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After just 20 days in the Mac App Store, the Pixelmator team announced that it has grossed more than $1 million through sales. When the Mac App Store launched Jan. 6, they made the software available exclusively through it.

Pixelmator is currently the third top-grossing app in the Mac App Store. Only Pages, iPhoto and Aperture come in higher. Pixelmator is still on sale for $29.99

Pixelmator grosses $1 million in Mac App Store after 20 days originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The International Trade Commission has ruled against Kodak in its patent infringement complaint against Research in Motion and Apple, Bloomberg reports. In an initial determination recommendation, ITC Judge Paul Luckern ruled that Kodak’s patents are invalid and not infringed by Apple’s iPhone or RIM’s BlackBerry handsets.

This ruling is subject to review by the full six-member ITC commission, which can decided to overrule the judge or let his decision stand. If the commission overturns this decision, they could block the import of camera-enabled handsets from Apple and RIM. This final determination will be made by May 23.

The patents in this case involve an image preview feature used by devices with a digital camera, including smartphones (which are the target of this complaint). Kodak has already settled similar patent infringement lawsuits with Samsung and LG. Samsung settled with Kodak in 2010 and paid the imaging company a lump sum of US$500 million. LG settled in 2009 for $400 million. In a press release, Kodak remains optimistic that the Apple and RIM case will conclude in Kodak’s favor, but this initial negative ruling casts doubt on a positive outcome for Kodak. Kodak has a lot on the line as a loss in this Apple and RIM case may hurt future patent infringement cases.

[Via 9to5Mac]

Kodak loses critical part of ITC case against Apple and RIM originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last week, Starbucks updated its Starbucks Card app to handle payments through your iPhone and iPod touch at most Starbucks locations throughout the country. It was originally part of a pilot program when the app debuted in 2009, then expanded to Starbucks locations inside Target stores, and now it’s nationwide.

There is still an exception, and that is Starbucks located inside Barnes & Noble. These locations are owned by Barnes & Noble themselves and will not accept Starbucks cards. Likewise, when checking for places that will accept mobile payments via the Starbucks Card app, Barnes & Noble locations are not listed.

I tested out the app on a visit to the Starbucks at Avenue at White Marsh, just outside Baltimore. While using the app is simple, it takes some work to get it ready to go.

Continue reading Paying with your iPhone at Starbucks: hands-on

Paying with your iPhone at Starbucks: hands-on originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey everyone, it’s week two of Ask TUAW’s video edition. This week we help Nolan play a WMV file and discuss the options that are out there to play all sorts of video files. Remember, you can leave us questions in the comments! The video is on the next page.

Mentioned in this video:

• QuickTime – Apple’s Video Player
• Flip4Mac – a WMV component for QuickTime
• Perian – The “Swiss Army Knife” for QuickTime
• Video Lan Client – A great video player for Mac OS X
• Silverlight – Microsoft’s video plug-in for web browsers

Continue reading Ask TUAW video edition: Playing video formats

Ask TUAW video edition: Playing video formats originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A report from Bloomberg suggests Apple will integrate Near Field Communication technology into the iPhone 5 for AT&T and the iPad 2. The technology would let you make purchases wirelessly by waving your iOS device over an NFC-enabled register. The payment-processing system would tie into your iTunes account which stores your personal and credit card information.

Earlier rumors pointed to NFC-enabled iPhones that would function as an electronic wallet or a security passkey. This previous rumor also hinted that Apple’s lineup of Mac computers would incorporate NFC technology in a two-way system that would let your iPhone communicate with your Mac.

NFC technology is expected to grow in the upcoming years here in the U.S. Recently, Samsung and Google introduced the Nexus S, the first NFC-enabled handset powered by Android. Google is also piloting a Hotpot program in Portland, Oregon that lets businesses place an NFC-enabled display in their windows. This specialized signage will send store and promotional information to NFC-capable handsets.

Though Apple has not detailed its plans for near field communication a recent patent application suggests Apple is exploring the idea of an electronic ticketing system using NFC.

[Via 9to5Mac]

iPad 2, iPhone 5 could use NFC for mobile payments originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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9to5 Mac reports that the next version of Mac OS X 10.6.7 was seeded to developers on Monday. Build 10J846 comes just days after the first build was released. At the time, developers were encouraged to test AirPort, Bonjour, SMB file sharing and graphics drivers.

Build 10J846 clocks in at 372MB for the delta update and 1011MB for the combo update.

New version of Mac OS X 10.6.7 beta to developers originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon will offer a $30 unlimited data plan, the Wall Street Journal confirmed this morning, similar to the original plan that AT&T offered when the iPhone was originally introduced. This comes after a couple weeks of speculation.

“I’m not going to shoot myself in the foot,” said Lowell McAdam, the carrier’s chief operating officer.

Engadget, however, is showing that Verizon is doing away with its tiered data plan option entirely.

This offers another incentive not only for new iPhone customers, but luring over current AT&T users who are on the fence about whether or not to switch. AT&T has had capped-tier data plans since June, but those iPhone customers with older contracts had their unlimited data plans grandfathered in.

Update: The WSJ updated its blog to say that the unlimited data is a limited-time option, and that Verizon will be moving to tiered pricing in the near future.

[via MacRumors]

WSJ: Verizon confirms $30 unlimited data plan – for now originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I am a sucker for both puzzle games and RPGs, so Dungeon Raid is right up my alley. It’s a puzzle game where you have to match up various icons on a grid, as you can see above, but the real draw here is that all of those icons map to various RPG abilities that then let you level and grind out a sword-and-sorcery style character. Matching up swords and skulls, for example, lets you attack monsters, while matching coins piles up gold to spend on items later on. Leveling up grants various abilities and spells that affect combat, and as you play the puzzle game, you’re also building up a character and casting spells at the same time.

It’s a great mix of the two genres, done in a pretty original way, and the game moves quickly enough that it’s easy to summon up that “just one more turn” feeling as you play along. The game’s polished and runs great, full Game Center and OpenFeint integration provides leaderboards, and there are four difficulty levels to play with and lots of random items to pick up as you play. Dungeon Raid is currently US$2.99 on the App Store.

TUAW’s Daily App: Dungeon Raid originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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