iLounge

By Charles Starrett

Senior Editor, iLounge
Published: Monday, September 15, 2008
News Category: Mix

A new Apple patent application describing a future expansion of the Nike+ system has been published online. The patent describes new “smart garments,” including shoes, which would be able to relay not just athletic performance information, but also wear status, so that users would be notified if the garment was worn to the point where it could cause potential injury. In addition, the patent also mentions GPS-laden sensors which could provide elevation data during a workout, and also display information about and advertisements for nearby points of interest. As with all Apple patents, this filing does not necessarily represent any future product release from Apple, but offers evidence of the company’s research in this area.

Findley Designs has announced iPod Access v4.2.3, the latest version of its iPod and iPhone music and video transfer application for Mac OS X and Windows. Version 4.2.3 adds improved support for the iPod touch and iPhone, compatibility with iTunes 8, improved iTunes integration, and other bug fixes. iPod Access 4.2.3 is a free update for all registered v4 users, and can be downloaded as a free trial or purchased for $20.

A number of iTunes users are reporting that iTunes 8.0 is overwriting HD versions of their TV show purchases with SD versions instead of appending “1” to the name the second file, as it normally does for duplicates. According to an Apple Discussions thread, the problem appears to mostly affect users who have simultaneous downloads and 1-Click purchasing turned off, however, enabling both of these features is not a guaranteed fix for the problem.

More than a month following its removal from the App Store, NetShare developers Nullriver Software have posted an update on the application to their website, claiming that the app will not be reappearing on the store. The note reads, “Looks like Apple has decided they will not be allowing any tethering applications in the AppStore. As such, NetShare will not be available in the iTunes AppStore. We are seeing a lot of similar reports from various developers who’s applications were abruptly removed and banned from the AppStore without any violations of the terms of service. This is all unfortunate news for the iPhone platform end-users.”

Apple has rejected a new iPhone and iPod touch application for duplicating the functionality of its own products. Podcaster, a new app which would have allowed users to download and manage podcast subscriptions directly from their iPhone or iPod touch, was rejected by Apple last week, following which the developer received a response from the company. An Apple representative said, “Since Podcaster assists in the distribution of podcasts, it duplicates the functionality of the Podcast section of iTunes.”