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Apple has struggled with the sale of counterfeit iPods, iPhones and iPads in China for years. A recent WikiLeaks report notes that the company enlisted members of Pfizer’s global security team to combat the industry of fakes. Why Pfizer? The answer should be obvious to anyone who’s received spam email within the last few years: Pfizer’s team had been tracking down counterfeit Viagra manufacturers in Asia for years.

It’s been an uphill battle for Apple and other tech manufacturers, according to a source quoted by Atlantic Wire. While the Chinese government has assisted pharmaceutical companies, the source said, the same can’t be said of requests made by the tech industry. Why? S/he offers one theory: “Whereas a defective pill could cause sickness or death, a shoddy iPod has less dire consequences.”

Philip Elmer-Dewitt has posted the body of the memo obtained by Wikileaks. It’s a compelling illustration of the thriving counterfeit market as well as Apple’s efforts with Pfizer.

Apple used Pfizer security team to root out Chinese pirates originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You can do almost everything from your iPhone, so it was only a matter of time you could clean your home with it.

LG is set to demo its iPhone-controllable Roboking VR680VMNC robaotic vacuum cleaner at IFA 2011 this week. The Roboking sports three cameras and multiple sensors, which allow it to capture video and send it back to your iPhone over your home’s Wi-Fi connection. You can then use the video to select which areas you want Roboking to clean first.

According to SlashGear, the Roboking can also act as a sort of robotic sentry, streaming live video of your home to your iPhone so you can see what’s going on while you’re away. The Roboking VR680VMNC launches in Korea this fall for the equivilant of US$800. No word on when the device starts cleaning up America.

iPhone-controlled robot vacuum transmits photos of its work originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You’ll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes, which is perfect for a quick review of what’s happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today’s Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for listening through iTunes, click here.

Daily Update for August 31, 2011 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Baseball is undergoing a digital revolution thanks to the iPad and the iPhone. Sports fans, management and even players are using the iPad to improve America’s favorite game. Fans can watch every Major League game on their phone or tablets. Managers can keep track of their rosters and players can analyze both their own performance and that of their competitors.

Companies like Baseball Info solutions have embraced this trend. The service compiles the statistics for every player in the Major Leagues and makes it available to all thirty MLB teams. Sports professionals are not alone in this move to a digital future. Recently, we took a look at Extra Innings Mobile Instructor, an app which lets coaches and parents record and analyze the technique of both hitters and pitchers.

And baseball isn’t the only sport being transformed by the iPad. Recently, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers handed out iPads to all its players and management to replace the paper-based playbook.

How the iPad is changing baseball originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dear Aunt TUAW,

Now that most of the country’s college students are going back to school, I need recommendations for note-taking software for my Mac. In the meantime, let me say, “Boo-hoo Microsoft for not making OneNote for OS X.”

Sincerely,

Kenny M

Dear Kenny,

If you’re looking for an OS X app that hits many of OneNote’s sweet spots, consider the US$39.99 Pear Note from Useful Fruit. Developer Chad Sellers tells TUAW, “Pear Note is often looked at as a more focused Mac alternative to OneNote.”

If you record lectures as you take notes, Pear Note may be the app for you. It integrates your typed notes with audio, providing many of the same kinds of note-taking features as OneNote.

Timestamps for each keystroke allow you to associate what you typed with what was being said at the same time. Just click on the text notes to jump to the point in the recording when you typed it, and start listening again to that topic.

If you plan to use an iPad and a Mac, the upcoming Pear Note for iPad will coordinate with the Mac version via Dropbox. Do recognize, though, that Pear Note is for creating notes, not organizing them.

Sellers says, “I wanted people to be able to use whatever organizational tool they like with Pear Note. So, some organize their notes in folders on the filesystem, some throw them all in Documents and use search to find things, and some use Yojimbo, Together, or Evernote to organize them.”

Now, if you’re more of a visual scribbler than a listener, Auntie suggests the $29.99 Circus Ponies Notebook.

Notebook shines in its ability to add diagrams, flow charts and sketches to any page and provides full stylus integration. You can import PDF documents and add notes on top of that material.

Plus, you can “…’clip’ selections from web pages and other apps straight into your Notebooks,” according to Circus Ponies’ marketing text. Notebooks stores the URL with the clip, allowing you to return to pages that you’ve taken notes on.

