This week’s issue hits on nearly all of the main TidBITS beats. In iPhone news, Apple announces international iPhone distribution agreements in the UK and Germany (and France chimes in too, though Apple has yet to confirm it), AT&T proves to be less-than-straightforward regarding the recent iPhone credits, Glenn looks at how Apple and Starbucks are giving away 50 millions songs, and Adam taps iPhoney to see how Web sites will appear on the device. In Mac news, Adam tries free Web conferencing using Yugma, hears voices courtesy of the Infovox iVox high-quality speech modules, and notes the end of the paid portion of New York Times coverage. Meanwhile, Glenn runs down numerous options for adding 802.11n Wi-Fi to older Macs and Simon Leeman goes in depth to show why calling the latest iMacs and MacBook Pros “Santa Rosa” is wrong in multiple ways, despite persistent published reports. Lastly, we have three updated ebooks from Joe Kissell, providing the latest details on Apple Mail, on staving off spam with Mail, and on .Mac.
While many early iPhone purchasers are pleased with Apple's offer of a $100 Apple Store credit for those who purchased the initially pricey gizmo early on, and some are thrilled with the 14-day price protection policy that provided a $200 refund to those who bought in the two weeks immediately before this month's price drop, we hear that some iPhone customers who bought at an AT&T Wireless store have gotten the runaround when attempting to settle up.
Mac OS X 10.4.10 doesn't know about the new daylight savings time rules that take effect on 30-Sep-07 in New Zealand, but New Zealand Mac users can fix their Macs with a free utility from Glenn Anderson.
If you, like me, need to see what Web sites look like on an iPhone, but you don't have an iPhone or iPod touch, turn to the free iPhoney, which simulates Web browsing on an iPhone.
37 artists are featured in a 50 million song iTunes giveaway, tying Starbucks and Apple even more closely in the digital music realm.
The voices - particularly the British English ones - in Infovox iVox are stunningly good. If you've never used text-to-speech before because of low-quality voices, give these a listen.
Until Mac OS X 10.5's screen sharing becomes available, check out Yugma for free Web conferencing that works in Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Apple announces cell carrier O2 will sell the iPhone in the UK starting November 9 for £269 ($542) including VAT; T-Mobile will offer it for £399 ($562) in Germany. Going one better than AT&T, the UK and German services include unlimited data access to thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots along with EDGE. But O2, at least, defines unlimited data as having a strict limit.
2 years, 227,00 subscribers, and $10 million later, The New York Times reverses direction and stops charging for most older articles via its TimesSelect service. Adam looks at the move and how other publications have experimented with charging for older articles.
QuickerTek lowers prices and adds options for Mac users who want to add Wi-Fi to Macs without it, or boost the speed of their Wi-Fi networks with the latest 802.11n standard.
More options to update older Macs to nearly the fastest flavor of Wi-Fi - 802.11n - without fuss. A USB option is particularly attractive for the widest support of varied systems.
The latest iMacs and MacBook Pros have been dubbed the "Santa Rosa" models, but is that accurate? Simon Leemann says not only is it wrong, it's wrong in two different ways. Read on for a look at why Apple's naming scheme is broken, how Intel's marketing efforts are creating confusion, and what hardware is really in those Macs.
In an effort to clear the decks before Leopard pounces, we have published not one, not two, but three free updates to popular Take Control books about Apple Mail, managing spam with Apple Mail, and Apple's .Mac online service.
In TidBITS Talk this week, the TidBITS community tackles subjects such as backing up large files, open QuickBooks files, the differences between the iPod touch and iPod classic, and powering datacenters with DC current.