Netbook OS Jolicloud v1.0 launches

The developers of Jolicloud, or what we think is one of the finer netbook operating systems around, have announced that version 1.0 of their operating system is now available as a general public release.

New features include improved performance of the launcher, several minor system updates as well as the major updates listed below. 

A Simpler, Customizable Launcher Entirely Built in HTML5

• Installing an app takes only one click, and removing it is just as easy.
• Jolicloud comes with some of the best apps already pre-installed, including Gmail, Skype, Twitter, Firefox, and more.
• It’s up to you to organize your apps the way you want - your launcher is customizable.
• We take care of any app updates so that updating is easy, and that you always have the latest version of everything.

An Exhaustive App Center

• Jolicloud has selected 700+ of the best free apps to install and share with your friends.
• You don’t have to keep up with Internet trends to discover the coolest new apps - our curated, Featured Apps directory is updated weekly with the best and the latest.
• Jolicloud makes it easy for you to share what apps you like with your friends and vice versa, so it’s always a dynamic and social app environment.

A Social Stream

• Through our new Stream feature, you can feel the pulse of the Jolicloud community and discover the apps that your friends recommend.
• You’re not only kept up to date with what apps other Joliclouders like, but you can also see whatever updates your favorite apps release.
• Any notifications from Jolicloud and other third-party apps are all centralized here.

A Universal File System

• Because everything is in one place, it’s easy to manage your files and data, whether they’re on your machine or in the Cloud.
• Jolicloud facilitates access to popular online storage services like box.net, Dropbox, and drop.io, with new services being added frequently.

Experience the Anywhere OS

• You can install Jolicloud on as many devices as you’d like, and they will always be automatically synchronized. Any app you download, delete, or move around will be the same on all your other machines with no extra work on your part.
• You can even manage your interface from the Cloud - if you don’t have your computer with you, log in on any HTML5 browser like Chrome to add, remove, or organize apps.
• Moving from machine to machine has never been so easy.

Jolicloud 1.0 is available to download from the project's site and via BitTorrent. Users can choose between installing Jolicloud via a standard ISO image or alongside Windows using Jolicloud Express and documentation is provided.

I'll be downloading and installing the new OS via VirtualBox this afternoon and will provide some updated details as well as an opinion of the new changes later today.

iOS4 Jailbreak Hole Could Mean Big Trouble For Users

Apple along with several big name security researchers are warning that the recent exploit used in JailBreakMe to Jailbreak iOS4 could mean bad news for iPhone and iPad users. Both exploits could potentially allow would be hackers easy access to the devices 'root' control privileges.

The JailBreakMe exploit utilizes a hole discovered in the way Safari reads and parses PDF files. This security vulnerability allows the JailBreakMe site to gain access to the 'protective sandbox'. The second security vulnerability allows the code to get out of the 'sandbox' and access root control privileges for the device -- potentially allowing hackers the ability to install rogue apps that could monitor user actions. The end result is that the program can then have unrestricted access to your iPhone or iPad or iPod Touch on virtually all versions of iPhone firmware.


On Wednesday an Apple spokeswoman told Cnet via a statement, "We're aware of this reported issue, we have already developed a fix and it will be available to customers in an upcoming software update."

Microsoft Promises Office 2011 For Macs In October

Microsoft today announced that their next version of the Apple Mac OS version of Microsoft Office would be available in over 100 countries by the end of October. The suite will come in two editions to purchase at retail — Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 and Office for Mac Home and Business 2011.

Mac Office 2011 Pricing

Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 includes Word for Mac, PowerPoint for Mac, Excel for Mac and Messenger for Mac, and it will retail starting at $119 (U.S. estimated retail price [ERP]).

It will be available in two editions — a single install for $119 (U.S. ERP) and a Family Pack for $149 (U.S. ERP) with three installs for families with more than one Mac in their household. The Home and Student edition provides the core productivity applications that Mac users want and need.

Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Business 2011 includes Word for Mac, PowerPoint for Mac, Excel for Mac, Outlook for Mac and Messenger for Mac, and it will retail starting at $199 (U.S. ERP).

It also will be available in two editions — a single install for $199 (U.S. ERP) and a Multi-Pack for $279 (U.S. ERP) with two installs for a user with two machines. If Home and Student customers determine that they need the additional functionality of a desktop e-mail client, they can easily step up to Office for Mac Home and Business 2011using online upgrade functionality.

Microsoft Office for Mac Academic 2011 includes Word for Mac, PowerPoint for Mac, Excel for Mac, Outlook for Mac and Messenger for Mac, and it will retail at authorized academic stores and Microsoft, http://www.officeformac.com, for $99 (U.S. ERP).