Perhaps your prefer an outline approach? Auntie’s got a suggestion for you, too. How about the $39.99 OmniOutliner? It provides excellent outlining tools.

OmniOutliner lets you collect and organize information using a traditional outliner on steroids. With it, you can build multi-columned documents that include many spreadsheet enhancements, so your outlines can come to life. If you’re a bullet-point style note taker, OmniOutliner probably provides all (if not more) the functionality you need for in-class organizing.

Got another OS X note-taking app to recommend? Drop a note in the comments, because Auntie loves hearing from you.

Hugs,

Auntie T.

Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me take notes at school originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The last week has given Apple fans a chance to reminisce about the company, its products, and the individuals who have helped make history. Now it’s your chance to show just how much you know about Apple.

Today on TUAW TV Live at 5 PM EDT, I’ll have a pile of Apple trivia questions ranging in difficulty from stupidly easy to incredibly obscure. Depending on your memory of all things Apple (or your Google-fu) and your speed at typing the correct answer into the chat room, you can emerge at the end of the day with bragging rights as The Unofficial Apple Trivia Champion.

As usual, I’ll be starting the show at 5 PM EDT (2 PM PDT / 10 PM BST) sharp, and we’ll take a few minutes to chat before the demos start. To join in on the chat and watch the live streaming video, drop by TUAW about five minutes before the start time to get your instructions on how to participate. If you’re unable to join us for the show, remember that you can always subscribe to the video podcast and watch the show at your leisure in iTunes or any other favorite podcatching app. The past shows are also available on the TUAW YouTube channel.

If you don’t want to use the Flash Ustream chat tool, remember that you can always connect through IRC. The default chat server is chat1.ustream.tv (port 6667), the chat room is #tuaw-tv. You’ll need to set up a Ustream account first with a username and password, and then log into IRC with that.

TUAW TV Live at 5 PM EDT: Test your knowledge of Apple trivia originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Astute TUAW readers may remember a story from two weeks ago about a prototype 2007 MacBook Pro with a 3G antenna built into the side of the LCD screen as well as a SIM slot. The device was being sold on eBay and had received bids in the neighborhood of US$70,000 before Apple requested that the sale be stopped. Now Apple wants the prototype back from its current owner.

CNet contacted the seller, Carl Frega of North Carolina, who had purchased the unique machine from someone on Craigslist. The machine wasn’t working, so Frega sold it again on Craigslist. This owner brought the machine to an Apple Store Genius Bar. When the machine was opened up, Apple refused to repair it as they noted that almost every part inside the device was “third party” — the main logic board, optical drive, display, hard drive, and top case were all non-standard.

The second buyer was miffed that Apple refused service and, thinking that the machine was a fake, took Frega to small claims court. Frega was forced to return the buyer’s money and got the one-of-a-kind MacBook Pro back, after which he tried to sell the device on eBay to see if he could recoup his losses.

Apple has now contacted Frega to recover the MacBook Pro, and the fate of the machine rests in the hands of the powers-that-be in Cupertino. It’s too bad that this one can’t be photographed for the Shrine of Apple.

Apple called: They want their prototype 3G MacBook Pro back originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“Dear Dev Juice,

With Lion and new xCode 4, Property List Editor is missing. Opening xCode to just be able to edit a plist file is not what I want.

So my question is how do you edit your plist files ? Do you know an alternative to xCode 4?

Thanks.

Thierry”

Dear Thierry,

If you don’t mind converting your property lists to XML format (plutil -convert xml1 filename.plist), you can always use TextEdit to make quick changes.

However, it sounds like you’re looking for a third party GUI solution. Daniel Jalkut helpfully pointed DevJuice to PlistEdit Pro. A $29.95 shareware application, PlistEdit Pro offers a standalone property list editor.

Developer Brian Webster told TUAW, “PlistEdit Pro was originally written in a fit of frustration over how bad Apple’s editor was. They eventually updated it around Xcode 3.1 or so, and it was much improved, but then as you saw they pulled the standalone version with Xcode 4.”

In addition to basic property list editing, PlistEdit Pro also offers a preference file browser, which scans through your user defaults library for easy browsing, adds scriptability for automatically modifying plists, and supports extended search, replace, and undo features.

Know of any other third party standalone GUI property list editors? (As opposed to plusutil, which is command-line only…) Leave a note in the comments.

