Apple

Apple Patents – An Apple Tablet?

by

hrmpf.com mentions some new patents Apple applied for that would indcate some kind of Mac OS X based Tablet. The interesting thing is how “gestures” are used to manipulate the data – some of the UI elements include “floating” elements – like an iPod-like wheel popping up on the screen, allowing you to use it like the controls of an iPod. Another interface – turnign the surface of the Tablet into a mixing board. There is also the ever ubiquitous turning half the screen into a laptop keyboard, similar to how some PDAs handle on-screen keyboards.

Software Security/Tracking Options – Orbicule Undercover, Absolute

by

In kind of a follow-up to the mention of the biometric/fingerprint-reader hardware security options, there is also software available for those who don’t have that option, that may help you recover a stolen notebook.

Gizmodo mentions a piece of software for tracking stolen Macs (iBook, PowerBook, MacBook), called Orbicule Undercover. In addition to emailing IP information, it sends other information that may help identify the person(s) who stole or received a stolen Apple notebook. Undercover costs $29.99 and the money is refunded if your notebook can’t be tracked down.

In the course of the discussion that followed, a Gizmodo user pointed to a Windows-based piece of software, from Absolute Software, called CompuTraceComplete and CompuTrace LoJack, that has similar goals, and has the added bonus of a “Absolute Recovery Guarantee (PDF)” of up to $1000 dollars if they are unable to help you recover it within 60 days.

Apple’s Market Value Higher Than Dell

by

NASDAQ.com

Apple Market Value: $ 72,132,428,843.20
Dell Market Value: $ 71,970,702,760

Apparently Apple passed up Dell in market value yesterday. That doesn’t have anything to do with marketshare – Dell sells a lot more machines, but it is interesting that Apple is worth more – that’s a heckuva lot of iPods. What it really means, I have no idea – I’m not a financial analyst. It’s just generating a lot of conversation here and there on the web.