This special edition was created for higher education students, staff and faculty, and includes one installation.

Office 2008 Technology Guarantee program

As with various version of Microsoft Office for Windows Microsoft has also announced a Mac office 2008 will be covered by their Technology Guarantee program. The program allows qualifying customers to upgrade to Office 2011 at no additional cost when they purchase Office 2008 between now and Nov 30th.

Qualifying purchase details:

Office 2008 for Mac must be purchased between Aug. 1, 2010, and Nov. 30, 2010, at Microsoft or an authorized reseller.

Customers can register for the program online at http://www.microsoft.com/mac/techg. Qualifying registrants must fill out the form and submit their product key(s) and dated sales receipt for Office 2008 for Mac by Dec. 31, 2010.

You must meet all eligibility requirements to receive your Technology Guarantee upgrade. Complete details on this upgrade offer can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/mac/techg.

Apple Stops Bad Mouthing Competitors Removes Antennagate Videos

Since the release of the new iPhone 4 Apple has come under some serious scrutiny from several major tech sites and consumer magazine including Consumer Reports and TechCrunch over antenna problems leading to reception issues. Apple's original approach was to downplay the issue originally telling consumers they should "Just avoid holding it in that way" or buy a bumper case.

"Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas," said Steve Dowling, an Apple spokesman. "If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases."

The company then changed direction and looked at blaming a software design flaw before finally stooping to bad mouthing the competition with videos of the so-called "death grip" at work on other smartphones.

Over the weekend is appears Apple has decided to remove those videos in-lieu of what we can only expect will be another approach at downplaying the iPhone 4 issue and or passing the buck on to other companies as well.

The original video files attacking the Blackberry Bold, HTC Droid Eris, Motorola Droid X and other smartphones are no longer available on Apple's specially-created Smatphone Antenna Performance page. Instead, visitors are now met with a new page showing images of the company's state-of-the-art testing facilities and a brief description describing attenuation and signal loss as well as minor details about their testing program.

The exception appears to be Apple Canada, where the old page still lives and Apple’s official YouTube channel where they are no longer featured, and are a little bit trickier to find.

The removal from the main US site leads us to wonder why the videos have been removed. Its possible that the threat of legal action here in the US by companies whose phones have been demonstrated could be behind the change. Apple however has yest to offer any answers.

The majority of the videos sparked some serious backlash from the tech community as well as Apple's competitors. They argued that their phones did not experience the same level of signal attenuation as the iPhone 4, which can lose signal strength when the bottom left corner of the device is touched.

Most tech pundits agree that in many cases Apple's results could not be as easily replicated as those of users who complained about issues with their iPhones. In fact in several reports the results couldn't be replicated without holding the phone in a totally unnatural manner unlike that of the iPhone.

"We can't seem to recreate this one as easily with our Droid Xs," Engadget reports. German-based Stiftung Wartentest, basically the German version of Consumer Reports, found the iPhone 4's reception will drop by up to 90 percent under the death grip versus a 25 percent signal loss for two other unnamed smartphones.

Clearly the issues Apple highlights are not the same. Apple tried hard to convince us none fanboys that it was but it’s not working. After all, if the other smartphones mentioned like the BlackBerry Bold or Droid X had the same issues as the iPhone 4, it would have been big news by now.

My conclusion:

Apple fanboys are going to be Apple fanboys and clearly as sales of the new iPhone continue to climb we can see that consumers are willing to let Apple slide on the this one. Sure this may not be an issue that affects every iPhone user equally, and hey it might not affect you at all, but in my eyes the issue here is that there is obviously a problem with a major number (even if it's a small percentage) of iPhones and Apple as a major manufacture should be held accountable. A major company like Apple should not be playing the blaming game and trying to point fingers the other way. They've acknowledged the issue by means of the bumper case giveaway and should leave it at that.

iPhone Dev Team Releases iPhone 4, iPad Jailbreak

That wonderful group of hackers known as the iPhone Dev Team has released their new Jailbreak tool for the iPhone 4, 3GS, 3G, or iPad. The new tool titled "JailbreakMe" reportedly works on the device itself with little user interaction. Simply visit the JailbreakMe website (or secondary site) on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to get started.

If you get a hand at the purple screen, it's because the server is overloaded at this time so you'll either need to try the secondary site or wait for a few hours and try again.

For more details follow @MuscleNerd or @Comex on Twitter as they have been updating details about known issues and sever responsiveness.