericks
Apple has updated its Maps application to work on the Mac, the company announced Monday at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.The company's platform will be built into Apple's new operating system, OS X Mavericks. Information from the Mac's Maps can be sent to an iPhone for access on that device. Developers also can bundle the software's features, thanks to a software development kit, into their own OS X apps.Apple launched Maps last year with iOS 6. The application was designed to replace Google Maps as Apple's built-in mapping application. Soon after users got their hands on it, though, they found it lacking in accuracy, overall usability, and feature set.Apple soon after apologized for Maps' issues, saying that it would do a better job of delivering the software. In the meantime, Apple suggested that users try out the many other mapping applications already available on the platform through the App Store.More from WWDCMeet iTunes Radio, Apple's long-awaited streaming music service CNET Editors' Take: Apple's Pandora-like streaming radio service is finally here Apple gives the iPhone a user interface face-lift with iOS 7 Editors' Take: iOS 7 gets a new look and several new features The fresh new look of Apple iOS 7 (pictures) Apple unveils new MacBook Air, gives Mac Pro sneak peek Editors' Take: Apple updates MacBook Air New MacBook Air boasts all-day battery life (pictures) Editors' Take: A bold new look for the Mac Pro desktop Mac Pro sneak peek (pictures) Editors' Take: Apple Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks Getting to know Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks (pictures) WWDC 2013: Full coverage
Apple has updated its Maps application to work on the Mac, the company announced Monday at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.The company's platform will be built into Apple's new operating system, OS X Mavericks. Information from the Mac's Maps can be sent to an iPhone for access on that device. Developers also can bundle the software's features, thanks to a software development kit, into their own OS X apps.Apple launched Maps last year with iOS 6. The application was designed to replace Google Maps as Apple's built-in mapping application. Soon after users got their hands on it, though, they found it lacking in accuracy, overall usability, and feature set.Apple soon after apologized for Maps' issues, saying that it would do a better job of delivering the software. In the meantime, Apple suggested that users try out the many other mapping applications already available on the platform through the App Store.More from WWDCMeet iTunes Radio, Apple's long-awaited streaming music service CNET Editors' Take: Apple's Pandora-like streaming radio service is finally here Apple gives the iPhone a user interface face-lift with iOS 7 Editors' Take: iOS 7 gets a new look and several new features The fresh new look of Apple iOS 7 (pictures) Apple unveils new MacBook Air, gives Mac Pro sneak peek Editors' Take: Apple updates MacBook Air New MacBook Air boasts all-day battery life (pictures) Editors' Take: A bold new look for the Mac Pro desktop Mac Pro sneak peek (pictures) Editors' Take: Apple Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks Getting to know Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks (pictures) WWDC 2013: Full coverage
Apple's maps app 'sent Google scrambling,' report claims
Apple's maps app 'sent Google scrambling,' report claims
For those hoping Google had a version of its maps application on standby in the event that Apple's own maps app shipped, a new report suggests otherwise.Citing two people familiar with the matter, The Verge says Google was caught flat-footed by the news that Apple would be rolling out its own mapping software, in part because there was still more than a year of mapping service as part of the agreement between the two companies.As a result, the report claims, Google has been "scrambling" to finish a replacement Google Maps application but the app is "several months" out. The report sharply counters claims that Google already submitted a finished version of its own, standalone maps application for iOS and was waiting on approval from Apple. It also matches up with a report from The Guardian last night saying that a replacement app from Google was still very much a work in progress.CNET has reached out to Google for more information and will update this post when we know more. So far the company has not said much of anything about its plans to bring its software back to iOS, short of some comments made earlier today by Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, saying Apple should have kept using Google's technology instead of switching to its own. Apple debuted its own maps technology at its annual developers conference in June, and shipped it to users as part of iOS 6 last week. While the on-stage demos were quite impressive, many users have found the newer version of the software, which uses various Apple and third-party mapping data, to be underwhelming or inaccurate when compared with Google's offering. Apple, meanwhile,has said its data will improve with time and more real-world use.Are we there yet? More iOS 6 maps problems...See full gallery1 - 4 / 12NextPrev
For those hoping Google had a version of its maps application on standby in the event that Apple's own maps app shipped, a new report suggests otherwise.Citing two people familiar with the matter, The Verge says Google was caught flat-footed by the news that Apple would be rolling out its own mapping software, in part because there was still more than a year of mapping service as part of the agreement between the two companies.As a result, the report claims, Google has been "scrambling" to finish a replacement Google Maps application but the app is "several months" out. The report sharply counters claims that Google already submitted a finished version of its own, standalone maps application for iOS and was waiting on approval from Apple. It also matches up with a report from The Guardian last night saying that a replacement app from Google was still very much a work in progress.CNET has reached out to Google for more information and will update this post when we know more. So far the company has not said much of anything about its plans to bring its software back to iOS, short of some comments made earlier today by Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, saying Apple should have kept using Google's technology instead of switching to its own. Apple debuted its own maps technology at its annual developers conference in June, and shipped it to users as part of iOS 6 last week. While the on-stage demos were quite impressive, many users have found the newer version of the software, which uses various Apple and third-party mapping data, to be underwhelming or inaccurate when compared with Google's offering. Apple, meanwhile,has said its data will improve with time and more real-world use.Are we there yet? More iOS 6 maps problems...See full gallery1 - 4 / 12NextPrev
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