Dev Juice: Help find me a standalone property editor originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Both the New York Times and the Associated Press are reporting that the Justice Department is suing to halt the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile, citing serious competitive issues with the US $39 billion deal.

The complaint says “AT&T’s elimination of T-Mobile as an independent, low-priced rival would remove a significant competitive force from the market, thus, unless this acquisition is enjoined, customers of mobile wireless telecommunications services likely will face higher prices, less product variety and innovation, and poorer quality services due to reduced incentives to invest than would exist absent the merger.”

AT&T announced its desire to merge in March, and the proposal has drawn fire from consumer groups, lawmakers, and rivals like Sprint which has been urging the government to stop the merger.

AT&T and Verizon are the sole US sources for the iPhone, but rumors have mentioned Sprint and T-Mobile as possibilities.

Update: AT&T isn’t giving up. As Engadget reports, Wayne Watts, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel, issued the following statement:

“We are surprised and disappointed by today’s action, particularly since we have met repeatedly with the Department of Justice and there was no indication from the DOJ that this action was being contemplated. We plan to ask for an expedited hearing so the enormous benefits of this merger can be fully reviewed. The DOJ has the burden of proving alleged anti-competitive affects and we intend to vigorously contest this matter in court. At the end of the day, we believe facts will guide any final decision and the facts are clear. This merger will:

· Help solve our nation’s spectrum exhaust situation and improve wireless service for millions.
· Allow AT&T to expand 4G LTE mobile broadband to another 55 million Americans, or 97% of the population;
· Result in billions of additional investment and tens of thousands of jobs, at a time when our nation needs them most.

We remain confident that this merger is in the best interest of consumers and our country, and the facts will prevail in court.”

U.S. looks to block AT&T, T-Mobile merger (Updated) originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So you love your sleek, compact Apple wireless keyboard and Magic Trackpad, right? Who doesn’t? There’s not a wire or cable in sight and you’re workspace couldn’t be more clutter free, functional and oh so pleasing to the eye. Until, that is, that dreadful day comes when you need to do some serious number crunching. In that moment, it’s safe to say, you wish you’d gone for Apple’s wired keyboard with a numerical keypad built into the side.

Well, thanks to the good folks at Mobee, now you don’t have to compromise. For $29.90 you get the Magic Numpad — a pack of three custom film layouts that you apply to your trackpad. Depending on how intensive the number crunching you’re about to do is, you can apply either the classic numpad (that leaves you some tactile surface on your trackpad), the full numpad or the numpad with customizable keys. With the overlays and a free download of Mobee’s free Snow Leopard or Lion compatible software, your Magic Trackpad will be transformed into a fully functioning Magic Numpad.

The Magic Numpad is up for pre-order now on Mobee’s website. Availability is set for October. Head on over to Mobee’s website for all the details.

[Via This is my next]

Magic Numpad turns your Magic Trackpad into a number pad originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scosche Industries produces a wide line of accessories for Apple products, ranging from iPad cases and flexible keyboards to screen cleaners and headphones. Now the company has developed and is selling the RDTX-PRO Radiation Detector and app for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Primarily designed for those who are affected by radiation from the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan, the US$329.99 device will be sold at Synexx in Tokyo beginning in September.

The RDTX-PRO can either be plugged into an iPhone or iPod touch via the dock connector or used as a standalone radiation alarm. When being used as a standalone alarm, the device runs on a single AA battery for up to 96 hours.

What’s unique is that the device requires no calibration at all, but can still detect gamma radiation above 60keV with +/- 5 percent accuracy. The accompanying free radTEST app makes it easy to interpret the readings, showing simple green (safe), yellow (elevated), and red (dangerous) zones on a meter. A digital display is available for advanced users who wish to get exact radiation level readings, and the results can be shared via Facebook and Twitter or viewed on a Google Map.

Scosche is donating $10 of each sale to charities that are assisting people affected by the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, with a goal of $1 million within two years.

Scosche’s RDTX-PRO for iPhone and iPod touch detects radiation originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot on the heels of last Friday’s predictions by analyst Brian White of Ticonderoga Securities, the MacBook Air has gone on sale in China this week. According to MacWorld, all four versions of the latest mid-2011 MacBook Air went on sale in China this week, though there are dispatch delays of between five and eleven working days, depending on which model is ordered.

