Apple may be readying ebooks for Latin America, Sharp may be setting up to deliver displays for a new iPhone, and piracy is going rampant all over the place. The remainders for Thursday, August 2, 2012 are on their marks.
Apple reportedly pressing Spanish publishers to ready Latin America iBookstore rollout (The Next Web)
According to a report on The Next Web, Apple may soon plan to roll out the iBookstore in Latin America. The report goes on to note that Apple may only allow three currencies: U.S. dollars, British pounds, and Mexican pesos. Come on, Cupertino: Why don’t we have Applebucks yet?
Sharp to start shipping iPhone screens to Apple this month (Reuters)
Japanese electronics firm Sharp will begin shipping new thinner, larger LCD displays this month, which are rumored to be headed for a new iPhone. I say it’s all disinformation: It’d be way too predictable for the next iPhone to just have a screen.
Kodak Wins Partial Victory Against Apple In Patent Fight (Bloomberg)
A federal judge has ruled that Apple does not own two of the patents that the bankrupt Kodak plans to sell off. “But,” a Kodak representative reportedly added with a smirk, “you guys can totally buy ‘em off us.”
AT&T Buys NextWave in Spectrum Push (Wall Street Journal)
AT&T is purchasing NextWave Wireless for around $600 million, mainly to get an additional chunk of wireless spectrum for its next-generation cell network rollout. You know, with those kinds of prices, I’m thinking about picking up a little spectrum for myself—nothing fancy, just a hertz or two. Then I can sell it off for a profit.
Piracy and Premium vs Freemium: Madfinger Games on a developer’s dilemma (Gamezebo)
Dead Trigger, the zombie shooter that went free on Android last month due to rampant piracy, is now free on iOS as well. In an editorial, the developer’s CEO says the problem is twofold: People in general don’t want to pay for games, and there are plenty of pirated copies floating around. Well, I’m sure those trustworthy pirates will take up the mantle of producing video games after they drive all the developers out of business, right?
Product News:
SyncMate 4 – Version 4 of Eltima’s sync software adds support for Mountain Lion, as well as syncing contacts, calendars, and to-dos to iCloud, Yahoo, and Google Drive. In addition, there’s support for syncing BlackBerries and MTP devices, and Android users can now sync playlists and more easily sync media. $40 for a new license; existing users can upgrade for $20.
Evernote for Mac 3.3.0 – Evernote’s online syncing and note-taking software has reached version 3.3.0. The app adds sharing of notes to LinkedIn, a tag column in List View, new keyboard shortcuts, Retina-optimized icons in preferences, and bug fixes. Premium users can also now switch between accounts from the Evernote menu. Free download, some features require $45 per year or $5 per month subscriptions.