iLounge

By Charles Starrett

Senior Editor, iLounge
Published: Monday, May 16, 2011
News Category: Mix

New evidence of a deal between Nuance Communications and Apple has been found in the developer preview of Mac OS X Lion. According to Netputing, Lion contains a number of new voices that are also present in Nuance’s Vocalizer application. The report notes that the voices are not yet usable, as an error message appears when trying to install them. A pair of reports from last week indicated that Apple had entered into an agreement with Nuance to run and build upon its voice recognition software at its new data center in North Carolina, potentially utilizing the technology to deliver new features for iOS 5. [via Cult of Mac]

Guinness World Records has released its 2011 Gamer’s Edition, in which it names the iPhone 4 the “Fastest-Selling Portable Gaming System,” with sales of 1.5 million units on the first day. The book also touts the Apple App Store as the “Most Popular Applicaiton Marketplace,” the “Largest Downloadable Video Game Store,” and the “Largest Launch Line-up of Any Gaming System.” Other records were given out for “Most Popular iPhone Game Series” (Tap Tap Revenge), “Fastest-Selling iPhone/iPod Strategy Game” (Plants vs. Zombies), and “Top Paid-For App Store Game in Most Countries” (Angry Birds).

Apple is set to launch Reading List, a new feature for Safari, in Mac OS X Lion, according to a 9 to 5 Mac report. The feature, which functions much like the popular service Instapaper, was believed to be for desktop browsing only, but the report states that the feature will in fact sync with iOS Safari. The Reading List currently shows up following a MobileMe or physical iTunes Bookmarks sync as a folder named com.Apple.ReadingList inside the iOS Safari Bookmarks list.

Seagate has introduced its new GoFlex Satellite portable external hard drive. Designed with iOS users in mind, the 500GB drive features built-in Wi-Fi, allowing it to share its contents with up to three devices at a time via a web browser or the free GoFlex Media app. Other features include an internal rechargeable battery with up to five hours of battery life, USB 3.0 connectivity, and optional FireWire 800 or powered eSATA interfaces. Seagate’s GoFlex Satellite portable external hard drive is available for pre-order and sells for $200.