In a note to clients last week White said, “The new MacBook Air is poised to be a big hit in the Greater China region as more consumers can increasingly afford to own a PC, Apple fever is gaining momentum in the region and there is no laptop product on the market with the characteristics of the new MacBook Air.”

With Mac sales already booming in Asia, it’s safe to say that the latest MacBook Air will most certainly be a hit in China.

MacBook Air begins to sell in China originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sparrow co-founder Dominique Leca gave an interesting interview to Business Insider (BI) in which he reveals his thoughts about the Mac App Store from a developer’s perspective. We’ve covered Sparrow, the popular third-party OS X email client, many times before. It launched on the Mac App Store at the beginning of the year and since then has become a hit, not only for its design, but for its tight integration with Gmail. The US$9.99 price for a full-featured app doesn’t hurt either.

But how does Leca feel about Apple taking almost a third of each sale? He’s got no problem with it whatsoever. “We think the Mac App Store gives us a fair deal,” Leca told BI. “It is required to get noticed, especially for an app like Sparrow. People don’t wake up in the morning thinking they want to change their mail client. So more than any developer, we need to be there.” He notes that after Sparrow debuted on the Mac App Store, the company started selling a licensed version on its website. After six months, only 2% of Sparrow sales come from their website, and 98% come from the Mac App Store.

In six months of sales from the Mac App Store, Sparrow has made more than half a million dollars. That’s more than enough to make Leca a fan of Apple’s store. However, he does have some suggestions as to how Apple could improve the Mac App Store. He points out that users seem to be confused between the App Store for iOS devices and the Mac App Store. Many don’t understand why they have to go to two different places to buy apps. He hopes that Apple will begin advertising the Mac App Store so users understand it better.

He also notes that handling app updates is a bit of a pain in the Mac App Store. If there’s a bug in an app, it could take as many as three to four days to get the fixed app into the store. “But on the bright side, developers have to ship something almost perfect. Without this, the Mac App Store would be crowded with junk apps.”

Finally Leca says that he wishes Apple would segregate their apps into a specific section of the Mac App Store — one that is outside of the top charts — so third-party apps could get more exposure. Many of Apple’s products like Pages, Keynote, Numbers, FaceTime, iPhoto, and OS X Lion consistently hold top-12 spots in the top charts, which means some good Mac apps stay hidden behind the tiny “Show All” button.

Leca has some other interesting thoughts about Apple and the Mac App Store so be sure to check out the original interview over on BI.

Sparrow co-founder tells why the Mac App Store is crucial to his success originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple is known for its attention to detail, even in the smallest of things, and here’s another example. ifoapplestore points to Apple’s newly constructed 4th Street Store in Berkeley, California which is constructed to be symmetrical and aligned. The 76 centimeter stone tiles within the store are the focal point of this design. Both the store’s windows panels and the sidewalk tiles outside the store are a multiple of this 76 cm dimension. It’s a subtle design element that is pleasing to the eyes and may help draw traffic into the new retail store.

Apple’s storefront design symmetry originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quarrel is yet another word game for the iPhone, but this one is actually worth taking a look at. Instead of another Scrabble clone, in Quarrel you’re also playing a metagame where you control an empire of warriors trying to take over territories by fighting battles with word scores.

It sounds complicated (and it really would be, if the game didn’t have an incredibly detailed tutorial to walk you through everything), but once a game gets rolling, it’s terrifically fun. Developers Indiagames went all-out with presentation, and everything oozes quality, from the cute characters and smooth notifications to the sparkling gameplay. Everything is extremely well designed, and the game is really well balanced — there’s even something to do while you’re not fighting a battle, which can grant extra rewards and power. If I have one complaint, it’s that things are a little slow once you understand everything, but that’s a minor concern — otherwise, the gameplay’s so well designed that it’s really enjoyable.

The one really big misstep here is that the game doesn’t have any multiplayer included — all of your battles so far are against AI opponents (though there is Game Center integration for achievements and leaderboards). That’s coming in an update, supposedly, and when that happens, Quarrel will really be something amazing. Until then, though, it’s still a really excellent game. There is a “Deluxe” version with a few extra modes and a dictionary available for US $4.99, but the free version for iPhone will allow you to go through the tutorial and play matches against the AI. Quarrel is a really amazing title, and I bet we’ll see it become quite popular as more and more gamers discover it on iOS.

Daily iPhone App: Quarrel originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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