While Emoji is enabled for our friends in Japan, the United States never received the same love and attention, and at times, had hissy fits over Emoji keyboards available in the App Store. So while iOS 4 does and doesn’t have emoji available to customers, Apple is intending on updating the little emoticons to be used with applications like FaceTime and Google Maps. At least I think so according to Patently Apple’s latest finding, which shows Apple taking a deep interest in making stock and custom emoji prevalent in certain applications.
vBookz is iBooks for Text-to-Speech
While authors are agreeable when it comes to audio playback of their creative works, books published or listed in the public domain under Project Gutenburg have the freedom to be used however the reader wishes. vBookz for the iPad gives readers a mechanical (though well) sounding text-to-speech playback of their favorite open books, yet as Kyle VanHermet from Gizmodo writes,
“But if you’re not already text-to-speech inclined, vBookz probably won’t leave you a convert. I still found that it took more effort to listen to the books than to read them myself, and where I might, in some instance, listen to an audiobook, I don’t think I’d ever be able to make it through a novel’s full text-to-speech recital.”
Designed to be an aid for the visually impaired, vBooks is $5 from the iTunes App Store.
Sencha Touch Delivers an HTML 5 Framework to Mobile Devices
We might not be able to deliver cross-platform Flash applications to mobile devices, but we can implement HTML5. Sencha is a combination of efforts from jQTouch, Raphaël, and Ext JS who’ve delivered the first public beta of Sencha Touch, which is the first HTML5 Framework for mobile devices. HTML5 applications allow powerful web apps to be used offline, across mobile devices (iPhone & Android), and can take advantage of third party analytics services.
iTunes 9.2 With iOS4 Support is Out
Call us crazy but why didn’t Apple just include this in the 10.6.4 update? Either way, you too can grab iTunes 9.2 via Software Update on your Macintosh.
iPhone 4 Shipments Pushed Back Again to July 14th
ClickToFlash Now a Safari Extension
It isn’t feature complete yet, but ClickToFlash has finally made its way onto Safari 5 as an extension. You can find the download link after the break.
Mac Mini Core 2 Duo Not to be a Concern
Bummed that some of the newer Mac updates don’t come with Core i3 processors compared to their cheaper, PC counterparts? CNET’s Rich Brown says not to worry.
As spelled out by CNET’s Rich Brown in his review of the new Mac Mini, performance is good enough. Comparing it to the compact Gateway SX2840-01 desktop, the Gateway’s 2.93GHz Core i3 processor does outpace the Core 2 Duo but “in practical terms that performance difference likely won’t mean much to those shopping for a system in this price range,” he writes.
The new Mac Mini is definitely a safe purchase (and college students can get $50 off with the education discount).
[via CNET]
Apple May Still have iPhone on Verizon Later this Year, T-Mobile a No Go
Kellex from Droid-Life is a pretty reliable source when it comes down to insider Verizon information, and this morning he’s reporting that the iPhone 4 is destined to land on Verizon’s network later this year. What’s interesting is the inside glimpse at how Apple approaches carriers – there’s a very high cost of entry for those willing to play ball with Apple’s lust worthy handset, and potential carrier T-Mobile backed out of the deal in fear of going bankrupt.
600,000 iPhone 4 Pre-Orders
Despite all of AT&T’s problems, Apple and crew have managed to sell 600,000 iPhone 4 handsets. In an official PR statement, Apple reports, “It was the largest number of pre-orders Apple has ever taken in a single day and was far higher than we anticipated, resulting in many order and approval system malfunctions.”
[via Gizmodo]