With relations between Apple and Google growing strained, a new set of rumors places Apple as having gone into discussions with Microsoft towards making Microsoft’s Bing search engine the default for the iPhone.
According to Businessweek, a source close to the story offered the following: “Though Microsoft did not confirm or deny any chatters on the likelihood of Microsoft wining Apple search deal for iPhone, [Microsoft executive] Mr. Apter told us that for right economics Microsoft would like to win the Apple search deal.”
In a recent note, Collins Stewart analyst Sandeep Aggarwal, also commented: “In our view, Apple search deal can be strategically very significant win for Microsoft not only because of Google and Apple’s history of working together but also because Microsoft has been lagging behind in terms of making in roads on fast growing mobile Internet market.”
As mentioned yesterday, Apple’s inclusion of the Google search engine on the iPhone platform nets the company about US$100 million a year from Google as part of a revenue-sharing deal, making it less likely Apple would want to develop its own search engine.
If you’ve ever worried about your iPhone or iPod touch’s hard drive crashing, DriveSavers has once again proven useful.
Over at Macworld Expo, the company has announced that it will update its free DriveSaver app for the iPhone and iPod touch that can simulate solid-state drive failures.
Per Macworld, the Crash a Hard Drive feature educates users about how hard drives can crash and what you can do to ensure safe data storage. The new addition will now add a solid-state drive to the mobile app’s simulations of real-world drive failures.
If you’re at Macworld Expo, you can see demonstrations of the app first-hand at both the Mobile Applications Showcase (Booth #1366) and DriveSavers’ booth (#1448).
If you want to get rid of your old MacBook in a hurry, this may be for you.
According to Macworld UK, Trading4u has announced plans to offer cash for any old and unwanted MacBooks. Potential customers can receive a free estimate online, then arrange for pick up, if happy with the price quoted.
The company promises a quick turnaround from collection to payment, on average paying customers in just five days from receiving the goods. The site claims to buy and sell just about everything.
“We have a huge success rate of more than 90% – That’s 9 out of 10 items achieve a completed sale.
If you don’t set a reserve and your item doesn’t sell – You don’t pay a penny,” the company insists.
If you’ve tried this site and have any feedback about it, let us know.
If you want your iPhone or iPod touch to be able to do everything, including spackle the den this weekend, you might be one step closer.
Per Daring Fireball, Square has opened up a beta version of a payment system wherein users can create an account on the Square web site, receive a hardware dongle and swipe debit and credit cards through the device as a means of payment.
Even with Apple and HTC working to patent their own capacitive stylus, the South Koreans might have come up with a better solution: frozen sausages.
Per Gearfuse, snack sausages from the CJ Corporation have proven to be electrostatically compatible with the iPhone’s capacitive touchscreen, leading many to use them as a “meat stylus” in the cold weather, rather than remove a glove.
As a result, South Korean snack sausage sales are apparently soaring.
We’re not sure what other deli items constitute an adequate iPhone stylus, but if you play around with this and find something new, please let us know.
Google Chrome, Google’s new web browser, just reached version 5.0.307.7 beta for the Mac. The new version, an 18.9 megabyte download, offers the following the following changes:
- Extensions (finally!).
- Bookmark sync.
- Bookmark manager.
- Cookie manager.
- Task manager.
- Support pinch to zoom on the Mac.
- Cmd-three finger swipe opens prev/next page in new tab.
Google Chrome requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later and an Intel-based Mac to install and run.
If you’ve played with it and have an opinion, let us know what you think in the comments.
Panel: Jason O’Grady, Tom Hesser, Adam Christianson and Victor Cajiao.
Topics: Macworld Expo 2010 opens in San Francisco and our panel reviews the first day of the show including the featured presentations by David Pogue and Kevin Smith and the Best of Show awards.
Yep, we’re in the right place.
Even without Apple there, you’ve got a crowd. Not too shabby.
Behold, more crowds. And escalators.
Attendees walk to the next exhibit or section in what appears to be a full capacity Expo.
The latest Microsoft marketing campaign: a combination of annoyance and primal terror.
To be fair, the giant Microsoft Office icons CAN be killed with silver bullets and holy water.
Attendees sit in on a panel featuring John Braun and Dave Hamilton of the Mac Observer.
Attendees listen to a panel on the Main Stage before hopping off to the next vendor or exhibit.
